So Much Craziness

My brain is swimming with stuff so here is a random stream of consciousness ...

Tomorrow I am going to freeze my arse off at the Race for Education that the kids do at the school.  It is the school's big fundraiser and heaven knows the school needs funds.  It's fun to watch and walk with the kids though.  Then in the afternoon they have a Fall Festival that I am supposed to help out with.  It's going to be a long day, but it will be good.  I get to top off the evening with going to a 31 purse party.  I have already shopped a little online to get an idea of what I want.  At this point I am thinking teacher gifts since that is mainly who I will be needing to buy for.  We are really cutting back this year, what with basement repairs, car repairs, everything repairs.  Definitely cutting way back.

I am such a sucker for bags though.  Oh man.  I don't know what it is.  I just want them.  All of them.  It's a sickness.

I am having second thoughts about the whole job thing.  I think mainly because I have had too much time to think about it.  And, this has turned into a wackadoo week so it makes me wonder how I will do it all.  I like the idea of having extra money.  I don't like the idea of having to put so much effort into making the money.  ha!

We'll see what happens. 

I hate when my friends go through such sad situations and there is nothing I can do to make it better.  I am praying though and that is definitely important.

I have cried more this Fall than ever in my life I think.  Let that be a warning for anyone considering calling.  You never know when I might breakdown.  Oy.

I still have Simon, my kitty.  He sure is sweet.  It will be so sad to see him go.  Dan agreed with me though that he doesn't believe he is truly suffering at this point where we need to have him put down.  Does he look skinny and sick?  Yes.  But, is he in pain or showing signs of suffering?  Not really.

Dan even admitted that he likes Molly (our chihuahua) last night.  That was HUGE.  I know Dan talks tough concerning the animals, but he is a softy.  That's one of the things I really love about him.  He is definitely a strong man, but soft on all the right things. 

Madelyn got her ears pierced.  I'll post more on that later.  She is super fun to have around. 

Elijah has had some good "boy time" lately with friends.  It's rare that he has a boy over to play with like boys do, but lately he has had a good fill of it and holy moly are they noisy and rough and so happy all the while.  I pretty much just listen for cries.  Otherwise, I assume they are fine, and most of the time they are.  I find if I don't watch them sword fighting and wrestling I do much better.  Boys are fun though.  They come with a completely different energy, but I love it.  Madelyn just joins in too, at least with the 2 boys we had over tonight.  It was fun.

Being in our basement is sad.  We may be eligible for some funding though.  It's a long shot, but we'll see.

We are getting a dumpster delivered tomorrow.  You know what that means right?  I can throw away ANYTHING I want.  Oh man.  That makes me happy.  The only problem is we have already gotten rid of A LOT of stuff.  Still, the thought makes me super happy.  We got the dumpster because we tore down our smaller shed and now have to get rid of the pieces.  I am tempted to take down the pergola too ... and the bar area that remains in our basement, such a waste of space.  It's all so fun to think about.  Is that strange?  I am afraid I may end up pulling paneling off our basement walls too though.  That I know will turn into a bigger job than it is worth probably, but man oh man is it tempting.  Dan might not want to leave me alone this coming week.  I do have some frustrations I could work out with a sledgehammer.

I am almost done with the book A Thousand Gifts.  Obviously I haven't been reading it constantly.  I don't know that I will ever be able to put my thoughts on it down in a coherent way, but it's a life changing book for me in such a good way.  The timing of this book in my life is absolutely perfect.  One of those things that you just know was God.  I love that.  Of course everything is by God's doing, but everything doesn't FEEL like God is right there standing next to you going, "Look here at how I completely orchestrated all of this just for you to feel good for a moment and know that I am here."  I love those moments.  And I love the book.  It is so raw and genuine.  When I first heard about it I thought it would be preachy, but I was pleasantly surprised.  I like hearing from people how they get through the dark periods, and even just hearing that they have dark periods.  We all do, but we all don't want to admit it.  Why?

Anyway, maybe I do have more to say on that.  But, not tonight I don't.  I need to go to bed.

A Job?

There is so much I want to write about and so little time, but I will start with the subject I have put off the longest ... the potential job.

I actually had a fun interview.  First I met with HR where I had to do a typing test.  WHAT?!  It's been years since I took an actual test.  Thankfully, my results were 61 wpm.  Yay!  I had put on my application that I could type 60 wpm so I was hoping I wouldn't make a liar out myself.  I just knew that is what I tested years ago when I last took a typing test. 

