Graduation!

Here are some comical attempts at trying to get pictures of Ty's FPEA Graduation experience.

All the boys were told to wait in this room. We're not sure if Ty's in here or not. The girls were in a different room.

Some Mom snuck in there. Let him go, Mom . . . . let him go. . . .

This was the "line" the Family was asked to stand in. The doors to the ceremony are actually to the right. We were surprised that no one in Orlando, the line capital of the world, knew how to use velvet ropes to make orderly lines for a crowd! Tyler's friends came! Jeremy has some problem with his tongue, as you'll see in later pictures.

Ok, we're safely inside and seated! This is as close as we could get to the grads walking down the center aisle. See the banner? Fortunately, they had a camera and huge screens showing the grads during the processional.

At this point, the camera became useless. Tyler was on the END, in the BACK, and not 50 feet from us, but we could not get ONE DECENT PICTURE of him! I had Zach and Stephen getting up from their seats (a big no-no according to the parent meeting), running up to an empty seat that was closer to Ty, trying to take his picture. As you can see above and below, all in vain.
Finally, we resorted to getting pictures AFTER the graduation. You can tell by our expressions that we're extremely tired and hungry at this point! It's 10:30, we haven't had dinner, and we're not sure where we're eating yet. We still need to catch the shuttle bus back to our cars!

There's Jeremy's tongue problem again.

All in all, it was an experience. He seemed pretty happy about the whole graduating thing!

I love how Glenna's peeking around her brother on this one. She was/is SO proud of him! She beamed the whole evening.

Soon

I keep dreaming of our upcoming vacation. I can't wait to get away! I can't tell you how welcome this break will be. Here's a picture of the cabin we'll be staying in. We'll be in the one on the left, and the Scarboroughs will be in the one on the right. The Lieberts will be right down the hill.

For years we've camped together every July 4th at Fort Wilderness, Disney. We'd haul all our camping equipment (which grew into a larger and larger pile every year) and sweat it out. It was actually a lot of fun; riding bikes around the Disney property, swimming, fireworks, etc. Two years ago, however, we'd all had enough.

Last year, we went to Ashville, NC and stayed in KOA Kabins. This year, we've decided to see what Tennessee is like! Poor Kelly gets to drive up to Tennessee and back with us, then up and back with the youth group a week later. It will be her "summer in the car" experience!

Home School Convention

Well! Another home school convention is under my belt! As predicted (and hoped!) I have come away renewed, recharged, and convicted. I AM doing this because I feel God has called me to home school my children. He WILL NOT expect me to do it without His help!

One of the major "jewels" I came away with (and the strongest conviction) was that I have lost sight of my original goals for home schooling. I brought my children home to school because I wanted to start our day with the Lord and point them to Him all day. I wanted them to love learning. I wanted them to receive an excellent, one on one education.

We've had some great experiences over the years, but the minute I joined an umbrella school for record keeping, it was no longer about learning but about GRADES. Granted, high schoolers need grades, but Kelly and Glenna certainly didn't! I became the Mom who ranted, "Finish the book! Finish the book!" instead of taking the time to LEARN the material. This is so hard to admit!

Since Glenna will only be in 6th grade, I can still get away with not giving letter grades to her. She will get a "P" for Pass or a "N" for Needs Improvement. That's it.

Kelly will still have to get letter grades, but it will rightfully be on the work she has accomplished, NOT the work I have planned by the minute and maybe she didn't get to!

The students in my class, however, will get letter grades. ;-) Or maybe they won't, if they're not in high school! High schoolers will get the worst of me when they don't turn in assignments on time. [heh heh]

Coming soon: blurry pictures of Ty's FPEA graduation ceremony!

The Price of Disorganization

Today, I'm cleaning out "that pantry." How many times have I walked past "that pantry" and pledged to clean it? It's in the same area as our washer and dryer, so it had begun to spill over into the laundry area, which made it difficult to get near the washer. I found myself leaning way over to put clothes in or to switch the laundry. How frustrating! How silly to continue that way.

I have prided myself on my care of the family food budget, and thus is the key to my downfall: pride. I've discovered today that I'm not as careful with our budget as I thought! My cheeks were burning as I thought of tribal missionaries carefully counting each item to make sure they had everything they needed until the next plane drop. I thought of my grandparents living in the coal mining camps of New Mexico, waiting for their water and coal to be delivered by wagon. Don't get me started on the relatives who lived through the Depression!

I have THREE same-sized bottles of white vinegar. I have FOUR bags of lentils, and I rarely make anythiing with lentils since they're not John's favorite. THREE bags of black beans sit next to the container of white, powdery substance (is it flour? Is it pancake mix?). I KNEW I had a jar of Dijon mustard; I KNEW it, but I couldn't see it, so I bought more. RATS!

The buck stops here, and I take full responsibility. I would dearly love to blame the kids because they put the groceries away and toss things willy-nilly, but it's my responsibility to train them and follow up on their work.

I will also take another look at my spending habits at Costco. Do I actually have room for those bulk items? Do I NEED to have three gallons of bleach at one time? Am I hording, and not trusting God to supply my needs? I'll admit, this is a long habit from the days of John's self-employment. We never knew when we would be paid, so I would buy when I could and stock up. This is no longer the case.

How much of it is laziness and not wanting to go to the store when I need something? This comes from having to cart young children to the store with me. This is no longer the case. Granted, I certainly don't want to get into the habit of running to the store for every little thing, either. There must be a balance somewhere.

A Two-fer

I know I already posted one blog today, but here's another.

We are finishing our 9th year of home school this month! Ty wants to move on, and here he has THREE celebrations of his graduation. One for our church seniors, one for State Home School graduates, and one for our umbrella school. Man! I wish we had all just taken the month off. He seriously is only going through with everything for me. Nice kid.

At the end of each year, I take a few minutes to ponder the "regrets" of things I didn't get to, the celebration of our accomplishments, and the resolution to "do things differently" next year! My sincere hope is that our school room will be finished by the time school starts next year, so there will be less mess in our home and I'll have everything in one place.

*[School room update: the part needed for the nail gun finally came in the mail, and John's putting it in right now!]

I'll miss Tyler, but I certainly won't miss having to home school him. We would get along so GREAT during the summer, then struggle the rest of the year. This year was our best year yet with his efforts and attitude, for which I am so grateful.

I hope to focus more on Glenna. Kelly's such a great self-starter and I never have to worry about her finishing school, while my sweet Glenna is the one I have to constantly pull out of the tree or dirt and call her back to task. We had one glorious semester where she would do all her school FIRST, then spend the rest of the day being a kid. I loved that! This year, teaching the English classes here was a new experience. I'll know more of what to expect.

The home school convention is next weekend (along with Ty's graduation ceremony). I look forward to the encouragement and recharging I get each time I go! I love getting the things I need for next year (without paying shipping!) and talking to other home school families. I'm reminded again and again WHY we made this most difficult choice to bring our kids home and teach them ourselves. It's the hardest thing I've ever done; it's the best thing I've ever done.

Stuff

Hooray! I'm getting some cleaning and laundry done today!

Yesterday was the first band practice for VBS. It went well, as far as first practices go. Beth Anne says they always sound horrible and then sound great at VBS time. True.

I got a little frustrated with the guys. I'm trying to talk and they're playing guitars. I'm trying to get them to listen to music and they're talking to each other. I finally got after them (I don't need to listen to the songs, THEY do! I already know them!) and they were better.

I appreciated Tyler so much! He kept the guys in line for me and kept things moving. He even offered me some comic relief that only I saw, which I'll treasure! I just feel the music this year is of the quality that we really could make it outstanding if they put effort into it. I pray they go home and listen and practice. We'll see. I'm so excited to have Kelly and Aleah helping with vocals! They're really listening to their parts and working to figure it out.

Graduation stuff: Really ready to ditch it all. It's not so bad, but I don't want to forget anything and let people down. I hate that more than anything. I feel like I'm spinning dishes on poles, or trying to keep six volleyballs underwater at once. I know something's going to get away from me and I'll have to chase it down. I can't wait to see my Dad and his wife, and I'm so looking forward to John's Mom being here!

Causes of stress

Maybe this is simply a perfectionist tendancy, but I don't necessarily feel busyness is a cause of stress. I think activity keeps us vibrant and alive, especially if we're doing the work God has cut out for us!

No, the stress comes when busyness doesn't allow us to do things the way we really want to. This is especially true if we find out we have let down people who are important to us because of a crazy schedule and lifestyle!

Case in point: Daniel Halladay's graduation celebration. I had this on my calendar, I told him we'd be there, I was so looking forward to celebrating his accomplishment after praying for him for so many years. Thursday evening, I remembered it. Friday morning, I absolutely forgot it. I can't tell you how much this sickened me.

