The missions team is heading out at 6:15 tomorrow morning…
I’m missing them already, although I know that at 5:30, Cati’s going to come and bounce on my bed.
Normally, I would kill the person that did that at such an un-Godly hour of the morning, but Cati? Not her.
I love every single one of the peeps that came to make a difference in our community, each for different reasons. But Cati and I bonded… at least, I think we did. I made it in her tops friends on MySpace and I’m a “grown up”, which to me means I’m a-ok in her book. She wants to come back to visit me… and I told her any time.
Tonight the group took Pastor Man and I out to dinner to thank us for housing the group. Before we left, I had something special for each of them. It wasn’t much but I wanted them to take some souveniers back home with them. I know the girls spent all their money on clothes at American Eagle and Hollister, so I got them each some postcards of the city, a magnet, a pen from the church and a thank you note from me. But I also made them each a book mark with a picture of the church on top that said “Summer Missions Trip…
Food… $600
Gas… $250
Impact on our community… PRICELESS!
But what I didn’t know is that they had something for me…they gave me the most beautiful picture frame that says “All things are possible for those who believe”… As soon as I get the pictures of the girls and I back from Pastor Man or Jen, that’s the picture that will go in there.
But the best thing I got was the card.
I cried.
The card states “When we do good things for others we do good things for God. Thank you for being such a blessing.”
Me… they thought I was a blessing!
But here are the words that were written inside….no one just signed their names… it was amazing…
Heather -
Thank you for putting up with the girls! You have been a bigger blessing to you group and have made a bigger impact than you will ever know this side of Heaven! Nick
Thanks for putting up with the girls and the rest of us this week. You’re super cool! Alex
Heather
Thanks for everything and for hosting the girls at your home. Josh
Thank you! Thank you! I really appreciate you putting up with us this week. It was a blessing opening your home. You really made me feel at home this week. May you continue to grow in your walk with Jesus. you have really been a blessing this week. Love, Jennifer
Heather-
Thank you for letting me live with you while I was here. I am deff. gonna come back and visit you.I <3 you heather. <3Cati
Thank you for housing the girls and putting up with my wise comments. Kevin
You are so old! JK. I’m right behind you. I pray tat you will continue to grow and that you will be able to take a trip with us. Thank you for your help and for cooking. You are great to hang around. Hope to see you again and make sure you keep in touch. Your Brother, Chris
Thank you so much for everything! I’m gonna miss you and Rhoda so bad! You are soooo cool! I <3 you! <3 Jess
It was a pleasure to spend the week with you. Just keep growing in the Lord. Thank you. Deb
Yes… they thanked me for cooking… me!
I was very hesitant about housing the girls and as the time got closer I rethought my decision. There wasn’t enough time, I was busy… blah blah blah….
but now?
I’m in awe that God arranged my schedule this summer to include this group in my plans.
Isn’t He amazing?
I’ll have more pics soon, but for now here is Cati and I at the bon fire tonight…
And Jessie, Bri, and Cati Wednesday night at the cookout… (Bri is from here… I took her with me to meet the girls.
Ok, I’m off to bed… anticipating being awoken at the butt crack of dawn…
Until next time…
Heather
As promised, here’s my God story….with a Heather twist…
All of the things that could’ve happened on all of my previous trips waited and happened on this one. No joke.
So, I told you my original 5:09p flight to Detroit was canceled due to the weather in Detroit and they rebooked me online for the 6:15. Having never had this happen before, I called Northwest to verify. They told me I was good to go. I waited a little longer and headed to the airport.
Simple, right? This happens all the time…
Not.
I bebop up to the Delta counter to check-in and Denise tells me that I need a voucher from Northwest. I explain my deal and she tells me that I need to go to the NWA counter. Of course, it’s all the way at the other end of the check in counters.
Off I go…I find the counter… no one is there — just a piece of paper that says “Flt [whatever the number was] to Detroit — CANCELED”
Well, no duh!
