Us: Three Years Later

....Three Years Later...

So I recently went onto my blog to see just how long it had been since I'd written anything. "It hasn't been that long, Surely!" I told myself as the page queued up (the word "queued" is one i take special pride in knowing how to type without googling it...) I was greeted with the header "March 30th 2010". I kind of was shocked really to be honest.
It didn't feel like that long ago that I was blogging up everything that had been happening to me and my newlywed husband and our weird freakish first apartment. But...it's been THREE years. Three. Count em. Three.
 So I asked myself...and well...all the peoples of facebook too...whether one could simply resume blogging after a three year leave of absence. (Insert Boromir "one does not simply resume blogging after three years" meme picture here :-D) A three year UNINTENTIONAL leave of absence I should say. And I got so much encouragement from my friends all saying "Yes YOU CAN!"

So I am.

So there.

So what has happened to us in three years? Oh so much more than I could ever relate in a single post really.
But still I will try.

We moved out of our first apartment after two years of living there. I thought that I wouldn't miss it because truly it had been a source of annoyance and frustration for me (the BEST part of it was living so close to my sister and parents really! I loved that while it lasted...) because of the neighbors being so loud, because we got bedbugs, because the cat got fleas from another cat, because people smoked right outside our window when we were trying to sleep in the summertime.
 But it *was* our first ever home. And I remember thinking when we left it that because of that it would always be special to me, special to us. It's strange now thinking about it like that, our first home. It was the place we came back to after we were married. It was the place we watched the entirety of Stargate SG1 together! It was the place we took walks in the park talking about how strange it was that someday we would come back to this park and remember the times we took walks in the park! (very Meta I know.) The place where we had stupid fights and the best laughs ever.
It was the place I learned that writing down EVERY single maintenance issue and when I called and if they actually had tried to fix it was kindof an important thing to do (especially when the guys shower above you starts leaking into your bathroom...and you are thinking..."someone elses NAKED water is coming into my apartment! Not the most grownup of thoughts I grant you...). :)
 It was strange realizing that we were standing at the end of an important memory in every newlyweds life...that we'd lived that first part already and now it was behind us. That now it *would* be a memory and not something that happened every day.
 Our parents and siblings helped us pack it up on a Saturday afternoon-at the time I remember not being that afraid of the future even though big changes were in store for us. We were moving to another state, my mom wouldn't be coming to get me every other day to spend such wonderful times at the house i grew up in watching British television and drinking tea and having the best conversations, I wouldn't be going to 'tea and scandal" every Wednesday at my sister's house-which was so close i walked down every week!
I wouldn't be seeing my nieces and nephews as often and being there as they grew up...which is very hard.
(Thankfully they are all at an age where they are old enough to remember me even though they
don't see me every single week now!:) I wasn't afraid yet...that hit later when I realized how isolated I was feeling.

The day we moved into the new apartment began badly...it began with the cold flush of terror when I realized "there....are...four apartments in one block alone..." which meant that we would have someone on our side and someone below us...which probably meant double the loud neighbor trouble.
Did I mention it also began badly because the apartment still had someone inside the building putting in the new carpet so we had to wait like an hour in the car while they finished??? Cause yeah....that wasn't so fun either. Andrew and my Dad were brilliant in handling it though, both checking in frequently and putting a 'bit' of pressure on the workers to finish the heck up!:)
 I was a bit nervous walking up to the apartment because I hadn't seen it at all, Andrew had been the one to choose the apartment because he was in the area working already for the last four to five months. But when I walked in I liked it immediately. It felt roomier and cozier than our old apartment (we could ACTUALLY open the fridge door ALL the way! The luxury!). I can't really remember the first night in the apartment but I do remember it was such a huge change. I felt completely cut off from everything and everyone, I envied Andrew having work to go to every day for a while because he would have people to talk to. I went through a pretty rough time for a while, and I know it was so tough on Andrew.
The neighbors were definitely loud and I had already had semi-panic attacks the last apartment because of how often our sleep was interrupted by people being very loud and inconsiderate, so I was on tenterhooks afraid it would be the same here and we'd be stuck. But after a few talks with the people downstairs we came to an understanding and life was a lot easier. (Note to apartment peoples: Talk to your neighbors, try and work stuff out...THEN go to the office if they are continually being eveel. But most often you will be able to work something out.)
Winter was ESPECIALLY hard because not only was I isolated from people but it was cold so I was stuck inside every single day.
 Suddenly things got a lot nicer when I realized that spring that there was a park within walking distance of my apartment...I spent SO much time there.

