Pookie

Today, finally, Pookie will see his general doctor. We just can't figure out what is wrong with his stomach. We are hoping that is solved today.

We are all tired. Tom has missed two days of work, sitting with Dad. The girls miss him and don't understand why he is not home right now. It does make me know that they miss family when one is not in place. That is a good feeling.

Today, I am off to teach fourth grade, then kindergarten. Home for 15 min. then teach three violin lessons. I then leave to go rehearse for next Sunday's service at church. I will play my electric violin, so it will be fun. Busy, busy day, but tomorrow should be better.

Take care all.

Pookie update.

We are still struggling with Pookie. He is no longer vomiting, but is VERY weak. He wanted pizza last night for dinner, so I guess that's a good sign. Jan is afraid for him to be left alone, so Tom is trading off going to be with him. This is not allowing a lot of work time, so I think we will have to let Sunrise do their thing soon. We still don't know the cause of his pain. He is to see his doc. tomorrow.

Congratulations Jen and Scott. They moved into their beautiful new home. I wish it was still across the street from us, but that is not to be. I hope you guys thoroughly enjoy the new house.

That's about all I can write today, as Laura and Becca have to be at school early. I have an appointment for a mammogram this morning and my orchestra this afternoon.

Pookie

We are really struggling with Pookie right now. He is in severe pain and we are not sure what to do. If we take him back to the ER, he gets confused and combative. If we leave him at the assisted living facility, he is in severe pain. Jan is gonna see if she can just take him to his regular doctor this morning. Please say a little prayer for us today. Things are rough in the Pookie department, right now.

Here is a big "Go get tum!!" to Becca today. I braided her hair, helped her gather her things and she is off to give the big report today. I know she will do just fine. I am really proud of her.

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed this morning with all the "stuff" going on in our lives right now. My favorite saying is "life is hard, but God is good". It is hard right now, but we will get through it. My dearest friend, Jen, counts her blessings when she gets in a mental funk. I think that's what I have to do today. I need to do a lot of counting of blessings today. One of the blessings in my life, is all the folks that read this blog. Thanks so much for your love and support.

Back at it.

Thank you Carol!!! We met at 5:30 this morning and did a morning walk. I felt like it got me going again. Good thing, with all the stress lately, I need to run.

It was an absolutely crazy weekend. Pookie was in the hospital Saturday night with a respiratory virus (we think). He was so very confused. He pulled out his IVs, he threatened to leave. He thought he was at a hotel and was receiving horrible service. We had to laugh because it was that or cry. Tom was at his wits end when he got him back to the assisted living facility on Sunday. When Dad signed himself back in, after being gone overnight, he just wrote that he was returning from shopping.

My Dad is home from the hospital. He got his heart catheterization done. The docs concluded that there had not been a great change from his last cath. and that there is not much they can do to make him better. We know this. He knows that in order to get better, he has to want to and help himself a little bit.

We went to the Sock Hop, Friday night, and the girls had to leave early because they were sick. Laura was better on Saturday, but Becca was down until yesterday. No picture taking done. Maybe next year.

The rest of the weekend was filled with homework and sewing a Revolutionary War costume for Becca. I think we got it all put together and she will deliver her book report tomorrow. I must get pictures of that.

Today, I am the movement teacher at school. I think I will go back to work today, so I can rest. Ha Ha. I hope you all have a great day.

Poodle skirts and pony tails.

It's 50's day at school today. Hopefully, tomorrow, I will have some great pictures to show. I have to teach first grade this afternoon, so I must dress up too. I am looking for my brightest lipstick. This should be interesting. We are all going to the Sock Hop at school this evening. It should be fun.

My Dad had his cardiac catheterization done yesterday. I don't know the results, but I do know he made it through the procedure just fine. Now, if he would just stop smoking. I think his life would be soooo much better. Oh well, I have given up lecturing him on that. Thanks for all the prayers.

Have a great day.

Messages from above.

As usual, I don't have a lot of time, but I was thinking about a recent answer to prayer. I have been diligently praying about what I should do in my future, concerning my teaching career. I have been praying for direction. I am getting it.

