Fun at Shaw-Kemp

A few years ago, a librarian friend of ours invited us to this place in Weatherford where they have amazing bluebonnets.  It sounded fun, so we looked up the address and we went, not knowing what to expect.  Every April since then, we've made the trek to the Shaw-Kemp Open House.
If you've ever been to the Log Cabin Village in Fort Worth, this is similar.  They have a small town of antique buildings filled with antiques and people in period costume.  Everyone is happy to discuss local Parker County history and the entire event is free.
Most of the event organizers are part of either the Shaw or Kemp family, and I think most of their advertising is done by word of mouth.  Every year in January,  my friend Stacy and I start searching online for the dates for the Open House that year.  It's hard to find and when I ask around at the event, they all tell me that they never know until a few weeks ahead of time when the event will run.  Sometimes there are fields of bluebonnets, but apparently this year is a bad one for them.  We found a few, though.

Here are some photos of our fun yesterday.  We had a lot of laughs and finished off the day in downtown Weatherford.

Paul and Pengie in a teepee.  (We brought Pengie from home.  He wasn't part of the exhibits.)

Have your kids taken pictures with a Native American mannequin with blue eyeshadow?  No?  I'm sorry.

A horse-drawn carriage driven by a penguin.

Taxidermy animal in the bluebonnets.

When was the last time you petted at taxidermy dog in a field of bluebonnets?  Well that's too long!

Dog.

Old-fashioned see saw.  The kids loved it! 

There were lots of dogs to pet!

Adam and the kids on an old merry go round.

Paul getting a shave at the barber shop.  This is one of his favorite things to do each year.  The barber uses a plastic knife to scrape shave cream off his face.  

A random beautiful bead mosaic.

Bluebonnets!

This dog's name is Tinkerbell.  Every year Tinkerbell and her mother dress in matching Minnie Pearl outfits.

Paul pretending to be an outlaw.

Claire wanted a shave, too.  She was laughing so hard Adam had to hold her still.

This is not a real cannon.

Gnomes.

My life as a cussing tour guide

Before I had kids, I was a teacher.  As such, when Paul was born, I quit my career to teach my own children.  Claire was two at the time and arrived home from day care counting to 10.  Most parents would rejoice at that, but I nearly cried.  I was crushed that I wasn't able to teach her that fundamental skill.
Since then, my children's worlds grow every day.  Try as I might, it is impossible for me to teach them everything about the world as well as all the book knowledge they will need to succeed.

I often view myself as a tour guide in my children's lives.  Sometimes I take them places where I can explain what they are experiencing as they are experiencing it.  And sometimes they see something and I have to stop the tour bus to go back and explain it.

Lately, that has manifested itself in the area of foul language.  I really don't curse in front of the kids.  I like to think I'm creative enough to avoid it.  "Oh, Shhhhenanigans!"

Claire came home at the beginning of the year and asked me what cruss words were.  It took me a few minutes to realize she had combined curse words and cuss words.  Explaining what curse words were piqued her interest and she was asking me all sorts of questions:  "Is stupid a cuss word?  Is butt?  Is dumb?" Knowing that she wouldn't quit until she had one in her head to meet the formula, I shared the word "sh**" with her.  She then understood that these were words she hadn't been exposed to and wasn't supposed to say.  I told Adam about this exchange and he couldn't believe I actually shared a forbidden word with our daughter.  I'm not sure what he would have done had he been in the car at that moment.  He wasn't mad at me, just perplexed.

So over the course of this first grade year, I've had to navigate through the minefield of okay and not okay words.  Never before was I so aware of all the gray area in our language.  No, stupid is not a cuss word, but you shouldn't say it because it's not nice.  I think I've done a successful job of confusing Claire, and definitely Paul when he's been in earshot of these conversations.

Two weeks ago Claire was sharing with me, her tour guide, a fact she had learned at school that day.  "Mama, I know what the middle finger means now.  It means F---."  I nearly choked at her nonchalance, but she was just sharing knowledge with me, like she always does.  She didn't realize this was a forbidden word.

The curse word situation has escalated at the playground and classroom.  Other students, whom I love, who are good kids, are dropping F bombs on the playground or flipping each other off when the teacher's not looking.  I know this because Claire is like a news reporter.  Everything that happens in at school is recorded for repeat to me later.  I often check her facts and find them to be pretty near true and uneditorialized.

This situation sounds pretty out of control and horrifying, but I know each and every person involved, and I'm not horrified.  Claire has an excellent teacher who loves her students, including Claire.  She works just as hard as she can to meet each student's needs.  She really is awesome and I've got nothing but respect for her.  She has her class under control, but she cannot avoid ever turning around or hold each child's hand on the playground to make sure they are using appropriate language.

And for the kids, I know from asking questions, that this is not an angry thing.  This is about growing older and obtaining new knowledge.  This is about trying out new things to see if they work.  They are not angry at each other when they use the F word or when they flip each other off.  They are stretching their legs, learning independence, and figuring out what works for them.  This is about obtaining a new vocabulary word and trying it on for size.

And the kicker for me is that I can't raise my child in a bubble.  Even if I had the money to enroll her in an expensive private school, chances are, the kids there know these words too and the same thing would happen.

For me, the way I deal with this is with prayer, many deep breaths, and ears to listen.  As the kids gain new knowledge, it is my job as their tour guide and mother to help them understand the world around them.  Unfortunately I cannot travel everywhere with them, ready to cover their eyes and ears to the inappropriate.  I can be here to listen and offer some advice and a hug.

Learning about prayer from kids

Yesterday I had the opportunity to talk with eight preteens about prayer.

We started with prayer mandalas, so the kids would be focused on prayer.  (If you would like to meditate and pray while coloring a mandala, I get mine here.)  Coloring can be a centering activity, where you clear your mind and focus on your relationship with God.

We talked about the different times people pray, at church, before dinner, before bed, when you're feeling sad.  We also talked about praying when we were overwhelmed.  Each child offered an example of when they are overwhelmed.  Of the eight, three listed a problem on a screen "When I accidentally drown my character on my X box game."  "When I'm playing with my friend online and he chooses a hard opponent."  "When I'm trying to avoid being killed on the game."  It was fascinating to me because they weren't being silly.  These are real times when these young people feel overwhelmed.  Before the evening, I had anticipated their responses to be something like too much homework, extracurricular activities, or stressful relationships with parents, siblings, or friends.  The other half of the room listed these.

One of the ways to pray that I introduced them to was breath prayer.  The prayer repeats a one sentence prayer with each breath.  The one I use most is inhale: "I want to feel" and exhale "Your peace and grace."  (If you want to know more about breath prayer, there's an excellent explanation here.)

