Christmas 2011

MERRY CHRISTMAS

It’s that time of year again, where I need to sit down and sum up our year on an 8x11 piece of paper! It seems like a simple task, but I always find myself trying to cut it down to size! J

This year has been a rollercoaster, which can honestly be said over any year, but I think that this particular year takes the cake.  My poor hubby had to survive my pregnancy and we both are making our way through those adventurous first months of parenthood!

The biggest highlight of this past spring was the privilege of being able to bring my office computer home! This was a true blessing! It enabled me to work more overtime without having the 2 hours of daily driving, as well as being able to live in my pajamas during my pregnancy!

The summer was spent trying to keep cool, work as much overtime as possible, readying a few baby essentials and attending some “last minute” concerts before I wasn’t able to attend them once the lil guy arrived. The summer seemed to never end as I counted the weeks down until my August 13^th due date!

The time flew by but drug on at the same time until that August 10^th day when our beautiful son, Levi Benjamin arrived at 4:59am! The time since then of course has flown by! He is already almost 5 months old and we wonder where the time has gone!

Tyler is still employed by the City of Superior Street Department and made his one year probation back in October! He works a variety of jobs within that department, so the work is never dull! He is currently anxious over the changes the union plans to make in the New Year and how much it will affect his benefits and income.

I am still employed by United Healthcare, just passing my 3 year mark at the beginning of December. I am currently working part time in the evenings after Tyler gets home from work, which is quite honestly the best of both worlds! I have the joy of being with Levi all day and then Tyler spends the evening with him as I work. He is a fantastic help with preparing dinner for us during those hours as well.

We are slowly making home improvements each year to our home to better insulate and update our current setup. This year’s priority was Levi’s room, which turned out beautifully thanks to some generous help from friends and family. Paint was used to touch up a couple other rooms to give an inexpensive fresh look to tide us over before the actual remodeling. Next year, if we can save up enough, the living room will be tackled, which excites me greatly to have our central room completed!

In September, my dad had the privilege of baptizing his newest grandson at his church in Argyle, MN. We were thankful to have both of Levi’s great grandpas in attendance as well as several of my aunts, uncles and cousins.

Levi has become our world. We function around his schedule!  We find so much joy in being first time parents. We hate to see him grow so fast but love watching him discover the world around him a little more each day. He is a big guy for his young age, so we are convinced he will be our NFL linebacker someday. He currently enjoys sitting up in our laps versus laying down where he can’t see anything that’s going on. He has to be where the action is! Levi is definitely a mama’s boy during the day, but lights up and flaps his arms in excitement when daddy comes home in the afternoons. Daddy loves to spend his evenings with Levi rocking him to sleep in the rocking chair, reading a number of Tyler’s favorite books, and playing on the floor discovering a variety of musical toys, rattles and games.

We look forward to another adventurous year in 2012 as Tyler and I celebrate our 4^th year of marriage, and as Levi begins his mobility coming into the spring/summer months. We are already anticipating the outdoor activities and walks that we can do as a family once the weather gets warm again!

That’s about all the news that we have for now! Have a blessed Christmas everyone!  Stay warm! Stay healthy!

Love,

Tyler, Ana & Levi

It's the Final Countdown!

Just a couple more days til I will be admitted to the hospital and gearing up to have our lives changed forever! As each day, each hour passes, I am getting more anxious, nervous and emotional. I can't believe that after so many months of the time just dragging by, we are gonna have our little guy in our arms!

Tyler is currently sick with a bad cold after getting himself so rundown working so hard on the baby's room after his regular job every day and weekend. The man is such a hard worker! I am so proud of him, but unfortunately, his body wasn't enjoying the lack of rest. I pray that he is well and ready to go for the induction or I will be admitting him as well for get some much needed rest!

This weekend, being our last weekend "single" and without our precious baby boy, is gonna be busy but still gonna be full of rest to gear us both up for this big change! The first coat of paint goes up in the baby's room tomorrow and then I have the rest of the day planned out to me REST!!!! Sunday, we will attend church, relax for a bit, then head up town for a nice movie/dinner date before checking into the hospital. I am seriously contemplating bringing an Xbox to entertain us while we are there waiting! Tee hee.

At my last ultrasound and appointment yesterday, I was told that the lil guy still looks awesome, but for me, I am still only dialated 1/2cm. My doctor went over how things will work at check-in, getting the Cytotec pill, some leg contraptions that massage my legs to prevent blood clots, etc. She will check in on me Monday morning and I will get the Pitocin to hopefully get my labor going fast and that lil guy out into the world for us to meet! She did mention that if the induction doesn't take, they will send me home on Monday night. I wasn't prepared to hear those words. I hadn't considered the possibility of the induction not working. So, of course, me being the one who likes to worry about everything, especially with having this baby, I am now freaking out worried that this won't work and I will end up being sent home without a newborn in my arms. I am trying to trust that God is in control and that whatever happens is meant to happen. I wouldn't have minded waiting til the lil guy wanted to come on his own, but having this induction planned for so long and now finding out that it's possible that it won't work is devastating. I am trying to think positive that he is ready to come into this world and that the induction will go GREAT! These last weeks have been so draining emotionally and physically. I look forward to have these days behind me and simply enjoying the little miracle that God has given to us!

