Right Back Into It

They were busy while I was in Denver.

Overall, it seems to have gone well at home.  Matt's mom came to provide some help, guidance and moral support which was appreciated by everyone.

It was SERVE week here while I was gone.  Anika worked every afternoon as part of the Barnabas team.  She and a few others, drove around to each work site and gave the SERVE kids drinks and treats.  She thoroughly enjoyed doing that, especially because she got to be with two girls from her GEMS league and the mom of one took them to Coldstone one afternoon.  Another plus was the whole family ate supper there every night! YEAH!  I guess one night Mimi and the kids got locked out but they hung out at the neighbor until Matt got home.  The kids loved it because they got to make homemade pop and play games.  Its good to know the neighbors.

We had originally planned to go back to Chicago the first three days of the next week.  Talking it over, we both decided we were trying to accomplish too much. The kids were a bit bummed but we made plans for other adventures.  We went blueberry picking, attended Bible School, went to beach day, Anika and Brandon had a sleepover and went to a movie, and generally just enjoyed ourselves.  Another perk of the week was Bible School offered supper every night!  No cooking all week.  Good times.  

So no Chicago, but a friend reminded me that Chicago will always be there.  Maybe it will be an adventure for next summer.

Time in Denver

And  now, I'm in Denver, attending class and taking tests.
Day 1 was all about the company.  Its a neat company with lots of perks and an interesting business model, so I hope this job continues to work out.  Only time will tell.  Today was class and an agility lifting and stepping test.  It got my heart pumping, but I passed.
There have been many God moments to get me this far. 
- I literally prayed before going to the interview that if I was to work here, to give me the job, and if I wasn't, don't give me the job.  Sort of a Gideon fleecing.  I didn't want to make any decisions.  I had a phone call 3 hours after the interview that the job was mine.
- I was originally supposed to leave on Sunday at 11 am, which would have messed up the Shields visit a bit.  I found out on Thursday night before they came that I wasn't leaving until 7 pm
- I was very excited when I first got the job and the excitement has waned as time has passed. I ache over leaving my kids, and I will have to leave them a few more times; I ache over not being able to give them a trip to MN, although I'm still working on that one!  Flight benefits start in two weeks, enough time for me to get them out there, come back and work, and then go back and get them;
- I also have an interview with the YMCA going on;  when we moved here I knew I didn't want to work within the school system anymore, although who can ask for a better working schedule.  I had three places I thought would be neat to work - the airport, the YMCA, and the medical field - clinics or hospital.  So far so good on those!  But I wonder if two jobs is too many.  Only time will tell, and the YMCA said they would be very flexible with other work schedules and that job is only during school hours!
Day 2 was much more of an orientation day where you go around and introduce yourself and go over company policies.  I passed all 5 tests - only 5 tests left!  But, I got to eat lunch out by the pool in the sun! I went to Walmart last night and got groceries so I can eat breakfast and lunch in my room!  Way more convenient!  Now I am off for a run.
Day 3 was long.  Lots of information all day long! I spent some time on the stationary bike in the work out room and then out for supper with the Denver Zevenbergen clan.  Good times.
Day 4 was another long day, but I wasn't as tired.  Maybe I actually slept last night!  I went for another run and then to Panera for supper.  They were out of cinnamon crunch bagels so I am waking up and running there tomorrow before class to make sure I get a few!  The phone and tv kept me company the rest of the night.
Day 5 - got my bagels from Panera! I was out of class by 1 pm and came back to a message from my cousin asking if I wanted to have supper with them at their house! Oh yeah baby - way better option than Arby's or Sonic which were the only two places I hadn't gone yet.

Tomorrow I head home.  I'm sure there will be laundry and hugs waiting for me!  Its been a good week.  We'll see where it leads us.

Shields come to visit

The mastadon is going to eat me!

crazy waves make crazy fun

We've been hanging out together for 15 years!

The Shields family came for a visit!  The kids literally played outside waiting for their arrival but it was so hot they gave up and came in!
Friday evening we took them to our friends that live on the beach the lake was the calmest I have ever seen it.  We swam out quite a ways and then swam back in.  The kids played in the sand. The parents talked.  Then we had really large ice cream sundaes and all got to bed far too late!
Saturday morning was lazy then we went to the Lakeshore museum. Its a museum all about Muskegon.  Brandon had been to this museum with his class for a whole week.
We went to a different beach in the afternoon and I have never seen the waves so crazy.  They were almost sideways and the sand was blowing so hard it hurt to stand on the beach.  We didn't last long.  We ended up at another friends pool.  And then we had Pizza Ranch for supper with friends from GR.  It was a great night and our kids played together so well!
After church on Sunday, we grilled and then the Shields headed home.  There were many tears.  Its hard to watch your kids be sad and be sad yourself, but the memories were great!
Thanks for coming to visit!

