Life Lessons from September 2013
What a month. The days were extremely long, yet it flew by us. I can't believe we are less than a week from October. I feel like so much happened to us and around us this month, and I was just reflecting on it all. With that reflection came this...
1. Just when you think it can't possibly rain any more, it rains again. Actually, the whole year so far has been bizarre weather wise. The hottest day of the year so far was in August with a high temperature of 96°. The average temperature for August was 89°. That's unheard of around here in August. Our coldest month was February with an average low of 41°. We basically didn't have any cold weather this winter. We haven't experienced ten days in row without rain since November of 2012. (source)
Why do I care? Good question, but it's been so far out of our norm that it's remarkable. But the rain. Oh, the rain. I could go a long long time and be happy not to see any rain at this point. Our yard is a muddy, wet mess. Three children and one puppy + that muddy, wet mess = disaster!! It's been a long summer of cleaning the floors, shoes, and puppy paws. I'm tired of everything being damp. I'm tired of cancellations and foiled plans. I'm tired of grey and dreary. Surely, things will get back to "normal" soon, and we can enjoy our beautiful city this fall. Outside.
2. Puppyhood might be longer than I remember. Birdie is doing really well. She is growing like crazy, more than doubling in size since we got her. Now, she is 11 pounds. Eleven pounds of fluff, puppy teeth and energy. Endless energy. Today, she is 18 weeks and 2 days old. Four and a half months. She is doing really well with her commands. As long as I have treats! She can sit, lie down and fetch. Actually, fetch is just fun for her, she doesn't need treats. And it's a great way to get her energy out. My next goals are come and heal on the leash. I am pretty sure that if I just work with her, using the strategies we learned when we had a trainer for Sully, she'll get it pretty quickly. If only she was picking up the potty training as quickly. I do have to give her credit - she is doing very well. But it's still frustrating when she has an accident in the house. I keep thinking, surely, she has got it now. And, then, I find a surprise. It's almost impossible to keep my eye on her at all times which, of course, is what's needed. I feel like I have an infant again, except I can't leave this one sleeping in her bed because she'll get up and into mischief. I'm hoping it's like it was with the babies, long but blocked out of my memory once it's over! If it's ever over.
3. I'm no longer living in a teenager's body. You'd think I would have figured this out before now seeing as how it's been quite some time since I've had a teenager's body. Quite some time. I had my first pinched nerve this month, in my lower back. Wow, that hurts and makes everything you do hurt. It also made me feel old because the basics were difficult; sitting down, standing up, getting in the car, the bed, anywhere really. Thankfully, it went away for the most part, with only a twinge here and there left now. Clearly, I need to take care of myself and listen to my body. Which is difficult during volleyball season. I love to play and can easily ignore the bruised arms, sore fingers, achy back just for the joy of playing. We are in the second part of the season with only two games left before the playoffs. Don't think we will be winning any trophies this year, but I'm just glad this ole body of mine let's me play.
4. Technology is awesome...until it isn't. I've always had a love hate relationship with technology, computers especially. I enjoy the advantages of having the internet, my iPhone, my laptop, my iPad for sure! I just hate it when things don't work they way they are supposed to, which unfortunately seems to be often. Right now, I am not loving the new ios7 for my iEverythings. Mainly, because it brought about the dreaded CHANGE to my world. I knew my way around the last system really well and now things are just the slightest bit different, enough to annoy me and have me googling ridiculous things like how to use the music controls from the lock screen. I know, I know... first world problems...
5. Laundry never ends. Amen. I'm not sure why more country songs aren't written about this particular problem, but they should be because I'm pretty sure I am not the only person suffering from this particular, never-ending, life-long, vicious cycle.
6. No one can embarrass you quite like your children. I had a volleyball game last night and due to DuBose being out of town, I had to take the kids with me. I told them to sit on the bleachers and watch. Ha. They ran around like banshees which was fine because the other million kids there were doing the same thing. The embarrassing part came as we were leaving the gym. Did I mention this is a church league in a church gym? My oldest starts talking about something, don't even know what, but all we heard, loudly, was the word farting. I whipped my head around to look at him in total horror and disbelief. Did he really just do that in front of the pastors and everyone else?!
