End of the Season

Cody's team lost today. It was heartbreaking to witness. They came into the game undefeated, and started strong with a touchdown right at the beginning of the 1st quarter, but the other team surprised the boys with a touchdown of their own. From there on, the boys just couldn't seem to get it together. Cody played one of his best games of the season, though. He had a couple of really great tackles right when we needed them and he even had an awesome interception. Unfortunately between him and his teammates, it wasn't enough to hold the other team from winning.
It was such a disappointing loss for the players and for the parents. I think I yelled the entire game. I was hoarse before the game... so you can only imagine how I sound now. My hands are raw and sore from clapping. I wanted this win probably more than Cody. I wanted what may possibly be his last football game to be one he remembered for all times. Maybe it still will be. Even though they lost... he played great.
~deep breath~ the tears are coming....
It is so hard to watch Cody grow up before my eyes.... I can't tell you how proud I am of this amazing young man. I know that there are still amazing moments to be had and I can't wait to experience them right along side of him.
~jen

Another interview and thoughts....

Worth the Wait called earlier today and wants me to come back for a 2nd interview. I didn't realize that this would be a multi-step process. It's tomorrow morning at 10:00.

I have never felt more lost than I do now. I honestly don't know what to do. I had a mini break-down yesterday morning and just cried and cried. Most of it was done in the bathroom away from Caden's view. Physically, I just don't feel good. I've had a head cold for about a week now and have not been sleeping well. Emotionally, I am drained. Part of me is so unhappy with work and I have been desperately searching for something else. When that "something else" (I've talked to someone in the Surgery dept, Angie talked to someone in the Heart Cath Lab for me, I've talked to someone at the Urgent Care Clinic, and I've been patiently waiting on Worth the Wait) doesn't work out due to what ever reason, it is such a let down. As much as I try not to get excited about a prospective job coming along, it is so hard to find out the answer is no. I feel like a broken record... I hate my job, I am so sad, I don't feel good, etc., etc., etc. Mike has heard me complain non-stop lately and I know he is tired of it. The boys are tired of having such a sad and tired mom. My friends, I am sure are tired of it, too.

And now that Worth the Wait has called back... IF I was to actually get the job (I am still being safe and practical... there is still a chance I won't get the job) a number of worries pop up in my mind....the schedule, Caden attending day care more, losing my health insurance at a time when I am not really sure if I should take such a risk, paying 2 1/2 times more on insurance for the kids with Mike's employer, I haven't even worked out the details on coverage for me... and the even bigger worries... is this the right job for me, can I do it, will I enjoy it?

I know that I have to let go and have faith. I know that. But when there is so much uncertainty to everything it just seems... and at times is... so overwhelming. I know my part of our financial responsibilities, I know I still have a stone in my kidney, our medical bills from my surgery are starting to come in.... do I risk what "good" I have with my current job... only to give it up... hoping that there is something better for me? I know that no one can answer this question for me. It is only my decision to make.

I have a scripture posted to the side of my blog,
"I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them." Isaiah 42:16
I can't tell you how many times I have read this. I know that I need to have more faith. I am trying. Hopefully sooner than later... this rough place will be smooth one day.

~jen

Latest Caden Story...

Earlier this morning I had Caden in the tub getting a much needed bath. I was in the bathroom with him curling my hair (I learned a lesson last week that Caden still isn't quite old enough to be left alone in the bathroom after I found our ceiling completely soaked with water and Caden sitting in the tub grinning ear to ear. I still have no idea how he managed to get water all over the ceiling...). I told him this morning during our little chat that after his bath if he cleaned his room I would take him to McDonald's for lunch. His response (this is word-for-word)... "I have a better idea... how 'bout I don't clean my room and you still take me to Mr. Donald's (McDonald's) for lunch?".
Where does he learn this stuff?
:)
~jen

Stick Family

I have seen stick figure family decals on numerous cars in Amarillo. I've been wanting to purchase one for our own car. I searched online this afternoon and came across a website where you can customize your own stick family. Here's one idea that I am thinking about. I think it is just too cute! There are so many figures to choose from!

~jen

School Pictures part 1

Caden and Cody both brought home their school pictures this past week. It is always fun to see how much the boys have changed from year to year. Here is Caden's picture. Cody's is in "part 2"!
~jen

School Pictures part 2

So for Cody's picture, I thought I would do something fun (I use that word loosely based on what I am about to post!). I was studying Cody's picture and thought... I have to find pictures of Mike and I in 8th grade and see how much Cody looks like us! Silly, I know... and there is so much other stuff I could be doing... like cleaning. But, I'm easily entertained...

so here are the pictures! :)

Cody~ 2007-2008

Jennifer ~ 1988-1989

Mike ~ 1986-1987

Waiting game continues....

