More Days Of Thanks . . .

I keep forgetting to come here, after I post my thanks to Facebook.  So today is my catchup day!

Day 8:  I am thankful for the amazing schools my children are in. After talking to other people, I realize how truly lucky they are. They have been blessed with wonderful teachers, made some fabulous friends, are constantly learning, and are experiencing new things daily.

Day 9:  Today I am thank for my 2 oldest and dearest friends. Like I said before, I have some AMAZING friends. I am truly blessed. But there is something to be said for childhood friends who CHOOSE to stick around!

I am VERY thankful for Laura Harp-Biven. I say quite often that she’s the only good thing for me that came out of high school. If you know me well, you know that I try to block those 4 years from my memory as often as possible. But if it hadn’t been for AHS, I would have missed out on a Once In A Lifetime friendship with someone who has always loved me more than I’ve loved myself, has never said an unkind word to me and will take on anyone who does, has spent years trying to build up my self-esteem, and has “had my back” for the last 30+ years. I love you more than you’ll ever know.  And I am also very thankful for Sandy Mueller Arnold who’s stuck by me for 20+ years. We’ve had our share of ups and downs, but I think it’s only made us love and appreciate each other more. Our kids adore each other, our husbands even like each other , and we grow closer every year. She was there for me nonstop while we were living in China. If anything, I think a year of being 1000′s of miles apart, only made our friendship much stronger and deeper. She makes me laugh when I need it, she gives me a shoulder to cry on, she’s my confidant and my therapist. I love you. Thanks for always being there for me.

Day 10:  Today I am thankful for my wonderful Grandma. She is the most amazing person I’ve ever known. She always loved me unconditionally, and never expected me to be anything but ME. She never tried to change me, never talked down to me, never said anything unkind to me, always tried to make me see the good things in myself, and made me feel like I was the most important person in the world. She could talk your ear off, guess I get that from her , but she was always listening, and never missed something important that you told her. She was the first person I went to when I was sad; when I was excited; when I was scared; when I just needed to know that someone was there for me. Even though she’s been gone 14 years, I still think about her constantly. I see her gentleness and her smile in Jason, her sensitivity and awareness of others in Andrew, her non-judgemental attitude and love of talking in Sarah.  The greatest compliment I ever get is when people tell me that I remind them of her. She was my idol. She IS my idol, and I miss her SO much, but I know she’s looking down from Heaven, and I hope I’m making her proud. I love you Grandma.

Day 11:  Today I am thankful for all the Veteran’s who have served our country. Thank you for your courage.

Day 12:  Today I am thankful for my job. Because even though the weather is nasty and I know I’ll be in and out of the car, I am still looking forward to spending the day with my clients while showing houses. I am also thankful for the amazing people I get to work with at the office~you’re not just my co-workers, you’re my friends.

Day 13:  Today I am thankful for my cousins. All 18 of them! I was very blessed to grow up in a family where I have LOTS of cousins. Some of my greatest memories are of summers spent in Lebanon attending cheerleader camp and going to swim meets; family picnics in Lebanon having our Jarts tournaments; Christmas Eve in Mt. Washington, watching the cars coming down the street, and HOPING they were coming to us so we could start our festivities; trips to Kings Island for our birthday. Yes, we were, ARE, very lucky. My cousins ROCK, and I love you all. 

Day 14:  Today I am thankful for my wonderful aunts and uncles. They say it takes a village, and I think they’re right. We’ve been very blessed to have amazing aunts and uncles that have always been there for us, cheered us on, loved us, and helped us grow into respectable, dependable, and responsible adults.

Day 15:  Today I am thankful for the WONDERFUL Teachers that my children have had over the years. It truly DOES take a village, and our village has been amazing. We’ve been very lucky to have some of the best teachers around, and I see my children learn new things, new ideas, and new ways to face the world, with every passing year. I know I couldn’t do your job, that’s why I send them to you , so not just today, but EVERY day, I am thankful for you and all you do.

Day 16:  Today I am thankful for my neighbors. I grew up in an amazing neighborhood, and my goal was to find the same for my kids. Third times the charm. We have wonderful neighbors that have become our friends. They look out for us and our kids and they take care of things while we’re gone. I’m glad I finally found my Casualwood!  

