Eavesdropping Mom....

The boys are on Spring Break right now, so it's no school all week. Thankfully, we have some wonderful friends who have stepped up and helped in the daycare of the boys while I'm at work. Today, they went to our neighbors, Chris & Erin's house. It was a beautiful day, so they were able to be outside most of the day. Even after I got home, they remained outside playing. I called them in at 5:00 tonight, to be greeted by a distinct little boys smell - a combination of cold sweat and mud. Being outside was heaven for them - especially after the long and terrible winter keeping them inside for so long.

On their way down the hall to the showers, both of them were very chatty about the good day they had. Christopher couldn't take the smile off his face! I love listening in to their conversations, just to hear how they interact with each other. Usually, they're making jokes, being silly, or just making random conversation. Tonight, I was extremely blessed by their conversation.

Somehow, the subject of being cool was brought up. Jake asked Chris, "Do you think I'm cool?"

Chris promptly replied, "Yeah, I think you're cool. Even though we fight sometimes, I still think you're a good brother. I'd love you even if you were a nerd, 'cuz it doesn't matter what's on the outside, just the inside."

Jake seemed very satisfied with the answer from his brother, because he replied with an "I love you too".

And then they went on to singing songs about bodily functions - all with sound effects.

Daylight Savings

Michael and I are in constant amazement over our boys. They have the same upbringing, same rules, same parents, and yet they are so different. One area that their differences are really shown is how they get up in the morning. Jake, being the night-owl, is content to sleep in as long as we let him. Chris, on the other hand, is a morning glory. He even jokes that sleeping in for him is waking up at 6:35 instead of his usual 6:30. His natural clock just wakes him up at the same time every morning. He wakes up happy, and ready for his day. (Oh how I wish I was like that!)

Since we had Daylight Savings this past weekend, Chris' natural 6:30 is now 7:30. With his school schedule, waking up at 7:30 still allows him plenty of time to start his day. Monday morning, when my alarm clock went off at 7:00, I immediately went into Jake's room to start my morning ritual of nagging him until he's up and getting ready for school. Chris is in the other room, sound asleep the whole time. 7:30 rolls around, and Chris woke up, got dressed, and went downstairs to eat his breakfast while watching cartoons before school. Jake, at this point, had also gone downstairs to catch half a show before leaving for school. Seeing Jake, Chris was surprised, "What are you doing up at 6:30?"

"It's 7:30." Jake replied.

"Mom!" traveled all the way up the stairs and down the hall to my room. He was genuinely concerned that he had overslept! I explained to Chris that twice a year, we change our clocks. In the fall, we set it back and hour, and in the spring, we set it ahead an hour.

"Why do we have to do that?! When did you make that rule?" he inquired.

"Everybody does it" I answered him, with a chuckle at the thought that I would have come up with a rule that would take an hour of sleep away from the precious little I get already.

"Even at school?" he asked.

"Even at school." I answered. "It's a law that everybody has to change clocks. You'll like that it doesn't get dark as quick in the evenings now."

Those of you who know Christopher well, know that he is a man of few words, and calls it like he sees it. In response to my hopes that the prospect of more daylight after school would somehow make that hour shift easier for him, he simply said:

"Well, that's the dumbest law I ever heard of!" and went back to his cartoon.

Sledding

We recently got 13 inches of snow in 24 hours (on Tuesday evening). Sledding was fun.



Music: Stellar Kart [Lose Control], Toby Mac [Boomin'], Hyperstatic Union [Sunny Days]

A Letter To My Husband

Dear Michael,

I know this is a rather public forum to send you a letter, but I felt inclined to do so. I am so blessed to be married to you, and quite frankly, I don't care who knows!

Valentine's Day is approaching, and while we really don't do much to celebrate each year, it does cause me to reflect on our relationship, and how God has put us together. Jennifer made a comment the other night that we were an "odd" couple - that she didn't know anybody else who had been so uniquely put together by God, and so perfect for each other. I don't know if I'd fully agree that we're "odd" - I do agree that God has made us perfect for each other.