The HR lady was very nice.  We had a nice chat and then she sent me on to the hospital where I met with a few supervisors.  Yes, a few.  It was so great.

Without going into all the details I basically heard about 3 different positions and met with the 3 different supervisors who oversee those positions, along with the supervisor who oversees all of them.  They were all super nice.  I felt bad choosing just one, but when she described the position that was a Financial Counselor to patients who have no insurance coverage I was sold.  That position definitely seemed to fit my skill set the most and I wanted a position that allowed me to interact with patients. 

Not that I didn't want to jump at the ER Registrar position after I was told the story about the man who got a few fingers chopped off after sticking his hand in his snow blower and then wanted to show off what he lost.  I also had to laugh when the supervisors shared with me how they would react when they were around someone who was vomiting.  The one would have to lie down on the floor.  So funny. 

The women I met with were all really great and super understanding of my situation with the kids, etc.  So, now I am at the part where they are discussing hours, etc. and I hope to hear something soon. 

What has really been helpful in all of this is the fact that I know a guy who works in the ER.  I told him about the position I applied for and asked him who would be the person to contact concerning the position.  It all went from there.  I am so grateful to him for giving me these connections.  He told me the supervisors were great and so did the HR woman, and they were right.  I know with so many people working at the hospital (8,000 I think) it could definitely be hit or miss. 

So, it's craziness.  I know it will be a huge transition for my family, but I think it will be good.  I feel ready. 

We'll see!

My Birthday (for realz)

Turning 35 was a fun day.  Dan worked from home so when I went out to run errands I picked up lunch so we could eat lunch together.  While we ate lunch we played Gin and Dan beat me badly.  He then left to go teach his class.

Not cool.  Not cool at all. 

You don't beat a girl at Gin on her birthday and then leave.  It was not over.

After school he brought the kids home and we went to IHOP.  Yes.  IHOP.  I knew the kids would love it and I got my Chipotle burrito for lunch so I was happy.

It was fun, and I ate a lot.  We passed on getting any kind of cake since IHOP pancakes are pretty much dessert for dinner.

We came home and played UNO as a family.  Madelyn won, but I beat Dan which is really what I pay attention to. 

The kids went to bed and IT. WAS. ON. 

Our Gin re-match I mean.  What were you thinking??  (dirty birdy)

Dan and I get so competitive when we play games again each other.  It's the best, especially when I beat him.  Badly.  He tried to say he let me win, but I knew better. 

Ahhhhhh.  I went to bed a happy girl.  Victory is sweet.

Oh, and Madelyn made me a beautiful flower arrangement all by herself.  It is very cute.  And Dan got me some fun Bath & Body Works stuff.  I had shoppe a little (a lot) lately so I told him to go easy on the gift.  I took care of myself.  He hates when I do that.  I don't understand why.

All in all, a great day.  Lots of family time which is where it's at.

Birthday (Interview)

I had a fun birthday.  Yay!

Okay.  Enough about that.  I have an interview tomorrow.  WHAT?!  I know.  Crazy.

So, yeah.  I am brushing up on my interviewing skills.  Do you think they will want to know how many meals I have prepared over the last nine years I have been home?  How many times I have cleaned, gotten the mail, stayed in my pjs all day, nursed babies, changed diapers, went to doctor appts, bathed children, washed clothes, ate bon-bons, watched soaps ... ?

No. I didn't think so.  So, I am trying to tap into the "professional" me from way back when.  I was able to a little bit today when I tried on clothes to wear to my interview.  I looked so polished ... so ... professional.  It was fun.  I recognized that person in the mirror.  It was nice to see her again. 

I wanted to keep trying on and buying nice clothes, but I refrained.  I reminded myself that if I get a position at the hospital I will most likely end up wearing scrubs soooooooo that changed everything.

I still bought some clothes though.

I know I will be nervous tomorrow, but mostly I am excited.  I am excited to hear more about the positions and how everything would go if I got the job (a job), etc.

Speaking of which, getting a job I mean, this is going to be a HUGE change for our family.  Dan has mixed feelings about it.  He is used to having me here ALL the time.  I am used to being here ALL the time.  And, the kids will have to adjust some as well.  It will just be different is all.

Of course, that's IF I get a job.  I need to tap back into "professional" Kate's mind a bit more to be prepared for potential questions.  Thank the Lord for Google.  Google is giving me so many helpful tips and possible questions.

I'll write about how it goes after I get through it tomorrow.  That is, if I survive.  Eek!