Day 17:  I am thankful that I have parents and a brother that I enjoy being with, and they enjoy their time with me. I hope my kids feel the same way when they become adults. Today I get to spend the morning with Mom at Male’s Craft Fair, and then Mom, Dad, and Scott are all coming to Andrew’s basketball game today. I truly am blessed to have been born into such a wonderful family.

Day 18:  Today I am thankful for the early morning moments when everyone else is still sleeping. The house is quiet and peaceful. Catching up on work and play on the computer. Christmas music playing on iTunes. A Diet Coke, (or 2 or 3), to start the morning off right.

Yes, today I am thankful for the little things. Because the little things all add up to one very big thing – a WONDERFUL LIFE with an amazing husband who works hard to make the best life for all of us and loves me despite all my flaws, phenomenal kids who always keep me on my toes and love me unconditionally, amazing family that is always there when I need them, and the best friends a girl could ask for.  Yes, I truly am blessed. Not just today. Not just this month. But EVERY day. And this “I’m Thankful For” Month, has made me realize just how lucky I really am!

Day 19:  Today I am thankful for quiet nights at home watching movies.

Day 7 . . .

Today I am Thankful the elections are over. Whether your candidate won or not, I hope we can all come together and support OUR country.

 

We are very privileged to live in a country where we HAVE that right.  Whether we like the outcome or not, we still got to vote.  We got to make our opinion known.  And now, we need to sit back and hope the leaders that we chose, do the the right things for us, and our country.

Day 5 . . .

Day 5:  I’m thankful for the AMAZING friends God has sent to me. Some I’ve known most of life, and others I’ve only met in the last few years. But you’re all very special to me, and you make me feel loved and appreciated. There have been days I wouldn’t have made it through with my sanity intact, if I hadn’t had you to lean on. Thank you for being there for me; for listening to me; laughing with me; crying with me; and most of all, for loving me, even with all my flaws. I truly have the BEST friends in the world.

A Month Of Thanks . . .

You might have seen people posting I’m Thankful For on Facebook.  I’ve been doing the same.  So I thought I’d continue it on here as well.  Since today is day 4, I’m already behind, but I’ll catch up.  Here are my first 4 posts:

Day 1:  Very thankful to have the BEST parents in the world.  I’d like to think I learned a few things from them!    I really do have wonderful parents. They sacrificed to make sure my brother and I had the things we NEEDED.  Not just the things we WANTED.

Day 2:  Thankful that God gave me the best brother ever. He’s always been there for me. He was my first friend, and I know he’ll be my friend to the end. There’s definitely only ONE Scott Kremer, and I’m very lucky that I’m the only person in the world that can call him my brother.

Day 3:  I’m thankful for my wonderful husband and our 17+ years together. It’s definitely been an adventure. He works EXTREMELY hard to take care of all of us, and USUALLY does an awesome job. We’re all very blessed to have such an amazing husband and father looking out for us.

Day 4:  Today, and everyday, I’m thankful for our wonderful children. Jason is smart and creative. He enjoys trying new things. He loves the Arts and is very good at Music and Drama. He’s sensitive and soft hearted.  And he’s a wonderful big brother. Andrew is one of the smartest and funniest people I know.  As his 3rd grade teacher says, He’s A Genius! He’s quick witted, street smart, sensitive, and truly cares about other people. He too, is an awesome big brother. Sarah Beth is a Diva in the making. She loves wrestling and playing with her brothers, but she also loves her clothes, shoes, makeup, and jewelry. She’s very caring, can make you smile with just one look, and always gives hugs and kisses to her loved ones.  I thank God everyday that He blessed us with such amazing children.

So that’s my Thanks for the first four days.  I plan on continuing it every day.  I think it’s good to talk about the things we have to be thankful for.  I think we get so busy with our lives, that we forget to stop and be thankful that we HAVE those lives.

Five Reasons I'M Ready For The Elections To Be Over . . .

1.  ALL OF THE POLITICAL ADS THAT ARE ON EVERY 2 SECONDS.  I am SO sick of those STUPID ads, I can’t even tell you.  Every time I turn on the television there’s a different ad.  Which, by the way, I either mute or just turn off completely.  Did I mention I’m SICK of them?

