I have a new appreciation for any one who has to do manual labor all day in the heat.  Seriously.  I feel like I am spoiled.

I worked hard today… and my competitive nature showed.  But I like being competitive when it doesn’t get out of hand.  It makes me fee so alive….

Today, I headed over to the kids’ school for Field Day.  When I arrived I felt ambushed.  All of the 5th graders had their HVMS Eagles shirts on to which I said to the teacher, “That’s not fair.  I had until Monday to prepare myself for this…”  He thought I was funny, and while I can be funny, I was serious.  I’m not ready for this.  Matthew on the other hand has never been more ready.

I was going just to take pictures.  But I’m sure, if you don’t know me in real life, you can probably assume that I can’t sit still and watch.  I just can’t.

Apparently Matthew’s teacher could see that, too, because he asked me if I wanted to join in on the tug of war.  I did. We won.

Then we moved to the egg toss section.  I couldn’t just watch, so I roped in one of the few fun moms and we participated too.  We lost, but we got pretty far.  I guess I’m just on this quest to prove that getting older doesn’t mean that we aren’t fun anymore.

Then came the annual 5th graders vs the adults softball game.  I wasn’t planning on staying that long or participating because I had a conference call at 2.  Somehow I ended up coaching the 5th graders.  While they didn’t win, it was the closest game in the history of this particular tradition.  I was having a blast.  In the zone.  In my element, but HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT.

Oh my lawsy, I though I was going to pass out.

I headed home with 10 minutes to spare and take a quick, cold shower, drank the last of my daughter’s gatorade, knowing that she would be upset with me, but I HAD to compose myself before I got on the phone with the powers that be.

When that was over, I worked a little and then left to go pick up my daughter, another player and my babysitter and head to our softball game.

Can I mention that it was high 90s today and I heard some parts hit 100?  It was HOT.  I was in jeans because I don’t do shorts.

And then there was the game… and you know what happened?  We won.  Now, we’ve won before, so this probably doesn’t seem like it’s such a big deal because it is.  Reason being, the only games we’ve EVER won are those in which my assistant coach is there.  And he wasn’t there tonight.  It totally made a good day even better…

So game finishes, I dash home, make the kids dinner, shower for the third time today, get dressed, kinda do my makeup and head out the door to go bowling with someone I may have mentioned before.  Let’s just say that we’re both pretty competitive.  And funny.

And now I’m home, and itching to compete with Matthew on Guitar Hero, however, I’m hot, still, and I’m tired, because I think I exerted more of myself in one day than I have in the last two weeks combined.  And I need my rest.  We have another ball game tomorrow and it’s our last one.

So here ends my ramble.  I just wanted to document this so that one day I can look back and say, “hey… i did exert myself at least once…” because I’m REALLY hoping that I don’t have to be out in this heat, that long, doing that much physical activity in a long time.

Spoiled.

That’s what I am.

Until next time….

Last night it was raining.  But what else is new?  It’s been raining for what seems like forever.

It was also our last softball practice before our first game and while I know that I couldn’t teach those girls everything they needed to know in an hour, I knew we had to try.

So we had practice.  In the rain.

I was proud of them.  It was muddy.  It was chilly.  But we did it.  And they did well, few of them complaining at all.

So when we were all done, I gathered them ’round the pitcher’s mound and I let them get me.

And they got me good.

The girls had a blast, the parents thought I was nuts, and you wanna know something?

I’m thinking I have a guest review for Chic-Critique because who needs those fancy products?  When I washed my face off last night, my skin was so smooth!

I might be on to something!

Until next time…

I feel like an antsy child. I am so ready for Spring to come and STAY and not just tease us with the warmer temps only to plummet back to sub-arctic temperatures…

Saturday, I turned the air on just to take some of the heat out of the house.  Last night, I had the heat back on.

It sucks.

And playing softball tonight with the girls will be not as much fun because we’ll be trying to keep our hands warm…

I just want it to be warm.  I already have the pedicure.  I’m just waiting to wear my open toed shoes!

Until next time…

When I left the station and headed for the airport, the sky was a little dark.  The Chief Engineer had called to say that a storm was on it’s way in.

All I could think about was making my plane as I was running a little late.  (Had I not gone back for a cookie, I would’ve been fine.)

I got to the airport and to my gate 20 minutes before the plane was to take off.

All of a sudden, the skies opened up and I saw the slanted rain.  And then?

I could see nothing.

I heard the hail falling on the jetbridge.  Based on the sound, I knew it was large hail.

It was right then that I knew I wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

For 10 solid minutes it stormed.  The wind was fast, the rain was hard, and the hail was loud.  I couldn’t see the plane parked at the gate.

