Turning 30

As it turned out, I was worried for nothing. 30 was my best birthday yet. No depression. No anxiety. No silly gag gifts. Only a few "getting older" jokes. What I did get, on my birthday, was time with my family and some peace of mind. And some great gifts, too!

On my actual birthday, my family threw a joint party for myself and my niece Jaycee. She was six and I was....well. You know! I was dreading this party. I don't relish being the center of attention. But it was nice. I was loved on and spoiled. And my mom had Italian Cream cake. I spent time laughing with my aunts and my cousins. It was a good night. I don't have any pictures though. Bummer.

Tonight, I celebrated with my girlfriends. I had planned a GNO....a non-party. Just dinner and a movie with my favorite ladies. But, these awesome friends of mine conspired behind my back and treated me to the sweetest night I could imagine. Original poems. Fondest memories. Tears and laughter. Cards and gifts, too. Seriously, I will never forget it.



I am so, so blessed!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Last week, I did NOT ignore strict instructions to remain "on campus" for the entire 3 hours of Shaun's Christmas play rehearsal, opting to finish up my Christmas shopping instead. I did NOT receive a cell phone call letting me know that said rehearsal was being dismissed...a full hour early! When I made it back to church, my child was NOT waiting on me at the front door of a nearly-empty church like some rejected orphan. I would never let that happen. NOT ME!

I did NOT have any reason to say this to my husband, as he was getting ready to take Shaun on an outing: "Don't you think he needs to change his clothes? He's been wearing that outfit since Thursday and its filthy!" I would never, never, ever let my children wear (and sleep) in the same clothes from Christmas Eve until the day after Christmas...no matter how hectic the season is. NOT ME!

I did NOT attempt to download an audio book onto my cell phone, only to realize too late that I really didn't know what I was doing. So, now I am NOT stuck with a book that I am having to read instead of listen to...on my cell phone. And I do NOT feel like a big dork about it. NOT ME!

Christmas was last Friday. So there's no reason whatsoever for my house to still be a disaster. I would never allow this mess to carry on for so long. And I would certainly never blog while I should be cleaning it up. NOT ME!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

My husband did NOT volunteer us to host our family's Thanksgiving meal this year. He loves me and appreciates my lack of stress control, so he certainly did NOT also put me in charge of cooking the turkey. On that note, this will NOT be my first time cooking a turkey, and I am NOT clueless on how to go about it. I truly hope this meal will NOT be disgusting! And I'm NOT soooo relieved that my sis-in-law is bringing some ham...just in case!

While making lesson plans for Smith University's (my affectionate name for our home school) unit on Thanksgiving, I did NOT realize that I needed to brush up on the topic myself. So, I did NOT need to google "The First Thanksgiving" for information to fill in the gaps. Not Me!

I did NOT join the throngs of silly teenage girls seeing the movie "New Moon" over the weekend. While my friend and I were NOT at said movie, these things also did NOT happen:

*After dinner and finding ourselves with a little time to kill, my friend Jody and I did NOT
go to Publix to try to find the "New Moon" collectors edition of People magazine. And we
were NOT mad and disappointed when we failed.

*We did NOT arrive at the theater an hour early so that we would get good seats.

*The following words did NOT come out of one of our mouths when the line finally started
moving and some crazy teeny-boppers tried to break in line:
"Oh! These girls are running! GO! RUN!"

*It was NOT so entirely fun to act like a teenager again!

I did NOT have some friends over for a get-together last week. We did NOT stand outside and laugh so hard that my neighbors probably thought (incorrectly!) that we were drunk. I am also NOT incredibly grateful that "church ladies" can have so much fun.

I did NOT receive this text from my hubs during my get-together:
"Just wanted to tell you that I love you. And thanks for everything you do. I couldn't make it
without you.". These words did NOT make my heart skip a beat and my bones did NOT turn to mush. Sigh!

Christmas Eve's Eve

Today is Christmas Eve's Eve!  I have always gotten a kick out of saying that!  

The kids were great!

Seriously.  They both were great today.  They had some minor scuffles, but, for the most part, there was harmony in the Smith house today.  

