As you may remember when I posted back here, I am not really looking forward to fall this year. However, because it IS inevitable, I am trying to find things to keep me looking forward! Pinterest is a great pick-me-up and if you haven't discovered the wonderful world of Pinterest, then allow me to introduce you...
Pinterest, meet fellow blog follower who has never met you... (you will need an invite to actually join and start your own pinning so just let me know and I can send you one!)
Anyway, I spent a good hour finding all sorts of yummy fall foods, decor, crafts and toddler activities associated with a fall theme so I'm sort of, a little more, kind of, ready for fall now. Now I just need to find cute fall outfits and that might boost me over the edge into a teeny more ready for fall!
On another note, fall has brought with it a bunch of work. I started back to work two weeks ago and it's been a whirlwind to say the least. I am forever grateful to the woman who took care of my duties while I was out but it was a little much for her since she was taking care of my work PLUS still doing her own work that gives her a full-time job. So I started out behind and I am still behind but slowly creeping forward day by day.
On top of my work, I have decided to keep Ava home with me until she is six months old. At six months or so, she will start part-time at the same day care that Jayden goes to but I wanted to wait until she was a little more independent and aware of her surroundings, not to mention she can get a flu shot at that point. Sooo many germs in a day care, especially in November or December when she will start going! But for now, she is with me. I work when she sleeps or when she's happy to stare at a toy or sit on my lap but the rest of the time, I have to wait till everyone has gone to bed and get some work done then. I have also "hired" two girls to come watch her three afternoons a week so that gives me some solid time to get things done which has been a sanity saver for sure!
We're well into football season now too which makes for busy weekends! So far we have either been gone or had company every weekend since September began and that will continue till about mid-October. It's great having the diversions but it sure does make the weekends go by fast! Unfortunately our Cowboys are 0-3 so the football aspect of our weekends haven't been near as much fun as we would like. Here's to hoping that will soon turn around!
Jayden is going to day care full-time now but, to be honest, I haven't missed him as much as I thought I would, only because I have been so extremely busy while he is there. I don't even have time to miss our park visits....yet. As soon as I get caught up on my work though, I know that will change. And as soon as the first snow falls and it's not as easy to make a run to the park, I will definitely be missing him like crazy!! He seems to be handling the transition from part-time to full-time fairly well. He has developed a new little "habit" which shows itself when he doesn't get his way or gets frustrated. He has started hitting. Nothing painful for the one getting hit but definitely a new challenge for us parents as we try to figure out how to change that behavior. He also bit another kid at his school one day - now that was a shocker! He has never been a biter and so far, that was the only instance (and they're not even 100% sure it was him although it's quite likely based on what they told me they saw after the incident - they didn't see the actual incident itself) so I hope that was just a one-time thing!
DJ is busy as ever but I have found that not thinking about when he will get home (usually around 7:30-7:45 pm every day except for Fridays and Sundays which are later and Mondays, which have been earlier) or when he will leave in the morning (6:30 every morning except for Wednesdays and Fridays when he has to be gone by 5:30 am) has helped my mental state. I just get in the groove and determine to get things done without his assistance for the most part. It is much easier than what I had been doing the last couple of seasons. I always expected his help and then would frequently get disappointed when he would be late or unable to be home for something. I think we are both happier this way! He doesn't feel like he's always disappointing me and I don't get constantly frustrated with his ever changing schedule.
Coming up this fall, we have several trips planned, some with the kids and some not. I will be going to Reno, Nevada in a few weeks for the football game and it will be the first time that the kids will stay overnight without me or DJ being there. Crazy to think about but probably time! I also have planned trips to Albuquerque and Phoenix - the former trip, Ava will be going with me and the latter trip, both kids are going with me along with my brother.
So as much as our life right now is NOT a routine, it sort of is. Things are a little more predictable week over week and since I've read that kids like a routine, then I guess I am grateful for that aspect of fall this year.
Showing posts with label Wyoming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wyoming. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Jayden - 2 Years Old
Oh my goodness, where do I start? First of all, I feel so guilty for not having this post already written! Jayden has been 2 years old for 10 whole days now and although I've certainly THOUGHT about writing a blog post to document my feelings on this, it has not been done. Life is SO busy right now, but I think that busy is here to stay, so I just have to sit down and do this!