I tried on the hat of being a regular classroom teacher. I could do that, I would probably like it. I researched (rather Tom researched) what it would take for me to get my license. Remember, my Bachelor's degree is in nursing. It wouldn't be that bad, time wise. The bad part comes when I think about giving up my violin students.

I struggled and struggled with what to do. I have prayed and prayed for direction. All of a sudden, from out of nowhere, for no apparent reason, I started getting compliments from students. Maybe I just needed to open my eyes. The compliments have come from the smallest of people, yet the folks that speak to my heart the most. God knows that ugh? It thrills me to think that someday, these tiny folks will be grown and they will remember me as their violin teacher. Obviously, I didn't ask for the compliments, otherwise they wouldn't be real. They have just come. God has told me that I am a music teacher.

Now, I have a call out to Colorado State University, in Pueblo, to see what they have to offer in the way of Music Education. I know now, where I am headed, I just don't know what the road will be like to get there. That's alright. I know God will pave that road as I go along.

Have a great day.

Working Wednesday

Can't say much today. I am very busy trying to get us all where we need to go and do what we need to do. I know that someday, I will look back on these days and long for them. This morning, I need another cup of coffee and another hand to help.

Laura had to be in early for choir. Becca and I have to be ready early as I give a lesson before school. I sub. this morning, then, off to some down time with Elaine. Then, off to the middle school for orchestra. Then, I come home to give private lessons until 7:30. I am tired just thinking about it.

I hope to find some peace in all the craziness today. When the kids look at me, there is peace. When Laura and Becca kiss me goodbye this morning, there will be peace. When Elaine and I laugh at lunch (we always do), there will be peace. Tom tells me every morning, as he leaves, that he loves me. There is peace.

There, my mind has calmed already.

Happy day to all.

Tuesday like Monday.

We are slow moving this morning as we had yesterday off and today really feels like Monday. We will slowly wake up, but it's hard. Tom and I are really struggling with the exercise thing, lately. I MUST get on that treadmill. I got sick last week and I am just now feeling the desire to keep going. The running magazines help and also lots of encouragement from friends. I refuse to quit, just going through the blahs right now.

My Dad's heart treatment should resume today, so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He may have a cardiac catheterization performed today.

I hope all is well in your neck of the woods, wherever that may be. Happy day all.

Memphis on my mind.

As most of you know, Tom and I lived two very long years in Memphis, TN. We experienced reverse prejudice ourselves and saw the prejudice against people with brown skin in our own neighborhood. Last night, we had an absolutely delightful time over at our good friends, the Tuckers. We laughed, joked and enjoyed a fabulous dinner of fried catfish, made by Nancy. It may seem like an odd menu to serve here in Colorado, but you see, Ezra, Nancy's hubby, is from Memphis. He has brown skin. We talked about his views, as a brown skinned person growing up in the South, and I talked about my views as a white skinned person, growing up in the South. I went to places in Memphis, during the two years I lived there, that he has never visited and will not visit, due to the continuing existence of prejudice. There are places in Memphis that we wanted to visit, but didn't because of reverse prejudice. For him, it goes a whole lot deeper, but I thought it ironic that we would have such a conversation about Memphis. The place Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated. I asked Ezra if prejudice in Memphis was worse than in other places, therefore the reason MLK was killed there. He said "no, it could have happened anywhere in the South". I am so thankful that we are raising our girls here. In a place where we can teach our girls that people are people. Ezra says that prejudice exists here, but not to the degree that it exists in the South.

Just some things to ponder. Happy Martin Luther King Day!!

Baby it's still cold outside.

I want to send a huge "Happy Birthday" to Scott. I hope you have a super day and a lovely dinner tonight, with Jen.

It is so cold right now. I sent the girls out the door and the temp. this morning was 7 degrees. We are to get more snow tonight. Sunny tomorrow, then more snow. I guess we should get out tomorrow while we can and soak up some Vitamin D. The problem is, even though the sun is shinning, it is still cold.

My Dad was in better shape yesterday, per my Mom, so I am sending prayers and good thoughts for him today. The docs are still running tests.

