The end of September, already?

It's the last day of September, can you believe it?!?!  Where has the time gone?!  Erica & Caleb's baby is due in 12 days, I can hardly wait!!!  

As for us, this week was a blur because I started out sick as a dog. Monday, I stayed home and tried to recoup, and I felt better that evening, but even as I write this my sinuses are in bad shape.  Monday night I got an urge to make cookies (sick person making cookies for others, totally normal).  The cookies were undercooked and the giant cookie cake I made was overcooked.  To be frank, it was hard as a rock and looked like a giant frisbee.  Oh well, I still ate some of it, and I think Justen ate a little, too.  I'm so lucky my husband isn't a picky eater!

Tuesday I subbed in the highest paying sub district (wahoo) as a middle school Spanish teacher.  And I rocked it!  I tell ya, after 2 years of Spanish in high school and 2 years of Spanish (or more) in college, I'm right on par with the first month of Spanish 1 in a middle school.  I felt both proud and a little embarrassed.  The kids, on the other hand, thought I was a rock star because I had them do board races (not on the lesson plan) and I spoke to them en espanol (in Spanish for those of you who aren't fluent).  This was the first time I considered working as a middle school teacher when I return to teaching next year.  The kids are so great, I feel bad for all the smack I used to talk on middle school kids!  Every other Tuesday evening we go to London for dinner with Mom and Dad Castle, but this week they were at a visitation, so instead I made a meal full of carbs.  Soup and pasta, delicious!  Justen politely suggested I add more meat and vegetables to a meal, and he got a stomach ache from all the carbs.

Wednesday I subbed in the money district again, and this time I was a 6th grade music teacher in an all 6th grade school.  The teacher was vocal music, but the students were working on a percussion project.  The project required them to make a cacophony

ca·coph·o·ny

   [kuh-kof-uh-nee]  Show IPA

noun, plural ca·coph·o·nies.

1.

harsh discordance of sound; dissonance: a cacophony ofhoots, cackles, and wails.

2.

a discordant and meaningless mixture of sounds: thecacophony produced by city traffic at midday.

3.

Music . frequent use of discords of a harshness and relationship difficult to understand.

of rhythm using anything but instruments.  Essentially these wily 6th graders banged on buckets, cardboard, used brooms, tapped pencils, shook boxes of macaroni, and giggled all day.  There wasn't enough tylenol in the world to prevent the mother of all headaches that settled in my brain within the first hour.  That evening I felt antsy and wanted to go somewhere, do something, but in an effort to save money, instead we played more Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune on the Wii and watched White Collar.  We actually ate leftovers for dinner, something we never do (we usually forget about them and end of throwing a bunch of leftovers out the next week).

Thursday was the start of an AMAZING weekend!  I finally FINALLY subbed for an English teacher in a high school.  It was wonderful!  The kids were thoughtful and respectful.  The staff was somewhat friendly.  I actually knew the subject matter and didn't have to BS it!  I left work that day feeling like a rock star, remembering that teaching English is something I'm good at, and I really hope the teacher I subbed for would want me to sub for her again.  Mom and Dad Castle took us to dinner that night.  At first I accused Justen of complaining to his dad that I wasn't making enough meat and I was making him eat leftovers, but Justen said he didn't.  We ate at City Barbeque, which was really good.  They have a promotion where, if you bring in a bottle of bbq sauce that they don't have on display, they'll trade you a free tshirt for it.  Dad noticed they didn't have a Bryant's bottle up, so the next time I'm in KC that's my assignment.  We got home just in time to watch another disappointing episode of The Office.  I guess it's appropriate that this is the last season, since it's no longer funny or endearing.

