Peace on Earth...

Source

In the wake of the terrible events in Connecticut this past Friday, I've listened to this song over and over....it's brought me comfort.

5

5 weeks

5 weeks of joy, love and sheer amazement!  Love you Miss Hannah Grace.

God Sent...

A Child is Born For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given. Isaiah 9:6 To those in sin, God sent us the Savior; To those in darkness, God sent us the Light; To those in bondage, God sent us the Deliverer; To those in defeat, God sent us the Victor; To those in want, God sent us the Shepherd; To those in hunger, God sent us the Bread; To those in pain, God sent us the Physician; To those in doubt, God sent us the Truth; To those in confusion, God sent us the Way; To those in turmoil, God sent us the Prince of Peace; To all in need, God sent His only begotten Son. by Roy Lessin, Dayspring

still

Be Still

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

Psalm 46:10

Photo source

December joys...

1) ice cold milk, falling snow, and cloth baby diapers
2) Christmas tree lights, candle glow and my kids smiles

Catching up!

Wow, time flies when your're busy!  It's been an incredibley  busy fall.  Work is work, lots of sick kids and case management, then there have been flu clinics, hearing and vision screening and follow up, 2 new to me schools, and now, mentoring a new PHN.  There have been some long days, but I really love what I do!  That makes all the difference in the world.

I've also welcomed and spoiled a precious little thing known as Miss Hannah Grace.  She came eagerly into the world @ 7:44 AM on November 1, 2012.  She is pure JOY!

Hannah Grace, minutes old 11-1-12

7 days and wide awake

I was able to go up and spend the week with Lohryn, Jon, Ellie and Hannah.  I loved the time I was able to spend with them.  I am so proud of both Lohryn & Jon and the parents they are to these little girls..

We've had Thanksgiving, new jobs for Thomas and Andrew, and, Gracie and Jon as well! nursing school for Kaitlyn, illness, and now Christmas is upon us...there is never a dull moment, but I crave the quiet times so that I can thank God for my many blessings!  Life will go on, babies will grow, degrees will be earned, but at the center of every good and perfect gift, is the one who will never change and has no trouble keeping up!

goodbye old friend...

Goodbye

Sometimes in life, you have to say goodbye.  Goodbye to dreams, people, routines, and those things in life that really matter.  I've just spent the last 6 days doing just that.  I've finally moved from the house we lived in for over 12 years.  It was time.  It was falling down around me...literally.  Even though it wasn't a good place for me, there are things that I miss.  The neighbors, the familiarity, the routine.  It has been replaced by a wonderful, CLEAN, functioning apartment.  We have both heat and air conditioning, I can run the dryer and the AC at the same time, I have a dishwasher and a beautiful view.  I love it.  I am also incredibly sad.  Along with the move, my beloved Nanny moved on too.  He was 13 and in failing health. I didn't realize (or didn't want to) just how debilitated he'd become.  As we moved furniture for the move, it became more apparent just how bad Nanny's vision and hearing really were.  He was also constantly itching and gnawing at himself.  After MANY phone calls and telling the story over and over and over again, I made the horrible, but only humane decision to have him put down.  I could not take him myself.  Thomas and Mom took him last Friday.  The folks at Stonehenge Vet were absolutely wonderful. We've gotten a card from the clinic itself, as well as the vet who saw Nanny.  All I can say is that there is a hole in my heart where Nanny used to be...I have memories, a lock of his hair, and pictures galore , but none of that takes the place of his little face in the window waiting for me to get home, or his cold wet nose crawling under the covers on cold winter nights.

standing guard...the minute I would pull in,
he flew down the steps to
greet me....

My little fluff of love

cuteness

"Helping" with the laundry

Nanny & his Teddy Bear

somebody doesn't like his bath...

chillin..until he went to sleep and fell off

I'll miss you sweet boy!

Rainy days and Sundays.....

Rainy days and Sundays....