That hat was a bad choice...don't ask me what Andrew is even doing.

Actually now I am getting that droopy heart feeling thinking about it, it was such a special place and truly was a gift from God and it saved my sanity and Andrews because I wasn't so crazy. God's gifts are SO BIG...I mean He gave me an entire park! And I took advantage of that gift every day I could. It became part of my daily running route and I read there often until the days turned cold. It's weird now thinking that really I only spent what can only amount to about half a year in that park, there are some experiences in life when you look back feel like they couldn't have possibly been any shorter than forever. :-D
 I grew so much closer to Andrew in the two years that we lived in that apartment, I started to rely on him more I talked to him more, confided in him more. We went to summer concerts in the park, we took walks around the building talking about our future, how we wanted a house, how our neighbors were kinda weird but how we wanted to help them somehow :). We had pizza nights, sleepovers together in the living room next to the Christmas tree. Cinnamon buns on Saturdays watching Mythbusters. Throwing a ring flyer in the park and swinging on the swing set at dark.
 Two years went by so slowly and so quickly at the same time.

And then we had a talk with our Aunt. We were getting tired of things being so loud at the apartment, tired of being so confined, we wanted our own place, we wanted to be able to sleep in without the landscaping service using a leaf blower right underneath our window, we didn't want to hear the lovely music that all the neighbors seemed to want to play for us all involving loud repetitive thrumming drum beats...thanks for sharing but no thank you.  We wanted to finally be somewhere we could see ourselves being for a LONG time. We didn't REALLY think it was possible, we thought...we'll have to stay in this apartment one more year and save up...maybe two.
 But our Aunt talked with us so kindly for about three hours, discussing options and answering questions, giving sound wise advice...and suddenly it seemed almost possible. We could buy a house together.

We prayed A LOT about it. It would definitely be a major step in our lives. We weren't positive about the money. But we were positive if God wanted us to have a house...we would have a house. Andrew told me so many times "If God WANTS us to have a house it wouldn't matter if we had five dollars in the bank, He'd give us a house. If God didn't want us to have a house...it wouldn't matter if we had five million in the bank we wouldn't be able to get a house." We prayed for a sign we prayed for peace. All of a sudden commitment had reared it's...responsible head again and I got cold feet.
Again. YES I ADMIT IT I AM A COMMITMENT-PHOBE! After all the crying and wishing and praying for four years for a house I had the possibility and here I was practically telling Andrew "maybe it would be better staying in an apartment for the next couple years..." but a wise friend named Rick D. once said "don't be motivated by fear..." and it's been something I've had to tell myself, had to have Andrew tell me, and had to tell back to Andrew so very often in these four married years. Fear, unless you are confronted by a rearing cobra dinosaur dragon creature....or even just a plain old cobra, will never make a good decision on anything. Never make decisions based on fear.
 So instead of being afraid I gave it to God and said, "you know I am scared, I hate thinking we might do this and not have any money for anything and always be afraid of every mortgage payment...but I trust You." that wasn't really so easy to say but I tried to. God took care of the rest.
 Seriously it was AMAZING. We could see His hand and His love in every single step that we took. There were so many signs that said "I am here" that it was impossible not to notice.

So we bought a house.

