A Person's A Person, No Matter How Small.

Rain

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:32:22 GMT

It's raining in Virginia. It's different here when it rains. In Illinois, the storms charged through. Violent and destructive. High winds, loud thunderclaps, intense lightening. In Virginia, you're really not sure if it raining or if the air is wet. I walked a 1/2 mile to Kait's school to pick her up, waited outside for her for 15 minutes and we walked the 1/2 mile home. It was "raining". If I were driving I would have used my wipers, but all I had was a fine mist on my hair!! Virginia is certainly a gentle state.

It's been awhile

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:03:12 GMT

Well, I'm all moved in. Boxes unpacked, Computer in a useable space and summer over. It's been a long haul, but I'm so happy we moved. I miss all my friends in Rockford and especially my daughter and the grandbabies something fierce, though. I've had my best friend come to visit for a week in June and DH's brother and his wife for a week in July. Mom and Dad are coming in September and we can hardly wait. Kaitlin had a great summer. She learned to swim, joined the swim team, got her ears pierced, started getting an allowance for household chores and has grown in so many ways! I got a new set of braces for my legs that I like much more than the old ones and spent most of my summer hanging out at the pool with the other parents in the neighborhood. This whole not working thing was much easier to get used to than I thought it would be. I hope you all have had a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 00:49:45 GMT

Happy Thanksgiving!

My Akin' Back

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:13:00 GMT

I've been packing and moving boxes of books all day today. I think my back is about to start rebelling. I gave my notice at work, resigned from the Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness and all the subcommittees, told everyone at church and have begun to do some serious packing at work. 20 years worth of research, thank you cards, resources and just back year grant files to go through. It's going to be a long process. I've spent the last three nights unsuccessfully trying to not cry. This is alot harder than I thought it was going to be. There have "secret" meetings to plan a going away party. I'm not supposed to know, but they have them in the area outside my office! Gotta love em!

It's been so fun having my daughter summerhorse here with the three grandbabies. Not such babies any more! We've all passed around the stomach flu. It sarted with Izack, then Lybbe, Rachel, Me, and Merry. Notice who's not on that list! Kaitlin. I swear that kid never gets sick! Of course, now that I've said that she'll be puking tonight. I hope not she's going to a sleepover. That would not be cool!!!
OK, enough procrastinating- I see empty boxes!!!

Writer's Block: When the Boss is Away…

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:23:57 GMT

How do you entertain yourself when you’re bored at work?

Jail bait

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:14:40 GMT

I found this question on glekia 's livejournal:

If you saw ME in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for?

Answer the question then you can put it on your own journal page!

I've gotten the flu from my livejournal friend in Australia!

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 22:48:56 GMT

OK, maybe I just got it from my daughter who has been battling it this past week. Sorry onlylisa ! Well we've made it through another week! John came home last weekend and we decided moving day will be January 17th. So this weekend will begin the packing and tossing! Or tossing and then packing! Wish me luck!

OBAMA WINS!!!

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:48:21 GMT

*Breathes sigh of relief*

I Voted, Did You

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:59:21 GMT

Last week I went to the board of elections to find out where my polling place was and was told I could vote early. Vote early I did and boy am I glad! It sounds like a long process today. This is a wonderful problem to have after the voter apathy of the last few national elections.

Rachel is all settled in. Well as settled as you can get when you can't unpack because your mother hasn't packed her stuff yet. All the children are going to school and we are on our way to making the housing switch. John was here last weekend. I miss him so much. It's great to see him, but it just reminds me how much I miss having him near. Smell is a very powerful thing. I smell him and just turn into a puddle. Two years of being blindly in love as teens, 18 years of losing each other and 10 years of marriage and he still sends my heart spinning!! OK, enough of the gooey stuff!

Remember everyone in the USA GO VOTE!!!