Usually I use breath prayer to request something intangible like peace or grace.  But it can also be used for tangible items.  I recently taught my six year old daughter how to do this and encouraged her to craft her own.  After a period of time I asked her what hers was.  She said, "I want to  make....good grades at school."  I was surprised for two reasons 1. She makes great grades...her lowest was 98 this six weeks and 2. I never thought about using breath prayer for something tangible.  For me it's a centering, calming, focusing, spiritual tool.  

I just love how when I think I'm smart and have something figured out, a child comes and teaches me something new.  (Luckily I usually don't tell others I've got it figured out so when I continue learning, I'm the only embarrassed one.)

Running on Grace

Since Holy Week, the Boyette household has been running non-stop.  Every few days I've had a brief chance (an hour or so) to catch my breath, wash dishes, and carry on.  It is neither desirable or healthy to live life on the go, but sometimes life requires it of us.
When I was studying to become a teacher, one of my professors made me memorize the four stages of teaching.  I wish I had committed it to long-term memory because all I can remember is the first stage: survival mode, and the last stage: proficiency.
You could say that today I am living in survival mode, but I prefer to think that I'm running on grace.  I've been saying prayers of gratitude all morning that things are going better than they could be.

Here's a few examples of moments of grace that I've been aware of today:

1. I woke up late; at 6 a.m.  I usually get up at 5, so when I realized the time, I panicked, but our automatic coffeemaker greeted me with a fresh cup of coffee, already brewed.

2. The kids and Adam were able to get themselves out of bed mostly on time today by themselves.  Usually I have to stop what I'm doing multiple times each morning to get them all awake.  I only did that once today.

3. Last night was museum night, so both kids stayed up past their bedtimes, but neither one was grouchy and falling apart this morning.  Paul delighted in watching our hamster and announcing he was also a hamster.

4.  After we dropped Claire off at school, I was able to wash the dishes from last night.  That made me feel better.

5.  While I was washing dishes, Adam called to warn me of two policeman patrolling the area around Claire's school.  Since life has been frantic lately,  I am currently driving with an expired inspection sticker, so I was so grateful for the warning and took a different route.

6.  I didn't have time to eat breakfast this morning, but was able to have a healthy granola bar in the car.  On days like that, we often stop for donuts, but today Paul and I made healthy choices.

7.  It was barely sprinkling when Claire went to school, but as Paul and I started getting in the car, the rain came, just in time to remind me the umbrellas were in the house.  I was able to go back in and get them and avoid wet heads and grouchiness later.

8.  We were running a little late to church, but Paul prefers that I walk him to class, so I was parking the car to do that.  Then he decided he wanted to go through the carpool line, which eliminates me having to leave the car and saves me five minutes at least.

9.  I was able to arrive at school exactly on time and due to planning, already had my lesson prepared to go. I was able to immediately get to work and start a productive day.

I am so grateful for days like this when you see all the things that could have gone wrong, but none of them did.  It's a good day.  Tomorrow will be calmer and we'll all be able to catch our breath.

Continuing the birthday list with my mother-in-law!

April is a birthday-heavy month around here.  It's also a happy month.  Today we celebrate the birth of my mother-in-law, Sarita.  She is a gifted and giving woman and we're all proud to be part of her family.

Sarita grew up in Chandler, a suburb of Tyler, Texas.  Her brother and his wife still live in the family house, which is called the farm, though we're not sure what they grow.  

East Texas was her stomping ground through college.  She met Stan Boyette in college and they were later married.  They moved to DFW and raised one son (Adam) and twin daughters.

Sarita taught special education at MacArthur high school for about 30 years.  She retired when I was pregnant with Claire.  She and Stan spend their days tinkering around the house and playing with their dogs, Britches and Pockets.  Sarita is a talented scrapbooker and handmade card creator.  Our home is adorned with both.  She's completed at least five scrapbooks for each of my children.

Sarita is both resourceful and thoughtful.  She always has her thinking cap on trying to find a way to reuse or recycle everything that comes in her house.  

You know you are a favorite of Sarita when you are elevated to bag status.  That means every time she sees you, she gives you a bag of random items you will find useful.  (Not to brag, but I usually get two bags.)  Inside your bag, you will find all sorts of surprises from canned goods to Campbell's soup labels, to pocket packs of kleenex, or a bag of dog treats she got free in the mail.  Every time she goes to Sonic she saves the mints to send to my kids.  She cuts the front of all her greeting cards off to use in scrapbooks or to give to the kids for art projects.  Calendars are treated the same way.

Sarita and I are both passionate coupon cutters, so when we cut the coupons out of our newspaper insert, we save them to swap.  She is also well-versed in the free giveaways on the web, so she often sends us something random and useful she won online.

I was surprised when I started dating Adam and realized that in his family, all the pets are taught to speak.  They always introduce themselves before speaking, and it is often Sarita who helps.  A conversation with the family dog often goes like this:

"This is Pockets.  I am madder than hell that Wesley Eugene got blessed at church and I had to stay here in Grapevine with these old folks.  I am sick of that dog trying to say I am condemned to hell.  How can I get baptized if these old folks never leave their house?  This is Pockets and I am furious!"

Or

"This is Britches.  That Pockets has overstepped his boundaries one too many times.  I was the first dog in this house and now everyone is all, 'Pockets, Pockets, Pockets.'  I am fed up and as soon as I can find a suitcase in this messy house, I am hitting the road.  Plus, I am sick of this dog food they make me eat!  Where's the Porterhouse steak?  This is Grapevine, and word on the street is that it's supposed to be hoity-toity."

The dogs are usually angry about something.  Sometimes they even send each other letters in the mail.

In honor of Sarita's birthday, our dogs Wesley Eugene and Cpt. Midnight Sugar Dot Express have something to say:

"Happy birthday to you, old woman!  This is Wesley Eugene and Sugar Dot.  Don't even come into the Fort Worth city limits today unless you come bearing treats for us!  Oh, and happy birthday."

