Well, we are all surviving this busy season. The puppet performance at church went very well. All three of our kids are developing into quite the little puppeteers.
Rachel turned 15 on Sunday. She had a party last night. We let her have 5 friends over from school. It got rather noisy around our house with 6 teenage girls. They watched videos & tried to make gingerbread houses. The Longenberger mold came in rather handy. Unfortunately, the houses didn't stay together very well. Ended up each girl took a part of the house and decorated it separately. Of course, that did make them all happy because they all had plenty of sugar in the decorations. I think Rachel had a good time!
Now we are focused on all the last minute preps that always need done. So not much out of the ordinary here. I am actually working until Wednesday night then will have 3 nights off. I will be working the New Year's holiday this year instead of the Christmas weekend. Some jobs just don't come with time off for holidays. The residents still need care.
Well, that is about it for now. Guess I just am not very "chatty" tonight but wanted to try to make sure it wasn't too long between posts.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Try again...
Well, I am going to once again try to start blogging regularly. I am hoping that it will be able to be a much more regular occasion because we finally did it...we broke down and got a laptop. We just really felt it would be beneficial to all of us, especially the kids. Our desktop is so old it doesn't have the software the kids need for school projects not to mention it is sooooooooooooo slow that it takes forever to do anything. When you have 2 that have lots schoolwork that requires either research or to be done on software it gets pretty frustrating. Of course, the only time I am actually awake enough to blog is when I have to be here at work. I won't go into all we went to get this laptop on Black Friday because that is a major blog in by itself.
It was so nice to see all the family for brother Mark's 50th! I just wish that it had been for longer. So many to visit with and so little time!
We are all doing fine since then. Busy is really an understatement to our lives right now. I hardly know where to start telling you about all that is going on. I am so glad that the kids didn't start sports till now. That seems to have added so much to our already busy schedule. We are so glad that the both boys are in basketball and are thrilled to see their improvements over the last year but I'm not sure I could have handled this for too many years.
Also adding to the craziness of this time of the year is the weather. We went from having no snow at all to getting 9 inches over night (forecasts were for 1-4 inches). That was the first week of December and all the kids got a snow day. Then last week we had a 3-4 day storm (near blizzard). The administrators just didn't know what to do with themselves. Ended up that Stephen & Joshua had 3 days off while Rachel only had one day off. One of the days she went may also not even count toward the states required hours because not enough kids were in attendance. In the 10 years that Rachel has been going to school, I don't remember a single year that they have had 4 snow days for the whole year. Now it is only December & they have already had 4! Or 2 in Rachel's case! This week now we have had 2 days of above freezing temps which has brought rain & fog. Today we are headed back below freezing & the lake effect is starting up again. None of my kids' school closed this fall for the flu though so we did bypass those days off. There are some systems in the area that I think used up all the "Snow days" as "flu days" this fall. Those kids may be in school till 4th of July next summer.
The snow days have also affected the basketball schedule which in turn dominoes and affects all the rest of our carefully planned out activities. It did, however, give Stephen lots of time for a research paper he had due this week.
Now don't expect something every night because I do sometimes get nights off, not often, but occasionally. And also, like I said, I have to share it, especially for homework. I also have other things I like to do when I have the chance too.
Love to all who actually keep checking on our family.
It was so nice to see all the family for brother Mark's 50th! I just wish that it had been for longer. So many to visit with and so little time!
We are all doing fine since then. Busy is really an understatement to our lives right now. I hardly know where to start telling you about all that is going on. I am so glad that the kids didn't start sports till now. That seems to have added so much to our already busy schedule. We are so glad that the both boys are in basketball and are thrilled to see their improvements over the last year but I'm not sure I could have handled this for too many years.
Also adding to the craziness of this time of the year is the weather. We went from having no snow at all to getting 9 inches over night (forecasts were for 1-4 inches). That was the first week of December and all the kids got a snow day. Then last week we had a 3-4 day storm (near blizzard). The administrators just didn't know what to do with themselves. Ended up that Stephen & Joshua had 3 days off while Rachel only had one day off. One of the days she went may also not even count toward the states required hours because not enough kids were in attendance. In the 10 years that Rachel has been going to school, I don't remember a single year that they have had 4 snow days for the whole year. Now it is only December & they have already had 4! Or 2 in Rachel's case! This week now we have had 2 days of above freezing temps which has brought rain & fog. Today we are headed back below freezing & the lake effect is starting up again. None of my kids' school closed this fall for the flu though so we did bypass those days off. There are some systems in the area that I think used up all the "Snow days" as "flu days" this fall. Those kids may be in school till 4th of July next summer.
The snow days have also affected the basketball schedule which in turn dominoes and affects all the rest of our carefully planned out activities. It did, however, give Stephen lots of time for a research paper he had due this week.
Now don't expect something every night because I do sometimes get nights off, not often, but occasionally. And also, like I said, I have to share it, especially for homework. I also have other things I like to do when I have the chance too.
Love to all who actually keep checking on our family.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Where to start...
I know it has been FOREVER since I blogged last. Sorry about that. It isn't that we don't have anything to write about either. The problem is that we are so busy doing, it is hard to find time to write. Now, if someone would like to donate a laptop to my family so I could blog from work, I would promise to blog much more often. It seems lately, that if I'm not at work I'm either sleeping or busy doing & not doing much sitting at the computer either. I'll try to bring you all up to speed but I'll do it in short bursts so as to not tire all of you out=)
I should probably start with the fact that we are all fine. Rachel had a bad case of strep throat last week but other than that, we have all been healthy. Kids have just a week left of school before their summer vacation starts & they are anxious for that.
I figure I should probably start with an update on the state Science Olympiad that Rachel qualified for that I had mentioned previously. It was held at MI State University on May 2. We had to meet the bus at the kids' school to leave @ 6 a.m. We left Stephen & Joshua with Gramma @ our house & boy, is it a good thing we did! It was a full day! Rachel competed in 3 competitions, same as at regionals: ecology, crave the wave, & pentathalon. There were 48 schools from around the state competing that day. Our school came in 28th overall which isn't the greatest but yet the fact that we were even at the state level competition was a big deal. Rachel ended up placing 16th, 19th, & 24th (I think). So no medals this time. However, there were 2 competitions that our school did medal in which is not too bad for our first showing. Overall, it was a lot of fun & a great experience for us all! They're talking about changes to the program that would allow up to 5 9th graders to come back & compete next year & Rachel piped right up & said to count her in for that.
Speaking of Rachel, next Thursday (June 4th) is her 8th grade graduation! They make quite a big deal out of it at this school which I am not used to but can rather understand. Most schools the kids will all be together for the following years in high school. Not so with the charter schools. The kids are all from many different school districts & will now be scattered next year as they enter high school. It is rather tough when you realize some of these kids have been together for the last 9 years. You are all invited if you would like to come!
Well, I think that is enough to start with. I hope to get back on later today to tell you about Rachel & my trip to DC a couple of weeks ago. Right now, though, laundry is calling!
I should probably start with the fact that we are all fine. Rachel had a bad case of strep throat last week but other than that, we have all been healthy. Kids have just a week left of school before their summer vacation starts & they are anxious for that.
I figure I should probably start with an update on the state Science Olympiad that Rachel qualified for that I had mentioned previously. It was held at MI State University on May 2. We had to meet the bus at the kids' school to leave @ 6 a.m. We left Stephen & Joshua with Gramma @ our house & boy, is it a good thing we did! It was a full day! Rachel competed in 3 competitions, same as at regionals: ecology, crave the wave, & pentathalon. There were 48 schools from around the state competing that day. Our school came in 28th overall which isn't the greatest but yet the fact that we were even at the state level competition was a big deal. Rachel ended up placing 16th, 19th, & 24th (I think). So no medals this time. However, there were 2 competitions that our school did medal in which is not too bad for our first showing. Overall, it was a lot of fun & a great experience for us all! They're talking about changes to the program that would allow up to 5 9th graders to come back & compete next year & Rachel piped right up & said to count her in for that.
Speaking of Rachel, next Thursday (June 4th) is her 8th grade graduation! They make quite a big deal out of it at this school which I am not used to but can rather understand. Most schools the kids will all be together for the following years in high school. Not so with the charter schools. The kids are all from many different school districts & will now be scattered next year as they enter high school. It is rather tough when you realize some of these kids have been together for the last 9 years. You are all invited if you would like to come!
Well, I think that is enough to start with. I hope to get back on later today to tell you about Rachel & my trip to DC a couple of weeks ago. Right now, though, laundry is calling!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
So proud, we might bust
Our children have us so proud of them that we could just about bust. This is the real reason I wanted to blog but figured I better give the other post as an update first.
Stephen & Joshua are both on YMCA basketball leagues again this 8-week session. They are both improving with leaps & bounds. It is really amazing to watch their progress from week to week. Who knows, maybe in the future, March Madness will have a greater meaning for all of us.
As for Rachel, all of the 8th graders at the school have spent the last 8 weeks studying different subjects for the regional Science Olympiad. Only 15 of them make the final team but all students are required to study & help build projects & attend the day of the competition. Rachel was sure that she wouldn't be competing but would just be there as a helper/coach for the day. The teacher has access to previous years tests for certain categories. By giving those & seeing their building skills, he chooses the 15 for the team & there is also criteria that has to be followed such as each person competing in at least 2 categories & also time schedules to consider. Well, when all was said & done, Rachel was chosen for 3 competitions: ecology, crave the wave, & a pentathalon. The first 2 are tests that she took with one other teammate. The last was her working with a team of 3 others to do 5 different activities that included both physical challenges as well as answering science questions.
