My day...and resolutions

Today was a pretty busy day. I was up about 8:30 (sleeping in - whoohoo, but early for a Saturday). MIL had arrived with Clayton's car since it had started acting odd yesterday. So, he goes out to start working on it and I hop in the shower. MIL emails FIL. Anyway, we all went to Wal-Mart for Clayton to get a tool that he needed for the car. MIL takes a nap when we get back to get rid of her headache. I start pulling all the Christmas decorations off the tree and from around the house. We get the tree down and stashed in its bag. (This tree is destined for the dump - it's all rusty). MIL and I head out to Wal-Mart in search of a birthday gift for Andrew. Actually, I already knew what I was going to get him - Candy Land and Chutes and Ladders. $4.50 a piece. I couldn't believe it. Anyway, we get the gifts and pick up the cake. We picked out the cake last night. His choice? Shrek. Of course. It was a cute cake, but by the time we got around to singing and eating cake, Shrek had been pushed halfway into the cake, kinda like Lord Farquad in the first movie. By about 4, everyone for the asado/birthday party was here. We kept it small and familial this year. Next year I'll probably have Andrew's little friends from church over or out somewhere. The asado was great. Clayton grilled chicken, bratwurst, steak, pork, and provolone cheese. MMMM. Karen made potato salad with just potatoes and carrots. Yum. We also had bread. Andrew got some cool gifts. My parents got him a Play-Doh activity table. He loves it. MIL and FIL got him some more Thomas legos. (My parents gave him a set for Christmas). Lin gave him a Crayola magic fingerpaint kit. Phil and Beth gave him a magazine. It's been a good, but tiring, day. After everyone left, I put the leftovers away, cleaned the kitchen, straightened up the living room, and cleaned Andrew's room with his help. It's about time to go to bed, but I wanted to talk to my mom and dad first to tell them about the party since they couldn't be here. (They're STILL trying to finish with the house repairs from Hurricane Ivan. They've got their new roof and have gotten central heating and air, new ceilings, and have pulled the carpet up. Next is new carpet and new cabinets for the kitchen).

I plan for MIL to teach me to knit when they come on their next long furlough. It's going to take awhile, I think. I've not been able to teach myself, so I'm hoping she can help. I can crochet, and have been off and on since I was in 4th grade. I'm currently working on a blanket for Beth's baby. Who's not here yet. Who we thought was coming 2 weeks ago. Who probably won't be here before Karen goes back to Argentina.

Resolutions? Do I make them or not? If I don't, I have nothing to break. If I do, I have a goal ahead. Hmmm. What to do...What the heck, I'll do it.
~ Read my Bible at least 3 times a week. Every day would be best, but I need to start small.
~ Lose weight. (Doesn't EVERYONE resolve to do this EVERY year?)
~ Find time to fit exercisde in my day. (Yeah, good luck with that).
~ Be more adventurous and spontaneous.
~ Put my FULL trust in God EVERY day.
~ Do my Christmas shopping throughout the year instead of waiting until December.
~ Get a new job. (Working on that...couldn't get my fingerprints done for my application the other day because the Sheriff's office stops doing them at 11:30 and I got there at 12:45).

I think that's enough for now. I can already tell you that I won't be up until midnight to see the new year in. It's just been too long of a day.

Discouraged

I'm getting so tired of this TTC thing. Or maybe it's the results I'm getting tired of. Yes, I know I'm blessed to have one child, especially when I know there are plenty of people who can't have their own children. I just don't feel that my family is complete with only one child. We've been TTC for about 15 months now and it's just hard. I was so hopeful this month. I went past my maximum cycle length of 31 days. That was hopeful even though I had 2 negative HPTs. I was just hoping that I ovulated really late and it was still too early to get a positive. Nope. My body's playing games with me. Even Clayton was getting hopeful, and I had to convince him to have a second child. I'm so close to the point where I want to say 'find out what's wrong. I don't care what the cost is.' Unfortunately, I do care what the cost is. Insurance isn't gonna pay for a blasted thing, so I have to care what the cost will be.

In other news, my almost 3-year-old has RSV and a double ear infection. He started wheezing Monday night, so I took him to the doctor Tuesday afternoon. She gave him meds for the ear infection and to calm his breathing. She warned me that the meds for his breathing would make him bounce off the walls. He's not exactly bouncing off walls, but he is talking a mile a minute, crashing, and starting all over again. Clayton kept him home today, Nona will be here tomorrow, and Clayton will tough it out again Friday. (He's got to work tonight and Thursday, but is off Friday, so will forgo sleep until I can get home from work. That's how we've got to do it since the company I work for doesn't offer sick leave...)

Madness.

We braved the madness that is Wal-Mart tonight. Yes, 2 days before Christmas we were in Wal-Mart. I don't plan to step foot in there again until Monday. We need a new Christmas tree and I'd like to get one on the day after Christmas sale. We finished the shopping though. All that's left is to get an online phone card for the youngest BIL. I still have to wrap and put 'gifts in a jar' together. I'm hoping I can work on that sometime tomorrow. We'll see. I volunteered to drive MIL to her hometown tomorrow. Should be an adventure. At least we're taking Andrew and my nephew with us. We'll have an excuse to leave if we need it.

If I'm not back on before Christmas, I hope everyone has a merry one!

What a surprise!

We got an email yesterday from my father-in-law stating that someone needs to be at the airport at 9:00 am Wednesday morning. The reason? My mother-in-law is going to be here. Now, keep in mind that they live in Argentina. Yes, this was kind of a spur of the moment trip. She decided Sunday she wanted to come cheer up my 9 months pregnant sister-in-law. (She's due Jan 8). So, tomorrow, I'll be working only half a day because I will be at the airport.

In other news, we had an ice storm last week (Thursday). People are STILL without power. Hopefully everyone will be restored soon. We were fortunate and did not lose our power at all. Power at work did go out, though, and I couldn't go in Thursday or Friday. Andrew had to stay home from daycare yesterday because they had no power until sometime yesterday.

Mish-Mash of Subjects

Andrew has discovered Christmas lights. He LOVES them. So, tonight, we're taking him to Hollywild (www.hollywild.com) to see their Christmas lights. I'm very excited about it. Fortunately for us, we only live about 3 minutes from Hollywild. Should be fun.

We got Andrew's big Christmas present last night. He's getting a bicycle. Yeah, I know, he's not 3 yet and he's getting a bike. It seems kinda odd to me, too. But, I think he'll love it. He always wants to get on the bikes at Wal-Mart when we go, so I think we made a good choice.

