Thanksgiving

I'm thankful for:
 - a God Who loves me just the way I am, even though I'm an impatient, controlling turd sometimes.

 - a husband who loves me just the way I am, even though I'm an impatient, controlling turd sometimes.

 - a mom who shows me how much she loves me constantly with quality time, kind words, and food.

 - a dad who is patient and appreciates my patience.

 - a cat who wakes me up at 4am almost every day to remind me how much I love him and that I probably miss him and should definitely pet him for a while until he's satisfied.

 - a beautiful home which is full of light, love, and fun fall decorations.

 - the ability to buy and store said decorations.

 - a job that forces me to make an impact on lots of lives; it's up to me to make it a positive one.

 - teenagers who keep me on my toes and make me go gray and stay young all at the same time. 

 - an aunt (technically Shawn's) who drives all the way to Colorado from Missouri to hang out for Thanksgiving.

 - buying 8 different kinds of cheese in preparation for said celebration.

 - a computer with a serious lack of pictures so I have a good reason for a pictureless post.  :-)

 - friends who allow me to be who I am, even though I can be quite odd.

 - laughter.

 - tears.

 - Netflix, which has robbed me of social interaction recently.

 - Pandora.  I don't even remember what it's like to buy a CD.

 - a church home which makes up for its imperfections with its huge heart.

 - friends who do The Baby Thing before us so they can teach us later (much later)

 - the financial stability to host Thanksgiving and consume lots of cheese and sugar.

 - wine.

 - worship music, though I sometimes want to strangle someone when they repeat the same 3 words over and over and over and over.

 - a husband who works hard at work and at being a stellar husband.

 - you, my reader, for reading through all this and making my counter go up by one.  Pretty thrilling.  :-)

What are you most thankful for?

Being a teacher...

Being a teacher is an interesting thing.

Babysitter

Mom

Confidante

Critic

Editor

Guide

Instructor

Companion

All of these things are so interactive.  It sometimes drains my energy.  More often, it boosts it. 

Especially on days like Tuesday, when I'm told I'm "the nicest mean teacher ever" by one of my I-have-no-filter-to-the-point-that-you-may-think-I-have-Tourette's-Syndrome boy.  That's right.  I said one of my boys of that sort. 

That is all.

This Weekend.

Wow.  This is one packed weekend.  Tomorrow morning, we watch my dad get married to a woman we met on Monday. 

Yes, we decided to go.  No, we're not excited or approving.  We do, however, love my dad despite some choices and know the hurt we felt when someone chose not to go to our wedding.  We're praying this ends up being good someday.  Praying often.

Tomorrow night, we get to relax with friends and stop thinking about all the stressful stuff for a while.  There may will be wine.

Sunday is the tenth annivesary of 9/11 my birthday!  We're hanging out with my mom, which will be great. 

So, yeah.  That's the weekend. 

It's been really, really, really sad not to have Rocket around.  That cat was so crotchety sometimes, but so stinkin' awesome the rest of the time.  While I feel relieved that he isn't uncomfortable anymore, my heart still hurts.  I've gotten past the part where I walk in the house and start crying because he doesn't come out to say hi, but it took a while.  Onyx is more verbal and much more lovey-dovey since Rocky's been gone.  I think he misses their playtimes and cuddling. 

One of Rocket's few aggressive-play days!  Love the fluffed tail...

It's weird to feel this loss more insistently than, say, losing my grandma.  I've decided pets are just...different.  I talked to my grandma every so often, but Rocket was waiting for me to get home; he yelled at me when I didn't go to bed quickly enough; he purred really loudly in my face when we cuddled while we fell asleep; he needed his special food and his blood testing and his shots, and we were the only ones who could do that; he hid in so many spots in the new house, I can't help but feel a little twinge when I open a cupboard or closet door. 

It's just amazing how much of an impact an animal can have on a life.  That's all. 

During this season of life - especially this weekend -  I sure could use his sweet presence and crotchetiness to help lower my blood pressure.

Back from Hiatus

So much has happened since I last wrote. 

I scrubbed that condo to pieces, wondering how we lived with all that dust in that one spot, and those smudges on the door, and how did this wind up here?

I spent time with precious friends who are "way up north", since we were heading "way down south."

We closed on the house but wouldn't get the key for a few days.

We kept packing.  And packing.  And cleaning.  And touch-up painting.

Rocket started taking Valium a couple of day before the move, and then we placed the two of them in a bathroom at the condo with a "DO NOT ENTER" sign and a bottle of whiskey. 

While we waited for the movers, my dad told us he was dating someone with the intention to eventually marry.  I had a breakdown and tried to get over it to participate in the move into our new house.
We watched the movers carry three or four boxes behind their backs from the condo to the truck.  Scary and cool.

