Perfect Rest

I LOVE the rain. The other day, I was walking out to the back of the yard to feed and water Caesar. There were very dark clouds all around and I was trying to get him fed before the rain hit. Needless to say, I didn't make it. I found myself in a new situation. It's so quiet out here that I could hear the rain as it moved toward me. The hundreds of soft thuds the rain made as it hit the grassy hills around our house got louder and louder as the storm moved toward me. It was so incredible that I didn't really even want to get in out of it.
That experience was one of many I've had in which the beauty of a rain storm took me by surprise. I love the cool, delicious breeze that accompanies a coming storm in the heat of summer. I love the sudden quieting of the birds and bugs. I love the sound of rain drops growing more and more urgent on the rooftop. I think it's so amazing how suddenly green everything looks in contrast to the gray sky. To me, the absolute perfect rest is dozing through a thunderstorm on a covered, and preferably screened, porch on comfortable furniture (or a hammock) with a good book laying on my chest for when my eyes no longer feel too heavy to hold open. On nights when I hear the low rumble of thunder and the soft dripping of rain down the gutter, I close my eyes and rock myself to sleep on that perfect porch and hammock in my mind.

Been Awhile...

So, it's been awhile since I've blogged and all my adoring fans (laugh) have been scolding me for my lack of material.
After much thought and prayer, we decided to move to Hohenwald, TN. I really love it here! Aside from the fact that restaurant and shopping choices are somewhat limited, it's amazing. (that's actually a good thing, since we have managed to work our way nearly out of debt and are trying to finish out our debt snowball!) Very little traffic. Tons of beautiful scenery. And, it is SO QUIET! I hear nothing at night but the cacophony of bullfrogs in the pond behind the house. I don't hear teenager's thumping sound systems driving by. I don't hear the hum of the interstate. I can't hear when the neighbors slam their car doors when they get home. I haven't even heard a siren since I've been here! At night, sleep is so sweet! My kids, who were chronic get-up-in-the-middle-of-the-nighters, have slept through the night every night for the last 2 weeks!
I am so thankful for this opportunity. I have found some things I didn't even know I was missing... I love when that happens.

7 Years!

Today is my 7 year anniversary to Mr. Eric Droke. We were 22 and 21 when we got married. Since then, I've finished my bachelors degree, we've adopted a cat-may she rest in peace-, had a little girl, had a car accident, had a baby boy, moved a few times, battled a near death, unexplained illness, and adopted a dog.

I appreciate and love this man more today than ever in my life. A marriage-therapist-friend told me that there is a significant change in the marriage relationship every 7 years. I would agree with that. Over the last year, our marriage has changed, but in a good way. I have a greater respect for him now than ever in my life. I've learned to at least try to see the best in obnoxious people. I've learned to at least try to give troublesome people the benefit of the doubt. I've learned to at least try to shut up and listen in a confrontation. I've learned what true character acts like. In short, I'm a much better person than I was when he married me 7 years ago, because of his example. Of all the men in the world, I'm so glad I picked him... he just thinks he picked me....

Family Video

Ok, so I've never done this before, but I'm planting a BIG FAT ENDORSEMENT on my blog. Family Video is AWESOME!

This afternoon, I bundled up the kiddos, and headed down to Blockbuster to rent the new Harry Potter movie. (By the way, I was renting it for me and Eric to watch sans kids... it's a little too scary for them, for now.) Well, I got there and Blockbuster had about 12-15 copies, and they were all already checked out. I was bummed. I said something to AbiLyn about them being out. Well, there was a man standing there that told me that the Family Video down the road still had about 70 copies available! I told him thanks and headed out the door. He and a man with him left the same time as me. When we got outside, he handed me a free rental card for Family Video and told me he'd call them and tell them I was coming.
I got there, and it turns out he's a regional manager for the place. The manager sought me out and gave me the store tour, which they do for all new customers. It's great! They have a pretty big section of FREE movies for kids. Free, whether you rent a movie on that visit or not! They have 'nearly new releases' that are $1 for a 5 night rental!
The only down side is that the New Releases are only 1 night rentals. New Release prices range from $1 to $2.59 depending on how new they are... but they DID have the movie I was after... and as a bonus, I got 2 free movies for the kids! Also, new customers get 1/2 price rentals for the first 30 days. I'm so excited about an affordable video store option!

Really? 8 Hours?!?

