It's been on my mind...

Well, here we are again, 6 months later… I just can’t find time to devote to this blog. I really do think about it all the time and then I get busy with other things.

The first half of the year was rough. Thankfully, the second half hasn’t been as harsh. 

Summer flew by as always.  The kids kept busy with camps and other activities. They all attended a camp with our church which was nice. I love seeing their walk with the Lord. I love summer because we don’t have to worry about homework, bedtimes, getting up early, etc. Our summer schedules can get a bit crazy too with camps, practice, games, etc. but it’s just better knowing they don’t have to deal with the homework and all that.  We managed to sneak in a small vacation this year. Jeff’s parents gifted us with a free week of using their timeshare so we headed to Florida for a week.  It was a really nice get-a-way. We spent time at the amusement parks, eating out and meeting family. Jeff’s Uncle lives there and the kids and I had never met him so we made arrangements to get together and it was great. They have kids right around the same age as our kids so they all hit it off and had someone to chill with too.  We were not home from that vacation long when the girls and I decided to drive to Iowa to surprise my Mom. I was missing her so much and just needed to see my Mama!  The surprise was a success and we had a great time visiting her. I hate it that she is so far away now but I understand her need to be here to care for her Dad.

Before we knew it, school was starting again and the day to day hustle and bustle was in full effect.  The kids were doing homework until midnight each night and I started to feel the pressure and stress of having 2 kids in high school, a senior and a freshman and one in 4^th grade.  I’m grateful that 2 of them are in the same school this year. The past couple of years of having 3 kids in 3 different schools have been challenging.

How do I have a senior in high school?  How did this happen? How did she grow up so fast? I feel like I missed out on so much of her life yet I’ve been here every day. There were definitely times I let my job take over my life and I worked too much, spent too much time at the office and working from the kitchen table at home but I was still around. I still saw here every day (unless I was traveling, which wasn’t that often), so really… how did this happen?  And how is the first semester of her senior year already over?? How do you Moms handle this???  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved seeing her grow into the young woman she has become. I love her heart for the Lord and for people. She is kind and compassionate, thoughtful and so caring. She loves her siblings and would literally die for them. She is there to cheer Jayden along at all his events and helps Taryn with all her home training gymnastics and dances.  She takes them to eat, roller skating and wherever they want to go because she loves them.  I LOVE that she loves them. I love that they are all so close and can tell each other everything. I love that she leads them in prayer.  She’s an amazing young lady and I love her more than I thought my heart was even capable of… I just don’t understand why time has to be going by so fast…  Her job is going good. She was an infant instructor at a swim academy but unfortunately the chlorine was too much for her eczema so she had to give that up to be a deck monitor (basically a life guard).  The money isn’t as good as being the instructor and they cut her hours but she still likes it.

And then, how the heck is Jayden a freshman in high school? My tall and handsome only son… He is growing up too fast too. He’s such a great kid!  Always making us laugh, even when I’m so mad at him he has this way of making me laugh. He keeps the mood light and has the best one-liners.  He’s a great athlete and born to entertain.  We had a tough football season this year. We had some amazing players but those coaches made some really bad play decisions. I don’t know that much about football so when I know it was a bad play that means it was really bad.  Our boys had the potential to go undefeated but our coaches really screwed that up for them. Referees didn’t help much either. One game they called so bad they came and apologized to our entire team the following day after watching the game. Unfortunately we didn’t get the W in that game.  Coaches are human, they make mistakes too but geez, it really seemed like they didn’t want to win the games. It was hard to watch. It was hard to see the defeat in the boys faces each time we’d lose knowing they could have won.  Basketball season has started and it seems to be the same thing.  Twice now we have been up by 20 points or more, once we ended up losing the game and other time we barely won. I just don’t get it. I know I’m not meant to understand everything and I need to turn these things over to the Lord but my goodness, why do coaches to this??!! And why do they have to scream at them? I’m all for coaches getting onto the boys when they mess up but to berate them, and tear them down by criticizing harshly while screaming at them in front of the entire gym is just ridiculous.  I know what you are thinking: “Mama Bear doesn’t want her tall and handsome only son being yelled at”… Well, Jayden hasn’t been yelled at in this way so I’m not referring to him. My heart goes out to the other kids on the team the coach has done this too. I think it’s uncalled for and unprofessional. It’s not the NBA! These coaches have an opportunity be a good influence on these young men. All I have to say is that I really miss our coach from last year!

And then there is Taryn, oh my sweet, spunky little firecracker. She has grown up so much this year. She has not only physically grown but has matured so much too. She is such a good helper and she loves the Lord with all her heart. She is quick to always tell me, “I love you Mommy but I love God more”. She loves kids and babies and has such a heart to care for them. She is going to be a great Mom one day (in 20 years).  She is still “bored and has nothing to do” since she isn’t involved in dance or sports. I’ve said for years that I need to get her enrolled in something. She has a natural talent in gymnastics but has a heart for dance so we will likely get her enrolled in that at the beginning of the year.  After having such a tough year at school the past two years from bullying and a terrible teacher, I am happy to say that she has amazing teachers this year and has had a great year so far. It hasn’t been perfect, and one boy is still trying to get under her skin, but it’s nothing compared to the last few years. She is doing great in all subjects and her reading has greatly improved.

Earlier this year, we met a couple with 2 small kids and we quickly became friends. We spend the majority of our Friday nights with them just hanging out.  This has been so good for my family but especially for me.  Babies are so therapeutic and during a time when I needed to cuddle a baby, here they were. God put them in our life for a reason and I am so very grateful for our friendship.  I have withdrawals when we don’t see them. As I type this, it’s been a full week since I’ve seen them and it seems like an eternity.

Jeff and I are still hosting a small group in our home each Sunday. I LOVE this!!  We currently have 6 couples and 18 kids each week. We have time for worshiping the Lord through music, a time for studying the Word through a video/book study and a time for breaking bread with these families that we consider family. This group has blessed us in so many ways. For years I’ve wanted to host (not lead) a small group but apparently He had other plans for us.  Thankfully I don’t have to lead it, Jeff gets to do that but I just love having family in my home each week, especially when we get to talk about the Lord and learn what He wants for us and the way in which He wants us go.  We are still grieving the loss of our friend Josh and talk about him and his family each week. We pray for them often and if you are a praying person, I’d like to ask you to pray for them during this holiday season, the first Christmas without him.

In September, Jeff’s best friend got married and Jeff had the honour of being the best man. The wedding was in New Orleans so he and I had an opportunity to escape there for the weekend. It was such a beautiful wedding and the reception was SOOOO much fun. I’d never been to a traditional New Orleans wedding so I am glad I was able to be there for it. It was likely our last trip there as his parents were in the middle of packing their house and moving to Houston.  Just a few weeks later, they were in Houston, just a few miles from us.  It’s great having them so close now.

I got sick over Thanksgiving and was pretty much down and out for a full week. It was brutal! Having a fever, as an adult, felt like death. For real, I thought I was dying and it wasn’t even that high of one, I think it was 101.3 at the highest but I seriously thought I was going to die. For days, I sat there thinking “I’m going to meet Jesus any moment”. I’m not joking; it crossed my mind multiple times. Jeff and the kids took such good care of me. They truly are the best.