We arrived at the house to get the key at 11:00, cats in the car, their dog running around.  We wanted to say, "Get out of our house!"  :-)
We ordered pizza and ate while couches appeared and we directed boxes to rooms.

Over the next two days, with help from friends and family on Sunday, we had unpacked all the boxes except the books (we need shelves first)!

Onyx was NO help at all...

We now have as much up on walls as we can until we find wall art for a couple tougher rooms.  It feels SUPER good to be settled in, especially because I love the house SO much I can't believe it's ours!  At first, we felt like we were renting a VRBO house and would have to pack up again. 

Oh, and there's more about my dad: two weeks after we moved in, he came over to tell me they set a date.  He's getting married on September 10th.  Yeah.  Please pray for all involved with that.  It's been very hard to start processing.  We have yet to meet her.

Last Friday, Shawn's parents showed up on our doorstep!  It was an awesome, wonderful, splendid surprise that really helped us focus on a positive thing.  Thank God for great in-laws who will drive 12 hours from Missouri to make our lives that much brighter. 

While they were here, we went and toured a cool castle in Colorado Springs, which we all enjoyed.  Shawn got to ignore work for a while, I got to ignore that work starts this week, and we were blessed by their sweet presence. 

They left a couple of hours ago, and I'm putting off going in to school to do prep stuff for orientation.  Maybe it's because it's the last day I can choose my start time...

On the docket for this week and next: meetings every day, dentist, haircut, all-nighter with my Link Crew kids to train for orientation, 10-year high school reunion (yikes!), orientation, first "real" days, sub at the end of my first work week so we can go to my cousin's wedding in Minnesota.  Yeah, I think that's it...

In other words, I babbled because you won't have to listen to me babble again for a while.  :-)

I Laughed, I Cried, I Gave it Two Thumbs Up.

Hello, friends.

I just finished the second book in Marta's Legacy, by Francine Rivers.  You must read these books.  They are beautiful...touching...maddening...uplifting. 

I've decided Rivers must have had some issues with her mom, or maybe it's the ones between her mother and grandmother, as she implies at the end of the books.  Either way, you see women - through multiple generations - being strong and making mistakes as they go through life.  It made me think about how, if I become a mother someday, I would want to treat my child. 

They were books that got inside my mind and brought themselves up when I had a few silent minutes to contemplate what the characters should do or how they must feel!  Go to your library's site right now and request Her Mother's Hope, the first one; you won't be sorry!

Sometimes...

Sometimes, enough is too much. 

My poor little car was sitting out in the parking lot when a nasty, horrible, no-good, very bad hail storm came up and decided to pelt it and create dents.  This makes me sad.

On the bright side, it didn't break any windows in the condo or the car like we thought it would...

But, sometimes, you just don't want to look on the bright side.  In fact, I'm going to let myself be mopey.  I don't usually do that.

I do usually let myself eat chocolate, though, and I now plan on eating copious amounts of Oreos. 

Or maybe just four, so I don't feel too bad. 

Curse you, hail!

Summer in a Bowl

You really must try this.

I like to call it "Summer in a Bowl".  Absolutely fresh and delicious. 

The recipe says to cook chicken.  Skip all that crap and use rotisserie chicken.  I mean, who are we kidding?  Summer in a Bowl would never even think to ask you to heat a pan or an oven or a grill or any of that nonsense.  It's just cool like that. 

I always prep it early to let the flavors get to know each other and then tear the ciabatta into it at the last second. 

You must make this. 

Whew.

We finally have tenants for the condo!!!  Shawn and I are sooooo excited to be settled on people, deposit in hand, "For Rent" sign removed from window!  They seem like good people.  I'm praying I can still say that when month ten rolls around. 

Now, we focus on the packing and prepping.  Shawn's packed a ton of stuff.  Including "my" fruit bowl.  The bananas are spread across the counter, the apples saunter around sometimes, and the oranges look just a little sad to miss out on the coolness of the bowl.  Oh well.  It's only two weeks until we unpack the bowl!!!!!  Two weeks, people! 

Back to the Present!

I am back from a longer-than-intended hiatus!  The last few weeks have been...intense.  Here are some events which have transpired:

* Vacation Bible School!  I feel our church always does a stellar job with VBS, and I've been honored to be involved for several years.  I get to run the games station!  It's a blast.  People say nice things like, "Wow - you are so good at planning games!" or "You have so much energy with the kids!"  Really, all I have to do is capture their attention (nose goes), explain a game (Run around until you fall over!  It will be fun!), and watch them go for it.  They're all such great kids, and they seriously would run in circles until the end of the 25 minutes if asked.  But that would be mean.  :-)  Anyway, the week was a blast, if a bit tiring, and I had wonderful helpers.

