update :)

 alrighty we are almost half-way through the “long” stretch of zach being in virginia for 5 weeks.  right after he left, i posted a list of things i was planning to work on.  let’s take a look and see how things are coming along:

the list —
_ learn to crochet
_ watch John Adams  
_ plan and host courtney’s bridal shower w/ raigan
_ help carrie daukas paint her downstairs bathroom
_ visit victoria in tucson for a weekend
_ read Northanger Abbey
_ work on developing the SGC wedding planning/coordinator manual from the current policy
_
finish the “quilt” i started months ago (not full size – it actually be
more of a runner for the wooden chest at the foot of my bed)

and how is it coming?

_well, bonnie came over last weekend and taught me to crochet!  or rather, re-taught me.  i had learned years ago from my grandmother but completely forgotten.  don’t worry, it all came back quite quickly.  😉 bonnie and made white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and then watched The Bourne Identity while crocheting.  oh man, i forgot how FUN and nearly therapeutic crocheting is.  i’m loving it!

i’m starting with something nice and easy – a potholder/hot pad. 

i’m making 2 “rectangles” the same size and then i’m going to stitch them together – one on top of the other – so the thickness is a bit more conducive to protecting surfaces from very hot pots and pans. 

_i’ve started Northanger Abbey – as you can see above (“currently reading”) and enjoying it very much thus far!

_ courtney’s bridal shower was last weekend and it was a smashing success!  pictures coming soon!

_due to circumstances beyond my control, painting carrie’s bathroom is on hold until further notice. 

_this weekend i drove to tucson to visit my dear friend Victoria, who lives with my aunt and uncle down there (ok ok so i went to visit them too!) 

saturday afternoon we hung out with victoria’s fam and carved pumpkins!!  would you believe that i have NEVER carved a pumpkin before in my life?!  i know, so sad.

we met up with her sister leah, brother curtis and curtis’ girlfriend natasha and bought pumpkins at walmart

the little one on the bottom is mine

so of course, being my first time, i decided to go with an easy and simple design, right?  HA.  this is me we’re talking about.  here was my initial sketch:

(before you’re too impressed, i feel that it is my duty to inform you that i chose a candle because it’s literally the only thing i know how to draw)

the carving table:

working away (oh man, it was SO fun!):

the finished product!

leah made a “pumpkin snowman” that turned out super cute:

group shot:

(L-R: susie (victoria’s mom), natasha, tami the dog, leah, curtis, me, grandma, victoria)

ruth also came over and we watched The Scarlet Pimpernal.  ah, so good!

favorite/most romantic line of the movie: “who knew your tears would be the worst form of torture?”  ::sigh::

_I haven’t started John Adams or the wedding manual yet… planning to work on the quilt this coming weekend…

in other news, Zach and i have been able to talk on the phone every night, which has been awesome and really helpful. 

(yes i actually did take this picture while on the phone with Zach )

we also get to text off and on during the day when it’s a bit slower on the set.  which makes me very happy.   

God has given us much grace and actually really blessed us during this longer time apart and we’ve had some great conversations over the phone that have grown us individually as well as together in this relationship.  every day i’m more aware of God’s goodness to me through Zach, God’s hand clearly moving and directing this relationship, as well as more aware of Zach’s maturity and Godliness and how unbelieveably blessed I am to be in a courtship with such an amazing man! 

100 Skills Every Man Should Know

So my dad gets this magazine called Popular Mechanics.  This month’s issue had an “article” entitled “100 Skills Every Man Should Know”

i thought it was interesting…  ok guy friends of mine – what do you think?

