All is Right with the (my) World

I have been relfecting lately on all of the things that I am grateful for, and there are so many things on the list. I won't bore you with details. I was doing some reading and some online work, when it dawned on me. (Don't tell my mom--she may not be well after this, if she doesn't already know.) Ok, I was not hit on the head with a two-by-four, it was more like a gradual "dawning".

At first, I just thought that my contacts needed to be replaced. That did not help. For a while, I thought maybe I should not do so much reading and computer work after doing a lot of the same all day at work. But I was having the same problems on the weekends. I NEED READING GLASSES.

SHhhh. Mom will think she is really old. I am not having as hard of a time with this as I did when I found my first gray hair. I know. Many of you think that gray hair is no big deal. But I was in a small state of depression over this. The eye thing is wierd. I have had glasses for the better part of my adult life, but to need them to read, is just not right.

Emma thinks the glasses are soooo cool. What does she know? Her biggest problem right now is that some kid in the morning daycare makes fun of her big ears, which, by the way CAN be covered with her beautiful curly hair. Wait until she reaches the age of pimples and boobs when her classmates don't even know what those things are. (Being a parent is a great place to get comedy routine material.) Sorry, when she told me this, I had no choice but to laugh a bit.

James is doing well. This week he had a superb week at school so I treated the family to McDonald's playplace. Guess what happened? James albeit got kicked out of the place for using violence on the slide. That's my bubba. Ruin a good time by doing the exact thing we have been working so hard to prevent at the reward lunch. How Stupid? Well, he is only 3 and still learning. He cried about how sorry he was the whole way home. Do you think that he will remember this for the next time that we are doing something cool?

Kevin is doing a fine job. His work keeps him away from home--retail hours SUCK by the way. He is still working his program to the best of his ability. Clean and sober for almost 9 months. We are still in the honeymoon stage of our "second" marriage. Outside of the aweful Home Depot hours, I am loving it.

Looks like I will be picking up a WW meeting for people working at a local retirement home. The lady who recruited me wants me so bad that she is willing to set up a play area for the kids to be while I am working with the people. This is so exciting. The money is better than the other positiions that I hold with the company. If I can pick up a meeting like this in my school building, I won't have to work anymore Saturdays. This will make up for all of that time. My day job is going well. Administration took my TA and moved her to another building to fill a vacancy. We hired a new girl. She starts Tuesday. I am excited and anxious all at the same time. My boss gave me sole responsibility in choosing the replacement. Gee, I hope it works out. So much pressure. It will be nice to have regularity back.

I am so grateful to have the job that I do. I was telling some former students what and where and to whom I teach today while at McD's. They laugh and make fun, because all of my students have been in some major trouble. But I truely do have the best job. I am having the best time of my life right now, and no one can take that away.

Thank you, God.

The D in DMV

Last month, I bought my brother's car from him. We recently had the thing inspected. Being that the car is only 3-4 years old, we were not surprised that it did pass the safety inspection. However, I was a bit floored that the emissions did not pass. Did you know that only certain counties of some states have to pass emissions tests? In Festus, where we live, we require the emissions test. (Fast forward through a lot if I sound ignorant of a lot of this.) Illinois, in the young life of the car, did not require emissons testing. We are 25 miles from STL. Mom has her car registered in Farmington, in a county that can't be another 15-20 miles south from where we live. They don't have to get an emissions test. But I digress.



The Midas man was a bit confused as well, for a couple of reasons. One, the car is NOT that old. TWO, the car did not fail on his little hand held device. He hooked the car up to the State's machine and once again did not pass enough to give me my sticker. How stupid. Then as Murphy's Law would have it, the State's machines were shut down for a bit. Whatever that means, I was there for just about two hours.



He scheduled me to come back in the morning to find out if the car would pass on the State's machine this time--in hopes that their machine was up and running. It was. And the car did not pass. So, we are given these instructions that are most absurd. For one sensor to be reset, we are to drive the car 40mph for 2 minutes. OK. For a different sensor to be reset, we are to drive it for 20-25 minutes between 40 and 45 mph. Where can you do that safely, without any starts or stops? Again, how stupid.



Well, we did it. And I'll be darned if it really did reset the sensors. When I took the car back to Midas, of course, I thought that I would be there for a while, so I took the kids at dinner time with McD's in hand. As soon as I had the kids' meals unpacked on the little coffee table in the waiting area, the man comes out and says, "it passed." Well, I'll be GD. That is a lot of drama for one little Corolla.



Remember when I used to name my cars? There was Betty the B---- and Elliot the Escort. That must make this one Corolla the #@! I can't say that. Carrie the Corolla.



So does the D stand for dammed or discontented? maybe dumb or

Our New Year--2008

This would have to be my first blog ever. I am kind of excited about having something that the kids can read later in life, besides my handwritten notes. The year 2007 proved to be a very trying one for all of us. Kevin and I nearly split up permanently. Emma broke her collar bone, and James was potty training for a good portion of the year. (Well, he got the pee down well, the poop took a while.)

Now that Kevin is sober, life is wonderful. This is just how I always thought that life should be. We are falling in love all over again. He is gone alot to either work or meetings, but the times when he is here are more family oriented. He is the Dad that the kids have been 'missing' all these years.

Emma is in kindergarten and LOVING it. We only have two days left of Christmas break and she is counting down the days until she "gets" to go back to school. I love that. She is reading and writing and nothing is a secret anymore.

James cannot wait to be 5 so that he can also go to kindergarten. He wants to be just like his sister. He is becoming more and more like a big boy. In November, he gave his blanket to Santa in hopes that Santa would change the embroidered name and give it to another little baby boy who might need it. He doesn't need it anymore, because he is a big boy now.

We are all looking forward to a new year in Christ. Our family resolutions is to take a day or two of each week and read the bible together as a family. This will allow us to instill our spiritual beliefs in the kids. We are no longer practicing Catholics. We attend an non-denominational church in Pevely, MO. Kevin and I were saved and water baptized this year. For me, it was the most emotional, spiritual experience that I have had with God in my life. I cannot wait to share this with my kids.

We will also continue to make our 12 step programs a high priority.