* My dad lost his job. I obviously feel sad for him already, but we had also just helped him move into an apartment with a 12-month lease. We're praying he secures another job quickly and is able to maintain the trust and peace he seems to have overall.  

* Renting out the condo.  Can't wait for that to be over.  I don't mind a nice, clean place.  I DO mind having it clean by a certain time to show it to a stranger who either will or will not show up.  I've had about four no-shows, which I think is incredibly rude.  I've probably shown it ten times, with two more tonight...

 * Get-togethers with friends have been refreshing and wonderful.  Some have produced sunburns...

* I have learned more about my personal friendship boundaries and how to recognize when someone is taking advantage of me.  That's not going to happen anymore!

* We've researched and purchased a new washer and dryer for the house!  We're trying to slowly hack away at the wish list for our house, but it will be gradual.  Here's the shower curtain for the hall bath.  I love it!

* The biggest, most exciting event was our 5-year anniversary on July 1st!!  I can't even believe it's been that long.  Crazy!  It's awesome to look back and think about all the different ways God's blessed us!  Shawn surprised me with a hot air balloon ride, just like the day he proposed!  He got a Groupon which ended up directing us to the same company from 6 years ago!  It was awesome. 

My ring is bigger than it was, and our love for each other has grown and developed into a richer, deeper one. I feel so blessed to have Shawn in my life!

Here are some shots from then:

Shots from yesterday:

* We move into our new home in 19 days!!!!

Sneak preview!  Please ignore the face I'm making...

I'll be back sooner next time.  Thanks for reading!

Planning Ahead

Part of me is in total disbelief that we're buying a house!  And not just any house, but one we're super excited about!  When we started to talk about possibly having two mortgage payments, I felt a cautiousness, but not a fear.  God has so clearly opened doors for us in this process, and I feel we have His blessing.  I know He'll give us a renter at the right time.  Not to say that His time runs on my timetable, but He always helps out before it's too late. 

The one thing that really sucks about right now is that we have forty days before we take possession of it!  That's long enough to get things fixed up around here, show it to potential tenents, pack more slowly, plan for moving, save up a bit more, etc.  However, it's also long enough to wonder what to pack and go crazy waiting to move in to the house!  I'm ready already!  We've already had to unpack a few boxed to find some books, and I do NOT want to have to do that each time.  Yuck.  I guess Christmas stuff, quilts, winter clothes, etc. are safe, but I still wonder.  Shawn, on the other hand, is all, "How many boxes have we packed today?  It's not a productive day until we've packed two or three!"  Ok, maybe he doesn't actually say that, but that's what's implied by his dire need to pack.  I think the cats may wake up in a cardboard box some morning because he's so stinkin' efficient.  I hope he leaves some air holes!

(I theenk we need a beeger box!)

Anyway, that's one of the things I love and appreciate about my husband: he plans ahead.  If I had to move all this stuff by myself, I would be up until midnight every night for three days before the move, packing frantically and feeling guilty and stressed.  Shawn, on the other hand, was asking if people had boxes to give away before we even found our house.  Now, that's efficient.

While his efficiency sometimes drive me nuts, I am very thankful for it.  He's helped me work toward becoming a grown-up in some of those ways!  I can't say I'm always on time to things, but I know where I'm supposed to be most of the time, which is a huge deal.  Tehe. 

At the end of July, when we (finally!) get to move into the house, I'll be thanking my lucky stars we started early, I'm sure. 

Defensiveness...

(Spoiler alert: I am going to babble for a while!)

I only get defensive about a few things.  Working out is one of them.

My mom and I used to work out to Richard Simmons and Jane Fonda.  Good times.  There was this one video where a bunch of people in track suits and sweats sat in a cafeteria eating copious amounts of junk food.  Not only is the food incredibly greasy and sauce laden, people are literally jamming handfuls of it into their mouths!  It's beyond disturbing.  After a minute or two of the nastiness, Richard Simmons bounces (that man didn't walk: he bounced) in and yells at everyone to "STOP!"  It's a heartwarming moment when everyone magically switches out sweats for leotards and leg warmers and appears in Simmons' workout studio!  After watching all that, you then start to jump around and throw various limbs in various directions for about an hour with good ol' Richard.  It's epic. 

At least, it was to me in the '80s, working out with my mom in the living room. And then in the '90s.  I think we wore that tape out!

