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pics from D.C trip

Washington D.C. trip

Sorry I haven't blogged this summer, it's just been a crazy summer. I can't believe school starts next week! Anyhow, I wanted to blog about our trip to D.C. this past week. It was an awesome trip that I highly recommend.
We took the Amtrak train which was an adventure but I can't say that I would recommend it. We left Greenville after midnight, thinking we would sleep on the way. Didn't happen... the train was very noisy, people boarding at 3 a.m. oblivious to that fact that everyone on the train was trying to sleep and it was freezing. I'm as hot natured at they come and I was cold! We arrived in Alexandria at 9 a.m. looking so forward to crashing for a while in our condo. Our reservations had us arriving the night before and I had called ahead to let them know we wanted to check in that morning. They said our rooms wouldn't be ready until 2:00. I did the chain of command routine and got nowhere. Shelby was so tired she was almost in tears. Now there happened to be a victorian parlor in the lobby entrance, you know the type... beautiful chairs and such that aren't meant to be sat on or used. I put a child on each George Washington era sofa with pillow and blanket (I did have them remove their shoes). I got out the Martha Washington tea cart and sat out my Mt. Dew, Cheez-Its and various fruits. Brian napped in a wingback but refused to snore for me. I hid our luggage behind the fireplace to enhance the homeless shelter look (if only I could have snagged a shopping cart from the street). After appalling looks from arriving guests (most of them from New York) and the stink eye from management... we were in our condo in 20 minutes. God works in mysterious ways and I just like to help out when I can.
We attended church at the National Cathedral Sunday morning. It was breathtaking in beauty, but I felt very lacking in God's presence. It was too much pomp and circumstance for me. A very unhappy looking bishop passed us during the service. I whispered to Shelby how unhappy he looked and she non-whispered back "of course he's unhappy, they make him wear a dress".
We were able to tour the White House. The first thing Shelby said about the White House is that it sure needs some shutters for color. I strongly agree! I spent more time filling out security information in order to get a tour than the actual tour itself. You see about 4 rooms that 50 people are trying to view at once through a small doorway. As disappointing as the White House was, the Capitol tour made up for it. I had no idea the Capitol was so beautiful. We had an escorted tour with a staff member of Senator DeMint's office. We able to ride the underground tram to the Capitol and view hallways and areas not available to the public. Every inch of these hallways were painted with nature scenes some Italian guy did. He painted all over the Capitol for 50 years! Caleb got to give a speech in the Senate Room (pic) the senators are all at their beach houses this week.
We loved getting around D.C. The metro was right outside our condo and is a great way to get around (pic) People were very friendly in giving directions. Brian won't ask (man thang) but it doesn't bother me. If they came to my house and they needed to bushhog a field or gather eggs... I bet they would need directions.
We walked so much in 7 days that I wore out a pair of tennis shoes. Mount Vernon was one of the best days. They had games for the kids (pic) and we could have stayed there for a week. The guy shown in period costume asked Shelby "If you could talk to anyone in history.. dead or alive... who would it be?" Shelby replied "I'd chose the live person". He laughed all day.
We saw lots of artwork in D.C. (pic) at least they call it artwork. I wanted to stand up and scream The Emporor Has No Clothes. We did see the original Kermit that Jim Henson made from his mother's coat. The historical paintings were awesome, the modern structures and such were just a bunch of crap... our tax dollars at work.
Of all the museums we toured, Caleb loved the Spy Museum. Shelby loved all the escalators and the metro. It was an awesome family trip with something for everyone. I looked forward to the Museum of Natural History, but it was mostly about evolution. We don't even get to claim we are from apes anymore. We all came from a rat named Maggie according to the Museum.(pic) More crap, but I did see the Hope Diamond.
There are a lot of homeless people in D.C. which is sad. It really bothers Shelby, she would have given all her money to homeless guys if I let her. Overall though, it is a clean city and we felt very safe even at night walking around. I had heard people were very rude, but didn't seem to find that to be the case. Caleb and I did our "Philly experiment" that we do in all large cities. We made eye contact and smiled, most smiled back and spoke. We only had once back experience. A guy carrying soft drinks to a "Haje Hut"(there are NO Caucasians in food service) spoke some rather harsh language to Caleb. We ignored him, but it bothered me. We later found ourselves at the same corner and saw him sitting outside the vendor trailer. I walked up to Osama and put a $100 bill on the counter and said I needed all the ice creams bars it would buy. He seemed excited and started getting them out. I then asked if the man worked for him ,pointing to the earlier offender. He said yes and I said nevermind, taking back my money. I told him that his guy needed to watch his language around children and that he wouldn't get any of my money. I know it did no good whatsoever, but I felt better.
We thought we were well prepared for the train ride home. We purchased blankets, sweatshirts, and ear plugs. It was like a sauna on the return trip. Oh well, it was still a great trip.

