Gram's Place

Em has been begging me for years to let her ride the bus. Well, this year she gets to. Okay, well, not entirely but KINDA... I have almost always been a working mom. Most of my life was as a part timer, and there was a period of time when I was a stay-at-home-mom when the girls were very small. It took my husband a while to get used to the idea that I wanted to be a working woman because he always wanted a wife who would be home. We worked on that for a few years, and finally came to a place where we are comfortable with what we have. I don't say that in a prideful way, really I don't. And I don't want to paint a picture that I have gone against my husband and worked either. I have always had a job that is flexible and my kids have always been first. But, some things in my personality just work better when I work and God has truly worked out my working envirnment perfectly. Right now, I actually work two jobs. It's hard to admit that at times to people, b

We only waited for about a week to recieve the letter. And it came. Dear Lindsey, Congratulations! We didn't need to read any more really. That said it all. She applied in January. Well, I take that back. She began the application process in January. But, then she wasn't sure that it was the right thing for her. She wasn't completely sure that she was supposed to go. So, she set it aside and waited. I'm proud of her for that. Waiting is sometimes a hard thing to do. Psalms 25:1-5 To You, O LORD, I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in You; Let me not be ashamed; Let not my enemies triumph over me. Indeed, let no one who waits on You be ashamed; Let those be ashamed who deal treacherously without cause. Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, For You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day. ... You have been accepted to .... accepted: v. to admit to a group, organization, or place. She only had two more steps to

Okay, I shave my head and sit silently at my computer and nobody believes it's really me! What's up with that? I think it's the silent part you don't believe. Okay okay... I admit, I have plenty to say. I know this may come as a surprise to you, but there are SOME things in this world that I do NOT have an opinion on. really. there are. One, for example, is , well, whatever that's a dumb thing to write a whole blog on anyway. Forget that. Here's some other news... * You already know that school is in session. Many of you are living it. It's a strange mix... somewhere between glad you once again have a routine, and sad that you (once again) have a routine. * Lindsey has a new adventure! I'll post the pics and my next blog entry just for her! * Em is in 3rd Grade and super stoked because at church, they combine the grades like 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 - and she got to move UP a grade and be with PJ her 4th Grade friend! Whoo Hooo! * Abbie had a radical stay

I like catchy titles. Ones that say "hey... what's this blog about today?" Ones that say "Who? What? The cops came? I HAVE to read that"... So, that's why I titled this entry that way. But, really, the cops did come. Not to my house. My sisters. It's actually a quite amusing story. My nephew is somewhat of a fascinating 11 year old. My sister is a single mom, and she just really doesn't always know what to expect next. Living on a very limited income, there isn't always extra money to spend on impractical things. So, my nephew has gotten pretty clever about finding resourceful ways to create an income for himself. It isn't unusual for him to offer to pull weeds for $15 or scoop the deck of snow in the winter for $10 each. It gets a little expensive to hire him, and Shawn calls it robbery (although he still pays it) .. but we've had to negotiate quite a bit in order to afford to help him out. Especially since we have to usually

I wish I had a scanner to scan in this picture of two very young and ready-to-take-on-the-world husband and wife. We had no idea life would be this rewarding and this challenging all at the same time did we? Happy 19th Anniversary Babe. It's been fun!

Just a few unusual things that grab my attention: 1. The man who grabbed forty winks outside our office building - on the grass, bare-chested, using his tshirt as a cushion on which to lay his head, on his lunch break in the middle of the day. 2. The IRS employee who had a pleasant voice and eager willingness to assist me with my questions. 3. The neighbor's blind, old, decrepit dog who strolls up to our driveway each morning, barks at the sky (or an invisible cat?) and then hobbles away to defecate in the surrounding yards. 4. Our fruity feline who chases flies and eats them - Hakuna Matata! 5. husbands

I have had a pretty relaxing and uneventful week thus far. My 3 older girls are gone to camp, and my husband is gone until Thursday out of town as well. So, it's just me and Em for a whole week. I realized life isn't as busy with all those people and schedules around. More people in my home seems to = more activity. And more activity = busyness. It's logical of course. Makes perfect sense. I read this article today. If you don't have time to read it, that's okay. I'll just tell you what it says. Out of 22,009 Christians surveyed aged 15-88 spanning 139 countries, more than 4 in 10 Christians say they "often" or "alway" rush from task-to-task in life. Busyness was the distraction from God found worldwide. "Professionals whose busyness interferes with developing their relationship with God include lawyers (72 per cent), managers (67 per cent), nurses (66 per cent), pastors (65 per cent), teachers (64 per cent), salespeople (61 per c