Dinner Conversation

I love our dinner times.  You never know what is going to come up in conversation lately. 

Tonight it was our grandchildren. 

Recently Dan was baking and gave Madelyn a piece of baking chocolate as a joke.  Poor thing.  So, tonight when Dan was asking what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday he mentioned making funny cake which is what he was making that night with the chocolate.

Madelyn starts saying, "Don't trust the chocolate.  Don't trust the chocolate."  We were cracking up.  Dan was telling her that she needs to do that to her children and I was coming out in defense of our poor grandchildren.

All this led to us telling them what to name their children.  Oh my.  Our poor children. 

Madelyn said she doesn't know how many children she wants.  Elijah said he thinks he'll have three.  First he said he wants all boys, but then he said, "I don't really care what they are.  I know it all depends on what God wants your babies to be."  Oh my.  We high fived over that one.  He amazes me with what he comes out with concerning God.  Both of them do.  I love it. 

Dan told Madelyn her girl would be named Rose and her boy would be Daniel.  What?  I didn't see why her girl couldn't be Kate.  Then he tells Elijah his boy is going to be William and his girl would be Rose.  Then when he said he was going to have three children he gave the third a silly name like Ting Tong Tubbs.  The kids were belly laughing.   

So funny.  We laughed a lot.  Elijah then got into the shower and we explained profit and loss to Madelyn with the example of a lemonade stand.  It was cute to see her "get it."  Now she wants to open a lemonade stand next year. 

Our plan of having our children become independently wealthy so they can support us is paying off.  Muhahahahahahaha!

Commiserating

So, Dan thought it would be a good idea to talk to a co-worker of his who is going through a similar situation with her cat. 

Cathy (not her real name) e-mails me and says, "It sounds like we are going through the same thing with our cats.  If you ever want to talk, feel free to call."

It turns out we are going through almost the exact same situation with our cats only her cat has a tumor on his mouth.  Otherwise, symptoms are similar concerning messes, weight loss, hair falling out, etc.

What Dan didn't take into consideration is how similar Cathy and I are in that our cats are our babies.  She can't bring herself to make "that appointment" either.  She had nightmares after an experience with a previous pet since she had regrets.  I forget what the details were, but I know I don't want to do it just for convenience sake and regret that.  I also don't want to send him in with Dan and then regret not being there for him in his last moments.

Ugh.  Just the thought of "last moments" brings that awful "dry-heave" feeling again.  Oh, and tears. 

How is it that these little critters work their way into your heart so deeply?

I had a get together here the other night and the cats and Daisy were all over my guests, especially two of the women.  The cats especially kept meowing and jumping up to Deb looking for attention.  Daisy took to Gale like she owned her.  People are so gracious sometimes in those situations, but I felt bad.  I had to keep putting them in a separate room. 

I like to think that if they weren't so snuggly and sweet still it would be easier to make this decision, but I know I am not kidding myself.  It's the idea of their little lives being snuffed out that I cannot stand.

So, Cathy and I were commiserating in the hallway at the school sharing how we hope that the Lord just takes them peacefully even though we know that God doesn't always give us the easy way out.  I remember feeling that way with Liezl and hearing a sermon during that time about how God doesn't always give us the easy way out, nor does He forget us during hard times.  We usually end up learning a lot through it all.

Cathy has an appointment made for Thursday and took Thursday and Friday off so she can grieve for her kitty and not have to try to work while being so sad.  The vet sort of made her make the appointment, but assured her that she could cancel it even up to 5 minutes before. 

Meanwhile, Dan is regretting connecting me with Cathy.  It's okay though.  It's nice to know someone else who understands, who has the same feelings and isn't all judgy thinking they know exactly what you should be doing. 

Dan is being super gracious as well, not wanting to pressure me into anything.  He's a good guy, that Dan.  I sure am glad he's mine.

My Reader

Madelyn's teacher had to e-mail me to confirm that Madelyn did indeed read 450 pages since last Friday.  This made me laugh.  I explained to her that Madelyn has been a reading machine lately.  She got a book from the library yesterday, came home and read it all that evening.  It was a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book.

On weekends we let her read as long as she wants when she goes to bed and last weekend I found her at 11 pm sleepy eyed, but still hanging on to every word.  So funny.  I told her to go to sleep at that point.

For homework every night she has to read for 15 minutes.  Most evenings she ends up reading for at least 30.  But, I learned she gets crabby if she doesn't have a good chapter book to read.  The teacher doesn't specify what kind of book they have to read so I was telling Madelyn to just grab a book off her shelf and read for 15 minutes.

