Murphy’s Law — “If anything can go wrong, it will”

So what happens when two direct descendants of Murphy try to get away for the weekend?

Now, let me preface this post by stating we had a GREAT time!! We just had to improvise a little, and laugh ALOT so as to not get frustrated…

The car was packed and how we got it all in there, I’m not sure. I do know that Rhoda had a very tight ride down (as did Tim and I) however, we got there.

This was the back seat of the car…as you can see…VERY LITTLE room for poor Rhoda

It was about an hour drive and the scenery was beautiful. Of course, all I wanted to do was get there, set up and roast hotdogs…

We get there about seven thirty or so and set up the tent and the screen porch. Before doing so, we each see if we have cell service and are tickled that we don’t! A true escape from reality!! We have a very nice campsite. Since this was the first time using both the tent and the screen porch, we were surprised at how easily they went up. I actually put the tent up by myself…everything but staking it down, but there’s a reason I didn’t do that and I’ll explain later.

This is our site, number 35 looking up…

Behind us were a group of what we originally thought were all German Baptists. As the weekend went on, we were trying to figure out their story. The woman and the girl definitely were, however, it didn’t appear that the men were. They didn’t have on the traditional garb, and by the time they left, Tim had come to the conclusion that the men kidnapped the woman and the girl to cook and clean for them on their trip, or that they bet with someone on the race last week and the winner got to take the women with them.

Up and to the right of us were Tyler and his family. We don’t know any of their names, other than Tyler’s and didn’t talk to them the whole weekend. We were there all of 20 minutes when I hear Tim say, “I already don’t like Tyler.” Tyler pretty much stayed in trouble the whole weekend. The only reason we knew his name is because he kept getting yelled at.

Our new 2 room tent

Our new screen porch…

Tim gets out the air mattress, a Blue Light special from last year and plugs the pump into the outlet I have in the car. Well, the pump doesn’t work. Then he tells me that even if he could blow it up, there is no cap to hold the air in. We just kinda look at one another. I say, well, I’ll go to Wal-Mart and I’ll get another bed and a higher power outlet for the car. He says, “No need to go to all that trouble with the outlet, just get a hand pump. I guess the closest Wal-Mart is in Martinsville, it seems like an awfully long way to go.” Seeings how we have no bed, no sleeping bags and there are ROCKS under the tent, I see that a trip to Wal-Mart is the best thing that we can do.

By this time, it’s 8:30, and I’m starving. But, I know that I need to go to Wal-Mart, so I tell him to finish setting up camp, and I’ll be back as soon as I can. As I’m pulling out, he tells me that I need to get gas as soon as I can. Oh joy…

I stop at the guard’s station on the way out to get directions to the closest Wal-Mart. They just look at me like I have two heads. It’s an older married couple that run the front and she tells the husband to step out of the booth and tell me how to get to the Wal-Mart in Rocky Mount. He comes out and whispers to me, “I’d go to the one in Martinsville if I were you,” as if her hearing him tell me this would cause an argument. He tells me how to get there and asks me when I’ll be back. I ask how long will it take to get to Martinsville and he tells me about 20-25 minutes and then tells me that they lock the gate at 11. I tell him that if I’m not back by 11, there’s a major problem. So he leans in again and says, “If you get back after 11, just come knock on that first trailer and I’ll come up and let you in.”

So off I go…in search of a gas station and a Wal-Mart. I say a little prayer that I find the gas station soon, but I know I won’t find one until I hit the main road, and I know that the main road is at least 11 miles away. (When I say we were in the middle of nowhere, I mean it.)

Of course I get lost getting out to the main road. I wasn’t paying attention while Tim was driving in, and now it’s dark, so nothing even looks familiar. I see a group of trucks sitting on the side of the road and ask how to get back to 220. I wasn’t that far off. I didn’t really want to stop and ask for directions as I’m out after dark, by myself, and in foreign territory, however, I know that I’m on borrowed time. Sometimes I think I watch too much Law & Order.

