l is for labor day weekend August 31, 2007

It’s Friday and a three day weekend stretches ahead.  Thomas and John just called from the Chrisman Cow Chip XC meet where Thomas ran his first two mile race.  He finished in under 17 minutes and was among the top Edison finishers, 60th over all.  John reported that it was a pleasant setting, although definitely a cow pasture, and he was able to see Thomas at least four spots during the race.

Chris is upstairs asleep and I’m not sure when he will be up again.  I am off to dinner with Miss Lynn.  We are headed to 7 Saints, a new favorite.  I’ve been there several times and not been disappointed.  Although they sound weird, the deep fried beet chips are really tasty.  It will be nice to catch up with her, and we may head over to another friends jewelry party after dinner.  I try to avoid those sales type party, but it’s nice to get out and see people sometimes.

We are having one of those chamber of commerce weather days here.  So going out for any reason seems perfect.  I just went out to fill up the gas tank in the van and I stopped by Kellie’s to pick up a gift we are co-giving for a bridal shower on Sunday.

Tomorrow, I am planning to clean house.  I know it’s geeky, but I really enjoy it where there is no time crunch and virtually no one around to mess it up while I am doing it.

I had a nice but quick lunch and outing with my mom today, to Panera and Talbot’s and a couple of other stops.  One was the bank to make the first academic year transaction for Kate.  She is safely in Moscow, spending her first night with her host “family,” who turns out to be a middle aged single woman, and first time host at that.  Praying for a successful beginning to that relationship.  Kate usually charms those she meets with her beautiful smile and overall pleasantness!

So, the missing of John and Thomas has begun, but so has the making the most of it.  Off to dinner and then perhaps to the movie rental store for some of those movies he’s willing to watch but would really rather not.  We’ll see what I can come up with!

h is for hot weather August 29, 2007

Yesterday was a hot one, but not as bad as predicted.  All the schools without airconditioning in town let out an hour early.  That meant Thomas but not Chris.  Oops.  Thomas then had XC practice after school.  They ran to Hessel Park and played in the sprinklers.  Sounded like they had fun, but got a little lost.

I started the day with a delightful conversation with an almost giddy Kate who is back in Ukraine and with those she loves.  Happy!  Some rather unsettling travel stories to share, however, and the one about the Russian speaking conductor I am having trouble shaking.

We have settled into our back to school routine.  Dinner, homework, showers. Getting up early.  But so far all is going smoothly.  Thomas actually has quite a bit of homework.

Some good progress at work yesterday including a decision on transitioning the leaf raking project to the schools with us as a support/consultant role.  Also direction for our boomer talks which was good.

We had soup and sandwiches for dinner last night, along with a really tasty cantaloupe.  Then John was off to elder mentoring and I worked on a little project for church – some focus groups to take a look at “What does God want our church to look like in five years?”

h is for here we go August 27, 2007

First full week of school. New teachers. New classes. Busy schedules. We are excited to dig in! Thomas will be riding the bus this year, leaving early, almost one full hour before I have to leave for work. This is a gift to me, time to get a few things done and enjoy some quiet time.

We enjoyed hearing from Kate yesterday. I told John at breakfast yesterday that I just needed to hear from her, that I felt it was like in Apollo 13 when the astronauts were behind the moon and Mission Control was waiting to reestablish radio contact. Just before I was about to try calling, I checked email and, there she was. Thank you, Lord! And I even had the bonus of chatting with her online in the afternoon, a lovely surprise.

We made a spontaneous trip to the farm last night. It was such a beautiful day and the drive out was pleasant. We visited, Thomas played with the dogs, Chris tried out a new video game and Pa and Thomas took a ride on Pa’s new mule (a small vehicle, not an an animal!); we ate pizza from Casey’s and not too bad. The drive home just after sunset was so pretty with a full moon on on side and the sunset on the other.

r for report August 25, 2007

Chris is at his last day at work at CM.  Not too sad about that.  He starts serving and busing tables at the Windsor on Monday.  We found black pants in the right size at Lands End.  He wears them with a white tshirt and they provide the overshirt.

Thomas has two meets under his belt:  one he ran a 7:07 mile and received a 9th place medal.  These meets are enormous.  Hundreds of kids and extremely avid parents.  Kind of hard to take.

