Well, here I go, starting over on my blog. I kind of crapped out last year. So much started to happen before Christmas that I had no time to do anything.
It started out with David and I deciding that he would go ahead and go to Iraq. He would be gone for 4 months. He would leave at the beginning of December. This really bummed me out because Christmas is my absolute fvt. time of year!
Well, to make a long story short Obama became President, gov., got all wacky as usual and put things on hold. Well, David did end up going, He left the first week in Jan. It worked out good in that respect because he was able to be home for Christmas.
Well, the last week in Jan. we had the worst ice storm in centuries, ever in my life! I knew we were having an ice storm, but I had no idea to what extent. We have had ice storms in the past and have gone without power for maybe a day, but never anything that bad. Well, this was a big one! It was actually kind of strange. It started out raining and it just kept raining. But when the rain hit the ground or trees or buildings it immediately froze. It rained all day. It wasn't soon before we lost power. I just thought it would come right back on in a few hours. No such luck. It got sooo cold. In our sunroom the thermo read 40 deg., inside! It was really pretty and normally I would have been all about taking pictures, but I didn't have any time for that. I was constantly putting more and more firewood in the fire. Thankfully I had enough sense to have the girls bring up a lot of firewood before it got wet. The first night was freezing! David and my dad kept calling me on my cell telling me to go to my nieces house (she had electricity). I didn't want to leave the animals to freeze, but afterr day 2 I left. We went without power for 5 or 6 days. I actually cried when it came back on! It literally looked like a war zone outside. Since our house backs up into the woods we could hear the trees cracking and falling. I got so worried that I wouldn't let anyone go to the back of the house, afraid that eventually a big ole tree would come crashing through the ceiling. Thankfully that never happened. A tree did fall on Jordans car and smash in the trunk. Caused a lot of gutter damage, fence damage, broke firepits and birdbath, etc. But nothing too major. The hard part was in the clean up. The guys from David office came the next day (how they got here, I have no idea) and they cut away the tree in the drive so I could get out. Then they came and got trees off the front yard, back decks and house. I was never so greatful to anyone in my life.
Well, we survived! I never want to relive that again, atleast not without David being here. It was hard for him because he was way across the world and could do absolutely nothing but worry, which he is good at.
Well, I will catch up with more later.
New York, 9/11
Today is seven years since the attacks on the world trade center. While David and I were in NYC we went to the site. I was suprised at how emotional I got while I was there. Immediately those memories of that day came rushing forward.
I remember that day so clearly. I suppose everyone old enough to understand what events were taking place knew what they were doing at the time they learned about the horrific events. Kind of like when Kennedy was shot, most people knew exactly what they were doing at the time when they found out.
I had just arrived at Bible Study. It was a beautiful clear sunny day. There were women gathered in the foyer praying, which was unuaual. Then I found out. After we spent time in prayer I gathered the girls and came home and turned on Fox news. When I initially heard about it I didn't think it could be any thing worse than the Oklahoma City bombings, how wrong I was.
As I watched the events unfold before me on the tv screen I could not believe my eyes. It was like I was watching a doomsday movie. Like one of those Mel Gibson Mad Max movies. It didn't seem real. We had been attacked on our own land. Something I don't think that happened since WWII when Japan bombed Hawaii. We see terrorism all the time in other countries, but not ours, we are a super power aren't we?
I remember sitting there crying. I cried for those who died, for their families and for my family, knowing that things will never be the same. We are not safe, nor ever will we ever really be. As long as there are those out there who hate the US and everything we stand for as a country, we will never be truly safe. As long as there is evil in the world, we will never be safe.
I was listening to Glen Beck and he was saying how there were people in NYC protesting with signs accusing the US of being behind these attacks. For one thing, I can not believe people can be so ignorant, and another, if I truly felt this way, well, I would leave! Why would I want to live in a country that was governed by such evil people!
I used to think that this is something that we as a country will never forget. I no longer feel this way. It seems like people have gone back to the same ole. They live in a fantasy land of thinking that we can negotiate with leaders of Iran, Bin Laden, etc. They are fighting what they consider in their minds to be a holy war, which essentially means that there is no negotiating, no compromise. No amount of sanctions or summits or treaties are going to keep them from doing the will of Allah, which is to rid the world of the Jewish people and to kill the "great Satan", the USA.