My next post, will hopefully be sharing the first pictures and moments of our lil guy's life. Please pray for us if you would regarding my nerves, Ty's cold, and for the smooth delivery without complications of our son. Thank you so much in advance! :)

Last Time Away

Tyler and I haven't gotten to take any weekend trips since our first years of marriage haven't been abundant in funds that we can use to just take off.

BUT, last night, we decided to take a couple days of my overtime money and just go get a nice hotel room for one night to ourselves away before this lil guy arrives. It was nice. We were so lame though! HAHA. We got to the hotel at check in time, around 3pm, and went straight to the pool for a swim for about an hour or so. The weightless feeling with this heavy belly was wonderful! After our swim, we showered quick and headed out to the buffet downstairs, which we had coupons for to pay hardly anything for our meal. I barely made it through the meal before I was crashing with exhaustion. We have both been so tired between my overtime and pregnancy and Ty working hard at the City and the baby's room on the weekends. I crawled into the wonderful king-sized bed and fell right to sleep for a good hour! We then sat in bed and relaxed watching NCIS reruns until around 930pm and then went down to see the local band that was playing. They were called II Amendment and covered a lot of country songs (much to Tyler's delight!). By 11:30, we were asleep in our nice, air conditioned room as the temp was still over 85 with the heat index outside! After sleeping in, we had a nice breakfast buffet and then headed back home. We both with we could have afforded more than just one day to have a break from life.

Now, back to reality in Solon Springs, 106 degree heat index, and relaxing before the working again tomorrow morning. The anticipation of the arrival our son is getting high! It still doesn't seem real that we will have him here with us in 3 weeks or less! Can't wait!! We are still working to get that baby's room done on days where it's not unbearably hot! The sheetrock goes up this coming weekend and then Ty will be working hard to mud and paint. I am looking forward to getting the room organized and set up with everything! I spose I should get to the store one of these days to grab the last things I will need for the hospital and the coming home for the lil guy and myself. The energy level and the amount of pain to just walk around a store makes it SO hard. I am gonna take a motorized cart around Target I think to do my last shopping so I can get everything done!!

Well, that's enough for now. I am relaxed and planning on remaining in that state for the rest of the day before another long week of work/overtime, dr appts, and weekend activities. Due in 3 weeks, 6 days.

Nervous!

My countdown til the baby's arrival has down turned to counting down in days instead of months. I have 47 days til this baby is "due," which means I could have him in just over 30 days if I am early! That's crazy! I have so much left to do to get the house ready, get my mind ready, and stop being so scared of the who birthing concept!

Much of my nervousness is stemming from possible complications in the form of a blood clot, potential c-section resulting from my induction, and yes, I am even scared that I won't make it out of the hospital. Some of my fears are justified, some not. I know that God is in control and whatever is meant to happen will. It doesn't console me as much as I would like, because I know that He might want me go to heaven instead of home with my husband and baby. That terrifies me that I may not get to be a mother to my child. Praying that this fear will leave me since it won't help any when I am in labor and needing to focus!

Fears and excitement both lay heavy on my mind as each day draws closer to my lil guy arriving. I am believing that all of that fear will be overcome with hormones after I get to hold him for the first time. So much is on my mind of things to get done and how to prepare to be a mom. I know that I can't be completely prepared, no one really is for this amazing blessing. BUT... me being someone who is super organized and likes to have things planned, has a hard time accepting that the labor, delivery, etc can't be planned to the T on my part. I think I will need to be distracted to focus. That sounds odd, but it makes sense to me!

On Thursday this week, I am now starting the routine of ultrasounds at every appointment from now til the end of the pregnancy. I am so nervous that the dr will say, oops, I was wrong, it's a girl and not a boy. I will love my child no matter which gender, but since I have been collecting only boy things, that change in prediction will put a wrench in things. Lucky for me, I have a couple people whom I can buy their girl clothes from, but that doesn't change the fact that I will have to spend more money on acquiring girl things! We shall see what Thursday brings!!

Pregnancy Joys

I seriously meant to post monthly as this pregnancy has progressed and now, here I am sitting at 31 1/2 weeks and posting for the first time since my annual Christmas letter. So easy to forget, but I spose I can blame the "preggo brain" as somewhat of a valid excuse for my lack of communication. Everyone who reads this, if anyone, would be on my Facebook anyways and getting some updates in that form. So, I haven't failed COMPLETELY. :)

It's Wednesday, the mid-week hump day that makes me dread that I still have two more days til the weekend. The rain is steadily falling as I pluck away at my job. It's so nice being home to work, especially during the pregnancy! It's so much easier to work my overtime not having the commute each way.

This week has been busy and overwhelming all at the same time. I had my 32 week OB appointment yesterday, where I learned that every appointment now til the end will be including an ultrasound. I am excited to see my lil guy every time now since it's been about 3 months since my last ultrasound. He has grown so much since then (and so has my belly!). This week has also brought around  my 3 nights of birthing classes. I have so far survived the first night and feel overwhelmed by information already. I am not sure whether I feel more apprehensive or at ease about the labor/birth. I will have my induction scheduled at week 39, but I could very well go before then. If I do, I am totally spending most of my time at home still working to distract myself (and make the extra money!).

