So, tonight T is away. Kt went to spend the night with her friend. Em asked me right away, "So, can I sleep in your room? In your bed??" She has been gleeful all night that Kt is gone, sad that daddy is away. I thought we'd make a Target run, but her leg hurt (likely story!), so we watched Princess Diaries instead.
Em is such a funny girl. It's fun when I get to spend time with just her and tonight was a gift because soon I won't see her nearly enough. Full day kindergarten is a bit of a curse to me. I feel like I'm being robbed of extra time that I had with Kt. So tonight I enjoyed her a bit.
Part of that is remembering how enthralled my father was with her when she was young. Em has an aura of joy around her most of the time. Her smile is very bright, infectious and her spirit is light-hearted. She has a bounce in her step, everyone comments on the way she walks - like a little fashion model. I can't tell you how many people have watched her walk away and said to me, "Wow, good luck with THAT one!"
Tonight we cuddle together and she once again asked me a ton of questions that she already knows the answers to. She just likes to make sure the answers haven't changed. Why do you love me - because I'm your kid? (that's my personal favorite!) Do you want to share my blanket? (gives me a tiny corner!) I just love spending time with you - don't you? (of course I do) Why can't I stay up longer? (that's a given)
I laid down with her for a bit hoping she settle down and fall asleep. She is very tired, but totally excited about being the only kid in the house with me. She was laying on T's side of the bed and being very giggly. She looked at me and said, "I wonder what daddy will think when he smells me on his pillow?" Giggle, giggle, giggle.... I wonder what goes through that 5 1/2 year old mind of hers. She absolutely loves her daddy and I think in her mind she believes she is the most important thing in his world.
I can say this about T, for never having siblings he did a pretty good job with his girls. They always want their daddy around and love to be with him. If you can make your child think that they are the most important thing in your world than I think you've done a pretty good job.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Warning: Entering a Negativity Zone
I'm starting to wonder right now if getting a job would help with my general negative attitude or just absolutely drive me insane!?! I am in one of those zones where every direction I turn I seem to find something I'm unhappy about. I do not like being here and I'd like to get out soon.
First problem: the puppy. As a disclaimer to what I'm going to reveal next, I am not, never have been nor will I ever be a "dog person." I prefer cats, but since Kt and I are allergic, dogs it is. We have had one dog in the family, Calvin, since T and I got married. T had always wanted a dog, something big, but I couldn't so we settled on a Maltese. He seemed cute at first, but we knew nothing about dogs. Our agreement was that this dog would be solely T's responsibility because I don't do dogs!!
Calvin has been a source of great stress for me over the years. He has never grown up, has severely diminished my love of all kinds of dogs due to his constant chewing on everything, including people. He and I have an understanding - we coexist, occasionally love each other but try to stay out of eachother's way.
So, why, you ask, would I ever agree to another dog?? In a weak moment of possession by a clearly evil spirit, I actually thought a puppy might be a good idea. My manager at Curves had a litter of 3/4 Shit-zhu, 1/4 poodle puppies, Em and Calvin are best friends, Calvin, while refusing to grow up mentally is showing signs of getting old. He has seizures, a heart murmur, sleeps most of the day.... Anyway, I was more thinking of Em. After YEARS of swearing there would never be another animal in this house after Calvin, I actually thought a new puppy might work.
I did have some serious restrictions, however, including it must be a female, have a very calm, nurturing disposition and basically be a lap dog. We found this exact puppy in this litter, and I was very excited. We said nothing to the girls while we waited to see if they would give up this prized possession. I have to admit, I was excited. There was not another puppy in that litter I would have agreed to buy. This one was perfect, she was gentle, not spastic, very sweet, beautiful - the one with the most white, something else I really wanted. I didn't touch another puppy there, all of whom were jumpy, nippy and noisy. All except for her. I named her Sophie.
Weeks passed, T went off to Cameroon, I took the girls to CT and came home to a message. Our puppy was ready, a week earlier than we expected!! T was not even home yet, so I was scrambling. When I finally talked to the owner, she explained that our puppy was sick. Upper respiratory something. I immediately became concerned because of Calvin and decided I ought to check with our vet. He concurred that it was not a good idea to bring home a sick puppy, so I asked her if we could wait. She was not so happy about that idea.
Now comes the part I totally regret. What I wanted to do was pay for our puppy, ask this woman to keep her until she was well and then bring her home. T disagreed with me on this. The woman's son had fallen in love with our puppy so she was offering us the puppy they were supposed to keep, the runt of the litter. I did not like that idea, but T had taken Em over to check out our puppy and of course, she wanted the teeny tiny puppy. Never let a 5 year old decide for you.
We now own a yippee, nippy, spastic puppy and I'm really finding it hard to live with this. This was NOT my idea, even though T will try to pass it off like it was. Our pool manager bought a puppy from the same litter who is twice the size of our puppy - I'm losing any hope that this puppy will grow up, in size or mentality. Basically, I'm not happy and someone else has my beautiful (if I hear my pool manager one more time describe how perfect the puppy we were supposed to get was, I will be sick!), sweet, calm and cuddly little girl. In reality, I just feel duped! by everyone!!
Second problem: (yes, the first one is really a lot of small problems, but I lumped it into one just for you - aren't you happy!?) T is gone. He's away on a "leadership weekend" with church. One night, but I'm just really annoyed by that. First of all, he's got a puppy to take care of!! Second of all, he has no responsibilities on this weekend and every year when he comes home from this same weekend, he tells me he really didn't have to go because there is nothing for him to do!! He just told me about it after we got the puppy - "Oh, by the way I'm going away that weekend..." kind of thing. Huh? Take that puppy back, then!! I guess I feel like I'm not recovered from the past couple of weeks, things need to be done around the house that are not getting done:
Last problem: school. Kt's in a class this year with hardly any friends (none of her good friends), the same boys that I really don't want her with and a teacher that is clearly not the popular one, but I'm sure she'll be fine. The bigger problem - the reading issue we thought we had resolved at the end of last year must not be resolved because she is not with any of the high level readers. She is with the same level or lower, and they place students based on reading level. I'm so tired of her class....
Em has the brand-spanking new teacher, and I'm happy about that. She is with our neighbor's daughter, her best friend, and they are even sitting at the same table - they couldn't be happier. No stress there, until they call me up and say they want to move her. They will be having lunch at noon (seems like a long time to wait to eat!), not having any snack time at all for full day kindergarten. Hmmm.... sounds like the peanut allergy mom got to them again!! Yup, she has a daughter in Em's class. Surprising, because Kt has had afternoon snack in first AND second grade, so not having it in kindergarten seems totally ridiculous to me.
The worst policy at our school, hands down, is the "we reserve the right to move your child in the first two weeks of school and expect your 'full support' of our insensitivity" practice. I hope they know not to bother calling us, because we will flat out refuse!! It's just not something we'll agree to, and I honestly can't believe they are still doing that. If you have to move children around because of a reading level, then assess the children BEFORE school starts - it's as simple as that!
Anyway, negativity seems to have overshadowed my life at the moment. I need to come up for some air. Oh, look, on top of all this (as if this isn't enough) I just got an email from Jerry Falwell. Thank goodness for delete buttons!! If only there was a delete button, or better yet rewind, for life! Thanks for letting me vent!
In fairness to myself, my family, here are some positive things: the girls have been walking the dogs for me (YEAH - until they go off to school next week!), we bought an electric piano - so maybe lessons??, I have finished buying school supplies, we have had great pool weather and are enjoying our last weeks swimming, that is all I can think of for now!
First problem: the puppy. As a disclaimer to what I'm going to reveal next, I am not, never have been nor will I ever be a "dog person." I prefer cats, but since Kt and I are allergic, dogs it is. We have had one dog in the family, Calvin, since T and I got married. T had always wanted a dog, something big, but I couldn't so we settled on a Maltese. He seemed cute at first, but we knew nothing about dogs. Our agreement was that this dog would be solely T's responsibility because I don't do dogs!!
Calvin has been a source of great stress for me over the years. He has never grown up, has severely diminished my love of all kinds of dogs due to his constant chewing on everything, including people. He and I have an understanding - we coexist, occasionally love each other but try to stay out of eachother's way.
So, why, you ask, would I ever agree to another dog?? In a weak moment of possession by a clearly evil spirit, I actually thought a puppy might be a good idea. My manager at Curves had a litter of 3/4 Shit-zhu, 1/4 poodle puppies, Em and Calvin are best friends, Calvin, while refusing to grow up mentally is showing signs of getting old. He has seizures, a heart murmur, sleeps most of the day.... Anyway, I was more thinking of Em. After YEARS of swearing there would never be another animal in this house after Calvin, I actually thought a new puppy might work.
I did have some serious restrictions, however, including it must be a female, have a very calm, nurturing disposition and basically be a lap dog. We found this exact puppy in this litter, and I was very excited. We said nothing to the girls while we waited to see if they would give up this prized possession. I have to admit, I was excited. There was not another puppy in that litter I would have agreed to buy. This one was perfect, she was gentle, not spastic, very sweet, beautiful - the one with the most white, something else I really wanted. I didn't touch another puppy there, all of whom were jumpy, nippy and noisy. All except for her. I named her Sophie.
Weeks passed, T went off to Cameroon, I took the girls to CT and came home to a message. Our puppy was ready, a week earlier than we expected!! T was not even home yet, so I was scrambling. When I finally talked to the owner, she explained that our puppy was sick. Upper respiratory something. I immediately became concerned because of Calvin and decided I ought to check with our vet. He concurred that it was not a good idea to bring home a sick puppy, so I asked her if we could wait. She was not so happy about that idea.
Now comes the part I totally regret. What I wanted to do was pay for our puppy, ask this woman to keep her until she was well and then bring her home. T disagreed with me on this. The woman's son had fallen in love with our puppy so she was offering us the puppy they were supposed to keep, the runt of the litter. I did not like that idea, but T had taken Em over to check out our puppy and of course, she wanted the teeny tiny puppy. Never let a 5 year old decide for you.
We now own a yippee, nippy, spastic puppy and I'm really finding it hard to live with this. This was NOT my idea, even though T will try to pass it off like it was. Our pool manager bought a puppy from the same litter who is twice the size of our puppy - I'm losing any hope that this puppy will grow up, in size or mentality. Basically, I'm not happy and someone else has my beautiful (if I hear my pool manager one more time describe how perfect the puppy we were supposed to get was, I will be sick!), sweet, calm and cuddly little girl. In reality, I just feel duped! by everyone!!
Second problem: (yes, the first one is really a lot of small problems, but I lumped it into one just for you - aren't you happy!?) T is gone. He's away on a "leadership weekend" with church. One night, but I'm just really annoyed by that. First of all, he's got a puppy to take care of!! Second of all, he has no responsibilities on this weekend and every year when he comes home from this same weekend, he tells me he really didn't have to go because there is nothing for him to do!! He just told me about it after we got the puppy - "Oh, by the way I'm going away that weekend..." kind of thing. Huh? Take that puppy back, then!! I guess I feel like I'm not recovered from the past couple of weeks, things need to be done around the house that are not getting done:
mow lawn (the big mound of weeds outside our house!), landscaping (from the spring - nothing has been done in my yard!!!!!! T kept telling me he'd have kids who needed to raise support for their trips do the work - I guess no one needed help!), foundation of house needs to be painted (basically since we moved in and changed the siding), garage is a mess (beware of falling junk and bags of stuff everywhere!), bushed trimmed (I finally did it myself - I guess I'll have to start doing all the yard work too!), and more but I won't bother to go on!
Last problem: school. Kt's in a class this year with hardly any friends (none of her good friends), the same boys that I really don't want her with and a teacher that is clearly not the popular one, but I'm sure she'll be fine. The bigger problem - the reading issue we thought we had resolved at the end of last year must not be resolved because she is not with any of the high level readers. She is with the same level or lower, and they place students based on reading level. I'm so tired of her class....
Em has the brand-spanking new teacher, and I'm happy about that. She is with our neighbor's daughter, her best friend, and they are even sitting at the same table - they couldn't be happier. No stress there, until they call me up and say they want to move her. They will be having lunch at noon (seems like a long time to wait to eat!), not having any snack time at all for full day kindergarten. Hmmm.... sounds like the peanut allergy mom got to them again!! Yup, she has a daughter in Em's class. Surprising, because Kt has had afternoon snack in first AND second grade, so not having it in kindergarten seems totally ridiculous to me.
The worst policy at our school, hands down, is the "we reserve the right to move your child in the first two weeks of school and expect your 'full support' of our insensitivity" practice. I hope they know not to bother calling us, because we will flat out refuse!! It's just not something we'll agree to, and I honestly can't believe they are still doing that. If you have to move children around because of a reading level, then assess the children BEFORE school starts - it's as simple as that!
Anyway, negativity seems to have overshadowed my life at the moment. I need to come up for some air. Oh, look, on top of all this (as if this isn't enough) I just got an email from Jerry Falwell. Thank goodness for delete buttons!! If only there was a delete button, or better yet rewind, for life! Thanks for letting me vent!
In fairness to myself, my family, here are some positive things: the girls have been walking the dogs for me (YEAH - until they go off to school next week!), we bought an electric piano - so maybe lessons??, I have finished buying school supplies, we have had great pool weather and are enjoying our last weeks swimming, that is all I can think of for now!
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Weekly Update
Well, it's been a while since I blogged!! Here's a short list of what I've been up to:
1. Women of Faith conference in Hartford, CT: great trip, Yankee Candle again, awesome HUGE hotel room at the Residence Inn in Hartford, excellent conference. When we arrived at the convention center early and decided to do a little "shopping" we were stopped by an employee and asked it we wanted to meet Avalon! I'll write more about that later!!
2. Brought my mom back from CT so my sister and her husband could whisk her away to Lancaster for a couple days and then return with her to my house. I had no idea this was the plan until I arrived in CT Friday night!! Needless to say, my house was in no condition for guests!
3. Cleaned my house!
We had a wonderful but short visit with everyone. I was able to spend some time with my niece, Skyler, and the rest of my family.
4. Shopping with my mom - that's always fun. After my sister left, my mom hung around until yesterday when my Aunt and Uncle returned her to CT. That will be a great trip for my mom, as my Uncle will be getting a lot of work done around my mom's house for her. She has been keeping a running list for him for an entire year!
5. Dr. Pepper Party: My Uncle is a Dr. Pepper collector and often hosts parties at his home. As a founding member of the JOY group at our church, Just Older Youth, he hosts a party each year for this group. This year, 68 people signed up!! I went along to help with food and clean-up. The menu this year included Dr. Pepper chicken (which is delicious!), Dr. Pepper potatoes, salad with Dr. Pepper dressing, Dr. Pepper slushies, Dr. Pepper milkshakes and Dr. Pepper brownies. He always has games, and this year those included a scavenger hunt, the Dr. Pepper trivia test and a bit of entertainment. I think other than the downpour at the onset of the party, the entire event was a success!
I am now trying to enjoy our last week before school starts. Our new puppy has been a chore, mostly because I'm not really a dog person. I'm trying to figure out how I could have ended up with another! I have most of the school supplies taken care of and am now trying to figure out how to survive without my children.. I'm not really ready to have no kids all day long - I know I will miss them, so I need to find something to fill that time!
On a wonderful note, we received a newsletter from the girl's school yesterday and they have decided to add a fourth kindergarten class!! I'm very excited that they actually did that, that it was done before school starts and that the class sizes will be reasonable! Yeah!! The bad news - the county is short 5 kindergarten teachers!! So far, with teachers all back in school this week getting rooms ready and having meetings, we are without that fourth teacher. Should be interesting!
