I do not mean to alarm anyone, but I have come to believe that the world is going to end soon. I know, I know, people have been saying this for centuries.
There is all this news about the Mayan calendar. I have always assumed that the whole Mayan calendar things was no big deal. I mean,come on! I think that there was some poor Mayan student in middle school who got into trouble and in Mayan detention had to write out the calendar until he served his time. This is the record that remained because he carved it on the stone chalkboard, the one that did not deteriorate over time. I know from personal experience that these kinds of experiences can change your life. Perhaps all that writing made him interested in developing an accurate calendar to figure out the date his grounding would end, which is coming up next year, lucky fella. I will not be out from under all the grounding heaped upon me in middle school until about the fall of 3049. I also think that middle school detention is why I have such a large vocabulary. I had to copy from the dictionary. Quite a bit. I made it almost through the letter C before I wised up.
There is always someone, some where, who claims to know that exact location, day and time of Jesus’ return. All I can say to that is I am impressed. Not only did Jesus himself say He did not know the hour of His return, but I hope those people who gather at the spot have a much more accurate GPS than I used on my way home from the Science Center. The arrival time said 45 minutes for about an hour. If they do not have it right they could miss the whole thing and have to wait for the next guy that knows these incredible details to come along, and who knows how long that will be.
Neither of these are the reasons that I believe the world is coming to an end soon. You see, it all started a while ago when Andy realized that he really does like science fiction. I assumed at first that it was due to prolonged exposure. Then last night something incredible happened. I still am amazed. I went to put on my jammies to get comfy for watching sci-fi shows with Andy when I found my favorite jammies had a hole in them. And I can not believe what happened next. I decided to sew them. I know! I will say it again, please read it slowly: I decided to s-e-w t-h-e-m.
You see, under these circumstances I usually do one of three things. One, I notice the hole and wear them anyway. Come on, they are jammies. Who cares, right? Two, I put them back. Three, I say I am going to sew them and put them in a bag. Six months later I throw them out. I have to admit I had completed steps one and two at least three times with these jammies. And they are my favorites, so I was not quite ready to move on to step three. So to add to the miraculous event, I actually found a needle and thread. In my house. (Did I make you a believer yet??) Then, after Andy laughed at my feeble attempts to use that threading thingie incorrectly for about ten minutes he showed me how to thread the needle. And then I went to work as we watched our show. I actually finished after only messing up 978 times, poking about 123,598 holes in my fingers and two episodes of Stargate. Good thing it was a small hole.
As if all this was not enough proof that the world is coming to an end, or at least the world as we know it is coming to an end, I have even more proof. Tonight after supper I washed the dishes. But wait, there is more! I found it relaxing.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Change-R-Us
We are in the middle of a remodeling project. I say middle with much optimism. Very much optimism. We are pulling up carpeting, ripping off wall paper, sanding wood work and installing a light in the living room. For the first time in my married life I will have a living room light. Now, of course, when I say we I really mean Andy is doing the “work” kind of work. I am doing the “picking paint colors kind of work”, and let me tell you, that is hard!
By the completion of the project we will have refinished the hardwood floors in the dining room, both living rooms and the hallway. There will be fresh paint in the same rooms. And the furniture will be in the room it belongs in. Unlike our current random couch placement. Or book towers in every room. Or chairs in odd corners.
More than the work work, the picking colors work, the moving furniture work (also not me), the hardest part has been with Faith. She has a very hard time with change, which we know is a part of her Asperger’s Syndrome. Knowing where it comes from only helps us to understand. It does not make it easier for her or for us. She has a fit over each layer of wall paper. Each section of carpeting. Each knocked out section of drywall. Each ceiling block that is removed. Every strip of carpet tacks, which she calls carpet attacks and is waiting for them to, well, to attack.
We are also working on switching bedrooms to spilt up the girls. Which starts with getting rid of toys to move the toy room to a smaller room. My bedroom to the attic. The boys to my room. Faith to the boys room. And Angel gets to stay put and spread out a bit. And that way no one is in Faith’s space. But until then our entire house is in upheaval. Except for the bathrooms. They get to stay the same and are too small to store things in. The kitchen is not getting changed. Yet. But it has a nice corner for storing books in boxes. Or furniture. Or ladders.
Our whole house is like that Bert and Ernie book about how the fish ended up in Bert’s favorite cowboy hat. And yes, I do have a book for everything. I think that one is under the china cupboard.
By the completion of the project we will have refinished the hardwood floors in the dining room, both living rooms and the hallway. There will be fresh paint in the same rooms. And the furniture will be in the room it belongs in. Unlike our current random couch placement. Or book towers in every room. Or chairs in odd corners.
More than the work work, the picking colors work, the moving furniture work (also not me), the hardest part has been with Faith. She has a very hard time with change, which we know is a part of her Asperger’s Syndrome. Knowing where it comes from only helps us to understand. It does not make it easier for her or for us. She has a fit over each layer of wall paper. Each section of carpeting. Each knocked out section of drywall. Each ceiling block that is removed. Every strip of carpet tacks, which she calls carpet attacks and is waiting for them to, well, to attack.