She was not happy, but she did it.  That night we made a run to the library to get her some good chapter books.  We came home she plops down with one of the books and declares that THAT was going to be her official 15 minutes.

Okay then.

So, I have learned that all the girl needs is a good book and she is happy.  Easy enough.

So yes, 450 pages in one week.  Amazing.

Keepsakes

Last night I was trying to get some laundry done before school started again for the week and naturally I ended up flipping through some of Dan's letters and cards that were rescued from the flood in our basement.

You know how it goes.  You go in the basement to get the laundry going, realize the kitty litter needs to be changed, go in the storage room to get the litter box liners, see the pile of letters and cards and there you have it.  Next thing I am back in the living room with the pile of said letters and we are reading through them as a family, naturally.  The kids weren't too interested, but I sure was.

Poor Dan.  He didn't get as much of a kick out of the letters and cards from girls as I did.  I understand though.  The one girl played him like a fiddle.  The other girls just really loved him, but didn't stand a chance.  I kind of feel bad for them.  The best part was that a lot of these letters were from early 1994 before he even knew who I was.  Little did he know I was about to come on the scene and change things for him FOREVER.  Muahahahahahaha ... hee hee.

I always like to tease him by pointing out things like I was just starting high school when he was starting college.  Would he have dated me then even though it was against the law?

It's okay though because I totally sought him out, not the other way around.  That might have been creepy because he is 4 years older.  The more I got to know him my freshman year I realized he is not the guy who looks at freshmen as potential dates and that was a good thing.  I loved getting to know him.  He was so smart, so grounded, so different than me, and we laughed together a lot.  Score!  I was so happy just to have him as a friend.  We were friends for a while before we dated.  That made the dating transition easy.  We were already super close so dating just meant we could start kissing.  Woo hoo!

And, it was legal at that point.

Sorry.  Back to the letters.  We were explaining to our kids that letters is how we communicated back then.  "Back then."  Seriously?  Are we at that stage in our lives?

Long distance phone calls cost money that most college students didn't have so we would write it all down in letters for the cost of a stamp.  It's amazing to think that our kids won't have these things to flip through, at least not in the amount that we have.

So, one of the letters from a girl said, "Dan, I understand (girl's name) told you that I liked you.  Those were childish feelings ..."  What?  Another was a belated birthday card that then ended with, "On a serious note, Dan ... " and basically went on to say how much his friendship meant, etc.  In other words "why aren't we dating?"  The bad part about that one is she was dating his friend.  What?  ha ha!

Keep in mind, this is me talking.  Dan might have a different commentary on all of this, but it is no different than when he sees my yearbooks, or letters, and tells me how this guy or that guy had crushes on me when I am swearing up and down that he didn't, that we were just friends.  So, now it's my turn. 

Who cares though really?  It's all in the past.  It's just funny though how at that time these were major deals.  It's also funny how FB has brought a lot of those people back in our lives to some degree, and I think some of the people would laugh with us over these things.

Oh memory lane ... you sure are fun to travel down sometimes.

Dry-heaving

It occurred to me today that I would not be so darn sad about life right now if I weren't so blessed.  Seriously.  I lament the things I have lost or am losing because I have been given much. 

Consider my Simon.  He is the saddest part of life right now.  His little body so frail.  Today I realized I would not be so sad about him if I weren't so blessed.  I consider it a privilege to be able to care for and love a kitty for 14 years.  Now it's figuring out how best to care for him at this stage.  He does not seem to be in pain though and mostly just lies around on our bed, or on my dresser where it is sunny and warm. 

He's eating, and drinking.  Even today while he was drinking Samson was licking Simon like they do sometimes.  It was really sweet to watch.  Although Simon's hair is not as healthy as it used to be so it comes out really easily.  Poor Samson kept having to shake the hair off of his tongue.

So, the thought of having him put down still makes me feel like dry-heaving so I don't think it's time yet.  If I thought he were in pain or that I would be "helping" him by having it done it would be easier.  But, his eyes still look "healthy" when he looks at me.  I just can't do it.

I remember that with Liezl, our schnauzer.  I hated saying good-bye to her at the cage in the vet's office.  She was going in for surgery.  They were going to remove the tumor if they could.  If they couldn't, they were just going to have her put down on the operating table.  I knew I was doing all I could for her so I went through with it, but it was awful.  She was in the holding cage at the vet and there was no way I could make her understand what was going on, to tell her I was doing all that I could.  She still just looked at me with her bright eyes, wondering what was going on.  But, I knew the tumor was taking over her body.  The vet wasn't able to remove the tumor.  It was all through her organs.   It was so sad.