Anniversary

Fifteen years ago I said 'I do.'  But I didn't say 'submit'.  Sorry, bit of an inside joke.
I married well.
Anika has been begging to see my wedding dress, so the anniversary seemed like a good idea to take it out of its sealed box and see if the zipper would close or not. It didn't.  They say it could have but I'm fairly certain I would have had to exhale way too much and then not have breathed at all while it was zipped.  For fear of risking my life or a broken zipper, we just left it part way up.  But it was fun to try it on again. I hadn't worn it since the reception we had a week after our wedding.
It was a great day.  The sun was out in the morning, it rained during pictures, and then cleared up for the trip to the reception. Aunt Kathy played the piano. The church was full. Friends sang a few songs.  We still have the unity candle somewhere I think. The pastor mentioned something about wrestling.  We had been told that this was not a joke, so we were both very serious, something we regretted later - we are not serious people.  The youth group had a great time dancing and playing in the pool at the reception.  The kissing can was a huge hit.  Our car was sabotaged with Vaseline.  We got free drinks at the bar! And had a fun trip to the cabin afterwards.
Matt is an amazing guy.  I can't tell you how many times in my life I see people and I hear, 'Hi Carla, where's Matt?'  He can talk to anyone and everyone.  He gives great hugs and back rubs. He can fix or build most anything.  He can paint a room in moments as long as I pick out the color.  He is a fashion statement all of its own, I just haven't decided what the statement is yet.  Its a joyous occasion when I can beat him in a board game or athletic event - he's just so stinking good at that stuff. He has a job, which in today's economy and in MI is saying something, but more importantly, he loves his job and is good at it. He loves talking with people and finding out their story.  He is an amazing husband, father, and man of God.
I had no idea we would be where we are - with four kids - fifteen years ago.  I'm not even making a guess where will be in fifteen years - Anika will be 26 YIKES!

4th of July

We began our 4th of July with a bit of sleeping in.  I get headaches with high heat and humidity - so I have not been a fan of the past week.  It seems I have passed this on to Jessica and Anika.  Its hard to sleep when you have a headache!
We took our annual 4th of July picture and drove off to a parade.  The parade lasted about 1 hour but if you took out the emergency vehicles and the antique cars, it would have been less than 10 minutes.  The kids each got a handful of candy and decided we don't need to do that again next year!
We came home and had lunch and got our body temperatures back to a workable temperature.  I left to go get groceries and then we went swimming.  We ate supper and headed off to fireworks.
Every year for fireworks we make puppy chow and caramel puff corn and get icees from the gas station.  Some friends of ours asked if we wanted to do fireworks with them, so off we went to meet them.  We were there by 7:15, scoped out a prime viewing spot and sat down and relaxed.  It was a great time of doing nothing.  It was hot but there was a breeze every so often. The kids played at the park and with another guy who was throwing around a football.  By the time the fireworks were ready to begin two other families from school had joined us so the kids had a great time seeing some classmates they hadn't seen since school got out.  The fireworks were great -we really enjoyed our whole evening.  We went back to the friend's house as they had purchased the home version of fireworks that explode in the air.  Some of those were too loud and too close for my comfort.  The kids got to do sparklers, too.  We were home by midnight, everyone took showers, and they all slept till almost 10 the next day!

this picture is taken at almost the same place as the girls above. The fireworks were shot from a barge on the lake right behind them.

Its the little things

Sometimes its the little things that make a day oh so sweet or set off a load of guilt.  Here are some examples to name a few.
A lady from our church cuts hair at a really nice salon in town.  Now, for a brief update on hair an our home, I always cut the kids' hair.  I seriously don't think they have had more than one hair cut from someone who actually knows what they are doing.  Matt cuts his own hair.  So, that leaves me.  I have had a friend in Sioux Center cut it, Anika has cut it, Matt has cut it. I've been to a few nice salons - but always feel guilty spending that much money on something that just grows back, so generally I end up at a Great Clips sort of place and touching it up on my own at home.  Its been over a year since my last hair cut, so I was due.  I like it, but part of me feels like I have my 8th grade hair cut back, minus the perm.  She was amazing.  I don't know many people here well, and she was no exception.  I was the last appointment of the night and the only one in the salon and we had so much fun just talking and getting to know each other.  She massaged my head and neck and spent a LONG time cutting and styling.  here is the finished product.

We had tie up curtains in our bathroom and closet and they annoyed us both.  I saw a post on someone's facebook that they got from pinterest.  I followed the address to a blog and found the instructions for how to change the cheap white blinds that we have into Roman shades!  And now we have cool roman shades in our bathroom and closet.