I wish I would’ve taken pictures but there was a gaggle of people at the window all trying to see the same thing…. something.

My cell phone (the third cell phone I’ve had in 3 weeks) started ringing off the hook.  People wondering if I’d left, when I was going to leave, and others to fill me in.  My GM’s car was lifted off the ground when she was on her way back to the station from dropping me off.

Of course, I’d love to have talked to or answered any text messages sent my way, but I can’t figure out how to work the stupid phone.

And as fast as it came, it left.  We left Jackson just 20 minutes late and here I sit in Charlotte starting at the damage in the pictures online.  It’s amazing.

It’s unreal.

And I was there when it happened, but was lucky enough to escape.

Boy am I glad to be going home. (for other reasons than just being able to see the New Kids on my DVR)

Until next time…

Last night, I arrived in Jackson, MS right when I was supposed to.  There were no delays, there were no hangups, I didn’t have to sit next to a weirdo…

it was a nice flight.

Now, in all my travels, we can say I’ve had 3 flights without complications.  I’m pushing for 4, but we’ll see how that all goes when I go home tomorrow.  I’d really like to be home at 7, you know, so I can have a life on a Friday night…

But in addition to that, while I was in Charlotte, my youth group called me to say hi.  Typically when I travel, I call the youth pastor and just say hi, let them know that I’m thinking about them, and tell them where I am.  But we have a new youth pastor, and I didn’t know his cell number or if he would be cool with that.

Imagine my surprise when they called.

And then?

I got here and there was a friend request from a 19 year old boy… luckily he had the words Battlecry in his name or I might not have added him.  But I did.  An hour later, I got the nicest email from him.  I’ll share that with you all later… it deserves a post of it’s own.

Of course, my sleep is all screwed up because of the time change, however, I got up this morning and made some coffee, got a shower and am just enjoying the peace and quiet.  I checked the weather and guess how warm it’s going to be at home?

51…with rain….

guess how warm it’s going to be here?????

84!!!!!  with sunshine!!!!!!

I picked a good day to be here!

Really, it’s all about random blessings for me.  For many, they might not even see these as blessings, but they are…

and for these reasons, this is why I’m thankful this week…

Until next time…

Tonight was one of them.

It wasn’t because I needed a mouse disposed of.

It wasn’t because something broke and I didn’t know how to fix it.

It wasn’t because I needed a jar opened.

It was because of the wind.

The last time we had such high wind gusts, I was out of town.  The BFF was here and kept telling me how scary it was.  I shrugged it off.  I knew it had been windy here this year and I guess I had just gotten used to it.

But tonight?  My goodness how that wind, and rain, whipped through here.  The trees were bending so far over with each new gust.  I kept fearing that one of them would fall and land not on the 1.5 acres of land that I own, or in the woods, but on my car, or worse… my home.

Mentally, I was going through my checklist of items that I would need to claim based on which tree fell where.  I couldn’t drown the howl of the wind out and try as I might, I couldn’t ignore it.

Matthew and I have been reading a really good book from the Dear America Series called My Secret War: The World War II Diary of Madeline Beck and at 8:00, 30 minutes before we typically read, I asked him if he wanted to go and read.

As we sat huddled under the covers reading about Maddie we attempted to take our minds off what was going on outside.  It was the perfect weather to curl up with a good book and we so enjoyed reading more into the diary.  At 9, I proclaimed it was bed time and after a few “please just a little more readings” I went to tuck him in.

Just then, the wind picked up and I swore I heard a noise outside.  He asked me the difference between tornado watches and warnings and I admitted that I knew one was more dangerous, but not which one.

And then he asked me what to do about being scared.

Immediately, I told him to pray.  He just looked at me.  “Matthew, can you stop a tornado, or the wind?”

“No,” he replied.

“Neither can I.  Therefore, all you can do is pray and have faith that God will protect us.”

“But what happens if a tree falls on the house?”  He asked.

“Then there is a reason.”

I kissed him goodnight after answering a few questions about Christ’s Second Coming and the Rapture and walked out to the living room where I heard another noise outside. (The child wishes to engage in deep spiritual conversations before bed… all.the.time!)

It was then that I determined this is a time where it would be nice to have a man around, someone to make me feel safe, someone who I knew would handle fallen trees.

It was also when I determined that I had just given my son solid advice; advice that I needed to follow myself.

And again reminded myself that I do have a Man around the house.

Until next time…

Heather

“…the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” — William Arthur Ward

It’s been windy here… while I was gone we had wind gusts of up to 70mph. It’s never been this windy.

