I like books. A lot. Actually, I love books. I also love reading. I can read anything and enjoy it, including the dictionary and the information in the phone book. I read online. I read ebooks. I read magazines and newspapers and cereal boxes. I do a lot of different types of reading. I read for personal growth. I read for pleasure. I read for information. I read for education. I read for the enjoyment of losing myself in the written word. There are so many ways to do all of that reading, and the most convenient, the cheapest, and the easiest to access is on the Internet. I go to school on the Internet. I gather information for the kid’s schooling on the Internet. I can even read the newspaper, magazine articles, and books on the Internet. I love the ability to find my information quickly.
But there is just something about a book. The feel of the pages, the new book smell, the weight of it in my hands. I surround myself with literature on a variety of topics. When I research something in-depth, I love to surround myself with the books I need to reference. I could lose myself in a library. Not only are the characters in those stories good friends, the actual books themselves are as well. I can find the story, the idea, the thoughts I am looking for with a few flips of the pages.
Going to school online has many perks, but the biggest draw back is that my text books are online as well. Most I download a chapter at a time. I can not feel the pages, flip to information, highlight text, or experience that new book smell. I can only access them while I attend my college because they are password protected. And I can not find the information I need because I scroll through page after page without even knowing I turned the page. And of course there are some books I am glad to not have laying around the house after the class is over. I would probably toss my algebra text book out the window in a fit of joy if I had one. (One being a text book, not a fit of joy, which I did have at the end of Algebra.)
The pages of my favorite books are wearing thin. Without highlighting one can see my favorite portions of text from wear. This is true of my Bible, Lucado and Swindoll books, and also Dekker, Gansky, Peretti and many others. And so I am having a hard time in my classes online because I am having a hard time losing myself in the reading. Instead of researching the reasons behind the founding fathers establishment of a government with three branches and the impact of those three branches on the government of today I am writing a blog. Not even a good or interesting blog, but it is killing time. And now, back to my even more boring government paper…
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Saturday, January 1, 2011
2010
As I sit here amidst the remnants of the party ushering in the new year I can not help but reflect upon the past year. If I had to sum up our year in one word, it would be the word “full.” Full of surprises, full of expectation, full of disappointment, full of joy. And most of all, full of God’s mercy and glory.
In January we celebrated David’s first birthday with a wonderful homemade set of cakes that the kids decorated to look like a snowman and a frozen pond. Andy put his schooling on hold while trying to test into a program at the college. As with all winters, there were very cold, snowy times when he was laid off, but he still was working when they could. Tony joined us on a field trip to the Science Center. We got lost in downtown Pittsburgh. It was a terrifying trip home, and I remain scarred to this day.
February brought some new changes. We took a trip to the Harrisburg/ Hershey area while Andy attended a conference to become a ride inspector. We got to visit Hershey, touring the Kiss Works, riding the Chocolate World ride, and enjoying the gift shop. We also got to tour the PA State House, visit a park, and see the PA State Museum. I parallel parked in downtown Harrisburg- twice. I did get a ticket, but that was for letting the meter expire, not my parking. We enjoyed time at the pool as well. We watched some of the Olympics and did a huge project for school on the Olympics, Canada, and chocolate.
In March I had the opportunity to go to a home school women’s retreat. It was wonderful, refreshing, and enlightening. All of those things I was soon to need to fall back on as we had David in the hospital. He had RSV, a rotavirus, and asthma attacks. We had him there for a few days, and all the kids were at home sick. While we were there Andy had to go to training for the program at the college. After a few rough days, and even rougher nights, the pneumonia that followed the RSV was under control and we came home. David has asthma that needs treated daily, but it may improve over time.
After that, April seemed so calm, even with school in full swing and Easter! A visit from the SC Raehls was wonderful and we spent our days chasing trains, playing, and squeezing in some bookwork. The weather was wonderful for playing outside, and we all enjoyed that. With the weather becoming more suitable for working outdoors Andy got more hours in at work.
The spring crept along as we headed into May. Angel had her first evaluation for school, and her first standardized testing. She scored above average across the board, which is even more incredible seeing as she is a grade ahead of her peers. We celebrated Mother’s Day as always, outdoors! Between wrapping up the school year and preparation for VBS, I was quite busy.
June was great! Great weather, great fun! Isaac and I got a chance to head out to Sandbox Camp together. We had a wonderful time at Camp Allegheny. It was an awesome start to our summer. We did have to miss out on a vacation I really wanted to take, but Andy was busy with his full time job, Firefly, and ride set ups. We began our Bible Club again at the Spangler UMC, and we had good attendance from the first week. I began writing out my curriculum in ebook format. I am a Currclick publisher, with only one title, but still, my mom is not the only one who bought one.
