Crazy Week

Wow, it's been a crazy week! Things are beginning to progress in the build out @ TPW and I'm realizing that I have an insane amount of things left to accomplish, that everything --even things that seem tiny and simple--take forever, and I simply do not have enough time in the day.

Today we had a meeting w/ the countertop people down in Lebanon. Our yogurt machine vendor was having an open house, so we stopped in there. Got to try yogurt and eat a yummy meal. Stopped by a restaurant supply store and then headed back to Laffy.  Browsed around Menards looking @ some things, swung by TPW, and then came home.  Have been working on things such as sprinkler system and fire alarm modifications, flooring,  cabinet and countertop colors, hot water heater, plumbing issues, walk in cooler set up, etc. So lots of things going on. 

Tomorrow we have a meeting @ 11 w/ a Sysco rep. Have to work on yogurt cups, interior signage, uniforms, flooring, sneeze guards, etc.

Yes, we've been living and breathing TPW lately.

Well, I'm not feeling overly talky, so I will leave you with some pics from the past couple weeks:

Wednesday 10/10/12: We finally bought an extended ladder, so decided to go rehang the banners ( they had blown off a few weeks prior).  It was COLD and windy out! Of course, the next day it was extremely warm out! haha This is D standing in the freezing wind trying to detrmine how to hang the sign.

Adjusting the ladder

D tried to drill into the top portion of the building, but it was way too soft, so we had to hand the banner lower than planned.

Thursday, 10/11/12: We went on a short hike @ Happy Hollow Park.

The trees were gorgeous!

We hiked quite a ways up hill.  On our way down, I started to slide, D was in front of me, and we both were falling down the hill.  It was pretty funny! haha

After our walk, we met Jennica over @ TPW.

Mi hermana!

Diego trying to catch a light bulb..

Beautiful clouds!

D carved a cute little Christmas tree with his new wood machine

I went over to Jennica's to hang out for a bit while D and Larry were watching a movie.  She made these cute litle pizza cups. They were pretty tasty!

Recipe that I tried off of pinterest. I think I posted the recipe a couple entries ago.

Friday 10/12/12: On Friday we went over to Billy and Beth's house to celebrate Beth's birthday! She made chicken tortilla soup which was delicous!

Billy bought her a tres leches cake! It was super yummy!

We learned a new card game, which was all about rules and had a great time!

Saturday 10/13/12: Late night working on TPW things. D working on the lighting placement...

Progress being made

Sunday 10/14/12: D, Larry, and I went to pick Mom and Dad up from the airport. D with his extendable spoon that they got him as a souvenir!

They're baaaack! And looking brown as berries!

Cheesecake for dessert @ The Cheesecake Factory. Yuuum!

Pictures for the walls @ TPW

Souvenirs from M&d !

haha

Monday 10/15/12: We stopped by Peru on our way to Ft. Wayne to check out a yogurt shop.

We met up with the Stewies and had a delightful, but slightly rushed, meal. ( We were on a time line--had to be to Ft. Wayne before 9) The pizza and breadsticks were delicious!

@ Spoonz Frozen Yogurt in Ft. Wayne.  They have the same yogurt machines as we do.  We went to check out the wall depth--how far back the handles are in the wall.

I really liked these lights. Super cute !

After our yogurt, we headed up to Rensl to spend the night. I don't think we got there until almost 11 maybe. So it was a late night.

 Okay, that's it for now. Good night! :)

Deep Stuff

I tend to not get into deep, controversial spiritual issues on my blog, but tonight I have a thought on my mind and feel like sharing.  I was browsing through facebook and I saw a comment by one of my friends.

"The worst thing about Hell is not fire, brimstone, or the torture.  The worst thing about Hell will be the absence of God."

I agree with this statement and it triggered something.  Interestingingly enough, it goes against my perspective of hell as a child.  I grew up in an environment where hell was a threat of sorts.  I spent many a night during my childhood and teenage years where I was terrified to sleep for fear that I would go to sleep and never wake up.  I was terrified of death and always afraid that I might slip up--that I would do something wrong and go to hell.  I heard story after story about 'backsliders' who turned from God and died horrible and grotesque deaths. The God of my growing up years was not one of love, but of terror.  I feared him and did not want to provoke him for fear of an eternal punishment of torture.  Yet, I also felt a strange feeling of love for and from God, which was strange because he sounded terrifying from the pulpit.

As I grew older, I slowly began to gain a new perspective of God.  I realized that he was not the monster that I had thought him to be, but that he was LOVING and kind. He loved me in spite of all my mistakes and all my faults.  He was a loving parent, not an abusive taskmaster. With this new view of God came a new view of hell.  I am definitely not a biblical scholar, although I've always thought it would be great to be one, so my views are simply that--my opinions. Over the past few years, I have begun to look at hell in a new way.  I grew up with stories of hell, fire, and brimstone---the earth opening up and swallowing people whole. Falling forever and ever. It was a physical place.  But I don't think I agree with that perspective of hell anymore.  I look at it more as a place where God is absent. It's not a place where people are thrown as a punishment for of all their sins.  Hell is the absence of God for those who choose not to believe in /follow Him. They choose to life their lives without his presence. I believe that God is present each and every day here on earth-- in the beauty of the earth, the sound of the birds chirping, the excitement of a baby being born, the relationship with loved ones--His presence is felt even for those who are not currently loving Him so perhaps none of us can imagine a place that is completely void of Him.  And I think that is what 'hell' is-- a place in which one does not feel God. I view all of the talk of brimstone, fire, etc. as figurative language.  Perhaps a way to try and convey to our mere human minds what life without God may feel like. Is it a real place? I don't claim to know that. Perhaps it's a place of the mind. I don't think anyone really knows.  We can claim to know it all, but I don't think anyone here on Earth really knows. And perhaps that's the wonder of it. We follow by faith and faith alone. 