2.  ELECTION NEWS TRUMPS EVERY OTHER TYPE OF NEWS.  Stock market crashed?  Let’s talk about how it’s related to the election.  Gas prices down?  That’s related to the election, of course.  Michelle can’t get her flippin’ car fixed?  Well that’s OBVIOUSLY Obama’s fault!  Now she stubbed her big toe?  Well surely THAT must be Romney’s fault!  Seriously?  Not EVERYTHING has to do with the candidates.  Stop talking about them in relation to EVERY SINGLE TOPIC!

3.  I’M TIRED OF ALL OF THE NEGATIVITY.  I’ve spent the last 13+ years trying to teach my children, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”  They’re 13, 10, and 5.  And they’ve pretty much gotten it down.  If THEY can do it, why can’t all of these adults figure it out?  Instead of telling us WHY we should vote for them, they’re too busy telling us why we SHOULDN’T vote for the other guy.  And I, for one, am tired of it!

4.  ALL THE POLITICAL POSTS ON FACEBOOK.  Admittedly, I’m “friends” with some people on Facebook that I don’t know really well; we all are.  But I am also friends with people that I am ACTUALLY friends with and know very well.  And most of my friends I like very much.  But if I see one more political post, I think I’m going to lose what’s left of my mind.  Here’s a hint:  You are NOT going to change my opinion on who I am voting for by telling me why my choice is wrong.  The only opinion you’re really affecting is my opinion of YOU, if you keep spending all your time telling me why MY opinion is wrong.  Just sayin’!

5.  RUDE, RUDE, RUDE.  I watched a little of the debates.  But I could only watch them for a few minutes at a time because I kept getting angrier and angrier with every minute.  I can’t get over how RUDE they were to each other.  BOTH CANDIDATES.  It seems like they were vying to see who could be the rudest!  UN-FREAKIN’-BELIEVABLE!  If my kids talked like that to other people, they’d be grounded for weeks!  And yet, here we have these supposed adults, talking like that on national television for millions of people to hear.  And they don’t seem to think there’s anything wrong with it.  Are you KIDDING me?!  How can you talk like that and not see it as a problem?  I guarantee you if their KIDS were caught talking like that, they’d have a problem with it!  And yet, for them, it’s okay.  Yeah, THAT’S the kind of person we need running our country!

Five Things I Learned While Living In China . . .

Many of you know that we lived in China for a year.  I’ve seen a lot of “things I learned” articles lately, so I thought I’d do one on China.  I actually learned MORE than five things, but I think these are the most IMPORTANT five things I learned.

1.  WE ARE VERY SPOILED.  That probably goes without saying.  But until you live in another country and you see how poor most of the people there are, you don’t realize just how lucky WE are.  Most people there live in extremely poor conditions.  It’s nothing to see whole families living in a very small house.  And by family I mean, grandma and grandpa, mom and dad, kids and sometimes other relatives as well.  Plus they don’t live in the houses we’re used to.  It’s mostly just 1 or 2 rooms.  And they work for very cheap.  You can get someone to cook, clean, and babysit 40 hours a week for $400-$1000 A MONTH, and many times those people, known as Ayi, are the highest paid member of their family!  Here we’re always so busy keeping up with our neighbors, that I don’t think we take the time to appreciate all of the amazing things we have in our lives.

2.  I’M A LOT STRONGER THAN I THOUGHT I WAS.  You see, I was TERRIFIED about moving to another country.  Yeah, it may have only been for a year, but it was still far away from everyone and everything I’ve ever known.  I didn’t know if I could do it.  I honestly thought I COULDN’T do it.  But guess what?  I did.  I made it.  I survived.  And I think it made me a better person.  It also made me realize that I AM stronger than I thought I was.

 

3.  YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO FOR YOUR FAMILY.  I can’t tell you the number of people that told me, “I don’t know how you did it.  I couldn’t.”  But I don’t think that’s true.  I think you do what you have to do for your family.  We knew this would be a good thing for us, so while it WASN’T easy, I knew it was something that I HAD do because it was the right thing for us.  Now, that being said, I DO NOT WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!   

