Habits and Shoes

I have heard that it takes 30 days to establish a new habit. While I was living out of a suitcase for 30 days, I had only 3 pairs of shoes to wear. I've been home for a week now and just realized that I've been wearing the same 3 pairs of shoes since I got back, even though there are plenty more in my closet!

Here We Go Again

Today I got approval for two exchange students to attend the Arts Magnet for this coming school year. One is a dancer; the other is a violinist. They both are excellent candidates for Arts. I'm sure they will enjoy their year. I had been trying to find another family to host one of them, but more and more I am growing attached to both of them, even though we have not yet met. I'm not sure which I would want to give up. I had thought we would keep Joakim, the Swedish boy, and find another home for Annebeth, the Danish girl, but I find myself feeling excessively picky about who would be acceptable. And as I discovered with Rene and SeWon, it is often easier to have two than just one, especially when I have no kids of my own at home. We have Emma now, but she will probably leave in another 2 or 3 months for her mission.


UPDATE: Joakim arrived on August 15th and Annebeth arrived on August 22nd. Here is a picture taken at DFW on the 22nd:

Better Than Chocolate

Blasphemy to some, maybe, but there are a few edible treats that I find better than chocolate. Mighty Mango fruit juice smoothie by Naked is one. Expensive, but worth it! Panda brand licorice with herbs is another. As with anything so delicious and tempting, a little goes a long way... or should. I've found that overindulgance can spoil even the most delectable of treats. I may come back and add to this list. I recall using the phrase "better than chocolate" in reference to other favorites that slip my mind just now. I've eliminated anything with butter - like artichokes or lobster, since I'm trying to eat vegan. Do you have a favorite treat that's better than chocolate??



OK, I just thought of another. Fresh raspberries, right off the bush. Last week, when we were in New Hampshire, Sarah, Loren and I drove to a farm at the end of Tuftonboro neck and picked raspberries and blueberries. I probably ate nearly as many as I saved! And I recall thinking 'better than chocolate'.

Time to Make a List

One of my goals for the next few days, besides staying out of the heat, is to get my house in order. We hope to host another exchange student this year, and YFU will want to make a home visit. I'm not sure we would pass at this point. I've been up since 7:30 or so and have accomplished very little. SO it's time to make a to-do list.

I've been trying to get my 2 students approved since mid-June, but people have been on vacation, Arts has no principal and the people who are there don't want to take responsibility. In the meantine, these kids cannot get a visa because they do not have a school placement confirmed.

HOT HOT HOT ... Hazardous Weather Outlook

Heat Advisory!! I left beautiful, cool New Hampshire to come home to this. It was rainy and cooler than usual in NH, but a bad day at the lake in NH is better than almost any day in Dallas in the summer. I do not handle Texas heat very well. The above images are from the NOAA website. I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of orange suns on NOAA for the next month or so.

Bullets

While I was in PA, Bill was awakened one night at about 3 AM by the sound of gunshots. He got up to investigate, but it wasn't until morning that he found a bullet hole in the dining room window and a bullet lodged in the wall. That hole is at about the level of my heart had I been standing near the window, or my head had I been sitting at the table. Later he found a second bullet hole that went through the outside wall into the pantry, through the pantry wall into the laundry room and through the wall over the laundry room door. That's right - three entry holes and three exit holes from the same bullet. He found the actual bullet on the family room floor. It's amazing that nothing in the pantry was damaged or broken... and lucky no one was hurt. People are so thoughtless and stupid. Random bullets can and have killed.

What a slouch I am!

I am being a Camp Nurse in Pennsylvania!. So much to write about and yet I don't. I finally have a day off today, so maybe after breakfast. Ill catch up.

It's Over!!!

Yesterday was my last day of school. I had volunteered to go to Anne Frank on Monday and Tuesday but the Powers That Be dictated that I stay at TJ. Because the HS students were having finals, they were only at school for 2-4 hours each day. So I read books and gave out a few bandaids and did some research on the computer. Meanwhile at AF the clinic was crazy and I could have been of real help. At least I got to be at AF for my last day. I have 3 days of staff development during June that count towards next year. Other than that, I am free until August 18th! - Yes, I signed a contract for next year, but I have not yet been assigned to a school. So things are up in the air and I shall be, at least casually, looking at other possibilities.

