Things are different, things are the same

The location. The weather. The school, church, doctor's office, grocery store, home. Let me point out some details. The town- Mesquite is more middle class than LC was. The homes are older, and they have a thing for alleys instead of driveways. I don't like alleys much, but I'm sure it will grow on me and I will come to think of driveways as ugly. The school- we left a school with 5-6 classes per grade, and find ourselves in a school with 2 classes per grade. But that doesn't include the additional class per grade that is entirely ESL. Hall Elementary had been the deaf ed school for the district, and now we are in the ESL school for the district. I personally think it's cool that the kids have been exposed to 2 foreign languages already, ASL and Spanish! The school is also different because no kids ride their bikes. At Hall, C and J had to fight for a parking spot for their bikes. They don't even have a bike rack here! School also starts and lets out earlier. The move showed us that Jonas was way ahead of other kids in his grade. I attribute this to his great teachers at Hall (okay- a little bit to his brilliance and his awesome parents, but mostly to Ms. Dee and Ms. Hopf). But it also showed us that Carleigh is behind other kids. Not tragically, but she has some work to do. Especially in spelling and handwriting. 3rd graders learn to play the recorder in Mesquite! I think this is great, as Jonas is learning to read music and basic instrument skills. And he likes it a lot. The weather- Ah. My favorite part. Humidity? What's that? On the other hand- we've already heard tornado sirens in the 5 weeks we've been here. No where is perfect, it seems. Church- We are farily sure we have found our new church home at Lake Ridge Bible Church, but it is very different than Church at the Springs. Can you believe that last week, Craig was the only male above 15 wearing shorts? But it's a good church, great Biblical teaching, lots of emphasis on missions and kids. My only complaint is the worship- no one claps AT ALL after a worship song. Guess I'll have to be alone on that one! Grocery stores- Aldi is my new best friend. The end. But I do miss HEB. My wallet doesn't. Home- We now live in a two-story, 2 bedroom apartment. We went from 1800 sq ft with a cul de sac and backyard to 1000 sq ft and a parking lot. It works just fine, though! Pro- our full size washer and dryer have a place INSIDE the apartment, where in LC, they were in the garage with the humidity (see weather above). Con- the kids can most definitely NOT go ride their bikes or roller blades in the parking lot. Pro- the electric bill- it was less than half of what we paid in LC. Pro- two AC units! One for upstairs and one for downstairs! Con- I traded in my cushy extra large executive desk with room for two computers at a time for a 3x2 Elfa shelving system in our bedroom. Con- no microwave. Pro- my kids have now learned that microwaves have not always existed and it is possible to reheat food in an oven or on a stove, and popcorn does not have to be made in a bag. Con- our rabbit ears pick up one channel, CBS, while we had over 20 with just the rabbit ears in LC. Pro- no yeard work. Con- I have no control over when the maintenance crew will do yard work. Like when I am on a conference call. Pro- we are paying $575 less per month, and we are perfectly happy and safe. Family- My brother lives 40 minutes away, but he is a police officer in our town. His wife is a dispatcher on the opposite shift as him, so I feel like we have 24 hours monitoring. Plus, he has 3 wonderful boys that we get to experience things like t-ball and tennis and band concerts with. There is a whole lot more, but those are the highlights of my observations from the first 5 weeks. Stay tuned for the fun and excitement!!! And keep praying that God will be glorified through our lives, and that we will grow closer to Him, no matter what.

Busy

It wasn't supposed to be like this. Randy Frazee, author of Making Room for Life and our pastor at Irving Bible Church, would not approve. I just filled in October and November and December on our little wall calendar, and they are FULL! Not only are they full, but there are multiple places where Craig and I will have to struggle to find someone to watch the kids, much less have dinner together. There will be many days of hand-offs and tag team parenting.

We've known from day one that we didn't want to live like this. That is was important to have a schedule that allowed for intentional time as a family and for spontaneous time with our neighbors. I'm not saying that the next three months will be completely void of those things, but they will be few.

The weird thing, then, is how excited I am about the next three months, and their busy-ness. My mom always said that I do best under pressure, and I think she might be right. Jonas has choir Tuesday and Thursdays after school, theatre on Tuesdays after school, and cub scouts Tuesday evenings. I have theatre on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Carleigh has ballet on Tuesdays and girl scouts on Thursdays. Craig works late Mondays and does marketing work most Saturdays. Sundays have worship and Table Group. This means that Fridays are our only non-scheduled days and we will need to keep them sacred, to an extent. I couldn't be much happier!

I don't want our lives to continue at this pace for long, but I see no harm in the next 3 months. And if you look at it, the time is more like 2 months, since everything wraps up mid-December. So, that's even better!

I wonder if the fall is like this for most families with kids. What about yours? Have you kept this pace up for longer than a season? How does your family handle it? Do you make intentional time to be together, or are you happy with what you can get when you get it?

