College Days

After a long week, we enjoyed a day of fun and sun in Kansas City. The boys rode the rides at Worlds of Fun while Jim and I lounged around the pool at Oceans of Fun. The amusement park was pretty empty so the boys joined us at the water park later in the afternoon. It was hot-so the water park felt wonderful. We ate dinner at the Waffle House (a KC tradition), and headed to our hotel for the night. We were all so tired that we fell asleep at 10 pm-unheard of for teenagers! We were up bright and early the next morning for a two hour drive down to Pitt State. I'm glad we got there early to move in, because as the day wore on it got busy and hot. Noah arrived first and unloaded all his stuff. We tried to arrange that room, but there were several problems to work around (pipes, cable hookup, hookup for phone/internet, the heater/air unit). It got frustrating, but after his roomate arrived they were able to get everything in. We spent the rest of the day picking up football tickets, books, paying bills, getting a parking permit, hooking up to the internet.....At 4:30 they had a dinner in the cafeteria for everyone, and then we were back in the car for a 5 hour drive home. We did stop at the local Walmart; picked up some Pitt State shirts so we will be ready for the game! On the way home we saw two road kill armadillos. They have armadillos down there-wild! Heard the funniest song on the country station-Ticks by Brad Paisley. Talks about how he wants to take his gal out in the stix and walk through the wildflowers and he's even so sweet that he'll even check her for ticks! How romantic. Maybe to a guy-but to a girl ticks are nothing but gross!!! Speaking of gross, we came home to a bumble bee invasion. Had at least two dozen lying dead in the house. Most of them in the front hall, but we can't find where they are coming in yet. Worries me with the dog. She is very allergic-we have to get her a shot if she gets stung.

Work is going better for me. The summer program is done for the kids and we have a month off before programming starts back up for the fall. Gives us time to catch up and learn some new things too. I'm still going to bible study (about prayer), and at the end of the month I signed up to take my first Beth Moore study about the tabernacle and prayer. I have been studying all about the tabernacle as a blueprint for prayer, healing, and drawing nearer to God this past year- so this study was a perfect continuation for me. Next weekend I signed up as a volunteer for Step Out-a citywide service project. There will be 20 churches participating with 1400 people from my church alone. It should be amazing! Nate continues to do well with his medication. Please pray for him though-he misses Noah. He also hung with Noah's friends at church, so now he doesn't have that group either. On top of that, his best friend is moving in a couple of weeks and it is really bothering him. He starts school in a few days, so pray for a better school year too. Our television broke a week ago, so we have been looking at new ones. Our tv isn't even very old.

Michigan Vacation

Vacation was wonderful. It was fun, relaxing, rejuvenating, full of memories. Like all good things though, it had to come to an end. We made it home early Saturday morning and spent the day trying to get caught up on chores-laundry, mail, balancing the checkbook, picking up the dog at the kennel....nothing too exciting but necessary.

We arrived in Michigan earlier than anticipated, so after a nice break at Holland State Park, we went directly to our campsite at Silver Lake. We had to pick Jim up at the airport in Grand Rapids the next day and by the time we returned, most of my family had arrived. It was wonderful to spend time with everyone. Everywhere I turned, there were people I knew! We played games, sat around the campfire, swam, went to an art fair, and of course went on Crazy Dom's Dune Ride! I have never gone so fast in my life-it was great fun! My friend Sarah and her boys came to visit one night, and I will never forget our ride together! At Holland, my boys saw people that had skim boards riding the small waves. They thought that looked like fun, so they purchased one at Silver Lake and worked on their own moves.

After we left Silver Lake, we drove up to Pentwater. Jim's sister was supposed to be docked in the marina there, but that information was old and he didn't know the name of her boat, so we were not able to find her. We did enjoy lunch and a stroll around town-Pentwater is a really nice! On our way to Saginaw, we stopped at Rock Lake. I explained to the present owner that my grandparents once lived there and I asked permission to show my boys the lake. I was hoping he would also invite me inside, which he didn't, but he did say we could go out back and look around. I remember the big picture window at the back of the house that looked out on the lake. Gram and Pa had a table and chairs in front of that window, and the new owner does too. The back yard and lake were pretty much as I remembered it, except for the wall that my sister,De, went over on her tricycle. I remember a small beach at the foot of that wall where she face planted and came up with sand in her nostrils and mouth. Now the lake comes right up to the retaining wall. I am really glad we stopped-I have such good memories of Rock Lake. Time in Saginaw was mostly spent doing chores and visiting family. Got caught up on laundry, paying bills, and had the oil changed in the car. Jim's mom had knee surgery the day we left, so she was hurting while we were there. Jim's sister Dorothy bought a new house which is very nice. We went to the Bay City fireworks with them. The last time I went to the Bay City fireworks I was pregnant with Noah! Johonna's girls are home for the summer with their dad, so we were able to see them. July 4th we were in St. Helen visiting Jim's dad. Thursday we drove back across the state and camped at Warren Dunes State Park. That is another beautiful place! We unhooked our camper and drove to Michigan City to meet up with Jim's sister Shelly. Her plans had changed and instead of a two week sail up to Pentwater, they were only able to go out for the weekend. She took us sailing on Lake Michigan. Sailing is rather slow and relaxing, so I was quite surprised that the boys really enjoyed it. Uncle Jon rigged up some stuff, so the boys were able to swing from the mast out over the lake and make a big splash as they let go. Nate is strong enough to hold on and he swung all the way around the boat! He tried to go a second time-but crashed into the back of the boat instead! We came back to our campsite and made dinner and sat around the campfire. The next day we went to the beach. It is a fantastic beach and the water was perfect! We had a picnic and then headed for home. We intended to stay at a campground one more night, but drove straight through and slept in our own beds instead.

