Propping My Eyes Open To Write A List Of Thankfuls

You want to know what happens when you start working with one year olds? YOU ARE VERY TIRED BY THE END OF THE DAY AND EXHAUSTED BY THE WEEKEND AND YOU CAN'T MOVE YOUR FINGERS TO TYPE A BLOG POST.

I've missed two weeks of Ten Things of Thankful in a row and with this week's that would be 30 things. 

Relax. Not going to do that to you.

How about a highlight reel of the past couple of weeks of thankfuls? 

1. I'm really loving my new job! The kids are adorable (most of the time), and they love me and even when they are crying and snotty nosed, I love them, too.

2. The kiddos get fed breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack every day, and the staff gets to partake in it as well. This is very handy when I am going straight from the child development center to my job at the photo studio. It's not always the best food I've ever eaten, but it doesn't suck, either, and it's free.

3. My dad and I went to an auction two weeks ago, and I got this amazing gem:

It's enamelware. Flawless. Could be worth around $30.
I got it for $2 and, believe it or not, NO ONE
bid against me on it.

Thoroughly cleaned and repurposed!

4. It's going to be fall soon. 

5. I went to a sing-along version of "Grease" at the Alamo Drafthouse theater in Springfield, an hour's drive away. My friend Traci went with me, and we had a BALL! 

They gave us props at the Grease sing-along,
including bubbles, a comb, and candy cigarettes.

6. The Med School student got to come home for a whole 24 hours two weeks ago. My daughter came home, too, and all four of us got to watch the Chiefs game and eat game day snacks and all was good.

7. I found out I have to ride on a float in the MSSU homecoming parade with the rest of the staff at work and any kids and their parents who want to join us. My thankful is that by this time next week, it will be over.

8. We attended parent weekend at the University of Arkansas last weekend. It was also Dad's Day at my daughter's sorority. We stayed at her apartment (she gave us her room and slept in the room of a roommate who was gone), walked to nearby shops and restaurants, and walked MILES AND MILES to the game and back.

9. I fell down yesterday. Fell. Down.  Wiped out. Ate it. The last time I fell down was 12 years ago when I was a camp counselor. (I won a contest earlier this year, sponsored by the university where I am now employed, ironically enough, by writing the story of that fall, and you can read it here.)  I can promise you that falling down at 59 is worse than falling down at (59-12=47) 47, and I can also promise you that I have no intention of it happening again. I am thankful that I wasn't hurt worse than a sprained ankle, and hard whack to the knee (opposite leg, naturally, so both legs hurt), and aches EVERYWHERE. Hey, I'm tall and it's a long way down to the ground from up here. Lots of ibuprofen and ice bags, and I will hopefully be at least close to good as new by Monday....

10.  Indoor plumbing. Which I am going to visit right now.

How was your week? Or weeks? Link up your thankfuls with us. We would love to have you join in!

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Thankful For That Helicopter!

There's an old joke about a man who was caught in a flood, and he had to climb onto his roof to escape the rising water. A man in a rowboat came by and told him to get in, but the man declined, saying, "I have faith in the Lord that He will save me." As the water continued to rise, a man in a speedboat appeared and told him to get in, but again, he declined, saying, "I have faith in the Lord that He will save me." The water rose higher, and a helicopter appeared above him. The pilot called out that he would lower a rope and pull him up, but the man refused and said, "I have faith in the Lord that He will save me."  Eventually, the waters rose so high that the man was swept off his roof and he drowned. When he arrived in Heaven, he said to God, "I had complete faith in you, and I prayed that you would save me, but you did nothing. Why?" And God replied, "I sent you two boats and a helicopter! What more did you expect?!"

As many of you know, I have taught pre-kindergarten for 18 years at a preschool that is held at my church. Enrollment has been declining for years, starting during the recession, and it has not improved. A little over a month ago, I learned that the enrollment was low enough that some classes might have to be combined. Two weeks ago, that became a reality, and my five mornings a week job was going to be reduced to two mornings a week.The rainfall that was the initial decline in enrollment had continued steadily and had now become a flood. 