Yep. That one's mine. I'm so proud...
7. No one can make your heart swell quite like your children. So after the whole embarrassing farting thing, I told him how disappointed I was in his language and his timing. We discussed being respectful of your elders and when and where such conversations were appropriate. (I've long since given up on the notion that such conversations are not allowed at all, because boys will be boys and I've learned in my lifetime that they never stop having these conversations no matter how old they get.)
So anyway, the whole way home, he's talking out loud: Red car, please get out of my beautiful, sweet, forgiving Mom's way so she can go around.... Light, please change so my awesome, kind mom can start moving... Truck, please move to the other lane so my talented, happy, pretty mom can get home.
It. was. hysterical. And it worked. He's no dummy and knows exactly how to sweet talk his way out of trouble. I think I'm in trouble in the future...
8. Life is fragile. The past two weeks have been tough in the fact that they have reminded me of that over and over again. One friend lost her infant niece before her parents were even able to bring her home from the hospital, one friend lost his father to health problems, another lost her very best friend in a tragic accident. Another has a father in the ICU. Another is celebrating the birth of a son after the unimaginable loss of two infants over the years. My aunt lost her home to a fire. All of these things have been swirling around in my head lately, reminding me that life-changing events can happen in the blink of an eye.
Hopefully, you wake up each morning with a whole new day ahead of you. Nothing promises that you are going to go to sleep that night with your heart intact. Without your world imploding around you.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that I have the best friends in the world because we recognize that we need to love each other now and do what we can for each other now. Group texting has been a life line to us these past few days (technology love) because we've been able to talk to each other every day and remind ourselves how much we love one another and appreciate our friendship. We've been able to pray together, grieve together and find joy together.
It's never the wrong time to tell someone how much you love them, how much you care. But, unfortunately, there can always be a time when it's too late. I don't ever want to have regrets, not when it's so easy to pick up your phone (do we ever really put it down?), write a quick note, send a short text.
So, if you're still reading after all that, I thank you.
I am grateful for you.
I love you.
You are a gift to me in this life, and I never want to take you for granted.
1. Just when you think it can't possibly rain any more, it rains again. Actually, the whole year so far has been bizarre weather wise. The hottest day of the year so far was in August with a high temperature of 96°. The average temperature for August was 89°. That's unheard of around here in August. Our coldest month was February with an average low of 41°. We basically didn't have any cold weather this winter. We haven't experienced ten days in row without rain since November of 2012. (source)
Why do I care? Good question, but it's been so far out of our norm that it's remarkable. But the rain. Oh, the rain. I could go a long long time and be happy not to see any rain at this point. Our yard is a muddy, wet mess. Three children and one puppy + that muddy, wet mess = disaster!! It's been a long summer of cleaning the floors, shoes, and puppy paws. I'm tired of everything being damp. I'm tired of cancellations and foiled plans. I'm tired of grey and dreary. Surely, things will get back to "normal" soon, and we can enjoy our beautiful city this fall. Outside.
2. Puppyhood might be longer than I remember. Birdie is doing really well. She is growing like crazy, more than doubling in size since we got her. Now, she is 11 pounds. Eleven pounds of fluff, puppy teeth and energy. Endless energy. Today, she is 18 weeks and 2 days old. Four and a half months. She is doing really well with her commands. As long as I have treats! She can sit, lie down and fetch. Actually, fetch is just fun for her, she doesn't need treats. And it's a great way to get her energy out. My next goals are come and heal on the leash. I am pretty sure that if I just work with her, using the strategies we learned when we had a trainer for Sully, she'll get it pretty quickly. If only she was picking up the potty training as quickly. I do have to give her credit - she is doing very well. But it's still frustrating when she has an accident in the house. I keep thinking, surely, she has got it now. And, then, I find a surprise. It's almost impossible to keep my eye on her at all times which, of course, is what's needed. I feel like I have an infant again, except I can't leave this one sleeping in her bed because she'll get up and into mischief. I'm hoping it's like it was with the babies, long but blocked out of my memory once it's over! If it's ever over.
