New Year, New Me??

 Welp, I dropped the ball....again. So much for blogging every day in November. I guess I have a lot of ground to cover for the past few months. What a better morning to catch up than one where I wake up not feeling great and the wind chill is in the single digits. I'm bundled up with a hot cup of coffee, enjoying the quiet (P and Rob are at work and E is still sleeping). So, I thought I'd use the time to catch up on our blog.

I don't know where to begin- like usual when I take a hiatus- so this may be a jumbled blog. November through the beginning of January have not been the easiest. No. I am not going to sugarcoat it and make it look all pretty for the sake of others seeing it. So, let me rephrase that. November through early January have been downright brutal and absolutely shredded me. Parenting is hard. I naively thought that, once kids were self sufficient, it'd get easier. Wrong! Parenting teens is not for the faint of heart. Sleepless nights, anxiety, countless tears and walking on eggshells about sums up parenting teens. But, on the bright side, I can honestly say that I am so thankful for a godly husband who has become my teammate more so since being saved than ever before. Our bond is stronger than it's ever been and I love it!

Despite the hard, there has also been a lot of good. We stayed local for Thanksgiving and enjoyed a quiet- if not a tad boring- week at home. We are pinching pennies due to a huge, unexpected house repair in late August. So, we did not travel anywhere like we usually do during Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving night we bundled up and went to the local baseball stadium that had been converted to a Winter Wonderland. The boys enjoyed ice-skating with some school friends we had run into and I loved looking at all the beautiful lights. 

We have gone to Alabama a couple times over the past couple months to spend time with our 96 year old uncle at his farm. We always enjoy our time there. It is a time filled with roaring fires in the fireplace, watching football games, good food, stories told by him and priceless memories. A couple weekends ago we went there and E ended up killing a once-in-a-lifetime buck. I got to be with him when it happened and it was such a fun hunt!

In December we had a busy month. We spent time with friends and church family. We also got to spend Christmas with my family for the first time in almost a decade. It was a low-key week with them because of the weather. But, it was a nice reset- a time of naps, board games, family devotions and an early birthday celebration for E. The day after we got back, we celebrated E's 13th birthday with a couple of his buddies. He wanted to go to a local trampoline park/arcade and then we had a late lunch at a local hibachi restaurant. It was local key compared to years past, but that's what he wanted to do.

Last weekend the boys went to a youth retreat and Rob and I enjoyed some much needed husband/wife time. We prepped for the forecasted ice storm, went out for a nice steak dinner, slept in and watched movies. I absolutely loved every minute of our weekend together! Due to the weather, the youth retreat was cut a little short. When the boys got home, I enjoyed listening to the memories they created and how they were challenged spiritually.

I laugh because Rob turns into a meteorologist when skinning deer and can determine, even in early October, what kind of winter we're going to have based off the deer. He told me it was going to be a really cold Winter and I reminded him that he said that last year and it wasn't too bad. This winter hasn't been bad until January. And then, oh my word, it has been beyond chilly! I feel like I can't ever warm up. Rob has had to work a lot this week because a Winter snow/ice storm pushed through last weekend and the damage from it has been catastrophic! Trees down, schools shut down, over 150k without power, deaths, roadways closed (with cars on them). I think this is the first time that I can ever remember actually looking forward to Winter being over and warm temps being the norm.

But, that is how life is....some days are warm and sunny and some days are downright cold and miserable. The beauty of it all, though, is that every day is a new day. The storms pass. The sun comes out. And life keeps going. Through it all, we love, show grace and grow from the trying times. I am thankful that both boys have a good group of friends at school, are involved in Bible Studies and have a solid youth pastor to lead them by example. 

Now, onto sunnier, warmer days full of school baseball, nights on the front porch, afternoon walks with Rebel and weekends spent fishing....

A Day...or 12 of Thankfulness

So, it's been a hot minute since I blogged about all the things I am thankful for. To keep this short, I've abbreviate the things I am thankful for and will try to blog daily for the rest of the month (Who am I kidding? That most likely won't happen.)

Nov 3- I am thankful for the beautiful area we call home. I love driving across the causeway and spillway, looking at all the wildlife. I love going to the boat landing and seeing a beautiful sunset. I love watching the leaves change colors. I love how green and relatively clean it is around here. I don't take all of this beauty for granted.

Nov 4- I am thankful for field trips. I tell all of my students, every year, that I don't define students by test scores. So I love watching kids being kids at field trips, playing with friends and not being confined to 4 walls.

