Even though we don't get into Halloween, Kira did not want to feel left out at the parade and party at school. So, with some help from Kath, Kira went as Katara from Avatar. She even woke up early to give me time to do her hair!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Safe At Home
We are all back safe and sound.
Stephen landed in GR at 6:10 Friday evening after a week in Wisconsin, so Kira and I picked him up and we drove up to Traverse City. After arriving later than we wanted to (due to construction, rain, and poor navigational tips from the back seat), we settled into our room at the Great Wolf Lodge just as everything was shutting down. Which was fine, because we were all so tired.
Saturday morning, we all woke up around 7, and got ready to start a fun-filled day. We played in the water park, watched a movie, ordered pizza, played in the water some more, ate at La Senorita (yum!!!) and played at the arcade. Then, it was time for bed again. Sunday, we spent more time in the water park, then hit the arcade one more time. We blew a lot of money, and won a lot of tickets. Fortunately, I hit the jackpot with one of my last tokens, and we cleared enough for Kira to walk away with a new Razor kick scooter. Yea!! She was so excited this morning to ride it to school!
So, that was our exciting weekend!
Stephen landed in GR at 6:10 Friday evening after a week in Wisconsin, so Kira and I picked him up and we drove up to Traverse City. After arriving later than we wanted to (due to construction, rain, and poor navigational tips from the back seat), we settled into our room at the Great Wolf Lodge just as everything was shutting down. Which was fine, because we were all so tired.
Saturday morning, we all woke up around 7, and got ready to start a fun-filled day. We played in the water park, watched a movie, ordered pizza, played in the water some more, ate at La Senorita (yum!!!) and played at the arcade. Then, it was time for bed again. Sunday, we spent more time in the water park, then hit the arcade one more time. We blew a lot of money, and won a lot of tickets. Fortunately, I hit the jackpot with one of my last tokens, and we cleared enough for Kira to walk away with a new Razor kick scooter. Yea!! She was so excited this morning to ride it to school!
So, that was our exciting weekend!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
"What Does Love Mean?"
This is a sappy Internet forward from my mom.
What does Love mean? A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?” The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca-age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6 "Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy -age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare -age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8
"Love is when Kath actually touches dog food to feed Jersey so we can be at the hospital with Kira.
Love is when Paul and Jo Anne Blann drive 4 hours and pay for parking just to see their granddaughter.
Love is Mom praying with me on the phone while we were waiting for an ambulance.
Love is Dad promising to answer his cell phone if we need to call during church with a Kira update.
Love is Stephen cancelling his flight for a business trip so he can stay with Kira overnight at the hospital." Beccy
Thank you all for being love today and always!
What does Love mean? A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?” The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca-age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy age 6
"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7
"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8
"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen." Bobby - age 7
"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6 "Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6
"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore." Cindy -age 8
"My mommy loves me more than anybody You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare -age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris age 7
"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4
"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6
"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget." Jessica - age 8
"Love is when Kath actually touches dog food to feed Jersey so we can be at the hospital with Kira.
Love is when Paul and Jo Anne Blann drive 4 hours and pay for parking just to see their granddaughter.
Love is Mom praying with me on the phone while we were waiting for an ambulance.
Love is Dad promising to answer his cell phone if we need to call during church with a Kira update.
Love is Stephen cancelling his flight for a business trip so he can stay with Kira overnight at the hospital." Beccy
Thank you all for being love today and always!
When No is the Right Answer
Just yesterday, I was posting about feeling bad about not making myself available to a church and family member in need. Now I know why saying "no" was the right decision.
Most of you know this already, but we had to rush Kira to the ER this morning when she woke up with difficulty breathing. I still don't know all the details, because Stephen carried her in while I quickly parked. During the 90 seconds I was apart from her, six doctors, nurses, and techs came and hooked her up to oxygen and monitors. When I walked in the room, her blood oxygen level was only in the 70's.
She arrived at 6:50 am and had already received a steroid treatment by 7:15, so they worked fast on her. Since the steroid works over 24 hours, we have been in wait-and-see mode all day. They did check her oxygen levels after 3 hours and determined her stats were improving, but not as well as they would have liked to see. So, an ambulance took her to the Children's Hospital downtown where they could respond more quickly if the treatment failed. She has been doing great all afternoon, but will need to stay until the 24 hours have passed to make sure the steroids got her through the worst of it. I just got home at 9:00 pm. Stephen is able to stay with her tonight, and I will head back at 6:00 tomorrow morning to be there when she wakes up.
A big "thank you!" to everyone who has been praying for Kira and us today! Sorry if this post is incoherent, but I hope you understand.
Most of you know this already, but we had to rush Kira to the ER this morning when she woke up with difficulty breathing. I still don't know all the details, because Stephen carried her in while I quickly parked. During the 90 seconds I was apart from her, six doctors, nurses, and techs came and hooked her up to oxygen and monitors. When I walked in the room, her blood oxygen level was only in the 70's.