I got my Christmas bonus last night at my work party. I will be making a deposit in the very near future so I can send off my PACE application. I will also be getting fingerprints done and sending off a request for my college transcript. It will all be done this week. Hmm. I bet UM (www.umobile.edu) is going to be closed soon for Christmas break. I may need to fax that information over this afternoon.

I'm sooo excited! My friend from college, Angela, is coming to visit after the new year. She is teaching in Panama and will be home for about a month or so and is coming to see us. I can't wait to see her again.

Woohoo! It's about time to head out of here for lunch. So, I'll just end here.

Profound thoughts.

I am in the midst of the Beth Moore Bible Study, The Patriarchs. In tonight's video, Beth said something so profound that it made me stop. She said that God takes the things we are fearful of and and uses them. In that statement's profoundness, I find promise. A promise that if I go into the thing I am most fearful of that God will be with me and He will use that thing. At this moment, I would say the thing I am most fearful of is teaching. Yet, that seems to be the direction God is leading me in. I have filled out the application for the SC PACE program. All I have to do now is sign and date it, pay the application fee, have transcript sent, and be fingerprinted to start the process. I'm scared, but at the same time, I'm so, so drawn to it. I can almost see myself in front of a bunch of 7th graders teaching them grammar, reading aloud from a novel. What's more is that even in my fear of it, there's a great sense of peace. He knows my path. He knows what He has planned for me. Only He knows how I'm going to get there and if I'm going to stay on that path. Oh that I may never stray from the path He leads me on. That, in all things, I will trust in Him.

Ever had one of those days?

One that you want to go back to bed and start over? Yep. That would be today. It's not been a *bad* day, just one I'd rather do over. It started out this morning when I got up and realized it was freezing in the house. My wondeful husband went running yesterday afternoon and apparently turned the a/c on and didn't put the heat back on when he left the house for church last night. So, I wake up at 6 with it freezing cold. I figure out the problem and get the heat going. Thirty minutes later...the electricity goes out...just as I was about to step in the shower. So, I wait around and nada. I call the power company and report the outtage. I take a shower and get dressed in the dark. I get ready to take Andrew to daycare and head to work. Uh-oh. Garage won't open. I can't yank the door open either. Sooo, I move his seat from the van to Clayton's car. I defrost the windshield in Clayton's car. We head to daycare. Yeah, there's more. I'm driving along and notice that the transmission isn't shifting like it should. Drat. I finally make it to work and talk to Clayton around 9:15 or so. He knows the car is having problems. So? We'll put in a new engine/transmission sometime after Christmas. Or maybe before. Argh. I'd really like for him to have something newer to drive, but another car payment just isn't in the budget right now.

Success!

We have potty training success! Andrew has been dry every morning for over a week now. He has worn big boy undies to daycare for 2 days and has not had new pants on when I've picked him up! I'm so proud of him.

I'm thankful for...

*Salvation
*Family
*Friends
*Church
*A job
*Second chances
*Forgiveness
*Being a mommy
*Being a wife
*Weekends
*A vehicle that runs
*A fresh perspective
*A warm house
*A pastor who isn't afraid to preach the Word
*Good food to eat
*Holidays

I need a doughnut.

I need a custard filled chocolate covered doughnut from KK. And chocolate milk. YUM.

I can't believe Thanksgiving is just a week from tomorrow. Time is flying by. I've got a ton of things on my calendar for the next few weeks.

*Choir rehearsal Saturday 10-2
*Bible study on Tuesdays, except for next week when it will be Monday because...
*Thanksgiving dinner at church Tuesday, choir practice after
*Thanksgiving in Atlanta at my brother's house
*Sunday School Christmas party on the 1st
*LNO at church on the 8th
*SCSO Christmas function on the 9th
*My work Christmas party on the 12th
*Choir/Orchestra Christmas party on the 18th after the evening service
*Jan 1 - I play a flute solo in the AM service
*Jan 4 - Andrew's 3rd birthday
*Jan 5 - Angela flies in from Mobile to spend the weekend with us
*Jan 7 - Clayton's birthday
*Jan 7 - Birthday party for Andrew (?)
*Jan 8 - SIL's due date - it's a girl

Okay, so my best friend from college is flying in from Mobile on Jan 5. I can't wait. I saw her in July when she was home from Panama. I'm so looking forward to spending more than just a few hours with her.

The question mark by 'birthday party for Andrew.' Well, Clayton has to work that weekend, so I'm not sure how or if we'll do a party. At the moment, I'm thinking if we do one, I'm going to call Chick-fil-A or McDonald's or Burger King. I figure we could do it in the late afternoon since Clayton will need to sleep. Maybe 4 - 6 or 3 - 5. I've come up with 6 kids to invite. I think (if I recall from last year) that I'll have to pay for 10 kids whether or not we have 10. I'm thinking it will be almost worth it to pay for someone else to do all cooking and stuff. I'll have to talk to Clayton and see what he thinks.

Other news. I've taken a leap. Almost. I requested the application for employment for SC schools. I would go in as a teacher under the PACE program. Basically, I would have 10 days of preservice and start teaching in the fall. I would have to take 3 graduate courses over the next 3 years. I would be teaching a critical needs class...English/Language Arts. That's what my degree is in, so that's what I'd have to go for. Perfectly fine with me as that is my strong suit. So, I got the application in the mail yesterday. I'm scared to fill it out. I'm scared that I'm going to be hired by a school and then absolutely HATE teaching. Teaching would really, entirely take me out of my comfort zone, yet, I keep coming back to it. I'm learning, though, that God likes to take us out of our comfort zones to use us. While I've been in prayer about this, I've not heard a clear answer...yet. My plan right now is to hold on to the application until January. If I am not pregnant, then I will go ahead and fill it out and get it sent in. (I'm not sure how well being pregnant and due toward the beginning of the school year would go over, hence the wait). If I am pregnant this month or get pregnant in December, then I'll send it in sometime in the summer or fall for the next year.

Andrew-isms:
*He's started saying 'shame on you'
*He says 'nanna nanna boo boo'
*I was talking to him on the way to daycare yesterday and he told me that he saw a bluebird and that it fell on the grass. I asked him why it fell on the grass. His answer? 'It just did.' Gotta love it.

So, the wisdom teeth are out and I can finally eat again. I ate mashed potatoes for about 3 days straight. Had spaghetti one night for supper. Finally ate 'real' food Friday. I had teriyaki chicken and rice for lunch. BBQ chicken, fries, hush puppies, and sweet potato crunch for supper. Mmmm. The rest of the weekend was spent eating 'real' food. It was lovely.

