Today My Mood is Sad

The kids have a book about moods and at the end you turn the dial to say what kind of mood you are in. Well today, my dial is turned to sad. My best friend Rose Mary is leaving today to move to London (indefinitely). Her husband works for an international bank and is being promoted to their main office in London. This is an exciting adventure for them, but I will sure miss them. Let me tell you a little about our friendship.

Rose Mary was my first friend when I moved to Tennessee. We met at a Christmas party and immediately connected over our love for the muppets. She has been a part of my life ever since. She was there through my engagement and wedding. She helped us pick out our first house. She was part of my first discipleship group at HCC. I was there when she met her husband. I was the one who he told when he was going to propose. I was the matron of honor at her wedding. She was the one who pulled me through my miscarriage. She was the one who told me that we should call John Mark by both names. I was there when she had her first son and he was wisked away to Vanderbilt for surgery. She was there when I brought Riley home from the hospital. I was there to visit her second son. Our husbands went to Guatemala together. They helped to start our small group. She has been my saving grace for the amount of times she has watched my children. Our kids are best friends. I adore her chidren, especially Paul who refers to me as "My Jill". I could go on and on, but that just makes me more sad.

I told JP last night that this is the third time I have "lost" my best friend. Oh I know they are not lost forever, but there is something that changes when you can't be in close proximity to them. In 1999, I moved away from my best friend Vera. Fortunately she is now my sister-in-law, but I still don't get to see her as much as I'd like. In 2002, my best friend Emily moved to Seattle. I have seen her twice since. We still keep in touch, but there is a hole in my life that she used to fill. And now, 2008, Rose Mary is moving, and not close by mind you! I know she will be back to visit and we are planning a trip in 2009, but it is not the same.

So now I am in the market for a new local best friend. Job description as follows: "Wanted, one best friend. Must love me, my husband, and my children. Must "get" me, my husband, and my children. Must enjoy good food and good wine and sushi. Must be there for me when I laugh, cry, get frustrated, or just want to be quiet. Must not have any plans of relocating from Middle Tennessee for at least 20 years. All applications will be considered. Must bring a bottle of wine to the interview if you expect a chance at this job".

Blessed

In one of my favorite movies, The Sound of Music, there is a song with a line that goes "Somewhere in my youth and childhood, I must have done something good". Well this sentence sums up the way that I felt last night as I sat at John Mark's kindergarten orientation. Those of you who know me, know that I am not a crier and that I am a laid-back kind of mom. That being said, I wasn't too sad to send John Mark off to kindergarten. It was more of a "I don't believe he is old enough to go!!" kind of feeling. But the one thing I worried about and prayed about was that he would have a kindergarten teacher who would "get him". If you know John Mark, you know what I mean!! So when he got assigned Mrs Carter and I heard all these wonderful things about her from other parents, I was pretty excited. But it wasn't until last night that I realized how incredibly blessed we are.


We had orientation in the classroom and all had to sit in the little seats. Mrs. Carter started off the evening by saying that this is her 35th year of teaching!! (Mind you I am 35 years old). Then she said the words that are music to my ears, "To me this is not a job, it is a calling". As my friend Rose Mary said last night, "You had me at hello!". I knew at that moment that Mrs Cater was the answer to our prayers for our little boy. She told us all about her class and what they did each day. Throughout the evening she kept repeating how much she loved our children and wanted to make each one feel special.


She ended the evening by telling us that she prays for each one of our children and herself in her ability to teach them. Then she played the song "Find your wings". She said this is how she feels about teaching our children. It brought everyone to tears. To think that my son is blessed with a teacher who feels this way about him....well this is beyond anything that I could have ever hoped for. I don't know what I did good, but thank you Lord for smiling on me.