I was sad and angry and hurt as I climbed up onto my roof. In the past few years, I had been visited by a rowboat and by a speedboat, but I didn't get in either of them. Angry with myself for that and for the unfairness of life, my tears mixed with the floodwaters as I clung to the roof.

Then a helicopter flew over and dropped me a rope the very same day that I got the news about my job: I saw an ad for a teacher at the child care center at our local university. I submitted my resume, took a deep breath, and hit send. The next day, they called me for an interview. A few days after the interview, they called and asked me if I would like to join their work family, and I did not hesitate; I grabbed that rope and climbed into the helicopter.

As you might imagine, my thankfuls this week are plentiful! 

1. I'm thankful I didn't wave that helicopter on!

2. I haven't interviewed for a job since 1993 when I got my job at Warner Bros. in Burbank, and I am thankful that I didn't muff it up.

3. I am very thankful for the kindness of my references. You know who you are....

4. I am thankful for all the wonderful relationships I made over 18 years at the preschool. The kids I taught there will always be "my" kids.

5. My new job is not teaching pre-kindergarten, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do something different. I am working with the littlest littles at the school - one year olds. One. Year. Olds.

6. I've always said I wanted to be a professional baby holder. Now I am! They need a lot of holds and hugs, and there is nothing sweeter than being greeted by one of my littles with a sweet smile behind upheld arms. My heart!

7. The child care center recently moved to a new location, and the building has lots of windows and is bright and cheery.

8. There are student workers who help throughout the day and who currently know more about my job than I do, and I am VERY grateful for them!

9. I am now an employee of the university, and I get benefits.

10. My job is basically the same hours as my old job, so I am still able to do my afternoon gig at the photo studio.

Change can be good, even when we think it wasn't something we wanted.

Thanks for posting this, Wendy! Your timing was perfect!

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Anticipating Some Thankfuls

I've been in a state of flux for the past month or so, and I'm anticipating stability after this week (finger's crossed, y'all). As a result, I have decided that for this week's Ten Things of Thankful, I'm going to give you a list of ten things for which I am thankful to anticipate in the upcoming weeks: 

1. Cool enough weather to wear flannel shirts. I love flannel shirts.

2. And cool enough weather to sleep with the windows open. Ahhh! The BEST sleep ever! Reminds me of when we lived at the beach in Ventura and had the windows open 24/7 (unless the Santa Ana winds were blowing).

3. My son, the med school student, might, MIGHT get a chance to come home next weekend. This means I have to clean out his room, which has been used as a large closet lately (not by me, I'd like to add), but it will be worth it if I actually get to have him HOME for a couple of days.

4. Going to a Grease sing-along in September with my friend Traci. Yes, we're dorks. Yes, we might even dress up (although Traci doesn't know this yet...).

5. Dad's Day at my daughter's sorority and Parents Weekend are at one and the same time in September. The real scam here is that I get to be part of Dad's Day festivities (which is mostly a brunch at the sorority house), but when Mom's Weekend rolls along in the spring, no dads. So I get TWO yummy brunches 

6. My blog friend Kristi of Thankful Me is going to become my IRL friend Kristi when we get to meet LIVE AND IN PERSON in October. With husbands and everything!

7. A lunch date with my friend Ellen and her granddaughter. It's going to be a hoot!

8. It will be pumpkin pie season soon! I KNOW you can eat it any time of year, but it just tastes better in the fall!

9. Our kittens won't officially be kittens much longer, as they will turn a year old the first of October. I never wrote about how we got them, so that will be a good time to tell the story.

Lewis napping on top of a bookcase.

Finn letting me know that he lost a
toy mouse under the stove
and wants me to fish it out
for the hundredth time.

10. By next week, I will be able to tell you what I've been soul searching and praying about regarding work. I'll just say all's well that ends well!

What are you looking forward to?

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