Another case in point: Making a nice dinner for my family. I'm not talking about throwing some meat in a pan and boiling some pasta, I'm talking about having something green and healthful with the main course, sitting down at the table, and enjoying conversation with each of them. Each of us has a different schedule now, so this is getting harder to do. When I know someone's grabbing a PBJ or the pizza man is called, it stresses and I know I missed the mark.

I want to send out a general bulletin to all my friends and family: If I said I would be there and I'm not there, CALL ME. It means I forgot! The embarassment of having you call me is less than the horror of forgetting all together. I won't always be like this, but at this time in my life I could use a little help!

Now, off to train myself to look at the calendar as often as I look at the clock.

Classes Ending

My last English class was today! Now I have a few easy papers to grade, two tests to give out, and I'm DONE until August!

John's out of town, Ty's working, Glenna has been sent to bed, and Kelly has crashed on the floor at my feet. A peaceful, quiet home is actually an enjoyable one. Kelly and I are both frustrated that our home is never "company perfect," but Kelly and I agree we have a family that loves each other and doesn't snap at each other over things like housework. I'll take that over a spotless home any day.

Today I headed up to Ty's room. I ended up sitting on his bed while we listened to music and he shared different bands and songs with me. It was so nice to sit there without any agenda or school work or schedule and just chill. I needed that.

I don't know about anyone else, but the fires around here have wreaked havoc with my allergies. I am SO stuffed! Sinus headaches, aching ears; it's enough to drive me batty! We could use a few more rainstorms to wash everything clean.

Murphy's Law, Welsh version

Here are some random observations:

If you have clean laundry on the couch, including underwear, that's when the band comes over.

If you don't put your make-up on because you'll "just be working at home today," you'll have to run errands or drive your kid somewhere.

If you say something you shouldn't and then try to fix it, you'll just make it worse.

If you work all morning and get a ton of stuff done, but then sit down at the computer to take a 5 min. break, that's when your husband will come home.

When you don't feel like talking to anyone, the next five phone calls will be for you, AND, your kid (pick one) will have a question every five minutes or less.

If you go to sneak the last piece of cake, you'll find someone beat you to it.

If you put off cleaning the bathroom until "later," three guests will come and ask to use it. (If one of them in Cindy Pilling, you'll also be out of toilet paper for some strange reason we've never figured out!)

If your evening dinner plan is to just throw stuff together so your family won't starve, you'll end up feeding the youth pastor, also. (He must think I'm the weirdest cook, ever.)

If you're feeling grouchy, your kids will make you smile by the end of the day (at least mine do)!

Concert

Last night's concert went really well! There were about 140 [?] people there, so a lot of funds were raised for the mission trip to Mexico. The visiting band, Beth, was great, and I heard Year After Year for the first time (the drummer is 14 and plays really well!). My boys, of course, were excellent, but this concert was a true test of their "professional" skills as musicians and showmen.

Everything was going GREAT and the guys sounded fantastic. I didn't see what happened next, but somehow Jeremy did a guitar fling-thing and ended up hitting Zach squarely in the mouth. Now, I hurt for Zach, but I felt so badly for Jeremy! He chipped Zach's front tooth pretty badly and knocked Zach to the ground.

Amazingly, Zach kept playing his guitar, got up, and kept playing. Ty mouthed, "Are you all right?" to him, but then Zach showed him his teeth. All three of them were pretty shook up at this point (I don't know when Brendan finally knew what had happened) but they all KEPT PLAYING. Zach talked to the crowd like he always does, but kept his mouth hidden or turned away from them. He had to sing three more songs! He would put his upper lip on the microphone to keep it over his teeth while he sang. Zach told me later he was so scared about what his mouth would look like (he picked the piece of tooth up off the stage) and all he wanted to do was get off that stage, but he FINISHED. I was so amazed at that kid, all of them, really - but Zach's got game! He said it would have been much easier to do if Aleah hadn't been freaking out in front of the stage! (Proof that Aleah loves her brother, Zach! LOL)

Anyway, I just love their new stuff and they sounded so fantastic. I talked to one kid in my English class who was "strongly disappointed" because they only played ONE of their old songs and he didn't care as much for the new ones. I know this is because he's not familiar with them . . . if he had a chance to hear them, he'd love them. The guys are eager to get some songs out as soon as possible so people can start hearing them and learning them. Let's face it; fans like to sing along!

It's so hard (and not humble) for me not to go on and on about Tyler. I know I'm his Mom, but I just love to watch him play! He's so talented and skillful (I warned you)! When he plays, there's not a bit of nervousness or akwardness about him -- he's completely in his element and thoroughly enjoying every minute of it! I love talking to him afterward to hear what's going on in his head while he's playing. He gives us the comical insights to the band and the performance, plus any areas where they may have struggled.

It's truly my hope that they'll be able to do more with their music, especially now while they're young and don't have wives and children. I think it would be great to go on at least one tour. Beth (opening band) plays at many different venues and hopefully, now that they've heard Evangelin, will want to do some shows with them. It will be exciting to see what God's will is in this.

As for Zach's tooth; he'll probably end up with a crown, but it's highly fixable. We teasingly called him "Bubba Zach" for now. He'll have his beautiful smile back in no time.

If you give a bird a feeder . . . .

I found this cute bird feeder at Khols. It looks like a little yellow cottage and it's hanging in the backyard tree. So far, I've only seen a bird eat out of it once! It's usually being raided by a squirrel, hanging upside down with his toes clinging to the roof, throwing the seeds about. This brings me to my observations:

If you hang a bird feeder, it will attract a squirrel.
If you attract a squirrel, it will attract a cat.
If you attract a cat, it will attract a teen with a paintball gun.
If he paints the cat (AND the squirrel), the cardinals will come!

He had a great shot, too, from the upstairs window. I was impressed! No cats or squirrels were harmed, but a few of them are walking around with yellow paint spots on their heads. Don't worry. It washes right off and is non-toxic. Hopefully, it discourages them from using my back yard as their potty stop!

We have this hose in the front yard that drips a little bit. I bought a terracotta saucer and put it under the hose drip -- instant bird bath! I have been rewared already by watching the cardinals drink and bathe from it. They also love the little bird feeders that look like picnic benches placed where the squirrels can't reach them.

So far, I've only seen cardinals, bluejays, and mourning doves. I know there's got to be more bird types in Florida! Oh, I've seen them all disappear when our resident red-shouldered hawk comes by. That's one beautiful bird.

AWANA

Last night was our last regular club night for AWANA. Now we just have the AWARDS night and that's it! I can start focusing on VBS.

I know that AWANA, unfortunately, will have to be an area I cut back next year. I will gladly participate as a leader, but if there's no Trek director, there will probably not be Trek. I won't do this again where I sign up as leader and I'm expected to do everything a director does. I feel so badly for the kids because I was only able to give them about a 70% effort! I didn't do half the things I usually do with them, such as a Lil' 500 night, Focus Dinner, and Church-In.

I suppose doing SOMETHING is better than doing nothing, but I know home schooling is my priority over AWANA and my home school year did not go well, either, especially for Glenna. She slid so far under the radar -- it will be interesting to see her test results this year!

Ty has his last Valencia final today at 1:00. He got up early to study but has crashed on the couch. I'll wake him up soon.

Three Blogs in One

Who has time to read a long blog? While busy with the tasks of the mundane, my mind is free to ponder. I've three separate subjects and numbered them, so you come back and read them at your leisure.

1. Concert
Ty's band, Evangelin, practices here. Usually Wednesdays ends up with the girls and me locked in a room somewhere. It's a great time to do some spring cleaning! I'm glad they practice here because I love to hear what they're working on, and sometimes I get to feed them snacks or make them dinner. I love it.

However, I don't always get to go to their concerts! Largely, this is because it's not cool to have "band parents" around. Actually, the band Dad is cooler to have than a band Mom. I can respect that.

Imagine my momentary pleasure when Tyler informed me I was personally invited to their concert on April 30th.
"I am?" I gushed.
"Yeah!" grinned Ty.
"Wait a minute. . . isn't that the benefit concert for the Mexico short-term missions.?"
"Yeah!" grinned Ty, even more broadly.

Sigh. I'll take what I can get.

2. Overloaded
This year I definitely took on too much. It nearly killed me (not literally, but it sure felt like it).

3 English classes - this was for added income, but was basically a part time job when you include the grading of papers and preparation.

A US History class (see above, just not for income).

A Weekly Bible study. I didn't have to prepare to teach it, but I did have to do daily homework.