The final step in the testing and training for the program Andy was trying to get into was in July. I am so proud of how well he did, but because training was so long and he was planning on going back to school, he lost his job. We were not expecting or prepared for that. He tried to work more on Firefly and having more shows, and he got a few. We missed going to Idlewild this year as Angel was not dancing there. We went camping instead, and this time Mom, Dad, Josh, Tony, Scott, Theresa, Will, Rachel, Luke, Bella, Andy, Angel, Faith, Isaac, David, Mariah and I were all there. As you can imagine, it was a unique wonderful sort of chaos! We had a great time swimming, playing outside, and just being together. After we got the kids past the no electronics rule. We had a fun time at the Demi family reunion. Faith turned 8, and I can not believe it! I began back to school in July as well at an online college. At the end of the month Angel and Faith went to Camp Allegheny as well.
August started well with VBS. We learned about Joseph and Egypt. It was an awesome event. I was energized and renewed by the children that week, as well as the teachers and helpers. Following VBS, we also wrapped up Bible Club. It had been a busy summer of Tuesdays, and we had many children at least once. We are still praying that those seeds planted with come to fruition. We took a family trip to Lakemont. David and Isaac rode the kiddie rides, Angel, Faith and Isaac drug us on some of the bigger rides, and we all enjoyed the water park. At the end of the month we started back to school, at least the “book work” part, seeing how we had been to some great field trips. Andy and I got to go out to celebrate 12 great years of marriage. Somewhere in there Andy got a job, and then lost that job.
September was a special time because we had a wonderful Chordas family reunion. I got to see relatives that I had not seen for quite a while, and meet some relatives I had never seen before. We stayed over at my parents old house in a big sleepover for Labor Day Weekend. We celebrated several birthdays- Isaac, Andy and I all have September birthdays. We began to get back into the groove of school but hit some sicknesses. Faith and David had pneumonia and bronchitis. We battled a stomach virus. Andy had been working on Firefly, but with no savings to fall back on he needed to go back to work in construction. We are praying that changes so he can entertain full time.
The days grew longer and the weekends were filled with soccer in October. I love the fall, but felt a twinge of sadness this year. We ushered in the previous fall at the beach. The kids were now back to puppets, soccer, dance, etc. We had busy days of school, busy nights, and busy weekends. We enjoyed the pumpkin patch, the corn maze, and Halloween. Angel had a Death By Chocolate birthday party, after which she did not ask for chocolate for about two minutes. Tops. Andy had been off, so we began to tear up the carpeting in our house. Project completion estimation: approximately never.
By November I had to make the decision to schedule testing for Faith. We had been struggling for quite a while. I made the first appointment for a referral, and then we headed into Thanksgiving. My mom hosted this year, which gave me more time to plot our Black Friday plan of attack. With our crew prepped and ready, I headed to my house to nap before heading out that night. Tony, Jess, Theresa and I shopped. Josh guided us from home, amazing me with his directions, which prompted me to ask him if he placed a tracker on our van. We began the long process of preparing for Christmas that weekend.
December began with snow. And more snow. Then we had Faith’s evaluation. She was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD. Big words that feel like daggers to a mothers heart that tell us we need to make some changes before heading back to school. We took a school break early for Christmas as we reevaluate our teaching time. And I muddled trough Algebra rounding out my first very full semester with a 4.0. David’s asthma has been acting up so we have to give him breathing treatments three times a day. Christmas was wonderful, with me getting my dream gift of a Keurig. And a Wii, for the kids, at least that’s what I told them.
Somewhere in there was the car dying, Andy getting laid off (but not fired) currently, and us struggling financially and getting to see God provide in awesome and dramatic ways. I had to learn in a very real way that perfection is not something I can achieve this side of heaven. And more important than knowing that, I had to realize that is okay. Daily I have been learning more of God, needing Him more, trusting Him more. I had a very hard time dealing with David’s asthma, Faith’s diagnosis and the loss of the schooling opportunity for Andy. Allowing God control of my life can look vastly different from what I expect of my life, and yet it is more beautiful, more wonderful, and more full than I could ever imagine.
In January we celebrated David’s first birthday with a wonderful homemade set of cakes that the kids decorated to look like a snowman and a frozen pond. Andy put his schooling on hold while trying to test into a program at the college. As with all winters, there were very cold, snowy times when he was laid off, but he still was working when they could. Tony joined us on a field trip to the Science Center. We got lost in downtown Pittsburgh. It was a terrifying trip home, and I remain scarred to this day.
February brought some new changes. We took a trip to the Harrisburg/ Hershey area while Andy attended a conference to become a ride inspector. We got to visit Hershey, touring the Kiss Works, riding the Chocolate World ride, and enjoying the gift shop. We also got to tour the PA State House, visit a park, and see the PA State Museum. I parallel parked in downtown Harrisburg- twice. I did get a ticket, but that was for letting the meter expire, not my parking. We enjoyed time at the pool as well. We watched some of the Olympics and did a huge project for school on the Olympics, Canada, and chocolate.
In March I had the opportunity to go to a home school women’s retreat. It was wonderful, refreshing, and enlightening. All of those things I was soon to need to fall back on as we had David in the hospital. He had RSV, a rotavirus, and asthma attacks. We had him there for a few days, and all the kids were at home sick. While we were there Andy had to go to training for the program at the college. After a few rough days, and even rougher nights, the pneumonia that followed the RSV was under control and we came home. David has asthma that needs treated daily, but it may improve over time.