Retreat

Our family is currently facing some big decisions. But what's new? It seems we are in a state of limbo every 3-4 years. And we've been in the Houston area exactly 4 years on October 31st. Yeah, that was the day I walked with Sara through her neighborhood, all 5 of our kids decked out in their trick-or-treat best. Little M was in a wagon, the middle girls looked perfect as Alice in Wonderland and Raggedy Anne, and the boys were sweaty messes before we rounded the first bend. That wagon was FULL of candy by the time we made it back to their house, and Sara and I had downed a mojito or two.

And I said the words "I can't imagine EVER moving to Houston."

Ha. God said "Ha!"

Fast forward almost 4 years later, and we have made a life in Houston. The kids have both started school here, and we've hit important milestones. Jonas lost his first tooth in that apartment in Friendswood. Carleigh learned to ride a bike in our cul-de-sac. Jonas was baptized in the pool at Magnolia Creek. The kids started dance, scouts, and theater. I rediscovered my love for the theater. I ran in my first half-marathon. Craig and I have shed lots of debt, and made some very good friends. Craig has learned a LOT about the business of chiropractic.

In short, Houston, and our life here, has been good.

But it's time to make some decisions. Some of which may very well take us away from Houston. And I can't imagine leaving Houston.

So next week, Craig is going to take some time and he will leave. He is going to go away to think, and pray, and ride his bike. As we talked about him doing this, we realized that he has never done this. In his almost 40 years, he has never gone away from LIFE for any extended period of time to focus on God. We agree that it is time. And I am glad to send him off. He says he feels selfish by doing so, but I say it is in the best interest of the whole family. (I also said he'll owe me, but that's not the point! HA!)

Can you please pray for our little family? Especially that Craig will be recharged by his time away, and we will all benefit.

A mobile family of 4!

I have to share how fun today was. We, as in Jonas, Carleigh, Craig, and I, rode our bikes 3.5 miles to Challenger Park. We spent 2 hours swinging higher than each other, exploring nature trails, investigating "banana spiders", avoiding said spiders' webs, making up and then racing each other on WipeOut obstacle courses on the various playscapes, and oohing and ahhing over the cooler breezes. We then finished by riding 3.5 miles home. It was wonderful! There was about 5 minutes of whining from Carleigh about being tired, and that was it. Amazing!
Super cool, in my opinion, that we are at that stage that we can all go for a bike ride. A bike ride longer than the distance to the neighborhood park and back! While some moms may see this as a sad thing, that her babies are no longer babies, but not me. I am thrilled to say that we are here! It means we are doing good things with the kids. That they enjoy the outdoors and like being with us. I will savor these days as long as they last. The kids are semi-independent, but still need us for most things.

Beautiful and wicked

If you read my posts, and that's the only way you know me, then you may often forget that I have 2 children. I do, in fact, have a youngest, and she doesn't get much attention in my ramblings. Let me tell you about her now, and you may soon see why I don't use the therapy offered here to discuss her very much.
She disappointed me the moment I saw her for the first time. Horrible thing to say, I know, but flat out truth. When the doctors handed Jonas to me, the very first thought I had was "it's Craig!". I was surprised by the shocking resemblance this minutes-old child had to a 30 year old man! So when I was pregnant with Carleigh, and I knew she was a girl, I began to dream of a mini-me to go with a mini-Craig. Dark hair, blue eyes, round face...I knew exactly what the doctors would hand me this time!
And what did the doctor hand me that beautiful, snowy, February morning? Another mini-Craig (with one notable exception, of course)! I was shocked that AGAIN my 40 weeks of work was a tribute to my husband! I was very sad, and it honestly took me several weeks to get over my disappointment.
But that little girl began to become something more than another clone. She began to melt my heart. Her smile...oh, her smile! For months she couldn't smile without opening her entire mouth. It was infectious. And her tenacity. From rolling over to crawling and then walking, she didn't do anything less than well for very long. She has always been determined to things correctly.
The one thing that she took her sweet time about was her hair. She was practically bald through her third birthday and had very little at 4. And the hair she did have was white blond. And curly. A far cry from my dark straight hair...but so cute, I was resenting it less and less.
Today, my daughter is a 6-year old pixie. Her hair grows faster now, but stays short because of the curls, and since I don't know how to do much with that, we keep it short. Her blond curls frame a rounder than narrow face, and show off her big blue eyes. And she now has control over that smile...so much so that she can work it to her advantage. Heaven help us!
So why don't I rant and rave about her here? Well, she's so good, and is still so eager to do things correctly, that I don't need to rant about her, anywhere. This morning, for instance, she made her own lunch. Curious as to what it might entail, I peaked at it before she put it in her backpack. It is exactly what I would have made her, and there isn't an extra smudge or smear of jelly anywhere. Two pieces of fruit and some cheese nips. And her bed is made. And there is no towel on the floor in her bathroom.
She's obedient and thoughtful (wish you could see the picture she drew of us this morning) and charming. She can play rough with the boys, and loves practicing her ballet. She'll occasionally throw in a hip bump move thing that makes me laugh. She has me wrapped around her little finger...
and she'll probably be the one to break my heart in to a thousand little pieces some day.
Needless to say, I am way over my disappointment. I am thrilled to be her mommy. And if I want a mini-me, I'll go buy a Cabbage Patch Kid with dark hair and blue eyes. =)

Things to come...

