Been BUSY!

I hinted at the end of my last post that I had a fun little adventure coming up the next day!  We sure did!  Not only did Daddy stay home on Thursday to get caught up around the house and to rest a little bit, but he also had Friday off.  But it was not as relaxing.  We were all 6 up and out of the house by 8am.  The 3 big kids off to school, and Britt, Finn and I off for our adventure.

This was Finn’s first trip that wasn’t to a doctor’s office or my mom’s house for a couple of hours.  We were off to Enid, America!  Finn (and therefore Britt and I) had been invited to “speak” at the Oklahoma Blood Institute staff meeting this month!  They love for blood product recipients to come and show them what all their hard work translates to.  While I knew I was speaking, and basically what I should cover, I really had no idea what to expect!  We made the trip in slightly over an hour, and Finn did really well in the car.  Once there, we were introduced to the crowd gathered in a small conference room, and I got to tell our miracle story – that included 6 blood transfusions!  The audience was GREAT, and my friend who invited us to speak even had a few pictures she stole from facebook in a slide show for me to use along with my talk!  What a nice surprise!  The audience was so receptive – ooh’d and ahh’d in all the right places – and they were SO EAGER to meet Finn when I was done.  Britt had been out in the hall with him, and it was like winning an academy award when we showed our sweet boy off to the folks in that room.  They were so impressed by his fight and his triumph!  I really enjoy public speaking, and they asked some excellent questions, so the whole experience really quite enjoyable!

Finn, Daddy and Mommy @OBI in Enid

A bonus to being in Enid – a trip to the in-laws!  We spent a few hours with them where they got to feed and love on Finn, and they even took us to lunch at the new gourmet hot dog place in town. That was Finn’s first trip out in public, and first trip to a restaurant!  He is back on quarantine for now…  The break from reality and getting out of the house made for an enjoyable day.  But, we had to hurry back to Stillwater to switch cars and get me on the road south to Oklahoma City!  I had another engagement to go to!

I met my sweet friend Jenny at First Church of the Nazarene in Bethany, OK for a Girls Night Live event featuring Mandisa and Laura Story.  If you go back to the blog entries around the time of my brother’s death, you can see songs posted on entries by both of these amazing ladies!  I have been a Mandisa fan since she was on season 5 of American Idol, and I love following her antics on facebook and twitter.  She is truly an inspiration.  Lucky for Jenny and I, we had early entry passes, and we got seats on the FRONT row!  It really was a great concert and a wonderful time of fellowship, singing, and dancing.  It was over a bit earlier than I anticipated, so I was back in Stillwater pretty early –just in time to get home to my sweet baby Finn who had just fallen asleep after what I hear was a VERY ROUGH evening!  He got off schedule and I suppose a bit overstimulated, and he had a hard time recovering.  But super dad handled it perfectly!

Jenny and I at Girls Night Live!

Saturday was fun as well.  That morning, after my husband shaved off his seasonal beard, the hair on his head, and his standard goatee and mustache (I was mortified, but am getting used to it), we ran some errands as a family, taking turns staying in the car with Finn.  After lunch, it was a GIRLS DAY as the twins, my mom and I went treasure hunting around Stillwater. We found some fun treasures, got some fun ideas, and enjoyed each other’s company.  Sunday was church and a lazy Sunday afternoon, getting the last few things ready for the girls’ “State Night” at school tomorrow night.  I can’t wait to tell all about that – it sounds like they are really going to have a good time and put on a neat presentation.   It was a fun weekend all around!  Now,back to quiet days at home with my baby for the week.  I think we both need it!

Raindrops and Tears

So, I didn’t make it very long in Women of Joy world. Everything was irritating me. LOL! The music was too slow, the crowd too old, the hotel room too small, the location too far away. The things I liked were hearing Sarah Palin talk about Guns, God and our Constitution; Anita Renfroe singing about husbands being sexy when they bring you a babysitter; and the company. I was doing OK last night through dinner, the singing, Sarah (who was introduced my our Governor, Mary Fallin), and the hotel stay. Even resisted the urge to head home with Britt texted me this picture of my crying son who was missing me at bedtime: This morning was tough; I was tired and missing home. We got there super early to get better seats than what we had last night, and I was not doing a good job of being a happy camper. So, when there was a break after Anita Renfroe, I made a break for it! Stillwater was calling!

Blessings: Friends who invite me to spend an entire weekend with them; Christian women’s conferences designed to lift you up; a van to take me where I want to go; a supportive family. 

The very first thing I wanted to do when I got to town was to go to the funeral home to see the room where Brian’s visitors are going. I knew the casket was in there, and I knew my mom and Britt went to decorate and personalize the space last night. And I knew the video I made was playing in the room. And I knew I had helped pick out some of the items in the room. I just needed to BE THERE. I called my husband from about 15 miles out of town and told him I was going straight to the funeral home then I would be home. He totally nixed that idea, and asked me to come straight home to our house so he could accompany me. I did, and we decided we wouldn’t be gone that long, and the 2 8-year olds could watch the 4 year old. Besides, they were supposed to be picking up sticks in the back yard and taking the Christmas lights of the deck railing (*blush* - I know, right?). We hadn’t been there 5 minutes when my phone rang, and it was Emma. The kids had managed to lock themselves out of the house. Yup. That’s right. But, it is a beautiful day, they had outside chores, and we would be back soon. We got home, and they were all still in the (fenced) back yard, so I guess it wasn’t so bad.

Blessings: A precious husband who is always there for me (and for my mom!); sweet memories of my incredible brother; cell phones; fences.

We went to lunch then needed to run a few quick errands. Unfortunately, a pity party by YOURS TRULY prevented any of that from getting done. You see, when I am tired and/or stressed, I tend to think my kids are the most annoying humans on the planet, and I lash out. Not only did the occupants of Derek (our Chevy Uplander) get the brunt of my meltdown, so did my mom who was on the phone with me at the time. OOPS! Not a pretty sight, and glad we are all past it now.

Blessings: Chick-fil-a; my adorable children who are not ALWAYS the most annoying people on the planet; meltdowns to vent emotion; forgiveness.

Britt took Jake and Emma to the OSU Spring Football Game. Lara is napping. I am pretending I don’t hear the buzzer on the washer and dryer, or the lawn mower. I just want there to be peace – which is one reason my dear husband separated our kids. Any 2 at any time or place are fine. You all the 3^rd one, and all hell breaks loose! I never liked odd numbers…

Blessings: Distractions, BEAUTIFUL Spring weather; washers, dryers and lawn mowers; even numbers

Today it is my goal to find the blessings in what is going on around me. I am sad, worn out, drained, beat down, torn up and just plain hurt. But, I am so blessed to have my family, my friends, Brian’s friends, my church, my readers, and countless others praying for and supporting me. THANK YOU ALL – you are SUCH a blessing to me in this time!