Dear Gary,
The tides have shifted. I managed to fall asleep before midnight (mere minutes before but I'm counting it as a victory) and Carson slept in until 5:45 again. If only I had been able to sleep in past 4am....yawn.
Carson saw the kids off again this morning. He's so cheerful and pleasant in the morning and his chatter prevented them from falling asleep while waiting for their ride. I am sure they were grateful for that. He made sure they got off to seminary like a good parent would....I stayed in bed because really....how many parents do you need to make sure they don't miss their ride? One....I say, and since he was willing to do it (although not technically a parent), I let him. After they left, he came into my room with a smile on his face and his green and red Power Rangers. Our conversation went like this:
Carson: Where's Dad?
Me: In Houston.
Carson: Why?
Me: Why not?
Carson: (in a mocking voice) Why not?!
**10 seconds later**
Carson: Where's Dad?
Me: In Houston.
Carson: Why?
Me: Why not?
Carson: (mocking me again) Why not?!
I decided to check my emails and FB and he saw the picture I have on my blog and wanted to look at it closer. I made it big and we had this conversation: He said "Mommy...gook! (That's how he says look). That's me! Hair....(Then he runs his fingers through his hair and says) handsome....(not boasting...just stating the facts). I guess when you've got your hair slicked back for family pictures you can't help but be handsome. :) Just at that moment the alarm went off (wishful thinking, I suppose, to think I would have fallen back to sleep after the kids left for church and needed that alarm) and we had to quit admiring our handsome selves and get ready for school. Just like yesterday, he was very happy to help and very happy to see Emily and Jared before getting on the bus and the first class send off.
I went back to sleep after Carson got on the bus and jokingly told Jared and Emily that I was too tired to take them to school and they needed to walk. Jared and Emily are chomping at the bit to be able to drive so they decided that they would drive themselves to school. I was this close to just giving in and letting them do it but my obedient, law abiding, state trooper daughter self kicked in and I got my lazy behind out of bed and drove them to school. I hate my obedient, law abiding, state trooper daughter self sometimes!!
Everyone had a great day. I made Double Chocolate Pumpkin cookies and they were really, really good!! Too bad you weren't here to enjoy them. Did I mention that they were really, really good? Well...since this is supposed to be a love letter, I will tell you that we love you and miss you and are ready for you to come home. Especially since you are Carson's favorite parent and I am ready for him to start visiting you in the wee hours of the morning!! Maybe we'll even make more cookies!!
Love,
Shanon
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Monday, October 7, 2013
I Think I Need A Pair of Daisy Duke Shorts
Dear Gary,
I couldn't fall asleep last night until after midnight (the axe murderers were really noisy) so I was really hoping that Carson would sleep past 2am and guess what! He slept in until 5:45! He came down with Emily and Jared and kept them company while they waited for their ride to church. I went back to bed because I am the best of mothers. I heard him walk them to the door, tell them goodbye and then it sounded like he locked the door behind them. Then he got really quiet. A few minutes later I got up to check on him because I remembered that sometimes he likes to go out on the front porch and wait for people (and give his mom a heart attack). I found him sitting in the bathroom completely naked but with his school clothes ready to put on. Such a responsible kid!! He was pretty thrilled that I let him wear what he had picked out. At one point he asked "Where's Daddy?" I said "In Houston." He said "Oh!" That was that. I think he might be starting to get it. He was very good about putting his dishes in the sink and rinsing out his cup.
We walked out the door to get him on the bus and decided it was cold enough that he needed a jacket so I ran back inside to get one. Jared and Emily got home in time to see him off and Emily came running down the street with her arms out wide and blow kisses for Carson. Jared came walking up with a blanket over his head and stood by the bus to see him off. I was standing there in my pajamas waving and blowing kisses. That kid couldn't have gotten a better bon voyage if he had been a soldier going off to war or a missionary going away for a few years! We must have been quite the sight! Luckily, it was still kind of dark outside but he was all smiles when the bus drove off.
Emily and Jared came in and Emily asked if she could have a piece of her birthday cake. Jared told her "no" because her birthday was over and the rest of the cake was for his birthday. Then they had a fairly long discussion about birthday days/months. I think they finally decided that it is considered your birthday until the next person's birthday comes up which kind of stinks for you, Chris, and Emily since the three of you have others coming up on the heels of your special day. After all that though, I think she was able to eat a piece of cake so all was well.
Emily got ready for school really quick and with my keys in hand headed out the door to wait in the car. I didn't know that is what she had done until I started looking for her so she could empty the dishwasher. I heard this really loud music outside and thought the neighbors were being kind of inconsiderate but turns out it was our family that was the inconsiderate neighbors because she was out in the car with the radio blaring at full volume. I'm sure the neighborhood is happy that she shared her music with everyone.