My daughter, AbiLyn has been having an earache lately. Since she's had tubes put in, twice, and has had her tonsils and adenoids removed, she generally doesn't get ear infections anymore. So, we now buy earache drops to help get her through any discomfort and don't take her to the doctor unless she starts running a fever. Well, anyone that has ever used ear drops knows that room temperature drops in your ears just makes them hurt worse.
So, anytime AbiLyn tells me her ears are hurting, I've started putting the drops bottle in my bra for a few minutes to heat them up while I do other things around the house. It's usually not a super urgent complaint... Once they've warmed up, I put the drops in her ears.

Well, today while she was stalling at naptime, she said her ear was hurting. I grabbed the bottle and put it in my bra to heat up while I finished whatever chore I was working on... okay, okay, while I finished my train of thought on Facebook.

She never went to sleep and it was time to get the kids up from their non-nap. I had to get them dressed and ready to meet my family at our favorite Mexican restaurant before the Christmas Tree Lighting on the square, here in town.

Well, as you might imagine, I forgot about the drops bottle... and didn't remember it until tonight when I needed them again for her at bedtime. The ear drops warmed for like 8 hours! I totally forgot they were there! Needless to say, they were plenty warm when I needed them for her again. It simply amazes me how much self awareness I've lost since becoming a mom!

Not Working...

My 2-year-old, Lex, is starting to pee in the potty. Yay for us, right? It's just so funny how proud he is when, like, 4 drops eeeeek out. He seems to really enjoy the whole process, which is good for us, because maybe he won't take 1.5 years to potty train like his older sister.

This morning, I set him on the potty and he was able to go a little. His diaper was soaked from sleeping overnight, so there probably just wasn't much there. He sat there for a few minutes, pushing. Then he looked up at me with this frustrated look and said, "It's not wuhkin'." I couldn't help but laugh about the fact that he'll probably be back to that same point in about 55 years... hopefully, by then, he'll be able to say his R's, though.

**Photo courtesy of Christina Campbell at Eternal Treasures Photography. eternaltreasuresphotos.com

Excuse me, Officer...

My job at Cyber Cafe on MTSU campus is, if nothing else, entertaining. At any given time, I can see 10-15 gigantic (fake) "diamond" studs in guys' ears, insanely inappropriately tight pants... on guys, insanely inappropriate amounts of cleavage (which make me think I can hear fathers' screams from all across the country), Quidditch robes worn as regular clothes, unbelievably colorful tennis shoes, no shoes at all, and the list goes on and on...

The kids are usually very nice and make me laugh. They are, for the most part, good natured kids that are just enjoying college and their friends. It's a fun atmosphere to be around.

Last night, however, I experienced one of the funniest things I've seen. A kid comes in that's skinny and about 6'1" or 2", brown, curly, shaggy hair, dressed like a skater... baggy pants, colorful jacket, bright cap turned partly to the side w/ the bill flipped up. The catch was, he looked like he was about to hurl. He was pale... I mean, PALE... as in his lips were the exact same color as his forehead. He had a green tint to his face, even, and a fine sheen of sweat across his face. His eyes were totally bloodshot. He, not surprisingly, was weaving all over the store area. He could barely stand up. He looked like someone that had been playing that game where you put your forehead on a bat, spin around and then try to run somewhere.

When he came in, I happened to be standing in the front talking to an MTSU police officer. They come by and chat with me sometimes. I appreciate the police presence, especially between 12 and 2a.m. Well, the police officer was leaning against a closed register while we talked. This kid staggers over to him and holds out his sandwich and drink like the police officer was going to ring him up. Did I mention, that the police officer was in FULL uniform... gun and all. Clearly, not a Cyber Cafe employee. To me, that spoke volumes about how messed up this kid was. I pointed to the other register and told the kid he could pay there. When he staggered away to the open register, the police officer and I kind of looked at each other and kept watching the kid. Was he handicapped? Did he have Cerebral Palsy? We were trying to figure out if he had some kind of disability that made him walk that way. As we watched him running into people and weaving around the store, we decided it was definitely chemically induced. Needless to say, he got taken in. Turns out, he was 19 years old, drunk, and had pot in his pocket. Oh, did I mention, he was on probation already? Guess what for? Possession of marijuana and under age drinking!!Apparently, he's not too bright if he's going to violate his probation doing the exact thing he was on probation for, and then ask a police officer to ring up his sandwich.