I am sure the people who lost loved ones on this very horrific day will never forget 9/11. They will never forget that we are vunerable to those out there that hate us as a country and all that we stand for.
Usually whenever I visit places like NYC, places that are so foriegn to me, I love to find people who live there and start up a conversation. More than visiting the usual torristy sights and such, I want to know what it is like to actually live there. What the people are like. I don't want to see what other visitors see, I want to see what it is REALLY like. Well, one day when I was walking around I found myself way uptown Manhattan. I was very hungry and looking for some where to eat, a fast food place. It was kind of funny because I kept seeing signs saying "Subway", and I would think "oh good, a subway sandwich place", only to find that it was actually the "SUBWAY".
Anyway, I finally found some place to get a hamburger. Even though it was very hot and humid I didn't come to NYC to sit inside, I want to see everything! So I took my meal outside and crossed the street to the median where they have kind of like a park with tables to eat at. I sat next to this young girl. We started talking and she told me that she was from NY. I asked her if she lived here during 9/11. She told me that she did. She was actually working at a building closer to lower Manhattan, that the window of her office faced the towers. She said that that morning she had heard people talking and knew something was going on. At the time most people didn't know exactly what was taking place, they just thought that some small engine plane got off course and ran into the building. She said that as she was looking out her window towards the towers she saw the second plane hit. It was like a nightmare. After the second plane hit everyone knew that it was no accident. She told me that she walked all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge. It took her all day long to get home. It was like the night of the living dead. People were all just walking, no one talking. Everyone was in shock, not knowing what to think, just trying to get home. It was like a mass exodus out of the city by foot because none of the trains were running. A day she said she will never forget. Nor should we.
Here are a few pictures of ground zero as it was just in July while we were there. It was hard to see anything because it is all fenced in.
I think that it is tower number 7, where the command center was at, that has the first of many new buildings that are going up to replace the ones that were lost.
One picture is of the memorial along the wall of the building across the street where people left candles, pictures prayers.
The firehouse is directly across the street and I think that every fireman in that fire company perished. The is a beautiful bronze engraving of them on the wall. I looked at it and just thought about these brave men who lost their lives, left behind their families and loved ones. How they bravely went in to save people, laying down their lives so that others may live. This is the true love of God.
I remember that day so clearly. I suppose everyone old enough to understand what events were taking place knew what they were doing at the time they learned about the horrific events. Kind of like when Kennedy was shot, most people knew exactly what they were doing at the time when they found out.
I had just arrived at Bible Study. It was a beautiful clear sunny day. There were women gathered in the foyer praying, which was unuaual. Then I found out. After we spent time in prayer I gathered the girls and came home and turned on Fox news. When I initially heard about it I didn't think it could be any thing worse than the Oklahoma City bombings, how wrong I was.
As I watched the events unfold before me on the tv screen I could not believe my eyes. It was like I was watching a doomsday movie. Like one of those Mel Gibson Mad Max movies. It didn't seem real. We had been attacked on our own land. Something I don't think that happened since WWII when Japan bombed Hawaii. We see terrorism all the time in other countries, but not ours, we are a super power aren't we?
I remember sitting there crying. I cried for those who died, for their families and for my family, knowing that things will never be the same. We are not safe, nor ever will we ever really be. As long as there are those out there who hate the US and everything we stand for as a country, we will never be truly safe. As long as there is evil in the world, we will never be safe.
I was listening to Glen Beck and he was saying how there were people in NYC protesting with signs accusing the US of being behind these attacks. For one thing, I can not believe people can be so ignorant, and another, if I truly felt this way, well, I would leave! Why would I want to live in a country that was governed by such evil people!
I used to think that this is something that we as a country will never forget. I no longer feel this way. It seems like people have gone back to the same ole. They live in a fantasy land of thinking that we can negotiate with leaders of Iran, Bin Laden, etc. They are fighting what they consider in their minds to be a holy war, which essentially means that there is no negotiating, no compromise. No amount of sanctions or summits or treaties are going to keep them from doing the will of Allah, which is to rid the world of the Jewish people and to kill the "great Satan", the USA.