It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the truth
And If I never told you
I want you to know
As I watch you grow
Chorus:
I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings
May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories
Chorus
It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer as you fly

Why I drink

**Warning: this blog entry may be inappropriate for those grossed out by bathroom talk.

Today at church the sermon was on heaven. Meanwhile, I have been living in hell. Or at least purgatory. I am talking about potty training. I wrote a month ago about our attempts at this hateful task (unsuccessful of course). Well this week I was determined that we were going to get it down. We went cold turkey....no diapers, no pull-ups, just underwear. Riley would go pee if I brought her to the potty, which I did every hour or so. She just won't tell me when she has to go, so I have also had to clean up a lot of puddles. But the poop. Oh the poop. I am really grossed out by poop in the underwear...usually I will throw it away. But seriously child, I cannot keep buying underwear!!!!!! Finally last night we had success. A real poop in the potty. We cheered. We called Nana. We danced and celebrated with chocolate. 15 minutes later while I was in the shower, she pooped in her pants. Why me??!! But I still felt like we were moving in the right direction. After all, she was relatively accident free most of the day, so why couldn't she make it through 1 1/2 hours of Sunday school. Nope. Puddle on the floor (thankfully not on the new carpet). Wet underwear, wet shoes. Then another pair of wet underwear and a wet dress. Down to our last pair of underwear and..............you guessed it. A big old turd in the pants. At this point I threw my hands up in exacerbation, put a diaper on the kid, and headed to find if there was a stash of real communion wine instead of grape juice.

Where did the time go??

Today I put my baby on the school bus. It seems like this was just yesterday:

But in reality this is today:


This was harder for me than dropping him off at school. He was so excited but I was the one that was nervous. Who would he sit with? Will he be safe? Will he get to his class okay? Will he still be my little boy when he comes home? Okay maybe that is a little melodramatic, but I can't believe that he is in school. I just pray that he is safe, makes good decisions, and continues to be his amazingly sweet self.

I Love Kindergarten

Today was John Mark's official first day of kindergarten. He went last week to meet his teacher and today he went with 1/4 of his class (5 kids total). The first challenge was getting up so early. My children are not early risers (thank you dear Lord for that blessing!!). So to drag John Mark out of bed before 7am is going to prove to be a challenge. Eventually he got up and dressed. Then he was waiting by the door with his backpack on for 15 minutes before we had to go. He then insisted on wearing a baseball cap so that he "wouldn't get skin cancer". The things kindergarteners worry about these days! We drove to school (he was not allowed to take the bus today) and Riley and I walked him into school. You could tell the "virgin" kindergarten parents from the pros. Us "virgins" were just walking around with the deer in the headlights look. I think at that point I was as nervous as John Mark! We found his class and his teacher, but he did not want to leave me and sit down with his class. So his wonderful teacher Mrs. Carter (who has the reputation of Jesus in this town!!), let me come to his class and that made him feel better.


Riley and I left and I am happy to say that I did not cry. When I went back to pick him up at 1:00pm he was all smiles. He hugged Mrs. Carter goodbye and got into the car. I didn't get too much information out of him (he already lost the paper from his teacher!), but he did tell me that they went on an animal hunt and made up stories. He also told me that he did not want me to pack him a drink because he wanted to get chocolate milk at school. I told him that costs money to which he replied, "No it doesn't, you just scan it!" I guess he didn't get the part that I get the bill for everything he "scans"! Later in the conversation he stated "Mom, I love Kindergarten". What more could I ask for!

Splash Country

After my birthday we had a trip to Splash Country planned. This is a water park that is in Gatlinburg, TN, about 4 hours from our house. We were going with some friends from my work and our good friends the Bennies. Before I get to the fun we had at the park, let me give my shameless plug for sympathy about what I went through to get on this trip.

We were going to leave on Monday afternoon and I had to work on Sunday night. So when I woke up on Sunday, my number one goal was to get a nap on Sunday afternoon before work. We went to church (early service) then came home and finished up packing. Then we went to have lunch with Melanie Carter and her family (they were visiting from Texas). We had a great lunch but I was running later than I thought. But there was still a chance for an hour or so nap. On our way home, I stopped at the ATM and got out some cash for the trip. I put the cash and my Debit card on the seat next to me. As I turned out of the bank, the debit card went flying. I was not really concerned because I knew that I would find it in the car. Well I got home and I turned that car inside out and could not find the card. I was totally stressed because I was not sure how I was going to pay for our trip! I went inside and spent 45 minutes on the computer cancelling my card and ordering a new one. Then I had to spend 45 minutes on the phone with American Airlines switching some flights for our students for their Mexico trip. By this time, my hopes of a nap were long gone. So we rushed to pack up the car and headed to church for a last minute meeting for Mexico. When I went to get in JP's car (we were taking his car on the trip) to head to drop off the kids and then go to work, his battery was dead. Dropped off the kids, worked 12 hours, then I had to renew my BLS (CPR for healthcare providers). That took 3 hours (after being up all night). I ended up at the Bennies around 10:30 and fell into bed for a whoping ONE HOUR nap before we got in the car to head to Gatlinburg. To quote Billy Joel,"You may be right, I may be crazy!".