We saw at least ten houses, I remember thinking the whole time..."Shouldn't I be feeling differently? I mean I really like this house...but I haven't gotten the WOW this is my house feeling." I was starting to feel like the women I've seen trying on the wedding dresses in the bridal store. "I can't really just go with the first one I've seen, surely I should see more." "I like this one a great deal...is that enough?" There were a couple I liked, sure, but none that really hit me as 'home.' I remember our Realtor saying that she usually could tell which house a couple would buy because of their reaction and I was wondering if there were any she could enlighten me on as the one we'd pick because I sure didn't know.
 Every house we were seeing was built 1950's, 1960's, 1980's....we came to a house, I am pretty sure it was the last one in the second day of looking...and as soon as I stepped in the door I felt 'home'. I don't know why...the first room felt like home. Then it kept getting better and better!  A porch!?
Do you know how long I've dreamed of a porch...and A BACK YARD!?! We can afford a backyard!? Seriously?
 Basically I couldn't shut my mouth about the house the entire time. "I love this one..." "This is more like it!" I remember getting in the car and turning to my Realtor and saying "Wait...am I supposed to be this open with you about liking a house?!?" She laughed and said "You be as open and gushy as you want with me, it's the seller you act nonchalant with!" That's when I found out part of the reason why I liked this house so much...
it had been built in the 1920's, and argue with me all you like but I personally think that houses built before the 40's have the most wonderful personalities. They feel more alive somehow. Probably I am just biased because I grew up in an old farmhouse, but that's what feels like home to me.
 I knew it was the one...I hoped it was the one. Andrew being the wonderfully wise and amazing man he is told me "let's wait til we are back from vacation to make a decision, it will give us time to pray and especially if it's still on the market after a week we'll know."...at the time he didn't seem so amazing, wise and wonderful to me; how could I STAND waiting a week for this dream house!? SOMEONE would surely buy it! It was so beautiful it had so much potential! In fact our Realtor had said "Wow...they didn't have any pictures of this house online, they aren't really showing it's full potential" and I yelled "Well don't tell them that! I don't want anyone else to buy it!" "Wow Sarah, you really like this house don't you?" She said smiling. I liked it a lot, and so did Andrew. We'd shown my parents and they liked it too!
So we went on vacation and we prayed, a lot. Our Realtor said she would let us know if anyone else made an offer in the meantime.
So we prayed some more.

Did I mention we bought the house? :)

Our house was waiting for us when we got back from vacation, and after a couple months of the usual crazy house buying, signing your life away, coordinating with multiple people shenanigans we were home owners.
 Moving in WAS SO AWFUL....my brother Joe, Dad, and Mom and Andrew's friend Josh went ABOVE and BEYOND the call of duty...like possible to a factor of about ten thousand. We had a lot of stuff and our old apartment was far away from the parking lot. By the end of the night everyone was so hungry and tired
we were almost giddy. At one point my brother and I were carrying a box that I am pretty sure had ninety bricks and thirteen dead bodies in it to the parking lot and I fell (because I was walking backwards with it and he was walking forwards) and the whole box landed on my leg which also happened to be on a concrete block as well.
 Instead of being hurt my mouth stretched open in a silent scream of hysterical laughter which my brother interpreted as a silent scream of pain because my leg was trapped under a dang heavy box on TOP of a concrete block, a box which he hadn't been able to lift himself it was so heavy. A box which he lifted with the speed of a locomotive and the strength of Hercules off my leg, his voice coming out in that "lets stay calm" way as he said "Are you okay?" when he realized I was laughing I think he was rather relieved and now I tell that story often especially to his beautiful fiance because she gets all swoony. I mean it is a pretty swoony story...except for the fact that it's my brother. :-D
 We broke for dinner at the ripe old age of 9PM. And I am telling you...my mom is the best cook in the whole entire world. Those sloppy joes and chocolate oatmeal bars were so good I could have cried while eating. I am pretty sure I also might have been eating like a little orphan child in the movies when they get caught stealing by a benevolent adult and then offered a roll or some other such thing that one must shove into ones mouth along with their entire fist, "Got any more o'this guv?" :) You get the idea.
 At this point our friend who was a youth pastor had come over, we'd asked him to come pray over the house. That was amazing...everyone prayed  all together, so heartfelt! It was just a beautiful time. It came to my turn and I am so emotional in my praying and almost in tears because everyone has been so kind and so loving and God has given me the very thing I have longed for for years....all of a sudden I hear "HAPPY HOLIDAAAAAYS! HAPPY HOLIDAAAAYYS!" ringing out, and I stop in shock and confusion. What the heck? Then open my eyes and Joe is turning red because his phone has gone off and will not shut off. Basically we tried to get back to praying seriously but I can see Joe is still turning red and our pastor friend is shaking trying not to laugh out loud, his hand over his face. I was laughing all through the rest of my prayer, thanking God for laughing and asking He would please bless this house with so much more laughing.