Priorities

My grandmother used to say, "Don't sacrifice your future for a fancy" or
Don't cut down a tree just cause you need some kindlin'" In other words, Don't jeopardize what you really want for something you "think" you want right now. There are many variations of this quote and they all mean the same thing and can be applied to lots of different aspects of our lives.... time, money, sacrifice,etc. I have been so wrapped up in a political situation regarding our local schools that I've really let things go, not just housework and stuff, but friendships and time with my family. I'm glad that I will be out of town for our election this Tuesday or I would be going crazy. This trip was planned before I knew when the election was, but God knew. I've decided that I have to take a step back. Instead of being concerned with what I want to focus on, or even what my family wants me to focus on (what for lunch? where's the ketchup? is my uniform clean?)I have to learn what God is concerned with. I can't be supermom, superwife, super(cleaning)lady, supercook, superfriend, blah blah blah In the course of events, I wind up not being super at anything, just mediocre at best. This is not a pity party, just a quick glance myself and simply not being thrilled with some areas. I also see it all around me. I think we are sometimes so involved that we can't evolve into what God wants us to become. My goal this summer is to slow down. I have canceled several activities and have refused to say yes to anything (especially my kids activities) without praying about it. I have deemed this my summer of sanity, so we started with a camping trip. Brian wanted to go but I just couldn't see how... I had so much to do. No food prepared, laundry undone,etc. Instead of worrying about my timing, I said why not. Away we went and had a great time. Mom even came down for the day and she did great. I'm trying to put aside my priorities for principles. My family and friends deserve better, but most of all my God deserves better.

Can I have a life now?

I know it is very selfish, but I'm hoping to have a life for a few weeks. Caleb's soccer ended abruptly Saturday morning. They lost the first game in tournament so the season was over. They had hoped to play 2 or 3 games on Saturday. On the way home, Caleb was so dejected. I really put up a good front for encouragement, but I have to admit that inside I was doing the happy chicken dance. I can finally have a Saturday and evenings to do stuff around the house or maybe even dinner or a movie.... yippee!
Brian won't be home for another couple of weeks (he's my messy child) so I might even have time to read a book! Once school is out though... all bets are off.

Mom won't be going to the doctor over the next few weeks and hopefully won't be making any more trips to the hospital either. She is feeling better and eating some. She doesn't have cancer or amyloidosis. We don't know what she has, but she is taking a break from tests/medicines to try to clear out toxins in her body. All this has made me stop and think about losing her, which would be devastating. It wouldn't just be my Mom, but my best friend. More than anything, I want my kids to grow up with a grandma and have fond memories of her.

Regardless of how you feel about your Mom, good bad or ugly... cherish your time with her. She did give you life and she will not be around forever. How you treat your parents is a lesson for your children. I want my kids to see me as a giving, caring daughter for my parents. You know giving and caring does not come naturally with me, but selfishness does and I want my kids to treat me well when I am old also!

We only have a few weeks of spring here in South Carolina. Soon it will be too hot to enjoy working in the yard. Since none of you guys are going to visit me here (except Jody) I guess I have to post some pics next time.

I really appreciate all your prayers and thoughts for Mom. See you soon!

I'm back!

Most of you know that we've had a crisis with my Mom. She has been very ill for about 10 months. She has been to numerous doctors and had numerous test. She was put in the hospital last week with kidney failure, yet another new symptom. She had decided she would not see a new doctor, refused more tests,etc. She was frustrated and just wanted to go home and die in her own bed. Well, they finally discovered she has a rare disease call amyloidosis. She's had a bone marrow biopsy (clear, PTL) and a kidney biopsy (don't know yet). She's hoping to come home today or tomorrow. Her spirits are much better since getting a diagnosis, even though it isn's a great one - it could be worse.
Thank you for all your emails and prayers and I will keep you updated.