The regional competition was last Saturday at Grand Valley State University. There were a total of 55 junior high/middle schools competing. Rachel did excellent! She came in with an 8th place (ecology), 11th place (crave the wave), and 17th place (pentathalon). Turns out that they give medals to the 8th place so she even came home with a medal.
Since this was our first time at the Science Olympiad, we didn't realize that the top 10 schools overall are then invited to go to the state competition. When we found that out it didn't seem too exciting because our school had only gotten 4 medals and most of them were around 7th or 8th place. We had only 1 first place. To everyone's amazement, including the coach/teacher, our school came in 10th place! The school is officially invited to send a team to the state competition! This is the first time in our school's 10 year history to have that honor! WOW! To have Rachel go from not even thinking that she would make the competing team to now having a medal & a chance to compete on a state level. It is really exciting! Science isn't even one of Rachel's major areas of interest but she applied herself anyway & now has great memories/honors to be proud of.
Of course, this means another 6 weeks of hard study, as the state competition is on May 2nd at MSU in East Lansing. The other thing is that her study time will have to be after school & not during science class now as they will be moving on to other areas of study & she'll have regular classwork to do in there as well as keeping up with all her other course work.
So, it should be pretty clear why Mark & I are so proud of these kids we have been blessed with. Now, I have something else to tell you that I am also rather proud of before I sign off of this post. My husband has lost 60# & 10 inches off his waist since last September. He has been logging everything he eats so he is watching his calories & eating much healthier. He also works out 5-6 days a week. We are currently participating in a challenge through the Y that keeps us motivated in our working out. Mark even goes mall walking during his lunch hours on days that he knows he won't be able to go to the Y in the evening. He still has a long way to go but he knows he didn't get this way overnight so it isn't coming off overnight either. Also, the way he is doing it is a lifestyle that the whole family can live with instead of a fad that no one can stick with for their entire life. I am really proud of all he is doing to keep himself around for our family as long as possible. We know this is no guarantee but it should help to ward off problems with his heart, diabetes, & all those other problems that arise with being overweight.
Well, I guess that is about it for now. I have to go make lunches for residents & do some cleaning before I get a resident up for work in a little while. I have been reading this while typing it, but if any of it doesn't quite make sense, remember what time I am doing this at=)
Stephen & Joshua are both on YMCA basketball leagues again this 8-week session. They are both improving with leaps & bounds. It is really amazing to watch their progress from week to week. Who knows, maybe in the future, March Madness will have a greater meaning for all of us.
As for Rachel, all of the 8th graders at the school have spent the last 8 weeks studying different subjects for the regional Science Olympiad. Only 15 of them make the final team but all students are required to study & help build projects & attend the day of the competition. Rachel was sure that she wouldn't be competing but would just be there as a helper/coach for the day. The teacher has access to previous years tests for certain categories. By giving those & seeing their building skills, he chooses the 15 for the team & there is also criteria that has to be followed such as each person competing in at least 2 categories & also time schedules to consider. Well, when all was said & done, Rachel was chosen for 3 competitions: ecology, crave the wave, & a pentathalon. The first 2 are tests that she took with one other teammate. The last was her working with a team of 3 others to do 5 different activities that included both physical challenges as well as answering science questions.
The regional competition was last Saturday at Grand Valley State University. There were a total of 55 junior high/middle schools competing. Rachel did excellent! She came in with an 8th place (ecology), 11th place (crave the wave), and 17th place (pentathalon). Turns out that they give medals to the 8th place so she even came home with a medal.
Since this was our first time at the Science Olympiad, we didn't realize that the top 10 schools overall are then invited to go to the state competition. When we found that out it didn't seem too exciting because our school had only gotten 4 medals and most of them were around 7th or 8th place. We had only 1 first place. To everyone's amazement, including the coach/teacher, our school came in 10th place! The school is officially invited to send a team to the state competition! This is the first time in our school's 10 year history to have that honor! WOW! To have Rachel go from not even thinking that she would make the competing team to now having a medal & a chance to compete on a state level. It is really exciting! Science isn't even one of Rachel's major areas of interest but she applied herself anyway & now has great memories/honors to be proud of.
Of course, this means another 6 weeks of hard study, as the state competition is on May 2nd at MSU in East Lansing. The other thing is that her study time will have to be after school & not during science class now as they will be moving on to other areas of study & she'll have regular classwork to do in there as well as keeping up with all her other course work.
So, it should be pretty clear why Mark & I are so proud of these kids we have been blessed with. Now, I have something else to tell you that I am also rather proud of before I sign off of this post. My husband has lost 60# & 10 inches off his waist since last September. He has been logging everything he eats so he is watching his calories & eating much healthier. He also works out 5-6 days a week. We are currently participating in a challenge through the Y that keeps us motivated in our working out. Mark even goes mall walking during his lunch hours on days that he knows he won't be able to go to the Y in the evening. He still has a long way to go but he knows he didn't get this way overnight so it isn't coming off overnight either. Also, the way he is doing it is a lifestyle that the whole family can live with instead of a fad that no one can stick with for their entire life. I am really proud of all he is doing to keep himself around for our family as long as possible. We know this is no guarantee but it should help to ward off problems with his heart, diabetes, & all those other problems that arise with being overweight.
Well, I guess that is about it for now. I have to go make lunches for residents & do some cleaning before I get a resident up for work in a little while. I have been reading this while typing it, but if any of it doesn't quite make sense, remember what time I am doing this at=)
First week of March
So it has been awhile again since I have blogged & we have some updating to do. That first week of March was really a stressful week. I went Sunday to Alpena (after getting some sleep since I worked Saturday night). I was able to be there for Mom's shoulder surgery which went rather well. She was a bit disappointed when she woke up & had a sling on her arm because she knew that meant that the dr. had done some work on the rotator cuff which meant longer recovery time. I then came home to GR on Tuesday in time to pick up the kids from school. Tuesday's are always hectic in the evenings & this was no exception.
While in Alpena, we learned that Pauline Joder had passed away. It was tough on Mom to know that she couldn't travel for the funeral. You could tell by the look on her face, she was trying to figure if she could handle it or how to work around not being able to drive. I told her that I would make arrangements to go to the visitation at least which was Wednesday (funeral was Thursday). Since the children had 1/2 day on Thur & Parent/Teacher Conferences, I knew that the funeral would not work out at all. My husband was concerned with my doing more travelling by myself, so he took the day off & we travelled to Fort Wayne together on Wednesday. It was rather nice having a day to spend together. The Joders were all very thankful that we came. They kept calling me "Melanie-Pooh". I did pretty good at recognizing everyone except for calling Holly, Cheryl (her mom's name). It was a pleasant visit considering the circumstances.
One thing I hadn't considered in my planning to attend the visitation, was the amount of fresh flowers, particularly roses, that would be in that small of an area. These are becoming my worst migraine triggers. The minute I walked in the room, I could feel one coming on. (I haven't even been at church for a couple of months because of renovations that are creating migraines.) I wasn't about to just say "hello, sorry she's gone" and walk out again when it had been so long since I had seen them and we had driven 3 hours to get there. So I was extremely miserable by the time we left there which made it a very good thing that Mark had come with me so he could drive home.
The other news of the week was that we also had a resident pass away that week. His visitation & funeral lined right up with Pauline's. Mark & I considered going to the visitation on the way home from Fort Wayne but I was in no shape to expose myself to more flowers. Actually, by the time we got back almost to GR, my chest felt heavy & tight. This really bothered Mark so we went to the ER to have it checked out. We were there till 2AM to have them tell us everything was fine. There was no signs of any heart problems or blood clots (they looked for these since I had been travelling so much that week.). I have also had a stress test since then & it pretty much confirmed that it was probably just the major migraine that caused the problem.
Then on Thurs, the kids had a 1/2 day due to parent teacher conferences at school & then they had no school on Friday. So that was how we started March. I ended up calling in to work on Tues. & Wed. that week but now everything is back to just the normal stress of everyday living. More to blog but will make it a separate post.
While in Alpena, we learned that Pauline Joder had passed away. It was tough on Mom to know that she couldn't travel for the funeral. You could tell by the look on her face, she was trying to figure if she could handle it or how to work around not being able to drive. I told her that I would make arrangements to go to the visitation at least which was Wednesday (funeral was Thursday). Since the children had 1/2 day on Thur & Parent/Teacher Conferences, I knew that the funeral would not work out at all. My husband was concerned with my doing more travelling by myself, so he took the day off & we travelled to Fort Wayne together on Wednesday. It was rather nice having a day to spend together. The Joders were all very thankful that we came. They kept calling me "Melanie-Pooh". I did pretty good at recognizing everyone except for calling Holly, Cheryl (her mom's name). It was a pleasant visit considering the circumstances.
One thing I hadn't considered in my planning to attend the visitation, was the amount of fresh flowers, particularly roses, that would be in that small of an area. These are becoming my worst migraine triggers. The minute I walked in the room, I could feel one coming on. (I haven't even been at church for a couple of months because of renovations that are creating migraines.) I wasn't about to just say "hello, sorry she's gone" and walk out again when it had been so long since I had seen them and we had driven 3 hours to get there. So I was extremely miserable by the time we left there which made it a very good thing that Mark had come with me so he could drive home.
