All In A Weeks Time

Well, this has been one of the most interesting weeks I have had in a long time.  SO many different things have happened.  Everyday I had intentions of writing, but would find myself coming home from work, eating dinner and falling asleep instantly on the sofa.  I think emotionally, I have just been drained and need to catch up on some mental rest. 

I live in Virginia, and last week we had the first EARTHQUAKE I ever remember.  I was at work, in an exam room with a patient, when we suddenly heard the door shaking in the door frame and then the floor start to shake.  We both looked at each other to make sure we weren't losing our minds.  Sure enough, there had been an earthquake which measured 5.8  Nothing big compared to what most earthquakes are, but for us East Coasters who aren't use to them, it was HUGE.  No damage was done to us, and where my parents live, which is about 34 miles from where the epicenter was, they only had a few things fall off of some shelves.  My 18 year old, being the Natural Disaster lover that he is, thought it was awesome.  Not that he wants any harm to come to anyone or anything, he is just amazed at Mother Nature's ability. 

So we manage the earthquake no problem, next comes my Emotinal Earthquake, moving my son into college.  I had posted earlier that I was pretty sure I would do okay with this, and for the most part I did on the day of the actual move.  It has been the days since then that I have had the most trouble.  I am use to talking to Reed everyday.  Now, it's no longer acceptable to call him everyday.  "I am in college now mom, you don't need to check on me everyday."  EXCUSE ME, but yes I do.  It is exactly because you are in college that I feel the NEED to check on you everyday.  And it's not that I think he needs to be checked on, but I am SO excited for him being in college, I want to know about every little thing he does all day.  How his classes were, what does he think about college food, how loud is his dorm hall, are his professors cool, is it weird being in a class with 90 or more other people, etc.  But, he doesn't get it and I guess I didn't get it either when I went away to college.  I know I didn't call my mom and dad as much as they wanted me to, and I did call my boyfriend, who was going to a different college much more often than they wanted me to.  See we didn't have cell phones back then, so my long distant phone bills went straight to my mom and dad's house for them to pay.  Looking back, that was really a bad thing.



Reed trying to find a place for all of his belongings in his very tiny room for 3


I didn't cry when I left Reed's room, but I did get a little teary eyed walking back to our car.  My hubby had to make me leave Reed's room, as I was busying myself with setting his drawers up, putting things away in his desk.  Basically stalling so I didn't have to leave.  Finally, Robby made it clear that this was Reed's room and I needed to let HIM set up HIS room the way he wanted it.  His roomates parents had already left, and alas, it was my time to leave too.  So I did.  I left Reed with a pretty decent supply of snack foods and goodies, maybe too good of a supply.  For I figure when he runs out of those goodies, I am guaranteed a phone call asking for more, and that is just perfectly fine with me:)  But with the amount I left behind, I may be waiting a bit for that phone call.  NOTE TO SELF...next care package, only pack enough for one week at a time!!!



It's time for me to leave him behind and to begin this chapter on his own.
Can you tell I am just SLIGHTLY PROUD of my Reed?


So, we get home from moving Reed in, and hurricane Irene begins her attack on the East Coast.  The weekend is filled with rain and winds.  That is about all we had to endure, but again, my parents had is a little, or a lot actually, worse.  They lost their electricity  last Saturday at 1:00 in the afternoon, and as of this writing, Wednesday 8:14 pm, they still don't have power.   My mom and dad are such troopers though, and have managed very well.  I hope when I reach 80, I am able to be half of the survivors that they are.  Until a day ago, they didn't have a generator so they defrosted all  of their meat in the freezer, grilled it and wrapped it up and placed it in coolers to eat throughout the week.  My amazing cousin from the Va. Beach area, drove up with a small generator for them to use, and they have been able to plug in one or two things now.  I call to check on them everyday to make sure they are okay and never once do they really complain about how things are.  My dad has to go to dialysis for his kidneys 3 times a week and luckily, the dialysis center has a huge generator so that patients are able to come in for their treatments so I haven't had to worry about him not getting his treatments.  NEWS FLASH>>>>>>> It is now 8:22 pm and my daddy just called to say they just got their power back.  I am not sure I have ever heard him sound so happy!!!!! 



My amazing mom and dad.  They will kill me if they find out I put this picture up.
They HATE having their picture taken.


So between my emotional highs and lows of parenting and letting my children grow up, Mother Nature bringing earthquakes and hurricanes to the area and work being a little extra challenging this week it has been an extra exciting past week.  I am ready for everything to calm down, including my emotions.  I just need to realize my babies aren't really babies anymore.  And I need to be happy for them that they are growing and finding their way in life.  My 2 youngest are a freshman and a junior in high school, so i really need to let them grow up, but it is so hard.  Boys I guess naturally become less dependent on their moms for daily needs as they grow older.  But at the same time, I feel their love all the time and know that they love their mama with all their heart.  I am proud of them for the men they are growing up to be. I always wanted 4 children, but never dreamed I would be blessed with such 4 amazing sons.