We went to the hospital to eat lunch with Dad today.  Then we went to the doctor for Shaun's allergy shots.  Then back home where Jordan took at long nap.  

Chris got called in to work again tonight and the kids wanted popcorn, so off to the store we went.  They've had their snack and now they're in bed.  

Oh- and I made glazed chicken for dinner tonight.  The "glaze" was basil, honey, and balsalmic vinegar.  It was quite tasty.  

Tomorrow Chris and I will finish our Christmas shopping.  I haven't wrapped the first gift yet.  It wouldn't be Christmas if I didn't put everything off until the last minute, now would it?

Its 7:34 AM...

and I have already:

Cooked and eaten breakfast

Taken Jordan to the potty

Broken up 2 fights between my children

Started 2 movies

Folded a load of laundry

Cleaned the kitchen

Vacuumed

Scraped spilled eggs off the floor

Why have I done all this before 8:00 AM on the first day of Christmas vacation?  Because my boys are weirdos that wake up at 6:00 in the morning when they know they don't have school.  Anybody know any good day care centers?

Bring on 2009

So, 2008 is winding down.  Only a few more weeks.  Thank God. I 've been doing some thinking over the past few days.  I thought last year was  bad, but I can honestly say that 2008 has been worse.  It has sucked, and frankly, I'm glad to see it go.  

I remember this time last year.  I was pumped and excited, ready to take on the 30 Day Fast in January.  I was so certain that taking the time to fast and pray would turn things around and that I would indeed "Have a Great 2008".  Not so much.  Instead, this year has been the worst year of my life, so far.  I have lost relatives, lost friendships, seen my children suffer, and have cried myself to sleep to many times to count.  I have been disappointed in my marriage and have watched my finances suffer.  

Last week I had this thought "If this is what fasting gets me, I'm better off without it".  Really.  I prayed and fasted for my grandmother's healing.  She passed away anyway. I prayed for my Uncle Jeff's physical healing.  He passed away, too.  I prayed for physical and emotional healing for Shaun.  He's no better.  I fasted for my family's finances.  Don't get me started on this issue!  The list of disappointments list on and on.  

We're talking about the upcoming Fast at church already, and my initial decision was to just blow it off this year.  Then, I had a revelation.  First of all, God commands us to fast.  So Christians should fast, regardless of whether or not we reap any "benefits" from it or not. Secondly, I had the wrong idea about the fast in the first place.  Fasting is new to me.  I incorrectly assumed that if I fasted and prayed, nothing bad would happen and all the wrongs in my life would be corrected.  WRONG!  Bad things are going to happen.   That's life.  Once I realized this, I had a whole new perspective.  I started thinking about the GOOD things that happened this year.  The less obvious stuff.  This is what I found:

 1.  I lived through this year!  That is huge, considering all that has happened.  I lived through it and I'm still in one piece!  And I did it even after weaning myself from my Zoloft!

 2.  My marriage is stronger than it has ever been.  

 3.  I am closer to my family.

 4.  I have a better appreciation for life- I do not take it for granted anymore.

 5.  My faith has increased greatly.

 6.  I am closer to God than I have ever been before.  

 7.  My oldest son was Saved this year. 

 8.  His grades have improved.

 9.  I have become more content with what I have (and what I don't have).

10.  I have seen God use a tragedy to pull my family together.

11.  I have learned to comfort.

12.  God has given me the grace to forgive those who I once considered unforgivable.  

These are just a few.  I am really blessed, and I thank God for opening up my eyes.  I am still ready for 2009, though.  I can't wait to see what He's gonna do! 

Awesome Weekend Recap

This past weekend was wonderful.  The Smith's had a lot of fun:

Chris had band practice Friday night, so the kids and I spent the afternoon and evening with Aunt Lori and the cousins.  It was a bit stressful, but we had a good time anyway.  We got home around 9:00, and the band was still going.  Luckily the kids conked out pretty quickly.  I got to relax in my room.  I watched a movie that wasn't great, but it didn't really matter.  