My Grandfather isn’t doing well. His memory is worse by the day. We’ve been here for 4 days and he’s asked Jayden no less than 15 times if he plays basketball, how many points he has per game and what grade he’s in. He’s asked Kiarra just as many times when she graduates and if she is the same age as Jakob.  I’m so glad he knew who we all were (I’m not sure I would have been able to handle that). Each morning I ask him what he wants for breakfast and each time he tells me “oh, I don’t eat breakfast”.  I just chuckle because I know I made him breakfast yesterday, and the day before, etc.  At lunch we’ll ask him what he wants for lunch and he’ll say “well I haven’t eaten anything today but I don’t need anything”.  If I wasn’t here to have witnessed him eating breakfast, I’d think he hadn’t eaten all day. It breaks my heart. I hate this for him, for my kids, for me, for my Mom (and her sisters), all my cousins and everyone who loves him.

I’m excited to be home for Christmas again this year. I just love spending time with family and for my kids to spend time with all their cousins, big and small. This year is super special because we have new little tiny baby that I can’t wait to meet and cuddle.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I pray you have a very Merry Christmas!!

XOXO

WHY LORD

This year has been the most challenging year we’ve faced in a while, if not ever, especially the past 6-8 weeks. This blog isn’t the happy “here is an update on my family” blog, it’s more a cry of my heart.  Let me be very clear in that this is NOT to get anyone to feel sorry for me. It’s not a “woe me” message, I am good. I’ve found strength and truth through each of these situations. 

If you are facing trials and troubles right now, read this message with a hopeful heart that you can overcome those trials through the love and truth that Jesus has promised us.  When you are upset, pick up your bible, read some Proverbs and Psalms, google what you are troubled about and find some scripture to meditate on. I’m not perfect, I don’t claim to be, but through these very rough waters we’ve faced the past few months, I wouldn’t be where I am today, with a hopeful heart, without the scriptures I’ve shared below.  Are these the perfect scripture for each of our trials, NOPE, but they spoke to me in my time of pain, anger, grief, fist in the air asking the Lord WHY screaming, “why Lord is this happening?”  Some people say we should never question the Lord, we shouldn’t be mad at Him, but you know what…He can handle it. It’s important that you continue to talk to Him, you continue to meditate on His word and you continue to open your heart to Him and cry out to Him. He CAN handle it.

Growing up, my neighbor Tyci was my very best friend (I still consider her my very best friend). We can go months, sometimes years without talking and yet we can pick up right where we left off.  She was by my side through all of life’s ups and downs. She was there when I needed a shoulder to cry on and was part of all of my happy memories growing up. We were like sisters, she called my Mom “Mom” and I called her Dad “Dad”. We both had our real Mom and Dad but our parents divorced around the same time and we had each other to lean on during that time.  Her Dad, although mostly quiet, was hilarious and so kind to me. I spent a lot of time at their house (and I mean a LOT) and am so grateful for the time they invested in me. In February, Tyci’s Dad Darrell lost his battle with cancer. I felt a piece of my heart break that day. Tyci and her Dad were extremely close, closer than any other Father/Daughter I know.  He was such a kind, loving, generous man. I found myself asking, why Lord?

Psalm 34:18 – The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

In my last post, I mentioned the flooding we were experiencing. It was insane but that was nothing compared to the tragedy that occurred in our community to a friend of ours. On Tuesday morning of that week, I received a call that I’ll never forget. The voice on the other end explained that our friend Natalie and her children were taken from us at the hands of her husband.  No one will ever understand why this happened. Hearts were broken in an instant. Two families and countless friends lost their loved ones to a senseless tragedy. Natalie was so loving, such a great friend to so many and such a beautiful and amazing mother to her children. And those precious children, so young and so beautiful. They all had the most amazing hearts.  Again, I ask Why Lord? Was it really their time to go Lord? Is this how it was supposed to happen?

Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.

Job 14:5-6 – A man’s days are numbered.  You know the number of his months. He cannot live longer than the time You have set so now look away from him that he may rest, until he has lived the time set for him like a man paid to work.

At the beginning of May, my car (the family car that is only 3 years old) went kaput. I just went over 100,000 miles and sure enough, my transmission went out. I took it to the dealership we always use, Westside Chevrolet and from that moment, the next 10 days were a disaster. To say their customer service was terrible is a complete understatement.  I could go into massive details because I have it all documented but let’s just say it was appalling. We would call to ask for an update and they would say they’d call back in 30 minutes… 24 hours later I would call again for an update. It was ridiculous. At one point, Jeff drove there to get an update because they wouldn’t return calls or answer our calls and they couldn’t find the car (a huge suburban).  When it was finally finished and I went to pick it up, they couldn’t find the keys… It took 4 to find them. It was literally 250 miles over warranty and they refused to pay for it… well, at first they refused. Finally after many conversations and a call to corporate, we finally got them to cover the majority of it.  We got the car back the day before we needed to leave for Iowa.  But again, why Lord? Why am I having to go through all of this? Why is all of this being dumped on us at one time?

Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Proverbs 16:3 – Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

During the time of my car taking a dump on us, we began to discuss trading it.  Since Talan sells Chevy’s we talked with him and had him looking at vehicles for us.  After prayer and discussion we decided not to get a new car... I couldn’t handle the stress of buying a new car at the same time Mom was moving away, especially after the emotional roller coaster we had just been on with the passing of our friends.  Well, that decision only lasted a few days. After reading more about Suburban’s and how they often go to shit after 100k miles, we prayed again and started looking again.  The day my brother was flying down here (to help us move Mom to Iowa) was the day Jeff decided that we should go ahead and trade the car (and by the way, we didn’t even have the car back from the shop at this point).  Soooo I was on the phone with Talan trying to negotiate and find another Suburban or Tahoe on his lot that I liked or one that was close by that was within our budget.  I didn’t want a higher payment but knew that was inevitable since we only had the other one for 3 years.

Talan flew down Tuesday night to help us get Mom moved up to Iowa.  At this point, Mom’s entire team at work still didn’t know she was leaving.  Is that not the craziest thing?  She had verbal approval that she could go but her VP who had given her approval was layed off after making the decision so more people had to get involved.  Mom wasn’t stressed about it at all. She had faith in the Lord that He was going to see it through and He sure did.  On Wednesday, she finally got all the approvals she needed and I finally got my car back!  We packed up the moving truck that evening and they took off early Thursday morning for Ute Iowa.  Thankfully, they were able to make good time and arrived at Grandpa’s that evening.  My nephew Morgan (Teige’s son) was graduating from high school this weekend so we took off Thursday afternoon to head up there. It was all God’s perfect timing that everything worked out the way it did.  We were exhausted and only made it to Oklahoma before finding a hotel. We got up Friday and finished our drive.  We went straight to HH Chevy and traded my car. Everything went as smooth as can be.  We were in and out of there in about 90 minutes (fastest car buying experience I’ve EVER been part of).  Off we went in the new black Suburban (which by the way was the only color I didn’t want but since we were getting such a good “deal” I put my wants aside and went with it).

Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

We got to Grandpa’s and had our “tradition” of going to eat at AK’s in Ute. Delicious as always!!  But that night when we settled in at the house, I got a text that rocked our world. One of Jayden’s best friends Mom text me and asked me if I’d talk to Jayden. You see, their youngest son had just been diagnosed with leukemia. He is in the 5^th grade.  This family is the sweetest family. When Jayden was down with a pulled muscle, they were at our doorstep with pizzas, cokes and candy within 30 minutes of hearing of Jayden’s injury.  Who does that?  Well, loving and kind people do that! This family has taken Jayden on weekend trips to the lake and is always so kind and so giving.  So again, I ask, why Lord? Why is this fun, loving, kind hearted kid (and family) having go through this? I shared the heart-breaking news with Jayden and we began to pray for this sweet kid, his brother, and his amazing parents. But I still asked, why Lord?

Philippians 4:6-7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James 1:6 – But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

Saturday morning we chilled and in the afternoon we went to Morgan’s graduation.  I’m so proud of this kid. It was great to catch up with all of the family that came and to see my cousins and their cute little ones.  Sunday was the dreaded day. We unpacked the big moving truck into a storage unit, all went to have lunch and say our good-byes to Mom.  We planned the trip to have a college visit in Oklahoma on our way home so we knew we only had to drive 8 hours before getting to our hotel in Edmond. Saying good-bye was hard but not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I had a sense of calmness come over me; I had chills to my toes. I knew He was giving me strength to keep it together.  I knew the calmness was from my friends and prayer warriors in Texas praying for me and my family. Although I still don’t understand why she wants to move back to that tiny town, I know that this is the plan for her because God set this path and made all these things possible for it to happen.

Matthew 11:29-30 – Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Sunday night we had a nice dinner at a hibachi grill and then crashed at the hotel. Monday we got up and headed over to Oklahoma Christian University. We had a nice college visit, I will admit that I almost lost it one time just thinking about Kiarra going away to college but I held it together. The campus was really nice, everyone was super sweet. The dorms need some work, they are as old as the college but all it all it was a nice school.  We grabbed some lunch and headed home. On the way home, I logged in to make our house payment and noticed something very odd.  It was double the amount as normal… my first thought was “OH crap, I forgot to make it last month” but I knew there was no way because they would have been calling me. I gave them, what I thought would be a quick, call and our nice family day was suddenly ruined. They began to tell me that our escrow account was screwed up and there wasn’t anything we could do about it but pay it.  I was furious.  Who can afford a double house payment, especially in these economical times?  After being on the phone with them for 2.5 hours, I finally decided I was getting nowhere and would call them back the next day when I have papers in front of me and can talk to someone who is knowledgeable.  The next day, I call and sure enough they majorly screwed up our account when we refinanced last year. Our house payment is doubling for 12 months!  I wouldn’t have just bought a new car with a higher payment had I of known our house payment was going to double for 12 months.  I immediately knew He would work it out for us, He ALWAYS does but again… why Lord?  What are you trying to show us? Am I doing something wrong?

Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Matthew 6:28 - Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

And then, just two days later, an unthinkable, unimaginable, uncontrollable and uncomprehend-able situation occurred. A great friend of ours, someone we’ve known for 6 years because our sons play basketball together and who is also part of our weekly life group and bible study with my husband, had suffered a brain aneurysm. His wife and I have become close these past 5 months so she text me for prayer that evening as they arrived at the hospital. I was soon at her side as she began to process the reality of what was happening. He was rushed to another hospital and procedures began taking place.  Out of respect for the family, I will not share details but I will say that the events that unfolded during those first 24 hours have rocked my inner core.  Unfortunately, Josh wasn’t able to pull through and went to be with the Lord on Saturday, May 21^st.  It wasn’t the outcome we were praying for and definitely wasn’t the miracle we were all hoping for.  He leaves behind a wife, six children, many family members and friends.  Josh, just 37 years old, was a great man! He loved his family and his family loved him. He loved to serve at the church and would help anytime there was a need. From his 22 year old son in the Navy to his 4 year old princess, to his beautiful wife who is left to pick up the pieces, I ask again…why Lord?

Romans 8:28 – And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

John 10:28-29 - And I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.  My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Fathers hand.

Job 14:5-6 – A man’s days are numbered.  You know the number of his months. He cannot live longer than the time You have set so now look away from him that he may rest, until he has lived the time set for him like a man paid to work

Within 5 weeks, I questioned the Lord more than I have my enter life. All of the things I was dealing with are so unimportant now compared to what my dear friend is going through.  Having to bury her husband and somehow pick-up the pieces and find a new normal… it’s not right, it’s not fair.

Through all of this, I was gently reminded to rely on the Lord for strength and guidance.  I wanted to know WHY these things were happening. I would call friends who are further along in their walk with the Lord to mentor me and help me to see that this is ALL part of His plan.  I submitted prayer requests at church and received beautiful handwritten cards from prayer warriors with scripture to remind me that it’s all part of His plan.

Isaiah 55:8-9 – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

James 1:2-4 – Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

So through this nightmare we’ve been living in these past several weeks (I've not listed everything, we've also had lots of other items with the kids, dear friends who moved away, Taryn being bullied to the point of talking about dying, etc....), the Lord has already shown us some positive outcomes through these situations.  Friendships have been restored, at least 5 people have a new chance at life through organ donation, faith in our Lord has been strengthened. More good will come from all these trials and when they do, we must praise Him.

Please keep these families in your prayers.

Summer and Sales 2013

So apparently I never finished or published this post from a couple of years ago...

Summer and Sales

Summer flew by!!  Seriously, before I knew it - it was school registrations, volleyball tryouts, back to school shopping and dreaded thought of homework!!!  I thought about writing every week but was so consumed with the amount of activities we had going on.

The kids enjoyed their summer. It was just super busy.

 Jayden attended a couple of basketball camps, Great Adventure Camp (Christian camp), time at the lake with friends and he got the responsibility of babysitting Taryn while Kiarra was away at her activities.  Jayden turned 12 in June and we threw him a surprise b-day party.  We got him - AGAIN!  He really enjoyed that time with friends and family and want’s another “surprise” next year…. Not really a surprise if he’s already planning or thinking he’ll be surprised but we’ll see… I just may come up with something good (suggestions welcomeJ).

Kiarra attempted SACC (Strength and Conditioning Camp) but tore the ligaments around her ankle on day 1, so that didn’t work out so well for her.  She still continued to attend most days and just did upper body workouts (boring!!)  The trainers thought it was a sprain at first so had her take it easy for 2 weeks, when they realized it wasn’t getting better they had me take her to the doctor.  She was in a boot for 3 weeks and got it off just tin time to attend volleyball camp. Just a week or so after camp was tryouts and this was quite stressful because of our house situation (you can read about that below), not to mention Jeff had been out of town as well (you can read about that below as well).

Taryn, oh poor Taryn… she was SOOOO bored all summer.  Kiarra and Jayden were awesome babysitters and she enjoyed them taking care of her but with Kiarra in a boot, she couldn’t take Taryn to the pool and Jayden isn’t old enough to take Taryn by himself.  She’s the only one that didn’t have a bunch of activities so we filled up the time with sleepovers, and activities at the house.