Pregnancy isn't as horrible as I had imagined it being. It's not a walk in the park either. The things that I expected to happen have happened, so there haven't been a whole lot of surprises. I am looking towards the prize of holding my lil guy in my arms in less than 2 months! :) I spose one thing that I didn't anticipate was having to sleep on an air mattress to help with the pain I experience while sleeping and trying to get up in the mornings. I sleep around a mountain of pillows, so it's better for me to not be in the bed with Ty since he gets no space anymore!

We are still needing to get organized and ready for the lil guy to come. It seems like we have plenty of time, but I know that the next couple months of weekends aren't all that many! Our biggest project is still the baby's room. We need to tear down the insulation/sheetrock, replace the windows, insulation, and sheetrock, install a door, mud/paint, and get the trim up all before we can organize all of the baby supplies in that room.

I have been hitting up garage sales when I can to get clothes that are still in great shape instead of going out to buy new. I have gotten a few new clothes from people already, which is nice to have some new things. I foresee lots of garage saling to cloth my children as they grow. :) Things are slowly and surely coming together. I wish I had more energy to do more, but I do what I can. I have washed and organized all of the clothes, etc so far and now just wait to have somewhere to put it all instead of in tubs stacked in my living room!

The movements have increased over the past week or so and I love it when I can see the baby roll over room the outside or kick so that my whole belly "jumps." I can finally tell Tyler to feel my belly and he will get to feel the baby move since the movements are more frequent certain times of day. I think I will miss feeling the lil guy move in me when he is born, but I get to sit and hold him for hours instead! :)

Ty is a very excited man to have our baby! He just grins and talks to my belly telling him that he wants the time to be here where he can hold him. It's so cute!! I am excited to get some good pics of the exceedingly proud and happy new daddy! I keep watching prices for the camera that I want to get before the big day so I can start taking pictures right off the bat instead of going to JC Penny's all the time. So much more fun taking and editing my own photos anyways!

Anyways, that's enough for now... I am going to attempt to post here more often in the time leading up to the birth of our son! Weekly ultrasounds are starting and new ultrasound pics will make it on here as well!

Christmas Letter (ya I know, it's late!)

Another holiday season is upon us, where we are once again thankful for the blessings of this past year and soon, another Christmas celebration with family and friends. We are ending our year a wee bit on the chilly side as the cold seems to have come earlier than usual, but we remain cozy in our little northern Wisconsin home.

The beginning of the year was filled with ice fishing and four-wheeling, but quickly transformed into Tyler getting called back to work earlier than usual for a project out in Pennsylvania. On the morning of our 2^nd anniversary, March 1^st, he was off. Tyler returned every 3 weeks for a couple days before heading out again. This was hard, but at least it was only for a few months. When May rolled around, Ty was back with his regular job, home on just the weekends. Ty was really beginning to feel the wear and tear on his body with his job, but also our marriage as well. Ty began to scour the paper for potential jobs in our area. We only heard back from one job, the City of Superior street department. We didn’t get our hopes up, but God had another idea instead! The first week of October, after years of being on the road, my husband is now home every night, enjoying a normal 8 hour work day and carpooling with me up town. Praise God! The pay wasn’t as good, but the tradeoff was worth its weight in gold to have Ty home every night! Our prayers had been answered!

Before shipping Tyler off to Pennsylvania, I finally convinced him to get into the doctor to have his potential sleep apnea issue looked into. They prescribed the over night sleep study and found out that Tyler stopped breathing around 90 times per hour. Ty’s thick neck was crushing his windpipe and causing the issue. He is now the “proud” owner of a CPAP machine that is a mask that he wears to bed that provides him with continuous oxygen. He is now sleeping better and there is no more snoring! He isn’t the biggest fan of wearing the mask, but it’s for his own good, so he is wearing it anyways.

Mid-summer, I was in for a routine hematologist and she asked what my primary doctor was doing about the large mass on one of my breasts. I said WHAT MASS?!?! Apparently, during my CT last year during my hospitalization, a mass was detected, documented and I was never notified. After some more research, I was found to have a total of 3 masses that they wanted to biopsy immediately. After several days of intense worrying, we were informed that the masses were benign. I called the hospital’s patient advocate, who assured me that all of the bills associated with the biopsies, ultrasounds, and mammograms will be paid by the hospital for their negligence. Numerous prayers were answered with the whole situation.

On a more positive note, we were able to complete the back bedroom of our home a little bit each week this summer and early fall. It was a slow process, but we got the room done for use. Our home feels so much bigger now! We are happy to work on the house, but we aren’t exactly carpenters and have to rely on those who are to guide us and help when needed!

