Another eventful week

Life is moving along at the Browning house. Andrew's Dad, Bob, and his girlfriend, Janette have been visiting so we have enjoyed some down time this week that we haven't taken for a while. I had really planned on all of us watching a movie last night but by the time we would have started it Bob thought they would only get through half of it before they would want to go back to their motorhome. When they left and Robert went to bed, we stayed up, popped popcorn and watched a movie just the two of us. Neither one of us even fell asleep in the middle of it. I don't know when that happened last.

Andrew's business is starting to take off. God has a sense of humor and shows me where I err in my ways. I first started praying that Andrew's phone would ring. On that day, it rang twice, both times a wrong number. So then I prayed that we would get phone calls, then he got one that when he went to do the estimate on, it needed to be handled by someone bigger than him. So I finally started praying that he would get jobs. He has gotten a few to get him started and has leads on more. We never planned on him having anything at all in September so this makes us feel like what everyone has been telling us is true, it is something that is truly needed. By the way, we are focusing on both Jasper AND Cumberland counties, so if you know of anyone looking for a handyman in the Greenup area as well, please tell them to call us, or direct them to our facebook page. Starting Wednesday, we are going to have a spot on the radio, 8 times a day, from noon until 5 am Monday-Friday and all day on Saturday. This part is all a little surreal but a life long dream of Andrew's is starting to come true and I just absolutely love it for him, and love that I get to help make it happen. This week, I am planning on getting an ad to the paper as well. That part is all my responsibility, so it has to be fit in there with my REAL job, :-).

My job is, of course, crazy busy right now with the start of a new program year. I am now an invited guest to the Policy Advisory Council  and am a member of the PIPP steering committee. I went to Springfield on the 18th for the PAC and will go to Springfield on Tuesday for the steering committee. I love being involved in the decision making process and fell like that is part of what I really wanted when I was still an assistant fieldworker in the Olney office and knew I wanted to do more than take the applications. One of the best parts though is I get to spend most of those days traveling with my friend, Kathy, who serves in the same capacity as me in both instances.

I also have been doing lots of computer work lately, getting the last of our Windows XP machines switched out to new Windows 7 machines. I have done 4 in the last 8 days and have two more to do out in the field, hopefully next Friday. There is one that needs done in our office as well as I am trying to find new laptops for a couple of people in our office. Seems the days of that being simple are over.

Gibbs is great, growing like a bad weed. I got him a harness so he can enjoy the front porch and the back yard.

He has lived with us 7 weeks now and should be around 11 weeks old. I have taken at least 200 pictures of him, so see how many you are spared???

I put his little cat bed in the window on my desk, he LOVES it there, he can lay in it and look out and watch the squirrel that is almost always out there. For the most part, outside still kinda scares him, especially if there are any loud trucks go by. He seems very content for living in the house. I am still sad for him that he lost his family but I am hoping maybe he was little enough he doesn't remember, though he sucks in his sleep, so there is some memory there. We are very thankful and happy that he came into our lives.

He is about to grow out of his baby bed. I have a friend that is opening a new pet store this week here in Newton (Perfect Paws and Claws (www.facebook.com/perfectpawsclaws)--how sweet is that?) Anyway, I am hoping to get him a kitty condo there, one tall enough that I can set it by my desk and he can sit on a perch and sleep and still be able to see out the window. I am afraid by the time he reaches adulthood, he could take up a good chunk of my desk.

Today we are taking Bob and Janette to Lincoln Log Cabin to see the festivities going on there. Hopefully, Robert will join us for a picnic lunch (I took the easy way out, we are taking the cooler and stopping at Subway).

Here is a couple of pictures from our adventures last weekend, we took them to see some of the covered bridges in Parke county. It's kinda nice to see them without the Covered Bridge Festival going on, but I am STILL very excited for it to come up, come on October 13th! On top of everything else, it is the first time in almost 23 years of marriage that I don't have to wonder up until that morning if Andrew is really going to get to go with me- I still love that, we get to plan without waiting for the no word to come up.

(doesn't he look happy?? This makes ME happy!)