It's so quiet in here.....

Since DH and the girls got back from their trip to Utah this summer, I have made it a point to NOT be in the house alone. That month was just too long and too quiet. But here I sit, in an empty, quiet house. DH and A are at a softball game, B is playing at a friend's house, and the dogs are outside. The only noise is the washing machine in the background (yikes, I have a lot of laundry that needs to be done!).

Laundry...with A and DH both doing softball, plus A having PE every day this semester, there is LOTS of laundry to do! Fortunately they both do their own laundry. I do mine and B's, and with her in soccer again there is lots of laundry to do for her. I don't mind washing and folding -- it's the putting away that drives me crazy!

Both girls continue to do well in school. As has been the pattern since A left elementary school, the only teacher we have an issue with is her social studies/civics teachers. Every year since 6th grade...why???? The sad part is, that's my favorite subject and it could be so much fun if the teacher would put something into it besides lecturing. She showed me all the pages of notes she's taken since the school year started about 3 weeks ago -- it's crazy!

I love our new computer, except for one thing -- some of the keys on the keyboard are in different places so I keep hitting the wrong keys (the end key, delete key, page up, page down). It's driving me crazy.

Work is going fairly well...typical crazy end-of-fiscal-year stuff, and trying to get a huge new contract up and running, and starting a new project that is getting a lot of attention...so there is no shortage of work, stress, or insanity. Seems to be about par for the course. In the last two weeks I have been offered/asked to apply for three different jobs...all of which would take us away from here. Sometimes I wonder if that's a sign...but none of them feel right at this time. I wonder why it is that people at other locations are interested in promoting me, but no one is here? The mysteries of life...

I read The Host by Stephenie Meyer last weekend/early this week. Wow! It's unlike any book I've ever read. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Twilight series, but I definitely enjoyed it and have been going back through, rereading sections and analyzing it with a friend of mine. There are some interesting themes in the book -- agency vs. choice, inner beauty and attraction to what's on the inside vs. outer beauty and attraction to the physical, the importance of kindness, the need to have opposites (and opposition)...very interesting things to think about and discuss. Because Stephenie Meyer is an LDS author, I think she can't help but weave her personal beliefs and values into her stories. She isn't preachy at all, and there are no LDS characters in her books (although I wonder if Angela in the Twilight series might be...)...but I love that she includes moral themes, even if it is not intentional. Things like chastity before marriage, agency, the concept of eternal love...

Reading these books has reminded me how much I love reading -- how relaxing it is to me and how much I do enjoy analyzing a good story. My friend has even convinced me to read some Jane Austen -- can you believe I've never read anything by Jane Austen before? (No, I haven't seen the movies, either)

B is supposed to be on TV during the muscular dystrophy telethon this weekend. She'll be interviewed Monday morning. No idea what time they'll show her "snippet," though. She was involved in a muscular dystrophy fundraiser at her school last year so they're interviewing her for that. We went shopping tonight and bought her a cute new outfit. I am SO glad school is going better for her so far this year!

Tomorrow A and I will be going to a youth activity about 2 hours away. They're calling it a youth conference, although when I was a youth, youth conference was 2 days long at least. It will be interesting and I hope we have a good time. I didn't know how I would feel about my calling as YW President, especially because I love Primary so much and spent so many years there, but I have found that I really love the girls that I work with. It's amazing to spend time with them and see the potential they each have...and it's painful to watch when they do things that bring them short of that potential. I think this must be how Heavenly Father feels about us...He knows our potential, he knows our talents and gifts and abilities...and it must pain Him when we fall short, either because we just don't try or because we intentionally choose another path. And yet He still loves us, unconditionally. I almost feel like these girls I work with are an extension of my family -- about 18 more daughters! I felt that way about my Primary children, too, and thought that surely I could never feel that way again after I left Primary. I was surprised at how quickly -- almost instantly -- I have grown to love these girls.

A sweet man at church is dying from cancer. Two of his daughters are my friends -- one of them is a very dear friend and I haven't spent as much time with her as I want to over the last few years...I need to change that. This sweet man sang in our ward choir as long as I can remember, until the cancer took that ability away from him. He has not been able to be at church regularly for a while now, but he brings a smile to my face each time I see him. It has saddened me deeply, his suffering...and his family's sadness and suffering. As I have thought about him and his family, including my dear friend, over the last few days, I have been reminded of how grateful I am for the sure knowledge I have that families can be together forever, that this does not have to be the end of those relationships. It does not make things less painful, at least I don't think so, but it does make them more bearable.

