Today, several times, on the radio and in conversation, this scripture from proverbs has come up: "Lean not on your own understanding...." By about the third time I threw up my hands and said, "K, God, I get the point. I don't always have to know how it's going to work out."
Within an hour of my frustrated surrender, I got a phone call telling me our contract has been held over until Jan. and my duvet was in the process of being replaced by a brand new fluffy down duvet. Things work out how they are supposed to. I know this, have always known this. So why do I keep flipping out at every bump? I guess I will just have to keep slamming up against walls until I learn the lesson. Boy, I hope I am less stubborn than I seem..........
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
There are some days you shouldn't get out of bed for....
Already tired and miserable from yesterday's events, I went to go pick up my Llama wool duvet. I thought maybe wrapping myself in cuddly warmth with a hot choco would cheer me up. Made with love by a friend who owns the Llamas. I sheared the wool off these Llamas my very own self. When I left it at the dry cleaner, I made a point of explaining all this to the nice lady at the desk.
My Llama wool duvet has been washed....
My Llama wool duvet has been washed....
blah!
So yesterday, while pulling a 33 hour shift, I was informed that my regular hours at work have been cut in half. Apparently I am going into the Christmas season as a part-timer instead of a full-timer. (Breath Mom, it'll be OK)
My employers say they are going to do everything they can to get this decision reversed. In the meantime, I am spending the morning budgeting. Oh goodie!
My employers say they are going to do everything they can to get this decision reversed. In the meantime, I am spending the morning budgeting. Oh goodie!
Monday, November 26, 2007
A.M.
It is certainly a Monday morning. Slow and groggy, already wishing for the weekend, I am brewing coffee and blogging the A.M. blues away. As I am sitting at the computer this morning I over hear this adorable exchange:
Selah wakes up and sits down to breakfast, obviously not quite ready to be awake. She hears the kids cleaning up downstairs. "Oh! Doh!" She says excitedly and heads for the stairs. At the top of the stairs she yells."Dooooooohhh!" Shiloh responds, "Hi Selah, it's me, Doh." Darned cute is what that is!
Anyhoo, coffee is brewed and I have many important things to do today. Like laundry and dishes and finding my bed under the boxes and books we unpacked. Happy Monday!
Selah wakes up and sits down to breakfast, obviously not quite ready to be awake. She hears the kids cleaning up downstairs. "Oh! Doh!" She says excitedly and heads for the stairs. At the top of the stairs she yells."Dooooooohhh!" Shiloh responds, "Hi Selah, it's me, Doh." Darned cute is what that is!
Anyhoo, coffee is brewed and I have many important things to do today. Like laundry and dishes and finding my bed under the boxes and books we unpacked. Happy Monday!
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Tagged
My sister keeps tagging me and I am getting behind so I figured I better answer quick before she gets another in. Also, I think I need to start heading out to read other peoples links so I can meet some people to pass the tag to. Anyhoo, my answers:
1. What were you afraid of as a child? Well, after sneaking to a friend house to watch a movie (that I wasn't allowed to watch) I acquired a fear of dark water.
2. When have you been most courageous? Just recently as I watched my son walk down a busy street by himself to go to a lesson and didn't chase after him. I am very good at babies, 8 year olds and budding independence terrify me...
3. What sound most disturbs you? Careless disrespect spilling out of human orifices. Whether it is a spouse belittling a spouse, a parent disregarding a child, or a child being utterly ungrateful. Especially when I realize it has slipped out of my own mouth. Makes me sick.
4. What is the greatest amount of physical pain you have been in? 3rd child, two hours of transition and tearing uterine ligaments. She was still worth it.
5. Whats the biggest fear for your children? That the society we live in will make them selfish and bitter or selfless and angry. That they won't find love or balance. That they will inherit this society's feeling of entitlement.
6. What is the hardest physical challenge you have ever achieved? Climbing Fisher Peak. Especially the last 20 feet, since I wasn't breathing from fear of falling off.
7. Which do you prefer: mountains or oceans/big water? I have a very deep love for my mountains, especially as the seasons change. You can watch winter creep down them in the fall and retreat back up in the spring. Breath-taking. However, for as long as I can remember I have had a secret lust for the ocean. I crave the opportunity sit on the edge of a sailboat, at night, in the middle of the ocean, to see what the stars look like from there.
