Tuesday, July 15, 2008
New Apartment
Well, the good news about temporary housing is that it's just temporary. We're settling in - we've only got one car load + one cartop carrier load to put away, so we've got plenty of closet space! The apartment is fine - small & previously smoked in, but it will serve our family well until we are able to secure a new house! The boys are LOVING the pool and the puppies are LOVING the attention because we are all home every day. I'll update more later... borrowed time on the community computer...
Friday, July 11, 2008
Officially unemployed & LOVING IT
Today at 11:45 a.m., I drove away from my job. I had just turned in my keys, my laptop and the remaining paperwork that someone else will have to follow up on now. I have loved my job at our church, and while I am sad to leave, I am grateful for the 2nd opportunity I have to be a stay-at-home mom. I laugh when I hear the term "stay-at-home" mom. When I was a SAHM before, I rarely stayed at home. I would imagine it will be the same this time around. I am not one to sit still for very long. Here are some plans I have for the next couple of months:
* Resume couponing - grocery game & more
* Go swimming with the boys (A LOT)
* Return to my Flylady (www.flylady.net) habits
* Manage my home with love & organization
* Eventually... get a part-time job or start my business to stay busy while the kids are in school
* Attend a Bible Study
* ... oh yeah - settle into our new home (when we get one) by unpacking & decorating & organizing
I'm thrilled to return to my career of choice - professional motherhood. Thank you, Tommie, for working so hard to provide for our family so that I can provide a place of refuge and love for our family. I love your hard work & dedication to your career that allows me to have any career I choose. You are an amazing husband & father. I love you!!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Drift & our Moving Log
Because we are moving to Indiana, I've been spending a lot of time contemplating friendships. Friendships are fluid. I want them to be cemented & permanent, but they are fluid. Some friends come & go easily - others stay forever. But, all relationships have times of closeness and times of not-so-closeness. Someone once e-mailed me a poem about friends. It talked about being friends for a Reason, friends for a Season and Forever friends. It has stuck with me for years. I'll try to find it & post it sometime.
This is our fourth "major" move. We have been married 10.5 years and have lived in 8 different apartments or houses. You could say we have moved a lot. In fact, I consider myself somewhat of an expert on moving. There is a HUGE difference between simply "moving" and a "major move".
To me, a "major" move is when you have to change churches, schools, doctors and more. A "regular" move is when you move within your comfort zone and you are simply sleeping in a different place. (There is no "simple" in moving, but you know what I mean!) Unfortunately, with a "major" move, the vast majority of your friendships change also. I resist change. Probably because I have moved so many times - duh! I want everyone to be my Forever friend. I want every friendship to stay the same. There's not a conscious effort to "end" a friendship - it just happens. People drift apart. Lives change. We no longer see each other at a weekly gathering or drive past each others houses. Drift... It's a natural thing, but I try my hardest to rebel against it. In fact, I could probably use the HATE word here (and I try really hard not to use that word). I definitely have used the word HATE many times when talking about moving.
Anyway, I digress... I have been blessed to have a lot of friendships in Texas and though I know that some friendships will drift, I also know that many will not. I am blessed to have called so many people friend. In fact, I've contemplated having an entire blog devoted to the people that God has brought into my life and the impact they have had on me. I'll let you know if I start that blog someday. It may look something like this sweet post from my friend Jenny. (Thanks, Jenny! I hope that my friendship with you doesn't drift...)
While we're walking down memory lane with all of this moving business, let's review the places I've lived (red capital M indicates Major Move - remember, major move means changing our church/school/doctor/friends/learning a new area/etc.):
This is our fourth "major" move. We have been married 10.5 years and have lived in 8 different apartments or houses. You could say we have moved a lot. In fact, I consider myself somewhat of an expert on moving. There is a HUGE difference between simply "moving" and a "major move".