Today, I am going to meet my dear lady friends from our old hood. We are meeting at Mimi's cafe for an honest to goodness "hen fest". I made that phrase up, but you get the picture. A bunch of hens, gathered together, clucking about their families and generally having a great time. I can't wait to see everybody.

I am trying to figure out what to do about school next year. Just when I think I have it all figured out, and a plan is in place, something changes. I look into the eyes of my private students (my babies) and I just don't know that I can let them go, as a teacher. I am afraid I won't be able to hold onto all 29 of them, but when I think of who I would cut, nobody comes to mind. I am praying that the right path will be made crystal clear for me. It will. I know.

Sledding pictures

Baby it's cold outside.

We woke up today to -12 degrees. That is COLD!!! My sub job for today got cancelled, so I am home to enjoy the day by myself. I have students this afternoon, but I am hoping to get lots done at home, before then.

Yesterday, as I wrote, we had a snow day. We had a lot of fun. We all enjoyed the rest. In the afternoon, we went with Carol and Andrea to Toboggan Hill in Monument. It is a wonderful sled hill from many sides. You can sled down from a lot of different sides and you end up in a bowl in the middle. Laura was doing this and she hit a bump. The tube she was on went in the air and I literally saw her fly off of it. She was in the air at least a couple of feet before she landed hard, face first, in the snow. We all went running to her and she was complaining of back pain. She was able to walk. I called our doctor and the nurse said to put her in the hot tub and give her ibuprofen. I love that hot tub. She got in and immediately felt better. When she got out, it hurt again, but not as bad. She was sore this morning, but able to go to school. If have a feeling that she will be sore for a couple of days. Laura, Tom and Allie were going snowboarding at Monarch next Monday. I have a feeling that may not happen.

Becca thought the sledding was alright, but she didn't like the fast, packed down hills. She stuck to the deep, slow sides. I asked her if she enjoyed herself and she said "it was alright".

As usual, I am having trouble with the pictures of our sledding fun. I have to print another blog with pictures, so you get two today.

Please continue to pray for my family in Florida. My father has been transferred to the VA hospital in Tampa. The docs wanted to do a cardiac catheterization on him, but they found a different abnormality on his EKG. He is very weak and I always worry about him when they start messing with his ticker.

I hope you all have a super day.

Snow day

We got a snow day today. That means, no school for any of us. Tom has decided to stay home too. We are gonna do a few household chores and then enjoy each other. I think I am gonna make oatmeal cookies and do some quilting that I didn't get to do over winter break. I can also hear my treadmill calling me. I haven't been on in a few days as I have had a virus of some sort. I think I better run/walk today or my body is going to forget what it feels like.

I hope all of you have a snow day of some sort too. Find something that will cause you to pause and enjoy those around you. Find a way to make a snow day, even in the midst of sunshine.

Take care.

The calm before the storm.

No school duties today. I have worked the last three days, so I am a little tired and eager to get things back in order here at home. I am gonna make an enchilada casserole for dinner and run errands today. We are expected to get "a significant winter blast" tonight, so I always feel the need to buy milk and insure we are prepared. I suppose that is an instinct that comes with being a woman and caregiver.

I am still struggling with what to do next in my career. I am considering going back to school next fall, slowly. I will take one class at a time and end up with my Master's in Elementary Education. I think that is the route I am choosing. I am surprised that Music is not my first choice, right now. I am going to speak with a career counselor at our local college.

My Dad is still in the hospital. We should learn more about his condition and plan of care, today. The good news is, his illness has opened up communication with my family. It's good to know that when things get serious and we need to come together, most of us rise to the occasion.

Here is a big shout out to the Janii. Two years ago today, we became the "Non-catholic God Parents" of Jake and John. We often refer to them as "our boys". We say this partly because they are twins, and partly because we made a commitment to watch over them and guide them in their lives. We love them so very much and we can't wait to see them soon. The above picture is of "our boys".

Here is a thought that I would like to leave you with today.

"A kiss can be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation point." - Mistinguett

Choose your kisses wisely.

Monday crazies

Can't write much today as I am off to school and Becca has an early computer class. Laura started the "stomp" club at school. Imagine pep club in High School. She has her first basketball game today and Tom is gonna go watch. I wish I could be there, but I have to give lessons.