It's only been about two months since we've moved. I've since unpacked everything and put up the pictures. Andrew and I are really starting to feel like it's home now.

Andrew and I danced on the porch to "Remember When" together, and I thought to myself...I can't believe this is happening. I remember writing to Andrew when we were engaged that I was imagining one day dancing on our own porch...and it happened. It actually happened!
 I don't know how long we will be here in this house, but I can't help feeling like this house will see many of our future days. God willing.

It's so strange standing at the beginning of something, feeling the moment inside, holding onto it so tight, it feels like it's going to last forever but knowing deep down that one day I'll be sitting here remembering how four years ago we moved into our first house together. Because I am sitting here remembering...four years ago I married the man who makes my heart dance when I look at him, who still makes my stomach flip when he reaches out to hold my hand. Four years ago I married the man I love more and more every single day, he's the guy that makes my heart get all squooshy, the guy I can't wait to fling my arms around and kiss when he gets home from work! I cannot believe how much has happened in just 4 years, I can't believe how long and short it feels! I never wanted to get married, Andrew can tell you that, but I am SO happy that God doesn't listen to what we 'want' that He knows so much better what we need and what we will want. I've grown so much more as a person, I've done SO many things I never thought I could do since I married Andrew, and it's amazing how much better those things feel when you have someone by your side. Especially someone like Andrew.

Sorry that was really gushy and mushy.

But I digress.

A lot has happened in just these 3 years...that I haven't been writing blogs about :).
Sometimes it feels like time leaves without you and then you wake up one day and find yourself at the end of it.

But sometimes it feels like time took you on an amazing journey that's really only just beginning.

"Artoo and I have decided we will stay here...."

So after all that talk about leaving this apartment...we're staying. There is still a hole in the bathroom ceiling that we need to get fixed and the window may or may not still be leaking (the guy came and looked at it both inside and out...I am not sure but he might have miraculous powers of fixing-things-rays in his eyes or something because that's usually what he does and then we don't hear anything about it til I call the office and ask.) But despite the fact that we kind of really wanted it to be God's will that we move and be closer to Andrew's work I think we are both really finding some peace in the whole thing knowing that THIS is actually God's will. (like Andrew and I keep saying "why would we want something that's not God's will for us?)
I switched the living room around and am currently looking for some neat prints to hang in the bathroom (and as ever I am striving to keep the kitchen clean clean CLEAN!), Andrew surprised me the other day and bought us a water filter for the sink so that we didn't have to lug barrels of water from my parents home every time we went over to visit (although it DID kind of make me feel a bit old fashioned in a way...in a good way) and so that now we can drink our own water without too much fear of it smelling like hot socks or doing us harm the good ol' chlorine way.
And it's kind of nice knowing that we will still be close for sure to my family and my older sister for the summer. I think it's kind of teaching me a lesson that no matter where you are there is always something to be REALLY really thankful for!
Also things are seeming to pick up a bit around here, it seems they've suddenly decided that perhaps trash all over the parking lot is not considered really cool and stylish by anyone. Also there seem to be surveillance cameras mounted in the parking lot...whether for monitoring for suspicious activity or just someone taking up more than the one allowed parking spot remains to be seen but all in all it's nice seeing them take a little pride in this place.
Sadly it doesn't seem like the tenants take much pride in the place either sometimes as the garbage being in the parking lot in the first place attests....still I am hoping that the landlords are setting an example that will be infectious to everyone.
They also just had some landscapers in which is a good sign I think. All in all I think things are looking up a bit!:)

To sum it all up, we're together: we're happy..God is good!:)'

God DOES have a sense of Humor!