Jeff was out of town working in Austin the entire month of August. With all the activities going on, working full time and now living out of zone for one of our kids schools, this made things quite difficult.  We drove up to Austin twice to see him. He was working 6 days a week which left no time for him to come home on the weekends so it was nice little get-a-way for us to drive up and spend time with him at the hotel.  We didn’t do much while we were there; a little shopping, went and saw the State Capitol but the best part was sightseeing.  Austin is beautiful… gorgeous actually!!  We also took Jayden to see the UT campus and football field but he could care less about them since he wants to go to A&M. He was not impressed and made that very clear.  He cracks me up!  I don’t think he’ll go to A&M anyway, but that’s what he thinks at this stage in his life so we’ll just encourage it.  Before Jeff even got home from Austin, they were already talking about sending him to another city.  His boss wouldn’t let him go but their Director wanted him to go to Dallas.  He wasn’t even home a week and he was told he needed to go to Dallas…. Here we go again, I’m getting quite good at this single mom thing, but it’s NOT something I want to do on a full time basis (or even more than a week at a time for that matter).

Rewind a few months

I’d made it quite clear to everyone that I was not happy with the house we purchased last year.  In April I started snooping on HAR to look for another house. The market was great and we had friends selling their homes within days (sometimes hours) of putting it on the market.  We looked in a few neighborhoods to build, in our neighborhood for another house (because after all I LOVE the neighborhood, just not the house) and even looked in other cities… YES, other cities.  I do love Katy but would also welcome any opportunity to relocate.  In May we found a neighborhood just a couple of miles from our home in Firethorne, I loved it….the kids loved it but Jeff was still very adamant about staying put for a few more years.  I asked him to pray about it and he still insisted that we needed to stay in this house.  Finally, one day I begged him (ok-ok, I didn’t beg - I only asked once) to go with me to look at a house.   He saw how happy this house made me and suddenly he heard from the Lord that maybe we should consider moving.  YES, thank you LORD for speaking to my hubby!!  The only downside was that Kiarra would have to go to the new High School and not Katy High School where we always thought she would go.  I mention to Kiarra that the new house is zoned to the new school and she was so excited. She expressed how she would love to go to the new school because so many of her new friends will be going there… AMEN!  This is huge.  I reached out to an old colleague of mine who is a realtor now and we put the house on the market.  We had showings immediately, quite a lot of them actually. As you know, selling a house is stressful - always keeping it 110% picked up and clean is no easy task when there are 3 kids home all day long and the oldest-most responsible one in a boot!  We went to the new neighborhood and signed paperwork to being the process of building a new house… Let’s hope 3rd times a charm. This is the 3rd house Jeff and I have built together so as long as we can keep our sanity through this process, I think we will be in this house a very long time.

Sale/No Sale

We received an offer on the house and although it wasn’t a full price offer, it was decent.  We went into contract but before the 10 day option period was up the buyers backed out.   It was devastating.  It’s now August and decision time, do we keep the house on the market or take it off and just remodel.  With school starting and volleyball tryouts weeks prior to school starting, we needed to make a decision, however Jeff is out of town, I’m working 60+ hours a week and time is just flying by. The biggest hurdle is keeping our house on the market and still allowing Kiarra to go to the new school.  This means she is out of zone and will need transportation to/from school each day.  Getting her to school in the morning isn’t a problem because we are headed to work but neither of us can leave work at 2:30 every day to pick her up.  It was weighing very heavy on my heart. I simply didn’t know what to do.  I’d pray about it but wasn’t getting the answer because honestly, the answer I wanted was to just sell the house and move into temporary housing until the new house is ready, oh yea - about the new house, they’ve barely started building it at this point… I think we only had the slab!!  Of course I wasn’t in a rush for it to be built because we hadn’t sold the house anyway but it was still another burden in my mind.  Jeff and I finally made a decision to take the house off the market and stay put, we’d remodel, put in a pool and just be content with this decision…a decision we thought was coming from our good Lord. 

Answered Prayers…

I text a dear friend of mine, who also has a daughter going to this new school, and explained to her that the buyers had backed out and that we wouldn’t be able to get Kiarra into the new school because although they would allow it, I just couldn’t get her home from school every day.  Her response to me blew me away, it made me cry and I fell to my knees.  She told me she would be happy to take Kiarra home from school each day until we move.  Friends, this is HUGE.  We don’t live far from each other but this is a big deal to me and to Kiarra.  I just didn’t feel right accepting this offer but she insisted.  What a blessing she is to our family.

Enrollment

So now that we had transportation sorted out, there was no time to wait.  We literally had to get Kiarra enrolled within a couple of days so she could attend volleyball tryouts. I thought school sports didn’t start until school started, boy was I wrong (OMG, I think I just sounded like my Mother).  I’d been talking with the school for months so I knew everything I needed to do, the registrar went over it with me many times.  Kiarra and I walked into that HUGE, seriously GINORMOUS school to register her and I hadn’t followed the right steps. I thought we were “pre-registering” her but what I actually needed to do weeks ago was go to the Administration building, and pay a fee and apply for her pre-registration…or something like that, I don’t even remember. Seriously, it was all so stressful. Just when you think you have everything you need, birth certificates, contracts for new build, physicals, etc…. not to mention Jeff had just left to go out of town.  Then, once the board or whoever approved it I could officially register her.  I remember this very clearly, it was a Wednesday and tryouts started the following week.  Eeeek!  They said it can take up to 10 days to receive the approval… TEN DAYS!!!  As much as I’m trying to stay calm and collective, this panic came over me and I just started crying.  It had already been so emotional from the moment we put our house on the market I just thought maybe this was Gods way of telling me that we just need to stay put. Then out of nowhere, a very nice lady at the administration building approached me promised to help us and see this through. She was another blessing.  Before noon on Friday, we had the approval.  AMEN!!  I was working that Friday but as soon as I got the email, I was Off to the school to get her registered. We arrive to the school and there is not a person in site. It’s practically empty, only a few construction workers finishing up some last minute touches.  What am I going to do now? She can’t attend tryouts on Monday if she’s not registered…  We waited around a few minutes thinking maybe everyone was out to lunch. Just as we started to walk back to the car, I see someone in the office.  I knocked on the door and it just happened to be one of the principles.  He opened the door and explained that no one in the office works on Fridays during the summer… WHAT!!??  I felt my heart drop again and Kiarra instantly had tears in her eyes.  I explained to him that with tryouts being on Monday, I really need to get her enrolled and I asked what time they will be there on Monday so I can come back to enroll her.  He was so nice and said “I think the registrar is here, let me see if I can find her”… Seriously friends, one blessing after another!  The registrar was there and although she wasn’t super happy to help us, she took the paperwork, reviewed it to ensure we had every I dotted and every T crossed and then said that she’d finalize everything on Monday but that Kiarra could go to volleyball tryouts on Monday. We both shed tears of joy on the way to the car. AMEN!