Friday I didn't sub, and I'm relieved I didn't!  I had an allergic reaction and my lip swelled up!  That would've been the worst way to sub, with a weird lip.  Instead I taped off our pepto pink bathroom and did the trimming so Justen could use the roller and paint when he got home.  I got an amazing email from the teacher I subbed for on Thursday saying I'm now her #1 choice for subbing, and she just made my day!  We had dinner that night with Justen's friends, Clint & Krissi, then played a new game that Krissi just loves:  Phase 10.  I tried explaining to her that's it's neither new or fun, but she loves it.  How long have we been playing Phase 10 as a family?  Actually, the better question is, how long have we refused to play Phase 10 because we got sick of playing Phase 10?  We declined to watch a movie or play another game in lieu of coming home and finishing our bathroom--which looks amazing!

Saturday we went to an auction in London, Justen's home town.  We got there around 11 and didn't leave until 4:30, it was a LONG day.  It was super overwhelming, all the people, and two different auctioneers bleeting in their microphones.  I couldn't understand a single word they said, and by the end of the day I still didn't really get what was happening.  Granpa and Gramma Hayes bought us a beautiful curio cabinet that I had my eye on, and Mom and Dad Castle bought Justen some ammo and bought me a cool piece to put in the kitchen.  It was really fun, and I LOVE the new furniture pieces!  Mom and Dad brought the kitchen piece over and we all went to dinner at Carraba's, meeting Justen's sister and her crew there.  Dinner was amazing!  I sat next to little Kaylee Jay and played and colored.  Needless to say, I'm going to be an awesome aunt to a little girl!  

Church today was good, although I thought it was going to be a fast & testimony meeting...  Instead we had speakers that talked about sustaining the priesthood, especially since conference is next week and we should sustain our leaders more than just raising our right hand.  It was good, and I was so proud of my handsome hubby being the one to get up first and say we needed to get ready for church.  I made crockpot chicken and potatoes, then promptly fell asleep for 4 hours.  Justen woke me up at 3:45, after granpa and gramma Hayes came and left, and I watched while he planted a few flowers in our front yard.  So far I'm only working Wednesday and Friday this week, but teachers notoriously take Mondays off work (I always did), so I'm sure I'll work tomorrow.  I just won't know where until 10 tonight or 5:30 tomorrow morning.  Either way, I have my clothes laid out and ready to go.

I hope you've all had a fantastic week, that the fall weather and smells remind you of football, campfires, and family.  I love this time of year, Justen and I are living the good life!

Another Day, Another Dollar

This week was great.  I worked on Monday as a high school health teacher.  Funny story...  The sub assignment was for the kids to answer questions out of their book and then look up vocabulary words and write the definitions.  The students were all giggling like morons, so I finally looked up the words they were to define.  It was 2 chapters, the first was over the male reproductive system and the second was the female reproductive system.  So, the vocabulary words they were looking up are words that as a substitute teacher I should NEVER say in a classroom, and words they say all too often at Justen's office.  (semen)  After work, I called Justen and said I planned to take a quick nap, but to wake me no later than 5:30 so I could help clean our house in preparation for Mom's arrival.  The next thing I know, I'm waking up and it's 9pm.  Justen. Was. Ticked.  He said at one point he had to leave the house and go drive around, he was that mad at me but didn't want to yell at me and start a fight.  He cleaned everything, and when I asked why he didn't wake me up, he said he tried (once).  Well, as my brothers know, it takes more than a gentle nudge one time to wake me up.  I needed him to do what Dad did when he'd wake us up for seminary:  flip on all the lights, grunt at me to GET UP, and then whip the sheets off of me.  It wasn't a fight, but only because my husband is so amazing, patient, forgiving, and understanding.  Was he mad? Oh yeah. But he forgave me for my slovenly ways.

Tuesday, I ran a few errands before picking mom up at the airport.  I was so excited to see her, but I was late (big surprise), and missed her walking out of the gate, missed her at the baggage claim, and by the time I caught up to her at the passenger pick-up lane I started a little fight.  "Where are you?  I'm here, where are you? I'm on the right! Where are you, get over here!  To the right!"  Needless to say, I apologized immediately and we went to the outlet mall.  Mom scored some Christmas stocking stuffers and a rug for my living room and entry way.  We got back to the house at the same time Justen got home from work, and we high-tailed it to the Castle's for family dinner.  You should've seen the way the Castles embraced mom, like she was a long-lost daughter!  Everyone loves our mom, though, we are a lucky family to have her.  Mom Castle made amazing lasagna for dinner, and after stuffing ourselves, we came back home to prepare for Wednesday.