I get to the main road and about 2 miles later I see a very run down gas station. Well, to be honest, I saw many of them in those 2 miles, however, most were missing the pumps. I see the little sign that says “Pay before pumping” and go inside. She states to me that they close at 9. It’s 9:04. I beg, “please, I’m not from around here and I’m just about out.” She replies, “Oh you’re fine, I was stating it to that guy back there so he’ll hurry up and get out of here.”

I get my gas, and I’m on my way. The sign states 12 miles to Martinsville. I’ve heard many things about Martinsville, although I’ve never been there really. Just drove through once on the way back from sales calls. I find the Martinsville exit that Pop told me to take and went through the main strip of Collinsville. It’s hopping on this particular Friday night and as Tim later tells me, it’s called “Dark Alley” and that’s pretty much all there is to do in Collinsville.

I finally reach Wal-Mart and I’m impressed from the outside. It’s big and well lit and upon entering, I’m even more surprised to find it clean. Knowing that this Wal-Mart will be laid out differently, I attempt to make my plan of attack. I have to be back by 11 and I know there’s no time for looking at the clearance racks. Tim sent me for additional items as well…charcoal, a jug of water, and batteries for the radio, as well as a hand pump. I pick out a new bed, one that comes with the pump and gather the other items on my list as well as some chips and soda for the road. As I’m perusing through Wal-Mart, I begin to see people walking through the store with no shoes on. Then I see other odd people, genetic mysteries included and shutter. I’ve NEVER in my life seen people walk through a store with no shoes on!

I quickly pay for my purchases, use the restroom (which was VERY clean) and be on my way. I was anxious to leave Martinsville and never return.

I head back, worried that I’ll miss the little road I need to turn on to get back to the campground, and suddenly, the “service engine soon light” appears. CRAP! Now, it does this from time to time, but really only when it rains heavily. And it hadn’t rained. I panic a little…only because if I were to break down here, although I have cell phone service, I know that Tim does not. I ask God to remove my fear and just get me back to the campground, which he does. I didn’t get lost getting back.

I roll up…STARVING…and Tim says, “I was wondering where you were.” I was gone almost 2 hours…but when I got back, there was a fire going and the tent was staked down and everything was finished. I roasted a hot dog while he pumped up the bed and by the time I was finished, it was almost 11 and I was ready for bed.

And of course, as soon as he pumped up the bed….Rhoda makes herself comfortable…

Of course, I’ve forgotten my pajamas…so I did have a pair of shorts and Tim gave me a sweatshirt to wear and it was cold…

That was Friday…

Saturday morning, I wake up with a shooting pain in my hip. I don’t know what time it is. I know that it’s early. I then realize that there is very little air in the mattress, and the reason that my hip hurts is because I’m pretty much sleeping on the ground. Great, I think. I decide to just get up and make some coffee. I have a little 4 cup coffee pot that we bring camping and plug into the car. I go and plug it in and NOTHING. Great. The closest store is miles away, and I have no coffee for Tim. I decide that I’ll go take a shower and I took the coffee pot with me.

The showers were nice, and since it was so early (7am) I was alone. There was one outlet in the shower side and a little bench there. I started the first pot of coffee, got in the shower and washed my hair. By the time I had done that, the coffee was done and I filled up Tim’s cup and started another pot for my own. I finished my shower, dried off, and lugged everything back to the car.

I roll up and Tim says, “Where’d you get coffee?” I told the truth…”the bathroom.” I was tickled with myself that I had come up with such a great plan B.

After breakfast, we ventured out a little bit. Mom and Pop at the guard station said there was a little store not far from the campground that sold fishing licenses. So we headed there, but stopped at a little hole in the wall, Philpott Bait and Tackle. We there found a coffee pot that you could put on the camp stove. It was $8. He didn’t take credit cards. We scrounged around and had $11 between us. We paid for our coffee pot (used of course) and headed to the next little store where we would obtain 2005 fishing licenses, ice, and bait.

Yes, I now am licensed to fish for the rest of this year in the state of Virginia. I’ve never had a fishing license, but I do now.