My problem now is that I can't seem to get past being tired from the surgery. I slept the rest of the day Tuesday, called in sick Wednesday and slept most of the day, worked only 1/2 a day Thursday. I was ready for bed at 8:00 after working a full day Friday. Saturday I wasn't feeling great and was ready for bed shortly after 8 although I stayed up until 9:30 or so talking. I'm still tired today and completely lost it with Clayton tonight. The only thing either of us can figure is that I'm still not completely over the surgery. He can usually pinpoint the reason for my reactions. It's not PMS this time, that's for sure. It's waaay too soon for that.

We had company this weekend. Clayton's best friend came up from Charleston. We did a whole lot of nothing all weekend. Took a drive up to the Blue Ridge Parkway and (sort of) had a picnic. He decided that Andrew needed Chuck E. Cheese Saturday for supper, and was paying, so off we went. Andrew had a blast and I'm pretty sure the adults had a good time, too. Sunday was our normal church routine.

What else is going on? Hmmm...on the TTC front, I think I've finally just given up. I know it'll happen when God is ready and who knows when that will be but Him? I certainly don't.

Oh, started a new Bible Study. It's the new Beth Moore one, The Patriarchs. Although I missed the first video last week (those pesky wisdom teeth had to come out that day), I'm really liking this one so far. I've done the first 3 days 'homework' which means I've got to play catch up tomorrow and do days 4 and 5. I'm also hoping I can get the video that I missed last week so I can catch up there, too.

Oh wow, it's getting late. I need to put clothes in the dryer and get to bed.

This and That

First, a list (of things completed)...
*Wedding in DC is over.
*Pictures are done.
*Flute solo is over.
*Parents came and went.

Things to come (still)...
*Wisdom teeth come out Nov. 1 unless I'm pregnant.
*Sunday School party Saturday.
*Baby shower for a friend Nov. 12.
*Thanksgiving at my brother's.
*Christmas.

I'm excited about Christmas. I've decided that I'm going to make Gifts in a Jar this year. I've printed out some recipes for cookies that I plan on doing. I've got some pretty fabric that I can try to do something crafty with to put the recipe card on or decorate the jar. I also want to purchase a few things from the www.WorldCraftsVillage.com website or catalog. There's some cool stuff in there.

As soon as I get my next transcription check (by this time I should be getting TWO of them since the first one for this month hasn't come yet), I am going to order some Christmas solo music for flute. I'm really wanting to get a Manheimm Steamroller collection. I found one online for about $15. Just waiting on that check. ::tapping foot anxiously::

Update on the situation with my friend...things are back to normal. I am no longer feeling myself distanced from her. I'm so glad because I didn't like that feeling.

Love as I have loved.

I heard on the radio this morning a woman talking about living in Ocean Springs MS. She and her family had only been there for 3 weeks before Katrina hit. They lost their home. Her boys were more concerned about doing something for their friends than what they lost. That is loving as He loved. She said that her boys' attitudes just confirms that she is bringing them up to be Godly. I would agree and hope one day I can say the same. I was praying about this on the way to work and in my spirit, I heard God say to me "Love as I have loved." What an awesome command. How, exactly, does one love as He loved? First, the Bible says to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. That's the first step. The second is love your enemy as yourself. I believe that once one gets the loving God part, the rest will fall into place. I'm not saying it will be easy. I believe that you will still have to make a conscious decision to love others. Especially your enemies. Anyone can love their friends. Loving enemies isn't so easy.

And, how did God love? He sent his only Son to this earth. He sent him to live a perfect, sinless life so I can live with Him for eternity. He sent Him to DIE for me. Now *that's* love. Fortunately, that story doesn't end with the death of Christ. He rose from the dead so I can fellowship with Him and so I could become a child of God. It absolutely amazes me some days when I really stop to think about it.

Weekend.

How relaxing. Clayton and Andrew let me sleep until 8:30 Saturday morning. We went out for breakfast at IHOP. Came home, put Andrew down for a nap, Clayton took a nap. I worked for awhile. I had 42 transcription files to do this weekend, so I downloaded them and then proceeded to look at fabric prices and patterns for slipcovers. I also found a 'no sew' slipcover. Fell asleep. Everyone woke up and we went to the mall to find a shirt for Andrew to wear in our pictures this week. Got cookies. Came home and cooked supper. Went to bed.

Sounds busy, but it really was quite relaxing. I worked on my transcription stuff some Saturday night...I worked until my computer crashed. Clayton booted it up the next morning and got online with tech support only to discover that somehow I made our refurbished memory crash. Hoping we can send it back, but if not, we'll just get a new memory stick. Computer crashed again yesterday afternoon. Hopefully it's fine now since I really don't like doing my work on the desktop computer. Love my laptop. Since Clayton had to take the memory chip out my 'puter runs slow now. I can deal with that until we get more memory.

What else to report? Supposed to practice with my piano accompaniment Wednesday night after choir practice, but not sure that's going to work as his family has pictures Wednesday after choir. Must remember to call them tonight for a couple reasons: 1) to find out if she wants me to bring lunch tomorrow and 2) to find out if he thinks we'll have enough time to practice Wednesday. If not, we may have to go back to what we decided in the first place, but that's the day we come back from DC. Maybe Tuesday after I'm finished with Bible Study. I just know we need to practice at least once before we play on the 23rd. This will only be the 2nd time I have played a solo at church. I've played solos when I was in HS and college, but that was with the rest of the band and I was kind of anonymous. Playing in front of the congregation at church is a whole 'nother ball game. I love playing with the orchestra at church. We're really small, but we have a lot of fun. We have 2 flutes, 2 trumpets, a french horn, a saxophone, a trombone, and a bass guitar. I was told yesterday that someone could actually hear me and she said that I did a good job. It was nice to hear that.

Awkward position

Sitting between two friends. One you're sort of distancing yourself from and the other you're becoming closer to. I don't want to isolate either of them. I know one will understand, but it's still not something I want to do. I have plans for a weekly lunch 'date' with one. I'm very much looking forward to that. I don't care if I even eat lunch with her, I just want the chance to chat and get to know her better.

I'm beginning to see the blessings that are coming out of my hurt from last week. I've made a friend of someone who was an acquaintance. She's going out of her way sometimes to speak to me and spend time with me. I am doing the same. I'm seeing my other friend with new eyes. Eyes that Clayton has seen her with from the beginning. I've not decided if this is good or bad, but at least I'm getting past the starry-eyed 'I have a real friend' stage. I can see her for who she is and monitor my reactions to her. I honestly don't see myself as being as close to her as I was before. At least not for awhile. Maybe over time when I'm farther away from the hurt.