I have so many reasons to love you, and to be thankful for you. As a man, you are honorable, funny, loving, and humble. You have risen with great integrity to be the true head of our household. You carry our family into every moment with grace and wisdom. You have shown me so much love over the years, despite my insecurities. I truly feel safe as your wife, and know that I can put my whole being in your hands.

You are an amazing dad. The way you interact with the boys is remarkable. You always make time to be with them, and have never shyed away from an opportunity to be with them. You are honest with them, and share your own struggles with great humility. I know that they respect you, and will learn what a real man is, just by being with you. With so many stories of absent fathers, I'm so thankful that our boys will always be secure in the fact that their dad loves them.

You have always been such a faithful provider for our family. You worked so hard when the boys were small, just so that I could stay home with them. As the years have gone by, you have shown great dedication to providing for our family - even to the extent of working places that are less than desirable. You have so many amazing talents and abilities, and I'm so proud of all that you walk in: music, photography, management, creativeness, and the list goes on. I know that God favors your dedication, and will bless you greatly in every endeavor you walk in.

You are also a great friend. Not only to our friends, but to me. You are so encouraging, nudging me to pursue the gifts that you see in me - most of the time, seeing things in me before I do! I am amazed at how much my heart can trust you. I never imagined it would be possible for me to be so close to someone, and God has amazed me by allowing me to be close to you.

Our 12 years together so far have gone by in the blink of an eye. We've grown so much in that time - and it excites me to see what God has for us in our future. I thank Him every day that I get to spend my life with you. I thank Him every day that He's given our boys the most amazing father. And I thank Him every day for looking past my faults, and rewarding me with such a treasure.

Society all around us tells us we're to complain about our spouses. I whole-heartedly disagree with that mindset. I want to tell the whole world what a gift I have in you. I want everyone to know that not all wives have only things to complain about, but things to be joyful over. I am so proud of you, and all that you are. I love you more than I can express in words, and I look forward to spending the rest of my life trying to show you the depths of my feelings.

Love,
Heather

Cold day for a horsey ride.

The boys stayed over at grandma/pa's house and strolled over to the stables and rode the horses around the arena.

Color changing card trick.

I had to share this one....

Can you see the color change?

Thoughts on Marriage

My mom sent me an email today that was rather cute. It was 9 and 10 year olds' opinion on dating and marriage. It got me curious to know what my boys would say to these same questions, so I conducted some interviews:

Question #1
How do you decide who you want to marry?

Jake: "Well, she needs to be nice, sweet, likes me, and I like her back. Oh, and it'd be nice if she was pretty."
Chris: "I don't want to get married"

Question #2
What is the right age to get married?
Jake: "20 - it's a good age. And really, you should only know half of the stuff about each other before you're married. You learn the deep stuff AFTER you get married!"
Chris: "18 - because I just picked a number"

Question #3
What do you do on a date?
Jake: "You eat, talk, and have fun with each other."
Chris: "I don't know...I've never been on a date!"

Question #4
When is it okay to kiss?
Jake: "You can kiss a little before you're engaged, and a little more after you're engaged."
Chris: "Never!"

Question #5
Is it better to be single, or married?
Jake: "Married. That way you're not alone and you have someone to cook food for you so you don't have to eat out of cans."
Chris: "Single. You get to do whatever you want, whenever you want."

Question #6
How do you make a marriage work?
Jake: "Try not to fight, like the same stuff, decide on things equally, and let your kids know what's going on sometimes."
Chris: "How should I know?! I'm not getting married!"


I had to laugh at these responses, just because Chris is so adamant about not getting married. One of these days, I'm going to video tape him saying so....that way I have something fun to play at his wedding!

I'm impressed with Jake's wisdom. For such a young guy, he seems to have a good idea of what type of character it takes to be in a healthy relationship. I found him not wanting to eat out of cans quite humorous though! I really hope his wife is a good cook!

