When the jeans your mom bought for you in 2001 fit better now than they did back then. And you're over 40 at this point.
Do not ask questions. Just nod and say thank you.
Sunday, December 3, 2017
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Santa Parade
My little Daisy troop of six walked the Santa Parade today -
It's been over 25 years since I walked in a parade...so I will admit, I was quite excited myself.
The Girl Scout presence was OVERWHELMING! So excited to see so many girls walking the route.
And the candy they through out....
More than any parade I've ever seen. Good gravy.
So much that my little 6 year olds stopped walking to collect all the chaff - which stuffed their Daisy pockets to overflowing.
Pretty darn cute.
It's been over 25 years since I walked in a parade...so I will admit, I was quite excited myself.
The Girl Scout presence was OVERWHELMING! So excited to see so many girls walking the route.
And the candy they through out....
More than any parade I've ever seen. Good gravy.
So much that my little 6 year olds stopped walking to collect all the chaff - which stuffed their Daisy pockets to overflowing.
Pretty darn cute.
Friday, December 1, 2017
The Machine
I have been an education now for about 9 weeks.
And in that short amount of time, as I am only working 2 days a week, my heart has already been ripped out of my body.
You begin to attach yourself to these students. Every one of them a character from The Island of Misfit Toys. Every one of them a child from a crazy set of circumstances. Every one of them from a situation that is not like your own, not like what you're used to, not like what you can control.
It's almost impossible.
There are parts of me that wants to scream out in agony. How have we, as a society, stopped being human? How have we stopped being real people? How is it so impossible to get a child with a case of raging strep throat a simple antibiotic? Because the moment I offered him a cough drop, I was out of line.
It is infuriating.
It is the stuff that drives people crazy, and the stuff that makes social workers and nurses and teachers... My heroes.
It's the start of December today. It is about 50 degrees outside, it's sunny, it's gorgeous. And really all I want to do? Drive to where the student is, pick him up and take him to the emergency center. But instead, my life is full of other things. Because we have a roof over our head, food in our refrigerator, too many clothes to choose from, and a thermostat that probably needs to come down a few degrees. Luxuries.
When did food and clothes and heat become a luxury in my community?
It will rip your heart out. But I will show up on Tuesday, and I will text this kid before then, and I will push every button I know how to get him a free drug. I will Rage Against the Machine.
Memories
Memories are what bring a little joy to everyday life.
I'm hoping my kid loves his memory from today -
There weren't that many people in the room, but he came running to me at Open Gym to ask if I would watch him climb up into the tree house and then take a picture of him on the closed circuit cam.
The whole room heard his excitement.
The whole room heard mine back.
I think I caught the desk clerk off guard with such a joyful response to my kid's simple request.
I
I'm hoping my kid loves his memory from today -
There weren't that many people in the room, but he came running to me at Open Gym to ask if I would watch him climb up into the tree house and then take a picture of him on the closed circuit cam.
The whole room heard his excitement.
The whole room heard mine back.
I think I caught the desk clerk off guard with such a joyful response to my kid's simple request.
I
If it's goofy or silly, I really don't care.
Because that kid right there is finger spelling I LOVE YOU to me...and I'm on cloud 9.
Sunday, November 26, 2017
Thanksgiving 2017
Thanksgiving was wonderful. We were blessed with the addition of Dan in from New Mexico. Uncles and aunts, grandparents, cousins...22 in total. Hard to believe another year has come to Thanksgiving in the freight train that is the holiday season.
It was a flurry of a week. We hosted Aunt Molly's surprise 50th birthday on Tuesday. The whole house was decked out with birthday paraphernalia from corner to corner and much, much happiness.
With the completion of the party, a full day to recover, clean and prep, Thanksgiving came with sunshine and warmer temperatures. A gift in the Michigan climate.
I think, for the most part, Thanksgiving has now been passed to me entirely. My mom and dad continue to support with the turkey and traditional side dishes that make my mother grin from ear-to-ear. But for the most part, the set up and execution has now been transferred to me. Seeing as it is my favorite holiday, I am quite tickled by this.
What I'm also beginning to realize, and it's probably due to my age (we're calling it wisdom, ok), is that the anxiety over the execution is not worth it. So this year, with much excitement, I took a deep breath and simply enjoyed the day. Not letting anyone dictate how I was going to feel, or rob me of the joy of what I love so much.
The food was fantastic, and by the time the last guests left after 8 p.m., I was ready to snuggle in bed with a smile. One more in the record books. No, 28 lb of turkey is not enough. But perhaps, as we've gotten older and wiser about our expanding bellies, 7 pies might just be about right!
Monday, November 20, 2017
Catching Up
Oh, my dear children. I am sorry it has been so long since I have written. I probably should try to go back and keep up.
But life is moving pretty fast these days. In fact, I often feel like we are at warp speed. I have taken a new job. I work two days a week for your daddy helping kids who need a little extra time or support or love.
You are adjusting to a new school. I try to help out when I can, your teachers do seem to like you quite a bit! Your conferences were great, they feel that you are academically where you need to be. I will always push you to be a little better and do a little more. Occasionally, it’s totally fine to be right in the middle of the bell curve!
My sweet son, we are going to have to work a little harder on your \TH sound as you are having a little difficulty and we don’t want kids to start to tease you. Your daddy had a little speech challenge in third grade -- as well as your uncle and your cousin. I’m really not surprised! You are super smart, super sensitive and still trying to find your way with friends at school. It has not been easy for you. We see tears from you at least once a week and it does break your mama’s heart. My heart is attached to yours, it’s just biologically knit that way.
