CHANGE!

I always tried to be aware of and grateful for the peaceful chapters of our life.  When our jobs were relatively stable, our kids were doing well, and life was busy but manageable.  Never forget to enjoy your blessings.

Last year was tough.  2012 was probably the toughest year of my life.  It started with Brad being diagnosed with cancer, rolled into Geoff getting ready and leaving for college 10 hours away, and continued on with various painful challenges right up until the end of the year. 

Ah, change can be so refreshing.  It started with finding a new church.  Then we got a couple of new chairs to replace the shabby, worn out ones.  We repainted the kitchen installed new counter tops to update the 35 year old kitchen.  Then my old car with 104,000 miles on it started acting up and we bought an adorable shiny new Honda CRV.  I started praying about a professional goal for myself and within weeks have been given the opportunity to teach my first class - Master's level elective course on developmental disabilities.

It feels like I can take a deep breath again.  It feels good to anticipate more good things.  And it feels like we are stronger and better equipped for the next round of whatever this life brings.

D-Now Video Creations - Theme: ABNORMAL

To watch the Videos for ABNORMAL click on the links below.

10-11-12th Grade Boys

6th Grade Boys

Boys, boys and more boys

Disciple Now is a twice a year retreat for the students at our church.  It runs from Wednesday to Sunday morning.  This year we hosted 10-11-12 grade boys, about 12 in all, though it varied at times.  Damage so far - my driver's side mirror in the Mountaineer which was hit by a street hockey ball.  The truck needs inspected, so I'll have to replace it right away.  But it is a good investment in the spiritual lives of the kids.  They stay at the host home for two nights, and they have Bible studies, games and lots of food.  These kids had steak one night and pizza and hot wings the next night.  They like our big house because there is room to run around. 

Danny stayed with the other 6th grade boys including his best bud Jason who is A LOT like Danny.  He doesn't like to miss out on any excitement.  I missed him, but it was great to have Geoff home.  Brad and I ran the sound most of the time, but I tried to squeeze in some school work which is piling up!

Gotta run and hit the shower before the boys wake up.  Then heading to church!

How Did I Get Here?

Wow, could somebody please hit the pause button on my life?  Everything is changing so fast, I don't even recognize my own vocabulary.  Grad school.  Wimba.  Blackboard.  Girlfriend.  Driver's License. 16.  Prom.  iCarley, iPad,  Webcam.  E-Reader.  Friending people.

I seriously look around sometimes and wonder how I got here?  My kids were just little.  I was just a stay-at-home-mom.  Life was simpler, wasn't it?  Or at least less busy?  Or maybe I'm just getting tired more easily.  Hmmm.

But change is good and I am grateful for all of it.  I wish the kids would grow up a little slower, but there isn't much I can do about that.  I guess I'll have to be really really careful to cherish it all, the wonderful and the tough stuff too because if there isn't a pause button there is more change right around the corner.

Today...

1. After the longest, coldest winter it is finally not so cold.
2. My old car is still running.
3. My husband is wonderful.
4. Geoff won a silver medal in the Great Computer Challenge (of course!).
5. Danny got a 100% on a book report !!
6. Our church is experiencing an exciting renewal.
7. At work, graduation preparations are in full swing.
8. Some of my best friends are some of my longest-lasting friends.
9. I have been mentored by the most amazing women.
10. Jesus
11. Facebook 
12. PSE and a fast computer.
13. Eating out tonight.
14. Free tuition.

Today I am grateful for...(part 2)

1. leftover pizza - yum
2. 827 fonts on my computer!

Today I am grateful for

 

photo by Danny when he finally got brave enough to climb the

tower in the Marsh at the Virginia Aquarium.

1.  Brad, who is on his way home and who calls to tell me.
2. Whistling.  Normally I encourage whistling be conducted outside, but Danny is so proud of this ability, that it's o.k.
3. Geoff who is home safe.
4. The bills are paid again.
5. Summer is feeling better with her meds.  She may be a a drug addict, but at 14, she deserves a few vices.  Sweet old girl.
6. My job is busy and fulfilling.
7. After a long, cold winter, a crocus greeted me as I turned into the driveway.  Bring on the spring!
8. Another new baby girl for my friend Bev.  Can't wait to meet another one!
9. Chocolate.
10. Turkey Hill diet green tea.
11. A peaceful house.
12. Photoshop.
13. Letting myself not be perfect, its futile anyway.
14. My mom opening an ETSY shop!  
15. Living near the beach.

more tomorrow!

