And feeling blessed

I loved loved loved the birthday messages I received on Facebook and through texts.  I have such wonderful friends!  I feel so loved!  I wanted to keep all of them but I did screen shot a few that I will put here to save.  

And here is a selfie Scott and I tried to take before we left for Harry's but we didn't love how it turned out.

I'm officially adjusted

OIt took longer to get adjusted to summer this year!  But I am officially adjusted!

The year needed to end.  It was a hard year.  But I got attached again to some kids that I worried about, that were hard to let go of.  I turn over half my caseload every year so here are always goodbyes to say.  This years goodbyes were harder.  I love my job and I love the people I work with so it's hard to let go of seeing them every day, also.  

The first night home, I slept on the couch at Homestead so that Sandy could go on a much needed vacation.  There was lots of drama and then I didn't sleep well.  

The first weekend, I saw my Mom on Saturday and saw the new house that Dave is building that she and Dave will move into together!  It is awesome!  I then met Scott at a hotel near the Legends.  He coached that weekend so we celebrated our anniversary by staying in kc and eating at PFChang's on the plaza.  Alas, it was a long wait and a rainy night to drive.  On Sunday I went to see my Dad.

Then that Monday night I stayed at Homestead again.  No drama this time and a miracle that Sandy and her daughter made it back after driving all night in the rain and flooding!  

Thursday group (moved to Wednesday) was drama filled at Homestead with one of our gals randomly deciding to leave.  Then another left shortly after.  Pray for these gals.

So that Thursday I drove to Wichita for a social work workshop then stopped in Newton to see Leah.  She ended up coming home with me and spent the weekend with us!

We had coffee, shopped, and ate all weekend!  She took Scott to a concert and I watched Professor as he was not feeling well.  :(

I drove her home on Saturday and we stopped in Albilene and antique shopped and ate some more!

Today is my birthday so I had myself a birthday party last night!  I just made an event on Facebook and invited over a few friends for snacks and games!  Bonus:  it motivated me to clean my house!  I had a wonderful time laughing on my patio with my friends.  

Today is my actual birthday.  I have decided that I am going to do whatever I wanted to do which is not much!  I did go down to my water run class but here was thunder in the distance so we didn't get in.  I also had to get some dog food, so I also bought a new leash and stopped by Orange Leaf for some froyo.  Other than that I am laying on the deck reading a great book, "Somewhere Safe With Somebody Good" by Jan Karon and reading all my wonderful birthday posts and texts and messages.  I feel very loved.  While eating my froyo alone, I decided, "I'm ok and I have officially adjusted to summer!"

End of The Year

The end of school is an emotional time.  At middle school, I say goodbye to half of my kids.  I am pretty attached to some of them his year, well, ok, every year.  Everyone is a walking raw nerve, teachers and students alike.  The kids are not acting their best and are on the teachers' nerves.  I am busy trying to,wrap things up but am still dealing with crises.  I have tons of feelings swirling around in myself, sadness, relief, joy, worry, stress, anger and frustration.  I find myself wanting to just eat and sleep to get though it.  So I choose instead to be thankful.  I am so thankful for my coworkers, especially Angela.  Angela is the School Counselor who works right next door to me.  She's amazing.  She has tons of skills so I can pop in and consult with her whenever.  She is also so positive!  She has a great attitude and bounds of energy.  And she's a blast!  She has a saying that she uses when she agrees with me or when we are thinking alike, "Bingo Bango".  Recently I bought us matching shirts.  We wore them today.

So the end of the school year?  I can do this.  But I'll need some weekly fixes of my co workers, especially Angela this summer.

Mother's Day

Got up this morning and picked up Adelle and went to church.  Church is always good.  Scott went to kc to coach soccer.  The plan was to meet up in Topeka with our moms and go out to eat.  Dave too.  So I took Adelle home and got a text that Mom wasn't feeling well and had to cancel.  And it was turning into a stormy afternoon.  I hate hate hate driving I the rain.  Scott sent a text that there was wrecks on I-70.  So I curled up in my little blankey on the deck and read and napped and tried not to have a pity party.  When it cleared off, I took the dogs for a walk, one at a time.  Then I called and chatted with my sweet Mom.  I really wish she felt better today, I wanted to see her.  And I know she wanted to see me, too.  The my sweet Leah called and we chatted.  Then Joel called and we did google hang out.  I got to see his new apartment.  I kinda felt like I was there!  Hannah posted a pic of me holding her as a baby on Facebook.  She'll probably call in a bit.  I bought some fesh peaches today for my moms and since I couldn't take them to them, I am making peach cobbler!  Earlier I went to aggieville to buy a surprise for my counselor friend :) and treated myself to Jimmie Johns.  Even though I did feel sorta sad and lonely today, I guess it was a pretty good day.  Happy Mother's Day!  

My babies and my mama last time I saw them.

Summer approaching

I always approach summer with such mixed feelings.  The end of the school year is soo intense.  I go into survival mode to get through the last month or so.  Often my eating habits go wonky and I can have trouble sleeping thinking about everything that needs done.  The house gets messy.  I pine for days to lounge around.  I set all kinds of lofty goals.  Then summer comes and I get bored. Or I get in a rut and don't get anything on my list done.  As I get older and go through my work weeks, this plays out in a mini way each week.  I pine for the weekend and dream of all the great things I'll do.  Then the weekend comes and I'm exhausted so I do next to nothing and get bored.  I am in a super rut with this.  

So I read over the blogs from the last several summers.  Last summer was more or less a blur because I was coming off of a trip to Florida, then Cambodia over spring break, then two graduations and a trip to LA then wedding showers then the wedding.  The summer before last, here were my goals:

     

Summer goals:

1.  Daily speak to one parent or offspring on the phone.  

2.  See each parent at least twice.  This realistically will require a drive either to Topeka, Olathe, LV, or Lake Wabaunsee once a week.  Yikes.  