Happy birthday to my granddad

Today is my grandfather's 88 birthday.  His name is Jerry, but everyone in the family calls him Mi.  He's old enough to know exactly what he wants and ask for it.  My cousin Jeff and I constantly are searching the entire DFW metroplex for said item.  Jeff actually drives into Oklahoma once a month or so to buy Mi's snuff. Apparently snuff isn't a hot seller in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so Jeff contacted a friend in Oklahoma, who meets him halfway with a case whenever Mi is running low.
Currently my shopping list for Mi is to find Febreeze air freshener with Gain in it.  I bought him a substitute Febreeze last week, but it wasn't acceptable.  Mi admittedly can't smell it, but his visitors like the scent and he wants that particular one.
My grandfather is particular, and sometimes grouchy in his particularity.  But every bit of that has been earned and he deserves exactly what he wants.
He was born in Emhouse, Texas, a little town close to Corsicana.  His father died when he was a child, and my granddad was raised by his mother and grandfather in Corsicana.  He had 10 brothers and sisters, and he is the last one alive.
He contracted pneumonia when he was 18 months old, but lived through it.  He grew up picking cotton and working on the farm.  He still remembers the big snow of 1929 when Corsicana measured 19 inches on top of a hill.  His father would go squirrel hunting on Sundays and they had a delicious meal of squirrel gravy.
World War II started when he was a teenager, and my grandfather lied about his age so he could join the Navy.  He worked as a cook on a hospital ship through the end of the war.  Days after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, my grandfather walked the beach there.
He met my grandmother in 1946.  I still wear the locket he gave her that Valentine's Day.  They were married in December of the same year.  They raised a family in Irving where my grandfather worked as a lineman for TU Electric.  To this day, there are line insulators in Irving that he installed.  When I drive to visit him, I always look at the power lines and wonder which ones he helped hang.
When my father was graduating high school, my granddad went back to school to finish his high school diploma.  They both graduated the same year.
He and my grandmother paid the hospital bill when I was born because my parents didn't have insurance then.
Mi loves to tell jokes again and again and again, and laughs harder than the listener at the punch line.
Mi favors my son Paul because Paul wears a costume every time to his retirement home and picks up lots of girlfriends.  Many eligible ladies are knocking on Mi's apartment door now to see when that cute little boy will come visit again.
I've been documenting his life for some time and have many snippets and stories of his 88 years.  This little blog just isn't quite enough to communicate Jerry Baker's goodness, generosity, and sense of humor.  He is a giant and I love him.

Adventures in Birthday

Yesterday was my birthday.  I turned 35, and I'm quite happy with that.  I'm not too young and I'm not too old.  Old enough to accept that I'm an adult but young enough not to act like one sometimes.

We have a friend who used to be a missionary and a pilot.  About nine months ago the kids started showing an interest in learning more about planes, so I asked him if he could possibly take us for a flight in his.  He agreed and we've been trying to schedule it since then.  With unpredictable weather and busy schedules, we finally decided  yesterday would be the day.

The kids and I were excited.  We'd be in the plane and Adam had plans to stand on the roof waving at us.  When our friend arrived at our house, he gave me several ziploc and shopping bags just in case we got sick in the air.  I laughed and on the plane, put them in back, almost out of reach.

Yesterday was a very windy day, and to sum up our 45 minutes in the air, it was bumpy, Paul got scared, and Claire and I had to reach for the bags.  We did get to see Adam on the roof, but I was nearly immobile with nausea and couldn't take photos in the air. Our pilot was so kind and generous, but we just couldn't take it. Luckily, I don't think the kids will be scarred for life from this.  For me, I am glad I am wearing the "adult" label now because I am adult enough to say, I don't need to do that again.  I am so grateful we had the experience, and now I can go on with life.

Besides that, I took a lovely nap, went to the grocery store by myself, and then we had friends over.  I decided that I didn't want to mess with a restaurant on a Saturday night and feeding people makes me happy, so that's what we did.  The boys manned the grill and the girls chopped vegetables and chatted while I made homemade tortillas.  We finished the night by playing the Awkward Family Photos game, which every time, makes me laugh so hard I can't breathe.

I received two birthday cakes.  My dear friend Stacy made one for me: (lemon poke cake)

And Adam bought the other:

You might wonder why my name isn't on that cake.  We have a friend named BettieCarol who instructed the kids on the proper North-Carolina way to say her name.  "BettieCarol" pronounced something like "BayCarl" is the kid's new catch phrase.  They run around the house saying, "Oh BettieCarol!"  Paul invented this knock knock joke and every time he tells me it I have to take a moment to stop laughing.  Adam wanted the cake to say something funny, and as he puts it, "What's funnier than this?"  I loved it!

It was a good birthday.

The first 35 years of my life

I turn 35 tomorrow.  Here's a short autobiography of my life so far:

I was born at Harris Hospital downtown.  Some could say I was born a Methodist.

My parents went to the Birdville ISD school board and petitioned for me to attend the elementary school of their choice because the one in our area was across from the high school.  As I remember, they said they were afraid high school kids would try to sell me drugs.  I attended Snow Heights Elementary.  In my day, Snow wasn't just the name of the school.  It was an all-white campus.

I received something of a culture shock in middle school when I switched to attend the correct school.  Haltom Middle was a cultural melting pot, and I loved that about it.  I didn't know anyone at first, though, so for my first year, my best friend was a book at lunch.

I caught my social stride at Haltom High where I was friends with everyone and usually succeeded in saying a personalized greeting to every single person that crossed my path.

During my senior year in high school, my father's job moved him to Austin.  I stayed in Fort Worth with my mother so I could graduate from Haltom and she could sell the house.

I went to Tarrant County Junior College and made great friends with a girl who was dating my future husband.  He was extremely skinny and I remember wondering about his nutrition.  We all hung out together for a bit.  I worked for the school newspaper and in my spare time, wrote features for two local branches of the Star-Telegram.

During college, I roomed with my uncle.  He's eight years older than me and a world record holder in wheelchair races.  He was an aerospace engineer starting his own business.  I pitched in on rent and made up the extra with cooking and cleaning.  He also was in a christian rock band and I was a huge groupie.  We had a lot of fun.

At the University of Texas at Arlington I wrote for the school newspaper and magazine, eventually becoming the last editor of the Tempo.  Adam and I became best friends and eventually we shared enough beers and laughs that we found out we were in love.

The week after college graduation, Adam and I married and moved to Fort Worth.  We visited many churches of various denominations but finally ended up in a pretty building on Camp Bowie.  We still attend Arlington Heights UMC.  For me at least, joining the Methodist church was like finding my home.  Although I was raised, saved, and baptized in a Southern Baptist Church, the more I learned about the Methodist doctrines and beliefs, I realized I had been a closet Methodist my whole life.

My final years at UTA, I worked at Half Price Books, but when we moved to Fort Worth, I decided to use my college degree and become a teacher.  The school I taught at was the cultural opposite of the one I attended growing up.  I learned just as much as my students when I worked there.

