I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about windshield wipers!
We had some intense weather Monday afternoon. When I left the office around 4:30 PM my windows were covered with ice. I gave the van some time to warm up and then pulled out my handy-dandy ice scraper. I hit the main spots, got back in and turned on the windshield wipers to clear the remaining ice and remove the ice/snow/rain mix falling from the sky. My driver’s side windshield wiper pulled apart like a mozzarella cheese stick! I guess a portion of it had somehow re-frozen to the glass??? This, obviously, is not the happiness part…
Tuesday Steve drove the van so he could replace my windshield wipers. Let me just tell you… I have decided paying a little more for windshield wipers is well worth it! We’ve generally gotten the inexpensive ones. They did the job and I had no complaints. But now that I’ve had access to these babies, there’s no turning back!
They form to the glass and move ever so effortlessly back and forth. Each time it’s as if the windows have just been squeegeed and wiped clean! It’s a thing of beauty, I tell you! A thing of beauty! It doesn’t matter if you have a lot of moisture or minimal amount of moisture, your windshield looks beautiful!!! No streaking! And the noise level is minimal. No squeaking! Simply wonderful!
Happy Friday Everyone!!!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Colds and Flu and Darth Vader… Oh My…
Our house has been hit hard this winter. I’m not sure if it’s the move and the fact all of us are trying to acclimate to the different strains and varieties here, or if it's the difference in climate and humidity??? Whatever it is, we're ready to be done. We’ve had a couple of different varieties of viruses come through our household and even received a pleasant, thankfully short lived, visit from the flu (which prevented a trip to OKC).
Steve and Blake seem to be taking the worst of it.
Steve has been home sick most of this week, with what he thought was some type of stomach bug. I’m thinking it’s something closer to an influenza bug. He tried to go to work today and his boss sent him home!
Blake ran home yesterday to take medicine between school and practice. I learned this when I got home after attempting to pick him up from practice and learning he'd walked home a little early. When I got home, his cheeks were warm and rosy, he was hoarse, raspy and seemed to be having a hard time breathing. By seven o’clock he had a temperature and was sounding more and more like Darth Vader. I’d have thought he was putting on a pretty good act, but he sounded even worse in his sleep! We took him to the doctor and were told us he has “adult onset croup.” It’s viral, no medicine prescribed, and it should take 5-9 days to run it’s course. Bummer…
Tyler was suffering from tired-itis this morning, but other than that seems to be doing okay. I’m feeling pretty good and trying to make sure everyone’s taking their vitamins and drinking plenty of fluids!
We’re supposed to once again attempt a trip to OKC this weekend. I’ve assured my momma we will be there unless someone is just absolutely beyond traveling!!! I’m hopeful the “force will be with us.” ;)
Prayers graciously accepted.
Steve and Blake seem to be taking the worst of it.
Steve has been home sick most of this week, with what he thought was some type of stomach bug. I’m thinking it’s something closer to an influenza bug. He tried to go to work today and his boss sent him home!
Blake ran home yesterday to take medicine between school and practice. I learned this when I got home after attempting to pick him up from practice and learning he'd walked home a little early. When I got home, his cheeks were warm and rosy, he was hoarse, raspy and seemed to be having a hard time breathing. By seven o’clock he had a temperature and was sounding more and more like Darth Vader. I’d have thought he was putting on a pretty good act, but he sounded even worse in his sleep! We took him to the doctor and were told us he has “adult onset croup.” It’s viral, no medicine prescribed, and it should take 5-9 days to run it’s course. Bummer…
Tyler was suffering from tired-itis this morning, but other than that seems to be doing okay. I’m feeling pretty good and trying to make sure everyone’s taking their vitamins and drinking plenty of fluids!
We’re supposed to once again attempt a trip to OKC this weekend. I’ve assured my momma we will be there unless someone is just absolutely beyond traveling!!! I’m hopeful the “force will be with us.” ;)
Prayers graciously accepted.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
A Better Day...