We accomplished errands, enjoyed cross country and now I’m working hard to get my calendar in shape.  I find I’m double booking because I have failed to cross match work and home calendars.  Trying to rectify that situation now.

I am longing to hear from Kate.  This is the toughest part for me – all those far off cities in a short time span.  Plus entry into Russia, Moscow in particular.  Trusting all is well, but a little anxious, I confess.

Watched a movie called “Scoop” last night, very Woody Allen and amusing in a quirky way.  Enjoyed airpopped corn with real butter and salt.  Yum!

School started with a fresh and happy beginning on Friday.  Both guys are excited about their classes, teachers and friends.  Very nice.  We are blessed to be stocked up on school supplies, PE clothes, easy lunch fixings and are ready to go.  Just have to keep the cross country laundry going on a daily basis.  Quite sweaty!

The week ahead looks like a busy one.  We just have to keep focused on one day at a time to meet all our obligations.  Big changes at church tomorrow with photos and other graphics on the walls.  We are being asked, “What should our church look like in five years?”  Interesting to ponder!

c is for change August 21, 2007

School is about to begin and with it some changes here.  Our routine will ramp up considerably!

We are officially in cross country season now.  Thomas got his uniform last night at practice and there are meets on Thursday and Saturday of this week.  He will run newcomer’s races until he feels ready for the open.  Newcomers run one mile and the open race is two miles.

Chris got a new job.  He interviewed yesterday at the Windsor of Savoy to be a dinner server and was hired on the spot.  A few technical hurdles to jump through:  buying black pants that fit, drug testing, name badge to pick up, forms to fill out.  He will work 4 meal shifts per week.  More shifts but same hours as County Market and home by 7:30 each evening.

I am back at work after my great trip to Savannah with my BFF.  I like vacation better.  Enough said.

s is for savannah August 17, 2007

I’m enjoying several days in Savannah with my dear friend Nancy.  We had fun exploring the historic district, the riverwalk area, a day at the beach on Tybee Island and even a trip to the cemetery.  Fresh seafood, pralines, Paula Dean’s restaurant.  We’re enjoying it all along with plenty of reading magazines and watching TV.  Naps too.  Highly restorative – feeling very  thankful for this opportunity.

Slightly worried about John who apparently is at home taking down trees with a chain saw. 

w is for weekend August 13, 2007

The conference was wonderful, so many ideas to think and pray on. It was great to be there with John, and good friends R & S. Enjoyed texting comments with T&N in Orlando too. Kind of amazing when you think about it.

When we arrived home on Saturday, Chris was at work and Thomas was eager to meet some friends at the mall. We drove him out there, had dinner at Chili’s and then picked up a couple of items I needed for my upcoming trip. When we arrived home after picking up Thomas at the mall, Chris was here – home a little early. He had a couple of really tough days at work, confirming that his decision to resign, so he has just two weeks left at CM. He’s already begun the job hunt, as he is used to a fairly regular and substantial income for a high school student.

We spoke with Kate in CP yesterday and it was so fun to know she was at Zhenya and Luda’s place having a blast.

It was one of those funny Sunday mornings for me where I just didn’t feel quite at home at WRCC. I haven’t had a day like that in years – used to all the time. But it was awkward and lonely. We headed home for a day of relaxing – very welcome. I did get a bunch of laundry going, but at a leisurely pace. About 4 PM we all headed to Schnucks to pick up the weeks groceries and some food for dinner. John and Chris picked out the main course – hamburgers. Thomas picked out the bread and dessert – garlic bread and a “lava cake” mix. I was on fruit and veggies – baked potatoes and berries. All very delicious and a fun way to share a meal together. We came home and fixed it together too. During dinner, we worked our way through the week’s schedule. Between Chris and John, they have all of T’s activities covered.

Today, I will get the van back after some body work following a fender bender in the Arby’s parking lot. Other guy’s fault. And John will register Chris for his senior year of high school. Thomas is all set – I registered him before leaving town last Wednesday.

I am assembling items for my trip and will pack tonight. Excited to see the whole gang in Orlando and to head out with N on our adventure!

w is for willowcreek August 8, 2007

We’ve arrived here in Barrington for the conference.  We are staying in a midrange hotel with spacious rooms and friendly service, although it’s rather lanky in its layout and showing it’s age.  It’s one of those large suite type rooms with practically a full kitchen that we used to search for when traveling with all three kids.  All this space, two beds, a couch bed, a chair bed and two tv’s seems kind of lost on just the two of us.  But there is free wi-fi and coffee at all times in the lobby, so…it’s good.  I am looking forward to the conference tomorrow morning.

