Eric's Thoughts

It’s actually been closer to a month and half of busyness, but who’s counting (oh wait, I am).  I took my next Microsoft exam (70-688) and passed.  I think I now have an MCSA in Windows 8.1 but I’m not sure, given the whole “we’re getting rid of this certification” thing from Microsoft.  Any who I have one more test (assuming I get it taken before August) and I will have an MCSA in Windows 10.  I’ve got my study book in hand and my virtual machine installed.  Bring it.

The Fargo trip went well, better than I thought it would.  The conference was interesting, and Ashley and I had fun on our “date” day.  We went to the zoo, and heard the wolves howl at the tornado siren.

Ashley got all of the stuff done for her party.  The party went well and every one really liked the decorations.

Pictures Removed
To wrap this up I will continue the saga of our cat Fern.I just wanted to brag about how talented my wife is.

About a week before we left for Fargo Ashley took Fern into the vet because the silly cat was licking her stomach bald.  The vet said it could be stress and then gave us a liquid steroid to give her just in case it was some type of allergy.  We also found out that she had gained a pound since we got her.  So we put the unhappy cat on a diet and started squirting medicine in her mouth twice a day (you know to help relieve the stress).  We left Fern at the same vet while we were gone (and paid a boarding fee).  We got back Thursday, picked up the cat, and took her back to the vet on Friday because she had a cold.  $75 dollars later we find out that the steroid they gave her to help with the stomach licking also suppressed her immune system.  Oh and her bald spot is bigger now.  Apparently she is still stressing.

So that cat bit was more rambling than I had hoped and not as funny as I thought it would be.  I’ll stop while I’m behind.

Actually I refuse to guarantee an update each quarter.

Having a cat has gone well, though she does tend to demand attention.  Ashley and I are doing well.  Ashley has been very busy with work stuff the past few weeks, but is finally starting to get caught up.  I’ve just been plugging away at work.  I am still trying to get my MCSA in Windows 8.1 and 10.  I passed my first test for Windows 8.1 and hope to take the second one in the next couple of weeks.  I’ll be going to Fargo ND at the end of this month for a work conference.  That should be interesting.  Another milestone in my career, my first out of town over night conference.

Here are the verses that stuck out to me during my devotions this evening (from the NIV):

Lamentations 3:24-26 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD.

Lamentations 3:31-33 For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.

So this is my first post of the new year… yay.  On to the main topic, meet… the cat (picture removed)

Ashley and I have always been dog people.  However when you are renting cats are a much easier sell than dogs.  Ever since Fish died we have been talking about getting another pet.  For a while we thought about guinea pigs, or maybe a rabbit, but finally settled on a cat.  We’ve been looking at different animal shelters on and off for about two months now, and finally took the plunge.

We still hope to get a dog some day, but in the mean time a cat will have to do.

P.S.  Three hours in, so far so good

P.P.S.  Her name is Fern

Lame pun intended.

Let me see, what is worth reporting.  We are slowly getting things cleaned up/organized/put away after the move.  We purchased a used washer and dryer from the St. Vincent’s thrift store in town.  They were a screaming deal, they both work, and the one thing on the washer that was broken I fixed this evening.  It was a simple fix, but I’ve never tried taking apart a washing machine control panel.  The fact that I got in, fixed the knob, and put the thing back together makes me feel handy (insert Red Green joke here).   Ashley worked her first event a couple of weekends ago.  The hours were a bit longer than we had hoped, but she had a good time.  She is gearing up for her first Christmas craft show in Nov.  My work the last couple of weeks has been busy, but I’ve finally gotten more or less caught up.  We’ll see how long that lasts.

On a more serious note I just want to thank God for how He takes care of us.  Before we did this move we sat down and crunched our budget numbers.  We can afford to live here, but the rent increase does make it harder to save for a house/car/everything else that needs money.  As we were moving I got a letter from work and all of us got a .25 cent raise.  The timing was perfect.  Even something as mundane as a washer and dryer He has provided.  God is amazing and it is a comfort to know He is watching out for us even in the smaller things of life.

Ramble done.

So we are moving again.  After a month of searching we have found a new apartment.  It is bitter sweet to move.  The sweet: a bigger place that (hopefully) doesn’t leak, is mold free, and in a better neighborhood.  The bitter: leaving the place we have called home for the past year or so, and the actual moving part (I loathe moving).  It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate even in a small apartment.  I shudder to think what our next move will look like.

On a different note, when you move please cancel or transfer your Internet account.  The last tenants to live in our new apartment still have an active account with Charter at that address.  We cannot transfer our Internet account to the new address until the old account has been deactivated.  We may have to wait up to two months before Charter can cancel their account and activate ours.  Yeah, that could suck.

On the upside the new place is two stories, with an unfinished basement, a large kitchen and living room, and two bedrooms /one bathroom upstairs.  The house (duplex actually) was built in the 40’s, and renovated in the mid 60s.

I’ll be taking a half day at work tomorrow and we will be moving over the weekend.  Naturally it will be in the lower to mid 90’s all weekend.  Happy day.

The big news is Ashley has a job.  I guess not technically a job.  She will be a contractor who works for Better to Gather helping with event setup and tear down.  She may also teach some of their art classes.

I don’t really have anything exciting to report.  I’ll be starting to study for my MCSA in Windows 8.1 as soon as my study material gets here (in theory my boss has ordered it).  Once I have that I’ll go for the Server 2012 certification as well.  At some point I may go for a Cisco CCNA in routing and switching, but that is a ways out.  I am planning on getting my CompTIA Security+ and Linux+ certifications.   Clearly I have a lot of studying to do.

Our apartment flooded again yesterday.  Usually the water just comes in by the door, but yesterday it also came in the kitchen as well.  We just use the carpet cleaner in the front room and a mop in the kitchen.  Even after leaving camp I can’t get away from cleaning carpets.  Ashley does do it more than I do though, mostly because she is here during the day.

There, I managed to get an update out in an almost timely manner.

A lot can happen in 11 months.  I will try and keep this brief, yet interesting.

After a year in our apartment it is starting to look like a home.  Ashley has been making decorations, curtains, and other… things.  Any-who the place looks like some place you would want to stay.  It is still small, but it is no longer bleak.

Work has been going well.  I had a six month review and they didn’t fire me.  I had my year review and they still didn’t fire me.   I now have my CompTIA Network+ certification.  I recently replaced the server at BMCM and it appears to have gone remarkably smoothly.

Ashley and I had our one year anniversary last November (the 23rd to be exact) and I have to say, one year into it… marriage rocks.  I have no idea why I waited so long.

Next week we will be in Arizona for my brother-in-laws wedding.  A couple of months after that we’ll be in Minnesota for the wedding of a friend of mine.

We have found a good church here in Billings called Life Way, which we are both enjoying.  We took our first membership class last Sunday.

Well, it was a brief update, and left out lots of other stuff that has happened.  I’ll leave it to you to decide how interesting this has been.