Job Update

I've had a few people ask me how my new job is going. I figured it might be a good idea to post something on here about it, since I haven't really written anything since starting. It's going well, and I've learned a lot about myself in these last 8 weeks.

My position started off with a bang. I was overwhelmed by compliments and promises of how I was going to make the office run smoother. Then things died down a bit, and I got a bit bored for a few weeks. During this time, I realized how much I like to be in control. I was really frustrated with myself, because I had to keep asking questions, and my bosses didn't seem to want to let me run with things and improve on processes. I felt like I was bugging them more than I was helping them. I went in with the thoughts that I would improve all of their processes, and instead, I was bored to tears with the fact that I had to follow their processes. My bosses aren't as technically advanced as I am, and I had to "dumb" myself down a bit to fit into their protocols.

I really feel that this was a blessing to me, in spite of my frustrations. During that short 6 week period, I really examined myself and my personality. I always pegged myself as a "follower" and I've learned that I'm more of a leader than I realized. I found out that I like to be in control, and I have a hard time asking for help. I found out that I'm pretty confident in my abilities. And I learned that there are times you just have to take a leap of faith in what you feel is God's calling, and let Him do the rest.

Years ago, our pastor talked about a time when he had a job that he didn't enjoy. He really felt through that time that God was calling him to work "As unto the Lord". To do his best, even when nobody was watching. That sermon has been brought to mind quite a bit recently, and I've done my best to take it to heart. I'm doing my best to work with excellence, even when it's doing something simple.

Over the last 2 weeks, I've felt a real breakthrough at work. I have been able to communicate with my bosses my heart to serve them. They've made several comments recently, that they feel confident in my abilities, and they feel that I really want to help them. Now that I know their processes more (and I've learned a TON about the dental industry), I'm able to start implementing ideas to streamline and improve. They're asking for my help more and more, and are giving me more responsibilies.

I have been really blessed, recently, by an act of confidence in me by my bosses. There is a large dental convention that takes place in Baltimore every year. My bosses haven't been able to go for years, due to a lack of staffing that they could trust to run the office. Well, they've made their reservations, booked their flights, and bought their convention tickets. They feel confident that I can run the office by myself for 3 days at the end of the month. I'm thankful that they feel this confidence in me, and I'm praying for God's favor as well. I really want to bless them with coming back to a smooth operation.

I took this job for several reasons. The main reason is to, hopefully, earn enough income that eventually Michael can feel the freedom to take his photography to a deeper level. I am so blessed by this gift that God has given Michael, that I will do what ever I can to support his development and walk in photography. Another reason I took the job was I felt I was over worked and underpaid at my previous position. Although I didn't expect to struggle with the lack of responsibility, it has been a nice change of pace to not be as stressed about work. I took this job to help out my bosses as well. I saw a need, and felt that I could be part of their solution. I've learned that God had a reason that I didn't see at first as well. He wanted to teach me about the creation I am in Him. While this is a life long lesson, I'm thankful for the revelations He's given me over these past few weeks, and I pray that I will continue to walk in those revelations....changing actions and habits that need changed, and strengthening and developing His gifts in me along the way.

Toothless

Chris lost his first upper tooth tonight.

One of the easiest and yummiest vegatable soups...

This has become my favorite soup. I don't generally like zucchini or cabage - but in this soup, it's very, very yummy.

This recipe makes about 8 bowls of soup. Pretty much all of the ingredients are optional and flexible. Personally I can't imagine it without the onion, carrots, cabbage and zucchini (and broth and spices, of course).

Actual soup in picture at right.

YUMMY VEGATABLE SOUP

Ingredients:

Vegatables:
3 large [thinly sliced] carrots
1 large [diced] onion
3 cups of diced green cabbage
1 can green beans (or 1.5 cups of fresh green beans)
1 large zucchini [cubed]
2 tsp of minced garlic
Half a small can of tomato paste (I think it's a 6 oz. can)
Optional: 1/2 can of diced tomatoes [drained]
Optional: 1 cup of chopped celery

Liquid:
6 cups of broth (beef or chicken)

Spices:
3 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp salt

Meat is optional:
Any type of beef or chicken works... we usually use some chopped up beef stew or roast meat. About 1 pound of meat.

