The Piercing Progression

The Besties

Which earings to choose?

The pre-lobe

Instructions

Nerves

Excitment

Fear!

Now that it's over....that wasn't so bad!

The post-lobe look

The car ride home. Black Eye Peas "Tonight"

I am one of them

I was itching to write today (I began the beginning of June and finished today). Of all of my classes I miss my writing classes the most. I purposed today to take time and let my mind be creative.

As I sit and type I can hear the fridge humming, smell my coffee and feel the solitude and peace.
Ben took the kids on a fishing outing today. The house is quiet. This is the prefect time for my thoughts to express themselves.

Mothers

    Mothers are curious beings. In all my life I have never found a more profound or confusing creature. They strive for excellence and push themselves to the limit for their offspring. They cheer at games, argue about homework and complete the household tasks that the more faint of heart would not touch for a million dollars.  It seems that the best Mom's are all the more contradicting. They educate and encourage their kids to greatness. How can this be a contradiction? Well, after all that encouragement, cheering and challenging, when the kid accomplishes the strove for task, you will find the Mother crying. Tears of joy none-the-less, but still tears. I did not know how very much they were this way until I joined the group called Mothers.



    Before Ben and I married our plans were set. We would wait to begin having children until we had been married three years. There were many reasons for this decision. They were good, valid, and wise reasons. Due to this we were amazed to discover that I was pregnant a mere 3 months post wedding. I was on the pill and hadn't missed a dose in two months. I had just turned 20. I was a new bride, and I was pregnant. Our life was not happening according to our plan. The first lesson of motherhood was underway.

    Esther was born after 38 hours of mind numbing labor. This family unit we created was what I had dreamed about since childhood. Ben worked hard at his job to enable me to stay home. As an accomplished baby sitter and nanny not much of infant/child care was a surprise to me. I loved caring for my baby. Sam was added to the family 12.5 months after Esther. A new normal was created. Then when Zach and Joe came we sort of "hunkered down", made our house in the 'couve home base, and barely survived. I have nothing but fond memories of those days, yet I really don't ever want to live through that again. Not even for a visit.

    I'm sure you've read or heard that of all the family years the young family years are the most physically demanding. I can attest that fact was true for us. Between cutting teeth, potty training, emotional training, world view, loosing teeth and tutoring one barely has time to breathe. No wonder parents have a rough time scheduling their own play dates with friends their age, or arranging their own hair to be styled. Yet, we celebrated with every new tooth. Every nap that they awoke dry we partied. I would strive for the prize of teaching them accomplishment and when it was reached I chocked back tears. "This is what we've worked so hard for" I would think. But as she rode away without her training wheels I saw her driving to college and cried.

    I was chatting with a friend recently. She described our family as out of the surviving young family stage and into the settling down and in it for the long haul older family stage. She nailed it. I hadn't even realized we'd passed to the other side. Our discussions have bled from simplistic call and response to call, understand, teach, and respond, and then ask again. My kids do NOT want pat answers. They are thinkers. They are emotional and spiritual scientists. I am doing my darnedest to pray and give them guidance.

    With this current stage I have found that the mile stones are becoming more structured. They are now looking forward to driving, dating, and defining careers. In this phase the accomplishments are more official, but still just as heartbreaking for me. The last symphony concert. The last day at elementary school. And then the FIRST day of middle school. That first bus ride alone. *sniff*

    I guess I really haven't changed much since they were tots. I still cry during a first or last. I still crave a cuddle. The thing that has changed is that they are becoming who they will be. What a privilege for me to watch them become....them. Uh oh. I feel the tears coming.....   

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all." Philippians 4:4+5

This is me

 

Sundea night. March.



Grandma Berta's 90th birthday party. March



L-R Brian (Ben's cousin) Nes, Ben and Hannah



Movie night!

Hurry up and be patient....will ya!

We found what we feel would be the prefect spot for us. Large back yard. Nice living and bedroom spaces. Shops/dentists/orthodontics/library/3 city parks within walking distance. BUT, we will have to wait to offer on it. Forty-nine days cannot arrive quickly enough! We hope the fact that it is in need of LOTS of work will keep it open for us. Here's to the right house for us; if it be this one or another. =D

our.bEEutiful.day





 




And the fantastic news? We will be ready to make offers
on houses in this very neighborhood (three city parks
and shops/public library within a 5 min walk) in
TWO months. Yeah. My mind was reeling today. =D

...questions...

Yesterday we learned that Osama bin Laden was reported to have been killed. Honestly, I was shocked at first. I had forgotten his name. I thought that he had already evaporated into the abyss of my forgetfulness. Idiocy. He was apparently killed by special forces this past week-end and buried at sea.

This alone is not the purpose of this post. The above information has cause many questions to ignite in my soul. Such as....if we are all created in the image of God and "knit together in a secret place" then how can we rejoice or "justify" the murder of another? What is this all really about? Is killing ever "okay"....