The other news of the week was that we also had a resident pass away that week. His visitation & funeral lined right up with Pauline's. Mark & I considered going to the visitation on the way home from Fort Wayne but I was in no shape to expose myself to more flowers. Actually, by the time we got back almost to GR, my chest felt heavy & tight. This really bothered Mark so we went to the ER to have it checked out. We were there till 2AM to have them tell us everything was fine. There was no signs of any heart problems or blood clots (they looked for these since I had been travelling so much that week.). I have also had a stress test since then & it pretty much confirmed that it was probably just the major migraine that caused the problem.
Then on Thurs, the kids had a 1/2 day due to parent teacher conferences at school & then they had no school on Friday. So that was how we started March. I ended up calling in to work on Tues. & Wed. that week but now everything is back to just the normal stress of everyday living. More to blog but will make it a separate post.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Nothing to blog about...
Dad's wondering if I have had nothing to blog about this month & that why I haven't posted. Not at all. Actually we have been so busy that I hardly know where to start as well as haven't had the time & energy to blog. I'll try not to be too boring as I catch you up.
Stephen took his turn being sick a couple of days this month. Then Mark had to get in on the act. Although instead of being sick, he decided on something different. One Sunday afternoon about 3 weeks ago, Mark tripped in our bedroom. He put his hand out to catch himself & did on our closet door. His middle finger on his left hand really hurt after he did it but we just thought it a little jammed because he could still move it. By Monday, it was swollen to almost twice the size it should be and his range of motion was limited. So he spent 3 hours that evening at the med center & came home wearing a 1/2 cast most of the way up to his elbow. They told him is was broke. He followed up with his dr. on Thursday that week only to be told it "might" not be broke but to keep wearing the cast. He then had to have it re-xrayed 10-14 days after the incident. He did that and called Monday to find out the results. They now tell him that there is a sliver of bone lodged next to the knuckle. So, evidently, he somehow chipped the bone. He was now told he has to wear this 1/2 cast for 4 weeks. He isn't really thrilled with that thought. The swelling is down but he still doesn't have much movement & it really hurts when it gets bumped.
The most exciting part of the month was that Rachel performed in the middle school musical that she has been practicing for since late October. She was the jester in "Once Upon a Mattress". It was a very extensive role & she did a wonderful job. The whole production was wonderful! We were really impressed with Rachel. She had several special parts & did great in both the singing & choreography as well as speaking parts. She looked great in a dress that Mom made for her.
We didn't tell Rachel but we had invited some special friends over to our house for a post-production party at our house. We ended up with 6 people coming to congratulate Rachel on a great job on her performance. It was a rather fun time.
I am currently unable to attend our church. That's why I have time to blog right now. The rest of the family is at the Wednesday evening programs. The church has been having some renovations done to turn a room in the basement to more of a mini-auditorium. They did lots of things including adding sound-proofing, painting, and new carpets. I did fine while they were tearing things out but when they started putting new things in, I started having problems with the odors. I am getting much more sensitive to odors & they give me worse migraines. I am having problems in other places as well but currently church is the worse place. Both Sunday & tonight I went & tried to stay but couldn't handle it for long. Hopefully, the weather will get nice soon so they can open up the church more & get it aired out.
I have still been working 32-40hours a week on third shift. I really enjoy the work. The residents are all so special & it's not hard to get really attached to them. Currently we have one from our house in the hospital. His family is spending every day with him but since he is unable to communicate verbally, Harbor House is providing an aide for him every night. Last night, I spent 10 hours with him so his family could go home & get some rest. It is a special part of the services that HH offers & I was happy to minister to the family this way. The update this afternoon said that Jason may have to have surgery tomorrow or soon due to a bowel obstruction. He also is dealing with pneumonia. The family appreciates all prayers for him.
The kids are all doing well at school. We have parent/teacher conferences again next week. I don't expect any problems. Rachel & Stephen both made honor roll for the second quarter of the year. Joshua is still struggling in a few areas but nothing major. His biggest struggle is with remembering to bring homework home & return it the following day.
Grand Rapids is at 104 inches of snow for the season. Just another 3 inches and we will have the second snowest season on record. What's interesting is that we just set that record yesterday. HHHMMM...2 years of record setting snowfall...someone explain to me again about global warming! My husband isn't complaining though because it makes his
Stephen took his turn being sick a couple of days this month. Then Mark had to get in on the act. Although instead of being sick, he decided on something different. One Sunday afternoon about 3 weeks ago, Mark tripped in our bedroom. He put his hand out to catch himself & did on our closet door. His middle finger on his left hand really hurt after he did it but we just thought it a little jammed because he could still move it. By Monday, it was swollen to almost twice the size it should be and his range of motion was limited. So he spent 3 hours that evening at the med center & came home wearing a 1/2 cast most of the way up to his elbow. They told him is was broke. He followed up with his dr. on Thursday that week only to be told it "might" not be broke but to keep wearing the cast. He then had to have it re-xrayed 10-14 days after the incident. He did that and called Monday to find out the results. They now tell him that there is a sliver of bone lodged next to the knuckle. So, evidently, he somehow chipped the bone. He was now told he has to wear this 1/2 cast for 4 weeks. He isn't really thrilled with that thought. The swelling is down but he still doesn't have much movement & it really hurts when it gets bumped.
The most exciting part of the month was that Rachel performed in the middle school musical that she has been practicing for since late October. She was the jester in "Once Upon a Mattress". It was a very extensive role & she did a wonderful job. The whole production was wonderful! We were really impressed with Rachel. She had several special parts & did great in both the singing & choreography as well as speaking parts. She looked great in a dress that Mom made for her.
We didn't tell Rachel but we had invited some special friends over to our house for a post-production party at our house. We ended up with 6 people coming to congratulate Rachel on a great job on her performance. It was a rather fun time.
I am currently unable to attend our church. That's why I have time to blog right now. The rest of the family is at the Wednesday evening programs. The church has been having some renovations done to turn a room in the basement to more of a mini-auditorium. They did lots of things including adding sound-proofing, painting, and new carpets. I did fine while they were tearing things out but when they started putting new things in, I started having problems with the odors. I am getting much more sensitive to odors & they give me worse migraines. I am having problems in other places as well but currently church is the worse place. Both Sunday & tonight I went & tried to stay but couldn't handle it for long. Hopefully, the weather will get nice soon so they can open up the church more & get it aired out.
I have still been working 32-40hours a week on third shift. I really enjoy the work. The residents are all so special & it's not hard to get really attached to them. Currently we have one from our house in the hospital. His family is spending every day with him but since he is unable to communicate verbally, Harbor House is providing an aide for him every night. Last night, I spent 10 hours with him so his family could go home & get some rest. It is a special part of the services that HH offers & I was happy to minister to the family this way. The update this afternoon said that Jason may have to have surgery tomorrow or soon due to a bowel obstruction. He also is dealing with pneumonia. The family appreciates all prayers for him.
The kids are all doing well at school. We have parent/teacher conferences again next week. I don't expect any problems. Rachel & Stephen both made honor roll for the second quarter of the year. Joshua is still struggling in a few areas but nothing major. His biggest struggle is with remembering to bring homework home & return it the following day.
Grand Rapids is at 104 inches of snow for the season. Just another 3 inches and we will have the second snowest season on record. What's interesting is that we just set that record yesterday. HHHMMM...2 years of record setting snowfall...someone explain to me again about global warming! My husband isn't complaining though because it makes his
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Hanging in there...
I'm busy as usual. Kids are taking turns with minor bugs getting them down for a few days here & there. Joshua started it with a strange virus that gave him stomach cramps & loose stools for 5 days. Now that he is better, Rachel is down. She had cramps & an upset stomach over the weekend. Then starting Monday afternoon, she has had problems with headaches, earaches, & dizziness. I don't know if she'll make it to school yet tomorrow. I really hope so. So far Stephen, as well as Mark & I, are fine & we hope to keep it that way. I'm just really tired from working 3rd shift & not sleeping well during the days because of dealing with sick kids & other appointments.
I guess appointments is where you would say that Stephen is keeping my hopping. He developed very red, dry skin on both hands most of the way to his elbows back in October. By Thanksgiving, I decided he needed to be seen. The dr. gave us some cream which helped for a while but then it got rather bad again . It was miserable to look at. When the cream Rx ran out, I called the dr. back & said that I either wanted a different Rx or a referral to a dermitologist. I got the referral & less than a week later we were in to see a dermitologist specializing in psoriasis & ezema. Stephen now goes for special light treatments 2x per week. Fortunately, we are able to go in after school & don't even have to have an appointment.
2 weeks & counting for Rachel's musical performance! On Feb. 10th she will be the minstrel in the middle school production of "Once Upon a Mattress". I have to make another lute for them to use. Fortunately, I thought they might need a second one so I kept all the leftover pieces from the first to use toward a second one if needed. I still haven't figured out how to make it have a strap attached to it to wear it like a guitar. Mom has made her a beautiful costume though it has some kinks I have to work out yet too.
The weather has finally settled down a bit. We were getting hit with a good amount of snow every 2-3 days for a couple of weeks. Then it went completely frigid for most of a week. Now, we haven't had more than just a few flakes here & there for over a week & we are just barely below normal for temps. The snow machine is supposed to start up here again. According to tonights 8 day forecast, we are supposed to get at least some every day for the next week. They did have one 32 degree forecast in there!
I don't remember if I put this in the blog yet or not but I'M GOING TO WASHINGTON D.C. in May! After school started up again after the holidays, it came to light that I had made it to the top of the waiting list of chaperones & a seat became available. We leave GR late in the afternoon on May 12, sleep on the bus overnight. Then we are in DC for the 13th, 14th, most of the 15th. We return to GR early on May 16th sleeping on the bus coming home as well. I figure I won't have a problem sleeping on the bus since this body can now sleep most anywhere at anytime when it is tired. Rachel may not be as fortunate in that category but then again, she's going to be so excited it will probably keep her from sleeping too. I have already got the time off approved from work & am saving up my PTO so that I will still get a paycheck while I am gone.