1. Women of Faith conference in Hartford, CT: great trip, Yankee Candle again, awesome HUGE hotel room at the Residence Inn in Hartford, excellent conference. When we arrived at the convention center early and decided to do a little "shopping" we were stopped by an employee and asked it we wanted to meet Avalon! I'll write more about that later!!
2. Brought my mom back from CT so my sister and her husband could whisk her away to Lancaster for a couple days and then return with her to my house. I had no idea this was the plan until I arrived in CT Friday night!! Needless to say, my house was in no condition for guests!
3. Cleaned my house!
We had a wonderful but short visit with everyone. I was able to spend some time with my niece, Skyler, and the rest of my family.
4. Shopping with my mom - that's always fun. After my sister left, my mom hung around until yesterday when my Aunt and Uncle returned her to CT. That will be a great trip for my mom, as my Uncle will be getting a lot of work done around my mom's house for her. She has been keeping a running list for him for an entire year!
5. Dr. Pepper Party: My Uncle is a Dr. Pepper collector and often hosts parties at his home. As a founding member of the JOY group at our church, Just Older Youth, he hosts a party each year for this group. This year, 68 people signed up!! I went along to help with food and clean-up. The menu this year included Dr. Pepper chicken (which is delicious!), Dr. Pepper potatoes, salad with Dr. Pepper dressing, Dr. Pepper slushies, Dr. Pepper milkshakes and Dr. Pepper brownies. He always has games, and this year those included a scavenger hunt, the Dr. Pepper trivia test and a bit of entertainment. I think other than the downpour at the onset of the party, the entire event was a success!
I am now trying to enjoy our last week before school starts. Our new puppy has been a chore, mostly because I'm not really a dog person. I'm trying to figure out how I could have ended up with another! I have most of the school supplies taken care of and am now trying to figure out how to survive without my children.. I'm not really ready to have no kids all day long - I know I will miss them, so I need to find something to fill that time!
On a wonderful note, we received a newsletter from the girl's school yesterday and they have decided to add a fourth kindergarten class!! I'm very excited that they actually did that, that it was done before school starts and that the class sizes will be reasonable! Yeah!! The bad news - the county is short 5 kindergarten teachers!! So far, with teachers all back in school this week getting rooms ready and having meetings, we are without that fourth teacher. Should be interesting!
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Deer Decoy, Dastardly Judge
I know I haven't posted in a while, and I will catch up soon (once my mom leaves town!) but while she's out for the night, I must comment on this ridiculous judge. I'm sure most have read this story already, but I feel the need to speak my two cents here.
I added the bold, mostly because these words jumped off the page at me right into my "unreasonable" motherly thoughts. If you shouldn't be doing this, than WHY ARE YOU?? You are the judge, you clearly know this is a MISTAKE, yet you are choosing to make it, admitting you are stupid for doing so but going to anyway. All I can say, because I am utterly speechless, is WHAT AN IDIOT!!
Let's see. Two boys put a deer decoy in the middle of a road in the middle of the night and HAVE FUN watching two other boys nearly lose their lives while trying to avoid the pretend deer, swerve and flip their car in a ditch, one going through the sunroof, the other landing outside the car and being permanently brain damaged. This judge has the nerve to suspend sentencing until football season is over because the culprits are the two star football players????
And we wonder why professional athletes think they can get away with drug possession, rape, spousal abuse, doping and all other kinds of serious offenses!?! And I'd LOVE to hear about a judge who suspended the sentencing of a band member, honor society member or school play actor until a concert or play was finished. Go ahead and send me the stories....
Well, that's just it Mr. Howard. Your family is paying the price of having a son who admitted to a crime that caused serious injury to two men and seemingly faces NO CONSEQUENCE at this moment. It's not about student council or track because for those school activities, those students would be in juvenile hall. You are lucky your son is in school and allowed to play any sport after committing that crime, the one you call a prank. If I were the principal or the judge, your son wouldn't be suiting up for anything other than jail!
When Judge Gary McKinley announced his decision Tuesday to delay the sentence, he said, "I shouldn't be doing this, but I'm going to. I see positive things about participating in football."
I added the bold, mostly because these words jumped off the page at me right into my "unreasonable" motherly thoughts. If you shouldn't be doing this, than WHY ARE YOU?? You are the judge, you clearly know this is a MISTAKE, yet you are choosing to make it, admitting you are stupid for doing so but going to anyway. All I can say, because I am utterly speechless, is WHAT AN IDIOT!!
Let's see. Two boys put a deer decoy in the middle of a road in the middle of the night and HAVE FUN watching two other boys nearly lose their lives while trying to avoid the pretend deer, swerve and flip their car in a ditch, one going through the sunroof, the other landing outside the car and being permanently brain damaged. This judge has the nerve to suspend sentencing until football season is over because the culprits are the two star football players????
And we wonder why professional athletes think they can get away with drug possession, rape, spousal abuse, doping and all other kinds of serious offenses!?! And I'd LOVE to hear about a judge who suspended the sentencing of a band member, honor society member or school play actor until a concert or play was finished. Go ahead and send me the stories....
The 17-year-old's father, C.J. Howard, said members of the community have made crude remarks when his family shops at a nearby Wal-Mart store and that his younger children are taunted by older youth when they play in the yard.
He said his son would not be the focus of such attention if he didn't play football.
"I don't know why it's about football players. Why isn't it about student council or track?" Howard asked. "He admitted what he did and he faced the consequences like a young man should."
Well, that's just it Mr. Howard. Your family is paying the price of having a son who admitted to a crime that caused serious injury to two men and seemingly faces NO CONSEQUENCE at this moment. It's not about student council or track because for those school activities, those students would be in juvenile hall. You are lucky your son is in school and allowed to play any sport after committing that crime, the one you call a prank. If I were the principal or the judge, your son wouldn't be suiting up for anything other than jail!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Thoughts on Africa
Here are some thoughts posted by one of T's leaders on Africa. They made me cry! Especially the part about smelling the sheet. T kept say, as he unpacked his bags to show the girls all his treasures, "This smells like Africa!"
The "Sting" of Exclusion
Competition is not my favorite part of life, but it's something we all face almost daily in so many ways. As a kid, I never participated willingly in any kind of sports competition, I was not athletic and contact sports scared the heebie-jeebies out of me! I did, however, enter art competitions and participated in band competitions. They were definitely good experiences, none of which I would say "scarred me for life" when I lost!
The idea I've seen tossed around in elementary school circles for years is this idea that kids should never lose or be excluded in any way. It's just not worthy of the time spent in arguing in my humble opinion. Today, on cnn.com, they have a brief article about this very topic, and it peaked my interest as I just participated in and won an online game competition and this very topic has once again come to light!
Having formerly been a first grade teacher, I have to dispute some of the comments made in this article about friends and exclusion. First of all, there are many young children who have only a few exclusive friends. To say that young children's friendships change from day to day is a statement that I think applies to a minority of children. My own daughter has been in a circle of 4 friends since kindergarten and she is now entering third grade. These five girls have been very close for the last three years and I don't see that changing day to day!
Secondly, the birthday party thing has just gotten WAY out of hand. It's gotten to the point where you must invite the whole class or not have a party, and I'm sorry but there are maybe a handful of parents who can afford a birthday party today for 20-30 kids, as class sizes are now going out the roof!! I see no problem teaching your children to be sensitive to others. Invite their 4 best friends, send in cupcakes for the whole class and tell your child their party is cancelled if anyone other than those four friends finds out about the party!! so as not to hurt anyone's feelings.
Truth be told, my daughter has been excluded from other parties and it's a GREAT lesson to teach your children. Embrace that teachable moment, not by committing to always invite everyone to your parties, not by excluding that HORRIBLE, ROTTEN classmate who left your child out (PALEEEASE!) but by explaining to your child the difficulties we face in life when we have to make difficult decisions. If you find that you excluded and hurt someone's feelings, then set up a single playdate with just that person and make it special! Decide how to use those situations to teach your child a valuable lesson about friendship, not revenge or bullying.
Finally, competition can be healthy and is the perfect way to introduce the concept of sportsmanship to your child. For a few years, I was the chairman of the Fine Arts committee at a small Christian school. Each year we would run a very organized week long competition that included many fine arts categories, including art, drama, music and a big spelling bee. Each year, at the onset and close of each competition, we would review letters written by parents bemoaning the idea of having a competition in a Christian school. It was pathetic!! I felt like asking them all, "How do you think I got this job as a teacher here? Did I walk in and say, 'You must hire me because I'm a Christian, I want this job and it doesn't really matter if there are others more qualified than me to work here!'?"
In the competition, the kids signed up to be in it. If you don't like it, don't sign up. They knew when they signed up that there would be winners, there would be some who did not win but that every participant would be recognized. The whole week was AMAZING!! We'd have judges come in from outside the school who left wonderful compliments for these kids, we would end with performances by students, dramas and an art show for all to enjoy. We celebrated the accomplishments of students who obviously spent hours preparing for this event and no participant was unrecognized. But still, each year, complaint after complaint.... I guess that is a part of life as well!!
Sending my children to public school has presented many choices for me that I've had to weigh very carefully. I'm not completely thrilled with everything my children or I have encountered, but it's my choice to take each situation and shape it into something that will grow me and my children into people who are wiser, more Christ-like and better prepared for the world. I have not always succeeded in this endeavor, but that doesn't mean I'm throwing in the towel. It means I have to work harder to recognize when I'm being challenged and what I want to teach my children from that situation.
I don't want to be the whiner and complainer if that means my children will always be included in everything just to feel good about themselves. I will whine and complain, though, when the safety or education of my child is compromised. The idea of competition in life, well, it just doesn't interfere, in my opinion, in the safety or education of children. It only strives to prepare children for the real world!
The idea I've seen tossed around in elementary school circles for years is this idea that kids should never lose or be excluded in any way. It's just not worthy of the time spent in arguing in my humble opinion. Today, on cnn.com, they have a brief article about this very topic, and it peaked my interest as I just participated in and won an online game competition and this very topic has once again come to light!
Having formerly been a first grade teacher, I have to dispute some of the comments made in this article about friends and exclusion. First of all, there are many young children who have only a few exclusive friends. To say that young children's friendships change from day to day is a statement that I think applies to a minority of children. My own daughter has been in a circle of 4 friends since kindergarten and she is now entering third grade. These five girls have been very close for the last three years and I don't see that changing day to day!
Secondly, the birthday party thing has just gotten WAY out of hand. It's gotten to the point where you must invite the whole class or not have a party, and I'm sorry but there are maybe a handful of parents who can afford a birthday party today for 20-30 kids, as class sizes are now going out the roof!! I see no problem teaching your children to be sensitive to others. Invite their 4 best friends, send in cupcakes for the whole class and tell your child their party is cancelled if anyone other than those four friends finds out about the party!! so as not to hurt anyone's feelings.
Truth be told, my daughter has been excluded from other parties and it's a GREAT lesson to teach your children. Embrace that teachable moment, not by committing to always invite everyone to your parties, not by excluding that HORRIBLE, ROTTEN classmate who left your child out (PALEEEASE!) but by explaining to your child the difficulties we face in life when we have to make difficult decisions. If you find that you excluded and hurt someone's feelings, then set up a single playdate with just that person and make it special! Decide how to use those situations to teach your child a valuable lesson about friendship, not revenge or bullying.
Finally, competition can be healthy and is the perfect way to introduce the concept of sportsmanship to your child. For a few years, I was the chairman of the Fine Arts committee at a small Christian school. Each year we would run a very organized week long competition that included many fine arts categories, including art, drama, music and a big spelling bee. Each year, at the onset and close of each competition, we would review letters written by parents bemoaning the idea of having a competition in a Christian school. It was pathetic!! I felt like asking them all, "How do you think I got this job as a teacher here? Did I walk in and say, 'You must hire me because I'm a Christian, I want this job and it doesn't really matter if there are others more qualified than me to work here!'?"
In the competition, the kids signed up to be in it. If you don't like it, don't sign up. They knew when they signed up that there would be winners, there would be some who did not win but that every participant would be recognized. The whole week was AMAZING!! We'd have judges come in from outside the school who left wonderful compliments for these kids, we would end with performances by students, dramas and an art show for all to enjoy. We celebrated the accomplishments of students who obviously spent hours preparing for this event and no participant was unrecognized. But still, each year, complaint after complaint.... I guess that is a part of life as well!!
Sending my children to public school has presented many choices for me that I've had to weigh very carefully. I'm not completely thrilled with everything my children or I have encountered, but it's my choice to take each situation and shape it into something that will grow me and my children into people who are wiser, more Christ-like and better prepared for the world. I have not always succeeded in this endeavor, but that doesn't mean I'm throwing in the towel. It means I have to work harder to recognize when I'm being challenged and what I want to teach my children from that situation.
I don't want to be the whiner and complainer if that means my children will always be included in everything just to feel good about themselves. I will whine and complain, though, when the safety or education of my child is compromised. The idea of competition in life, well, it just doesn't interfere, in my opinion, in the safety or education of children. It only strives to prepare children for the real world!
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Homecoming
Last night, the girls and drove through NO TRAFFIC to Dulles Airport. So unpredictable, that beltway! We made it there in record time. Despite my two emails, suggesting that parents arrive sometime between 8-8:30, everyone beat us there, and we arrived at 7:40. Of course, I was shooting for 8:30, but without traffic it was a very quick ride down.
We all waited until 8:45 for the team to finally immerge from customs. Em, just as I'd predicted, refused to let go of her daddy, who was exhausted and is still pretty ill from his little adventure. After making sure our one last team member made it through customs (with a bag of food that was sent along from Cameroon - apparently with some unknown food item that looks a bit like "weed"), we said our goodbyes and headed home.
Once home, daddy emptied his suitcases full of all kinds of strange and bizarre artifacts from Africa. OK - I am totally kidding!! But to the girls, you would have thought the wooden elephants, bongo drums and bracelets were strange and bizarre, the way they gawked at them! He also brought home an anniversary gift from Paris - a beautiful sterling silver/amethyst necklace, for me. How sweet! We don't really do a lot of perfume in this house with all the asthma!
After the girls went to bed, sort of!, two team leaders stopped by to pick up their cars. They hung out for a few minutes, talking of their first trip to Chik-fil-A. You could tell they were already having reverse culture shock and I wasn't sure they were going to leave... just had to talk to T about, well, nothing much! LOL, but that's the way it goes. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the team adjusts to being home after living in such a different country.
Once we went to bed, T and I ended up staying up talking and looking at some of his pictures. They paint a picture of a not so beautiful country filled with amazingly beautiful people. From my brief photo tour, that really stood out to me that the people in Cameroon are what create the beauty there. They are phenomenally bright, cheery, jubilant - in a picture! I imagine them to be emotional, attached, community oriented just from what I saw and a bit from what I heard last night. The beach was gorgeous, but other than that the pictures of the city are really kind of depressing. Abandoned buildings, dirt roads, makeshift homes. I think I was expecting a bit more for city dwellers in one of the more stable African countries.
I finally let T fall asleep last night, and boy did he sleep!! He kept mentioning to me that he is too old for these trips anymore. Really, though, the problem isn't his age, because he's very young! The problem is 10 days is not long enough for his body to adjust AND enjoy his stay. They flew into Cameroon after 28 hours of travel, then after another 36 hours went straight to the beach. That's a lot on a body. He will need some time to recover, and hopefully will begin to feel better soon.
The debrief in Paris was probably one of smarter pieces of the planning. At first, I think T wished they were not spending the night there. In truth, though, it was a great idea. For some team members, it was the first hot shower they'd had. It was also a place everyone wants to go, so there was plenty to see and do. They also still had just their team there. No distractions from friends and family, so the leaders still held a captive audience in the team. They had a great debrief session at the Eiffel Tower, then spent the rest of their time touring. Later they continued with a few more debrief and re-entry sessions.
