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It’s really, really quiet around here without Kaylin. I knew I was going to miss her, but I didn’t realize how much a part of my life she’d become. I got used to having her around.

I’d forgotten how old David and I are, and how boring. =)

We’re also starting to think about moving, and that’s put [slight] a damper on my spirits (and so my exuberance). I’m not moping about, but I have started thinking of things in a Last Time Bell light.

The Last Time Bell – I read a long time ago in some silly book about a character whose childhood was ripped away from her when her parents were both killed in an accident. She was the oldest and had to grow up quickly as she raised her siblings. She felt the loss of her childhood and regretted not making the most of it (what child would know to do that?)… so she invented the Last Time Bell. She’d mentally ring it when she might be experiencing something for the last time. The bell helped her consciously absorb everything she could about the experience.

Nothing else from that book stuck with me (like I said, it was some silly book), but I think of this bell when I approach the end of a personal era.

Anyway, it’s quiet around here. David’s playing Kingdom of Loathing and I’m left alone with my thoughts, without a teenager to shake me out of the doldrums.

I just bought Neat’s NeatReceipt scanner. I travel for work and my husband will soon be a pastor who needs to keep every receipt. There’s no WAY we’re going to have boxes and drawers and files full of paper receipts – I’m all about the UNcluttering, not the stockpiling of worthless paper.

Anyway, this scanner is fantastic – it scans then reads receipts, business cards, and documents, then stores the data and allows you to export into various useful formats – while keeping the files readable instead of just images.

I got the software up and running on my XP machine pretty quickly (after a few restarts I didn’t expect). But when I tried to install it on my Vista machine, I had some drama.

The installation took several restarts and I had to download a couple of different versions. The only problem I was having, I had consistently. And it blocked me from using the program. Finally, I broke down and emailed customer service (forums and the interwebs weren’t much help).

So: If you’ve installed NeatWorks on a 64-bit Vista , and QuickScan won’t work for you – specifically if it crashes during Calibration, here’s something to try. My oh-so-quick fix: download and install http://files2.neatreceipts.com/tools/CalibrateTool.exe.

No promises, but it worked for me – like a charm. =)

• after a tough-but-positive meeting, got to spend the evening having major fun with her husband and teenager: homemade applesauce and DDR! #
  The childcare is closing, and its director asked me to meet her to talk about finances and moving-forward plans. What a difficult thing to do! We talked about the closing of a business that couldn’t support itself in our neighborhood – about the ending of a ministry. Well, about the moving and morphing of a ministry. She will continue the childcare on her own with whichever families will stay, and will try to build a career on it. What didn’t work for an organization may work for an individual. It’s exciting to be in on the planning – and wrenching to be involved in the ending.
• is chilling at the new(ish) Indy library. loves this place – today, because its internet works when hers doesn’t. also, it’s relaxing. #
  What a pain! I’ve been having a lot of trouble with my work computer and home internet. For some reason, it drops its connection several times a day – which means I have to reestablish all my security several times a day. It takes forever, and sure does interrupt the flow of my work…  Ugh.

• is electing benefits and signing HR paperwork – fun times. =) #
  
  Trying to meet a deadline of having everything done 31 days after hire – that’s April 1, coming up pretty quickly. It’s tough trying to decide exactly what I’ll need in the future – pay less in premiums and get slammed if something bad happens, or pay more in premiums and nothing happens at all?
• just returned from lunch with an ex-colleague friend – she’s newly married, radiant, and as witty and fun as ever. had a wonderful time! #
  
  Robyn is such a hoot! I had such a good time chatting with her. She loves being married (which I loved to hear), and has three new stepdaughters. We talked about that, and how similar in some ways it is to what we’re doing with Kaylin. I have it much easier, I think, but she *does* have dad around to pull the parent card when the kids get ornery… =)
• is wrestling with a pretty big decision. rhetorical: how do we discern the will of God (find the “best” instead of just choosing an “okay”)? #
  
  It’s tough trying to figure out what to do about this church. We very much like the congregation – they’re wonderful! But to say with any certainty that this is where God is calling us? That’s a much more difficult thing. Thank you for your prayers – we continue to pray as well.
• has to prove that she’s married – again. why won’t the benefits providers just take my word for it? it’d be so much less hassle… =) #

• is prepping to go to a downer of a meeting. but, as depressing as facts are, it’s good to see stark details instead of muddled half-truth. #
  
  Our church has had a Childcare ministry for the last 7 or 8 years. At the end of last year, Bethany and I took over the finances and have been very careful to dot all our Is and cross all our Ts. We met our church’s treasurer for lunch to talk over the Childcare’s financial situation. Basically, it’s not bringing in enough in fees to cover payroll expenses. It’s a dire enough situation that we, in order to be good stewards of our resources, need to consider options and determine if the business is viable.

• is settling back into her work day. it’s jarring jumping from church/childcare business back into “real” life… #
  
  It really is challenging to jump back and forth between my “lives” – church, work, and personal. I have what feels like three separate identities, and they all intrude upon one another. I’m the same person, but my responsibilities are so very different from life to life, as are people’s views of me. I have so much to do in each that I never can simply switch from one to another… It’s hard to manage.

• really enjoyed today’s bright warmth – such a welcome change from dreary winter, and just what was needed on a tough day. #
  
  It really was rough. After the meeting with the church treasurer, I went to a Childcare Board meeting. We will come back together next week after digesting, thinking, praying… but we have mostly come to a consensus that the Childcare will close. It is the end of an era, and will drastically change lives of church members. It’s difficult to conduct a meeting such as the one we had with sensitivity, grace, and kindness – and to still be true to facts and figures. I am not a soft person, but I hurt for the staff who will lose jobs – more than jobs, ministries and livelihoods.

• is loving the new music – thanks, Leah! what fun! #
  Leah visited over the weekend (happy dance!) and, as always, I had a stinkin’ great time having her. Even when she comes and all we do is what I normally would do, my life is just… happier. This time, she shared some of her new music – she loves soundtracks/movies scores, for example – and has me hooked!
• *really* wants to see “!HERO: The Rock Opera” – does anyone know where she can buy/rent/dl a copy of this show?#
  This is one of the albums Leah’s letting me listen to – she can’t find a video of this for less than $60 online, but she really wants to see it. If y’all know anyone who has it, let me know!
• is enjoying Peppermint Bark (thanks Claudia!) and watching Godspell. =) #
  This is fantastic: I posted, a long time ago, that I was craving Peppermint Bark. My friend Claudia remembered that and this Sunday, she brought me a POUND of it! It’s fancy, and sooooo good. Much better, even, because it’s out of season, and was a gift from a thoughtful friend.

• is no longer watching Godspell. It’s ridiculous. Finding something else. #
  Wow, was Godspell terrible (well, the first 20 minutes, anyway). Seriously – I like these kinds of things (modern adaptations of old/ancient stories), but the Jesus mime/clown character was just… creepy. I ended up watching two forgettable (but not disturbing, at least) comedies. It was nice to have an evening “off.”

Spent the evening with the Gardners – we get together every so often to play games and eat together. We had a ton of glass-bottled beverages between the two families… and Jason couldn’t help himself. We were slap-happy by the time he got to writing out sheet music for us, so we had a blast.

First, the official band photo (yes, that’s a crown on my head – Autumn insisted I wear it, even after she took off her princess duds):

Woodruff Place Baptist Church Jug Band

Then, watch the video on Facebook. (You’ll probably need to be my friend.)