I worked on Wednesday as a middle school science teacher.  It was an AWESOME gig, which makes me wonder if perhaps I should've been a middle school teacher.  Those kids are both cute and precocious, and we had fun.  While I worked, Mom Castle and Justen's aunt and gramma came over to our house to entertain mom.  From what I gathered, they had a great day and the weather was perfect.  That evening we went to Slice of Columbus. It's where tons of pizza vendors gather, and for an entry fee you get to try all different kinds of pizza!  It's what I imagine heaven will be like.  Some pizza was amazing, some wasn't so great, but we ate samples from barely half of them before declaring ourselves too full for anymore.

Thursday, while Justen worked hard for the money, Mom and I did some home improvement projects.  Rearranging furniture, handing pictures on walls, etc.  That day Dad Castle had to get some skin cancer removed, so Mom graciously made beef stroganof for us and Justen's parents.  They came over right after his surgery, and despite being really sore we were surprised at how amiable he seemed.  If someone cut a giant chunk of skin out of my chest, I don't think I'd be laughing and chatting with family.  The Castle men are made of something steel, they are tough guys.  And, since we had so many leftovers, I called the missionaries to come over and eat with us.  (I had cancelled on them last week, and told them if they had a cancellation to let us know and we'd have them over.)  Thursday night was the season premier of our favorite shows: The Office, Parks and Rec, and Up All Night.  Unfortunately, I think I was TOO excited for the premier and that jinxed the shows, cause they just weren't that funny.

Friday, Mom and I did more home improvement projects: buying paint samples, hanging up framed records (that later fell and glass shattered all over), re-hanging up framed records, and making my house awesome.  Mom definitely left her mark here!!  

We went to dinner that night at Red Robin, then went to Best Buy and bought the Wii game Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune!  We played them Tuesday at the Castle's, and it was so fun!  So we came home, played a game of Jeopardy, and then watched some tv together.  Justen and I are really into a show called White Collar, and we watch old episodes on Netflix a lot.  The episode we chose for Friday night was pretty boring, so I don't think Mom will be Tivo-ing the show anytime soon.  Justen's uncle Lloyd passed away this week, and so Justen's parents went to the services tonight and Saturday.  I'm sad that Justen didn't go, but we were able to see uncle Lloyd twice in the past 6 weeks, and so Justen felt peace.  

Saturday morning we took mom to the airport, after stopping at Jolly Pirate Donuts, Yar!  I was sad to see her go, it was really wonderful having family (my family) here.  I felt like I had someone on my team here, a buddy to do everything with while Justen worked.  

Justen went back to bed but I was starting to feel really lousy and every time I tried to lie down and sleep, my sinuses filled.  Instead I re-hung more records (2 more fell during the night, picked up glass, and piddled around until Justen got out of bed around 11.  When he got up, I decided to go back to sleep and slept for several hours.  I was running a little fever, and before I knew it, POW, I have a sinus infection.  We were supposed to go to aunt Debbie's birthday dinner and then invite everyone to our house afterwards for cake and games.  I missed it all because I felt so awful.  I hate being sick and this sinus infection is kicking my butt!  I have been using my neti pot several times a day (even posted a picture of it on Instagram, then later deleted it so Tommy wouldn't stop following me), and taking tons of over-the-counter meds. 

We missed church today because I still have a fever, and I've just been lying around like a bum.  Justen left to go to his nieces' and nephew's soccer games, and I tried to sleep upright to avoid the sinus pressure.  He is a good husband, but no one wants to sit around listening to someone blow their nose constantly like a foghorn.  Also, pretty sure my breath could kill some healthy plants.  I did play some Jeopardy while he was away, and I'm getting pretty good at guessing (on the easy level of course).  When he got home, I was asleep (again), and around 8:00 I woke up just in time to watch some of the Emmys.  Justen watched it with me, which shows me just how much he loves me, to sit through an awards show with his sick wife = A LOT.