I am SO excited to report that I now have a piano of my very own! My wonderful sister-in-law, Pam, donated her piano to me since they could no longer use it. We took a trip to Minneapolis to grab it via UHAUL.  It’s wonderful to be able to play again! Thank goodness that Tyler enjoys listening to me play, but I still try to play more so when he’s out in the garage or running errands! I hope to acquire a few beginning piano students to help supplement some income.

These days, Tyler spends his evenings enjoying my home cooked meals while relaxing with me as I knit or crochet on the couch. Tyler spends his weekends for the later 5ish months of the year hunting small game and deer. We anxiously await the lake to freeze to be able to do some ice fishing! I got an early Christmas present from Ty of a sewing machine to start sewing various things for our home. Can you tell that I love my crafts?!

Now, on to the biggest news of the year!!!! We found out that we are expecting our first child in summer 2011! We are very excited! Tyler is praying for a little girl that can be his little angel whom he can take hunting and fishing with him. I am hoping for a boy myself. We will be thankful for whichever the Lord decides to bless us with. My doctor has me started on self-injectible blood thinners to help with the blood clotting disorder. I was horrified to give myself the injections, but they aren’t as bad as I had expected. I anticipate a very exciting summer next year to go to many garage sales to get ready! Keep us in your prayers as we venture out on this new chapter of our lives! MUCH more will be reported in next year’s Christmas letter!

The verse that has stood out to us as kind of a “theme” verse for this past year has been, Proverbs 3:5, which states, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” This verse seems simple enough, but it’s so hard to rely on the fact that God is in control and He will take care of us. Matthew 6:34 states, “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  God has proved to be continually faithful through all the ups and downs that we experienced throughout the past coupe of years. We continue to be thankful for His guidance and for sending His guardian angels to keep an eye on us.

We pray that all of you are well and have a very blessed Christmas!

Love, Tyler, Ana and Little Kernel

Not a whole lot to report...

Hello all. Once again, I have slacked in the department of blogging. I think about writing all the time, but I never seem to be near a computer or have the ambition just to sit and blog on my thoughts.

Lately, I have been facing the frustrations of things not going "my way." I find it hard to accept that I can't control everything around me. It's an unrealistic and illogical concept for me to think I can control what is happening around me, what people say, how people act, so on and so forth. Logically, I can only control my REACTION to everything. To be honest, I don't control my reaction as well as I should be. It's within the human nature to just blurt out what we are thinking without considering how it will sound to others around us. As Christians, we have the responsibility to filter what we say or how we respond so that we aren't tarnishing God's image by behaving in a poor fashion. My goal for myself is to work on controlling my temper, utilizing the gift of the Spirit called PATIENCE, and behaving in a fashion that God would be more appreciative of.

Tyler and I are currently trying to work on some aspects of our home to fix it up a bit. We tore apart the added on bedroom in hopes of remodeling it to be usable, but with the hospital bills, etc, we let it sit and closed it off for the winter. A friend of ours is working on it when he has time, which has been most appreciated. It is the first of many things that just need to get done. Replacing some windows, insulation, and sheet rock are the big concerns to minimize the heat loss this coming winter. It gets so cold up here that good insulation is a must!

My brother, Ian, just graduated from high school a couple weeks ago. It makes me feel old to know that he is already done with school. Three more siblings to go! Wow! I wish that I lived closer to them to take part in more of their growing up. Alex was only 5 when I moved out to go to Bible School and now she is 12 1/2. WOW how the time flies! I will be 30 before I know it!

Tyler is working hard on the road all week again and I am plugging away at United Healthcare. Tyler is looking to get closer to home working for us to start a family and I would love in the worst way not to live nearly an hour each way to work. Maybe once this house is fixed up, we can move closer to civilization somewhere!

I am putting some pictures below of Ian's graduation and my adorable niece and nephews. Hope all is well with everyone and I will do my best to post more frequently!

God Bless!
Ana

Micah (9 months) and Faith (5 1/2)

Tyler and Tommy (almost 4)

Micah again!

Ian the grad (middle guy)

Not a Blogger.....?

I am pretty sure that it has been decided that my mission to post a blog has failed. So, I have about 15 minutes left of my break here at work on this lovely Tuesday. I figured I would attempt to write something. I will just rant away til my time is up!

Not a ton has happened since I last posted with my Christmas letter, but a couple more significant things...

1)Sprained the ankle about 3 weeks ago and it's taking it's sweet time getting better. As the days continue to get warmer, I want to go for walks outside on my breaks like I see my co-workers doing. I can't. It's depressing. I love being outside and it's finally warm enough to be outside without a jacket (at least I don't go outside with one anyways!!.

2) Tyler got called back to work early, which has been both a blessing and a frustration at the same time. He has been gone for 2 weeks as of right now and missed our 2nd anniversary. He returns on Friday and will be home til Monday when he will leave again for a 3 week stint, missing his birthday. I am heading to my parents' house for the week to visit my family and also my sister and her kids. I am excited to get up there, but Tyler is bummed that he won't be able to see everyone. He adores my siblings!! I am lonely for him, but I am getting together with friends and getting some things done around the house. Two things that I don't get done when he is home since I just want to cuddle with him on the couch after work each day. Having him gone is wonderful that he will no longer be bored during the long winter layoff and he will be making some much needed money to go towards medical bills for the two of us. Which leads me into #3...