We had a great time at Splash Country. We stayed at the Bennie's cabin (which was really bigger than our house at home!). The park was a lot of fun. John Mark was a little afraid. He went down one of the big waterslides with my friend Carey and that was enough for him! But they loved the lazy river and the wave pool. John Mark also loved the 1000 gallons of water that dumped out of this big bucket on his head. Riley had fun but she was exhausted a lot of the time and even fell asleep each day at the park. But all in all, a great time for all of us. Then back to the craziness at home!!

The Greatest Day on Earth Day

To my fans out there (ok I know at least Tracey reads this blog!)....I know it has been a LONG time since I have blogged, and believe me, I have missed it. So I am going to try and fill y'all in on what has been going on in our world over the past week.

July 10th. The Greatest Day on Earth Day. I have loved my birthday ever since I can remember. I am not one of those people who say "It's no big deal". It IS a big deal. It is MY day! I have not had a bad birthday (excpet maybe when I was 13 and in the hospital for a ruptured appendix, but even that turned out to be a good day!). So every year as the day approaches, I can't stop thinking about my birthday. So here's what we did:

-Woke up to breakfast in bed (at 9:15am...thanks for letting me sleep honey!) of homemade blueberry pancakes, coffee, and OJ. My fabulous husband and kids made them for me.

-Hung around the house for awhile answering phone calls of good wishes!

-Went upstairs to my "office/studio" to scrapbook. This is really my favorite thing to do on my birthday because I love to do it and never have enough time. I worked on a ton of pages and felt good about what I accomplished.

-Made the filling for strawberry pie. I know many may consider this work, but for me it is just so therapeutic. I truly love baking. And besides, I wanted a Strawberry Pie for my birthday and who would make it better than me (of course my mom would, but she is 1000 miles away!).

-JP gave me the gift that I asked him to make for me. He built a display shelf/rack for my scrapbook pages. This is a great gift because I can hang the pages I have just done on the wall for inspiration. It was especially great because JP and John Mark built it.

-Went for a pedicure with my good friends Melanie and Karen. I opted for dark purple. This was a big step for me venturing away from pink or even red. Kind of emo, but not quite. I am 35 afterall.

-Came home and JP cooked a fabulous dinner-steak, mashed potatoes and sugar snap peas. For those of you who don't know, JP is the master of mashed potatoes. And I have to say that these were his best batch ever!!!

-Headed out to Book Club. I love my book club. I love reading and I love socializing with friends, so in May I started a book club. Since it fell on my birhtday this month. the women that were there made it so special for me. Great food, drinks and presents!

-Came home to my fabulous husband waiting for me with a glass of wine. This really was a fabulous birthday!

One of My Favorite People

I love Erica Osborn! She has been one of our babysitters since John Mark was 4 weeks old. But she is not just a babysitter, she is a member of our family! I love how much she loves my kids. A few weeks ago when we were on vacation, she told John Mark she would take him to the library to learn more about dolphins. Last night, while I was at work, Erica and the kids went to the library. When I got home this morning there was a whole bag of books about dolphins. And there were presents that she bought my kids. And my kids were well taken care of. I love that they are always so excited to see her. I love that she is comfortable in our home. I love that she comes over for dinner. I love that she loves Christ and is showing that to my children. I love her laugh. I just love ERICA!!!