After that, April seemed so calm, even with school in full swing and Easter! A visit from the SC Raehls was wonderful and we spent our days chasing trains, playing, and squeezing in some bookwork. The weather was wonderful for playing outside, and we all enjoyed that. With the weather becoming more suitable for working outdoors Andy got more hours in at work.
The spring crept along as we headed into May. Angel had her first evaluation for school, and her first standardized testing. She scored above average across the board, which is even more incredible seeing as she is a grade ahead of her peers. We celebrated Mother’s Day as always, outdoors! Between wrapping up the school year and preparation for VBS, I was quite busy.
June was great! Great weather, great fun! Isaac and I got a chance to head out to Sandbox Camp together. We had a wonderful time at Camp Allegheny. It was an awesome start to our summer. We did have to miss out on a vacation I really wanted to take, but Andy was busy with his full time job, Firefly, and ride set ups. We began our Bible Club again at the Spangler UMC, and we had good attendance from the first week. I began writing out my curriculum in ebook format. I am a Currclick publisher, with only one title, but still, my mom is not the only one who bought one.
The final step in the testing and training for the program Andy was trying to get into was in July. I am so proud of how well he did, but because training was so long and he was planning on going back to school, he lost his job. We were not expecting or prepared for that. He tried to work more on Firefly and having more shows, and he got a few. We missed going to Idlewild this year as Angel was not dancing there. We went camping instead, and this time Mom, Dad, Josh, Tony, Scott, Theresa, Will, Rachel, Luke, Bella, Andy, Angel, Faith, Isaac, David, Mariah and I were all there. As you can imagine, it was a unique wonderful sort of chaos! We had a great time swimming, playing outside, and just being together. After we got the kids past the no electronics rule. We had a fun time at the Demi family reunion. Faith turned 8, and I can not believe it! I began back to school in July as well at an online college. At the end of the month Angel and Faith went to Camp Allegheny as well.
August started well with VBS. We learned about Joseph and Egypt. It was an awesome event. I was energized and renewed by the children that week, as well as the teachers and helpers. Following VBS, we also wrapped up Bible Club. It had been a busy summer of Tuesdays, and we had many children at least once. We are still praying that those seeds planted with come to fruition. We took a family trip to Lakemont. David and Isaac rode the kiddie rides, Angel, Faith and Isaac drug us on some of the bigger rides, and we all enjoyed the water park. At the end of the month we started back to school, at least the “book work” part, seeing how we had been to some great field trips. Andy and I got to go out to celebrate 12 great years of marriage. Somewhere in there Andy got a job, and then lost that job.
September was a special time because we had a wonderful Chordas family reunion. I got to see relatives that I had not seen for quite a while, and meet some relatives I had never seen before. We stayed over at my parents old house in a big sleepover for Labor Day Weekend. We celebrated several birthdays- Isaac, Andy and I all have September birthdays. We began to get back into the groove of school but hit some sicknesses. Faith and David had pneumonia and bronchitis. We battled a stomach virus. Andy had been working on Firefly, but with no savings to fall back on he needed to go back to work in construction. We are praying that changes so he can entertain full time.
The days grew longer and the weekends were filled with soccer in October. I love the fall, but felt a twinge of sadness this year. We ushered in the previous fall at the beach. The kids were now back to puppets, soccer, dance, etc. We had busy days of school, busy nights, and busy weekends. We enjoyed the pumpkin patch, the corn maze, and Halloween. Angel had a Death By Chocolate birthday party, after which she did not ask for chocolate for about two minutes. Tops. Andy had been off, so we began to tear up the carpeting in our house. Project completion estimation: approximately never.
By November I had to make the decision to schedule testing for Faith. We had been struggling for quite a while. I made the first appointment for a referral, and then we headed into Thanksgiving. My mom hosted this year, which gave me more time to plot our Black Friday plan of attack. With our crew prepped and ready, I headed to my house to nap before heading out that night. Tony, Jess, Theresa and I shopped. Josh guided us from home, amazing me with his directions, which prompted me to ask him if he placed a tracker on our van. We began the long process of preparing for Christmas that weekend.
December began with snow. And more snow. Then we had Faith’s evaluation. She was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome and ADHD. Big words that feel like daggers to a mothers heart that tell us we need to make some changes before heading back to school. We took a school break early for Christmas as we reevaluate our teaching time. And I muddled trough Algebra rounding out my first very full semester with a 4.0. David’s asthma has been acting up so we have to give him breathing treatments three times a day. Christmas was wonderful, with me getting my dream gift of a Keurig. And a Wii, for the kids, at least that’s what I told them.
Somewhere in there was the car dying, Andy getting laid off (but not fired) currently, and us struggling financially and getting to see God provide in awesome and dramatic ways. I had to learn in a very real way that perfection is not something I can achieve this side of heaven. And more important than knowing that, I had to realize that is okay. Daily I have been learning more of God, needing Him more, trusting Him more. I had a very hard time dealing with David’s asthma, Faith’s diagnosis and the loss of the schooling opportunity for Andy. Allowing God control of my life can look vastly different from what I expect of my life, and yet it is more beautiful, more wonderful, and more full than I could ever imagine.
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