They're Heeeere

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:15:05 GMT

We have what is known as a very full house. My oldest daughter summerhorse and my three grandchildren have moved in. So the great eastward migration begins. In a couple of months we will be moving to Virginia. It's been really hard to be seperated from John for this long and two more months seems unbareable. But we see each other every couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, back at home, Izack was able to get a spot in the same school Kaitlin is in. Lybbe and Merry will begin pre-school next Monday. However, Lybbe made sure to tell me that she was in kindergarden now and that pre-school is for babies. The cut off for kindergarden in California is much later than Illinois'. So she's going from Kindergarden back to pre-school. She is not a happy camper.

So things are a bit chaotic here, but it's only been a week and summerhorse has really been pulling this house together and incorporating the two households very effectively into one. Thank you very much!!!! In a few days after things settle down I'll be posting pictures, so be prepared!

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 00:04:07 GMT

You preferred Obama's statements 67% of the time
You preferred McCain's statements 33% of the time

Voting purely on the issues you should vote Obama

Who would you vote for if you voted on the issues?

Find out now!

Insanity

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 01:24:30 GMT

My mom e-mailed this and I just had to share!

Subject: Insanity

To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a
Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice. !

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries
with that.

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten
Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In the Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write 'For Marijuana'

7. Finish All Your sentences with 'In Accordance With The Prophecy'.

9. Skip down the hall Rather Than Walk and see how many looks you get.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds
All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party
Because You have a headache.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

18. When Leaving the Zoo, Start Running towards the Parking lot, Yelling
'Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!'

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To
Have To Let One Of You Go.'

20 And The Final Way To Keep A Healthy Level Of Insanity .

Send This E-mail To Someone To Make Them Smile.

It's Called ....
THERAPY

Tired of the car!

Sun, 05 Oct 2008 02:23:04 GMT

Hi All- I just spent a total of six hours in the car today! I had a meeting in the south side of Chicago-Hyde Park area- so that was 2 plus hours each way and then I drove to Janesville, Wisconsin to meet my sister-in-law to pick up my daughter. They took her overnight and then took her to the corn maze. She had so much fun. It took them over an hour to get through it and they finally had to follow another group out. Apparently, Uncle Vince decided to go a different way and was lost for more than a half hour after that! He finally cheated and cut throw the corn rows! Score one for Aunt Retta and Kait! When I picked her up she was so tired she giggled half the way home! My oldest daughter Rachel will be moving back home on the 24th of Oct. and Kait and I are flying to Virginia on Columbus day weekend. Oct. is turning into a very busy month!!

Work has been so insane! Last year we served 1,068 homeless kids. In the first 2 months of this school year we have already served 458. It's frightening how bad the economy is getting. All the shelters have waiting lists and the one overnight shelter-that lets anyone in- has 18 kids there every night. They sleep in the same room as the druggies, alcoholics and prostitutes. Winter is coming and it's going to be a long cold one I think. I hope we see some changes in this town quickly or many families are going to be out in the cold.

I let my friend cut my hair for me last night. Not a good idea! She cut it so short! I think it's about 1/2 inch long all the way around! I can't complain, though, I told her to cut it as short as she could and she did! OY. Well, exhaustion is setting in. Good night all and have a great weekend!

Howdy!

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:33:05 GMT

I think I have short timers syndrome. I always vowed I would never be one of those people that stop putting 150% into work as soon as they found out they were leaving. I would work hard until the day I left. Instead, I find myself not wanting to do much but the fun stuff. I've worked with homeless kids for 20 years and I wonder what it will be like to not change lives everyday. I feel like I'm somehow shirking my duty as a member of the human race by taking some time off and caring for my family and myself. One of my tutors said I was changing Rachel, Kaitlin and John's lives by being available to them. I guess I could buy that. She also reminded me that even Jesus took time off to regroup. I hoping Rach and the kids will be here in a couple of weeks. I am so excited by all that is happening, but slightly terrified, too. Well, I'm off to fight a velociraptor!!!

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:26:05 GMT

1 minute, 3 seconds

Big Doings!