My Jayden, he amazes me every. single. day. He is a talking, singing, running, hopping ball of energy. The joy this kid brings me is unimaginable and I know this because never in my life before having this child did I know that my life could be so FULL just by adding a little person to it. I love it. And yet, it also brings so much worry, guilt, heartache and fear at the same time. I've never known such a paradox and I am often shocked by the turmoil that I can find myself in. I've always been a fairly even keel person, at least not one to make big scenes (my parents may object to this since I may not have always been like this, i.e. stories have been told about blood curdling screams in very public places when I haven't gotten my way...but people, I was TWO or thereabouts...); however, now, I would without hesitation or any doubt in my mind, throw myself in the front of a moving bus if it meant saving either of my children or, on a less dramatic front, confront anyone who so much as thinks about hurting my child. And that is something to be proud of I think. The momma bear in me is fully matured.
I find it interesting to see how I have evolved as a mother and how I am still very much a "baby" momma, trying to learn this very complex job of being a parent. It's been fun having Ava around for that reason because I can compare myself now to how I was just two short years ago in this same life stage of my child. I am more relaxed, for sure. In fact, my mom was visiting last week and noted that I did not immediately jump up and rescue Ava when she so much as whimpered. I can remember that feeling of slight fear, not knowing what was wrong with my baby for him to make such a sound. But now, I am more familiar with the sounds of a baby and don't feel the need to jump at every innocuous cry. I am quicker to listen and slower to act when the situation doesn't call for it. It is a comfortable feeling knowing that one is familiar with the sounds of her children.
But enough about me, I'll write more on my thoughts of being a mother later. For now, I just have to write about my amazing, complicated son who has me intrigued with every word that he says.
Jayden's interests these days revolve around trucks, especially construction trucks that were in abundance around our house this summer, stickers galore, trains, pine cones, and general hoarding or "packratting". We all find it pretty amusing at Jayden's tendencies to store things in little pockets all over the car, house, garage, or anywhere else that he frequents. Here is a picture of the items that we emptied out of Ava's cosleeper pocket. Hilarious? I think so. Random? Definitely.
Some things that Jayden likes to do are:
My Jayden, he amazes me every. single. day. He is a talking, singing, running, hopping ball of energy. The joy this kid brings me is unimaginable and I know this because never in my life before having this child did I know that my life could be so FULL just by adding a little person to it. I love it. And yet, it also brings so much worry, guilt, heartache and fear at the same time. I've never known such a paradox and I am often shocked by the turmoil that I can find myself in. I've always been a fairly even keel person, at least not one to make big scenes (my parents may object to this since I may not have always been like this, i.e. stories have been told about blood curdling screams in very public places when I haven't gotten my way...but people, I was TWO or thereabouts...); however, now, I would without hesitation or any doubt in my mind, throw myself in the front of a moving bus if it meant saving either of my children or, on a less dramatic front, confront anyone who so much as thinks about hurting my child. And that is something to be proud of I think. The momma bear in me is fully matured.
I find it interesting to see how I have evolved as a mother and how I am still very much a "baby" momma, trying to learn this very complex job of being a parent. It's been fun having Ava around for that reason because I can compare myself now to how I was just two short years ago in this same life stage of my child. I am more relaxed, for sure. In fact, my mom was visiting last week and noted that I did not immediately jump up and rescue Ava when she so much as whimpered. I can remember that feeling of slight fear, not knowing what was wrong with my baby for him to make such a sound. But now, I am more familiar with the sounds of a baby and don't feel the need to jump at every innocuous cry. I am quicker to listen and slower to act when the situation doesn't call for it. It is a comfortable feeling knowing that one is familiar with the sounds of her children.
But enough about me, I'll write more on my thoughts of being a mother later. For now, I just have to write about my amazing, complicated son who has me intrigued with every word that he says.
Jayden's interests these days revolve around trucks, especially construction trucks that were in abundance around our house this summer, stickers galore, trains, pine cones, and general hoarding or "packratting". We all find it pretty amusing at Jayden's tendencies to store things in little pockets all over the car, house, garage, or anywhere else that he frequents. Here is a picture of the items that we emptied out of Ava's cosleeper pocket. Hilarious? I think so. Random? Definitely.
Some things that Jayden likes to do are:
- Watch Little Angels - he would watch this all day, every day if he could. As it is, we allow him to watch all or part of 1 movie each day. He knows more about Noah than Santa Claus which became apparent to me the other day when, pointing at a picture of Santa Claus, someone asked him who it was, and he said Noah. I had to agree there were similarities with the beards. So funny.
