PACK Swim Meet

Thank you for allowing this mother to brag a bit about her favorite son (okay, he’s her only son).

Nathan made it to finals this weekend in two events of Saturday’s competition. As you watch his races, notice the yelling in the background…you can probably hear Ellen (and a bunch of her friends who attended) screaming for her favorite brother. Here are his two races from finals (I apologize for the advertisements before each race – one was a bit “racey”):

• 100 Breast Stroke, Lane 4, first heat – Nathan cut 2 seconds off his best time during this race (One of his close friends won this event overall in the second heat of this same link)
• 200 Butterfly, Lane 5, first heat – Nathan cut 1 second off his best time during this race

We are so thankful that PACK recorded these races via LiveStream for us to be able to share these events with family and friends who were not able to attend. We are also thankful for great coaching…thank you, Coach Chris!

My Name is Rhonda. I AM a Ding Dong. (Part II)

Here we are, the dynamic writing duo, to bring you another episode in the “Ding Dong” series. (I have agreed to help my mom with this blog because, obviously, i make everything better.)

If I had a picture of myself crying, I would definitely submit it with this blog.

As "eye" see it...

Biology has been my biggest challenge, so far, in my return to college full time – after 34 years. Heading into my final exam, I was hoping for another “B” in part two of Biology. (Right, she takes her mid-term exam and nails it – and i am annoyed with her. High and mighty mom gets all  A’s, but her mind only goes so far.) My calendar was all up-to-date and I had two exams to finish…one on Tuesday and Biology on Wednesday. Monday afternoon, after studying for both exams, I logged on to Facebook to stalk my children when I saw a post on my wall by my friend, Mary: “Rhonda, is everything okay? We missed you in Biology this morning.” WHAT???!!! (Probably her memory loss acting up again)

My children often accuse me of  “freaking out,” when I am actually quite calm. (She is actually never calm about school. She usually starts to have a panic attack within…2 minutes.) I can definitely say at this point that I was indeed freaking out. (She was actually going psycho on us.)

I had simply written down the wrong date in my calendar…plain and simple. (Once again, memory loss) And for some reason, I hadn’t heard anything up to this point to make me question the date I had written down.

This particular story does have a happy ending: My professor allowed me to come in and take the final in his office and I ended up with an “A” in part two of Biology. Though I think the “freak out” I experienced BEFORE I got to the happy ending cost me a couple years of my life. (haha -  couple of years…the way she was acting, it probably cost her 20 years)

To see our previous blog together, click here.

Another Fun Year – Memories of 2011

“Time flies when you’re having fun.” Maybe we should think about not having so much fun so it will slow down a bit. Can you believe it’s already the end of 2011? It took us a few tries, but we finally got a decent photo. (Thank you, photographer Philip)

Merry Christmas 2011

Highlights:

• Tom completed another semester of studies toward his Doctorate in Pastoral Counseling. He also learned all the hoops one must jump through in order to complete Certification. He divides his time between The Journey and Pastoral Counseling.

Tom finished re-staining the house this year. Rhonda couldn't watch the last wall.

• Rhonda completed another year of college courses toward her degree in Social Work and transfers to a four-year university (ETSU) in January – six classes and an internship to go for her BSW.

All of our weirdness, now focused on one child.

• Lydia is one semester away from graduating with her Masters in Counseling and began an internship at a play therapy clinic in Cleveland, TN.

Lydia met this South Carolina guy, Philip, in Honduras. They seem to be spending a LOT of time together.

• Grace has completed all of her coursework for Elementary Education and begins student teaching January 2nd. She and Brandon graduate in May, 2012.

Tom's cousin Mikey (bottom right) and her friend Maggie (left) visited us for the first time. Had a great visit. Grace and Brandon (who also spend a lot of time together) are standing behind them.

• Ellen completed another year in her studies, amidst her very busy social life with the Volunteers for Christ. Ellen worked on crew at Cedar Campus for the first time – and plans to return this summer.

Ellen began her Christmas break by taking a trip to Washington D.C. with seven friends from Volunteers for Christ. BONUS - dinner with cousin Austin and Lauren.