I am sure the people who lost loved ones on this very horrific day will never forget 9/11. They will never forget that we are vunerable to those out there that hate us as a country and all that we stand for.
Usually whenever I visit places like NYC, places that are so foriegn to me, I love to find people who live there and start up a conversation. More than visiting the usual torristy sights and such, I want to know what it is like to actually live there. What the people are like. I don't want to see what other visitors see, I want to see what it is REALLY like. Well, one day when I was walking around I found myself way uptown Manhattan. I was very hungry and looking for some where to eat, a fast food place. It was kind of funny because I kept seeing signs saying "Subway", and I would think "oh good, a subway sandwich place", only to find that it was actually the "SUBWAY".
Anyway, I finally found some place to get a hamburger. Even though it was very hot and humid I didn't come to NYC to sit inside, I want to see everything! So I took my meal outside and crossed the street to the median where they have kind of like a park with tables to eat at. I sat next to this young girl. We started talking and she told me that she was from NY. I asked her if she lived here during 9/11. She told me that she did. She was actually working at a building closer to lower Manhattan, that the window of her office faced the towers. She said that that morning she had heard people talking and knew something was going on. At the time most people didn't know exactly what was taking place, they just thought that some small engine plane got off course and ran into the building. She said that as she was looking out her window towards the towers she saw the second plane hit. It was like a nightmare. After the second plane hit everyone knew that it was no accident. She told me that she walked all the way to the Brooklyn Bridge. It took her all day long to get home. It was like the night of the living dead. People were all just walking, no one talking. Everyone was in shock, not knowing what to think, just trying to get home. It was like a mass exodus out of the city by foot because none of the trains were running. A day she said she will never forget. Nor should we.
Here are a few pictures of ground zero as it was just in July while we were there. It was hard to see anything because it is all fenced in.
I think that it is tower number 7, where the command center was at, that has the first of many new buildings that are going up to replace the ones that were lost.
One picture is of the memorial along the wall of the building across the street where people left candles, pictures prayers.
The firehouse is directly across the street and I think that every fireman in that fire company perished. The is a beautiful bronze engraving of them on the wall. I looked at it and just thought about these brave men who lost their lives, left behind their families and loved ones. How they bravely went in to save people, laying down their lives so that others may live. This is the true love of God.
Move in and come home
Ok, so Jamie moved in on Sunday, Monday we went to get her student ID and parking permit. I then had to hurry up and get home because David had to go out of town. Well, school didn't start until Wednesday and that gave Jamie a day and a half with nothing to do. Her dorm is such a dud, there is never anyone around, when I was there it was like it was still summer time.
So, I get home and Jamie is down and saying she is bored and doesn't want to go to the cafeteria to eat by herself and she doesn't know what she is going to do for two whole days, blah, blah, blah.
Ok, so now I am almost in tears because I feel so sorry for her, so I tell her COME HOME! Of course not to stay, ...just until classes start. She says "really?!? what about the gas?". I told her forget about the gas, forget about what your dad will say, just come home. I think I did it more for me than for her. selfishly I didn't want to have to go through two days of worrying about her. So she heads for home.
I then call David, inform him of the happenings and threaten him within an inch of his life to not say anything to her, not to complain about the gas money, etc. Just deal with it. Poor guy, he just says "ok".
So, after dinner Tuesday she heads back for classes on Wednesday. On Friday afternoon she is back on the road to home. This going away to college is not quite going away yet, but things are looking up. This week was the first full week of classes and her staying there!
She had a rough start but then started hanging out with a couple of friends from HS. By the end of the week she was saying that she is starting to actually like it and is having fun. Whew!!!
Now David and I want her to get plugged into a campus ministry, and hopefully that's next. It can't be that hard, it's a very small campus! But, for now I can relax and know that she is doing well.
Jordan and Hannah had their first full week of school. Went well. We are back to them chattering from the time they get into the car, because, yes, I pick them up everyday, to after dinner when they go their own seperate ways to do home work.
Atleast it is somewhat more peaceful than last year. Last year Jamie drove them all to school. They would be fighting on the way out the door, and when they came home they would be fighting on the way in the door. It was like there wasn't eight hours in between. Like they just walked into the garage and walked right back in the house.
We still have some arguing, but not near as much, THANK GOD FOR THAT!
