A Sweet Gesture

Although it is hard to see, I wanted to share this adorable romantic gesture. Our back "porch" at the Deltona house was pretty dirty. Prior to pressure washing the entire concrete slab, Ricky took the pressure washer and wrote "I <3 Ruth" in the dirty surface. I thought it was incredibly sweet!

Good Bye Deltona!

As of noon today June 30th, the Currey/Heidt clan have moved out of Deltona. I turned in the keys and waved goodbye to the location that has been our home for the past year. Now don't get me wrong, the house in Deltona was great. We have many great memories from that house, but the positives to moving out of Deltona were just too great (the foreclosure of their property helped a little too)

Now that we are finished in Deltona, we can spend more time focusing on organizing the new house in our newly adopted neighborhood. Overall, we are all excited for the move, but are especially excited for this week for a couple reasons:

1. We finished the move which means we are done and do not have to drive to Deltona anymore.

2. Ricky's 27th birthday is tomorrow (July 1st)... Yay!

3. We get to go to our first block party on Friday in our new neighborhood for the 4th of July.

4. We just got word that our cable and internet will be installed on Wednesday between 1PM - 4PM. YAAAAAAAAY! No more Panera for internet access.
(And just a side note.. if you ever need internet but you have to plug in your laptop, do not go to McDonalds.. they have no outlets!)

All in all, our experiences in Deltona were great, but we are all looking forward to our new location and are excited about potentially making this the last move were ever have to make. We shall see where this road takes us!

I'm officially done!

It’s official! I have completed EPI (Educator’s Preparation Institute). Last night was our completion ceremony at the newly named Daytona State College (formerly Daytona Beach Community College, formerly Daytona Beach College, formerly, Daytona College). It was a nice short ceremony lasting about an hour. All of the graduates received their certificates and they had a few guest speakers (the typical form of graduation). All in all though, I am so glad to be done (not that I have a class to teach now), but I was glad to be done wit the classes and the work involved in the certification process. No more portfolio, no more tests, no more driving to DeLand.

Now comes the hard part though… finding an actual teaching job. I currently have over 65 applications in now to both Orange County and Seminole County, but I have only received 25 rejection letters. The problem I am having is the fact that all my contacts are in Volusia County, so no one knows me over here.

Out of the 65 applications so far approximately 10 of the have been miscellaneous Art positions. Even though that doesn’t seem like too many, its actually quite a lot since art teachers usually get a job and stay there until the retire. The other plus side is that I have only received one rejection letter for an art position, the rest have not been filled yet. So any extra prayers would be great. I am keeping my hopes high and at the same time remembering that a good portion of the schools won’t be hiring until July.

Happy Birthday Kenneth!

Tuesday we went to the Ale House to celebrate my brother’s 22^nd birthday. It was nice to be able to go out to dinner and spend some time with him and Kristine. We had a nice dinner, where Kenneth opened up his gifts and received a very large complementary brownie sundae. Fortunately they gave us 5 spoons. We then went back to the house for ice cream cake (Carvel, of course) and watched an episode of Hell’s Kitchen.

Overall, I would have to say it was a great night and in a week we get to do it again for Ricky’s 27^th birthday!

Moving and Cleaning

We have officially moved into our new house....

The only problem is that we are still working on cleaning the old one. In fact, I am currently in the old house attempting to bring closure.. and cleanliness to our former residence. Its actually not too bad, but we want to make sure we can get our entire security deposit back. So the deep clean is on!

I am also writing from the old house because we do not have internet yet in the new one. Comcast is taking their time on getting to us, but it will be free so I can't really complain. You just dont realize how dependent the world is on the internet until you do not have access.

Well I suppose that is all for now since I really need to get working. I just promised a picture of the outside of the house so I am here to deliver. But don't worry, there will be more to come soon!

Woo Hoo...

Who says posing on cars is over-rated? I know I still find it to be hilarious.

Is your art website done yet?!?

The short answer is no... in fact that long answer is similarly...no. I have started to put together my own website that will function as my portfolio and other such information, but I have not finished it yet. With the move and job hunting, I have not had quite as much time to work on it as I would like. Granted, I know there are those that feel if I spent time working on my website instead of the blogs I would have finished by now... To you I say, well that may be true, but most of our computer equipment is packed up including my desktop which houses all of my artwork and the backup CDs are at our new house.

Until then, I have set up a blog so you can see what projects I have been working on or for those of you who haven't seen my work, this gives you a chance to become acquainted prior to the official website completion. Thanks for your patience!

http://theartistfinds.blogspot.com/

First Glimpse....

Check This Out!

This clip shows a first glimpse of Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face. You only see him from the back, but if you look to the side you can tell his face is messed up. Here's the link:

http://latinoreview.com/news/first-glimpse-at-two-face-from-the-dark-knight-4873

I don't know about you, but I am excited about it already. Not to mention the release of The Dark Knight in a little over a month!