So, that's my life this week.  I feel pretty crappy, and I'm hoping my sinus infection goes away soon so I can sub.  No one wants a sick substitute! 

Subbing, Spray Paint, and Sleep

For Justen and I, this past week has been CRAZY!  Maybe because I'm working now, but I can't believe what a blur it is.  Monday was my first subbing job at a really nice high school about 30 minutes north.  For the first time in our marriage, I was up and ready and out the door before he got out of bed!!!

I was a high school band teacher, and a middle school band teacher, with no sub plans, roster, or anything.  I only had to "teach" 4 periods because of all the traveling between schools, and more than anything I just babysat kids.  I was so nervous, but by the end of the day I felt good.  It was so fun to come home after working and talk to Justen about our days.  He mowed the lawn while I got groceries, then we enjoyed a delicious pot roast and watched some tv.  It was a great way to start off the week!

Unfortunately, when you are a substitute, EVERY DAY is your first day.  So Tuesday, I subbed at a completely different school as a high school Spanish teacher.  I got there early according to the time I was assigned, but I was still later than the kids and buses.  It was awful, just awful.  Bad kids, rude kids, ignorant kids, disgusting kids...  I don't know if I will ever go back to that school to sub, it was just awful.  We went to family dinner that night and all I could tell mom and dad about it was, "those kids are a-holes."  And they were.  After dinner we stopped at a store and got some goodies to mail Joe for his birthday package, yay!  

Wednesday, Justen and I left for work at the same time, I had to get a picture!  I feel like a contributing member of our little family now!

 I subbed at another new-to-me school, and I was an elementary art teacher and middle school art teacher.  EASIEST. JOB. EVER.  If you want to be around adorable 3-5th graders, and slightly stinky and hormonal 6-8th graders, this is the perfect job.  It was a long day, but it was so much better than my awful Tuesday experience.  I wish I had known what a sweet job an elementary art teacher is, I would've done that!!!  That night Justen took me to a movie for our date night, and because I'm so stressed and having eating issues, I snuck in my own mashed potatoes.  Did you know movie theaters don't appreciate people bringing in their own tupperware dinners?  Justen was pretty embarrassed of his wife who hid a tupperware container of mashed potatoes in her purse, then had to sneak eat them during the movie.  Oh well, he's put up with a lot worse!!!  

Thursday I subbed in a small school, much like my old job in Plattsburg, in London.  I was a high school gym teacher (nightmare) and had to make the kids walk the gym.  I'm sure we could've done something else, like basketball, but all the balls were locked up and the baskets weren't lowered.  It was only for the morning, but it felt like it lasted forever.  I left and went straight to Granny & Gramps' house which was a block away from the school and stayed for 2 hours just chatting.  I sure love Justen's extended family, they've been really good to me.  By the time I got home, I was pooped!  Justen came home and chatted with one of our neighbors that we've never ever seen (we spied on him first for awhile before going outside).  I was so tired, however, I didn't even stay up to watch Project Runway, a first for me!  Thank goodness for DVR.  I was happy to relax with my hubby that evening.  I think I put my pajamas on before 8:00.

Friday I subbed at the same school I was at on Monday, and I was a visual arts teacher.  This is a fancy way of saying computer teacher.  The classes were computer graphics and photo editing, so I sat at a desk bored out of my mind and reading blogs on my phone.  I should mention that at my subbing jobs so far, I don't have internet access, and I'm really NOT supposed to use my phone.  I deleted my facebook account (reasons aren't important) and I think that will help me from being tempted to check facebook all day while with students.  I figured in the computer room, since there was nothing for me to do anywhere, it would be okay to have my phone out.  It died before noon.  That's a sign!!! No more using my phone while subbing.  That evening it cooled way down, and Justen and I ran some errands, then spray painted some picture frames outside while listening to the high school football game announcers a few blocks away.  It felt and smelt like fall!!!

