It’s Here!
April 21st, 2008
Spring has finally arrived :) It was 65 degrees today and the snow is melting fast. On my short drive home from work through the housing area the streets and sidewalks were alive with people and pets. Little kids on tricycles, families walking together; garage doors open, releasing four-wheelers and motorcycles from their winter caves. The Spring air was filled with sounds barking dogs, laughter, the pounding of adolescent feet on the ground; sputtering motors, water parting as cars made their way through endless puddles that reflected shimmering sunlight.
Sunday after church Bren and I drove to town in search of The Prom Dress and it was actually a very enjoyable experience. We had a lot of fun. In the past, clothes shopping with Bren never ended well, both of us were always reduced to a mess of anger and tears. The difference now is that she is no longer stuck in the No Girl’s Land that is out of the Girls section but not quite in the Juniors. My baby is almost all grown up and fitting in women’s clothing quite nicely. I would post a pic of The Dress now, but Bren would not approve. You will have to wait until May 3rd.
I Love to Sleep
April 19th, 2008
I love sleep too much. I know this because whenever I get a lot of sleep I feel the need to tell the whole world. Hey! I got to sleep in today! I don’t have to be in to work until 2 p.m. but I have been late once or twice because I overslept. I think my co-workers find this amusing…or I find it amusing and they think…well, whatever they want. I hope they know that my afternoon naps are the reason why I have the energy to hang out with teenagers all afternoon!
The Naked Files #2
November 29th, 2007
Today Bren had a difficult morning at school. I received a call from her just after 11 a.m. and she asked if I would come get her for lunch. I showered quickly, stopped to get her a Rockstar (energy drink), and made my way to the school. I watched as Bren made her way to the car in the chilly 10-degree air without her coat. She looked tired and pained. As soon as she was settled in her seat and we began to pull away, her tears began to flow. What a great stress reliever tears are!
I drove around the corner to BK and left Bren sitting in the car while I went in for her lunch. When I returned she said “Okay, I’m done crying.” I pulled into a descreet parking space and ate while we talked about everything on her mind. I got her back to school with a few minutes to spare. After getting out of the car, Bren leaned in a little and said, “Thanks for coming to get me, I needed the break.” I watched as she walked back into the school. (A habit I have developed so that if she happens to injure herself falling on the ice, I’m still there. I’m such a mom…)
Trapped in Fairbanks
November 28th, 2007
...for Christmas break anyway.
Emotional exhaustion resulting from a romantic break-up requires nothing less than running away to grandma’s house for a couple weeks, so Rick and I decided we would send Bren alone to my mom and dad’s over Christmas break.
Ahhhhhhahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Okay, I’m back.
I Wanted to Marry Steve
November 24th, 2007
His name was Steve Miller. He was perfect, and I was crazy about him. I was 14, he 17 when we met for the first time at church. His father was our Chaplain and our familiegrew to be very close. Even though Steve showed no romantic interest in me whatsoever, I would spend hours a day (usually during school hours) daydreaming, planning out my life with him. Steve was a great swimmer and a lifeguard at the base pool, so I would go there as often as I could to sit on the bleachers, hoping I would catch his eye. When his family bought a new house, my parents rented their old one. Occupying a beautiful home that Steve once lived in put all my senses on high alert. It was so romantic.
In A Bit Of A Pickle
November 16th, 2007
Have you ever gotten a room in your house really super clean after it’s been messy for a long time, and then you just want to stand in the doorway and look at it? Just wondering.
I ended up sleeping in this morning until 11:00 after going to bed at about 4:00 a.m. As I lay in bed in that almost-awake-but-not-quite stage, a thought popped into my head that yanked me into full consciousness: I’ve got cooking club today. In four hours. (Now where did that thought come from? I wasn’t even thinking in the same ballpark as Now, what do I have to do today? Weird.) I had completely forgotten about it and was not prepared at all.
Childless
July 20th, 2007
My chick has flown the coop for the weekend and I can hardly believe I have the computer all to myself!
Mark invited Brenna to ride down to Anchorage with him and his sister Faith (two of our pastor’s kids) to spend the weekend with Mark’s girlfriend and another good friend. They all keep in touch almost daily via MySpace and have become great friends, so it will be wonderful for them to get together in person. I look forward to seeing all the pics they’ll take. (Where were digital cameras when I was a teenager!?)
It’s gonna be great having some time to myself, but I sure do miss my girl!
Summer
June 11th, 2007
It never gets dark here in Fairbanks in the summer. But you probably already knew that. The other night I was driving Bren’s boyfriend home at 11 p.m. and was searching frantically for my sunglasses because the sun was so intense.
