True Story

I was cleaning out my emails at work and came across this one that I had sent some friends a very long time ago. Yes, this really happened to me. And, yes, I am crazy!

November 14, 2003

For the last two weeks, I've been getting up at 5:30 a.m. and walking around my neighborhood. The only problem with walking that early is that it is dark and probably not very safe. This morning I headed out like usual and decided that I would walk a main road rather than roads in my subdivision. I start walking the 2 blocks to Hillcrest. I look over and there is a strange car with his interior lights on. He veers towards the left and slows down. The he goes straight to the intersection. The weird thing was that he was on the wrong side of the street when he was leaving the intersection. I thought this was strange but I didn't think anything else about it.

I got to Hillcrest and decided that walking Hillcrest wasn't that safe. There weren't any houses and if I screamed, no one would hear me. I made a block and headed back down my subdivision. As I was walking, this gold minivan flies around the corner. I proceed walking down the same road he is. He slows down a little in front of my neighbor's house and then speeds up. I go to the main street in our subdivision and I'm going to walk the sidewalk there because it is safer. Anyway, as I'm walking this street I realize that this van is flying from street to street. He has his interior light on and I decide that he is a cab. You know we get so many in Frisco.

I figure he's picking someone up to take them to the airport. I keep walking and finally the van goes on and I decide that he's finally found the house that he was looking for. I continue down until I reach Coit. Right before I reach Coit, I turn and start walking down individual streets in my subdivision. I'm no longer concerned until I see a minivan flying down the streets again. This time he's really close to me. I get my cell phone out and I have it tightly clutched in my hand. I consider calling 911 and telling them that there is a crazy person driving the streets of my subdivision. I quicken my steps and I start cutting in and out of streets trying to get away from him.

Finally we are on the same street! I almost fall because some kids left their tricycles out on the sidewalk. This slows me down a little and puts both me and the minivan at the stop sign together. I look straight ahead and refuse to look over. My mind is racing and I'm trying to decide what to do. If I turn right, it will put me in the direction of my house but I would have to stand there and wait for the van to go through the stop sign. I decide to turn left. However, I can feel that he is turning left, too! I get mad and decide that this is stupid and that I need to get home. I turn around so that I am at least in the direction of my house. To my surprise, I'm face to face with the minivan stalker. He has done a u-turn and is heading right back down the same road. We are eye to eye and face to face. I realize that this is not the same stalker. The other stalker's minivan was gold and this minivan is silver. I must have looked like a deer caught in the headlights because I was quite freaked out. He goes on and I look over my shoulder and see a newspaper thrown out of his window. I then realize that I have run from 3 different newspaper delivery people!!!! To add salt to the wound, I get to the next street and we meet again. He looks at me and says, hi.

That Was Easy

When it gets close to bedtime, I do a walk-thru taking care of miscellaneous things that wouldn't get done otherwise. I turn the light off on the fish tank. Check to make sure the doors are locked. Open Jessie's bedroom door so the cat can escape (Jess likes to fall asleep with the cat in her room.) And, check Jonathan's room to make sure that the lights are off and he is covered up in his bed.

Tonight I was shocked to find Jonathan asleep in his toy box. Judging by the pillows and the blankets, he planned to sleep there. There was a booby trap of cars and action figures around the toy box. He apparently had to remove some of the hard plastic items for sleeping purposes. When I couldn't get him lifted up out of the toy box, I had to wake him. He was very groggy, so I explained that he was stuck in the toy box and he needed to let me help him. He grumbled that he was not stuck and then arched his back before dropping back down in the toy box.

Jonathan has an Easy Button from Staples. Mom got it for him several years ago, when he was convinced that it would help him clean his room. As I was getting him pulled out of the toy box, we accidentally hit the easy button and it announced "That was Easy!" I can, without a doubt, tell you that it was NOT easy getting a sleeping 9 year old out of a toy box and into his bed! Was it really my idea to buy him a new mattress last November? Obviously, we wasted our money!

Inspired

Typically, I drop both of the kids off at their respective schools each morning. This morning Jess was still getting ready when it was time to leave. Fred ended up taking Jonathan so he wouldn't be tardy. I waited on Jess and then took her to school. Normally, this frustrates me, because it means that I will end up getting into work a few minutes late.

