What Should I Be When I Grow Up?

Aaron and Rachel both brought home a note from school announcing kindergarten registration for the fall. Hannah will start kindergarten this fall. I've known this was her last year at home before she starts "real" school, but thinking about taking her to register for kindergarten made it real.

By the time she starts school, I will have been a stay-at-home mom for 10 years. An entire decade. What will I do? I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately. I could go back to work. But what in the world would I do? I am the proud holder of an expired teaching license and really don't want to teach. If I were to go back to work, it would be part-time. I already volunteer at the kids' school and I could easily spend more time there. I could conquer the mountain of laundry and actually keep it to a small hill. I could volunteer at any number of other places. Who knows?

We were all sitting at dinner the other night and Hannah mentioned something about her preschool graduation. Here is part of the conversation that followed.

Jody: What do you all think Mommy should do when Hannah goes to school next year? I'll be home all day by myself.

Aaron: You should get a job.

Hannah: (Looks straight at me and says in a dead serious, matter of fact way) You should... (wait for it)...get a boyfriend.

Have to admit that thought had never crossed my mind.

That's A Sub-Standard Neighborhood

***Update*** Here is what happened. A resident was returning home late and pulled in his garage when he was approached by a man with a handgun. The assailant demanded money from the victim and shot him in the leg. Thankfully, for my peace of mind, it was not random. The two men had had contact in the past. While the assailant was distracted the victim was able to get the jump on him and wrestle the gun away. The victim shot the assailant twice. The assailant ran to a nearby porch and collapsed. The assailant died of his injuries at the hospital. The victim was treated and released.

When we were house hunting back in August I was working with a realtor to find a rental property. She had emailed me information on several houses and I sent her links to some I was interested in.

We arrived in town on a Monday and had Tuesday and Wednesday to find a house. The realtor wouldn't meet with us until Wednesday so we decided to drive around and at least look at the outside of the houses she had given us and then drive by some others I had found.

We didn't see the house we are currently renting listed. Their was a house on the same street that was listed. When I had emailed the realtor about it her reply was, "That is a sub-standard neighborhood." P.K. and I decided that her idea of sub-standard and our idea of sub-standard may be two different things so we drove by the house that was listed. While I was walking around looking at the outside and trying to peak in windows, P.K. was talking to a lady across the street. She mentioned that their had been some houses for rent further back in the neighborhood. We decided to look and just happened to see the one we are in now.

Now I wouldn't want to buy in this neighborhood. Many of the houses are now rental properties and I could see how this wouldn't be the best neighborhood in ten years. However, as I have mentioned before our plan has been to only rent for a year. Comparing this neighborhood to some the realtor had suggested, I could see a slight difference. Many of the other areas were part of home owner's associations and had pools, tennis courts and required your grass to be maintained at or below a certain height. We are humble people and don't need all those bells and whistles. There is nothing wrong with amenities and if we were going to buy, those may be things we want in a neighborhood. We have had tons of out-of-town guests since we have lived here and they have all agreed that this is a nice area.

Some of you may wonder why I am posting so early in the morning (in case my date/time stamp on here is incorrect let me make it clear that it is currently about 1:30 AM) or if there is a point to this story. Here is the conversation that occurred in my home just before midnight. This stuff is real. I couldn't and/or wouldn't make it up.

Jody: (Wakes up from a very nice sound sleep to the sound of the doorbell.) Was that the doorbell?

P.K.: No. (In his defense I often hear things that go bump in the night and ask "Did you hear that?")

Jody: (Looks out the window which happens to be on my side of the bed.) Uh, yeah. There's a fire truck out there.

P.K. (I'm trying to find a robe and he heads down the stairs. There is a policeman at the door.) Yes.

Policeman: Are you all alright?

P.K. Yes.

Policeman: O.K. There has been a shooting and they gave your address first so I needed to check to make sure you are o.k.

Jody: (Forget the robe and now coming down the stairs in my gown (which is rated G)) What? Oh my goodness.

Policeman: You are all o.k?

P.K. Yes.

Policeman: O.K. I have to go check on the shooting guy (those were his exact words...shooting guy).

Jody: (Standing looking out the partially opened front door watching four policeman double time it up the hill to just two or three houses away). Lord, help them.

P.K.: What?

Jody: I was just saying 'Lord, help them'.

...pause...