At home I have only gotten black-out curtains for the master bedroom so that Rick can sleep, but now I can’t sleep in there because it’s too darn warm, even with the fan on. With the thermostat all the way down the heater is still coming on and we’re baking (must call housing maintenence!). I’ve taken to sleeping in the guest room (Hear that folks? GUEST ROOM. I have room for anyone who would love to visit Alaska). This morning I woke up still feeling tired after having gone to bed at 2 a.m. The sun was very bright shining in the window. I guessed it was about 11 a.m., but I didn’t want to look at the clock. Right then reveille sounded. Ahhhhhh, only 7 a.m. I slept for three more hours.
The point of this story: 24 hours of light screws up everyone. Early Birds and Night Owls alike.
Somber Day
April 16th, 2007
It was a sad day watching the coverage of the shooting at VT today. When I dropped Bren off at school I hugged her a long time then watched as she entered the school. I then parked in the teacher’s parking lot and let my fear out in tears and prayer for a few minutes. Sometimes I just need to stop and let the Lord remind me I can trust Him completely with my baby.
Talking with my mom always makes me feel better too :)
Thanks for your email Dylan.
Stop The Clock
March 30th, 2007
My baby got her driver’s permit today. Someone stop her from growing up!
A Plesant Afternoon
January 26th, 2007
Twenty-five degrees has never felt so good! It is 50 degrees warmer this morning than it was this time yesterday. The sun is noticeably higher in the sky, shining intensely. I opened all the windows downstairs to let in the fresh air. Even the poopers (doggies) seem happier. While driving this morning I glanced down the railroad tracks as I crossed them, and off in the distance a bit I could see a big moose lying in the snow just looking around. I like to think she was enjoying the sunshine as much as I was.
Rick came home for lunch early today so we could go pick the truck up from the garage. From the clicking noise in the engine compartment and the telltale pieces of rubber lying on the garage floor, we could tell one of the belts was shredding. I was surprised we were able to get it replaced so quickly.
Sledding
January 13th, 2007
Every muscle in my body is screaming You stupid, stupid, out-of-shape woman! This calls for a bit of stretching out, some motrin, 10,000 hours on the treadmill, and an afternoon of FOOTBALL! :) (That Diet Pepsi commercial with the clips of players and coaches is hilarious!)
I’m so sore this morning because yesterday the temp reached 15-degrees; warm enough to go sledding. My friend Abbie in tow with a thermos of hot chocolate, we made our way up to the lodge at about sunset (which was incredible, by the way). Rick, Bren, and I made a few slides down the slope, and while we were on our first break our friends Kent and Leah showed up with three of their kids. It was so much fun and it felt wonderful to be able to spend a lot of time outside in the fresh air.
Yesterday was just an enjoyable day all around. It began with Abbie, Bren, and I having breakfast at a little mom-n-pop resaurant, Mama C’s, a few hundred yards from the front gate. The food was very good and we had a fun time chatting. The family spent a quiet few hours at home reading before we went out sledding, then in the evening I took Bren to town. She was a bit bummed most of the day because she wanted to attend the high school’s Sadie Hawkins dance, but we wouldn’t allow her to go. The best distraction in these situations are bookstores, so I took her to the going-out-of-business sale at Walden’s in the [s]mall in town. Bren got Edgar Allan Poe Complete Tales and Poems, Phantom of The Opera, The Picture of Dorian Gray, and Four Centuries of Poetry. I got The Low-Carb Bible ($2), all for $20. Afterward we went to the Mother Ship for some reading and coffee. The staff kicked us out at 11 p.m. We were in bed by 2 a.m.
What are your plans for the weekend?
Praying for Discernment
November 18th, 2006
Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil. ~ Proverbs 4:23-27
Our sunrise this morning is at 9:32 and sunset will be at 3:33 p.m. We lost 7 minutes of daylight yesterday and will lose 6 more today. Pretty soon our daylight will consist of an orange glow peeking over the horizon for just a couple hours before darkness resumes. Of course all that changes – albeit slowly – after the winter solstice. Meanwhile, I have a strong desire to sleep buried in a comfortably warm bed most of the time. My body yells at me, “It’s dark, go to sleep!”
So, what am I doing up at 8:30 on a Saturday morning? Our friend Kent called this morning to ask if Rick wanted to ride with him to the men’s breakfast at church. Bren answered the phone in her room then came in and crawled into bed with me. She didn’t get to sleep until 3 a.m, so she’ll be out for several more hours. Friday night is the only night she can stay up as late as she wants, so she takes full advantage.
20e2Yeah, I’m In Charge Here
November 14th, 2006
I peeked into Bren’s room this morning after I heard her emerge from the bathroom. She was sitting on her bed in her bathrobe, a huge towel wrapped around her head, which was tilted back, her eyes closed. She had a pained expression on her face.
“Hey Buncher, how’s it going?”
She opened her eyes, gave me a frown while furrowing her brow and said, “I don’t want to go to schooooool! We never do anything in Health.”