8. What is the one thing you do for yourself that helps you keep everything together? I pray. Not always that nice holy praying either. Sometimes I scream, or sob, or sit silently with God, and sometimes I just list all the reasons I am grateful, but every time I walk away having regained a sense of myself and my place in the universe.
9. Ever had a close relative or friend with cancer? Of course. The first person I lost to cancer was my best friends mom when I was little. For a long time after I dreamed about her. She was very pretty and she would let us sit on her bed and help us paint our nails. I remember overhearing my parents talk about her in the car in front of swingstreet before she died. I didn't know it was cancer until several years later.
10. What are the things your friends count on you for? An ear,a cup of tea, a bit of chocolate, and every so often, a little advice.
11. What is the best part of being in a committed relationship? Pillow talk. Tickle fights. A shoulder to cry on that comes with unconditional understanding. Accountability. Fresh coffee in the morning. Having someone to watch my back, especially when I am too tired to protect my front. Cuddles. Having someone who loves me enough to tell me when I am acting like a child or just being plain stupid. Indoor water fights. Not having to change all the diapers. Being challenged to grow. Knowing there is someone who will sit quietly and hold me when the world is caving in and I am so desperately sad that I can barely sit upright. Knowing he shares my joy. And, as everything attached to me succumbs to gravity, he will still think I am beautiful because he knows the premature grey hair and stretch marks are pretty much his fault. And the naked thing......
12. What is the hardest part about being in a committed relationship? Trying not to take it for granted. I am so comfortable in this relationship that it has become like my right arm. I am glad I have a right arm. My world would change drastically without my right arm. I would miss my right arm if it wasn't there when I woke up in the morning. But, it's not like I remember to thank God for my right arm every day. I don't spend time thinking about how lucky I am to have a right arm. I don't get up in the morning and put scented lotion on my right arm just to make it feel special, just to make sure it knows how much I appreciate it. But, I am really glad I have one.
13. Summer or winter? Why? Spring actually. I love watching the fresh green things stretch out of brown, wet earth. Babies of all kinds appearing everywhere. Peeling off the layers of winter clothing to let my skin get acquainted with the warmth of the sun again. Pressing my hands into the soil of my garden to plant new seeds. Hmmm spring.
14. Have you ever been in a schoolyard fight? Why and what happened? Gr.10. I had a friend named Peter who was dating a girl who had a habit of being a bit jealous. Another girl had hugged Peter and, his girlfriend, being the jealous type, started spreading the news that she was going beat her up after school. Even in high school, I threw my two cents into piggy banks where they were not welcome. I stuck up for the offending hugger, saying that friends hugged friends all the time and it wasn't an excuse to bruise people. Well, as I was packing up my locker, two girls came to inform me that the girlfriend was in front of the school waiting for me. What else could I do but go out to meet her? So, out I went. I stood there, trembling, silently telling my body not to pee, and watching the crowd of faces expand. I looked at the girlfriend and, in my best I'm-not-really-scared-of-you-voice, said, "I am not stupid, you are half again my size, you could absolutely kick my ass. I am not sure what this will prove but do what you have to do so I can get on with my homework." She never did end up hitting me, but she has never spoken to me again, and I managed not to wet myself so I figure it ended well.
15. Why blog? Because I can't afford therapy.
16. Did you learn about sex and/or sex safety from your parents? I don't remember "the talk" but I do remember my Mom cleaning her room when I was 17 and asking if I wanted her lifesaver pack of condoms. I asked her if they were usable and she said no they are expired. About fifteen minutes later she followed me into the bedroom and said, "Are you having sex? Don't you dare get pregnant!" 11 months later I was married and holding my new baby boy. I never have been very good at doing what I'm told.
17. How do you plan on talking to your kids about sex and/or sex safety? We use proper names for body parts. We talk about reproduction. As they get older we will talk about how sex is not just an activity to pass the time. It is beautiful and special and has all kinds of consequences attached. Some of those consequences can be guarded against but some can't so you better be darn sure you know what you're getting into.