AWANA - I specifically said I couldn't play the director role this year, but no director stepped up. I did the planning and teaching as much as I could, but I know I wasn't able to give it 100% this year. Coaching the Bible Bowl team was especially a killer! HOWEVER; I love JV so much. It's such a pivotal age in a person's life when they're trying to discover who they are and who they're going to become. This is where they test the boundaries and see if lightning WILL strike them the instant they sin, and when it doesn't, they don't think about the consequences down the road.

Homeschooling my three - Glenna had the least of my attention this year. God have mercy on her education! I'm so thankful Tyler's graduating so I don't have to fight with him about school anymore.

SAHM - For those of you who don't know the term, it's Stay At Home Mom, Cooking, cleaning, laundry, driving kids around, etc. You can tell when we've had a GOOD SAHM day OR a good school day! Rarely am I able to do both!

Sunday school teaching - one quarter only, but it added to it.

VBS -- it's coming! I don't have time to prepare! Arrrggghhh!!!!

I was chatting with my pastor last night and without going into the details, I confessed I took on too much this year. He asked me what I was going to cut back on NEXT year . . .

Lord help me, I honestly do not know.

3. Mugs
At last year's women's retreat, I had an interesting conversation with Debbie B. about mugs. I'll try to shorten it as much as possible, but basically she likes all of her mugs to match. She says no one really likes the gift mug from Uncle Edward; it just kind of gets pushed to the back of the cupboard and is ignored.

I have mugs that match for formal occasions, but I like mugs that DON'T match for every day. I asked Debbie how everyone keeps track of their mugs throughout the day if they all look the same? Her simple and amusing answer was, "Mine has a chip in it."

Ha!

Still, there's something to be said for ditching the ugly mugs. We all have them. Most of the time, the kids love them and keep using them while the mom hates them and wants to toss them.

How do I keep individual mugs while still adding beauty to our home?

I came upon the brilliant solution of getting different mugs, but making sure they have a similar THEME. I love red, so I thought if I had mugs that had some sort of red to them we could all keep track of our mugs and yet still have some uniformity. I wouldn't mind a black or white mug, either, since those go well with red! Ta-Dah!

I present this idea to John and Kelly. The response?

John - Whatever. I'm keeping the mug that reads "DAD" all over it.
Kelly - I want the mug with the pigs! I know it's kind of lavender, but I love that mug. I want that mug when you guys die. It will be part of my inheritance.

I haven't even talked to Glenna about tossing her Winnie the Pooh mug, plastic, with the handle completely broken off.

I did, however, throw out a mug I myself had purchased from Lakeshore learning. At least, it's sorta thrown out. it's sitting on the counter, WAITING to be thrown out.

That says it.

The suburbia-living citizen has succumbed to this means of daily informational indulgence that has pushed the social limitations of moral and dignified communication. -- Tyler Welsh

Drat

I am sick.

It feels so strange to stay home from church. It always seems that when my family is sick, I care for them. When I am sick, they abandon me! They say they're "letting me rest." I appreciate that, but would love to not have to get up for the phone or juice!

I walked out of the sick room (John's office with spare bed) after John woke me up. He had this smiling, trying not to laugh smirk on his face.

I've seen my hair. I know why he's laughing. I just don't appreciate it.

So I hear Ty home and he wants to take my car to House of Blues to see Maylene and Haste the Day. Jeremy's here with him. I quickly grab something, anything to put on my head. A blue knitted beanie!

Kelly has this smiling, trying not to laugh smirk on her face when she sees it. Ty speaks his mind with, "You have a beanie on your head." He pats my hand sympathetically. Jeremy is eager to leave.

I hate being sick.

Sickies

Glenna was sick on Monday, and now Ty's knocked out. He did get up and head to Valencia to turn in his paper, but he didn't stay for class. Poor kid. I hope the rest of us are able to avoid it!

Glenna got her cast off yesterday! It's sooo good to see her arm again. As soon as they said we were finished, we headed to the bathroom and broke out the scrubbie and shower gel. She had been "cleaning" her hand with Q-tips as far as she could, so she had (grossness alert!) this thick ring of dead skin around her wrist. She said a scrubbing never felt so good!

John's in Miami for a trade show, but he's supposed to be home (hopefully) today. I miss him when he's gone, but I get a lot of work done! I'm caught up on laundry and dishes, and now I need to finish grading papers (how DOES Kathy Robertson do it?). Kelly stayed home from AWANA last night and cleaned the kitchen top to bottom, cleaned the dining area, and baked a banana cake. I'm going to leave that girl home more often.

Keep praying

Please keep praying for Ellie. They have her heavily sedated to try to get her body to recover enough to find out why she can't breathe on her own. Pray for her parents and her entire "team" to get some much needed rest!

Oh yeah . . .

I guess I should have mentioned that the guys in the pictures with Ty are his bandmates. Go Evangelin! Can't wait for Cornerstone!

Tyler's 18th Birthday!

My firstborn is a legal adult today! How I thank God for my son and everything he has become. I can't wait to see what God has planned for him!

Below are some pictures of him and his friends. (THANK YOU, Jessie!) He's the one in the brown, button down dress shirt.

Happy Birthday, Ty! You are loved!

From left to right are (Standing on fountain) Haylee and Aleah, (standing in front of fountain) Brendan, Ty, Jessie, and Zach, and (seated) Jeremy and Tali.

Please Pray

If you read this, please pray for Ellie Skees (see link at right). She's 8 years old and has been fighting cancer, and since Wednesday she's been fighting for her very life due to complications with infections, chemo, and radiation. Please pray for her parents, John and Sarah, and her little brother, Ethan. They could use every prayer!

Leapin' Lizard

Yesterday, I went out to plant a lavendar bush. When I went to water it, there was a cute lizard peeking out of the spout of my watering can. I shook him out, filled the can (lizards all over the hose) and continued my chore.

Back inside the house, I kept feeling something strange at my waist. Have ever worn something with a thicker band of elastic and tried to roll the elastic down, but it keeps rolling back up? That's what it felt like.

I finally lifted up my shirt and pulled down the waistband of my sweats, and there was this little lizard face peering back at me. I'd like to say I calmly grasped the lizard and gently released it back outside, but that's not what happened.

"EEEK!!!!"

I tried to flick the thing away from me but didn't see it. I stripped off the pants, shoes, and asked Kelly to "Help ME!" laughing the entire time.

There's now a note on our dry/erase board that reads, "Tyler, there's a lizard in the house somewhere. Feel free to escort him OUT."

When will I sleep again?

Having to miss my son's performance during Battle of the Bands last night --

Disappointing.

Staying up until 1:30 am while he went over all the details with me --

Priceless.

Sleep's overrated. I'll sleep when I'm an empty-nester. ;-D

Everyone who was at Battle of the Bands says Evangelin did an amazing job! I could have told them that, I hear them practice every Wednesday in my living room. I'll get to hear/see their full show next week when they play a concert at Trinity Baptist. Josh invited me to bring the whole AWANA JV, so here we come!

I'm thinking I could possibly catch a nap Saturday or Sunday. If not, I'll just have to sleep during my next English class . . . .

Glenna Meets Paramedics

Glenna had quite a thrill Wednesday when she finally got to meet the paramedics who helped her! Will (Left) and Chris (Right) invited her to the firehouse and gave her the grand tour of the three year old facility. Note the other firemen in the background, sitting in the truck!





Here she's touring the trucks. When you call 911, they instantly read everything being said on their truck's computers. All the dialogue prints out on the screen, so they knew that Glenna's arm was
"grotesquely angled." Since the 911 call was placed on a cell phone, they were able to pinpoint her exact location on the GPS system.




Here she's relaxing with them in their lounge area. Will sat in the chair and it instantly fell over, so he's trying to keep it balanced here for the photo! They have a TV in here with X-box; we brought them a thank you basket with crossword puzzles, sudoku, treats, etc, since we know firemen usually have quite a bit of down time. They work a 24 hour shift followed by two days off. This particular station has three shifts; A shift, B shift, and C shift (these guys are B shift). Each shift has a separate pantry in the kitchen. They go to training and classes, and chores are scheduled on certain days, so if their shift lands on floor scrubbing day, they scrub the floors, etc.



It was all so very interesting! They even showed the computer room where they wrote up the report on Glenna's arm, the speakers where the alarm went off when 911 was called, on and on. They usually wait to go to bed until after 11:00 pm, because almost nightly they receive a phone call from RDV sportsplex!



We're watching the Liebert's dog for them while they're on vacation. He's such a cute little guy! He's very much like a toddler, though, and we're constantly chasing him down, taking things away from him, getting plastic out of his mouth. Our schnauzer plays with him for a while, but then he goes into his kennel to get a break from him.