- Do puzzles. I think we need to start giving him some more complicated puzzles because these are becoming too easy for my smart little boy! He can finish them in minutes!
- Play with stickers. He loves to stick these on paper, on himself, and basically anywhere that has a surface.
- Play with water and sand in his water/sand table. He received this table from his grandma and grandpa this summer and can spend forever playing in it. He likes to find rocks and sticks and trucks and a whole variety of other things to play with in the water and sand. And usually this play time evolves into playing with the water hose.
- Play with his Legos and build towers and houses. I love that there are activities that he is interested in now that keep his attention for more than two minutes! This is one of them.
- Moving things from one place to another. This may actually be the thing that takes up the majority of his time! He moves everything around -- stuffed animals, pieces from his toys, cards -- he likes to move them all over the house and put them in piles of like items. And if we are going upstairs, he is always intentional in bringing certain toys that must go with us upstairs. Not that he wants to play with them up there, but just to have their presence upstairs...I guess.
Jayden is a great eater but oh so messy! We are trying and trying to keep him from throwing things on the floor when he eats but it is a rare meal when the floor stays clean. But Jayden is usually pretty willing to try anything we put in front of him even if it's just enough to appease us. He is known for just barely touching his tongue to a new kind of food in order to satisfy our need for him to at least try it. He is a sneaky one, that boy.
Jayden is wearing 24 month and 2T clothes. The 2T clothes are usually too long and we mostly just have pajamas in this size so it's not a big deal. The 24 month pants are really too big but the 18 month pants were too short so he is officially stuck between sizes when it comes to pants. At his 24 month appointment, he weighed 28 pounds and is 33 inches!
We haven't started potty training him yet, mostly because I don't feel that he is ready and also partly because I'm not ready nor do I have the time right now. Since he just turned two, I will start thinking about it and hopefully by the time he starts showing more signs of readiness, I can muster up enough courageenergywhateveryouneedtogethroughthispottytrainingbusiness to get him trained. (I've heard it's rather difficult...)
Jayden is a good little talker. He has a pretty decent vocabulary, is saying two and three word sentences and will work at getting his point across when we don't get it at first. He is really cute when he says words wrong and he knows it, because he will try again and go really slow, enunciating it very carefully.
He can walk up and down stairs, run without tripping (98% of the time), is starting to understand football or at least really enjoy the games, can sing "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and the ABC song, can count from 1-10 (always skipping 6), can take off his shoes and buckle his car seat, and many more things that I had no idea two year olds could do! What can I say, I'm a proud momma!
There is so much more that I want to say but it is late and this is getting long so I will end with this. Jayden's personality is so sweet. He is funny, considerate - always saying "thank you" without being prompted, thoughtful, helpful - always helping his momma whenever I ask him to bring me things, and so very smart. I love watching his brain work and process things. The past two years have been an adventure and, although I fear time is already moving too quickly, I cautiously look forward to the years ahead with him and am grateful that I have the Lord to guide me since every new change with Jayden scares the crap out of me. Sort of joking but not really... I am realizing more and more that DJ and I are in charge of molding this little body into a God-fearing, responsible, respectful man and that is some "I-am-in-this-thing-with-no-way-out" scary stuff!
Happy Birthday baby boy!!
We spent Jayden's birthday day in Austin, Texas for the Wyoming Cowboys first football game of the season (with my brother - DJ was in Laramie already) and with no real plans, per se. We were just waiting for our flight later that day. So this video was our attempt at "officializing" his birthday with candles and a cupcake. (More to come on that trip later!) The first 50 seconds of this video are the best part and then the rest is kind of drawn out; it was such a random day!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Picture Post!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Unexpected Encounters - Part 2
Yesterday I started telling you about my experience at the GM Dealership, of all places. I told you about Ruth and the amazing example of faith that I found her to be. Today I want to tell you about another person I met.