4.  YOU CAN FIND GOOD PEOPLE EVERYWHERE YOU GO.  YOU JUST HAVE TO BE OPEN TO MAKING NEW FRIENDS.  The thing that terrified me the most about moving was not having any of my friends and family that I rely on daily.  And since we were only going to be there for one year, I didn’t think I’d be able to make new friends.  But guess what?  I did.  We met some AMAZING people.  The very first person I met was the Director at the kids’ school.  I’d been talking to her through email for a month before we moved there, and when I met her in person, she was even more heartwarming and comforting than I could have imagined.  Jason had this PHENOMENAL teacher that not only took care of him, but in a way, she also took care of me.  The second week we were there we met some neighbors on the 7th floor.  Their son was in 5th grade like Jason.  She became my confidant.  I honestly don’t know if I would have survived without her.  Whenever I was having a bad day, she was there to listen to me.  She’d come up or I’d go down and we’d visit and have lunch or coffee at least once or twice a week.  We’d go out for lunch or shopping on a weekly basis.  When Mom and Dad came in they let us use their driver to pick them up from the airport.  They took the kids to school almost daily for us.  She was definitely my closest friend and confidant while I was there.  I also met another person through Jason.  Her son was one of his friends from class.  She and I hit it off pretty well and had some good times together.  I met another friend while grading papers for Jason’s class.  She was grading papers in the class across from me, so we spent every Tuesday morning together, and most days we’d go out to lunch or shopping after we were finished at school.  The point is, I never would have met these amazing people if I hadn’t taken the opportunity to talk to the people in the elevator, the mother’s at school, or the teachers and staff in the hallway.

5.  SOMETIMES WHAT SEEMS LIKE A BAD THING, CAN ACTUALLY BE A GOOD THING.  Like I said before, I was TOTALLY freaked about moving to China.  And I didn’t want to go.  But I never said no.  If I had been really adamant about not going, we might not have gone.  And I/WE would have missed so much.  Yeah, it was a hard year in a lot of ways.  But it was also a great year in even more ways.  We made some awesome friends, saw some amazing sights, visited places most people never have the opportunity to see, grew closer as a family, and basically had a once in a lifetime experience.  It’s one I’ll never regret, and I’m so thankful we had that opportunity.

Halloween Postcard

Crossroads . . .

I met a friend of mine for lunch last week.  He used to be a priest.  In fact, he's the priest that married us and he was the priest at the Newman Center when I was in college.  He left the priesthood many years ago, but he'll always be Fr. Greg to me, and he's still the one I think of when I need spiritual counseling.  Like now.  I haven't been going to church.  Like, for a LONG time.  I don't really miss the "church" part of it, but I feel like I'm missing the "connection" part of it, and I don't know where to go or what to do.  

I was raised Catholic.  And I'm sure I'll always be Catholic.  But there are a lot of things about the Catholic Church that I question.  So that makes me wonder if I'm a TRUE Catholic.  And they're not little things either.  Some of them are HUGE discrepancies.  For example?  I don't believe in Penance.  I know, weird huh?  That's kind of one of the fundamentals of Catholicism.  But nope.  Don't believe in it.  Don't like it.  Don't relate to it.  Never really have.  In my opinion, if I want to confess, I can just go straight to the source.  You know, God.  The MAIN man!  :)  

When I was in High School we used to go on retreats every year at one of the local Seminaries.  During the retreat we would go to the chapel for Penance.  So my Freshman year I'm supposed to go in there and do something that I don't believe in.  I remember walking up to the priest and telling him that I have a REALLY hard time with Penance.  NOT because I don't do anything wrong.  NOT because I don't trust him or the other priests.  NOT because I'm perfect and have nothing to confess.  But because I just don't believe in it.  Like FUNDAMENTALLY don't believe in it.  I just don't.  Never have, never will.  So I told him that.  And he was GREAT!  He said, 'well then how about if we just talk?'  So that's what we did.  We talked about school, retreat, things like that.  And every year after that, for the next 3 years, I would go up and talk to the same priest.  And that's what we'd do.  We'd talk.  He never made me feel like I was a bad person for not agreeing with Penance.  He never tried to talk me into changing my opinion.  He never judged me for feeling the way I feel.  He just talked to me, and let me talk to him.  So basically, I haven't been to Penance since I was in the 8th grade.  Growing up in Catholic Schools we used to go a few times a year.  I remember sitting there making up things to tell the priest.  Did I mention, I have a HUGE problem with Penance.  And it's not like it's something that just happened.  I've had a problem with it since I was about 12 years old.  