We have also been busy researching area high schools. We really don't want Rachel going to GR Public next year. At least not the neighborhood one that she is supposed to go to. We are looking at outlying districts to do as a school of choice. It is nice that 3 charter schools just held a HS fair where lots of area schools, public & private, had tables & you could talk over the pros & cons of each with representatives. This was the first year they held it & it was rather interesting. We think we know which school we would prefer she go to, now it is a matter of prayer to see if God wants her there. She is also going to do a "shadow day" with a girl she knows in that school to get a feel for the school. That will have to wait till after she is better & the musical is over though. We are going to attend a few more meetings & possible tour some other schools just to make sure we are taking a fair look at all the options.
Can't think of much else to write about right now. I don't want to get into the car struggles we've had lately. That is a bit of a downer. Just a constant matter of prayer.
I guess appointments is where you would say that Stephen is keeping my hopping. He developed very red, dry skin on both hands most of the way to his elbows back in October. By Thanksgiving, I decided he needed to be seen. The dr. gave us some cream which helped for a while but then it got rather bad again . It was miserable to look at. When the cream Rx ran out, I called the dr. back & said that I either wanted a different Rx or a referral to a dermitologist. I got the referral & less than a week later we were in to see a dermitologist specializing in psoriasis & ezema. Stephen now goes for special light treatments 2x per week. Fortunately, we are able to go in after school & don't even have to have an appointment.
2 weeks & counting for Rachel's musical performance! On Feb. 10th she will be the minstrel in the middle school production of "Once Upon a Mattress". I have to make another lute for them to use. Fortunately, I thought they might need a second one so I kept all the leftover pieces from the first to use toward a second one if needed. I still haven't figured out how to make it have a strap attached to it to wear it like a guitar. Mom has made her a beautiful costume though it has some kinks I have to work out yet too.
The weather has finally settled down a bit. We were getting hit with a good amount of snow every 2-3 days for a couple of weeks. Then it went completely frigid for most of a week. Now, we haven't had more than just a few flakes here & there for over a week & we are just barely below normal for temps. The snow machine is supposed to start up here again. According to tonights 8 day forecast, we are supposed to get at least some every day for the next week. They did have one 32 degree forecast in there!
I don't remember if I put this in the blog yet or not but I'M GOING TO WASHINGTON D.C. in May! After school started up again after the holidays, it came to light that I had made it to the top of the waiting list of chaperones & a seat became available. We leave GR late in the afternoon on May 12, sleep on the bus overnight. Then we are in DC for the 13th, 14th, most of the 15th. We return to GR early on May 16th sleeping on the bus coming home as well. I figure I won't have a problem sleeping on the bus since this body can now sleep most anywhere at anytime when it is tired. Rachel may not be as fortunate in that category but then again, she's going to be so excited it will probably keep her from sleeping too. I have already got the time off approved from work & am saving up my PTO so that I will still get a paycheck while I am gone.
We have also been busy researching area high schools. We really don't want Rachel going to GR Public next year. At least not the neighborhood one that she is supposed to go to. We are looking at outlying districts to do as a school of choice. It is nice that 3 charter schools just held a HS fair where lots of area schools, public & private, had tables & you could talk over the pros & cons of each with representatives. This was the first year they held it & it was rather interesting. We think we know which school we would prefer she go to, now it is a matter of prayer to see if God wants her there. She is also going to do a "shadow day" with a girl she knows in that school to get a feel for the school. That will have to wait till after she is better & the musical is over though. We are going to attend a few more meetings & possible tour some other schools just to make sure we are taking a fair look at all the options.
Can't think of much else to write about right now. I don't want to get into the car struggles we've had lately. That is a bit of a downer. Just a constant matter of prayer.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Blogging from work...
I have a laptop with me at work tonight & was able to get it connected to the internet here so I can actually blog here tonight. The laptop belongs to the guy that Mark does accounting work on the side for. What is strange is that other times I have had it here, I haven't been able to get the wireless connection to work but tonight it does.
We are all doing just fine. All of us are doing well at getting back into the routine now that the holidays are over and the kids are back in school. The way the kids were intentionally irritating each other, it is a good thing that school is back up and running. Some of the area kids had an extra day or two on the end of their holiday break as well as starting the break early. Fortunately, that wasn't ours. It was really time for mine to get away from each other again.
The weather has been rather crazy this winter. We have already been "snowed in" more this winter than we are on most. We actually missed church 3 weeks in a row. It was cancelled complete the Sunday before Christmas. The week between the holidays was only morning worship, it was cold, & we decided we wanted some more family time. Then last week we weren't about to chance the ice even though it was open. If you've seen the slope to our road & saw the glare of ice it was, you'd understand. I came home from work & knew I wasn't venturing out again. We did make it to evening service since it had warmed up enough to melt the ice some. Their talking a winter storm watch to start this afternoon through tomorrow morning then artic temps for most of the rest of the week. That means inside recesses, oh fun! At least Joshua spent some time outside this weekend both shoveling with Mark & just for fun, playing with a neighbor boy.
Well, about time to go. I have some laundry to fold & cleaning to do before I get a resident up shortly after 5 a.m. We should have the computer for the next 2 weeks so I hope to bring it so I can blog more during that time.
We are all doing just fine. All of us are doing well at getting back into the routine now that the holidays are over and the kids are back in school. The way the kids were intentionally irritating each other, it is a good thing that school is back up and running. Some of the area kids had an extra day or two on the end of their holiday break as well as starting the break early. Fortunately, that wasn't ours. It was really time for mine to get away from each other again.
The weather has been rather crazy this winter. We have already been "snowed in" more this winter than we are on most. We actually missed church 3 weeks in a row. It was cancelled complete the Sunday before Christmas. The week between the holidays was only morning worship, it was cold, & we decided we wanted some more family time. Then last week we weren't about to chance the ice even though it was open. If you've seen the slope to our road & saw the glare of ice it was, you'd understand. I came home from work & knew I wasn't venturing out again. We did make it to evening service since it had warmed up enough to melt the ice some. Their talking a winter storm watch to start this afternoon through tomorrow morning then artic temps for most of the rest of the week. That means inside recesses, oh fun! At least Joshua spent some time outside this weekend both shoveling with Mark & just for fun, playing with a neighbor boy.
Well, about time to go. I have some laundry to fold & cleaning to do before I get a resident up shortly after 5 a.m. We should have the computer for the next 2 weeks so I hope to bring it so I can blog more during that time.
Friday, January 02, 2009
Holidays are over...
The holidays are done & we have enjoyed them in a nice quiet ways. Mom was here to visit from Dec. 17-22. Then Mark's mom came on 12/24 till 12/27. Other than that, it has been just our little family. I have had to work off & on throughout the holidays, including Christmas Eve but Mark has had some extra time off.
I actually started off the new year very sore. On my way into work on 12/30, I took quite a spill on some ice in the parking lot. I guess that's what I get for actually parking where I'm supposed to instead of up by the house, where I sometimes do. I went down on my back hitting back, shoulder, & head all just slightly to my right side instead of smack center. I went in & actually worked my shift after dosing up good on ibuprofen. I reported the fall before I left work then decided I better get checked out before the holiday & the weekend. The dr. put me on some weight restrictions but did clear me to work. He said that it mostly looked like muscular bruising & nothing skeletal. Since then, I haven't had to work but go back tonight. The most painful area has been my neck but even it is coming along rather well this morning. Not a fun way to finish a year or start a new one but it could have been worse.
The kids go back to school on Monday. They got an extra day of vacation as they had a snow day on Dec. 19. The teachers were evidently really hoping for the snow day as most of them starting talking about it on Wed. that week & most of them did they fun party type activities on Thurs. I don't know what they would have done if the snow hadn't come.
We were late getting our Christmas decorations out but I think we'll try to get them down before the kids return to school. The schedule will be hectic again in just a few days so better to do it while I have the help.
Well, Rachel is wanting the computer & there is plenty waiting to get done around here. Hope you all had great holidays!
I actually started off the new year very sore. On my way into work on 12/30, I took quite a spill on some ice in the parking lot. I guess that's what I get for actually parking where I'm supposed to instead of up by the house, where I sometimes do. I went down on my back hitting back, shoulder, & head all just slightly to my right side instead of smack center. I went in & actually worked my shift after dosing up good on ibuprofen. I reported the fall before I left work then decided I better get checked out before the holiday & the weekend. The dr. put me on some weight restrictions but did clear me to work. He said that it mostly looked like muscular bruising & nothing skeletal. Since then, I haven't had to work but go back tonight. The most painful area has been my neck but even it is coming along rather well this morning. Not a fun way to finish a year or start a new one but it could have been worse.
The kids go back to school on Monday. They got an extra day of vacation as they had a snow day on Dec. 19. The teachers were evidently really hoping for the snow day as most of them starting talking about it on Wed. that week & most of them did they fun party type activities on Thurs. I don't know what they would have done if the snow hadn't come.
We were late getting our Christmas decorations out but I think we'll try to get them down before the kids return to school. The schedule will be hectic again in just a few days so better to do it while I have the help.
Well, Rachel is wanting the computer & there is plenty waiting to get done around here. Hope you all had great holidays!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Busy with Snow, Snow, and More Snow
Hi! This is Rachel (for once).