• Nathan successfully completed his first year of high school AND has not only outgrown all of his sisters, but has also beaten all of their swim times…which he is happy to point out at every opportunity.

My sister and her son vacationed with us in Canada for the first time in ten years.

2011 has been our year of “trusting when we cannot see.” God is faithful to meet all of our needs and every day we are amazed at just how He meets us right where we need Him most.

We pray that you and your family are met by God’s faithfulness and are reminded that He is not only the one who provides all you need, but He IS all you need.

Ode to My Favorite Mother on her Birthday

Mom having a little fun...at Tom's expense. He had no idea.

I feel it’s important to start this sacred blog out with the TRUE Mrt. Yes, “Mrt.” Her name is really “Merla,” but I think she got tired of writing five letters, so she shortened it. Plus, how many people can say they have no vowels in their name. This photo is here just so my Tennessee friends understand why I am the way I am.

Let me make an account of some of her many attributes:

• Wife for over 50 years…TO THE SAME GUY
• Mom to three kids…the oldest being her favorite, I’m sure
• Gifted with hospitality (and if they couldn’t get to our house, she brought them food)
• People lover…someone always in our home
• Devoted to Jesus…she and my dad still host a bi-weekly Bible study
• Master craft-woman…seriously! She can knit, crochet, or quilt ANYTHING

Lydia, as the oldest grandchild, received the first quilt. I can't remember the year mom made this for her.

Grace's quilt - a gift for graduation. Notice that Granny made sure to match Grace's WILD room color.

This is Ellen's quilt from "Granny." It has little dolls all over it and my sister made Ellen a rug with a matching doll. In the far corner is a cupboard that "Papa" made for Ellen. It used to house little dishes but now is a home to photos and other treasures.

Nathan's quilt - Christmas gift 2009 (It was a Christmas we couldn't go to Michigan. When Nathan pulled it out of the box and the kids were helping him unfold it, Lydia said, "It smells like granny's house" and promptly started crying)

One October, mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas. JOKINGLY I said, well you’ve never made me a crocheted table cloth. I would love that. . . NEXT Christmas. She had it finished that same year!

Last Christmas, she found a scarf pattern in late October that she liked and decided she was going to make them for all the females (EIGHT of us) in the family…and finished them before Christmas!

So, mom, thank you for ALL that you’ve taught us…from caring for people to creating for people. We love you and are so thankful that God chose you to be our mom.

Happy Birthday!

Mom and Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary

Change

This week a friend sent me this 10-minute video clip. I had to share it and will warn you that it may be necessary to have a box of tissues beside you. Simply click on the picture below. I’ll be curious to know if it sticks with you all week. . . and beyond.

 

Make Good Choices

Books and movies have given our family some  standard “lines” that we use on each other. For example, when Jamie Lee Curtis (in the movie, “Freaky Friday”) drops her high school daughter off at school in the mornings, she yells, “MAKE GOOD CHOICES, HONEY!” to the daughter’s utter embarrassment.  I love the “utter embarrassment” part.

Right, kids?

Though I joke about making good choices, it is a pretty serious thing. I see bad choices being made on a daily basis now that I’m back in college full time, and am reminded of my OWN bad choices. And unfortunately, life is not fair. One person can make a bad choice and it’s a little set-back, while someone else can make the same bad choice and it ruins their life.

We make bad choices in many areas, but one area that I see repeatedly with long-lasting effects is relationships.

• Location, location, location. You thought that term was just related to buying a house. Choose honor’s classes whenever you can in high school and college. Hanging out with smart people really does make you smarter.
  

  Our swim coach likes to be able to say that he has the atheletes with the highest GPA. Therefore, three of my kids have always been more worried about what the coach would say about a lower grade.

• Healthy Living. If you want to exercise more or learn to eat right, hang out with healthy people. I have surrounded myself with people who eat right (most of the time) and like physical activity. Therefore, they push me to go for a run or a walk when I’d actually rather sit on the couch and watch a chick flick.
  