18. What are you most thankful for this year? My sister getting married to a man I feel good about my children calling uncle.
1. What were you afraid of as a child? Well, after sneaking to a friend house to watch a movie (that I wasn't allowed to watch) I acquired a fear of dark water.
2. When have you been most courageous? Just recently as I watched my son walk down a busy street by himself to go to a lesson and didn't chase after him. I am very good at babies, 8 year olds and budding independence terrify me...
3. What sound most disturbs you? Careless disrespect spilling out of human orifices. Whether it is a spouse belittling a spouse, a parent disregarding a child, or a child being utterly ungrateful. Especially when I realize it has slipped out of my own mouth. Makes me sick.
4. What is the greatest amount of physical pain you have been in? 3rd child, two hours of transition and tearing uterine ligaments. She was still worth it.
5. Whats the biggest fear for your children? That the society we live in will make them selfish and bitter or selfless and angry. That they won't find love or balance. That they will inherit this society's feeling of entitlement.
6. What is the hardest physical challenge you have ever achieved? Climbing Fisher Peak. Especially the last 20 feet, since I wasn't breathing from fear of falling off.
7. Which do you prefer: mountains or oceans/big water? I have a very deep love for my mountains, especially as the seasons change. You can watch winter creep down them in the fall and retreat back up in the spring. Breath-taking. However, for as long as I can remember I have had a secret lust for the ocean. I crave the opportunity sit on the edge of a sailboat, at night, in the middle of the ocean, to see what the stars look like from there.
8. What is the one thing you do for yourself that helps you keep everything together? I pray. Not always that nice holy praying either. Sometimes I scream, or sob, or sit silently with God, and sometimes I just list all the reasons I am grateful, but every time I walk away having regained a sense of myself and my place in the universe.
9. Ever had a close relative or friend with cancer? Of course. The first person I lost to cancer was my best friends mom when I was little. For a long time after I dreamed about her. She was very pretty and she would let us sit on her bed and help us paint our nails. I remember overhearing my parents talk about her in the car in front of swingstreet before she died. I didn't know it was cancer until several years later.
10. What are the things your friends count on you for? An ear,a cup of tea, a bit of chocolate, and every so often, a little advice.
11. What is the best part of being in a committed relationship? Pillow talk. Tickle fights. A shoulder to cry on that comes with unconditional understanding. Accountability. Fresh coffee in the morning. Having someone to watch my back, especially when I am too tired to protect my front. Cuddles. Having someone who loves me enough to tell me when I am acting like a child or just being plain stupid. Indoor water fights. Not having to change all the diapers. Being challenged to grow. Knowing there is someone who will sit quietly and hold me when the world is caving in and I am so desperately sad that I can barely sit upright. Knowing he shares my joy. And, as everything attached to me succumbs to gravity, he will still think I am beautiful because he knows the premature grey hair and stretch marks are pretty much his fault. And the naked thing......
12. What is the hardest part about being in a committed relationship? Trying not to take it for granted. I am so comfortable in this relationship that it has become like my right arm. I am glad I have a right arm. My world would change drastically without my right arm. I would miss my right arm if it wasn't there when I woke up in the morning. But, it's not like I remember to thank God for my right arm every day. I don't spend time thinking about how lucky I am to have a right arm. I don't get up in the morning and put scented lotion on my right arm just to make it feel special, just to make sure it knows how much I appreciate it. But, I am really glad I have one.
13. Summer or winter? Why? Spring actually. I love watching the fresh green things stretch out of brown, wet earth. Babies of all kinds appearing everywhere. Peeling off the layers of winter clothing to let my skin get acquainted with the warmth of the sun again. Pressing my hands into the soil of my garden to plant new seeds. Hmmm spring.
