Cheer Up Charlie

Ok...well her name isn't Charlie...it's Kim (I call her Kimi...cause I can). She is my baby sister. She is having a crappy day...week...year...whatever. So here are some pictures of happier times guaranteed to make you smile. Sing the "Cheer Up Charlie" song while you look at these. That in and of itself will make you feel better. And remember Grandpa Joe and I love you.

At my wedding. Aren't we glamorous??
Camping in Colorado. Grandma is fortunate that we bring the party where ever we go...or we never would have come to see her.

Another "camping" trip...this time to the cabin. I LOVE clean camping.

Surprise!! It's just what I wanted!! Thanks Mom, I'm so surprised!!

Crazy quilt "hugs" from Grandma Good. Guaranteed for what ails ya.

Be The Crown

One of my favorite lines from the movie Miss Congeniality is "Wear the crown, Be the crown". Too funny...I love that movie. I love William Shattner too...but not as Captain Kirk...another blog for another day. The crown I ordered off of e-bay for the Murder Mystery Party I went to finally came today. At bit late (almost 2 weeks)...moral of the story...always read the fine print. It shipped from the Czech Republic...but it is FABULOUS!!! (And, yes...that is an ornament I'm constructing.)

My Best Day So Far

I work as a sub for the school district here in town. Because I don't have a 4 year degree, I can't sub as a teacher in a classroom. I can, however, sub for the numerous secretaries, paras and lunch ladies. Today was my favorite day so far. I have subbed in the lunchroom...not my favorite. I have subbed in the Counseling Office...not bad...got to wear cute clothes. I have subbed for several different paras. Usually I sub for a lady that works with a girl that is severely autistic and has a learning delay. She is hard to work with. Picture an 8 year old girl with the mentality of an 18 month old. It is a wrestling match most of the day. Today I got to work with 2 girls. Carly is 5. This is her first year in kindergarten...most of the kids I work with have 1 or 2 years under their belts. She has a BIG smile...when she chooses to show it to you. She is an angel with a learning delay and other issues due to the substances her Mom chose to ingest during pregnancy. As long as we were moving forward she was fine. To change direction caused too much stress and we had to really work for a seamless transition. She is undeniably sweet and such an angel. The other girl is Mary Jane. She will be 6 tomorrow and this is her second year in kindergarten. She is a bright girl with some autistic tendencies. Transitions for her are really hard, so is not being chosen or not winning at a game. If she is over-looked too many times by the teacher she WILL have a melt down...and she did. wow. But the funniest thing happened during her melt down. I felt my Mom there...no, I haven't finally slipped over to the dark side...she was there. This morning I felt I needed to pray for my Mom's spirit to be with me. I do that sometimes if I miss her or if I know I'm going to have a rough day or if I need her special kind of guidance. (If you don't know, my Mom worked with kids with special needs for the State of Idaho for many years. She loved her work with the kids and was loved in return for her efforts.) While Mary Jane was in the midst of her VERY LOUD melt down I was at a loss of how best to calm her. My Mom's voice whispered in my head some simple directions. Sure enough, it worked. We skipped going back to her regular classroom and headed to the resource room for a little more of a contained atmosphere. She started to trip back down "melt down lane" and the head of the Special Ed department did the same things that I was doing not minutes before. I was elated...and I was humbled. I have a loving Father in Heaven who knows my needs and will bless me when I need it. I feel like I accomplished something with Mary Jane today. Not a bad day for a sub.

Control

Have you ever thought you were in control of something, only to find out the control was never really there? As a young mother I would often go to my Mom for advice. She knew what I was going through better than any one else. She too had the illusion of control while my brother and sisters and I were growing up. She would tell me to relax and try to see things from a less controlled view point. I tried and tried to relinquish some control...but to no avail. I honestly thought the control was mine to wield as I wished. Then a very interesting thing happened. My kids grew up, and as they grew a very startling thing happened. My illusion of control was shattered. The one thing I have fought so hard to hold on to is the one thing I have found was never really mine. What disturbs me the most in this self discovery is how much time I have wasted. I have held on to the need to control everything in my sphere of existence for so long that I have missed some of the important impromptu moments in my kids' lives. I was lamenting the loss of my perceived control with my Dad tonight...of course he laughed...but when he could breathe again he told me that all is not lost. There is still time to step back and enjoy the show without having to be the puppet master. So as this leopard tries to change her spots let us all heave a mournful sigh for the loss of my illusion of control.