Do we have a rule about who sits in the front seat? Jared swears that we have a rule that the oldest one home gets the front seat but Emily says we have never had that rule so it's whoever gets there first. Last week, Jared got ready really early and was the one out in the car waiting (I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone) so that he could sit in the front but today Emily was ready early and claimed the coveted spot. I can't remember if we have ever had a rule but Jared always just accepted that Kinsey got the front seat. I thought it was kind of interesting though that when I dropped Emily off at school and Jared stayed in the car to go to the orthodontist that he didn't want to sit in the front. Apparently, it is only important for him to sit in the front if it bothers Emily. Hmmmm.......
It was a seat warmer and heater kind of morning and Emily had both turned on for me when I got in the car. On the way to school we had this conversation:
Me: Brrrr......
Jared: What is the temperature?
Emily: 59 degrees.
Jared: That is perfect!!
Me: If you are a polar bear!
They then felt compelled to give me a lesson on the proper temperature that a polar bear is comfortable with.
As I drove over the big overpass to get on Mopac to take Jared to the orthodontist, I couldn't help but think about what it would be like to drive through the side rails and sail off to the road below. Don't worry...I'm not suicidal...I think I just must have watched too much Dukes of Hazards in my childhood. Do you ever think that way when you drive over it or is it just me?
The birds have moved back into the bathroom vents. They are contributing to my paranoia. I think my heart may have stopped beating several times today. It is really quiet in this house when I am the only one home....except when the intruders start making noise and they sound exactly like what I imagine an axe murderer sounds like. I'm lucky to still be alive to write this.
Carson did not refuse to get off the bus even though you weren't there to greet him. He was pretty disappointed though that there was no scouts today. Everyone seemed to have a good day at school.
Well...I think that's all. I made a fancy dinner of store-bought pizza for tonight. I know....you are sad that you are going to miss it, aren't you? Too bad you have to go out for dinner tonight. :(
Love,
Shanon
I couldn't fall asleep last night until after midnight (the axe murderers were really noisy) so I was really hoping that Carson would sleep past 2am and guess what! He slept in until 5:45! He came down with Emily and Jared and kept them company while they waited for their ride to church. I went back to bed because I am the best of mothers. I heard him walk them to the door, tell them goodbye and then it sounded like he locked the door behind them. Then he got really quiet. A few minutes later I got up to check on him because I remembered that sometimes he likes to go out on the front porch and wait for people (and give his mom a heart attack). I found him sitting in the bathroom completely naked but with his school clothes ready to put on. Such a responsible kid!! He was pretty thrilled that I let him wear what he had picked out. At one point he asked "Where's Daddy?" I said "In Houston." He said "Oh!" That was that. I think he might be starting to get it. He was very good about putting his dishes in the sink and rinsing out his cup.
We walked out the door to get him on the bus and decided it was cold enough that he needed a jacket so I ran back inside to get one. Jared and Emily got home in time to see him off and Emily came running down the street with her arms out wide and blow kisses for Carson. Jared came walking up with a blanket over his head and stood by the bus to see him off. I was standing there in my pajamas waving and blowing kisses. That kid couldn't have gotten a better bon voyage if he had been a soldier going off to war or a missionary going away for a few years! We must have been quite the sight! Luckily, it was still kind of dark outside but he was all smiles when the bus drove off.
Emily and Jared came in and Emily asked if she could have a piece of her birthday cake. Jared told her "no" because her birthday was over and the rest of the cake was for his birthday. Then they had a fairly long discussion about birthday days/months. I think they finally decided that it is considered your birthday until the next person's birthday comes up which kind of stinks for you, Chris, and Emily since the three of you have others coming up on the heels of your special day. After all that though, I think she was able to eat a piece of cake so all was well.
Emily got ready for school really quick and with my keys in hand headed out the door to wait in the car. I didn't know that is what she had done until I started looking for her so she could empty the dishwasher. I heard this really loud music outside and thought the neighbors were being kind of inconsiderate but turns out it was our family that was the inconsiderate neighbors because she was out in the car with the radio blaring at full volume. I'm sure the neighborhood is happy that she shared her music with everyone.
Do we have a rule about who sits in the front seat? Jared swears that we have a rule that the oldest one home gets the front seat but Emily says we have never had that rule so it's whoever gets there first. Last week, Jared got ready really early and was the one out in the car waiting (I felt like I was in the Twilight Zone) so that he could sit in the front but today Emily was ready early and claimed the coveted spot. I can't remember if we have ever had a rule but Jared always just accepted that Kinsey got the front seat. I thought it was kind of interesting though that when I dropped Emily off at school and Jared stayed in the car to go to the orthodontist that he didn't want to sit in the front. Apparently, it is only important for him to sit in the front if it bothers Emily. Hmmmm.......