Well I took matters into my own hands and called Worth the Wait this morning to find out about the job. They still haven't made a decision... so there's still hope. No official word on the time-frame on when a decision will be made but I am trying to remain optimistic and hopeful.
~jen

Waiting game

I have paced most of the day. Every time the phone has rung, I have thought... this is the call. I am still waiting to hear from Worth the Wait about the job that I interviewed for. I was told after the interview I would know something (either way) last Friday or today. As hard as I have tried to just give it up to God... it is so very hard. I want this so badly. It would be the perfect schedule for the kids and I. I know if that if I don't get it... there is a reason why. It is so hard to just let go and let God take over. Ever since last Wednesday I have prayed silently... if it is Your will, please let this be the job for me... if not, I won't question why. There is a reason to the answer.
~jen

The Cutest!

I have found the cutest flip-flops! I am seriously considering ordering some! They are Hot Flops flip flops and they are too cute! You know I want one in every style! :)
~jen

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, and More Pumpkins

Caden and I went to a local pumpkin patch to pick out some pumpkins for carving. We had a great time. (Cody being the typical 13 year old was too cool to go to the pumpkin patch with us... he decided he needed to start some basketball training at our gym this afternoon!) Caden and I, (I say that loosely... it was mostly me... carved 3 pumpkins. We made a cat, a silly face, and a toned-down version of a scary face. Enjoy the pictures!

~jen

By the way.... if you haven't carved your pumpkins yet, which I recommend waiting until next weekend... ours are already looking pretty dreary, here is a great link for your kiddos to create their own Pumpkin Stencil from Better Homes and Gardens' website! Even if you don't use it for carving, the kids will have fun creating different looks for the pumpkin! You may have to create a profile to use the website... but it's free and there are a ton of ideas for the holidays!

*These were some "bumpy" pumpkins!

*Caden's totally disgusted by the "gooey stuff". The look on his face was hilarious.

*Caden's saying "oooeeeyyy!". Cleaning out the pumpkins was not his favorite part of the carving process!

*Now for all of you who are noticing the knife... I was right beside Cade and had my hands on top of his while we were cutting the pumpkin (well, except for the few seconds that it took for me to snap this pic!) :)

Stories to share....

Sorry for my blogging slump. It happens every now and then! So where to begin....

On Tuesday, my parents and grandparents arrived for a visit. They were able to watch Cody play football and spend some time with us. Mom, Dad, Granny, and Papa... I am so glad that you were able to come. I know how hard the trip was, but we are so grateful that you were able to come. We enjoyed your visit.

On Wednesday, we all went to Cody's game. He had a great game. Crockett won and remains undefeated. Cody has one last regular season game next Tuesday, and then the play-offs begin.

Wednesday night I had an interview with Worth the Wait for a position as a nurse educator. I had applied for this position earlier this week. I didn't blog about it or really tell anyone about applying for the job. I really feel like I did very well with the interview. I did my best. It's out of my hands now. Hopefully I will have an answer tomorrow. Say a prayer for me.... :)

Today, I went with Caden's preschool class on a field trip to a local Corn Maze and pumpkin patch. We had a great time, except for the 30-40 mph winds and temp in the low 50's. Brrrr was it cold! The kids enjoyed the corn maze for the most part. We also took a hay ride to a pumpkin patch where each child got to pick their own pumpkin to take home. It was a lot of fun. Of course, I am totally exhausted and really wish I could take a nap! Here are some pictures of Cade from today.


Hope everyone is well.
~jen

Another Great Game!

Cody had a really great game today. He had 4 awesome tackles (one in the picture above) and he almost had a touchdown! He caught a pass in the end-zone but the ref's (who needed some new glasses) called Cody out of bounds! Crockett won 13-8 and remains undefeated at 4-0. Today's game was their first conference game, so this win was a big one! Next week's game is their last home game with only 2 more games left in the season before play-offs begin. Next week will be a special one with my parents and grandparents coming up to watch Cody play. We are very excited to have them here to watch what may be his last season of football.