Back to the campsite and Tim takes Rhoda down to the lake. She’s never been in sand before and is funny for the first few minutes. I clean up around the site and I notice this little packet with 2 straws and a tube of something. At first, I think it’s those bubbles that you can blow on the straws but then I see that there is a cap of some sort in there. When Tim gets back, I ask him what it is…he just grins…”that’s the cap to the first air mattress. I guess I just saw the patching kit and not the cap and threw it in the box.” I look at him…I glare at him…”I had to go to the depths of Martinsville last night where people wear no shoes and we had the cap here the whole time?????”

“Well, we needed a pump anyway…” he says…to which I say, “I could’ve figured out another way to blow up the bed. I could’ve taken it to the bathroom, just like I did the coffee.” Now, I wasn’t mad…just ironic, that’s all…and another humorous story to add to our trip.

We ate some lunch, where I realized in preparing it, that we have no knives or forks…just spoons. I remember looking in the camping box while packing it and seeing a box of utensils, just didn’t realize they were only spoons. I start making a store list. T-bones would be a little difficult to eat with spoons.

We head down to the lake to fish. I haven’t been fishing in YEARS and Tim loves it. He gets me all set up and I find the little spot where they are biting. It’s right here where my bobber is…

Tim takes my rod and catches the first fish of the weekend…

There he is with his catch…

And there’s a close up…

So since he’s found my spot, I decide to find a new one. I found a log that I could get up on and be closer to the water and not the shallow part…

Yes, I fell in. I’ll admit it now. Luckily, I had rolled my jeans up before I slipped so really only my shoes got wet. But Tim had a good laugh over it.

But I finally caught a fish…I know I was getting on Tim’s nerves. The fish kept taking my worm and he kept having to rebait my hook, and I believe at one point in time I whined. “This just isn’t fun and relaxing. I keep throwing it out and reeling it in with nothing…it much like playing the slot machines.”

Please note…my fish is slightly bigger than Tim’s…

Rhoda, of course, is bored with all of this…

But she was a very good dog all weekend. We let her off her leash most of the time, and she never ran off…just growled at every other dog walking by.

We get back and read for a little bit and then go in to take a nap. By this time, Tim’s inflated the original mattress with the new mattress on top. I can’t tell you the last time I’ve taken a nap. It was so nice. We got up about 6 and I headed to the store and when I got back, Tim had the steaks on the grill and a nice fire going. He made garlic toast and the best steaks, but then again, his meals on the grill are always wonderful.

After dinner, we picked up our books again, and didn’t put them down until 11 when we took the lantern in the tent and read some more. The bed was interesting again, as it had lost some more air and it was much like a cross between a waterbed and a moonwalk. If one of us moved, the other one had to hold on. We just laughed. At that point in time, it was all we could do.

Up Sunday morning by 8, and we’ve got the new coffee pot in the stove.

While we’re waiting for it to perk, and while shoveling poptarts in our mouths, we’ve got our nose in our books. We were both so close to being done. We finished our books and commented on how geeky we were. Now, I’ve been known to read a book in a day, however, I think Tim set a new record for himself.

We decided to head to Ferrum College to fish in their lake, so I made a picnic lunch and we loaded up the car. Tim’s new job is working at Ferrum so I had the pleasure to see what he’s working on…and I took pictures of course.

Here is where they are building a new residence hall…

This is his job trailer…

This is what the new student center will look like…

These are what the new residence halls will look like…

This is just the sign that says President Bush is paying for the work…

The site of the 2 new residence halls…well just one for now. They don’t have the funding for the second one yet.

And this building they are renovating. It used to be a residence hall, but will soon be offices.

After the job tour, we headed over to the lake to fish.

The lake…

My second of 4 fish of the weekend. Tim caught one here as well, but it was so little and he had it thrown back in the water before I could get the camera.

The ducks…Rhoda liked chasing them, as if they were some threat to her.