We have had a very busy past week. On last Sunday, the boys had their CHRISTmas play @ church. On Monday, my musical practice was canceled because of the snow. (Thats 1). Mom, Dad, and the boys had to still go to the last puppet practice before the performace. On Tuesday, I had to deliver the Advance newspaper, go to an appointment, and then finish delivering while everyone else went to the Y for Joshua's swimming lesson. Wednesday was the usual bussiness only Grandma Joyce was here too now. We had the puppet performace for the Awana kids. I taped it with the heavy camera above my head. That hurt. But we did have a little time to celabrate Mom's 40th birthday. Thursday was our band concert, but Dad had to go the Y for basketball practice. Friday we woke up to find that we had a snow day. (Thats 2). I was also supose to have my birthday party, but no one could make it. But Mom and Dad took just me and we went and saw the movie The Boy With The Striped Pajamas. That was sad. Then we went to Denney's for dinner, then to Cold Stone for ice cream, and then to Blockbuster to rent videos. When we got home, Mom went to work, everyone else went to bed, and I stayed up and watch movies. Then yesterday, (my 14th birthday) we had to go to the school because Stephen had 2 basketball games. Then all of us went to Cold Stone. After that Mom, Dad, and Grandma went to a banquet leaving me to babysitt my brothers. Not a fun birthday. Today, we got up and got ready for church. JUST before Mom got home from work and Dad got home from going to Lowes to pick up the snow blower that we bought yesterday, we got an e-mail saying that church was closed. (And thats 3). The reason I was saying thats 1,2,3 was because there has been three things canceled because of SNOW. We are getting dumped on and its not supose to stop until AFTER CHRISTmas. Grandma is supose to go home tomorrow. That might not happen. Well maybe now that church is closed we can finally get out the CHRISTmas decortions out, along with the tree. Well I have got to go.
We have had a very busy past week. On last Sunday, the boys had their CHRISTmas play @ church. On Monday, my musical practice was canceled because of the snow. (Thats 1). Mom, Dad, and the boys had to still go to the last puppet practice before the performace. On Tuesday, I had to deliver the Advance newspaper, go to an appointment, and then finish delivering while everyone else went to the Y for Joshua's swimming lesson. Wednesday was the usual bussiness only Grandma Joyce was here too now. We had the puppet performace for the Awana kids. I taped it with the heavy camera above my head. That hurt. But we did have a little time to celabrate Mom's 40th birthday. Thursday was our band concert, but Dad had to go the Y for basketball practice. Friday we woke up to find that we had a snow day. (Thats 2). I was also supose to have my birthday party, but no one could make it. But Mom and Dad took just me and we went and saw the movie The Boy With The Striped Pajamas. That was sad. Then we went to Denney's for dinner, then to Cold Stone for ice cream, and then to Blockbuster to rent videos. When we got home, Mom went to work, everyone else went to bed, and I stayed up and watch movies. Then yesterday, (my 14th birthday) we had to go to the school because Stephen had 2 basketball games. Then all of us went to Cold Stone. After that Mom, Dad, and Grandma went to a banquet leaving me to babysitt my brothers. Not a fun birthday. Today, we got up and got ready for church. JUST before Mom got home from work and Dad got home from going to Lowes to pick up the snow blower that we bought yesterday, we got an e-mail saying that church was closed. (And thats 3). The reason I was saying thats 1,2,3 was because there has been three things canceled because of SNOW. We are getting dumped on and its not supose to stop until AFTER CHRISTmas. Grandma is supose to go home tomorrow. That might not happen. Well maybe now that church is closed we can finally get out the CHRISTmas decortions out, along with the tree. Well I have got to go.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Survived Tuesday
and that was rather "iffy" for a while. Here was yesterday's itinerary: After getting about 5 1/2 hours sleep, I picked up Stephen, Joshua, & Sarah (neighbor girl) from school @ 3:15. I actually made sure I was there when they got out so we could get everything accomplished. Rachel stayed at school for musical practice. The boys had a quick snack & then we had to deliver the Advance Newspaper that we do once a week. The fact that it was cold out made it easy to motivate them to keep up a quick pace so they had time for hot cocoa. We did have approx. 15 minutes after we arrived home for us to enjoy a cup while the boys worked on homework. It was then back in the car to run out to the school to pick Rachel up from practice. The kids & I swung by a Little Ceasar's to pick up their hot & ready pizzas for dinner. As soon as Mark arrived home we had approx. 20 minutes to eat dinner. Then I dropped Mark & Rachel off at the school. Mark had a parent committee meeting at 6:30 & Rachel had to be there by 6:45 for Parent Awareness Night. The boys & I proceeded to the Y where Joshua had swimming lessons from 7-7:45. After a quick shower, we headed back to the school. Parent Awareness Night continued till 8:30 so Mark & I had a few minutes to go around and see some presentations that the kids had prepared on issues that teens are having to deal with such as alcohol abuse, cutting, suicide, teen pregnancy, & more. It was all very interesting. (Rachel did hers on teen pregnancy.) I did have about 1/2 to sit & rest after the kids finally got to bed before I had to go to work. So that was our Tuesday! Most of the time, life isn't quite that hectic but it does seem as the kids are getting older that they are happening a little more often.
Other than that, Mark has been struggling with a cold for 2 weeks now. We haven't been at the Y as much because it is hard to work out when you can't breathe. As you may have noticed, Joshua is now in swimming lessons. Stephen is now signed up for a Y basketball league. The practices are on Thurs evenings. This is also keeping Mark busy as he is the coach of the team. The first night of practice there was no coach so Mark stepped up to coach so they wouldn't cancel the team. They had the first game last Saturday & they lost. Also, Mark & I are now directors for the puppet team at church & we have a performance coming up on Dec. 20. Our church is changing the curriculum we use for Discipleship Hour so since we are both working in that program, we have extra things going on. There's definitely always something going on here.
Other than that, Mark has been struggling with a cold for 2 weeks now. We haven't been at the Y as much because it is hard to work out when you can't breathe. As you may have noticed, Joshua is now in swimming lessons. Stephen is now signed up for a Y basketball league. The practices are on Thurs evenings. This is also keeping Mark busy as he is the coach of the team. The first night of practice there was no coach so Mark stepped up to coach so they wouldn't cancel the team. They had the first game last Saturday & they lost. Also, Mark & I are now directors for the puppet team at church & we have a performance coming up on Dec. 20. Our church is changing the curriculum we use for Discipleship Hour so since we are both working in that program, we have extra things going on. There's definitely always something going on here.
Friday, November 07, 2008
$2.22/gal
That's what I last paid for gas! It only took $18 to fill up my little Prizm! Prices have fallen more since then, as low as $1.96/gal in an outlying area called Plainwell according to the news. It is down 1/2 of what we had been paying. I wish it would stay this way but I would lay money on the fact that it will probably be back over $3 by the time everyone starts travelling for Thanksgiving.
Well, the first marking period is over for the kids & they all did very well. Rachel made the TCB Club & probably both her & Stephen will be on the Honor Roll. Joshua had a bit of an incident on the playground the other day but otherwise is doing very well too. We had parent/teacher conferences earlier this week so Mark & I spent Wed. afternoon going from teacher to teacher around the gym which is where the middle school teachers are all set up. Having 2 in middle school, there were only 3 teachers that didn't have at least one of our students. Some of them actually have both.
All three are a bit disappointed in the election outcome but it was interesting to see them get involved with all the discussions. Rachel's history teacher held a debate where 4 students were designated as the candidates & had to research their stand on questions the rest of the class had researched to ask them. The teacher said this really brought Rachel out of her shell to the point they think she will either be a reporter or a lawyer. Rachel, of course, was armed with a lot of the information that we had received via email concerning some questionable stands of Obama.
Other info, we are most disappointed in our last washing machine. We bought it less than 5 years ago & went with a Maytag thinking reputable namebrand. Well, it is dead. At first, we thought it was just the timer but when the repair man listened to it they said it would be over $350 to fix because it needed an entire motor & probably the timer too. So we have had to go washer shopping. So much for a laptop for a while. I've actually had to be taking all the clothes to the laundry mat for several weeks. That gets really tiring really quickly, not to mention getting very expensive.
Mark is going to Lake Ann Camp tonight for a Camp Captain's retreat. He took the day off today so he can leave for up there earlier than getting out of work. I think it actually starts around 6. So this morning he is volunteering to help with "centers" in Rachel's Language Arts class. He then meets with the guy he has been doing accounting on the side for and then it is down to his office to get his flu shot before he can leave town. He'll be back tomorrow afternoon though.
He also took off Monday & Tuesday because the kids are off of school on those days. The plan is to get lots of cleaning done during those days. With everyone here, working together, hopefully we can get some cleaning & organizing done that has been put off way to long. There are a few other things on the agenda for those days too such as visiting a high school that we hope might be good for Rachel to try to get in to next year but cleaning is highest on the list.
Well, the first marking period is over for the kids & they all did very well. Rachel made the TCB Club & probably both her & Stephen will be on the Honor Roll. Joshua had a bit of an incident on the playground the other day but otherwise is doing very well too. We had parent/teacher conferences earlier this week so Mark & I spent Wed. afternoon going from teacher to teacher around the gym which is where the middle school teachers are all set up. Having 2 in middle school, there were only 3 teachers that didn't have at least one of our students. Some of them actually have both.