3) Tyler finally went into the doctor's office for a sleep apnea overnight clinic. We already knew he had it, but didn't realize the severity! He stops breathing 96 times an hour and holds his breath up to 30 seconds some of those times. He now has the CPAP machine with an attached humidifier that bring oxygen through a max to him as he sleeps. He doesn't snore anymore! YAY! He hates the machine since he can't sleep on his side, but he is more rested that he has been in years! Praise GOD!

4) Not much else is new, but I had a small rant to fill some of you in on what's new. Hopefully, I won't wait so long til my next post!

TATA for now!!

-Ana

2009 Christmas Letter

This is my first post in awhile, but I will post this and try to get another post up again soon with more details regarding my hospital stay and my car accident.

Merry CHRISTmas and Happy New Year!

Greetings from the frozen Wisconsin North Woods!

This past year has been full of blessings, surprises & answered prayers for us as we near our 2^nd anniversary.

Let’s do a rewind of 2009 for the Kern’s! Our year passed by quickly as it does every year. Not a whole lot of excitement came our way until about mid-summer…

At the end of July I headed to the emergency room with what felt like a horrible knot in my neck that was getting so bad that it was painful to breathe. Upon a chest CT scan, it was found that I had countless blood clots in my lungs that apparently had been developing over the course of the past several months. I spent a week in the hospital hooked up to IV blood thinners and begging the doctors to let me go home. Every doctor that I have seen thus far is shocked that I am even alive. They say that I am lucky, I say that I am blessed! After a few months of tests and taking blood thinners on a daily basis, it was discovered that I have a blood clotting disorder called, Factor V Leiden, that when coupled with certain medications, pregnancy, or surgery, will put me at high risk for blood clots. I may go the rest of my life and never have a clot again, so I have been taken off the blood thinners for now. We thank God every day that I am alive and still around!

Mid-November we headed out to Hinkley, MN for a country concert that I had won tickets to on the radio. On our way back, it was a beautiful 50 degrees and I was driving so Tyler could rest up for hunting bright and early the next morning. I set my cruise control on to 55 mph and headed on my way. About halfway back with our 75 mile trip, I hit a patch of black ice and lost control of our truck. The limited slip had kicked in and swung the box around on me causing me to hit a tree head on, which totaled out our truck. We walked away pretty bruised and with some whiplash, but ok!! God had once again been faithful and kept us safe from being more injured!

This year was pretty slim pickings for the deer hunting. No one in Tyler’s hunting party came back with a deer, so deer tag soup it is! I guess we will have to work harder at ice fishing for food then! J We were craving venison too!

Tyler continues to work at Tjader & Highstrom, which is based out of New Richmond, WI from March to December each year. He has been there nearly ten years now! He works on the road each week away from home on various “jobs” throughout Wisconsin. He is now laid off for the winter, so I am enjoying the treat of coming home each evening to a smiling husband!

I have just completed my first year of working for United Healthcare in Duluth as a medical claims processor. I enjoy my job, but sitting at a computer all day causes me to become very restless! I have been working all kinds of overtime lately as we wrap up 2009, which is helpful during these months that Tyler is laid off. The drive to Duluth and back gets long during the winter months, but during this day in age, having a job is something to be thankful for! I am looking forward to working from the comfort of my own home by the middle of this coming year! YAY!!!

Right now, my weekdays are spent working while Tyler spends his weekdays working on vehicles, snow plowing for the neighbors, relaxing and ice fishing with his friends. Ty has been a marvelous help to me with keeping up on the housework while I am at work. I am slowly training him to start dinner for me before I get home in the evenings. It’s such a treat! J We spend our weekends staying in and enjoying watching movies and sipping the cocoa. We get out on the lake for ice fishing when we can to add some fish to our typical venison diets!

We got two male kittens this past spring and they are now part of our little family. Tigger and Duke are their names. They are little stinkers, but they are nice to have around when Tyler is gone during the majority of the year! They are my cuddlers.

We pray that you are all doing well and may God bless you all this coming year!

Tyler & Ana

Sick and Tired

Well, I haven't posted in awhile and for that, I apologize. I am thinking that I don't have many avid readers anyways! :P

Since I last posted, Tyler and I have celebrated our first anniversary (March 1st). That day went alright. After church that day, we relaxed for awhile and then visited Ty's dad for a bit. My car slid backwards trying to get out of the driveway into a snow bank. We had to tow it with Tyler's truck up the steep driveway. We raced up town and barely made it to the movie that we had planned to get to. Then, after the movie, headed to a nice restaurant, Le Bistro in Superior for a nice dinner, only to find out that they were closed Sundays. :( Oops. We turned around and went BACK to Duluth to go to Timberlodge instead. Oh well. We still had a good time and we made it a year without killing each other!

Work is going good. I am only a couple-three weeks from finishing training. Monday we start proficiency. They take 5 claims randomly per day that we have paid to audit. We need a 99% accuracy on the claims that they pull. They do this every day for 2 weeks. I hope to pass the audit with flying colors but you never know. It's very mentally draining, but it's nice to be processing claims all day now instead of just in the mornings with more learning in the afternoons! That made me tired like I was in class in college! UGH!

