Flu Shot Drama

As a person who has a fear of needles, the phone call from the pediatrician's office reminding me of my daughter's appointment for the flu shot was the last thing that I want to hear.  The first thing I remembered after opening my eyes this morning was the voicemail from the doctor that I never checked.  Ugh!  The appointment is today and somehow I had it written in my calendar for Friday.

Did I mention that I called last week before the funeral to reschedule.      

After all, in the last week I have sat in the middle of what I call a chaos tornado.  I've had a sinus infection, Emmie is teething, and I've been playing catch up on family birthday gifts (we had 4 this month).  Let's not mention the untimely death of my uncle and the trip to Atlanta that followed.  (Girl, get yo life!)

The "I don't want to put my big girl panties on and grow up" part of me wanted to call and reschedule, again!  But as I brushed my teeth I looked in the mirror and I realized that I'm some body's momma and I need to get it together!  Attitude stank and all, I got up made some breakfast and proceeded to get us ready for the dreaded flu shot.  We made it to the appointment, survived the shot, dropped by Sam's for some Huggies, and Emmie was knocked out before we made it back to our exit.  I would like to interject here that I should have gotten the attitude under control while I was standing in the mirror, since I didn't you know there was all kinds of drama along the way!

The Emmie doesn't want her hair combed kinda drama.
The I lost the comb right before I lost it on her kinda drama.
The I left the iPad in the house kinda drama.
The I'm in the car and realize I didn't comb my own hair kinda drama.
The we pulled out the driveway at the time of the appointment kinda drama.
The I called the office to tell them I was running late and they took a deep breath kinda drama.
The red car in front of me is driving 20 on the freeway kinda drama.

I am really working on trying to get myself together and somewhat drama-free, but I'm realizing that this motherhood thing is a seriously humbling experience!

Fulfillment

Uncle Slim in his Cowboy hat and Daddy.

No one likes funerals, but the bright side is always seeing so many family members all together.  This past week my family buried my uncle in Atlanta.  I was apprehensive about going because of the hassle of making such a trip with my girl.  I'm so thankful that I did, we got to see so many distant cousins that I haven't seen since I was a kid.  It was so sweet to hear people recall knowing me as a child and now meeting my daughter.  There is really nothing more special than the feeling of love that runs within a family even on such a sad occasion.

My Uncle Slim was the epitome of the uncle that every family has.  The one that you have so many memories of that bring a smile to your face.  He was the uncle that I told Chris about while we were dating and couldn't wait for him to meet once we got married.  He was the uncle that you know no matter how tall you grow or how old you get, he always sees you as a kid.  Uncle Slim was the uncle who fit the description of every comedians jokes.

During the remarks at the service my Daddy spoke about the brother-in-law that he inherited when he married my Mom.  He talked about how they were both men who had married two sisters in the same family.  They are definitely two very different kind of men as Daddy noted by quoting Uncle Slim, "Brother-in-law I'm an outlaw, and you're the law so I don't know how this is going to work."  Nevertheless, they were two men who could share a cocktail and talk man to man.  His absence will definitely leave a hole in our family and his off the cuff whit will be missed.  My Daddy read this poem that he felt was fitting to memorialize Uncle Slim.

Fulfillment

By: Walter Lewis Smith

I have worked in the fertile earth and planted a garden, so I know what faith is.

I have listened to the birds caroling in the early morning and at dusk, so I know what music is.

I have seen the morning without clouds after showers, so I know what beauty is.

I have sat before a wood fire with old friends, so I know what companionship is.

I have walked the paths of quietness along the forest floor, so I know what peace is.

I have dwelt in the valley of remembrance and on the hills of home, so I know what love is.

I have seen the miracle of spring, the fruition of summer, and beauty of autumn, followed by the repose of winter, so I know what life is.

And because I have perceived all these things, I know what God is.

Mommy

Today is my Mommy's 54th birthday!  I'm not sure what you find exciting after doing this 53 times before.  I'm running out of bright ideas and I'm only on 28.    

Jean, as she is affectionately known around here, is Claire Huxtable and Evelyn Braxton all wrapped up in one!  She has plenty of wisdom, lots of love to share, and "will knock the piss out of you" if you take it too far.

It wasn't until she turned 50 that I realized that she too was once a young woman with dreams for her family.  She didn't take the road well traveled...instead she blazed her own trail and  I am so thankful that Neish and I make her proud.