  Unicoi Fire Tower, Thanksgiving weekend 2010

• Like-Minded Friends. There are rare occurrences, like the Twilight series, when TRUE opposites can attract, but I think you will have more joy and less stress if you choose friends who are like-minded. You CAN swim upstream, but it will take a lot more work.
• Homeostasis is good. Life does NOT have to look like the movie version, nor does it have to look like a country western song. “Back to ‘normal’ state” is how a guy in my Motivation & Emotion class worded the experience of coming down off a Honeymoon high.
• Enjoy yourself. The older I get, the more I enjoy quiet time on my own.

All together now, "Make good choices."

The Results Are In…

…well, MY results are in. I have found out that OUR kitchen is used more than the average cited in the last blog, “women 5.5 hours and men 1.75 hours.”

Tom came in at 3 hours and 25 minutes...but I don't think he wrote his time in every time he swept or washed dishes.

Nathan came in at 1 hour and 15 minutes...bringing the males in the family up to 4 hours and 40 minutes! Go Bier Boys!

I came in at 7 hours and 35 minutes. I tried to capture all of my cooking and cleaning time in the kitchen so mine should be accurate.

I know, I know – the article was “on average,” but I just thought it seemed low. Of course, that’s looking through MY filter. Hey, Thanksgiving might be a great week to figure our time! All of the kids will be home from college. On second thought, nevermind, I think I’ll play a game instead of recording my time.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. And remember (this is a copy of one of my favorite Mary Englebright drawings):

They Didn’t Ask Me!

Have you ever been reading a newspaper or magazine article in which a survey was taken and thought to yourself, “They didn’t ask for MY opinion!”? Well, it happened to me again today.

Preparing food for Dave and Sarah's baby shower last year...a fun family event.

I was reading an article in The Atlantic, May 2011 Issue (okay, so I’m a bit behind on my magazine reading), titled The Joy of Not Cooking which was talking about the fact that we spend more and more money on our kitchens and less and less time in them. Their percentages were that, on average, women spend 5.5 hours per week in meal preparation and clean up and men spend 1.75 hours per week. I know that we spend more time than that…and I especially know that Tom spends more time than the male average. So, I decided that I would do my OWN survey amongst my friends and family.

So, if you would like to participate, please stick a piece of scratch paper up on your refrigerator and ANY time someone is in the kitchen preparing meals or cleaning up, just jot your time down. At the end of the week, send me an email or you can comment at the bottom of this blog. Next week I’ll publish our results.

Nathan fixed me a delicious breakfast one morning when Tom was out of town. YUM!

Secret Location Revealed

I finally remembered to bring my camera when visiting my secret hide-away.

Northeast State's Wayne G. Basler Library - 3rd Floor

Notice the comfy chair - one of many located all along the windows (I should have had one of the librarians take my photo) and the beautiful view. A picture to the right, that I didn't take for some reason, would have shown you airplanes lifting off from the Tri-Cities Airport. (Also known as "TRI" if you'd like to visit.)

And the morning I brought the camera, I was able to catch a gorgeous rainbow.

...and notice there are only two people enjoying the peace and quiet (though there were a couple other groups in the side study rooms, not pictured).

So, now you know my secret. I love libraries. I have favorite libraries everywhere I have lived AND from many places I have visited. Check out a few of the others that I’ve grown to love over the years:

Muskoka Lakes Public Library

Allegan Public Library

Hackley Public Library

Johnson City Public Library

The ONLY thing that ALL of these libraries are missing? …a good cup of coffee.

I Declare…It’s My Favorite!

Wok and Hibachi, that is. They serve the best Japanese and Chinese food in town…consistently. And I love Janet, the owner. She enjoys talking to her customers. What a concept!

Nathan is on Fall break this week and he spent the night away from home. I called Tom, as I usually do on my drive home from class, and asked him out on a date. There ARE benefits to an empty nest, you know. We met and had the Seafood pot…I’ll say no more. You just need to try it.

The food at the top of my personal food chain is Hot and Sour Soup. Wok and Hibachi serves the best that I’ve ever had…and I have had many. It began as a pregnancy craving with my oldest child 24 years ago and has now moved to the addiction stage.

I’ve decided to schedule the posting of the blog for the time that I used to have my strongest cravings during pregnancy…and Tom would try to find it for me. We lived in Florida at the time so it was a bit easier, but not as good as Janet’s.