After calling it a day for fishing, we went in search of Fairy Stone park to have lunch. An hour later, we found it, however, since it’s a state park, you have to pay $4 to park and since we used all our cash on the new coffee pot, we drove back a bit and found some picnic tables and had our lunch.

We got back to the site and played cards for a bit and munched. I think all we did on Sunday was eat! We then took Rhoda back down to the lake. It was all about her and we attempted to tell her that as a Labrodor Retriever that she should retrieve things, but she just didn’t get it. We’d throw the stick and most times she didn’t even go after it, but when she did, she wouldn’t pick it up and bring it back.

We’re such rebels…notice the sign…

Back to the campsite…the German Baptists were gone, and Tyler was gone…it was just us. I started to read the book that Tim had just finished. We listened to the race. We started a fire and at about 8 decided that we were hungry. We skipped the chicken that I had brought and decided to roast hot dogs and make s’mores. I finished the book about 10.

We talked alot about how we didn’t want to come home and that despite all the mishaps, we had a good weekend. We figured out that it would cost us $105 a week to stay there, and that we could make bulk trips to Wal-Mart (in Rocky Mount…there would be no more trips to Martinsville…) It was a nice dream…but…

Reality came Monday morning. We slept the latest that we had all weekend, getting up at 9:30. Tim put the coffee on (we had to leave anyway, we used the last of the creamer) and we started getting packed up. Deflating the air mattress wasn’t difficult…ha ha…

We were all packed up by about 11:30…

This is Tim trying to figure out how the stuff we brought seemed to multiply over the weekend.

We were home by 12:30. We had a great weekend, and one that we really needed. I came home to laundry and 153 emails. But I can’t wait to do it again!

Here are some other pictures from our trip…

Thanks for sticking this one out…

Until next time…

Spent the week working on the house, well Tim moreso than me…

Monday night it was decided that we needed a new ceiling, so Scott joined us at 9 PM to start that…

Tim putting up the drywall…

Scott “helping”…

And then he finished putting up paneling in the room and running the wires, and today we began painting…

Tim started putting the texture on the ceiling this morning…and then we began painting…

My job was the trim, of which I did all outside, because I’m a little sloppy…and he’s working on painting the room…

Regan was my photographer this afternoon…

The color of the new room is called “earthy cane” and the trim is “ivory tower”

That’s all the trim that I painted today, plus the windows…all the stuff on the sawhorses and on the back of Tim’s truck…

We’re getting there…

I’m loving it…:) Can’t wait until it’s all done…

Until next time…

Today, Tim continued the quest to make this a true three bedroom house!!! I snapped some pictures (but stopped after I got the look of death…apparently the flash going off while he’s using power tools is not a good thing!)

There is still some paneling that needs to go up, and electrical outlets to be put in and then the ever fun, painting, but we’re getting there.

Poor Tim is in the new bedroom/old living room watching TV in a lawn chair since we had to move the couch out before we put the wall up!

Gotta love it!!!

Here are the pics…

Tim walling over Sam’s door…

We moved the couch in this room since it wouldn’t fit thru the new door when it went up…

The front of the house…I’m SOOOOOOOO embarrassed…but the siding has been ordered…

Tim sawing…

Tim framing the wall…

Putting the paneling up on the other side…Patrick is supervising…

The finished wall on this side…Patrick and Tim are trying to make the door work…

That’s all for now…

More this week, I’m told…

Until next time…

Today, I secured two tickets to see Kenny Chesney in Charlotte on July 9th, almost a year from when we saw him here in Roanoke.

It worked out perfect. A Saturday that I don’t have kids, and far enough in advance that Sondra can ask off from work. We’re very excited!

Of course, we won’t be as close as we were to Trace Adkins and Montgomery Gentry, but we are closer than when we saw him last year.

For those of you who didn’t see the pics from Montgomery Gentry, this is the fun that we have when we’re together…

Of course this is the first pic that Troy Gentry took of us with my camera…and didn’t like it, so took this next one…

Sondra’s definately the youngest 40 year old that I know, but she keeps me young and reminds me that I need to have a little fun…

So Senoritas and Margiritas we will be…at least for 24 hours…and then we’ll be back to the normal life…I can’t wait!

Until next time…

I forgot that May also brings the flare up of Matthew’s asthma. Poor thing. Just coughing away, and the meds make either sick to his stomach or wide awake, or both. I have a feeling we’re going to end up at the doctor, but maybe not. He had 2 breathing treatments yesterday and then one this morning before he left for school…

He’s been reading. We’ve gone from an infatuation with the Secret of Droon series, to Magic Treehouse series (we ordered 12 books but they haven’t come in yet) and now he’s on the A-Z Mysteries. He checked out A-D at the library on Saturday. We started to read it together, and had gotten all the way to chapter 4 and then he wanted to read and I didn’t have a free minute right then, so he started without me and he finished the book, so now I don’t know what happened to Wallis Wallace. I guess I’ll have to sneak back and read it sometime.

I finished the Da Vinci Code yesterday at lunch time. Just in time! My books from Barnes & Noble were delivered and waiting for me when I got home from work. I’m taking some classes through Barnes & Noble University. They aren’t for credit classes, but they are free. All you have to do is buy the book. So this month I’m taking a Crime Scene Investigation course and it’s neat. I’m two lessons into it and not only do you learn the text book version of what they do but we get to work on two cases as well. So it’s kinda neat. Next month, my friend Erin and I are going to take a class on “How to think like an editor and get published”. I’m not really into getting published, but she is, and I think it would be a good course.

Just got the kids off to school, so I guess I better get around and get going myself…it’s only Tuesday….ugh…

Until next time…

I decided to give up trying to figure out what kind of Mother’s Day I was having until today, the day after.

I reflected alot about the day last night before going to bed. I wanted to sleep in. I wanted to finish my book. I wanted to do this and I wanted to do that. In the end, none of it happened. I’m greatful that none of it did! Sounds silly, I know. But the bottom line is…if it weren’t for the kids, I wouldn’t have a day in my honor! So what, they fought. They finally finished their chores and went out to play. They wished me a happy mother’s day all throughout the day. I’d take fighting over them not acknowledging it any day!

Tim suprised me with a geranium and a wonderful card! (A Hallmark…I looked…lol)…He swore that it was impossible for me to kill a geranium. Definition of insanity…doing something over and over again and expecting different results. But this time, I’m going to TRY and keep it alive. I think I can, I think I can…I’m greatful that he remembered to. I’m not the mother to his kids, so it was nice that he remembered me. I even got a shoulder rub out of the deal!! And he carried the groceries in for me. It’s the little things that I love so much…

So in looking back, I had a great Mother’s Day…

Until next time…

So, yeah…the kids decided today would be a good day for World War 3….

More to come…I’m ignoring them…blaring the radio, dancing, and working on the laundry and the kitchen…taking a break to read every once in a while…

I LOVE being a mother!!

Until next time…

Happy Mother’s Day to me…

Wow!

A day for me…

The kids told me that today, they were going to take care of me…they decided to make coffee…ha ha ha…I drank some of it, until they left and then dumped it. But they tried. Of course, the mess in the kitchen I will have to get later. They said they would clean it up, but I’m not sure that would be the best idea. So I will get it. I decided that I would read some of “The Da Vinci Code” and then get to work on the house. After all, I’m still a mother…and the laundry needs done, and other assorted chores around the house.

Of course, my invisions of today were them letting me sleep in…I was already sleeping on the couch as Samara “accidentally” spilled water on my bed and the sheets weren’t dry by the time I went to bed. But I thought that I would be able to sleep in. They were up at 7:30 with gifts in my face. I’m grateful for that, even though the extra sleep would’ve been nice. I got a flower in a pot that he decorated from Matthew, and a picture in a picture frame that Samara decorated as well as an elbow bowl. The bowl was clay, formed into a bowl by her elbow. I’ll always know what size her elbow was at age 5 and a half for the rest of my life.