You are seeing the world is black-and-white. You think that if you have more than one friend you are not being true to your best friend. We are hoping that you will begin to see that life could be rewarded with so many wonderful people drifting in and out as God has ordained. Mama still experiences this on a yearly basis. Making new friends is one of life‘s greatest rewards and we hope that you can continue to find more!
As for my dear KK, you are kicking butt and taking names. You negotiate everything. The last month has seen you soar in your reading skills. Instead of being obstinate and refusing to do anything, you’re reading finger has popped out, you follow along, you’ve slowed down and you are nailing your quizzes at school. And you’re finally beginning to enjoy reading as well. It makes me… And aunt Liz… And grandpa… And grandma… And all the lovers of reading quite happy.
And as for my sweet husband, you are in the middle of killing yourself at work right now. In fact tonight, as I have found a way to spend a few moments quietly in the corner getting a post up, you are still hard at work. We are coming on 13 hours at this point with a little more to go. It’s been a difficult last few weeks. Budget cuts continue to plague the entire county and you continue to absorb more in your role. Sooner or later there’s only so much you can take. But you handle it with as much grace as you can muster. I’m incredibly proud of you.
We got Thanksgiving cards out in the mail this year instead of Christmas cards to let people know of our new address. Thanksgiving is a few short days away and once again we will have a houseful of people. Before that, we will host a surprise birthday party and have a little fun with our friends. It is that beautiful time of year that I have come to love so much. Recently, my joy had been socked away as rising to do lists continue to plague me. But having some help this year has really adjusted my brain and got it back on track. I am able to see things in a different kind of light. I can’t say that it will always be easy or that I will logically get to the end result as quickly as I am currently doing. But as our sermon series just concluded after 11 weeks, it is entirely possible to find joy under pressure. This is my hope for our entire family.
We’re looking at the last six weeks of the year. I’ve become nostalgic around this time, evaluating what we’ve done and where we’re going. I wonder often if we will be able to continue to thrive and ride this wave of blessings that we have certainly been given. There is no amount of gratitude that I can muster that will show my thankfulness. But, this week reminds me it’s always important to try.
I might have not written in a while, I have forgotten to post pictures of all the exciting events that have come and gone. I am going to try harder to finish off the year to probably create one last book for our arsenal.
Life is always changing, roll with the punches, as behind every closed door another window opens.
But life is moving pretty fast these days. In fact, I often feel like we are at warp speed. I have taken a new job. I work two days a week for your daddy helping kids who need a little extra time or support or love.
You are adjusting to a new school. I try to help out when I can, your teachers do seem to like you quite a bit! Your conferences were great, they feel that you are academically where you need to be. I will always push you to be a little better and do a little more. Occasionally, it’s totally fine to be right in the middle of the bell curve!
My sweet son, we are going to have to work a little harder on your \TH sound as you are having a little difficulty and we don’t want kids to start to tease you. Your daddy had a little speech challenge in third grade -- as well as your uncle and your cousin. I’m really not surprised! You are super smart, super sensitive and still trying to find your way with friends at school. It has not been easy for you. We see tears from you at least once a week and it does break your mama’s heart. My heart is attached to yours, it’s just biologically knit that way.
You are seeing the world is black-and-white. You think that if you have more than one friend you are not being true to your best friend. We are hoping that you will begin to see that life could be rewarded with so many wonderful people drifting in and out as God has ordained. Mama still experiences this on a yearly basis. Making new friends is one of life‘s greatest rewards and we hope that you can continue to find more!
As for my dear KK, you are kicking butt and taking names. You negotiate everything. The last month has seen you soar in your reading skills. Instead of being obstinate and refusing to do anything, you’re reading finger has popped out, you follow along, you’ve slowed down and you are nailing your quizzes at school. And you’re finally beginning to enjoy reading as well. It makes me… And aunt Liz… And grandpa… And grandma… And all the lovers of reading quite happy.
And as for my sweet husband, you are in the middle of killing yourself at work right now. In fact tonight, as I have found a way to spend a few moments quietly in the corner getting a post up, you are still hard at work. We are coming on 13 hours at this point with a little more to go. It’s been a difficult last few weeks. Budget cuts continue to plague the entire county and you continue to absorb more in your role. Sooner or later there’s only so much you can take. But you handle it with as much grace as you can muster. I’m incredibly proud of you.
We got Thanksgiving cards out in the mail this year instead of Christmas cards to let people know of our new address. Thanksgiving is a few short days away and once again we will have a houseful of people. Before that, we will host a surprise birthday party and have a little fun with our friends. It is that beautiful time of year that I have come to love so much. Recently, my joy had been socked away as rising to do lists continue to plague me. But having some help this year has really adjusted my brain and got it back on track. I am able to see things in a different kind of light. I can’t say that it will always be easy or that I will logically get to the end result as quickly as I am currently doing. But as our sermon series just concluded after 11 weeks, it is entirely possible to find joy under pressure. This is my hope for our entire family.
We’re looking at the last six weeks of the year. I’ve become nostalgic around this time, evaluating what we’ve done and where we’re going. I wonder often if we will be able to continue to thrive and ride this wave of blessings that we have certainly been given. There is no amount of gratitude that I can muster that will show my thankfulness. But, this week reminds me it’s always important to try.
I might have not written in a while, I have forgotten to post pictures of all the exciting events that have come and gone. I am going to try harder to finish off the year to probably create one last book for our arsenal.
Life is always changing, roll with the punches, as behind every closed door another window opens.
Monday, October 30, 2017
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