I stopped in at work yesterday to get my new schedule-and I'm not looking forward to going back. At least vacation gave me the peace and strength I needed to go on! The weather was perfect the entire trip, so it was hard to come home and deal with the oppressive heat again. It was nearly 100 yesterday. It has obviously been hot and dry here-my yard is brown. I tried to do laundry yesterday, but it made the upstairs so hot. Of course it didn't help that my laundry exhaust pipe was all disconnected and it was venting directly into the bathroom! So I climbed back there and cleaned everything up, cleaned out the duct work, bought a better connector piece and some tape and put it all back together. I only got two loads done yesterday, so I'd better get going and finish up today.

Peace and Love

Recovering

Well I had my gall bladder removed on Tuesday morning and now I'm home recovering. The surgery went well. The worst part was the IV. Two nurses tried twice each before they finally called the anesthesiologist to do it. They felt so bad that they went to the gift shop and got me a present-a really pretty relish tray and a box of Baker's chocolates! Today I am trying to just use Tylenol for the pain during the day and save the pain pills for nighttime. Doing pretty well in my recovery though. Thank you for all your prayers.

Noah has been busy getting ready for his finals and graduation. He is also working lots of hours-so we don't see much of him lately. Got the announcements out this week, and graduation plans finalized. He made up his picture board and participated in the Senior Celebration Sunday at church last week. He got to set up a table and people from the congregation came by and congratulated him. He also got a $1,000 scholarship from Pittsburg State and a $1,000 scholarship from a former basketball coach's family. So things are coming together nicely for Noah.

Nate is really behind in school. The ADD meds are helping but there is no magic pill-you still have to do the work. They are taking him out of class 1/2 a day each week and working one on one with him to get caught up. He is mowing for my friend Laurie again this summer, but hasn't got another job lined up yet. He did get his permit, so when I heal up we are going to start driving some.

Not much else to tell right now. Just normal stuff-getting cars fixed and doing yard work......

Winter or Spring?

It snowed today! Did someone forget to tell Mother Nature that it is Spring? That's all I have to say about that!! I am sitting here waiting for a contractor to come and give me a bid on some work. I'd like to replace both showers and get some drywall work done-that is if the price is right. If not, I'm going to replace one shower and get some drywall done.

Jim and Nate were both home sick today. Nate had another high fever with chills last night and Jim had it coming out both ends. I have been washing, spraying, disinfecting everything in hopes of warding it off. I went to the surgeon today. He said I need to get my gall bladder removed. He scheduled me for surgery on May 8th. I was really hoping to get it done at the end of this month. There is so much going on in May with Noah's graduation. I don't need to be recovering then, but what can you do?

Good news about my job-I have been moved up to "library specialist" and given another raise. With my two raises, I am making almost twice as much as I did before the annexation without working any extra hours. Is God good or what!! I was maxed out working 20 hours and turned down a full time position even though I needed more money to help with Noah's college expenses. Amazing!! I didn't do a thing, God just worked things out for me!! Work is going a little better. I still feel incompetent, but a little less than last month so that's progress. I trained today on downloading e-books. We never had that option before, so it should be interesting.

The doctor actually diagnosed Nate with ADD and we are trying another medicine. Unfortunately, every day he has taken it, his mood has been unstable. I have called the doctor to discuss it, but we just haven't connected yet. He focused on the ADD and didn't discuss the mood swings with me at our appointment. Please pray for Nate and wisdom for the Dr. We really need to figure out what is going on.

Otherwise, not much else is new to tell-at least nothing interesting. I'm really tired so I'll write more later.

April Fools

I was going through my old photos the other day and came across this one that I'd thought I'd share with you for old times sake. Everybody looks so tan, fit, and oh my that hair! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did (HA, HA, HA).

Had to take my car in three times because the engine was misfiring. He wound up replacing the spark plugs and all the coils on top of the plugs-to the tune of $800. I also need to replace my brakes! I've been very busy at work, trying to keep up with my regular duties as well as learn new ones. We have the new computer system installed and it is really advanced/complicated compared to what we are presently using. We also are operating on two separate systems until they figure out how to merge our library into theirs. I come home feeling tired and frazzled most days. Last Friday I had a scan of my gall bladder. It didn't fill up with the dye, which I think means that there is some kind of a problem. I should find out the results tomorrow and will update you when I know more.

