eBay Angst

Have you ever felt the adrenaline rush of bidding on an auction you REALLY WANT, not knowing if the person on the other end is bidding higher than you at that exact moment? You enter your bid, and for a brief second, you feel like you are on top of the world, like you couldn't possibly contain any more pride, when that page comes up that reads "Congratulations! You are the current high bidder!" Then, only seconds later, you click refresh to make sure your success is secured. This time the page that comes up is not so reassuring. It reads, "I'm sorry. You have been outbid." Your pride is crushed. Your hope falls. Then the adrenaline rushes back and surges through your veins. You have new strength. You grit your teeth as an evil smile sneaks across your face. You enter your new bid, and shout "Outbid that!" as you slam your finger down on the Enter button. This is the point where you forget what you are bidding on, and are now just bidding to WIN. There are only 40 seconds left. There is only time for one more shot, so make it good. You wait. You are the high bidder. Refresh. 20 seconds. You are the high bidder. Refresh. You are going to win! Your heart rate is off the charts. 10 seconds. Your victory is almost secured. 3 seconds. Refresh.

"Bidding has ended for this item. You were outbid."

Tears.

Go Anna!

Last night was the annual performance by the Mini-Saints at Faith. This is Anna's last year in the choir. Jared and I, along with the family including two of my uncles from out of town, my aunt Wendy, my grandma Edie, and my parents, all gathered last night for the Saturday evening performance. This year, the story of Joseph was told through dancing and singing. All of the kiddos did an amazing job, and I just wanted to devote this post to congratulating them!

Here are some photos of the kids in action...



Jesse and Anna fighting over a scroll



Anna rockin out with her two best friends, Jesse and Steph



Jessi, Anna, Steph



Uncle Tom, Grandma Edie, Aunt Wendy, The Star: Anna Norquist, Uncle Dan, Papar, Marma

Apparently I Love Baseball!

I went to the Twins game yesterday with some relatives and I LOVED IT! If any of you saw the score or heard anything about the game, it was apparently a pretty lame one. Neither team scored throughout the entire 9 innings, or in the 10th. Then finally in the bottom of the 11th inning, with two bases full, Redmond hit a good one and the Twins won 1-0! And even though the game was not all that dynamic, I had a blast!



Uncle Tom, Jim, Grandma Edie, Aunt Wendy, Me sitting in our Diamond View seats!

Joe Mauer, who coincidentally was born the same year I was. There is my claim to fame.... lame?

Papar and Foofy at the game!

Money and Baseball

Good news!! We sold the motorcycle! This is such a blessing, and has put into motion a series of events affecting our future in preparation for the baby (Whew! That was mouthful!).
In simpler terms, we are able to pay off the remainder of the bike loan, with a considerable amount left over. With the extra money we are going to pay off some other debts we have, and thus lower our monthly payments. This will in turn allow us to save up enough $$ for a down payment on a cross-over vehicle for me and baby. (Need I even hint that the cars we have now would not be considered "reliable"?) Anyways, I feel like God is taking good care of us here and laying out a future for our growing family.

In other news, I am going to a Twins game on Thursday! I have not been to one since I was about 6ish. I am pretty excited. I am going to with my grandma, aunt, papar, and uncle from out of town and am very excited to spend the afternoon with all of them. Plus, I actually know the rules of baseball, which will make the game even more enjoyable. There is one thing that has been bothering me though... what am I supposed to wear to the game? I don't own one thing that has any kind of sport emblem on it, much less any Twins items. I guess I will just pick from the few items of clothing that still fit me. Shouldn't be too hard as there aren't many, and we haven't had the chance to go out shopping for my new wardrobe yet.

Sunshine Brings It Out

I have decided that the sun has a more powerful effect on people then we realize. The awareness of this effect is in the back of our minds constantly-- that when the sun comes out, we are put into a state of happiness and itch to get outside and bask in this mysterious medicine.

I know that in my case, my mood for the day is largely based on the weather. When the sun is shining bright, my mood is always more cheerful, and it shapes my whole day. When Spring rolls around every year, and the sun starts to shine on a daily basis, inevitably the greenhouses are on the way, people of all ages dot the sidewalks, and the beautiful smell of smoke from the BBQ fills the air. I love this time of year. Hope and happiness is the oxygen I breath during these Spring days.

