WWE- for Kids

     When N's football season ended in December he joined a wrestling club.  He can't wrestle on the school team until 7th grade, so this will give him the basics, and some experience in case he wants to try out next year.  His dad wrestled in high school and loved it, and wanted N to try it.  N. hasn't been too thrilled about practices, but Dad has made him stick with it at least until he had actually had some real matches.  I agree with that. It's good for him to stick with his commitment, and not quit until he's given it a real chance.

     On Saturday he had his first tournament.  He had to be there at 7a.m., and his first match was not until 9:45.  I have never been to a wrestling tournament, so I didn't know what to expect when I walked in before his 1st match.  There were 4 huge mats on the gym floor with matches in progress on all of them.  There were some spectators around the mats, and the bleachers were completely full on one side with yelling parents, grandparents, whatever.  It was so loud!  I finally found people I knew and sat down to wait. The 9:45 match started about 10:30, and was over very quickly.  Poor N. didn't have a chance.  The boy he was up against has been wrestling for years, had on the official hideous "uniform" and had his head shaved...very hard core.  N. was pinned almost immediately.  He came up and sat with me, upset.  I did notice throughout the day that about 1/4 of the wrestlers left the mat in tears.  It's a brutal sport, and much more physical than I ever imagined.  I was also surprised to see children as young as 4 competing, as well as females competing against males.  I'm not sure I'm completely sold on wrestling yet.

     

We watched some of his friends lose their matches, and found out his next match was in about 2 hours.  We went and got some lunch, and came back to wait.  As little as I knew about these tournaments I did know there would be a lot of dead time so I brought my bag with a book, notebook, snacks, drinks.  I knew my ADHD would kick in quickly unless I had something to occupy my time.

Match #2 was against one of his close friends.  Neither of them wanted to wrestle one another, but had no choice.   The match went a little better, but N was still at a disadvantage.  He even said his friend intentionally took it easy on him.  We watched more of his friends' matches and left.  

We got to spend the rest of the afternoon and evening together.  He needed new jeans, and he helped me pick out a couple of things for my apt.   For dinner we went to his favorite:  Outback.  Now it's not for the steak.  He loves their chicken fingers!  That's him.  His favorite restaurant is a steak house, and he doesn't even eat steak! That's ok, because I do!  We were sitting close to another family and when they got up to leave the father offered me a card.  It was some kind of bonus card he got from buying so many giftcards for his employees around Christmastime. He said he had several more and that they would be expiring before he could use them all.  I graciously accepted, of course.  N and I had a great meal, and even better conversation.  I absolutely love hanging out with him.  He is so perceptive and has such a great personality and sense of humor.  Our bill came, and it was $22.  The card the man gave us was for $20!  So.....I paid $2 plus a nice tip for our wonderful server.  I was almost in tears just thinking about what a blessing that was.  My former principal had a motto that said: 

There is a destiny that makes us brothers; None goes his way alone: All that we send into the lives of others comes back into our own. ---Edwin Markham

Not to brag at all, but I can remember many times doing acts of kindness like that for others, and at a time I can appreciate it most...someone does it for me.  I was truly humbled and thankful. The $20 was incredible, but the symbolism behind it meant even more to me.  It's great when you can see God's favor at a time when you need it most.  As M told me afterwards:  God rewards those who diligently seek him.  I do believe that, but my goal is to believe that even when I can't see the tangible evidence.

Puppy Power

Puppy Power

As most of you know the children have been here for a week, and brought their 3 month old puppy since their dad is out of town. Having a puppy is like having another child, but instead of crying to communicate she yelps or barks.  That's not such a big deal unless you live in an apartment.  My oldest is allergic, and his allergies trigger asthma.  Well, this was escalated when the dog was contained in the smaller space with us.  We tried keeping her in one of the bathrooms until she scratched some holes in the sheetrock and tore up a little section of carpet.  SO we moved her kennel to the balcony to alleviate the asthma problem, as well as the destruction problem.  Unfortunately this is when the trouble started.  Apparently she was barking when we were not there and disturbing the neighbors.  The last two days it was getting bad even when we were here.  We were constantly having to take her outside just to keep her quiet.  I was determined we were going to make it until today, though.  My determination was thwarted, though, when the apt. manager came to my door Monday morning with a letter stating that complaints about the noise had been received, and that if I was going to keep the dog I would have to change my lease, which includes paying a several hundred dollar deposit. 

