Back by Popular Demand

Things here have been as crazy as usual. Chris started his new schedule two weeks ago, so we've been trying to get used to that. So now he was class on Tuesday and Friday nights. So that means that we have to fit our meetings in on Wednesdays and Thursdays. That wasn't going to be a problem because Worthington's meetings had been changed from Tues to Wed nights because of the fire. Well....of course it would happen that we're back in the hall now and once again can't go. GGrrrr.....But it is so great being back in the hall. It is so beautiful!! The colors are very different. It's done in neutrals of course. They just painted the walls in the auditorium which is different. The used a faux texture on the top section and a burnt sienna kind of color on the bottom, kind weird, but nice. Our chairs are awesome!!! There not that normal kingdom hall texture that looks like 120 thread count sheets....they are a really smooth and tightly woven matrial and the are so pretty. The are a tanish color and then the have the same burnt sienna colored tiny little leaves all over. I love 'em. The whole hall has a faux texture to it, all the wall papers and everything. The lobby is done in dark reds with a really nice looking chandalier. And they have put big framed mirrors everywhere too. The mens and womans rooms are nice too. They actually decorated them rather than just put something up. One of my favorite things is the pictures in the mothers room. The have the cutest little 3x3 black and white pictures...one is of little baby feet, and one of little baby hands....they are so neat. Another great thing is that we now have doors that seperate the lobby from the aud. I'm usually not a big fan of those, but we desperately needed them. Our hall is very ackward. It's actually shaped like an 'L.' So when you walk in you actually walk into the lobby then have to turn to go into the aud. But when you walk in you are acutally walking into the middle of the the aud. So that the majority of the seats would be to your left, but there are also seats to your right. The traffic during the meeting makes it near impossible to pay attention because you can see and hear everything in the lobby. And of course the lobby was all title so when sisters would go walking or little brats would go running across you could hear in the entire aud, it would just echo into there. Same with the drinking fountian, the sound would just travel over the title and ggo directly into the aud, and that thing is loud! So now that have a big ol' set of doors there, and it makes all the difference. They also put an inset of carpet in the middle of the title, which also helps absorb some of the sound. The downstairs is my fav. I actually like it more than upstairs. They took our old lavender chairs and decorated around them for the Japanese group that meets there. It is absolutely gorgeous. On the bottom the did the darkest shade of lavender possible and then on the top is a beautiful shade of pink. In the corridar down there they used semi gloss and eggshell to do a beautiful 6 in stripe on the walls. It just looks like there's ribbons on 'em and you just wanna touch it!!! They also put a lavender colored carpet down. I'm so happy for the Japanese group. Before the had the junkiest red chairs andjust leftovers from everywhere and nothing matched. But now they have their very own kingdom hall. It's absoultely wonderful to be back in the hall. Just walking in there and seeing your congregation in there seats together where we all belong after 3 months of everyone just catching whatever meeting they can....it's indescribable and absolutely wonderful!!!

Chris and I have cheated on our anniversary (Oct 24th...hint hint). I've had his stuff for a month, but he came home after getting mine out of layaway and he couldn't wait to give it to me. So we both gave just little parts. I gave him his lantern, castiron skillets, rack to put the pans on over a campfire, and camping chairs. And he gave me my pink sapphire necklace!!! I had pretty much assumed that was what he had gotten, but it was still a surprise to actually get it!! It's so beautiful...I have wanted that thing since we went to pick out our wedding bands!! It's awesome. Last night he gave me another part...we went to target and got a deep fryer. We used to just use a pan, but it caught on fire (ask next time ya see me, it's a funny story). I've been dying to make onion rings and we had talked about getting one before so I was happy. And next week we are going to go back and I'm going to get a handmixer. WooHoo!!! Unless....hinthintwinkwinknudgenudge....I happen to get a Kitchen Aid mixer instead. Chris said he was going to get me a pink one, but decided not to. I'm already realizing that I will not escape the fate of most women in that of receiving some sort of household care appliance. But that doesn't bother me because I really need 'em!!! We both got our ann. off and just plan on chillin and eatin. We're going to go to our favorite breakfast place Nancy's Home Cooking, it's a cheap hole in the wall with the best food ever (like anyone could know that) and then we are going to go to b.d.'s Mongolian Grill which is where his mom took us for dinner on our wedding day and that we have decided is pretty much going to have to be the tradition, like Grandpa Painter and Mark Pi's or Mom and Dad and Olive Garden, that's our place. It's awesome....it's like a stirfry buffet. You get a bowl and fill it with whatever meat you want...steak, chicken, lamb, pork, shrimp, tofu....then veggies, then you get your sauce...wine, peanut, soy, curry, all kinds of stuff!!...and add spices if you want, and don't forget to grab an egg!!! Then you walk up to this HUGE round grill and someone takes your bowl and puts it on the grill...they have these really long what they call swords that they use to mix up the stuff and cook it. It's awesome. We just found out about the egg the last time we went. They put it on the grill and grab it with the swords and crack it onto your veggie and stuff, and that makes it like fried rice, it's great. But after we go there we actually have the circut overseer that night, then we are going to open the bottle of champagne that a couple gave us for our wedding. I'm looking forward to it. The original plan was to have the day before and after off too to go out in service for the special campain, but Chris couldn't get all that with his new job, but I still have the days off and I really need theh break from work. Plus that fact that we have 75 Chinese tracts a piece to place!!!!

Anyway, hopefully this extremely long post makes up for the past month. Later days.