Jody: Do you think this is what the realtor meant when she classified this as a substandard neighborhood?


P.K. went back to bed while I had more adrenaline pumping than the day we saw the snake. I was walking from room to room trying to see outside. I'm pretty sure it was probably a domestic incident or the policeman surely would have mentioned something. As I was walking around the house, I kept reliving the conversation out loud. Poor P.K. He was just trying to get back to sleep.

Luckily my friend Becky lives in Washington state so it wasn't quite 9:00 PM there. I also thought about calling my friend Kari who is a time zone behind us and keeps late hours. I also owe her a middle of the night wake-up. Anyway, I called Becky who luckily didn't look at her caller i.d. first and assured me that it isn't unusual for one of her siblings to call at that time.

I can't see up the road because our house is set back farther than the others. However as I was talking to Becky, I did see them pull yellow police tape around the opposite corner. I thought it was across the street but it looked like the fire truck drove through there. Anyway, my prayers are with the person who was shot and any others who were involved. I know it is a serious situation. But how can I not blog about it. I have to do something while I am WIDE AWAKE. Becky suggested I should go to bed and practice my memory verses over and over. I guess I'll give that a try. I'll be sure to keep my faithful readers posted.

She's A Big Girl Now

Hannah and I are sitting on the couch watching The Weather Channel. They were discussing rain in Southern California. Hannah is actually playing on Rachel's DS so I didn't even think she was listening.

Hannah: Is Southern California where we use to live?

Jody: Yes.

Hannah: Aren't you glad we aren't living there right now? (Because of the rain.)

Jody: Yes. But I would like to go back. Do you remember living there? (We left about a month before she turned 2).

Hannah: Not really.

Jody: You weren't even two when we left.

Hannah: Yeah. I was really young back then.

Happy 100th Blog Post

This post marks my 100th post. I've found this to be a big deal in bloggyland. I've thought long and hard about how I would like to celebrate this occasion. I've seen other people post "100 Things About Me" for their 100th posts and I love that idea. So here is my list of 100 random things about me. If you don't get too bored and actually make it to the end, I'd be interested to know if you learned something new. I'm going to try to dig especially deep to find a random thing that my husband doesn't know.

1. It is my desire to love the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, mind and strength.

2. I believe that God sent His son Jesus Christ to be the saviour of the world

3. God has shown his grace and mercy to me in more ways than I could begin to count

4. I got to attend a taping of the Price Is Right. The studio is much smaller in person.

5. I learned to make homemade jam this past year and can't wait for the fruit to be in season again and out at the Farmers Market. It doesn't taste the same with store bought. I tried.

6. I love old hymns

7. I collect Precious Moments figurines. We have stopped by the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, MO several times.

8. I grew up in Indiana.

9. I attended Oakland City University in Indiana.

10. P.K. and I met in college.

11. We took a semester of Biblical Greek together.

12. My first car was a Yugo.

13. I clips lots of coupons and now I usually save more than I spend on every shopping trip.

14. P.K. and I dated a month before we got engaged.

15. We were married seven months later.

16. I lived in Massachusetts for three years while P.K. did his masters.

17. I got to work at Harvard Medical School while we lived there. It was only a temporary position, but it sounds cool.

18. I lived in Tennessee.

19. I taught third grade in Memphis.

20. I worked at Burger King during high school and college. My kids think that is cool.

21. I lived in California for 6 years. I would go back in a heart beat.

22. All three of my kids were born in California.

23. I had pneumonia and was in the hospital when I was two.

24. The next time I was in the hospital was when I had Rachel.

25. I had an emergency c-section with her.

26. That was the first time I ever had surgery.

27. Aaron was also an emergency c-section.

28. I had dilated to between 9-10 centimeters when his heart rate dropped and I was rushed into surgery. That is like going through labor twice for one child.

29. Hannah was a planned c-section.

30. On the rare occasion that I eat cereal, I pour it and let it sit for a few minutes because I like my cereal to get soggy. The sales pitch "Stays crunchy in milk" does not make me want to buy that brand of cereal.

31. I do not like fresh tomatoes. I will eat them cooked in other foods like soup or chili.

32. I lived in Illinois.

33. I homeschooled my kids for one year while we lived in Illinois. I would do it again if I had to.

34. I have been married for almost 15 years.

35. I have convinced Hannah that I turned 29 on my last birthday. Not sure how I am going to convince her I am 29 again this year.