Again, BIG part of the Catholic Faith.  And I don't believe in it.  So does that mean I'm not really Catholic?  Does that mean I SHOULDN'T be Catholic?  That I don't DESERVE to be Catholic?  WHAT does it mean?  I don't know.  So I went to someone I trust to get some advice and some direction.  Someone that I knew wouldn't try to influence me one way or the other.  Someone that would listen to me talk and give me some advice on what to do next.   Like I said before, I've always been Catholic, and I'm sure I'll always BE Catholic.  But maybe questioning my religion isn't a BAD thing.  Maybe during all of this questioning it will strengthen my faith and my religion.  And then again, maybe it won't.  Maybe I'll decide that while I still have my faith, and I'll always have my faith, maybe it's my RELIGION that I need to change.  Like I said, I don't know WHAT I need, but I know I need something. 

So we talked about the different steps to take and where to begin.  For one thing, I don't really like the church I'm currently in.  I feel very out of place there.  My thing is that I'm very middle class.  I've always BEEN middle class.  I'll always BE middle class.  And I'm okay with that.  But the problem is, most of the people at my current church are NOT middle class.  They're mostly Upper Class, or Upper Upper Class.  So I feel very uncomfortable there.  Like I'm not wearing the right shoes, or the right clothes, or I'm not good enough because my kids aren't in school there.  It's hard to pay attention during mass when I'm feeling uncomfortable the whole time I'm there.  So the first step we decided I need to take is to try a different church.  There is a church, fairly close to me, called Epiphany.  Epiphany is an all glass church in the woods.  So while you're in church, you are experiencing the outdoors.  It's a BEAUTIFUL place.  And very comforting.  Also, as I said before, some of my views are very different from the typical Catholic Church.  And according to some friends of mine, Epiphany is a more liberal version of most of the Catholic Churches.  So maybe it'll be better for me.  Who knows.  But I know before I start looking at OTHER religions, I need to exhaust every possible measure to find something for me in MY religion.  So that's where I'm starting.  I hope to go there this weekend.  Wish me luck.  I think I'm going to need it.  What about you?  Have you ever questioned your religion?  If so, what was the outcome?  Do you think I should do something different than what my current plan is?  What did YOU do?

Wordless Wednesday . . .

Andrew And Basketball . . .

Andrew begged and begged us to let him try out for basketball.  We tried putting him off as long as we could because we didn't want him to get upset if something happened.  But he kept asking, so we finally gave in.  They've had tryouts the last few weeks and at the last tryout, they assigned the teams.  Well guess what?  He's on the C Team.  The lowest team.  And the look on his face when he walked over to me after they assigned the teams just broke my heart.  THAT'S why we didn't want him trying out.  We didn't want him to get upset.  You see, Andrew is not very athletic.  As much as he likes watching and playing sports, he'll never be great at them.  He's a brain.  He's VERY smart.  He's good at SCHOOL.  But not at sports.  And yet, he still wants to play.  

So that night, and again the next morning, he's talking to me about how bad he is at sports, everyone else is always better than him, and he doesn't want to be on the lowest team.  I explained to him that if he was on one of the higher teams he'd probably never get to play OR practice, because there are so many kids on those teams.  By being on THIS team, he'll get to practice at every practice, and likely play most of every game.  He wants to get better, and sitting on the bench isn't going to help him get better.  Actually getting out there and PLAYING and practicing is what's going to make him better.  He actually sat on the floor and cried the next morning because of the team he was on.  THAT'S why we didn't want him to try out.  So I told him all of the same things again.  He told me he'll be okay, he just has to get used to it.  And that's Andrew.  He can adjust to most things, but he DOES have to have the time to get used to it.  That morning, right before he got on the bus he looked at me and said, "mommy, I'm going to be okay."  Then he got on the bus.  When I was telling the story to someone he said, 'so not only do you get HIM, but he gets YOU too.'  I had never seen it that way, but he's right.  Andrew has always been tuned into me and how I'm feeling.  I think he told me that because he didn't want me worrying about him while he was at school.  And you know what?  I really didn't.  But I WOULD have, if he hadn't said that.  So yeah, I guess he DOES get me, huh?!

Wordless Wednesday . . .

Jason The Actor . . . .

Jason is in Drama Club this year.  The play they are doing is Aladdin Junior.  And he got the lead role!  I'm so proud of him.  My son, the actor.  It just started, so I don't know a lot of the details yet, but the play is sometime in February, so at least he'll have awhile to learn his lines and his songs.  He seems pretty excited about it, and I'm excited for him.  It's something new he's never really done before.  He had a small role in a play in China, but this is the biggest role he's ever had.  I'm really proud of him.  I can't wait to see it.  