To me, a "major" move is when you have to change churches, schools, doctors and more. A "regular" move is when you move within your comfort zone and you are simply sleeping in a different place. (There is no "simple" in moving, but you know what I mean!) Unfortunately, with a "major" move, the vast majority of your friendships change also. I resist change. Probably because I have moved so many times - duh! I want everyone to be my Forever friend. I want every friendship to stay the same. There's not a conscious effort to "end" a friendship - it just happens. People drift apart. Lives change. We no longer see each other at a weekly gathering or drive past each others houses. Drift... It's a natural thing, but I try my hardest to rebel against it. In fact, I could probably use the HATE word here (and I try really hard not to use that word). I definitely have used the word HATE many times when talking about moving.
Anyway, I digress... I have been blessed to have a lot of friendships in Texas and though I know that some friendships will drift, I also know that many will not. I am blessed to have called so many people friend. In fact, I've contemplated having an entire blog devoted to the people that God has brought into my life and the impact they have had on me. I'll let you know if I start that blog someday. It may look something like this sweet post from my friend Jenny. (Thanks, Jenny! I hope that my friendship with you doesn't drift...)
While we're walking down memory lane with all of this moving business, let's review the places I've lived (red capital M indicates Major Move - remember, major move means changing our church/school/doctor/friends/learning a new area/etc.):
- Auburn, Nebraska (7 years, 2 months)
- Decatur, Illinois (10 years, 9 months) M
- Macomb, Illinois (3 1/2 years, minus summers - college) M
- Potosi, Missouri (summer job - 2 summers)
- Amboy, Illinois (summer internship) M
- marriage to Tommie -
- Beardstown, Illinois (2 1/2 months)
- Pontiac, Illinois (7 months) M
- Gridley, Illinois (2+ years)
- Bloomington, Illinois (7 months)
- Peoria, Illinois - house #1 (1 year, 11 months) M
- Lewisville, Texas - apartment #1 (7 months) M
- Lewisville, Texas - apartment #2 (2 years, 2 months)
- Lewisville, Texas - house #2 (2 years, 4 months)
- and now... Evansville, Indiana - temporary housing M
- Newburgh, Indiana - house #3 (20+ years and counting...)
[Side note: Just in case anyone is curious - the boys & I arrived in Texas on July 7, 2003 and we are leaving on July 12, 2008. Five years and five days later. And, the longest Tommie & I have ever lived in the same town - by far!]
I'm so grateful for our time in Texas and so grateful for friendships, but that is a post for another day (or a whole other blog). I'm exhausted just remember our moves... I'm going to bed.
Miracles...
Yesterday evening, the boys & I were jamming to some worship music in the car and Truman says to me:
"Mommy, you sing pretty!"
My first thought was: Awwww... that's so nice of him. Isn't it wonderful to receive compliments? And, my, how my little boy has a sweet spirit and loves his mama.
Honestly, my second thought was: OH NO! My poor little Truman has absolutely NO ear for music! I guess he won't be a musician of any sort when he grows up.
I realized what I was thinking & had to laugh out loud. I am certainly not a great singer - in fact, when I was young, I would sit next to this middle aged lady in church occasionally and cringe at the awful sounds coming out of her mouth during worship (the "make a joyful noise" verse could be applied here - but I'm not even sure God thought it was a good sound). I literally used to pray every day that God would allow me to have a singing voice just good enough that when people sat next to me at church they wouldn't wish they had sat somewhere else. Well... God answered my prayer - and with not a bit more than I asked, I'm afraid! To my knowledge, people don't avoid sitting by me in church due to horrible singing, but I certainly haven't been asked to use a microphone while singing either!
Lord - I pray that Truman would have musical talents & abilities when he's older and would STILL think that his Mommy's voice isn't horrible! (I believe God still performs miracles...)
[ps. As I re-read this post, I realized that people might think the "middle aged lady" is my mom (since I sat by her in church almost every Sunday) - but it is NOT you, Mom! My mother has a wonderful voice and is also a talented pianist.]