While Ruth and I were talking another guy came into the waiting area. Ruth was called out to discuss some things related to her car and the guy next to me started a conversation with me this time. Again, remember I tend to be a bit wary of random people talking to me, especially men, so when this guy asked me what my car was in for, I was ready to shut the conversation down. Can never be too careful with strange men ya know... But for some reason we continued talking; I must have decided I didn't need to shut him down in a rude sort of way (sometimes it's necessary unfortunately because there are those people who ignore basic social cues...). Little by little, I start learning a little about him. I learn that he's married (ok, my walls go down a little bit more, no longer do I feel like I could be getting hit on... granted, I could have probably crossed that one off the list immediately as a given since I am, after all, 37 weeks pregnant, but remember, crazies.... strange men... I am always on guard...). I also learn that he has two young children (my walls go down further...a family man, come on!). I learn that he's an army guy and might possibly transfer to the air force since he's an airplane mechanic. (Funny what we consider "safe", army to me is safe so, combined with the other information I have learned, I pretty much don't consider this guy a threat anymore...not to mention, I can read people pretty well and he wasn't giving me any weird vibes...) He and his wife are now living in Laramie because they moved back to finish their degrees. His wife wants to be a writer and he is finishing his aeronautical studies degree. We talk a bit about the airline industry (seriously, how much random information can a girl learn in one 2 hour waiting area experience??? First Borzoi breeds and now airlines...) and in the course of that conversation, I also learn that this guy is a Christian too! He mentions here and there how they are basically waiting on God to show them where they need to be. Currently the airline industry is taking a big hit and jobs are scarce hence why they decided to finish their degrees. Waiting a year might give them more options.
Well, what makes this guy so interesting to me is first, the way I just met him and second, the way it appears that him and his wife might be people that DJ and I could really click with. See, I have been praying for friends that share a love for the Lord and I have been praying for a couple that both DJ and I can enjoy spending time with. As I was talking to him, I was struck by a lot of similarities that they shared with us. Currently we don't have friends like this and I feel a big piece is missing from our lives as a result. Well I find out that this couple goes to a church that I attended when DJ was out of town once. I liked the church but I wanted to know a little bit more about the pastor(s) so I was able to talk to this guy about that. I learned about more opportunities for meeting other couples (through small groups, which is what the church calls Bible study groups that meet during the week) and even a women's group. The guy then happened to mention that his wife used to love going to MOPS in the town that they moved from but she hadn't found a group here. (MOPS is Mothers Of PreschoolerS but the group is flexible in their definition of a preschooler since your child can be a little older or younger than that age group.) The crazy thing is that, although I had never attended MOPS before, I have been trying for months to go to the group located here and for various reasons, it's never worked out. I was excited to be able to tell him the details and now, his wife and I are going to attempt to meet up on Thursday to attend MOPS together (after we have gotten to meet each other!)
I should also mention that this couple has lived all over the country too, just like me and DJ, and they just recently moved from Virginia where they had only lived for 8 months and then had to move because various jobs fell through. Sound familiar??? (In case you aren't familiar with our story, DJ and I lived in Tennessee for only 9-10 months before also having to move as a result of a job falling through!) He shared that they had the same concerns we had in being so far from family while trying to raise a family and also felt like they were living in another country living so far east. It was so crazy how similar our stories were in a lot of cases.
Well, we ended up swapping numbers, or rather he gave me his wife's name and number, and hopefully I'll get to meet his wife on Thursday. I am so curious what she will be like and if truly this might be the start of a friendship that I have been praying for. If not, that's ok of course because if anything, it made for a very interesting morning that could have otherwise felt like a lot of wasted hours just waiting. But I'm hopeful that God has something more in store!
What a great way to start my leave yesterday! Today Jayden started a new schedule at day care and I will tell you more about that tomorrow! We're enjoying extended Momma and Jayden time today!
While Ruth and I were talking another guy came into the waiting area. Ruth was called out to discuss some things related to her car and the guy next to me started a conversation with me this time. Again, remember I tend to be a bit wary of random people talking to me, especially men, so when this guy asked me what my car was in for, I was ready to shut the conversation down. Can never be too careful with strange men ya know... But for some reason we continued talking; I must have decided I didn't need to shut him down in a rude sort of way (sometimes it's necessary unfortunately because there are those people who ignore basic social cues...). Little by little, I start learning a little about him. I learn that he's married (ok, my walls go down a little bit more, no longer do I feel like I could be getting hit on... granted, I could have probably crossed that one off the list immediately as a given since I am, after all, 37 weeks pregnant, but remember, crazies.... strange men... I am always on guard...). I also learn that he has two young children (my walls go down further...a family man, come on!). I learn that he's an army guy and might possibly transfer to the air force since he's an airplane mechanic. (Funny what we consider "safe", army to me is safe so, combined with the other information I have learned, I pretty much don't consider this guy a threat anymore...not to mention, I can read people pretty well and he wasn't giving me any weird vibes...) He and his wife are now living in Laramie because they moved back to finish their degrees. His wife wants to be a writer and he is finishing his aeronautical studies degree. We talk a bit about the airline industry (seriously, how much random information can a girl learn in one 2 hour waiting area experience??? First Borzoi breeds and now airlines...) and in the course of that conversation, I also learn that this guy is a Christian too! He mentions here and there how they are basically waiting on God to show them where they need to be. Currently the airline industry is taking a big hit and jobs are scarce hence why they decided to finish their degrees. Waiting a year might give them more options.