I didn't mean to leave this blog entry on a sad note...maybe it's being alone in this house, with it so quiet, that gives me a rare moment to reflect and really think about things. I don't know.

So I suppose I'll leave off on this note -- think of me tomorrow as I drive 5 giggling, shrieking, squealing teenage girls about two hours in a minivan -- I'll probably need a serious dose of Excedrin before the day is out!

Update...

Yes, I know -- that's a terribly exciting, descriptive title for a blog entry! LOL

A's team won their first softball game...A was the starting pitcher as well as lead-off batter...she also scored a run. Yea! B had a fundraiser "fun run" at school and ran 2 1/4 miles. Wow! She was sore for a few days after that. DH's team also won a game this week...so that's two wins, one loss for them.

I decided not to do the job interview. It just wasn't the right timing, nor was it the right job. I'm happy with the decision. Interestingly enough, I was approached this week with two other job opportunities...both would involve leaving here so I'm not pursuing them right now. Of course, the one that I really want the most is the one I'm not qualified (I would have to be promoted to the next grade and be at that grade for a year before I would be eligible). But it's nice to know that people "at the top" know who I am and are interested in my abilities and what I have to offer.

And in other news...I have a secret to share. While DH and the girls were gone this summer, I got hooked on the Twilight books. Seriously hooked. As in really, entirely, completely, and totally hooked. Yeah. Bigtime hooked. LOL I have spent a lot of time analyzing, dissecting, and discussing the books and characters with one of my friends and it reminded me how much I love literature and doing that kind of analysis. Darn, maybe I should have been a literature teacher! Seriously, I have really enjoyed our discussions. I have to admit that I am 200% on "Team Edward" and was so glad when Bella finally got that entire thing straightened out (for those of you who have read the books, you know what I'm talking about -- and for those of you who haven't, you'll just have to read them). I'm looking forward to seeing the movie on opening night...going with a friend and taking a bunch of the YW with us because they want to see it to. We can't wait!

But these books have reminded me, again, how much I love to read. Not just anything...but I do love to read. I love the Harry Potter books and have enjoyed reading, analyzing, and discussion them with my sisters and friends. And now I have another series to read, analyze and discuss. I can't wait to start reading "The Host," Stephenie Meyer's latest novel. I find it incredibly refreshing to find books that are not filled with profanity, sex, drugs, drinking, etc. I must admit to loving the Shopaholic series, but there are things that leave much to be desired. And there really isn't any analyzing that can be done with those books, LOL! But with Harry Potter and the Twilight books, there is so much to think about. I love books like that. I love that the Twilight books convey romantic intensity without immorality...What can I say -- I'm a sucker for a beautiful love story, and Edward and Bella's love story is about as good as it gets (at least in the reading I've done in the last several years).

And so we prepare to begin another week here...with me reading bits and pieces of my favorite scenes from the books late at night...dreading this weekend because A has a birthday that not only reminds me that my first baby is growing up, but that I am also getting older (don't you just hate how that happens?), and wondering if there is any way I can get DH to read the Twilight books and pick up a few romantic hints.

OK, quit laughing. I know that last one is just a dream! LOL

Two Weeks Down...How Many Left?

The first two weeks of school are over. I am thrilled to report that they have been great! A has taken to high school like a fish to water -- truth be told, DH and I have been pleasantly surprised at how much she absolutely loves it and how much she has blossomed in the last two weeks. She is doing well in her classes and has lots of friends. Seminary is going well -- other than the fact that she's exhausted all the time! Seminary plus softball practice makes for a very long, exhausting day. And on the softball front, she made the JV team and will most likely be the starting pitcher. She is also one of the fastest runners on JV or Varsity and may get to be a base runner in some varsity games. She's very excited!

B is also off to a great start. We worked with her teachers and the school to put some things in place this year to help keep her interested and challenged and we're looking forward to seeing how those work out. She also had her first soccer tournament yesterday (in Alabama of all places). The first game didn't go so well -- they played against an older, more experienced team. But they tied the second game and she was happy with it all. She got a sunburn, which isn't fun, and her legs are sore today, but she enjoyed it.

We had the opportunity to go to a water park as a family with some of A's friends last weekend. It was so much fun! We really enjoyed it. Due to a mixup with the tickets, A and I went back again yesterday with most of the same friends. I was able to work up my courage to go on 3 water slides I hadn't tried before. That may not be a big deal to anyone else, but I'm a wimp when it comes to rides! We had a great time.