I reminded T that last year, when returning from Brazil, all plans for debrief went awry because it was difficult to pull the team back togther. Some left for college, others went back to jobs and the rest were trying to readjust to life back home. This idea of debriefing away from home is a good one, especially for a trip like this, so far from home with so much to process.
We are super glad T is home. Now we have to make a decision about getting a new puppy (long story!) and plan our little welcome home celebration for tonight. Let's see, I have the Saltines, bottled water and we'll have to go get some bananas and rice. Sounds like a feast! LOL
We all waited until 8:45 for the team to finally immerge from customs. Em, just as I'd predicted, refused to let go of her daddy, who was exhausted and is still pretty ill from his little adventure. After making sure our one last team member made it through customs (with a bag of food that was sent along from Cameroon - apparently with some unknown food item that looks a bit like "weed"), we said our goodbyes and headed home.
Once home, daddy emptied his suitcases full of all kinds of strange and bizarre artifacts from Africa. OK - I am totally kidding!! But to the girls, you would have thought the wooden elephants, bongo drums and bracelets were strange and bizarre, the way they gawked at them! He also brought home an anniversary gift from Paris - a beautiful sterling silver/amethyst necklace, for me. How sweet! We don't really do a lot of perfume in this house with all the asthma!
After the girls went to bed, sort of!, two team leaders stopped by to pick up their cars. They hung out for a few minutes, talking of their first trip to Chik-fil-A. You could tell they were already having reverse culture shock and I wasn't sure they were going to leave... just had to talk to T about, well, nothing much! LOL, but that's the way it goes. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the team adjusts to being home after living in such a different country.
Once we went to bed, T and I ended up staying up talking and looking at some of his pictures. They paint a picture of a not so beautiful country filled with amazingly beautiful people. From my brief photo tour, that really stood out to me that the people in Cameroon are what create the beauty there. They are phenomenally bright, cheery, jubilant - in a picture! I imagine them to be emotional, attached, community oriented just from what I saw and a bit from what I heard last night. The beach was gorgeous, but other than that the pictures of the city are really kind of depressing. Abandoned buildings, dirt roads, makeshift homes. I think I was expecting a bit more for city dwellers in one of the more stable African countries.
I finally let T fall asleep last night, and boy did he sleep!! He kept mentioning to me that he is too old for these trips anymore. Really, though, the problem isn't his age, because he's very young! The problem is 10 days is not long enough for his body to adjust AND enjoy his stay. They flew into Cameroon after 28 hours of travel, then after another 36 hours went straight to the beach. That's a lot on a body. He will need some time to recover, and hopefully will begin to feel better soon.
The debrief in Paris was probably one of smarter pieces of the planning. At first, I think T wished they were not spending the night there. In truth, though, it was a great idea. For some team members, it was the first hot shower they'd had. It was also a place everyone wants to go, so there was plenty to see and do. They also still had just their team there. No distractions from friends and family, so the leaders still held a captive audience in the team. They had a great debrief session at the Eiffel Tower, then spent the rest of their time touring. Later they continued with a few more debrief and re-entry sessions.
I reminded T that last year, when returning from Brazil, all plans for debrief went awry because it was difficult to pull the team back togther. Some left for college, others went back to jobs and the rest were trying to readjust to life back home. This idea of debriefing away from home is a good one, especially for a trip like this, so far from home with so much to process.
We are super glad T is home. Now we have to make a decision about getting a new puppy (long story!) and plan our little welcome home celebration for tonight. Let's see, I have the Saltines, bottled water and we'll have to go get some bananas and rice. Sounds like a feast! LOL
Monday, August 07, 2006
Hangover
I feel like I have a hangover. I have no idea what that feels like because honestly I've never had one! But I'm sure it feels just like I'm feeling right now. Because of certain health conditions, I never drink anything with caffeine. Yesterday I was sooooo sleepy that I went ahead and drank a WHOLE can of Pepsi. It was disgusting! Anyway, I was still able to get to sleep. Usually, when I drink even a few sips of caffeine, I'm awake most of the night. Last night was an exception. I went to bed early - around 11:30 - and didn't wake up until 7 this morning. That's very unusual for me. But since I woke up, I've had a terrible headache. I'm pretty sure it's a caffeine hangover. If I drank coffee, I think I'd need a cup right now!
On the Dulles Toll Road
Today I need to go pick up T at Dulles, so waking up to this story was not the best way to start my day!! Road rage is a real problem around here. It's so random, so stupid, so scary! It's worse during high volume traffic times, like around 5-7pm, which is right around the time I need to leave... You can pray for me!
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Too Much Christian Music??
Em loves to belt out made up, ridiculously hilarious songs most of the day. Recently, they all seem to be a combination of worship tunes she's been listening to. Sometimes, when I listen to her, I think this child must have such a warped theology. Just a few moments ago, she was singing her heart out something like this, "I believe in you God, I will never stop believin' in you, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE! I love you, Lord!" Hmmm.... I wish I could just get her to learn the real words!! (We are all still laughing at the "Recipe the Name" from the other day!)
Here's What He Wrote:
From Paris:
Like I said earlier, "qnd" for "and" - LOL!
It's nice to know he's feeling better. Now, for my final act as mission's mom, we have to drive to Dulles airport at rush hour tomorrow. For me, this is probably the most challenging task of this entire trip. While it would have been much easier to ask someone else to just bring him home, T I know would much rather be picked up by his girls. We'll do it for him - but just to warn you all, no one else better ask as much from us!!
Em has asked me about 5 times today if tomorrow is the day we pick up dad. She honestly cannot wait! She likes everything to be just right, the way it should be and it's just not been that way for her. She's very happy, content but I can see in the back of her mind the daily reminder that something is out of place. From the time she could walk, Em has been our cuddle kid. If T so much as looks like he's going to hug me, she's right there at our legs, holding on for dear life! Tomorrow night, she's not going to let him go - I can feel it already!! I guess I'll be sleeping in her bed! LOL
Kt I'm sure is just formulating a million questions in her mind about Africa. She is our information monger. That child cannot stuff enough trivia into that brain of hers and is always looking for more country facts than one can put in an encyclopedia! In California, my aunt gave her a small globe on a keychain. It's TINY, and she has been showing everyone the pinpoint on the globe where her dad is. I can hardly even tell it's Africa!! I think we are both very ready to take her somewhere far away!
We are slowly getting cleaned up and ready. Kt wants to plan a big coming home party for T tomorrow. I had to break it to her that by the time we get home, no one will be awake enough for a party!! Not to mention, dad will be exhausted, not feeling well and party will be the last thing on his mind. But, to appease her, we will plan a party for Tuesday night!
Tomorrow at this time they should be landing - yeah!
We've had a pretty amazing day in Paris today seeing the sights. I
was still a bit sick so the other leaders ran the show including
getting everyone into the city and a pretty intense debreifing
session. I caught up with them later which was a lot of fun. Two
more sessions on reentry tommorrow qnd then flying. Pray for ontime
flights. More after we get home.
Like I said earlier, "qnd" for "and" - LOL!
It's nice to know he's feeling better. Now, for my final act as mission's mom, we have to drive to Dulles airport at rush hour tomorrow. For me, this is probably the most challenging task of this entire trip. While it would have been much easier to ask someone else to just bring him home, T I know would much rather be picked up by his girls. We'll do it for him - but just to warn you all, no one else better ask as much from us!!
Em has asked me about 5 times today if tomorrow is the day we pick up dad. She honestly cannot wait! She likes everything to be just right, the way it should be and it's just not been that way for her. She's very happy, content but I can see in the back of her mind the daily reminder that something is out of place. From the time she could walk, Em has been our cuddle kid. If T so much as looks like he's going to hug me, she's right there at our legs, holding on for dear life! Tomorrow night, she's not going to let him go - I can feel it already!! I guess I'll be sleeping in her bed! LOL
Kt I'm sure is just formulating a million questions in her mind about Africa. She is our information monger. That child cannot stuff enough trivia into that brain of hers and is always looking for more country facts than one can put in an encyclopedia! In California, my aunt gave her a small globe on a keychain. It's TINY, and she has been showing everyone the pinpoint on the globe where her dad is. I can hardly even tell it's Africa!! I think we are both very ready to take her somewhere far away!
We are slowly getting cleaned up and ready. Kt wants to plan a big coming home party for T tomorrow. I had to break it to her that by the time we get home, no one will be awake enough for a party!! Not to mention, dad will be exhausted, not feeling well and party will be the last thing on his mind. But, to appease her, we will plan a party for Tuesday night!
Tomorrow at this time they should be landing - yeah!
Can I Just Tell You How Psycho I Am??
This is a totally random story, but since I just remembered it, I'll tell you how totally blonde and psycho I am. Two weeks ago, the Sunday before the Cam team left, I was leaving church to go to my CPR/First Aid training. My mind was not completely there, my allergies were acting up, I was kind of tired.... OK, I had absolutely no excuse for what I did.
I was walking through our entirely way too big church lobby and my eyes caught sight of two girls who looked exactly like the daughters of a woman I used to teach with. She and her husband had adopted these girls from Russia years ago and the last I saw them was at our Extreme School Makeover, when they were out with their school PTA. They had mentioned leaving their church and I have wondered where they ended up. When I saw these girls, I immediately thought of them.
One of the girls ran up to a man I recognized, so I went right over, with only this thought in my mind, "What are they doing here??" I said to this man, "HI THERE!! When did you start coming here?" He gave me the strangest look and said, "Well, uh, oh, you mean the 11:15 service? Because we usually come at 9:15!" I replied, "Oh, right. Gosh. The last time I saw you was at the school makeover! Where's Jen?" At this point, he looked at me really strangely and said, "She's right over there." and off he went to catch a younger girl.
At this point, I turn around, I do not see Jen anywhere. Of course, I see my other friend, Jen, you know, the one who is in our small group every other Monday, the one who knows my friend Jen that I am looking for (thankfully!). At this point, I realize how totally stupid I've been. I mean, I'm clearly psychotic. This man and these girls, they are not the people I thought they were. This is Bob from my small group!!! and these are his girls, his very own, not from Russia. What is wrong with me???
I caught up with them as I was leaving and we all laughed it off, but really, I need my head checked!! Of course, of all the couples in our small group they are the ones who come the least. And this past winter I was taking that class so I was never there. I think the last time I saw them was last November!! But still - I mean, really, people need to start wearing name tags at my church or I'll be completely lost. Oh how I miss little churches!!
I was walking through our entirely way too big church lobby and my eyes caught sight of two girls who looked exactly like the daughters of a woman I used to teach with. She and her husband had adopted these girls from Russia years ago and the last I saw them was at our Extreme School Makeover, when they were out with their school PTA. They had mentioned leaving their church and I have wondered where they ended up. When I saw these girls, I immediately thought of them.
One of the girls ran up to a man I recognized, so I went right over, with only this thought in my mind, "What are they doing here??" I said to this man, "HI THERE!! When did you start coming here?" He gave me the strangest look and said, "Well, uh, oh, you mean the 11:15 service? Because we usually come at 9:15!" I replied, "Oh, right. Gosh. The last time I saw you was at the school makeover! Where's Jen?" At this point, he looked at me really strangely and said, "She's right over there." and off he went to catch a younger girl.
At this point, I turn around, I do not see Jen anywhere. Of course, I see my other friend, Jen, you know, the one who is in our small group every other Monday, the one who knows my friend Jen that I am looking for (thankfully!). At this point, I realize how totally stupid I've been. I mean, I'm clearly psychotic. This man and these girls, they are not the people I thought they were. This is Bob from my small group!!! and these are his girls, his very own, not from Russia. What is wrong with me???
I caught up with them as I was leaving and we all laughed it off, but really, I need my head checked!! Of course, of all the couples in our small group they are the ones who come the least. And this past winter I was taking that class so I was never there. I think the last time I saw them was last November!! But still - I mean, really, people need to start wearing name tags at my church or I'll be completely lost. Oh how I miss little churches!!
T chat
I just spent some time this morning chatting with T in Paris. It was kind of funny, as the "A" and "Q" are reversed on the french keyboard, so it looked funny everytime he typed "qnd" - LOL!
He is the only one who is sick, the rest of the team has been touring Paris all day. He was finally feeling decent, so he is now meeting them at the Eiffel Tower. He was at an internet cafe near Notre Dame. Can you imagine? I can't!
I'm feeling a bit lazy this morning. The girls do not want to go to church and I'm too tired to make them go. Isn't that awful - I'm feeling rather wimpy. It's been a long almost two weeks without T. I really want to go to church, but it's now 10:30. I needed to chat with my husband this morning and now I'll just be running around trying to get ready, we'll be late, I'll be mad, the girls will be grouches.... we're staying home.
Next weekend I'll be in Connecticut for the Women of Faith conference with my mom, my sister-in-law and possibly my sister. I'm doubting my sister will come - long story, I'm not going to bother to get into it, but I'll be in total shock if my sister and her husband make the trip. We are going to do the same as we did last year - drive up early Friday, go to the Yankee Candle flagship store and then go to the conference. This year we will be only 2 blocks from the Hartford Colesium. Last year we were about 15 minutes away and had to drive in a park. I'm very excited!
Well, I do need to get dressed and start cleaning up. Oh, and eat. Pray that T feels better when he gets home. He's still sick!
He is the only one who is sick, the rest of the team has been touring Paris all day. He was finally feeling decent, so he is now meeting them at the Eiffel Tower. He was at an internet cafe near Notre Dame. Can you imagine? I can't!
I'm feeling a bit lazy this morning. The girls do not want to go to church and I'm too tired to make them go. Isn't that awful - I'm feeling rather wimpy. It's been a long almost two weeks without T. I really want to go to church, but it's now 10:30. I needed to chat with my husband this morning and now I'll just be running around trying to get ready, we'll be late, I'll be mad, the girls will be grouches.... we're staying home.
Next weekend I'll be in Connecticut for the Women of Faith conference with my mom, my sister-in-law and possibly my sister. I'm doubting my sister will come - long story, I'm not going to bother to get into it, but I'll be in total shock if my sister and her husband make the trip. We are going to do the same as we did last year - drive up early Friday, go to the Yankee Candle flagship store and then go to the conference. This year we will be only 2 blocks from the Hartford Colesium. Last year we were about 15 minutes away and had to drive in a park. I'm very excited!
Well, I do need to get dressed and start cleaning up. Oh, and eat. Pray that T feels better when he gets home. He's still sick!
Saturday, August 05, 2006
The Tster has landed!
The team just landed in Paris. Now I can sleep peacefully while my husband is enjoying himself in the city of.... uh.... I don't know, really. Anyway, would have been nice to go, but I'm fine here. Time for bed!!
On His Way Home!
T is on a plane right now from Doula, Cameroon to Paris, France. He emailed this morning saying he was still sick and hoping to sleep on the plane a bit. I have a feeling he'll be taking a sick day on Tuesday!! Hopefully, they will all arrive safely - 7 am Paris time, 1 am our time. I might just stay up tonight to make sure they land safely.
After his email, I received one from the family in Cameroon that arranged and hosted everything for us. A tearful goodbye, reunion plans and a small P.S. on the bottom that they were returning T completely exhausted and pooped out. I replied with: That's always the way we receive him after these trips! : ).
The girls are planning a chocolate feast when he returns - I'm guessing that is more for their benefit. I'll have to go to the local chinese take-out and make sure we have plenty of Won-ton soup around for his return! The girls won't mind, as long as they get their chocolate!! Getting them to clean up for him is a completely different story.