Father’s Daughter
October 27th, 2006
I received an email from my dad that both delighted and saddened me. My mom flew back to California to have surgery done on her eyes and I lost track of the day and didn’t call her beforehand. [Insert that sick feeling you get when you forget something that is important to someone you love, and so it’s also very important to you].
I thought about my dad all day today and came to realize how much I depend on him as a person for my identity. While I get my physical identity from my mom (I look just like her), I feel in most other ways I’m my dad’s clone. Our personalities, temperments, hobbies, habits, likes, and dislikes are remarkably similar, and I love being able to say I get that from my dad. At times when I get to feeling that I am not acceptable to others in some way, I think to myself I’m like dad, and he’s wonderful, so I’m okay too.
My mom is completely wonderful herself, but that’s another post. All three of us kids are blessed with incredible parents.
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Concert
October 13th, 2006
Bren and I left for Fairbanks at around six o’clock. It was overcast and cool, the traffic light, and it dawned on us that we’d be more than okay sitting in chairs reading by the fireplace and sipping coffee at Barnes&Noble should we not secure tickets to the concert.
We pulled up to the auditorium at 6:35 and were among the first to arrive. I approached a man, that I guessed was an event organizer by the way he was flitting about, and asked him about the chances of getting two tickets. He said they had about 40 available, so if we were above 40 on the waiting list then we should be good, although half of those tickets were standing room only. To assure my standing as First In Line, I grabbed a concert season schedule to read and leaned against the counter.
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O Worship The King
October 9th, 2006
O worship the King, all glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love;
Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,
Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,
Whose robe is the light, Whose canopy space,
His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,
And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.
The earth with its store of wonders untold,
Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;
Established it fast by a changeless decree,
And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.
Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?
It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;
It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,
And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.
Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,
In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;
Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,
Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.
O measureless might! Ineffable love! ~ William Kethe
It was good to be in the house of the Lord today! We sang this hymn which is one of my favorites.
Back to Reality
October 5th, 2006
Our household goods are here :) The delivery is set up for tomorrow which is nice; we’ll have a three-day weekend to work together to get the bulk of the boxes emptied out.
The next few days are going to be very busy, and since we no longer have the wireless connection at home, my postings may be sporadic until I get the DSL hooked up. My goal is still to post daily, though.
We didn’t go to church last night. Rick is still sick with a cold and was completely wiped out when he got home last night. I made the command decision to stay home and make him go to bed early. Bren was also tired after spending almost four hours working on a project at the library after school. Me? I’m just enjoying my last couple days of being a lazy housewife before it’s time to unpack the house.
Bren woke up this morning at 5:30 cursing her XX chromosomes. Since she was ready for school early I drove her through BK for breakfast then dropped her off at school. I’m now sitting in the billeting office, which is a real fun place to be early in the morning. There are four other people sitting around looking at laptops, ESPN is on the widescreen t.v.; luggage, janitor, coffee, travel plans, cologne. It’s 27-degrees outside. Life is good.
On to orientation.
Later then ~
My Freshman
October 4th, 2006
The kids at school don’t seem to know what to do with Bren. I’m convinced that at least one kid probably thinks she’s an undercover cop, spread the word, and now everyone’s avoiding her like a term paper.
Bren’s had several occasions when the upper classmen have had good conversations with her then are shock-and-awed when they discover she’s a freshman. Evidently, the super duper Secret Code of public school is Thou shalt not mingle with, speak to, act slightly interested in, stand next to, breath the same air as, or hold an intelligent conversation with a FRESHMAN. I think the penalty for violating this Code is picture expulsion from the yearbook and six months of penance to be carried out in the library during lunch break.
In Search of a Desk…and a Packers Win
October 3rd, 2006
I really enjoy driving Bren to school; the morning rush to get ready to head out the door is over and we can relax and chat on the way. When we moved into this house and Bren got on the bus that first day, I felt gypped. I missed our morning small talk, kissing her goodbye, and watching her walk through the school doors. Bren missed her thirty extra minutes of getting ready time! So for now, I get out in the morning and take my girl to school. We have a lot less time to chat, but always enough to remind her to rely on the LORD during her day.
After I dropped Bren off this morning (Rick had the day off work and slept in), I came home and fell back asleep on the couch. This loaner furniture that the housing department provided for us is wonderful, but Rick and I have been trying to share a full-sized bed, and it just isn’t working out anymore. I am normally a very heavy sleeper, but even I was waking up several times during the night, and that, I surmise, is one of the main reasons why I’ve been so wiped out during the day; I’m not getting a good night sleep, and neither is Rick. Being that I am the better sleeper and can do so just about anywhere, I have taken up nighttime residence on the ugly, but very comfortable couch. I like sleeping on couches, but I’m not sure why.
