Sing For Joy

Timing

Today was jam packed day for me-An early hair appointment, running a couple of errands, a 2 and a half hour lunch meeting on base, checking Ellie out of school to go to the orthodontist, meeting Gracie at home and taking Ellie to get her own hair cut, ( it's a cute new style, with just a subtle change-pictures later), picking up take out from Fazoli's for dinner, returning home, eating, and heading to Mentor Training at church as soon as Joe got here.   Everything went well today and I just knew I'd fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow tonight.  Well, I think I may have had coffee with caffeine at the Mentor training, because I've cleaned off my desk, found some recipes I was looking for and started this post-all between 9:30 and 10:00.    One plus to being awake now-Joe and I decided tonight before he fell asleep that we will go out on a date tomorrow night while the girls spend the night with their friends down the street.  We are hopefully going to the restaurant I went to with my girlfriends for my 40th birthday-a place he's never been.  What I realized after our conversation is that it's the 16th anniversary of the day he said, " I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I want you to be my wife."  And I said, " Nothing would make me happier."    I'm excited to share that with him in the morning.   

She understands

In a couple of weeks, Joe will be changing jobs here in Texas.   This was not something we expected to happen when we moved here.  We thought he would have the same job from 2006-2008 and then we'd move to a new location.   He will no longer be a squadron commander, but the job he will be starting is a step up-#2 over all the squadrons in the group-and because of that, we get to live here longer-hopefully until summer of 2009.  We are happy about that.    Tuesday I met H.,  the wife of the man that will take over Joe's current job.  I wanted to share with her some details about things I've done with the squadron and just get to know her.  I started telling her about our family and wanted to include details about Ellie-since I know she will have contact with her from time to time.  I started out by saying it's hard to explain what Ellie has to someone for the first time because so few people have heard about it and understand it.  When I said the words Selective Mutism, she looked me as I continued to talk, nodded her head and raised her hand.  I said have you heard of it?  She said, "Yes.  I had that as a child myself."    I almost couldn't believe it.   She said growing up she didn't realize her condition had a name and that when she started high school, something just clicked with her and she realized it was going to be ok if she talked to more people.   How comforting to have someone who can understand what Ellie is going through.  Oh-and she also played the Clarinet!  Ellie is doing really well with hers and is great about practicing.  The Band teacher told Joe Ellie is her #1 Clarinet player!  Ellie is excited that they have started their Christmas music for the concert next month.

I hope that H. and I will get to be friends and spend time together outside of our Air Force spouse duties.  They have 2 boys, ages 6 and 4.   Have the S.M. in common, along with being wives of C-130 pilots should be a good foundation for our friendship.  And they bought a house just 2 minutes down the road from us!

Monday Morning Busy-ness

It is a little after 9:00 in the morning here and I've gotten a good number of things accomplished already today.  It's unusual for me, so I thought I should have a record of it!  I got breakfast for the girls, emptied the dishwasher and cleaned the kitchen, took care of the girls sink that wasn't draining-there were THREE small pony tail holders down there-plus some other substance I don't care to ever see again.  Of course, neither of the girls knew anything about the pony tail holders.....I watched the Bible Study video that I missed with the group last week, took Sadie on a walk, where I found a HUGE spider web with a large spider in the middle of it.  The web is attached on one side to our neighbors SUV that has been parked on our side of the street for weeks-the other side is attached to our fence.  I normally walk right through that area to go check the mail.  Because of my timing this morning to take Sadie out, the sun was shining right where I could easily see the intricate web and the spider.  I did not destroy it, but I'm thankful to know it's there so I won't have the sticky mess on me later today!  After the walk I pulled the many weeds that had been growing in the rock area in our backyard.  It's a large area that was used by the former owners of this home for their trampoline-something we don't own and don't plan to.   

This was a job my husband has usually done and I think that's part of my extra energy today.  It's now fall, we are less than a month from him coming home!  This weekend we'll be gone and I won't have those days to get more things accomplished around the house.  After our trip, there will hopefully only be 3 weekends left until he does return!  The girls and I are so ready.  I know there will be an adjustment period after he's back-there always is, but it's always worth it.   I was thinking the other day how great it will when I can first hug and kiss him again-the first moment I see him.  But then, almost even better than that will be a little while later, when we're talking to others, standing arouond, and he can put his hand in mine-just because he can, just because he wants too, because we belong together. 

My teeth hurt!

No, not from a toothache or dental work-from sinus congestion!  A cold that started right after Labor Day has turned into this.  I thought I was better until Friday evening I felt a fever coming on and the pain started in my cheekbones and teeth that night.  No fever since then, but I had to miss a great event for women at our church Saturday morning and our neighborhood block party that evening.  I managed to get to church and teach Sunday School yesterday, but did nothing else.  A call to the doctor this morning and I learn they are short on doctors and can't see me today.  I have an appt for 9:15 tomorrow morning-right when I should be setting up for Bible Study at church.  The pain is not as bad today as it was yesterday afternoon and night-but I don't want to ignore it.  It could easily get bad again.   

Ok, let me write about something that's good.  Joe should be home in just over a month.  Oct. 20th if all goes as planned right now.     School is going well for the girls.  Ellie has adjusted to well to changing clothes for P.E. and playing her clarinet in band.   She is making good grades, except for some inconsistency in math.  Gracie is doing well and enjoying school.  She is very excited about a field trip this Wednesday to "Safety City." 

