jediwands

1. Were there any moments on the show when you wanted to throw your TV across the room due to anger?
2. Does your hubby like the same pairings as you do and do you two generally agree on most issues Everwood presented?
3. Who did you mostly blame (if anyone) for Madisongate? Madison, Andy, or even Ephram for that matter?
4. What pairing, romantic or otherwise such as father/son, father/daughter were you most invested in and why?
5. Did you like or dislike Irv's narrations?

everwoodfan52

These guys are asking the best questions...I just want to say that we are enjoying all of your answers...really getting to know "wonderful" you! I want to remind you that you can yell, "Enough!!" any time that you want.

Taryn74

1. Were there any moments on the show when you wanted to throw your TV across the room due to anger? There was plenty of times I was frustrated enough at someone's stupidity to throw the TV across the room, heh, but due to anger? I was probably that angry at Delia's teacher when she was belittling Delia for wanting to move to the front of the room. Oh and when YarnHo popped out that red bra...........yeah, I was pretty angry right then.

2. Does your hubby like the same pairings as you do and do you two generally agree on most issues Everwood presented? Eh, he doesn't tend to 'ship couples when he watches TV (you don't even want to know the convos we've had about Mulder and Scully over the years ) so I don't think he really cares that much about who's with who. The issues - yeah, we probably agree on most of them.

3. Who did you mostly blame (if anyone) for Madisongate? Madison, Andy, or even Ephram for that matter? Madison. I think what Andy did was monumentally stupid, but as twisted as it sounds, I also believe he was doing it for the right reasons. He was absolutely correct when he said that knowing Madison was pregnant was going to change Ephram's life forever, no matter the outcome, and Ephram had lost enough of his childhood already. I also believe that Andy knew what he was doing was "wrong" in the grand scheme of things, but he just didn't give a damn because he was doing what he believed to be the right thing for his son. And maybe it makes me a bad person but I support him in that. Sometimes you have to be selfish when it comes to your child's welfare.

4. What pairing, romantic or otherwise such as father/son, father/daughter were you most invested in and why? Hmm, I know the "right" answer here should be Andy and Ephram, but if I'm being honest I'd say Harold and Bright. Bright grew and changed (for the better) so much over the course of the series, and I very much wanted for Harold to really see and acknowledge that. With Andy and Ephram, you kinda knew that Andy would be willing to see how Ephram had matured because he wasn't as hard headed as Harold when it came to stuff like that, you know?

5. Did you like or dislike Irv's narrations? Sometimes they were rather cheesy, but since at the end we realized the whole premise was Irv reading from his book during the narrations, that put them into a new light. So overall, I liked them.


Also, thanks Betty.

'Tos

We are enjoying the answers, agreed, Betty. I hope you're enjoying answering 'em, Taryn. Or else, you really should have said enough ages ago.

1. Were you disappointed to lose Irv's narrations, or did you understand why they disappeared?
2. How do you think Andy would have reacted had Madison been more vigilant in wanting to tell Ephram about the baby? Would he have let her, or do you think he would have tried to persuade her?
3. Does your husband still think the show is too sad? We need to make a montage of hilarious moments for him.

Taryn74

Tee hee, yeah I'm having fun answering. I'll holler when ya'll have worn me out.

1. Were you disappointed to lose Irv's narrations, or did you understand why they disappeared? Hahaha, I forgot we lost them. What season did they disappear?

2. How do you think Andy would have reacted had Madison been more vigilant in wanting to tell Ephram about the baby? Would he have let her, or do you think he would have tried to persuade her? I think if she had absolutely insisted (which, from her POV, she should have) then he would have conceded that he couldn't force her to not tell Ephram, but it would have been without his blessing.

3. Does your husband still think the show is too sad? We need to make a montage of hilarious moments for him. We haven't had a chance to sit down and watch in ages, we left on mid S2 so yeah, still sad. Heeeee.

'Tos

1. What have the part 6 years been like for you and your family?

Yup, I'm not averse to outright stealing questions. Hee. Novel time!