 

We have always been pretty close, but Emmie's arrival has in my opinion enshrined her in the Mommy Hall of Fame.  Emmie's Jeanie is never out of songs to sing and books to read.  Being a grandmother is definitely her calling!

 I know she wakes up each day a little happier because of my girl.     I'm just so thankful that I could bring joy to her world for all of the years that I probably turned her gray!

      Happy Birthday Mommy/Jeanie!!!

#onebigtruth

I could say that I haven't had one big truth but along the way, especially in adulthood, I have small truths that have hit me and encouraged me at different times.  You know like Oprah says you have an "aha moment".  I really love when you are reading through your Bible and something you NEED to hear just jumps off of the page.

I am guilty of not always being so enthusiastic about reading my Bible or having a "quiet time".  But it seems like when I make the time to sit down, slow down, and really get quiet to hear God speak He never ceases to amaze me.  In this season of my life God has constantly reminded me that He is in control.  I'm not always cheerfully accepting of His plans over mine but I know His plans are far better for me.

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."  

This is one of those moments that I need to take a deep breath and exhale because I am what most would consider a Type A personality.  Driven, goal-oriented, a perfectionist, a control freak....and all of the other characteristics that keep my Things To Do list long and my brain on overload.  So to work so hard to at what I consider so important and plan things the way that I want them to go and then they go totally different has been a BIG lesson for me.  Not just a lesson in life but something for me to work through in my relationship with God.

It's in those moments when I have to accept and really embrace that I am lil' ol' me and He is the Creator of this world and omnicient, omnipotent, and omnipresent.  So why is a girl like me so stressed that my life looks so different than the one I had planned when I graduated from college.  How did this super ambitious, career girl become a stay-at-home wife and now mom?  I know that His plans are far better because I absolutely love staying home....and not just because I spend my day with this super active and adorable 15 month old.

The last 4 years of staying home have kept me at the foot of His throne because I was so far off of the path that I had laid out for me.  When life is going well it has been so much sweeter because I would have never planned it this way.  So whenever I hit a rough patch mentally and spiritually I tape Jeremiah 29:11 to my bathroom mirror to remind the girl I see in the mirror that He's got it!

  

Friday....

Oh Friday....we meet again! ;)  It's laundry day around here, or in the words of Minnie from The Help "change the da*n sheets day"!

Credit: www.goodhousekeeping.com

Saturday morning the hub's alumni association chapter is volunteering at the local food bank.

Credit: www.seriousseats.com

Then Saturday afternoon my Emmie is invited to her girlfriend's 2nd birthday party!  Small people celebrating ;)

Credit: www.rayneisonrealtor.wordpress.com

To cap off a super busy Saturday his is on this weekends menu for the hubs and I.  It just happens to be a favorite around here.  Run, don't walk, to get the ingredients to make this....your stomach will thank me!  And don't ever say that I didn't help you!  ;)

Grilled Salmon Gyros on the Food Network

I Wish...

I could be disciplined enough to get up before my kid every morning.
I could keep all of the drawers in my house neat and organized.
I could read my Bible and Bible study everyday.
I could work out and be fit despite my laziness.
I could not be lazy....I digress.
I could be a better friend.
I could sing (it's definitely not my gift).
I could more optimistic than fearful.
I could have more faith when it's not all good.
I could really swim and not just float.
I could really enjoy motherhood.
I could let go of who I want to be and really embrace who God wants me to be.

In a Twilight Zone

Lately I've been feeling very unorganized and in my attempts to get organized I find myself stressed out!  The perfectionist in me knows that I have got to get it together, but the "so out of order" mama that I have become is fighting against it.  I need order for my Emmie and most importantly for myself.  If I don't have some order everything in my world suffers. Unfortunately, I have become very dependent on a calendar and a "things to do" list.

I have read about people like this...you know the kind that need alarms on their phones, their ipads, and sticky notes on their mirrors.  I have been trying very hard not to become one of those, but I a, headed that way quickly.  The thing that has surprised me most is that it's not just one area of life, it's everything.  This past Sunday I stayed up until 11:30 finishing up so much needed "housework", cleaning out the microwave and refrigerators.  Along the way I found other things that needed to be addressed, so naturally I made little sticky notes and left them on my bathroom mirror and the microwave.

As I was turning in for the evening my guy comes in as says "what's going on, am I in a twilight zone?  I feel like I'm on The Color Purple, you have notes everywhere."  I couldn't help but laugh and then I realized that's it!  When I don't have it all together that's what it feels like, a twilight zone.  Leave it to my guy to put a finger on it!  Here's to coming out of the trance.  ;)