Reflections

Greetings, blog readers!

What a year it has been! I titled this blog "reflections" for several reasons. The first reason is much more obvious...as of Monday Sam and I will have been married for one year and I felt that it is a great time to reflect on all of the wonderful things that have happened for us this past year. The second is to look back at some of what we said we would accomplish and reflect on whether or not we actually did those things we said we would do! :)

This year we have accomplished so much. Obviously getting married was huge, and beyond that we had many other firsts, too! After much trouble and hassle, we purchased our first home together. Stressful doesn't even begin to describe the process, but the rewards of being homeowners have been amazing. We have been working HARD on our back yard and getting it fenced in and are so close to being done with that project. The late nights recently spent painting boards are actually really fun knowing that we are doing something to raise the value of the home, make it ours, and give Dawg somewhere to play freely.

At the end of May, Sam and I made another big purchase, a 2009 Ford Escape. We love it! And we finally sold his car last weekend! So we are down to two, functioning vehicles that we feel safe in and take pride in caring for.

We really wanted to get a dog, which was part of our motivation for getting a fence put up. Things happened a little faster than we originally planned, as a good family friend, Leslie, had the need to make space for more dogs-in-training. And so enters "Dawg!" Dawg was supposed to be a peanut allergy detection dog, but did not pass the training (he gets very skittish with loud sounds - ie gunfire, fireworks - and gets distracted from the search). So, instead of going to a family in need, he came to us, perfectly trained, too smart for his own good (and ours!), and SO loving and loyal. Dawg is the perfect first dog and has been an amazing addition to our little family. And great practice for (one day) having a child! Really...he is like a kid...we love it!

One of our goals has been to make sure to make a somewhat major trip each year. This year, we will be headed to Texas (next week in fact!) to visit Sam's Aunt, Jane, and my very good friend, Amanda. We are so excited and think we must be crazy for going to Texas in the middle of July...not to mention they are having record high temps right now...oye! We were also going to go to Colorado and visit a bunch of National Parks on the way, but that trip has fallen through. Sam was going to begin grad school through Alamosa State University, but, as the program is young, it got cancelled for the year because of lack of enrollment. This was kind of sad news, but will make it easier on our pocketbooks until next year.

Another big goal of ours this year was to get closer to being debt free. This is a mixed bag. As we reflect, we know that we have paid some things off. My car, a student loan, credit card, but we also know that we added debt...a car. We still use our debit card instead of living the cash only lifestyle, but we seem to spend less that way in general. We are no where near where we had hoped to be on everything at this point, but are hopeful that with me gaining fulltime employment (still saying our prayers in this department), things will move much quicker for us.

In the area of our health we are neither here nor there. With budgets getting tighter after the fence and trips, we think this will improve. We having taken a liking to riding our bikes and plan to do so for EVERYTHING (grocery trips, etc) for the remainder of summer to help us get in shape and save money. Legs of steel here we come!!!

In all, life is great. God has blessed us in so many ways and we are as happily married as we were one year ago! Thanks to all of our friends and family for a great year!!!

~Heather

We're grown ups now!

Well we did it. Sam and I took yet another leap into adulthood this weekend and made our first joint car purchase. After a TON of research and way too much shopping around, we purchased a 2009 Certified Preowned (restored to factory condition with a warranty) Ford Escape. Several things happened that we never thought would:

1. We bought a Ford. I am a Chevy girl. This is huge.
2. We bought a used car. I vowed never to buy used again, however the certified Preowned made it okay.
3. On Sam's side of things, he bought a newer car than he ever thought he would.

Crazy stuff! Last night we drive it around a bit for fun and feel so spoiled! It is a great car that will be much safer for us on our big trip this summer and also safer for future children. Now we have to decide whether or not to sell Sam's old car or keep it as a commuter. Well see.

The other funny part of all this is that last time Katie came to visit we got married and started looking at houses to buy. This time we bought a car. So Katie has decided that she has to come back again because the next major life event is having a baby! I suppose we will just have to see about that one! :)

But for now, we will enjoy our home and car and hopefully soon a dog. Cheers to adulthood!

Retaining Wall Status: Done:)

 The retaining wall is pretty much done! See those big boulders? First I had to expose them because they were covered with yards of dirt. The term "dirt" is used loosely, as it was mostly small rocks. After I exposed the first two rows, the top row had to be moved into place by hand. There are some good 300 pound+ rocks in there. Luckily I had some much needed help for that.

Behind the boulder retaining wall I left space for cinder blocks. I will sink 4x4 fence posts into the cinder blocks and ground to give the fence more support while giving the yard above us a mini retaining wall as well. Underneath the cinder blocks, Heather and I will put crushed basalt for draining and settling purposes.

At the base of the boulder retaining wall, we will put more crushed basalt for drainage.

The fence will be pressure treated 4x4's for the posts and treated 2x4 for the supports. We will use ceder planks to finish it up.

