Wednesday, November 22, 2006

Giving Thanks

I am thankful for:
The health of my children - that Cinderella didn't suffer a much worse eye injury when hit in the eye with a hanger - that I have two jobs that I love, most of the time - that Don has a job - for our nice big house - for the view of the Ohio river from my bathroom window - for my family - for my friends - for my health - for chocolate - that the Christmas show seems to be coming together well - for the support of my husband in all my crazy endeavors - for the hugs of my children - for warmth and safety - for sunshine - for my children's inquisitive minds - for the glimpses of the adults that they will someday be - for visiting family - for good shopping deals - for my computer - for Christmas coming - for music - for the grace to let go - for God's sustaining peace - for pizza - for the look in my children's eyes when I snuggle them at bedtime - for so many things.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Monday, November 13, 2006

So I'm going to count on a new week starting Wednesday

This past week has been one of major crapitude around here.
Wait, before I even get into it, let me just acknowledge that the kids are all relatively healthy, since the strep and the pinkeye technically occurred last week, a week which I'm now considering to be a good week. Everything truly is relative, or, in the words of the Churkendoose, "It depends on how you look at things."
Wednesday last, I found out that some good friends of ours, John and Sandy, and their two kids who are the same ages as our own, are moving to Ohio. (Browns territory, of all places!) John is the youth minister at our church, although he's always hated that term. He prefers leader of student ministry. He is one of the wisest, most well-adjusted, yet totally crazy and spontaneous people I know. He was a college football player, a parole officer, and a counselor before coming to our church ten years ago. He's the kind of person who can go from a serious discussion about the direction of your life goals to covering a co-worker's office with post-it notes. COVERING it. Every surface. One of his most infamous activities was showing up at a kid's house at 3:00 am in a Darth Vader suit and dragging them out of bed while videotaping their reactions. This happened frequently. He's had a tremendous influence on both Don and myself, our kids are friends, and I'm going to miss him enormously. I am very sad about it, and find myself tearing up at random times throughout the day.
Also on Wednesday, my friend Deb's dad had heart surgery. He's doing fine, recovering at home, thank God.
On Thursday, I found out that we are not allowed to perform the show that I've been rehearsing for three weeks. I began rehearsals on the assumption that it would be no problem acquiring the rights, and I just got smacked in the face for assuming. It was a bad judgment call, and a lot of people are being very inconvenienced by it. I found another version of the show and we are getting the new scripts and license next Thursday. It will all work out, hopefully, but it's been a pretty major cause of stress over the last couple of days.
Friday, a man from our church who's been struggling with colon cancer for several months passed away. I didn't know him very well, but many families in our church were close with him, and there was a lot of heaviness in the congregation over the weekend.
Also, the glasses I ordered on eBay for my murder mystery Christmas show came in and they're the wrong color.
Today, I found out that they may not be hiring me at the high school for the musical this spring, since they've decided to do Little Shop of Horrors, and there's really no choreography in it. I've made myself available to help, but that's a pretty big source of income that may not be coming in this spring.
Finally, a little girl of about 13 that I knew from Rhema school died of leukemia this weekend. She had been in remission for a couple of years, and then it just reared up again and took her in a couple of months.
I'm sad, and I'm tired.
I'm looking forward to the holidays coming up, and seeing family, and having some time away. Sorry for the downer post, but I'm hoping for an upswing soon. Surely, this week will end and we will begin again.

Thursday, November 02, 2006

Trick or Treat





Are these not the three cutest trick or treaters you've ever seen? Even though by the end of the night, Cinderella's crown was drooping and her ponytails were dripping wet, she marched like a trooper the whole time and enjoyed every minute. The boys, who are old pros by now, had trouble keeping up with her! Hope it was drier where you all are. Now, how to get rid of all this leftover candy???