Yesterday’s post was pretty glum, but today is a better day! From the moment I picked Blake up, the evening was good. He was polite, respectful and cooperative. He took care of things and respected the limits I put out for TV/Computer time. Tyler was in a good mood and we worked through his math trying desperately to figure out his word problems… ugh…
Steve slept most of the evening. He was awake long enough to drink, eat some noodle soup, and let me check his temperature. The thermometer didn’t read very high, but he was burning up… I think it’s time to replace my digital thermometer. The boys and I ate dinner and then went to the gym for a while. They climbed the rock-wall. Then Tyler and his friend went to the bicycles and Blake went to the weights. We really didn’t have time once we were home to continue reading “Wild at Heart,” plus Steve was sleeping, so Tyler read our devotional and Blake prayed for us. Tyler did an excellent job reading and Blake’s prayer was short, simple, and eloquent. It was a nice ending to a nice evening.
Tyler and I spent some time talking and singing to help him wind down. We attempted to sing “The Rose” in honor of his Aunt Katie, but neither one of us could remember all the words… but we did remember the words to “I’ll Be Here,” “You Are My Pillow,” and some other Tyler favorites! Once Tyler was situated, I went to check on Blake. He was bunked down, covers up to his chin, with a package of crackers. The stinkin kid never stops eating and he’s skinny as a bean pole! He’s definitely going through another growing spurt! Thirteen and he’s past the 5’9 mark… and Tyler’s measuring taller than Blake did at eleven… I may need a second job just to buy groceries!!!
The positive energy continued into this morning. Everyone was able to get up and around and out the door without complaining, fighting, grumping, etc. Steve still wasn’t feeling well. He attempted to get up and around, but looked absolutely miserable. He said his entire body hurts. He supposed to try and get into the doctor today.
I drove Steve’s truck into work today. My driver-side windshield wiper needs to be replaced. Anyway… on the way to the gym last night, Blake had put in the “Red” cd, a Christian rock band. The song “Pieces” was playing. I kept replaying the song all the way to work. It was speaking to me. Yesterday I felt like I was in pieces and I felt a long way away from what keeps me centered. After a good evening with my boys and some quiet time and prayer time… I’m starting to feel whole again.
I'm here again - A thousand miles away from you - A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am - I tried so hard - Thought I could do this on my own - I've lost so much along the way
Then I'll see your face - I know I'm finally yours - I find everything I thought I lost before - You call my name - I come to you in pieces - So you can make me whole
I've come undone - But you make sense of who I am - Like puzzle pieces in your eye
Then I'll see your face - I know I'm finally yours - I find everything I thought I lost before - You call my name - I come to you in pieces - So you can make me whole!
Steve slept most of the evening. He was awake long enough to drink, eat some noodle soup, and let me check his temperature. The thermometer didn’t read very high, but he was burning up… I think it’s time to replace my digital thermometer. The boys and I ate dinner and then went to the gym for a while. They climbed the rock-wall. Then Tyler and his friend went to the bicycles and Blake went to the weights. We really didn’t have time once we were home to continue reading “Wild at Heart,” plus Steve was sleeping, so Tyler read our devotional and Blake prayed for us. Tyler did an excellent job reading and Blake’s prayer was short, simple, and eloquent. It was a nice ending to a nice evening.
Tyler and I spent some time talking and singing to help him wind down. We attempted to sing “The Rose” in honor of his Aunt Katie, but neither one of us could remember all the words… but we did remember the words to “I’ll Be Here,” “You Are My Pillow,” and some other Tyler favorites! Once Tyler was situated, I went to check on Blake. He was bunked down, covers up to his chin, with a package of crackers. The stinkin kid never stops eating and he’s skinny as a bean pole! He’s definitely going through another growing spurt! Thirteen and he’s past the 5’9 mark… and Tyler’s measuring taller than Blake did at eleven… I may need a second job just to buy groceries!!!
The positive energy continued into this morning. Everyone was able to get up and around and out the door without complaining, fighting, grumping, etc. Steve still wasn’t feeling well. He attempted to get up and around, but looked absolutely miserable. He said his entire body hurts. He supposed to try and get into the doctor today.