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 01:21:20 GMT

Wow, what a turn my life has made!!! Here goes! John got tired of being unemployable as a Literature professor so he taught himself Flash computer language and got a wonderful job in Virginia. He's been there for about a month now and Kaitlin and I are staying here in Rockford to tie up loose ends and save money to move the household. Since we bought this house only 3 years ago and the crash in the housing market we know we were either going to take a huge hit or try to rent it. Well, we all know how awful out of state landlording can be. But as always, God had another plan! My daughter Rachel, the one on top of a mountain in California has decided to move back home. She and the kids will be living in this house as rent to own. It's a win - win. We don't have to worry about the house, she has a safe reliable home to raise the kids with a fenced in back yard, fireplace in the living room, wood burning stove on the porch and three bedrooms! I don't have to pack and move everything by myself, because she has offered to help and we don't have to find a home for every little piece of furniture. She will take what we don't bring!!!! It is all working out beautifully. She's moving the first week in November. Our goal is to move in January or February. I'm so happy to help her and her help with this house is invaluable!

WooHoo! I'm back!

Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:38:42 GMT

Well, after a long dry spell, I am now hooked back into the world and all my friends here on live journal. Quick update. John is now working in the loop in Chicago as a software engineer. He has a job he loves that pays well enough to live off of. We had all three grandchildren here with us for the summer. What alot of fun, but man can a 3 yr. old, 4 yr old and 8yr old wear you out when your used to a very quiet 9 year old!! I negotiated a new contract with the school district and got a 12% raise and work only 10 months a year. It's rather late, for me, so I will update much more later. So sorry I haven't been able to keep up with all the doings. I hope to be up to speed soon.

Mon, 26 May 2008 01:27:44 GMT

Hi everyone! My laptop has died so I apologize for not posting. All is well here. I just wanted you to
know that I miss you all and will be back soon!

This and That

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:43:20 GMT

I'm still fighting this awful ick! The stomach flu turned into pneumonia and nasty stomach pain. I had a CT scan done yesterday on my abdomen, but I'm sure it's just stress. Work is going well and everyone in my family is doing well. We're all really in a very good place right now - illnesses not withstanding. My friend has gotten her order of protection and has been able to move on. My oldest daughter is doing well. The mountain lions she ran into on the trail seem to have left the mountain area she lives in (yay! daughter not kibble for lions this month at least!) My youngest daughter is just having fun being 8. John has been on a couple of job interviews and is going on one tomorrow afternoon. We figure something has to give at some point. My mom has just gotten hearing aides, so she can now hear her grandchildren. I signed up at Facebook and connected with some old high school friends. And our dog Gracie is being just goofy about playing catch with herself!

The weather is finally beginning to warm. It actually hit 50 today. Maybe there is a spring after all. Have a great weekend everyone!

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 22:50:04 GMT

I have been down with the stomach flu for a week now and boy is it getting old. The puking my guts up part is over, but the icky feeling is hanging on. I've missed two days of work and Kait stayed home today from school, because she wasn't feeling well. J is making us Chicken Noodle soup (homemade). It's really nice to be sick and know when you feel better you won't have to "catch up on the housework". John went for a job interview today. Bought a new suit, shoes the works in hopes of presenting better. Turns out they wanted a senior programmer, not a junior programmer and he's just not there yet. Oh, well.

Life has been really quiet lately. I'm not sure how to handle that! Have a great weekend everyone.

happy

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 23:26:22 GMT

Sorry it has taken so long for me to post again. Things have settled down at NIU. There's talk of tearing down Cole hall though and building a new building. Seems a little extreme, but I don't have to pass it everyday. I've been totally out of touch so I'll be catching up on everyone's journal over time. John did not get the job at United Way. They told him he was overqualified. At least we're at a place financially that we will be OK. I still love Jacinta. She has become a real part of this family. My favorite part is coming home to meals that are already planned and in process. We are sure eating alot healthier now. Not so much pizza and frozen foods.