Volleyball/Back to School

After all that craziness with getting Kiarra enrolled in school, she was able to try out for volleyball and she made the Freshman A team.  All in all they had a pretty good season.  There were too many girls on the team and the coach liked the “fun/fair/positive” crap but other than that they did well and Kiarra was able to play a lot.  I always thought football was the rough sport so when she suffered a concussion during an intense game against Katy I was quickly brought to reality and that every sport is kind of dangerous.  I always thought it would be a rolled ankle or jammed finger but a concussion…only my child J

The kids were excited to go back to school this year.  Kiarra in high school, Jayden in Jr High and Taryn in 1st grade. 3 kids in 3 different schools, working lots of hours, husband out of town, house on the market and volleyball games twice a week was all quite overwhelming but you know what, I wouldn’t change it for the world.  This is my life and I love it.

Sale of House

We received other offers on our house and had many people interested in it but unfortunately our realtor didn’t do her part to see those through.  We lost one deal over a simple $250 neighborhood deed restriction rule book that she refused to let us pay for.  Seriously, $250?  Ugh!  After many prayers, discussions and considerations we decided to let her go.  So now what??  We have to sell this house by December 20th or Kiarra will have to transfer schools back to the school in our zone.  Again, after many discussions, prayer and tears, Jeff and I decided that at semester break, she’d just have to transfer to Katy High School.  End of discussion…. Or so we thought.  I was content with the decision and although I wasn’t happy about it, I knew it was the right thing. I even had someone come and give me quotes on a new kitchen and custom paint throughout the entire house.  I went to the sales associate of the new builder and explained to them that we needed to go ahead and cancel our contract. I hated to do it but there was just no other choice at this point.  I didn’t even care if we lost our earnest money, we just needed out of the contract.  Here we go, another blessing… She was amazing. She explained to me that we just had a bad experience (a very bad one I might add) and not to give up yet.  She asked if we’d trust one of their preferred realtors to re-list our house and was so positive and refreshing about the entire situation, something I was not used to because our other realtor was not that way.  I couldn’t even contain myself, I was so emotional. I was happy/nervous/stressed/anxious/overjoyed all at the same time. Mario called me later that day and we talked for a very long time about what we (Jeff and I) wanted and how we were going to tackle this.  See, we missed out on the prime time to sell our house over the summer and now school has started so I didn’t have high expectations.  Our new realtor came by and gave me a ton of tips to make the house look bigger.  Again, during this time, Jeff is STILL out of town (have I mentioned that enough in this post)… so the kids and I moved furniture around and sure enough, the house looked great.  I almost fell in love with it all over again, but shhh - don’t tell Jeff, he’d kill me.  LOL.  The house went back on the market in October and within a few weeks, we had an offer.  It wasn’t the best and it wasn’t our asking price but it was an offer and we were elated.  After a little negotiating, we signed the contract, inspections were schedule and we started packing.  I’d had my eyes on a few lease houses over the months but of course those were long gone.

Now where are we going to live??

Closing was scheduled to be within a month so now we needed to find a place to live. There were only 2 lease houses in the zone we needed and those were not going to work for us so I went to the only apartment complex that is zoned to the High School and Jr High (so the kids can ride the bus).  I’ve not lived in an apartment for 15 years.  My oh my, these apartments seem so small!  Closing is scheduled for the day before Thanksgiving and we are just praying all goes well and we can finally be done with this house…

Mom has moved in

April showers bring May flowers... Today, we are experiencing and insane amount of rain, streets are flooded all across the city. We got 17 inches of rain in about 14 hours. Schools are all cancelled, businesses are closed, and there is more rain coming..

This past weekend, we moved Mom out of her house and into ours.  In January she dropped the bomb on us that she wanted to go ahead and move to Iowa this spring.  For years, we knew she was going to move to Iowa when she retired but she still has a few years for that so mentally I had time to prepare, or so I thought.  I keep trying to convince myself that I'm strong enough to handle this but the reality is that I'm not strong at all. I keep it together for the kids but I'm weak and I'm sad and my heart is breaking.  I am relying solely on the Lord to carry me through this. My friend shared this verse with me and it's helped me so much..

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

9-But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.  10-That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.

He is carrying me through this difficult time. I will continue to be weak and sad but I will look to Him to guide my path and give me strength to get through these difficult days.  I'm so excited to have Mom living with us for the next month.  I want to use this time wisely and soak up as much of her as I can.  She thinks I'll be ready to get rid of her after being under the same roof for a month. I don't think I'll let her go, maybe I'll just hold her captive here.

   

Kiarra and Mom - Feb 2016

Jayden and Mom - April 2016

Taryn and Mom - Nov 2015

Me and Mom - Dec 2015

About the sale of her house... we spent a good month decluttering and getting her house stage ready to put on the market.  She hired a realtor and the house officially went on the market on Friday, March 18th. On Monday, March 21st, she had a written offer for more than she was asking.  PRAISE THE LORD!  As if things were not already moving to fast for me (moving 2 years ahead of schedule), now her house sells in record time which means she's moving sooner than my head (and heart) can process.  She packed the remainder of her items and this past weekend we moved everything to a storage unit.  We still have a few items to get from her house but closing is scheduled for this Friday so God willing, all will go well!

Jayden has finally healed from pulling a muscle in his leg during the first track meet this season. It was a long boring recovery for him but all is well now.  He played in his first AAU basketball tournament of this season over the weekend and it was a little sore but nothing he couldn't handle.  He played well.  Friday night was his 8th grade dance.  He looked so handsome and Alex looked gorgeous. They said they had a great time.  He and Alex will celebrate their 6 month anniversary this weekend (this is a pretty big deal for 14 year olds).  

Kiarra got a new job and loves it.  Baskin Robbins was a good first job for her but the management there was terrible.  TERRIBLE!!  She was reprimanded for doing homework while working... There are HOURS that go by that no customers come into the shop. So... she (and others) would use that time to study and do homework.  Her boss called her while she was at school the week of finals to reprimand her for doing homework... the week of FINALS...  He should be happy she was doing her homework and not leaving the store to go to the car to smoke weed like some of the other kids that work there. Seriously!  Think about this... he called her to reprimand her for doing homework on the job when she was at school... didn't he basically just do to her what he didn't want her doing..? Following me here?  I was NOT happy with that situation and we make her quit.  No need to work for someone like that when there are plenty of other places to get a job. Before quitting, she had another one lined up.  That one fell through (a whole lot of unfortunate circumstances) but after a few weeks and many applications to restaurants and stores in the mall, she landed a good one making $3 more an hour than the others she applied to.  She's now working for a Swim Academy as a deck monitor but was trained to give swim lessons too.  So, when she is ready they'll promote her to be an instructor.  Her boss has already talked to her about it but for now she wants to continue to be a deck monitor.  Kiarra and Harvey have been dating for 5 months.  He is so good to her, such a sweet guy to steal her heart.