All three are a bit disappointed in the election outcome but it was interesting to see them get involved with all the discussions. Rachel's history teacher held a debate where 4 students were designated as the candidates & had to research their stand on questions the rest of the class had researched to ask them. The teacher said this really brought Rachel out of her shell to the point they think she will either be a reporter or a lawyer. Rachel, of course, was armed with a lot of the information that we had received via email concerning some questionable stands of Obama.
Other info, we are most disappointed in our last washing machine. We bought it less than 5 years ago & went with a Maytag thinking reputable namebrand. Well, it is dead. At first, we thought it was just the timer but when the repair man listened to it they said it would be over $350 to fix because it needed an entire motor & probably the timer too. So we have had to go washer shopping. So much for a laptop for a while. I've actually had to be taking all the clothes to the laundry mat for several weeks. That gets really tiring really quickly, not to mention getting very expensive.
Mark is going to Lake Ann Camp tonight for a Camp Captain's retreat. He took the day off today so he can leave for up there earlier than getting out of work. I think it actually starts around 6. So this morning he is volunteering to help with "centers" in Rachel's Language Arts class. He then meets with the guy he has been doing accounting on the side for and then it is down to his office to get his flu shot before he can leave town. He'll be back tomorrow afternoon though.
He also took off Monday & Tuesday because the kids are off of school on those days. The plan is to get lots of cleaning done during those days. With everyone here, working together, hopefully we can get some cleaning & organizing done that has been put off way to long. There are a few other things on the agenda for those days too such as visiting a high school that we hope might be good for Rachel to try to get in to next year but cleaning is highest on the list.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Back to blogging
Sorry. It has been crazy around here. I so wish I had a laptop. I'd have lots of time to blog at work but need a laptop to do it. Maybe by Christmas. I'll try to keep this somewhat short but hit the high points of what has been going on in our lives.
School is off to a very good start this year. Rachel is in 8Th grade but doing 9Th grade algebra this year. She has a wonderful homeroom teacher that said how much she had been waiting for Rachel to get to her grade & was excited to have Rachel in her homeroom. Rachel's weekly progress reports have been coming home with incredible percentages. Several classes she has had more than 100% score as an average for the class (including Spanish which is her least favorite class). Since this is Rachel's last year at Chandler Woods, they almost treat this as a senior year with lots of special activities. They started the year with a "sneak" field trip that went from 8 a.m. -10 p.m. It was really focused on team building but also memory building. They highlight of the year will be a trip to Washington DC in May. Hopefully, I will be going to as a chaperon.
The rather big news that Rachel has is that she has a part in the school's musical this year. They have already started practices but the performance isn't till February 10, 2009. It took some doing to get her to try out as she was afraid of not being chosen but at the last minute she did & she will be the "minstrel". She even has a duet to do with the "jester".
Stephen has the most adjusting to do this year as it is his first year in middle school. He has the same homeroom teacher as Rachel did & she is very encouraging to the kids. She does great for Stephen as she uses food (candy) as incentives a lot. He had a few adjustment issues as he has had 3 detentions so far. (Detentions are served during lunch time with sitting, eating, & no talking under the supervision of the assistant principal or social worker.) They were rather minor offenses & I think he won't be getting any more. He is trying to make the TCB Club that the school has to earn a trip to Cedar Point at the end of the school year. TCB Club is based strictly on behavior & responsibility & not on grades. If students obey teachers and turn in assignments, there is no reason not to make it. Each quarter there is a party for TCB & if they make it 3 of the 4 quarters, they get a day at Cedar Point while the others are still sitting in classes. Stephen's grades are doing well too. The biggest challenge is to keep things neat & organized.
Joshua is in second grade this year & has the teacher he was hoping for, Mr. Steinbacher. He has been struggling this year with making sure his homework gets turned in but we are working on that. The GREAT news is that I have not had to make a single trip out to school to clean him up since school started! He still has accidents sometimes but so far not during school. They are definitely getting fewer & farther between.
I think that covers the highlights of school. As for me, I am now working 40 hours every week. We had some switching around of aides & I ended up with an extra day when the schedules were adjusted. I am also now a "lead" at least once a week. That means I am the supervisor of the shift. I am also responsible for handing out all meds during that shift. It also comes with a raise which is nice too. It is taking some more adjusting on the home front. It is strange that just one more night a week affects the family so much more.
Mark just passed his one year mark at URS. Things are still going really well there. He even got a former coworker from Camp & Cruise a job in his department. So now he has another man to talk to since they are up to 3 in the dept and 11 ladies.
The other big news is that we have joined a YMCA. It has been great! We are there 4-6 days a week. Stephen took a basketball class this fall & now wants to do the Y basketball league. He hopes to be good enough to make the school team by next year. Joshua has been playing in the Y flag football league this fall. They practice on Tuesdays & have games on Saturday mornings. I don't know what their record is but they are doing rather decent. He is not the best player but also not the worst & he is having fun. There are 6 different Y's in the area & we can go to any of them. We mainly go to the one by the kids school because they have a great family area where there is weight machines that the kids can use as well us as adults. They have cardio there too & some other fun activities including a Wii. So we can all do whatever kind of workout we want and we are at least in the same room even though not necessarily right with each other.
The kids also completed a "marathon" this fall. It was called the GR Kids' Marathon & we just finished last week. What they had to do was walk 1 mile 3 days a week from mid-August. They had a chart to track their miles on. They had to have 25 miles done by Sat. 10/18. Then we went downtown & finished the last 1.2 miles on their course. The kids all received a packet of prizes, certificates, t-shirts, & medal. It was rather fun!
So much for keeping this short! Oh, well. I think that is about it for now. At least I hit the highlights. We'll save the "low lights" for another time.
School is off to a very good start this year. Rachel is in 8Th grade but doing 9Th grade algebra this year. She has a wonderful homeroom teacher that said how much she had been waiting for Rachel to get to her grade & was excited to have Rachel in her homeroom. Rachel's weekly progress reports have been coming home with incredible percentages. Several classes she has had more than 100% score as an average for the class (including Spanish which is her least favorite class). Since this is Rachel's last year at Chandler Woods, they almost treat this as a senior year with lots of special activities. They started the year with a "sneak" field trip that went from 8 a.m. -10 p.m. It was really focused on team building but also memory building. They highlight of the year will be a trip to Washington DC in May. Hopefully, I will be going to as a chaperon.
The rather big news that Rachel has is that she has a part in the school's musical this year. They have already started practices but the performance isn't till February 10, 2009. It took some doing to get her to try out as she was afraid of not being chosen but at the last minute she did & she will be the "minstrel". She even has a duet to do with the "jester".
Stephen has the most adjusting to do this year as it is his first year in middle school. He has the same homeroom teacher as Rachel did & she is very encouraging to the kids. She does great for Stephen as she uses food (candy) as incentives a lot. He had a few adjustment issues as he has had 3 detentions so far. (Detentions are served during lunch time with sitting, eating, & no talking under the supervision of the assistant principal or social worker.) They were rather minor offenses & I think he won't be getting any more. He is trying to make the TCB Club that the school has to earn a trip to Cedar Point at the end of the school year. TCB Club is based strictly on behavior & responsibility & not on grades. If students obey teachers and turn in assignments, there is no reason not to make it. Each quarter there is a party for TCB & if they make it 3 of the 4 quarters, they get a day at Cedar Point while the others are still sitting in classes. Stephen's grades are doing well too. The biggest challenge is to keep things neat & organized.
Joshua is in second grade this year & has the teacher he was hoping for, Mr. Steinbacher. He has been struggling this year with making sure his homework gets turned in but we are working on that. The GREAT news is that I have not had to make a single trip out to school to clean him up since school started! He still has accidents sometimes but so far not during school. They are definitely getting fewer & farther between.
I think that covers the highlights of school. As for me, I am now working 40 hours every week. We had some switching around of aides & I ended up with an extra day when the schedules were adjusted. I am also now a "lead" at least once a week. That means I am the supervisor of the shift. I am also responsible for handing out all meds during that shift. It also comes with a raise which is nice too. It is taking some more adjusting on the home front. It is strange that just one more night a week affects the family so much more.
Mark just passed his one year mark at URS. Things are still going really well there. He even got a former coworker from Camp & Cruise a job in his department. So now he has another man to talk to since they are up to 3 in the dept and 11 ladies.
The other big news is that we have joined a YMCA. It has been great! We are there 4-6 days a week. Stephen took a basketball class this fall & now wants to do the Y basketball league. He hopes to be good enough to make the school team by next year. Joshua has been playing in the Y flag football league this fall. They practice on Tuesdays & have games on Saturday mornings. I don't know what their record is but they are doing rather decent. He is not the best player but also not the worst & he is having fun. There are 6 different Y's in the area & we can go to any of them. We mainly go to the one by the kids school because they have a great family area where there is weight machines that the kids can use as well us as adults. They have cardio there too & some other fun activities including a Wii. So we can all do whatever kind of workout we want and we are at least in the same room even though not necessarily right with each other.
The kids also completed a "marathon" this fall. It was called the GR Kids' Marathon & we just finished last week. What they had to do was walk 1 mile 3 days a week from mid-August. They had a chart to track their miles on. They had to have 25 miles done by Sat. 10/18. Then we went downtown & finished the last 1.2 miles on their course. The kids all received a packet of prizes, certificates, t-shirts, & medal. It was rather fun!
So much for keeping this short! Oh, well. I think that is about it for now. At least I hit the highlights. We'll save the "low lights" for another time.
