Texas or Bust!

This is a big week for us... we're headed to Texas for a wedding/vacation. First, we'll spend a few days in San Antonio, doing the River Walk thing... Then we'll head to Austin to "keep it weird" for Mark and Becky's wedding. So, after spending this weekend in Winfield, and getting home last night around 9:00, I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed with the packing and trip preparations that can be so stressful before a vacation! I'm working today and we fly out early in the morning...

We had a great weekend in Winfield. I had two jewelry shows, which were lots of fun and both went pretty well. It was also Hannah's first prom... I can hardly believe that my baby sister is old enough to go to prom!!! In Winfield, finding the most creative ride is a pretty big deal. (When I was a junior, we pushed our dates in shopping carts! Sounds weird, but Dad wired up flashing lights, and we threw confetti... Lots of fun!) Hannah's group had a fantastic ride, possibly the best I've ever seen. The Flinstone-mobile, as we called it, was made mostly by Hannah's date, Kevin. Mom and Dad and Kevin's parents added some finishing touches. It was a hit! They even won the "most creative ride" award.

Lots of pictures to come!

#60: Breakfast in bed...

Number 60 is an item on my list that I've been dreading. I never thought I'd get it done... for several reasons. First of all, Cole is an early riser and a light sleeper. I am neither of those. So I knew that even if I made it out of bed before him, all of the clanging in our kitchen would surely get him up before I could actually bring him breakfast.

By some stroke of luck, I woke up early Sunday morning and I was wide awake, no chance of snoozing a little longer. Cole has been working long hours lately, so he was awake, but still pretty tired. It all went something like this:

A: Will you stay in bed for just a little while longer?
C: Sure. Why?
A: I need to check you off my list - would you prefer pancakes or french toast?
C: Surprise me. But I still think it's weird to eat food in bed.
A: Just work with me here... take a few bites and then you can get up. Don't move... I'll be back.

Now wasn't that romantic?! :)

Did you know?

If you're anything like Cole and I, you're impatiently waiting for your tax return... after the layoffs at Parker Hannifin, we were fortunate that Cole got to keep his job, but with a required 10% pay cut and reduced bonuses. Ouch! So anyway, we're stockpiling any spare change we can, building our savings up. Just in case...

Our itty bitty Kansas return came mid-March, and I've been checking our account frequently to see when the Federal will arrive. Not that we're doing anything exciting with it - saving most and using some for our trip in April, a much-needed vacation to Texas for Mark and Becky's wedding! (Very little economic stimulation coming from the Eilders this year, sorry folks.) Long story short, did you know you can check for the exact day your Federal return will be electronically deposited, if you've selected that option?! Just enter these three things:

1) Your SSN.
2) How you filed. (Single, Jointly, HOH, etc.)
3) The dollar amount of your return.

And PRESTO! The exact date of your deposit appears. March 27th, in our case; I love Fridays! This may be the smartest thing our government has ever done. :) Only kidding. Click here to try it out!

Baby Beam!

The Beam baby is here! Parker Grace arrived on March 15th, and I can't wait to see her!!! I'll probably try to meet up with Leesa, Dusty and Parker next Monday when I'm in Wichita for work... Click here to see Parker Grace! :) Does she look more like Mom or Dad? I can't decide...

She said it best...

An old friend of mine from high school (who also happens to be a Premier Designs jeweler) recently used her business to help out her dear friends who lost their baby girl. What a beautiful thing she did - bringing together over 100 people to remember sweet Cora and support a playground in memory of her! Check out Amanda's blog here:

The Balzer Family's Blog

Parker Grace

My friends Leesa and Dusty are waiting for their new bundle of joy to arrive... Parker Grace should be here sometime in the next few weeks. (Isn't that a cute name?!) Here are the pictures from Leesa's baby shower that some friends and I threw. We had a great time making play-doh babies, watching Leesa open gifts, and chowing down on some yummy cake! I was especially proud of the clothes-line of onesies in the background. :) I can't take credit for that one, though... I think I found it online somewhere!

More layoffs.

The rumor was true.

After laying off 46 hourly workers this January, Cole's employer has now also let go of four salary employees. It was a company-wide decision; sadly, several plants had to let people go. Cole was not one of them... The announcement was made yesterday while he was in Red Oak, Iowa, for a class. We feel so fortunate to have our jobs... at least for now. What a tough experience.

Please pray for those who have lost their jobs - and that this economic stimulus package actually stimulates our economy!

Beaver Creek Blues!

Mondays stink! Wish we were back in Colorado... :)
Here are some pics from our trip last weekend:

#85: Write a letter to a politician...

When my sister, Jessica, was in elementary school, her 1st grade class wrote Governor Joan Finney requesting that Kansas adopt the Barred Tiger Salamander as our state amphibian. I'm sure there were many other students involved in the "salamander movement," but Jess has always been proud to have been a part of that particular bill. She wound up with a biology degree, so I guess she was destined to have a high aptitude in life science, even at a young age! Gov. Finney signed the legislation into existence, and the rest is history, or so they say... You can read more about our state amphibian by clicking here.

Earlier this month, I was able to check off #85 on my list. I didn't actually write the letter myself. Instead, I discovered a resource that I'm excited to share... It's called the Family Research Council (FRC) and it's a nonprofit "organization dedicated to the promotion of marriage and family and the sanctity of human life in national policy." So far, I've agreed with the FRC on every issue... I signed up for email updates and occasionally they email me with policy concerns. I have the option to send and edit a 'form letter' or 'form email' to government officials. I would strongly encourage you to sign up for updates at their website. On Saturday I even received a note from Representative Lynn Jenkins thanking me for my input. She signed her own name and hand wrote, "Stay in touch!" on the letter. It's no salamander, but I'd like to think that I'm making a small difference...

Perspective...

I've been following my friend Amanda's blog pretty closely for a few weeks now. She's been posting updates about a baby girl named Cora, who passed away this Sunday. Cora's story is heartbreaking. I tear up every time I think about her parents and what they've already been through at such a young age ~ or at any age, for that matter. It's obvious that they've been a shining example of God's love to those around them. So many people have been praying for Cora.

No matter where we're at in life, it's so important (and really difficult, at times like this) to remember that God doesn't make mistakes, that this is His plan.