Anniversary Tattoos!

Chad and I had talked for a long time about possibly getting tattoos for our 10 year wedding anniversary.  As the time got closer we decided that we would definitely do it!  We each had one other tattoo that we had gotten done at Immortal Images in Charlotte, so we wanted to go back there again.  We were lucky to be able to get our tattoos only a week after our consultation.  We knew that we wanted our tattoos to symbolize our marriage, but not just have our names or wedding date.  When we were first married we were trying to live in Wilmington and we were so broke it was ridiculous!  Most days after dinner we would go and walk on the beach because it was cooler than our house and it was free.  One day we were walking and one of us picked up a scallop shell with our big toe and tried to see who could throw the shell the furthest from the same point.  Just a spur of the moment thing to have fun.  When we finished we kept the shell and somehow that just turned into a symbol of our marriage.  I know that with Chad no matter how much money we have or what the circumstances are we always have fun together and enjoy being together.  So, we were so excited to get these tattoos!  Here are some pictures of our tattoos:

More bird pictures

These are now my new favorite bird pictures - I noticed Mr. Goldfinch hanging out on a branch while Mrs. Goldfinch was eating at the feeder.  Here are the new pictures of them:

Mr. Goldfinch

Mr. & Mrs. Goldfinch

Yard Sale

Our friends Melanie and Dave just finished renovating their house recently and wanted to have a yard sale so they could go through all their stuff as they moved into the new parts of the house.  Chad and I decided to join in even though we didn't have all that much to sell.  They made a pretty good amount of money and we made about $50 - but we enjoyed helping them and meeting some of their neighbors who also participated.  Here are some pictures from the yard sale:

Baby Shower for Becca

We've been friends with Becca & Jason for about 6 years now.  They hadn't been able to have children and ended up adopting after waiting almost 2 years for a baby - they got Braden in July 2008.  Then at the end of 2009 they found out they were pregnant!  Chad and I are SO happy for them - I don't know anyone who wanted children more than Becca and Jason.  Now they will have one of each since they are expecting a girl, Katie, in June of this year.  Kelly and I threw Becca a baby shower this past weekend for when Katie comes, here are some pictures from the party:

New Birds at our Feeder

We've had a bird feeder up in a tree in our front yard for over a year now.  Recently we've had some new visitiors - a Cardinal pair and a Goldfinch pair.  I'm so excited to see some new birds become regulars.  Here are some pictures of our new friends.

Mr. Cardinal

Mrs. Cardinal

The Goldfinch Pair

New Cat Pics

Here's Sandy sleeping in a very awkward looking position.

Roxy is getting some work done.

Roxy will find anywhere to relax - in our closet on top of our new suitcase.

Roxy checks out an empty box.

Library budget cuts

I've worked for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system since I was a senior in high school in 1997.  While working my way through college and graduate school I moved to various positions in various branches - now having worked at 5 locations.  Every year the library struggles to convince the county to give us enough money to offer the wonderful services that we do.  This year there were pretty steep budget cuts before the 2009-2010 fiscal year started, but our system was able to keep all of our staff and maintain programs and hours and all 24 locations.  Then in March we were told that Mecklenburg county needed $2 million BACK - so at first the library board decided to shut down 12 of our 24 locations and lay off 140 staff.  At that time all 4 of the locations I had worked in would have been shut down - that was when I decided to go and visit all my old branches and take some pictures before they were closed.  Then due to the HUGE public outcry over this the library board changed their minds and decided to keep all 24 locations open with reduced hours and days of service.  They still laid off 120 staff with about 28 getting reinstated.  Due to the lay offs staff had to be redistributed around the system - the administration sent around a survey to see where you would be willing to work - I chose Mint Hill and University City (the closest locations to me).  Then I got a call that I was being reassigned to Freedom Regional.  Supposedly because I'm such a good employee I'm being reassigned to a crummy branch in a rough part of town.  So, now I'm working at my 5th location in the system and hoping and praying that I still have a job (preferably not at Freedom) past June of this year.  They are anticipating even more budget cuts for fiscal year 2010-2011 that starts in July.  I don't think there is any way all 24 locations will be kept open, but I'm still hoping I have a job somewhere.

I can honestly say that I NEVER thought things would get this bad in the library system.  I was under the impression that any county/state jobs were much more secure than the private sector.  I fully expected to retire from the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system in 19 more years, but now I don't know if I'll have a job past June of this year.  It's really hard to believe - I have so many friends and co-workers who were laid off and I don't know if I'll ever feel secure in my job (if I'm still here past June) again!  I hope that our patrons and community realize all the incredible things the library offers for FREE and keep funding us. 

I've only been able to take pictures at Sugar Creek and Mint Hill so far, but eventually I will get some pictures of the new Hickory Grove branch and Morrison and put them up too.  The next two posts are my library pictures so far.

Mint Hill Library

I worked at Mint Hill Library three time - the first time was right after I met Chad March 1999 - Feb. 2000.  I quit when we decided to get married and try to live in Wilmington.  I came back to Mint Hill when we moved back to Charlotte in July 2000 - June 2001.  Then my last time back was from Sept. 2008 - March 2010 when I was reassigned to Freedom Regional.  I really enjoyed all my times working at Mint Hill - the staff are so friendly and every event is an excuse for a party!  Even before I knew I would be reassigned I had been taking some pictures of Mint Hill - here are my pictures including the flowers my Dad surprised me with on my last day there.

I "borrowed" this picture from Aura - some of us who were laid off or reassigned wrote messages on the staff white board on our last day.

Sugar Creek Library

Sugar Creek was where I had my first Librarian job - I was still in library school when I got the job.  I worked at Sugar Creek from Sept. 2004 - March/April 2006.  Here are some pictures from my recent visit:

Easter 2010

Our church, Mecklenburg Community Church, has had our Easter service at Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre for the past 2 years.  This year Chad & I participated in a drama at the end of the service.  Different people came out with a sign that described what their life was life before Christ or before church and then when they flip it over it has how God has worked in them.  It was really neat and thanks to our Internet service Chad & I were able to see ourselves on stage later that night!  Here is a slideshow of pictures from Easter and then I also have pictures of me & Chad with our before and after signs taken backstage at Verizon.

Here are me & Chad with our before signs...

...and after signs!

Third and final week of fasting

Well, for our final week of fasting for Lent we decided to fast from Facebook.  At first we were going to fast from all "non-necessary" Internet use, but really the more we talked about it we both wasted the most time on Facebook.  I fought joining Facebook for so long and then once I was finally on it I was on there a LOT.  We both use it a lot and since people update constantly it's very easy to keep getting on there to see the new content.  I found that just like the other fasts after the first day or so it was much easier to get through the week than I thought it would be.  For me it was even harder because the Friday before our fast started was when the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library system laid off 148 staff - so Facebook became my main way of checking on my library friends to see who had been let go and who was still around.  But, one good thing came of our fast because during that week the healthcare reform bill passed and since Chad was also fasting politics the whole time that made it easier for him to continue his political fast.  The sad thing was that once I got back on Facebook after our fast was over it only took me about 30-45 minutes to catch up on a whole week's worth of posts.  I think what I learned from this is that while Facebook is a great way to catch up with friends and family it shouldn't be the whole focus of your day.  I will continue to use Facebook, but maybe I won't log in 10 times a day just to see what's new.

Chad and I really got a lot out of our Lent fasting, but I think next year we'll try to fast from just one thing for the whole 40 days.  I originally thought doing a different fast each week would let us have a more varied experience, but I think a week is just not long enough to really get the the most out of the fasting experience.