Mystery Shopping

I am convinced that if I did not have a family or anything else to do I still could not support myself on Mystery Shopping. Here is a picture of my paperwork for the last 2 months.

I have been to Ohio and New York with Pennsylvania in between.

Here are the type of shops I have done this month:

• Calling for a home loan


• Going to a specialty gift shop


• Theater Check


• Checking out available Movie titles


• Evaluating sales and service for a Cellular company


• Fast food Drive Thur and sit down


• Sit down restaurant both dine in and sit down


• Call about auto parts


• Audits of two different stores


• Truck stop food


• Cable service


• Grocery Store


• Taking a test


• Eating at the mall


• Bank shop as a new customer


• Coffee shop


• Office Store

Next I want some pizza shops or a spa. I am grateful to be an independent contractor for all these companies. They give me the opportunity to evaluate service and hopefully reward those who deserved it. I can also point out those who need a little more training.

It gives me the opportunity also to do more shopping or eating out without the guilt since we don't have a regular income since Ryan's job was eliminated at GE.

I do have a brother

Here is what my brother did to his kid ... thankfully I don't think he learned this from my mom.

Can you tell the next day is class pictures.

Guess what I was doing to get this face :)

Next?

So what do we do next now that Ryan only has 2 months left at GE?

• Sell some extra furnature I just don't want to even lift again :)


• Ebay books I haven't looked at in 2 moves


• Hug Anna


• Look for another job


• Praise God we don't have to sell a house here

I could survive for 1 minute, 3 seconds chained to a bunk bed with a velociraptor



I just did this exam :) Better than AP Chem!

So is this picture good enough to be on Anna's wedding video in 20 years?

What do I do all day?

This is what I did yesterday

• I read Anna 9 books
• I made home made apple sauce 3 liters - plan to can it today
• Made a Spaghetti Squash - plan to turn it into ravioli today
• Prepped for 4 mystery shops
• Made Salmon for dinner
• Made French and Honey Wheat bread from scratch
• IM'ed my brother
• Washed and put away 1 dishwasher full and 4 towels of cleaned stuff
• 3 loads of laundry

Plans for today - We will see what I get to today

• Can the apple sauce
• Hang curtains
• Make the Ravioli
• Use the french bread for Bruchetta
• Do 4 mystery shops - 3 are call in shops
• Play with Anna

Pictures from this week

Here are a few pictures from our last week - a wild ride. Yes this is pictures from only 10 days of our lives.

We went to Heston Labor day weekend to watch trains with Ryan's brothers and kids.

Here is a sunset at Lions Beach in St. Joe Michigan.

We went up to Free soil to Ryan's parents Cabin, we did a lot of reading there.

Here is a picture of Anna and Beraket our friends new adopted daughter up in Travers City.

Here is a sunset on Lake Michigan in Manastee.

Grandma with her grand kids. Thankfully she is watching Anna while we look for a house here in Erie today.Here are some pictures from bathrooms of homes we have looked at, not all houses are this bad.

3rd floor bathroom.

Matching everything in the room and its the only bathroom in the house. Anna would love it.


This is a toilet in the hall closet, right next to the front door. Yes you can see it from the top to the stairs.These homes were built 70 years ago, people had a lot of time on their hands. I think we saw at least 2 shower heads in basement ... just shower heads.

So why do I have an mp3 player

I got my 2 gig MP3 player the January before we moved to India. I had it in my head I would not find the Christan music I find here.

It also worked as a 2 gig thumb drive at work. Even when they outlawed the use of them I was still handing it around to everyone.

It was also my saving grace in India. Its so loud there, the horns, the people the cars, buses and I would some times take it and listen to it on the way to work. Hearing Amazing Grace on the harp done by sister in law did me a lot of good. When your senses are overloaded having a peaceful experience can change your entire attitude. I could also listen to it at work, since of course you don't load up the work computer with your own music.

It was well worth the $40 at tigerdirect.com

What am I going to miss?

• My friends, those who speak English and the ones who only speak Tamil, we share life
• Sambar, dosa, chapatti, appalum, drum stick, and so much more fresh food
• Autos, I will have to drive myself again
• Cramming into a bus and having 6 other people touching me. Some times you end up leaving with some one elses scarf
• Living on a few coins a day
• Seeing the ingenuity of a woman who makes $50 a month while doing 3 businesses, taking care of 2 kids and her parents in her home
• The love of simplicity. You get by with what you have and that’s it.
• Working all week with Ryan on projects, proving that when you get married two do become 1!
• Being appreciated for our spreadsheets, forms and reports.
• Knowing the names of the people I deal with daily, my ironers Samiam and Nagaraj, groceries from Latha, being driven by Andros or Selvum.
• Playing Settlers of Cattan with other young moms and dads.