Nov 5- This may seem lazy to some of you, but I am thankful for grocery order pick ups. For me, it saves me money and time. It also counts down on the amount of junk food I buy. It's nice, after a long day, to have someone else "wait on" me.

Nov 6- I am thankful that I am a teacher, which has been my dream since I was in 3rd grade. My students amaze me every day. Today I got news that they absolutely killed a district test that all 6th graders take. I am so proud of my students! There is no other profession I'd rather be a part of at this point of my life.

Nov 7- Today I'm thankful for our neighbors. In fact, I'm thankful for all of our neighbors we've had since getting married. Some were in our lives for a season and some became friends for life. But, I'm thankful that we've always had neighbors that watch out for each other and help each other when needed.

Nov 8- I am thankful that I got to spend the morning with 2 of my closest friends. We went to a large craft fair and then to lunch. Afterwards I got to spend the afternoon with E and Rob at our camp. I hate that P wasn't with us, but he has been working so many hours lately.

Nov 9- I am thankful for our church. We had a great time in our Sunday School class, laughing and digging into the Word. Then the worship time was on point and I loved the praise songs the congregation sang. I am forever thankful that my best friend invited us to give her church a try a couple years ago because we found our church family there.

Nov 10- I'm thankful for a good workout. I'll be honest and tell you that I wouldn't go if it wasn't for E wanting to work out. But, once I am there, I like the stress relief of a good workout after a long day.

Nov 11- Today, and every day, I am thankful for our veterans. It amazes me to comprehend their level of selflessness, how they give so much for my freedom. I am so thankful for our men and women in the armed forces.

Nov 12- I am so thankful for our beautifully outdated house. I love the front porch and how comfy our house is. I love the acreage it sits on. Growing up, my childhood house was always filled with guests and I wanted the same thing when I had a family of my own. I am thankful that Rob is on board with this. Between parties, out of town guests, family, and crawfish boils, I would guess that we've probably hosted about 200 people in the 3+ years we've lived here. I am so thankful for our HOME.

Nov 13- I have not felt well for about the past month or so. I'll feel good and then a few days later I'll be congested again. On the 13th I lost my voice and had very little energy so I was able to come home and take a nap after work. I am thankful for naps, especially when I don't always sleep great at night.

Nov 14- Today I am thankful for laughter. I am glad that God gave us a sense of humor and the ability to laugh. I had the CRAZIEST dream last night and I got a lot of laughs out of it as I shared it with so many people (mostly my students).

Nov 15- This brings us to today. The weather has been beautiful the past few days. Today I am thankful that it was warm enough to wear shorts and open my sunroof on the way to meet up with a friend at an outdoor craft fair. After I got home, I enjoyed taking my dog for a walk and then went for a bike ride. I am thankful for warm Fall days.

Nov 2- A Day of Rest

 Today I am thankful for a day of rest. I am not good at sitting around and relaxing. I don't know when the busyness became a way of life for me, the To-Do lists piled up everywhere. But, I struggle to just be. When life became extremely busy in August, however, I realized that I needed to make rest a priority so I didn't burn out. Most of the time my day of rest is on Sunday. Other times it's a different day. When my "rest day" happens, I still do things. But I do things I enjoy- making big meals for my boys, going to church as a family, reading, napping, taking my dog for a long walk, sitting on the front porch, baking. It's a self care day in which I reset after a busy week or before a busy week. I am thankful for these days of rest and, the older I get, the more I realize how important they are.

Nov 1- A Month of Thankfulness

 Well, it's your lucky day. I don't blog for 2 months and then I blog twice in one day? Lucky you. I woke up this morning realizing that, for the past decade, I have used November as a month to focus on our blessings, all that we have to be thankful for. Some times it is easy to overlook our blessings or just focus on the negative things. So I use the month of November to focus on one thing I am thankful for every day. 

Day 1- Today I am thankful for prayer. This week was a challenging week in several ways. I am thankful that I can talk to Rob, my parents and my friends about things. But, sometimes I just want to lay everything out there without getting advice, sarcastic remarks or sympathetic looks. I am thankful that when I want to get it all out, I can pray. God understands and tell us to come to Him. I am thankful that, unlike other countries, we have the freedom to pray about what is on our heart, not what is dictated to pray. Prayer changes things, all things, and I am thankful for it. 