I woke up to a pounding rain, and temps in the 50's!  What a difference a day makes.  Here's the view right outside my window this morning.  Rain drenched leaves that are slowly turning colors.  It must be fall!


Here's the view as I get started with my day...

more boxes to be  unpacked

a little Sarah Young to get the day
started....

today's devotion from Jesus calling.....

and of course, some of this!

After all, "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"  Psl 118:24

New beginnings..."the

SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2012

Weeks end and a new beginning

Today was Thomas' Baccalaureate  at Huguenot Road Baptist Church.  We hadn't been back there since IT and Phyllis' memorial services.  The church today, unlike back then was full of graduating seniors and family and friends.  I saw a lot of kids that I watched grow up.  Time has a way of marching on, stopping for no one.  There were several speakers, "Coach D" about choices and about fresh starts, about finding happiness, true happiness, not the world's definition of it.  Another speaker spoke of  decisions and how they can impact your future...for good or bad.  Of course, most of the words spoken fell on deaf ears.  I guess I'm guilty of that too...not listening to words that may have saved me some grief along the way.  Not sure I would have done anything too differently even if I had listened...such is the muse of youth I suppose.  In any event, it was a very nice service and I'm glad that I went.  Here are a few pictures

Thomas, Jake and Grandma

Pop,Thomas, Jake and Grandma

Thomas

Olivia and Thomas

HA! This is the face I see most from Thomas...finally I captured it!

Thomas and MiMi

Thomas and Pop

Fetchingly fine fellas in a fierce wind

May love, success and happiness be your
Thomas!

WEDNESDAY, MAY 30, 2012

Sure looks like love....

"the ring"

heavenly...

SUNDAY, MAY 20, 2012

heavenly...

Psalm 118:23

Today was a good day!  In fact it was better than a good day.  I got up after a good rest and headed to

Elkhardt to church with mom & dad.  The scripture reading for today was ....you guessed it,

Pslam 118:24.

I need to remember that! Not just today, but everyday, no matter what the day may bring.

It really is all about perspective.

From church, we went to Arby's for lunch.  We sat there and talked for a long time.  It was good.  I

was telling them about my day with the boys yesterday.  Getting Andrew glasses, getting ice cream, 

getting some new clothes for both boys, and generally just enjoying being together.  That's two

weekends in a row that I'm been with the boys.  Last weekend for Gracie & David's graduation, and 

this weekend just because.  It's times like this when memories are made. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Gracie and David are safely in NJ for the week and head down to the shore tomorrow, Lohryn & Kaitlyn are in a better place, Ellie is good, and basically, life is good.  Actually ,better than good

I say heavenly just about sums it up!  The weather, beautiful, the kids; great, the ice cream...well,

like I said, heavenly!

What my Mother's Day was made of....

What Mother's Day is made of....

Sweet little Ellie girl

David and Gracie

My Mother's Day was made of smiles, and tears (of happiness), baby hugs and big kid hugs, and hugs from my 80 year old daddy who told me happy mother's day first thing this morning on the top of a mountain in a log cabin.  My mother's day was made of memories and being able to celebrate with my own mom.  As I type this, I realize we had 4 generations of mama's around the table today.  That makes me realize just how very lucky I am! My Mother's Day was made by watching my baby girl walk across the stage at VA TECH to get her BS degree with honors in Marketing, and her beloved, David get his degree in Aero Space Engineering.  My Mother's Day was made by the baby talk of little El and by the adults doing the baby talk to make her laugh. My Mother's Day was made by chubby little legs and squeals of sheer delight over....nothing.  My Mother's Day was made by long mountain streams, mooing cows, and mountain ranges in every shade of green imaginable.  My Mother's Day was made by having breakfast with David's mom and auties from NJ. My Mother's Day was made by opening up a little gift bag and finding that my kids all went in and got me a Nook, knowing how much I love to read.  In short.....My Mother's Day was made..period!

my five biggest accomplishments!

Kate, Grace and Lohryn

Way to go guys!