There’s a big sign that says I can call their customer service number with a big arrow pointing to the black phone. It doesn’t work.
So, I bebop back to Denise at the Delta counter. (Denise was extremely helpful and very nice.) She called down there to check and I called NWA on my cell phone. It’s now 5:45p and luckily the flight has been delayed. We’re looking at 6:26. There’s still time to make this flight.
While I’m on the phone “holding for the next available operator” I ask Denise about my connection in Atlanta. I only had 45 minutes to start and I have to go from “A” to “D” and if you’ve never been in the Atlanta airport, it’s 400 miles long (or at least that’s what it feels like when you’re running from “A” to “D”. Trust me, I’ve done it before only this time I didn’t have Becki begging them to hold the plane because her “sister” was coming — and even that didn’t work.)
Denise tels me that the 9:13 flight, my connection between Atlanta and my bed, was the last one to Roanoke for the night. Meaning, if I didn’t get on that flight, I wasn’t going home tonight.
I’m still on hold. Denise is still trying the NWA counter so I didn’t have to keep walking back and forth — because I didn’t bring my rolling bag… because this was an in and out trip for the most part and I didn’t feel like carrying two carryons. Suddenly that laptop case weighed 4 tons!
She tells me that someone is at the NWA counter and I head back down. By now, my flight has been delayed until 6:48 so there’s no way that I’ll make that connection.
When they finally acknowledged me, I asked her about my other options home.
After staring at me like I had two heads and typing something into the computer she looked at me and said, “You’re booked on the last flight out of Jackson for the day. Your options are to spend the night in Jackson or Atlanta.”
Before I left the station, I asked God that if it was in His will to see my kids then to make it obvious.
He did. He wanted me to see my kids.
I told her I would stick with what I got.
Back to the Delta counter I go to see Denise with my “Rule 122″ (which is their payment from NWA) to check my bag.
Denise is trying to leave and she has Marie check me in. I get my boarding pass, schedule my trip for the following day and Marie tells me that she wished everyone who experienced this could be as pleasant as me.
And I was pleasant. What else could I have done? Would yelling or screaming have made it any better? It is what it is.
(And this is where God stepped in again. Have you noticed that I, by nature, am not a patient person? No once did I get upset.)
I thanked both of them and headed down to security. On my way, I called my ride in Roanoke to tell her not to come, my neighbor to take care of the dog, and my mom to let her know that I’ll be in Atlanta in a few hours.
The security guard takes my boarding pass and pulls out his orange highlighter… “Congratulations, you’ve won a prize!” Great! I’ve been randomly selected for them to frisk me and search my bags. I laughed and said, “This is the icing on the cake.”
I went through all of that and when done, having missed dinner by this point, grabbed a diet coke and a bag of Doritos (and the John Wayne commemorative edition of Cowboys and Indians for my dad) and make my way to the gate.
We board and we sit there.
And we sit.
And we sit.
Now, on the flight down to Jackson there was a man sitting next to me who told the whole plane about how airlines are saving money by not turning the air on until the plane was filled. Ok, I’m as frugal as they come but when you have people who are cranky and hot because it’s a gazillion and one degrees in Jackson AND humid from a storm that just blew through and you’re not leaving in the forseeable future? TURN THE AIR ON!!!!
The pilot comes on and says, “Greetings from the flight deck. We’re not legally allowed to leave without a signed flight plan and we’re having trouble getting that from the company so I’m going to go in and manually do one. Should take about 10 minutes. I’ll be right back.”
So, I try to call my mom, however, thanks to the call to customer service and all the other calls I’ve made, I’ve got no cell phone juice. I kept calling and the phone kept going dead. I finally yelled, “pick me up at 9:30″ on the third time and it was a total guess. But at least they would know I was enroute.
Finally, we leave.