Step 1:
Using olive oil in a large stock pot, saute' the carrots, onion, celery and garlic on low heat until soft... about 5-7 minutes.
At the same time, brown your beef in another skillet.

Step 2:
Add all other ingredients EXCEPT for the zucchini and bring to a boil.

Step 3:
After a boil is achieved, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Step 4:

Add zucchini and cook for another 3-4 minutes (the zucchini will become soft very quickly - you don't want to overcook it).

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next time we make this soup, we're going to try adding a package or two of ramin noodles.

Christmas 2007

I know you won't be able to see the actual gifts, but it's still a fun video to watch.

High Resolution
(You may want to click 'Play' and then pause it so it loads the video.)


Low Resolution


Merry Christmas Everyone!

Camping

Okay... it's been almost two weeks and I haven't gotten a chance to go over any details... so until then, these photos will have to get you by.

High Resolution

View photos at http://sillyhat.net/album.asp?directory=/_albums/2007/12-14%20Camping

You want advise from me????

Getting older is a strange thing. When you're younger, you can't wait to be a grown up. But when you're a grown up, there are times you don't feel it. I was listening to the radio the other day, and the DJ was talking about an article that he read about today's twentysomethings. He was saying that the people in their early twenties now are a lot less mature than their counterparts 30 years ago. With the ease of technology, and going to college on "Daddy's dime" has caused their maturity to slow. The DJ was interviewing a prominent Christian artist while discussing this information, and he asked her what it was that made her feel like a grown up for the first time. She had mentioned that she felt grown up for the first time on her 23rd birthday.

Although there are many times that I feel like a grown up (like every time I've had to price shop for major appliances such as washing machines and deep freezers), I still struggle with the feelings of being a kid. I feel young. In many ways, that's a great thing - I'm able to play without shame with my kids. Other ways, it's really been a hindrance.

I know I've written about such things recently, (http://semi-deep.blogspot.com/2007/09/semi-deep-thoughts-for-thursday.html) but I guess I just keep coming back to it. At what point are we grown up? At what point are we able to feel confident enough to share with others our wisdom. I am not considered old at 32, but at the same time, I'm not considered to be very young either. I don't exactly know where I fit at times, and how to go about sharing my experiences with others.

I'm learning more and more that I'm a writer by nature. This was not something that I wanted to be "when I grow up", but it's something I've become. In my writing, I want to share my experiences and revelations about the matters that are near and dear to my heart: marriage, parenting, and growing in God. I struggle, at times, with sharing things on these subjects. I really wrestle with wondering if I'm old enough, and wise enough to give advise on topics as monumental as these. What if what I write about parenting when the boys are young, and as they grow, things turn out to be the opposite of what I wrote about? What if I write about conflict resolution in marriage, and then have a huge fight with Michael that I can't resolve in the manner that I once wrote about. I don't want to be a hypocrite, especially with the life altering subjects that God has placed on my heart. But I'm hearing Him tell me, more and more, that He's going to give me the wisdom, and He will work out all the details. I'm learning that as I seek Him more, the fear fades. As I walk in His will for my life, and write about the things that He has placed in my heart, then it is His wisdom I'm imparting to others - not my own.

Michael and I have long held a different belief of the verse Psalm 37:4, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart." We've both been taught an interpretation of material things. If you follow God, He'll give you that nice car, or that big house. While that may be true - He does delight in giving you blessings, Michael and I have really felt a different heart behind that verse. We have felt God give us desires in our hearts. As we delighted in Him, He gave us the desire to be married to each other. As we delighted in Him, He gave us the desire to be parents. As we've delighted in Him, He gave Michael the desire to worship Him with music. As we've delighted in Him, He gave Michael the desire to pursue photography. And as we've delighted in Him, He's given me the desire to write about marriage, parenting, and growing in Him. He's given us the desires of our hearts.