I was pretty pessimistic about it…

and then, I expected it to change…

and then, after fixing my storm door that’s been blown open one too many times, I’m readjusting the sails…

Actually, the wind adjusted my sails… er my door… for me…

Until next time…

Heather

It is a constant prayer of mine to let the light of Christ shine through me.  I beef it up before I travel.  Traveling is hard for me. I’m out of my element and in many ways I am “free”.  Free meaning I don’t have two children following me around while I’m on the phone, I can come and go as I please without worrying about anyone else and I can pee without being interrupted.

See, little things.

It also means that I can go to Wal-Mart and the mall by myself.

Little things…

and that’s exactly what I did tonight…

and then I came back to the hotel room and packed… I’m ready to get out of this frozen tundra and head to Mississippi for a few days where I can thaw out a little.. I just checked and the high tomorrow is supposed to be 49… but Thursday and Friday?  62 and 68… i’ll take it…it’s 10 here right now… too cold for me!

See?  Little things..

Until next time…

Heather

Ok, for those of you who live North of the Mason Dixon Line or those of you in the Mid-West, I have a question…

How in tarnation do you deal with this weather and these arctic temperatures?

I feel like the biggest pansy on the face of the planet.  Seriously.

I was okay with all of it really until I went to get in my car and courageously drive back to the hotel from the station.

Note to anyone who owns a car rental place where it ever snows or ices… please spend a little bit of money and equip your rental cars with ice scrapers… my credit card works fine for the snow/ice we have in Virginia but not for the cake of ice that I came out to this afternoon.

It was solid.  And so I turned the car on and the defrost on and then attempted to go and wait in the warm building.  Except I forgot the code and everyone else had already left… or so I thought.

As it melted, I would get out of the car and scrape a little until I could no longer feel my fingers and then I would get back in the car.  It was just about all gone when one of my co-workers came out and asked “Wish you were back in Virginia?  I bet it doesn’t get like this.”

Well, the reality of it is… it does.. just not as often or quite like this and when it does get like this, I don’t have to go anywhere… I work from home.  I can walk to the grocery store if I need to.. AND I have an 11 year-old who LOVES to go out and start the car and clean it off for me.

There, I’m spoiled.

He rescued me… in reality, I would’ve been sitting there another 20 minutes had he not scraped the rest of the car off.

I made it back to the hotel without killing anyone or wrecking which was way cool.  I made it into the building without falling on my toosh, which was even cooler.. because you know how I like to wipe out in front of hot guys in hotels….

Then I ventured out for dinner with one of the trainers that is here.  I let him drive.  I wasn’t going to.

We went to HuHot Mongolian Grill.  Awesome… way outside of my comfort zone in that you basically cook your own stir fry and there are way too many choices.  For my ADHD brain it almost sent me in to a tailspin… but I did it.  And it was awesome.  Now I wish we had one back home.

And now I’m back here.. I’ve talked to the kids and the BFF and she’s doing an amazing job… I told Matthew not to get too used to her cooking and he suggested that maybe I let her teach me how to cook.  She’s tried… I didn’t have the heart to tell him that.  I think they are enjoying her.

And Sam’s eating… and not complaining.  I’m working very hard on not taking any of this personally.

So…. I’m off to work on my Bible Study that I’m missing this week since i’m here.  And then I’ll read.

I should’ve rethough the no TV for Lent… which everyone here is laughing at me since I gave it up and I work for a TV station.

Then I’m going to get nice and toasty because I know that when I leave in the morning, it’s going to be cold.

Heather

Poor Matthew…

The child spent the day outside… like more time in the cold than if it were 80 and sunny… he just loves to play in the snow.

He was out the door at 9 only to return at 1 for lunch and then out again.

A few times I had to call out to him, or to the neighbors to make sure he wasn’t lying in the snow freezing to death…

He came in just now, soaked to the bone, just as I was looking up the school closings… for tomorrow.

You see, I know the school system well.  Any threat, chance, etc of snow or ice will cause them to prematurely cancel school.  And as I expected, school has already been cancelled for tomorrow.

Now most children would love to hear this.

Samara, along with the other kids that I’m watching are among them.

Matthew, on the other hand, is devastated.

His birthday is tomorrow.  I was going to be adventuresome and make Redskins cupcakes for the occasion.  (And by adventuresome, I mean I was making red velvet cupcakes with yellow icing.. the colors of the Redskins.)  But this was important because this is the last year that he can take cupcakes to school for his birthday without being made fun of.  We had a lengthy conversation about this and I was going to make them, not buy them like I usually do.

He’s pretty bummed.

I offered to make the cupcakes and send them on Tuesday (since we’re out of school on Monday anyway) and while he agreed, he was still devastated.

Poor thing.

So, I’m off to console him… after I leave you with a few more snow pictures from today…

Until next time…

Heather