But that’s okay…they are now fighting and playing, playing and fighting and will probably continue to do so for the rest of the day. And that’s okay…I’m blessed to be a mother and I’m blessed to have them. There are far to many people in the world that aren’t able to have children, and those that had children and lost them. For whatever reason, I’ve been blessed with them and I can’t imagine my life with out them, no matter how many times they get on my last nerve.

I know my parents smile when I tell them of the latest antics, and I know that one day, I too will laugh at them and their children, as that is part of life.

Happy Mother’s Day to all of you…may you have a wonderful day…

Until next time…

We survived the night with the sleepover! It wasn’t bad at all. Matthew and Matthew were very well behaved!

Samara and I retreated to my bedroom to watch Mary Kate and Ashley in “In a New York Minute” and ended up falling asleep watching Becker after it was over.

We dropped Matthew and Matthew off this morning and then went to Michael’s to get a new craft project and then over to Once Upon a Child to see what nifty clothes we could find. Samara got some new sun dresses and a few new shirts. I lost the pants battle. I guess she just doesn’t want anymore pants!

We then went to McDonald’s for lunch to meet some friends of mine and she was very well behaved. We had a lot of fun.

We got back home and she entertained herself with her new paints and then put on a fashion show for me, showing off her new attire. I think she’s changed clothes a gazillion times now.

All in all a fun day for all…

Tonight, we’re going to get some more movies and heat up the left over pizza and just enjoy some time together. IF we get all of our chores done…Matthew’s working on the dining room and Samara is procrastinating on the bathroom. I can’t blame her, I’m procrastinating on the dusting and vacuuming!!

We’ll get it done and the house will be pristine when Tim gets back tomorrow…he’ll be shocked!! (No he won’t…my idea of pristine and his are different, but hey! I tried!!)

Until next time…

He’s away for the weekend…he left this morning, so it’s just the kids and I. It’s been a long time since it’s just been us…

Matthew has a friend over to spend the night. His name is Matthew, so it’s been interesting. They’ve been out with the bug vacuum and having fun sucking up bugs and examining them with the microscope and now, all three of them (they’ve decided to allow Samara to join them) are watching a movie. I doubt they make it past 9:30 as they are all so tired.

Matthew and Matthew are twins almost. Built the same, they talk the same and have the same little grin. They were both very excited to learn that the other still slept with a stuffed animal. I don’t remember eight being such a tough age, but apparently it is…it’s the beginning of the cross over. Or at least, that’s how it seems with the two Matthew’s.

My Matthew was invited to the Strawberry Festival with Matthew’s family. (This is getting confusing already!) They are going to the Festival, and then to Burger in the Square for lunch and then to Matthew’s base ball game…his friend, not my Matthew. So, I guess it will just be Samara and I, and we’re thinking of heading down to the Strawberry Festival as well. It’s supposed to be beautiful tomorrow, and I will enjoy spending time with just she and I. We don’t get to do that often.

This is the first time that Matthew has had anyone over but the neighborhood kids, and they rarely come in the house. It’s also the first time that Matthew has been invited anywhere, and I think he’s tickled. Samara gets invited to so many birthday parties, and Matthew hasn’t. For once, he’s getting some interaction and I think he and Matthew will maintain a good friendship. He’s a wonderful kid, well-mannered and quiet. I told him he was welcome here anytime.

I’m off to attempt to hook up the scanner. With all the remodeling and moving around, the scanner has no home, but the kids’ spring pictures came in yesterday and I’m anxious to show them off. When I get them, I will put them up and I’ll be sure to snap a few pictures at the Strawberry Festival if we make it there…

Until next time…

It’s Spirit Week and today was Career Day. Matthew is a construction/Home Depot dude and Samara, a nurse.

Here are a few pics I snapped before they left for school…

Until next time…

Here’s try number one…

Her panicked face stuck in the middle of the monkey bars…

So they call it a day…and we go inside…

Now because this meeting was on diversity, several of the students were dressed in their native dress to dance, sing, etc. Here is Samara and her good buddy Rohan (I’m so glad to finally meet this kid! I’ve heard so much about him…)

And then the singing begins…the lighting is always terrible in there and the pictures never come out and Matthew was in the very last row, so I could barely get him!!!