Talking to the vet on Friday she told me Simon probably has some kind of intestinal cancer which is why he is not responding to the meds, and why his body is so thin.   I at least know I am doing and have done all that I can.  Chemo just is not an option for us.  It's a short term fix anyway.  That is, if it "fixes" at all.  I'm not going to put him through that.

So, I will continue to spoil him with snuggles and treats while I can.

The kids know it is getting near to his time.  I explained to them on Friday that we may have to take him to the vet soon to be put to sleep.  This is how that conversation went with Elijah ...

"You mean like when you get your tonsils out?"

"Kind of, but you don't wake up."

"He won't wake up until he gets home?"

"No.  He won't wake up at all.  He will sleep forever."


"Oh."  He went back to his video game.


Later when we were praying together as a family Elijah said he didn't want Simon to go to sleep forever.  I told him it would be okay though because he would be in heaven (yes heaven) with all the other kitties and Liezl.  His eyes got wide and he said, "You mean he will be dead?!" 


Um.  Oops. 


He understood then that sleeping forever means dying.  My bad.


Madelyn on the other hand was very quiet through our conversation.  She was making friendship bracelets, but then said, "I wish pets didn't ever have to die ... or people."  Then continued on with her bracelets.


This is all part of life though, right?  There is love and there is loss.  It sucks.  And it hurts. 

But, where would we be without the love, even knowing it will all be lost one day?  We have to love, and be loved, to survive. 

God will give us the grace to get through the loss.  I am learning this.  "A Thousand Gifts" is helping me.  If you haven't read that book, read it, especially is you are sad, and/or feeling like dry-heaving.

No Downer Here

Ugh.  Life.  That's pretty much how I have been feeling lately.  Life has been beating me up.  It can be exhausting trying to stay afloat when you feel like you might be drowning.

I hate being a downer though so let's focus on some positive happenings and thoughts ...

Madelyn and I went on a bike ride together for the first time on Saturday.  Man is she cute riding her bike.  I love it.  We went around our neighborhood.  Saturday was a beautiful day, perfect for bike riding.

Madelyn got tired so she went home.  I did another trip around our neighborhood.  I passed a house for sale that has a Coors sign in their front window.  This is just my opinion, but if you are trying to sell your house I think you should probably take that sign out of your front window.

We got together with good friends later in the day and that was fun too.  Good friends are so necessary for the soul.  It was nice to forget about troubles for an evening.

A guy they know stopped by while we were there and he was an interesting fellow, one of those people who is super intelligent while borderline weird.  He definitely gave us plenty to chat about once he left.  He said something to both me and Dan separately that kind of took us aback for a second.

During a conversation he says to me, "You are the youngest aren't you?"  Um.  What?  He then says, "Are you the baby of your family?"  He told me he could tell I was by my confidence level or something to that effect.  It took me aback because I had barely talked directly to him, but it was just through observing he had me pegged.  I am telling you.  He is a crazy dude.  Nice guy, just a little crazy.

Madelyn wanted to spend the night with her friend, but only if Elijah did too so we packed up all their things.  We got their beds all made up in the living room just before we were getting ready to leave.  Elijah fell asleep instantly on the couch.  I hugged Madelyn and told her goodnight before I went back out on the patio with our friends.  Next thing she is coming outside crying.  She didn't want to stay after all.

The sad/funny part was Elijah made it clear he did NOT want to go home with us, even if he fell asleep before we left.  But, since Madelyn didn't want to stay we figured we may as well take him home too.  He told me tonight that he woke up and cried when he realized he was in his own bed.  Poor guy.  He was happy to then find Isabelle here.

Isabelle decided she wanted to come to our house and spend the night since Madelyn wasn't going to stay there.  She got her stuff all packed up and as we were walking out the door she ends up crying.  We thought she wanted to stay then, but she got it together and came with us.  Sweet girl.  They have been having a blast.  They have gotten NO sleep, but are loving life. 

We just got back from dropping Isabelle off with her parents.  Sad.  I hate saying good-bye.  They live 2 hours away now, but come back to their house here every now and then.  They plan to sell it, but haven't yet.  So, I am thankful we are still able to have these times with them on occasion.