My mothers heart is breaking for all who have been lost. The enemies and the victims. Some would view this tenderness as a weakness that the "enemy" could use against me. LOVE.CONQUERS.ALL.

The.end.

two days and a month

This is the day when I committed myself to another. Really, to five "others". On May 16th Ben and I will celebrate our 13th wedding anniversary. No kidding. 13 years. It feels a little weird. Am I old enough to be married that long? I guess so!

Ben and I were talking this morning. We've been doing that these days. We wake up early to pray, read our Bibles together and chat. It's been wonderful, and I hope we continue. Anyway, we just commented that our lives seem to be filled with transitions. "When we get here" or "I can't wait 'till this is....." and "Once we complete this goal" seem to be what most of our conversations begin or end with. Don't get me wrong, we enjoy every moment of our precious life. I guess we are driven. And I guess transitions are what life is full of.

During one morning chatting time Ben told me about an idea he was unable, for days, to stop thinking about. I said "Spill it!". He did. It is a genius idea. It holds promise. It is an honest-to-goodness dream fulfilled! We had his brilliant thought checked out by our mortgage friend, and she agreed with us. This idea could get us into home ownership (again....oh how we've missed it!) before school begins in the fall. WHAT?! Yup. Babe is awesome. From this point things could go pretty fast. If things fall into place we will begin seriously looking to buy. We are not excluding houses that are involved in a short sale or REO. As these tend to take several months to close we've got to be ready to pounce!

What has changed? I guess we have. We know what we are made of. We've become wiser (thank God!), and realized that we need to follow God's plan for our lives. His plan looks different for me than it will for you. We have also learned to stick to our financial guns. Just because a bank qualifies you for a certain amount does not mean that you can afford the payments. No matter what the bank says. We have our own brains, I guess now we are using them!

I have no photo's to share. I think my next post will be font-less.....

My brain is oozing from my head

through my ears. I learned about the "full" office procedures today. Ordering, shipping, receiving, invoicing (both sides), cutting checks, making paper trails and matching all the paper trails together. By the time I got home today my vision was blurry. I don't know how Linda (my supervisor) has been doing all the AR/P + purchasing. Uggg. Just after one day I'm exhausted. =D

I must post about the silliness of my kids. It seems that every member of my Quartet is eager to grow up. The other day (during breakfast) Zach asked when his adam's apple would make its appearance. HA! I'll just say the conversation lead to puberty and sperm production. It was only a 5 min. conversation! Since Babe had already explained everything I was thankfull this talk was just a refresher. This is going somewhere I promise! The kids spent time with my folks yesterday and today. My dad quoted Esther talking to her Twins "Well, when you're going through THE puberty your legs will get hairy just like Sam's". WHAT?! Nothing passes by her eagle eyes. I cannot believe how very large in heart and body the kids are. Freakin' crazy.

My G.P.A. suffered a 'B' this term. This is my second since my beginning college in the fall of 2009. I was not pleased when I first learned about it. Then reality sunk in. I began counting my blessings. Both Babe and I went to college for 6 consecutive terms, and we have no debt because of it. This will be a huge help in saving for a house! Oh, and we were able to go.and.learn.for.almost.two.stright.years. Awesomeness is what that is!

Ahhhh.DONE!

I remember when my kids were small, and they couldn't pronounce words correctly yet. When they were done eating at the table they would say "Ah done!". Well....I'm AH-DONE with school for this term! YAY! Babe and I will be taking a year off from school to ferociously save for a down-payment. Ready? Set! GO!

Fall 2006. Es-7, Sam-6 and the Twins-4

one down.three.to.go.

I've completed one of my four classes. To say I'm pleased would be right on. YAY!

This term came with an unexpected surgery and shifts in our goals. I have been exposed to works of writing that have caused me to ponder about society. I have questioned myself, my government, our consumer culture and my place in it. I have learned that I can learn much of myself through what I write. Sometimes I wasn't sure the words on the page were mine, it was so unlike the me I knew. Woah. This has been a good term indeed!

Society by Eddie Vedder

It's a mystery to me, we have agreed with which we have agreed. You think you have to want more than you need. Until you have it all you won't be free.

Society, you're a crazy breed. I hope you're not lonely without me.

When you want more than you have, you think you need. And when you think more than you want your thoughts begin to bleed. I think I need to find a bigger place, 'cause when you have more than you think, you need more space.

Society, you're a crazy breed. I hope you're not lonely without me. Society, crazy and deep. I hope you're not lonely without me.

There's those thinking that more is less, less is more. But if less is more, how you're keeping score? Means for every point you make your level drops. Kind'a like it's starting from the top, you can't do that.

The words alone do not do this song justice. I would suggest a listen on youtube or playlist to get the full effect.