I drove Steve’s truck into work today. My driver-side windshield wiper needs to be replaced. Anyway… on the way to the gym last night, Blake had put in the “Red” cd, a Christian rock band. The song “Pieces” was playing. I kept replaying the song all the way to work. It was speaking to me. Yesterday I felt like I was in pieces and I felt a long way away from what keeps me centered. After a good evening with my boys and some quiet time and prayer time… I’m starting to feel whole again.
I'm here again - A thousand miles away from you - A broken mess, just scattered pieces of who I am - I tried so hard - Thought I could do this on my own - I've lost so much along the way
Then I'll see your face - I know I'm finally yours - I find everything I thought I lost before - You call my name - I come to you in pieces - So you can make me whole
I've come undone - But you make sense of who I am - Like puzzle pieces in your eye
Then I'll see your face - I know I'm finally yours - I find everything I thought I lost before - You call my name - I come to you in pieces - So you can make me whole!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
HomeSick…
Work is slow, I’m wearing a suit and it turns out I didn’t need to, I fought with Blake before leaving for work/school, poor Tyler looked as though he wanted to disappear into the sofa, Steve is sick, and I’m just in a funk I can’t seem to get rid of…
Tyler gave me extra hugs before I left the house. I really don't like starting anyone's day in such an unpleasant manner. I felt guilty the whole drive into work. I did text Blake when I arrived at work to apologize... he responded: "It ok" Those two grammatically wacky words made me laugh and cry. I’m anxious to see Tyler after school and apologize to him as well.
We’re going home this weekend. It can’t seem to get here fast enough. I’m anxious to see familiar faces and places. I’m hopeful it will be a bit of a boost for all of us! Don’t get me wrong, things are good in Omaha, but I think there are always ups and downs when you move and leave behind good friends and family.
I’ve been going through my friends’ blogs… looking through scriptures… hoping to somehow magically make this funk go away. I started to type that I’d been silently praying, but I don’t think I’ve actually made it through a full thought or prayer today. I'm under emotional attack.
I can hear a dear friend of mine reminding me not to let it steal my joy. I’ve lost count of the number of times we said this to one another and the number of times I broke into a chorus of… “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, where, down in my heart, where, down in my heart…” It’s just not the same when you’re singing it alone in your head.
Okay… enough. Got to get the JOY back!
I’ve neglected my private time with God. We’ve continued with our evening family devotionals and I pray on my way to work, but my prayers feel rehearsed and my quality time in the word is lacking. We’ve yet to find and plug into a new church home. It’s amazing what a difference missing one or both of these makes. I’m missing the fellowship with my LifeGroup, the interactions with the Switch Youth Group, being a part of something with my mom and the overall feeling of community and extended family a church home provides.
When I spoke with Steve earlier he said he planned to spend some quality time in prayer and meditation today while he was home. And we talked about needing to refocus ourselves and our family. We also talked about getting out… into the woods, to the river, to the lake… somewhere we all feel we can renew our spirit. Steve’s always said he feels closet to God when he’s out in nature away from the hustle and bustle of life. Finding somewhere quiet, surrounded by creation… that’s what we all need.
My reactions this morning were a manifestation of feeling homesick, frustrated and worn down. Although Blake has adjusted well in a lot of ways, there are struggles. Last night, for example, was not the best of evenings. A simple acknowledgement that he’s heard the words coming from my mouth would be fabulous. Refraining from looking at me as if he’d like to tell me where to go… would be refreshing. Taking care of the same responsibilities he’s always had and taken care of, would be wonderful. After feeling the need to completely remove myself from my eldest child’s presence to avoid behaving in a manner I would later regret, I got up and requested all TV’s, computers, video games, etc. be turned off and everyone make their way into our room.
Most of our books are still in storage, but there was one I found and decided it would actually be a really good fit. “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge. I read the entire first chapter out loud while Blake lay on the floor next to the dog, Steve on his side of the bed with his eyes closed and Tyler wriggling between us. We’ve been reading our family devotionals and having family prayer time each night, but something was different about last night. When I finished we talked about it briefly, prayed and the boys went to bed. There was no complaining or arguing, there was no up and down and back and forth… they settled in and went to sleep. And I don’t think either of them moved all night. This hasn’t been the case for several weeks now.