The kids were so sad to say good-bye to Isabelle and kept trying to come up with ideas they could do to get more time with her.  They wanted to go to Cabela's, walk the aisles of Lowes, anything!  We ended up chatting in the Lowes parking lot for a while so they played in the empty cart holder and raced through the parking lot.  So, it worked out well.  We all got some more time with our friends.

Ahhhh.  Friends.  So good for the soul.

Crack for Dogs

I bought this new dog food for my dogs because I had a coupon.  I usually buy the Purina Beneful, but this kind is Purina Smart Blend.

For those of you who know my dogs you know they are nervous nellies.  They aren't like most dogs who scarf down food.  I don't have to feed them separately because the food usually sits there.  Or, Daisy will let Molly (the teeny dog) eat and then she will finish what's left.  Have I mentioned lately how sweet and gentle Daisy is?  She truly is the best.

Anyway, I bought this new food and I have never seen my dogs eat like this before.  They are addicts!  Molly will even almost eat all of what I put in there.  I've even seen the cats nibbling at it.  I've had to shew them away so Daisy could eat!

I knew the "blend" part of the food made all the difference.  I didn't know what it was, but it looks like old meat or something.  Blech.  Dog food is so gross and smells gross too so I just didn't pay much attention.  I try to not get any closer to it than absolutely necessary.

Curiosity got the best of me though.  I just checked the bag and no wonder they love it.  The "blend" is real bits of lamb!  Ugh.  I don't eat lamb, or veal, or any other baby animals.  I am just not comfortable with the idea.  I believe "don't eat babies" is a good rule to live by.  I didn't realize I was allowing my dogs to eat babies!!  ACK!

While I am happy my dogs are so happy and chubby from their yummy food I don't think I can afford to support their addiction to baby animal dog food, nor do I want to be an enabler.

Blech.

Doctor Ken Doll

I went to see Dr. Ken Doll.  You know, my doctor who looks like a Ken Doll.

I've been needing to go since the summer and kept saying that I will get there once the kids start school again so I didn't have to drag them with me.  Well, read the past few weeks of blog posts and it should be pretty clear why I haven't made it there until now.

I also don't like going to see doctors though either so I put it off for a very very very long time.  There have been times I have even waited until the weekend and go to an urgent care place because they don't know me there.  Weird huh?

Back to Dr. Ken though.  He is a young guy, probably Dan's age, so when I go there I feel like I am going to a friend's husband which is weird because I wouldn't typically talk to my friend's husband about any personal issues I am having, especially not in a room with the door closed, just the two of us.

But, Dr. Ken is great.  He has this super calming demeanor about him.  Today he sat across from me on his stool, I was on the chair, and leans sideways onto the table and we're just chatting.  He talks kind of quiet and totally like "yeah, you know, it's going to be fine.  we'll do this and that for this long and go from there.  no biggie.  let me know if you have problems."

Okay, that's not at all what he said, but that is exactly how he comes across so I left feeling like "Yeah, it's totally fine.  I don't know why I tortured myself by waiting so long to get this done." 

And he knows Dan so he's like "tell dan hi" and I'm like "enjoy your newest baby"  blah blah blah ...

So, if I ever talk to any of you friends about putting off going to the doctor, remind me of this post and why it really is not a big deal.

Thank you.

Happy Place

Lately my blog has been my happy place.  FB is kind of weirding me out so I feel better posting my random thoughts on my blog where everyone has access, but only about 5 choose to access.

Hi Happy Place!  It's me again ...

Our dinner times have been so fun lately.  Full of laughs and giggles.  The kids crack up at things lately like crazy and it just makes me laugh that much harder.  Laughter truly is good medicine.

And their laughter is addictive.  When I see them cracking up it makes me do more goofy stuff to get more laughter from them, especially if Dan is cracking up with them.  I love it.

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We've been playing UNO.  Last night Madelyn whooped us.  Tonight the poor girl lost so badly.  In one hand she ended up with over 100 points.  Those hands are painful.

I beat everyone tonight though.  Yay me!  No one high-fived me after I won though.  I don't know why.  (Tee Hee)

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I called Shannon late last night to tell her something quick and two hours later we hung up.  It was 1 a.m. my time, 10 p.m. her time.  We were both equally tired though.  That's how similar she and I are (not).  She is usually in bed by 9.

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I have had two coffee dates this week and that makes me happy.

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My kids (mainly Madelyn) asked if she could ride into school with Dan tomorrow.  He leaves 45 minutes early than I do if I take them, but whatever.  They are psyched.  Elijah is usually up earlier than everyone else so he was game for it.  We'll see how they feel in the a.m.