Hobbs is the fuzzier one. :-) I love schnauzers and hope to get another some day, but it has to be when I have time to devote to training! Jack is such a great dog, but Hobbs has brought back to memory all the things destroyed when he was a puppy (including one of each of Glenna's shoes).

The Funniest Thing

I have declared myself to be on Spring Break. I should have had a US History class today, but 3/4 of the students went to Tennessee to compete in a Bible Bowl competition. Go Team!

So, I took a shower this morning, and THAT'S ALL. I put on some comfy clean sweat pants and a clean t-shirt. (Don't ask me why I'm emphasising the fact they're clean. I don't put on dirty clothes . . . anymore.) I brushed out my hair and let it hang, figured the cyclical red bumps on the end of my nose could use an airing away from make-up, and put on my glasses. Presto!

Then Glenna asked if we could go to Blockbuster. I also needed to stop at Publix, so we hopped in the car.

On the way out of Blockbuster, I noticed a well dressed man getting out of the car next to mine. He looked at me and looked like he wanted to say something, but I looked down. When I looked back up he was still looking, so I said hello.

"Hello! How are you?" he smiled.
"I'm well, thank you!" (It bugs me when people say "I'm GOOD." I always use "well.")
"You LOOK well, you know it?" he replied, still smiling.
"Excuse me?"
"I mean, look at you. You're outside, not a lick of make-up on, and a naturally beautiful woman. God bless you!" he said, his smile widening.
Laughing by now, I gave back a "God bless YOU!" and chuckled all the way to Publix.

Probably won't go to the store without at least covering the blotches on my nose again, though.

Too Sweet!

The paramedics who helped Glenna when she broke her arm stopped by today! She's going to be SO disappointed that she missed them. They were shopping for their supper at Publix and decided to come by to check on her!

They gave me directions to their station. I'm going to take Glenna by on Wednesday, since they had offered at the hospital to sign her cast once she got one. John and I just thought they were being nice, but they were serious!

Nice to know nice people are still around!

Dementia

I just found out my father has been diagnosed with dementia. He's in denial about it, and in fact refused to tell me. His wife's daughter-in-law sent me an email and requested I call.

My grandmother, his mother, had dementia, and he hated that about her. Now it's ironic that he has it, too, though Grandma's was brought on by a brain hemmorage. I hate that it's a 21 hour drive to get to him in Arkansas! He says he's happy in AR, but here's not anywhere near where I could help out. I called him on the phone and he never said anything about it. :-(

Update

After a three hour wait at the orthopedist, we were thrilled to hear Glenna will need no further surgery! The bones are still in place. They put a hard cast on her, and she returns in 3 weeks. Hooray!

We're so thankful. We're thankful for so many, many things through this!

1. For God's watch-care over us.
2. For our friends and family who pray for us, and who take the time to make cards and gifts for Glenna.
3. For the tax return that should cover anything our insurance doesn't.
4. For John's timly installation of a shower head with a spray hose!
5. For the bathrooms downstairs finally being repaired!
6. For the right orthopedist on duty that night in the ER (we've been finding out just HOW good he is through others).
7. For Glenna's speedy recovery! She's now going her second day without any pain meds or dizziness!
8. For Glenna being able to move her fingers. :-) The only one we're a little concerned about is the thumb, but the ortho today was able to get her to move it correctly, and now she has instructions to keep practicing.

I could go on and on!

Broken Arm

While I have a moment, I thought I'd jot down info on Glenna's broken arm.

Tuesday night she went to music practice as usual with Dad. Kelly and I were determined to do some much needed house cleaning, so we stayed at home (Ty was at work). I received a phone call around 9:30 from Mark Liebert, saying my little girl had broken her arm and an ambulance had been summoned. I didn't even ask questions, just said I was on my way.

Since I was "practically in my jammies," I rushed around to get dressed, put the dog away, etc. My beautiful daughter, Kelly, stopped me by grabbing both of my hands, took a deep breath, and then began to pray for her sister. I am so thankful she did that! It was exactly what I needed. Her prayer was so sweet I began to cry . . . not because of Glenna's arm, but because I realized my Kelly had a REAL relationship with her Abba Daddy. My heart was so full! I was instantly calm.

We arrived at the church to see all the grim faces waiting for us. The ambulance and paramedics were already there. I went into the Fellowship Hall and saw my little girl on the ground with her arm at a gruesome angle . . . she had broken both ulna and radius bones in her right forearm, and they were almost at a 90 degree agle. Glenna's fingers were blue (no circulation) and they had given her nitrusoxide (sp?) to help her breathe since she was hyperventillating. I was so thankful John didn't try to take her to the hospital himself. When this happened to Ty, Patty was able to slip a book under his arm and tie it with a t-shirt so I could take him myself, but there was no way we were going to move this arm ourselves. (Patty wasn't there, LOL! We tease her that she would have duct-taped it and sent us on our way. Margaret B. suggested the ambulance.)

As soon as Glenna saw me, she asked if her sister was there, too. I took one look at the arm and decided I didn't need to look at it again. I stayed at her head and kept her calm while they braced the arm and got her fingers pink again (whew!). Between gasps Glenna told me her "Green Monkey" (a gift from Allie and Kelsey Linduff when Glenna was 5) was in the JV room, so he was immediately fetched. We've decided we need to write an adventure story about Green Monkey . .. . Green Monkey Goes to the Hospital or something like that! He rode with her on the stretcher, stayed with her through x-rays, was tucked next to her side when they sedated her and set the arm.

I wonder if we would have received such fast attention if Glenna hadn't been brought in on the stretcher? Granted, we were there from 10 pm to 4:30 am, but there were 6 children waiting for Glenna's bed when we checked out. Ty had to wait in the overflowing waiting room for 30 minutes. When they finally saw him and realized he was in danger of losing his hand, they moved us along. I wonder how long Glenna would have waited?

Everyone we were in contact with at Florida Hospital South was wonderful. They used the live-motion x-ray while they set her bones -- they looked beautiful when they were done. We go back on Wednesday for her hard cast, and we'll find out at that time whether she'll need further surgery or not. This is our prayer! She left in a wheelchair with gifts from the hospital; a teddybear and hair ties and bands.

Mary and Danny Gines were SO wonderful! They came to the hospital with a bag of snacks and water for us. Mary called people for prayer right away. She even sent an email to her parents in Israel, so Glenna had people around the world praying for her! When Mary came, she brought love notes to Glenna from herself and Bekah and Barb Walter. I read them aloud to Glenna and she sleepily mumbled, "I LOVE my church." (Glenna recognized that this is the body of Christ reaching out! Taking care of each other like we're supposed to.)

The difference between Tyler's recovery and Glenna's has been remarkable. Ty's bones weren't even set for a week, and then he had to recover from surgery. Glenna can already dress herself and do most things for herself. She walks around with her arm in the air to keep the swelling down, so the running joke is to say, "Yes, Glenna? Question?" Swelling is our biggest concern. I'll be thankful when her hard cast is on and she'll have even more mobility. They also feel her nerves were stretched but should recover; her pinkie and half the finger next to it felt "rubbery."

I'll try to get a picture of "arm girl" after John gets home, as he has the camera.

JV Games!

I had so much fun with the JV at the Trek 24/7 Games! We placed dead last on our circle, but we had clean runs of every game, great attitudes, and tons of laughs. When line judges come to me after the games to say, "You have some GREAT kids, Coach!" it's all worth it to me, especially when there were some poor sportsmanship displays around us.



















This is us with our gansta "JV" sign. (See it? The "J" and the "V"? I made it up myself.)


I don't know if I've had a better time and lost so badly before! LOL









In Bible Bowl, we were felled by an article and a conjunction; "the" and "and." When Timothy got up to say a LONG verse, I tracked it carefully in my own notebook. To me, he said it word-perfect, but two judges and the quizmaster said he left out "the," so I had to accept their decision. Jessie left out "and" in the Micah 6:8 verse. Those two little words cost us 80 points and first place! We were dropped down to 7th, and our other team placed 6th. It was all so interesting since none of us had ever quizzed on this material before. I was thankful to see I was on the right track for writing questions for quizzing. There were only a couple I hadn't covered.


A very tiring but VERY good day!

Plumbing

I know there are people in other countries who would love to have my plumbing situation.

We have three bathrooms.

The upstairs bathroom is fine, except the kids use it exclusively and I hardly go in there. When I do, I faint, get out the gloves, and start scrubbing! Once in a while they stay on top of it and it's decent.

The other downside is, well, it's upstairs.

Downstairs are two bathrooms; a full bath and a 3/4 bath. In the 3/4 bath, the shower has never never worked. We use it for storage. :-) In the full bath, the toilet doesn't work. For John and myself, we use the toilet in the guest bathroom (and sink) then use shower in the full bathroom (and sink). I can't tell you how many days I've wanted to take a sledge hammer to the wall between the two so I would have ONE complete bathroom. (The only thing stopping me is not knowing if it's a load-bearing wall.)