So if anyone was in doubt that God has a sense of humor, last night as me and Andrew were finally settling down to bed, after a major wrestle with a huge chair we were trying to wrap in plastic bags so we could safely get rid of it in the dumpster (we finally had to settle for writing all over it in black marker that it could possibly be bed bug infested so LEAVE it lie!) and our own personal symphony of music as the leaking from the bathroom ceiling was now dripping and plunking onto tile and into glass jar, and Andrew opened the Bible to a random spot and started reading Psalm 84: "How lovely is your dwelling place...." Andrew looked over at me and then we both just started cracking up laughing, the words were so ironic and we couldn't help ourselves and we couldn't stop laughing for a good five minutes. Andrew closed his eyes as he was laughing and said "Thank you Lord!" A good laugh is always a blessing from God, especially when going through a bit of a difficult time. Andrew tried to work his way through the Psalm without us going into laughter again but it didn't work too well, finally I shouted "Don't start over from the beginning again every time, that's what's making me laugh!" and in retort he yelled "Oh, for goodness sake, let me get through it once!" in Charles Thomson fashion from 1776.
We've been laughing a lot even through dealing with some of this apartment stuff, but that was laughter specifically sent from God and specifically pertaining to our situation and it was perfect!:)

Don't say it!

Just to let everyone know what's been going on with Andrew and me for the last couple of weeks...okay...months that I haven't been writing on here.
Recently we've been having some...issues with our apartment. Leaky sinks, leaky window sill...now leaky BATHROOM ceiling! :) Also we have been the rather unfortunately selected as party hosts to a number of very...disturbing guests: otherwise known as bed bugs! We are in the process of getting all of this fixed so that some normality can return to our lives before the next crazy thing happens! :-D Might I point out the fact that you may be laboring under a misconception that bed bugs means that we have a messy apartment and that I have not been keeping a good house...labor under that no more because I am actually rather good at keeping the apartment clean...well except for the kitchen which is clean every other day, and in actuality if you do some research online you will find that bed bugs are NOT a result of uncleanliness as was once thought; they are making a rather insidious comeback as a result of the DDT ban, apparently it was keeping bed bugs in check so well people didn't realize...until they stopped using it! Bed bugs actually, rather scarily, just are really good hitch-hikers and can be in any motel, hotel, or inn whether it be five star or minus five star...so it would be a really good idea to familiarize yourself with their signs so you can look for them before you accept any hotel room. Also they can hitch-hike in old sofa's or mattresses if you are the trash-picking type (which we are not), and I am also sure that you might be unfortunate enough to possibly pick up some at a thrift store if you buy some furniture you haven't inspected enough to be sure of. Also sadly you can get them from someone else if you live in the same apartment building...which means our case might actually be someone else's case. The other frustrating thing is that 50% of the people who have them don't realize they have them because they never feel the bites...which means if someone else in our apartment DOES indeed have them they might just not realize. Luckily it's exterminator procedure to check all the other adjoining apartments to make sure they don't have bed bugs so that the whole maddening cycle won't start over again. IN short...do some investigating, and do some research if you are thinking you might have them or you are thinking of picking up some 5th hand furniture. :)
I am now in the process of doing approximately 2,000 hundred million loads of laundry in hot water and hot air...I might be exaggerating the amount of laundry...but you can't prove it, can you? :) I am holding together well mostly on account of having an awesome God who is going to take care of everything, an amazing husband who keeps me calm when I start crying about 'freaky little bug things everywhere', and both sides of my wonderful family who give me hugs and send me encouraging notes, comments, and Psalm 91's! :)
Still through all of this I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be married to the best husband anyone could ask for and have a place to live (albeit a leaky, buggy, coldish one) and plenty of food and especially a God who loves me and who gave me the gift of eternal life so that I never have to worry about anything here in this earth: because in the light of Eternity....what's a couple of bed bugs? :)

That's Showbusiness...

Hi there- this is Andrew, in my inaugural full-length-cheating-by-reposting blog post.

