A Snapshot

It's been 3 weeks since I have blogged. I keep an update via Twitter on my blog. It seems that it's all I have focus for these days. We're doing a snapshot since it's been a while and I don't know where to start:

What have I accomplished recently?

--Finished a slide show for the PTO (a favor I did for them)

--Purchased a 2006 trailer in time for a trip at the end of last month

--Washed the whole outside of the trailer after the trip

--Bought a new puppy for our family! (A Shih-tzu/Bichon Frise mix)

--Made it through the first night with said puppy

--Started training at our "Care Service" to become a Case Worker

--Agreed to help with an anti-bullying program at our school

--Purchased school supplies for 3 kids

What's on my to-do list?

--Start the process of a new year with Children's Liturgy

+Call rep about faulty listening device

+Follow up with possibly 2 new liturgists

+Create schedule for 11 liturgists for the whole school year

+Find out when I should receive the liturgy packets...copy and prepare for each liturgist

--Stay consistent on letting Charlie (new pup) out to establish good potty habits

--Catch up on my house! It's a mess!

What's been driving me crazy?

--Mary's emotional roller coasters...what will puberty be like??

--Buggy computers

--Weeds all over the back yard and in beds

--Swollen uvula that is better now...thank goodness!

--My messy house

What's been making me happy lately?

--Charlie! He's adorable and very easy so far! I didn't expect this!

--Our new camper...It was a great trip to Lake Michigan and the camper fit our needs perfectly

--I love volunteering at the Care Service. There is SO much to learn...which makes it challenging and rewarding at the same time. I feel very humble interviewing clients and listening to the run down of their financial situation.

--How good Ted is. How could I do this all without him??

--Knowing that I will have two free days a week; with Mary in Mom's Day Out and Ben starting full time Kindergarten! What will it be like to have one child home with me every day??

More Volunteering?

I remember, when I just had Mary, and Ben was only 18 months old...feeling a great desire to be a part of the world that was "out there"...the one that I saw other people participating in, but I felt like I was stuck in my home. It was a particularly hard time for me. I like to have time to do things I enjoy and at that time, I felt all I could do was take care of my children and my house and those two things were all encompassing. I knew I didn't want it any different, however. I knew I always wanted four children and this is what I would have to go through before things got easier. I remember talking to my mother-in-law and saying I would like to work for our Care Service some day. The Care Service is a Crisis Intervention Agency that is associated with my parish. Basically, it's a community outreach for the needy. I remember telling her that and feeling like it would be so far away before I could do something like that...but now the time is here!

Just yesterday, I met with the Case Manager Supervisor at the Care Service. Me and three others were given a tour, told about the organization and it's goals, and explained what a Case Manager does. I found myself so happy to be there! Like this was the place I wanted to be a part of for a long time! There was another woman there who sat off to the side. I wondered why she was there. I found out that the organization was working to get accredited and this woman, Nancy, was in charge of that process. When I heard what would be involved for her...documenting the procedures for every job, making sure everything was written up in step by step format....I got really excited! That it was I gravitate to! I do it naturally whether I'm told to or not! I remember when I was preparing for my maternity leave with Sam, I made a manual on my job! And when I was asked to take over scheduling for the call center, I had to take this man's gut feelings on numbers and get formulas out of him so someone else could do the job. And when I did PTO, it drove me crazy that there was little in writing on how to do the job. All year as President, I documented everything I did and wrote up procedures so the next person would find it easier. This is what I like to do! And this woman was doing it! I wanted to work for her!

My excitement came across the table when I am telling her that I could help, in any small way she needs it. Before I knew it, I was asked to help on the committee and I'm scheduled to train tomorrow at 1pm. She said a lot of it would probably be computer work at home. Not only this, but I still want to do the Case Manager job. They needed someone on Fridays and they happen to work a shorter shift on Friday. Case Managers work 10-1pm! No problem! Mary will be in Mom's Day Out on Mondays and Fridays 9:30-2:30...this would work perfectly! I walk in signing up for one job and walk out with two.

Just days ago, I was wondering if I was making the jump to the Care Service to quickly. I only have two five hour days free and I'm giving one of them up. Am I crazy? And didn't I offer to help the school? I was getting worried that I was starting this too soon with a child still needing care at home. The PTO was evening and weekend events with a lot of at home planning. Helping the school and the Care Service was out of the house...and I had less of that time. But for some reason, I was being pulled in that direction. And now, after meeting at the Care Service, I think it will fit perfectly. It will fit because it will feel rewarding for me to use my time this way. What else would I do? Digital Scrapbook? Maybe I can do that on Mondays :-)

Eminence Pics

Despite our travel blues (detailed in previous blog)...we had a great trip at Eminence. I thought I would show you how much:

Float trip down the Jack's Fork river with Kyle, Sam and Lisa

Sam and Kyle spend their days catching crawdads, minnows and turtles...