In 2005 I got my wisdom teeth removed, we had just bought a house, and I decided, while on painkillers, that it was time for us to start having children around the house.  I didn't change my mind when my gums healed.  Claire was born the next year.

Adam and I attended Love and Logic parenting classes, which set us on a parenting style we stick to together.  I continued to teach for a couple of years.

Paul William Boyette was born and I quit teaching for pay to be a stay-at-home mom and teach my own children.

The year before Claire started kindergarten, I began working at church.  Paul still attends preschool there.  Now I rotate between church work and tutoring elementary students on reading.

Tomorrow is my birthday.  I am mother to two kids, two dogs, two fish, and one hamster.  I am wife of Adam.  I am a Jesus lover, a writer, a church staffer, a teacher, a cook, a voracious reader, and a person constantly striving to improve myself.  I love to help others, give hugs, and talk to friends.  My house is a mess but my kids are smart.  I am part of a happy family.  I am content.

Paul and I at the Mother-Son Dance in Grapevine this year.

Sanctuary

From Houghton Mifflin's online dictionary:
sanc·tu·ar·y    (sngkch-r) KEY 

NOUN:
pl. sanc·tu·ar·ies

1. 1. A sacred place, such as a church, temple, or mosque.
   2. The holiest part of a sacred place, as the part of a Christian church around the altar.
2. 1. A sacred place, such as a church, in which fugitives formerly were immune to arrest.
   2. Immunity to arrest afforded by a sanctuary.
3. A place of refuge or asylum.
4. A reserved area in which birds and other animals, especially wild animals, are protected from hunting or molestation.

I work at a church, so sanctuary is a word I use frequently.  We have a room at our church called the "sanctuary" where we "worship."  I attend worship services here, too, but this room is not my preferred sanctuary.  My sanctuary is in my kitchen.

For our small house, we have a large kitchen.  The kitchen is my sacred place, place of refuge, a place where I am protected from the pressures of my world.

Our kitchen is adorned with artwork from our children.  We've also got baby photos from the cutest kids in world.  The freezer portion of our refrigerator is completely covered with photos of our best friends.  It is hard not to feel love in this room.

I've got a speaker for my I-pod in the kitchen, and plenty of dance floor.  Claire and Paul have decided, like me, that they enjoy dancing to Billy Joel.  His songs are so upbeat and happy.  The kids love screaming and dancing to "Uptown Girl."  (Please don't tell them this is an old song.  They think it's new and hip.)

Sword fights and Hot Wheel races also are a near-daily occurrence in the kitchen.  I am always prepared to be a "bad guy" and dodge Paul's sword or light saber.  

Beyond play, we have a beautiful coffee pot in the kitchen. Drinking my first cup of coffee in the mornings while doing my Bible study is a sacred ritual.

The counter, the stove, the refrigerator, are all magical instruments used to transform ordinary ingredients into  food for loved ones.  My KitchenAid mixer is from my grandparent's kitchen and used regularly to make baked goods for others.  The kids love mixing chocolate chip cookies in it and sticking their fingers in the batter.

We have a window above the sink that overlooks the oleander bush my grandparents gave us for a housewarming present nearly 10 years ago.  When I open the window, I can always hear birds singing.  We also have a family of lizards that likes to run across the screen at night.  Bugs are drawn to the light from the kitchen, so the lizards find the kitchen window is a great hunting ground.  Some evenings Adam and I stand in front of the window watching the lizard show for a long time.

Herbs are growing on the window sill and I snip them when I need some fresh ingredients for dinner. Ivy from my grandfather's house trails the tops of the cabinets, which are decorated with gifts of roosters and special wine bottles from friends.

Last week and the beginning of this week was busy, and I wasn't able to get in the kitchen and cook a decent meal.  I just threw together quick fixes to feed us on the go.  Yesterday, though, I had time and took it to thoughtfully prepare a home-cooked meal.  When I have time to do that, all the stress goes away.  Paul came in and searched for his Darth Vader costume and Claire wanted me to give her a dog for a baby.  

This morning, like all mornings, Adam will come in with his coffee and iron his clothes.  We'll discuss the plans for the day as I prepare the children's lunches.  Our routines in the kitchen are so normal and so sacred.

In the Bible, there is a famous story about two sisters, Mary and Martha.  Martha worked in the kitchen and complained, and Mary sat and listened to Jesus.  I find that for me, the opposite is true.  I work in the kitchen to listen to Jesus.  There is only love here, and that speaks of God.

Pure Awesomeness

Yesterday was pure awesomeness.  Today will be hard because I've got to be a test monitor at school, but the good part about that is that my job will be to walk up and down the hallway non-stop....good exercise, and I'll be able to remember and savor all the wonderful parts of my day yesterday.

We had our church staff random birthday party yesterday.  Yesterday was the fake birthday of Rev. Nancy and Sue.  The theme was Maxine and Paula went all out in thoughtful planning.  We all had a blast.

All day long I was distracted though, (I got five minutes of productive work done.) because Anne Lamott was coming to town!  Anne Lamott is one of my favorite authors.  She and Barbara Brown Taylor have the knack of speaking directly to me.  I couldn't wait to see her in person.

What I love about Anne is that she cusses and she loves Jesus.  No, really.  She is humble, honest, and real.

Anne was scheduled to speak at Arborlawn UMC at 6:30 p.m. I was so excited and so afraid it'd be a packed house (it was) that I arrived at 4:50.  They weren't letting anyone in the sanctuary, so I sat in the foyer.  The only other non-church member there at that early hour was a man named Mike who introduced himself and immediately asked me if I was a writer.  Weird.  He isn't a writer, but he wanted to know if I was. I told him no, but then he started telling me I should start journaling, and then I stopped him and corrected myself.  "I am a writer, actually," I told him.

I spent quite a while with my new best friend Mike, who told me I should be taking deep breaths because he was afraid I was so excited I might hyperventilate.  (No, I did not.  I did take deep breaths, though, because they are always good.)  I told him that I knew I was being rude, but I was going to constantly look at the door instead of him so we could be the first ones in the sanctuary.  I think I might have intimidated him a little.

We finally got to go inside.  I showed my UMC nametag in hopes that would get me in early, but alas, Anne Lamott fans were all treated fairly, so I had to wait like everyone else.  I was able to nab half a pew on the second row, which was my goal anyway, so it all worked out perfectly.  I had recruited my friends Rev. Nancy and Robin to sit with me and they were so kind and tolerant of my enthusiasm.

Anne was fabulous.  She was funny, honest, and said many thought-provoking bits that I will work on remembering so I can quote her later.  I've got a few down, but am thinking about it all.