Saturday I got up early-ish, and went to Hobby Lobby to get a frame ready for Granny & Gramps' vow renewal gift.  I was holding a 16x20 inch frame in front of me with the glass not attached.  Next thing I know I'm on the ground, surrounded and lying in shattered glass asking myself "WHAT THE.....?"  Instead of watching my steps, I ran right into the sidewalk curb, stubbed my toe, jammed my finger, and cut the crap out of my knee.  I sat there for a minute trying not to cry and hoping no one was around to see that.  I went inside to tell them I tripped and fell and there was broken glass.  Their response?  "Happens all the time."  After that debacle, I went wedding dress shopping with friends in some cute boutiques in the Columbus area.  Krissi, the bride-to-be, was like a barbie doll and it was so fun watching her try on dresses!  

I enjoyed my day out with the ladies, and while I was gone Justen cleaned my car for me, SCORE!  I spilled hot chocolate one morning and my car started to smell like vomit, so my handy husband took care of it.  It is pretty sweet having someone around who wants to help fix my mess-ups!  We spent that evening cutting fruit up for Sunday and just being together.  I tell ya, I was still pretty worn out.  Working everyday is hard!  HA! 

Today was a great day.  We went to Justen's church in London, Newport Church of Christ in Christian Union, to see Granny and Gramps renew their wedding vows.  All the aunts and uncles were there, and some of the grandkids and great-grandkids.  It was so sweet and touching, their vows and their love for each other after 54 years.  I felt really blessed to be there and witness it.  I used Justen's phone to record it, and although I dropped the phone twice, I think you can still catch the gist of it.  Dad sang a beautiful song, too, I loved it, and I had Justen record it to avoid further dropping.

 Afterwards we had a luncheon for family and a little presentation for them where everyone wrote a memory and read it out loud.  So many tears were shed, and it was just such a happy day.  Justen and I got home after 2 and took a nap until 6!  

We went to his friends house, Matt & Suzanne, because they built a fire.  We roasted marshmallows and hotdogs, ate smores and played games.  His friends are just awesome!

What a week

Normally I'd write a post late Sunday night as Justen and I watch TV and prepare for the week, but last night I got my FIRST subbing job, yay!  So instead of emailing you, I was running around trying to gather everything I may or may not need.  I'll tell you more about that later.

Last week was a great week, we had a lot of fun (as usual).  Monday was Labor Day and we took family pictures with Justen's mom's side of the family, the Hayes side.  Gramma and Granpa Hayes are renewing their wedding vows on Sept. 16th, so we took a big family photo to give them as a gift.  It went really well.  Later, gramma told me that no one has ever done that for them, gotten all their family together, and how much it meant to them.  It was the same "gift" I pulled for mom last year on Labor Day, remember?  Now I'll have to think of new amazing gifts because I used up my good ideas already!

  Tuesday was boring but good.  My phone rang early that morning with a recorded message asking if I would substitute at a school, I said yes!  Then it asked for my pin #, which I don't have and don't even have a clue what it could be!  I spent a lot of hours that morning making calls and trying to figure out why I was getting called to sub if no one had me in their system.  I really didn't get any answers either, just a bit of the run-around. It was nice to spend time with Justen that evening and not have to go anywhere or do anything.

  Wednesday morning I got 3 calls to sub, starting at 5:45am, Justen loved that!  Still no pin # so I had to just hang up and hope my paperwork was getting processed somewhere! We had the missionaries over for dinner, our ward got 2 new ones and they are funny!  I made breakfast for dinner, yum, and they ate a lot and took home the rest!  After they gave us a great spiritual message and left, Justen and I ran to Wal-Mart to get ammo and shooting range licenses.  

Thursday, after I harassed people again and got my pin # for subbing, Justen took a half day off and we went with his friends Nate & Erin to the shooting range.  It was super fun!  Justen and Nate are a good shot, Erin and I got tired of it after a little while and just watched the guys unload.  I got to shoot Justen's gun and one of Nate's handguns.  While shooting Justen's gun I popped off 6 in a row, I was MAKING IT RAIN!  I felt pretty awesome!!!  We grilled at the house with them and had a good time.