What Is the Christmas Spirit?

So, since I've moved away from Idaho...I have experienced a bit of culture shock. The radio stations don't edit the songs they play, the kids are a bit more...worldly and EVERYTHING is open and happening on Sunday. I have learned more about other religions and found fabulous people living their religion to the fullest...including members of my own faith. I have found comfort in small things like family recipes and scrapbooks and traditions. Things I used to take for granted are also coming to mean more to me. Every second spent with a family member is a gift and should be treated as such. Some of the traditions that we did with our extended family are what I miss the most...probably because they are now, few and far between. I have (obviously) been thinking of Christmas a lot lately. I was listening to the radio (the Christmas music station) as I drove Jo to school today. The dj was so excited because her kids had been listening to the station and had gotten into the Christmas Spirit. And while that didn't surprise or disturb me, what she said next did. The way her kids were getting into "the Christmas Spirit" wasn't to be a little nicer to each other or set up a leaf raking service project. The extent of their apparent "Spirit" was to present their Mom with their Christmas wish list for Santa. What??? Are you kidding me?? That can't be possible. Did she just say that the Christmas Spirit is best exhibited by how much stuff your kids are expecting to be under the tree?? hhhmmmm Not exactly my idea of the Spirit of Christmas. I put my tree up early not as a hint to my kids to start their lists, but because of the peace and love it brings into our home. No, it doesn't cause us all to have personality transplants, but there is a subtle change that takes place. We are all a little nicer, we're a bit more thankful and maybe a little introspective. I love this time of year for those reasons. I was (am) a bit ticked at the dj for inferring that the reason for the season is merely the gifts we get. That part is fun...but what can we give? Who's load can we lighten, what can we do to spread the light of Christ? Isn't that what it's REALLY all about?

Got Christmas?

(No we're not moving. It's just time to put up the tree.)

Got Christmas...well, I do!! Yep, the tree is up and the decorations are lit and I am happy.
You all know I've been worried that it would be too sad this year. After some serious soul searching I decided my Mom would kick my butt if I wussed out on Christmas this year. She'd be really mad if I laid the blame on her. So I jumped in with both feet and sink or swim, made the best of it. I am happy to report that it is swim rather than sink. There were a couple of ornaments that brought a tear to my eye, but all in all...not too bad. What do you think?? Are your trees up yet?? What are you waiting for??

I've Never Been a Suspect Before

Last night my friend Heather hosted a Murder Mystery party. Jim and I had been invited to one in Idaho, but we declined the invite because that really wasn't our thing. We were so wrong. It is our thing...it just has to be with the right people. We had so much fun. We got to dress up in costumes and be guests at a wedding reception in the Cayman Islands. The bride was murdered after the wedding...who did it?? We had all the usual suspects. (I'll try not to give too much away in case you find yourself at this party) There was the groom...did he love the bride? The nosy reporter with the razor sharp wit and pencil to match had a million questions for us all.
The sister of the bride, fresh from her hippie commune and Wicket, the granny grabber, came to support the bride, and maybe forward their own agendas. Buffy, the socialite, and long time friend of the groom and the wedding singer (with an unusual connection to the wedding planner) came to see and be seen.

The beautiful wedding planner and the snorkel instructor (and one time flame of the bride) were there to add flair to the mix. The father of the groom did not approve of his sons choice in a bride and was there to convince his son to sign a pre-nup. And last, but certainly not least, there was the gorgeous pageant winner that still carried a flame (among other things) for the groom. She was still in love with him and hoped to convince him to claim what was his. Who did it??


I'll never tell!


Thanks for the fabulous time, Heather. The food and friends were amazing. I feel so blessed to have found such wonderful people to hang out with.