It was a seat warmer and heater kind of morning and Emily had both turned on for me when I got in the car. On the way to school we had this conversation:
Me: Brrrr......
Jared: What is the temperature?
Emily: 59 degrees.
Jared: That is perfect!!
Me: If you are a polar bear!
They then felt compelled to give me a lesson on the proper temperature that a polar bear is comfortable with.
As I drove over the big overpass to get on Mopac to take Jared to the orthodontist, I couldn't help but think about what it would be like to drive through the side rails and sail off to the road below. Don't worry...I'm not suicidal...I think I just must have watched too much Dukes of Hazards in my childhood. Do you ever think that way when you drive over it or is it just me?
The birds have moved back into the bathroom vents. They are contributing to my paranoia. I think my heart may have stopped beating several times today. It is really quiet in this house when I am the only one home....except when the intruders start making noise and they sound exactly like what I imagine an axe murderer sounds like. I'm lucky to still be alive to write this.
Carson did not refuse to get off the bus even though you weren't there to greet him. He was pretty disappointed though that there was no scouts today. Everyone seemed to have a good day at school.
Well...I think that's all. I made a fancy dinner of store-bought pizza for tonight. I know....you are sad that you are going to miss it, aren't you? Too bad you have to go out for dinner tonight. :(
Love,
Shanon
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Where Do You Keep Your Dry Mustard?
Dear Gary,
Today Carson slept in until about 4:30. I'm not sure what was happening up there since I was too tired from the insomnia (did you know that every noise you hear could possibly be an axe murderer?) of the night before to walk upstairs but it sounded like he had a group of bowlers or a moving company bringing in furniture. He must have come downstairs when he got tired of bowling and moving because I found him on the couch this morning.
One of your children came in from church this morning saying that the other one of your children had punched the first child in the stomach. I asked why they did that but they didn't seem to think you needed a reason.
They made waffles for breakfast but didn't offer me anything but the mess to clean which was fine I suppose since I don't like eating in the morning. They did offer to unload the dishwasher for me though and since I hate that job, I gladly took them up on the offer. Oh, when I say they offered to do it, I mean that I told one of them to do it and he did it without complaining and then I heard the angels rejoicing!
They convinced me that I NEEDED to watch this video about what a fox says. I frankly have never been too concerned about what a fox says but apparently it causes some people quite a bit of angst hence the video production.
Today Carson slept in until about 4:30. I'm not sure what was happening up there since I was too tired from the insomnia (did you know that every noise you hear could possibly be an axe murderer?) of the night before to walk upstairs but it sounded like he had a group of bowlers or a moving company bringing in furniture. He must have come downstairs when he got tired of bowling and moving because I found him on the couch this morning.
One of your children came in from church this morning saying that the other one of your children had punched the first child in the stomach. I asked why they did that but they didn't seem to think you needed a reason.
They made waffles for breakfast but didn't offer me anything but the mess to clean which was fine I suppose since I don't like eating in the morning. They did offer to unload the dishwasher for me though and since I hate that job, I gladly took them up on the offer. Oh, when I say they offered to do it, I mean that I told one of them to do it and he did it without complaining and then I heard the angels rejoicing!
They convinced me that I NEEDED to watch this video about what a fox says. I frankly have never been too concerned about what a fox says but apparently it causes some people quite a bit of angst hence the video production.
It does have a catchy tune, I suppose.
On the way to school, I remembered that we hadn't said family prayer yet so I asked Emily to say it. As she started saying the prayer, I closed my eyes and was just about to fold my arms when I remembered that I was driving. Then I said "oh....I guess I shouldn't close my eyes" which is a very irreverent thing to do (talking) during the prayer. Emily started laughing and then asked that I be blessed with a good night's sleep tonight. They still seem to think I am a bit sleep deprived for some reason.
After taking the kids to school, I decided to tackle the mountain of laundry that I have been ignoring for awhile. Good news....I found the lost pool key in the pocket of your swimsuit. Bad news...that key has been missing for about a month. Surely, I am not such a bad housekeeper it took me a month to wash your swimsuit?! Anyway, I managed to get all of the laundry folded while watching Emma (a great movie, by-the-way, if you like Jane Austen.)