We are also working on switching bedrooms to spilt up the girls. Which starts with getting rid of toys to move the toy room to a smaller room. My bedroom to the attic. The boys to my room. Faith to the boys room. And Angel gets to stay put and spread out a bit. And that way no one is in Faith’s space. But until then our entire house is in upheaval. Except for the bathrooms. They get to stay the same and are too small to store things in. The kitchen is not getting changed. Yet. But it has a nice corner for storing books in boxes. Or furniture. Or ladders.
Our whole house is like that Bert and Ernie book about how the fish ended up in Bert’s favorite cowboy hat. And yes, I do have a book for everything. I think that one is under the china cupboard.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Creationary or Bust! Mostly Bust...
Andy bought the game Lego Creationary. Or what I lovingly call the game that makes me look like an idiot. It is just like Pictionary. But with Legos instead of the pen and paper I already have an epic fail using. I played for about an hour today with Faith and Isaac. Isaac went first and built a gas pump that looked like a gas pump. It even had buttons and a hose. Faith went next and built a church with a steeple and a guy holding a square Bible walking in the door. I took my turn and built a banana that looked like a yellow rectangle with some brown on top. Isaac built a canoe with a man riding in it. Faith built a red T Rex with moving jaws. I built a car that looked like a red rectangle with wheels on bottom. Isaac built a light house. On a rocky beach. He even put on a white speck for a seashell. Faith built a wavy snake with a forked tongue and working jaws. I built a lawn mower that looked suspiciously like my car with smaller wheels and a handle on top.
As the next round was about to begin I excused myself before I could be furtherhumiliated myself, er, to go make supper. As I left the room Faith called me back. She said “Mommy, don’t feel bad. You did real good for a beginner. And there are lots of things you can do that other people can’t. Umm, like, laundry. Those times you do laundry you do it real good.” And that is supposed to make me feel better?
That’s it. Next game night I am going to play with David. I can’t beat Faith and Isaac at Legos. I can not beat Angel at Yahtzee. Or Wii bowling. Or Uno. But David can beat me at Candy Land without me looking like a loser. It may even look like I let him win.
As the next round was about to begin I excused myself before I could be further
That’s it. Next game night I am going to play with David. I can’t beat Faith and Isaac at Legos. I can not beat Angel at Yahtzee. Or Wii bowling. Or Uno. But David can beat me at Candy Land without me looking like a loser. It may even look like I let him win.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Animal Spirits
Sometimes at our house it seems like the school is open 24/7. We have school with the kids, my schooling and Andy’s. Andy and I try to keep it separate, but there are times that he is in one room, I am in the other and the kids are watching a movie. It is that or never sleep. And I still feel as if I never sleep. When I am overworked and overtired, my dreams become quite, well, quite strange really. I am sure no one can even imagine that!
Last night, for example, after the kids were settled in bed I wrote a paper, read a chapter and did my text problems for that chapter. I am not really a huge math fan, so that was hard. And yet I am a perfectionist, so it was really hard. I finally got to sleep around 1AM after studying square roots. No matter what I dreamt, there were square roots. We were all at the beach swimming, and I had square roots leeches. We were hiking at camp, square root leeches.
This brings me to the totally unscientific conclusion that if mathematics had an animal spirit, it would be none other than a blood sucking leech. Language arts would be a wise old owl. Wearing reading glasses, of course. History would be a Galapagos turtle. One of the elders. Science would be a platypus; part theory, part belief, part science, part myth. And those parts are always fighting.
And now, time for school. we are going to have a little leech, a little owl, and one big platypus over today. Don’t want to keep the natives waiting!
Last night, for example, after the kids were settled in bed I wrote a paper, read a chapter and did my text problems for that chapter. I am not really a huge math fan, so that was hard. And yet I am a perfectionist, so it was really hard. I finally got to sleep around 1AM after studying square roots. No matter what I dreamt, there were square roots. We were all at the beach swimming, and I had square roots leeches. We were hiking at camp, square root leeches.
This brings me to the totally unscientific conclusion that if mathematics had an animal spirit, it would be none other than a blood sucking leech. Language arts would be a wise old owl. Wearing reading glasses, of course. History would be a Galapagos turtle. One of the elders. Science would be a platypus; part theory, part belief, part science, part myth. And those parts are always fighting.
And now, time for school. we are going to have a little leech, a little owl, and one big platypus over today. Don’t want to keep the natives waiting!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Contents of a Lady's Purse
I have heard it said you can tell a lot about a woman by the contents of her purse. If that is true, I am in big trouble. It is not the odd little things that have been planted there by my children for me to hold “just for a sec”. I had odd stuff before that.