Beginning of S3 for the most part.

everwoodfan52

'Tos beat me to it!!!!

jediwands

1. What Everwood message boards did you frequent while Everwood was still alive and kicking?
2. What would be your least favorite Everwood episode?

everwoodfan52

1.Do you have any special talents?

2. Do you have a favorite sport?

3.What instrument would you most like to play? Do you play one?

4. Do you have any pet peeves?
.
5.If you could have anyone over for dinner, dead or alive, who would it be? And why.

6.Who is the most inspirational person in your life?

7. What is your favorite holiday?

8. What is you favorite comfort food?

Taryn74

I'll get to the novel in a bit Dana is at home not feeling well today. I'll go ahead and answer the other questions.

1. What Everwood message boards did you frequent while Everwood was still alive and kicking? I didn't, never watched an episode until a year or so after it ended. I did read AB Chao's recaps as I watched it on ABCFamily, though. That was almost sorta like being a part of a message board.

2. What would be your least favorite Everwood episode? I really don't know, don't remember enough about the latter ones. For now I'll say...that one with the musical, mostly because the special guest got on my every last nerve. Edna in charge was absolutely hilarious though.


1.Do you have any special talents? I sing.

2. Do you have a favorite sport? Looove gymnastics.

3.What instrument would you most like to play? Do you play one? There's lots of instruments I think it would be really neat to learn to play well. I played soprano sax in high school but wasn't all that great on it. Played piano in elementary but again, never very good. Currently learning violin.

4. Do you have any pet peeves? Smartass kids.
.
5.If you could have anyone over for dinner, dead or alive, who would it be? And why. My FIL, because he loved my cooking but for the past several months of his life the chemo had his taste buds all messed up and nothing tasted good to him. He loved black walnuts and my mom figured out how to make a black walnut pie, but I never got to make it for him. I would just really love to make him a black walnut pie. I would also really love for him to see the kids. He never got to meet Jacob.

6.Who is the most inspirational person in your life? My Sunday School teacher.

7. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, and Easter.

8. What is you favorite comfort food? Mashed potatoes.

Taryn74

Okay, maybe I've got time to do this question justice now. I would like to say starting off, that none of this is intended as a "feel sorry for me" thing, I just wanted you guys to know exactly WHAT this new job is going to mean for us, so you can properly celebrate with us.

1. What have the past 6 years been like for you and your family?


May 2004. I was pregnant with Jacob. Hubby was just finishing up an Associate's degree from a local community college, and planning to start attending a state college in the fall. He was working full time in Hot Springs. Dana was also going to be starting kindergarten in the fall, and since we wanted the kids to be in a better school district we were in the middle of moving. We had been trying for months to sell our house and couldn't, so we finally listed it with a rental company, owned by a man and his wife. They paid us the amount of the mortgage payment each month and rented the house out at their discretion. Right after we moved out the man had a heart attack and they got behind in sending us the payment, which put us behind in paying the mortgage. That was a big, big mess.

August 2004. I had a c-section scheduled for August 20. The doctor really wanted me to wait until the first week of September to schedule it, but Dana was starting school on Aug 23, hubby was starting college on Aug 23, and I knew I didn't want to go into the hospital a few days after all that so I put my foot down and Aug 20 it was. FIL was in the hospital and had been for a couple of weeks, but since he had been in and out of the hospital for months at that time (prostate cancer along with heart problems) it didn't seem like a horribly urgent thing.

Jacob was born that afternoon. It was a Friday. I knew from previous experience that as long as everything was going okay, I would be able to go home on Sunday night. Sunday afternoon hubby and the big kids went to visit FIL in the hospital and took him some pictures of Jacob. The boys and I spent the night at my sister's house, who lived in the same town as the hospital I had Jacob in, and hubby was going to drop Dana off at school for her first day on his way to class. I was sad that I was going to miss seeing her off that first day, but that was the best we could come up with. Hubby had taken a week off work so he could focus on going to class during the day and helping me with the kids each night, and he was going to come pick me and the boys up after he got Dana home from school on Monday.