In other news...
*I'm still not pregnant. No big surprise there.
*I'm having my wisdom teeth removed November 1.
*My parents will be here October 13.
*We are having pictures made at church October 13.
*We leave for Washington DC for my cousin's wedding October 14.
*Tentative date for Sunday School party is October 22.
*I have a flute solo during the evening service at church October 23.

I think that's all.

Is it Friday yet?

I so need for it to be Friday. After the emotion of the beginning of the week, I was drained. I'm still drained because now I've got sinus issues. I hate allergy season. Yeah, I took some meds. No, they didn't help. As far as I can tell, my body has been altered in no way due to the meds.

Clayton wants to go eat tonight. I want to stay home and sleep. I told himi that he and Andrew should go and let me sleep. He said I could sleep at the table. Wonderful. We also need to go grocery shopping, so I suppose that's what we'll do after supper. Reminds me, I need to finish my list.

I can't even seem to ramble, so I guess this is it.

Held (Natalie Grant)

Two months is too little.
They let him go.
They had no sudden healing.
To think that providence would
Take a child from his mother while she prays
Is appalling.

Who told us we’d be rescued?
What has changed and why should we be saved from nightmares?
We’re asking why this happens
To us who have died to live?
It’s unfair.

Chorus:
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

This hand is bitterness.
We want to taste it, let the hatred
NUMB our sorrow.
The wise hands opens slowly to lilies
of the valley and tomorrow.

(Chorus)
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.

Bridge: If hope is born of suffering.
If this is only the beginning.
Can we not wait for one hour watching for our Savior?

(Chorus)
This is what it means to be held.
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive.
This is what it is to be loved.
And to know that the promise was
When everything fell we’d be held.


I don't usually post song lyrics, but this one in particular speaks to me every time I hear it. I haven't lost a child. But, the sentiment for any trying time is the same. We weren't promised a life without problems. What we were promised is that God will be there with us through those problems. Something as big as losing a loved one or something as small as a wounded friendship, He's there and what a blessing to know and believe that.

Big sigh of relief.

My friend and I talked last night. We got past the issue we had. I was able to let go of my hurt and am now starting to heal. Sounds kinda cheesy, but true.

So...I'm looking at getting a teaching certificate. I think I may have mentioned that waaaay back at the beginning. I've received information from www.converse.edu about this program: http://www.converse.edu/CoEdGrad/mat.asp. It allows one to earn a teaching certificate while earning a Master at the same time. There are classes offered in the evenings, so I would be able to do it. The only problem would come in when I would have to do student teaching. That's a bridge to cross when I come to it, though. I mean, I haven't even decided if I'm going to do this yet. It's been in the back of my mind for about a year or so now, though.

My child is constant entertainment. Yesterday when I picked him up from daycare, he wanted water from the water fountain. Fine. He gets some. After several drinks, I tell him that the next one is the last one. He gets it and then goes for another. I have to pry him off the fountain. He cries all the way into the office. I put him down so he can walk. He proceeds to lay on the floor, refusing to get up. I walk out. I get halfway to the van when he decides that I really might leave him laying on the floor and gets up. Works every time. (FTR, the daycare director was standing there watching him and knew I wouldn't really leave him. She even offered to take him home with her). My other source of amusement from him last night was before we left for Bible study. The kid loves gloves and/or mittens. He especially loves them when he's 'driving.' He found an old glove of Clayton's last night and put it on so he could wear it while 'going faster' on his tricycle. Yes, it's the MJ look, but what can I do?

Emotionally drained.

What makes a...change...in a friendship so emotionally draining? Maybe change isn't the right word. Rift? Canyon? Without going into details, I had a friend really hurt my feelings this weekend. She called apologizing and crying and saying she'd do anything to make it up to me. It's kind of tough to make up missing a once-in-a-lifetime happening, though. Something that was very important to me. I called her yesterday and left a message (tearful, but still, a message) on her cell saying that our friendship is okay. I so totally don't want to lose my friend because she hurt me. I haven't heard from her. Not even a 'happy birthday' yesterday. I'm so emotionally drained that I have been crying at the drop of a hat for the last 2 days.

Maybe I need to take the iniative and pick up the phone and call her again. After all, I'm the one who needs to do the forgiving. But, I put the ball back in her court when I called yesterday. Did she even get my message? I'm sure she probably did. She called the other person involved in all this mess like nothing ever happened. So, maybe it is time to pick up the phone and make the call. I know I'm gonna cry. I'm still a little hurt. Not as much as I was Sunday though. Am I bitter? Maybe a little. It needs to go. It's not helping me any.

God? Take this bitterness and hard feelings and hurt feelings from me. Help me to make the phone call that I need to make to begin to heal my friendship. I know there will be a scar from it, Lord, but a scar is better than an open, festering wound. God, my stomach is in knots because I know I am going to cry and I don't particularly want to cry. Give me peace. Thank you. Amen.

Our Story

It all started in September of 1996. I was a sophomore at University of Mobile. Each year, UM has several mission trips that it sponsors. I was in chapel that semester, so I heard the announcement about the trips for the next year. One of the trips was to Argentina for their mission meeting. I felt that I had to go on that trip. Around April '97 I started writing my letter to send out to friends and family letting them know where I was going and what we would be doing. I also sent a letter out telling people how to donate toward my trip if they felt led to. Our trip was set for December 28, 1997 until January 11, 1998.

I met Clayton on December 30. His parents are missionaries in Argentina and he was using his one free trip back to see them. He volunteered to work with the small group of us that had flown down. We ended up working together with the preschoolers, teaching them Bible stories during the day and playing with them at night. We spent most of our free time sitting outside talking. We spent a total of 8 days together at the camp the missionaries were at for their meetings. My group spent the next 2 days in Buenos Aires.

Clayton and I emailed each other until he got back to SC. He called me a few times and in March (yes, March!) we started talking about marriage. He used part of his spring break to come see me in Mobile. He met my parents. My parents weren't the least bit surprised that I thought he was the one I was going to marry. I came up to SC at the end of July that year. He came down to my best friend's wedding in November. I came to see him in March on my spring break. He came down for my college graduation. Two weeks before our wedding, I came up here to set up our house. The week before the wedding, we drove down to Florida. We spent a total of about 6 weeks in each other's presence. That's including the time in Argentina. Most of our relationship was on the phone and instant messages. We've been married for 6 years now. God has truly blessed us.

The story of us....an intro...