Taryn has grown so much, physically, mentally... I can't believe my baby girls is such a big girl now. She grew 3 inches just from December to April.  She has been through a lot this school year. She's been bullied to the point of saying "Mommy, I just want to die"... WHOA - talk about pulling at the heart strings and wanting to kick some boys butt!  It is so frustrating when the teachers do nothing about it. She finally moved classrooms and things are so much better now.  Her grades improved and she no longer cries before going to school in the mornings.  She is still struggling with reading so she participates in an awesome program,iStation, at school that has helped a lot!  She'll be re-zoned to another new school next year so hopefully we get good teacher and an awesome principle.  This will be her 3rd school and we've not moved!  Our area is growing so fast, new schools are popping up every few years.  She got braces on her top teeth 2 days before Christmas. These are not to straighten her teeth (although that is a great benefit), however they were put on to pull 2 teeth forward that were growing way far back in her mouth. They were causing her jaw to be out of line and giving her headaches so the braces have helped with that.  She'll get them off next month (I think).

Tamia is graduating next month!!  Whats the heck, not even sure how this is possible. We've not seen her since Thanksgiving but have been in contact here and there.  We miss her soooo much.  She'll be headed to college this fall, we are so proud of her.  She is so excited to turn 18 this summer.

When did I become old enough to have a kid that is old enough to date, let alone 2 of them??!!  These past 6 months have brought so much fun into our family, challenges too, but mostly fun..  I'm not sure I was ready for both of them to start dating, at the same time, but we jumped in feet first and here we are.  Our rule  has been very clear for years. No dating until high school, period! And even in high school, we may or may not agree to it and/or allow it.  We also made it very clear that we are not going to let them practice divorce.  If you want to date, after prayer and discussions, fine but don't think you are breaking up after your first little disagreement.  Well, Jayden is in 8th grade, which definitely is not high school, but he was very mature about it and asked if we'd make an exception to our rule.  After praying about it and having many conversations, and praying some more, we agreed to it.  Even after we agreed to it, he waited a few weeks to ask her out.  They are too cute.  And the best part of it, she and her family attend our church now.  I love how the Lord places people in our path at just the right time.

Jeff and I are hosting/leading a small group in our home on Sunday nights.  This has been sooooo good for me/us.  We have 10 adults and 15 kids and it.is.awesome. Of course anytime you start a new bible study the enemy wants to creep in to attack but it's not happening... Not in MY house!  We are doing the Love and Respect marriage study and it's soooo good! We did it years ago with some dear friends but times were different then, it's almost like I'm doing it for the first time.  In January, we attended a Life Action Summit that rocked our world.  If you ever have the chance to attend one of these, do it!  It is soooooo worth it. We went to church everyday, for eleven days, for hours each day.  Some days (during the week) it was 3 hours, other days it was 5 or 6.  I will never be the same, I had life altering experiences at that summit, new friendships were built and I am closer to the Lord than ever before.  PTL.

In February, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law had another baby. She is soooo precious and so cute. They have their hands full with a newborn, 2 year old and 4 year old.  We love those girls so much and they love their uncle Jeff.  He plays on the floor with them and lets them beat the crap out of him (tee hee).  They are so funny.  I forget how cute and funny toddlers are. 

We made a trip to New Orleans last month to visit Jeff's parents.  We had a great time. We haven't been there in years.  We spent one day in the French Quarters and it was so nice.  The weather was beautiful and it was good to see the city alive once again.  The next day, Jayden, Jeff and Perry went to a basketball game while us girls had a day of shopping and nice dinner. Sunday was Easter so we attended church with them and then had a nice breakfast before heading out to come home.  On our way home we stopped to see some old friends who we hadn't seen in a couple of year. 

We'll be headed to Iowa in May for Morgan's graduation (Teiges youngest son) and that is the same weekend we are moving Mom up there.  Looking forward to seeing the family again!

Until next time...

Holland & New Opportunities

In my last post, I ended with a brief paragraph on my job situation. I’m very happy to announce that I left that place and am so very fortunate and grateful for a new opportunity that came so quickly.  The week my Director was let go was the week I was going to give my notice but since that happened I put it off thinking things would get better. I’d applied for a couple of jobs and was either over qualified, didn’t meet their requirements of having a degree, or they couldn’t pay what I was asking. I was being as patient as I could stand to be whilst being stressed out at my job due to the harassment and highly inappropriate comments made by the Director. I can’t even put into words or explain the craziness. He being let go was the best decision that company has made.  I was treated so unfair and it was so obvious to everyone. I would ask to leave 30 minutes early for an appointment or to attend a function for one of the kids and he’d make me take a half-day vacation but my co-worker could ask to leave an hour early and he’d let her work through lunch to leave early.  He shaved his face at my desk!  He would talk for hours about aliens…..  It was INSANITY!

Anyway, I finally mustered up enough courage to quit in hopes that I’d find something quickly. I was really holding out for an offer from a large oil and gas company that has presence in Houston but since they were being acquired by another massive oil and gas company, they put the job on hold. I had two really good interviews with them and they assured me that once the job was re-opened they’d let me know. There was massive flexibility with that role, flexible hours, working from home a couple of days a week or when need be, 9/80 schedule, etc. That job being put on hold put a little wrench in my plan but being in the industry for so many years, I had a lot of contacts to reach out to again.  The problem is that with this downturn, no one is hiring. It’s very difficult to get a job right now so on one hand I was grateful to have a job but on the other I just couldn’t deal with the stress anymore. I gave my notice on September 11^th and didn’t look back.  My supervisor was so inexperienced that he didn’t know what to do with my resignation letter, I had to tell him to take it to HR. He didn’t know how to conduct a handover or do a proper MoC so I did my best to hand over my current tasks to a co-worker who unfortunately didn’t’ have any experience in that area. I miss my co-workers a lot.  We endured some crazy shit the past 6 months and if it wasn’t for us all sticking together and laughing through the madness, I don’t know what I would have done.

I’m now working for another oil and gas company, Petrofac. I spent a week in Holland in October and am so grateful for this opportunity. I’m an Implementation Consultant and am now working with many clients around Houston. So far, I love it.  I have flexibility and am treated like an adult. No one is watching over my shoulder to see if I’m here at a certain time, or tracking my every move. We are adults, we all have a job to do and as long as we get it done, we have the flexibility to manage our clients, tasks and time.

October and November flew by.  Kiarra played in her last volleyball game and Jayden finished up his Jr. High Football season.  Kiarra had a great final season and played with a great group of girls.  They took 2^nd place in district which is something to be proud of.  Jaydens football team also took 2^nd place in district. 

Taryns birthday was in November and she wanted to have a painting party. I LOVE painting so this was so much fun for me to plan.  We kept it simple and had the girls paint on canvas and then they all spent the night.  It was a great group of girls!  We played telephone, musical chairs, drop the pin, pop the balloon (and do whatever silly item on the paper inside), etc.  They all had a blast but most importantly, Taryn felt special on her big day. With the other kids being older now and having boyfriends/girlfriends, she's not getting the attention she is used to getting so it was great that she had a night dedicated just to her.

Basketball has begun and Jayden couldn’t be more excited.  I love watching him on the court.  He is so passionate about basketball and it shows.