Holding on tight, but letting go gently.

Last year before Reed was accepted to George Mason.  Rubbing the foot of  Mr. Mason for good luck in hopes he would be accepted.  It worked!!!

Tomorrow will be a big day for me.  My son Reed will be moving into his college dorm room.  He is starting his freshman year at George Mason University.  I am so very proud of him for this new chapter of his life.  He is so very excited and I pray for only the best possible experience for him in the next 4 years.  He is so ready for this and I think I am too.  Friends ask if I am going to cry because I am known for being a VERY emotional person.  I can cry faster than anyone you know.  BUT, I don't think tomorrow I will be too bad.  As I have explained in earlier posts, my boys live with their dad most of the time, so I won't be going through the usual emotions that most moms go through when their children leave for college.  Reed won't be too much further away from me than he already is, and I look forward to putting together care packages for him with homemade goodies and little reminders that I love him and miss him.  The people that I believe will miss him the most are his two younger brothers.  They are so very close and have such an amazing relationship with each other.  It will be strange for them not to have the older brother around.  And though Reed would probably never admit it, I think he may miss them a little bit too.
Wish me luck tomorrow for a smooth move and few tears.  And if they are tears, they will be tears of joy and pride for my amazing son Reed.  I love you Reed and wish all of life's treasures for you. I am holding on tight to you in my heart, but letting you go gently into this new world of yours.
Here is a little video which shows just how close and crazy these 3 of my 4 sons are.  This was filmed this past Sunday and Reed is the one on the far right.  Enjoy.

Side note; I wrote this last night but could not get my video to upload until this morning.  Wish me luck today:)

Bitter Sweet Sixteen




My Little Mini-Me as many people call him.

Yesterday, my 3rd born turned 16.  How in the world this happened I have no idea.  Seems like yesterday he looked just like the picture above.  He is at the beach right now with his dad and brothers and he doesn't look anything like this anymore.  Well, he does, but he doesn't.











Those big blue eyes use to look up to me for all the answers in the world.  Now I look up into those blue eyes and see all the possibilities in the world.  And I know that his possibilities are endless in this world.

 



Always ready to surprise me with a spontaneous photo shoot featuring some of his very best clothing ensembles.

 





My once painfully shy son, is now the one who finds the greatest joy in making others laugh and see the humor in life. 

His name was chosen while watching a documentary in my birthing suite, about babies sleeping through the night.  The baby they were showing was named Evan and he slept through the night at 2 months of age.  After already being sleep deprived by his two older brothers, ages 2 and 4, we decided we would try the name Evan out for our son and see if he slept through the night at an early age.

And sleeping has never been a problem for him since the day he was born.  Guess we made a good choice in names, hahahaha.

I don't know how time went by so fast and I wish I could find a way to slow it down.  But if the next 16 bring me as much happiness as these past 16 have, I really can't not ask for more.  Evan is my ray of sunshine, my bright spot when my days cloud over.  The little words he says to me, and his thoughtful ways make everything okay.  Watching him interact with his brothers, and the bond they have, lets me know I have nothing to worry about.  They are as close as can be, and that bond will never be broken.

My muscle men
showing just how strong and poweful they can be as a pack.



My amazing sons who mean the world to me.

And so, on this day after Evan's 16th birthday, I am wishing for him, a life full of wonder, laughter and love.   God's love and guidance in all he does and the faith and strength to go after all that he aspires to be.  May his sunny outlook on life never be clouded for any length of time and life's hard knocks be gentle bumps along the way.  Courage and wisdom come with each day, but always knowing that mistakes are natural and my love will never falter.  I love you Evan, today and all the days of your life. 

Evan at Lake Champion, Young Life Camp.

Never a Dull Moment

One of the great things about being married to a builder, I never have to worry about something not being able to be done around the house.  One of the more interesting things about being married to a builder, is I am never quite sure what I am going to come home to from work.  This usually is always a good thing, but a surprise never the less.

Today for example, I walk into my house followed by my mother in law who came up to get some cucumbers from our garden.  We walk into the house, and all of the kitchen furniture is sitting in the den and Robby is putting down new flooring in the kitchen.  Now don't get me wrong, this wasn't a total surprise, I knew we were putting down new flooring, I just didn't know this morning when I left for work at 7:00 that when I came home at 5:00, it would be on the floor, hahaha.  Robby's mom said it reminded her so much of Robby's dad when he was alive.  He too was a builder, and during the winter months when work was slow, she would come home from work and he would have torn down walls in the house and started re-designing the house.  Luckily Robby has not gone that far yet, all walls are still in tact.  The really great part is, I got out of making dinner and we got to go get pizza, my all time favorite food.



 So here are some pictures of the kitchen floor before.  There was nothing wrong with the white tile, but I do love the new floor very much.  It was time for a change and lucky for me, Robby thought so too.