Me and Mary on the beach...

Enjoying a short float in the river with my Women's Group friends...

Dan and Ann enjoying some time together on the river

Singing campfire songs

Sam jumps of the rocks!

Ben used that net to catch many minnows!!

My brother Joel and his son Calvin.

Angels, Trailers and Automobiles

They say when you can't come up with a title, you should write first and then it will be easier. I'm trying to figure out how to bring a title to the mixture of awesome fun and fear and anxiety we experienced on our vacation at Eminence. Let's start with the ride down. I decided to go down early with my sister and her family and Ted will follow later to save on some vacation time. Ted hitched up for me the night before and we left in the morning to meet my sister's family at a meeting spot. Once we were on our way, things seemed to go well. I followed my brother-in-law so I would only have to worry about driving and not directions. Suddenly, I noticed some swaying. This did not start as a small sway, it seemed to be a severe sway right away. As much as I want to remember how this happened, I can't. Was I distracted and then did a strong correction to the wheel? I would think I would remember that! It seemed to come out of the blue. I've had little sway before and would hold onto my wheel tightly to not let it affect the direction of my car. I got out of it easily. It can be caused sometimes by a big tractor trailer zooming by, having too much weight in the rear of the trailer, and/or correcting the wheel. This time, however, I did NOT get out of it easily. I swerved back and forth to try to keep myself going straight. Abby was yelling from the back seat, "Mom!! What are you doing??" In an instant, I found myself driving off the road and down a grassy embankment.

We were all in a state of shock over what just happened. I DID say a prayer of protection over our vehicles before we left that morning. We always do that before every trip. My dad taught me that and set that example for me when I was a kid. I believe the fact that there were no cars for me to run into and that we safely drove off the road without flipping. God sent me many "angels" that day to help me out. I never felt abandoned. The first angel was a man who pulled over immediately to make sure we were all OK. None of us had anything wrong with us...no scratches, bruises...nothing! We didn't hit anything, so there was no reason to be hurt! He used his Onstar and got us the highway patrol almost immediately. They came, asked me questions, and then called my next angel, Butch. Really, his name was Butch. At this time, Paul and Lisa were just coming back since they were ahead of me on the highway. Paul (my third angel) corralled the kids and took them all to the nearest McDonald's while we took care of all the details. I called Ted, who was working at home, and he said he was on his way (he's always my angel).

Butch looked at my trailer and said it was a jackknife and that I was lucky I owned a Suburban. He has seen people towing loads that their car can't handle. Just three weeks ago, they pulled a young family with a 30 foot trailer out of an embankment across the highway from my accident. They flipped their trailer and totaled it. How did I keep mine upright? Duh. I don't know...I don't even know how it all started to begin with. Maybe it was my angels. They had dogs in their trailer (big NO NO) that had pooped all over the trailer during the accident. Those poor dogs! Back to Butch. Amazingly, the damage came from jackknifing and it was just a small corner of my trailer eaten up. When we opened the door to the trailer, it was like every holding area vomited. The refridgerator door was swinging open with all of it's contents strewn all over the floor...including my favorite marinade which opened up and baptized anything in it's path. It smelled like I was about to cook my trailer. Clothes had been thrown from the closet, plates and cups were all over, fire wood made a dent in the door, canned goods made dents on my counter. It was a mess. Butch and his brother were trying to close my slide out that unlocked and were trying to step between the mess. "Don't smash my bread!" I'm thinking..."I'll need it this week!"

Can you believe I never once thought I wasn't going on my trip? I spent so much time packing this trailer, and excitement with the kids dreaming about this trip...I was NOT turning around! Butch took his big rig and pulled us out of the ditch and onto the service road next to the highway. Paul took the kids, in shifts, to McDonald's. Lisa (my other angel) followed me back to the tow truck brothers' shop and helped me clean up the inside. Ted dealt with Butch and his brother over the details. Butch fixed our Suburban up with two new tires to replace the flattened ones. Lisa and I put everything back where it belonged and used Clorox wipes to clean up every surface. When we were done, you would not believe anything had ever happened to it! I gave my sister a big hug and thanked her for being there for me and sacrificing her vacation day to help me out.