Carson had a great day at school but refused to get off the bus when he found out that you were STILL in Houston!! I bribed him with a snack and scouts so that the long line of cars behind the bus didn't have to wait any longer. I wonder if the bus driver wonders why Carson will only get off the bus when his dad is home? He also had a good time at scouts and is getting to be quite the basketball player!
I have had a song in my head all day after watching the video of the dad and his little girl singing a duet to take her mind off of the fireworks. It's a cute video and it makes me smile but the lyrics have been bothering me all day. It says "I know you belong to somebody new, but tonight you belong to me." So....if you belong to somebody new, shouldn't you still belong to them and not wait until tomorrow to belong to them again after tonight? Just wondering.
As I was turning out all the lights tonight, I glanced over and found this:
I guess we are keeping our dry mustard on top of baby oranges now. Don't ask me why we do these things.
So...that's about it. I hope the axe murderers don't get me tonight!
Love,
Shanon
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
There's More Than One Way To Skin A Cat
Dear Gary,
Today we had a discussion about healthy food. You know I am the expert on that subject!! Emily wanted to know if I had any ideas for a healthy snack so I suggested she cut up some celery and carrots or maybe a banana. She didn't like the banana idea because fruit gets too mushy by snack time.
She went into the kitchen for a few minutes and came back with bite size pieces of celery. I always think of preparing celery by cutting a stalk into thirds and then cutting those into skinnier pieces so the bag of bite size pieces surprised me and I started laughing (I might possibly be sleep deprived). She had a perfectly logical explanation for the way she cut up the celery and I thought she just might be a genius!! You know how when you bite into a celery stick it gets all stringy? Well bite size pieces solve that age old dilemma! See!! Genius!!
I asked her about the carrots but she said that she didn't do them because you have to skin the carrot, and then cut the carrot and phew, just way too much effort!! I had never heard anyone say that they needed to skin a carrot and that got me laughing again (see....sleep deprived!!) She asked me what I would call it and I said that I always peel a carrot.
So...as we drove to school we were having a very deep discussion on whether you peeled a carrot or skinned a carrot. Jared had to add his two cents in and agreed with me although rather than be nice about it, he said something like "Well...that's just weird!! You don't skin a carrot!"
I agreed and said that you skin a cat not a carrot!!
Then, Jared said "No....you skin a potato and peel a carrot!!"
I had never heard of anyone skinning a potato either but he had a perfectly logical to him reason why you would skin a potato...."those potato skins (NOT PEELS) piled up high. You wouldn't call them a pile of potato peels, would you?!" Well, actually that is what I call them and again he said "well, that's just weird and WHO WOULD SKIN A CAT?!!!" "WHY WOULD YOU SKIN A CAT?!"
Well, where I come from you peel a carrot, you peel a potato, and you skin a cat!! Then I got the giggles about the way Jared had reacted to skinning a cat and couldn't quit laughing.
Then a fire truck drove by and Jared asked me if I had heard that the fire truck engine harmonized with the song playing on the radio. So I started humming like a fire truck would hum and he said that fire trucks do not hum. So I sang like a fire truck would sing but apparently fire trucks don't sing either. So, then I made a vrooming noise like a fire engine in perfect harmony with the song and he said "that's almost it just less throaty!!" Well, that just cracked me up even more!
So, as they got out of the car they kept giving me weird looks and were very concerned with the state of my mind because they both said "Mom....We think you should go home and take a nap!!"
Well, you don't have to tell me twice!!
In other news, Carson found his cleavage shirt before I had the chance to accidentally lose it. He really likes it and was very upset that I would not let him wear it to school. He's pretty sure that if you were here we wouldn't be having these discussions.
I hope you aren't struggling too much in that quiet hotel room.
Love,
Shanon
Today we had a discussion about healthy food. You know I am the expert on that subject!! Emily wanted to know if I had any ideas for a healthy snack so I suggested she cut up some celery and carrots or maybe a banana. She didn't like the banana idea because fruit gets too mushy by snack time.
She went into the kitchen for a few minutes and came back with bite size pieces of celery. I always think of preparing celery by cutting a stalk into thirds and then cutting those into skinnier pieces so the bag of bite size pieces surprised me and I started laughing (I might possibly be sleep deprived). She had a perfectly logical explanation for the way she cut up the celery and I thought she just might be a genius!! You know how when you bite into a celery stick it gets all stringy? Well bite size pieces solve that age old dilemma! See!! Genius!!
I asked her about the carrots but she said that she didn't do them because you have to skin the carrot, and then cut the carrot and phew, just way too much effort!! I had never heard anyone say that they needed to skin a carrot and that got me laughing again (see....sleep deprived!!) She asked me what I would call it and I said that I always peel a carrot.