This didn't actually happen yesterday, but it did happen today.  They were still happy to ride with him.  I HATE having to wake both of them.  Usually Elijah is awake already, but when he is not it is painful for me to have to wake him AND Madelyn up.

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I have officially applied for 2 different jobs.  It's funny because I don't really think that I will get either of them, but I want to.  But then I don't want to.  It's sort of like I want to be validated in some way to say that yes, I can still get a job if I want to.  But then I think, "Wait.  Do I really want to work?"  I do want some extra money so it looks like I need to work some way in order to do that.

I am contemplating applying for another job as well.  All of these are part-time, but the first two are nights and this other one is mornings until noon.  It would change things as far as getting the kids to school, them being sick, etc, but we'll see what happens.  I have to remind myself that applying for these jobs does not mean that I will get them.  I still should probably be able to work out the schedule though if I am to apply for them :P

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I love that my Bible Study has started up again.  I also love that I am taking a class.  It's been fun.

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Since I have been writing these random thoughts for a couple days now I should probably just post this ...

Flood Pictures

 My retro chairs I had my eye on at the library until one day I found them at the curb.  Snagged 'em, and now they are gone ... (sniffle)

 Notice the cat food ...

 Not cool T.S. Lee.  Not cool at all.

 Madelyn thought she would do some "stepping" to avoid the water ... Oh, and the cushion is gone off of this chair because Dan stepped across the furniture to turn off the electric so he was trying to not get the cushions all wet.  Meanwhile, they all ended up out in the rain.  So sad.

 The kids couldn't wait to get their feet wet ...

 So strange to see so much water ...

The box of giveaway stuff I was supposed to take to the church that weekend.  It didn't make it.

 Yay for our washer and dryer still working and us not getting shocked when we plugged them in!

 Yay for being mostly caught up on laundry (that is rare) and not having huge wet piles of clothes!

 Notice the maroon trunk on the shelf.  That has my wedding stuff that I wanted to save and other things.  SO THANKFUL it was on the shelf and wasn't harmed.

 See those cardboard boxes on the shelf that are wet on the bottom?  Dan's keepsakes.  Some of the stuff was put in a plastic grocery bag so we were able to save those items.  The rest had to go.  Boo T.S. Lee!

Luggage, gone.  More of Dan's keepsake boxes, gone.  Boo!!  Our blue air mattress survived though.  Yay!  It's a nice one.

 Good-bye extra toilet paper that I'm not sure why Dan thought it was a good idea to store you in the basement anyway.  See the cat food?  Thankfully the cat food seemed to be the biggest pollutant in the water.  The kitty litter stayed afloat.  Thank the Lord.  That would have just been so nasty so let's not think about that anymore.

 So sad ... and just so unsettling.  You don't even know where to begin.

 It is a strange, strange sight to see your living area under water ... We had already pulled the tv stand and tv, etc. upstairs when this pic was taken.  That would have been on the right side where the rug was pulled up.

That window you see is right above where the sump pump was under that bench.  The shelves in the far right had our wedding photos on the way top of it so they were saved as well.  Thank the Lord.  That would have been very sad.





So there you have it.  If our camera wasn't broken, I would take more pics now so you could see our basement all bare.  The paint on the floor is all peeled up and needs to be redone.  That bench by the back door is gone.  It hid the sump pump area, but the firemen needed to get it out so they could push water into that area.  That door needs replaced and some other things.  It will get done in due time though.  All in due time.

Junk Day = Happiness

I love Junk Day.

It's the day in the neighborhood when trash men come with their big trucks and pick up ANYTHING you set by the curb.  I should say anything that's left at your curb.

You see, we put a bunch of stuff out, like a mattress, toilet, dresser, old wood, chairs, scrap pieces of whatever ... you get the picture.  Then people from near and far come driving around our hood collecting the things that look like goodies to them.  And let me tell you, people have varying tastes of what is good.

For instance, today Dan put out our old mattress.  Our mattress has been outside either leaning against the shed, in the shed, in the rain, out of the rain, or on the ground for the kids to jump on for about 3 months.  He pulls it to the curb and a guy with a truck says, "Aw man, I wish I could fit that mattress in my truck."

No.  No sir, you don't.  Be thankful the bed of your truck cannot fit our nasty old sittin'-outside-for-months mattress.  That was a blessing in disguise for that man.  He just doesn't know it.