Today Kt was supposed to have her best friend, who is moving to Bismarck, North Dakota on Thursday, over for the day and evening. We picked her up, ran to the grocery store where before we even got out of the car she became sick to her stomach. Poor Kt - she's been asking for her all day!! Anyway, we'll have to see if we can't work something out before Thursday, but that's not looking so good.
After swim lessons, we had chips and cheese for dinner. We have to do stuff like that when dad is away. He hates cheese and I would never dream of having something like that for dinner. We just did it tonight because we could. It was really gross! LOL! But fun, and the girls were happy. They are now watching Aquamarine for the umpteenth time. Yes, I let them watch it, and it was much cuter than I'd expected. I wasn't going to let them see it, but when we went to Target and saw it mixed in with Disney and Nickelodean movies, I decided I'd give it a try.
And me? Well, hopefully I can finish up these wedding invitations tonight so that all day Sunday and Monday I can clean my house! Not so fun, but must be done. That's life!! I also have a prospect for a very part time tutoring job for this next school year. I was praying about what I could do that wouldn't require me to work all the time but I could be productive, and keep a little busy. I've also been pondering what to do with the rest of my life. Graduate school for something education related or do something totally different, like a travel agent or banker. You know - I'm basically directionless at this point!! LOL - well God just started me out with something education related. And He knows my heart best. We'll see where this goes!
Pray for T - and our adjustment to him being home, processing his trip and applying what he's concluding to his life now. It's never an easy adjustment, but it's always worth the time and energy we put into translating the experience God has given to our lives here. We'll get him well first, then we'll listen intently to the amazing things he experienced on the other side of the world! One of the things I've always loved about T is that he loves to be the learner, but he's really a great teacher!
After his email, I received one from the family in Cameroon that arranged and hosted everything for us. A tearful goodbye, reunion plans and a small P.S. on the bottom that they were returning T completely exhausted and pooped out. I replied with: That's always the way we receive him after these trips! : ).
The girls are planning a chocolate feast when he returns - I'm guessing that is more for their benefit. I'll have to go to the local chinese take-out and make sure we have plenty of Won-ton soup around for his return! The girls won't mind, as long as they get their chocolate!! Getting them to clean up for him is a completely different story.
Today Kt was supposed to have her best friend, who is moving to Bismarck, North Dakota on Thursday, over for the day and evening. We picked her up, ran to the grocery store where before we even got out of the car she became sick to her stomach. Poor Kt - she's been asking for her all day!! Anyway, we'll have to see if we can't work something out before Thursday, but that's not looking so good.
After swim lessons, we had chips and cheese for dinner. We have to do stuff like that when dad is away. He hates cheese and I would never dream of having something like that for dinner. We just did it tonight because we could. It was really gross! LOL! But fun, and the girls were happy. They are now watching Aquamarine for the umpteenth time. Yes, I let them watch it, and it was much cuter than I'd expected. I wasn't going to let them see it, but when we went to Target and saw it mixed in with Disney and Nickelodean movies, I decided I'd give it a try.
And me? Well, hopefully I can finish up these wedding invitations tonight so that all day Sunday and Monday I can clean my house! Not so fun, but must be done. That's life!! I also have a prospect for a very part time tutoring job for this next school year. I was praying about what I could do that wouldn't require me to work all the time but I could be productive, and keep a little busy. I've also been pondering what to do with the rest of my life. Graduate school for something education related or do something totally different, like a travel agent or banker. You know - I'm basically directionless at this point!! LOL - well God just started me out with something education related. And He knows my heart best. We'll see where this goes!
Pray for T - and our adjustment to him being home, processing his trip and applying what he's concluding to his life now. It's never an easy adjustment, but it's always worth the time and energy we put into translating the experience God has given to our lives here. We'll get him well first, then we'll listen intently to the amazing things he experienced on the other side of the world! One of the things I've always loved about T is that he loves to be the learner, but he's really a great teacher!
Thursday, August 03, 2006
What I've Been Saying All Along!!
I know I've mentioned before how I feel about parents of children with nut-allergies. I sympathize with them to a point. I personally do not send food with nuts to school with my children as I do not ever want to be responsible for another child having an allergic reaction. I also am frustrated with parents trying to dictate every morsel of food in the name of a food allergy. Last I checked, DOTS have no peanuts!! However, many of these parents do not educate their children on what food items have peanuts or peanut products, so the children never learn how to make very important food decisions on their own.
On cnn.com today there is an article supporting this belief of mine is printed. I'm NOT suggesting that start introducing nut products in schools, but I'm just reiterating my belief that if children never see what they are allergic to, they may not recognize it when it's put in front of their faces!! I think creating a completely peanut/nut free environment is just as dangerous for kids as exposure in so many ways.
My sister-in-law's best friend was allergic to walnuts. Her mom very carefully created the walnut-free life for her and she was always told what she could and could not eat, namely walnuts. So, when she went off to college, she decided that as long as she took off the walnuts on top of her brownie, it would be safe. She never made it to the hospital and her epipen was back in her dorm room.
Please, if you have a child who has a lethal peanut allergy, educate them, as scary as it may be, what can happen if you eat this, or this, or even this. No exposure can kill them as well!
On cnn.com today there is an article supporting this belief of mine is printed. I'm NOT suggesting that start introducing nut products in schools, but I'm just reiterating my belief that if children never see what they are allergic to, they may not recognize it when it's put in front of their faces!! I think creating a completely peanut/nut free environment is just as dangerous for kids as exposure in so many ways.
My sister-in-law's best friend was allergic to walnuts. Her mom very carefully created the walnut-free life for her and she was always told what she could and could not eat, namely walnuts. So, when she went off to college, she decided that as long as she took off the walnuts on top of her brownie, it would be safe. She never made it to the hospital and her epipen was back in her dorm room.
Please, if you have a child who has a lethal peanut allergy, educate them, as scary as it may be, what can happen if you eat this, or this, or even this. No exposure can kill them as well!
News from T in Cameroon!
Here are a couple updates. I'm copying them, pasting them so some of the info will be duplicate. The girls and I are heading home tomorrow. I'm dreading the ride. I'd much rather stay here, but we need to get home for a good-bye party. Then we sit around all weekend waiting for T to come home!
Update 1:
Hi parents,
Sorry for the lack of updates. The team is doing great – there are some slight stomach issues and Lauren got a small dog bite by the Naines dog. Lauren did talk to her mom, and we are treating accordingly. Good thing they both got all their shots.
The team has done a great job with the youth camp, which finished on Wednesday. Lot of friendships were made, 4 students made decisions and the indigenous youth worker team here got some great momentum. Tomorrow is a visit to a tech school in the morning, followed by visiting some first time ever student small groups – as a follow up from camp – and then a Nav gathering to say goodbye to us. We depart from Yaounde on Sat evening and land in Paris Sunday morning.
Thanks for praying, please pray for:
- that our stomach issues would go away
- for Lauren’s ankle
- that our flights would be on time
- that our time in Paris would be a great time of encouraging our team as they come back to the states and what they will do with the experience
Thanks again, your kids are pretty awesome!
Tony for the team
Prayer Update:
Dear SPACE friends,
I’m writing this from Yaounde, Cameroon, Africa, where we are in day 7 of a 10 day mission experience. The sights, sounds and smells of Cameroon are mostly what you expect of Africa – dusty roads, lots of people, roadside stands and a lot of taxis in this city of 1.5 million people. The relationships here though are far deeper than those images relate to. Cameroonians love people and their warm smiles and handshakes only scratch the surface.
Our team just finished helping run a four day youth camp - assisted by an indigenous team of Cameroonian youthworkers - for around 35 high school students. The overall effort is part of a long term strategy to start a high school ministry and our tasks included being a part of small group discussions centered around faith and spiritual things, running fun high school style games and sharing our stories as well as our lives. Most Cameroonians don’t swim, so the combined experience of a youth camp and the location of the beach was a real treat for them. It was also great for us to have a few lifeguards on our team. This strategy is an ideal situation for a team such as ours, as 4 Cameroonians made first time decisions for Jesus and as the Cameroonian youth team already has planned immediate small groups to follow up.
As if being in Africa wasn’t enough of a real time lab about culture and context, our team also took a 2 hour ride – via dugout canoe – into the jungle to see a village of Cameroonian pygmies. I never imagined I would have the privilege of talking about God to a village chief via two translators. It was a wild experience.
Thank you again for praying and supporting this team – we know God is hearing your requests for us. Please continue to pray for:
- our relative safety for the rest of our time here
most everyone has been healthy except for minor stomach issues.
Also please pray for LFoley, who got a minor bite from one of our hosts’ dog. Fortunately, both have had all their shots.
- Our timely and safe travel – we fly to Paris on Sat night and back home on Monday evening.
- A quality time of debriefing and processing the experience while in Paris
- Our new Cameroonian friends, their spiritual growth and that decades from now, Yaounde and all of Cameroon would be a much different place because of Jesus
- That life back home would be lived with the same passion and intensity for what Jesus longs to do with our lives and the communities we live in.
Update 1:
Hi parents,
Sorry for the lack of updates. The team is doing great – there are some slight stomach issues and Lauren got a small dog bite by the Naines dog. Lauren did talk to her mom, and we are treating accordingly. Good thing they both got all their shots.
The team has done a great job with the youth camp, which finished on Wednesday. Lot of friendships were made, 4 students made decisions and the indigenous youth worker team here got some great momentum. Tomorrow is a visit to a tech school in the morning, followed by visiting some first time ever student small groups – as a follow up from camp – and then a Nav gathering to say goodbye to us. We depart from Yaounde on Sat evening and land in Paris Sunday morning.
Thanks for praying, please pray for:
- that our stomach issues would go away
- for Lauren’s ankle
- that our flights would be on time
- that our time in Paris would be a great time of encouraging our team as they come back to the states and what they will do with the experience
Thanks again, your kids are pretty awesome!
Tony for the team
Prayer Update:
Dear SPACE friends,
I’m writing this from Yaounde, Cameroon, Africa, where we are in day 7 of a 10 day mission experience. The sights, sounds and smells of Cameroon are mostly what you expect of Africa – dusty roads, lots of people, roadside stands and a lot of taxis in this city of 1.5 million people. The relationships here though are far deeper than those images relate to. Cameroonians love people and their warm smiles and handshakes only scratch the surface.
Our team just finished helping run a four day youth camp - assisted by an indigenous team of Cameroonian youthworkers - for around 35 high school students. The overall effort is part of a long term strategy to start a high school ministry and our tasks included being a part of small group discussions centered around faith and spiritual things, running fun high school style games and sharing our stories as well as our lives. Most Cameroonians don’t swim, so the combined experience of a youth camp and the location of the beach was a real treat for them. It was also great for us to have a few lifeguards on our team. This strategy is an ideal situation for a team such as ours, as 4 Cameroonians made first time decisions for Jesus and as the Cameroonian youth team already has planned immediate small groups to follow up.
As if being in Africa wasn’t enough of a real time lab about culture and context, our team also took a 2 hour ride – via dugout canoe – into the jungle to see a village of Cameroonian pygmies. I never imagined I would have the privilege of talking about God to a village chief via two translators. It was a wild experience.
Thank you again for praying and supporting this team – we know God is hearing your requests for us. Please continue to pray for:
- our relative safety for the rest of our time here
most everyone has been healthy except for minor stomach issues.
Also please pray for LFoley, who got a minor bite from one of our hosts’ dog. Fortunately, both have had all their shots.
- Our timely and safe travel – we fly to Paris on Sat night and back home on Monday evening.
- A quality time of debriefing and processing the experience while in Paris
- Our new Cameroonian friends, their spiritual growth and that decades from now, Yaounde and all of Cameroon would be a much different place because of Jesus
- That life back home would be lived with the same passion and intensity for what Jesus longs to do with our lives and the communities we live in.
Finally!!!
Power back at my moms - at least we think!?! The answering machine is picking up, so we are assuming there is power. We are heading over there to see, cool the house (and the dog) down. It will be nice to clean up a bit. The freezer in the basement and the refrigerator both defrosted, so we'll have some mopping to do. It's another hot day. It's rather unfortunate that we've missed going to the beach on our little vacation.
Now I can pack up in less than sweltering heat so we can head home tomorrow. Kt's best friend is moving and we have a party to attend. I hope we make it home in time. We are all on each other's nerves, it's pretty bad. I think we all need more sleep. My mom woke up at 8, announcing it was 9 o'clock and if she didn't get up, she'd never get up. Both girls were woken up and then my mom, when she figured out it was only 8 laid back down!!! The girls needed at least another hour!!! UGH! It's going to be a long, long day!
Now I can pack up in less than sweltering heat so we can head home tomorrow. Kt's best friend is moving and we have a party to attend. I hope we make it home in time. We are all on each other's nerves, it's pretty bad. I think we all need more sleep. My mom woke up at 8, announcing it was 9 o'clock and if she didn't get up, she'd never get up. Both girls were woken up and then my mom, when she figured out it was only 8 laid back down!!! The girls needed at least another hour!!! UGH! It's going to be a long, long day!
United Illuminating: Part II
We are now going on 36 hours without power. No response whatsoever from UI. My brother and his wife have been kind enough to allow us to crash at their place, but I'm very worried about our dog, who is not allowed in this apartment. It's beginning to look like I might have to leave today for home.
I monitored UI's web page. It's so not informative, I will never complain about BGE again! Whenever we have power out at home, we see multiple trucks out, get hourly reports on TV and radio and can track everything online. The UI "tracking" consists of numbers. In other words. All you know is how many customers have no power. That's it!! Yesterday, in Fairfield, we started the day with 20 customers out of power, that would be my mom's street. By early evening there were 250!! In Bridgeport, the number was in the 300's. This morning, all other areas are down to double digit numbers and Fairfield is now up to 380 customers. Could it be that they might actually send one truck down here today???
Truth be told, in all of our wanderings yesterday to stay out of the heat, we never saw one single UI truck anywhere. When we lose power at home, BGE works around the clock and anywhere you go you are bound to see at least one truck. Definitely NOT the case here.
For Fairfield being the #9 top place in the US to live, I'm quite certain the power company had nothing to do with that rating!!
I monitored UI's web page. It's so not informative, I will never complain about BGE again! Whenever we have power out at home, we see multiple trucks out, get hourly reports on TV and radio and can track everything online. The UI "tracking" consists of numbers. In other words. All you know is how many customers have no power. That's it!! Yesterday, in Fairfield, we started the day with 20 customers out of power, that would be my mom's street. By early evening there were 250!! In Bridgeport, the number was in the 300's. This morning, all other areas are down to double digit numbers and Fairfield is now up to 380 customers. Could it be that they might actually send one truck down here today???
Truth be told, in all of our wanderings yesterday to stay out of the heat, we never saw one single UI truck anywhere. When we lose power at home, BGE works around the clock and anywhere you go you are bound to see at least one truck. Definitely NOT the case here.
For Fairfield being the #9 top place in the US to live, I'm quite certain the power company had nothing to do with that rating!!
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
T just called!
Despite what we'd been told, someone's cellphone actually works in Yaounde! T used this cell to make a quick call - I guess Em must have prayed really hard last night!!
He sounded very happy, upbeat and excited. It was great to hear from him. They are back in Yaounde. Tomorrow they will go on a city/souveneir tour, then debrief. Friday they will do a small get together (I think) to follow up with the teens they went to the beach with. Saturday they pack and get ready to leave for Paris.
It seems that a few of them (T included) got a little stomach thing but it was not too bad. The two who had the worst of it are both fine now, so that is good news. It was super to talk to him, and a nice break for us as we are sweltering in our electricless heatwave. Only 5 more days until he's home!
He sounded very happy, upbeat and excited. It was great to hear from him. They are back in Yaounde. Tomorrow they will go on a city/souveneir tour, then debrief. Friday they will do a small get together (I think) to follow up with the teens they went to the beach with. Saturday they pack and get ready to leave for Paris.