So… tonight, we’ll be having a quiet, media-limited evening. Hopefully, we’ll do some connecting as a family and try to reinstate some order into what we’ve allowed to become a little too out of whack. I think Steve and I both loosened our reigns in an effort to “help” the boys’ transition. We tried to be understanding and cool about things. And I think some of it was necessary and good. But I think we may have “helped” a little too much. Time to get things back in order.
Well… I feel better now. I guess sometimes just typing it out makes it seem a little less overwhelming.
Tyler gave me extra hugs before I left the house. I really don't like starting anyone's day in such an unpleasant manner. I felt guilty the whole drive into work. I did text Blake when I arrived at work to apologize... he responded: "It ok" Those two grammatically wacky words made me laugh and cry. I’m anxious to see Tyler after school and apologize to him as well.
We’re going home this weekend. It can’t seem to get here fast enough. I’m anxious to see familiar faces and places. I’m hopeful it will be a bit of a boost for all of us! Don’t get me wrong, things are good in Omaha, but I think there are always ups and downs when you move and leave behind good friends and family.
I’ve been going through my friends’ blogs… looking through scriptures… hoping to somehow magically make this funk go away. I started to type that I’d been silently praying, but I don’t think I’ve actually made it through a full thought or prayer today. I'm under emotional attack.
I can hear a dear friend of mine reminding me not to let it steal my joy. I’ve lost count of the number of times we said this to one another and the number of times I broke into a chorus of… “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart, where, down in my heart, where, down in my heart…” It’s just not the same when you’re singing it alone in your head.
Okay… enough. Got to get the JOY back!
I’ve neglected my private time with God. We’ve continued with our evening family devotionals and I pray on my way to work, but my prayers feel rehearsed and my quality time in the word is lacking. We’ve yet to find and plug into a new church home. It’s amazing what a difference missing one or both of these makes. I’m missing the fellowship with my LifeGroup, the interactions with the Switch Youth Group, being a part of something with my mom and the overall feeling of community and extended family a church home provides.
When I spoke with Steve earlier he said he planned to spend some quality time in prayer and meditation today while he was home. And we talked about needing to refocus ourselves and our family. We also talked about getting out… into the woods, to the river, to the lake… somewhere we all feel we can renew our spirit. Steve’s always said he feels closet to God when he’s out in nature away from the hustle and bustle of life. Finding somewhere quiet, surrounded by creation… that’s what we all need.
My reactions this morning were a manifestation of feeling homesick, frustrated and worn down. Although Blake has adjusted well in a lot of ways, there are struggles. Last night, for example, was not the best of evenings. A simple acknowledgement that he’s heard the words coming from my mouth would be fabulous. Refraining from looking at me as if he’d like to tell me where to go… would be refreshing. Taking care of the same responsibilities he’s always had and taken care of, would be wonderful. After feeling the need to completely remove myself from my eldest child’s presence to avoid behaving in a manner I would later regret, I got up and requested all TV’s, computers, video games, etc. be turned off and everyone make their way into our room.
Most of our books are still in storage, but there was one I found and decided it would actually be a really good fit. “Wild at Heart” by John Eldredge. I read the entire first chapter out loud while Blake lay on the floor next to the dog, Steve on his side of the bed with his eyes closed and Tyler wriggling between us. We’ve been reading our family devotionals and having family prayer time each night, but something was different about last night. When I finished we talked about it briefly, prayed and the boys went to bed. There was no complaining or arguing, there was no up and down and back and forth… they settled in and went to sleep. And I don’t think either of them moved all night. This hasn’t been the case for several weeks now.
So… tonight, we’ll be having a quiet, media-limited evening. Hopefully, we’ll do some connecting as a family and try to reinstate some order into what we’ve allowed to become a little too out of whack. I think Steve and I both loosened our reigns in an effort to “help” the boys’ transition. We tried to be understanding and cool about things. And I think some of it was necessary and good. But I think we may have “helped” a little too much. Time to get things back in order.
Well… I feel better now. I guess sometimes just typing it out makes it seem a little less overwhelming.
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