So...as we drove to school we were having a very deep discussion on whether you peeled a carrot or skinned a carrot. Jared had to add his two cents in and agreed with me although rather than be nice about it, he said something like "Well...that's just weird!! You don't skin a carrot!"
I agreed and said that you skin a cat not a carrot!!
Then, Jared said "No....you skin a potato and peel a carrot!!"
I had never heard of anyone skinning a potato either but he had a perfectly logical to him reason why you would skin a potato...."those potato skins (NOT PEELS) piled up high. You wouldn't call them a pile of potato peels, would you?!" Well, actually that is what I call them and again he said "well, that's just weird and WHO WOULD SKIN A CAT?!!!" "WHY WOULD YOU SKIN A CAT?!"
Well, where I come from you peel a carrot, you peel a potato, and you skin a cat!! Then I got the giggles about the way Jared had reacted to skinning a cat and couldn't quit laughing.
Then a fire truck drove by and Jared asked me if I had heard that the fire truck engine harmonized with the song playing on the radio. So I started humming like a fire truck would hum and he said that fire trucks do not hum. So I sang like a fire truck would sing but apparently fire trucks don't sing either. So, then I made a vrooming noise like a fire engine in perfect harmony with the song and he said "that's almost it just less throaty!!" Well, that just cracked me up even more!
So, as they got out of the car they kept giving me weird looks and were very concerned with the state of my mind because they both said "Mom....We think you should go home and take a nap!!"
Well, you don't have to tell me twice!!
In other news, Carson found his cleavage shirt before I had the chance to accidentally lose it. He really likes it and was very upset that I would not let him wear it to school. He's pretty sure that if you were here we wouldn't be having these discussions.
The cleavage shirt
I hope you aren't struggling too much in that quiet hotel room.
Love,
Shanon
Love Letters
Awhile back, I read about a lady whose husband would travel to his family's ranch in New Mexico to work, and while he was there she would write letters to him on her blog. I always thought they were so sweet. Gary has never had to travel for work (which is such a blessing) but he has just started a new job and left for Houston on Sunday night for a three week training ( he does get to come home on weekends). While he is gone, I thought I would write him letters on my blog. We have been explaining to Carson that Daddy was going to Houston for job training and I don't know....I just don't think he's getting it!
Dear Gary,
This was a conversation I had with Carson at 2:30 this morning (that's AM, people!!):
Carson: Where's Daddy?
Me: In Houston.
Carson: Why?
Me: Why not?!
Carson: Home soon?
Me: Yes....he will be home on Friday. Now GO TO SLEEP!
This was the conversation I had with Carson at 5:30 this morning:
Carson: Where's Daddy?
Me: In Houston.
Carson: Why?
Me: Why not?!
Carson: Home soon?
Me: Yes....he will be home on Friday. Now GO TO SLEEP!
This was the conversation I had with Carson at 6:00 this morning:
Me: (Waking him up because their ride hasn't come) Come on Carson, we have to take Jared and Emily to seminary.
Carson: Noooooo!! Bus!! School!!
Me: We'll come right back and get ready for school.
At this point their ride gets here.
Me: Grrrrrr!
Carson: Where's Daddy?
Me: In Houston.
Carson: Why?
Me: Why not?!
Carson: Home soon?
Me: Yes....he will be home on Friday. Now GO TO SLEEP!
Conversation with Carson at 6:30 this morning:
Me: Carson wake up...it's time to get ready for school.
Carson: Grumble...roll over...sleep....snore....sleep....snore
Me: Big heavy martyr sigh....
Guess how I feel about this.
Love you but if you ever leave me you get the kids,
Shanon
This was Gary's reply to me because he is always nice:
Dear Gary,
This was a conversation I had with Carson at 2:30 this morning (that's AM, people!!):
Carson: Where's Daddy?
Me: In Houston.
Carson: Why?
Me: Why not?!
Carson: Home soon?
Me: Yes....he will be home on Friday. Now GO TO SLEEP!
This was the conversation I had with Carson at 5:30 this morning:
Carson: Where's Daddy?
Me: In Houston.
Carson: Why?
Me: Why not?!
Carson: Home soon?
Me: Yes....he will be home on Friday. Now GO TO SLEEP!
This was the conversation I had with Carson at 6:00 this morning:
Me: (Waking him up because their ride hasn't come) Come on Carson, we have to take Jared and Emily to seminary.
Carson: Noooooo!! Bus!! School!!
Me: We'll come right back and get ready for school.
At this point their ride gets here.
Me: Grrrrrr!
Carson: Where's Daddy?
Me: In Houston.
Carson: Why?
Me: Why not?!
Carson: Home soon?