The hard work is done. Now the detail work begins: leveling off the ground, laying the basalt, putting up the posts and finishing the fence. We still have to do side fencing, but after this, that will be easy-peasy.

It is a lot of fun getting to be able to do this stuff. I am lucky to have a great family to help get the physical work done. Without them, at the very least, these boulders would not be where they are now.

Off to do some more work!

Ciao!
Sam

Random thoughts of the night...

Sam is at jazz band and we haven't posted any updates for awhile, so here are some thoughts!

* Progress is coming, albeit slowly on the backyard. It truly is overwhelming to look at. The wall is officially dug out. Now we (meaning Sam and his Dad mostly) are moving a row of rocks down from the neighbors yard, building up the wall higher. Then we are placing cinder blocks to retain the grass in her yard. Inbetween the rock wall and the cinder blocks, we will place fence posts and then back fill with dirt. If that doesn't sound like enough work already, then comes the fence and then the yard...the yard which right now has piles of dirt interspersed with rock/gravel. We plan on sifting that out before we determine whether or not we will have to purchase top soil. Wish us luck!

* The front yard is our break from the back. For now, we are just trying to maintain what is already there. Weeding rock beds, pruning plants, thatching the grass (talk about back-breaking labor), mowing, and figuring out the sprinkler system have been our projects there. Yesterday's project was the sprinkler system...that took about 2 hours, but we think we have it figured out now. So far...no leaks or busted pipes...knock on wood. Just one blocked head, and that is a cheap fix! Now if only it will stop raining so we have the need to water!

* Inside we have been pretty unproductive...if not destructive! It feels so nice to get outside, and we have been so busy with end-of-the school year stuff, that the inside of the house has been sorely neglected...laundry, vacuuming, dishes...seem to be put more and more on the back burner. This weekend, while Sam was outside, I began the process of catching up, which continued today, and will probably continue into tomorrow, too.

*Outside of working on the house, we were able to get out this weekend and go fishing on opening day. Friday we spent the night with Josh and Dad in the trailer out at the lake and then got up bright and early to go fishing. I hold the honor this year of catching the first fish, but did not catch any "keepers" all day. Sam and Dad each caught several and then Mom came out and caught the Opening Day Tournament winner: a beautiful 3.7 lb brown trout! It was fun to watch! And she won an $800 all-expenses paid fishing trip for two!

*As for work, things are good. Sam is bogged down but almost done with a few weeks of state testing and teaching PE and history instead of music. He is looking forward to the end of that. I just wrapped up a first/second grade program. So cute! Hopefully I will get to stay at Lincoln Heights next year and will do a bigger, more theatrical music production.

*Lastly, this fall it looks like our lives will be getting even busier as Sam is looking into starting a Masters program at Adams State University in Alamosa, CO. It is a fully online, accredited program through the school Tracy, my CA flute teacher works at. Tuition is cheaper than EWU and it only takes two years. He is very excited about the prospects this program presents and is really looking forward to being back in school. I am VERY jealous, but will patiently wait my turn and focus on being a supportive wife!

I think that about catches us up on the Schlaich happenings. Maybe one day we will be more regular in our postings :)

~Heather

SUN!

I just wanted to announce that the sun is shining! Kind of. Well it was. Now it is kind of cloudy.

Regardless, in keeping with the tradition of the origin of this blog, I intend on going for a bike ride today. I recently went to the doc and we talked about what I need to do to be healthy so that we can have healthy children. The verdict: I need to lose about 40 pounds and then we will have a low risk pregnancy. Easy? No. Not at all. I love food. I think that is my biggest issue right now. That and not being active. Just when I think I have found a fun way to work out (the track meet game for the kinect is killer!), I reinjure my ankle and have to be in a walking cast for a week with it wrapped for any long walks, etc. for several after that. SO, a bike ride it will have to be for now, and less eating!

If the health of our future children are not motivation enough, then I am a lost cause.

New experiences for the Schlaichs!

This weekend was wonderful! Sam was on the tail-end of his Spring Break and I was at the beginning of mine! A couple of weeks ago I was reading the Spokane Public Schools staff newsletter and there was an all call for a very unique experience: hosting two Japanese students from the Mukigawa Ft. Wright Womens Institute for a weekend. We talked about it and thought it would be a great learning experience. And it truly was!

Friday night we picked up Rieko and Mizuki, 19 year old students from Japan who are studying English. They are in the United States for 4 months and the schools sponsors "Homestay Weekend" so that they can experience a normal American family's weekend life. Most families are THE American family: a mom, a dad, and a few kids. Obviously we aspire to be that one day, but for now, it is just the two of us, certainly not old enough to be a "Homestay Mom" or "Homestay Dad." Instead, we turned the experience into what a young American couple does on the weekend, and established more of a friend relationship with these two amazing young women. It worked out rather well!