Ok...text puppy's dad....no response.  Call. No response.  Call the phone of the person he's with...caught him on the slopes.  We worked out all the details to have sweet puppy picked up by her grandparents and stay with them for the last two days until her dad gets back in town.  It was a relief even to the kids who were getting frustrated trying to keep her quiet.  Puppies like her aren't meant to be quiet.  They want to run and play and bark.    Surprisingly, I really miss her, though!  Isn't she beautiful?  This is right before she left.

Bizzare Bible Info:

from Genesis...

Times have really changed.

**Abram's wife Sarah TOLD him to get her servant, Hagai pregnant.

**Both of Lot's daughters got him drunk so they could have sex with him.  They both got pregnant by him and each had a son.  Ewwww.....

I really did like what I read in Job 42:10....

After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him successful again. He gave him twice as much as he had before.
 

The LORD blessed the last part of Job's life even more than the first part.--Job 42:12

I am counting on the same thing for my life.  I first named my blog My Life Part 2... because I feel like the 2nd half of my life is beginning.   If the best is yet to come, then I have a reason to be expectant and excited.

Sorry!

I'm changing the settings back so you will not get an email every time I add something to my rantings on here.  :-) Sorry for the dark post today.  Watch the video, though....it will make you laugh!

Yep....Here's the Stumble

     So I guess if you've seen my status update on FB you can tell it hasn't been the best of days.  I guess after my blog yesterday about making progress and not looking back I should have known today would be a challenge.  My bad days are usually triggered by something, and this one was.  Sometimes it doesn't take much to send my mind back to the whys, why nots, the feelings of rejection and regrets, and what- ifs.  At times I can force those thoughts to the back of my mind, but other times it's not that easy, and those thoughts tend to have a strong effect on everything else going on in my life.  That's what today was like.  I do know that I've got to send this latest trigger back in the recesses of my mind and forget it in order to continue to move forward.  Easier said than done, though.  Part of my problem today is the fact that I am at this place again.  I guess I thought I wouldn't regress again over this same thing, and so I'm mad about the fact that I have.  It's SO not worth it, but I'm human.

You know what I need?  I need a roadtrip!  I need a roadtrip to meet my friends and have a good time filled with fun, laughter, good conversation, and good food.  I found a great prospective trip today, but getting someone to meet me there is a challenge.  I need another day like the one in Athens back in November, or like one of the old FB "reunion" nights.

On a lighter note- I cannot get a certain song out of my head the last two days.  Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnsDeyLDTY8 

Yes, it's "Pants on the Ground"!  I know, I know....but to me it's hilarious.  

What about the Leno/Conan war?  Personally  I don't watch either anymore.  I used to watch Leno because of the Fruitcake Lady, and Sidewalk Surveys.  I can't make myself watch Conan, so I opt for Seinfeld or King of the Hill reruns during that time. 

In reference to my earlier post this week the school board made more cuts last night.  This time they cut personnel.  It's not looking good.  Morale has got to be at an all-time low.

On a good note I reconnected with two friends from high school this week, and one actually lives close to me!  

I'm also thankful for the warmer weather, and am looking forward to putting together Nate's ping pong table this weekend and playing.

I know this is one of my "one step back" days, and I'll take more forward steps soon.  In the meantime I'll keep reading yesterday's blog, and watching the "Pants on the Ground" video! 

Have a great weekend!

Don't Look Backwards or You'll Stumble

     I've heard bloggers use the term Wordless Wednesday, and without meaning to I had a wordless Wednesday. Several times I thought about what to write, and nothing inspired me from the book of Job yesterday, so I just didn't write.  I figure quality vs. quantity might be a good thing. 

To be honest....as far as my daily Bible reading I'm keeping up, but the chapters in Job the last two days have been incredibly boring and uninspiring......not even anything funny like Naked Noah or Job's Halitosis.

     Those of you reading this know that on Wednesday nights I go to a church that has a Divorce Care class.  Divorce Care is a curriculum that is used all over the country, and I must say is very good. http://www.divorcecare.org/ I started going to the class last November, but it was near the end of the session.  A new session started last week, so I jumped back in.  I also get their daily emails that I swear someone wrote just for me!  I thought today I would just share some of the highlights and insight the first two sessions have given me.