She arrived at 6:50 am and had already received a steroid treatment by 7:15, so they worked fast on her. Since the steroid works over 24 hours, we have been in wait-and-see mode all day. They did check her oxygen levels after 3 hours and determined her stats were improving, but not as well as they would have liked to see. So, an ambulance took her to the Children's Hospital downtown where they could respond more quickly if the treatment failed. She has been doing great all afternoon, but will need to stay until the 24 hours have passed to make sure the steroids got her through the worst of it. I just got home at 9:00 pm. Stephen is able to stay with her tonight, and I will head back at 6:00 tomorrow morning to be there when she wakes up.
A big "thank you!" to everyone who has been praying for Kira and us today! Sorry if this post is incoherent, but I hope you understand.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Just Say No?
One of the things I like about myself is that I have the ability to say, "No." Most people I know struggle with setting personal limits and feel overwhelmed by all their commitments. Fortunately, I learned a very long time ago how to say "no" to certain things so that I am free to say "yes" to other opportunities. And I don't feel guilty about it, although sometimes I do feel guilty that I don't feel guilty...
This week, I had to say "no" to someone special to me about something I find really important. I received a call Tuesday night from my aunt in Kalamazoo. She was in a panic because the children's pastor at her church abruptly resigned and cleaned out her office. Knowing my education, experience, and calling, she called wondering if I would be available short-term to guide the church through the transition. And although I know that there is no way I could have made it work, I feel awful about it.
End of post. Read next.
This week, I had to say "no" to someone special to me about something I find really important. I received a call Tuesday night from my aunt in Kalamazoo. She was in a panic because the children's pastor at her church abruptly resigned and cleaned out her office. Knowing my education, experience, and calling, she called wondering if I would be available short-term to guide the church through the transition. And although I know that there is no way I could have made it work, I feel awful about it.
End of post. Read next.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
October Musings
Anyone who has ever been shopping with me knows that I like to try on hats, but I've never bought one. I always talk myself out of it because I don't wear hats. But I'm thinking I don't wear hats because I've never bought one. So, I'm thinking maybe it's time to start actually wearing hats, because, let's face it, I look really cute in them. Especially when they are green leather and found at the Coach outlet store.
Speaking of outlet stores, I visited the Oneida store, and learned that our silverware pattern is discontinued! Very sad. Now I will never get my iced tea spoons, casserole spoon, or additional steak knives. Just think of how few glasses of chocolate milk I'll be able to make because I don't have my iced tea spoons. Although, I did learn that Replacements.com has some of the Rushmore pattern items in stock. Has anyone ever ordered from there to be happy with their service?
Almost every day, after walking Kira to school, I keep walking around our neighborhood for another 40 minutes to get some exercise. It has really helped my energy level and motivation. But today, as I was walking in the very brisk air, I wondered how I will keep that up during the winter. Then I remembered that a Wii version of DDR is due to be released some time this month, which has me very excited! I can exercise indoors doing something really fun!
I'm also getting very excited about heading up to Traverse City in two weeks! Stephen will be in Wisconsin the week of his birthday, so we are doing a weekend trip when he gets back to celebrate his birthday, our anniversary, and my birthday. Kira's looking forward to the water park, Stephen's looking forward to the arcade, and I'm looking forward to eating at La Senorita, Red Lobster, and Panorama Pizza. And Jersey is looking forward to staying at PetSmart's PetsHotel, where he'll get to play with other dogs and get treats. And Kath is looking forward to not being on Jersey duty. I think it will be a fun weekend!
Speaking of outlet stores, I visited the Oneida store, and learned that our silverware pattern is discontinued! Very sad. Now I will never get my iced tea spoons, casserole spoon, or additional steak knives. Just think of how few glasses of chocolate milk I'll be able to make because I don't have my iced tea spoons. Although, I did learn that Replacements.com has some of the Rushmore pattern items in stock. Has anyone ever ordered from there to be happy with their service?
Almost every day, after walking Kira to school, I keep walking around our neighborhood for another 40 minutes to get some exercise. It has really helped my energy level and motivation. But today, as I was walking in the very brisk air, I wondered how I will keep that up during the winter. Then I remembered that a Wii version of DDR is due to be released some time this month, which has me very excited! I can exercise indoors doing something really fun!
I'm also getting very excited about heading up to Traverse City in two weeks! Stephen will be in Wisconsin the week of his birthday, so we are doing a weekend trip when he gets back to celebrate his birthday, our anniversary, and my birthday. Kira's looking forward to the water park, Stephen's looking forward to the arcade, and I'm looking forward to eating at La Senorita, Red Lobster, and Panorama Pizza. And Jersey is looking forward to staying at PetSmart's PetsHotel, where he'll get to play with other dogs and get treats. And Kath is looking forward to not being on Jersey duty. I think it will be a fun weekend!
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