Shakespeare and Company, Paris

Emma the bohemian is staying at this icon:
In exchange for about 4 hours of work per day, she has a bed in the bookstore and uses the public showers. Soon she will be going to the south of France to stay at her second organic farm. Ahhh, to be twenty and unafraid!! I did a Google entry for Shakespeare + bookstore + Paris and got a lot of hits. Like this and this and this.

Life

Things have been happening in my life... but I have been in such a funk [1 a: a state of paralyzing fear b: a depressed state of mind] that I have not been able to persuade myself to write. I have wanted to, but I have let the negative overshadow the positive. For five out of seven days each week things are fine, but I feel like I am not handling the other two days very well. Bill told me today that it's easy to tell which school I have been to by the kind of mood I'm in in the evening. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. TEN more days and maybe, hopefully, I'll get a reprieve.



My dear, lovely Emma is in France now - WWOOFing! She begins her adventure at Chateau de Sacy (pictured above), a little north of Paris. The AA flight from DFW to Paris had plenty of space and by one of those strange flukes, her high school French teacher was on the same plane and they sat together! I was not worried about her getting across the ocean. I was more worried about her making her way on her own by bus, train and wit from the airport to this small village 40km to the north. But she managed it. And she has been using a prepaid calling card to call home. That seems to be working well. She will be in France for about 7 weeks, staying and working on 2 different farms. My sister has also been studying French and liked the idea so much that she is going to go WWOOFing too! She is interested in cheesmaking and found a farm in the Pyranees that makes cheese. So since I have been studying Spanish, maybe I should go to a farm in Spain???

Message from the Elders

About two weeks ago, I signed up to feed our missionaries on April 3rd. In honor of the upcoming occasion, I had Bill pack up the rest of the Corelle that we brought to Dallas from my mom's place in Florida. She had about 16 place settings, so I took half of it up to New England to my brother Steve and the other half has been sitting on our dining room table for 3 or 4 weeks. We will get it to James and Melissa one of these days. And it's more likely to happen now that it is packed. And thanks to the Elders, I have reclaimed the back half of my dining room table!

They did not call to confirm and we were uncertain about the appointment. I got home at about 4:20 yesterday and the light on our answering machine was flashing - a message from the Elders. I called back and they said they could only come at 5PM and if that would not work we could reschedule. I said come on over - I am turning on the oven and pulling food from the freezer as I speak. So I managed to pull together a meal and have it ready at 5 o'clock. We had a good meal and a nice visit.

One of the things I look forward to is their spiritual message. Last night they shared this scripture:

D&C 6:36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.

It was what I needed to hear. I have had so many doubts and fears about this and that lately. I need to exercise more faith. That scripture brought to mind another that is a favorite of mine:

Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

As a teenager I went to MYF (Methodist Youth Fellowship) every Sunday evening. This scripture was the motto that we recited aloud every week. It's amazing how some things stick with you for a long, long time. Again, this scripture reminds me that my negative thoughts are unworthy, and I need to concentrate on putting my trust in the Lord.

Eighteen

more Mondays and Tuesdays. I revised my count. I forgot about the Memorial Day holiday and I'm not counting the day I will be going on a field trip with the pregnant and parenting girls. They needed a second nurse for the trip, and I was happy to accept the invitation. It should be a fun day as long as no one goes into labor. They are taking the juniors and seniors to Brookhaven College to try to encourage them to stay in school and set their sights on college. I cannot imagine trying to pursue a degree with a small child, but it can be done. I really admire the PEP (that's Pregnancy, Education and Parenting, I think) nurse at TJ. She really works hard for those kids.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

When I started my job last August I had a photo ID made which I wear anytime I am at the school. This was before I decided to "go natural" or to let my grey hair grow out. So today I was taking care of a small boy who looked at my ID and looked at me and asked "Is this a picture of you when you were YOUNG???"