Well, what makes this guy so interesting to me is first, the way I just met him and second, the way it appears that him and his wife might be people that DJ and I could really click with. See, I have been praying for friends that share a love for the Lord and I have been praying for a couple that both DJ and I can enjoy spending time with. As I was talking to him, I was struck by a lot of similarities that they shared with us. Currently we don't have friends like this and I feel a big piece is missing from our lives as a result. Well I find out that this couple goes to a church that I attended when DJ was out of town once. I liked the church but I wanted to know a little bit more about the pastor(s) so I was able to talk to this guy about that. I learned about more opportunities for meeting other couples (through small groups, which is what the church calls Bible study groups that meet during the week) and even a women's group. The guy then happened to mention that his wife used to love going to MOPS in the town that they moved from but she hadn't found a group here. (MOPS is Mothers Of PreschoolerS but the group is flexible in their definition of a preschooler since your child can be a little older or younger than that age group.) The crazy thing is that, although I had never attended MOPS before, I have been trying for months to go to the group located here and for various reasons, it's never worked out. I was excited to be able to tell him the details and now, his wife and I are going to attempt to meet up on Thursday to attend MOPS together (after we have gotten to meet each other!)
I should also mention that this couple has lived all over the country too, just like me and DJ, and they just recently moved from Virginia where they had only lived for 8 months and then had to move because various jobs fell through. Sound familiar??? (In case you aren't familiar with our story, DJ and I lived in Tennessee for only 9-10 months before also having to move as a result of a job falling through!) He shared that they had the same concerns we had in being so far from family while trying to raise a family and also felt like they were living in another country living so far east. It was so crazy how similar our stories were in a lot of cases.
Well, we ended up swapping numbers, or rather he gave me his wife's name and number, and hopefully I'll get to meet his wife on Thursday. I am so curious what she will be like and if truly this might be the start of a friendship that I have been praying for. If not, that's ok of course because if anything, it made for a very interesting morning that could have otherwise felt like a lot of wasted hours just waiting. But I'm hopeful that God has something more in store!
What a great way to start my leave yesterday! Today Jayden started a new schedule at day care and I will tell you more about that tomorrow! We're enjoying extended Momma and Jayden time today!
Monday, April 30, 2012
Unexpected Encounters - Part 1
Although my maternity leave technically started last Thursday, I still had to do some work last week so today was really the start of my leave in my mind. And I spent it getting all sorts of stuff done which was great! I love being productive!
One of the places I went was the GM dealership to get my car's sunroof looked at (it's been leaking) and I had the most unexpected experience. It really made me think about how God is always working in our lives whether we see the visible signs or not, and it sure is fun to have it pointed out in full view sometimes!
First I met a lady who turned out to have quite a fascinating story. We initially started chatting because she had a beautiful, big dog inside the sitting lounge with her and I asked her about him. He was a Borzoi, or a Russian Wolfhound but what was even more amazing was the fact that he was just a puppy (he looked full grown to me!) and he was so calm and well-behaved! So we spent quite a bit of time talking about the dog and I learned quite a bit about that breed. Now one thing I should mention is that I don't always chat up strangers especially if I start talking to them and they kind of rub me the wrong way, like if they are a little too friendly right away or too high energy, maybe you know what I mean. I start feeling uncomfortable with people like that, maybe it's from my time spent in Albuquerque where you just couldn't be too careful about the crazies out there! Well, this lady was neither of these things and so I continued chatting with her, which turned out to be a great way to pass the time because it took over 2 hours for them to look at my car and get me on my way.