I don't have enough time tonight to really get going good on our story, but I'll start with the basics and go from there...

The People: Clayton and me
The Date: December 1997
Our Ages: 19 and 20, respectively
The Place: Argentina

There's the basics. I'll try to start our story tomorrow sometime.

Another late-ish night

Yup. I should be in bed sleeping again right now. I'm actually not far from it. I'm more than ready. Andrew's been down since 8:00. Clayton left in the middle of church for work. I won't see him in the morning because he's got class at 8:00.

I made a whole $4 at Amy's yard sale yesterday. She's having another one in October. I've already started gathering things up. I won't be able to be there because my cousin is getting married in DC. We're planning on being there. It's been since I was in 8th grade that I was in DC. Uh, that's almost 15 years ago.

This year is my 10 year HS reunion. I'm not going. Clayton said we could either go on vacation in Florida in July or we could go to my reunion. I chose the vacation for several reasons. 1. More time there. 2. Angela was there from Panama and I haven't seen her in about 2 years. 3. I pretty much keep up with the people I want to from HS. *There's not many of them I keep up with.* Most of my friends during that time period were from church. My best friend from that time period is still my best friend today even though she lives in CA with her husband now. He's in the Navy. Anyway, I hope all my classmates who are going to the reunion have a great time.

Should be in bed...

going to sleep. I am technically in bed. I'm sitting in bed using our new laptop. Nothing fancy. Just something for me to do transcription on so Clayton can be online at the same time for his online class. He is in his next to last semester of school. (Finally!)

So, I found my graphics I wanted for mission friends. The kids started coloring them Wednesday night. They'll color some more this Wednesday and then the following Sunday we'll give the pictures and some apples to all the school teachers in our church at the same time the WMU gives them school supplies.

Didn't do much tonight. I was in an ill mood and didn't want to stay home, so after we ate supper and Clayton went to work, Andrew and I got in the van and went to Amy's house. She wasn't home, so we drove around her street and when we got ready to exit her neighborhood, she was coming in. We stopped and talked and ended up going to Hobby Lobby with her and her friend Becky. They went out to eat afterwards and Andrew and I came home. He's been asleep for almost an hour and a half now. I'm getting hungry and debating whether I should go get something to eat before I go to bed. I probably won't. I'll call Clayton and chat with him for a little while and then just go to sleep. Andrew will be up early, I'm sure. I wish I knew what I did to get a kid who wakes up at the crack of dawn. (haha) That's okay that he'll be up early because we're taking our old computer desk to Amy's yard sale tomorrow morning. I'm trying to figure out if there's anything else we have that I could take over there. After the yard sale, we'll head out to buy groceries. Then home for lunch and a nap. I don't know what we'll do between nap and supper. Clayton will still need to be sleeping, so we'll either need to leave the house or be quiet. I'll figure it out tomorrow.

Back to the regular schedule.

It's that time of year again. While I don't have a child in school, things are going back to the 'school' schedule. Church changes for the summer. Instead of starting at 5:30, it starts at 6:15 and then, for a month and a half, at 7:00. We're back to the 5:30 start time tonight. I'll eat supper, go to prayer meeting, mission friends, and then choir. I am again directing mission friends this year. We're helping the WMU for the next 2 weeks. They're doing a school supply drive for the school teachers. On the 28th, the teachers in the church will be presented w/ school supplies, an apple, and a card. Mission friends is doing the apple and card. So, tonight we'll work on making cards. I wish I was more crafty than handing them a piece of paper and some crayons and saying 'make a card.' If I had thought about it before now, I could have cut out 'school' type things (rulers, pencils, erasers, chalkboards, etc.) for them to glue on the papers. Or! Even better! Make the cards in those shapes. Oh! I like it. Too bad I can't draw. Hmm, but I DO have the internet at my disposal AND my own printer now. I think I'll come back here later...

And even more frustrated...

My entire post from earlier today is not there.

Frustrated. Very frustrated.

Goings on.

It's been a crazy weekend. Clayton and I were supposed to fly Saturday to celebrate our anniversary. That didn't happen because of the weather. It was rainy and visibility wasn't good for a pilot who isn't IFR rated. So, we drove around for a bit and finally settled on a place to eat lunch. Ate, picked Andrew up from our friend's house and went home for naps. Kept our nephew for a few hours while his mom finished cleaning their old apartment. Sunday was church. Went out for ice cream before heading to church that night. On our way back, came across an accident that had just happened. Semi cab hit a mini-van almost head on. Both occupants of the van died. Clayton found them still in the van. Went to church. Found out that Clayton had been elected as a deacon for the new church year. He'll be ordained sometime in the next month or so, I think.

Transcription work has picked up again. Yay! Hopefully my check will be somewhat regular now. I found an online calculator that shows how much I'm actually contributing to our household income. After daycare and the few lunches/dinners we go out for, I could almost quit working. I had a scheme that I ran by Clayton that would let me stay at home. We've got a friend who is pregnant and is wanting in-home care for the baby rather than daycare. I would love to quit my job and care for her child while she works. Clayton pretty much shot my idea down. He's got too many 'what ifs.' So, I'm still looking for something new. If I were to watch this woman's baby, then it would solve the 'paying for a 2nd child in daycare' problem we'll have when I finally ever get pregnant.

Having wrist problems again. Started Friday. Not sure exactly what causes it since I haven't done anything new/different than I've been doing. Went to the Dr. for it today, though, because I just about couldn't type last night. She gave me an Rx for Naprosyn. We'll see if that helps.

So far, I'm really liking the 12 hour shift thing that Clayton has. He now works 7 pm to 7 am. Some evenings it's hard, but most of the time it isn't too bad. It also keeps us from going out to eat for supper more than we need to since he tries to be dressed and out the door by 6:30.

I think that about covers everything that's gone on here recently. Whoo, I live an exciting life...

Well, vacation is over. I've been back at work for a week now. We had a great time. Skipped the Blue Angels show because we were afraid there would be too many people on the beach and we'd have a hard time getting off the island. Found out that it wasn't that bad, but that's okay. Spent some time at the museum, as usual. We can't go to Pensacola and not visit the museum. BBQ'd with my aunt and uncle and then went to the fireworks. Clayton walked down the road a bit and talked to the city officers who were blocking traffic. Andrew and I walked with him. I knew that a guy I graduated from high school with was working for the city so I asked about him. Clayton, Andrew, and I walked about a mile in the other direction to see if we could find him. We did and I talked to him for a little while.