Saturday was long.  We all went to Shaun's sparring class.  He did a great job, as usual.  After class, we went to 3-D Life to get our Christmas Tree.  I just loving going to 3-D Farm.  They are a drug and alcohol rehab center for teen boys.  The entire group attends Free Chapel with us, so we see first hand the work God is doing in this ministry.  We went on a hay ride and cut our own tree.  Jordan's favorite part of the trip was all of the dogs on the farm.  Here are some pics:

We also went to a Christmas parade Saturday night.  It was freezing, and we almost froze our tails off, but we had a good time.  My nieces were in the parade- their ballet class had a float- so it was fun to see them riding down the street with all of the other little ballet girls.  

Sunday, we had a great service at church.  The kids and I sat in on Kidpak's 3rd service, and I got these shots of Chris showing off his awesome bass/vocal skills.  

It was a good weekend.  Very good, indeed. 

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost over for us.  We're getting together one more time this afternoon, and then that's that until Christmas.  As far as Thanksgivings go, this one was pretty good.  Really good, considering all my that my family(s) have been through this year.  

We started the day off by going to my sister-in-law's house.  She did most of the cooking, but I did contribute a green bean casserole and some homemade mac and cheese.  All in all, we had a very nice visit with the in-laws.  Chris and I agreed that it was the best Thanksgiving we've had with them in a while.  On the way to Mandy and Rob's, we passed through the town of Hoschton.  The town recently broke the world record for having the most scarecrows displayed in their town.  As you can see, they were very interesting.   

Some were cute, but mostly I got a creepy "Children of the Corn" feeling.  It was neat to see, anyway, and Shaun got a kick out of them.  

Later on that afternoon, we went to my Aunt Nancy's house.  I knew this one would be tougher.  Our first Thanksgiving without Mamaw.  But it turned out okay.  Of course, we were sad.  My mom had the idea to light a candle to burn throughout the meal in Mamaw's memory and honor.  I only cried a little.  As my Aunt Patsy put it "She wouldn't come back for anything in the world".  I know that's true, because she's in Heaven- she had Thanksgiving with Jesus!  I can't think of anything to be more thankful for.  

Lori and I went shopping on Friday- without the kids.  Thanks Mom and Dad!  We got some of the kids Christmas done, but the best deal of all was for me!  I found an eliptical stair climber on sale for only $30...it was originally over $100.  Of course I got it, since I'm supposed to be getting some exercise.  I haven't tried it out yet, but its all set up and ready to go.  

Now its Saturday, and I'm about to start cooking for our 3rd and final Thanksgiving get-to-gether.  We're going to Granny's at 5:00.  It'll be another toughie...My uncle passed away in July, so its another first.  My grandparents aren't doing too well.  They're depressed, which is to be expected.  I think this holiday season is going to be harder on all of us than we thought.  But we will get through it- we always do.  

Random rants...

-My "cheesy rice dish" I was making for Thanksgiving didn't turn out the way I thought it would.  I'm letting it chill overnight, but I'm thinking its still gonna be gross tomorrow.

-I cut my thumb on a can of tomatoes today while I was making lunch.  It still hurts!

-I had to spend 2 dollars at the grocery store on a pacifier for my almost-3-year-old. 

-I have cooked 3 dishes and still have to get up early tomorrow to cook another one.  And Chris is already in bed asleep.  

-My nice clean kitchen is all messy now from all that cooking.  

Okay, okay.  I know that its technically Thanksgiving Day, and, in spite of these mindless complaints, I have a TON to be thankful for.  Such as:

-Even if my "cheesy rice dish" stinks, its not like we'll be hurting for food tomorrow.

-Even though I cut my thumb, at least I did it while preparing food for my kids to eat.  Some people don't have this luxury.  

-I am thankful for Jordan- even if his passy fits drive me insane!  

-Once again- I have the luxury of being able to prepare food to share with my family.  And my husband may be taking it easy, but at least I know where he is. 

-I have the ability to make my kitchen  clean again.  Unlike some folks, who are too sick to get out of bed.