Christian Artists

It has been a privilege to hang out at church these past couple of days and watch the Southern Baptist Conservatives of Virginia Youth Evangelism Conference.  The SBCV put together a crew of college kids to organize and man the event.  Worship artist Phil Wickham and his band was here, David Nasser spoke and SuperChick is loading in now.

The A/V end of things is really interesting and an incredible amount of work.  There is the unloading of the tractor trailer, assembly of the equipment and instruments, the raising of a lighting truss, huge speakers to hang and miles and miles of cabling.  There are sound checks, lighting adjustments, tuning, practicing and dozens of people working.  It is hard work and noisy. 

But what has struck me the most this afternoon is not the noise or the music, but the cooperative and respectful attitudes that I can hear from the stage below.  "Hey, thanks"  "Sorry about that buddy" "No problem".  I've never been to a secular concert as it was being set up before.  But I would be really suprised if the banter sounds like it does here today.

Who we work for affects how we do our work.  So when the truck is loaded back up and our stage is reassembled for church tomorrow, and we are exhausted, it will be God that was honored.

It was a great conference, but the way it was conducted was a testimony too.  Geoff was welcomed in and put to work, especially by the lighting designer.  After spending three days here with the crew, I am grateful that Geoff has seen Christianity hard at work.

Did I mention it is really loud?

The Fruit Birthday

You know how the 25th Anniversary is the Silver Anniversary, and the 50th is Gold?  Well I think the symbol of my 40th birthday is fruit.  Maybe it is frozen fruit.

My parents sent a cheese and cracker basket, which was actually a huge fruit basket with a box of Triskets and a chuck of cheese.  Which is really, really nice.  Then my sweet hubby brought home a wonderful "Edible Arrangement" - my favorite kind of bouquet.  It is such a luxury to have someone cut up fruit for me to eat!  Then, because of a damaged pineapple, a whole new giant fruit basket arrived today, complete with a box of Triskets and another chunk of cheese.

Now the only glitch in this perfectly fruity story is that my fridge picked last week to rev into overdrive and start chilling everything until it is frozen solid.  And it is still not fixed.  So the problem becomes - what to do with 4 grapefruit, 8 kiwi, 10 navel oranges, a dozen red and green apples, a beautiful fruit bouquet, etc., etc.

I made one apple crisp, and several banana splits, but I think that the giant pile of fruit is too big to conquer with recipies.  I think I am going to surrender and treat the folks at work to a big basket of fruit.  Happy Birthday to all!

Snowy World

Snowy Guy

We traveled to PA the week after Christmas.  Much to the delight of my kids, who are used to snowy forecasts that never come true, a prediction of one inch became 4 inches overnight.  Not just snow, but shoveling, snowballing, snowman building, snowblowing, sticking-around-for-days snow.

Our Trip to Citi Field

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Mets Poster

We redecorated Danny's bedroom in NY Mets style.  When Brad & I went to NY in September, I took a zillion pictures of Citi Field so I could make a poster for Danny's room.  It is so cool!

Stuff I Should Be Doing Instead of This

1. Starting the laundry
2. Getting dinner ready
3. Reading for class
4. Reading the guide for proctoring the exam tomorrow
5. Reading my assessment materials
6. Spending quality time with my kids, who are busy relaxing
7. Sheets and towels
8. Clean my room
9. Pay the bills
10. Have a nap

Class Ring

Geoff's class ring.

Crazy Life

Monday:

• 6:30 laundry
• work 7 am - 4 pm
• 4:20 pm - 5 pm homework
• 4 - 6 pm laundry, laundry, laundry, dishes, clean out fridge, unpack from weekend trip
• 5 - 6 pm help Geoff design his class ring
• 6 pm go to Geoff's school and order ring
• 6:20 Five Guys for dinner
• 7:00 Math night at Danny's School
• 9 pm collapse

Tuesday:

• see a suspicious bug in the laundry room
• work 7 am - 3:30 pm
• 12 noon call exterminator, windshield repair, make appt. for state inspection and dog grooming
• 4 pm dentist appt. for Geoff - wisdom teeth coming in - and going to get pulled before they mess up thousands of $ worth of orthodonia
• 4:30 dentist appt. for Danny - one cavity, but it's a baby tooth
• 5:30 take dinner to a friend
• 6-7 pm online class
• 7 pm Brad and Geoff have choir practice
• 7 pm homework
• 8 pm laundry and brush the dog
• 8:30 pm see a suspicious mouse
• 9 pm collapse

Wow

Surprise - my blog is still here. I've neglected it terribly since I got dragged into facebook, I worked for the first summer in 10 years and I decided that since life is not crazy enough, I'd take a couple of classes.
I'd like to come back to it since I don't really want to elaborate on anything on facebook - too public and too permanent.
So let's catch up...