I'll be teaching both the Mia Maids (14-15 year old girls) and Laurels (16-17 year old girls) at church today. Guess I need to get started on the lesson...

I also have an interview tomorrow for a job that I really don't want, but I decided to do the interview to get some interview experience. There are a couple of jobs coming up relatively soon that I really do want, so I need to warm up my interviewing skills. We'll see how it goes....

Tagged!

I was tagged by my sister M!

How To Play This Game of Tag:
Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

3 Joys
1) DH -- gotta love a man who cooks, cleans, and gets up in the middle of the night to let *my* puppy out!
2) A - even though she's growing up too fast
3) B - even though she is also growing up too fast

3 Fears
1) Being alone
2) Losing a family member
3) Death

3 Goals
1) To be a good mother
2) To get a PhD
3) To get out of debt

3 Current Obsessions/Collections
1) Shoes
2) Shoes
3) A Coach wallet to match my handbag...maybe for Christmas!

3 Facts About Me
1) I'm going to the Breaking Dawn release party tonight
2) I wish I had more children
3) I love school

I tag Jamie!

Back to Life, Back to Reality....

My family beat me home Monday...they had just gotten home when I arrived from work. It was so good to see them! I swear, the girls each grew four inches while they were gone! A got a beautiful new haircut/highlights by one of her aunts, and B got an adorable haircut by another aunt (talented people!). A has an amazing tan, and B has a few new freckles but, thankfully, no sunburn! It's interesting having one daughter who tans and another daughter who burns badly. We fight to get sunscreen on A, and can't seem to find strong enough sunscreen for B! We have three different sets of sunscreen in our house -- some for A, some for B, and some for DH and myself.

I can't believe how wonderful it feels to have my family home again. The house is filled with life (and bickering...lovely sibling rivalry) and activity and things feel normal and whole again. It's a good feeling. I think I understand a bit more how important the gospel principle of eternal families is. After spending a month without my family, I realize now, more than ever, that to me the true definition of "hell" (pardon my language) would be to spend eternity separated from my husband and daughters, not having the family bond and relationships that we have now. The thought is truly miserable. I was talking with a friend at work about this. Her fiance's church teaches that after this life, marital and family relationships cease to exist and even though you will know your wife/husband/children in Heaven, you will not have those same relationships with them. She doesn't like that idea. I don't either. We talked about it and I had the opportunity to share a bit about our beliefs on that subject with her. It truly reaffirmed my testimony of the eternal nature of temple covenants and eternal families and the importance of living up to my covenants so that I can have an eternal family.

In other news...A had conditioning workouts with the high school softball team this week. She didn't play as well as she wanted to but she's feeling more comfortable and getting better. B had her first Academy level soccer practice today and came home exhausted (and a bit pink...fortunately that was from heat and exertion and not sunburn). DH was impressed with her coach and the trainer and the skill work they did. I think this will be a great season with lots of learning and improvement for her.

We finished up the back-to-school shopping yesterday...I love shopping for school supplies. I don't know why -- I have some kind of weird love affair with school/offices supplies. LOL I love the cute notebooks, colored paper clips, packages of pens and pencils, etc. Love it. We're now ready for school with new clothes, new shoes, and new school supplies. The beginning of the school year is always a fresh start and we are very, very hopeful that this will be a good year for both girls.

Today we also bought a new computer. Our laptop is several years old and is getting to be incredibly slow...not to mention the fact that sometimes it just shuts down in the middle of whatever I happen to be working on. That's so annoying. So we put part of our economic stimulus check to good use and bought a new computer (computer, monitor, and printer bundle). We haven't set it up yet but we're excited to get it up and running.

One more week of summer vacation for the girls, and then school starts. The summer has flown by...much too quickly. It's time to get back to our crazy routines.

Has it really been that long?

Yes, I guess it has. Wow -- I'm sorry! Not that there are many of you out there reading...but one of my friends commented a couple of weeks ago that she wished I would update my blog and I hadn't even realized how long it had been.

My excuse? Well, I don't have a good one. Things have been busy, but when are they not?

Here where we live, school starts again in just a couple of weeks. Really -- it starts at the beginning of August (much too early). So after next week, DH goes back to work to prepare for a new school year, A has softball tryouts, and B starts soccer camp and practice. We'll gear up for our annual "I-hate-August-and-September" schedule...because August and September are always, always, always the busiest months of the year for us. *Sigh*


In other news, B was asked to try out for Academy Soccer (a level above rec league) and she made it. She was really excited! Of course this means a bit more travel since she'll have tournaments and games that aren't always in our city, but we'll see how it goes. A is excited about softball tryouts...she'll make the team, no doubt...but she's still nervous about it. Keep your fingers crossed for her!