Today, my darlin' decided to fix the toilet downstairs.

I'm still laughing about it!

He took the toilet completely off and discovered (drat!) tree roots, which means there's a break in the line somewhere. He then went and rented a root-cutting plumbing snake and went to work on the drain. Comically, a few times his rubber gloves got so twisted up in the snake, his wrists were bent inward and he had to holler for us to come and reverse the snake to untwist his hands! (hee hee!). He soon went to leather, which doesn't help with the wetness, so that problem was solved.

Things looked good, water poured down the hole in the floor went down without problems. He told Kelly to go and flush the "good" toilet downstairs to see what would happen.

Bad idea.

Water went everywhere in BOTH bathrooms, and we discovered that his aggressive use of the snake knocked a hole in the bottom of the OTHER toilet!
Pondering what we would do for a bathroom at this point, the girls and I had the following conversation.

Kelly: Good thing we found your gardening shovels, Mom.
Glenna: Kelly! That's gross!
Mom: Oooh, good point, Kelly. Of course, it's awfully cold outside to have our behinds hanging out.
Dad: You guys are freakin' hilarious.

Now, he's off to price not one, but TWO new toilets.

:-D

Contentment

There's gotta be something wrong with mornings. Or maybe there's something wrong with late nights that make mornings so wrong? Either way, one of them is the pits.

If I want to have any meaningful conversations with my teens, I have to stay up well past 11:30. I remember my friend Martha being so tired all the time because she had been up until 3 a.m. talking to her teen. I remember thinking that would be so hard to do!

Actually, the staying up part is easy. I love talking with them, hearing their thoughts, laughing at their daily antics shared with me, sharing some of my own. I get wonderful insight on who they are and how they process the things happening in their lives. I come away with such peace because I realize . . . with God's help . . . they're going to be all right. They're good kids, and they're making such wise, yet sometimes difficult, choices. I am blessed!

No, the staying up part is easy.

When the alarm rings, that's when it's hard. I still have one that's not a teen and she wants a part of me in the morning! I have a spouse who tries not to talk to me or, heaven forbid, wake me before my alarm goes off. Sometimes, I'm unable to get much sleep at all and I'm just coming to bed two hours before he gets up (why does God think it's so funny to pair a morning person with a non-morning person?).

My favorite evenings are when I'm tucked in bed with jammies on, and all three kids are piled all over the bed or on the futon in our room. John falls asleep quickly while we laugh and talk, waking periodically to ask why "all these people" are still in his room, add some input, and drift off again. Tyler has us all laughing when he shares the odd experience at the track -- he puts such a humorous spin on ordinary events. Kelly gets us rolling with her witty comments and input. Glenna tries to be a quiet little mouse so no one will notice she's still not in bed, or she gets poked and tossed around by me or her siblings (she LOVES that). We all start to giggle when John snores, wakes himself up with a particularly loud one, hears us laughing, then rolls over while mumbling, "Why are all these people still in my room?"

As for me -- I take it all in and take mental "snapshots" to treasure later. This is MY time with them. There's no one I love to be with more than my husband and my children. I know it's so important to soak it all up before God sends them off for His purposes! My newborn son is turning 18 in April. My baby girl will be 15 this summer. My infant daughter will reach "double hockey-sticks," eleven, in July. I praise God for the women He placed in my life who constantly encouraged me to slow down, enjoy them, and soak it all in. Nothing is more important, nothing has any urgency. I thank God for His conviction to home school so they could be with me even longer! It's the hardest thing I've ever done, but also the best thing I've ever done.

My house isn't spotless. My desk is a wreck. I feel I always could use more sleep. However, and I believe this is a big however; we are content. God is good.

A Church is Born!

I just received an email from Chad Mankins . . . the Tobo have heard the gospel, and many have come to trust Christ as their Savior! This is so amazing! Chad sent pictures but because his satellite connection is slow, they haven't "arrived" yet. I can't wait to see them!

If you haven't yet, check out the link to "Clay Pots" that I have listed. You must read the entire story from the beginning, it's so amazing! Keep praying for Jason, Chad, Kellie, and Janeene as they now have "infants in Christ" to teach and tend.

WOW!!!

The Backpack

This is the story of the perfect backpack. Or is it?

Ty's taking some classes at Valencia this year, and his favorite back pack, a black EastPak with suede bottom, one main compartment with a smaller compartment in the front, was stolen last year (with his Physics book IN it, go figure).

At the beginning of the school year, I bought him a black JanSport back pack. One main compartment with a smaller compartment in front. It looked JUST LIKE the other one, but no suede bottom, and it was Jansport, NOT Eastpak.

He was less than thrilled.

Evidently, I had purchased an extremely uncool backpack. I gladly offered to take it back to the store, and he accompanied me to look for one.

NO ONE had Eastpak. They just don't, or not THE backpack. You have to order them on line.

Meanwhile, school is starting! In Socorro, NM, I had purchased a backpack to take on the plane so the girls and I could have snacks, books, and my Mom's lap quilts as we traveled. It's a green monstrosity with several compartments, dorky webbing on the front to hold the dorky water bottle, and areas for things like your Swiss Army Knife, cell phone, survival kit, lounge chair. . . you get the picture. In desperation, Ty took this with him to his first semester at Valencia. I truly felt badly for him.

Meanwhile, back on the farm, I went on line and eventually ordered the Eastpak. Black, one compartment with a smaller compartment in the front, and a suede bottom. It was the exact replica of the one that had been stolen, which had never begun to wear out in the four years he used it, and I knew Ty would be happy to have his treasured backpack again.

I waited eagerly for Christmas morning to watch him open it . . . he was thrilled! You could see the sigh of relief . . . all was right in the world again.

Second semester of Valencia begins. We prepare for his classes and auction off our human organs in order to afford his textbooks. I express joy that he now has a proper backpack.

"Oh, I'm not taking the Eastpak to Valencia."

"What?"

"It doesn't have enough compartments. Besides, I don't want to use it for SCHOOL."

Sigh.

New Year

So, anyone have any resolutions? I've given them up. I think I'm finally getting this "live for today" thing down, though I do plan for tomorrow as well.

Today's portfolio day. Report cards and portfolios are due on Monday. I like seeing how much my kids have accomplished so far, but I hate being a slave to the paperwork! Gone are the days where school was for discovery. . . now there must be grades to keep us accountable and proof we've actually done something.

Hooray for McLaughlins!

Thanking God for the safe arrival of Caiden McLaughlin!

Christmas readiness

Trying so hard to prepare for Christmas. I think there's a song by Frank Sinatra about Christmas that goes, "It's the most won-derful time of the year." I've re-written that song many times:

It's the most, stren-uous time of the year
The kids are all greedy
the charities needy
I've had it to HERE!!!!
It's the most, stren-uous time, of the year!

Except my kids aren't really greedy. For that, I am thankful. Ok. . .. maybe Ty's greedy, but he's so darn cute about it. (Yes Allie, if you read this; even when they're 17 you still think they're so darn cute.)

I have two "class" parties to get through tomorrow, then Wednesday we are meeting two students from Korea! I have emailed them, but I haven't heard from them. I'd like to call them, but I've heard they don't speak much English. I'll have to hope for the best.

So students are arriving, and the room they're staying in is a MESS. The bathroom they'll be using is A MESS. The kitchen, from today's class parties, is A MESS. The living room and dining room were carefully decorated by my daughters and look beautiful! I am grateful.

I have not finished Christmas shopping, and I still have things to mail. Ack.

(Did anyone else read Bloom County comics and remember Bill the Cat? He's the one to blame for the Acks.)

ACK!

I know there's a million and one things I'm supposed to be doing to prepare for Ty's graduation, but WHAT ARE THEY??? Arrgh!

Yes, I've started getting his photos together.

Yes, I'm making sure he takes the correct classes.

Yes, I've kept track of everything.

What else? Announcements? Purchase a cap and gown? Plan a party? He turns 18 in April and it's hard to read what he'd like for his birthday. I don't know if he'd like a party or not. :-( He'd probably like to go play paintball.

I feel like I'm holding down 6 or 7 volleyballs under water, and one of them is about to get away from me (the detail I'll have forgotten, I'm sure). Time to Pray!

They've also moved VBS up to the first week in June so the high school can go on a mission trip to Mexico. This means I will be dealing with Ty's graduation, have one week to prepare, then have VBS. I hope it goes well.