I'll make sure to videotape it, of course it's not until February, so it'll be awhile!  :)

Homecoming Pics Day 2 . . .

The next day we got up, went to breakfast, and then went to the Parade.  The kids always have a good time at the parade watching the floats and getting candy.

 What A Bunch Of Hoodlums!

 Goofy Kids!

 At Least They're Having Fun

 Is This Parade EVER Going To Start?

 Still Waiting Patiently

 Aren't They Cute?

Homecoming 2012

 EKU Marching Band

 Homecoming Parade

 Waiting For The Candy!

More Candy Please!

Andrew And Ryan At Madison Gardens

Sarah Beth At MG's

Colonels Touchdown!

Kids Watching The Game

Andrew Playing Football At The Game

Ryan And I

Homecoming Pics Day 1 . . .

Last weekend was my college Homecoming.  We go every year; we've only missed 2 - the year we got married, and the year we were in China.  We always have a great time.  My college roommate, Sandy, and her family always go, except for the 2 years WE didn't go, and then others join us from time to time.  This year it was us, Sandy and Clyde and their 2 kids Jessica and Austin, Mariann and her daughter Katie, (her husband Eric and son Matthew were camping with the Boy Scouts), and Steve and Peggy and their boys, Peyton, Jaxon, and Gabriel.  Steve and Peggy have never been before because they live in Michigan, so it's pretty far for them to travel.  Greg came from Lexington for dinner on Friday night, but couldn't stay the whole weekend.  

We had a GREAT time.  All of the kids played REALLY well together.  Friday night we went to dinner at a Mexican place just across from our hotel.  Greg was there, but the others weren't in yet.  It was pretty good.

Here's the kids acting goofy before we went in:

 We had a nice time just catching up and spending time together.

 I had a couple of beers.  Of course, they were BIG beers!

I wish I would have remembered to take a picture of our food.  Ryan and I split the Fajitas for 2, and we could have easily split it with the whole family.  It was HUGE!  

It's a good thing we walked over, because we needed to walk off some of that food and drink!  Clyde only had 1 drink, but he looks like he's about to fall asleep!

 

 Oh, NOW he's awake!

After that we went back to the hotel and let the kids go swimming.

Glad they had a good time!

He's Home!

Scott is FINALLY home!  YEA!  He was supposed to get home tonight, around 11:30, but he switched his flight, so he got home last night instead.  He didn't tell anyone but me and a friend of my parents.  He was hoping to surprise them at a party they were going to be at, but his flight got in late, so he ended up surprising them at home instead.  And yes, they WERE surprised.  And very happy to see him.  

He was gone for 4 weeks.  He lost 45 pounds and 6 inches in his waist and chest and 4 inches in his hips.  I wish *I* could lose 45 pounds!  I'm so proud of him though.  He obviously worked very hard while he was gone, and he plans on keeping it up now that he's home.  He has a target weight that he wants to get to.  Based on the information he learned while he was away, he figures it will take him about 62 weeks to get to where he wants to be, if he does the things he's supposed to do.  So that means that by next Christmas, he should be at his target weight.  I really hope he makes it. 

I was doing pretty well.  Or I guess I was just doing okay.  I've lost 13 pounds.  But I've been stuck.  I guess I need to start back on it tomorrow and get serious again.  It's just frustrating.  It feels like no matter what I do, nothing really happens.  But I know it's because I'm not working hard enough, so hopefully the big changes Scott is making will inspire me to make some changes as well. 

Catching Up . . .

Okay, so it's Day 14, and I'm 3 posts behind.  If you ACTUALLY  knew me, you'd know that's nothing unusual for me.  My original birth date was 7/31, but I wasn't born until 8/9.  My mom always says, " you were 10 days late, and you've been late ever since!"  Unfortunately, that's pretty much true.  I TRY to be on time, but I'm just not very good at it.  I usually get into something and then I lose track of time.  And of course, now that I have kids, I'm ALWAYS late!  Have you tried getting 3 kids ready, at the same time?  NOT an easy feat!  Luckily, they're getting a little older so they can pretty much get themselves ready, But maybe this should be one of my New Years resolutions for next year.  Maybe I should try harder to be on time. 