DH and the girls have been in Utah visiting his family for the last month. Yes, you read that right. The last month. I have been on my own for the last month. Well, not entirely on my own since my parents and my sister and her family live just around the block and have helped keep me occupied and from getting too lonely. But it's been a difficult month.

For one thing, I have never, ever in my entire life been alone for this long. OK, I haven't been entirely alone because I've had the two dogs to keep my company (yeah, two...I got a puppy for Mother's Day. Note to self: don't get a puppy right before your family leaves you for a month...). Up until now, I had only ever stayed in our own home by myself once overnight. LOL I've never lived alone in my entire adult life. So this has been an experience. Up until now, I always felt very nervous and anxious if I was alone at home for any amount of time, even a few hours. While my family has been gone, I've had to be home alone a lot, mostly because I had to be here to take care of the puppy in the evenings. I found that I actually felt better, felt more at peace and more calm, at home than anywhere else. It's been interesting.

That isn't to say that I enjoy being alone. No. No way. Not at all. Not one little bit. But I've learned that I can do it. I can actually fall asleep on my own -- that's pretty big because usually when DH is gone overnight I have a terrible time sleeping. I can even kill bugs -- of course, that's only out of sheer desperation when my dad, brother in law, or neighbor aren't home to come help me, and only if said bugs aren't big spiders. I even had to have my home teacher and his sons come over and clean off my back patio because of a spider problem (I owe them some cookies for that...). But I have killed a few bugs while they've been gone.

So I've learned that I can do hard things. Things I thought I would never be able to do. But I've also learned that I was not meant to be alone. That I'm not good at being alone. I have been moody, sad, mopey, miserable, etc. My friends at work are very glad, I'm sure, that my family will be home tomorrow. LOL For much of the time my family has been gone, I have felt like part of me was missing, like I was incomplete. I felt like I had lost my compass. I don't like that feeling. I need them here.

Oh, I also got a new calling -- Young Women President in our ward. That has kept me busy. Last night I went to the youth dance and had a lot of fun talking to and spending time with some of the youth. That has kept me busy.

But they're not a substitute for my family. I'm so glad my family is coming home tomorrow!

Summertime...

Summer is officially here. School is out and the temperature and humidity are both up. But the official sign the summer is here -- when I left for work this morning, both girls were still asleep! (Granted, it was 7:30 a.m. and they were both up really, really late last night). It's so hard to get up and go to work when everyone else in the house is asleep!

The end of another school year. It's hard to believe that A will be starting high school year this year. Wow! The last few weeks brought some exciting things for the girls....

A received more awards at her school awards ceremony than any other student in her grade. She received the citizenship award for her homeroom, straight A honor roll for the entire year, Science Fair (1st Place), Highest GPA in Honors Math, Academic Team, Writing Award, Principals Academic Award, and she was in a 3-way tie for Highest GPA in the Honors Program (she got a $100 savings bond for that one). A was also voted Most Talented Female for the eighth grade superlatives. It was a nice awards ceremony and she has had a really successful three years of middle school. A will be at girls' camp for church this week, and then the next week is softball playoffs.

B also received more awards at her school awards ceremony than any other student in her grade. She got the Girls' PE award for her grade, straight A honor roll, student council award, National Physical Fitness Award, Most Accelerated Reader Points in her grade, and third most Accelerated Reader Points in the school. She also got another award but I can't remember what it was....In addition to all of that, B was invited to try out for Academy Soccer (higher level than rec league and you have to try out and be accepted), and she was accepted. Yea! And if all of that wasn't enough, she also had her gymnastics and dance recitals last week and did a fabulous job with those. Her vision therapy is going really well and we are already noticing improvement. What a blessing that is!

And now, to add to the insanity that is our home, we are getting a new puppy this week. I know, we must be crazy. The puppy is my Mother's Day gift. If I can't have a human baby, I can at least get a dog baby! She is a miniature dachshund (I'm partial to that breed)...chocolate with tan markings and a white stripe on her chest. We can't wait to get her. Not sure what her name will be yet, but we'll figure that out. We're open to suggestions!

Although life is insanely busy (as it always is), things are going well and we can't complain.