14. Have you ever been in a schoolyard fight? Why and what happened? Gr.10. I had a friend named Peter who was dating a girl who had a habit of being a bit jealous. Another girl had hugged Peter and, his girlfriend, being the jealous type, started spreading the news that she was going beat her up after school. Even in high school, I threw my two cents into piggy banks where they were not welcome. I stuck up for the offending hugger, saying that friends hugged friends all the time and it wasn't an excuse to bruise people. Well, as I was packing up my locker, two girls came to inform me that the girlfriend was in front of the school waiting for me. What else could I do but go out to meet her? So, out I went. I stood there, trembling, silently telling my body not to pee, and watching the crowd of faces expand. I looked at the girlfriend and, in my best I'm-not-really-scared-of-you-voice, said, "I am not stupid, you are half again my size, you could absolutely kick my ass. I am not sure what this will prove but do what you have to do so I can get on with my homework." She never did end up hitting me, but she has never spoken to me again, and I managed not to wet myself so I figure it ended well.
15. Why blog? Because I can't afford therapy.
16. Did you learn about sex and/or sex safety from your parents? I don't remember "the talk" but I do remember my Mom cleaning her room when I was 17 and asking if I wanted her lifesaver pack of condoms. I asked her if they were usable and she said no they are expired. About fifteen minutes later she followed me into the bedroom and said, "Are you having sex? Don't you dare get pregnant!" 11 months later I was married and holding my new baby boy. I never have been very good at doing what I'm told.
17. How do you plan on talking to your kids about sex and/or sex safety? We use proper names for body parts. We talk about reproduction. As they get older we will talk about how sex is not just an activity to pass the time. It is beautiful and special and has all kinds of consequences attached. Some of those consequences can be guarded against but some can't so you better be darn sure you know what you're getting into.
18. What are you most thankful for this year? My sister getting married to a man I feel good about my children calling uncle.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
It's raining, It's pouring.......
.......inside Boston Pizza. Yup. Inside. One minute, we are having a lovely dinner with Mike and Anie; the next minute, Alex has a torrential downpour in his lap. It made for a good story and some giggles for dessert. We were just about to leave anyway......
Friday, November 09, 2007
dreams filter to reality...
So many exciting happenings have come about, or are coming about, this fall. New babies, long wished for, a homeless shelter long worked for and a fuller home long sought after.
A week and a half ago, a friend of ours invited me to share in the birth of a baby that took a little while to get here. He is beautiful and he has that intoxicating new baby smell that had me melting and had Alex reminding his doctor to get him a referral to the surgeon.
Two days ago, the shelter officially had all it's start up money. There is construction going on down at our church and it is awesome! We still need money for operating costs, but once people see it up and running, they will see the need to keep it going. Yay!!
As for some of the other transitions going on in our life, they are exciting, but not yet a definite reality. We are moving slowly especially with one of our adventures to be certain our priorities stay firmly in place.
More news as it comes.....
A week and a half ago, a friend of ours invited me to share in the birth of a baby that took a little while to get here. He is beautiful and he has that intoxicating new baby smell that had me melting and had Alex reminding his doctor to get him a referral to the surgeon.
Two days ago, the shelter officially had all it's start up money. There is construction going on down at our church and it is awesome! We still need money for operating costs, but once people see it up and running, they will see the need to keep it going. Yay!!
As for some of the other transitions going on in our life, they are exciting, but not yet a definite reality. We are moving slowly especially with one of our adventures to be certain our priorities stay firmly in place.
More news as it comes.....
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Gettin the word out
News about the shelter seems to be propelling through cyber-space. Cool. A local musician put together a video on youtube with a friend. Rick was one of the generous people lending their talents to our fundraiser on Saturday night. Check it out.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Cranbrook's first shelter
Our church, along with The Salvation Army, has been trying to raise funds to put an emergency homeless shelter in Cranbrook. We have been working at this for over a year now and tonight we had a fundraiser concert. We need renovation money, money for beds and other such necessary equipment, and we need operating costs. Things are moving, but slowly, and winter is coming down the mountain at a rapid pace.
So, I realize many of you who read this blog are from other communities. I realize that there are issues that your own cities face, that you could support solutions for. However, if anyone has an extra $20 (or more) laying around that they haven't found a use for yet, you could send it my way and help support getting a few people out of the cold.
So, I realize many of you who read this blog are from other communities. I realize that there are issues that your own cities face, that you could support solutions for. However, if anyone has an extra $20 (or more) laying around that they haven't found a use for yet, you could send it my way and help support getting a few people out of the cold.
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