On rough drafts...."The first draft is child writing, the second draft is the adult, and the third draft is..."...I forgot.  Must try to remember all the details.

"Addictions are all the same in that you desperately want something that is terrible for you."  She spoke of being addicted to things I hadn't thought of before (shopping, being needed, and some more things I have to go think about.)

There was a question and answer time, so I jumped up, and stepped all over poor Rev. Nancy (she said she wasn't injured), and got to the microphone first.  I said, "My name is Sarah and I want to tell you thank you.  I love you.  Can I hug you?"  Cheesy, yes, but true, and guess what?  I got a hug from Anne Lamott!  She is a great hugger, I might add.  Not some impersonal, one arm hug; she gave me a full-body embrace.  Woohoo!  It was awesome and after the event, at least 10 strangers told me they were jealous of me.

I got to give Anne a hug during the book signing.  When you know so much about a person through books or talking or whatever, it means a lot to be able to touch them in the flesh.  "I love you and you are real."

The Great Flood of 2013

On Tuesday, we left for work and school as usual, about 8:30 a.m. When I returned after picking up Claire, our house was flooded.  I quickly found the source was a busted refrigerator line.

The culprit

I contacted neighbors and we had three shop vacs going within an hour.  Adam came home from work and one neighbor stayed and mopped the floor.  We realized to save the carpet, we'd have to remove the carpet pad.  So Adam ripped up the carpet and I hauled the soaked carpet pads out of the house.

We worked for two solid hours before someone mentioned calling the insurance company.  Adam called, and three hours later, we had professionals in the house.  Stanley Restoration came and pumped 100 gallons of water out of our home.  They also patiently answered questions posed by all four of us.  It was fascinating to watch them work with the water sensors and determine there was water in places we didn't even realize.  (The coat closet.  Who but a professional would have checked the floor in the coat closet?)

Each corner of half of our house looked like this.

I had to straddle fans to wash dishes and cook at the stove.

Woohoo!  Some of the fans were able to be removed.

Watching the work crew remove the parquet floor.

Our 1958 flooring is going bye bye!

They installed 18 industrial fans in our house and two giant dehumidifiers.  We had to move furniture around to get it off the wet floor.  They have been coming to our house daily to check the progress of the fans and test the moisture in the floors.  All conversations are conducted in yell-speak and the TV has to be turned on full-volume, so we just leave it off.

Currently, a work crew is using crowbars and mallets to remove the parquet floor in our back room.  One worker said the flooring was original to the house:  1958.

A few minutes ago I stood in the hallway to watch the workers and a piece of parquet hit me in the head.  Now I'm in the next room hiding.

What we're excited about right now

Here is what excites me right now:

Anne Lamott is coming to Fort Worth!

Learn more about her April 2 appearance here.

The first Anne Lamott book I ever read was Operating Instructions.  It's about raising her son and personal growth.  I really enjoyed her style and have often purchased and gifted that book to others.  But then when I read Grace Eventually, I was completely in love.  I love her humility and honesty about struggling with life.  Through  her writing, she seems like the kind of down-to-earth person I'd love to sit and have a giant cup of coffee with and just listen to what's going on in her head.

I will be inviting people to come sit with me at this event, but please be warned that I am VERY EXCITED and I plan to arrive an hour early so I can get a great seat.

Around our house, we're also excited about the Perot Museum.  I heard from a friend that on the first weekend of  the month, Bank of America customers get in free with their debit card.  So we went on the first weekend in March.  This museum is phenomenal.  We have an excellent museum in Fort Worth that our family continues to have a membership to and we visit it often.  But this new one is world class.  It's also crazy crowded.  A family membership is $100, so we went ahead and purchased one that day.  I took the kids back over spring break and we took our time exploring and we had fun.  If you take your family, buy your tickets online first, because they sell out daily.  And be prepared for crowds and Dallas kids that aren't quite the same as Fort Worth ones.  Riding the TRE is a good option, especially with crazy parking situations, but it is a 1/2 mile walk from the train station to the museum.  And, if you wear your Optimus Prime outfit, you are extra cool!

A great book I'm reading right now is My Formerly Hot Life by Stephanie Dolgoff.  I can't give a complete review of it yet because I'm only on Chapter 3, but so far it's a coming of age story about moms and the physical and mental transitions that go along with it.

Last night Adam and I went to a concert together.  We used to do that all the time, but the times, they've been a changing.  His musical taste also differs greatly from mine, so there are few artists that he likes that I find willing to pay ticket price plus $10/hour for a babysitter to go see.  He was able to get some discount tickets, though, and it's spring break, so I figured we could stay out late.  We went and saw Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.  Adam was quite excited about the concert and has been trying to educate me for a month so I was ready for the live show.  Frankly, I was more excited about a night out than the concert.  It ended up being great.  It was at SMU and we enjoyed eating at a tiny Italian restaurant before the show.  We actually sat down in comfortable chairs the entire show and were able to enjoy it without being surrounded by obnoxious people.  I was intrigued to observe that the crowd was 99.5 percent white.  I counted less than 10 minorities and wondered why.  Twice we just stood in the crowd people watching, which was fun.  I complimented a 25 year old man on his 15 inch long beard and we observed several interesting ways to dye your hair.  Lots of tattoos.  I wanted to go and engage several in conversation about their choice in clothes/hair color/tattoos, but didn't want to creep anyone out.  It was really fascinating.

The light engineering was fantastic and the band played a wide variety of instruments, including a violin, all of which we could actually hear.  It was a good show.

Our little free library is getting more buzz.  Two libraries are being constructed right now because they heard about ours.  Our FB page is up to 60 likes.  We have started rotating out the books that don't move and instead, leaving those books in random places with a registered number from www.bookcrossing.com .

I've also moved all my email over to Google, where I now use my google drive, task bar, reader, and other features daily.  It has made a difference in sorting through the action emails I get daily.  I still have my yahoo account, but you can now reach me quicker at mrs.sarahboyette@gmail.com

(I hate the mrs. part of this and feel it's kind of pretentious, but the email system is so awesome, I'm getting over it.)

2013--The Year in Review: January

January wrapped up last week and I thought I'd inventory some thoughts that have been rattling through my head:

1.  Squirrels make nests.
I learned this just last week by observation and then asked friends for more information.  Apparently if a nest is at the very top of a tree and it's messy instead of a nice, structured pile of branches, it's probably a squirrel's nest.