During all of this, I was remarkably calm. It was probably shock. What was going to happen to our treasured annual trip to Eminence, MO? To you it may sound like a podunk town, but to me it is the place that holds a million memories from my youth until now. I couldn't disappoint the kids! We HAD to make this trip. Ted called the insurance company and he said we could take the trailer on the trip and have it looked at later, if we wanted. But when we talked to Butch and he honestly told us what he would do if it was his family... leave it here. Why take the risk? What if there was structural damage done to the hitch...a crack or something...that we can't see? We knew then and there we weren't taking our trailer. I started calling Eminence. Eminence holds a horse show this time of year every year. Everything was booked over the weekend, but this was Tuesday so I found a motel that would take us until Friday...then we would have to check out. This was better than nothing!

Ted now had obviously abandoned his day off. He was going to take us to Eminence. The three of us unloaded the trailer and filled the Suburban with it's contents. Ted left his golf clubs, and beer to keep the room in the truck...but we still couldn't fit all the kids. Paul called the Decker's (our other angels) who were on their way. They swung by McDonald's, picked up some of my sister's kids so Lisa would have room in her car for a few of our kids. They also brought us McDonald's. We loaded up our remaining kids and headed off to Eminence!

You might ask if it was all worth it. Yes! The trip was awesome. We slept in our hotel room but spent the full day at the campsite with our friends and family. Not once did I feel like we didn't have a home because we hung out with each family (11 families camped with us) and our truck always had what we needed in it. It all felt like home to me. How grateful I am for all of those people...and how they all showed their concern for us and made us feel happy to be there.

When the weekend came, Lisa reminded me that my brother, his fiance and son would be moving out of my parents trailer and that would make room for us. Why didn't I think of this? So the last two nights were spent full time at the campground and happily in my parent's trailer. My parents are my perpetual angels!

Occasionally, Ted was busy with phone calls to straighten out the camper situation, but overall, we enjoyed our vacation without a huge shadow of worry about what was to come. However, our adventures weren't over. Butch called Ted and told him we had a flat tire on our Sonata (the one Ted left in St. Clair with the trailer. Angel, Butch, filled it with air for us while we were on our trip. And that's not all...when it was time to head home, by parents followed us. On one big hill, Ted heard our transmission strain. After much stopping and starting to try different things to fix it, we decided our tranny was going out. My angel parents started and stopped each time with us...pulling off the road whenever we needed to check on something. The transmission would not shift into 4th gear and therefore would strain at 50 mph. We couldn't go over 50. We knew this would not be safe on the major highways and decided to pull into a Chevy dealership. How did we know where the Chevy dealership was? A friend of ours stalled near it on the way down in HIS Suburban and had his car fixed there. See what I mean? Angels everywhere. Anyway, after much deliberation, we piled ourselves into my dad's car and AGAIN unloaded all of our stuff and put it in their trailer. Me, Sam and Abby were not safely restrained in the back of my dad's Mountaineer. I was scared! It did not want to take any chances, but knew we just needed to get home and we were an hour away from Ted's car with the flat tire. Then we could split up and be safe.

I need to wrap up this overly long story. It ends with a $2500 transmission repair, a $750 deductible on the trailer and $10,000 worth of damage to the trailer that is not worth $10,000. We're sure the insurance company will decide to total it. Ted's car made it home with the air Butch gave us, but we got all the tires replaced after that. More decisions need to be made. Do we wait to buy our trailer? Do we buy one before our next trip at the end of this month? Do we stay with our parents when we go to Illinois beach? Lots of questions to answer...I hope our angels help us answer them...

A Snapshot

What's at the top of my to-do list?
--Make a final grocery list for our Eminence camping trip
--Visit friend in the hospital tomorrow
--Pick up canoe from sister's house this weekend to take down to Eminence

What have I accomplished?
--Put together a bunch of songs to sing around the campfire. Made chord sheet for guitarists and lyrics sheets for singers.
--Organized all of the volunteers for our swim team (about 33) to work the last two meets. Some of it has been crazy...but fun too.
--Finished up a week of Vacation Bible School

What's been driving me crazy?
--The multiple times I have to take Mary to the bathroom at the pool. I swear she is drinking all the pool water!

What has disappointed me?
--I have totally been thrown off my Jazzercize track. Have things gotten busier? Or have I lost the motivation to work on the usual busyness of my life? Either way, I'm disappointed in my lack of discipline to get myself there. Yes, I like Jazzercize, but for some reason I've lost my momentum.

