The boys are now in California on the youth mission trip. I know I’ve mentioned my difficulties with the Youth Leader (YL) before….well, now Bruce is getting the full measure of her annoyingness. They took the train to Sacramento, which seemed like a good idea at the time, but very few of the group had any experience with trains. See, freight trains take precedence over passenger trains, so that’s one problem. Then, there was some flooding in the Midwest, destroying Amtrak’s tracks, so they’re “borrowing” tracks from Union Pacific, and they’re at the mercy of UP. So, the train was supposed to leave here at 11:30 pm. It didn’t. It was late….very late. We called at 10 and they told us that it would be leaving at 3:30 or so. We went to bed, but I didn’t really sleep. We got up around 1:30 or so and called again. Train not leaving until 4:30. At this point, I told Bruce that I wouldn’t get any sleep, taking “naps” in the middle of the night. So we went to the station at 2:00 so that I could get some sleep. The train finally left near 5:00 am.
In the meantime, the YL was trying to hand off the blame for this to Amtrak, wanting us to “inundate” them with phone calls. Like bugging some poor call center in Wherever, USA would make the train get there sooner? She also told us that we, the parents, chose this. Yes, yes we did. However, our choices were to have parent chaperones drive rental vans straight through the night or take the train. The train seemed like the safer option. Bruce did say that the train ride itself was a pleasant experience, with more space in their “coach” seats than you get in business or first class on an airplane, and the dining car was really nice with affordable options for breakfast.
They arrived in Sacramento around 5:00 pm, in the middle of rush hour, which is more like the rush hour you see on TV with traffic not moving, etc. The YL didn’t want to try to go get the rental vehicles in that, so she decided that they’d go to dinner. According to her, the *only* option, in downtown Sacramento, was Denny’s. Bruce had a GPS (we replaced the one that was stolen), and his brother lives in the area, so he’s somewhat familiar with it. They were 2 blocks from Old Town Sacramento in one direction, and one block from a major shopping center, but the only choice is Denny’s.
The next morning, they were going to make sandwiches and hand them out to the homeless. Each “family group” was supposed to make 25 sandwiches to hand out. They’re staying in the dorms, so they’ve got a full kitchen to work with, and the family groups consist of 4-5 kids plus an adult. Bruce’s kids are all Boy Scouts, so they’ve done this before with the Salvation Army. And, really? It’s 25 sandwiches. The YL was freaking out about how many sandwiches and if they’d be done in time, etc. Of course, everyone managed to accomplish this project, so off they went to hand them out.
Only the YL didn’t really have a plan. Bruce thought she’d set something up with a local organization. Nope. They were just supposed to go to a park and hand them out. And there weren’t very many homeless people in the park. And, on the way to the park, they said they’d follow Bruce. Well, the park was on the same street they were already on, so he just drove down the road rather than getting on the freeway YL got mad cuz Bruce “just took off” and they got on the freeway……Bruce beat them by 10 minutes.
So, three parks later, they still haven’t found any homeless people. Can you imagine? A group of 30 youth and 6 adults wandering through the parks, asking people if they need a sandwich! It’s funny from here, but Bruce was really annoyed. Bruce finally found the Salvation Army and gave them the sandwiches. The Salvation Army was thrilled to have them and wanted to know if they could work with them some more over the weekend. Too bad YL hadn’t bothered to set this up from the outset!
On Monday and Tuesday, they went to a HUGE food bank warehouse yesterday to help sort donations. It’s essentially the distribution point for most of the metropolitan area, with things going from their warehouses to other food banks throughout the city. They get USDA donations, corporate donations, plus private donations from food drives and such. The USDA stuff has specific guidelines as to where, when and how it’s given out. The kids spent about 6 hours sorting things into piles, bins and boxes for canned goods, dry goods, glass jars (around here, we’re discouraged from giving things that come in glass), and even pet food!
Tuesday, the kids were all standing around a box snickering. Bruce has been around long enough to know that that's never a good thing and sure enough, it was a box of condoms and personal lubricant. Thankfully, and this is probably why he's so good at this stuff, Bruce is very matter-of-fact. He told the kids "Just put it in the 'Personal Hygiene' box and move on!" LOL!
The youth conference started last night, so they had to check out of the dorms and into their hotel yesterday. Once again, YL's craziness reared it's head. She's OCD and yet very disorganized, so she stresses about everything because it just has to be perfect, and it's driving Bruce completely bonkers! LOL
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
So much to say....
and so little words to say it. That's not quite right, but it's close. I keep thinking "Oh...I should blog about that..." and never doing it. Now that I'm sitting down to do some writing, it all seems so, well, boring really.
Shannon spent the last week at Diabetes camp. This is her third year going and she loves it. She came home exhausted, a bit sunburned, and sporting "tattoos" drawn on her legs by her cabin-mates, plus sparkly toes and crackle-finish fingernails.
Because the boys left during the week (more on that in a minute), it was just Alana and I on Thursday and this morning. I slept in Thursday morning, but then Alana and I went out to lunch. She loves the Chinese buffet and we don't go when Shannon's home because there's gluten everywhere (the soy sauce is probably not gluten-free, plus the breading, sauces, won tons, noodles.....), so that's where we went. It was such a pleasant lunch, talking together, answering her questions and just spending some really good one-on-one time with her.