I'm still trying to be Mom, Dad, and dutiful daughter. I'm counting the days until soccer is over and every evening and Saturday won't be spent watching that very exciting sport.... NOT! I got one of the coveted parking spots Tuesday night where you can watch the game from the vehicle. One minute I was pretending to watch the game (while I secretly read a book) and the next minute Caleb was jumping in the car saying "Wake Up, you missed the game!". Oh well, I've never even been considered for Mother of the Year and guess I won't get it again this year. At least I got a good nap.

Homeschool is very hit and miss these days. i love working in the yard while it's still cool enough to not spontaneously combust into flames which would scare the Shelby, so we have added gardening to our curriculum. Brian put in a HUGE garden... then left, but it's going good so far. Everyone I know may be getting frozen corn and canned green beans for Christmas. We are going to try a Christmas with all homemade gifts.... stop laughing and just be thankful if you aren't on my list. Shelby and I are trying to crochet. My pot holders actually come out in the shape of a pot. I think I could sew two together and maybe make a hat. Shelby's doing better than I. I may go back to quilting. I'll probably cheat and just go buy something that looks homemade. Those little tags that say "Made By Vicki" don't take but just a minute to sew on.

You'd think as busy as I've been that I would have lots to say. Maybe I need to save up all the money I'll save from homemade Christmas gifts and buy me a life. Actually, I'm right where I want to be. I have healthy kids, chickens, a new dog Biscuit (picture) and a hubby sending me money every week!!! Biscuit was a dog that a friend had, she is half welsh corgi and half alaskan husky. She was taking her to the pound because her larger dog abused her. I just couldn't let that happen. I had her for over a week before telling Brian. He didn't ask for a divorce so I guess that means we can keep her. I think she has been abused by humans also, but she's getting "affection overload" at our house and hopefully will heal.

We opened the pool this week, the water is a balmy 62 degrees, but my part polar bear chidren love it. I tried to get in to vacuum. My teeth chattered so that it gave me a headache.

I'm still planning on coming to Arkansas June 5-15 with/without Mom. I hope she can make it. Brian will come up from Ft. Worth and drive back with us. He should be through by then, unless he gets called to Arkansas to work the tornado damage.

Love you guys and see you soon!

Things to be thankful for

A friend is posting 1000 things to be thankful for. That motivated me to see how quickly I could come up with 1000 things. Well, it doesn't take long! Here are two of my favorites. My view that I wake up to every morning. There is always a fog at the bottom of the hill, sometimes with deer feeding. It's almost spooky as they move around in the fog, but I love it and its constant changing with the seasons. This is one of the reasons I won't leave my house and move back to Arkansas. My other is flowers. I LOVE flowers. They are one of God's greatest inventions. This flower keeps coming back year after year and it blooms from November to May. It is the best thing during those cold winter months too see this every morning on my porch. It reminds me that no matter how bleak and awful things look, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for!

Shelby had her first sleepover party this past weekend. Neither of my kids like to spend the night anywhere else but home. Shelby wants everyone to stay in one house, even grandparents. I worry that she's a future commune resident. Anyhow, I worried so about her party and expected a midnight call. I picked her up the next morning (yes, I was one of the first moms there) and she was lit up. She said, Mom, that was the BEST sleepover I've ever had! She things she's a pro now.

My mom is still sick, but she is eating some. She wanted mexican tonight, and kept it down! She goes back the doc on Friday, I'll keep you posted.

Brian got called out to Ft. Worth Texas. He may be gone a week or 6 months, who knows? Please pray for his safety. Pray for me too as I now have to do all the mowing and bushhogging around here, not the mention Caleb's soccer team and my new position as coach. What a joke that is. It's always very hard for a week or so when Brian leaves. I get used to it and then it's difficult when her returns! He loves adjuster work though, so I'm very happy that he got called out. He's much happier when he's challenged... you'd think living with me would be enough of that.