  Friday was the first day I could officially work, but I was too chicken to sign up for sub jobs, so I stayed home and mentally geared myself for the upcoming week.  We had dinner with mom and dad Castle at Olive Garden that night, then came home and while Justen did a LOT of dishes, I made cookies to take to the Castle family reunion which was the next day.  I also wrote thank you cards, well, I started writing thank you cards, on Friday eve.  

  We left Ohio around 8:45 and got to Kentucky at 11:45 on Saturday, just in time for the lunch at noon which everyone was late for!  We were worried they had cancelled the reunion due to some of the family being in poor health, but turns out we were just really early.  It was really fun, the food was great, and the best part was listening to the guys play guitar and banjo and sing songs.  We sat around listening to them for a long time.  Left Kentucky and after stopping for dinner at Max & Erma's, we got home around 10pm.  

  I'd like to say we went straight to bed, got a good night's rest, and woke up for church the next morning....  But instead we stayed up late, slept in past 1:30, talked to the missionaries who called to check on us and set up another dinner, then had a friend over for dinner and to watch the season finale of Drop Dead Diva (tv show on Lifetime, Justen did not participate in the latter).  We got to bed late again on Sunday because as I said before, I was a big ball of stress getting ready for my first subbing job!

  I woke up today super early, ridiculously early, and got out the door by 6:30 (a miracle), but then spilled hot chocolate all over my pants, lost my directions, said a prayer and made it to the school ON TIME!  I subbed for the band teacher, who only has 4 classes:  jazz band, then a middle school band, marching band, then another middle school band.  He didn't leave any notes, sub plans, student rosters, NOTHING, so I was worried.  Turns out, there's an assistant band director who pretty much did everything but the jazz band (and all they did was goof off for an hour) and the 2nd middle school (who sent me home because another band teacher had already planned to teach it).  I asked everyone and even secretaries if they had work I could do for them, or if they needed anything, but it was a slow day apparently.  I got home around 2, and I gotta say I am pooped.  Tomorrow I'm a Spanish teacher, wahoo!  Should be interesting!

C.W. & Patricia Hayes, 54 years strong

Special Post Alert!

Justen's grandma and grandpa are going to renew their vows on September 16th this year (not their original wedding date) and Justen and I wanted to do something special for them.  We sent every family member a letter a few weeks ago to organize a family picture, and planned on giving them a gigantic, blown up picture of their family and legacy as a gift.  I also made gramma a brooch bouquet for her to hold as she says "I do" to her best friend again.  Because Justen and I bowed out of being in charge, aunt Debbie graciously took over and coordinated family pictures and a great spread of food for the family.  She got an amazing photographer and family friend, Doug, who took all the pictures and was so patient and funny.  The pictures were just fantastic!  I think it went really well, and the pictures will be a great keepsake, the perfect gift to give a couple who has everything.

Granpa and Gramma Hayes (C.W. "Butch" and Patricia "Pat") 

Carrie Blair's family

Brenda Castle's family

David Hayes' family

Debbie Hayes' family

Darryl Hayes' family

Granpa and Gramma with their kids and spouses

Granpa and Gramma with all their grandkids

Granpa and Gramma with all their great-grandkids

The WHOLE enchilada

We love you Granny and Granpa!!

I say "O-H" and you say "I-O" over and over and over

This week was super fun and eerily similar to all our weeks...  Monday morning I had a substitute teaching orientation for some school districts nearby.  I've applied at 2 specific districts and haven't heard from them, and after the orientation I'm just waiting for an email.  When I get the email I'll be able to start subbing, and since I'm SOO good at waiting...  I'm not giving up hope yet!  I'm so ready to have something to do during the day, a reason to get up in the morning.