Interview Update

So today I went for my interview at LaPetite. Although, I do not have any amazingly exciting news to share, I feel that the interview went very well. I was a little nervous, but also excited and I figured at least I was completely coherent after this crazy weekend. That was a BIG step in the right direction. The interview lasted about 30 minutes and I know I answered everything to the best of my abilities so it is now out of my hands. The director that interviewed me mentioned that she had a few other interviews going on, but she would let me know once the decision has been made.

One thing I am keeping in mind is the sage advice from my dad, "Take something away from every interview, and learn from the experience." Words to live by. I am hoping that I get a few more calls for interviews in the next few weeks. So continue to keep your fingers crossed for me. I need as much help as I can get.

But never fear... if I get any news (good or bad) I will let everyone know. Thanks for the all of the support and here's hoping.

Our New House

Our New House

I will have to get a picture of the outside for you to see, but these are some of the shots of the inside (and here's what they are..)

1. Master Bath with Jacuzzi Tub
2. Kitchen
3. Upstairs Hallway
4. Living Room
5. Built-In Entertainment Center

We got the keys officially today, but we aren't moving in the furniture until Saturday. We need to finish packing up the house in Deltona, but as of the 21st we will be in the new house completely.. YAY!

If you need the new address let me know and I will send it your way.

Off to Miami to see Eddie

Today is going to be a LONG day... well weekend....

Ricky and I as well as Kenneth and Kristine are heading down to Miami this afternoon to catch an Eddie Izzard show. We are so excited about finally being able to see one of our favorite comedians that we can't wait. We have seen Lewis Black and the late Richard Jeni at the Hard Rock, but this is the big one. The one thing that we are not looking forward to is the drive to Miami this afternoon only to turn around and drive back afterwards for a total of 8 hours on the road.

Now, I know what you are thinking... why drive all the way down to Miami and endure the hours upon hours in the car just to see Eddie Izzard. Well, I will tell you. Aside from the fact that he is incredibly hilarious, he is playing in only 2 cities in Florida, Tampa and Miami. We tried to get tickets to see him in Tampa, but they sold out rather quickly. Unfortunately, he is playing at the Tampa Theater instead of the Performing Arts Center, so the venue is considerably smaller. When my brother checked eBay, the Tampa tickets were going for $125 each (from their original price of $50). That would be $500 for all of us not including the gas to get over there. On a whim, I checked to see if the tickets were still available in Miami. They were not only available, but they were also cheaper than the Tampa tickets. They were only $40 a piece ($160). Once we added in the estimated gas costs, it was still going to only cost us approximately $300... to drive to Miami!

Needless to say its going to be a lot of driving, but just in case you were thinking to yourself, "Well, that's not so bad because they can sleep in the next morning," you would be wrong. Sunday morning, we are heading over to the new house to get our keys and start moving in... YAY!

Here's to the next two days filled with Eddie Izzard, moving into our new house, and seeing more of I-95 than I really want to.

Sex and the City

Sex and the City: The Movie

So to the dismay of Ricky last night, we saw the Sex and the City movie. I know he wasn't too keen on seeing it, but he suffered through it for me.

Prior to seeing the film, all of the critiques that I had received went basically like this: "I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more... the then it was over and I loved it!" Well, I am here to tell you that those critiques were absolutely correct. I loved it. It was a great film and very entertaining. It was nice to see all of the girls reunite for this movie and do such a fabulous job.

Some people who have seen the movie claim that it was overly predictable. My comment to them is, "Did you think it wouldn't be?" You don't go into a film like that and expect suspense, terror, and a twist around every corner. I don't want to spoil the ending for those who haven't seen it yet, but I will say that if you watched the TV show (or even if you didn't) you will be able to figure out the ending pretty early in the movie. Ricky even figured it out rather quickly (as he usually does).

I recommend this film to those people who either watched the show, or people who just like a good chick flick. It cannot be described as anything but a chick flick, but it lived up to the hype and has been the best film I have seen so far this summer.

Interview on Monday!

On Monday at 10:00AM I have an interview at LaPetite Academy. I am extremely excited! I am ready for the interview already. Of course, no matter what the outcome is, I will let you know how the interview goes. Also, any prayers would be greatly appreciated =).

By the way, thanks Mandy for the recommendation!

Chuck's Latest Book

Snuff: The Review

Recently I finished reading Chuck's (author of Fight Club) latest book Snuff. I must say I was pretty happy with the book overall. Its not a very long book, but tends to keep your attention fairly well. The chapters flip between different characters and discusses the story from their point of view. There are certain points where you feel like the story has become too predictable and then all of a sudden, the twist turns in the opposite direction. The ending for me seemed a bit abrupt, but considering the story it makes sense (and also proves to be slightly ironic). This story flowed a bit better for me than Haunted did as far as the overall storytelling, but when all is said and done I must admit my favorite is still Choke.

Also remember, his new movie Choke is coming at the end of the summer. Depending on who you believe, the release is either August 1st or September 26th. Either way it is coming soon. After seeing the trailer (on IMDB), I don't know how I feel about it at this point, but I think I just have high expectations because its my favorite of his books. We shall see.. and when the time comes I will let you know my thoughts.

http://chuckpalahniuk.net

Deposits... Ugh!