Friday, August 15, 2008
My Summer (So Far) Part 2 By Rachel
So I left off at Canada Monday. Well I should describe the place we were at. We were on a island on the French River, 4 hours east of the Sault. The only way you can have electricity is by a generator. There are 3 cabins. The middle has a kitchen, 2 bedrooms, and a bathroom with a toilet and a hot shower. This was the girls cabin. The boys had the other 2 cabins. The only electricity they got was from a light bulb. The boys got to use an outhouse for the week! And if they wanted a shower they got to take it in the river! Now because the girls had the kitchen, we spent most of our time in our cabin. At night after the boys left we had to get our sleeping bags out and lay them out on the floor. Then in the morning we had to pack it up and get dressed by 8:30 so that the boys could come in. Well everyday there was a kitchen and boat crew. The kitchen crew made the meals and the boat crew took care of the boats. Every morning after breakfast we went out to the rocks and did our God and I time until lunch. After lunch we got to do different activities that Art had. (Art owns the camp and is a pastor. His wife Judy was there too along with Sharon (Beaver) the nurse). On Tuesday half of the group was blindfolded. the other half was to lead them and follow Art. We had to go around trees, OVER DITCHES, and over a beaver dam. The reason that I capitalized over ditches is because my leader lead me into a little ditch and I twisted my ankle! On the way back it was really hurting. Also it was thundering. When we got back, that was when it started to rain. Well part of the boat crews job is to got all of the water out of the boat after it is done raining. So after they thought it was done raining the boat crew went done to bail the boats and everyone else who had nothing to do went with them. When they got down there the whole back of the biggest boat was underwater!!! They came back up to get Art and some buckets. As they starting it begins to rain again! It then turned into a big water fight and everyone was soaking wet when they were done. I did not have any part in it. I was watching from the cabin and keeping off of my ankle. After the rain stopped and everyone was dry and done eating Art did a devotional on John chapter 21 every night. Afterward we got to play "Simon Says." Now you may say what is the big deal, but you have not played "Simon Says" until you have played with Art. He is so good at getting you out. He got one girl out by asking what her name was! On Wednesday afternoon we got to go tubing and skiing!!!!! That was a lot fun! When it was my turn, I had a rap around my ankle and when I fell off I felt like seaweed was tangled around my foot but it was the rap mostly undone. I just took it off. Before we went back to the dock to trade with some kids so take they could tube, one of the leaders named Avery was trying to windsurf. She was a ways away and she was to tired to swim back with the board. So we got to bring her back. That was interesting trying to get the board back. Later after the devotional, Art made a circle with a rope and had us kids try to pull on it so that we didn't fall on each other. After we did it the leaders got to try it. We then did a challenge were we all had to close our eyes and keep them closed. We all were put some where on the rope by Art. Well when he said he had everyone on the rope I to say that I was not on there. He forgot me because I was behind someone. So while keeping our eyes closed we had to make a square without Art and Beaver's help (Judy was sleeping). We did a good job for the space that we had. Well on Thursday the morning schedule stayed the same but lunch was postponed until later so we had a snack and we got into canoes and started our trip. We were supposed to go 2 hours have lunch then go 2 hours back. We didn't even get 1/4 th of the way and there was thunder, so we had to turn around and go back. So while it was raining, we did another challenge. This one two people were tied with shoe laces that crossed each other and the object was to undo it. The girls didn't give up, every one else had Art tell them how to do it. Afterward we got to go to a different island and climb up the rocks. It was an amazing view! We then climbed down and went swimming. Friday, we all got on boats and they spread us out at different spots close to the camp for a hour. That was a nice quiet except for when a train went over the bridge. When that hour was over we went and had a picnic lunch on "exile" island (the island across the river). We then came back, got our bath suits on, and went cliff-diving. I only went once, but everyone else was doing a lot. For devotional we went outside and had a fire. We got to tell everyone what choices we had made that week. After the generator went off we waited a few minutes and we scared the boys by making them think there was a bear outside when it was only the female leaders. But when they came over to our cabin to make sure we were all right, we went outside and we saw the stars. They were amazing! Well Saturday, we were getting on boats and leaving and started the rain, again. That was a terrible cold ride. We were going to try to leave by 8:30, we didn't end up leaving until 9:30! We had so much fun on the 12 hour ride home. Except for 1 boy who throw up. We were hypper then we all fell asleep then we were all hypper again. We ended up back at the church at 10:30 p.m. The next morning, we got to sing our theme song for the week for the church wearing our Canada shirts. That was fun! I ended up sleeping in until 11:30 to catch up on sleep on Tuesday becase on Monday I had to babysit. But I had lots of fun in Canada!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
My Summer (So Far) By Rachel
I was told that I had to write about my trips I took this summer. We got out of school June 6th. When we got home we left for Detroit so we could go to my cousin's open house. That was a really hot ride. On the way home we had to travel through a lighting storm. The follow 2 weeks I helped the church prepare for the garage sale. Whatever money that we made was divided up between the people who worked, and it went to their summer trip. After that was over we went to Lake Ann on June 30th. That was a lot of fun! I got to do the Flying Squirrel. What that is is where one person with harnesses is pulled 40 feet into the air by everyone in their cabin. Going to the sleeping bear dunes was fun too. When we were to come down, they recorded everyone doing it all at once. We also got to race blue barrels with people inside. It was awesome!!!:):):) And because we were there on the 4th of July, we got to see some amazing fireworks over the lake! Well we came home on Saturday, but we all wanted to stay. I am hoping that next year I can work there. Grandma had her surgery while we were there, so when she left she took Stephen with her!! Hey!!! That meant 1 less brother around. On the 13th, we went to Birch Run to help celebrate dad's uncle's retirement. We also met Grandma so that Stephen and I could switch places. I had fun. We went to the museum and I really enjoyed that until when we were coming out and I wasn't paying any notice that a curb was there. I tripped and scraped up my knees. We also went sidewalk shopping at the mall. On Friday and Saturday we got to go garage saleing. On Sunday I went to the ditch that is at the end of the driveway and as I was going into it, I slipped and scraped the side of my left leg. Well on Monday we drove 5 hours home. Starting the 28th, I helped take care of the preschoolers during VBS for the week. On Saturday, we left early in the morning to go to a campground in Omar (the smallest city in MI) for the Berry family reunion. We left later that evening. I spent most of Sunday packing. Monday, at 6 in the morning, I went with 16 others kids and 6 adults for a 12 hour bus ride to CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plus when we got there we had to go another 35 minutes on a boat!!! And because not everyone got to go at once we all weren't there until 8:30 p.m. We endedup going to bed at 11:30! Have to go will finish blogging later.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Canada
Well, Rachel is off to Canada for the week with our junior high youth group from church. They left at 6am this morning & have a 14 hour trip today (10 to the Sault then another 4 to the east), then they unload the bus & put all their stuff on a boat for a 1/2 hour trip to the camp. It should be a great experience for her. She paid for it all herself between her Advance newspaper route & all the fundraisers that the church put together. They will be coming home on Saturday. They don't even give us an estimated time of arrival for Saturday because of the length of the trip. When they have a good idea of when they will reach town, they start a "phone tree" to notify parents.
There were 17 kids & 6 sponsors that are going. What is really interesting, is that we just had a new "Pastor of Family Ministries" that officially started with our church on Aug. 1 & he left with the group this morning. How's a trip to the Canadian wilderness with 17 junior highers sound for the first full week on the job for someone?! Hopefully, we don't have to start a new pastoral search the minute they get back! Also interesting, is that our "Lead Pastor" will be at home with his 3 children all week as his wife was one of the chaperones that went on the trip.
I had to work last night & am not supposed to get off till 7:30a.m. I didn't tell Rachel but I made arrangements to have the last 2 hours of my shift covered so I could see her off. She was really excited and came running across the parking lot with a big hug when I showed up at the church. It feels rather good to know that it still matters to her whether I am around for things like that.
Last week was VBS & I'll have to blog about that later. I need to get a few things done around here this afternoon.
There were 17 kids & 6 sponsors that are going. What is really interesting, is that we just had a new "Pastor of Family Ministries" that officially started with our church on Aug. 1 & he left with the group this morning. How's a trip to the Canadian wilderness with 17 junior highers sound for the first full week on the job for someone?! Hopefully, we don't have to start a new pastoral search the minute they get back! Also interesting, is that our "Lead Pastor" will be at home with his 3 children all week as his wife was one of the chaperones that went on the trip.
I had to work last night & am not supposed to get off till 7:30a.m. I didn't tell Rachel but I made arrangements to have the last 2 hours of my shift covered so I could see her off. She was really excited and came running across the parking lot with a big hug when I showed up at the church. It feels rather good to know that it still matters to her whether I am around for things like that.
Last week was VBS & I'll have to blog about that later. I need to get a few things done around here this afternoon.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Big "E"
No, I'm not talking about Dale Earnhardt Senior. I'm talking about the one that eye doctor's put on the wall when checking your eyesight. Mom was down for her 2 week checkup since her surgery & it took a little doing & wasn't clear but she could see the big E on the wall with just her left eye. She hasn't been able to see that since her last surgery 8-10 years ago. The doctor was a bit concerned with some clouding but says that should still clear with time. She doesn't have to come back to see him for a month now.
The summer is rather flying by. Of course, I feel like I am sleeping most of it away. My job is going well and the kids are doing ok at letting me sleep during the day. They are getting to watch way too much t.v. but other than that it is going good.
Rachel & Stephen have each gotten to spend their week at Gramma's house. She took Stephen home after her 1 week checkup. Mark's family was having a retirement party for his uncle in Birch Run the following weekend so we met up with Mom at the party & traded Rachel for Stephen. Rachel then was able to come home with Mom when she came down for this week's appt.