I'm going to try to not let this post get too lengthy because it seems so much happened it just the short 2 hours that I spent in the waiting area. I found this lady and her adventure, as I kept calling it, so interesting. What's most interesting to me though is that this lady, let's call her Ruth because I never asked her for her name...pregnancy brain thank you very much..., turned out to be a Christian. And she was such a testimony of trust and faith. She mentioned a few times that she had no money; her car had broken down on her way from Idaho to Chicago, which was how she found herself in Laramie. She was actually taking this dog to a new family who had purchased him and they were paying her travel expenses for her to bring the dog to them. She had just purchased the car that was now broken and later we would find out after she spoke with the dealer who sold her the car, that he would stand behind his word when he had told her that the car would definitely make it from Idaho to Chicago. Well, it didn't, so he was going to pay for the GM dealership to do whatever they needed to do to figure out if it was salvageable. That was one way God was working in this unfortunate situation because there was nothing besides this guy's word that would show that he was responsible for the car's demise. The car was sold "as is" and the dealer was not to be held liable for whatever happened after the car left the dealership. This was just a good guy standing by his word. I love that.
And there's more.
The first night, Ruth stayed in a rest stop; I surmise that was because she obviously literally had no money and this was not a part of the original plan thus the rest stop was her only option. The second night though God provided her with a hotel room. She met a random lady in the Walmart parking lot (this other lady obviously realized the same thing that I did and knew Ruth wasn't crazy or at least not the kind of crazy that you need to be afraid of) and the Walmart lady brought Ruth to her home and fed her. Ruth told me that she hadn't eaten in 2 days so that was a blessing in itself. However the food didn't completely agree with her very empty stomach so she was a little wary about going another night without access to bathroom facilities (I know, a little TMI but it's a part of the story!). The lady, not knowing how Ruth was feeling but just being kind, wanted to offer to let her stay in her home but understandably her children were not comfortable with letting a strange lady spend the night with their mother, so the lady bought Ruth a room at the Holiday Inn which Ruth ended up accepting only because she wasn't feeling 100%.
And now, I will probably never know what happens to Ruth but in the short time that I got to speak to her, I learned a lot, and not just about the Borzoi breed. All this information just came out in bits and pieces as we spoke over the course of two hours and little by little I realized I was getting a glimpse into someone's life who had chosen to life by faith. I was reminded of how God provides for us even when we're at a complete loss. Ruth found herself in an unfamiliar town with absolutely no money, food or shelter and yet God was fixing her car, feeding her, housing her and guiding her along this "adventure". Ruth didn't know what was coming next but she told me that she trusted God and that showed to me the amount of faith that this woman had in our Creator and it really struck me. When I left, Ruth had also let me know that if the current car they were trying to fix wasn't fixable then they "happen" to have another car that was comparable to what she needed. Oftentimes we are very shortsighted and when something doesn't work out, we think we need to figure everything out but usually all we need to do is fix our eyes on the One who already has it worked out and knows our future and put our trust in Him. Such a timely reminder for me!
I will finish Part 2 of this story tomorrow!
One of the places I went was the GM dealership to get my car's sunroof looked at (it's been leaking) and I had the most unexpected experience. It really made me think about how God is always working in our lives whether we see the visible signs or not, and it sure is fun to have it pointed out in full view sometimes!
First I met a lady who turned out to have quite a fascinating story. We initially started chatting because she had a beautiful, big dog inside the sitting lounge with her and I asked her about him. He was a Borzoi, or a Russian Wolfhound but what was even more amazing was the fact that he was just a puppy (he looked full grown to me!) and he was so calm and well-behaved! So we spent quite a bit of time talking about the dog and I learned quite a bit about that breed. Now one thing I should mention is that I don't always chat up strangers especially if I start talking to them and they kind of rub me the wrong way, like if they are a little too friendly right away or too high energy, maybe you know what I mean. I start feeling uncomfortable with people like that, maybe it's from my time spent in Albuquerque where you just couldn't be too careful about the crazies out there! Well, this lady was neither of these things and so I continued chatting with her, which turned out to be a great way to pass the time because it took over 2 hours for them to look at my car and get me on my way.
I'm going to try to not let this post get too lengthy because it seems so much happened it just the short 2 hours that I spent in the waiting area. I found this lady and her adventure, as I kept calling it, so interesting. What's most interesting to me though is that this lady, let's call her Ruth because I never asked her for her name...pregnancy brain thank you very much..., turned out to be a Christian. And she was such a testimony of trust and faith. She mentioned a few times that she had no money; her car had broken down on her way from Idaho to Chicago, which was how she found herself in Laramie. She was actually taking this dog to a new family who had purchased him and they were paying her travel expenses for her to bring the dog to them. She had just purchased the car that was now broken and later we would find out after she spoke with the dealer who sold her the car, that he would stand behind his word when he had told her that the car would definitely make it from Idaho to Chicago. Well, it didn't, so he was going to pay for the GM dealership to do whatever they needed to do to figure out if it was salvageable. That was one way God was working in this unfortunate situation because there was nothing besides this guy's word that would show that he was responsible for the car's demise. The car was sold "as is" and the dealer was not to be held liable for whatever happened after the car left the dealership. This was just a good guy standing by his word. I love that.