To fully appreciate this news, we have to jump into the wayback machine, and dial back to August 31st, 2007. During this tumultuous time, I was freshly moved (about a month in) to the east coast from Washington. I was still staying at my Uncle Pat and Aunt Nancy's house as I was trying to find my feet. I was job searching, and only in the tentative first steps of a relationship with the lovely Sarah Harrison. This was about a month and a half before I would find the job that I was to stay with.

And on my blog, the now-kaput Misadventures of Andrew Gilbertson (http://andrewgilbertson.blogspot.com), the chronicle of my single life (in a nice bit of symbolism, this covered my move to Washington and ended with my engagement to Sarah, this blog began following our marriage, and the wedding planning time in-between was far too stressful to blog) I posted this:

"Well, today was certainly a unique experience for me. It began with waking up at 4 a.m. and setting out on a two hour drive which became a two-and-a-half hour drive when I made a mistake with my Mapquest directions in the dark and ended up stranded, going the wrong way on the freeway with no off-ramp to turn around in sight. So, even though I left an extra half-hour of time, I ended up ariving with less than 30 seconds to spare at my destination- the Bayonne High School in Bayonne New Jersey. If you're wondering where it is... it's basically the northernmost part of New Jersey, period. Litterally- the school sits at the edge of a beach, and across the water, you can see Manhattan.

I was there, completely clean-shaven for the first time since I started growing facial hair, in dress clothes that included a borrowed long-sleeve white buttondown shirt, to be an extra in 'The Sophmore,' a Bruce Willis film that will, I assume, be coming out in the next year or two. I, along with everyone else there, were portraying high school students.

After a series of long waits in the Hockey Rink 'holding area' for non-SAG extras (Those not suplied by the Screen Actors Guild) and a number of lines and forms, I was called off along with the massive throng of my fellow extras to the wardrobe department. The whole setup was located inside the school, having taken over nearly every classroom, and at every corner were single-sheet-of-paper signs pointing arrows to various production departments. I arrived in wardrobe to be given a black cardigan sweater with school emblem (which was fairly tight and extremely warm- welcome in the hockey rink bleacher area!) and a marron tie which I, of course, had no clue how to tie. After fumbling with it for a few minutes, I decided that since only about the top inch could be seen above the sweaters neckline, I could get away with looping the exposed portion into something that slightly resembled a tie-knot and leave the rest stuffed haphazardly under the sweater.

Finally, about three hours after my arrival, we were led into the cafeteria of another building, our main 'holding area.' It was comforting to note that already our situation was being labeled with the same terms given to livestock.

The room was filled with desks, already full, and we (the second group of extras to arrive) had to make due with standing around in the back half of the room. I finished my book far too quickly and soon began to notice what many others already had, to their dismay... it was hot. Really hot. And a thick sweater, or suit-jacket as others wore, did not help the sweltering temperatures any! As it turns out, I didn't even need to borrow the long-sleeved shirt- it was completely hidden by the sweater except for the collar, and my own short-sleeved version would have served fine. I was certainly wishing I had short sleeves as we baked in the early morning!

Finally, we were called in for our first shot. We were lined up in rows; I was in row A (near the back), situated as extra #113 next to a girl who didn't know her number and directly behind one of those guys unfortunate enough to have a face that you really can't tell what gender they are. After a few minutes, they started things rolling.

We were background for one of the teen actors to come stumbling past- I'm guessing, actually, that his character was late for our assembly- and the row he decied to run down was right in front of us, so perhaps I'll even be in the final shot- you'll be able to tell by the red folder (which had my mapquest directions to and from the shooting site) which I was holding in every scene.
As for what we were doing... just my luck- we were singing in a group. Only, to keep the sound from the actor's microphone uninterfered-with, they cut off the music as soon as 'action' was yelled, so we had to pretend to be singing, try to keep time with the imaginary beat, and look to a woman standing on a box to wave her arms as the cue that we were again supposed to mouth shouting "America!", our part of the chorus. Of all the things I cannot do... pretending to sing and dance aloud convincingly is pretty high on the list. I can hardly do them convincingly when I'm NOT pretending to! Nonetheless, I did my best to get into it- the director kept calling for "more energy this time," so I started bobbing up and down with the beat- meaning my lack of rhythm could now be preserved on celluloid for all the generations to come.

