My job

I just wanted to clarify something I mentioned in my last blog about my job.
At my last job in KC, I used to work in Quality Control. My job was very necessary and it required a great deal of skill, but scientifically, I wasn't doing anything new and exciting, just the same thing week after week so product could be sold and the company could make money.

My new job is totally different. Not only am I in charge of the lab (lab manager), but I am allowed to learn new things that could potentially make me a great deal more marketable, in respect to my skills. One thing I always wanted to learn in KC was how they make the recombinant vaccines that we sold. A young woman in research would tell me about how she always loved working with DNA and that her job was just what you always wanted. She would tell me about the cloning, not in detail, but it fascinated me. I never dreamed that I would learn molecular biology to any great depth.

But my current boss is allowing me to learn as much as I can, so that when our current expert decides to go back to Japan, which he will, that he has someone who can do his cloning and mutations. So to say that I am excited that I am learning this is an understatement. It is something that has interested me for 5 years, at least. Today was my first experiment on my cloning project. I am really hoping that it goes well and that I don't fail.

Valentine's Day Present

This Valentine's Day, BB got me a present I didn't know I wanted. He had gotten this movie, "Stardust", on the Queue about 2 months ago and I loved it. The kids did too. I had forgotten all about it actually. Until I was presented it today with some flowers for Valentine's Day. I was quite excited, having forgotten how much the family enjoyed this movie. When Woogy saw it tonight, he really wanted to watch it again so we broke the no TV rule.

Why did I enjoy this movie? Well, if you haven't seen it, it's quite unique. As unique as "Willow" was 15 years ago, another favorite of mine. I don't know why fantasy movies appeal to me so much, but they always have. And this is quite the fantasy. To fictionalize a universe where a fallen star is a beautiful young woman who can "shine" and whose heart, if eaten, brings eternal life? I think I may have to go get the book and see what this author has to offer, Neil Gaiman.

I know this is a pretty weak blog, but life is pretty normal and good so I couldn't think of anything else interesting enough in my life to blog about. If anyone really wants to know what is new in my life, I may start doing a new type of mouse dissection at work soon (that would be 3 dissections I do then) and next week, I am going to begin my first project of genetic cloning/engineering a new CHO (Chinese Hamster Ovary) cell stable cell line with an acid sensing ion channel type 2a inserted. But it will be trial and error, mostly error at first, I am sure.

God is good

We just had a wonderful answer to prayer last night. We have been having real problems finding a babysitter since ours moved in November. We found someone, but she wasn't our first choice. Her house is quite a drive, and hard on BB to drive out and back 4x on MWF for Woogy's preschool. She smoked as well, but her rates were very reasonable, $1.50/hour. Cheapest babysitter ever, I think. But we still have been looking to replace her these 3 months, mostly because of the distance. We have had no luck. One lady seemed promising, but she cancelled our interview and never returned our calls?? Another lady was really close and we went and visited her house, we called her references, and when we went to call her to say we wanted her, she had already found some others kids before us. First come, first serve.

Since we started using this new sitter, she has needed alot of time off, mostly to go to court or go on job interviews. She is being forced to pay child-support for an older child no longer in her custody. We have been patient as she tells us she is looking for a graveyard shift job to satisfy the court but still watch her kids and our kids during the day. She finally told us yesterday, that as of this Thursday, she is most likely starting a full-time job and we needed to find another sitter, fast!!

Since we have been in the market these last 3 months, BB and I panicked yesterday. I had already took my lunch break so I only had 15 minutes to surf the web for a sitter before I went home yesterday. I found one number to call, I scratched it down and called on my cell on the way to pick up the kids. She seemed nice, 4 blocks from our house, so I said I would stop by in a few minutes. The kids really liked her place and the other kids there. I couldn't get Nibbles to leave. She is a very nice christian lady. She gave me some references but she warned me that several other people had contacted her too (I had told her how we had lost that one sitter by waiting too long!). So I rush home, make the phone calls, get all the calls back with excellent references. Now BB gets home and we decide if we can negotiate her to $600 a month instead of $675, we will hire her. We call her and after about 10 minutes negotiation, she agrees to our price and we have a sitter! Praise God!

Rain, Rain, go away!

It beginning to feel like the rain will never end! It's been raining for 4 months straight now and it's really hard sometimes. Last week we had a few sunny days, but they were cold, cold so I didn't really go outside. I love living in Portland most of the time, but constant rain makes a mess:
1. The floors are always dirty and muddy.
2. The leather couch is always dirty from the dog's dirty paws.
3. The dog jumps on us after being outside and we get muddy.
4. The cars are filthy from muddy shoes.
5. Our shoes are all muddy and cannot ever be worn in a house. When we go to home group, everyone takes off their shoes upon entering.
6. The worst problem is that the tub is filled with a couple inches of dirt because BB is bathing the dog's feet daily!

BB and I know Portland wouldn't be as beautiful without 8 months of rain so we put up with it, but I am already counting the weeks until the dry season starts (around 17-19 weeks).
P.S.- My dad is not doing very well. He is still in the ICU. Please keep him in your prayers.

Reason to Sing

On Monday morning, my dad had exploratory heart surgery and it didn't go well. He coded on the table and they found 3 blockages close to his heart. I immediately looked into airline tickets, but a flight to Cedar Rapids would cost me $1000 and I wouldn't arrive until after midnight! I wouldn't be able to see me dad and be out $1000. So my two sisters drove up there to see him before his triple by-pass surgery this morning. We were all very worried and my step-mom made me feel like a heel for not coming. But BB and I decided I would only fly up if the surgery today went badly.

Praise the Lord, it went well. I just found out he came through his surgery fine. He is going to have to make some lifestyle changes and take 4-6 weeks off work to keep being well though.

So this brought up a touchy subject with BB and I. I think he should watch what he eats a little better, but then he points out that I eat healthy and exercise everyday and I am more sickly than he is. It's true. I wish I could say that my healthy living helps me, but is genetics overruling the good I do for my body??? I hope not. Because BB has better immune system and genes, can he live anyway he wants and not end up like my dad at 67?? I hope so. I guess there is no clear cut formula for living a healthy long life, is there??

The Ugly Floor

BB finally got rid of what he called "the ugliest floor in the world". We paid a local contractor to put in a laminate floor in our living room and hallway. I must say it looks nicer and it's cleaner, and BB isn't complaining about how ugly it is anymore, but it's not perfect. The dog is having trouble finding places to lay down. And when we lay on the floor with the kids and roughhouse, it's not very comfortable. It's quite noisy too. I am waking up in the night when the dog walks around. I am disturbing BB in the mornings when I am doing my exercises so I now have to go out into the miserable cold, rain to exercise at 4:30 am.

So am I happy with the new floor, yes! Do I miss the old floor, a little!

New Years Resolution

I usually don't make resolutions. Most people don't ever keep them. They usually have to do with a lack of willpower in some aspect of your life. But I think it's a good idea to try to change one thing for the better. So I decided that I wasn't going to let the kids watch TV at night after work anymore. I just feel so guilty that they watch so much already. It's so easy to just turn it on, easy for me and it's what they want. But I feel like a horrible mom. BB says I shouldn't be so hung up on it, but I am.

So I have made it my New Years Resolution. They only thing I can't control is if BB comes home and watches Simpsons. But other than that, no TV. Then last night we had to go pick up a package from my sister at the post office. It was christmas presents for the kids. And guess what they both received?? Videos! So I felt like they should be able to watch them, since they were new presents. They would have cried forever if I didn't. I think that's a record for me though. I've never broken a new years resolution within 2 days before. I must get more backbone.