Today, I just let it roll. First, she and I shared a prayer. Then, instead of fussing at her the entire drive about making me late, I actually took the time to enjoy being with my daughter. We talked about our weekend plans and we discussed taking part in wholesome activities with our family and friends. We also talked about church activities and how they invite the spirit to be with us. I know that she is aware of this principle, I just felt inspired to remind her. She even seemed grateful for the reminder.

We have a short drive to school - maybe 7 or 8 minutes, but even 8 minutes can be precious, if you let it. For the most part, our morning drop-off routine is enjoyable. However, I am telling them things like "Have a super-awesome day," "I love you" and "Make sure you get that homework assignment turned in." I rarely use those 8 minutes to teach. I hope to take advantage of many more teaching opportunities.

Mollie & Me

WARNING: This blog has gone to the dogs!

I have been blogging about Jonathan being my buddy. However, I have a four-legged buddy by the name of Mollie. Yeah, I know that I spell her name weird. When we were thinking about puppy names, I decided that it had to be something that ended in "ie" so that it would match and flow with Gracie's name.

Mollie will be a year old on April 20th. I love this age because they are still young and fun yet they've grown out of many of their bad habits. Mollie follows me around the house and faithfully stays by my side - that is when she is not chasing and barking at the cat.

Jonathan and I have been taking Mollie to PetSmart training once a week. We have completed three weeks worth of training. We have fun taking Mollie on car rides, visits to PetSmart and even vet trips are fun with Mollie in tow.

However, today I have hit an all new craziness level with our Mollie. I took her to doggy daycare. The worst part is I once teased a co-worker shamelessly about taking her puppy to daycare. I teamed up with another co-worker and we laughed and made jokes about the silliness of taking your dog to daycare. Not only did I take Mollie to daycare... I called and checked on her at 10:30 a.m. along with periodically checking their webcam during the day. Yes, I have reached an all new level of craziness.

We love Gracie, of course. She loves her walks and she dutifully lets me put drops in her ears everyday. She lets me try out some of my new training skills even though she is far beyond training. She gets excited when I feed her some of my homemade dog food and treats. She loves to get pats on the head. Sadly, she no longer wants to follow me around the house (I remember a time when I would get frustrated because she would trip me). And, she no longer wants me to throw the ball for her or play tug-of-war.

I feel bad because I am a much better Mommy to Mollie than I was to Gracie. We got Gracie when Jessie was 14 months old. She was a great playmate for Jessie and they were the best of friends. Gracie was always there to lick Jessie's face when she was having a bad day. However, I had my hands full and I didn't take the time to socialize her with other dogs and to train her. I have vowed not to make the same mistakes with Mollie. Maybe I've gone a little overboard, though. Or, maybe not.

Here is a screen grab from the daycare's website. Mollie is the little fluffy girl in the right-hand corner.

The Truth Hurts

Shortly after Christmas, Jonathan began to ask me a lot of questions about Santa Claus. One morning he asked me over and over about the Wii. He asked, "Did you and Daddy get us the Wii?" I tried to skirt the issue by asking him what he thought. Then I asked what his friends believed. The questioning wasn't going to end without me giving him a definitive answer. He finally said "I KNOW you and Daddy got us the Wii." I couldn't lie, so I admitted that he was right. I knew it was coming and I was thankful that Jonathan had believed for exactly 9 years. That is longer than most, I think.

When this discussion took place, we were in the bathroom getting his teeth brushed and his millions of curls gelled and scrunched into place. I looked at his little face in the mirror and asked, "Does it make you sad that Mommy and Daddy are Santa?" He looked at me with complete shock on his face. He said "What do you mean???? I just thought you got us the Wii. I didn't realize you were Santa!" Great! Now, I've just crushed the dream.

Fast forward to this past weekend. Jessie had finished up a book that she was reading. She was desperate for a trip to the bookstore to buy the second book in the series. I finally admitted that I already had the book. I explained that I had bought it for her Easter basket. I hear naive little Jonathan approaching from behind me. With great disgust he exclaims, "What???? Now, you're the Easter Bunny, too?" I guess he hadn't made the connection that I am all things magical and fairy-like.