We stayed active with walks, hikes, workout videos, etc. the whole time my mom homeschooled me.  We ate pretty healthily, though my increased conscientiousness tells me we had a ton of white pasta and bread and sausage.  It was Minnesota, and we weren't rich.  Minnesota, in fact, is known for french-fried onions, Velveeta, cream-of-anything soup, and various other deliciousness.  My mom dabbled in that, but she also made us eat whole grains.  I used to whine and question every healthy thing; I've since apologized.

Anyway, I ate pretty well my whole young life, then ran into a roadblock in high school.  I discovered the cheapest food in the cafeteria was pizza and french fries!  I think it cost $2.25, which meant I would still have money for one of those giant sugar cookies with pink frosting from the vending machine!  Yes!  Did I mention everything but the cookie was dipped in Ranch? 

I gained weight in high school. 

The other day, Shawn actually told me he could tell a difference in my face in high school pictures.  I didn't realize this was the case - I thought the big glasses and huge bangs were the only differences.  :-)  Anyway, my mom and I did South Beach after I graduated high school, and I lost ten pounds before leaving for college. 

College presented another test!  The cafeteria made some awesome, buttery, meat-and-cheese filled sandwiches I enjoyed eating at lunch.  And there was ice cream.  And my friend and I would use our credit at the school convenience store to buy Dove bars.  And I stayed up late studying at Starbucks, feeding my desire for various coffee-ish concoctions while feeding my brain. 

To remedy what I saw as some impending weight gain, I started drinking SlimFast stuff religiously, even when I felt faint and my tumbly was rumbly.  A friend finally let me know that I wasn't being healthy by not eating enough.  Then, fortunately for me (and my heart), a friend/roommate introduced me to something called The Firm. 

Don't get too excited: it does not involved Tom Cruise.  Instead, it's a series of workout videos!  The ones we used in college featured '80s-style hair and leotards, which made them that much better.  As time has passed, I've amassed a larger and more modern collection, but I have several I absolutely love and use often.  Most are an hour of mixed cardio and weights. 

Here's the defensiveness part.

When people ask what gym I belong to, I answer, "I actually use some really great videos at home!"  The reaction to this statement depends on the person's previous experience.  Some have only seen a flailing Richard Simmons or something else which caused them to think videos are worthless.  Some have done videos themselves and get all excited, asking which ones I use.  Some go "Oh..." and proceed to change the subject.  Usually those die-hard gym-users.  I definitely don't think there's anything wrong with the traditional gym!  It has plenty of merits, some of which my videos do not share. 

However, I do NOT want to get in little clothes and go hang out with other people in little clothes, and then sweat everywhere.  I do NOT want to watch the people who think they're working out doing it the wrong way and feeling proud.  I do NOT want to see the people who are half Hulk and can do more and better than I.  I do NOT want to shower and change in a common area <dry heaving> or see others do so.  I also don't know how to guide myself through a proper workout at a gym.  I would prefer to leave that to an expert.

I take my workouts very seriously, and I have high expectations.  If I check out a video from the library or watch one OnDemand and it's not challenging or thorough or the leader uses incorrect form, that video is outta here!  I have what I think is a good feel for what's good and what's bad for my body.  Because I care so strongly, I am very frustrated when I'm not taken seriously. 

With all that said, please excuse me while I go put on my leg warmers and leotard.

What I'm Reading

I recently overcame one of the oddest sensations in my life: a lack of desire to read a book. 

Symptoms include the following: no excited feeling when surveying a bookshelf, whether at home or at the library; staying one step ahead of students while they read new books which one is teaching for the first time; keeping, out of habit, several books within arm's reach, but never reaching one's arms for them; a guilty feeling whenever one surveys said shelves or spots books within one's arm's reach.

Recommended treatment includes: ? (WebMD was far too vague on this part).

Sigh.  I waited and waited.  I was almost inspired to read a book when I watched Julie and Julia, what I saw as a heartwarming and odd movie.  I loved the Julia part but, really, Julie?  Come on.  I felt as if her part was as flat as a fallen cake.  Sorry. 

Anyway, I ignored the prodding from within - as I am wont to do - and didn't bother to check out the book.  Then, in a twist of fate, a friend who was in town for the weekend forced me to borrow My Life in France, told by Julia Child and written by Alex Prud'homme.

I was a bit dismayed that it was not a picture of Julia Child herself, but I enjoyed Meryl Streep's portrayal, so I decided to forgive...the book.  Anyway, I started it about two weeks ago, and I'm now halfway through it.  I love it! 

It has renewed my hope in myself as a reader, and I've ambitiously check out a big Francine Rivers book to start as soon as I finish this one.  And I have those others on the shelf, too.  And I want to borrow a few specific ones from a friend.  Ahh, the overwhelming feeling of wanting to read too many things.  How glorious!