Today, I sit at home while Tyler is on a 4-wheeler ride with his friends. I was supposed to work at the Moose today helping Angie, but I have had the flu since the middle of the night on Thursday. UGH. I am starting to feel a little better, but I am still very drained! I hope to have energy tomorrow to celebrate Tyler's birthday. It's not til Monday, but I work all day and he is at a safety meeting the entire day down in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Sunday works best for us to celebrate.

Life is crazy right now. I work all day, then in the evenings, I try to spend time with Tyler before I pass out from exhaustion. I am feeling quite lonely these days. I love spending time with Tyler, but I don't feel like I have the girlfriends like I did back in the Cities. The time for Tyler to get back to work all week is nearing and the closer that it gets, the sadder that I get. :-( I wish that Cera was here. My sister, Julia, being here would be nice as well. It would be nice to have family closer to spend time with. I miss that, a lot!

I don't have a ton to write about. My mind is foggy with being so tired and sick. I am signing off for now, hopefully to post something more exciting that this in the days to come.

PS. Horray for it getting warmer and the snow melting!!!!!!!!!!

To blog or not to blog ...

I start out this morning at 7am when I could be sleeping in on this morbidly cold morning, but my body thinks I work today, so it got my up! Argh!

There is nothing much to post about, but to appease Meghan, I must blog about something. So, my rambling will now take place! :)

Over the past month or so since I have last posted, I have not had too much go on in my life.

Not long after my last post, I went into Benna Ford in Superior and told them to take my piece of junk Focus back. The Focuses have this problem with their rear alignment, that wears the tires bald starting from the outside in within weeks of putting new tires on them. The manufacturer has conveniently changed their warranty knowing about this problem to no longer cover alignments and definitely not new tires. I had put new tires on, got an alignment and a few weeks later, have my tires wearing badly. The dealership was having an employee pricing sale and I also get a Ford discount from my job. So, I convinced them to take my Focus and I drove away in a brand new Ford Fusion. I love my new car and it doesn't have those problems, thank God! My insurance went DOWN due to a safer car and this car is much for "family friendly" for when we plan on having children in the future. I know that getting another new car seems ridiculous, but I got an excellent deal due to friends at that dealership and I am paying about the same as a payment with lower rate than last time!

The end of December brought a week of vacation where I went with my hubby to spend a few days at my parent's house for Christmas. It was nice to get home, but sad to leave. I wish that I had the opportunity to see them more often!! :(

New Year's, well, not much to say, we went over to a friend's house and played games for several hours to bring in the new year. It was fun. I think my ambition for that night gets less and less every year!

Right now, I am now about 1/2 way through training at United Health Care. I pay claims all morning and do more of the training in the afternoons. I am learning how to process harder claims as more training takes place. It's stressful some days and I look to the end of my training kind of nervously. Right now, we have people who audit what we do every day to make sure there are no mistakes, if there are, they perform a "same day void" for us to reprocess it the next day and fix our mistakes. We won't have that after training and so many mistakes means job termination. I am hoping to get all of this down VERY well to not have to worry so much about screwing up. And then, I get to work from home!!! They say it takes about a year to gain complete confidence in our jobs, but I want to be confident now! Argh! Oh well, at least I have a job in this current economy. Cigna Health insurance just let go of over a 1000 people and we didn't let anyone go! So, I am happy to say that at least I have a job. No complaints worth mentioning right now with that scenario!

I can't believe that it's almost February in a couple short days. I have about 34 days until my first anniversary. That fact just blows my mind! The year has passed by so fast! Then again, I didn't get to move up to Wisconsin until we were married about 4 months and Tyler worked all week away from home until about December 1st. We have an interesting setup, but coming home to my hubby each evening is always nice! :)

I just find myself wishing that I had friends closer to hang out with. I feel so lonely in this small, clicky town. I miss a lot of people from the Cities that I hung out with whenever I could. I need my sister, Julia, from the Cities, to move closer to me. That would help, but honestly, who wants to live in podunk! :P or BFE in Meghan's world! :)

This morning is SO cold and I haven't left the house since I got home from work on Friday. It's so much colder here than Minneapolis! :( Going to work in Duluth, even further north and up on a hill, the windchill and snow is always worse! I think about green grass, windows down when driving, and NO SNOW. Spring needs to come!!!

For now, this is all that I have to rant about, but I will try to blog more about my ever so fascinating life. Remind me, Meghan!

-Ana

A very belated good news posting ...

Ok, so I have a job now. If you didn't know that, I am sorry. I keep forgetting to post and tell everyone that I got a job!

I am working at United Health Care in Duluth. I am in a 16 week training class for claims processing. I am learning the in's and out's of health insurance right now. This is challenging, but enjoyable at the same time. I just finished my first 2 weeks of training and I can't imagine what else they have in store for me to learn!