On Tuesday, Justen and I went to a movie with his friends Clint and Krissi, since the local theater has $5 tickets all day on Tuesday.  Wahoo!  We saw Premium Rush, and it was actually pretty good.  It was a new and different storyline, but I doubt it'll be a blockbuster. Krissi doesn't like pictures, she thinks they alter our memories of what really happened.  I'm glad she's a good sport about taking lots of pictures with me.  And also, I disagree, because in pictures I can see my weight gain, and in my memory I'm thinner than ever!  HA!

Wednesday, I don't remember what we did which means we didn't do much.  Thursday, Justen had a meeting about an hour and a half away that started at 7.  I decided to go with him so he didn't have to drive all that way on his own.  Little did I know, the town we went to, Wapakoneta, is the birthplace of Neil Armstrong!  Justen asked me if he was the one that recently passed away and I replied no, and that I thought it was Buzz Aldrin.  Guess what, it WAS Neil Armstrong, based on the memorial at his hometown museum.  We went and sat in a replica of his space ship, even had a stranger take our picture (but he didn't press the right buttons and so we didn't get a picture at all).  Justen's meeting was at a bowling alley, so while he was in the meeting room I sat out by the lanes and read a magazine and watched tv on his tablet.  The drive back was long, and we didn't get home until 11pm.  I'm the best wife ever.  Fact.  :)  Taking a picture for this one meant pulling off the side of the road, balancing a camera on the guard rail, and running in wedges, uphill.  3 times.

Friday was a great beginning to a 3-day weekend!  Justen got off work early so we took a nap, yes!  After our nap, we went to OSU campus to their theater to see a movie called Sleepwalk with Me.  It's a movie by and starring Mike Birbiglia, and it was basically a movie version of his standup comedy.  It was a sold-out show so we got tickets to the late show, went to dinner, then back to the theater.  It was full of what Justen calls "hipsters."  We were easily the LEAST cool people there, and afterwards there was loud music and "clubbing" going on.  Justen and I had a good laugh about the 1 time we've been to a club (not together, but our experiences were similar).  What, you don't think we'd be good clubbers?  You thought right.  I have the best husband ever, he does so much for me, and makes me so happy.

Saturday we got up early and left for The Ohio State University game.  Game started at noon, but we had to leave at 9 to get there in time to park a mile away for $15 (highway robbery), walk to Justen's co-worker Debbie's tailgate, then get to our seats by 11:30 to see "the best damn band in the land."  It was so humid and hot, I was drenched in sweat before kickoff.  It started raining at halftime, then quit by the start of the 2nd half.  OSU killed, 59 to 10. Don't ask me who we played, I have no clue.  Miami?  Dolphins?  It's one of those.  

After getting home, we rested for a bit then met Justen's parents and his nieces and nephew for dinner at Red Lobster.  Ironically, Justen and I had eaten right before they called us, so the last thing I wanted to do was go sit in a restaurant for 2 hours, but I'm glad we did.  It was good to see mom and dad and the kids.  

Church this morning was... awkward.  I'm always worried about going to fast and testimony meeting with Justen.  You never know but you can pretty much count on some weirdos getting up there, but you HOPE there's only a few.  Well, today there were quite a few of the weirdos...  In fact, we were still talking about one of them tonight, he was so odd!  Church is getting easier to go to, after Joe chastised me, I decided that going to church isn't optional and I have to make myself get up and be there.  Justen is so supportive, I love that he'll go to church with me.  He actually irons his clothes the night before, setting a great example for me in preparing to NO MATTER WHAT go to church.  We started watching a new tv series called "White Collar" on Netflix, so we watched a few episodes of that.  I made cookies to take to Justen's grandparent's tomorrow, and I made banana bread to take to Justen's friend's house today.  We went to Matt & Suzanne's house for dinner and to play with their kiddos, Emily, 1 1/2, and Lizzy, 8 months.  Lizzy can army crawl now and it is the funniest thing ever to see!  We kept putting things in front of her to entice her to crawl, then when she'd get close to the remote (just one example), we'd move it again to keep her crawling.  She didn't like that game after awhile, but she's still cute even when she's crying.  

We're home sweet home now, and staying up super late because Justen doesn't have to work tomorrow, yay!