There really isn't much to write about as things are mostly right in the norm for us. Very busy but nothing too exciting. No major vacations or other excitement going on. I have a wedding cake to make this weekend & need to do the purchasing for it today as well as go to a staff meeting. But we are all fine. I'm still trying to get the kids to do some blogging but that hasn't happened yet, obviously.
The summer is rather flying by. Of course, I feel like I am sleeping most of it away. My job is going well and the kids are doing ok at letting me sleep during the day. They are getting to watch way too much t.v. but other than that it is going good.
Rachel & Stephen have each gotten to spend their week at Gramma's house. She took Stephen home after her 1 week checkup. Mark's family was having a retirement party for his uncle in Birch Run the following weekend so we met up with Mom at the party & traded Rachel for Stephen. Rachel then was able to come home with Mom when she came down for this week's appt.
There really isn't much to write about as things are mostly right in the norm for us. Very busy but nothing too exciting. No major vacations or other excitement going on. I have a wedding cake to make this weekend & need to do the purchasing for it today as well as go to a staff meeting. But we are all fine. I'm still trying to get the kids to do some blogging but that hasn't happened yet, obviously.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Survived Storms
We had major storms come through West MI yesterday. They made quite a mess but we survived them just fine. The biggest excitement was that the neighbor next to us lost a BIG tree! The good news is that it fell out in the street where it did the least damage that it could have. Had the winds been out of the SW instead of W/NW it could have brought it down on the front of our house. The other thing is that it covered the place on the street that we often have a car parked but all our vehicles were in our driveway (or Mark's was at work) at the time. It did hit a car parked on the other side of the street but that thing only had 1 scratch on it. This event brought out the whole neighborhood. Amazingly we even had the city here around dinner time cleaning it up. Of course, the fact that the road was completely blocked might of had something to do with the speed. There was a wire down with it as well but we all still have power in the area. We think that it must just be for the street lights. We're really fortunate since there is 150,000 without power through MI & they are saying that it could be Sat before it is all back on.
The other good news is that Mom's eye surgery went well (& we were home before the storms hit). The dr was very pleased with how it went. We go in here shortly for a check up on it. We don't know how much more we will know about the success of the surgery at this check up or whether that will take longer. Mom is hoping she can get the ok to stop looking at our ceiling when she is there. She didn't have to stay flat on her back but she did have to keep her chin pointed up all day.
Rachel & Stephen are up at Lake Ann Camp near Traverse City this week. This is something they look forward to ALL year. So it has just been Joshua here with Gramma & I. He is enjoying that but he is also excited about going to camp. He is going up with Mark & the other chaperones for the return trip tonight. They are going to tent camp on the camp property & then observe the campers for the day on Friday before bringing them home on Saturday. This is a treat for all of them & only happening because of the holiday tomorrow so Mark has the day off.
Well, I have to get busy. We have the appointment & packing to do plus I haven't even started fixing a rather large hole in the ceiling that occurred last week.
The other good news is that Mom's eye surgery went well (& we were home before the storms hit). The dr was very pleased with how it went. We go in here shortly for a check up on it. We don't know how much more we will know about the success of the surgery at this check up or whether that will take longer. Mom is hoping she can get the ok to stop looking at our ceiling when she is there. She didn't have to stay flat on her back but she did have to keep her chin pointed up all day.
Rachel & Stephen are up at Lake Ann Camp near Traverse City this week. This is something they look forward to ALL year. So it has just been Joshua here with Gramma & I. He is enjoying that but he is also excited about going to camp. He is going up with Mark & the other chaperones for the return trip tonight. They are going to tent camp on the camp property & then observe the campers for the day on Friday before bringing them home on Saturday. This is a treat for all of them & only happening because of the holiday tomorrow so Mark has the day off.
Well, I have to get busy. We have the appointment & packing to do plus I haven't even started fixing a rather large hole in the ceiling that occurred last week.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Quick update
I can't figure out where the time has gone since my last blog. But it has prompted several emails & phone calls from Dad checking to make sure we were still around & surviving.
My part-time first shift job has now become a full-time third shift position. I love the work that I am doing & in a way miss first shift because I don't get as much interaction with the residents on third shift but we really feel this should be a great change for our family. I even thought I might get to blog more because I can do whatever I like when my cleaning is done & as long as I do the bed checks each hour but I havn't been able to get permission to use the computers there yet. So now I'm thinking I might write out the blog long-hand & have a child type them in while I am sleeping the next day. We'll have to see. But that is why I haven't blogged, working lots of hours, adjusting to working nights, busy with kids finishing school, & I just finished my training for work the first week I went full-time.
I don't have much time to blog now but wanted to let you know that we are all fine. The kids all finished up school & are happy for summer break. I'm hoping that I can even get them to do some blogging over the summer too.
The biggest news that I wanted all to be aware of (& I don't know that Mom will inform everyone) is that Mom is going to have eye surgery here in GR on July 2. She has been coming down here every 4-6 weeks over the past couple of months and seeing an opthamologist here. She didn't like the care of the one in Alpena & there aren't any other choices there. She was really getting concerned that she was struggling with her right eye which is her good eye. The first dr. here gave her some drops & ointments to help with that. Then he referred her to a cornea specialist in the office. He feels that he might be able to get her vision better in the left eye which she had really given up on. He says that there is no chance of harming the right eye & not even any extra risk of going under anesthetic even though she has had a heart attack. It is outpatient surgery & should only take an hour or so. She will then go back in for a check up on July 3. After that he will determine how soon he wants to see her again. She may need to stay in town for a week or so for another check up.
Well, more news later. We have lots going on right now. Mowing, weeding, laundry, preparation to go to a wedding later today, & Mom just got back from taking Stephen for his birthday breakfast. His party was Thurs. so at least that is out of the way.
My part-time first shift job has now become a full-time third shift position. I love the work that I am doing & in a way miss first shift because I don't get as much interaction with the residents on third shift but we really feel this should be a great change for our family. I even thought I might get to blog more because I can do whatever I like when my cleaning is done & as long as I do the bed checks each hour but I havn't been able to get permission to use the computers there yet. So now I'm thinking I might write out the blog long-hand & have a child type them in while I am sleeping the next day. We'll have to see. But that is why I haven't blogged, working lots of hours, adjusting to working nights, busy with kids finishing school, & I just finished my training for work the first week I went full-time.
I don't have much time to blog now but wanted to let you know that we are all fine. The kids all finished up school & are happy for summer break. I'm hoping that I can even get them to do some blogging over the summer too.
The biggest news that I wanted all to be aware of (& I don't know that Mom will inform everyone) is that Mom is going to have eye surgery here in GR on July 2. She has been coming down here every 4-6 weeks over the past couple of months and seeing an opthamologist here. She didn't like the care of the one in Alpena & there aren't any other choices there. She was really getting concerned that she was struggling with her right eye which is her good eye. The first dr. here gave her some drops & ointments to help with that. Then he referred her to a cornea specialist in the office. He feels that he might be able to get her vision better in the left eye which she had really given up on. He says that there is no chance of harming the right eye & not even any extra risk of going under anesthetic even though she has had a heart attack. It is outpatient surgery & should only take an hour or so. She will then go back in for a check up on July 3. After that he will determine how soon he wants to see her again. She may need to stay in town for a week or so for another check up.
Well, more news later. We have lots going on right now. Mowing, weeding, laundry, preparation to go to a wedding later today, & Mom just got back from taking Stephen for his birthday breakfast. His party was Thurs. so at least that is out of the way.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Job News!
I officially have a job! I am a Residential Aide for Harbor House Ministries. This is an adult foster care facility that has 3 homes with 12 residents in each home. The residents are severely, & multiply impared. I will be doing personal care of them. I have to get some training which they will pay for but I think I will be able to do well at it. I'm mainly working 6-10 a.m. & every other weekend. We aren't thrilled about the weekend hours but then again, it is better than nothing in this economy. It is only 15-20 hours to start with. Training is paid at minimum wage but then I'll be getting $9.50/hours which isn't too shabby. (It's more than I was getting for decorating cakes.) Mom, I hope you don't mind some babysitting while you are here during Spring Break while I get some training in. I have to work classes around their schedules & I have to have everything complete in 60 days.
The kids are a little disappointed that this came through & we haven't heard from the Christian radio station about the morning co-host position. Actually, I talked to the director of the station last Saturday at the AWANA games. He said that they had received 105 resumes and so far had only gotten through 80 of them. They were hoping to go through the remaining 25 this week. The only thing is we don't know if mine was among the first 80 and they weren't interested or if I'm among the last 25 and might still get called. I told the kids that I will still pursue that position if they call me for an interview but that I wasn't turning down a "sure thing" for a "slim chance".
Now we just have to get a second car by Tuesday because there is no way to tackle this without a second vehicle. We know that God will provide & we do know of a couple of possibilities but haven't gotten anything definite yet.
The kids are a little disappointed that this came through & we haven't heard from the Christian radio station about the morning co-host position. Actually, I talked to the director of the station last Saturday at the AWANA games. He said that they had received 105 resumes and so far had only gotten through 80 of them. They were hoping to go through the remaining 25 this week. The only thing is we don't know if mine was among the first 80 and they weren't interested or if I'm among the last 25 and might still get called. I told the kids that I will still pursue that position if they call me for an interview but that I wasn't turning down a "sure thing" for a "slim chance".
Now we just have to get a second car by Tuesday because there is no way to tackle this without a second vehicle. We know that God will provide & we do know of a couple of possibilities but haven't gotten anything definite yet.
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