I motioned for him to have a seat in the living room. I told him I had some news for him and asked if he could take it like a man. He assured me that he could. I told him that I am Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy and the Pumpkin Fairy. I asked him if he was okay with that. He nodded his little head and then said "I know that you're not the desk fairy, though. That is my teacher."

I can't help but be sad that he grew up a little this weekend.

My Buddy - Part 2

I posted a couple of weeks ago about my sweet little buddy, Jonathan. I have to say that he is a real trooper.

Fred left Friday to go fishing. As a result, Jonathan went to work with me. I truly had the best of intentions. We were only going to work until noon. We finally left at 2:00 p.m. From there, we ran a multitude of errands:

- dry cleaners

- bank

- drop off presents at Uncle Glen and Aunt Kiki's house

- pick up license plates at the Mitsubishi dealership

- get gas

- shop for new laundry baskets at The Container Store

- stop by Wal-Mart for groceries and a trip down the toy aisle

- run through the Taco Bueno drive-thru for Jess

Needless to say, we didn't walk in the door of our house until 5:30 p.m. It was a long hard day and he was awesome. He didn't complain once. He helped me at work and played quietly while I was in meetings. He was rewarded with McDonald's for lunch and 2 action figures from Wal-Mart.

Spring Break 2009

I'm finally updating. It has been a long and busy week. We spent part of Spring Break in Horseshoe Bend, Arkansas, visiting Fred's mom and step-dad (Grandma and PawPaw Larry). They live on a lake so there was much fun to be had. Fred's 92 year old grandfather also lives in Horseshoe Bend. Jonathan especially enjoyed playing with cousins, Cody and Matthew. Fred's step-sister, Dawn, has boys that are just the right age for Jonathan. One is slightly older and one is slightly younger than him. So, it works out great.

We enjoyed playing games and visiting Grandma and PawPaw Larry's bowling alley. On St. Patrick's Day, we managed to work in a boat ride and an early Easter egg hunt with the cousins. Grandma usually doesn't get to see the kids on Easter, so she decided we should celebrate early. The boys followed the Easter egg hunt with a pizza picnic. Mollie (our little dog) and I were the only girls that got to join them. We were honored.

Thanks, Grandma, PawPaw Larry, Grandpa, Aunt Dawn, Cody and Matthew for a wonderful visit.

Lois (above) and Larry (below) - taking a St. Patrick's Day boat ride.

Jonathan, Donna and Mollie - relaxing and enjoying the ride

Dressed in green - Jonathan, Cody, Jessie and Matthew

Mmmm Mmmm good - a picnic with Cody, Jonathan and Matthew

Fred, Jonathan, Lois and Jessie

The Big 7-0!

Today my Dad (also known as Grady to his grandkids) turns 70. I didn’t even know he was turning 70 until Mom told me. I choose not to track my parents’ age. People ask me all the time how old my parents are and I haven’t a clue.

Side Story:
My mom worked at the small school that I attended. She started working in the middle school office when I was around 12 or so. The school was small so elementary, middle and high schools were all together. This meant that Jeff and I could not escape her. If we were late to class, didn’t turn in an assignment or tried to impersonate the school nurse (another side story that I won’t share) – she KNEW. The other problem… everyone knew my mom’s age.

Her office was full of windows so that she could see into the hall and monitor us, I’m sure. Someone had decorated it for her 40th birthday. There were signs up everywhere that declared Lordy, Lordy Regina is 40. That was the last time that I knew my Mom’s age. From then on, I blocked my parents’ age from my mind. I know that is pretty silly, but c’mon. Did they really need to display her age each year on the school marquis? Then there was the time that our band director made us go to her office and play “Old Gray Mare” on her birthday. How embarrassing! Anyway, now you know why I stopped keeping track of their ages.

Back to the original intent of this post:
Grady, we hope you have a wonderful birthday! We love you! You are 70 years young. Don't worry, I'm not embarrassed by your age anymore. I'll even cruise Wesley with you on a Friday night. (I wonder if they still do that in Greenville?)

Look at that young man with the brown hair. That is a pretty little baby, too.

Playing with his first grandbaby. She learned very early how to manipulate her Grady.

Hiking with Jonathan means carrying Jonathan!

Messy Boy

Fred, Jonathan and I made a trip to McDonald's last Friday. Jess was at the temple with the youth, and we let Jonathan choose where we ate dinner. I should have known that he would have chosen McDonald's (my least favorite place).