It seems that a few of them (T included) got a little stomach thing but it was not too bad. The two who had the worst of it are both fine now, so that is good news. It was super to talk to him, and a nice break for us as we are sweltering in our electricless heatwave. Only 5 more days until he's home!
United Illuminating
Yesterday, we started our hot, hot day at the beach. It was awesome, and fortunately, we all took showers when we got home. Later we drove up to our favorite spot, The Christmas Tree Shop, did a little shopping and that's when all the fun started. A very large thunderstorm came up very quickly. We all had dinner across the parking lot. I dropped everyone off, then made a run for it. I entered the restaurant after running through a parking lot that became a river and looked like I'd just gotten out of the shower!!
After eating dinner soaked! we went back to my mom's. We were not home 30 minutes when the electric went out. I'd have to say it was a bit surprising as the storm clearly never made it to my mom's area. It was totally dry there and much hotter. Even more strange is the recent history of her street, which used to never lose power, even when all the streets around us were dark. For the last 3 weeks, this is the fourth time they have been the only street to lose power.
Needless to say, it was hot last night. I am sure today will only get worse. My mom fully expected the power to be back on this morning, as the longest she has been without power was 8 hours. However, today at 11, still no power.
Last night, my brother called UI. Never in my life, other than that experience we had last year with United Airlines, have I ever encountered worse customer service. We called, pressed all the right buttons, and waited an HOUR for anyone to answer our call. When the woman finally did she said this, "We are aware of that outage and we cannot promise any estimated time of restored power." That was it. One street to them is nothing I guess!!
It's amazing to me that these power and gas companies need to double our bills and take away any kind of reliable service. There was no explanation, not even a sign of a UI truck or any estimation of when we might expect to regain power. How miserable!
So, here I am at my brother's, trying to get a little cool after a sleepless night of all of us in my mom's living room. I guess God is trying to give us a hint of what it might be like for T in Cameroon! No updates in two days - poor Em asked me last night if we could call him, she misses him and is sure that there must be some way to call him. Didn't he bring his cellphone? she asked me. Oh, to have a world so small!! and comfortable!!
After eating dinner soaked! we went back to my mom's. We were not home 30 minutes when the electric went out. I'd have to say it was a bit surprising as the storm clearly never made it to my mom's area. It was totally dry there and much hotter. Even more strange is the recent history of her street, which used to never lose power, even when all the streets around us were dark. For the last 3 weeks, this is the fourth time they have been the only street to lose power.
Needless to say, it was hot last night. I am sure today will only get worse. My mom fully expected the power to be back on this morning, as the longest she has been without power was 8 hours. However, today at 11, still no power.
Last night, my brother called UI. Never in my life, other than that experience we had last year with United Airlines, have I ever encountered worse customer service. We called, pressed all the right buttons, and waited an HOUR for anyone to answer our call. When the woman finally did she said this, "We are aware of that outage and we cannot promise any estimated time of restored power." That was it. One street to them is nothing I guess!!
It's amazing to me that these power and gas companies need to double our bills and take away any kind of reliable service. There was no explanation, not even a sign of a UI truck or any estimation of when we might expect to regain power. How miserable!
So, here I am at my brother's, trying to get a little cool after a sleepless night of all of us in my mom's living room. I guess God is trying to give us a hint of what it might be like for T in Cameroon! No updates in two days - poor Em asked me last night if we could call him, she misses him and is sure that there must be some way to call him. Didn't he bring his cellphone? she asked me. Oh, to have a world so small!! and comfortable!!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Cameroon
Well, today is our first day without an update, but the truth is I never expected any updates!! It's been a pleasant surprise getting the few that I have, and I am so thankful for that little bit of connectivity.
This afternoon, after a morning in the heat at the beach, we got an Incredible Edible fruit basket from T! It said in the card, "Enjoy. I am having a great time in Cameroon (I think!). " So funny, and a very sweet thought. I'm glad we really came to Connecticut!
Please just continue to pray for the health of the team and the receptivity of the kids they are hopefully bonding with. They are to return to Yaounde either tomorrow or Thursday, and I know the 3 hour bus ride - no bathroom stops - may prove to be a challenge for any who might be ill. Once back in Yaounde, I'm hope they can enjoy some culture, a bit of rest and a time of encouragement with their hosts, who have so graciously opened their homes.
They leave Saturday evening, fly to Paris, arriving at 6:30 am for a debrief in France. Their return to America is Monday late afternoon into evening for us. I hope they all get a chance to enjoy Paris!! and reflect on their experience. I can't wait to hear all about this trip!
This afternoon, after a morning in the heat at the beach, we got an Incredible Edible fruit basket from T! It said in the card, "Enjoy. I am having a great time in Cameroon (I think!). " So funny, and a very sweet thought. I'm glad we really came to Connecticut!
Please just continue to pray for the health of the team and the receptivity of the kids they are hopefully bonding with. They are to return to Yaounde either tomorrow or Thursday, and I know the 3 hour bus ride - no bathroom stops - may prove to be a challenge for any who might be ill. Once back in Yaounde, I'm hope they can enjoy some culture, a bit of rest and a time of encouragement with their hosts, who have so graciously opened their homes.
They leave Saturday evening, fly to Paris, arriving at 6:30 am for a debrief in France. Their return to America is Monday late afternoon into evening for us. I hope they all get a chance to enjoy Paris!! and reflect on their experience. I can't wait to hear all about this trip!
School Supplies
Have I mentioned how much my older daughter LOVES school?? She loves it so much that I'm worried my second will be the complete opposite, as she has tended to be, and absolutely hate it!
Like many parents in America and beyond, we've spent a couple weeks gathering and organizing school supplies. In our county, the school supply lists are outrageous. I believe I've spent close to $50/child on supplies, which are clearly listed with correct sizes (.77 glue stick, Elmer's NOT school glue, baby wipes 80 ct. from Giant food store ONLY, etc), amounts (that would be 7 super large glue sticks for my kindergartener!!) and sometimes colors and places to buy them. It's rather annoying. They have finally taken off the list the ream of paper each child was to send in, it is now only a suggested donation for kindergarten.
With all those items to buy, school clothes, backpacks and lunch boxes tend to be the icing on the cake. We have spent a couple weeks pricing backpacks for my very selective and picky older daughter. We narrowed it down to a cheetah print backpack at the Children's Place for $15.50 or a light blue Jansport backpack at Target for $19.99. The cheetah print favorite was too small, the one at Target I was hoping would go on sale. I totally lucked out going to the Target up here yesterday and found a slightly different one for $7.99!!
Score, and my 8 year old was quite happy I'd finally agreed to buy one. For $8, I can bear to watch it being dragged from the bus to my front stairs without completely losing it, if it were to disappear I would not go into cardiac arrest and my daughter is quite happy to have this new backpack. So happy, in fact, that she has carried it around my mom's house (in her new palazzo pants also from Target!) non-stop since we brought it home. She wanted to take it to the beach but we said no. She has insisted that her sister play school with her and has even allowed her 5 year old sister to be the teacher so she can be the student and carry around her new, cheap backpack. It's quite funny!
Now I wonder if all those new school supplies will fit in this new backpack?!?
Like many parents in America and beyond, we've spent a couple weeks gathering and organizing school supplies. In our county, the school supply lists are outrageous. I believe I've spent close to $50/child on supplies, which are clearly listed with correct sizes (.77 glue stick, Elmer's NOT school glue, baby wipes 80 ct. from Giant food store ONLY, etc), amounts (that would be 7 super large glue sticks for my kindergartener!!) and sometimes colors and places to buy them. It's rather annoying. They have finally taken off the list the ream of paper each child was to send in, it is now only a suggested donation for kindergarten.
With all those items to buy, school clothes, backpacks and lunch boxes tend to be the icing on the cake. We have spent a couple weeks pricing backpacks for my very selective and picky older daughter. We narrowed it down to a cheetah print backpack at the Children's Place for $15.50 or a light blue Jansport backpack at Target for $19.99. The cheetah print favorite was too small, the one at Target I was hoping would go on sale. I totally lucked out going to the Target up here yesterday and found a slightly different one for $7.99!!
Score, and my 8 year old was quite happy I'd finally agreed to buy one. For $8, I can bear to watch it being dragged from the bus to my front stairs without completely losing it, if it were to disappear I would not go into cardiac arrest and my daughter is quite happy to have this new backpack. So happy, in fact, that she has carried it around my mom's house (in her new palazzo pants also from Target!) non-stop since we brought it home. She wanted to take it to the beach but we said no. She has insisted that her sister play school with her and has even allowed her 5 year old sister to be the teacher so she can be the student and carry around her new, cheap backpack. It's quite funny!
Now I wonder if all those new school supplies will fit in this new backpack?!?
Creation Museum
I was just reading about this Creation Museum in Kentucky. The name Ken Ham came up. T and I went to a presentation by him once. It was actually a school trip, when I taught in a christian school. Some very interesting theories and very good arguments against the theory of evolution and the origin of life.
Most people, I'm sure, will laugh off this museum, balking at the idea that there is anything "scientific" about creation. I think it takes some amount of faith to believe what you read in the Bible concerning the origin of life. Of course, I happen to think it takes a larger amount of faith to believe that humans "evolved" from a single cell!!
The truth is, there are things we will never know until we "meet our maker." We can argue all we want about who is right or wrong, but that will never accomplish anything. I do think it's worth dwelling on, though, the theories this man has researched for many, many years.
As a student in America, I was forced to learn the theory of evolution as fact. Never presented with any other option or possibility. As a parent, I won't allow that to happen to my children. For those who think I'm a "wacko" for believing in creation, have you ever wondered what I think about evolutionists?? Here's what I think: if you would like me to be more open-minded, I'd like the same courtesy. Thanks!
Most people, I'm sure, will laugh off this museum, balking at the idea that there is anything "scientific" about creation. I think it takes some amount of faith to believe what you read in the Bible concerning the origin of life. Of course, I happen to think it takes a larger amount of faith to believe that humans "evolved" from a single cell!!
The truth is, there are things we will never know until we "meet our maker." We can argue all we want about who is right or wrong, but that will never accomplish anything. I do think it's worth dwelling on, though, the theories this man has researched for many, many years.
As a student in America, I was forced to learn the theory of evolution as fact. Never presented with any other option or possibility. As a parent, I won't allow that to happen to my children. For those who think I'm a "wacko" for believing in creation, have you ever wondered what I think about evolutionists?? Here's what I think: if you would like me to be more open-minded, I'd like the same courtesy. Thanks!
Monday, July 31, 2006
Daily Diary
OK - today we did what we love to do: shopping and beach! We took the girls to Kohl's and Target, bought them wayyyy too much and then came home for a bit before heading to the beach. It's hard for me to pass up a bargain, but even harder when my girls are with me. I'm teaching them nothing!! I have to work on that!
The beach was fun. We went in the evening, had dinner and then, because it was high tide, the girls actually swam in the water. We like to go at low tide, when finding hermit crabs and digging in the mud serve as great babysitters. Today, though, my two fish actually swam around in the calm waters of the Long Island Sound. I think they loved it! They even got a bit brave and both swam under the salty water. Em insists that she swallowed about three mouths full - LOL.
As my mom and I sat on the shore watching (so strange not to have to go in with my little kids anymore!), we reminisced about going to the beach with my dad. He LOVED swimming with us. We would always beg him to come in, and he usually would. He preferred the lake near our house to the salt water, but would just swim around with us, let us jump off him shoulders, would play Marco Polo, pretend to be a shark and he taught us all how to "splash" correctly with a direct hit! Because he had a trick knee, swimming was about the only physical activity that my dad would engage us in, so we savored every moment of our time in the water with him.
It was truly a fun day, and I missed my dad. Tomorrow morning we are heading back to the beach before the real heat settles in. The high should get close to 100 degrees, so leaving to come home shouldn't be much of a problem!! although we are going for some low tide! The rest of our day is up in the air - just not sure what's in store, but I do know it will involve some kind of air conditioned place!!
The beach was fun. We went in the evening, had dinner and then, because it was high tide, the girls actually swam in the water. We like to go at low tide, when finding hermit crabs and digging in the mud serve as great babysitters. Today, though, my two fish actually swam around in the calm waters of the Long Island Sound. I think they loved it! They even got a bit brave and both swam under the salty water. Em insists that she swallowed about three mouths full - LOL.
As my mom and I sat on the shore watching (so strange not to have to go in with my little kids anymore!), we reminisced about going to the beach with my dad. He LOVED swimming with us. We would always beg him to come in, and he usually would. He preferred the lake near our house to the salt water, but would just swim around with us, let us jump off him shoulders, would play Marco Polo, pretend to be a shark and he taught us all how to "splash" correctly with a direct hit! Because he had a trick knee, swimming was about the only physical activity that my dad would engage us in, so we savored every moment of our time in the water with him.
It was truly a fun day, and I missed my dad. Tomorrow morning we are heading back to the beach before the real heat settles in. The high should get close to 100 degrees, so leaving to come home shouldn't be much of a problem!! although we are going for some low tide! The rest of our day is up in the air - just not sure what's in store, but I do know it will involve some kind of air conditioned place!!
More From Cameroon!
Good Morning America!!!
Just talked to G and we need to keep praying for the health of the team. L and E are doing better. L is still on a BRAT diet with a tender tummy. B woke up early in the morning with loose stools and feeling yucky. They are working to keep him well hydrated and he is resting today.
Let’s really pray that the enemy would just leave them alone, please! And we do know that some great things are happening down there…even more reason for the enemy to be upset with us.
Sophie has been a bit more engaged yesterday and Yannick (one of the guys that gave his life to Christ yesterday) has really jumped in with both feet and shows a true hunger and thirst for the Word. Praise God.
G said that even though this is a much more expensive facility (and therefore a pretty nice place to be) than we had originally desired, it has left no reason for complaining and therefore the teens are more able to be focused and there are less distractions. This is great news!
Love and hugs and thank you for battling with us!
W and the kiddos
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Hangin' in New England
We made it! We left at 5 am and got here early. I won't tell you what time, as we made a new record. With no traffic and no stops, it's amazing what you can do.
I'm quite tired, but having fun. Kt is playing SkipBo with Uncle D and mom, Em was listening to her new praise CD that dad gave her. We were cracking up because she has changed some of the words. Our favorite - "recipe the name" instead of "Blessed Be the Name". God must have something cookin'!
A couple things I learned today: 1. there are lots of people awake at 5 am!, 2. sunrises can be beautiful (I'm usually sound asleep for them!) and 3. no matter how long we have E-Z pass express lanes, people will still ignore the 15, 30 or 65 mile an hour speed posted and come to a complete stop. Very frustrating, especially when you are the only two people on the road!! Oh, yes, and police like to be out early Sunday. They didn't bother me at all, but there were plenty of them around!
Hopefully we'll make it to the beach a couple times this week and get a little shopping done. We all love to be here, hanging out with our family. It is sure to take our minds off missing T!
I'm quite tired, but having fun. Kt is playing SkipBo with Uncle D and mom, Em was listening to her new praise CD that dad gave her. We were cracking up because she has changed some of the words. Our favorite - "recipe the name" instead of "Blessed Be the Name". God must have something cookin'!
A couple things I learned today: 1. there are lots of people awake at 5 am!, 2. sunrises can be beautiful (I'm usually sound asleep for them!) and 3. no matter how long we have E-Z pass express lanes, people will still ignore the 15, 30 or 65 mile an hour speed posted and come to a complete stop. Very frustrating, especially when you are the only two people on the road!! Oh, yes, and police like to be out early Sunday. They didn't bother me at all, but there were plenty of them around!