36. A Few Good Men is one of my favorite movies.

37. I am a Star Trek fan. I will watch the original, The Next Generation, Voyager or any of the movies. I wasn't crazy about Deep Space Nine or Enterprise.

38. I drive an Expedition.

39. I don't like a lot of drama.

40. I am not a strong swimmer.

41. I was a klutz as a kid.

42. As a child, I once fell down in a crowded restaurant on Easter Sunday. Blaming that one on the new slick shoes.

43. I also fell down in front of my high school algebra class. Not sure how it happened. One moment I was walking across the front of the room and the next I was on the floor on my knees.

44. I didn't like high school.

45. I won a teddy bear in the first grade for reading more books than anyone else in the entire first grade. I still have the bear.

46. I loved my college experience and am happy to still be in touch with several friends from college.

47. My degree is elementary education which you probably gathered from #19.

48. I love being a stay-at-home mom.

49. I hate it when people assume I have tons of free time because I stay home.

50. I am the oldest of three children.

51. I played the violin in middle school and high school.

52. I took piano lessons for a while.

53. I like to sit and play old hymns on the piano. Not for an audience.

54. I rode the bus to school in elementary school and did not like it.

55. I drive my kids to and from school. They'd probably rather ride the bus. I'm sure they will appreciate my efforts one day.

56. I have a scar on my chin where I flipped off a little riding toy and had to have stitches.

57. People who smack when they eat drive me crazy.

58. People who chew with their mouths open drive me crazy. This is a huge cause of #57.

59. I don't like it when people scrape their fork or spoon on their teeth. You have lips, people!

60. I like to do yard work. At our first base house in 29 Palms we had to rake the sand. It looked so nice when it was finished and it was therapeutic.

61. I never liked history classes.

62. However, I love to visit historical places and think about the people who actually walked those places.

63. I wanted to be a missionary.

64. I did go on two mission trips in college. Does that qualify for #63?

65. Yellow roses are my favorite flower. (This must be the random thing P.K. doesn't know about me. Just kidding!)

66. I can't sing. Not well anyway.

67. I don't like to wear a coat.

68. I like to bird watch. My grandmother can identify several birds by their sounds. I'd like to be able to do that. (That might be two things. If I get stumped, I'll have to separate this one.)

69. I could sit and watch waves roll in for hours.

70. I want to take another family trip to the Grand Canyon.

71. I've been to Niagra Falls twice.

72. I would like to visit all 50 states. I think I am over half way there.

73. I would love to take a trip to the Holy Land with P.K.

74. I don't like to fly. Kind of makes #73 more difficult. Doesn't help #72 either if I want to make it to Hawaii. Can we say long cruise?

75. I had awful morning sickness with all three pregnancies. It was more like 24 hour sickness.(Mentioning a cruise made me wonder if I would get seasick and I've heard that seasickness feels a lot like morning sickness.)

76. I had a miscarriage between Rachel and Aaron. That was one of those times where God reached down and granted me comfort beyond measure.

77. I'm a social drinker...of coffee. I don't really care for it, but will drink it in a pinch.

78. I'd rather have a shower first thing in the morning than a cup of coffee.

79. I'm not a cheery morning person, but I function better in the morning than at night.

80. I love road trips. It is great family time. My kids travel well. I will stop to see road side attractions. Ask me about the "live buffalo" sometime. Flying saves time, but you miss out on so much of the beauty this country has to offer.

81. I'm naturally shy, but will say or do what needs to be said or done.

82. I would love to own and operate a bed and breakfast.

83. I love to roller skate. I gave away my skates that I had owned since I was a kid when I was pregnant with Rachel. I have found a local rink and need to take the kids.

84. I still have my wisdom teeth. The dentist says they need to go.

85. I love to play board games. It is a favorite family activity around our home.

86. I would watch cartoons or Disney movies before I had kids.

87. I have one ear tripled pierced and the other doubled.

88. I only wear earrings in the first hole.

89. They are diamonds that my hubby bought me. I don't even own other earrings anymore.

90. I don't have a favorite food, but am very fond of mashed potatoes. (NOT instant!)

91. I don't really have a sweet tooth, but I do love cake with butter cream frosting.

92. My favorite color is blue.

93. I love to read. Usually nonfiction.

94. I like to watch the weather channel. My husband finds that to be entertaining. Not the weather channel. The fact that I like to watch it.