I try not to dwell on the past, as it can't be relived or reclaimed. I try not to think about the future too much, as I used to have a tendency to make things bigger in my mind than they actually turned out to be. That led to disappointment, and lack of appreciation for what did result.
So I try to live each moment right here, right now. It's a hard thing to do, especially when right here and right now is not fun at all. This past weekend, however, was one of the most successful attempts I've ever had to experience the here and now to the fullest. Harvey went off spectacularly! Each actor was on spot on, and the energy was palatable. The cast party afterwards was fun, and a little (ha!) crazy. I even jumped in a swimming pool fully dressed at 2:30 am. But I was up and ready to take on the world at 7:15, and enjoyed every second of Sunday. From Taco Cabana for breakfast (yum!!!), to Wii with Carleigh, helping Jonas spend his birthday money at Toys R Us, to making sloppy joes for dinner, and finally to a family round of Wii, it was a wonderful day.
BTW- have you been to Toys R Us lately? The toys I grew up with are back! Smurfs! Mon chi chis! My Little Pony! Rainbow Bright! And did you know that Cabbage Patch kids still smell like Cabbage Patch Kids????
I was in bed by 8:00 and dreaming soundly. Truly a wonderful weekend.
But today, I am thinking about things to come, just for a little bit. I'm editing my second book, and the author is looking at a November publishing date. I'm excited for her, but also for my ability to say, with all confidence, I am a book editor. I guess I could say that now, as I have edited one published book, but somehow the second one makes it feel more legitimate.
We're taking a road trip out to TN in October. So excited to meet co-workers face to face! And to see parts of the country I haven't seen in years, and to introduce them to my kids. And to show the kids what fall is supposed to look like!
I'm auditioning for another play tomorrow, and if I get a role, the production will be in December. Which leads right on in to Christmas!
And then, BIG things in January!!! My brother, his wife and their sons, my mom and my dad, and my family of four are all leaving out of New Orleans for a 7-day cruise! It will be my first cruise, and I can hardly wait. Grand Cayman, Honduras, and Cozumel...
And with that thought I am brought right back to the here and now, which is 20 pounds heavier than I would like to be. Guess the farthest in to the future I should be considering right now is this afternoon, when I can get in to the gym.

Acting

I recently rediscovered my love of the stage. When I was a kid, I participated in the summer acting workshops at our little community theatre. I was in every play possible in Jr. High. In High School, I had a great part in the one act play my freshman year. It was wonderful, and I was pretty good. Even won awards! That play should have gone all the way to State, but that's another story for another day.
But my sophomore year, I was given a tech role, threw a 15-year old diva hissy fit, and quit. Then I got a boyfriend, joined the Army, and went to college. I briefly considered getting back in to acting while at UNT, but I was intimidated by the depth of talent on that campus. Additionally, everything the school did was musical in nature. I cannot sing. I have lots of stories to support that, but again, not relevant today.
This time last year, Jonas asked to do some acting, so we enrolled him in a children's theatre company and he performed in Alice in Wonderland in November. Such stage presence! He had a supporting role as one of the royal cardsmen, and carried it like he was headlining the show! I think he's been bitten by the bug, and I will completely support it. Even if it gives him nothing more than the courage and presence to stand in front of an audience and communicate clearly, it's a great skill to learn. And get this- the boy can sing, too. Good to know the bad vocals gene isn't passed on like the taco-tongue gene. (You know the one?)
Anywho, he wanted to audition for Winnie the Pooh in January, so I took him down to let him have it. They were also casting adults in some roles, and asked if I wanted to read, since I was there. Imagine my surprise when I was cast as Winnie himself!
I had a blast! I had forgotten how much I love being in front of people, how easy it is for me to slip in to another character. And to sweeten the deal, I was able to participate in a hobby with my son.
Currently, I am in a production of Harvey. We are performing this weekend and the process has been wonderful. I must have been in some sort of funk, or even minor depression over the summer, as I found myself sleeping a lot, and having no self-control over my eating habits. But since Harvey has started, I am thriving on 5-6 hours of sleep at night, lost 6 pounds without trying, and couldn't be happier.
So last week, I had an epiphany. I need to act more often. In fact, I need to act as much and as often as possible. I know it's a little late to be deciding what I want to do when I grow up, but I think I finally have. I want to be an actor.
Today has been a very good day toward this goal. I auditioned for the director at College of the Mainland. He can't use me in their current production, but invited me to try out for a future show. Then, my wonderful, darling, talented friend Julie (who I want to REALLY be when I grow up) got me connected with a new theatre in Friendswood. I have an audition next Tuesday! As a bonus, Jonas gets to try out for their kid production of Cinderella. They're looking for a Prince Charming, and I think he may just fit the bill!
I see lots of future posts about acting...mine, Jonas', maybe even Carleigh's, as she is now asking to try her hand at it, too. That makes me very happy!