Hopefully we'll make it to the beach a couple times this week and get a little shopping done. We all love to be here, hanging out with our family. It is sure to take our minds off missing T!
News and Prayer Requests for Cameroon
Here's an email I just received from Cameroon. If you feel led, please lift up these requests! Thanks!
Hi Warriors,
Just heard from Gilles and they are doing well. The weather is not rainy and they are having a good time. This morning, Ndoune, one of our Cameroonian team members, gave the Gospel message and 5 kids came to Christ!!! What a praise!!!
Some key things to be praying about…
Elly and Lauren, from the US team, were down yesterday with a bad tummy…They are both feeling better today, but let’s continue to pray God’s protection over all the US team.
One girl, Sophie, a Cameroonian, has been making herself scarce each time God is talked about. They are working to love her to the group and Christ and we are praying for an open heart and that she would be more involved.
The whole schedule that Gilles worked painstakingly to put in place has had to be changed and almost scrapped. We are learning the true meaning of flexibility and are praying that the US team can roll with the punches…they surely aren’t in Kansas anymore!!! J
Marie Paule, Ndoune’s wife, is staying with us while he is at the camp. She is 36 weeks pregnant and we are really praying that little Jean Samuel (the unborn little guy) doesn’t feel the need to come early…wouldn’t that be like the Lord’s sense of humor…NOT!!!
Thank you for praying for us and I will keep you updated as often as I have news. G sounded encouraged and upbeat…he is so flexible and God made him for Cameroon, I think! I sometimes just do better to stay at home and pray!! J
Love you and thanks,
W and the kiddos
Saturday, July 29, 2006
My Little Fish!
We just got back from our third swim lesson of the summer. The girls are both fish, but I signed them up to learn basic swim techniques that they refuse to learn from me. Especially Em, who gives me dirty looks whenever I try to teach her anything! (Guess that rules out homeschooling for her!)
Em's lesson was first, and she wasn't all that happy to listen to the teacher either, but she sure can swim! Now we just have to work on breathing. During Kt's lesson, Em insisted on swimming in the deep water, where Kt's lesson was. In the middle of Kt's lesson, the teacher made all the other students, who have had three more lessons than Kt, get out of the pool to watch Kt swim breast stroke. I was so proud of her! I love to swim and that's my favorite stroke but I do it incorrectly so I keep telling her not to swim like me!!
When she was done she came up to me and said, "I'm good at breast stroke!!" She had the biggest grin on her face. There is nothing like being a parent of a child who has just been instilled with even the slightest amount of confidence. Kudos to her swim instructor, who just grew my daughter today in a way even I couldn't! Nothing could contain Kt's excitement about being good at something and being recognized by a "pro".
I also failed to mention that both girls, at their first lessons, were each moved ahead into the age group above them. So Em is swimming with 6-8 year olds and Kt is swimming with 9-12 year olds. Great job, girls!
Em's lesson was first, and she wasn't all that happy to listen to the teacher either, but she sure can swim! Now we just have to work on breathing. During Kt's lesson, Em insisted on swimming in the deep water, where Kt's lesson was. In the middle of Kt's lesson, the teacher made all the other students, who have had three more lessons than Kt, get out of the pool to watch Kt swim breast stroke. I was so proud of her! I love to swim and that's my favorite stroke but I do it incorrectly so I keep telling her not to swim like me!!
When she was done she came up to me and said, "I'm good at breast stroke!!" She had the biggest grin on her face. There is nothing like being a parent of a child who has just been instilled with even the slightest amount of confidence. Kudos to her swim instructor, who just grew my daughter today in a way even I couldn't! Nothing could contain Kt's excitement about being good at something and being recognized by a "pro".
I also failed to mention that both girls, at their first lessons, were each moved ahead into the age group above them. So Em is swimming with 6-8 year olds and Kt is swimming with 9-12 year olds. Great job, girls!
Reality Sets In
Em came running into the kitchen to announce that we needed Dad. That balloon, which came with my anniversary present just a bit earlier, has already gotten "caught" in the two story foyer. She was wondering if I thought Dad could get his ladder and get it down for her. I replied, "Well, I'm sure he could if he wasn't in Africa!" To that she responded, "Can he just come home for a minute?" I'm glad she's 5, because she said that with a smile on her face, whereas years ago there would have been no consoling her!
Happy Anniversary - one day early!
Today we received a dozen chocolate covered strawberries for my 12th anniversary. T had them sent early I guess because we are heading up to Connecticut. They were not even in the door then Em claimed the balloon, Kt was drooling screaming "I know it's chocolates!!!!" and I was walking around with my calligraphy pen dripping just trying to sign the little form. Once the poor delivery left, the girls descended upon the strawberries. I'll be lucky to have any!! (Actually, I just ate two and they are super!)
Thanks, T, and I hope you enjoy our anniversary as well - at the beach called Kribi, camping in Cameroon with chiggers! Well, maybe we'll just have to do something a bit more luxurious when you get home - at this rate, that won't be hard!
Thanks, T, and I hope you enjoy our anniversary as well - at the beach called Kribi, camping in Cameroon with chiggers! Well, maybe we'll just have to do something a bit more luxurious when you get home - at this rate, that won't be hard!
Dollars or Euros???
I was just reading on a major news outlet an article about the House passing a bill that combined an increase in minimum wage and cut estate taxes on multi-million dollar estates. The strange thing was that every time they posted a dollar amount, in parenthesis next to that they translated that into euros. Huh?? Not sure I understand the point in that. First of all, this is a political issue in the U.S. Last I heard we were not using euros in the U.S. Secondly, I've never seen this done, even in stories about Europe or other countries around the world. Why would they do that?? Finally, I doubt the bill will go into effect anyway. The article even said that. It's not like it will ever impact our economy. So, is this a new trend or is there some reason our law-making is being translated for EU folks.... hmm....
Weird Blog Moment
Thursday, I posted T email update that was sent out to all the parents. That was the only email we'd all gotten and it was sent from the missionary's email address, so I had assumed that he did not have access for whatever reason to his email. I then noticed later that his update was posted on his blog. I thought he had not accessed his email, but somehow had managed to post on his blog. I was still completely clueless.
About a half hour later, one of the parents responded to that email using the "Reply to All" button, so I read her reply. Then I read it again on bloglines! as it had posted to T's blog as well. That evening I was really surprised, if somewhat acting a little like my hair color!, while wondering why T would take the time to post that email, yet still not bother to send me a more detailed email about what was going on in Africa. The nerve!!
Finally, after the next morning, I realized what was going on. It started with another "Reply to All" email that was sent out by another set of parents who were going to be out of town. They sent all kinds of personal information - such as where they would be, their phone numbers, including cell phones and their names, of course! It wasn't until THAT email ended up on Ts blog that I realized there was some kind of generated posting thing going on there! I had no idea you could even do that, but that's me, the novice blogger who would never need to post to my blog from an email anyway - that would just be dangerous!
Truthfully, I didn't know quite what to do. I couldn't leave all this personal information on his blog, not to mention everyone's email addresses from the post before it. That's right - I failed to notice that the previous day in my perplexed and miffed mode. Fortunately, T left me some "T's Online Persona" information, and I was able to go into his blog and delete those posts, of course, not before anyone and everyone who has him on their bloglines read them! I was also still left with the issue of how those posts were being "sent" to his blog in the first place.
At this point, I decided I needed to let the parent's know what was going on. The only complete email list for the parents that I had was the one that T used to send out that first email, so I copied it and pasted it into an email that I called "safe line" and explained what happened and how to not "reply to all" when T sends out and email, but to use my "safe" one! Well, the joke was on me as I realized AFTER I sent it that it was an email address, right there in that wonderful list that I had just used, that was sending posts to his blog. UGH!!!
I sent out my last embarrassing email to everyone with my realization and our completely safe email list - to which I added T and the missionaries - so that they would all know how I spent my Friday morning!! When you sign up to do missions stuff, no one ever warns you about situations like this. I can't call him, he's not checking his email or reading the ones I'm sending him, but he's creating a nightmare! But is oblivious to the entire situation.
I guess it's better that way, and it's a good thing he left me here with his "persona". Now, how can I get him back!!??? LOL!
About a half hour later, one of the parents responded to that email using the "Reply to All" button, so I read her reply. Then I read it again on bloglines! as it had posted to T's blog as well. That evening I was really surprised, if somewhat acting a little like my hair color!, while wondering why T would take the time to post that email, yet still not bother to send me a more detailed email about what was going on in Africa. The nerve!!
Finally, after the next morning, I realized what was going on. It started with another "Reply to All" email that was sent out by another set of parents who were going to be out of town. They sent all kinds of personal information - such as where they would be, their phone numbers, including cell phones and their names, of course! It wasn't until THAT email ended up on Ts blog that I realized there was some kind of generated posting thing going on there! I had no idea you could even do that, but that's me, the novice blogger who would never need to post to my blog from an email anyway - that would just be dangerous!
Truthfully, I didn't know quite what to do. I couldn't leave all this personal information on his blog, not to mention everyone's email addresses from the post before it. That's right - I failed to notice that the previous day in my perplexed and miffed mode. Fortunately, T left me some "T's Online Persona" information, and I was able to go into his blog and delete those posts, of course, not before anyone and everyone who has him on their bloglines read them! I was also still left with the issue of how those posts were being "sent" to his blog in the first place.
At this point, I decided I needed to let the parent's know what was going on. The only complete email list for the parents that I had was the one that T used to send out that first email, so I copied it and pasted it into an email that I called "safe line" and explained what happened and how to not "reply to all" when T sends out and email, but to use my "safe" one! Well, the joke was on me as I realized AFTER I sent it that it was an email address, right there in that wonderful list that I had just used, that was sending posts to his blog. UGH!!!
I sent out my last embarrassing email to everyone with my realization and our completely safe email list - to which I added T and the missionaries - so that they would all know how I spent my Friday morning!! When you sign up to do missions stuff, no one ever warns you about situations like this. I can't call him, he's not checking his email or reading the ones I'm sending him, but he's creating a nightmare! But is oblivious to the entire situation.
I guess it's better that way, and it's a good thing he left me here with his "persona". Now, how can I get him back!!??? LOL!
Friday Update
A quick update from Friday’s activities – today had a bunch of cultural orientation and planning sessions for the student camp that will start tomorrow. The team is all well and healthy and enjoying their time together while planning for the camp and enjoying their time with their host families.
The student camp starts tomorrow and runs through Wednesday afternoon. Tomorrow we take a bus for about 3 hours to a beach area known as Kribi. About 20 other Cameroonian students and leaders come with us and we will help out with a camp for high schoolers until Wednesday. You can pray specifically that our team works well together in running both game and small group discussion components and for the students that will be involved in the camp. Also continue to pray for health and safety while we travel to and back from Kribi.
Thanks for thinking and praying for us
Tony for the team
In Addition: Tony emailed me and mentioned that some of the team members are staying at homes that have straw mattresses for beds. Hmm... I guess we'll be hearing about those when they get home!!
Friday, July 28, 2006
Well Taken Care Of!
No one needs to worry about me. With T gone off to Africa many have offered all kinds of services, from watching my kids to having us to dinner. I do appreciate the offers, but please don't worry about us! Especially me! What other single mom in America wakes up to the banging of doors, cabinets, screaming and giggling to find small puddles of water scattered around her freshly washed and uncluttered kitchen? Two excited, beaming faces proudly announcing that they've washed the kitchen from top to bottom. I mean, really, is there anyone better taken care of this morning??
As their reward for this unprompted sacrifice of service, lunch at McDonalds, a quick trip to the candy store, and afternoon at the pool and then dinner with Granny and Grandpa at Friendly's. It really doesn't get much better than this!=) (Except when dad's home!)
As their reward for this unprompted sacrifice of service, lunch at McDonalds, a quick trip to the candy store, and afternoon at the pool and then dinner with Granny and Grandpa at Friendly's. It really doesn't get much better than this!=) (Except when dad's home!)
Thursday, July 27, 2006
A Short Note from the Cam Team
I just got this (as well as all the parents!) from T:
Yeah - nice to hear from them and with such good news. I was sort of concerned when I checked on their flight this morning and the flight from Daoula to Yaounde, which was listed as a connecting flight last night, disappeared and was replaced by these words: "No Connections" - just a little worried I was!! Now, no longer!=)
A quick note just to let you know that the team has arrived here in Yaounde safe and sound. All of our bags also made it safely and all of our flights had minimal delays. The team is now settling in with their host families tonight with cultural orientation and prepping for the camp tomorrow morning. Our next email update will probably be on Friday or Saturday, right before we leave for the camp at Kribi. Thanks for praying!
Yeah - nice to hear from them and with such good news. I was sort of concerned when I checked on their flight this morning and the flight from Daoula to Yaounde, which was listed as a connecting flight last night, disappeared and was replaced by these words: "No Connections" - just a little worried I was!! Now, no longer!=)
Maybe this is why....
I have spent a little time today catching up with the news. I'm not sure why I haven't done that recently, as I am typically a news rover! I just like to know what's going on in the world and frequent FOX news, the Washington Post and occasionally CNN. Today, I clicked on an otherwise non-interesting story about Pamela Anderson getting married in four different places this month. It was after reading this quote that I started to understand why these stories rarely interest me:
I just had to laugh out loud when I read that one!! Two, huh? I bet her kids can count better than that!!
Asked how she's coping with her nerves before the big event, she replied: "I have two words for you: champagne."
I just had to laugh out loud when I read that one!! Two, huh? I bet her kids can count better than that!!
Oh, the drama of it all...
After a relaxing day of recovery, I took the girls out for dinner and came home for a movie. They have been fine, other than my refusal to let them both sleep in my bed with me (not for 12 nights, uh,uh!) and Kt losing a tooth. She has lost many teeth, but tonight she looked right at me and said, "I want to call daddy to tell him!" Very disappointing, the realization that he probably won't see much of his email either. Poor kid - that's life!! I am so sympathetic, huh??
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Your Neighbors or Your Family??
Here in America, we truly value our privacy. It's really a way of life for us. We build fences, put up curtains or blinds, park in our garages, lock our doors and have answering machines to collect messages when we don't feel like being bothered with numerous phone calls. In my lifetime, the idea of a close-knit community is just not something I've ever been exposed to in this country. In fact, anything other than what I'm accustomed to here is just not even a thought in my mind.
Yesterday, we had two women bring a couple suitcases of items for my husband's team to take along to Cameroon. They came from a distance, so we invited them in for a drink, all the while wondering how long they would stay as we'd planned to run the girls to the pool for a swim and our dinner was ready and waiting for us! As they sat and sipped and asked about our neighborhood, we used those couple of minutes we were "graciously" giving them to ask some funny Cameroonian questions.
T started with a general question: So, what should we expect to find? They both laughed. I mean, really, how would anyone put that into words!! I chimed in with: What he really wants to know is whether or not there will be any soda there!! With that, we all laughed. I had assured T that Coke is universal and I had a pretty good feeling that he would be able to get Fanta, as that was everywhere in Mexico. Sure enough, one of the women said, "Of course! Coke and Fanta!" At which point I nearly lost it!
Once beyond the funny stuff, the women started to really paint a picture for us of a place so much different than we know. It started with a statement like this: Your neighbors in Cameroon know everything about you. They are more important than your family! I instantly expressed the American look of shock. Neighbors? I must have gasped! I mean, we have great neighbors, but not one of them would even reach the level of importance that my family has to me. They went on to describe how the minute you are off the phone, your neighbors know about your entire conversation. They know more about you than your family or distant friends. This extends as far as your child care. One mentioned that if you left your child with a neighbor, you could trust that your child would be well taken care of for upwards of MONTHS without you being around.
