justjoslyn

Obsessions

04/01/07

I have never considered myself to have an addictive behavior; never felt prone to become an addict of anything. Various members of my extended family suffer from alcoholism, and there is the random criminal amongt them, but I have never felt the urge to succumb to such vices. I enjoy scrapbooking, watching TV, and collecting super dooper poopers of any sort, but never really considered myself an addict to any of these.

I guess the word I need to use to describe my personality is: obsessive. The verb “obsess” can be defined as 1) To preoccupy the mind of excessively, and 2) To have the mind excessively preoccupied with a single emotion or topic. On the other hand, to become “addicted” is defined as 1) To cause to become physiologically or psychologically dependent on a habit-forming substance, or 2) To occupy (oneself) with or involve (oneself) in something habitually or compulsively. To the naked eye, these two terms appear very similar and difficult to distinguish. When the definitions of the terms are dissected via the help of a handy dandy internet dictionary reference, they are very clearly different. Alas, I am obsessed.

Some may feel great sorrow (while others will probably be trying to control their gag reflexes) that it has taken me this long to discover what could have been an obsession quite some time ago with the story of Pride & Prejudice. I sadly admit I have never read a Jane Austen book, but have resigned myself to read them all. I have watched the movie, Pride & Prejudice two and a half times in the last week (the half was skipping to all the emotionally wrenching parts between Lizzie and Mr. Darcy that made my chest yearn for such passion in my own life!). I have also revisited my teenage behaviors from when I used to look up any and every movie starring Christian Bale by researching the man who plays Mr. Darcy in the film: Matthew Macfadyen. I plan on watching as many of his movies I can find at my local Family Video, and hope that it does not create any sort of inferiority complex in my dear, sweet, loving husband. My wonderful friend Shannon is bringing me her copy of Pride & Prejudice over Easter weekend when she is town for the holiday and her sister’s baby shower. I have to pay my library fine in order to read the other Jane Austen novels…so much to do, so little time…

…along the lines of obsessions, I have decided to regularly post a series of photographs entitled, “Various and Unique Places Yummy the Cat Finds to Sleep.” I think it might be relatively entertaining for those who know Yummy or who like cats, in general.

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Ongoing Renovation

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03/27/07

I recently replaced the batteries in my camera, and although the flash still doesn’t work and we can’t afford to either fix it or buy a new one, I am using it to take pictures during the day.

The beautiful weather we experienced this weekend afforded me an opportunity to take some pictures around the outside of the house. I have some ideas for landscaping, and wanted to have pictures on hand to use as templates for possible designs. I have decided to become a little more invested in my yard this year, and although I fear I am getting too lofty with my ideas, it’s fun to know that I can control what my yard looks like, because, after all, it is MY yard.

Brad decided to take this week off in between leaving his position at Lou Bachrodt and starting at Gustafson’s Furniture on April 1st. He’s been doing a lot of work around the yard and some more in the house. He took some new pictures of the house in progress and posted them on my flickr account. When I went to go look at them, I saw some of the original pics we took of the house and was reminded of how much improvement has been made over the last two years. I think I need to be reminded every once in awhile of how much progress has been made even if I sometimes feel like it’s never going to be done…

Tile on the walls, carpeted floors.

Demolition!

Our IKEA sink freshly installed

Drywalled and mudded…

First set of cabinets installed, walls painted.

Shelving units with Crate and Barrel bowls (wedding gift from Kathy P.!)

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Happy New Year!

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01/21/07

I read once somewhere that to help reduce stress around the holidays, a person should write a New Year letter instead of feeling pressured to write a Christmas letter to include in their cards. I may have stretched the “New Year” portion of the suggestion to the fullest – this letter is being written closer to “Valentine’s Day” than January 1st. Alas, it is a letter, and I am getting it done. What is that old adage, “Better late than never?” Okay, then.