The drive to Duluth takes me about 50 minutes in good weather and who knows how many when it's doing what it is doing right now outside my window! I talk to my friend Kasey on the way to work every day since she works at UHC (United Health Care) as well at the other location. It's nice to have someone to keep me awake on my way to work!

So, needless to say, I am already missing my time off that I had while looking for a job. My wonderful hubby is now on layoff and enjoying his time making his mark on our couch! :) He is helping out so very much with helping to keep our house clean, laundry going, and even getting some dinner that I pre-made into the oven for me! Wonderful man! :)

Now for the REALLY good news about this job, I get to come home in a year to work! They provide the desk, chair, computer and whatever else that I need to get my job done. Apparently a good chunk of the employees from UHC work from home already. So, if I can meet my quota per hour/day that I need to do without making lots of mistakes, I can come on home! WHOO HOO!!!!! When we finish remodeling that back spare bedroom, this room will also function as my office! I am happy! I can now be like my sister-in-law, Stef, whom I teased for sitting in her bed working all day from home! Now, all I need to do is work myself up to HER salary! TEE HEE!

That's all that I have for now on the work matter, but I am happy to at least have a job! God is good! Oh on that God note... I told Tyler that God has a sense of humor and that I will probably won't find a job until the day he is laid off. I got the call the morning that he got laid off, the day before Thanksgiving. Yup, God is an awesome God! :)

Oh and to just add, I have to get up at 530am now to get to work in time and I go to bed around 930pm every night. Yeah, I am not enjoying that, but oh well, what can I do?? :P

Tagged !!!

Ok, so Meghan is trying to consume her time before she goes into labor and is filling goofy things like this out.

So, here it goes ...

Tagged

Rules:
1. People who are tagged need to post these rules, and 8 random habits/facts/quirks about themselves.
2. At the end of the post you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.



8 Random Ana Facts/Quirks/Habits


1) I love flip flops. I wear them all year, no matter what the season. They are cheap at Old Navy for 2 for $5, they come in every color of the rainbow, and they are easy to put on/take off!

2) I have very muscular arms and have been known to beat several guys that I know at arm wrestling :P

3) I would rather spend my day hanging with the guys ice fishing than spending the day with a bunch of girls shopping.

4) When I turn the volume up or down in the car, TV, etc, I have to either find an even number or I have to make sure the lines are all even, and not like a bunch of lines with a half line. OCD coming out I think :P

5) I love to quote movies with certain friends, or even use quotes as part of conversations. For example "Silence! I kill you" OR "Look Mom, I'm road kill!" OR random ones like that. Cera knows that I am talking about :P

6) I've got to have milk with probably every meal that I have. A huge glass. I prob drink 1-2 gallons per week. It's a sickness I tell ya! But my bones are good and healthy!! :)

7) Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a naturally loud person. I recall my father calling me a foghorn when I was a kid.

8) Most people don't know this, but I really don't care for candy, cookies or chocolate. I know, there is something wrong with me!


TAGGED PEOPLES

JULIA
MICHELE
CERA
MANDA
SCOOTER
ERIN
JUSTIN
AMELIA

Two months since the last post ....

and there is still nothing to post about!!!!

My weekdays are spent hanging out with Angie and her kids. They are so cute. I enjoy hanging out with her and helping out with the kids. It gives me something to do and since our husbands work together on the road, we have something in common!







The rest of my weekdays are spent interviewing for jobs. UGH! I am so sick of the interview stage of the job hunting. I just want a job so badly! Tyler is getting laid off very soon and we have no money to make it through the winter. Unemployment isn't enough!!!!!!




Cold weather is settling into the north country and propane is really high this year! We are looking into alternative methods of heating our home, like the Heat'n'Pure or some other form of electric heat.










We have recently listed our truck on Craig's List and CarSoup.com to sell it. We need to get out of our payment since we can no longer afford it! :( Tyler is bummed, but he rarely uses his truck anymore.











So, this morning, I sit and watch T.V. in my very chilly house. I spent the past couple weekends holding a garage sale. It was so nice every weekend outside, that I thought a garage sale would work. Of course, it was cold both weekends. I made about $250 the first weekend, but this past weekend, maybe $40 bucks. Oh well. It helped with some grocery shopping! Ebay and Paypal have such high fees, so it's frustrating to list anything on there!



I got my haircut a couple weeks ago for a change. They screwed it up, but it is growing on me.












Well, that's all I feel like posting for now. I have no life! lol

-Ana

My Funk ...

So, I have been in a kind of a funk lately, this being for a few reasons:

1) My hubby has been in a funk: we are both worried about money and how we are going to make it through the winter since i don' have a job yet ...

2) Adapting to small town life is hard, it seems that everyone talks about everyone all the time. If you aren't spreading the rumor, then it's typically about you. There are a few people in this town who don't know me and yet are running my name through the mud. WHY???? :( What did I ever do to them? :(

3) Partly covered in 1), but no job, why can't I find a job? I don't know! I have put application upon application in and I either never hear back, I interview and never hear back, or I interview and get the infamous rejection letter (as already discussed in a previous post). Frustrating! Why can't I just find a job? :( I even applied at Wal-Mart in Superior and they haven't called me back !!! :(

4) Tyler is gone during the week. He is gone from 3am Monday to Thursday or Friday. It's what we have to do for him to get a decent income for us. It saddens me to be a newlywed and not have him home, but distance I suppose makes the heart grow fonder.