I really had to stretch for that one. I cannot imagine leaving my child with a family member for more than a week or so, but neighbors?? for months??? Not to mention the imposition I'd be feeling should a neighbor of mine even suggest adding my burden of my own two children for months!! What is the origin of such behavior? Why is that accepted in this culture and completely foreign to my thinking?
Their point in sharing this with us was to illustrate why a trip for them to Cameroon would involve weeks, not just days. They were trying to come to terms with the fact that our group would only be in Cameroon for twelve days when for them they would need weeks in order to spend the proper amount of time with their extended families, but more importantly with their neighbors, who likely are tending to some of their valuable while they are living and working in the U.S. Wow.
I started realizing that this trip for T would really challenge his way of living, his thinking, his world as we know it. We have heard from many that this culture they are entering is all about relationships. Spending a day with friends or visitors is acceptable in place of business or work. It's a culture about people, not about what you do or what you have. It's so anti-American in it's foundation that it almost seems evil to share any of our "anti-social culture" with them. I mean, what do we have to offer them that would be more important that building relationships??
What would America look like if we spent half our time cultivating relationships instead of acquiring material possessions? What if every American employer gave days off for entertaining visitors and getting to know our neighbors? What if daycare was provided by our trusted neighbors, who were given full reign over our child's discipline, shaping and encouraging? What if we always belonged somewhere instead facing the curse of not-belonging anywhere? or the feeling of aloneness?
So much of our culture is evident in the state of our mental health, I think. I cannot list the number of my friends who see therapists and are treated with anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds for more disorders than I have ever heard of. Maybe the real culprit in this is our lack of ability to form meaningful and thriving relationships due to our love of privacy and independence that is encouraged by our culture. I don't see an end to that kind of lifestyle in this country. I am wondering what our team will find in a culture so unlike our own!
Yesterday, we had two women bring a couple suitcases of items for my husband's team to take along to Cameroon. They came from a distance, so we invited them in for a drink, all the while wondering how long they would stay as we'd planned to run the girls to the pool for a swim and our dinner was ready and waiting for us! As they sat and sipped and asked about our neighborhood, we used those couple of minutes we were "graciously" giving them to ask some funny Cameroonian questions.
T started with a general question: So, what should we expect to find? They both laughed. I mean, really, how would anyone put that into words!! I chimed in with: What he really wants to know is whether or not there will be any soda there!! With that, we all laughed. I had assured T that Coke is universal and I had a pretty good feeling that he would be able to get Fanta, as that was everywhere in Mexico. Sure enough, one of the women said, "Of course! Coke and Fanta!" At which point I nearly lost it!
Once beyond the funny stuff, the women started to really paint a picture for us of a place so much different than we know. It started with a statement like this: Your neighbors in Cameroon know everything about you. They are more important than your family! I instantly expressed the American look of shock. Neighbors? I must have gasped! I mean, we have great neighbors, but not one of them would even reach the level of importance that my family has to me. They went on to describe how the minute you are off the phone, your neighbors know about your entire conversation. They know more about you than your family or distant friends. This extends as far as your child care. One mentioned that if you left your child with a neighbor, you could trust that your child would be well taken care of for upwards of MONTHS without you being around.
I really had to stretch for that one. I cannot imagine leaving my child with a family member for more than a week or so, but neighbors?? for months??? Not to mention the imposition I'd be feeling should a neighbor of mine even suggest adding my burden of my own two children for months!! What is the origin of such behavior? Why is that accepted in this culture and completely foreign to my thinking?
Their point in sharing this with us was to illustrate why a trip for them to Cameroon would involve weeks, not just days. They were trying to come to terms with the fact that our group would only be in Cameroon for twelve days when for them they would need weeks in order to spend the proper amount of time with their extended families, but more importantly with their neighbors, who likely are tending to some of their valuable while they are living and working in the U.S. Wow.
I started realizing that this trip for T would really challenge his way of living, his thinking, his world as we know it. We have heard from many that this culture they are entering is all about relationships. Spending a day with friends or visitors is acceptable in place of business or work. It's a culture about people, not about what you do or what you have. It's so anti-American in it's foundation that it almost seems evil to share any of our "anti-social culture" with them. I mean, what do we have to offer them that would be more important that building relationships??
What would America look like if we spent half our time cultivating relationships instead of acquiring material possessions? What if every American employer gave days off for entertaining visitors and getting to know our neighbors? What if daycare was provided by our trusted neighbors, who were given full reign over our child's discipline, shaping and encouraging? What if we always belonged somewhere instead facing the curse of not-belonging anywhere? or the feeling of aloneness?
So much of our culture is evident in the state of our mental health, I think. I cannot list the number of my friends who see therapists and are treated with anti-depressants or anti-anxiety meds for more disorders than I have ever heard of. Maybe the real culprit in this is our lack of ability to form meaningful and thriving relationships due to our love of privacy and independence that is encouraged by our culture. I don't see an end to that kind of lifestyle in this country. I am wondering what our team will find in a culture so unlike our own!
And they're off!
Well, they are gone! All twelve of them and some of the parents. Now one of the crucial parts of this trip - actually getting on their flight. Last year, the team departed from here much like today, got to the airport 2 hours early and found a swarm of angry passengers, all of whom were bumped off the flight because it was grossly overbooked. The Brazil team had to wait 24 hours for another flight out, they each received $800 in United vouchers and were put up at the Hilton for the night. It was crazy, and the memory of that sort of haunts T. I'm praying they all make it on this flight, mostly due to the fact that there are not regular flights from Paris into Yaounde, so missing this flight to Paris might mean a huge delay.
Our home was the picture of chaos beginning around 12:30, when the first student arrived 30 minutes early! Her father, a marine, has informed the marine attache in Cameroon that his very precious cargo will be arriving shortly. Should the team need anything, they can be assisted immediately and this student's father? Well, he would be there within 24 hours. Somewhat of an asset to bring along someone like this on an international missions trip!
Everyone else started trickling in just after her. I had my little copy center set up in my dining room. We brought down our printer and I had organized everyone's passports with post its on them with what I needed from them. Once I collected everything I got to work copying, folding, putting all these papers into these little files for all the leaders. I didn't mind having something to do, and I could tell some of the parents wished they had something to do as well!!
The kids were repacking the duffel bags with new items they brought, labeling bags with contents, names, addresses.... It was a lot of stuff, a lot of bags, but as I explained to T, the best way to get items to these missionaries is through people. If we have twelve people going, you should bring at least twenty-four bags! How else would all these items get there?? I, for one, would be waiting with bated breath for my chocolate chips! And I am NOT kidding you one little bit!!!
So, we were finally organized, packed, copied, prayed over and off they went. Kt was outside waiting looking quite forlorn. At least this year we had no little kids on the curb crying. Almost, but not quite. I will miss T very much, but I am so excited for this opportunity. I really feel like the Lord has something great in store for them all. If I didn't feel this way, I doubt T would have stepped foot out that door, but we sent him off with some notes, hugs and kisses.
Next Monday is our 12th wedding anniversary. When we got married in the summertime, it was only for convenience sake. I was teacher and mid summer worked for me. I had 6 weeks to get ready and 4 weeks to enjoy, so it was perfect. I had no idea that summer missions would take over any hope of a fun wedding anniversary trip or anything. We've come to not take that occasion so seriously, as we've been apart for more of them than we've been together. I'll be in CT for this one so I'll have to find some way to celebrate with my girls and my mom. I can assure everyone we won't have any problem at all finding some fun way to celebrate!!
Now back to my new role of single mom....
EDIT: T just sent me a text. They are checked in and have seats together to Paris! YEAH!
Our home was the picture of chaos beginning around 12:30, when the first student arrived 30 minutes early! Her father, a marine, has informed the marine attache in Cameroon that his very precious cargo will be arriving shortly. Should the team need anything, they can be assisted immediately and this student's father? Well, he would be there within 24 hours. Somewhat of an asset to bring along someone like this on an international missions trip!
Everyone else started trickling in just after her. I had my little copy center set up in my dining room. We brought down our printer and I had organized everyone's passports with post its on them with what I needed from them. Once I collected everything I got to work copying, folding, putting all these papers into these little files for all the leaders. I didn't mind having something to do, and I could tell some of the parents wished they had something to do as well!!
The kids were repacking the duffel bags with new items they brought, labeling bags with contents, names, addresses.... It was a lot of stuff, a lot of bags, but as I explained to T, the best way to get items to these missionaries is through people. If we have twelve people going, you should bring at least twenty-four bags! How else would all these items get there?? I, for one, would be waiting with bated breath for my chocolate chips! And I am NOT kidding you one little bit!!!
So, we were finally organized, packed, copied, prayed over and off they went. Kt was outside waiting looking quite forlorn. At least this year we had no little kids on the curb crying. Almost, but not quite. I will miss T very much, but I am so excited for this opportunity. I really feel like the Lord has something great in store for them all. If I didn't feel this way, I doubt T would have stepped foot out that door, but we sent him off with some notes, hugs and kisses.
Next Monday is our 12th wedding anniversary. When we got married in the summertime, it was only for convenience sake. I was teacher and mid summer worked for me. I had 6 weeks to get ready and 4 weeks to enjoy, so it was perfect. I had no idea that summer missions would take over any hope of a fun wedding anniversary trip or anything. We've come to not take that occasion so seriously, as we've been apart for more of them than we've been together. I'll be in CT for this one so I'll have to find some way to celebrate with my girls and my mom. I can assure everyone we won't have any problem at all finding some fun way to celebrate!!
Now back to my new role of single mom....
EDIT: T just sent me a text. They are checked in and have seats together to Paris! YEAH!
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
The Day Has Finally Arrived!!
Of course, the day has barely begun!! As usual, with T's exodus to Cameroon tomorrow I am the one up finishing up "stuff". I've been going through my mental list for the past few days, all the things they will need as they head off for some place I have never even been. Yeah, I'm the expert - LOL!
Today I took the girls to Target. We spent $80 on school supplies (that's a whole post for itself!) and bug spray, Pepto Bismal and printer paper. I found Sportsman Deep Woods Off and then I found this other stuff that is 98.9% DEET!! I don't want to hear ANYTHING about mosquitoes, malaria, ticks or chiggers!! They should be all set, don't you think? Again, just a guess... I honestly have no idea!
I ran to Curves while my very expensive babysitter watched the girls. She agreed to watch them today for $10/hour. Of course, I was plum out of cash as she cleaned me out yesterday! Then I made one of my Let's Dish pizzas - burned it. Two women came tonight with two very large and extremely heavy suitcases of "stuff" to be taken to Cameroon. They just could not pass up this opportunity to send items that are greatly desired in their home country by their family and friends. I think there's a stroller in one of the suitcases!
After they left, we took the girls to the pool and then out for ice cream. I think T would have like to have spent this last evening with them, but he needed to pack. Then I needed him to run out to buy an ink cartridge because I was copying all the passports, visas, consent forms, insurance cards, etc for the leader packets. I thought this had been done earlier but T told me today it hadn't been done at all. Now, tomorrow, when all the kids arrive we'll be finishing this up. Could have been done Sunday when they all came for their sleepover.....
I have 12 duffel bags full of "stuff" for Cameroon in my living room. It's all the stuff on the missionary's wish list. Three boxes I picked up from a parent of one of them last week in Virginia. Items that we all take for granted everyday - homeschool supplies, peanut butter, maple syrup, chocolate chips (I truly cannot imagine life without those!), cameras, dvd's, cd's, candy... It's such a long list. In the morning I need to combine at least two of them to make up for the two suitcases that just arrived this morning.
I can't believe the day has finally arrived. We send them all off for this incredible adventure. I'm very excited for them. I will be heading up to my mom's over the weekend for next week. That will be fun and hopefully keep the girl's minds off missing their dad. We have tried to avoid any major home improvements after the bathroom last summer during the Brazil trip, although I do have a guy coming to install a garbage disposal this Thursday. I can't live with my sink all clogged up! I'm sure we will forget something. I'll let you know tomorrow around 2 pm what it was!=)
Today I took the girls to Target. We spent $80 on school supplies (that's a whole post for itself!) and bug spray, Pepto Bismal and printer paper. I found Sportsman Deep Woods Off and then I found this other stuff that is 98.9% DEET!! I don't want to hear ANYTHING about mosquitoes, malaria, ticks or chiggers!! They should be all set, don't you think? Again, just a guess... I honestly have no idea!
I ran to Curves while my very expensive babysitter watched the girls. She agreed to watch them today for $10/hour. Of course, I was plum out of cash as she cleaned me out yesterday! Then I made one of my Let's Dish pizzas - burned it. Two women came tonight with two very large and extremely heavy suitcases of "stuff" to be taken to Cameroon. They just could not pass up this opportunity to send items that are greatly desired in their home country by their family and friends. I think there's a stroller in one of the suitcases!
After they left, we took the girls to the pool and then out for ice cream. I think T would have like to have spent this last evening with them, but he needed to pack. Then I needed him to run out to buy an ink cartridge because I was copying all the passports, visas, consent forms, insurance cards, etc for the leader packets. I thought this had been done earlier but T told me today it hadn't been done at all. Now, tomorrow, when all the kids arrive we'll be finishing this up. Could have been done Sunday when they all came for their sleepover.....
I have 12 duffel bags full of "stuff" for Cameroon in my living room. It's all the stuff on the missionary's wish list. Three boxes I picked up from a parent of one of them last week in Virginia. Items that we all take for granted everyday - homeschool supplies, peanut butter, maple syrup, chocolate chips (I truly cannot imagine life without those!), cameras, dvd's, cd's, candy... It's such a long list. In the morning I need to combine at least two of them to make up for the two suitcases that just arrived this morning.
I can't believe the day has finally arrived. We send them all off for this incredible adventure. I'm very excited for them. I will be heading up to my mom's over the weekend for next week. That will be fun and hopefully keep the girl's minds off missing their dad. We have tried to avoid any major home improvements after the bathroom last summer during the Brazil trip, although I do have a guy coming to install a garbage disposal this Thursday. I can't live with my sink all clogged up! I'm sure we will forget something. I'll let you know tomorrow around 2 pm what it was!=)
Monday, July 24, 2006
How Much is a Good Babysitter Worth?
We have been fortunate to have some of the BEST babysitters ever, for real! And along with our fortune comes the kind of babysitter who never charges us a fee - just whatever we can or choose to pay. It's very sweet of them, most of them being either family or church members. The problem is that we don't really have a good sense of what the going rate is for a really good babysitter.
I ought to start out with defining what a really good babysitter is, in my humble opinion. I mean, having been a babysitter, here are some of the things I did. I played with the children, limited the amount of television they were allowed to watch, cleaned up the toys we played with, washed any dishes we used, occasionally I'd clean more if the kids were in bed and I had a lot of extra time. I also would raid the kitchen if necessary for a late night snack - but that, to my knowledge, was never deducted from my pay! I made sure the kids all had brushed their teeth and gone to the bathroom before bed, washed up and sometimes even gave them baths (we've never asked a sitter to do this - but I used to have to do it all the time!). I tucked them in after cleaning up their bedrooms.
These days, most of our babysitters do about that much. All of them have spent time with the girls, we always tell them just to leave the dishes, and many of them clean up if they put the girls to bed. For all that we have always paid $5-$7/hour. We try to pay that plus a little extra, and I guess I always thought that was kind of good for this area. Up in Connecticut, I would make anywhere from $5-$10/hour, so for around here where some were making $3/hour when I first moved here, I thought we were doing well!