95. I am not spontaneous. I like to have things planned out in detail well in advance. I actually enjoy planning things. There is something inside of me that is very happy when ever detail is planned out and ready to go.

96. I started praying for my kids' spouses when I was pregnant. God knows who they will marry. I pray that whoever they are that they will know God's love and follow Him. I pray that if they are not part of a Christian family, that their family will come to know Jesus as Lord and Saviour. I pray for God's peace and protection over them.

97. I've been called a control freak. I will admit to having control issues. I don't know that we need to go as far as saying control freak.

98. I was a rabbit in the second grade play. I don't remember the entire story line, but I know I was captured and had to stand in a large metal pot. Then my line was, "They don't call me Jumpy for nothing and here I go." Then I jumped out and hopped away.

99. I like my natural hair color.

And finally...

100. I take my rings off whenever I am home. I don't currently own a watch, but when I did/do I take my rings off and slide them on the watch band. Taking my rings off is just a habit. Putting them on is one of the last things I do before I walk out the door. I have had this habit since grade school.

What Have the Kids Been Doing?

This is Hannah the day she learned how to blow bubbles with her gum. She was so excited and proud of herself. I can remember the first time I blew a bubble. It is a huge deal or right of passage. Could someone please tell me how she could possibly be old enough to figure this out? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was teaching her to blow raspberries (you know with your tongue and lips)? That is a trick I proudly and in all silliness taught all three of my children. I can remember walking through the K-Mart in Yucca Valley, CA with Rachel when she was about 3-4 months old. She made eye contact with me, grinned and let loose with raspberries.

Rachel and Aaron had their parent teacher conferences last week. Both of their teachers had very nice things to say. Rachel got straight A's. She worked really hard and it paid off. Way to go, Rachel!!

Aaron also got a great report card, but he does not yet get letter grades. Before the conference he told me to look around his desk when we got to school. I thought the class probably made something for the parents to see. I walked straight to his desk when I arrived in the classroom. He had taken a little scrap of paper and wrote, "I love you Mom. Aaron" on it.

Too sweet. I often put notes in the kids' lunch boxes and they usually let me know that they have found them. I'm guessing he likes recieving them so much he thought he would give me one. I would have grabbed him and kissed him all over, but he probably would have died from embarrassment with his teacher standing right there. That boy will be a great husband one day.

An Evening With Travis Cottrell and Friends

Yep! That's where our family was last night. We spent Sunday evening with Travis Cottrell and his friends. And about a billion other people.

Travis was doing a live taping of his new CD with the choir at a local church. I found out months ago that he was coming and bringing a couple of friends along (Thanks, Becizzle!). I was thrilled when I learned he was bringing Beth Moore. Shaun Groves is another friend Travis invited for his special night. Shaun talked about Compassion International. I had never heard of him before, but I think we will see more of him in the future.

Travis and Beth spent the night encouraging God's children to freely worship him. Beth said one thing that really stuck with me. It's not an exact quote, but you will get the gist of it. She said, "Even in our deepest pit we need to take our affliction and worship God from there." It is easy to sing praises and worship him in the good times, but it takes total surrender to come from a point of utter despair and raise your hands in praise to the Creator of the Universe. No matter what pit you are currently in, lift your voice in praise (doesn't have to be singing) and acknowledge that God loves you and is in control. Travis asked this question, "Do you think God isn't bigger than your spiritual or physical debt, the death of a loved one, loss of a job or any other thing you are trying to handle?" Again, not an exact quote.

The music was amazing. My kids even enjoyed it. Rachel was the only one who managed to stay awake the entire time. It was a school night and we were out past their bedtime.

Snakes Alive The Movie Version

***UPDATE*** The snake has been positively identified as an Eastern Kingsnake. I emailed pictures to a local expert. He was gracious enough to reply. The Eastern Kingsnake is nonvenomous and can actually kill and eat venomous snakes. It is totally out of character for me, but as long as she (I am calling it a she because that sounds less aggressive) stays on her side of the door, we will let her remain. We do have Cottonmouths and Copperheads in this area which are venomous. Plus, she should keep away any rats or mice that want to take up residence.

This is PK attempting to post a video for Jody (per Lorie's request). This is Jody adding commentary. Just so you know, I'm not crying in the video.