We touch down at 9:27… 14 minutes after that connecting flight left. I head to baggage claim, 200 miles away to get my luggage and pray that my dad is able to find me in this massive place. I found an outlet and called to tell him where I was… about that time, they pushed Dad into the parking lot. Great, now he has to park and get me which means I have time to find my bags out of a million Delta belts.
This is difficult. Roanoke has TWO baggage belts. I finally find one of the marquees that says Jackson and wait. I grab it and head out to wait outside.
Dad finds me and we walk 300 miles to the car. Did I mention that I’m in heels and that my laptop now weighs 6 tons?
“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” I say to Dad. “Maybe I should’ve just stayed in Jackson.”
“You just needed to call when you landed, then I could’ve circled around.” he said…
Pure genius, that Dad-o-mine is…. “I have no cell phone. I couldn’t call you until I found an outlet.”
“Oh. Well I’m only picking you up because I expect you to share in the rewards…” he said jokingly.
Ha ha ha… what rewards. I got nothing.
I explain to him about the flight and the ordeal and being randomly selected… he says, “Well, you are the daughter of someone on the terrorist watch list.” (Backing up, the last time Dad flew, someone with the same name as him was on the terrorist watch list and he has to go through so much just to get cleared. It wasn’t funny to him, at the time, but mom and I have been riding him about it.)
We get to the car. We drive to the hotel. I knock on the room door and when the door opened, there stood my babies.
Lots of hugs, lots of screaming, and lots of trying to go back and forth and listen to them both tell me all the things they’ve done over the last three weeks.
They had their own hotel room (because 3 adults, 2 children, a dog and a cat don’t fit well in one room) and we headed there to just play, talk, giggle, and visit. We did it all and were up well past midnight. We decided to get up to eat before I headed to the airport and Mom stated that they hadn’t been up before 9:30 any day this summer.
We were up at 7… and walked to the Waffle House for breakfast… just the three of us. We talked, I convinced Sam, I think, that she didn’t want to come home with me, and walked back to wait for my dad to come and get me.
We said our goodbyes and Dad dropped me off. I walked into the airport and immediately wanted to call him and tell him to come back and get me. I about had a panic attack right then and there. There were so many kiosks, people, agents, etc. I didn’t know where to go, but asked and got pointed in the right direction. After waiting for 20 minutes, it was my turn. (Just an FYI, you need more than an hour to get to your flight in Atlanta.)
Anna says to me, “Did you want to fly out on July 28th?”
I looked at her funny and replied, “No today. I’m booked on the 10:27.”
She walked away and came back.
“The 10:27 is oversold as is the 1:54,” she said.
“No, see, Marie booked me last night on the 10:27a since we knew I would miss my connection.”
Anna looked at me and said, “Yes, Marie booked you on the 10:27 but on July 28th…not for today. It’s oversold as is the 1:54. The next flight isn’t until 9:13″
I busted out laughing. I lost it. Right then and there. Not in a bad way. Like I said… I was rolling. She looked at me funny and walked away after typing a little bit and when she came back she had boarding passes in her hands.
“I have you on standby for the 1027a and the 154p and confirmed on the 913″ She handed me my passes and I was left to find security. I wasn’t in a rush. I called my mom and told her what was up. I called my boss to let him know where I was. I found what I thought was to be security, but after 10 minutes standing in line, I learned that it was for first class security…us peasants had to go somewhere else.
I got there and waited about 15 minutes and finally got to the security guard. She reviews my boarding pass and I see her pull out the orange highlighter.
I am the luckiest person on earth! I’ve been randomly selected twice in 24 hours…
Again, I am frisked and searched and sent on my way, all the while, laughing and talking to God about how funny He is.
I head the 200 miles to “C” terminal and then another 50 miles to my gate while having my little conversation with the big man and taking in all the sights and sounds. I’m telling Him that I really don’t want to sit in the airport all day. I tell Him that I’m not enjoying wearing the clothes that I wore on Monday and that my bag is heavy and that I really just want to be at home. But I also thank Him for allowing me to see the kids and that this was all worth it. I then ask that I get on the plane that will get me home in His time, not my time and that if I were to be stuck here, that I use it to my advantage.