2.  I don't have to "get it together" before I show up.
I got this from Anne Lamott's book, Help, Thanks, Wow, which I highly recommend.  I also read it in two hours, so I figure most people can read it in a day.  She talked about how many people think they have to get their life in order before they start a regular prayer life, but how a regular prayer life actually helps people get their life in order.  I've found this concept true in many parts of my life.  If I can just show up, I often can "get it together" there.  (My eventual hope for this blog is that it will be a place where I "get it together" so I can publish something sometime.)

3.  My body doesn't end at my neck.
I often focus on nurturing my brain with books or my spirit with prayer and Bible study.  I'm not so good on nurturing my body with anything other than delicious food.  Over the Christmas holidays, I threw out my back.  This was fixed when a friend pushed certain muscle points on my stomach to put my back muscles in place.  Honestly, it had been a long time since I had felt muscles in my stomach.  They don't go away just because I don't think about them!  So this led me to realize that I should be more intentional about taking care of my physical body.  I've been doing yoga with my friendly instructor on the Wii.

4.  I am not a garbage disposal.
If others in the house don't enjoy the meal I cook for them, I don't have to eat it all.  If others sit and talk to me and tell me their problems, I don't have to take them on as my own.  I don't have to keep every scrap of paper that might be informative some day or every invention of recyclables the kids give me.

5.  Sometimes my job is to listen.
Our friend, Jason Valendy recently wrote a post about monologues in church (Read it here.)  This caused me to do some thinking and Adam and I have been having discussions on monologues verses dialogues.  At a fast-increasing rate, I am caught in conversations that become just my job to listen.  If you know me, I do often talk a lot, so I when I'm in conversation with someone, I try to continue the dialogue, add comments, whatever.  But lately, and at random places and times, I have become aware of the need to just zip my lips and listen.  At the park the other day, a man was commenting on my dog.  I wanted to tell him the story of Sugar Dot, but it turned out that he needed to talk to someone.  He ended up speaking to me for fifteen minutes about  his dog that had died, and that led to a conversation about broken marriages, custody battles, and moving back home.  When I had to leave, I felt bad for him.  He didn't even know my name, and I didn't get a chance to tell him.  He needed someone to talk to.

In a world where people are increasing their relationships via social media and decreasing their face to face contact, I am consciously trying to pay attention and listen where needed.  I am trying to recognize the places where dialogue isn't needed, but an audience for a monologue is.

Perspective

Today I am thankful for so much, but the concept that is framing life right now is perspective.

Yesterday our hot water heater broke.  Because our hot water heater broke, though, we went to a neighbor for hot baths and sat down and spent time and conversation with them.  Paul got to play on their piano and I realized that he might just have piano lessons in his future.  Claire got to read a story about Dora the Explorer to the elderly man.  Because our hot water heater broke, Adam and I consulted several friends and had conversations with some we haven't in a while.  Because our hot water heater is broken, tomorrow won't be a day of running around but staying at home and helping Adam replace the darn thing.

Last night the kids and I went to church to help serve dinner (and provide crazy entertainment) to homeless women spending the night at our church.  I was exhausted after a long day working, helping Claire with homework, and doing crisis management with Adam on the hot water heater, but I wanted to make sure we didn't miss this opportunity.  It was like having a family reunion.  "Look how much those kids have grown!  How are they doing in school?"  I didn't garner any new perspectives there other than one lady remembered that a year ago I referred to her as a piece of furniture and she still considers it a compliment.  (Furniture as in comfortable to be with and always around.  I'm a piece of furniture, too, for the record.)

Then we went and looked at Christmas lights on the church bus.  Rev. Nancy had already organized a field trip for the senior adults to do that, but I think we had more homeless ladies on the bus than seniors.  One of our guests was driving everyone nuts.  She was singing Christmas carols off key at the top of her lungs, rolling down the window and shouting Merry Christmas to strangers, and acting as a tour guide for every Christmas light we passed.  "Hey everyone, hey hey, look to your right!  Oooooh!"  "Hey now, look to your left, your left, your left!!!!!!"  I didn't mind it so much because I, too, get excited about Christmas lights, but by the end of our field trip, my enthusiasm was wearing thin.  Then the lady said, "I am so glad we did this.  I haven't been able to do this since I was a little kid."  Boom.  There was the perspective.  No wonder she was acting just like a little kid.  She also thanked me for bringing my children because they reminded her of her son, who died a few years ago.

So today I am thankful for perspective and the moments in life that give it to me.

Seasons of Thanksgiving

Since November started, I have been posting one item on Facebook a day that I'm thankful for.  This in turn has lead me to be more thankful.  I already practice gratitude  but now I find myself being even more thankful for every single tiny thing in life.  I try not to take anything for granted.

Today I am thankful for:

1.  Central heating and air

Fall weather has arrived, and with it, warm afternoons and cool nights.  We are so fortunate here to be able to change the weather inside our house with a flip of a switch.  Air conditioner off, heater on.  Oh, it's a warmer day.  Heater off, AC on.

2.  Multiple pairs of comfortable pajamas

Some people only have the clothes they wear on their backs.  I have an assortment to choose from for day or night.

3.  Variety in grocery shopping

I did all my shopping on Sunday.  First Trader Joes, for items available only there.  Then Costco for my bulk items, then Aldi for generic groceries, then Wal-Mart for price matched groceries.  Do you know some people have to do all their shopping in one place?  Not me.  I travel the city to get the best deals by ounce.

4.  Alarm clocks

When I'm distracted (ahem) and haven't gone in to wake up the chillens and Adam, their alarm clocks start the job for me.

5.  Stuff

The clutter around the house is both a blessing and an albatross.  We've got stuff.  But, we've got stuff!  We've got multiple blankets on each bed, books in every corner, newspapers, food, toys galore.  We've got stuff!

6.  My laptop

Today I'll be doing some work from home (after my other job).  Tomorrow I'll be doing work at church.  Do I need to transfer files or change gears?  No!  I take my laptop and work with me!  It's nice to have a portable computer and a portable job.

7.  Opportunities to serve

Some people have hidden talents that are waiting to be used.  Not me.  I am blessed with knowing what I am good at and being able to find places to use it.  Nearly every where I go I am able to help others.  It's nice to be able to help in multiple situations.  I've even found places for my leftovers!  I've discovered that some people at church will eat anything I cook!  

8.  A break

This weekend Adam took the kids camping and I was left by myself.  It was a glorious time.  I went shopping.  I read an entire book.  I watched a movie.  I crocheted.  But by the end, I was ready for them to come home.

9.  Election excitement

The kids both voted at their schools, and when it was election night, Adam turned on the TV to watch the vote tallies coming in.  Both Claire and Paul were asking all sorts of questions about who was winning and what those colors meant.  It was educational and fun!