So there you have it.  I have many, many more blessings to list, but I'll wait until morning.  

Happy Turkey Day to all!

2 good visits

Both of the boys had good reports at their doctor appointments today, which is very rare.  I took them to see their ear-nose-throat guy.  It turns out that Shaun does not have a sinus blockage after all.   Great news!  He does, however, have a deviated septum.  I had the same nose problem when I was a kid.  Eventually he'll have to have surgery, but not until he's older.  He also has some pretty nasty stuff in his nose.  The doc thinks we can fix it with saline, so that shouldn't be too bad.  No new meds, no surgeries- we were happy!

Nothing new for Jordan, either.  His ears looked great.  The only thing is that Dr S. wants to be in the room when Jordan goes for his throat biopsy so that he can take a look at his voice box while Jordan is under general anesthesia.  That's only IF the GI specialist we're seeing decides to do a biopsy.  Judging from the "lung" appointment last week, that's probably what will happen.  But at least they can kill two birds with one stone.  Jordan's reflux medicine isn't working.  Now it is thought that he has some "condition of the esophogus".  Basically, this condition can cause reflux and asthma but is caused by some food allergies....I think.  We have to see a GI specialist and go from there.  

Phew.  Its been a long day.  We just got back from Egleston.  My grandma went with us and even treated us to lunch.  It feels good to have someone take care of me sometimes!  After the kids' appointment we went to Whole Foods Market for organic suckers.  I love that store!  We also had to go to Target for toys since they kids did so well today.  I was especially proud of Shaun- he sat so still while Dr S was looking down his nose with his camera.  I know it hurt and was uncomfortable, and he handled it with flying colors.  

Tomorrow its back to school.  I think I only have one other appointment this week and its in Gainesville, so I can relax and maybe get some housework finished.  I've started to get in the Holiday Spirit.  I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week!

Never again...

Never again will I allow my children to "eat regular food for a special occasion".  I did this today.  I thought, since today is Halloween, why not just let them eat their "regular" candy, with the "regular" food dyes and "regular" preservatives in them.  Let me say it again--NEVER AGAIN!  They went wild!  We only visited 4 houses tonight before calling it quits, simply because they didn't need anymore candy.  I am throwing it away tomorrow.  We've been home 2 hours and they are just now settling down. No one could even get a picture of the two of them because they wouldn't, or couldn't, stop running around. (For the record, Shaun was Batman and Jordan was Robin).   I hope its out of their systems by tomorrow. 

Visitation and 4th of July

We had visitation for Jeff yesterday.  All in all, a  very long day.  I know everybody says this at viewings, but he really did look good.  Much better than the last time I saw him.  Definitely not sick anymore.  My family is doing alright.  My cousins Jerry and Jon act like they're high on something.  Which they probably are.  Who knows?  Kind of an awkward situation.  The funniest thing that happened yesterday:  We were in lounge at the funeral home and one of the funeral home worker men came in.  My dad looked at him and said "Howdy do".  We teased him unmercifully for the rest of the day.  Not sure why it struck me as so funny, but it did.  I always try to find humor in every situation!  

Chris and Todd kept all the children yesterday and met us at the funeral home last night.  After they had seen Jeff, ate cake, and explored a little, we left to go catch some fireworks.  It wasn't meant to be.  The city of Gainesville move the fireworks venue to a park.  Not only was the park full by the time we got there, but traffic was lined up and down the street with people trying to get in.  We drove forever trying to find a spot where we thought the kids could see fireworks.  We finally parked in the lot of a tanning salon, spread our blankets and gave the kids their Happy Meals.  We noticed some clouds and lightening in the distance, but thought the storm would wait.  Before the first firework went off, it started pouring.  We scrambled to get everyone in the vans and went home.  The kids were disappointed, to say the least.  Chris and I were talking and we think it has stormed the past few years on the 4th.  Oh well, there's always next year, I suppose. 

Its about time to get ready for the funeral.  I'm waiting for Chris to get home.  He better not be late!  We're taking the kids to my aunt Rita's house for the afternoon.  Hope she knows what she's getting herself into!