3.  Lose 10 lbs.  This will be easy since I just recently added 5 from end of the year food and missed workouts.  Eating more sensibly, cutting out diet pop which makes me hungry, and teaching water class will make it happen easily, along with increased toning and a tan,  heck, let's make it 15 lbs.

4.  Clean something significant each day using the Pinterest spring cleaning lists, etc.  this involves the basement, improving upstairs. Deep cleaning down here, etc.

5.  Spend time with a friend each week in addition to Adelle and Cecelia.  This means Mary and Angela from work, Jesi, Kim, Sarah and Tanya my social work buddies, but also water class buds outside class and some of the people I run into all year that I always say, "we should get together!" But we never do.  

6.  Say something uplifting to Scott every day.

7.  Help out more at Homestead.  Already told Deb that.

8.  Get involved in TRU.  Starting with prayer and Scott taking the lead and seeing where it goes.  Have Pastor Dave and his wife over for dinner.

9.  Socialize more with couples.  Lets realistically say 4 times this summer so every other week.

10.  Go look at the furniture in Omaha and buy something for the new room and living room!  We have got to make those functional soon.  

11.  Of course read, read, read.  Blog.  Go see Leah at least twice.  

12.  Not least important, actually, already part of my routine but daily quiet time Bible study and prayer and also Dee Brestin's book Idol Lies for small group.

13.  Have the Homestead girls over for a dinner and game night, just the girls.

14.  Take Adelle to  Royals game.

I did okish in seeing the rents that summer and last, didn't lose wright, can't remember if I cleaned, didn't do the friend thing, Homestead was insane, quiet time was great, took Adelle to the Royals AND ended up spontaneously road tripping to LA. TRU ended up happening that spring.  

This summer, my goals are:

1.  Be more spontaneous.  Do something I've never done before at least twice a week.

2.  Be more social.  Call or write to a friend daily.  Reach out more.  Go to coffee more.

3.  Spend less time on Facebook and jigsaw.  This will be hard.

4.  Go see Leah.  Take Mom to see Leah.

5. Go see a dad at least twice.

6.  Quality time with Scott.  Add in some romance.

7. Invite couples over, at least three times this summer.

8.  Time with julie.

9.  Time with Shari.

10. Time with Season and Ian.

11.  Help Adelle with her transition to adulthood.

12.  Give Sandy days off from Homestead.

13. Go see Hannah.  Actually doing this right off the bat!

14. Go see Joel?

That's it for now.  Lofty.  

Return to Newton!

It's been 9 months since I went to see Lele in Newton!  She's come to Manhattan, of course.  So Saturday morning I got up and drove there. I love Newton.  I love Leah's little house and her little town and her schools and her life.

We walked over to Mojos on campus for lunch shortly after I arrived.  I said Mojos is like having a coffee shop in her back yard since it's such a short walk!  

We ate and chatted then went back to the house where David reminded Leah that their five year old nephew Colin had a soccer game so we went.   They were so cute!  They even knew what they were doing for being five!  

Then we went by Prairie Harvest, the super cool health food store that Leah and David own with the family.  I bought local honey, fresh ground peanut butter, flax seed, and some salt for the neti pot.  

We dropped off David then Leah took me to see her classrooms in Hesston, just a few minutes away.  She's made such progress cleaning them up and making them hers!  I loved seeing her students' artwork in the halls and also the cute rules and procedures in her rooms.  I just know the kids love her and she's an amazing teacher.  

We went back to the house where I took a little nap then we harnessed professor,and went back to Mojos for iced coffee to go, then walked the trail near Leah's house.  These are the trails I walked the morning of the wedding.  So pretty.  

We returned to the house and went to dillons for gas and stuff for dinner then David grilled up some local brats for us.  He served them on toasted French bread with chips.  Yummmm.  

It was hard to say goodbye, it always is.  Can't let so much time go by!  

Joel to LA

Scott and I had gotten completely adjusted to being an "empty nest".  Enjoyed it even.  We felt close to the kids, kept up with their lives, talked with them often, looked forward to our precious visits.  But we built our life and our relationship around each other and our lives here.  Our time with the kids home for Leah's wedding was awesome. 

 It was so hard having Joel living in his car and not being able to do much about it.  

Then in October, Joel came home for a few weeks with Mike.  We loved having them here and being involved in their project, Paprazzi.  

So when Joel needed to come home around Thanksgiving, we were so happy to have him.  He's been here since then and we consider it precious time.  All the kids came home for Christmas, including Dave and Kent.  We love, love, love these times.  

Now he's gone.  Just like that.  He's been here when I got home from work.  He's been here eating meals with us.  He went to the gym with us and out to eat.  Joined us for Friday night Chipoltle.  This time of being home, he's been more home than ever before!  His friends came here to hang out with us.  He watched tv with us, hung out in the livingroom, slept on the couch.  Kept his computer in the living room to do his work so he could be near us.  It was a lot like when it was the three of us after the girls left for school, Joel's senior year of high school, only this time, he was here more!  

Now he's gone.  Just like that.  I didn't have time to get used to the idea.  I miss him like crazy.  

We are so happy for him, so proud, so excited that he got this job, this amazing opportunity to work in his field.  It had become apparent that as much as we loved having him here and he enjoyed being here, he needed to be back in LA, where jobs in his field are.  I was on my trip to Mexico when he got the call.  An opportunity to help make a virtual reality experience for a theme park.  A great paying opportunity.  He had to make a quick decision.  And he left yesterday.  The night before he left he said, "I wish there were jobs like this here."  

But there aren't.  So he packed up his car and off he went.  And I miss him.