And there's more.
The first night, Ruth stayed in a rest stop; I surmise that was because she obviously literally had no money and this was not a part of the original plan thus the rest stop was her only option. The second night though God provided her with a hotel room. She met a random lady in the Walmart parking lot (this other lady obviously realized the same thing that I did and knew Ruth wasn't crazy or at least not the kind of crazy that you need to be afraid of) and the Walmart lady brought Ruth to her home and fed her. Ruth told me that she hadn't eaten in 2 days so that was a blessing in itself. However the food didn't completely agree with her very empty stomach so she was a little wary about going another night without access to bathroom facilities (I know, a little TMI but it's a part of the story!). The lady, not knowing how Ruth was feeling but just being kind, wanted to offer to let her stay in her home but understandably her children were not comfortable with letting a strange lady spend the night with their mother, so the lady bought Ruth a room at the Holiday Inn which Ruth ended up accepting only because she wasn't feeling 100%.
And now, I will probably never know what happens to Ruth but in the short time that I got to speak to her, I learned a lot, and not just about the Borzoi breed. All this information just came out in bits and pieces as we spoke over the course of two hours and little by little I realized I was getting a glimpse into someone's life who had chosen to life by faith. I was reminded of how God provides for us even when we're at a complete loss. Ruth found herself in an unfamiliar town with absolutely no money, food or shelter and yet God was fixing her car, feeding her, housing her and guiding her along this "adventure". Ruth didn't know what was coming next but she told me that she trusted God and that showed to me the amount of faith that this woman had in our Creator and it really struck me. When I left, Ruth had also let me know that if the current car they were trying to fix wasn't fixable then they "happen" to have another car that was comparable to what she needed. Oftentimes we are very shortsighted and when something doesn't work out, we think we need to figure everything out but usually all we need to do is fix our eyes on the One who already has it worked out and knows our future and put our trust in Him. Such a timely reminder for me!
I will finish Part 2 of this story tomorrow!
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
In the army now!
Well, not really, but for one game last season, the army was the sponsor (I don't know if that's the right term but the army was the focus that game). As part of the army "theme" the staff wore these totally awesome hats. At first, from a distance, I wasn't sure it was quite DJ's look but we received this picture yesterday, and I decided it's not so bad after all! It could be that DJ's serious facial expression with the tongue sticking out slightly helps a bit.
The other guy in the picture is DJ's friend and boss, the head trainer of the athletic department.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Motivation, where art thou?
I am having a serious motivation issue. I work from home which is great most of the time. But there are days like today where (1) it is L-O-N-E-L-Y and (2) there is nothing to keep me accountable. No partners walking by, no managers stopping by my desk to make requests, no nada... And I can think of a million other things I would rather be doing while at home right now then doing the same mundane tasks that I do every two weeks in my job. Sometimes this job is just. so. boring. Don't take that the wrong way. I am GRATEFUL for this job every day and am so appreciative of my company for allowing me to work from home in the middle of nowhere and the partners I work for trust me implicitly to get my work done to the best of my ability. But oh. my. gosh. Today (and the last few weeks of days) have been rough because it is a slow time of year and the deadlines are much easier to meet and there is just not much to motivate me.
I thought I'd see if any of you that actually read this blog had any suggestions that work for you when you are lacking motivation to get the work done that needs done. I need suggestions! This is a time when Facebook would come in handy but I'm not on Facebook anymore and I don't think I want to start that again. Especially for a motivation problem. I'm pretty sure that would only compound the problem. So help me out people! Convince me that I'm not just talking to myself here. And I KNOW I'm not the only one that is having/has had/will have this issue.
So...
Anyone?
(This would be a great time to learn how to leave a comment on my blog! Just type your great suggestion in the COMMENT box below, choose "Name/URL" from the dropdown box, type in your name and hit publish. It's so easy and I would really appreciate the input. Remember, I live in the middle of nowhere. I see no one but my husband and child for days on end. I'm not a big fan of long conversations on the telephone. So this blog is feeling a little like a lifeline right now. Give me some love.)