So proud

John Mark is a little JP. He looks like JP, he walks like JP, he talks like JP, and he acts like JP. If I was not there in the delivery room when he came out of my body, I would wonder if he was even my kid. But he has a new love that I know he got from me. He loves to read. He has always loved being read to. He insists on 2-3 books every night (I think a lot of that is stalling though!). But since he has been at Miss Heather's school, he has learned to love reading himself. And I could not be more proud. I love to watch him figuring out words and actually understanding the story he is reading. In the past three days he has read two books all by himself. That's MY boy!

As far as the other one is concerned....I have been dealing lately with Riley's stong will. John Mark was in no means a strong-willed child, but man Riley sure is. She is defiant, independent, and has a mind of her own that just does not quit. Today we were at my friend Denise's house and she offered Riley some goldfish...the blue bag not the orange bag. Well Riley wanted the orange bag. I told her that she could not have it because she was offered the blue bag and to refuse would be impolite (big concept for a two year old, but hey, I'm in charge here right?). Well for 30 minutes she cried and whined over wanting the orange bag. Finally she moved onto something else, but two hours later she found an orange bag of Goldfish and said "This is the one I really wanted...see Mom!" Oh am I in for it!! When we got home she got into the lotion and proceeded to spread half the bottle on her skin. Then she insisted I take a picture of her (notice the thick layer on her legs!). I cannot wait for puberty with this one!

We've Been Waiting for You!

My sister Tracey has been wanting to have a baby for at least four years now. The timing just hasn't been right. But last November, when the whole Gibbins family was together, she announced she was pregnant. Well this Friday night her husband Ryan called me at 10:30 to say that Tracey had been in labor for over 3 hours. I told them if the baby came before 9am to just text me (we had a late night and wanted to sleep in....selfish I know, but what can I say, I need my sleep). Well 9am came and went. So did 9pm. Then finally at 4:22am this morning, Ainsley Elizabeth Krumroy made her debut into this world. I am so proud of my sister for having endured a 34 hour labor. And I am so excited to have a new niece. So congratulations Tracey and Ryan. And welcome to the world Baby Ainsley. We've been waiting four years for you!

Back to Reality

A few days ago my facebook status said that I was back to reality. Well let me just tell you what my reality last night consisted of. It was my first night back at work in two weeks and it was downright CRAZY!! Here are a couple of the highlights:
1. At least 5 people on my shift who had overdosed and gone crazy. Let's just say the leather restraints got their workout!
2. A 30 year old women who came in complaining of severe abdominal pain. She said that she was pregnant and needed to push. She said her last period was February so that would make her 17 weeks pregnant. While she is screaming, I am searching for a fetal heartbeat with the Doppler. Can't find one. She is crying saying "Please don't let this happen to me". I felt so bad for her. But then I went back in the room and she said, "You know, I may not even be pregnant, I got a period yesterday." She proceeded to tell me multiple different stories about what might be wrong (including the fact that she was drunk as a skunk and schizophrenic!!).
3. A 25 year old patient who had an extensive cardiac history since birth including multiple surgeries to replace valves and a pacemaker. He hadn't been taking any of his medications for 6 months and was feeling lightheaded and having numbness. He had already had a stroke at age 20. He got a MAJOR lecture from me on being compliant!
4. A 48 year old women who had gastric bypass surgery on June 2nd and decided to eat a Thanksgiving sized meal. Now she was in extreme pain!! I guess it is not that smart to cram an entire salmon into a stomach the size if a silver dollar. The worst part was that she acted like such a little baby. In fact at one point I thought there was a cat "meowing" in her room
5. My favorite...A 30ish man named Jose (an alias I'm sure) was brought in by ambulance handcuffed to the stretcher. Apparently he had sold some heroin to an undercover cop (who looked an awful lot like he belonged at the skate park with JP!). When the police then chased him down he didn't want to lose the stash that was on his front seat, so he swallowed an unknown amount of heroin balloons. Now it was our job to watch him to make sure they didn't burst and kill him. After awhile he vomited and there were seven 1-gram balloons of heroin that came up too. A first for me! Luckily I was not the one that had to fish them out. The cop said that it was worth about $1500. That's some expensive puke. Then we had to give him a powerful laxative that they give people before colon surgery. We quickly shipped him upstairs so that we were not the ones that had to fish out the heroin from the other end!

I'm not quite sure if this is reality, but it is my life. Gotta love it in the ER!