About the time I get to my gate I hear “Paging Delta Customer Heather Jacobson…please come to the gate counter.”
I raise my hand and say, “Yo! That’s me!” (Yes, that actually came out of my mouth.)
He hands me a boarding pass.
I ask if I have a seat on this plane and he replied yes.
I take the boarding pass and turn to go and sit and wait.
“Ma’am, they’re leaving now. We were waiting on you.”
Didn’t I feel dumb but I was on that plane faster than you can say you know what.
And at 12:01pm I landed. And I found my luggage waiting for me. And my friend who asked, “Wasn’t that what you were wearing when I dropped you off?”
Why, yes… yes it is.
22 hours after I left the station, I was home. I could’ve driven from Jackson to Roanoke and back in that time. But I was home.
And I got to see my kids.
And that, my dear readers, was worth it all.
Until next time…
A very tired Heather
Today has been a rough day. I’m tired, cranky, and things just aren’t working right…
Then I get an email that K92’s Mornin’ Thang sent me a message on MySpace.
The Mornin’ Thang are the radio guys in the morning around these parts… and the only other time I’ve gotten a message from them is when I won tickets to see Flushed Away back in November. I don’t typically enter contests because I never win. That and I make fun of the people who call in to win stuff on the radio… I think I justified this because all I had to do is leave a comment on their MySpace blog… (which, yes, I’m realizing, doesn’t make me any more mature….)
As I’m waiting to load up the page I’m trying to remember what I might have entered. I vaguely remember entering something awhile back but couldn’t for the life of me remember what….
and then I read it…
Subject: You are the winner of American Idol Live tickets….
And you know what that means?
I get to see him…
LIVE and in person… and I just couldn’t be any happier…
I had debated on going but the tickets were a bit steep… but now I get to…
I can drool in person…
And now the only problem is who shall I take?
Until next time…
Heather
Remember when my mom and Samara made a quilt over spring break?
Mom entered it in the local quilt show and today was the big day….
Here’s the quilt that won a blue ribbon in the youth division…
I got a phone call from a very excited 7 year old….
I’ll have a picture of the 1st place quilter and her quilt soon…. (if my mom would hurry up and email it to me… )
Until next time…
Proud mama
How do children sleep like this and not wake up feeling HORRIBLE?????
It’s my last weekend with the kids before they leave on Friday for 6 weeks…
My house is a mess… there’s tons of yard work to do… but I wanted to spend some time with them… after all, I’ll have lots of extra time to do this once they leave, right? (Because, seriously, I don’t think my social life will pick up any…)
Anywho… we were invited by our neighbors to head out to the lake. It’s about 45 minutes from here and the drive is directly through God’s country… you know it’s REALLY pretty when your kids are mesmerized by all that they see on the drive…
her dad has a house right on the lake.. understatement…he’s got a dock, a paddle boat, a jet ski and two boats… it was gorgeous… and we cooked out of course…
the kids took off as soon as we got there… fishing… i couldn’t believe that Samara would want anything to do with the fishing, but she did… and even caught a few fish! AND… get this.. she even threw one back! AMAZING!!!! 
What’s even more amazing is that I can’t stand little mice, but I can take a fish off the hook and throw it back…explain that to me, please? Because I was the one that they came to when they needed the fish taken off the hook and I just reached out and did it… Matthew did catch a fish, although I wasn’t able to snap a pic in time.. and he also caught his own finger… it just wouldn’t have been a true Jacobson outing without a casualty.