Christmas is in 11 days and for the first time in a few years, I’ve actually started my shopping already – YAY!!  Kiarra and I knocked out a bunch of it on Friday and I kept trekking along Saturday.  I still have several items on my list but it feels good to know I don’t have to knock it all out in one day this year.  Can’t wait to see the family in Iowa for Christmas this year.  The kids love seeing their cousins and I love seeing all of my family.  I hate living so far from family but am very grateful for the few days each year we get to spend with them.

 

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

Oh Snap.. it's September

Since my last post, a LOT has happened in our lives. This may be my longest blog yet…  It’s been a tough year, but I’m finally able to share a glimpse of what has been going on in our lives.

December was a great month!  Since it was our first Christmas in the new house, I had to go out and buy a few more decorations and there is no other store better that Pier 1 for the cutest decorations.  I almost can’t wait for Christmas again this year just so can pull out those cute little reindeer again! Our dear friend Penny was in town so we got to have dinner with her and her husband and sweet kiddos along with our group of other friends.  We finally got to see Tamia which was great.  We snapped a few pictures while she was with us for the weekend.  December flew by and before I knew it, Christmas was here and we finalizing our plans to get to Iowa to celebrate with family.  Before going, we had our Christmas celebration at home, on a school night, with the fireplace going. It was a nice little celebration.  My cousin was throwing my aunt a surprise retirement party and it just happened to be a couple of days before Christmas so we were able to join in on that. My Aunt Peg had worked at the courthouse for 32 years!  My kids babysat my cousin’s kids so the adults were all able to go to the bar and have a few drinks with the family after the celebration at the courthouse.

 We had plenty of time to spend with family for Christmas last year.  We had our traditional Christmas Eve with the Melby side at my Aunt Loretta/Uncle Russ’s house and as always, it was a great time. There is never a dull moment when around this side of the family.  It wouldn’t have been a great evening without a game of Heads Up and Mom showing us her lap dancing skills (I hope to go the rest of my life without ever having to see this again…).  Great people, food, conversation, games, laughter and just an overall great time.  Seeing the littlest boys in the family was icing on the cake.  These 3 boys are so dang cute and have so much energy.

Christmas morning was a typical morning for us being out of town. The kids slept in, barely remembered “Santa” and then we headed to Teige and Kathy’s house for the day.  After a delicious meal, Teige and his father-in-law took the kids and Jeff outside and they all shot guns. My kids have never shot a gun before and Jeff hadn’t shot these types of guns so they had an afternoon of fun doing that.  It was loud and I was a bit freaked out but they had a great time.  That evening we had the Thompson Christmas at my Grandpas house so we got to see the remainder of the family that evening.

Before heading home, we had to have an evening at the Ulvens so the kids could hang out and the adults could catch up.  Thanks to my brother Talan for getting me sick, I wasn’t feeling the best so basically just sat and stared at them while they ate and conversed.  Our kids and their kids get along so great, it’s doesn’t matter that a year or sometimes 2 years go by without them seeing each other, they always pick up right where they left off.

Besides seeing family, the best part of the trip was getting to see my sweet high school friend Melissa, her husband, their kids, her parents and her sisters and their families. It’s been years since I’ve seen all of them.  It was so great to catch up with all of them!

 We spent New Years Eve with some of our very best friends and since I can’t remember much of that night, it must have been a good one!!

 2015 was a year I had thought about since the day I had my first baby girl. It’s the year she’d turn 16!!  What do we do, a big party, a small party, a surprise party, rent a hall, go skating, have it at the house….. Does she get a car, what kind of car, jeep, truck, little car, big car, blue, purple, green, silver…?? When I would inquire about a party, she simply said she wanted something small, maybe a few girls spending the night and going to dinner or maybe taking a few girls to the beach for a couple of days.  She was adamant about not having a big party…  We’d thrown Jayden a few surprise parties and a few years ago she’d mentioned that she’d loved to be surprised one day… hmmm, yessss… the decision was made to throw her a surprise party!!  With her actual birthday being in February, I knew we’d have to do the party in January if we really wanted to pull off the surprise.  Since I couldn’t ask her who she wanted invited, this became quite challenging.  I have a pretty good grasp on her friends and knew which friends I could trust with getting the invites out for me, I was just hoping I didn’t leave someone out (which I did and I’m still very sorry for that) or that one of her friends would accidentally say something at lunch or whenever.  Her favorite color is purple so I thought we’d request that everyone must wear purple to get into the party.  Since we invited 60 of her friends, were having the party at our house with a DJ and photo booth, we knew we wouldn’t be able to have kids at the party so we turned it into an adult only (13 and up) party.  Invites went out, cake was ordered, logistics were ironed out and now it’s time for the big day.  I’d made arrangements with Mom for her to ask Kiarra to be spend the day/night with her and then had all sorts of lies concocted to get them over to my house for the actual party that evening.  What I didn’t know is that Kiarra had seen a calendar at her friend’s house the day she went to Moms that said “Kiarra’s Surprise Party” for the next calendar day so each of the lies and goose chase places I sent them on all day was causing Kiarra some anxiety. Each time she and Mom went somewhere, she thought the surprise was happening at that time and when it didn’t she was like “what the heck is going on”.  The final goose chase was telling them to come to our house and we’d all ride in the car together in my suburban to go eat at Babins. She is thinking, “ok-ok, everyone will be at Babins”….  Hahahahahahhaaaa, think again sweetheart…  Kiarra walked into our house and everyone screamed SURPRISE… I think she was actually surprised.  The party was a great success, everyone danced, took a ton of pictures in the photo booth, ate a bunch of goodies and had a great time. It was as perfect as I hoped it would be.

 February was a whirlwind. My boss was unexpectedly let go and since we were in the middle of a system implementation, this became a little tricky.  Mom and Kiarra both had birthdays that month so we enjoyed celebrating them but soon after their birthdays, everything changed and it became a very emotional month.  My best friends Mom/my Moms best friend was diagnosed with brain cancer. She lived with my Mom and we’d become pretty close in the past couple of years. My kids loved her and she loved them.  It was no secret that Jeff was her favorite though!   It’s a month I’ll never ever forget. My friend comes into town to take her Mom to her home with her for what we thought would be a short period of time. She knew something wasn’t right, and that week everything changed. A trip to the ER, which led to cat scans, other tests and a hospital transfer to a bigger more experienced one, turned into brain cancer, brain surgery, and a life changing, heart breaking emotional rollercoaster. It’s so hard seeing someone you’ve known your whole life go through the motions of taking care of their mother knowing there is no cure for this type of cancer.  They were all so brave and so strong through it all.  We made it over to see her several times and I’m so grateful for those days.  Seeing my Mom hurt so deeply for her best friend tore my heart to shreds and seeing my best friend care for her Mom on a daily basis knowing the outcome wasn’t going to be good was just something I couldn’t digest. I am in awe of her strength through it and will forever be grateful to her and her family for opening their home to Mom and I to visit any chance we could get.

 Kiarra’s club volleyball team had a rough start but they ended up having a good season. She played with some great girls and since that was her last year to play club it was bitter sweet. We had several out of town tournaments so I got some good one-2-one time with my girl.  If I could convince her one thing over the next 3 months, it would be to play club again this season and again her senior year next year. She is pretty adamant about not playing again after this school season.  I love watching her on the court.  I don’t know how she makes some of the plays that she makes but she does and I’m so proud of her for putting her all into something she loves.