1_tape drywall
2_grill with charcoal
3_split firewood
4_set up a ladder safely
5_take the perfect portrait
6_find potable water
7_build a fire in the wilderness
8_build a shelter
9_ditch your hard drive
10_ use a french knife
11_cast a line
12_wax a car
13_check trouble codes (on your car)
14_iron a shirt
15_paint a straight line
16_tie a bowtie
17_use a stick welder
18_read an electric meter
19_hang food in the wild
20_solder wire
21_use a circular saw
22_use a wood chisel
23_use a sandblaster
24_use a hacksaw
25_use a torque wrench
26_use feeler guages
27_use a spade bit
28_use an infrared thermometer
29_use a framing hammer
30_use a test light
31_use a grease gun
32_use a hand plane
33_use an air impact wrench
34_use a drill driver
35_use a socket wrench
36_use a multimeter
37_use a sledgehammer
38_use a brick trowel
39_use a coolant hydrometer
40_use a crosscut saw
41_move heavy stuff
42_change a diaper
43_drive in snow
44_remove bloodstains from fabric
45_put out a fire
46_fell a tree
47_ride a bike
48_conquer an off-road obstacle
49_whittle
50_install a graphics card
51_hitch up a trailer
52_sew a button
53_throw a spiral
54_know what to do in a: lightening storm
55_know what to do in a: flood
56_know what to do in a: tornado
57_know what to do in: extreme cold
58_know what to do in: extreme heat
59_make home brew beer
60_fix a faucet cartridge
61_replace a fan belt
62_lend a hand
63_mix concrete
64_run rapids in a canoe
65_drive a stick shift
66_escape a sinking car
67_shoot a home movie
68_replace a faucet washer
69_shoot straight
70_tie a necktie
71_grow food
72_handle a blowout
73_skipper a boat
74_fly a stunt kite
75_know how to make a drum-tight bed
76_know how to shine shoes
77_know how to drop and give the perfect push-up
78_carve a turkey
79_replace a broken windowpane
80_change a single-pole switch
81_sweat copper tubing
82_parallel park
83_escape a rip current
84_use a sewing machine
85_how to properly treat: a snakebite
86_how to properly treat: frostbite
87_how to properly treat: burns
88_how to properly treat: seizures
89_how to properly treat: ticks
90_change a tire
91_shovel the right way
92_fix a toilet-tank flapper
93_tackle steep drops on a mountain bike
94_how to reverse hypothermia
95_how to perform Heimlich
96_perform hands-only CPR
97_prune bushes and small trees
98_jumpstart a car
99_calibrate HDTV settings
100_fold the flag

(and just for the record – and because i like bragging about my awesome boyfriend – zach could do or has done 95 out of 100.  and no, i’m not telling you which ones he couldn’t/hasn’t done.  )

el monte airport

many of you have asked me if zach has heard anything about placement/job offer/interview for Air Traffic Control.  well – he heard some news on friday!

friday morning he received an email from the faa letting him know that someone would be contacting him in a few days to set up his interview.  he then received another email a few hours later letting him know that there was an opening at el monte airport (which is very near to where he lives in pasadena)!  this is not exactly a definitive placement just yet.  there are still several more steps in the process.  here’s basically how it works:

he will communicate with someone from the faa and set up an interview.  in that interview, they make a “tentative” job offer (in his case, it will be for the opening at el monte).  then he will need to have a medical test, physical test, and psych eval done.  if/once he passes all those and the paperwork clears for all of them, he’ll go through academy – a 5 week training process located in oklahoma city.  after passing/graduating from academy, then the job offer is real and he can start working!  the reason the job offer is “tentative” is because of the tests and academy that have to be passed. 

but yeah – basically, southern california is the place!  zach and i are both really excited that things with the faa are progressing so quickly (this is all much quicker than he had even hoped) and that the first offer/location is so close to home and his local church!  what an amazing blessing!  i don’t know much about the airport specifically, but zach said it’s mostly private planes (as opposed to commerical) and a really great place to start out. 

so there’s the update!  like i said – zach and i are both so excited to see how things continue to unfold and how God continues to move and direct and provide. 

carrie, i will happily join you in filling this out!  i think they’re totally fun too!  🙂

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
first name – no.  middle name – yes, after a close friend of my parents when i was born (she actually was also one of the nurses working at the hospital the night i was born).  interesting story about my first name – my parents were going back and forth between the names amy and andrea.  i arrived 2 months earlier than expected and they hadn’t decided on a name.  my mom was still under the anesthesia from the c-section so my dad was the first one to see me.  he looked at me and said, “her name is andrea.”  my mom told me that if she had seen me first, she would have named me amy b/c i was so small…

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
last monday night during a really good conversation with my parents.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
generally, yes.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
what kind of question is that?!  ok fine.  i like the “italian” meats – bologna, salami, etc.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
nope

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
heck yes!

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
a don’t know about a LOT, but yes i use it.  although according to zach, i’m not particularly good at it…  haha!

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS
yep

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
probably.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
i’m going to go with… honeycomb.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
if they have laces. 

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
sure?

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
mint chocolate chip.  with cookies and cream as a close second.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
uh… their face? 

RED OR PINK?
i’ve never been a fan of either, really.  but i think zach looks very good in dark red. 

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
my pride.  always seems to get in the way….

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
do you even need to ask?

WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
brown (i so busted out a “fall” outfit today)

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
cheese and peanut butter crackers

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
my phone just beeped with a text message… otherwise the clock ticking behind me… haven’t gotten around to turning my ipod on…

IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
bluuuuuueeeee!

FAVORITE SMELLS?
rain, coffee, summer, fall….