After the fishing, they went swimming, and I didn’t see them again until it was time to eat… and man did we eat! Tammy always brings enough to feed a small army and it was so good.. and of course, after eating they were back in the water…until it was time to leave…
We had to make it back so the kids could have their last outing with their big siblings (from the Big Brother/Big Sister Program) before they leave… leaving me to head to the Goodwill…I don’t have the patience for the G-Boutique..there’s too much there and it’s not sorted…
But once they got back, we popped some popcorn and put in Hoodwinked…
Tomorrow, we’ve got church and the kids have a birthday party… so our quality time comes to an end and it will be time to get them ready to go and finish out the school year…
I’m not sure where this year went…I can’t believe that I’m losing my 2nd and 4th grader and gaining a 3rd and 5th grader… but i am…
and I know that they are going to grow so much while they are gone… so I sit here and stare at them, wondering how they are going to change… and hanging on to the little one who’s cuddled up on the couch with me… because she’s picked today to like me…
and all is good in the world…
until next time…
heather
I can finally talk about them…. ha ha
It wouldn’t be bad though…
I had the best time visiting with Dale and Becki this week and was so glad that they came. They are a true blessing in my life!
I can tell you that I now have a new pair of jeans because she drug me to the other side of town to look some more… and after hitting up Old Navy, Express, and other stores, I finally found a pair, on sale ($40 off) at that Gap. They fit great. I heart them and I no longer have to worry.
We spent time being goofy Saturday night (Becki ended up heading to the dentist because of her tooth and they gave her Lortab — she was a hoot to be around!)
And then Sunday I took them to the Best Church. Ever.
And not only did Pastor Man ask when they were moving here but another friend as well. Because they spoke up in Sunday School. So, yeah, they can come back… anytime. But selfishly, I want them to move here… (Did I mention that Becki picked up the Apartment/Homes guides? YAY!!! — So just pray that they make the right move for their family!)
And before they left, we snapped a few pics since we were all dolled up….
Ok, that pic was just because I was loving my pedicure and so I snapped a pic… yes, of all the shoes that I bought Saturday, I wore none of them to church, instead deciding on a pair that I’ve had forever and never get to wear…
So, all in all, a good visit and I can’t wait for them to come back… however, after their visit, and the cookout last night, I’m enjoying the quiet of the house today… (and it’s even quieter since Sam spent the night with Hannah!)
Until next time…
Heather
PS. Happy Memorial Day!!!
While downloading pictures, I found many that I didn’t take… and judging by the angle of them and what they were of, I knew who the perp was… Samara… and just about the time I’m ready to lay into her for taking my camera, again, I see this picture and I stopped…
The photo is from a few weeks ago…
It’s been sitting here…and I keep looking at it…
it’s slowly becoming one of my favorites…
Anyone who knows our family knows that Samara and I have a trying relationship… I love her to death, but there are days that she and I butt heads…
big time…
Many times, I find myself wondering where life will take her… her personality is one that if used properly, could take her very far and do much good in the world… but if used improperly, could be detrimental and take her far off the path that any parent wants for their child…
she’s smart… oh is she smart… smarter than me in so many ways…
she’s beautiful… one look at her and I wonder how that beauty will affect her growing up…
she’s the social butterfly…
and just this week I got a lesson in BFFs — what they were, how many you can have, and what makes a person qualified to be your BFF…
nothing scares her…
I’ve seen her pick up bugs, investigate dead mice, talk to people she doesn’t know, and take the lead….
everyone loves her every where we go… whether that be church, school, or even when we’re out and about running errands…
she’s a girly girl… loves make up and hair… and shoes…. my Lord, does that child love shoes!