 Jaydens school basketball team had a great season.  Jayden is a beast on the court. I love watching him play, especially when he gets mad.  Whew, he gets mad and TURNS.IT.UP.  I love it.  He also had a great season in track.  He did the high jump, triple jump, 800 m, 4x400 m and the 4x100m.  He placed in most meets but broke the 7^th grade boy’s school record in the 800 m as well as won district champ for the 800 m.  Jayden has had a good year.  He was also inducted into the National Junior Honor Society along with 300 other kids from his school.  Several of his art pieces were displayed at the KISD Administrative building which was pretty cool. His art teacher expressed how disappointed she was when he told her that he wouldn’t be taking art in 8^th grade.  Once school basketball season ended, it was on to AAU. Jayden played with a fun bunch of kids again this year. They had a few really good games, but there is one I will hopefully remember the rest of my life – triple overtime and Jayden hit a 3 pointer at the buzzer to put us into the 3^rd overtime of that game. It was awesome.  He also had the opportunity to play in the Blacktop battle this year.  This is an outdoor tournament sponsored by the Houston Rockets. He and his boys won the age bracket they were in.

 Makenzie and Talan came down for a visit in May. It’s always a fun time when they are in town. She celebrated her 19^th birthday with us which was fun.  Although they were only here a couple of days, we packed in as much as togetherness as we could in those days. Movies, games, 1000 piece puzzles, mini golf, Mexican food and lots of laughs… lots and lots of laughs that may or may not have included helium.

 School was coming to an end and Kiarra was getting anxious to get her license.  What is the point of having a license if you don’t have a car, right?  After all, I’ve been planning to buy her a car for 16 years!  Jeff and I didn’t exactly see eye to eye on the car situation so I had a bit of persuading to do….it didn’t take much before he was on board too.  My brother had been telling me cars that would be good for her and I’d been looking on and off for several months to try and find a good deal.  We finally settled on a 2014 Chevy Cruze, it’s cute and fits her well.  She loves it and has taken good care of it.  Soon after getting her the car, she got her license and is a legal driver!  YAY.

 The kids wrapped up the 2014-15 school year the first week of June.  They all had really good report cards which always makes this Mama happy.  Kiarra was excited to get a job, Jayden was excited to sleep, play basketball and hang out with his friends and Taryn was excited to sleep in and watch tv.  This summer was the first summer ever that they basically didn’t have rules. I didn’t make them read for an hour each day or write me a story with 4-5 random words where they had to use their brain to come up with some silly story. They went to the pool a lot, went roller skating, out to lunch with their friends, to the mall and all that good stuff.  Jayden and Taryn spent a week at Great Adventure camp.  This was Jaydens 5^th year to go and Taryns 1^st year.  They both had a blast and returned home with no voice and completely exhausted.  Kiarra attended a volleyball camp, worked and hung out with friends.  Her first summer with a little freedom now that she has a car.

 In July, we decided to take a mini vacation and go to San Antonio for a couple of days.  We stayed at a great hotel (what is it about kids LOVING hotels??), went to Six Flags, Sea World and then hit up downtown and went to Ripley’s Believe It or Not.  Can’t go to San Antonio without stopping to see family.  It was with sad hearts that we had to say goodbye to our dear friend for the last time on this earth. She passed on the following weekend. RIP sweet lady!  Mom and I were able to make the trip to Iowa for her memorial service. It was an absolutely beautiful service. The sermon was perfect, the music was touching and friends and family came together to pay respects to a wonderful woman who had the sweetest heart and best laugh in the world.

 August was here before we knew it and that means VOLLEYBALL. Kiarra is playing on the JV team again this year and couldn’t be happier.  There are a lot of talented girls this year and they’ve had a great start to the season.  Of course August also means back to school so boooooo to that!  Jayden is playing football again this year so he’s been practicing daily after school and awaiting the first game of the season. School started two weeks ago and so far they are all happy with their schedules and teachers.  They all seem to be happy with their teachers.  Kiarra is attending 2 schools this year, she’s taking a criminal justice program in addition to her regular classes at her high school.  Jayden has a full load with regular classes in addition to Algebra to get a jump on a high school credit.  Taryn really likes her teachers but has a couple of bad boys in her class.  They get in trouble a lot and she just doesn’t understand why they can’t follow the rules (don’t we all).  She is enjoying that she gets to switch class rooms this year and doesn’t have to be stuck in the same classroom each day.  Hoping for an uneventful 2015-16 school year.

 Jeffs job is still great. He works from home several days a week so that has been nice.

 My job is so-so.  Lots of changes this year with a new director and dealing with some really crazy personalities, micro-managing, inappropriate comments, etc.  I can’t go into detail but if you have a great boss, PLEASE be grateful for that.  Tell them they are awesome.  Thank them for being awesome.  I’ve had some great bosses and looking back I took that for granted. I didn’t know someone could be so horrible until experiencing the things I’ve experienced this year. Thankfully, he was terminated a week ago.  I’m looking forward to the future, whatever it may be…

 

Well, that is all for now.  Hope you enjoyed the book! J

So Thankful and Blessed

This year, we hosted Thanksgiving at our house… in our New HOME. I’m so thankful and grateful for so many things but “family” is near the top of the list.  What would we do without family?  I think of those that don’t have a family or those that have to spend it alone because they don’t get along with their family and this makes me so sad.  I’m so grateful to have a family that I get along with (most of the time – LOL) and love dearly.  We kicked off the holiday Wednesday night with appetizers, chili and a movie in our theater room followed by a very yummy Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. Friday was low key, we hung out and played games and the kids and Jeff watched a movie with Jeff’s parents.  We had our annual dinner at Pappadeaux followed by going to a high school football game that Tamia was performing at during halftime.  The kids and I have not seen her since January 2013 and although we didn’t get to talk to her, we got to see her and watch her dance. It was so great to see her and that beautiful smile of hers, and I think she was excite to see us tooJ.  Hopefully we can start seeing her more and build up our relationship again.

 



Jeff carving the turkey - doesn't he look so cute!!

My little helper in the kitchen.

Basketball is ramping up and Jayden’s first game is this week! He made the A team and we are super proud of him for his hard work and dedication to this sport.  He’s a giant now, I think he’s about 5’9” or maybe even 5’10” and eats 3 times the amount of the rest of us.

Club Volleyball is in full force as well.  Kiarra’s first tournament of the season is this weekend and it’ll be interesting to see how they do.  We are at a new club this year and we only know 2 other girls on the team so I’m excited to see how they play.

We are planning to get Taryn back in dance now that our schedules are not as crazy.  Poor thing, she is just sooooo bored and doesn’t get to do aaaannyyyyyyyything!  She is seriously growing up way too fast.  Now that she has big (HUGE) teeth in front, she looks so different.

Christmas is right around the corner and I can’t wait to get my shopping done and get our trip planned.  We put out 6 trees up over the weekend and are hoping to get the outside lights done this week.