I had a goal to be totally unpacked by the end of June. I wanted to watch the Olympics that start in a few weeks with a clear mind.  It didn't happen.  I'm about 10 boxes and a couple of hours short.  These last few boxes are sucking the life out of me.  I see them everyday and I wonder when I am every going to find the time to take care of them!
We are hoping to become members at the YMCA this month yet so that the kids can get into swimming lessons.  I can't tell you how many phone messages and emails have been exchanged and we are no closer to getting this accomplished then we were 3 weeks ago.  So frustrating.
A highlight here is communion Sunday.  Not because its the fellowship of believers sharing in the body of Christ - nope - its the leftovers.  The kids love the leftover little squares of bread and the juice.  Can't say I blame them, I remember when my dad was an elder, running down stairs to eat those little squares myself.  Plus, I have been taking home the crusts that are cut off and the end pieces and making bread pudding for Matt.  Bread pudding is one of those dishes I never understood.  It smells so good, but is oh so strange.  And why put raisins in it and ruin it?  I did make a half of one without raisins and I did enjoy it with caramel sauce, but mostly this is just a little piece of heaven for Matt.
Matt picked up a few metal shelving units from his dad when we were there a few weeks ago.  I'm not so fond of metal shelving units.  We had a little wimpy one in MN and it drove me crazy.  But Matt set these up and I have to say that the garage has taken on a bit of organization. I went out there today and labeled boxes and put them at the right heights so the things the kids need are easily accessible.  Next step is a shed.  Any ideas or plans out there that we can borrow to make one?
We need to stain the exterior trim of the house.  We don't like the color, its fading, and after being power washed there are some areas that need covering.  Finding the right color has taken more than 3 trips to Home Depot for color swatches, but I think the right one has been located! Phew!
We have been enjoying several beaches and a few pools in the area.  Brandon and Anika made some friends at school that have an above ground pool and that family has graciously opened up their pool for our enjoyment many times.  Much fun for the kids and relaxation for me has happened there.  Also, Brandon's former teacher in MN is from Muskegon.  Her parents still live here and they also have graciously opened their pool to us. With this heat, we have been there every day this week!
So, here's to the little things in your day today!

Stressful life

This is one of those posts that I'm not sure I should share.  Yet, I want it saved as a memory.  I don't want to sound like I need pity, because I don't.  I'm just trying to put a realistic view on what goes on in my head and heart on a typical day these last months.
I've told Matt that I find it stressful living here.  I often feel like I carry the weight of every lost friend, every lonely recess, every Friday after school watching 'all' the other kids have sleepovers leaving school, every soccer game loss, etc. I know I shouldn't, but being a parent is really like having your heart beat outside your body.  Someone told me that once, and it is so true.  There have been many tears in this house.  Anika struggles anytime something is new.  She cried for hours before softball camp the first day and by the last day had decided she wanted to try out for the team.  Jessica had alligator tears over a lost bracelet from a friend in MN. (Olivia - she let a friend take her plastic braided one from you home, and never got it back)
But then we jump in the waves at Lake MI (serious fun) and I watch Maria get over the fear of putting her face in the water, or read to me - really read, and its like you get filled all up.
I describe what goes on in my heart as constantly having the feeling like I'm going to cry just below the surface.  You know the knot high in your heart, or low in your throat, and you never know what is going to set it off.  Sometimes there isn't necessarily a trigger, just a memory, and out it gushes.
I read a devotional the other day about God's timing and our patience. The best line was 'Heaven is not in a panic.' It made me smile and laugh out loud.  I tried to imagine God and the angels getting into a tizzy the way I do, or the kids do, over the basics of life.  If the Heavenly Father feeds the sparrows, how much more will he care for me.  Brandon said on the beach the other day, 'I never understood that verse in the Bible about God and the grains of sand, until we moved here.  Can you imagine how many grains of sand there are on this beach?" It was priceless.
Part of the stress had to do with parts of life here.  We actually had talked to our realtor to say if she came across someone that wanted a house like ours, to go ahead and bring them to see it. We were willing to sell. It would remove some stress if we could buy a foreclosure with cash and not have a house payment to keep up with.  Well, God in his good timing took care of that one, too.  I have been offered a job with the local airline here.  Nothing is set in stone yet, and I won't be making much, but hopefully we can keep the lights on at 5155 for awhile longer! =)  When we found this house, I actually said it would be great to work at the airport. Its SUPER close and free flights to MN aren't a bad perk.  Again, we have to see how it all plays out. I have to pass three tests before the job is officially mine, so nothing is for sure for awhile.  The trick is the schedule.  I may have to work on Sunday, I have to train for 1 week periods in Denver, CO, and I don't get time off for awhile - which makes the trip back to IA and MN in August less likely - not impossible - just less likely.  You take the good, you take the bad,.....the facts of life.  How many are singing that song right now!?