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
um, george yogurtian? (work call)

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
on tv? football.  live (professionally)? baseball.  live (not professionally)?  high school basketball

HAIR COLOR?
auburn

EYE COLOR?
blue… most of the time… depending on what i’m wearing… 

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
not any more!

FAVORITE FOOD?
french fries

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
happy endings – hands down!

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
in it’s entirety?  Hitch.  i saw a couple minutes of Ironman last night b/c my parents were watching it…

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
green cami w/ brown cardigan over it

SUMMER OR WINTER?
summer.  i hate being cold.

HUGS OR KISSES?
hugs… for now…

FAVORITE DESSERT?
brownies or cheesecake

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
don’t have one

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
didn’t watch anything last night…

FAVORITE SOUND?
zach voice , the beep of a text message, thunder/rain falling

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
neither

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME???
Brussels, Belgium

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
wedding coordination 😉

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Tucson, Arizona

another visit from my man – what else do i blog about, really? :)

zach was in town again – yay!    he arrived wednesday morning and hung out around the office or at starbucks on wednesday and thursday while i worked.  wednesday night we had dinner at home and played dominos and boot & glove (card game) with the parental units. 

thursday night we went on a date.  🙂  the restaurant we had wanted to try seems to have recently closed so we went to the Olive Garden (italian is a favorite with zach). 

(yes, i asked our waiter to take a picture.  zach laughed at me.)

we walked around chandler mall, got starbucks, sat in the outdoor area by the fountain, then bought a puzzle and took it back to the house to start working on it! 

here is one of us sitting outside chandler mall by the fountain…

friday was a fantastic day.  the date basically continued since i got to take friday off (in light of working over 8 hours on sunday for the church family meeting) and we spent it all together!  the day started off with starbucks, of course.  🙂  then off to target to do some shopping!  yes, zach wanted to go shopping with me.  he picked out a bunch of stuff that he thought was cute and i tried it on.  we were very successful and i got  this dress (which looks super cute over jeans), this shirt, several pairs of jeans and some jewelry to match.  can i just brag for a moment and say that my boyfriend is a great shopper?  he has very good taste in clothes – arguably better than me! – and i’m thrilled with what he picked out.  🙂

after target we hit up Barnes and Noble where we found a birthday gift for his sister taylor.  we grabbed lunch at wendy’s then went back home to eat and work on the puzzle some more (we both really enjoy puzzles).  one other quick outing to ross for another pair of pants and a purse. 

friday was also my mom’s birthday so we went to dinner with my brother and parents to celebrate my mom!  🙂

so you may have noticed that zach’s hair is a bit shorter than the last time he was in town.  yeah.  the buzzed look is definitely not my favorite.  and by “not my favorite” i mean that i don’t really like it that much at all.  haha!  BUT, he is spending the next 5 weeks in chesapeake, virginia working the electrical and lighting on the set of a film, which involves lots of outdoor work, in both the rain and the sun, even working on/in a river for some shots with early mornings and late nights.  so when he texted me and said, “i’m thinking of buzzing my head for the trip.  thoughts?”  i said, “totally go for it.  it’s way more practical for what you’re going to be doing over the next 5 weeks.”  besides, his hair grows really fast so by the time i see him again after this grip job, the hair will be back.  🙂

so he arrived in phoenix with a buzzed head.  and this morning we actually shaved his head. 

it was my first time shaving someone’s head so the going was a tad slow.  🙂 

the end result:

a couple more quick shots before we left for the airport:

(this is his cheesy smile b/c he had just started to make a phone call when i pulled the camera out)

i really likes him 🙂

so yeah.  he left this morning for 5 weeks!  ::sigh::  i know in the grand scheme of things, 5 weeks is nothin’.  he and i have actually been VERY blessed – spoiled, really – by how frequently we have gotten to visit each other, and how convenient and easy communication has been between cell phones and video chat, but 5 weeks happens to be the longest stretch between visits that we’ve had thus far. 

so in order to occupy myself and keep very busy, i have compiled a list of projects and things to work on during that time.  the list includes (but is not limited to):

_ learn to crochet
_ watch John Adams  
_ plan and host courtney’s bridal shower w/ raigan
_ help carrie daukas paint her downstairs bathroom
_ visit victoria in tucson for a weekend
_ read Northanger Abbey
_ work on developing the SGC wedding planning/coordinator manual from the current policy
_ finish the “quilt” i started months ago (not full size – it actually be more of a runner for the wooden chest at the foot of my bed)

and of course, work on misc fun things to mail zach in virginia.  😉

thanks for tuning in for the zach-and-andrea update.  till next time…