What's my latest obsession?
--I'm excited about the puppy. I set out Charlie's new feeding bowls as a reminder of the change that is about to hit our house. Or should I say the tornado that is about to hit our house. I know having a puppy isn't easy. I've done it before. No more shoes can be left lying around unless I want them to be chewed up. No toys left on the floor that can be swallowed. I need to be ready for accidents. I need to be ready to be on constant duty during that critical house breaking period. I want to do it right. I'm also thinking about the fun things...the kids enjoying Charlie, walks with him, making him a part of our family. He just turned 4 weeks old today. We'll get him when he is 10 weeks old. We have 6 weeks to get ready for the big change in our house...
--Not really an obsession...but my latest thought: Ted just told me he'd be willing to change his stance on the type of flooring we put in our family room. He's always pushed for carpet and just today told me that he's willing to let me put wood in there like we want for the rest of the living areas (eventually). I'm thinking engineered hardwood would be perfect. That way we could install it ourselves (or pay someone to help us). We can't afford to do this now...and who knows when we will...but at least I won't worry anymore about those accidents Charlie will have.

What's been making me happy?
--All the outdoor fun with my family. I love being outside...trips to the pool, walks in the neighborhood, swim meets, softball games, etc.
--Spending more time with the kids. It's great having them home for the summer...and not having to do carpool!
--I just cut Mary's hair to a short bob. No more tangles. But what happened to my baby? She's my little girl now.
--Mary got to finally change her earrings for the first time since they've been pierced. She is now wearing her new cupcake earrings that her aunt bought her for pooping in the potty. She is so proud!
--I'm looking forward to our trip to Eminence. We are meeting about 11 families there! It has just grown and grown every year!
--My brother and his girlfriend got engaged! We will celebrate in Eminence because they are coming too! All the way from New Orleans!

And Puppy Makes Seven!

Yup. I consider my husband to be very predictable. Very. I need to talk about things about 6 months before I really want them to prepare him for change. Five years ago I know I could not share a home with a puppy and baby again. Since my babies are not babies anymore, I started opening my heart a little bit to the possibility of a dog in our home again. About a month ago we spontaneously led my family into the pet store (you should never go in there with kids unless you are actually ready for pet ownership...EVERYONE wants a dog after a visit to the petstore!). We brought two "Zuchons" into a room with our family to play (A Zuchon is a mix between Bichon Friese and Shih-tzu). The kids loved them. Of course. I've seen Ben and Mary go from crazed, dog fearing children to actually pet the neighbor dog across the street. After that experience, Ted said he might be ready for a dog again...maybe after my trip to Australia. I left it at that.

Then, we went to our babysitter's house for her graduation party two weeks ago. Our babysitter is also family... her dad is Ted's cousin. Anyway, they own two Shih-tzus. They told me her grandma breeds them! Her grandmother, Beverly, owns one male Shih-tzu, one female Shih-tzu and one female Bichon Friese! Which means she breeds full-breed Shih-tzus and Zuchons! To top it off, both females were pregnant! The Zuchons were born May 28th and the Shih-tzus were born June 6th. Lydia called me the next day to let me know about the new Shih-tzus. I told her our concern about Australia and she said she would watch the puppy if we needed! I laughed. I knew that was not Ted's only reason for not taking a dog on right now. I told Ted that we had a sitter...did he still want to wait? I told him he total freedom to say no and I would go along with whatever he decided. He told me we could go for it! What a surprise!

As we were planning our trip to Kansas City this week for Ted's 40th, Ted surprised me further by saying, "Let's go to Samantha's grandma's house on the way down to Kansas City!" I couldn't believe it. My predictable, safe husband can not be so easily put in a box. He was showing me some new colors. We visited the pups and decided to go with the male Zuchon (the female was taken). I didn't really like the coloring of the female Shih-tzu (mostly black), so I guess that's why I went with the Zuchon. Above is a picture of Ted holding the puppy to be named. I would like to call him "Charlie", but I'm getting ideas from the kids, too. We like "Jack", too...but I prefer two syllable names. Ted liked "Tiger" for Tiger Woods...but I think that sounds too feline.

Beverly gave us a great price. We put money down and agreed we would pick him up after our camping trip to Illinois Beach State Park (August 5th or 6th?) when the puppy will be 10 weeks old. We signed a simple agreement... and off we went to Kansas City!

While we were in Kansas City, Ted played a lot of golf, we ate out, slepted in, had free hot breakfasts, ate dessert every night and enjoyed each other's company! It was awesome! We even shopped for our future puppy. We got a dog dish, leash, collar, book on puppies, dog shampoo, detangler, and a couple of toys. I couldn't be happier.

Bad Blogger

I've not been good about TELLING you what I'm doing, so I decided to SHOW you.