The year 2006 proved to be full of unexpected situations and blessings in disguise. The year started off rather uneventful. January and February flew by, I celebrated my 28th birthday in March…then April happened.

At the end of April, Brad and I said good bye to Roscoe United Methodist Church, where and I had attended since a child and Brad worked as the Director of Youth and Young Adult Ministries since the summer of 2002. The conditions surrounding our departure from the church were less than ideal and resulted in a lot of hurt feelings and heartache for many people. Brad and I continue to heal (I seem to be taking longer in the forgiveness part, but I know through the grace of God, and in my own time, will be able to bury my anger) and have tried to face the end of our relationship with Roscoe UMC as the beginning of an opportunity to explore new churches in the area – churches that better suit our ministry vision and style of worship. After visiting several area churches, we decided to plant our hearts at Heartland Church in Rockford. Both Brad and I have recently started volunteering in various areas at the church, and look forward to becoming more invested as time goes on.

In June, Brad began working at Lou Bachrodt Auto Mall in Cherry Valley as a Sales and Leasing Consultant. He has received a lot of praise from both clients and supervisors for having a positive and honest attitude, and although we are finding out first hand that the income in car sales fluctuates, Brad is proving he can, in fact, sell a car! Many people have agreed with Brad when he says that being in sales is very similar to being in ministry…

My only claim to fame this year was starting graduate school in August, but that didn’t last long! I attended one semester at Aurora University in the Masters in Social Work program before realizing that financially, it was not such a good idea and that I needed to re-evaluate my priorities. I really needed to be working full time to achieve our goal of being debt-free before we start a family. The good news is, I got straight A’s this semester and plan to transfer those credits in the future!

We also added a four-legged friend to our family in August! Bailey was adopted on August 14 through Central Illinois Sheltie Rescue. He is a 10-year old small Sheltie whose history is unknown other than he was surrendered by a family moving to Arizona. He is such a fun dog, and definitely a mama’s boy. Bailey loves to cuddle with me on my recliner and practically sings and dances when I come home! He is really healthy and acts young for his age, too — even the vet guessed him to be only 7! Oh, and Brad turned 28 in August, too. He looks and acts 28, though, so don’t let him try and fool you.

Yummy the cat didn’t seem too put out by her new furry sibling. She likes to wait for Bailey to come around the corner and jump out at him. Sometimes, he doesn’t take it too well and I have to break up a near fight. As I type this, Yummy is asleep on my desk, as was her usual position while I was in school when I typed papers. Her feathery fur is hard to resist and quite a distraction!

Brad and I continue to work on the renovation of our sweet fixer-upper of a home, but not very aggressively. We do what we can with what we are given and with what funds are available in which to do the work. There are usually a few things new in the home for guests to admire (or question) when they stop by. The excitement of what the house is becoming and the potential it has to further evolve is alive and well in both of us.

I believe that sums up the year 2006 as it applied to the Huntsman family this year. In print it does not seem much, but when reflecting on everything I get a little overwhelmed and have to take a breath. Throughout everything we experienced this year, I can honestly say that neither of us doubted God’s plan for us or believed He had forsaken us. Our faith remained strong and we continued to seek His will for us. We thank the Lord for amazing people in our life that supported us emotionally, physically, in prayer, and at times, financially! Without the love and commitment provided by our family and friends, Brad and I may not find ourselves in such a healthy place right now.

May 2007 bring you and your family lots of love, joy, blessings, and fun!

All our love,

The Huntsmans!

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Things to come…

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12/14/06

I realize I have not posted in awhile, and when I did post, the topics were relatively shallow and meant for entertainment. However, school is officially over for the semester as of yesterday, and here I am, quick to post on my ever-popular blog. My mind has been reeling with ideas on which to write about, and now hopefully I will have more “alone time” to actually publish my intricate thoughts and life happenings.

Which brings me to the section of this particular post where I tantalize you all with a glimpse of upcoming posts (because I know you sit at your computer, checking justjoslyn.com almost daily with anticipation to see what new and improved bright ideas I have chosen to write about).