Josh and Caleb met their teacher this week and we went to open house. When we left Caleb was mad at me and wouldn't talk to me becauses he wanted to stay, good sign!
Now we are all back to home base for the weekend, long weekend. David will be working the game today so he will be gone and I will hopefully get some stuff done if I can stay off the stupid computer! So with that, see ya!
So Many Firsts
Well, today is the day we head off to college with Jamie. What a very emotional week it has been, for both her and I!
Right now I am sitting in her dorm room while she is at Walmart with her friend Shelby. She finally seems to be getting excited about things. She has moved her stuff in and is setting up house.
We kept going back and forth on whether I was going to stay the first night with her or not, guess I am.
Actually, I am kind of jealous, wish I could turn back the clock and go back to college. Although I knew it would be very difficult for me to send her off to college I knew it was the right choice for her. She didn't want to leave home, she wanted to live at home and go to the UofA. That is such a bad idea on so many levels. I don't think that she fully grasps the concept of having to study yet, and living at our house would definatly not be the ideal study enviroment! Also, she needs to get out on her own and live, have fun and experience the college life. I loved college, it was one of the highlights of my life and I don't want her to miss out just because she is afraid. This whole experience with her being so emotional and not wanting to leave reminds me of when I first signed the girls up to play soccor. They did not want to play! As I am standing there signing them up in the Rec. office they are crying and begging me not to make them. Well, once they started to play they loved it. I know this will be the same for her. David and I told her she needed to atleast stick it out for a year, although, really, if she wants to go to college and not have to pay for it herself she needs to stay because she has a full 4 year ride here.
Tomarrow Jordan and Hannah start their first day at High School. Hannah definately needs to go back to school. I know she is bored stiff because she spends all her time on the computer and if she is not doing that she is driving us all crazy!
Last Friday Jordan went and took her drivers test and got her permit. We were hoping that she could get a hardship to drive to school, but since she had only taken her written exam a month ago that was out of the question. You need to have taken your written exam atleast 6 months prior to getting your licience. So now I will be driving them back and forth for the next four months until Jordan turns 16, yeah me!:)
Then at the beginning of September the boys will start preschool. This is a first for them and a first for me. I never sent the girls to preschool. They went to mothers day out, but only for one day a week. I thought long and hard about this and I think it is the best decision for the boys, expecially Joshua. I am hoping that he will gain better social skills and language skills and I need a break. It's not as easy to drag the boys around to grocery shop, etc. They are so much more active than the girls were. It's like torture for them and me. It's amazing how much more you can tolerate when you are younger. I think it's just because I had so much more energy. Also, I think that I am getting anemic again. I am starting to crave ice, sure sign! I need to go and see what is the underlying cause, but everytime I bring my blood count up, quit taking large doses of iron, my blood level eventually goes back down and I have to start all over.
Right now I am sitting in her dorm room while she is at Walmart with her friend Shelby. She finally seems to be getting excited about things. She has moved her stuff in and is setting up house.
We kept going back and forth on whether I was going to stay the first night with her or not, guess I am.
Actually, I am kind of jealous, wish I could turn back the clock and go back to college. Although I knew it would be very difficult for me to send her off to college I knew it was the right choice for her. She didn't want to leave home, she wanted to live at home and go to the UofA. That is such a bad idea on so many levels. I don't think that she fully grasps the concept of having to study yet, and living at our house would definatly not be the ideal study enviroment! Also, she needs to get out on her own and live, have fun and experience the college life. I loved college, it was one of the highlights of my life and I don't want her to miss out just because she is afraid. This whole experience with her being so emotional and not wanting to leave reminds me of when I first signed the girls up to play soccor. They did not want to play! As I am standing there signing them up in the Rec. office they are crying and begging me not to make them. Well, once they started to play they loved it. I know this will be the same for her. David and I told her she needed to atleast stick it out for a year, although, really, if she wants to go to college and not have to pay for it herself she needs to stay because she has a full 4 year ride here.
Tomarrow Jordan and Hannah start their first day at High School. Hannah definately needs to go back to school. I know she is bored stiff because she spends all her time on the computer and if she is not doing that she is driving us all crazy!