And because of that desire that He's implanted in me, I'm going to trust Him with my words. I'm going to trust that as I write about marriage, parenting, and growing in Him, He will take those words and use them for His glory. I'm an imperfect human, and I will make mistakes. But He's a perfect God, and He will cause all things to work for good. Praise God for that!

Ice Storm 2007

It's a bit cold here. The ice shut down everything around town. There was no power at our place for about 12 hours yesterday. Here's a video of some of the houses in our neighborhood.



You can also see some panoramic views of some photographs that I took....

Random Thoughts for your Sunday

Driving back and forth to work now, I take a different route. Seeing the new sceniery has stirred 2 random thoughts every morning. I'm probably wierd for thinking this way, but these 2 things really bug me. Like baby squirrels, these seem to be things that are never seen. You know (at least one) of them exist, but I have yet to witness them personally.

I've never seen the price change on the gas station signs. They change, almost daily. But I've never seen it. This bugs me to no end! It's not only the fact that normally, the price goes down after filling up (I filled up on the way to work on Friday, and of course on my way home, the price was 2 cents less), it's just that I've never seen it happen. I wonder how they deal with customers filling up at the moment they want to change price - do they charge them according to what it was when they started? Or are they charged half and half? I don't know! On the list of things that I want to see before I die, I include seeing a gas station sign changing price before my eyes!

The other thing that I've noticed on the way to work are church names. If the church is named a number, it's always the first one. Always. First Lutheran Church. First Presbyterian Church. First Assembly of God. Now I know I haven't traveled that much in my lifetime, but this seems to be a common trend. I've never seen the 45th Church of the Nazarene. How does everyone get to be the first? Maybe I just haven't seen enough to know that there may be a "Second" somewhere.

I know, I'm goofy. :)

My first day

I started my new job today, and I must say, it went very well.

I was greeted this morning by 3 growling Taco Bell dogs (they looked just like the one in the commercials). After a quick scolding from their owner, they settled down on their respective pillows. Joking about their security system, my new bosses, Jim and Diann were happy to see me.

Right off the bat, I got to take another tour of my new workplace. Several orders had come in within the half hour of their opening, and many supplies needed to be pulled from the shelves. I played shadow as I followed Diann around, grabbing bags of Saliva Ejectors and boxes of Lidocaine. Once all of the loot was gathered, it was time to learn the software that keeps track of all these parts.

I sat down with Diann, and she started to show me the ropes of the software. I have a lot of training in Quickbooks, thinking that if I learned that program, it'd take me far in my career. Of course, Dental Supply doesn't use Quickbooks - they use a program called DacEasy. It's a pretty simple program, that tracks all of the inventory and invoicing. A few of the commands are new to me, but the basics are pretty straightforward. After doing the few invoices for the orders we pulled, I discovered a shortcut that Diann didn't know about. At that point, I got to hear her brag to Jim about how I just taught her something new, and she was so happy I was there.

The day progressed with lots and lots of orders, boxing up orders, invoicing, receiving inventory, and showing my new bosses the joys of looking up how much postage an envelope would require on the post office's website. (The office is located less than a block away from the post office, but they were relieved that there was a way that would limit their time in line). Before I knew it, it was lunch time.

I had a very uneventful lunch, a drastic contrast to working at Pro Video. I'm used to my lunch being interrupted several times each day with phone calls and customers. Today, I was able to sit at a table and eat. That's all. I'm thinking I may bring a book to work with me, and take advantage of that time to catch up on the books I can't find the time to read otherwise.

The afternoon was just as busy. Lots and lots of things to learn. I think if I wore a pedometer today, I'd be pleasantly surprised with the amount of ground I covered in that office. There wasn't much sitting happening. In between showing me the ropes, Diann and I were able to chat some about our families. I learned that she and Jim have a daughter, son-in-law, and grandson in Florida, as well as a son that lives here in town. I also learned about what she bought all of her family for Christmas so far, and how she was so happy that Jim finished installing a new bathroom countertop and medicine cabinet over the Thanksgiving break.