Their fries are delicious, but their burgers leave a lot to be desired. I got the bright idea to buy everyone ice cream. I thought it might negate the bad cheeseburger. Apparently, Jonathan doesn't have a lot experience eating ice cream cones. Before you remind me that he is 9 years old, there is no need... I am fully aware.

I think I usually steer him towards a bowl of ice cream vs. a cone. Anyway, Fred had to coach him on how to eat it. To make matters worse, it was one of the chocolate dipped cones. There was chocolate everywhere!

Sweet Dreams

When Jonathan got home from cub scouts last night, he geared up to watch American Idol (which was already in progress). He brought in several pillows and his blanket and arranged them as close to the tv as possible. He only made it until 8:30 before he fell fast asleep. I guess Michael Jackson music was a real snoozer for him.

Increase in Readership

Whoo-hoo! My dad found my blog (not sure why it took him 4 months). I am now up to 6 loyal readers!
We are glad to have you, Dad!

Best Buddy

Jessica has grown into a young woman. She is in 7th grade and 12 ½ years old. It seems as though we don’t see her as much. She is either hibernating in her room or hanging with friends. During this transition, Jonathan has become my best buddy and sidekick.

We find ourselves doing most things together. On Saturday mornings, we go to martial arts and then run errands. He helps me walk the dogs and take them to the vet. He even attended dog training class with me. Although, I haven’t decided yet – he might be fired from training classes. He fell in love with a bird at PetSmart and decided that he really NEEDED it. When I told him that we couldn’t have a bird, he decided that a rat would be great.

He still professes his love for me and gives me big kisses. I know that my time is short, so I’m trying to enjoy it while I can.

A Special Day

Both kids got up this morning and each prepared for a special day.

Relax after TAKS

Jonathan's 3rd grade class had "Relax after TAKS" day. They got to wear their pj's, play games and read books. He was very excited to wear his Mario Kart pj's to school.


Youth Temple Trip
The Youth had a temple trip after school today. Due to our tight schedule, Jess went to school dressed for the temple. She loves visiting the temple with the youth.

The Power of Goodness

I love President Hinckley. Since I joined the church in 1999, I think of him as MY prophet. There is so much to learn from every one of his quotes. This is one that I particularly needed today.

"Great is the power for good. Marvelous are your talents and devotion. Tremendous is your faith and your love for the Lord, for His work, and for His sons and daughters. Continue to live the gospel. Magnify it before all of your associates. Your good works will carry more weight than any words you might speak."

Popcorn Popping

As spring approaches each year, the kids and I get excited to see the blooms on our Bradford Pear. Our tree is in the backyard, so we usually notice those first blooms as we are driving down our alley. The first person to notice the blooms begins singing the primary song, Popcorn Popping. Then, everyone else joins in to sing this favorite song.

This year, I was the first one to see the blooms. Jonathan and I began to sing:

I looked out the window and what did I see?
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.
Spring has brought me such a nice surprise,
Blossoms popping right before my eyes.

As we continued on with the song, Jessie rolled her eyes and said, "Oh, Mama!" I guess she has outgrown our little tradition. At least Jonathan still sings with me. Unfortunately, he and I can't carry a tune. We really need Jess' vocal talent to cover up our blunders.

The Humor of a 9-Year Old Boy

Last night, I noticed that Jonathan had several pages marked in his new Wimpy Kid book. I asked him if these were his favorite parts. He just grinned and nodded. It wasn’t until this morning that I took a look at the marked pages.

His very favorite part had a little comic strip in the middle of the page. It was a drawing of two boys and it read:

What cha doing?
Eating chocolate.
Where'd ya get it?
The doggie dropped it.

Only a 9-year old boy could think that is funny!

More than You Wanted To Know About Saturday

Fred was at a fishing tournament this weekend, so the kids and I were left to our own devices. We spent Saturday morning running errands, a trip to the vet and Jonathan’s martial arts class. After martial arts, Jonathan and I ran to Best Buy. I had some birthday money + a gift card left from Christmas. We asked the 20-something sales associate for the shiny pink iPod Nano. He asked me if it was for my daughter!!!! I’m not sure what threw him… the fact that I wanted the pink one (pink makes me happy) or that every other adult my age is buying the iTouch or the iPhone. I’m not even sure why he wanted to know who it was for, but he was taken aback when I answered “umm, NO!”

