Courageous Joy

Mondays! I suppose there HAS to be a first day of the work week. I suppose there must be a first day back to WORK after every vacation. I’ll be content. Today was our MONDAY with a capital M.

TO DO – TO DO….. my TO DO list has about 300 items on it. It hasn’t been this bad since AK. It helps me to renew my commitment to keeping some MARGIN in life. NO, I’ve not read the book but it sure sounds like a great idea.

I got the Kirby picked up. It’s “good as new” – again. I took Krista’s bike tire in to get it fixed. We went to the Family Christian Bookstore and picked up a Bible cover Mike had ordered…..I also picked up a Bible that assures me it can be read in 3 months. We’ll see. I’m valiantly studying through the Word this year but not making the progress I had hoped. I seem to be a hopeless “crawler”, though I’m trying to “power-walk”. I’ve missed reading the whole Bible. I’d also remembered a project I wanted to have done by Christmas of each of my children's senior year and well – it hit me…..I have a senior and Christmas is 4 months away! I have no clue how feasible it is to read the Bible in 3 months….it will certainly be a “race” and should balance out my current “crawl” pace so maybe I can count it as having met my original “power-walk” goal. LOL I got a split email finished for co-op. I fielded several calls. I called my Mom and Dad. Dad is home from rehab – still in a wheel chair – but HOME. Thanks for your continued prayers on their behalf.

We watched “The Great Escape” from Netflix yesterday. I got that returned and we are crossing our fingers that we get one of the “newer” movies we’ve been waiting for by Friday night. I mailed a PBS book off today too. Unfortunately, I still didn’t mail the package to my DAD….I’m going to have to play with the online features of mailing packages.

In the midst of all my work Krista told me she’d like to take the little ones swimming. I was thinking, “Oh yeah – I FORGOT to put PLAY on the list again”. I put play on the list, told her that would be fine and began to make plans. It became apparent that SHE wanted to take them – not US taking them. I’d gotten so used to taking little ones with me everywhere that I’d not even thought of THAT interpretation. Before she left home last fall I was on bed-rest for eclampsia and she was taking the kids out every afternoon to play. She misses that. We made plans for HER to take them to the pool while Jared, Bre and I went shopping for shirts for our family photo and went to the commissary. I also needed to pick up my strawberries that I somehow sent to Adrienne’s house. Well…..the plan went well until I realized the commissary was closed on Mondays. LOL Bre, Jared, Stacia and I went and had a nice visit with Adrienne and her children. At least Porshe has now met ONE of my daughters.

A funny at the base’s front gate today. This cool dude security guy came out. I handed him all of our IDs. He stopped and looked around and then said, “I don’t get your license plate”. I explained that I have nine children and people were always saying “Don’t you think you have too many children” and I would always say “Ah no, there’s not 2 many” so we put it on the plate. You could have blown me over when this prompted an oral history of he and his wife’s entire reproductive history. I pulled away; looked at the kids; broke the tension by saying “Do I LOOK like I care about your entire reproductive history?” with that now attitude thing…..and we all had a great laugh. This was a first. Usually they ask questions or comment on MY repro history. I suppose it’s a welcome trend?

Highlight of the day: Jamin fixed dinner…spaghetti, penne, Kelly’s homemade FRENCH BREAD, great salad, fruit…..I can’t wait for some gal to start singing my praises when she catches this one!

Having decided not to start school until life settles down around here , I now find myself READY to start school. I came home and Jamin had begun reading “All's Quiet on the Western Front”. I’m planning on working through the Financial Peace University dvd’s, workbook and book with the boys and giving them a “personal finance” math credit. Jamin would like to do a science credit in physiology…any ideas? Weights are his life, and diet and such.

Poor Mike got into our faithful workhorse of a Honda this a.m. and it wouldn’t start! It’s been a MMMMMMonday.