After that we were marched back into the 'holding pen' to hurry up and wait for another half hour. The extra-director (sort of our liason to the director) came in and said "Well, for this next shot, I need short people. So everyone that's, like, 5-2, 5-4, come to the center of the room." A lot of girls came forward, and the extra-director called out "We need a couple of guys, too!" I heard a number of people shouting encouragements, "Go on, man!" "Go for it!" behind me to the people around us as I went back to my book- until one of them tapped me on the shoulder and I realized they were all talking to me. "Don't be shy, man- go on!" she said. Thanks allot! I stalked into the middle of the room grumbling- I'll have you know I am 5-9! And I was hardly the shortest guy that stepped forward. but apparently I looked that way enough to my surrounding co-extras... that really had me steamed!

We were called in for another shot, lining up in our same rows, and we did yet another session of "America!"s. Then, we returned to the break room. There were some sandwiches set out because it was lunchtime, but they were quickly descended upon and by the time half my group got to them, myself included, there was nothing left.

Finally, they called for people that hadn't been used yet, and almost all of the seat-bound group of extras raised their hands, so they were ushered into the other room for filming... and we stole their chairs. I took a seat up front where I could observe an absolute beauty that I can only recal being bested twice in my life... the boom/crane-arm mounted camera. I was suprised by how many of the components I recognized... I guess I didn't expect Hollywood equipment to have common video components!

Finally, we were called in for our third shot, which ended up being our last. In this one, the principle of the school (represented by the same lady on the box) was in the middle of giving a speech- "When I look at you, I don't see juniors or seniors... I see Friars! BANG!" 'Friars' was the name on all the cheerleader unifroms that I saw, so I'm sure it's the fictional school team- and the BANG! was shouted by the extra director as a cue that the principle had just been shot. Our job... was to dissolve into panicked chaos. Headless chickens, as he described it. I was designated as one of four or five people that actually looked backwards and realized that there was a shooter on the roof of the building opposite us. So, I pushed forward, as if to help the injured principle, turned, did a double take, and tried to fish my phone out of my pocket and pretend to call 911 while being slammed from all sides by rushing, trampling people. It was actually quite fun- you don't get to participate in mass chaos with like-minded individuals very often. The shot had to be done several times as the first few takes were not chaotic enough- people just making straight lines for the door- and a number of people were apparently smiling or laughing at the chaos. Once the smiles dissapeared, and the panic looked more real, and several groups of people were routed to farther-off doors to confuse the foot-traffic pattern a bit more, we got a satisfactory take. Somehow, I kept ending up fairly well in front of the camera, pulling out my cell in the middle of a thinnning crowd (without meaning to) so if they use that shot, there's a good chance I'll show up. Who knows.

After that, it was back to wardrobe to turn things in. I must say that the Catholic school dress uniforms were a lot more modest than what most of the women chose to wear, and I had to make an abrupt about-face while heading for the snack table (back in our hockey rink holding area) as one woman apparently had no compunction about taking her shirt off and changing right then and there. After returning my tie (which had been un-mangled by a touch-up woman before the first shot, though it took us about 30 seconds to get it undone from what I'd done to it first)- and apparently the art of tie-tying is largely lost in today's world, as I had at least three people ask me if I knew how to help them with theirs- I returned downstairs and made the drive back- all told, having spent 7 and a half hours as an extra, while filming three shots. I'm sure I'll be going to see the film when it comes out... if nothing else, to figure out what the plot was about! So, that was my busy day for Thursday- the next few plan to be equally so, and I will keep you all updated!"


After a random 80s-sci-fi-movie trilogy last week (Ghostbusters II, Cocoon, and Innerspace; I didn't know that effects of that quality existed in the history of cinema; if you haven't seen it, SEE IT!!!), we happened to spot the film Assassination of a High School President at Hollywood Video, and we checked it out.