We had to rearrange our plans for kayaking because of TS Cindy. We didn't get much from her, fortunately, and could have kept our kayaking plans for Wednesday, but we didn't and so we stayed an extra day. We did leave before Dennis blew in, though. All is well that ends well.

Vacation.

Starts tomorrow. At noon. I will leave work, pick up my husband and then pick up my child. Then? Then, we're off to Florida. An 8 hour drive. I haven't packed. I don't have diapers/pull ups/whatever. I'm not using cloth while we go on vacation. I don't feel like lugging every diaper we own to Florida. I expect that I'll pack between the time I leave work and pick Andrew up from daycare. Tonight is the last night of VBS at church and we won't be home until probably around 9:30. Since I'm planning on picking up dipes this afternoon between work and picking Andrew up then we'll probably use disposables at daycare tomorrow. That means diaper laundry doesn't *have* to be done. I can get it started and if I fall asleep before it's finished, then I can finish it in the morning and take the dirty clothes I want to wear next week to my parents' house and wash them there.

We may have to change our plans as far as the Blue Angels show goes. Mom told me today that their paper is telling people to plan on being at the beach ALL day and to expect traffic jams once the show is over. That alone would be enough to make Clayton not want to go. Only part of the beach is open still. Ivan really did a number on the island. I doubt we'll even try to go. I am planning on calling the canoeing place this afternoon to find out what day would be best to plan to go. I'm thinking either Monday or Tuesday.

Is it soooo bad?

Is it really that bad to only have one working bathroom? I mean, really? I grew up in a house with only one bathroom for 4 people. We survived. Yeah, sometimes it was tough if you really really had to go and someone was in there taking their precious time, but we survived. In fact, I'm going back to that house next week where there is still only one bathroom. There will be 4 adults and a 2.5 year old to share the one bathroom. We'll make it work. I just don't get it when people complain that one of their two bathrooms isn't working. You still have ONE, right? At least that's something. Sure, it's an inconvenience for people to go tramping through your bedroom to get to the toilet in your bathroom, but it's not going to kill anyone. Besides that, it's only for a couple days until the plumber can get out there on MONDAY (today is FRIDAY) to take care of the toilet that is running. It's not overflowing, mind you, just running. People seem to think that their problem is the biggest (not to mention the only) problem in the world. I mean, come on, do you really expect a competent plumbing company to have an opening the same day that you place your work order? Well, do you? I certainly don't. When I left this place yesterday, I had a full schedule for all of my plumbing technicians. (I've scheduled these guys for 4 years now, so I suppose I can call them mine). I just think it's insane to expect plumbing service the same day. Yeah, we advertise quick service for emergencies. And we usually get it done. I can only work with what I've got, though.

Back to work

It's been an interesting week. I was out two days last week (without pay) because my youngin' was sick. I picked him up from daycare Tuesday and his teacher asked me if he had pink eye. I hesitated and told her that I didn't think so. I looked at his eye and sure enough, it was pink. So, I got online and checked it out. Made the decision to take him to the doctor the next day. We got to the doctor's office and not only does he have pink eye, he also has an ear infection. In both ears. The left one was pus-y. Yuck. I think the infection moved from his ear to his eye. Anyway, we stayed home Thursday and put drops in his eyes and sent him to daycare Friday. As of today, his eyes are clear and his left ear is pushing wax out. Another yuck. He's had half his medicine for the ears, so only 10 more doses to go. I really hope this works. I hate it when my baby isn't feeling well.

Saturday was fun. We went swimming with a friend and had a great time. If I can get Andrew to be comfortable not hanging on to me when he has his swimmies on the we'll have an even better time. We'll work on it as we plan to go swimming with these friends as many Saturdays as possible. Clayton and I had a Sunday School party that night. We did some running around before we dropped Andrew off with the babysitters at the preacher's house. (The preacher's wife is in our class). We had dinner at Miyabi Japanese restaurant and played putt putt golf at Frankie's Fun Park (http://www.frankiesfunpark.com/) and then had ice cream at the Cold-Stone Creamery (www.coldstonecreamery.com). It was a great, relaxing night without kids.

Father's day was uneventful. We let Clayton sleep since he had to work both Saturday night and Sunday night. I can't wait until the department goes to 12 hour shifts. He'll have every other weekend off. We'll have more time to do things as a family.

Yesterday was bad.

Just bad. I started the day with a negative HPT. Big surprise there. Next issue. Andrew and I were supposed to go swimming with some friends. They never called. Correction. They called at 10:30 to say that they had forgotten that their oldest had a swim meet that morning and they had decided not to go back to the pool. Fine. Andrew and I go to Wal-Mart for a bed rail and some other stuff. We needed the rail because he fell out of his bed again Friday night. We get home, I put Andrew in bed because he fell asleep on the way home. I eat, bake a chocolate pound cake, and take a nap. I get up and wake Clayton up so he can shower before the picnic. We wake Andrew and head to Camp Croft for the picnic. We're driving along and get to the State Park, go in and drive around. We had just about decided that we were in the wrong place and were heading out to find the right place when I noticed the date on the invitation. Not for Saturday the 11th, but for SUNDAY, the 12th. Yeah, I feel dumb. (Not that the invite said Saturday OR Sunday. It just had the date, but still...) So, we drive around for a bit. Clayton takes us to a dam that has a set of stairs so you can get down to the shoals and the river. We go down there and sit for a little while. Decide that we should have an asado for supper. Go to Wal-Mart (again) and pick up bratwurst, pork loin, and some steak. Get home and grill all that meat. Oh, and provolone cheese. We toss that on the grill, too. Eat. YUM. Good food. Andrew goes to bed. I get my feelings hurt. Perfect end to a perfect day. Yeah, whatever.

Exhausted.

I don't understand it. I'm exhausted. I'm getting enough sleep...I would think that going to bed between 9:30 and 11:00 each night and getting up around 6:15-6:30 would be sufficient rest for me. I tend to do best with 6-7 hours of sleep. If I get much more, I'm a grump for the rest of the day. Less, a zombie. So, *why* am I zombie-like today? And yesterday? And the day before? Should I dare hope that it's a *symptom* and that I'm finally pregnant? I haven't yet POAS. For once, I'm scared to. I am actually afraid to see a negative this time. I have one hpt left at home. I want to save it until I'm late, but I don't know what late is anymore. Is late day 27? Or is it day 32? That's almost a whole week difference, people. A woman can go crazy in less than that amount of time. I'll test Saturday (only 2 days from now). That will be day.........counting.........27. Wish me luck!

Here comes the rain....again.