This theory was proved further this week when we received four calls of interest about coming to test drive Jared's motorcycle (which is for sale). The reason I say that the sun has any effect on this is because the bike has been for sale since January, and we have not had a single bite... until this week.

Yay for the sunshine!!

The sun has come out,
People want to buy the bike,
Please keep shining bright!

Pregnancy Blog

I created a new blog specifically devoted to keeping you all informed on my pregnancy. Check it periodically to find out how things are going for baby and me!

http://babyblab.blogspot.com/

(I will try to post my first update this week sometime.)

Stuck in the Middle

Right now I am at that akward stage in every pregnancy, where my normal clothing no longer flatters my growing belly, and yet, maternity clothing looks like a giant potato sack draped over my body.
I found this especially true as I sorted through my closet today. I packed away much of my normal clothes, and replaced it with the few maternity pieces I have aquired. As I packed away my clothes, I could not help but wonder whether or not that was the last time I would every be able to wear some of those outfits. Would I have to start all over after the baby is born and my body is changed forever? Then I began to wonder if I would even like the style of these clothes after I became a mother. I don't feel like a dress very "motherly" now. Will I end up being one of those matronly dressers, at the young age of 24? Or will I be able to maintain that hip, young mother style? These thoughts got me so flustered and bittersweetly sad, that I played loud rocker music, and rocked out while completing my task. It made me feel a little more my age I guess.
After calming my worries, I realized I know a lot of really awesome moms, some hip, some not, but awesome just the same. I guess it does not really matter what someone wears. Heck, if none of these clothes fit me, then I guess I will be forced into a shopping trip, and who can be upset about that?

Used Car Salesmen Will Say Anything

Yesterday after work, Jared and Nathan met me in Maplewood to see if the key we received in the mail would win us a new Nissan. We walked through the door of the dealship at 3:15. We did not walk out until 6:05. Well actually, Nathan and I walked out three times, but were called back in again. Here is the story:

In my niave little mind, I thought we would be able to waltz in, try out our key, and leave. Obviously the point of these keys is to get people into the dealship, so they can pound you into the ground trying to sell you a car. After answering a few simple questions, the salesman jumped up, and as he scurried away, he shouted back over his shoulder that he was going to pull up the "perfect" car for us. I believe they learn this technique at their Shady Salesmen of America meetings. This way, we had no time to protest.

So he pulled up a navy blue Acura MDX. At this point we had already been at the dealership for 30 minutes. Nathan and I were going to walk out to the car to leave, but when I saw the Acura, I decided I could go with on the test drive. We took it out and immediatly noticed a very violent vibrating originating at one of the wheels. After the test drive, we drove it to the onsite service center to be fixed. Meanwhile, we were ushered back into the dealship, asked how much per month we would be able to pay for this car, and then before we knew it, Mr. Shady was shaking our hands and Congratulating us on the purchase of our new car. WHAT? Jared and I looked at eachother confused, and then proceeded to wait around for about 45 minutes while everyone ignored us.

At this point, Nate and I headed out the car to leave, and Jared stayed behind to tell them we had to go. I was called back in, because coincidentally right when we had to leave, they were suddenly ready to talk to us about financing options. They presented us with numbers well above what we gave them as our MAX payments, to which we said no. We excused ourselves to talk things over, and after reaffirming the conclusion that the payments were indeed too high, I walked again out to the car, and Jared went back in to decline their offer. He told them that we did indeed like the car, but that his wife was not okay with the payments and we would not be able to buy it.

So, they sent the Acura home with us for a day to convince me we actually did need it. Obviously they do not understand that liking a car enough to want to buy it, does not mean that suddenly we can afford it. Jared picked it up from the service center, where the mechanic explained to him what they had done to fix it and that it should be in pristine running order.
Anyways, after driving the car off the lot, the vibrations were even stronger than before and were now accompanied by a groaning sound at every turn. When they called later that evening to find out how I liked it, Jared told them of the terrible vibrations, and they quickly replied that they had not serviced it yet, and that it would get taken care of.

BULLCRAP.

We are returning the car this afternoon with an empty tank of gas.

Heart of Gold

I heard my baby's heartbeat today. Best day of my life.