Max's Wedding

It was the first wedding I have attended at the Arboretum. It was lovely and the weather and the flowers were beautiful! Max and Brooke wrote their own vows and he got all choked up when he was saying them. I was tearing up too. So nice to see them both so happy. So wonderful to see all the support from family and friends. So sad that James was not able to be there. Here is a picture of the happy couple. Don't they look great! Bill and I had fun rediscovering some old friends and connecting with some people with whom we had just one or 2 degrees of separation - not six!

Max's dad did the catering and I decided not to be a vegetarian for the night. I have not had steak for at least 2 or 3 years, but this was a steak worth waiting for! It was delicious as was the rest of the meal. Maybe I'll have Max's dad cater for Stephen or Emma... but that is a way down the road. Then again, maybe I will have a buffet catered by the Spiral Diner people. They serve an excellent vegan BBQ sandwich! And they now have a location in Oak Cliff - just across the river!

There was once an old sailor my grandfather knew

Who had so many things which he wanted to do
That, whenever he thought it was time to begin,
He couldn't because of the state he was in.

And the rest of the poem is Here .

My dad used to read me the poems of A.A. Milne when I was a small child. This has been one of my favorites for years. I identify with the old sailor. Some people call it the "But First Syndrome"; I call it the "Old Sailor Syndrome." It's why I never get anything done. There is always so much to do that I don't know where to begin and of course I can't do A until I've done B which is dependant on my finishing C etc. So like the old sailor, I end up doing nothing at all... Shameful!! Who will save me??!

Then there is the more productive "One More Thing" syndrome that kicks in now and then. Usually it happens as I am getting ready to go somewhere that I don't really want to go to. I decide to finish the laundry before I leave and while it is drying I surely have time to make the bed and wash the dishes and make myself a spectacular lunch to take to work. And before I know it I am late... but look what I've accomplished by trying to fit in one more thing! What I need to do is figure out how to trigger the "One More Thing" state when I have a few hours of time, not a few minutes.

I'm Back

Call it shell shock or PTSD. It took me a while to recover from my terrible, horrible etc. day, but things are pretty much back to normal now. I am enjoying my job from Wednesday - Friday and am counting Mondays and Tuesdays - 22 to go!

Carrie O referred me to mamasource which is an interesting resource. It's mainly for mothers of young children and mine are grown, but I have enjoyed browsing the site. I chimed in on two recent discussions there, if you want to read my responses.

Max is getting married today at the Arboretum. James wanted to come to Dallas from Idaho for the occasion, but was unable to get on a plane out of SLC. D3 standby can be frustrating and James had a very frustrating and disappointing day yesterday. He ended up giving up and going home and will miss his best friend's wedding. I hate it when that happens to my kids. I feel for him... but we will be there to represent the family.

Look for a post soon about the Old Sailor Syndrome. I've been meaning to write about that for some time, but I have so many things to do that I just haven't gotten around to it! HA!

What can I say???

I've really been at a loss. I am wondering if I made the right choice going into nursing. I enjoyed working in Tariff (for AA) and I loved being a programmer. In those jobs, I worked with prople who were logical thinkers. I keep telling myself that I just have to work until I get my student loans paid off and my kids through college. But it would be nice to have a job I really enjoyed again... and so far, this isn't it. I am counting the days until June 5th.

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Yep... that pretty much describes my day at work today. And that is a header that cries out for a rant... which I will resist.

On the other hand, my Spanish class is going well. I like Richland. And now that I am taking college classes again, I find myself wanting to take a math class. Isn't that strange???

The biggest heap -

Bill has received official notice at his office that he is no longer in the running for driver of the "Biggest Heap". So sad. He drives my mom's Florida car these days. We are the third owners, but the first two were Florida retirees who never drove it far or fast. It's a 2001 Buick Century and had just over 26,000 miles when we bought it. It is nice looking - white with leather seats - and in perfect condition! I think we will let Steve drive the heap (1988 Honda) now. We just have to teach him to use a clutch!

Dedicated to Amy!

My friend Amy is in the throes of potty training her firstborn. This gives me a perfect excuse to share with y'all my favorite Japanese potty training video. I've been wanting to post this for ages. For the sensitive among you, the subtitles are a little indelicate in places, but it's pretty funny. Enjoy!