It rained Monday. It's raining now. It's supposed to rain tomorrow. And Friday. Whee. At least this will probably keep us out of a drought this year. I can't remember it raining so much in the summer (or almost summer) in the 6 years I've lived here. Monday it rained so hard and so much that one of the roads I take to get home was covered in orange water. It was lovely. By the time I got home, it hardly looked like it had been raining. Some of the streets were even dry. My BIL was at my house and he said that it hadn't rained much at all at the house.

Woohoo! Vacation has been planned...sorta. We know when we're going and where we're going. We have an idea of what we're going to do...just not on what days. We will be leaving the State of SC on Friday, July 1 probably around 1 or so. I will be taking the afternoon off so we can make it to Pensacola FL in time for Saturday's Blue Angel (www.blueangels.navy.mil/ )show. Clayton has never seen them perform, so if we can find a place to park at the Ivan ravaged beach, then we'll be there. Other plans include going downtown to the fireworks show on the 4th, going to the naval museum (http://naval.aviation.museum/home.html), going canoeing (www.adventuresunlimited.com), and possibly going to the beach (again, if we can find parking). Room and board will be free since we're staying with my parents. My brother and SIL will probably try to drive down from Atlanta for a little vacation time as well. I am looking forward to being with family and hopefully just having a relaxing time with NO work!

MOPs

I'm hooked. I went to my first meeting last night and had a blast! Our speaker gave awesome ideas on how to instill trust and giving in our children. I'm planning on putting them into action. She had 3 boxes, each with a different label. The smallest box was labeled "Quiet Time." The 2 bigger boxes were labeled "Adventure Box" and "Blessing Box." The quiet time box is to start winding your child down for a nap/bed. It contained slips of paper with things like 'blow bubbles,' 'sing,' etc. The adventure box is for collecting 'treasures' while outside. You, as the parent, are to collect things and give them to your preschooler for safekeeping. When you go back inside, you put all those treasures in the box. The speaker said that this comes in handy when the child is throwing a tantrum. You can pull that box out and start looking through it and distract their attention from the tantrum to what you are doing. The blessing box is to be filled with things to give away. The child picks something out of the box to give guests in your home whether they are older guests or children. By doing this, your child learns that he/she doesn't always get a gift. They learn how to deal with that situation. She also talked about cooking with your children. Letting them help make a meal or dessert. I LOVE (most of the time) letting Andrew help me make cookies. In fact, the last time we baked, I let him help dump the flour and brown sugar in the bowl. He loves to help.

I will definitely be going back. I loved the craft and the fellowship. I loved the nuggets of wisdom that the speaker gave us. And the food was good, too!

Stalling.

The weight loss thing has stalled. I was motivated for almost 2 weeks. I lost 2.5 pounds. I was doing good. And now? Well, now, I seem to have gained those 2.5 pounds back. I've not paid attention to what I've eaten this last week. I've pretty much eaten what I've wanted to eat. Time to get back on track. I'm thinking a salad from www.zaxbys.com would be good. Maybe the Caeser with bacon in it. YUM. Too bad I don't have a book. I like to read when I go to Zaxby's to eat.

Tonight starts the first night of the 'summer' schedule at church. I get a break from working with the kids until VBS and then again until school starts. It is a much needed break.

Yay for holiday weekends.

It was so nice to have an extra day this weekend. Even if it rained for a good part of it. Andrew and I spent the morning at a friend's house and then gallavanting around town with her and her children. Actually, we went to a furniture outlet place, Party City, and Wal-Mart. While at the furniture place, I found a perfect 'big boy' bed for Andrew. He's been sleeping in a toddler bed for about the last year and I decided that he's going to need a twin bed sometime soon. Besides that, we're going to give the toddler bed to Clayton's brother and SIL as they will need their crib for baby #2. Anyway, Andrew is now the proud owner of a bunk bed type bed. I say 'type' because it isn't a bunk bed in the true sense of a bunk bed. The top is much, much lower than your typical bunk bed. The bottom is actually a rolling bed that is perpendicular to the top. It's perfect for him and he loves it.

On the job search. My BIL sent me a link from the college he attends. They need a secretary for Student Services. I sent my resume in. Can't hurt, right? It would be a pretty good drive, but if it's something I think I'll like, then it'll be worth it. Not holding my breath, but hoping just the same.

Amazing.

It's absolutely amazing what a good night's sleep will do. I woke up feeling much better about Clayton's SIL being pregnant. I'm *almost* happy for her. Given a few more days, I will be happy for her. I keep thinking about my brother and SIL who have been trying for going on 2 years now for their 1st baby. I'm sure they have a harder time when relatives and close friends make their announcements. How do you balance your happiness with their sadness? Clayton's SIL did a good job. She was concerned about how I would feel and for that, I love her. Her happiness, though, is tempered with fear. She had a miscarriage in January. She is afraid the same will happen again. I'm sure I'd be scared, too.

So, I blew the diet today. Double cheeseburger and fries. And it was GOOD. I'll be good tonight. I don't know what we're having yet, but I'll be god. I just hope this diet blowing doesn't affect my weight too much tomorrow. We shall see.

And to top it all off?

The job at the school district that I put my application in for did interviews yesterday. I was not there.

Clayton put in for the traffic division. He did well in his interview, but he had to turn it down. They wanted him to work EVERY weekend. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Oh, and Monday and Tuesday. He's a good man for turning down something he so dearly wanted to be with his family. I just love him to pieces.

Why must it be so hard?

I found out today that Clayton's SIL is pregnant. I want to be happy for her, I really do. But it's just so hard when we've been trying for baby number 2 since September and nothing is happening.

Changes.

Okay, so I was offered a chance to be trained on another MT account with the same company. The lady isn't sure how much work there will be. I took her up on it just because I love the work. Not sure when this will start.

School district should be calling people this week. Praying I'm one of them.

I've got to run by the place we got our van. The automatic sliding door stopped being automatic, so we're letting them get it fixed. The owner of the place said he'd just charge us whatever they charged him. So, I've got to take my van to them so they can give me something else to drive until mine is fixed. Last time I ended up with a Ford Explorer. (They took my van and looked at it and then sent it back. They haven't even gotten in the door yet to find out what part they need. Hopefully that will be done tomorrow.)

We had a really good weekend. Andrew and I went to the park and met up with a message board buddy and her son. They played for awhile and then we both had to leave. We went home for lunch and naps and then headed out to meet another friend to pick out Luau party stuff for our church's Ladies Night Out. Clayton called while we were out. He woke up early and was waiting for us when we got home. He hopped in the van and we went by the Sheriff's office to see the throw they have for sale. Love it. We'll be getting one when they're ready. Drove around for a bit and ended up at BK for supper. Andrew played in the play area for quite awhile before we went home. Overall, a great day. Sunday was church. Andrew and I made brownies to take Sunday night. They were a success! I didn't take any home. I'll have to make them again soon.