Tired

Went to the "Shoot Straight" shooting gallery last night with friends to celebrate Stacie's birthday. What an interesting place! I wonder what would happen if PETA found out about it. Dead animals everywhere. Still, I thought it was kind of cool. . . never realized how large a giraffe was, or how fierce a javalina can look. I should have taken pictures but I wasn't sure if I were allowed.

Here's the group of us. Julie is expecting her 7th child this month! She looks incredible for a woman with so many children, ages 12 to (soon to be) newborn. Her second youngest is 2.

We ate at a restaurant at one of the Disney hotels. It was delicious! Fun group of gals. We always enjoy each other. Ty suggested we go paint balling for someone's birthday, but only a few of the gals liked that idea. I think Stacie, Kim, and Beth Anne would be game. :-)

PNG

This is a picture of (towards the back) Chad, Janeene, and Elijah Mankins, plus their partners, Kellie and Jason Knapp, and their children. They are all serving as missionaries in Papua New Guinea among the Tobo. I have a link to the web blog kept by the Knapps to the right, titled, "Clay Pots." What's happening among the Tobo is so incredible! I highly recommend you read it.

The Madness Begins

Thanksgiving and the horrid "Black Friday," where everyone rushes to the mall and retail stores, is over. Now comes all the crazy Christmas shopping. Arrggh!



Last year, my Dad felt horrible because he was unable to buy gifts for everyone. There are signs promoting "Christmas Loans" so people can aquire debt at low interest rates for the holidays. When did celebrating the birth of our Savior become this, and what can I do to stop the madness?



For several years now, our family has hosted an international student or two (or four!) during Christmas. It's been fun to have them in our home and see what they think of Christmas in America. . . .we often wait to decorate our tree with them, buy them a small gift, but we especially tell them about the birth of the Savior being just a step to the Cross. We have never regretted doing this.



This year, however, we're not sure we'll be hosting a student. We've yet to be able to sit down as a family and discuss this! We're always so busy, and Tyler's schedule is crazy. In fact, there's usually only one night per week where we can have dinner together.



On another note: Here's a picture of the gang at paintball. They went for Danny Gines's bachelor party, or something like that.
:-D Looks crazy to me, and John had to ice his back for hours after he got home!


A few of my friends and I try to do something "Different" for our birthdays. Tyler has suggested we do paintball. I may have to take him up on that, though the thought scares me to death!

Bourne Supremacy

Friday night John was at the men's retreat, the girls were staying the night with the Walters, and Ty was at work. I decided to put in a movie after chores.

Hmmm. . . Pride and Prejudice, or Bourne Supremacy? Since I had recently watched Bourne Identity, I chose the latter.

Big mistake.

I realized a schnauzer would be no protection against someone wanting to bust into the house to extract the secret information from me. Look how easily they got past security in the movie!

Only problem was, I really needed to take a shower.

I started the movie over from the beginning so there'd be some "noise." I locked the door in the bathroom and hopped into the shower. I did as much drying off and dressing as I could in the bathroom, then I covertly unlocked the door. With my hand on the doorhandle, I jerked the door open quickly and ran into my room, hoping to catch anyone "waiting to attack me" off guard. I think I may have even added a "HAAAH!!!" for good measure.

No one. Of course.

Tyler came home after 11:30 pm and I was sitting on the couch, grading papers, and letting the movie play itself out. Happy to see him home, I peacefully went to bed.

Next time, I'll choose Pride and Prejudice.

Tangles

Last night, John had to stay over in Sarasota for work. I climbed into the unmade bed and slept with the sheets gloriously tangled and out of order, finding the little niches of warmth where one end was still tucked in. I could pull the blanket over my shoulder and knew no one would roll over and pull it off again.

This morning, I of course woke with cold feet. It was fun while it lasted, but I felt a new determination to make the bed with fresh sheets and have everything nice and neat for him. How does he do that? How does he make me feel his presence when he's not even here? I made the bed not because he's a tyrant who refuses to sleep in wrinkled sheets, but because I know he appreciates "life's simple pleasures," like a freshly made bed, so much.

I played hooky from the Bible study last night and I accomplished so much! Laundry is practically caught up, kitchen and dining room are clean, bills are made out and paid. I'm ready to do school with Glenna, and later with Ty and Kelly. The band is coming over to practice today and I have plenty to do in my room while they occupy the living room. Oh! And I even cleaned out the corner behind the futon in our bedroom! I can step directly to my side of the closet now! Glory!

Once again

Here I am, the same place I was last year when I realized I had to step down from the music team.

Laundry is not getting done, meals are not prepared as they should, and one of my children is "flying under the radar" with school. Of course, I don't notice until I check everything for the monthly grades I have to turn in!

Unfortunately, the thing I realize I'll have to let go of is the Bible study at Bonnie Lisech's. I don't know if it's because it moved to Tuesday nights instead of Mondays, but it's so much harder to do this year! (Gee, the three English classes, plus co-op, plus US History, plus AWANA JV that I teach couldn't have anything to do with it!

I have been giving one of my daughters the least of my time, and it shows. The other daughter and I had precious evenings together after I left the music team, and now that's gone. I actually said to my husband Sunday night, "I'm sorry, but I simply cannot listen to you right now. I MUST get this done!" Ouch. I'm dreading the approaching Sunday School quarter where John and I teach together - I'm thankful it's the 3-k's and a small class.

"Teach us to number our days aright, that we might gain a heart of wisdom." I think that's in 2 Timothy somewhere.

It lives!

The tree outside John's window, a Golden Rain Tree (thanks, Phyllis!), is spouting tiny branches near the top. The stump is still about 9 ft. tall, and at the very top of a 2" stub are sproutings.

John is threatening to cut them off. :-)

Yesterday we had beds moved around, so the house is chaotic. My friend Cindy found a beautiful headboard and footboard for Kelly, so Glenna gets her old bed to make into the bunk beds. Glenna has a place for her "stuff" AND a place to sleep now, Kelly's in a new bed, Ty's in a new bed. Life is good. I remain chained to the washer and dryer.

Once again I know I've bitten off more than I can chew. John and I will be teaching the next Sunday School quarter, and that's fast approaching (Dec - Feb). Mark Liebert asked me to take care of music this week since the men will be on retreat. I realized just now I haven't graded papers for the intermediate class yet. I'm so sleepy lately, I've been taking a nap daily! Not just a light cat-nap, either, but crashing pretty hard for an hour or so. Makes me wonder what's up, because other than that I feel fine.

Festival Pics

Here we are, doing what we love to do! Bass guitar belongs to Matt Snyder.

Festival Update

The Festival was so great! There seemed to be so many people we didn't know. About 10 people that we know of indicated a decision for Christ! An entire little family did! WOW!!!

I got to play bass guitar again (thanks Matt!), which was fun. Definite Zero rocked like they do. I had so many people come up and tell me how amazed they were with Tyler's playing. I know, because I'm amazed every week when he plays here at home. Sometimes I'll sit on his bed or the couch (wherever the drums happen to be) and just watch his feet while he plays. How wonderful to do something so complicated and make it look so fluid and effortless.

Even more fun was being on stage with Himself again. I guess I miss that part of not being on the music team anymore - participating in something with John. During the sets on Saturday I could turn around and look at him, and I know we were both thinking the same thing. "Isn't this so cool?" The music and songs in the second set were so wonderful, I couldn't help but worship God as we sang about Him.

Festival

Tomorrow's the Festival! I hope and pray there's a good turnout. There's so many great things going on this year!

You know, I don't even care if people come to this festival and then don't start coming to our church. I hope they come, hear the gospel, and are saved.

Definite Zero is playing (my favorite band). :-D I hope the teens have invited friends who aren't churched, so they can come and hear the gospel! How wonderful would that be?

Right now I just survived a 4.5 hour practice. I need sleep and a shower, and I think it will have to be in that order.

HA!

Yesterday, after staring out of his office window and seeing nothing but a bare, ugly trunk, my husband sheepishly confessed, " You were right about the tree."
(See post titled, "October".)

I want to go outside with a Sharpie and draw a smiley face on one of the branch stumps for him. :-)

We have a cold front today! Thank you, Lord! I can wear long sleeves and MAYBE a sweater!

Surprise Party Photos

Here are some pictures from my surprise party on September 22nd. I had so much fun! I especially enjoyed the comments from my "older" friends who assured me 40 was extremely young.

Me, laughing and crying at the same time.

Hug from John, biggest sap.











Tyler's confession of why he didn't go to work that night!

Beth Anne and Stacie, my dearest friends and conspirators. :-)

October

It's so hot. We've even reached 92 degrees! There's supposed to be a cold front moving in this week. I PRAY it's true. I feel nothing but hot all the time.

October heat is the worst, because it's SUPPOSED to be fall!