–ADD interruptions: the most recent Jars of Clay song “Dead Man” is currently playing on the radio and I am reminded how I didn’t even recognize the song when it first started playing because Dan Haseltine’s voice is somewhat syncopated more than usual, and the music is reminisce of a 70s tune. Anyway, I love the song with a love like a mother feels for her children, even as they change through the years, because, they are, in fact her children…just as Jars of Clay are my “boyz.”–

Coming up soon, on www.justjoslyn.com:

- I will disclose a very important decision made on behalf of my life and future, which will undeniably disappoint some people, whereas others will care less because, after all, it’s my life.

- I will give an update on my 2006 “goals.”

- An end-of-the-year letter with pictures will be posted in mid-January.

- Pictures of scrapbook layouts I have worked on will be published on this site, not just for the enjoyment of others, but in attempt to spark a domino-effect of interest in those who may want to purchase pre-made layout scrapbooks for themselves or others.

- Stay tuned for an updated look of this blog, too, as I try and recruit my husband to add a certain flare to the site that only he is capable of accomplishing.

Well, those are just a few of the topics of future posts, so I hope my friends and family will continue to check back and perhaps recommend the blog to others to feed the all-to-common voyeuristic tendencies of Americans today. And, maybe someone will consider it a source of guilty pleasure…

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Moments of Joy

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11/09/06

I guess my last post disappointed some people with its fluff and lack of sustenance. What people don’t realize (but I am going to tell them now) is that I am always thinking of how I want to write a post about everything I am learning in grad school, and how my eyes have been opened to the crazy world of politics and that it is possible to be in the same class as people who think it is okay to refer to themself as a “c—” (they embrace the term) and to walk into class 20 minutes late 2/3 the way through the semester and claim they thought class started at 11:00.

And although I will eventually discuss my ever-changing outlook on this humanity-forsaken world, currently my heart is more heavily weighed down with yet another relationship debaucle. That’s right. I’m talking about Brit and K-Fed. Time and time again celebrities are proving that, despite their fervent efforts to prove otherwise, YOU CAN BELIEVE WHAT YOU READ IN THE TABLOIDS.

However, I am able to find a moment of relief amongst all the disappointment I feel towards the celebrities I have really pulled for to make it through the angst of living in Hollywood and gossip surrounding their paparazzi-filled relationships and the irritation that wells up inside me 2/5 of the week sitting in graduate-level classes with students who cannot seem to make any type of serious point while they babble on about their troubled childhoods. I am able to count on one thing to remain a source of enjoyment in my life.

My sister dressing up as a giant whoopie cushion.

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"A rose by any other name is still a rose…"

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10/27/06

There has been some discussion lately regarding the gender orientation of the name, Bailey. Although Bailey came to us already named, I feel somewhat of a responsibility to defend his name, and that it is definitely a boy name.

It has been my experience in life that Bailey is a boy name. Apparently it has become increasingly popular for girls, as well. However, whenever I hear the name, I think boy. A lot of people think girl.

Because there are so many other things to research in life, I looked up the name Bailey on The Baby Name Wizard’s NameVoyager. According to this website, the name Bailey was being assigned to little boys as early as the 188o’s. However, that is as close as I get to winning the argument that Bailey is primarily a boy name.

I verified information on the Social Security website (which is a very unlikely place to find history of a given name’s popularity over the years…very helpful for any of my friends expecting children or expect to be expecting children). In 1996, the year Bailey was born, it was the 200th most popular name for boys. In 2005, the popularity of Bailey for boys dropped to the 512th spot.