A Puppy

I think Anna is getting into more rational thinking.

We were at the grocery store Saturday and she asks can we buy some puppy food.

I tell her that we need a puppy to buy puppy food.

She says when we get a puppy we may buy him the food :) When we get to America we may have a puppy, right now they are too big for the suitcase (That was our justification earlier this week).

She is only 3, I have my hands full.

Observations of the Day

Here are some observations I have made on the way to Molikadi brank this week. I am traveling about 2 hours by public transport so I ahve some time on my hands :)

• Even blind men fix their hair
• At 8 am in Saidapet Market the only thing open is breakfast shops
• People seem to be happier at 8 am, they even smile
• If you smile at a baby, her mom will smile back

Bummer and Growth

Ryan's camera was stolen yesterday as we rode the bus home from T. Nagar to Little Mount. We noticed it gone 2 stations before our stop and got off the bus. The bus guys told us to file a report and check back in 30 minutes. We did get to the police station and though the help of a guy also filing a stolen police report got our paperwork done. The police even cracked a joke that they were second to Scotland Yard. Yep, only God can get our camera back.

I am glad to see growth in Ryan. I think a year ago he would have cussed, screamed and not dealt as well with the police. They dictated what they wanted written in his own handwriting. He was patient, something that is cool to see growing in him. I don't know how to describe how proud I am of him.

Yeah he is sad and depressed, didn't sleep well - shoot he used his own train money on this camera but he is also ok. We talked with Anna that evening about the theft, how we feel and that we are grateful we are all safe. It will take some time for him to feel better from his theft of peace and trust in man.

We walked home from the bus stand.

Nothing can really make Ryan feel better but time and God's peace and of course getting the camera back.

Womens Day and Bags

We have 15,000 clients at Growing Opportunity, its hard to remember them all. One of the great things is that at Women's Day in March we gave out thousands of bags that have the Growing Opportunity Logo. Since then we have seen 5 bags and got pictures of 3 of them.

First one is at the long Saidapet Bus Stand

My Vegetable Lady - You can read about her on my family site by clicking here

The Third one was in T. Nagar on South Usman on the way to the bus stand.

# 4 was at Mary Gloria's house. Her sister is a client :)

# 5 was walking out of Mary Gloria's slum to LDG Road I saw a guy carrying one. These bags sure get around.

Pictures of Life in Chennai

Here are some pictures I have taken in the past 2 days.

Its Holi time and some kids have the pink powder.





Here is a cow in a very busy intersection, I don't know where he came from.














Here is how some services dry clothes.

Anna wants soy nuts and knows how to get them!

Anna still is sick, she is sleeping on daddy.

Critters in my house

This is definitely not Michigan. Its like wild kingdom some days here.

• I have a lizard living under my microwave.


• We have had cats come into our kitchen though our window screen.


• Puppies walk in our front door - especially when it is raining.


• We had a 40 legged centipede in our sink - very icky, Gnana had to kill it for me.

The monkeys tried to break in my living room. Today I found out the baby ones where small enough to make it though my window bars and push my screens. One taunted me by licking my screen. We sat on the couch watching them for a bit and then Anna got to yell shoo at them.

It all looks cute until you are trapped in your house hoping that this isn't like a episode from Hitchcock's bird movie :)

This is the required dress for Anna's Graduation.

So you know I am not lying here are more of her class mates. Pre-KG is Pink, LKG is Yellow and UKG is Blue.

And this is how I feel.

Thank you For Better For worse for getting it RIGHT! Thank you Lynn Johnston!

Dilbert

:) I need to know what life was like before India.

My light, how does it shine?

How does your light shine?

Do you have a candle?

Is it broken?

Did some one take a bite out of it?

I heard a really good sermon from Mike Fisher on Christmas. The gist is that God come to Mary, Gideon and Jeremiah at times when they did not value themselves a lot. God valued them, that is what's important.

Shoot Gideon was hiding from life. Mary thought that she was unworthy. Jeremiah couldn't communicate.

God used all of them, he can use all of us broken candles. He can melt us and reshape us, give us a new wick to burn and light our passions in his will.