**They spoke about how your emotions affect your energy- that when you're going through divorce 85% of your energy is spent on emotions, and that you only have 15% of your energy left for the everyday tasks of life like work, family, cleaning, hobbies, etc.  Very true in the beginning, but I'm getting back my energy to do things like finally hanging pictures in my apartment, working on my resume, things that normal people do.

**Spiritual stability is crucial for recovery.  Why?  Because GOD is the only one who knows how deep the hurts are.  He is the only one that can heal. Despite all your losses if you gain back your relationship with God- that's a good thing.  I give that statement a thumbs up (and an Amen).

**Last night the session was talking about the road to healing.  One step is acknowledging your losses.  Some of our homework this week is to make a list of everything we've lost because of divorce.  I started my list, and it's getting longer and longer.  It's not just the tangible losses like my house or friends....it's the loss of dreams, loss of identity.  The one thing I shared with my class was the loss of my church.  I've gone to the same church for 18 years- and not just attended, but played piano most of those years, taught classes, worked with the youth, been a care pastor, kept the nursery, pretty much everything.  So now after all that I have to leave my church and church family behind and start over.   It is a major task to find another church home.  I've been spoiled for so long with exciting music, challenging and interesting sermons, loving people, and a sense of belonging. I've been to two different churches close to where I live now, but I just haven't found what I'm looking for yet.  I'm not giving up, though. 

**The session last night ended with the question, "Will I truly heal?"  The answer is yes- with time.  Experts say it takes about 5 years to get over a divorce.  I don't know that anyone truly completely gets over it, though.
It was also said that if we learn from divorce and go through refinement we have a much better chance to get over it. There's that word refinement again.  Sounds like a pattern. :-)


^{I Corinthians 5:17}Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

I know this journey has just begun, and I will go through many different emotions and phases of grieving.  This was my status update on FB not too long ago:

Two steps forward, one step back. When you've made so much forward progress, though, one step backwards is not a major setback!  

 

That's the way I see it right now.  My goal is to make a lot more steps forward and to keep looking ahead and not behind, cause if not- I'll stumble. (Literally and figuratively) :-)

 

The past should never be completely forgotten- especially the lessons learned from it- but it's not healthy to stay there.

Great song to reinforce today's thoughts:  "Don't Look Back" by Boston

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_DMh3pCiQ8 

Don't look back...
A new day is breakin'.
It's been too long since I felt this way.
I don't mind where I get taken...
The road is callin'...
Today is the day

I finally see the dawn arriving.
I see beyond the road I'm driving....

Don't look back.

 

A Job and Job ( Read to the end and you'll get it.)

     There have been so many thoughts swirling around in my mind today that would have made interesting reading, but I just heard something on the local news that superseded my other ideas.  After being a stay-at-home mom for almost  8 years I have begun the process of looking for a job again. I am an early childhood teacher. I have kept my certification current, and I have a good reputation in the district I left,  but the process is still a bit intimidating.  I haven't had to look for a job in almost 20 years!  I'm starting a resume from scratch, filling out online applications, and acquiring references.  Of course I would like to go back to my old district where I'm familiar with the schools, district administration, and colleagues with whom I still keep in contact.  Ideally I would like to work at the school my two youngest children will be attending.

     Big problem:  This district is in a severe budget crisis this year.  Teachers have taken furlough days, there is no money for substitutes, and for Christmas I gave my child's teacher copy paper because there is none in the school.  (It was a welcomed gift.)  Today on the news it was announced that this district just cut another $1.5 million dollars from the budget this afternoon.  National Board supplement money was taken from teachers.  That includes child #2's teacher who just earned National Board Certification this year, and trust me:  she deserves extra pay for the love and patience she shows my child! Coaching supplements were cut out, and vacant positions will not be filled.  They will announce tomorrow what positions have been CUT. 

     Wow....this is disheartening considering their job fair is next month.  I can't imagine them hiring new teachers, unless there is a mass exodus of teachers to neighboring districts that are not suffering this badly.  I had already planned on applying to one of the neighboring districts for this reason, and now I know that I would be foolish not to do so.

I know that I will be where I am supposed to be when August comes, but the uncertainty makes me a little concerned.  I'll take it as another challenge!