I am asking special prayers for my Mom and Dad today. Daddy is back in the hospital and they are running tests today to see if he suffered a mild heart attack over the weekend. As you all know, my father has not been well in a very long time. There is a lot of stress at my parent's house with the stuff going on with my sister. My mom is trying to care for her children. Please pray for some good news today.

Becca and I have to get off to school. I hope all of you have a super day.

Yeah, it's Friday

This has been a full week. It's not over just yet. I will teach Kindergarten this a.m. and then morph myself into the school counselor this afternoon (oh boy). When I get home, I will teach four violin lessons and then, it's finally over for the week. I am just plain tired.

I find myself unable to think deeply this morning, so I think I am gonna leave you with a favorite quote of mine.

Difficult times have helped me to understand better than before how infinitely rich and beautiful life is in every way and that so many things that one goes worrying about are of no importance whatsoever. - Isak Denesen

In other words, "Don't sweat the small stuff.".

Happy day all.

Thursday Madness

Not much time today as I am teaching ALL day. I will be a first grade teacher this morning. Kindergarten teacher this afternoon. I will have fifteen minutes to come home and start one of two private violin lessons. Then, I am back to school, where I will be playing in a gig for an Art Gala. Busy, busy, busy. Thanks goodness for Tom. If he wasn't so nurturing to me and our girls, there is absolutely no way I could do all this.

Becca got a superb report card and Laura's is mailed to us. I guess they don't trust Middle School children to hand their's over. I know how she did and I am pretty sure she made the honor roll again. I have been so blessed with great kids. I can't imagine life without them. They complete me and I love them so very much.

I had lunch with Elaine, yesterday. I am so grateful for her listening ear. I had a long talk with Debra last night, and again, I feel blessed with friends. Shirley Tipton e-mailed me the most lovely note. Blessed again. I can name at least five more soul mates I could call if I had an emergency. This morning I feel very blessed and very care for. Thanks everyone.

This is a crazy, busy day, but I love this blog. I have been able to think about blessings and be thankful for them.

Divine intervention

A funny thing happened yesterday. I know I have been whining about the tension with my family in Florida and I have truly been praying about how to handle it. I just couldn't muster the courage to call Florida for fear of being yelled at, falsely accused, etc.. When I got home from school yesterday, my caller I.D. showed that I had received a call from my parents home and my sister's in Sarasota. No messages were left, so normally, I would have ignored it. If you don't leave a message, I assume there is no reason to call back. With all of the tension, I thought, perhaps, there was something wrong, or better yet, someone actually wanted to talk to me. I called my parents house and nobody had called me . It was an alright call. No emergency, no news, just a simple call. Nobody asked about my family and I did not ask about the status of things there. Yet, still, we touched base. I guess that is all that is required right now. The ice was broken. Thanks God, I needed that.

Ludwig Mies Van Der Rohe said "God is in the details". I just love that . He is in the details of me checking my phone. He is in the details. The things I don't think about, I just do them. I think I need to pay more attention.

Ice

Today we woke up to icy, icy roads and the school district did not call a delay. I am concerned about the drive to school, but thankful that we live so close to the school. It is supposed to snow every other day for the next week.

I got an unexpected treat, yesterday. I heard from the Tiptons. They were a couple that sort of adopted me as a teenager. They are another part of me becoming who I am and surviving high school with only minor injuries. When I hear the phrase "It takes a village to raise a child", I totally agree. The Tiptons were part of my village and I just love them for it. Thanks for writing and tuning into my blog.

I am off to teach first grade today. As you all know, I love kindergarten and first grade. I love the honesty of the children. It may be a bit much today as there will be no outdoor recess, but all in all, I am looking forward to being with these little people. They make me smile and lift my heart.

May you all find something in YOUR day to lift you up and make you smile.

Funky day

I woke up in a funk, yesterday. We woke up late and that put us in a rush to get to church. The girls both needed showers and they chose this time to really fight with each other. Becca was appalled that Laura's shoes were in the bathroom and Laura had used her "special" shampoo. The shampoo turned out to be shower gel and for the last week, I haven't been able to understand why her hair was so oily. Laura couldn't understand why Becca was so upset. After much consternation, we looked at the clock and found that we were already 20 min. late for church. Then, Tom and I were mad at the girls.