10.  Security

I do not live my life in fear.  I don't worry about bombs destroying my house or my children being injured at school.  Terrorism is a far-off word and world for me.  For all those who make this country, state, city, and neighborhood safe for my family, I am grateful.

Thankful things

Today I am thankful for:

1.  Not one but two jobs I look forward to going to!
In this economy, when many are unemployed and looking for any job they can get, I am so extremely blessed to have two jobs that I love.  Doing church work doesn't feel like work to me, and reading with groups of five kids is a blast.  The students don't even get disappointed that they miss recess to be with me.

2.  Clouds
This morning, a wise sage named Paul Boyette said to me, "I want to take a break with you."  He wanted to sit on the curb in front of a neighbor's house and watch clouds.  We did, for nearly 10 minutes.  It was barely 8 a.m., so the sun was still making its way up the horizon and we were able to watch several types of clouds dart in and out of the sunlight in changing directions.

3. Sharing love with neighbors
We've got our Little Free Library up and running.  I was so very, very, very excited about this project that I was setting myself up for a little disappointment.  (You mean that all the neighbors won't stop what they are doing right now to come get a book from us?) However, we've had several customers and it's a good thing.  Another neighborly thing we're doing is "boo-ing" people.  You pack a pumpkin or bag with treats and secretly deliver it to your neighbor.  Along with the treats is a sign for them to hang up on their door as well as more signs for them to share with other neighbors.  By Halloween, our entire street should be "booed."  It's a great activity for the kids, although they are terrible at being sneaky. 

4.  Time at home
Since I've picked up my second job, it seems as if we are rushing more than ever.  Tonight we don't have football practice, PTA meetings, or any other obligations, so the kids and I will be enjoying time at home together.  We might just bake cookies.

5.  Seeing the world through a child's eyes
Claire came home this week and very seriously asked me if double-dipping chips was against the law.  A friend told her that a retired policeman told her that.  After I stopped laughing, I explained that we don't have laws like that.

6.  Administration that listens
Adam and I had an issue at Claire's school this week, so we went to the office to discuss it in person.  Within five minutes of walking through the door we were listened to and the problem resolved.  We are grateful.

7.  The end of football
Paul hates football.  He likes his teammates and coaches, and Adam and I can tell this is an excellent program.  He just doesn't like being that rough.  So this week is homecoming, and the season is drawing to a close.  I'm so grateful, because this rushing to practice twice a week is killing us!

8.  A place for our things
I cleaned out the coat closet and the next week we had a church coat drive for the homeless.  We cleaned out Claire's closet and found a friend who could wear her clothes immediately.  It makes me feel so happy to give our things to help others.  So good that it makes me want to clean out the house.

9.  A home for our leftovers
I love cooking and do it daily.  Unfortunately, when I think a meal is fabulous, my family doesn't always concur.  I discovered that I could bring my leftovers to the church and serve it to the staff and they would appreciate it.  I even got a thank you note for my beans!  I would much rather share my leftovers than to put them in the giant deep freeze for who knows how long.

10.  Halloween excitement
With boo-ing our neighbors, promoting the church's trunk or treat event, and getting our costumes ready, the entire Boyette family is getting excited about Halloween.  Yesterday Adam ironed his work clothes while wearing his Spiderman costume.  It was both awesome and really disturbing.

Thankful Things

Today I am thankful for:
1. A new job
Yesterday was my first day at Western Hills Elementary School.  I didn't tutor any kids yesterday; I worked with one of the assistant principals on identifying the children that need tutoring.  I can tell I will like this job, though.  Twice a week I will tutor second graders on reading.  I have the freedom to invent my own lessons without the constraints of a scripted curriculum.  I am so excited about this job!  I get to keep my job at the church as well as keep Paul out of day care.  We'll both have Fridays off.  I'll get to be a teacher but without the grading, staff meetings, and many other parts that make teaching more than a full-time job. 

2.  Our Little Free Library
I would like to publicly thank Adam for all the hours he worked on creating our Little Free Library.  It was a family project, but he really did all the hard work.  The kids helped him paint it and swung hammers a couple of times, but Adam was the construction crew.  He dug a giant 2' deep hole through dirt and rock.  He mixed and poured concrete for the post.  He hammered, nailed, sawed, sanded, painted, and many other construction verbs that I don't even know.  We have shingles!  We have a Plexiglas door!  We have awesomeness. 

3. My Husband
Did I mention that he built a Little Free Library?  Did I mention that he did this during his precious few moments of free time?  Did I mention that he is awesome? 

4.  Preschool
Since I work at the church, Paul attends preschool tuition-free.  When I struggled with decisions on how to make more money and searching for a new job, I worried that Paul would have to enter daycare and a new situation.  Luckily, my new job lets me set my own hours.  I just switched Paul from two days a week to four.  He transitioned easily into a new room.  He's in a loving environment where everyone knows him.  I believe that builds his confidence.  I am grateful that I didn't have to look elsewhere and start a whole new program.

5.  Claire's school
Claire loves attending Bruce Shulkey Elementary.  She has an excellent teacher.  As a former (and partially returning) teacher myself, I can recognize the quality of her school.  Every teacher treats every child with respect.  The entire school is a calm and loving environment.  Claire feels loved and appreciated just like at home.  She is learning not just book knowledge, but is exposed to many different cultures from around the world.  We are blessed.

6.  Friends
All of us are blessed with fabulous friends.  The first week of kindergarten, Claire came home with two best friends and they are still best friends today.  I couldn't have picked better girls for her to buddy up with.  They are smart and sweet.  Paul has several buddies at preschool that he talks about all the time.  He doesn't even know a child who is rude or disrespectful.  The kids he favors are the kids I favor myself.  I love that our children have the gift of picking good friends.  As for Adam and I, we are also blessed.  Last weekend we stopped by our long-time friends Matt and Stacy's house to drop off something and ended up staying all day.  It was so nice just to sit and talk and catch up. We get so busy in our day to day routines that sometimes I forget how blessed we are with friendships.

7.  Chore charts
I am intentional about not chasing the kids around the house, hounding them on what they have left to do.  Instead, I get to chase them around the house (not really) and remind them to check on their chore charts.  They get to own their own routines and I get to focus on mine.

8.  Books that expand my horizons
Last week I finished reading Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerrman.  This book was about a middle-class white woman, who, due to some bad choices of friends after college, ended up spending a year in federal prison.  It wasn't a happy book, but it was very interesting and informative.

9.  Fall weather
We've had some cooler weather this week.  I love the change of seasons because it always feel like a fresh start to me.  I always feel full of hope and promise during seasonal changes, whether it's fall or spring.