The one bad thing about moving is the fact that you have a lapse in the finances. This means that you have to pay more deposits before you get the original deposits back. What a pain!

Because we are moving from Progress Energy to OUC and from Deltona Water to Orange County, I have had to come up with extra deposits until we get our other deposits back. The past few moves have been all right because we consistently stayed with Progress Energy (5 years worth) so it was a quick transfer fee that they added to our bill. I know all of you who have move recently know exactly what I am talking about. At least we will be getting free cable soon so thank goodness for that!

Just remember.. if you are free on June 21st and have nothing to do.. look no further! We are having a Move-N-Q: Move a couch, Get a hamburger. If anyone needs any extra info let me or Ricky know and we will be happy to give it to you.

Back to packing... UGH!

Children of All Ages... This means YOU!

For those of you Pixar fans out there, have I got a ride for you!

Ricky and I recently visited Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly MGM) to test out their latest addition, Toy Story Mania. This ride is being added to the new Pixar section of the Studios (which isn't completely finished yet), but the ride is open and functional. I didn't know what to expect at first because I didn't even realize there was going to be a ride involved with the new additions, but take it from me, this is the best ride in the Studios. Granted, Rock'N Rollercoaster has its flair and pizazz like most coasters do, but this ride brings a little something more to the table... a little healthy COMPETITION!

Before you even get to the ride, you enter a queue that throws you completely back to your childhood. You walk through a maze of Tinker Toys, crayons, Chutes & Ladders, Spirographs, and Barrel Full of Monkeys. To complete the trip back in time, there is an animatronic Mr. Potato Head who sings and tells jokes while you wait. He even reacts to audience involvement. Once you get on the ride, you are in a car that has 4 seats. Two in the front and two in the back. Each person is equipped with their own pop gun. The idea of the ride is that you are playing carnival games in order to score points. So you and your pop gun are up against your other car mates. Unlike the Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom where you have to attempt to find your little laser that looks like everyone else's laser and you have to steer your own car, you are assigned a color and can see exactly where you are shooting.. and the best part is you don't have to steer. Not to mention that there are only 2 people per screen.... Oh did I mention it was 3D?!? You wear 3D glasses and shoot at a screen. Things are flying in your face while you try and shoot at targets... it's GREAT!

Currently, the line is probably from here to California, but I must say it is definitely worth the wait. It was so much fun and everyone in the family can enjoy it together. One warning I will give though, if you get motion sickness give the ride a try at least once. I get motion sick on some simulators, but this one didn't bother me because when you are playing the 3D game you aren't moving. You only move in between games. It may affect severe motion sickness, but if you can watch a 3D movie it shouldn't bother you too much. Just try to find something to focus on while you are moving.

Otherwise, I highly recommend this ride to children of all ages and I plan to make that a priority stop every time I visit the Studios from now on. ( I can't wait til the rest is finished)

Congratulations Mark & Ashley!

Last night Ricky and I were fortunate enough to share in Mark & Ashley's wonderful day. We are so excited for both of them! It was so nice to be able to spend time with so many of our friends that we haven't gotten to see in awhile.

Ashley and Mark looked so incredibly happy together! Ashley was GORGEOUS in her dress and everyone looked their best. The wedding was beautiful and went so smoothly.

We wish Ashley and Mark many years of happiness together and a lifetime of love! We love you both!

Pray for our Air Conditioner

I think I am cursed. Every time I go to move out of a house, the air conditioner decides that it doesn't want to work properly. It freezes or blows hot air, or other such craziness. Unfortunately, it makes packing during the day extremely hard. I have truly gotten so paranoid, that I can tell when the temperature goes up one degree. Its scary but true.

I have NO idea how people lived in Florida during the summer months prior to the invention of air conditioning. I think it is quite possible that I would have melted.

If you could just keep our air conditioner in your thoughts and prayers we would greatly appreciate it. It only needs to work until around the 25th, then it can do whatever it wants.

MOVE-N-Q

On Saturday June 21st at 8:30AM we will be packing up the UHAUL and moving our stuff to the new house in Avalon Park. If you would like to join our efforts or would just like to get some free food, please meet at our Deltona house at 8:30AM. We will start by packing up the UHAUL and then heading over together.

If you are interested or need directions please let us know! We hope that this will not take too long, but the more hands we have, the less time we have to spend in the heat moving things.

Just call or email us if you need any more info.

Welcome to Our Blog

Let me be the first to welcome you to our blog. Many of you may ask.... why start a blog? Well, I will tell you. After a while, MySpace and Facebook can get old, so its nice to get away and do your own thing. (Besides, I felt left out because everyone else was doing it. So here I am.) To be honest, I also felt this would be a good way to send out updates to everyone when I don't have the opportunity to call.

So Once again welcome and we hope that if there is anyone out there that reads this blog will enjoy our escapades as much as we do!