I headed home with Jonathan and my shiny pink Nano. We picked up Jessie and went to Gattitown for Katy’s 12th birthday party. We had a great time visiting with the Miller’s and Garstka’s, plus we are so glad that Abie and Stacie are here now. Poor Jonathan was the only boy. He tried hanging with Uncle Dave and Uncle Abie. However, if you know Dave, you know that he can be a little spastic when it comes to sports. (Sorry, Dave.) They were playing a football game and Dave managed to hit Jonathan in the forehead/nose area with the football. I had this feeling that something was wrong, so I turned to check on Jonathan. He was holding his nose and looking like he wanted to cry. I see Dave holding back a smile and telling Jonathan to shake it off. Just a few moments later, he hit Stacie in the face, too. Thankfully, no one else got hurt.

Dave looking quite proud of himself after nailing both Jonathan and Stacie in the face with the football!
Jonathan is just like his Daddy - he loves those games with the crane. When Fred and I were dating, I had tons of cheap stuffed animals from those little crane games!

Look at those pretty girls - Jessie and Katy!

A trip to Gattitown is not complete without going next door to Half Price Bookstore. A bookstore is like Disney World to me. I love it! Afterwards, I was able to complete some chores, load up my shiny pink Nano with songs and finish a book that I was reading. The only two blemishes on the day were: 1) spending more money at the vet’s office – Stonebrook Veterinary Clinic has seen an huge increase in revenues during the months of January and February 2) the fact that I couldn’t get tickets to see George Strait and Reba. Otherwise, it was a very satisfying day… nearing perfection.

Gettin' Ready for TAKS

I personally am not a fan of the TAKS test. Jessie does not perform well when put under extreme pressure. This is Jonathan's first year to take the TAKS test. I'm not sure what to expect with him. He has gotten very high marks on all of the TAKS related material that they've gone over in class. However, who knows what will happen on the actual test.

We tried to make last night as relaxing as possible. The kids decided on Spaghetti for their pre-TAKS dinner. Of course, that meant that we had to make a meatless sauce for Jess. But, I was happy to oblige. Then, we put everyone through the rounds of showering and getting ready for bed. Before bed, each child received three #2 pencils that were sharpened to the perfect point. (I did this because Jonathan has pencils that are teeny-tiny and sharpened on both ends. I was petrified that he would try to take the test with one of those ratty pencils.) Jess got a new package of highlighters.

Both kids got new books to read after the test is completed. Jonathan has been wanting Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Last Straw. I had been holding out, because I wanted to give it to him for today. I'm just praying that he doesn't laugh out loud while he's reading it. I got Jess a new book that I'm hoping she will like. It was on a shelf that said... If you like Stephenie Meyer then you will like these books. Then both kids have letters of encouragement from Mom. Jonathan's teacher had us write letters last week and will hand them out at school this morning. I packed Jess' in her bag.

Unfortunately, Jonathan woke up at 1:30 a.m. I told him he could sleep on our floor. (I just really wanted him to get back to sleep quickly.) My alarm clock went off at 5:30 a.m. I should have gotten up and showered. Instead, I quickly turned it off and stayed very still hoping that Jonathan could get another 30 minutes of sleep. Jonathan and I got up and started breakfast at 6:00 a.m. Pre-TAKS breakfast consisted of eggs, biscuits and bacon (no bacon for Jess, of course). Jonathan was wired and Jess was grumpy. We had a little trouble getting her started. Once she got going, she was fine. About 7:00 a.m. this morning everyone seemed to get a handle on their nerves - thank goodness!

I asked Jess to say the morning prayer. I knew she had concerns and I thought that it would be best for her to offer the prayer. She said a great prayer for both her and Jonathan. She asked that they would be blessed with strength in taking the test, that they would both take their time and do well. Even Jonathan was moved and that doesn't happen too often.

Post-TAKS dinner will bring hamburgers for the beef-eaters and Jess will have a chicken sandwich. Brownies will be served for dessert.

Meanwhile, I am praying that everyone does well today. TAKS days are my least favorite days of the year.