Tonight as I was reading the Facebook post, I had a giant revelation. Although I've tried to rid myself of that old perspective of hell, it still haunts me and I have spent many a night in fear.  Even though my relationship with God has changed and grown, the old ways don't die.  But tonight, I realized that if I believe that hell is for people who do not want God, then what do I have to fear? I DO want God.  I DO believe in Him.  I DO follow after Him, so what do I have to fear? I don't have to live in constant fear that if I slip up and make a mistake, I will be banished to the pits of hell.  It's such a freeing thought.As I read that simple post, my eyes welled up with tears and I felt a peace. The peace of God. Thank you God for that peace. And thank you poster, because I think that simple post---just a thought---was meant for me. :)

I don't know why  I decided to share this with you.  It seems quite personal and not something I share lightly.  Yet, I feel an urge to share it. So here it is. Feel free to agree or disagree. These are simply my thoughts, how I feel, the way that I'm viewing the world....:)

I'll leave you with the words of MLKJ:

"Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almight, I'm free at last."

 

Picture Blog!

Haven't had much time to update lately. It's been a busy week! Mom and Dad are supposed to fly into Indy tomorrow and we have to go pick them up. I'm excited to see them! It seems like they've been gone for a long time. Right now I'm sitting here watching a movie w/ Diego and Larry.

Larry got here last Sunday afternoon. We met him up @ the truck stop in Rensl.  He's leaving his truck @ the shop to try and sell it.  I think he will be staying with us until the truck sells.

Here are some pictures from the past couple weeks:

9/29/12: Rena's Baby Shower

Carra & Lachlan @ the shower

Aunt Mary made lots of yummy food!

Rena & Kristina

The Mama to Be!

Rena w/her sisters

Really cool view of the moon!

D made a work bench for all his tools in the garage

Really nice sunset from the parking lot in Walmart

D ran in to buy a popcorn machine, I snapped a bunch of sunset photos while I was waiting..

Snickle chewing her bone

Listening to jennica's speech...

Jennica practicing her speech on frozen yogurt

Week 1 of the build out: framing the office/bathroom

Friday 10/5/12: We drove over to Attica to get a wood lathe that D found on Craigslist. We picked it up at some deserted garage in the countryside. Plus, it was dark and cold/rainy.  It was pretty creepy!  Me and my wild imagination-- I thought for sure we were going to be murdered or something, but thankfully we were okay and we got the tool at a really great price!

Getting the spare room ready for Larry.

Sunday 10/7/12: D posing by Larry's truck near Burger King

Unloading the trailer @ the shop

D helping Larry unload his stuff

Pizza @ Schmidy's

We tried the thin crust pizza for the first time-- it was pretty good!

Sister!

I've been drinking a lot of tea lately! Picked up some more @ Payless on Sunday night...

D showing Larry his new toy

Shopping for toilets @ Menards

We're thinking of getting the brown tile on the right for the soft seating area/back hallway @ TPW.

Starting the framing for the yogurt wall

This bread from Harvest Grain is AMAZING! It's also pretty pricey.

Yuuum!

Tuesday 10/9/12: I made potato corn chowder and cornbread for dinner!

Yummy!

Starting to frame the counter

I have more pictures to add, but I'll wait until next time! So yeah, it's been a busy week! The build out @ TPW is going along pretty well! We have most of the equipment/appliances figured out. We went shopping for the toilet and bathroom sink. We're working on the lighting/electrical aspects right now. Also, trying to figure out the counter top, flooring, etc.

I've been cooking a little more than usual. On Tuesday, I tried a new recipe: cheddar potato corn chowder.  Here's the recipe:
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1864
On Thursday, I made chicken tacos and I also tried a recipe for banana bars w/ brown butter frosting. They turned out pretty well! Here's the recipe:
http://lifessimplemeasures.blogspot.com/2012/01/banana-bread-bars-with-brown-butter.html

Other than all TPW stuff:  I've been trying to exercise more often. Have been using the elliptical pretty regularly. On Thursday, we went for a short hike @ Happy Hollow Park.  We were on a pretty steep trail and I slipped, pushing D down with me. It was kind of funny! Last night we went over to Billy Bob and Beth's house for dinner and games. We had chicken tortilla soup and tres leche cake! Yuuum! Finally, got the Indiana plates for my car! It was such a hassle!

Today we slept until.....yes, noon! Craziness! I guess we were pretty tired. It's been a rainy, ucky day out; but at least it's not cold! Have been working on lighting today.  Also, went to clean out my dad's truck. My lower back has been hurting since Friday.  I'm not sure what the cause is, maybe I pulled something when I slipped during our hike. Hopefully, it's nothing serious. I just know that it's been a real pain! I asked D to try to give me a massage to see if that would help, but when he touched my back it hurt so badly! I usually love really deep massages, but not this time! Maybe I'll try to put some ice on it.

I've been in a cleaning mood for the past week or two. My brain has felt so cluttered, so I've been trying to keep my surroundings a little less cluttered. You know the concept: when your space is cluttered your brain is more cluttered; when your surroundings are more organized/uncluttered then your brain is more organized/uncluttered. I'm finding that it's true!

Okay, I think I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight! :)