She has confidence I would kill for….
and I tell many that she’s the kid I hated in high school…popular, smart, funny, athletic…
but the reality of it is?
i hated that kid in high school because I was jealous…
and in many ways, I think I’m jealous of my daughter…
But more so than anything, I pray that this child makes an impact on the world…because she can… she has the gifts and talents… and I want her to use them wisely…and not make the same mistakes that I did…
because she can…
i know she can…
i know that she and i will keep butting heads… we’re too much alike…
she and I are like my father and I were…
and I see the relationship that my father and I have today… and it’s not the one that I want to have with her…
but much like I have to work on the one with him, I have to work on the one with her…
slowly, i’m learning how to make things right with my dad…
see, i took that path that no parent wants for their child…
and they say history repeats itself…
but i’m hoping it won’t…at least not in this case…
so I pray that I have the strength, wisdom, and guidance to raise my mini-me…
and to make my dad proud….
because i think, for the first time in 30 years, i’m on the right path…
until next time…
Heather
Found this over at Musings of a Housewife and thought that it was interesting…and because I really have nothing else to write about today, I thought I would play along…
and aren’t you in for a treat…
I have pictures…
1. I attended three different high schools over the course of 4 years… Archbishop Prendergast (Drexel Hill, PA), Philadelphia High School for Girls, aka Girls High (Philly), and Lord Botetourt High School (Daleville, VA)
2. When I moved to VA, it was mid year my junior year… because it was too late in the semester to get me in an academic class like home ec or early childhood education, they put me in advanced PE… with all the boys… yes, I was the only girl… and no, I wasn’t overly athletic… but I held my own, and enjoyed the class so I took it second semester too….
3. 
I went to homecoming my senior year with one of the guys that I worked with on my Honors Independent Study… the dress was hideous… my hair was, ew… and I’m not sure what I was thinking…he wore a purple suit…if you’re local, you might recognize my date… he’s the weather man (one of them) here in town…
4. My first date was with Bobby… he was a geek like me but a good Catholic boy… his mother was my 8th grade teacher…Bobby really was one of those good guys… 
we went to my freshman dance together… my dad had a rule about how he had to have dinner with the guy before I was allowed to date him…we were supposed to go out to dinner at a nice place, but dad was running late (story of his life) so we ate at Burger King before the dance… 
Later on in the year, Bobby and I were both grounded but he called my dad and asked my dad if I could be off grounding for one night so that we could go to the dance… my dad was so impressed that Bobby called, that he let me! My mom made my dress with the help of a lady from Church and this time, we had a much better dinner prior to the dance… Bobby was the only guy that ever passed Dad’s seal of approval… and no, I don’t know where he is now… That was freshman year and I moved schools the next year… and we lost touch…
5. 
My junior prom date was… interesting. We were dating… had been for a few months… he didn’t go to my school… and he was a geek… but not like Bobby geek… he was a REAL geek… He picked me up and took me back to his house for pics and then off to dinner and prom… he didn’t dance and I LOVE to dance… so he sat there… I danced… he didn’t even slow dance… nada… and I couldn’t sit at the table all night… so in the middle of the Electric Slide he walked up to me, tapped me on the shoulder, and said that I had lots of friends and he was sure one of them would give me a ride home…and he left… looking back, I was probably harsh… and selfish… because it didn’t phase me that he left… i had a great time…regardless…
I’m so glad that I’ve grown up… but needless to say, we were over… I was supposed to go to his prom the following weekend, but that didn’t happen…
6. As a result of my junior prom, I opted not to go to my senior prom… a group of us went to see Forest Gump at the Grandin Theater and then on to the After Prom… and I had 10x more fun… even if my little brother was tagging along…
7. 
I got glasses when I was 14…the last in the family to have to have them…I got red frames like Becca from Life Goes On… remember that show? Corky? Anyway, I loved Becca and I thought she was so pretty, so I had to have glasses just like her…I also looked like a blowfish blowing out my candles…
So there you have it… my teenage years defined highly by the boys in my life… I was boy crazy… I lived in a fantasy world… and that’s just the way it was.. I can tell you that I feel that I have aged fantabulously!!!
So, come on, play along… tell us about YOUR teenage years….
Leave me a comment with a link to your 7 things so that I can learn more about you…
Until next time…
Heather
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