~jen

Toy Commercials on the Rise

Yesterday while Caden was watching some cartoons he lets out this horrible... something is attacking me... I'm hurt... please hurry... "M-O-M-M-Y" scream. I immediately come running down the hall expecting to see one of my worst nightmare scenarios. I find Caden sitting the living room in the recliner, pointing at the TV and he calmly tells me.... "I want that for Christmas". WHAT?!?.... where's the emergency.... heart rate slowly decreasing from 160's... are you kidding me... you yell at the top of your lungs... only to tell me you have found yet another must-have toy for Christmas!
I calmly catch my breath and tell Caden that yelling "Mommy" like that is just for emergencies... like when he is hurt. He smiles and says "ok... but can I have that toy for Christmas?".
Is it just me... but as we get closer to Christmas is every commercial for a toy? :)
~jen

Three Things

I received this in an email... thought it was worth posting.
~jen


Three Things

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back
1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity

Three things in life that can destroy a person
1. Anger
2. Pride
3. Unforgiveness

Three things in life that you should never lose
1. Hope
2. Peace
3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable
1. Love
2. Family & Friends
3. Kindness

Three things in life that are never certain
1. Fortune
2. Success
3. Dreams

Three things that make a person
1. Commitment
2. Sincerity
3. Hard work

Three things that are truly constant
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Latest thoughts, stories....

Caden made his first goal at his soccer game Saturday. He was so excited! I don't have any pictures to share. We sat with the sun in our eyes, so I knew that I would have a hard time getting any good pictures due to the sun. I am not sure who won... I usually don't keep track... but Cade had a great time!

I am slowly starting to feel better. I seem to have a little more energy and not feeling as tired. Yesterday while at work I stopped by our registration desk to pick up an itemized list of charges from my surgery to turn into to our hospital's version of Aflac. Wow~ talk about sticker shock! I was totally taken back by how much the hospital charges were. It's a good thing we have insurance!

This morning I found Caden sitting quietly in Cody's room. My friend Renay wanted to talk to Caden about his goal and when I asked Caden what he was doing sitting in Cody's room, he said "I am waiting for Cody to wake up". While I thought this was sweet, I knew he wouldn't be able to sit there quietly until Cody decided to wake up (today's a school holiday) so I told Caden that Cody was sleeping in. Caden quickly asked... "what's sleeping in?". Yes... let's have a little talk about sleeping in. Mommy can't remember the last time she slept in! :)

There is a crisp, cool feeling to the air this morning. It almost gives you the impression that fall is hopefully around the corner. I decided to dig out the hot-chocolate maker and make some hot chocolate! Yummy.

I hope everyone is well. We all seem to be doing fine. I do have a few prayer requests....
~Renay will be having some GI tests done tomorrow. Hopefully she will have some answers as to what's causing her problems.
~Prayers for my family. I am not going to go into anymore details, but my family could use your prayers for healing.

~jen

1 Year Anniversary

blog

noun
1. a shared on-line journal where people can post diary entries about their personal experiences and hobbies; "postings on a blog are usually in chronological order"

verb
1. read, write, or edit a shared on-line journal

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.


It's been a year since I started blogging. To think that over a year ago... I didn't even know what a blog was! And after 148 posts, I cannot believe how quickly a year passes. This one seems to have gone by much more quickly than the ones before. So much has happened in a year. From holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, illnesses, loss of job, a month of uncertainty, old jobs becoming new again, funny moments, accomplishments, venting, to a year of pictures.... this has been a great first year for blogging. I hope you will continue on this journey with me. It has been wonderful so far. I hope for those of you who are miles away... this blog brings you closer and you feel apart of our daily lives.
Thanks to all of you who comment to my posts. It is always a wonderful surprise to see a comment on the blog.
Much love to you all,
Jennifer

~A Steelers Family~

Update

I went to the urologist today.
For the most part everything looks "good". I'll start with the good news. Both of the stones in the left kidney were broken up and all that remains is the left-over "sludge" (tiny fragments of the stones, which need to be flushed out of the kidney). I do still have 1 stone in the right kidney. Dr. Pate removed the stent. I'll spare you the details. It wasn't as bad as it was 14 years ago, but still not a pleasant experience.
I will go back in 3 weeks for a check-up and we will begin some testing to find out why I am making the stones.
The bad news is that I may have to repeat this whole process in a few weeks to a few months to treat the stone in the right kidney. ~sigh~
As for now... I am hurting, but I probably did to much this afternoon after the appointment (went to Wal-Mart) so hopefully I can rest up over the next couple of days. I will be returning to work on Friday. ~double sigh~ :)
Thanks again to everyone for the prayers, phone calls, and for everything else. Mike and I really appreciate everything.
Love,
~jen