A New Life

I don't know how to start this except to say that I believe in miracles. Small miracles, big miracles, all miracles. The Bible tells us to have faith and believe. But sometimes that is easier said than done (even when you believe in miracles). I digress so let me backtrack. When Rob and I first met he pretended to be a devote christian. There were red flags before we got married, but I went through with the wedding. Shortly after we got married I realized that he was not the christian that he had professed to be. So for 18 years I prayed. Not consistently and not with the faith I probably should have. But I prayed. 

Fast forward to mid September. I used to dread going to school events with him only because of his language. But, I was sitting in front of him at E's football game and noticed that he hadn't said a single cuss word during the game (and he had talked a lot). I thought it may have had to do with the man he was talking to. Then, a couple nights later, he told me that he had had a miraculous rebirth earlier in the week as he got in his truck to go to work. He told me how he broke down and just laid everything at the Lord's feet that morning, feeling like a true miracle had happened. What a glorious moment!

My dad often tells his testimony, but it's hard for me to fathom because I've always known him as the spiritual leader of the house. But now I get it. Rob is truly a new man of God. He is constantly holding us accountable, sending us scripture and making God a priority in our family. 

I often wondered how this would affect our marriage and our family IF Rob ever repented and had a real relationship with God. As most know, I can be a control freak and I am used to being the spiritual leader of our family. I didn't know if I could relinquish that "control". But, it has been so easy because I trust Rob 100% to make godly choices after spending time in prayer. It's such a release for me and I have worried less in the past 6 weeks than I have in 18 years. Do we still have bad days? Yes! But, has my perspective changed, knowing I have a godly man I can discuss things with? Absolutely!

Rob is a new man through God's love and mercy. And I am so thankful for this blessing.

Fall Frenzy

 For some, Fall means a slower pace of life. For us, it means a crazy, busy chaotic schedule. Both boys are involved in two sports. E is playing Fall travel ball with his new team and plays JR High football. I am super impressed that, although he hasn't played anything other than flag football, he starts on the defensive line for the 8th grade football team. He also starts as QB for the 7th grade team. His coaches also asked him to be a manager for the varsity football team, so he spends every Friday night being the best water boy he can be! On top of sports, he also still works 1-2 days a week, is getting involved in our church youth group (YAY!) and is pulling all A&Bs in his classes (one of them being an advanced Math class).

P started the school year on the XC team, Golf team and the Bass Fishing Team. But, he works 3-5 days a week and couldn't juggle 3 sports, work and 2 advanced classes. So, last week he decided to drop the XC team. It's the first time since 4th grade that he hasn't been on a XC team. But, he felt like it wasn't fair to the team since he wasn't even running during his "down" time. He is killing it on the Golf Team! Over the Summer he took some private golf lessons and, between the lessons and the countless hours he played golf this Summer, he has done GREAT at his 1st two tournaments this year. He's come in 1st for the school both tournaments and finished in the Top 15 for both tournaments. The best part, in my opinion, is that he and some of his buddies got together and decided to start a daily Bible Study. They meet in the parking lot before school every day. Since it's started, the group has grown quite a bit and is now a co-ed Bible Study!

Rob and I are just living vicariously through the boys. Since P drives now and has his own truck, it has lessened my load as the Mom Taxi. But, Rob is an assistant coach for E's baseball team so his schedule has gotten busier. I got nominated to help with Children's Church on Wednesday evenings so I started doing that this past week. I enjoy that the boys and I go to church on Wednesday evenings. If P doesn't have to work then the 3 of us go together. Otherwise, E and I have 1:1 time, which gives us a chance to talk. 

I am looking forward to Fall Ball being over and for cooler weather to kick in. Then it'll feel like Fall and life will slow down a bit...until the holiday season!

Memorable West Coast Trip

 Well, July finished our Summer with a BANG! We celebrated P's birthday and then headed out West for our annual Summer vacation to see my family. This time we did it a little different than usual. We flew in to see my brother and his family. Then, after spending the 4th with them, we rented a car and drove up the coast. It was so much fun! Once we got to my parents' we took another road trip to just shy of the Oregon border. I loved showing the boys where I had spent my Summers growing up. It was a lot of fun (and a little sad) to take a walk down Memory Lane. We crammed a lot into our time there with family! (and drove over 1000+ miles!!!)  

When we came back we hit the ground running. I only have a couple days left of my Summer break, and both boys picked up their class schedules today. I'm so glad that our break ended with a fabulous trip full of priceless memories!