At the end of the month, we're going to Dallas for the weekend.  Ellie has never been to the Ft. Worth Zoo.  They are excited about going.  What they don't know is that my Mom will be there too.  Mom felt like she couldn't wait until Thanksgiving to see them again, so this is the plan-to surprise them.  It will be nice to get away for a few days and when we return, it will be that much closer to Joe returning!

Catch Up

Life is busy, I have a cold and we can now say Joe will be home NEXT Month!

The news yesterday about the Terror Plots that were stopped in Germany centered around the area where we lived for 3 years.  Our best friends who were there with us just moved back there this summer. I'm curious to hear from them and what security is like now.  I would imagine they are parking a long way from buildings, for example.

Ellie is managing with changing clothes for P.E.  Sometimes she changes in the bathroom stall-but there is only one.  I think it's better for her when she has to change with everyone else.  Today will be her first day to attempt making a sound on her clarinet in band.  She gets fitted for the palate expander next week and it will be put on the week after that.  I wonder how much it will affect her clarinet playing.   

Gracie is doing well in school and she's very excited about her class riding in a truck for the County Fair Parade this Saturday!

I started a new Bible Study at Church Tuesday morning called Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer.  The questions in the homework get very personal.  It will be a good study. 

The girls will be walking out the door in about half an hour and I will be going back to bed.  I don't like to do that, but sometimes it's necessary.  My nose ran so much last night-on one side, that I didn't sleep much at all.  I am supposed to go to a birthday dinner tonight for my good friend L.  The same 4 of us who went out for my birthday last May.  I hope I can go.  And I am now done with this oh so exciting update.   

What did you wear on the first day of 6th grade?

The night before the first day of school, Ellie was setting her clothes to wear.  Long denim shorts in black, a shirt with butterflies on it and a jacket, in case any of the classrooms are cold.  It brought to mind MY first day of 6th grade.  I was finally going to be in the oldest grade in the school and it was the school I had attended for the longest amount of time since I started school.  I had been there since half way through 4th grade.  I had friends, I knew the teachers and I was excited.  So excited, I wanted to wear pantyhose with my dress on the first day of school.  I think maybe I had worn pantyhose to church already, but I can't remember for sure.  Anyway,  I felt the need to get permission to wear the pantyhose-and not just put them on in the morning.  But I was really scared about asking.  I'm just now remembering that my best friend, who was starting 5th grade, already knew she was going to wear pantyhose that day and wanted me to do the same.  You know, it was going to help us look more "tan."  So, I asked my sister to ask my Mom for me.  I did not want to hear "no" for an answer myself, nor did I want to hear any laughing or be made fun of.  ( You can see here where Ellie gets some of her anxiety issues!)   I knew both of those things were a good possibility from my Mom. Well, having my sister ask her didn't work.  So, I nervously went upstairs to the kitchen and helped her empty the dishwasher and asked her then.  She was kind about it and said, " Yes.  But why couldn't you just ask me yourself?"  I admitted I was scared of what she would say.   I can't even remember which dress I wore that day.  And by the way, Ellie thought it was crazy that I wanted to wear a dress on the first day of school in the 6th grade!  She said she could see Kindergarten girls wanting to do that, but not older kids!

As for Gracie.  When we were in NC and they attended a private Christian school-they had to wear khaki shorts or pants everyday-or a skirt.  Well, Gracie has been handed down some of her sister's khaki clothing items and I guess she feels comfortable in them because that's what she wanted to wear yesterday-khaki shorts-with a new pink shirt. 

As far as how the day went-we ALL survived.  Gracie likes her teachers and had someone to play with at recess.  Ellie was frustrated that all the teachers kept giving her things to bring home and she has no backpack or locker this year-not allowed.  She likes her teachers too, and was also excited that her math teacher, a man, is a Christian and he asked for prayer requests in class. She is also thrilled that April is in every class with her.  What a blessing that is.  After last week's meeting, everyone was prepared for Ellie and how to handle communicating with her-except for some women handing out the gym uniforms.   It was the worst part of Ellie's day-and her friend April's day, too.  April tried to help out and speak for Ellie, and these women, I have no idea who they were, would have nothing to do with it.  One of them got very angry at Ellie and another woman got angry at her for getting angry at Ellie.  I wish the P.E. Coach would have been nearby when all this was going on, but it's over now and hopefully Ellie won't have to deal with those women again.   There are so many new things going on this year-not to mention all the changes in her physically and emotionally.  Her anxiety and selective mutism were really on her mind last night and she told me she was thinking about it, but didn't want to talk about it.  I told her to pray and reminded her of a couple of comforting Bible Verses.  Phil 4:6 and Phil 4:13.   She seemed to feel better this morning and was ready to go.  I thought about them all day yesterday, and probably worried some too.  By dinner time, I was exhausted.  It felt good to lay my head on the pillow last night.  I fell asleep quickly between 9:30 and 10:00 and woke up suddenly when our key hanger fell of the wall in the kitchen.   If that has to happen, why does it have to happen at night?  It happened about 12:15 and I eventually went back to sleep.  Time to meet today's challenges.   There is a lot to be thankful for.  Here are two of my biggest blessings: