Wade and Emily's Blog

I'm not certain why, but after large Spiehler family events, I often feel like blogging. This weekend was our big family camping trip. Fall is usually a lovely time in Indiana. The leaves change gorgeous colors; there is a crispness to the air. Let me just tell you that this weekend the air was more than crisp. It was downright freaking, ridiculous cold. Last weekend was delightful... next weekend is supposed to be lovely as well. We picked the camping weekend from Hades. On the first night, only the bravest of the brave dared sleep outdoors. I think we all know which group I fell into. Being the "indoorsy" girl that I am, I opted for hotel bed and heat. We shopped, we hiked, we sat around the fire. People complained of not being able to feel their appendages, and we spent the afternoon poking each other to make sure we were all still alive. The second night, everyone slept at the hotel. Although I'm pretty sure one dear lad, who shall remain nameless :), was not so happy with the move to the indoors. He had set his mind on camping, and to go back to the indoors was to simply admit defeat to the elements. While the rest of us enjoyed nice, warm showers, he declined, arguing that campers do not shower. Stubborn as he may be, he is a delightful addition to the family :) Meanwhile, the Purdue and Wisconsin game was in full swing. We watched the rest of it, and sadly... Purdue suffered a defeat. After Wade stopped cursing, we all went to the lobby to play games. After a sad, sad, sad attempt at Catch Phrase, we settled into a game of Taboo. According to Mike Hacker, Hawaii is not part of the United States, but belongs to another country altogether. After the girls soundly beat the boys, we all went to bed. Even though we didn't really camp, it was still a great weekend... despite the cold and all of our incessant whining :) Family is such a blessing!

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I found out some interesting news today... people actually read what I write... so I've decided to take up the old blogging once again. After all, I'm not working right now so I can at least keep up with the requests of my loyal fan base :) So... off we go.
Today was a marvelous day. We got to spend time with my delightful family AND shop at the outlet mall. Ah, family and shopping, what more can a girl ask for? The whole Spiehler clan trooped down to Brown County for a delightful day of lively fun in nature. We had a rousing match of croquet, with Megan and myself tying as co-winners. The boys thought that was ridiculous, as we should have battled to the death to beat each other. But, there was food to be eaten, and we were just as happy being co-winners, since we only cared about beating two particular gents, both of whom take sporting events (even leisurely ones like croquet!) as if they are being telecasted on ESPN and require the intense competitive nature of pro-athletes. After our lunch was over we went on a hike around the lake. Nature provided a few challenges for us on our woodland adventure, but we conquered them like the pioneers would have. My mother shattered the eardrums of all the humans and animals in a 23 mile radius when Aaron attacked her with a snake... or a snake-like stick. Matt pole-vaulted over a creek. We saw a lot of cicada holes, a giant snake (yes, this one was real!), little tiny frogs, and enough mud to last me a good, long while. But we felt like we accomplished a great feat when we returned to the clan. On the way home we stopped at the outlet mall and did a bit of shopping, followed by a delicious dinner. Tomorrow it is back to work for many people... except for me... this summer I join the ranks of the "Wealthy Women of the Northside." (You know, the ones that dress to the hilt and shop like nobody's business. All the while chatting on their cell phones and telling the nanny to mind Muffy, Buffy, and Puffy (who are usually dogs of the fluffy variety, but sometimes unfortunately named children.) I'm pretty sure the only thing lacking for my title would be the wealth... no worries... maybe if I stand outside Keystone looking sad some woman will bestow upon me her fortune :)
I'll try to be more regular with the blogging... we'll see how that works out... unless I have to go shopping :)

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Men are strange creatures... my husband is no exception....

E: Why are these cookies open in the cabinet? They are going to get stale.
W: I didn't know what to do with them.
E: I suggest some kind of tupperware, ziploc bag, or another such sealing device.
W: Oh... I didn't think of that.

Really, there isn't anything else to say about that!
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Tonight I was feeling very homemakerly (yes, I realize this is not a word!) so I was baking things to take to work and share with my wondeful colleagues, as tomorrow is my last day on the job. I decided to try to make peanut britte from scratch... I looked on the internet, found a recipe that seemed easy enough. I went to Marsh and bought the ingredients, and I was so pleased with myself when I got home for trying new things. Well... turns out I'm not so great at peanut brittle. I followed the recipe, but my brittle never got brittle... it hardened, but it was still really chewy... like pull the crowns off your teeth and dental appliences out of your mouth kind of chewy. It took Wade about 15 minutes to finally get one piece down. I was so sad... but hey, I tried! After all, I never claimed to be Betty Crocker! Let's hope for better luck next time.
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Working with high school students and their parents is usually quite awesome. And generally I enjoy working at the fine private institution that employs me... however, right after school was over the other day (one of the busiest times in a school office) I had the following conversation. Names have been changed to protect the innocent.
ME: (School Name), this is Emily, can I help you?
HER: Hi, this is Mrs. Smith, and I need to talk to my son, Joe Smith.
ME: I'll page him, and if he comes up to the office you can talk to him.
HER: Ok.

I page Joe Smith. He doens't come to the office. I page him again... 5 minutes go by.

ME: Joe did not come to the office.
HER: Well why not? Where is he?
ME: I'm not sure.
HER: He hasn't called me to tell me when I'm supposed to pick him up.
ME: Well, I'll page him again, and if he does come up here, I'll have him call you back.
HER: Well could you go take a look around the school to see where he is? Sometimes he goes to the music room. He might be outside.
ME: Unfortunatley I have to answer the phones right now.
HER: Well can you send someone to look for him?
ME: Not really, everyone in the office is very busy right now.
HER: Well, when should I pick him up then?
ME: I don't know. You are more than welcome to come look for him.
HER: Well, I guess that's the only option I have left.
ME: BYE :)

Honestly... this is what I wanted to say...

ME: (School Name), this is Emily, can I help you?
HER: Hi, this is Mrs. Smith, and I need to talk to my son, Joe Smith.
ME: I'll page him, and if he comes up to the office you can talk to him.
HER: Ok.

I page Joe Smith. He doens't come to the office. I page him again... 5 minutes go by.

ME: Joe did not come to the office.
HER: Well why not? Where is he?
ME: Sadly, I didn't bring my crystal ball to work today, so I'm not sure.
HER: He hasn't called me to tell me when I'm supposed to pick him up.
ME: Well, I'm sorry your kid isn't responsible, but I've got bigger fish to fry.
HER: Well could you go take a look around the school to see where he is? Sometimes he goes to the music room. He might be outside.
ME: I don't have time to run your errands. I'm a busy girl. I've got to deal with 83 other mothers and their petty requests.
HER: Well can you send someone to look for him?
ME: No... again, sadly, I left my servants at home today.
HER: Well, when should I pick him up then?
ME: Probably before they lock the building up.
HER: Well, I guess that's the only option I have left.
ME: Indeed... and good ridance.

But, as I didn't want to be fired, I was polite :) But, after working in the office, I have vowed never to become a crazy parent :)
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What is it about the universe that causes this: Every time a person is late, they get caught behind the most horrible traffic, slow-moving farm equipment, or some other such snail-like creature. We were running quite late today... and were unable to make the time up by driving like maniacs. Ridiculous, I say. If we hadn't been in any hurry it would have been smooth sailing... oh, the universe is cruel :-)


Today Wade and I went to lunch with one of our best pals, Jack. Jack is actually one of Wade's childhood chums, but since Wade and I are married, now I get the pleasure of his friendship. We happened to be in Lafayette for a family funeral, so we went to hooked up with Jack and went to Applebees. We had the most horrible waitress. She ignored us practically the whole time we were there... refusing to offer us our "complimetary beverage refills" and just being generally unpolite. And the place wasn't busy... she only had us and one other table. Wade proceeded to "show her" by giving her a 5% tip... and then we sat there for 2 hours chatting. She would walk by occasionally and give Wade evil glares. Oh, and here is a tip for all those who take food home with them. DO NOT put steamed vegetables in a take-out box and then let them sit for any amount of time. The smell they produce is nothing short of foul and noxious. This just goes to show your mother lied to you... vegetables are really not that great.
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Today was Wade's Dad's birthday, so we went to have dinner with them tonight. My sister-in-law and mother-in-law were going to pick up the pizza (turns out when you live in the middle of nowhere, Papa Johns does NOT deliver!) so I was keeping an eye on our niece while they were gone. Taylor is 2, darling in every way, and we love her to pieces. We were sitting in the basement and the menfolk were watching the Purdue game. Taylor had been playing behind the couch with a "Dora the Explorer" toy... supposedly this toy is educational because it sings to her in Spanish... meanwhile, it made me want to beat myself, and I had "Let's go... vaminos... let's go... vaminos" running through my head for hours... note to anyone who buys my yet-to-be-conceived children toys of any kind... please, nothing with annoying children singing! Anyway, back to the story. So I notice I haven't heard Dora singing in a couple of minutes, and I look and Taylor is not there. I go to investigate, and she is in the bathroom, playing in the toilet. Moral of the story... you can not predict the acts of a two year old child. And if you don't hear "Dora" for more than 2 seconds... be afraid... be very afraid. :)
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I have a distinct memory of being in high school and thinking, "It would be the coolest thing ever in life to live in an apartment." I honest-to-goodness thought this. My, was I stupid. Living in an apartment is not at all fun. It is the antithesis of fun. You have no space, your neighbors are loud, you have to park outside, and if anything breaks it takes your handyman (who doesn't seem all that handy, afterall) about 2 weeks to come and fix even the smallest of repairs. Moral of the story... I was stupid and wrong. Don't ever live in an apartment.

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I just don't get people sometimes... there are some crazy people out there! I'm presently in a debate with someone on a message board about choices, actions, and consequences. It amazes me daily there are people convicted of crimes and sentenced to jail in our society today, because everyone seems to have a reason for why what they've done is not their fault, and why they don't deserve what happened to them. We were talking about giving clean needles to drug users. I think that is condoning drug use, but I'm just a crazy conservative! At any rate, I was also saying that getting AIDS is a consequence of shooting up. You go into the situation knowing that if you are doing drugs, bad things may happen to you. Some girl told me I was heartless because no one deserves to get AIDS, regardless of what choices they made. I told her it is sad people get sick, and yes we can feel sorry for them and help them out, but they are responsible for their actions. Maybe this is a hard concept to understand... or maybe our present society just swings so far to the left they are drowning in a sea of liberalism. Arg!
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