Good ole VT campus

a country lane in Craig Co where we stayed

Nurses Day

This week has been designated as Nurses Week.  I've been feeling the love!  Bensley had a Chinese buffet and I do mean buffet yesterday.  I'm sharing my week with Teacher Appreciation week, so a good time was had by all! Today at MCES, Bridget and I were treated to Caesar's Italian goodness.  I could get used to all this love! Mostly, I am so happy that I get to go to a job everyday that I love!

why must it be so hard?

just wondering today why some things must always be so hard?  i'm not averse to hard work, that's not it. i just stand in wonder of why there are no simple answers. it's but 2pm, and already my day looks like this...
5:30 awake when thomas' first alarm goes off
5:45 really awake when thomas' second alarm goes off
6:28 UP because thomas didn't hear any of his alarms
6:52 headed out the door to take thomas to school
7:22 stop @ Panera for me:) gotta have some java
7:47 pulled into gates, followed for two miles by one of chesterfield's finest
7:48 spilled above, desperately needed jave getting out of the car
7:48 being grateful i wore brown pants today...nobody will see coffee spill, but can't do much about the smell
8:00 phone ringing already...
8:10 noticed attendance packets on counter..did a good deed and placed them in teacher mailboxes...realized later i placed them in the wrong boxes, but my intentions were good!  who knew they went below the teacher's name and not above?
8:30 kids arriving.
8:45 shelia here:)
9:00 pledge of allegiance..i spent my time trying to locate the flag...it had fallen down
10:00 finished up mgn's graduation announcements. called her to get mailing list. she could care less...she's OVER it all
11:00 called michelle to check on ms. joyce. verdict: torn meniscus {r} knee...i nailed it!
11:15 called robin morgan to talk for 8th time about kids with superficial mrsa...
11:30 child in clinic for lice check...none found
11:37 heard nina tell child "you're disgusting me" hard to  hear an admin talking to a sp ed kid like that...what to do?
11:41 call from andrew. he's sick, won't go to the md. said that he and thomas could ride to pearisburg with keith and shari. also asked keith about getting eob from mgn's last dental visist.
12:01 too many "accidents" to count
12:03 to library to check email. printed off important info.....discovered printer broken
12:30 back to office, teacher, student and parent all over my desk...
12:45 reviewed file of above mentioned Sp Ed child, still mulling over admin's comments to her
1:00 found mgn's missing ring!  texted her to tell her...
1:12 finally ate soup (cold) back to library to look up addresses for susan and terry
1:17 called back to office for phone call from michelle
1:27 to teacher's lounge to get a soda..diverted by teacher showing me her face and dry skin asking if it was cancer
1:32 stopped again by staff member asking me why her arm hurt
1:42 finally got soda
1:45 checked email again and replied to the ones i needed to
1:50 back to office to try to finish lunch...
1:58 first bathroom break of the day..oh what a relief!
2:04 blog entry
2:05 back to office!
I can only HOPE that the rest of the day doesnt' have so  much WHY!!!

Where I've been....where I'm going...

I've been dormant for awhile..a long while.  I've been busy with the mundane and not so mundane things of life. I have managed to keep up with the important things; a blog for Ellie to document her first year, of course the things I must do to maintain a house and job. Otherwise, I've appeared dormant.  I have been doing an amazing amount of introspection.  It has just in the last few days dawned on me that I am: a 50 year old divorced woman, the daughter of two elderly parents, and the mom of five amazing kids who are in various stages of "leaving (& or ? returning) to the nest.  In a matter of a mere few days, my baby girl will graduate from college and soon after, my baby boy will graduate from High School.  I've decided to some degree, that now it's "my time" now what that will look like, I'm not entirely sure. Not sure where it will be, how it will feel or how it will play out, but for sure, I know that it's my time. It doesn't sound like much to see those words, but it actually makes my heart beat a little faster when I type them. For me to decide even this much is huge, really big and so for today, without hesitation, I can say, it's time to think about ME