I've got 45 minutes before I head home, so I'm going to do a little work before it's time.

It's Over.

My 4.5 months of being a Medical Transcriptionist appear to be over. And it's all because someone else quit. You see, I was still being proofed since I am new at all this. The lady who was proofing my work before turning it in quit. Now there's no one to proof me. No one to proof=no work for me. The company we got work from does not have enough staff to proof me. The other work that the company I was contracting with has to be done during the day. That's not an option for me since I work outside the home full time. I enjoyed it while I had it.

Clayton has been with the Sheriff's office long enough now to get a promotion! Woohoo! He put in for it Wednesday night. Promotion=raise! Hopefully it will go through soon. I don't see him not getting it since all his supervisors have recommended it at his reviews.

In weight loss news, I have lost TWO pounds since last Friday. Hopefully I can keep it up. My tummy is telling me it's hungry RIGHT NOW, but I'm ignoring it. If it really starts to yell at me, then I'll go get a lukewarm bottle of water. (It was just put in the fridge this morning). Now that I'm not working at night anymore I can start exercising again after Andrew goes to bed. I need a big kick in the butt to get started, though. And then, the big question, do I do Pilates or The Firm? A mixture? Once I get started, I'll figure it out. My first inclination is to get my Firm stuff out and get some cardio going, and then work in the Pilates for extra toning.

So, I've done okay eating since supper last night. Lunch yesterday was a washout, so I'm not starting there. I cooked spaghetti last night. I did not get as much as I normally would for a first helping and I didn't go back for 2nds. I accidently bought lite bread, but it was good. Breakfast this morning was a banana and OJ. Lunch will be Lean Cuisine. I KNOW I'll be still be hungry after I eat that. I've got some SnackWell's Devil's Food cookies. I will allow myself to have one.

Why is it that the best things get left at the grocery store? I bought groceries last night and my baking potatoes, sweet potato, corn, and hot dogs got left at the store. I don't care much about the hot dogs, but they were going to be lunch Sunday. The potatoes and corn were supposed to be cooked tomorrow night with our grilled steak. I was gonna get Clayton to grill the corn and I was going to throw the potatoes in the microwave. Now, I guess I'll mash some of the other potatoes. And cook some green beans. Maybe steam carrots. And if anyone cares, we're having pork chops, pasta, and green bean casserole tonight.

I wish I had exciting news to share. I don't. I found out last night that the district office will not be calling interviewees until next week. At least I haven't missed a call or been passed over. So, that's semi-good news. So, we're in a holding pattern on that until next week.

Next week is the last week of Mission Friends at church until August. We're going for ice cream! Woohoo!

That'll help the 'diet' a whole lot. Yes, 'diet.' In quotes. I'm not so hot at dieting. Never really needed to before. But, having a baby moves things around and approaching 30 slows things down, apparently. I'm up 14 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight, which was up 26 pounds from my weight when I got married. So, that's a total of 40 pounds. HOW THE HECK DID THAT HAPPEN?! Okay, I've got my theories...1. My lifestyle changed. I am no longer in college with tons of free time to walk and keep in shape. 2. I had a baby almost 2 1/2 years ago. 3. I eat all day long. What else do I have to do while sitting at work bored to tears? Now, I've got to figure out how to lose some of this weight. Yes, I'm drinking water. I like it flavored with Crystal Light To Go, but I'll drink it plain if I must. (And I must right now because I'm out of the Crystal Light). I know what my WW points are if I want to go that route. I know that I MUST cut down my portion size. I'm eating enough for 2 people. And, NO, I'm not pregnant...yet...so I don't need to be eating for 2. Anyway, I'm grocery shopping tonight and plan to buy some healthier stuff. I refuse to buy sodas unless it is for Sunday School. Clayton has given up caffeine in an effort to lower his blood pressure (and it worked! At his physical for work it was 15-something/80-something and when he went for his flight physical it was 110/60!! after 2 weeks without caffeine). I don't particularly need sodas and can live without them, so none for us. (Besides that, just how many calories are in 1 can?) So, I had planned to start all this today. *snort* That didn't happen. I started looking at points for eating out and realized that I wouldn't have enough points for supper tonight with what I had for breakfast and anywhere I was looking at eating for lunch. Hopefully I can make it work tomorrow.

Now I'm rambling. And since I'm rambling, I'll go for now.

Starting again....Maybe

Okay, so it's been 6 months since I last blogged. I have a hard time keeping up with a journal, so why did I think a blog would be any different? Hmmm? That's what I thought, no answer. Anyway, here I am trying my hand at it again. Who knows when I'll stop and then start again. On to other things...such as updates.

Let's see...I started doing medical transcription for pay in January. I LOVE it. I truly wish I could quit my day job and do transcription full time. Unfortunately, the company I'm working for at the moment doesn't pay enough. I don't particularly want to work in a hospital/doctor's office setting because I like the flexibility of working from home. Hopefully I'll be able to make something more of it in time to come.

At last blog, I was quite unhappy at my current job. That situation hasn't changed. I'm still unhappy and still get quite annoyed at the people around me. I have recently (~2 weeks ago) put in an application at the school district. There are 2 openings in the district office. Hopefully I will hear something this week about an interview. I would be estatic if I got one of the openings because this office is MUCH closer to my home and would pay more.

God is doing awesome things in mine and Clayton's lives. I am so excited at where He is leading us. Over the last few weeks, Clayton has been feeling that God is calling him to do...something. So, we prayed about it and asked others to pray as well. Clayton finally told me that he feels he is being led to complete his flight training and air mechanics license. From there, we don't know where we'll head, but at least we've got this much. So, almost 2 weeks ago, Clayton went to the place where he earned his private pilot's license and did what it took to get him recertified. My husband can fly by himself again! I've not gone up with him since 2000, so I'm looking forward to going up again. He took his mother up last week and his best friend the day he was recertified. Flying is expensive, so we won't be going a lot, but it's a start.

Clayton will graduate with his Bachelor's (finally) next May. His degree will be in Criminal Justice. And next fall, he will probably start tech school for the air mechanic certificate. It's going to be a loooong few years. My first job in all of this is to try to find scholarships for him. Any ideas on where to look? (If anyone is reading...)

On that note, I'll leave so I'll have something to write about later.