Tonight we had our neighbor's foster child babysit, and she was excellent! She has a wonderful personality, was awesome with the girls, who LOVE her. If I could, I would ask this girl to babysit all the time, as it's terribly convenient, and she is a super sitter. The problem? When we got home and asked how much she charges, she said $20/hour!! At first I thought she was kidding. But then I realized she was dead straight, and I was dead floored!! I had in my hand what I thought would pay for her tonight AND tomorrow and it wasn't even enough for tonight. I was just a little shocked!
Now, she's going to be a sophomore in high school, which was another reason I was floored. If she'd been in college, my jaw might have only hit my chest instead of the floor, but a non-driving teenager? $20/hour? Even I don't get paid that much to work with kids, and she only had two!!
So, what I need to know is two-fold. One, am I just grossly underpaying my sitters? and do I owe them large amounts of back pay? Two, how much is a really good babysitter really worth? I'd hate to undervalue a truly wonderful babysitter, which is what we've done often with my cousin's daughter. You just can't put a price on a good family babysitter, who will love your kids like family!! I just don't know that I'm willing (or rich enough) to fork out $20/hour for babysitting!
UPDATE: So, here's what I did. I first emailed my neighbor and told her that we loved having her foster child babysit, but probably couldn't afford her. I just wanted her to know that there wasn't anything that happened - we were just poor! Next, I emailed some friends and neighbors to find out how much they pay. Sounds like $5-$10 is the going rate around here. There is a woman who is widowed who babysits for a living - she charges $10/hour, so that would be the top of the scale I guess. Then, I emailed one of our very favorite sitters to find out how much we owe her in back pay, and, well, she sent me this funny email:
I ought to start out with defining what a really good babysitter is, in my humble opinion. I mean, having been a babysitter, here are some of the things I did. I played with the children, limited the amount of television they were allowed to watch, cleaned up the toys we played with, washed any dishes we used, occasionally I'd clean more if the kids were in bed and I had a lot of extra time. I also would raid the kitchen if necessary for a late night snack - but that, to my knowledge, was never deducted from my pay! I made sure the kids all had brushed their teeth and gone to the bathroom before bed, washed up and sometimes even gave them baths (we've never asked a sitter to do this - but I used to have to do it all the time!). I tucked them in after cleaning up their bedrooms.
These days, most of our babysitters do about that much. All of them have spent time with the girls, we always tell them just to leave the dishes, and many of them clean up if they put the girls to bed. For all that we have always paid $5-$7/hour. We try to pay that plus a little extra, and I guess I always thought that was kind of good for this area. Up in Connecticut, I would make anywhere from $5-$10/hour, so for around here where some were making $3/hour when I first moved here, I thought we were doing well!
Tonight we had our neighbor's foster child babysit, and she was excellent! She has a wonderful personality, was awesome with the girls, who LOVE her. If I could, I would ask this girl to babysit all the time, as it's terribly convenient, and she is a super sitter. The problem? When we got home and asked how much she charges, she said $20/hour!! At first I thought she was kidding. But then I realized she was dead straight, and I was dead floored!! I had in my hand what I thought would pay for her tonight AND tomorrow and it wasn't even enough for tonight. I was just a little shocked!
Now, she's going to be a sophomore in high school, which was another reason I was floored. If she'd been in college, my jaw might have only hit my chest instead of the floor, but a non-driving teenager? $20/hour? Even I don't get paid that much to work with kids, and she only had two!!
So, what I need to know is two-fold. One, am I just grossly underpaying my sitters? and do I owe them large amounts of back pay? Two, how much is a really good babysitter really worth? I'd hate to undervalue a truly wonderful babysitter, which is what we've done often with my cousin's daughter. You just can't put a price on a good family babysitter, who will love your kids like family!! I just don't know that I'm willing (or rich enough) to fork out $20/hour for babysitting!
UPDATE: So, here's what I did. I first emailed my neighbor and told her that we loved having her foster child babysit, but probably couldn't afford her. I just wanted her to know that there wasn't anything that happened - we were just poor! Next, I emailed some friends and neighbors to find out how much they pay. Sounds like $5-$10 is the going rate around here. There is a woman who is widowed who babysits for a living - she charges $10/hour, so that would be the top of the scale I guess. Then, I emailed one of our very favorite sitters to find out how much we owe her in back pay, and, well, she sent me this funny email:
OH MY GOSH!!! $20 an hour! No way. I would only ask that much... well, i would never ask that much. but if i had to think of a time that i would, it would be if you had 10 boys who always kicked and hit me and your house was dirty. haha. that is totally totally nuts and i do not think that anyone deserves $20 an hour to watch kids, especially not your girls! i don't even make $20 an hour at work! and even people my age who nanny all day only make $12- which would be too much for a babysitter anyway. wow- that is just outlandish.I hope I'm in the clear here, in being completely shocked and not owing my babysitters all kinds of money!! I am feeling much better, of course, she's babysitting today and possibly tomorrow as well! Live and learn, I guess!!
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest
T and I finally made it out to the movies. Lately we're lucky to have any time to ourselves!! The one week my mom gave us was a real blessing, but with all the summer trips happening right now we don't usually do a whole lot together. Even last night we got another call in the middle of the movie! about a trip. So that was our ride home! LOL
Anyway, I liked this movie. I think I liked the first one better, though. I wouldn't exactly call this one predictable, but it seemed a bit more comical, somewhat creepier, but not in a scary way like the last one. Johnny Depp was super in this movie, as I'm sure he'll be in the next. As were Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley. The three of them work well together!
One thing I did not like about this movie was the ending. It made me feel like I'd only seen half a movie, as clearly there will be a POTC 3, and all reports indicate it is almost finished! as it was filmed simultaneously with 2. I like movies with a bit of finality, but this one really leaves you hanging. I'd suggest if you like to see the whole story at once, wait until 3 comes out and then rent 2 to watch right before you go.
In other news, could it be that Disney has pirated Pirates???
Anyway, I liked this movie. I think I liked the first one better, though. I wouldn't exactly call this one predictable, but it seemed a bit more comical, somewhat creepier, but not in a scary way like the last one. Johnny Depp was super in this movie, as I'm sure he'll be in the next. As were Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley. The three of them work well together!
One thing I did not like about this movie was the ending. It made me feel like I'd only seen half a movie, as clearly there will be a POTC 3, and all reports indicate it is almost finished! as it was filmed simultaneously with 2. I like movies with a bit of finality, but this one really leaves you hanging. I'd suggest if you like to see the whole story at once, wait until 3 comes out and then rent 2 to watch right before you go.
In other news, could it be that Disney has pirated Pirates???
Monday, July 17, 2006
We are Family!
Yesterday, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, trying to get a little help with the clutter around here. Everywhere I look - stuff! And it's nobody's stuff until I threaten to throw it away, then it becomes sacred!!
The reason for my madness? Another SPACE meeting. This is our typical routine. House gets messy, we have a meeting here, house gets clean very fast - or at least presentable! The girls LOVE hanging out with the space teams, so yesterday, when they were less than excited about cleaning up their junk I threatened them with a bedroom ban during the meeting. That still didn't make anyone move faster, so I had to actually act upon it. I was met with utter disdain, drama, and a boatload of tears and wails.
After shipping these pour souls off to their rooms, I sat down in T's office, where he was busily getting ready for the meeting. I reached over to move the mouse so my computer screen would light up so I could see the time and there on the screen? A little diddy Kt had been working on entitled, "We Are Family". T just busted out laughing, then I joined in. "Not anymore I guess!" were his exact words.
It goes like this (she's working on this one hoping Uncle D will record it for her):
Did I feel like a heel? Not really, but it did lighten the mood for me a bit. I'm sure the words will be rewritten at some point. I mean - we are a way better family than that! (wink;-))
The reason for my madness? Another SPACE meeting. This is our typical routine. House gets messy, we have a meeting here, house gets clean very fast - or at least presentable! The girls LOVE hanging out with the space teams, so yesterday, when they were less than excited about cleaning up their junk I threatened them with a bedroom ban during the meeting. That still didn't make anyone move faster, so I had to actually act upon it. I was met with utter disdain, drama, and a boatload of tears and wails.
After shipping these pour souls off to their rooms, I sat down in T's office, where he was busily getting ready for the meeting. I reached over to move the mouse so my computer screen would light up so I could see the time and there on the screen? A little diddy Kt had been working on entitled, "We Are Family". T just busted out laughing, then I joined in. "Not anymore I guess!" were his exact words.
It goes like this (she's working on this one hoping Uncle D will record it for her):
We are family
Totally cool and fun family
We are family
Totally cool and fun family
We are family
Did I feel like a heel? Not really, but it did lighten the mood for me a bit. I'm sure the words will be rewritten at some point. I mean - we are a way better family than that! (wink;-))
Top Ten Greatest Places to Live
My cousin in CA sent me this article about the top 10 places to live. I happen to have grown up in one and now live in another. What are the chances??? So, when T told me I should stop complaining about living here, I said, "Well, maybe we should just move to Connecticut! Can't be that bad!!" Poor guy - I hardly ever let him win!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary!
To my aunt and uncle today! 50 years ago today they were married, then proceeded to have 4 children and eventually ended up as one of the orginal families that made up our church that today has over 3000 "members". 50 years is a long time to be married, and it's an incredible milestone to reach. My parents were 6 weeks shy of their 35th when my dad passed away, so for me this is likely the only family member whose 50th I will be able to celebrate. Unfortunately, no one planned a celebration.... how embarrassing!
This summer is T's and my 12th anniversary. A dozen years together. He'll be in Cameroon for this wonderful occassion. Years ago we'd planned on taking a trip to Hawaii to mark our 10th anniversary. I had it all planned out. My parents had agreed to watch the girls and we started saving American Express points for the hotel and saved up a bit for the airfare. It was just after I'd made these plans and starting executing my perfect celebration that my dad got sick, he passed away and then, low and behold, our whole heating and cooling system died. SO, with the little we'd saved we converted to gas and bought a whole new AC system and furnace for our tenth anniversary!
Needless to say, I'm not making any plans anymore for anniversaries. I would hope to make it to my 50th, but I'm just not sure what I'd like. By that time, I'll be old, hopefully enjoying some grandchildren, maybe still traveling a bit. A gift? Probably just to have my whole family around and enjoy some time with them all, if they'd be willing to give up some of their time to be with me. That's what I'd like, and that's what my dad always wanted once we all grew up and moved out. He savored every chance he had to be with everyone at the same time!
So, here's to hoping that my aunt and uncle have the chance to have their whole family together at some point this year. It would take a great deal of planning and manuevering and some sacrifice on the part of their children to make this happen. And if your parents are celebrating a great milestone like this, just remember that being with their family is probably all they really want anyway!
This summer is T's and my 12th anniversary. A dozen years together. He'll be in Cameroon for this wonderful occassion. Years ago we'd planned on taking a trip to Hawaii to mark our 10th anniversary. I had it all planned out. My parents had agreed to watch the girls and we started saving American Express points for the hotel and saved up a bit for the airfare. It was just after I'd made these plans and starting executing my perfect celebration that my dad got sick, he passed away and then, low and behold, our whole heating and cooling system died. SO, with the little we'd saved we converted to gas and bought a whole new AC system and furnace for our tenth anniversary!
Needless to say, I'm not making any plans anymore for anniversaries. I would hope to make it to my 50th, but I'm just not sure what I'd like. By that time, I'll be old, hopefully enjoying some grandchildren, maybe still traveling a bit. A gift? Probably just to have my whole family around and enjoy some time with them all, if they'd be willing to give up some of their time to be with me. That's what I'd like, and that's what my dad always wanted once we all grew up and moved out. He savored every chance he had to be with everyone at the same time!
So, here's to hoping that my aunt and uncle have the chance to have their whole family together at some point this year. It would take a great deal of planning and manuevering and some sacrifice on the part of their children to make this happen. And if your parents are celebrating a great milestone like this, just remember that being with their family is probably all they really want anyway!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
God of Many Cars...
We need cars. It's just that simple. I do not have my van this week as the D.C. team had a car issue and they needed another vehicle. After an email went out to lots of people guess who had to give up their car?? Me. Now, while T is out having dinner with that D.C. team I got a call. The middle school team that is leaving TOMORROW doesn't have enough transportation. If you ask me, it's a little late to be deciding that, don't you think??
We got them the church van, but apparently of the 3 or 4 adults going, no one apparently has a car that "will make it" up to PA and back. Hmmm.... well, maybe I'm being dense but isn't God bigger than car problems? Yup, I'm dense. However, I'm not dense enough to know that I don't have another car to give them! Sorry, but in a church of over 3,000 people don't you think there is one car that can get 4 people up to PA for a missions weekend? in one of the most affluent areas of our country?? It's quite pathetic if you ask me!!
Of course, planning may be an issue. But really, God is a God of many cars I'd imagine. We have two of them, one of which is being used by Him and the other of which is being used for us to make a living. Is God asking us to go carless?? or might there possibly be another car out there for these kids??? I'm just wondering...
We got them the church van, but apparently of the 3 or 4 adults going, no one apparently has a car that "will make it" up to PA and back. Hmmm.... well, maybe I'm being dense but isn't God bigger than car problems? Yup, I'm dense. However, I'm not dense enough to know that I don't have another car to give them! Sorry, but in a church of over 3,000 people don't you think there is one car that can get 4 people up to PA for a missions weekend? in one of the most affluent areas of our country?? It's quite pathetic if you ask me!!
Of course, planning may be an issue. But really, God is a God of many cars I'd imagine. We have two of them, one of which is being used by Him and the other of which is being used for us to make a living. Is God asking us to go carless?? or might there possibly be another car out there for these kids??? I'm just wondering...
We're Back!
And majorly jetlagged. It doesn't help that it's summer and we have nowhere to be. It's very overcast, not good pool weather, no sun. Anyway, T is putting up some pictures of our trip, so check them out. We had fun, but it was difficult getting the family to move! No one wanted to get up early, so we missed all our early hour benefits, including Mickey's Toontown Madness. Then they all actually wanted to leave early on our last day!! Am I too fanatical? I guess so!
Being at Disneyland made me miss Disney World. Sounds strange, I know! It's a different crowd in California and the park fills up at night with all the locals, who live minutes away. We even heard one dad say to his children as they were running to get in line for the Matterhorn, "Now is not the time to be polite or we'll never get on that ride!!" Can you believe that? Anyway, it was a totally different experience, but so much like the Magic Kingdom that it was confusing.
The rest of California was beautiful and HOT! And air conditioning is apparently something you only need two weeks out of the year. Unfortunately for us, we were there during those two weeks and no one had it!! (Except Disney!) The beaches were nice, but cold water, big waves and lots of seaweed! We attempted to go to tidepools, but ended up hiking up and down cliffs for something really mediocre. It's no wonder there was the "No Refunds" sign at the gate! LOL
Hollywood was fun. The girls could have spent another day there - they were in awe! of the double decker celebrity tour bus!!! We might have taken them on it if it wasn't about disturbing what should be other's people's privacy. I don't care if they are celebrity's or not - no one should be peeking into their homes! That and the $30-40 ticket shock - um, no thanks.
In the end, hanging out with our West Coast relatives and meeting up with virtual friends ended up being the most fun. Our cousins, aunt and uncle were the most amazing hosts - we could have stayed for weeks and totally felt at home. It was a wonderful visit with them - and I think we all enjoyed each other immensely.
Now we're home, and trying to get back to normal. The girls are out with friends, I'm sitting here on the computer, T is trying to keep tabs on all his missions things while working from home. Yeah - that's about as normal as it's going to get around here!! I guess I ought to start some of that laundry while I'm trying to be normal!!
Pictures: 1. Sunset at Venice Beach, 2. Breakfast with Minnie and Friends, 3. The girls in Hollywood and 4. The whole family with West Coast relatives on July 4th in Newport Beach.
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