3. I'm no longer living in a teenager's body. You'd think I would have figured this out before now seeing as how it's been quite some time since I've had a teenager's body. Quite some time. I had my first pinched nerve this month, in my lower back. Wow, that hurts and makes everything you do hurt. It also made me feel old because the basics were difficult; sitting down, standing up, getting in the car, the bed, anywhere really. Thankfully, it went away for the most part, with only a twinge here and there left now. Clearly, I need to take care of myself and listen to my body. Which is difficult during volleyball season. I love to play and can easily ignore the bruised arms, sore fingers, achy back just for the joy of playing. We are in the second part of the season with only two games left before the playoffs. Don't think we will be winning any trophies this year, but I'm just glad this ole body of mine let's me play.
4. Technology is awesome...until it isn't. I've always had a love hate relationship with technology, computers especially. I enjoy the advantages of having the internet, my iPhone, my laptop, my iPad for sure! I just hate it when things don't work they way they are supposed to, which unfortunately seems to be often. Right now, I am not loving the new ios7 for my iEverythings. Mainly, because it brought about the dreaded CHANGE to my world. I knew my way around the last system really well and now things are just the slightest bit different, enough to annoy me and have me googling ridiculous things like how to use the music controls from the lock screen. I know, I know... first world problems...
5. Laundry never ends. Amen. I'm not sure why more country songs aren't written about this particular problem, but they should be because I'm pretty sure I am not the only person suffering from this particular, never-ending, life-long, vicious cycle.
6. No one can embarrass you quite like your children. I had a volleyball game last night and due to DuBose being out of town, I had to take the kids with me. I told them to sit on the bleachers and watch. Ha. They ran around like banshees which was fine because the other million kids there were doing the same thing. The embarrassing part came as we were leaving the gym. Did I mention this is a church league in a church gym? My oldest starts talking about something, don't even know what, but all we heard, loudly, was the word farting. I whipped my head around to look at him in total horror and disbelief. Did he really just do that in front of the pastors and everyone else?!
Yep. That one's mine. I'm so proud...
7. No one can make your heart swell quite like your children. So after the whole embarrassing farting thing, I told him how disappointed I was in his language and his timing. We discussed being respectful of your elders and when and where such conversations were appropriate. (I've long since given up on the notion that such conversations are not allowed at all, because boys will be boys and I've learned in my lifetime that they never stop having these conversations no matter how old they get.)
So anyway, the whole way home, he's talking out loud: Red car, please get out of my beautiful, sweet, forgiving Mom's way so she can go around.... Light, please change so my awesome, kind mom can start moving... Truck, please move to the other lane so my talented, happy, pretty mom can get home.
It. was. hysterical. And it worked. He's no dummy and knows exactly how to sweet talk his way out of trouble. I think I'm in trouble in the future...
8. Life is fragile. The past two weeks have been tough in the fact that they have reminded me of that over and over again. One friend lost her infant niece before her parents were even able to bring her home from the hospital, one friend lost his father to health problems, another lost her very best friend in a tragic accident. Another has a father in the ICU. Another is celebrating the birth of a son after the unimaginable loss of two infants over the years. My aunt lost her home to a fire. All of these things have been swirling around in my head lately, reminding me that life-changing events can happen in the blink of an eye.
Hopefully, you wake up each morning with a whole new day ahead of you. Nothing promises that you are going to go to sleep that night with your heart intact. Without your world imploding around you.
I know without a shadow of a doubt that I have the best friends in the world because we recognize that we need to love each other now and do what we can for each other now. Group texting has been a life line to us these past few days (technology love) because we've been able to talk to each other every day and remind ourselves how much we love one another and appreciate our friendship. We've been able to pray together, grieve together and find joy together.
It's never the wrong time to tell someone how much you love them, how much you care. But, unfortunately, there can always be a time when it's too late. I don't ever want to have regrets, not when it's so easy to pick up your phone (do we ever really put it down?), write a quick note, send a short text.
So, if you're still reading after all that, I thank you.
I am grateful for you.
I love you.
You are a gift to me in this life, and I never want to take you for granted.
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~Carrie~