Friday night was a little tense as we worked around language barriers and the girls got more comfortable with staying in our home. They looked around our house and were excited about how big and new it was compared to homes in Japan. To them, we seemed rich! HA! To kick off the weekend, we decided the most American food we could possibly have for dinner was BBQ, so we went to Texas Roadhouse. Peanut shells on the floor and animals on the wall was definitely new for them. When we got home, Rieko and Mizuki dressed me in traditional Japanese clothing. I must saw, even with Sam chuckling, I thoroughly enjoyed playing dress-up again! You are never too old! And the garments were so beautiful!!!
 We looked at pictures of Japan and their families and then looked at some of our pictures from summer vacations and our wedding before going to bed.

On Saturday morning, we had a big breakfast of eggs and pancakes before taking a drive (one of Sam and my favorite weekend activities) up to Mt. Spokane to see the snow. Unfortunately it was raining, but we enjoyed hot chocolate at the lodge while watching the skiers and snowboarders come out of the fog down the hill. Rieko and Mizuki expressed an interest in seeing wildlife, so to make sure that happened, we took them to Cabelas and showed them the "dead animal mountain" and aquarium. For lunch we went to Sam's parents' house and had a delicious lunch of chili and cornbread. Mizuki and Rieko seemed to really like the cornbread, especially because it was sweet! The afternoon was full of shopping at the mall, where we learned that Hollister is much cheaper in the US than it is in Japan. For dinner, Rieko and Mizuki made a traditional Japanese meal for us. I was nervous at first, especially because when I think of Japanese food I think of sushi and I do not eat seafood...and one of the pictures on one of the packages they brought with them had fish eggs in it...but, alas, the meal was delicious, with rice, beef and potatoes, and soup! I THINK I can make the beef and potato dish. After dinner we made origami and a "teruterubouz" - or snow boy - made out of kleenex to ward off the rain. We were all much more comfortable with each other by the end of Saturday evening an were learning so much from each either!

Sunday morning, the girls expressed an interest in going to church with us. At first this was a very exciting thought, but then we remembered that it was Palm Sunday and things would not be normal and it would be an extra long Mass because the entire Passion was going to be read. Rieko and Mizuki insisted that we did take them. So we did :). We explained as much as we could in as simple terms as we could think of. It was difficult! At the end of the Mass, they didn't think we were crazy so I guess that is a good thing! We went out to brunch and then drove up Legacy Ridge in Liberty Lake to look at the TRUE rich homes! The girls were in awe over the size of the houses and the size of the yards. Our impression is that houses in Japan are very small and are close together. Then we went to my parents' house for lunch. The awe and wonder in things we take for granted is amazing to me. My Dad's badge hangs on the wall and Mizuki was seemingly mystified by it. Sam and I were exhausted by this point so we went home and set up the X-Box Kinnect (which they had never seen) and chilled while they played for awhile. For dinner, we had steak and potatoes au gratin and then just hung out and talked about the differences in culture and language. The most striking conversation we had was about religion. They explained that religion is not common in Japan and that they had never heard of Jesus. While I am no religious nut, my faith is very important to me, as it is to Sam. This saddened us so much to hear! How do you explain how wonderful and amazing it is to believe in Jesus and the Gospel to someone who has never even heard of him?! We did our best to be as concrete with the message as possible without preaching and I think we succeeded. I do believe that everyone has a right to choose their religion and I did not want to force information on them, but it still makes me sad that they do not know faith.

When it was time to take Rieko and Mizuki back to their dorm, I think we were all stalling and wishing we had more time. For one last hurrah, we took them up the South Hill to the lookout point over the city. It was beautiful and a wonderful end to the weekend. When we dropped the girls off at their dorm, they hugged us, told us they loved us, and made us promise we would see them again before they go back to Japan in May. we couldn't be happier to see them again. We were surprised when they started to cry, almost to the point of sobbing! We will definitely be seeing them again before they go, hopefully more than once!

We enjoyed and learned so much from this experience and I hope we get the opportunity to participate in a Homestay Weekend with MFWI. We hope that maybe some of you will take the opportunity as well. These weekends happen three times a year and the students - and you - will never be the same!

Thanks for reading this extra long post - it is my spring break now, so I am sure there will be more, shorter, ones to come!

~Heather

Wet Windows

I was so excited to work outside today on the backyard. I am on Spring Break, I am ready to go...and there is a steady downpour outside. And that is the forecast for the whole week. So, instead, I will try to get some stuff done inside the house and garage.

The house is coming along. IKEA and Craigslist have been good to us, both cleaning house of things we don't need/want anymore and decorating our house and making it functional. It is exciting to think about summer and everything we will be able to do around here. First is the retaining wall and fence out back. That is what I was going to start working on today. We want a dog really bad, so that is what is driving us. That and the fact that our back door stares into the front another home. Privacy is nice to have. Also, painting the interior of the house is on the docet as well. We're painting the whole house the color that you have seen in the earlier post. It will warm the house up and give it a little personality.

Busy, busy! Or at least hope to be. Talk to ya'll soon.

Sam
 

You can't see it, but that is RAIN!