I talked to N & T tonight on the way up and they will also be attending at the remote location in Orlando.  It will be fun to compare notes.

The troops at home are in good hands but there are a lot of items on the calendar in the next few days.  Hopefully all the essentials will be taken care of.  It’s so very hot and muggy that no one really feels like doing anything extra.  That can be good I guess.

Kate is moving on this weekend from Lviv.  I will miss her presence in the mornings.  Almost every weekday when I turn on my computer, there she would be.  While at her desk working, we could chat and catch up on daily stuff and funny stories and John would wander in and out of conversations.  Really a highlight, an unexpected blessing that I will miss.  Godspeed as you travel, Katy P.

a is for amazing August 6, 2007

Several things that amazed me yesterday:

• the Finster is now an Eagle Scout
• McAlister’s iced tea is somehow better than homebrewed
• the upstairs at campus Za’s is really cool
• visiting with people can be restorative
• a  very young preacher who is a very good preacher
• my husband
• my sons
• my daughter
• how hot it was when I stepped out of my house in the afternoon
• the deliciousness of “gila monsters” – tortillas filled with scrambled eggs, cheese, crisp bacon, and salsa
• the beauty and neediness of a six day old baby
• the dedication of the baby’s parents who are willing to drop everything else to meet his needs
• the costliness of back to school supplies
• men and women headed off to college but in my mind should still be picking out lunch boxes and gym shoes
• the goodness and faithfulness of God

r is for restore August 5, 2007

Not much going on this weekend by design.  Some naps, some devotions, some exercise, good food.  Bouncing back quickly from the last two weeks.

On Friday afternoon, T & I met J at the movies and caught “The Bourne Ultimatum.”  We went during the $5 ticket window at 4:30 and found it very enjoyable and left the door wide open for another.  I won’t believe it’s over until they name one “The Bourne Finale” or something like that.  Even then…  We headed home, made a quick supper, and Thomas tended to Gunther.  He’s dog-sitting for 10 days at the neighbors.

Up early on Saturday, J & I went to coffee.  It’s a simple pleasure that we have missed out on for the last few weeks.  Saturday morning coffee at Panera with time to catch up on events and family issues.  We stopped for school supplies at Target on the way home.  Perfect, because no one was out yet and we managed to pick up everything for T except the really expensive graphing calculator required by 7th grade honors math.

After a few chores at home, we headed out to lunch at Dos (sorry Kate) and then met the boys at the mall.  Chris needed a new pair of jeans and we found them on sale at ExpressMen.  I was looking for a swimsuit but everything is all picked over and I had no luck.  I never noticed before how much Thomas hates the mall.  Chris and T drove me home while John went on to the office.  He said a couple of hours of desk work would be quite restorative to him.  He arrived home right at 5.  I had enjoyed a nap and some preliminary CA trip planning.  We are headed to the LA area in November.

Our dinner was delicious.  I marinated chicken cubes in this new Newman dressing, Lime Vinaigrette.  Then skewered them and grilled.  We also put cherry tomatoes, mushrooms and zucchini tossed with olive oil and grill seasoning in our grill basket and grilled them as well.  Served with grilled garlic bread and some pasta, it was tasty.  Of course, we had the old standby jarred sauce for those who don’t enjoy their veggies.

It took some doing, but J and I got all the cross country dates on the calendar and mapped out the week ahead since we’ll be gone.  The only thing I had missed was I volunteered to work registration at Edison and had to back out since we are leaving for Willow Creek.  Kind of sad when the volunteer expert does a bad job at volunteering!! Ha!

Last night I had a “hankerin’” for ice cream.  Luckily Chris is too, and with my funds, he drove to Schnucks and picked up my favorite:  Haagen Daaz Creme Brulee.  A few bites of it’s delicious richness is plenty, but it’s so good.  He, on the other hand, ate his entire pint of  Ben and Jerry’s “Half Baked.”  Over 1,000 calories of creamy goodness.  Good thing he can afford it!!