5) Last but not least, boredom/not many friends. Being in a small town, there are clicks, and I am the new "guy" in town. Therefore, I don't really have any friends to talk to. I find some solace in Vanna in the Cities, but she is there and I am here. At least I can talk to her about my problems and vice versa.

Right now, I am sitting on my patio, relaxing, monkeying around on my computer. It's a gorgeous day that the Lord has made, so I am enjoying it. I spent the majority of the day at Lucius Woods, which is a block away. There is a nice beach there. I was there with a couple gals and their kids. It was nice and relaxing. I have nothing else to do for the rest of the day, but I am going to decidedly enjoy the outdoors for the rest of the evening I think. I need a hammock!!! Or at least a lounge chair!!!

That's all for now. Feel free to write comments of encouragement or laughter! :)

-Ana

Job Rejections

I hate those letters where you get rejected for a job!

To set up the scenario for this one ...

1) Application process
2) Invitation to take the comprehension test.
3) Once I pass the first test, I can take the performance test.
4) Passed the 2nd test.
5) Got called in for a formal interview.
6) Filled out a full background packet purchased a copy of my birth certificate & H.S. records.
7) Told interview would be 45 minutes long, I was in/out of there in under 15.
8) A week after my interview, I got the letter ...

AND I QUOTE ...

Dear Ana Kern,

On behalf of the interview panel, thank you for interviewing for the Dispatcher position in the Douglas County Communication Center.

Your interview received close consideration, however, based on structured interview portion of the process, you have not been selected to be placed on th eligibility list used for future openings for the Dispatcher position.

Again, thank you for participating in this process and for your interest in employment with Douglas County. Best of luck in your job search.

Sincerely,
Linda Corbin
HR Analyst


ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just need a job!!!!

Grey's Anatomy

So, my life has reached the point where I am sitting here watching my seasons of Grey's Anatomy on DVD. It is partly in anticipation of last season coming out on DVD next month and then the new season for this fall starting next month as well.

I am addicted to this trama-filled doctor show. It's sad really. Between this show, House, E.R., all the CSI's ... my evenings are wonderful in the Fall/Spring! :)

I am sitting here, in my comfy clothes, watching my TV and my puppy sleeping. It's cloudy and rainy, so my ambition level is LOW! My brother-in-law told me that my ambition was in the cupboard next to the sink, but it wasn't . And he got me all excited too! :)

This kind of weather makes me so tired. I just want to sleep. So, cuddled up in my blanket and watching TV is my day. But, this also makes me think about my Tyler more too, since he likes to cuddle and watch TV with me too!

Ok, rant is finished ... at least for now!

Sundays are too hard!

So, I am sitting here, watching TV, simply bawling my eyes out. This is nothing new, just the same Sunday routine that I experience every week. Tyler falls asleep about now, because he has to get up around 4am and needs the extra sleep. I cuddle with him until he snores and then cry my eyes out for the next few hours. Pathetic, I know, but I just lose it knowing that when I wake up in the morning, he will be gone for the week.


We went to a wedding this weekend for one of Tyler's co-workers, it was emotional to watch, since this is the first wedding that I have attended since my own. It made me realize how much I love my husband! Not that I didn't know that I loved him so much before, but it was a tear-jerking reminder. I even saw a couple tears glisten in his eyes as well!

Go ahead and call me sappy, but my heart aches for my hubby when he is gone!! I pray that it gets better with time and I can get more used to this. Or better yet, Tyler gets a job close to home where he's home every night!!! I am simply an emotional one this weekend!!!

In about 1/2 hour, I hope to get a phone call from my Vanna and she can always cheer me up. Until then, I am educating myself with Country Fried Home Videos on CMT and watching my puppy chew up a bone. Yeah, I am pretty much a loser.


Ok, there's my Sunday rant. More excitement to talk about some other day!

First Posting

This is my first time attempt at blogging. I never saw the point of having this sort of online journaling that people could read. I have found that I look forward to reading my friends' next posts, so what the heck, why don't I try this blogging thing.

I am not even sure what to write about, but I right now, I am sitting at my sister's house in Woodbury, MN. I came down to visit while my parents and siblings were here for the week. It's always so different for me to visit them after being on my own for so long. Being the oldest, I have been away for the longest. I feel so disconnected from the family these days. I am in my own settling down stage right now.

As of now, I have been married for 158 days, which is roughly 5 months, to my love, Tyler! There's a shocker in and of itself! I never thought (and neither did most people) that I would ever get married, let alone find someone who would actually want to marry me! I love being married. It's the best feeling in the world to have someone love you more than anything and whom you can have that intense love for in return. It's a transition period, yes. It's hard at first, yes. Is it worth it...? 100% !!!

I suppose that there is a lot that I can rant about, but as of now, I am signing off. Dinner is almost ready and later, I am taking a couple of my siblings to Applebees for the infamous 1/2 price appetizers! :)