First and foremost, we do NOT recommend or endorse this movie! It is lewd, crass, features male and female nudity and copious profanity, and while occassionally entertaining (Bruce Willis is quite good in it), is very strange.

However, if you DO happen to pick up the movie; and if you happen to go to the 47 minute, 50 second mark, (Our computer shows 47:06) you might find a familliar face panicedly dialing 911, red folder and all...


It's a 32 frame shot (at 24 frames per second, this means it's 1 and 1/3 seconds long, and 12 of those frames have me obscured by foreground students (leaving 20 frames clear), so it's really my 5/6 of a second of fame).

Andrew Takes a Crack at It

This is a blog. Sarah said she'd post it. I wroted it by myself. I liked it gud. The ENd.

We got...MARRIED!?

Summer is ALMOST OVER!!! How did that even happen!? I am sitting here feeling so insane thinking that in only three months Andrew and I will be celebrating our FIRST ANNIVERSARY!!! WHAT!? It's strange because in some ways it feels like we have ALWAYS been married (And not in the snarky sit-com way people say it when they mean they feel like they have always been married because it's felt like it's been FOREVER...I mean it in a Good way!). I think in some ways it's because it's hard for me to even remember what life was like before I met Andrew. I feel like I have always known him. IN some ways though it feels like we just got married two weeks ago. I was just trying to remember what it was like getting married the other night when I was trying to get to sleep, I had my eyes closed and in my mind's eye I was trying to picture everything as it happened that day. That was when it struck me....'We...got...MARRIED!?" It's this major life thing, something that you do once in a lifetime...and we did it already!!!!! It's just so nutty! But it's good nutty!

I think the one thing I have been experiencing these past couple of months since we got married is that I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!:) It was so much fun! (Which is why I have told Andrew repeatedly that he better watch out because I am pretty sure we are going to have to do a remarriage ceremony on our 5th year anniversary...also I did warn him that we are probably going to have to get remarried in the SUMMERTIME, so I can have huge glass jars of lemon aid. And this time we will be able to stay as late as we want and dance all night with our family and friends. It just seems like it would be so much fun!)

We have been having such a wonderful time together. Actually sometimes I get freaked out and more paranoid bause I love being married to Andrew so much my human side is thinking "What can happen to mess this up, now?" But I have been giving that burden to God and learning to just enjoy the marriage without worrying about something messing it up. (Especially because if you make God the center of your marriage, if something DOES come that seems to mess up your marriage for a while it always turns out making you grow closer and more in love once you get through the struggle with God holding your hands and leading you out.)

It's amazing how many little things in life can make you more in love and grow closer together. We were going through a semi-rough time for a week or so just where I was being impatient or we were misunderstanding each other and getting frustrated. And on a sunday we decided to go swimming at a lake nearby, and just spending that time together swimming and talking and joking in the BROWN BROWN water (it was one of those lakes where the water, as gross as it sounds, is this really deep brown. You come across that kind of water a lot in the Poconos too (don't worry...it's not brown for any sinister reason..!)) was like this healing balm that made things so much better! It was like a salve for our raw nerves/emotions and we have been just reaping the benefits from it ever since. And I realized that just taking the time to just BE with each other is so important. Sometimes you think you ARE being together when you are sitting together watching a movie or something in your home, but sometimes it takes "being together' somewhere else, breaking from the routine or breaking from where you usually are together (not that i am saying you can't grow closer at home, but sometimes when you hit a tricky patch getting out of the normal is a needed thing). Like going to a park and sitting on a bench and just talking to each other or imagining things, taking a swim, walking around the neighborhood.

I am continually amazed at all the different things Andrew and I are learning from being married. It's DEFINITELY educational! ;)

So....the sink is leaking again by the way! If that sink goes more than three months without leaking someday...I will be amazed!! I have just been sticking a trash can underneath it because i have been too busy to get maintenance over. The apartment has really been feeling cozy though this month because the weather has been so so nice and cool. I am surprised because i thought that summer ending would make me really sad, as summer is my most favorite month. But I am excited about spending my FIRST married Fall with my husband!:)

We love you all and hope we will be able to see you soon!