I blinked, and my day was over. By the end of the afternoon, I was using DacEasy without assistance, and the dogs were begging me to be pet. I was complimented on how quickly I've picked up on things, especially for my first day. I left the office very encouraged in God's plan in this season of my life, and very confident in the decision to change jobs. I think I'll really be a big help to Jim and Diann, and serve them with the talents that God has given me.

I'm looking forward to the holidays.

It's been a while since I've blogged anything. Michael has been really great at it, posting videos and pictures. I've been somewhat silent these last few weeks. I have no excuse for it, I just haven't taken the time to write.

This is the time of year I look forward to. I love the upcoming holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas have always been steeped with tradition for me. My side of the family hasn't always been tradition-filled. Up until the recent research done by my mom, I didn't even know the facts of my family tree. Thanksgiving and Christmas, however, were consistant each year. It was the time of year I felt closest to my family. It's the time of year I still look forward to, with new traditions.

Christmas, especially, was the most enjoyable for me. When I was much younger, Christmas Eve was spent with my extended family. My dad's siblings and my family would gather every Christmas Eve at my Grandma Thornton's house. We'd all exchange gifts (gift certificates to the skating rink were always my favorite), and have lasagna on the good China. The house would be filled with lots and lots of talking and sharing, and everyone got along. Keep in mind, we weren't a family that got together very often, so this was a real treat - especially for Grandma! I've come to appreciate how much she loved those times. When she got sick, it was around Christmas time. While she was in the hospital, my parents decided that it would honor her if we all had Christmas together. All of my dad's brother's were there, and we all shared a meal together. Shortly after the last guest went home, Grandma passed away. It felt as if she was waiting for us all to be together, one last time.

Now that I have a family of my own, I cherish the traditions we've come to enjoy. We still celebrate Christmas Eve with my family, carrying on the joy that Grandma started so many years ago. I'm blessed to have that gathering at my house now. All of my siblings, parents, and remaining grandparents file into our house, and we have lasagna. I now have Grandma's good China too. It's still packed up, waiting for a hutch, but it feels great knowing that I have momento of a part of my grandma's favorite evening.

Thanksgiving has it's own tradition now too. We travel to Kansas, to spend the weekend with the Deeter side of our family. After enjoying a nice meal with everyone on Thanksgiving, my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and I wake up the next morning before the sun. Somehow, JoAnn Fabric has become a tradition for us! We found out a few years ago, that they have amazing sales on the day after Thanksgiving, and if you don't get there early, you'll miss out. You'd be surprised at how busy a craft store can be! This has become an activity that I look forward to. We laugh at the seriousness of some shoppers, giggle at the thought of those who felt the need to wake up even earlier than we did, and come home with some really fun loot. We have a new addition to the family this year, which may affect the tradition a bit. Having a newborn may make it difficult for my sister-in-law to go shopping so early on Black Friday - but then again, he may help her wake up in time to get the great deals!

I'm especially excited for this Thanksgiving. I start a new job the Monday after Thanksgiving. It will be a whole new adventure! I'm sure this will be a year to remember.

Camping - well, not really.

We recently went here...


...with some friends...


... we ate some pizza... the cabin had an oven.


There were leaves...


... a big pile of them....


... and a lake...


... with a beach...


... that even the dog enjoyed.


There was also a...


...it kinda stunk...


... but the boys still had a good time.


We walked the trails...


... and there were lots of places to climb...


... a lot...


... all along the trail...


... many places to climb...


... even in the trees...


... the boys had a really good time...


... We all had a really good time...


... even the dog.


We even found some strange alien testing facility.

We don't do Halloween, but costumes are still fun.

MORE >>

Wii Party

We celebrated Kevin's birthday the other night. We had a lot of fun playing the Wii - the cake and ice cream was excellent as well.

Happy birthday Kevin!

Watch the video!