After all the stress, we decided to stay home and watch church on T.V.. There we were. All four of us, ready to go to church. We were completely dressed in front of T.V.. I was mad because of the fighting, so I made the girls sit up, not talk, and pay attention, just as if they were at church. I think they thought I had finally lost it, but they conformed. We watched the local First United Methodist Service, located downtown. I made the girls listen as the minister talked about the Maggi. It was a good service. We talked about who these guys really were and the fact that they didn't come on the night of Christ's birth. They actually came a bit later. The girls learned about Epiphany and how Christmas starts on Dec. 25, Christ's birth, not in September when the stores start bringing things out. We were watching communion, when I recognized a teacher friend of mine. I got a Christmas card from her, but I hadn't talked to her in a long time. I realized I needed to call her.

After the service, we had all calmed down and we had a long family chat about "getting along" with each other. It was a really nice time. All tensions were eased and we came up with some solutions we and the girls could apply to lesson the fighting and increase our "getting ready" efficiency (yes, I made that phrase up). It was really nice and I felt like I had been to church. Maybe, for one day, our message needed to come from the box in our living room. I know God knew we needed to sit down and really listen and communicate with each other. I wish there had been more of that when I grew up.

Later in the day, I called my friend that I had seen on T.V.. I loved catching up with her and we talked for almost an hour. She is teaching elementary music in a very low income school. We talked about her kids. As she talked, I listened and thought about my nephews in Florida. I realized that though I did not report my sister to social services, those boys need some protection in this life. Maybe, someday, that will be revealed and the tensions eased. Perhaps, someday, I can sit down with my family in Florida and we can COMMUNICATE as a family. I told Nancy that she can truly make a difference in those kids lives. She gets frustrated with the parents who don't seem to care, or they are in jail, or they just can't get beyond their own addictions. I told her not to give up. She can't make a difference to all, but there will be one who appreciates what she does. There will be one who grows up to be stronger than the environment from which they come. I know. I was that one that changed because a teacher loved me.

We spent the rest of the day doing little projects and getting ready for the week. The girls didn't fight at all, the whole rest of the day. I took a long bath last night and reflected on the day and my conversation with Nancy. I think God knew I needed to talk to her to give her encouragement as she encouraged me to get out of the funk and move on.

Windy day.

This morning, we got up to 31 mph sustained winds, 75 mph gusts and a report of 125 mph gust, somewhere in the area. It 's the kind of wind that makes you want to stay inside. When you feel your house shaking, it gets a little scary. Tom tried to take some of our Christmas lights down, but we were afraid for him to be up on a ladder, outside. The up side is, we had 50 degree temps today. It was nice and warm, so we decided to clean the hot tub. It involved draining the tub, wiping everything down, cleaning the filters and buying more chemicals. It was a lot for a "low maintenance" system. It's done and we can't wait to get in tomorrow.

The girls went to piano lessons and the rest of the day was spent cleaning. I have been stressed, so I clean. I have always done this. It just helps to get myself in order when I can't control the world around me . The stress and hurt involves my extended family and I suppose it will lesson over time.

I have read Sarah Ban Breathnach's book "Simple Abundance - A Daybook of Comfort and Joy", over and over. It is such a comfort to me and I love that it is about being simple and organized. It has taught me how to appreciate the little things. I was reading about "Blessing Our Circumstances". She talks about thanking God for everything, even the really rough, tough stuff. She says that sometimes, you have to thank God with gritted teeth. She says that blessing whatever vexes us is the spiritual surrender that can change even troublesme situations for the better. She is right and I know that I need to thank God and ask him to truly bless my family in Florida. I use quotes from this book, almost daily. Here is another.

"Bless a thing and it will bless you. Curse it and it will curse you... If you blesss a situation, it has no power to hurt you, and even if it is troublesome for a time, it will gradually fade out, if you sincerely bless it." - Emmet Fox

Happy Friday

Not much to say today, except a big shout out to KU. They won the Orange Bowl last night. John and Elaine came over to watch the game. KU had not been to the Orange Bowl since 1968. Since both of the Clyatts are KU Alumni, they were really pleased. John actually called one of the professors that he knew, that we kept seeing on T.V.. The fellow (John Paul), was next to the band, so every time there was a band shot, we got a shot of him.