10.  Trader Joe's
I have finally figured out what to buy at Trader Joe's and I love it!  Cookie dough butter, fresh bread, simmer sauces, coffee, pizza crust, and wine.  Some of their prices can't be beat, even with coupons and Wal-Mart price-matching.  I love the smallness and compactness of the store and the friendly and helpful staff.  I also love the strong paper grocery sacks.  I love Trader Joe's!

Back in Action

So much has happened since my last blog.  Here's some little news snippets to catch you up on the Boyette family and what we've done the last two months.

1.  Claire is now in first grade.  She loves her teacher but is disappointed she's not learning much yet.  I keep telling her it's the beginning of the year and the curriculum will pick up speed soon.  If you don't keep up with her blog, you should.  There's a link at the top of the screen.  At least once a week, sometimes more, I coax her into answering questions to be recorded.  I type exactly what she says and it's pretty funny.

2.  Paul plays flag football for the Ridglea Roughnecks.  Since he was an infant, our friend MJ Rosas has been asking us to put him in football when he's four.  MJ coaches a local team, so Paul is now four and in flag football.  When he's had a nap that day he loves practice and games, but when he's sleepy he's not as enthusiastic.  He's also not very competitive, which is just fine with us.  We focus on brains more than brawn around here.  We just want him to have fun.

3.  Paul is now attending school mostly full-time.  He switched preschool classes today but had a flawless transition.  He'll go Monday through Thursday and we'll have a special day together on Fridays.

4.  My granddad is doing well in his new retirement home. After removing all the family mementos from the house, my cousin and I sold as much as we could.  He donated the rest to Goodwill.  My granddad now has renters in his house, which is providing income for his fancy schmancy apartment.  I'm still sorting all the stuff I brought home from his house.  He enjoys his apartment and is socializing more than I have ever known him to.

5.  I've got another job.  I haven't started yet because there's a backlog on district background checks for employees, but as soon as my paperwork is through all the red tape, I will be a part-time tutor at Western Hill Elementary School.  I'll be focusing on teaching the students (mostly 2nd graders) high frequency words so they can get their reading speed up to grade level.  I would like to thank my friend Ardis Freeman for this opportunity.  I had been going through a difficult time of discernment where I knew I needed a new job but didn't know if I had to quit the one I already had.  This tutoring position is fabulous because I'll work on Mondays and Wednesdays at the school and still work Tuesdays and Thursdays at the church.  Hooray!

6.  My old oven broke and I'm in love with my new oven.  Convection baking!  A warmer drawer!  Five burners!  It preheats in about 10 minutes!  (My last one took two hours to preheat to 400 degrees and I'm not even exaggerating.)

7.  We've gotten half of our house painted.  One day a man came to our door and offered to paint the house for a price we couldn't refuse.  Unfortunately this was before I got my second job so due to budgetary restrictions we split the job into two sections.  He's done with the front half of the house, but the back still needs painting.  We have learned several lessons here, including to only pay for work completed and sometimes you really do get what you pay for.  We don't know if the same guy will finish the house or not.  We hope he does, but for the price, we just don't know if he'll show.  We didn't lose any money, but we are wiser to business deals now.

8.  Our Little Free Library will open soon.  Adam has been working for a few months on construction and we're down to painting and mounting the miniature house which will hold books for our neighbors to borrow.  For more info on this, click on the link at the top of the screen.

Thankful Things

Today I am thankful for:
1. Successfully getting up early
Our schedule has been out of whack this summer.  We've all been staying up too late and consequently sleeping in too late.  Today I successfully hit the ground running at 5:30.  It's 6:45 a.m. and I've already accomplished a lot.

2.  Kids who can clean
I am often overwhelmed with the amount of housework to do in a home with two children.  Yesterday I got smart and enlisted help.  I gave each kid one small task at a time, which eventually added up to big clean up.  Also, Claire successfully vacuumed all the bedrooms for a mere $2.

3.  Automatic-brew coffee
I believe this speaks for itself.

4.  Hooks on a door
Adam installed hooks on the kids' bathroom door.  Hallelujah!  Now they can hang up their own bathroom towel!

5.  Husband at home
Adam got to come home at 7 p.m. last night; the first time in several weeks he's been able to be home that early.  It was a cause for celebration, or dinner together at least.

6.  Mementos
My granddad moved to an assisted living facility, so he told my cousin to get everyone to clean out  his house because he has a renter waiting.  It's amazing how much family history is accumulated in nearly 60 years of living in the same home.  With joy, I've been cataloging all the photos and books in the house.

7.  Private tours
Yesterday I took the kids to an archaeological museum at Southwestern Baptist Seminary.  I had called ahead, so we had a docent-led tour of the small museum.  I was happy to learn that our docent was Methodist.  She was extremely kind and patient with the kids, who eventually got anxious.  We looked at pots that were 3,000 years old and were surprised to learn they are held together with Elmer's glue.

8.  Learning
I hope I never stop learning.  Yesterday we learned about the evolution of water pitchers, how adding a spout was "new technology" thousands of years ago.  At church, I am always learning, too.  If you had asked me a few months ago how to make a podcast, I would have had no idea.  But guess whose church is on Itunes now?  That's right.  (Search ahumc) We're awesome.  We also have this fantastic new marketing plan for all our special events.  Sometimes I like to take a little pride in myself.

9.  Love notes
The kids have been writing me love notes.  Claire's attempt at a cursive note said, "I love you more than books."  That's a lot of love.

10.  Being able to read the "real" Bible to a kid.
We have a few versions of children's Bibles around here, but frankly, I don't think they are that much fun to read.  Recently Claire asked for a real Bible like mine.  (Her Precious Moments Bible isn't very readable either.)  Rev. Nancy happened to have a Common English Bible in her office, so we have been reading real books of the Bible.  Last week was Esther and last night was Jonah.  It's great to see her so excited about reading the Bible and she is really comprehending it.  She was proud to take her Bible to church on Sunday.  I was going to have her follow along with the sermon, but it was on David and Bathsheba, so we decided to wait a week for that experience.

11.  United Methodist Hymnal # 310
At our church, every month that has five Sundays in it, we do a special Fifth Sunday Hymn Sing.  This is where the congregation requests hymns and the choir sings it.  Every fifth Sunday for quite a while, Adam has successfully gotten the choir to sing his favorite hymn, "He Lives."  Last week he was so excited about the hymn sing that he was singing that song around the house for several days.  I am so glad the choir sang it for him because now it's out of  his system and I don't have to listen to him singing it.