"Mommy, you sing pretty!"
My first thought was: Awwww... that's so nice of him. Isn't it wonderful to receive compliments? And, my, how my little boy has a sweet spirit and loves his mama.
Honestly, my second thought was: OH NO! My poor little Truman has absolutely NO ear for music! I guess he won't be a musician of any sort when he grows up.
I realized what I was thinking & had to laugh out loud. I am certainly not a great singer - in fact, when I was young, I would sit next to this middle aged lady in church occasionally and cringe at the awful sounds coming out of her mouth during worship (the "make a joyful noise" verse could be applied here - but I'm not even sure God thought it was a good sound). I literally used to pray every day that God would allow me to have a singing voice just good enough that when people sat next to me at church they wouldn't wish they had sat somewhere else. Well... God answered my prayer - and with not a bit more than I asked, I'm afraid! To my knowledge, people don't avoid sitting by me in church due to horrible singing, but I certainly haven't been asked to use a microphone while singing either!
Lord - I pray that Truman would have musical talents & abilities when he's older and would STILL think that his Mommy's voice isn't horrible! (I believe God still performs miracles...)
[ps. As I re-read this post, I realized that people might think the "middle aged lady" is my mom (since I sat by her in church almost every Sunday) - but it is NOT you, Mom! My mother has a wonderful voice and is also a talented pianist.]
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Clean Puppies!
One of the hardest things about having our house on the market (besides keeping it clean 24/7) is keeping the puppies at friends' houses. We have gotten to visit them a couple of times, but it's not easy to continue intruding on a family by bringing 3 boys over to play with 2 puppies. We are ever grateful for those who are willing to watch them for us! It has been a huge blessing & a challenge at the same time.
This week, I picked up the puppies and took them to the local vet for their final puppy shots. We have loved our vet - Dr. Parker!
The next day, I picked them up and took them to PetSmart for baths & nail clippings. They got fun red, white & blue bandanas and SMELLED SO YUMMY!!
The kids really miss the puppies & cannot wait for them to return home. I recently purchased a leash splitter, so we don't all get tangled up when two puppies on two leashes decide to go two different directions. It makes walking them SO much easier. Aren't they cute?
4th of July Celebration
This year, we decided to go to the fireworks in a nearby town. One of the things I have always enjoyed about watching fireworks in a large metro area is that you can usually see multiple fireworks at the same time. From our former vantage point, we could see approximately 10 sets of fireworks displays. This year, we could see six - and when our fireworks ended, we could even hear the next closest display.
The event itself was a lot of fun. The town offered free entertainment before the fireworks - a local symphony played, bouncehouses, face painting and more. The fireworks display itself was a let down, because strong winds continued to shower the crowd with debris (some of it still burning). After pausing & restarting the display twice, they finally ended it early. It was still wonderful to get out of the house with 3 kids & do something FUN!
I guess the boys decided they were more loyal to Texas, instead of the U.S. - they dressed themselves in "Texas orange" for the 4th of July...
Franklin coming out of the bouncehouse maze...
We went with our friends - the Hair family...
We all got tattoos - I got one too, but I cannot show you where (just kidding!!)...
The fireworks in our town (top) and a neighboring town (bottom)...
Friday, July 4, 2008
Happy 4th of July!!
Happy Birthday, America!
This 4th of July, I'm most grateful for our freedom to worship God in public. I love it that I can blast worship music from my car stereo and sing out loud. I'm glad that we can meet together at church and openly proclaim that Jesus is Lord. It thrills my heart that we can rent a HUGE tent and put it outside of our church to host crafts for VBS. I'm grateful for a paycheck for "working" serving God.
Whenever I'm at the airport and every other person I pass is in fatigues, it hits home how grateful I am to the men & women who serve the United States in the military - guaranteeing my freedom. Especially my freedom to worship the God who sent his Son to die... for me. Wow.
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