You can't see much of the floor, but you can see my handsome son Reed.  Never realized I don't really take many pictures of my floor normally.



So here is where the kitchen table is and the old tile under it.





















So here is the floor so far.  A little bit left to finish tomorrow and then I get to put the kitchen back together and clean up.





Loving the way it looks.

So, yes being married to a builder is full of surprises and there really never is a dull moment.  And I most certainly would never change it for the world.  I will post finished pictures once the clean up is complete.  Happy Weekend Everybody.  My Happy Days have arrived:)



Highs and Lows with a Few In Betweens

The barn and corn fields before the corn was chopped.

Emotional rollercoaster, highs and lows, non-stop PMSing, bi-polar emotions....whatever you want to call it, I am going through it.  For whatever reason, I am in a funk and my happy days are not as frequent as I would like.  Pretty much my only happy days are Saturdays and Sundays when I get to be home with my hubby and my kids, just being a housewife and a mom.  Which as most of you know by now, is really the only thing I have ever truly inspired to be.  A job I have had for 8 years is just not what it use to be, and I find it really hard to be excited about going to work 5 days a week.  I still love being a nurse, taking care of all our very entertaining patients, truly love my work family, but it just isn't enough anymore.  Or maybe it's too much.  See, I can't even decide how I really feel about that!  I just know, something else is calling me and I can't put my finger on it.  I have been giving it all much thought and prayer, and just hope in time, my answers will come.

Today however, I took a mental health day off from work, and it worked wonders.  My intention was to just relax and try and finish the book The Help because I have a few coworkers waiting for me to finish it so we can go see the movie together.  My shoulder has really been bothering me again so I really wanted to just give it a break.  BUT, I am on prednisone again to help with the inflammation, soooooooo......I have a ton of energy during the day so I couldn't just sit all day and read.  Robby stayed home with me, and while I worked on deadheading my hanging baskets and cleaning up our deck, he cut firewood for the winter.  Then we dug beets and onions out of the veggie garden.



Beets and Onions from the garden.

Then it was time to clean up the veggies that are done for the summer.  The crazy heat and drought we have had, has put the hurting on our zucchini and squash.  The green beans were done for the summer as were my kale, lettuce, collard greens.  So, my wonderful Robby just got out ole' Mr. John Deere and cleaned the garden right up so that now we can replant for fall.  I love my man on his tractor, yes I have said it before, I think his tractor's sexy:) 


Robby cleaning up the garden.



 I was feeling much better about life by this point.  I grabbed my camera and went out to the veggie garden to take some pictures of my wonderful Sunflowers.  Then Robby asked if I wanted to take a ride on the 4 wheelers to go for a ride in the fields and see all the corn that has been chopped and just to have a nice ride together on such a gorgeous day.  Here are some pictures that I took while we were on our little adventure.  These pictures pretty much represent why I want to be home all the time, living the simple country life with the man I love most in this world along with my 4 sons.  I hope you enjoy these as much as I enjoy being able to take them.


Such a gorgeous color.  Soon the center will be black with yummy seeds.







Beautiful, big sunflowers just waitng to feed the birds.



Very happy hummer who has food whenever she wants it.





Can't believe how close these little buddies will get to us when we are on the deck.  They are so use to us being out there, they just buzz right up beside us and go to their feeder.  I think this little girl is a baby from this year.  She is much smaller than all the others.











After the corn is chopped, it still is all so beautiful to me.
The mountains, the sky and the clouds are just amazing.



How did I get so lucky to live in a place so beautiful?  Robby and I take drives and I am speechless the whole time because of all the beauty that surrounds me.



The pond.  Usually has more water, but the drought this summer has not helped very much. But it still manages to be  home for the geese and a turtle or two.

Mama was sitting on a nest but when we came up, she waddled off into the water for a little swim.

And Mr. Turtle was just sunning on a log, not bothered by us at all. 



And another shot of more of the cornfields.  We had a mama bear and her 3 cubs living in the corn, I guess they have moved on into the woods now for the fall.  They sure were cute to watch though.

After our ride together, we came home and made dinner on the grill; hamburgers from the beef we get from our neighbor and Robby had fresh corn on the cob from the garden.  Since I can't eat corn, I just tried a little bite of  his and it was so sweet, juicy, fresh and yummy!!!!  I  hope God will find it in his heart to rid me of my corn intolerance before I die so I can eat fresh corn on the cob one more time from my garden:)  While we were sitting on the deck grilling, I told Robby that this was a Happy Day.  He told me he was glad I had such a good day and I told him I was too because my Happy Days are far and few between these days and then I just burst into tears.  He told me to hang in there and soon things would hopefully be different.  That is all I can do, isn't it.  Wait and see what the plan is for me and know that I am where I am suppose to be for the time being.  Tomorrow is Friday and then I get two Happy Days in a row and I plan on making them the very best Happy Days. 

Wishing for all of you, that all of your days are Happy Days.

With love,

Debbie