Further research shows that Bailey remains a more popular moniker for girls over boys. In 1996, the name was the 85th most popular girl name, and in 2005, it was the 108th. Now, I do not know what the ratio of male births to female births was for either of those years, but I willing to concede to the opposing argument. I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong only after and in-depth investigation has taken place and insurmountable evidence points to that conclusion. Let it be known that Bailey was not my first name for a dog, but it beats out the names of some of the dogs I was looking at adopting: “Cooney,” “Icey,” or “Tula.” What’s nice about the name Bailey is that it rhymes with “baby,” which Bailey equally responds to. I think our Bailey fits his name perfectly — regardless of its gender origination.

I am left with one more question, though. What about Scott Wolf’s character in the series “Party of Five” from the nineties? His name was Bailey and he was a very cute boy!

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Introducing…

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08/18/06

Bailey!

Born: July 1, 1996

Gotcha day: August 14, 2006

Weight: 14 lbs.

Gender: Male

As you can see, Brad and I finally came to an agreement and added to our family this past Monday, August 14. I drove out to south Chicago with a friend to pick up this little guy after it was suggested by the Director of Central Illinois Sheltie Rescue that he was perfect for our family and lifestyle. She described Bailey as “the perfect little gentleman.” There is no such thing as a “miniature Sheltie,” but Bailey is definitely on the smaller size! Although he is 10 years old, he has been observed as acting more like a 5 year old (which, as the days go by, we are starting to see for ourselves)!

According to Bailey’s foster mom of 10 days, he was surrendered by a family who was moving to Arizona. The disturbing part of the story is that they had two other bigger dogs they were taking with them! How could someone own a dog for 10 years and just leave it? Especially this little guy? I don’t know, and neither did his foster mom, but if the family would have taken him, the Huntsman’s would not have been able to adopt him!

I can’t even begin to describe how I fell in love with Bailey when I first saw him! He ran right out to the driveway to meet me and my friend when we arrived. He has a cute little turned-up nose and long, black hair framing his face.

I didn’t tell my parents any of the plans as they were evolving, but once I knew I would be driving to Chicago to get Bailey Monday night, I cordially invited my parents over for dinner on Tuesday. My mom asked, “is there a special occasion?” — to which I replied, “no.”

Needless to say, when my parents walked in Tuesday night they were pleasantly surprised. Bailey greeted my mom like a little gentleman, whereas he barked and barked at my dad (no one really knows why since Bailey really hadn’t barked up until then). My dad is in love, and my mom just smiled and hugged both me and Brad and said to him, “you must really love my daughter.”

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This post is just to please those of you who have actually requested that I post!!

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08/11/06

It seems as if the demands to be a better friend by those who have claimed I don’t call, don’t write, don’t visit, and don’t post on my blog have finally affected me to the point that I am giving in. Well, at least the posting part.

Despite having laid awake countless nights composing in my mind what would be my next post, inevitably containing the most recent “Huntsman Happenings” — because it’s only fair that we keep everyone updated — I don’t want this blog to become foremost an online diary of what’s happening in Joslyn & Brad’s life, but to be a compilation of overly dramatic and exaggerated narratives, seasoned with random updates of what is going on in the beautiful Park of Machesney.

To humor those who have adamantly requested a new post (ahem, Shannon), here you go:

Brad and I would like to announce the birth of our new niece, Abigayl JoAnn Combs, born July 25, 2006. Included in the body of this text is the only photo of her we have been privileged to view — from the hospital’s public website. You’d think the child was the spawn of Katie & Tom with how secretively her image has been kept even from immediate family members! I will be sensitive to the fact that not everyone has a digital camera, or the time to scan photos, but it’s been 2 1/2 weeks and Auntie Joslyn is coming down with the shakes from the anxiety and belief that I have certain rights not available to others being that I am the Aunt. I think Brad’s family should be counting their lucky stars right now that we don’t live any closer and that they have at least 4 hours notice to prepare for my arrival when I get the bee in my bonnet to go see my niece. If we did live any closer, I could be at that house every moment I had free just to be near that baby and to make sure she knew I was her Auntie Joslyn and that no matter how crazy I am, nothing could ever change that (insert half-hearted evil laugh, as not to scare the baby)!