1. Geoff started 11th grade. He spends 1/2 days at the Advanced Technology Center where he is in the Computer Network Administration class. So far, it has been review for him, so the teacher has a special project for him - not a surprise. His technical talent has been in demand lately. He's fixed numerous computers and is about to GO LIVE with a brand new, built from scratch custom website for the student ministry, LBSM. It is super cool and I am proud to be considered the graphics department. By the way, he is driving, is about to order his class ring, and he is 6 foot ++, but he is still only 15. No one would believe he is only 15, but I think I was old for my age as a teenager too. (His dad, on the other hand has younger genes). This is going to be a great year for him.
2. Danny is still a firecracker. He is in 5th grade and is settling in slowly. He has a great teacher who is very suited to 5th grade. Danny is very into Legos and anything and everything with a screen. He asks me at least twice a week exactly when can he get a cell phone, and how old was Geoff when he got a cell phone. (I plead the fifth) Yesterday he asked me "when you and dad met each other, was it love at first sight?" (again, pleading the fifth) and that boy is watching too much Disney channel tween programing. He definitely has the tall genes too. We are updating his bedroom. We painted over the clouds and are going with a Mets theme! In case you are thinking about painting your trim Mets orange, it takes three coats.
3. Brad is busy with new projects at work, church and always working on our big, old house. He's wonderfully supportive of my job and classes. He has more energy than me, and is the best husband ever, I'm sure. We laugh a lot about being the parents of a teenager. It can be very amusing. Love to play 80's music to annoy the kids.
4. Well, I am crazy busy taking care of everything and everyone and classes and work. It's really fun and exciting and never dull. Right now the house is a disaster, but I'll get it back in shape as soon as I take a nap.
5. Brad & I took an anniversary trip to Long Island this weekend. We flew in Friday and back home on Sunday. The first night had me in sensory overload, from being squished in the plane with a drunk guy to dinner at the Sayville Applebees that was so loud we had to yell to each other and the rental car that smelled like someone had died in it. Saturday we enjoyed REAL bagels and then we went to Citi Field (with the windows down) to watch the Mets WIN! The stadium is awesome. I enjoyed the graphics and signs they used and took 100 pictures. I'll make a collage poster to put in Danny's new Mets room. Sunday was SO much fun catching up with the First Baptist Patchogue crowd. They have the best, most wonderful women there, (and the guys are pretty great, too). Oh, how I loved seeing Joan and Ida Mae and Trudi. My favorite person in the whole world, Linda, and wonderful friends Krista and Steve and Suzanne. It was a lot of fun hearing what all of the kids who grew up with my kids are doing now. Lots are at college, some are still finding their own way. What a blessing. We had to tear ourselves away from lunch to make our return flight.

Well, I'll try to post some photos for anyone who is not on facebook soon.

Stuff that is Awesome!

1. Not one, but two wonderful friends are in the process of adopting Foster children. Wow.
2. Our friend Dave is looking and feeling great after his kidney transplant.
3. No jackets – summer is here! The pool is ready.
4. The hydrangeas are the same color as the pool water and the patio umbrella matches too. Martha Stewart’s got nothing on me.
5. I work at the prettiest place. The buildings are brick colonial, with lots of landscaping, brick paths through the trees, giant magnolias, flowers, crepe myrtles outside my window, a huge water fountain, and a fountain that is fire, not water. How great it is to enjoy my workplace environment so much!
6. Geoff is old enough to get his learner’s permit. – O.K., that is not necessarily awesome for me, but I think it is for him.
7. We had a wonderful vacation in Florida. We got to use the guest house with our own pool, go out on the boat on Memorial Day, play with the Cannata boys and girls, spent time with Craig and Helen, took lots of pictures, saw Hillsong in concert, went to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, and Downtown Disney. We had up close experiences with lizards, ants and an energetic frog. We all want to go back.
8. Only 8 days left of school. Then I’ll have a 5th grader and an 11th grader – gasp!
9. Company’s coming! Bryan, Lissa and the girls are coming in July and Mom in August. Maybe more?
10. I have some friends who are hurting, but I know God is with them along the way.

Vacation!