Change Is In The Air

Found this on my computer today... It's from a few months ago but since I haven't written any blogs in a long time I thought I would post this...

July 6th 11:21pm

I'm really sleepy and may not get very far with this blog but I thought I would give it a shot anyways,

As I am curled up in my bed (laptop in hand) I can hear the piano softly sing as Mitch continues to work on a new song.  It is a slow, thoughtful sound; like a lullaby or a love song... I am not sure where the song comes from but it seems well suited for a quiet night in bed.

As I sit listening to the music my mind is spinning with thoughts that I can't quite grab hold of.  Like half told stories, it seems strongly familiar but only bits and pieces seem to spring out at me with no real organization or consistency. 

It seem like my life has been in a perpetual state of change for the past fifteen years and I am beginning to wonder why this fact continues to surprise me. The reality of life's ups and downs shouldn't be so shocking at my age; yet I still face each new challenge with the smallest hint of disappointment.  Life is not yet as easy as I was hoping it would be.

Last week I was beginning to feel as though I was finally getting a grip on things.  The kids and I finished up at Veritas and I have been planning for the coming year for over a month now.  Everything was falling into place and I was really looking forward to this next phase in our family life... Then we received news of several major changes taking place that will immediately affect our lives.  I don't yet know if these changes will be good or bad but the simple fact is that it could go either way.  All we can do is keep moving forward and have faith that God is working all things for "our good and his glory".

God has never let me down yet and at this moment the music is still playing, the house is still quiet and we are still looking forward to the coming school year… So for now I will set aside my concerns, turn off my computer and fall asleep to the sound of music...I am so blessed.   

To My Sister

I just wanted to post a quick note to publicly thank my AMAZING SISTER, Kate for blessing Mitch and I with her upright grand piano that (as of last night) now sits proudly in our office!!!

When I was a kid my parents were given an upright grand piano and both my brother and sister turned out to be amazingly gifted pianists (my sister even went to college for music).  We rarely made a big show of their talent at home (we all had our own stuff to do) but having that constant flow of music illustrating my daily life was something that I treasured.  I remember especially around the holidays sitting underneath the Christmas tree looking at the lights and listening to my sister practice The First Snowfall by Michael W. Smith… I felt like I was living in a storybook or something… It was just perfect.

Now, thanks to my sister and her generosity, I have already had the music return to my home!  Last night almost immediately after David (my brother) and Mitch got the piano moved into the office (Thanks David and I am praying that you're not in to much pain today :-) ), Mitch sat down and spent a few hours playing the piano and learning a new song for me (it's one that comes on the radio and reminds me of a favorite moment in our relationship).  I sat working on lesson plans for the coming school year while my wonderful husband serenaded me with a song that always makes me smile!... I am soooooooooooo happy!!!!

Thank you, Kate… You are THE BEST!!

The More The Merrier

Mitch and I decided to take the kids to the Norfolk garden today.

The boys were still with Jessica so we took the Altima and decided to have a little "family time" with Josh and the girls.  After our quick stop at Wendy's (because Mitch seems to think that all good family outings should start with fast food) we were on our way to the Garden. 

As we were driving, Mitch mentioned that he would like to learn to scuba dive and since Josh wants to be a Marine Biologist he thought maybe they could learn how to dive together.  We talked over the different options for a bit and then Mitch decided to take the opportunity to ask the girls what they wanted to be when they grew up.

"Cayti" he asked "what do you want to be when you grow up?"  Cayti thought about it for a minute and then remembered "I want to be a teacher." She said. "A teacher! That's a great job to have."  We continued to talk about the teaching profession for a bit and then Mitch moved on to Hannah… "So Hannah? How about you? What would you like to be when you grow up?" Without a bit of hesitation Hannah said "I want to be a mom."  Mitch smiled thinking how cute it was that Hannah was hoping to be just like "her mom".  He continued the interview… "that's a good thing to be… How many kids would you like to have?"  Again, Hannah did not hesitate… "I am going to have 18 kids."

My little over achiever just can't settle for the status quo!  If she's going to be a house wife, she's going to be the CRAZIEST house wife EVER!! Haha  

Sneaky Chef is my Hero!

Just a quick note to share my joy… Thanks to the crazy antics of the sneaky chef, I have gotten my son's to eat A FULL DAILY SERVING OF VEGETABLES!!!

I am so freakin stoked!  I went out and bought a whole bunch of new veggies just to watch my kids devour them.  Hahaha… Anyway, just thought I would share the, joy.