Me: Yes....he will be home on Friday. Now GO TO SLEEP!
Conversation with Carson at 6:30 this morning:
Me: Carson wake up...it's time to get ready for school.
Carson: Grumble...roll over...sleep....snore....sleep....snore
Me: Big heavy martyr sigh....
Guess how I feel about this.
Love you but if you ever leave me you get the kids,
Shanon
This was Gary's reply to me because he is always nice:
You are a saint and will receive a crown of glory for this!!!! It will be well deserved!
Love,
Gary
And my reply to him because I am always a ray of sunshine:
No....if I were a saint, I would cheerfully hug him and reassure him and explain in great detail why his daddy abandoned....ummmm....had to go off to do training for his new job because he loves us so much and wants to provide for our family. Then we would cuddle and I would help him to feel safe and secure.
That isn't exactly what happened. #itshardtobecheerfulandlovingat2:30inthemorning
Love,
YourcrowniscrookedShanon
And his saintly reply:
You are right. I guess this is the process of "becoming" saints. Which is also the right path to be on:)
Love you,
Gary
Love you,
Gary
Doesn't that just fill your heart with thoughts of love and kindness...maybe even a few butterflies and unicorns?!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
A Camping He Will Go
I have this thing....this issue, if you will....that makes me crazy.
I can hear the collective whisper of my friends saying "haha....she thinks she just has one issue that makes her crazy?!" STOP IT!!! I know that I have more than one issue but this issue is the one that is on my mind right now!!
So anyway...this issue that I have is that I hate being late and I hate it if anyone that I am responsible for is late. This is an issue that I have passed on to one of my five children (which is wonderful and so comforting to know that when we are about to start running late for something that she is about to have an anxiety attack right along with me...it helps to know that I will not be lonely in the loony bin.)
The problem is that I have four other children and a husband that do not have an issue with this issue. They also have a hard time judging how much time it will take to get ready to go places.
So....now that I have that out in the open, I'll tell you my story.
Yesterday, Jared had a campout. Jared is my most laid back, free-spirited, hang loose kind of kid which just means that HE DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!! So...he decided to start getting ready for the campout at about 4:15 (he had to be at the church at 5:00). At about 4:30, I realized that I hadn't seen one piece of camping equipment and that we needed to leave soon, so I yelled up to him that he needed to hurry. He slowly sauntered down the stairs and said "Mom, we need to pick up Joseph on the way."
This is the part of the story where my heart starts racing and my stomach starts hurting. I really should have expected something like this because it's Jared.
So, he slowly wanders around grabbing things and stuffing them into his backpack. At one point, I watched him put a Ziplock bag full of water into his backpack full of his dry clothes and food for the weekend. I may have loudly asked "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" when I imagined the bag of water exploding all over his backpack. He casually said "What? My Frio pack needs to soak for a few minutes." (his Frio pack keeps his insulin cold...it's really amazing! It has these little bead things inside that get really cold when soaked in water and it keeps his insulin at the perfect temperature the whole time he's hiking...even in Texas in the summer!) He really didn't see why in the world I took the water bag out of his backpack.
See....this kid is going to kill me!
So anyway, we finally get on the road and I am torn between driving the speed limit (my need to always be obedient) and driving like a bat out of .... so that he is not late (my need to never be late). I chose to drive the speed limit. So, we pull into Joseph's neighborhood, drive all the way to his house and see Joseph wandering back to his house with all of his camping gear. He gets into the car and says "You saw me didn't you Jared?" Joseph was waiting at the entrance of the subdivision and I drove right past him. I said in my most annoyed voice "You saw him waiting by the road?! Why didn't you tell me?!" He said "well, my water bag was leaking so I was taking care of that."
This is where those deep breathing exercises come in handy.
By this point, it was about 5:10 and so I made him call his scout leader and tell him that we were going to be late. He gave me a heavy sigh and told me it wasn't a big deal that no one is ever on time for these things but I made him call anyway. Just once...I would love it if a scout leader would say something like "well...Jared, we are all waiting on you and you should feel really bad about that" but instead the scout leader says "oh...that's okay...I'm not at the church yet either." Sigh....
We get there and everyone had smiles on their faces and were all happy to see him. Really...where are all the leaders that are annoyed and ready to teach these kids some good life lessons like the importance of being on time?! I'm just kidding leaders....thanks for being nice!!
Jared gets out and it's at that point that I notice he is wearing clothes to hike in the winter, not in the 95 degree weather in Texas. His scout leader is pointing out that everything he is wearing will not be allowed on their high adventure camp (they are going to Philmont) and tells him the evils of wearing cotton while hiking. Jared says something smart-aleck-y like "I made sure to stuff my backpack with all cotton clothing." Jared does not have that need to be obedient either.