Also, keep in mind that this year most of the junk sitting out at the curbs is from flooded basements.  We weren't the only one with a flooded basement in our hood.

Most of our stuff was a victim of the flood so not only was it in water in our basement, it then sat outside in the gallons and gallons of rain that have fallen from the sky in the last few weeks since the flood.

Our couch was steaming one day when I pulled into the driveway after dropping the kids off at school.  I am hoping that couch is still waiting by the curb and hasn't been picked up already.  Blech.

A soaking wet carseat was taken.  A wooden chest which actually wasn't in too bad of shape.  A wooden door that was mildewy.  An old printer.  An old dvd player.

See?  People love free stuff.  I am sure a lot of people like to tinker with things and see if they can get it working again.  It's funny to hear all the cars throughout the day and see them slow down as they drive by your junk pile.  There have been times I have pulled into my driveway while people are scavaging.  That's a little awkward.

I love it though.  I feel happy getting rid of stuff and knowing people are going to try to use it in some way.  And, the people are happy filling their trucks and trailers with all kinds of treasures.  It's like this major recycling effort.

And, I will admit.  I have grabbed a thing or two from neighbors when they have set it by the curb.  Our lawn chairs with the soft cushions for instance, and the coffee table we put in our basement before the flood.  Granted, it wasn't junk day, but free is free.

And free makes me, and a lot of other people, happy.

Papa's Home!!!!!!!

This picture was taken the day Dan got home from France and we picked him up at the school.  He took this right after he opened the car door.  It's definitely a fave.

Counting Blessings

I just read an article about people in Pine Grove and West Pittston, two town in PA who have been hit particularly hard with flooding rains, not just Tropical Storm Lee, but the rains we have continued to get after.  It's so sad.

One place I read about had mud and water in their basement.  They got it all cleaned out and then recently (the night Dan and I went away) it rained SO much and they found the basement full of mud and water again.  Ugh. Other places were just going to have to shut down until they could make all necessary repairs.

That same night we got water in our basement again too, but that was because of a sump pump mixup and thankfully we found it before we left so my mom didn't have to call us late at night to tell us.

So, these are things I just keep reminding myself of to be thankful for ...

The water in our basement was essentially clean, no mud, no sewage, no weird chemicals, just cat food from Dan spilling the bag.  oops.  I should post the pictures.

Our washer and dryer still work.

Our tv and dvd player were saved even though our wii wasn't.

The furniture down there was nothing that we had spent money on or financed.

We can live without our basement rec room. 

During all the flooding I saw footage on tv of people whose first floor was filled with water and mud.  This article I just read was talking about getting aid to people who were flooded out.

So, I think about our situation, and it does suck, even more now that we know insurance isn't covering anything.  Our basement window is broken.  Our sump pump needs to be rerouted because we had to put a new pipe on it.  Even though we see no mildew now I feel like it is still lurking and the walls will definitely need to be treated with something to seal it.

But, for the most part, we can close our basement door and forget about it because right now we don't have what we need to fix everything.

If it was our first floor where we eat, sleep and live that would be awful.  It would be like there is no escaping.  Being home all day in a house that was flooded out would be super depressing so I am grateful.  And, now that we had junk day our patio and driveway are cleaned up of all the damaged stuff.

I really hope those people are able to get the aid they need.  I did think about where we would go if our house wasn't livable due to mildew or something, and I didn't have a great answer.  A hotel would be super expensive and we don't have local family.  And, I wouldn't want to ruin any relationships with my "good friends."

So, while it's a huge bummer, and it comes while all these other bummers have been bombarding us, I know it could be much worse.  But it isn't.  And for that I am grateful.

UPDATE:  I wanted to add that these poor people who continue to deal with the flooding issues are now in need of counseling help so the government is adding that to the aid they are trying to provide. 

Lice ... or Not

Tonight I found out they checked for lice at the school today.  EEK!  This gives me heart palpitations and makes my head itch.

For some reason I didn't get the e-mail from the school so Dan informed me at dinner.  The kids didn't really pick up on what we were talking about so I asked Elijah if he got his head checked today.

"Mmm-hmm"

"Did she find anything?"

"A tangle."

A tangle.  We CRACKED up laughing.  The poor boy.  He could not figure out what was so funny.  It was just so cute.

So Dan asked him if that's what the nurse said she found.

"Yes.  A tangle.  Why is that so funny!?"

He was so serious.  He could not figure out why we would find that so funny.

Oh sweet boy.