Life Moments

Hello Friends!  It is the end of April and I don't know where time goes?  All is well, but life just seems to be flying by..........  When Andrew was young, people would say, "Enjoy this because it will be gone before you know it!"  My response to that was usually amused acknowledgement - I heard it, and knew that they felt it was true, but didn't see the application in my life.  I was working too hard at it, trudging ahead, mired down in the enormity of my responsibilities.  Things were ticked off as in a list - preschool √, kindergarten √, soccer √, baseball √, church activities √ the list goes on and on.  Often, I felt so overwhelmed that I thought I would never get through it.  Those thoughts still come, but not as often now.  What is happening, however, is that warp speed that wiser parents referred to. When did it all start going so fast?  Yesterday, my baby boy took a friend to her senior prom.  He was all the things a good escort should be......tall, handsome, polite. (I hope)  It almost seemed surreal.  My son could not possibly be old enough to go to prom, right?  A friend told me not to cry, and I didn't think I would.  But today, looking at all the pictures, I felt like crying a little.  Not because I am sad, but because it is bittersweet to watch these milestones pass.  In another couple of years, this will be over.  I'm not sure how that has happened since I haven't aged at all in the past 15 years............HA!

This is what Andrew looks like in my mind's eye!

Andrew and his friend Kaitlin off to prom

The KHS girls basketball fundraiser has been a success, they sold about 70 pendants and will walk away with more than $600..........I hope that equals a success to them, it does to me.  I have had some interest in doing a similar fundraiser in the fall with the dance team.....I might be up for that one too!  


In regard to my goals for this year, I have good news to report on that front too.  The magic number is 30 - and I am feeling good.  Having said that, I had a horrible food day today!  Back on the wagon tomorrow!  I also have new people in my life, and the twists in the road might be evening out.........and I am enjoying every minute of it.


School is almost over for the year, and I am looking forward to some quiet time in June and July.  Again, where does time go.  Hope there is as much joy in your life as there is in mine right now!  Until later.....Julie

Short and Sweet

I am sitting on my deck and am going to post the shortest blog ever - LIFE IS GOOD! Until next time, Julie

Ode to a Wednesday!

Wednesday wasn't kind to me today!  The day started off okay, and I'm not really sure where it went wrong.................

I have written lately about my "new vision", and my goals.  I have made a lot of great progress and am encouraged about my new happiness.  There have been some twists and turns and I have taken those in stride.......embraced them even!  It wouldn't be fair to say that I am transformed, but in a lot of ways I feel like I am.  I've even had to make some choices recently - something I hate to do - and have felt really, really good about them.  Confident, you might say.  I wrote to friends that I am "settled".

Imagine my surprise today when I was simply doing my job and got called on the carpet.  Luckily, I had done the legwork and paperwork ahead of the situation so I was covered, but still.  Here it is......I had a parent call my principal today and complain that I expected his/her student to turn in classwork/homework!  Yep, that's it!  I'm picking on the kid for pestering about homework!  I don't know about you, but I find that alarming.

Now, I am never, ever going to win Mother-of-the-Year.  I make mistakes with my son each and every day.  I yell about things I shouldn't yell about, accuse him of things he doesn't do, blame him for things that aren't his fault..............lots of things.  But I expect him to do his homework.  ALL OF IT!  There are consequences when he doesn't!  Usually those consequences hurt me more than him because he makes my life miserable, but that doesn't mean I don't expect him to work or that I won't follow through on the consequence!  I have said many times over that the problems in American education aren't entirely educational. We have social problems, and lots of them!  I am appalled at the things people do and say every day!  In school, in social situations, in the news.........everywhere!  Wouldn't I be a hypocrite if I took money for teaching school each day and then never expected students to do anything?  Enough of my soapbox, I know that in the long run, the child is the one hurt in a situation like this.  High school comes as a shock for them and some don't make it through.  Sad, really......what's the answer?