He is still carrying around his bag of water so all of his leaders are wondering if that is his water supply for the weekend. For some reason that struck me as funny. I might possibly be in the loony bin sooner than I think.
As they are throwing everything into the truck, one of the leaders asks him if he has his food for the weekend. He says "Yep!" and happily pulls out his bag of Chewy Sprees.
That kid!! He's going to kill me but I love him anyway!
I can hear the collective whisper of my friends saying "haha....she thinks she just has one issue that makes her crazy?!" STOP IT!!! I know that I have more than one issue but this issue is the one that is on my mind right now!!
So anyway...this issue that I have is that I hate being late and I hate it if anyone that I am responsible for is late. This is an issue that I have passed on to one of my five children (which is wonderful and so comforting to know that when we are about to start running late for something that she is about to have an anxiety attack right along with me...it helps to know that I will not be lonely in the loony bin.)
The problem is that I have four other children and a husband that do not have an issue with this issue. They also have a hard time judging how much time it will take to get ready to go places.
So....now that I have that out in the open, I'll tell you my story.
Yesterday, Jared had a campout. Jared is my most laid back, free-spirited, hang loose kind of kid which just means that HE DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!! So...he decided to start getting ready for the campout at about 4:15 (he had to be at the church at 5:00). At about 4:30, I realized that I hadn't seen one piece of camping equipment and that we needed to leave soon, so I yelled up to him that he needed to hurry. He slowly sauntered down the stairs and said "Mom, we need to pick up Joseph on the way."
This is the part of the story where my heart starts racing and my stomach starts hurting. I really should have expected something like this because it's Jared.
So, he slowly wanders around grabbing things and stuffing them into his backpack. At one point, I watched him put a Ziplock bag full of water into his backpack full of his dry clothes and food for the weekend. I may have loudly asked "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" when I imagined the bag of water exploding all over his backpack. He casually said "What? My Frio pack needs to soak for a few minutes." (his Frio pack keeps his insulin cold...it's really amazing! It has these little bead things inside that get really cold when soaked in water and it keeps his insulin at the perfect temperature the whole time he's hiking...even in Texas in the summer!) He really didn't see why in the world I took the water bag out of his backpack.
See....this kid is going to kill me!
So anyway, we finally get on the road and I am torn between driving the speed limit (my need to always be obedient) and driving like a bat out of .... so that he is not late (my need to never be late). I chose to drive the speed limit. So, we pull into Joseph's neighborhood, drive all the way to his house and see Joseph wandering back to his house with all of his camping gear. He gets into the car and says "You saw me didn't you Jared?" Joseph was waiting at the entrance of the subdivision and I drove right past him. I said in my most annoyed voice "You saw him waiting by the road?! Why didn't you tell me?!" He said "well, my water bag was leaking so I was taking care of that."
This is where those deep breathing exercises come in handy.
By this point, it was about 5:10 and so I made him call his scout leader and tell him that we were going to be late. He gave me a heavy sigh and told me it wasn't a big deal that no one is ever on time for these things but I made him call anyway. Just once...I would love it if a scout leader would say something like "well...Jared, we are all waiting on you and you should feel really bad about that" but instead the scout leader says "oh...that's okay...I'm not at the church yet either." Sigh....
We get there and everyone had smiles on their faces and were all happy to see him. Really...where are all the leaders that are annoyed and ready to teach these kids some good life lessons like the importance of being on time?! I'm just kidding leaders....thanks for being nice!!
Jared gets out and it's at that point that I notice he is wearing clothes to hike in the winter, not in the 95 degree weather in Texas. His scout leader is pointing out that everything he is wearing will not be allowed on their high adventure camp (they are going to Philmont) and tells him the evils of wearing cotton while hiking. Jared says something smart-aleck-y like "I made sure to stuff my backpack with all cotton clothing." Jared does not have that need to be obedient either.
He is still carrying around his bag of water so all of his leaders are wondering if that is his water supply for the weekend. For some reason that struck me as funny. I might possibly be in the loony bin sooner than I think.
As they are throwing everything into the truck, one of the leaders asks him if he has his food for the weekend. He says "Yep!" and happily pulls out his bag of Chewy Sprees.
That kid!! He's going to kill me but I love him anyway!
Friday, June 14, 2013
I'm Married to Pollyanna
The last few weeks of school, Gary kept saying he couldn't wait for school to get out because that also meant that seminary was ending for the school year. He couldn't wait to sleep in, he kept saying with much excitement and anticipation! His wake up time for the school year was 5:35 am.