Regardless of how many children I have had, including the while I had no children of my own, I always had a few little toys,crayons and paper, and a weenie whistle. The whistle was for sentimental reasons. I have even had a rock in there, prechildren. It was a prayer rock for me to remember to pray for a good friend’s salvation. I still have it and am still praying for her. And always a broken pair of sunglasses. And a card with two penguins, one of whom has a fish eating his head. It says “Relax, God is in charge.”
Then come children. And now I have four card games, a seashell magnet shaped like a fish, two salt packets, broken pencils, a piece of bark that was chewed off a tree by a beaver, a pen that leaked, darts for a gun, an etch-a-sketch key chain with a key to nothing, a pile of receipts, shot record books, coins from a foreign county I have never been to, a few Legos, and a stick. That is in addition to my wallet, a hairbrush, lipstick, a lipstick tube form lipstick Isaac melted by placing it on the heater, nail polish, hair clips, a nail kit, tiny scissors, a tiny flashlight, a tiny screwdriver, reading glasses, broken sun glasses, non-broken sunglasses, a granola bar, two packs of crackers, baby wipes, a diaper, lotion, hand sanitizer, a bottle of water and a Ziploc baggie of pennies that says Isaac.
And I still have to say those are not the things that get me. Not at all. Because most of those can be expected from the bag I carry when I have the children I have. No, the part that bothers me is even worse. Since having my first child I have had the most disgusting things land in, drop in, flop in, drip in, and magically appear in my purse. I expect a certain amount of crumbs, especially with the crackers. But I have had an ice cream cone, milk, Pepsi, a sandwich, chewed up gum, and a dirty diaper. ( I had no where else to put that! Mall change rooms should always have a trash can. Always.) Live bugs, dead bugs, fake bugs, something slimy I never even asked what it was. Fish bait that got loose. A mushy brown banana. I hope it was a banana.
All I can think of is the episode of Mad About you when the flighty sister, Lisa, got her purse mixed up with Jamie. Lisa was all pulled together for the day because of the contents of Jamie’s purse. She was on time, functional and got a job. And Jamie’s life spiraled out of control because of the junk in her sister’s purse. She was late everywhere, lost everything, and was a wreck by the end of the day. It was like each woman’s personality was tied to the contents of her purse.
So if the contents of my purse tell you something about me, I am mushy, gushy, slimy, crumby, broken, odd, and smell slightly like bad milk. And there may also be a sign popping out that says “Stay Away!!”
Regardless of how many children I have had, including the while I had no children of my own, I always had a few little toys,crayons and paper, and a weenie whistle. The whistle was for sentimental reasons. I have even had a rock in there, prechildren. It was a prayer rock for me to remember to pray for a good friend’s salvation. I still have it and am still praying for her. And always a broken pair of sunglasses. And a card with two penguins, one of whom has a fish eating his head. It says “Relax, God is in charge.”
Then come children. And now I have four card games, a seashell magnet shaped like a fish, two salt packets, broken pencils, a piece of bark that was chewed off a tree by a beaver, a pen that leaked, darts for a gun, an etch-a-sketch key chain with a key to nothing, a pile of receipts, shot record books, coins from a foreign county I have never been to, a few Legos, and a stick. That is in addition to my wallet, a hairbrush, lipstick, a lipstick tube form lipstick Isaac melted by placing it on the heater, nail polish, hair clips, a nail kit, tiny scissors, a tiny flashlight, a tiny screwdriver, reading glasses, broken sun glasses, non-broken sunglasses, a granola bar, two packs of crackers, baby wipes, a diaper, lotion, hand sanitizer, a bottle of water and a Ziploc baggie of pennies that says Isaac.
And I still have to say those are not the things that get me. Not at all. Because most of those can be expected from the bag I carry when I have the children I have. No, the part that bothers me is even worse. Since having my first child I have had the most disgusting things land in, drop in, flop in, drip in, and magically appear in my purse. I expect a certain amount of crumbs, especially with the crackers. But I have had an ice cream cone, milk, Pepsi, a sandwich, chewed up gum, and a dirty diaper. ( I had no where else to put that! Mall change rooms should always have a trash can. Always.) Live bugs, dead bugs, fake bugs, something slimy I never even asked what it was. Fish bait that got loose. A mushy brown banana. I hope it was a banana.
All I can think of is the episode of Mad About you when the flighty sister, Lisa, got her purse mixed up with Jamie. Lisa was all pulled together for the day because of the contents of Jamie’s purse. She was on time, functional and got a job. And Jamie’s life spiraled out of control because of the junk in her sister’s purse. She was late everywhere, lost everything, and was a wreck by the end of the day. It was like each woman’s personality was tied to the contents of her purse.
So if the contents of my purse tell you something about me, I am mushy, gushy, slimy, crumby, broken, odd, and smell slightly like bad milk. And there may also be a sign popping out that says “Stay Away!!”
Saturday, January 8, 2011
On Books and procrastination...
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…
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 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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