The neighbor cut down a beautiful tree between their property and ours. Kelly enjoyed looking at it from her window. I enjoyed the tiny yellow flowers it would produce, then these pink blooms would follow. (I know you who are horticulturally minded would be able to tell me the name of the tree. They're quite common in Florida. I only know it's not a crepe myrtle.) Anyway, what Kelly and I saw as beautiful, the menfolk saw as a "messmaker" and decided it should come down. Now there's nothing but a bare trunk outside the window, which I'm sure they'll gleefully dispose of once a chainsaw is found.

Time to prepare for English students.

School Room

John received a quarterly bonus, so at last we can begin finishing the garage! We have already installed new windows, a new roll-up door, and new French doors. Now we need to buy furring strips, insulation, and sheet rock (in Cali we call it drywall). Oh, and all the electrical stuff.

There are currently six classes taking place in our home; three English composition, one Spanish 2, and one US History. Oh, and I have co-op with two other families on Monday afternoons.

Is it selfish to want school stuff out so I can have a HOME again? I don't know how Kathy Robertson has done it all these years, teaching classes out of her living room. I know she's taught my own kids for 6 or 7 years, and she's still teaching Kelly this year!

Our hope is to convert the garage into a classroom, and when we're finished with this school stuff it can be a guest house or an office for John. He's using our guest room as an office currently.

I can't wait for work to begin!

October

Well, we're back to being warm. As I recall, I've sweated during Thanksgiving before, so we're not into the coolness yet. Phyllis Hunsucker says they have snow! I don't think I want to be THAT cold, but a cool breeze would be lovely.

John got the promotion and they'll be paying for him to go to school. They want him to have a bachelors in business. I think he's starting to come around to school being a good thing. I also hope we can find a private college who can help us turn some of his life experience into college credits. After all, he has owned and operated his own business for many years. That should be worth something!

I have hit the crazy time of year where I feel I'm not doing the things I'm supposed to do. This means I have taken on too many projects, probably. It's hard to say no when it's all good, though! Or maybe I just need to learn to delegate. I wonder to whom I could delegate the laundry?

Tyler, Kelly and I are studying the Old Testament for their "Bible" credit. We've decided to do Jewish History, so we're starting with Abraham! I'm in no hurry. . . they'll get a year of Bible, we'll have a blessed time in the Word, and they'll get a high school credit to boot. I'm making them take notes so they have something to put in their portfolio.

Time for AWANA!

At last!

There's coolness in the air in the mornings! Real coolness, without the humidity to go with it. Could this be the swing toward fall that I've been waiting for? I think I'll refill the coffee cup and work on my Bible study outside. I love this time of year!

Job Watch part 3

It looks like John doesn't have to go to Cleveland after all. The guy he was to interview with came here instead. I'm glad of that, though Cleveland could have been an adventure for him.

John will be getting an offer either today or tomorrow on the promotion. He will become the Property Services Representative for the STATE of Florida. He had trouble sleeping last night, with so many things going through his head! We all know he has been training for this job since he was 19 or so. . . it's amazing how God has gone before him in this.

The other thing they told him is to go back to school at their expense. He's not as happy about this as I am, but I think he's just intimidated. They want to invest in him, so they want him to have a Bachelors in Business. I told him he'd be a FOOL not to do this! Especially when there are so many on line courses he could take, there's no reason/excuse not to go back to school.

I'm so proud of him! He's worked so hard all his life (so far). I'm talking hard, physical labor! Now that his back is no longer able to do that, God has given him work suited to him. I'm so thankful.

Is it Fall Yet?

I felt a hint of fall when I went outside yesterday, but today is back to being warm. I'm so looking forward to tea or coffee on the front porch, or in the back yard! I'm looking forward to NOT hearing the hum of the air conditioner. Of course, opening the house means closing the sinuses to allergies. :-)

I had an epiphany yesterday when the girls and I were out looking at a black racer snake in the back yard. It was zipping along through these tiny, white flowers (called weeds!), and around the tiny, yellow flowers falling off the neighbor's tree.

In the back of my mind were all the thoughts of what I "needed" to be doing. Laundry, preparing an AWANA lesson, journaling, writing thank you notes from my birthday, correcting English papers, preparing for a history class, getting dinner going, clearing off my cluttered desk, teaching Glenna about beavers, etc. It's my heart's desire to do all those things, and yet I hardly do any of them well.

And yet, here's perfectly shaped, miniscule flowers crafted by God. A black snake races along without any legs, also designed by God. Two beautiful girls (designed by God) laugh and swing on the tree - designed by God. Not one of these things are less than His exact design and purpose.

I can't do everything well.

God does ALL things well.

I am not God.

Thank God.

Life

I was talking to my kids yesterday and said, "Isn't life so incredible right now?"

The older two shook their heads, indicating that it wasn't. They could see how life would be really good for ME at this stage, but for them it's all about SCHOOL and therefore less than stellar.

I refrained from giving them the, "I wish I were back in school, doing it all over again!" I think they were relieved.

I don't wish I were back in school, though. Especially with crazed gunmen now targeting schools, girls in particular, for their murderous schemes. I am more thankful than ever to have my children home for school! Kelly wants to visit a school today with her youth group as a service project, to tutor and mentor elementary kids. It's all I can do not to grab on to her and not let her go!

So, can I trust God in ALL things, or just SOME things? We all know the answer to that.

Life is so wonderful right now. . . it's the rest of the world that's scary.

Migraine Blues

I had to stay home from church yesterday with migraine. I can usually stop them if I catch them within 15 minutes, but I woke with this one and it was too late.

I really wish I knew what caused them! I feel like I'm always on the verge of one and constantly on Excedrine. I really need to get to a doctor and make sure there's not something simple I could do or avoid.

Speaking of doctors. .. I don't know why I haven't gone. I finally have medical insurance, have had it for almost two years, and I still haven't gone! Why is it so hard to pick up the phone and make an appointment? This is ridiculous!

Maybe it's because I haven't had insurance so I don't know what to do with it? Plus, everyone's schedule is getting so crazy, I have to make sure someone is home with Glenna. Yeah. That's it.

That's my excuse, anyway.

Budgeting Blues

Arrrgghhh!!!! I'm so tired of dealing with money. I'm really no good at it! I always spend too much on things like FOOD.

I feel like we need to go back to the Larry Burkett envelopes. Grrrrr.

He Did It!

John was able to save an important account for his company! He's the current "Golden Boy" and we'll ride the enjoyment of that as long as we can. His boss was wanting to take him to dinner, golfing, etc. . . told him to take the rest of the day off. He received kudos from the top of the company on down. I keep saying, "Cross our palms with gratitude!" ;-D Truly, God has used this company to more than meet our needs. We are so very thankful.

My Dad called from Arkansas yesterday and we chatted for about 30 minutes. His double-wide trailer had arrived and he was sitting in the shade, watching them put the two halves together. He talked with me about his plans to build a deck by the end of next week, where the garden will go, and other items. I'm beginning to feel thankful that he's out of California at last and at least a LITTLE closer to me. I'm currently talking to the family about driving out and seeing Dad at Christmas. That would be great!

Anyone know anything about Harrison, Arkansas?

Tea for Me!

I just love how God cares about the smallest details in our lives.

This summer, we vacationed with two other families in North Carolina. Us ladies visited the Biltmore House and had high tea at the Biltmore Inn. I had this jasmine tea that was so heavenly. .. tastes like herbal tea, but with each sip you breathe in the aroma of jasmine. We wanted to find out how to buy it, but left before the waitress could give us the web site. I was disappointed!

Flash forward to my birthday. Ruby Bowyer gave me this adorable tea infuser and [drum roll] a container of Jasmine tea! OH, heaven! She said she found it in California. Since most of the writing on the tin is in Chinese characters, I'm going to check out the local Asian market to see if they carry it. I LOVE loose-leaf tea, and the weather WILL eventually turn cooler so I may enjoy it on the porch.

Thank You, Abba!

It's extremely embarrassing when an English teacher has so many typos.

Job Alert 2

Well, John's going to Cleveland in a couple of weeks for interviews. This is for the Property Services Manager position for Florida, the job he originally wanted before this other thing crops up. His feeling is that he'll be doing both jobs until one starts to demand more than the other (not impossible, I hope!).

This is so exciting for him! He's headed to Cleveland for all the interviews, which means this promotion is really happening (truly, he's the one his boss has slated for the job). I've been calling him "Executive Man" all week, formerly known as "Substrate Man." I'm excited for him!

I know we'll help keep him grounded and real, as will all his friends. He knows that with one word from me, his buddies will be on him like [enter favorite John saying here] and snap him out of it.