NOW FOR WHAT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR:

      I've been reading Job and have finally caught up.  Job's situation makes my problems seems so minuscule.  He went through more suffering than I could ever imagine, but didn't lose his faith in God.  Now, he was honest with God and told Him exactly how he felt, but in Job 19:25 he said, "I know that my Redeemer lives." Job's friends seemed annoying and not much help.  I'm thankful that as I've walked through some dark places lately I've had a handful of friends that have walked beside me encouraging me, just listening to me ramble and cry, and speaking the truth to me, albeit painful sometimes.  If you're reading this you're probably one of those people!  I love you, and will never forget the love you've shown me.

Job 23: 8-9  "But if I go to the east, God isn't there. If I go to the west, I don't find him.  When he's working in the north, I don't see him there. When he turns to the south, I don't see him there either."

Reminds me of a popular Hip Hop song....see if you can guess it.

The song is "Dead and Gone" by T.I.  Here are some of the lyrics:

I turn my head to the East--I don't see nobody by my side.  I turn my head to the West--Still nobody in sight.
So I turn my head to the North-- Swallow that pill that they call pride, 
That old me is dead and gone, But that new me will be alright.

I've been travellin' on this road too long-- Just tryna find my way back home. The old me is dead and gone, dead and gone.  

Not a bad message for secular music.

How that passage ends in Chapter 23, though, is the most meaningful passage I have read so far in all of the long chapters in Job. Here it is:

10 But He knows every step I take. When He has put me to the test, I'll come out as pure as gold. 

It's hard to remember that when I'm going through the fire, but I have to believe that it's true. A random FB friend who is a pastor sent me a scripture this morning, and he has no idea what's going on in my life.   (James 1:2-4 NIV) Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, {3} because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. {4} Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.  It's definitely a time of trials, testing, and refining for me.....but to be as pure as gold?  It will be worth it.

Bible Humor of the Day:  
(I read from the New International Reader's Version)
Job's statement in 19:17  "My wife can't stand the way my breath smells."

On top of everything else his wife thought he had bad breath!


Happy Tuesday!  Tomorrow is hump day!  The children and the puppy will be here for a week.  I'm sure I'll have a lot to write about.

New Challenges

Last night about midnight I did something I've never done before....I ran 3.1 miles- A 5K.  My time was slow- 51min. but I did it!  I made a goal a couple of months ago to be able to run that far by Feb. 14, but I didn't know if I could do it.  I knew I needed some kind of goal in my life to work towards, and it has been a great thing for me to stick with it and achieve it.  My goal now is to trim my time, and to stick with running.  Of course I'm starting to feel the effects already today.  That's ok, though. No pain, no gain!

I also started something new today...I have made a goal to read the Bible through this year.  I've done it once before when I was a teenager, and I've started many times since then, but never completed it.  I found a site online that gives you the guidelines and tracks your progress.  It actually displays the chapters for the day on my computer and I can read them that way.  Since I didn't start until today I'm trying to catch up.  I want to discover something new each day that I can apply to my life, or find some interesting fact from the Bible that I never knew before.
So far today I've read Genesis 1-7.  Here is my wisdom of the day:

**Just like Adam and Eve- once they disobeyed God their eyes were opened and they were ashamed.  They then had to pay for their sin.  Their lives were never the same.  I can relate. 

**Interesting verse in the story of Cain and Able:  Genesis 4:7:  "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."  Can't you just picture sin crouching outside our door ready to pounce on us and destroy our lives?  How do we "master it" to prevent that?  I imagine by letting God have control of our lives.

**In the story of Noah God destroyed the earth because of the great wickedness he saw.  Was it worse than the wickedness of the world now?  I can't imagine! 

**Random thought....All these people died when they were several hundred years old.  I wonder how wrinkled they were?  They were out in the sun all the time with no sunscreen and no Oil of Olay.

**OK..I read more today trying to catch up and I have to add a couple of thoughts.  
After the great flood God put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of his covenant to never destroy the earth that way again. In the spring of 98 I walked outside early in the morning and saw a rainbow in the sky.  I took a picture of  it because it seemed special to me- like God had sent it just for me.  That day my first child was born, and he has definitely been a reminder of God's love to me.


**LOL moment from the Bible: (literally, LOL)  Gen. 9:21  Noah drank wine from his own vineyard and passed out drunk and naked in his tent!  Even Noah wasn't perfect.....

Happy Monday!