Samara, in the front of course…

There’s Matthew…top row, yellow shirt…

I zoomed in on him, but it’s still not great…

All the students…there’s Matthew in the back, waving.

I was also able to get some on video, so as soon as I figure out how to get THAT uploaded, I’ll put it up here…

Until next time…

A little late, as we’re in May…lol…but here are the girls in their Easter Dresses…in front of the new door…

So I take the week off…not from my real job, but from the free lance and the call center work that I do from home and I’m driving home, very much looking forward to a peaceful evening.

So, I pick the kids up and we get home and we start our get home routine…Samara goes to feed the dog, Matthew goes to get the mail and I pick up the phone and look at the caller ID. I see that Mrs. Koll, Samara’s teacher has called. Interesting.

So I go to Samara and I say, “Is there anything that happened today that would make Mrs. Koll call me?” The look of panic strikes her face. The tears form in her eyes, and she says, “You’re going to ground me.” I simply told her that I would rather hear from her what happened before hearing what Mrs. Koll has to say. (At this point in time, I hadn’t even listened to the messages yet.)

So Samara tells me that she and Emilee were talking at rest time and reading too loud and making noise and that her card had been turned to red. And she’s saying, “I told the truth so are you going to ground me?”
I pick up the phone and head to the kitchen to listen to the messages and Tim walks in and says, “Imagine that! Samara’s crying!” I just looked at him and said, “Her teacher called, I’m listening to the messages right now.” “Really?” He replies.

I hang up the phone and say, “All she wanted to know was if I could go on the field trip tomorrow…” So we look at one another and burst out laughing knowing that Samara is just in pain over having to tell me that she got in trouble, thinking that Mrs. Koll was calling to alert me to the problem.

So I went back in to talk to her. Told her that because she told me the truth, this time I wasn’t going to punish her but not to let me find out again that she was being loud during rest time…

She still has no idea that Mrs. Koll only wanted to know if I could go on the field trip…it’s funny, I thought I would have to wait until they were grown and gone with their own kids to receive some sort of pleasure out of this parenting thing…

Until next time…

Heather

Where has the time gone? It seems as if it were just Christmas, or us moving back to Roanoke!

May marks many things…spring time…Tim’s out mowing the jungle now. (Apparently, that’s something that I’m just not able to do…I guess he didn’t realize that yark work was my specialty growing up, but I won’t complain!!)

It marks almost the end of the school year. Samara will be a rising 1st grader and Matthew a rising 3rd grader. Regan will be entering kindergarten next year, and Patrick starting his sophomore year of college. It just doesn’t seem possible that these kids are growing up like this. I no longer come home and hear Samara tell me about her day with Papaw and Law & Order on TNT. I now come home to hear her tell me about Hanna S and how Hanna S was cuter than her today, or what latest antics she’s come up with. Matthew is telling me about Julia…oh…I’m just not ready for this!

May marks Tim and his new job. He started with Branch last Monday and seems to really enjoy it. The only downfall is the hour drive to Ferrum College. He’s not used to rising at 5:30 to be to work at 7. Bless him. It’s all I can do to get up at 6:30 to get the kids on the bus by 7!

May marks almost a year for us back in Roanoke and what a year it has been. It truely was the right move for us. Everyone is so much happier. The kids have been spending time with their dad for over a year now and I couldn’t ask for a better situation with him. It was something I never thought would be possible, but am greatful that it is.

The Lord has blessed all of us with what we have and I can’t thank Him enough! I often reflect to my life 4 years ago, even 2 years ago, and the changes have been monumental. With the love, strength, and hope of family and friends, we’ve come a long way.

May also marks warmer weather, which means this remodeling can progress forward. Although, the weather hasn’t stopped Tim before. He started Easter weekend and tore out the wall to put the new door in.