Monday morning, hubby's sister came by my sister's house. She didn't come in and I wasn't able to get up to go see what was going on, but I could hear bits and pieces of the conversation. She needed us to get ahold of hubby and have him go to the hospital, they were calling the family in. FIL died that evening. Our plans changed. The kids and I all stayed at my sister's house that week, my parents came up to help out, dad drove Dana back and forth to school each day, and hubby ran around like a crazy man trying to stay focused on class and help his mother plan the funeral. He would come by for a couple of hours each night so we could see him. We chose not to tell the kids right away that FIL was gone, it would have upset Dana way too much and she needed that time to adjust to being in school. Friday afternoon we all picked her up from school together and gently told the kids that we were going to the funeral home to say goodbye to Pa. The funeral service was that next day. FIL had always said he wanted me to sing at his funeral, and I knew that's what he wanted, but under the circumstance MIL chose to not have me sing. That was probably just as well, I don't think I could have handled it. We left the boys with my mom during the service, but Dana wanted to be there. My c-section incision split open during the meal at the church afterward and I was bleeding all down my dress so I had to leave a bit early.

Fast forward until the summer of 2006. Hubby picked up a part time weekend job in Little Rock, which was near school but about 70 miles from home. He was still working full time in Hot Springs, which is about 40 miles from home in the opposite direction. I think at this time he had dropped down to a part time class load at college, but was taking summer classes as well so he wouldn't be in school forever trying to get his Bachelor's degree. Dana was going to be in second grade in the fall and Nathan was getting ready to start kindergarten. I was very, very, very thankful that Jacob was turning out to be an easy going toddler. He had a stubborn streak and was often in trouble for getting into things (childproof locks were a joke with him) but he was much easier to deal with than Nathan at that age.

Fall 2006. The part time weekend job turned into a full time offer, so since it was close to school that eased things up for hubby a bit. He was still driving 70 or so miles one way each day, but at least now it was all in the same direction instead of having to make a big triangle between work and school and home. Depending on his schedule he either worked nights and went to school during the day, or he worked days and took night classes. There were many, many, many times that he just did not have time to come home to sleep, so he took a blanket and pillow with him and either slept in the truck or drove to a friend's house (who lives closer to school than we do) and slept on the couch in between classes and work. This schedule went on for a couple of years.

Fall 2008. Hubby was finishing up what we hoped would be the next to last semester of college. He knew he was going to have to take a FULL load that next spring (like, 15 credit hours I think?) but the way the classes were scheduled, it was either that or spend another year in school. At this point, that was not an option. Nathan was becoming increasingly difficult to handle both at home and in school, and much of it was because his daddy was so rarely at home. In November, hubby was flown to New Orleans for a series of job interviews with Entergy. The interviews went very well and he was pretty much assured a spot with them upon graduation, so that was extra incentive for him to get in there and get that last semester done.

Had I mentioned yet how much he was spending in gas? I don't think I did. He had to take out the full amount allowed each semester in student loans, on top of his pell grants, just to cover tuition, books, and gas to drive back and forth to school. When gas hit almost $4 a gallon here in the US, we were spending almost $1000 a month in gas alone.

December 2008. At this point, the economy was beginning to tank out. Hubby's hours at work got cut, and got cut again, until he was only working around 20 hours a week. And this was a Fortune 500 company. Things were BAD. Really bad.

March 2009. Hubby got told at work that his shift was shutting down, he could either move to days or take a voluntary layoff. Since he was pulling such a big classload in order to get finished up that semester, he chose to take the layoff. He got a nice severance package, it was the equivalent of a couple of months' pay. By tightening up the budget a little, we knew we should be able to make it to graduation, and even if he wasn't able to get a job right away upon graduation (which we were counting on him getting on at Entergy) he would qualify for unemployment by that time.

May 2009. GRADUATION!!!!! He passed all of his classes, we breathed a sigh of relief, and he started filling out applications for employment with Entergy. Then........we found out they were under a hiring freeze. He would see a job listed, apply for it, his application would get moved to the hiring manager, and then we would get notice that the job had been put on hold. Over and over and over again. He started putting in applications wherever he could. He was drawing unemployment, but it was only about half of what he had been making while employed full time. Things were getting tough.