Noah has finally decided on a college (after much bouncing back and forth). He will be attending Pittsburgh State in Kansas next year. He has been filling out all the forms and we hope to have them done this week-YEAH! College financial aid does not work like it used to and we are very confused by the process. Some want us to make up our minds, before they send out the financial aid packets. Some have sent the packets by mail, others have posted it online and we have had to go search for it, and others have piddled out the information week by week instead of having the final package put together by now. Let the fun now begin-getting him ready to go, figuring out how to pay, preparing to let go. I didn't think I was going to be here yet as his original plan was to live at home for a few years and go to college locally.

Jim got in trouble at work and is now on probation for 3 years. It is difficult to explain-but his bosses had to make an example out of him because it happened during an inspection. He wasn't the only one not following procedure, but he was the only one that was disciplined for it.

Nate goes to see the psych doctor tomorrow. Pray that he will figure out what is really going on with Nathan. We've had some good conversations about school this past week and it appears that he is finally maturing. He realizes that he has to do the work-finally-and has been trying this past week. It has been a struggle though, he says his mind wanders all over. His mood has been stable since we told him that we were considering other living options for him. Don't know if it is just a good part of the cycle or he finally maturing in that area also.

Well that is all for now-got to get going with all I need to do.

Busy Busy Busy

Much has happened since my last post. Noah's team went to the State Basketball Tournament. It was held in the arena at the University of Nebraska Lincoln and it was very exciting to be playing there. First time in 10 years that our team has gone! Unfortunately the boys did not win and move on, but it was a great experience! Something Noah will always remember. It did make me cry thinking about all of the times we have sat in the stands and cheered him on. That part of our lives is over-we will never see him play as part of a team again. When I explained this to Jim, his response was to tell me a story about two teams that were in a heated battle to win a game. At the very last second, one team shot a three pointer and won the game. He said-think about how those seniors feel on the team that lost. How sad that would be to lose your last game like that. I felt a little misunderstood-I didn't cry because we lost the game, I cried because I have enjoyed watching my son play all these years and now it was over! Later that evening, Noah and I were talking and I tried to tell him how I felt. He thought it was funny that they lost and I was crying and he was fine. Again, it is so NOT about the loss!!! I feel so lonely in this family-no one gets me.

Tammy and I went to see the Newsboys and Kutless in concert last weekend. We had seen the Newsboys at Lifelight Fest a couple of summers ago and knew they were awesome. It was even better to see them on tour! They really know how to put on an awesome show-the right mixture of fast and slow songs, old and new songs, showmanship and just leading us in worship. They are my favorite group to see live! We really had a great time!!

This week, we made a quick trip to Pittsburg State University in Kansas. It is one of the schools that Noah is seriously considering. There were some things I really liked about the school. They had a low teacher to student ratio, their tuition rate was the same for 21 credits as it was for 15 (and it is low), you got free parking and tickets to home games and newspapers and internet and cable and use of the gym/pool/weight room. Some of the drawbacks-it is 5 hours away, it is a pretty small town rural area, many of the buildings are old and in need of updating (but they are working on them). I think he would get a solid education there, be safe, and there would be enough to do but not so much as to distract him. He wasn't overly impressed, so we'll see. We are waiting for the financial aid reports to come to help make a decision.

Today I took our cat to the Humane Society. It was very sad. I feel like I failed her, but I know I did my best. She kept getting urinary tract infections and peeing on the carpet. My carpet is ruined. Nate is also allergic to her. We just couldn't do it anymore. Later today Jim and I went for a walk around a local lake. We were almost back to our car, when we watched a grass fire spring up on the other side of the parking lot. I have no idea what could have caused it. At first we thought it was a controlled burn. Jim walked up and called out, but no one was around. We called 911, but by the time the fire department arrived the fire had really spread and trees and homes were in its path. We watched as they put it out. The winds were high, so it wasn't easy, but they did keep it contained.

Update

Just a quick note. We wound up with over a foot of snow the other day. It kept blowing and drifting and they had to shut down highways and interstates. The boys were off school on Friday as well. The annexation became official on Thursday during the storm, and there was some confusion over who should be plowing where. The roads were the worst I have EVER seen them. Our first taste of the kind of downgraded services we have to look forward to! I got the rest of my paperwork turned in on Friday (couldn't make it out of my driveway on Thursday). Human Resources kind of gave me a bad vibe because I'm part-time. He also wasn't very concerned that the piece of paper he gave me had someone else's social security number on it! Good news-Noah's basketball team got into the State Basketball Tournament on a wild card. They are working really hard this week to get ready for the game on Thursday. It is the first time they have gone in 10 years! Yesterday was Nate's 16th birthday. I feel bad because I didn't get much planned. Hard to focus with all that is going on, my job, college stuff, and his antics. What I did plan-snowboarding with friends-he didn't want to do (he heard our local hill was lame!). I didn't even get him a gift because he couldn't help me out with ideas until the last minute and all of his ideas are not something I am comfortable with. It is never easy with Nate. I hung curtains in my bedroom yesterday. Nothing special-just sheers with matching valances-but it finally feels like the room is complete. Couldn't make up my mind for the longest time! Well that is all for now. Need to get moving on some paperwork.