It's funny, when I was working full-time, I was very rarely late to work.  We had to clock in on our phones, and in 3 years, I was only late like 3 or 4 times, and even then it was only 1 or 2 minutes.  That's a REAL feat for me.  And when I'm showing houses or going to an Open House, again, not usually late.  Weird huh?   I'm sure there's some psychological meaning behind it, but I'm not going to delve too far into it.  Not sure I WANT to know the reasoning!

But I think I REALLY should work on punctuality.  I guess I'll add that to my list of New Years Resolutions!  :(

Jason . . .

I realize as I've looked over my previous posts, that I haven't written much about Jason.  Jason is my oldest.  He's 13, and he's in 8th grade.  And he's the quietest of my 3 children.  He's always been the quietest.  But now that he's a teenager, he's even quieter.  And that scares me.  A LOT.  I remember what it's like to be a teenager.  It sucks!  Your body is changing in ways you didn't even know it could change.  Your hormones are racing.  Acne sets in.  Insecurity usually sets in.  You start worrying more about what other people think of you.  You want to spend less time with your family, and more time with your friends.  You want to spend more time by yourself.  You want to try new things.  You're too old for some things, but yet still too young for others.  Did I mention, it sucks?!

Andrew has ALWAYS talked to me.  And I'm hoping he keeps it up.  Jason DOES talk to me, but not as much as I'd like him to, and not as much as Andrew does.  I want to know what's going on in his head.  What's he thinking about?  What does he want to be doing?  Does he wish he was somewhere else?  Does he wish he was SOMEONE else?  I talked to him in the car this morning on the way to school, of course *I* was the one doing all of the talking, I think he might have still been asleep!  :)  I asked him, "You know you can talk to me about anything, don't you?"  He told me he did.  But I'm not so sure.  I told him that he can talk to me about anything.  I told him I might not always agree with him, but I'll always listen and be open minded to what he has to say.  Not sure I got through to him, but I sure hope I did.

Jason is my creative child.  He LOVES music.  He plays the Oboe and Percussion, and he's taught himself to play the guitar.  He has also started writing songs.  And he's pretty good too, although I might be a LITTLE bit biased!  ;)  This year he joined the Drama Club.  They are doing "Aladdin Jr".  He tried out for the part of Aladdin.  I REALLY hope he gets it.  It would be cool to see him in that role.  Whether he gets the part of Aladdin or not, he'll have SOME role on stage, but I'd like to see him as Aladdin.  He had to sing for his audition.  He says he thinks he did pretty well.  They will post the parts on Monday or Tuesday of next week, so we'll see. 

Here's Jason's latest song that he wrote:

 So what do you think?  Am I just biased, or is there a little bit of talent there?!  ;)

Car Update . . .

FINALLY had the van looked at today, and yes, it is the transmission.  That's the bad news.  The GOOD news is that it's only going to cost $1700 to fix it.  I know that's a lot of money, but it's not as much as the cost of a new/used car!  Plus, the mechanic said the only time he ever sees my car is when it has a problem, and he doesn't see it that much.  Meaning, if we had a lot of problems with it, it probably wouldn't be worth it.  But since we don't, it might be worth it.  He said if it was him, he would have it fixed.  So, that's what we're doing.  And I'm glad.  Because I LOVE my van.  I don't want to give it up.  And I REALLY don't want a car payment! 

We won't get it back until next week, but at least we'll get it back!  :)   Of course that means we'll be going to Homecoming in Ryan's car, which is pretty small, but that's okay.  The kids will live.  

It's been a long and exhausting day, so I'm heading to bed.  Believe it or not, I can't think of anything to talk about!  :)  I know, so unlike me right?  I guess I really AM tired!  

Nite!

Recent Pictures . . .

I've taken some pretty good pictures on my phone lately, so I thought I'd post some of them.

 Sarah "cleaning" her room!

 I think she's "primping" more than cleaning!

 Her Self Picture

 I LOVE this picture! 

 Andrew with is Saxophone that he's learning to play.

 My two babies!

 She's such a ham!

 They really love each other!

 After the skating party

 Waiting on the school bus

 Showing off her new boots!

 She outta be in pictures!

 I LOVE this girl!

The roses I got for our 16th Anniversary