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Are We Crazy??
DJ and I discovered a shared love a couple years ago when we started going camping. We both love doing the outdoorsy thing so we bought a tent and some other camping necessities while we were still in Albuquerque and since then have gone a few times. Well, we hadn't gone since we moved to Laramie, much to my dismay, being that this might as well be the outdoors capital of the world with all the outdoor activities that you can do around here both in summer and winter. So when I found out that DJ wouldn't have to work this weekend after all, I jumped on our one last opportunity to camp this summer. I also figured that since Jayden was a little older now it might be easier then it would have been at the beginning of summer.
We initially planned to get a little more time in the mountains and head up there to camp but then changed our minds and decided on Kurt Dowdy State Park. This was one other area that we hadn't been to yet since we moved and I didn't want another year to pass before we got to go. It's a well known area in these parts so I figured we should check it out. (That sentence could be said with a western drawl; it has a certain John Wayne vibe to it, dontcha think??)
Anyway, the camping trip was a success!
But I will not be doing it again. Ha.
I learned something on that trip. In my brain, now that I've had a child, I feel very differently about things that crawl on me in the middle of the night. There was a whole new level of freaked-outedness that I've never experienced before, prior to sharing a tent with a baby. And I decided then and there in the middle of the night that I would not be tenting again with babies. I just got all freaked out by the bugs and worrying that they would attack my baby in the middle of the night when we had barely any light to see what creatures we could feel and not see. I'm shuddering just thinking about that.
But as it is, the one time that we have gone with Jayden was a lot of fun and we've decided that Jayden absolutely loves being outside. He is so happy the entire time and is constantly wanting to see everything. Here are some pictures from our adventure!
DJ is using his special cooking techniques for making an extra yummy campfire dinner of beef, potatoes and onions. It turned out pretty tasty!
At one point it looked like the fire was going to win but thankfully, it did not.
Jayden pulls himself up in the play pen now! Once he gets to his feet, he always looks so proud of himself and we always cheer for him. It's so cute.
Even after a pretty restless night, he still woke up happy!
The next challenge was to make breakfast over the fire. That was a bit more challenging then the dinner especially because we had exactly 4 pieces of firewood left over. The pinecones came in to save the day.
Whereas the night before we had to worry about the fire destroying our meal, breakfast's worst enemy was the smoke.
I was loving Jayden's style on our camping trip. Ha.
Love those yummy little legs!
While we were waiting for our breakfast to sloooowly cook, we had smores!
Jayden's little face just lights up when his daddy is around. Melts my heart.
This babbling creek babbled all night long - I couldn't decide if I liked that or not but it was definitely pretty!
Play I Spy! Can you see the chipmunk? This little guy was super friendly and even came up all the way to DJ's shoe when we started feeding him some of our breakfast burritos.
I loved how he would go over to this little spot in the dirt and wiggle all around like he was taking a dirt bath. It even looks like he was giving me a wave in this picture!
And this picture has absolutely nothing to do with camping except that these gorgeous blooms were waiting for us when we got back. Love!
We initially planned to get a little more time in the mountains and head up there to camp but then changed our minds and decided on Kurt Dowdy State Park. This was one other area that we hadn't been to yet since we moved and I didn't want another year to pass before we got to go. It's a well known area in these parts so I figured we should check it out. (That sentence could be said with a western drawl; it has a certain John Wayne vibe to it, dontcha think??)
Anyway, the camping trip was a success!
But I will not be doing it again. Ha.
I learned something on that trip. In my brain, now that I've had a child, I feel very differently about things that crawl on me in the middle of the night. There was a whole new level of freaked-outedness that I've never experienced before, prior to sharing a tent with a baby. And I decided then and there in the middle of the night that I would not be tenting again with babies. I just got all freaked out by the bugs and worrying that they would attack my baby in the middle of the night when we had barely any light to see what creatures we could feel and not see. I'm shuddering just thinking about that.
But as it is, the one time that we have gone with Jayden was a lot of fun and we've decided that Jayden absolutely loves being outside. He is so happy the entire time and is constantly wanting to see everything. Here are some pictures from our adventure!
Monday, August 8, 2011
It's Swing Time!
Jayden enjoyed his swinging experience at the park this past week. He eve tried out the slide once - he probably needs a few more months before he's slide ready. But the swing he was digging. Here's the story in pictures!
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