Carol, Tom and I gave it our best shot at exercise this morning, but the roads and sidewalks are icy and at 5:30, we can't see the black ice. We may have to forgo walking outside until the ice is gone. We were out there and that is what counts. Thanks Carol for coming over. This was definitely a morning that I would have chose to sleep in if given the chance.

The girls are extra grumpy as we get ourselves back on schedule. Hopefully, by next week, we will all be back into our sleeping routines and everyone will be a bit more cooperative.

I wish all of you a happy weekend.

Newness

Newness is what I think about today. New year. New month. New semester. New attitude. New day. I hope we all make the most of it.

Tom went back to spin class today. It was really tough for him, but I am glad that he is back at it. I am hoping that his back doesn't mind too much. The hot tub has really helped.

Laura and Becca went back to school today. They were pretty good getting up, considering it is the first day after break. I bet we will all be ready for bed tonight. I will get up at 5:30 tomorrow to exercise. That will be tough.

Today I am going to take down Christmas decorations and practice a bit. I have a gig next week. I will also start lessons again this evening.

Here we go!!

The beginning of a new year.

Happy 2008 everyone!!! Here is a picture of Jan and I at the finish line of the Rescue Run, yesterday. I am the one in the yellow shirt. It was freezing cold outside. Jan had a bottle of water that she left at the start. When we got done with the race, the water had a big chunk of ice in it. The car thermometer said it was 22 degrees outside. I wore lots of under armour and felt just fine. I am so glad we did it. Thanks Jan. I really needed the run for mental and physical health. I feel like I started the new year in healthy way and I am looking forward to starting the Pikes Peak Grand Prix in March.

Here is a late shout out to our nephew, David. Yesterday was his birthday and we spent the afternoon and evening, celebrating at Jan and Michael's house. We had lots of fun and enjoyed just being together.

For reasons I cannot disclose, my thoughts have been on how quickly we make assumptions about people. My extended family in Florida have accused me of making rash decisions about getting my baby sister much needed help. They assumed that I contacted authorities about the care of her children. The problem is, I didn't. I called a counselor to see what our options were, concerning her care, but that was it. I wasn't even home when the authorities were called.

I am saddened that my family would assume these things about me, but I realize that Christ himself was falsely accused. Becca asked me why I would let them think I did something that I didn't do. We had a long talk about truth and not caring about what people think when you know what you are doing is RIGHT. I told her, that obviously, there was a need to blame someone and I was the chosen one. I have not spoken to my family because they were told that I did not call the authorities, but they failed to believe it. I think the true colors and feelings towards me, Tom, and the girls have come out. I am moving on now. I want to focus on bettering myself. For years, I have pleaded with my family in Florida to get help and counseling. For years, I have been told by them that I was a "Goodie Two Shoes". My girls don't understand, but they make it clear to me that the two of them and Tom are the MOST important people in my life. When God led me to Tom, he knew that I would need a solid rock to walk with me in this life. Tom is that for me in so many ways. A long time ago, a counselor told me that the best thing Tom and I could do for ourselves was to move out of Florida. We did and we are so very glad. Colorado is home.

There you have it. Today, I have aired what has been on my heart for a long time. I just needed to put it out there and I hope that if you are reading this today, you forgive me for going on and on. I know that if you are reading this, you are my friend, and that you understand that sometimes, putting things in writing really helps. That's one of the reasons I have a blog.

Antonio Porchia wrote - "Almost always it is the fear of being ourselves that brings us to the mirror.".

This morning I stand in front of the mirror, a little scared to be myself. Thanks to all of you and a few New Year Resolutions, I think I am gonna like what I see more and more.

Thanks for listening.

Christmas Pictures

Here are a few Christmas pictures. These were taken at 5:30 a.m. on Christmas morning. I purposely deleted the picture of me. It was way too scary. Sorry for the lateness. I still have to figure out the new way to do picture dumpage.