I have been walking on a treadmill 30 mins. 4 days a week for a couple of weeks and I feel so much better. I have more energy and am in a better mood most the time. My best friend has finalized the order of protection. I'm so glad for her that chapter of her life is over. Now she can move on. Life is just really good right now. My oldest daughter is doing well and finalizing her divorce, my youngest daughter is doing well in school, my husband is happy, my best friend is happy, my Mom is getting hearing aids, I've got a great co-worker and my house is clean with laundry done. Life does not get any better than this!!! Oh and my daughter, Kaitlin and I are taking sign language classes.

To all of those out there - have a great week!!!

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:16:16 GMT

I just want to thank everyone who commented and made me feel a little less alone in this world. I spend so much of my life taking care of tragedies in my clients work, I forget to allow others to help me. You are so dear to me.

Enough with the goopy stuff! NIU staff is in training all week and classes resume next Monday. Everyone is just trying to move on. There was an interesting article in todays paper. I let you follow the link. http://www.rrstar.com/niu/x1529758771 It's about this guy that makes and plants memorial crosses all over the United States at major tragedies. Virginia Tech students delivered a gift to NIU students in a show of support having just been through this 10 months ago.

It is sooooooo cold here. Our driveway is a hill and it's covered with ice. Today was the first day in the last week that I could get the car anywhere near the house. Our dog is having a ball though. I treated myself to a nanny/housekeeper. She comes Mon - Fri, does the house, the laundry and starts dinner for only $140 a week! She makes sure Kait is started on her homework and I LOVE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well that's all the news!

Now we grieve

Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:51:18 GMT

I read the paper and I cry. One of the girls that died was flown here and died on the way. There is another here in Rockford in a different hospital (we have three with Level 1 trauma designations). They are closing Cole Hall for the rest of the Academic year and will talk about leaving it closed. I couldn't imagine walking in that hall. They will not begin classes until February 25th. Having had classes at Cole Hall the descriptions were too vivid for me. I can see it all happening. Sorry to go on about this, but it has really hit me and this whole part of Illinois hard. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers.

NIU

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:57:05 GMT

I'm so scared! The NIU shooting that happened today is where John used to teach. I have some of my students that have gone on to NIU and are still there. 5 dead, 18 injured-head and chest wounds, 4 in critical condition, 8 in stable. OMG, what is happening! The local paper has stuff in it at www.rrstar.com if you're not sure what I'm talking about. I could use some prayers for my homeless kids that are there as well as all the students that are still there.

Squirrel Message

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:57:09 GMT

Thank you to onlylisa for making my new icon! It's been a whirlwind since we got home from summerhorse's. John has pneumonia and is spending most of his time on the couch trying to breath. Grace, our dog, has been insistent on having all the attention anytime we're home. I think she's trying to make up for the two weeks we were gone. I don't think I'll ever get the laundry caught up and my house needs a good cleaning top to bottom!

Good news! John got a second interview with United Way. Since he was running a fever and struggling for air when he interviewed last Friday, we're hoping this is a good sign. My mom and dad are getting new kitchen cabinets today. I'm so proud of my dad. He's letting someone else put the cabinets in. He already put in a hardwood floor (throughout the whole house) and tore out the old cabinets. This is really a big thing for him to step aside and let someone else do the work. 73 years old and he finally will allow someone else to help!

OK, I have to do it!

Cute Grandbaby story ahead

Lybbe (middle child and 4 years old) had asked us 5 times to come upstairs one night to cover her up with her "ni-nite". Finally we told her we would cover her up when we came up to bed. Minutes later, we heard Merry (youngest child-3years old) crying in the room the girls share. John and I looked at each other and realized we had just been had by a four year old. We went upstairs to tend to Merry while trying not to give Lybbe attention. After Merry was asleep, we started to leave the room and a very small voice came from the other side of the room. "Grandma, could you cover me up, pleeease." OK, I melted and went over to cover her up. She then told me that she saw a spider on Merry's head and stepped on it for her!!! I couldn't stand it. I cracked up laughing. Poor Merry though, didn't even know her sister was SAVING HER LIFE. What are sister's for I ask you!

Have a great week everyone!