Crowe Bed and Breakfast

The first couple of pictures are from Easter. Julia helped me make cookies for the staff at daycare. The second is Julia showing off a couple dress-up things from her Easter basket. She's not actually wearing her Easter dress in the picture-she had that one on before we were up!

The second couple of pictures are from a trip to the science center. Justin had a lot of fun and Julia and I did, too. We were curious to see how much it would cost to launch Julia to the moon. $175,000 really isn't too bad! Just a thought...

The last set of pictures is from our guest room. I spent time throwing away a lot of junk. Justin had to haul our dumpster and two large trashcans to the curb! When I came home from class one Thursday night, Julia proudly announced that they had painted. (It took several days to completely rid her hair of the paint!) They had primed the room in the basement-covering over swimming-pool blue. The room is now put together with furniture and a cool bamboo rug. We are now accepting guests-and I can personally guarantee a great rate (free) and a yummy breakfast.

Winding Down

Justin took his proficiency exam yesterday. He completed the exam with about 15 minutes to spare. We don't know his official results yet but he felt that it went really well. Today we are going to try and find a white coat for his white coat ceremony May 8th. He said he feels very drained today-huge adrenaline let down. Now he has two finals the week of May 5th and he will be officially done with his second year of optometry school.

I know I've been promising pictures but the week has gotten away from me. I have two reports, a comprehensive evaluation and report, a learning log (not yet started), and an 80%-of-your-final-grade stats project. And then I will collapse. At least for a day or so-then it's back to work on my thesis. The goal is to be completely ready for the September IRB committee meeting and then be completely finished by December. I am not taking any classes this summer, so hopefully it will actually happen.

Julia has been a little better the past week. She was a perfect angel last Sunday-a huge blessing as we ended up on the side of the road for a while. I love the Alero, really I do-love to push it off a cliff! Thankfully, we broke down about a mile or so from home, in a neighborhood and not on the highway! My dad was a huge help as Julia and I had just dropped Justin off at work. Julia was asleep most of the time and the weather could not have been more beautiful. Even after Julia woke up, she was very sweet and patient. I am extremely thankful for that! We ended up towing the car home using Dad's Explorer and a new tow strap. We figured the way our cars have been lately, it would be a good investment. It looks like we will be using the same system to tow the Alero to a shop for a new fuel pump. Did I mention that I love the Alero? Grrrrrrr. We are mostly laughing at the whole situation. But let me recommend that you never buy a GM designed four-cylindar. As Justin said, the only things left to replace now (since November) are the water pump and the engine!

I think for me, the biggest lessons I have been learning since we moved to St. Louis involve relying on God. With this latest repair, we will have spent close to $3,000 repairing the Alero. And isn't it amazing that we've been able to? God has done some "magic math" in our checking account. He has been so faithful. And yet I continue to panic when I look at the summer months. I am so thankful that God is patient with a stubborn child like me!

Hope you guys are all doing well. I promise, the next post will be pictures!

A Good Day Update

I just have to brag on my husband. He passed his proficiency on Monday with a 98%!!! Woohoo! I'm so proud of him!

I am at school right now working on a stats assignment. Life is busy, but the end of the semester is near. Crazy thing right now, the computer desk is vibrating and the floor feels a little shaky. I wonder how long the aftershocks will last. Kind of reminds me of God's amazing power.

Hope you all are doing well! I will try to get some pictures on the next post.

A Good Day

Justin had his first of two proficiency exams today. Doing well on these means that he will participate in the white coat ceremony in May and have clinic privileges. He was really nervous about it! He had to perform three different tests while being observed. (I won't even pretend to be able to name them!) He will find out official results later this week, but feels that he did well today. I had little doubt that it would go well . I know that God has equipped my husband with the abilities he needs to follow His will, which we believe includes becoming an optometrist. It is exciting to see the little confirmations along the way.

His big proficiency exam is April 24th. During that one he will have two hours to complete a full exam (with every test under the sun)-all while being observed by a professor. Please pray for him as he continues to prepare for that exam, while keeping up with his classes.

Time-Out Time vs. Real Time

Let me just start by thanking everyone for their patience with the increased security on our blog. It makes us feel better since we have pictures of Julia posted.


So about the title. It's kind of like "game time" where there's only 3 minutes left on the clock but it could take 15. That's how time-out's have been around here. Julia only has to sit in time out for 3 minutes-quiet, on her stool. I think today she spent about an hour and a half attempting to complete 4 separate time-out's. Throw a few spankings in (not that they really do any good with Julia) and that's about how my day looked. Finding what truly works for my child is difficult. It changes from day to day! My daughter is such a sweet and precious gift-with a horrible stubborn streak. Not sure where she got that. (OK, friends of mine, quit laughing so hard-I know it's my genetics!) I know the benefits of a child with a mind of her own, it's just hard to remember them when she's screaming "I don't like you!" or "I not in trouble!" and, my favorites "I don't have to" and "You can't make me." She also has a whole list of excuses: "my hands are tired", "I can't want to", "I forgot how to..." Luckily, most of her fits are at home. She is a perfect angel at day care and most trips to stores are completely uneventful-or the fits stop with a meaningful glare. (A trip to the car for a spanking a few times has made that glare more meaningful!) Justin said it best-we get an energy boost when she's tucked into bed!


I joke that I'm lucky my parents let me get to adulthood. Mom once pronounced the curse on me: "I hope you have a daughter just like you someday!" I was hoping, but not really convinced that we had dodged a bullet. Julia was so sweet (and often still is) in the beginning. She slept well (through the night at 6 weeks) and ate well. She was a happy, self-entertaining baby most of the time. I got my first peak at her stubborn streak when she was 9 months old. I remember thinking "discipline is starting already?" Now I'm thinking, "good grief, she's only 3!" and "boarding school looks good for the teenage years". I confess, it's hard not to feel like this is completely my fault. I don't see her nearly as often as I want to. Between work and school, time with Julia is precious and I hate that much of it seems to be spent in power struggles.


Sorry this has been long and wordy and not filled with fun pictures. I think more than anything we need wisdom. Wisdom in how to parent Julia without destroying her spirit. Wisdom in whether or not I should slow down or even give up my program. Wisdom for Justin in determining how best to lead our family.


I can't begin to thank everyone for the encouragement and prayer support you've blessed us with. We are so blessed to have an authentic community of support right now. And the door swings both ways-life is never too crazy to listen to a friend.