We are now into the second week of summer and all week long his alarm has gone off at 5:45 am. He was anxiously and happily waiting for an extra 10 minutes of sleep. In what will probably go into the record books of amazing restraint, I have not committed one act of violence against him even though he has woken me up every morning this week at 5:45 to go walking with him. If I were Catholic, I would be expecting a saint to be named after me any day now...Shanon, Patron Saint of Nonviolence (or something equally clever).
This morning as we were walking, I was looking down counting all of the dead squirrel carcasses I walked past (2) and feeling empathy for the worms that were struggling in a futile attempt to get off the hot concrete into the grass...although not enough empathy to pick them up and help them in their quest because ewwww...they are worms.
At one point, the thought crossed my mind that I feel like those worms. I feel stuck in a hard place and completely helpless to do anything about it. I can't seem to muster up the energy to crawl to a safe place if such a place even exists. Life is kicking us around right now. Gary came home yesterday with news that his company is selling out and shutting down and he will be out of a job as of August 31.
I don't know if I have what it takes to start over again. The last 6 years have been hard and I have on more than one occasion woken up disappointed that I did not die in my sleep. I am blessed beyond measure but am well acquainted with sorrow. It has come and made permanent residence in my heart. Depression...that quiet disease that no one knows about has been my constant companion for as long as I can remember. Just when I think that maybe I have figured out a way to lay it by the wayside for a little while something comes and knocks me back into that hole that I have been trying so desperately to climb out of.
Gary is my Pollyanna because as I was walking along beside him quietly counting the dead carcasses and feeling like the dried worms, he was commenting on what a beautiful sunrise we had to look at this morning. For a brief moment, I smiled at the hilarity of it all. Here is my husband, who I am sure is worried because he is the sole provider of a household of 7 plus the caretaker of his mom, grateful for his extra 10 minutes of sleep and looking up instead of down at the beautiful sunrise that God gave us to enjoy this morning.
I'm sure there is a lesson somewhere in that to learn. I'm really trying to learn it but it is so hard!! So...here's a video dedicated to my Pollyanna. I'm grateful that he is responsible for our family because I am a mess and would have us crawling with the worms but he is strong and positive and refuses to do anything but soar with the eagles.
Happy Father's Day to all of those dads that do hard things and especially to the dad of my children that takes such good care of us. We really love you!!
We are now into the second week of summer and all week long his alarm has gone off at 5:45 am. He was anxiously and happily waiting for an extra 10 minutes of sleep. In what will probably go into the record books of amazing restraint, I have not committed one act of violence against him even though he has woken me up every morning this week at 5:45 to go walking with him. If I were Catholic, I would be expecting a saint to be named after me any day now...Shanon, Patron Saint of Nonviolence (or something equally clever).
This morning as we were walking, I was looking down counting all of the dead squirrel carcasses I walked past (2) and feeling empathy for the worms that were struggling in a futile attempt to get off the hot concrete into the grass...although not enough empathy to pick them up and help them in their quest because ewwww...they are worms.
At one point, the thought crossed my mind that I feel like those worms. I feel stuck in a hard place and completely helpless to do anything about it. I can't seem to muster up the energy to crawl to a safe place if such a place even exists. Life is kicking us around right now. Gary came home yesterday with news that his company is selling out and shutting down and he will be out of a job as of August 31.
I don't know if I have what it takes to start over again. The last 6 years have been hard and I have on more than one occasion woken up disappointed that I did not die in my sleep. I am blessed beyond measure but am well acquainted with sorrow. It has come and made permanent residence in my heart. Depression...that quiet disease that no one knows about has been my constant companion for as long as I can remember. Just when I think that maybe I have figured out a way to lay it by the wayside for a little while something comes and knocks me back into that hole that I have been trying so desperately to climb out of.
Gary is my Pollyanna because as I was walking along beside him quietly counting the dead carcasses and feeling like the dried worms, he was commenting on what a beautiful sunrise we had to look at this morning. For a brief moment, I smiled at the hilarity of it all. Here is my husband, who I am sure is worried because he is the sole provider of a household of 7 plus the caretaker of his mom, grateful for his extra 10 minutes of sleep and looking up instead of down at the beautiful sunrise that God gave us to enjoy this morning.
I'm sure there is a lesson somewhere in that to learn. I'm really trying to learn it but it is so hard!! So...here's a video dedicated to my Pollyanna. I'm grateful that he is responsible for our family because I am a mess and would have us crawling with the worms but he is strong and positive and refuses to do anything but soar with the eagles.
Happy Father's Day to all of those dads that do hard things and especially to the dad of my children that takes such good care of us. We really love you!!
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