July 2009. Hubby got offered a job with a company in Little Rock. The ad in the paper said they had engineering jobs available (his B.S. is in Mechanical Engineering) but when he got up there, he was told that they didn't have anything like that open. He took the job they offered him, even though I told him when he called that I didn't feel like he needed to. Turns out, he should have listened to me. That was hands down the WORST place we have ever come in contact with. I don't even have words to describe it. OSHA got called out there so many times they finally told the employees that they were going to have to stop filing reports on the company, because there was nothing more they could do unless someone died. Yeah, it was THAT bad. Hubby lasted there until the end of September, by that time they were making him work 60+ hours a week (keep in mind, that's with a 70+ mile drive in one direction) and he decided enough was enough.

October 2009. No income.

November 2009. No income.

December 2009. Went back to work with the company in Hot Springs he worked at before. The higher ups had a chip on their shoulder since he had quit working for them to finish school, but he had enough former coworkers pulling for him that they decided to hire him back in. The pay wasn't as good as what he had been making before, but after two full months with no income, we had to do what we had to do. Since then, he has watched four people (without degrees or really even the proper experience) hire into engineering positions there. He never said a word, just kept on doing his job.

August 2010. FINALLY HIRED IN WITH ENTERGY!!!!!!! And that's where we are now. He turned in his notice today, they are going to let him work until the end of the month, which is next Tuesday. His first day at Entergy should be Sept 2. His starting pay is about $4 shy of being DOUBLE what he's making right now. We're actually, really, truly going to be able to start saving to build a house. We're going to be able to afford dependable vehicles. We're going to be able to turn the home phones back on. We're going to be able to buy the kids new school clothes. We're going to be able to do a lot of things that we've never been able to do before and I AM SO THANKFUL.

So....there you go. Aren't you glad you asked?

'Tos

This is the monolith from 2001!

Made no sense, but I've always liked that line, hee.

Holy crapola, Taryn! What an ordeal! Can definitely see why you relate to Nina, but none of it was, like Carl, a choice. Your husband had to do all that. Goodness. You two (and your kids) deserve this job. Aww, so much sadness, but it's all going to be worth it.

Thanks for sharing that, because, yeah, I can really see what this job is going to mean to you guys! It's not just a job, it's an end to a lot of stress and misery and sacrifices and the beginning of something brand new. Again, you guys deserve it!

You're getting a too for even writing that all up, nevermind living through all of it.

everwoodfan52

I am so happy that I (almost) asked!! Wow....what a saga...I'm so happy for your family...a light at the end of the tunnel.



How about that TV?

'Tos

Hee, I think TV was actually a choice not a sacrifice, Taryn?

1. What do you think separates you from most other parents? Other than the no TV, hee.
2. Have you and hour husband had that celebration yet, or are you waiting for after September 2nd? Can we webcam it so we're all there to celebrate?
3. I'm guessing the kids know about the job, eh? Are they super excited too?

Taryn74

Thanks guys, I appreciate your kind words. Like I said, I don't like to sound all "oh poor me" or anything, but this is a small group and knowing what we've been thru helps you to know me.

Hee!!! 'Tos is correct, we chose to turn the TV off before things started getting bad and really don't have the desire to turn it back on. I'll probably bump up the Netflix package though, we enjoy having a lot of DVDs around to watch. We might even *gasp* get the kids a wii for Christmas. I think they would fall over with shock.


1. What do you think separates you from most other parents? Other than the no TV, hee. Hmm, that's an interesting question. For one thing, we've never been big on electronics (which goes along with the TV I guess). We've never owned any kind of video gaming system, and if the kids play a computer game they're limited to 30 min a day at home. When we're over at SIL's or somewhere I let it slide. Umm, we don't do much junk food. I don't really know what else.

2. Have you and hour husband had that celebration yet, or are you waiting for after September 2nd? Can we webcam it so we're all there to celebrate? Still waiting.

3. I'm guessing the kids know about the job, eh? Are they super excited too? Yes, and yes. I wish I had a photo of the looks on their faces when we told them they would be able to start getting an allowance soon.