Oops

I was obviously still sleepy when I wrote the blog below. I meant MONDAY, not MODAY. Just what IS a Moday, anyway?

Moday

What a great weekend with my family! I feel like we celebrated my birthday all weekend long. Now I have to do extra chores around the house to make up for it. Still, I feel so blessed!

It's Monday, and that means back to the grind. I love the English class I have today. . .they're all 5th and 6th grade and they're so cute! They don't talk nonstop (or pass notes, or WHATEVER) like my intermediate class. I love them.

Thought I'd post this picture of Kelly and her friend, Kate. It's too cool.

I wish she had gotten her eyes from her Mamma!

Wow!

A surprise party for me! I was completely blown away!!! I'm still (obviously, it's almost 1 am) excited about it!

I can't thank everyone enough for coming. Beth Anne and Stacie did such a fabulous job! I had NO idea.

My favorite gift has to be "Splat the Cat." The Rigels made a cat, complete with wounds and tire marks, to honor my Free Cat picture. I'm so glad someone else's sense of humor is as twisted as mine!

Matt Snyder was my personal photographer. Can't wait to see the pictures.

The Eulogies were hysterical!

A million thank yous to everyone who came, for the gifts and gift cards. . . .I've truly never had a birthday like it!

Wasp, Yellow Jacket, or Hornet?

I don't know the difference between the three, exactly, but one of them stung me yesterday and my arm is still hurting. I have much more compassion for Mark Liebert and Ty who were both stung repeatedly on our vacation (I think Scarborough was stung, too). There was a nest under our mailbox and when I shut the flap, it flew out and stung me! My bug lady took care of it for me (happened to be coming that day) so the mailman was safe.

Ty has been stung about 6 times in his lifetime. Ouch! It's nothing like a bee sting or an ant bite!

Other pictures

Top pic: Definite Zero

One thing more

I have the girls up. Here's Ty - Senior picture. Thanks, Shaan Ware!


Ty has a concert this weekend in Kissimmee. Go Definite Zero! www.myspace.com/definitezero

Trek

We have such a young group of JV kids at AWANA this year. We have averaged 11 kids per night, and only 4 of those are 8th graders. Wow. It makes for a different dynamic, but it makes it interesting!

I'm thankful for Zach, Matt, and Tyler playing worship music for us before we start. I hope these kids get a glimpse of the joy of worshipping God through music! JVers are so self-conscience. . . it will take them a while to loosen up, I'm sure.

Stephen Gann has also been incredible! He's much more friendly with the kids this year. I appreciate him so much!

Now we just need a director. I still feel the majority of the burden falls on me, though I was hoping to only teach and listen to verses this year. I don't want to sell these kids short by giving them a so-so club year.

Job Watch

So, John comes home and talks about this new job possibility with his current company. Evidently, he came up with some brilliant ideas that his company wants to pursue. There will be only 4 people on this team nationwide, and he'd be one of them. This would probably mean a lot more travel for him.

So far, his company has delivered on all its promises. This is both exciting and scary! I don't know why I haven't learned to trust God in all things yet. I know full well I can trust him with this as well. I can't help but fear the unknown a little. As he was describing all of this to me, I suddenly invisioned myself as a single parent (not because he'll leave us, but because he'll not be home). His job is pretty consuming right now and I already feel 85% (or more) of the burden of raising our children, because I'm home schooling, I guess.

Part of me feels I'm his "Helper Suitable" and I'm here to enable him to do whatever he needs to do. This could be an exciting career move for him! I know he'd be doing what he loves the most, and he'd do what he's been training to do for the last 20 years.

The other part of me feels like this has danger potential. I know how driven he can become. I know how hard it will be for him to take time off regularly. I'm concerned about it damaging our relationship as well, which is just beginning to mend over a pretty rough year.

Psalm 3:5, anyone?

New Mexico

I thought I'd put some pictures up from our New Mexico trip. If I had my way, we'd go out there every Thanksgiving. It was so good to be home! (See previous post.) This is Kelly and Glenna on the trail at the Catwalk in Glenwood.
This is Glenna near the water at the Catwalk. If we had thought ahead, we would have brought better clothes to swim in.

The girls and I with Dad (Grandpa Jeff). We're at a canyon area just south of Glenwood. Compared to Florida, NM is so brown. Trust me when I say it has a beauty all its own!

Brother

Yesterday was my brother's birthday. I rarely have a phone number for him, nor do I know where he is right now! It's hard. . . but I know he's doing better than he has been in a long, long time. Happy Birthday, Boyd! Wherever you are!

Lost

Ok, so we got hooked on the show, "Lost."

We don't have TV, so we rent DVDs or borrow them from the library. We've watched Alias this way, plus the first season of 24. It's great! No commercials, fast forward through the stuff we don't want to see.

The second season of Lost came out and we've already watched all of it. Well, John and I have. The kids are each on their own episode. None of us seem to be home at the same time to watch it together! The 3rd season has just started on TV, so we have to wait even longer for it to be released on DVD. What a cliff-hanger, too!

It would probably be best to find a series that has started and ended, so we can watch it all.

Or, we could find something more constructive to do. Like underwater basket weaving.

He's here!

We didn't have to wait, since Jeremy and Allie's beautiful son, Iain Mark, arrived at 6:00 am Friday morning. His pictures are so beautiful! I can only imagine how dreamy-soft his skin is. John calls me the "baby hog" and is surprised I'm not over there yet to pig him up.

He should know better! Us ladies at church have our own sneaky ways of seeing the baby. . . we bring a meal. ;-)

Congratulations, Jeremy and Allie!

Our turn to wait!

One of my favorite people in the world is in labor right now with her first child. I haven't heard any information since 10:30 last night, when her mother called to say she was in early labor. I'm certainly praying, without ceasing!

When we first came to Circle, Allie and her sisters Kelsey, Jenna, and Haylee took special interest in my children. Since John and I were both on the music team and Glenna was still so young, Allie would sit with her until we would finish our set. Most times, Glenna would fall asleep on her and either sweat or drool all over her, but she never minded! Glenna loves Allie so much to this day!

I love you so much, Allie! You and Jeremy are going to be such terrific parents. I can't wait to hold your little one and let it fall asleep on me or drool all over!

Praying and praying. . . . .

This picture has caused mixed reactions from my friends. I found it hysterical. . .not because the poor cat got run over (darn owners. . . keep your cats at home!) but because someone actually stopped and put a sign there!

Plus, those who know me, know how I feel about cats. ;-)

The house across the street, the house next to that one, and the house behind us all have cats. We're the cat highway. They're constantly coming here to use the bathroom, lounge on my bench cushions and leave their hair, and we're their trysting place. I can't tell you how many times we've heard the horrible yowling on our front porch! I've yanked open the door and sent them on their way.

It's time like this I miss Blaze the most. I would say, "Blaze! Get the cat!" and she'd lumber her 85 pound frame to her feet, charge to the door, and "escort" the cat off our property. I can't really send Jack, the schnauzer, since he's less likely to return in a timely manner.

Home

Took me forever to figure out how to make a new blog. This is crazy. I must be missing something.

I'm fighting a migraine today (dull but painful ache right now) and weird things go through my mind when that happens. For one thing, I can't for the life of me remember the name of the lady who sang in The Sound of Music. I keep wanting to say Sandy Duncan, but I know that's not it. It's not Florence Henderson either.

The Women's Retreat was wonderful. I don't like going to retreats (takes weeks to catch up on sleep) but as a discipline, I make myself go. I KNOW God has something for me there and I would hate to miss it.

Julie Andrews. Her name was Julie Andrews, right?

Anyway, I'm home, or as much as one can call it home. It's home because the ones I love the most live here!

I was "home" in June, though, when the girls and I flew to New Mexico. I've never actually lived in New Mexico, but my family is from there (only by next older brother and I were born in CA, everyone else was NM) and it will always be home to me.

My Glenna was given a pair of Durango boots for Christmas, and when we got to Mom's ranch she was presented with a pair of spurs. She immediately took them off and wore them the entire time we were at the ranch. In Glenwood, this is not an uncommon sight! When we drove over to the ranch of our life-long friends, John and Cathy Murphy, John said the most hysterical thing when he noticed Glenna's spurs: "So, Glenna. Have you been topping off the rough string this morning?" :-D I laughed so hard!

When we got back to Florida, I repeated this hilarious account to my friends.

No one got it.

No one knew what a rough string was, much less how to "top off" one.

At that moment, I felt I had come so far from home. I was so homesick!

Back in New Mexico, I was surrounded by family, friends, and the culture of my youth. Here, I am surrounded by beloved friends alone.

I don't want to leave Florida, but I DO, just a little bit, want to go back to my roots and the "suit" that fits me best.

Yes, I'm going country.