On a happier note, the pendants for the KHS girls basketball teams are coming along nicely.  If you need a personalized Mother's Day gift, a pendant with a child's picture on it is a nice gift :) Find a basketball player and order yours now :)

There is still a smile on my face more often than not now...............quite a bit more often, so all is good.  Days like this are going to happen and maybe I just need to use the experience to look at my own child and be thankful he is as good a kid as he is.  He really is.........even though he is costing me a bazillion dollars lately.  Thank God for the rain and the opportunity for him to mow lawns...................  I love my son, very much, and before I know it he will be gone.  I have to stop or I will cry :)  Kiss your kids and have a good end-of-the-week!  Oh, and, Thursday, can you be kinder please! Until later - Julie

The sun is shining, and the birds are singing!

Hello friends!  Today is Monday and it is so pretty outside on my deck!  I love this time of year when the temp is still cool enough to be outside and there aren't many bugs!  I HATE bugs!  A friend and I sat on the deck Saturday night and drank a bottle of wine and enjoyed every drop!  I need to do that more.........just sit and do nothing!

As of today the magic number is 22!  I need to keep my motivation because the scale hasn't moved in over a week.  Hasn't gone up, but hasn't gone down either.  A couple of people have asked me about what I am doing.  I have been watching what I eat pretty consistently for the past year.  I even spent several weeks eating nothing except "diet foods" but was unsuccessful at losing any weight.  The difference this time has been the walking.  I walk every day I can.  I am truly learning to enjoy it too.  I spend that time thinking, reflecting, and thinking about my next "move".  I have found a couple of walking podcasts on iTunes that have made it easy for me to stick to a pretty consistent rhythm when I walk which keeps the heart rate up most of the walk.  Those are Motion Traxx Fuel for Fitness.  The name of the podcasts are Walker's Delight and Walker's Delight 2.  They are free, you just download them to your iPod and then go.  They are good because they are just studio music.  I find that if I am walking to my own favorite music I focus on the songs and don't get that thinking time.  When I am using the podcast and get into a rhythm, I don't even think about how much further I have to go.

I am having an interesting year.  My goal was to step out of my comfort zone and I have to say, I have done that!  I spent a lot of time the past 12 years thinking about what I couldn't do and now I am thinking about what I CAN do!  It has been a bit of an epiphany!  Remember when you were 20 something and you thought you could really do anything you wanted to and could solve ALL the world's problems?  I spent my early adult years feeling that each day.  Then my marriage failed and it felt like I lost all my power because I couldn't fix that.  I have spent the time since feeling defeated and powerless and weak.  I'm not weak, have never been weak, but that is how I was perceiving myself.  Other people didn't think that, I know that now, but it doesn't matter what other people think if you don't believe in yourself.  Anyway, I made a vow to myself to change, and once I came to terms with that vow, there has been no turning back.  I find myself happy like I haven't been for years.  One of the things I told myself I was going to do was let more people into my world.  I have always been close to my family, but when I returned to Kirksville, I didn't make friends because I viewed myself as "damaged goods" and thought no one needed me in their life.  This didn't only apply to men - women too, particularly if they were happily married!  I retreated into the arms of my family and allowed them to fill all of those friend needs.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love my family and they are among my most prized relationships, but I needed more.  In the past several years I have rediscovered old and developed new friendships that are so awesome!  I can't tell you how important that has been to me!  They listen to me because they WANT to, not because they HAVE to!  How awesome is that?  Some of you are shaking your heads, I should have known, but I didn't allow myself to know!  I am learning.

A happy Julie used to be a rare sight, now I'm happy most of the time!

I am beginning to feel like I can do anything again...........and maybe I can.  I wake up in the morning and I am thinking happy thoughts before I think of my problems.  THIS IS HUGE!  Thanks for all of you who are part of this journey!  I will never be able to repay you except by being a good friend to you.  I allowed myself to believe I was not worth a happy life for too long.  So.......................I am looking forward to tomorrow and the day after that and....................The sun is shining, and the birds are singing!  If I am scaring you, I apologize.  Hopefully you will get used to it! HA