Tidbits Of Our Recent Life

Most of you probably know this, but those who haven’t heard, Sara and Mike, have adopted a baby girl. (I’m pretty sure it’s final, but if not, it will happen, without a doubt.) She’s the 13th of our nieces and nephews, 6th girl. She has a plethora of medical problems, and has been in the hospital the entire time. For more on Rylie Mae Hill, check out my sister’s blog.

Meanwhile, Mike has still found time to do some more work on our house. Fixing some of the odds and ends. He’s almost completely finished with the upstairs, then he’ll start doing the major stuff in the basement.

Then there’s the yard... A landscaper came to look at the mess we had for a lawn, and one thing led to another, now EVERYTHING is getting re-done. Every last plant and blade of grass is going to be killed and/or taken out. A new sprinkler system will be put in. Then they’ll hydroseed a new lawn, and add new plants, bushes, and trees. Since it’s all going to go, we haven’t needed to water or mow. But they were supposed to start already, and the yard is only getting more terrible looking. Which has prompted some very visible looks of disgust and anger from our neighbors as they walk or drive by the house.

Which reminds me, we had a strange encounter with someone the other day. Jenn and I were looking out the front window when a man on a skateboard went by. He looked at the house, up into the window, and stared at us the whole time he rode passed.

Two minutes later, I watch him as he returned to the house, hopped off the skateboard, quickly walked up to the house, and tried to come right in! The door was thankfully locked, so then he knocked. We couldn’t pretend we weren’t there since he had seen us, so I answered it (ready to brace myself if he tries to push his way in).

The door opens.
Without a word to me, he shouts, “Ashley! Is that you?”
I look at him and say, “no.”
He says something like, “Ashley’s not here?”
“No,” I say firmly.
“Ashley Miller?”
“No.” Firmer still.
“Okay.” And he leaves.

Jenn and I were a little freaked out about that. But he hasn’t come back, so we’re feeling safe again. It prompted Jenn to write down a quote from Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables (which Jenn recently began to read for the first time). The quote (translated) says: “Unless God protects a house, they who guard it watch in vain.”

On a lighter note, we want to wish Jordan a happy 14th birthday today! It’s June 25th, and you know what that means: CHRISTMAS IS COMING! We’re halfway there!