Last Friday Jordan went and took her drivers test and got her permit. We were hoping that she could get a hardship to drive to school, but since she had only taken her written exam a month ago that was out of the question. You need to have taken your written exam atleast 6 months prior to getting your licience. So now I will be driving them back and forth for the next four months until Jordan turns 16, yeah me!:)
Then at the beginning of September the boys will start preschool. This is a first for them and a first for me. I never sent the girls to preschool. They went to mothers day out, but only for one day a week. I thought long and hard about this and I think it is the best decision for the boys, expecially Joshua. I am hoping that he will gain better social skills and language skills and I need a break. It's not as easy to drag the boys around to grocery shop, etc. They are so much more active than the girls were. It's like torture for them and me. It's amazing how much more you can tolerate when you are younger. I think it's just because I had so much more energy. Also, I think that I am getting anemic again. I am starting to crave ice, sure sign! I need to go and see what is the underlying cause, but everytime I bring my blood count up, quit taking large doses of iron, my blood level eventually goes back down and I have to start all over.
Well, atleast I get to pretend I am a college student for one night, then I have to drive home and go back to real time, which is not bad either!
Where To Begin
Well, here I am entering the world of blogging once again. I blogged during the process of our adoption of Joshua and Caleb, our twin sons from Liberia West Africa. Mainly I blogged to keep our family and friends up to date with what was going on, but I also found it to be a great way to release pent up frustration and stress.
Now I start this blog for me. This is a place I can come and just be. Share my crazy life of husband, kids, dogs, school, sports and those things I think are worthy of making it to "print".
With 3 teenage girls, twin four year old boys, two dogs and a cat life is kind of crazy around here sometimes and most of the time I am just crazy.
David and I adopted Joshua and Caleb in the later years of our lives. I would have done this much earlier in life, but it took a while for David to get on the same page as God and I. For atleast the last 9 years I had a burning desire in my heart to adopt, David didn't. It cause much stress and tension in our marriage, but I finally gave it to God and asked him to either take this desire from my heart or change Davids. Actually I thought God would change my heart before he changed David's. All I can say is t~hat it only God that could have changed his heart. I just wish that God would have chosen to do it much earlier in our lives while we were younger. Now we are by no means grands and gramps, we are in our mid 40's. But raising toddlers in 40's is not quite like raising them in your 20's or 30's. Not only are we raising twin 4 year old boys, but we are in the throws of teenagerdom with 3 girls! So we have boys running in every direction, throwing, kicking breaking and what not. Then we have 3 girls who are constantly at each other, fighting, arguing, talking back to me, challenging me - on word to sum them up is HORMONES!
But at the end of the day I wouldn't change any of it if I could (well, would have adopted sooner). I love my life. God has been and is and continues to be so good to me. I have wonderful healthy children, a Godly husband who loves me, a comfortable home and each day God provides me with all that I need to get through that day and look forward to the next.
Now I start this blog for me. This is a place I can come and just be. Share my crazy life of husband, kids, dogs, school, sports and those things I think are worthy of making it to "print".
With 3 teenage girls, twin four year old boys, two dogs and a cat life is kind of crazy around here sometimes and most of the time I am just crazy.
David and I adopted Joshua and Caleb in the later years of our lives. I would have done this much earlier in life, but it took a while for David to get on the same page as God and I. For atleast the last 9 years I had a burning desire in my heart to adopt, David didn't. It cause much stress and tension in our marriage, but I finally gave it to God and asked him to either take this desire from my heart or change Davids. Actually I thought God would change my heart before he changed David's. All I can say is t~hat it only God that could have changed his heart. I just wish that God would have chosen to do it much earlier in our lives while we were younger. Now we are by no means grands and gramps, we are in our mid 40's. But raising toddlers in 40's is not quite like raising them in your 20's or 30's. Not only are we raising twin 4 year old boys, but we are in the throws of teenagerdom with 3 girls! So we have boys running in every direction, throwing, kicking breaking and what not. Then we have 3 girls who are constantly at each other, fighting, arguing, talking back to me, challenging me - on word to sum them up is HORMONES!
But at the end of the day I wouldn't change any of it if I could (well, would have adopted sooner). I love my life. God has been and is and continues to be so good to me. I have wonderful healthy children, a Godly husband who loves me, a comfortable home and each day God provides me with all that I need to get through that day and look forward to the next.