As has become tradition, we drove into Eden for lunch at the Mad Moose cafe. They've got espresso, sandwiches, soup, salads, etc, and it's always great food with great service for a decent price. They don't bat an eye when making Shannon's sandwich with lettuce instead of bread and she loves it. I had some fancy, yummy, sweet iced coffee concoction, with a burger. I haven't had a burger in AGES, and this was a perfect treat for me. On the way home, we stopped at a couple of fruit stands to buy cherries and raspberries. We'll be making some freezer jam on Sunday.
The boys, as I mentioned, left on Thursday night. Or that was the plan. They were taking the train from here to Sacramento. But, see, trains are a bit, um, flexible and unpredictable. Freight trains take precedence over passenger trains, so Amtrak actually tells you that the train could arrive up to 8 hours late. Yes, really. The train to CA was supposed to leave at 11:30, so the boys were supposed to be there at 10. A little late, but not a huge problem, right?
Yeah. So, the train was late. And getting later. We went to bed, if you can call it that, at 10, after learning that the train would be leaving at 3:00 AM. Yes, the middle of the night. I didn't really sleep, though, and finally gave up around 1:00. Bruce got up a little later, and called Amtrak for an updated departure time. 4:30.
I take sleeping pills or I don't sleep. I can't take those and then plan to drive somewhere in the middle of the night. So, Bruce took pity on me and had me drop them off at 2:00 am instead of 3:00 so that I could come home, take my pills, and get some sleep. The train finally left around 5:00 am.
In the meantime, the youth leader, who planned this adventure, is trying to shift the blame off of herself. She was mad at Amtrak and wanted all of us to be calling them all night long. Because bugging the people at the call center in Wherever USA will make the train arrive sooner? To be fair, this is the option the parents chose. Our other option was to rent vans and have parent chaperones drive straight through. This one seemed much safer.
So the boys are in Sacramento and it's not well organized. Bruce has come to the conclusion that Tristan is probably done with youth group. I've got mixed feelings about that, but mostly they're my own stuff. Youth group was such a fabulous thing in my life when I was Tristan's age. But he's not me. And he's got several other positive things in his life; places where he's making friends and enjoying himself; things that build him up and encourage him. Youth group has become a chore for all of us.
Okay, I've got more, but my fingers are tired and I can't type clearly, so I'm going to bed.
Shannon spent the last week at Diabetes camp. This is her third year going and she loves it. She came home exhausted, a bit sunburned, and sporting "tattoos" drawn on her legs by her cabin-mates, plus sparkly toes and crackle-finish fingernails.
Because the boys left during the week (more on that in a minute), it was just Alana and I on Thursday and this morning. I slept in Thursday morning, but then Alana and I went out to lunch. She loves the Chinese buffet and we don't go when Shannon's home because there's gluten everywhere (the soy sauce is probably not gluten-free, plus the breading, sauces, won tons, noodles.....), so that's where we went. It was such a pleasant lunch, talking together, answering her questions and just spending some really good one-on-one time with her.
As has become tradition, we drove into Eden for lunch at the Mad Moose cafe. They've got espresso, sandwiches, soup, salads, etc, and it's always great food with great service for a decent price. They don't bat an eye when making Shannon's sandwich with lettuce instead of bread and she loves it. I had some fancy, yummy, sweet iced coffee concoction, with a burger. I haven't had a burger in AGES, and this was a perfect treat for me. On the way home, we stopped at a couple of fruit stands to buy cherries and raspberries. We'll be making some freezer jam on Sunday.
The boys, as I mentioned, left on Thursday night. Or that was the plan. They were taking the train from here to Sacramento. But, see, trains are a bit, um, flexible and unpredictable. Freight trains take precedence over passenger trains, so Amtrak actually tells you that the train could arrive up to 8 hours late. Yes, really. The train to CA was supposed to leave at 11:30, so the boys were supposed to be there at 10. A little late, but not a huge problem, right?
Yeah. So, the train was late. And getting later. We went to bed, if you can call it that, at 10, after learning that the train would be leaving at 3:00 AM. Yes, the middle of the night. I didn't really sleep, though, and finally gave up around 1:00. Bruce got up a little later, and called Amtrak for an updated departure time. 4:30.
I take sleeping pills or I don't sleep. I can't take those and then plan to drive somewhere in the middle of the night. So, Bruce took pity on me and had me drop them off at 2:00 am instead of 3:00 so that I could come home, take my pills, and get some sleep. The train finally left around 5:00 am.
In the meantime, the youth leader, who planned this adventure, is trying to shift the blame off of herself. She was mad at Amtrak and wanted all of us to be calling them all night long. Because bugging the people at the call center in Wherever USA will make the train arrive sooner? To be fair, this is the option the parents chose. Our other option was to rent vans and have parent chaperones drive straight through. This one seemed much safer.
So the boys are in Sacramento and it's not well organized. Bruce has come to the conclusion that Tristan is probably done with youth group. I've got mixed feelings about that, but mostly they're my own stuff. Youth group was such a fabulous thing in my life when I was Tristan's age. But he's not me. And he's got several other positive things in his life; places where he's making friends and enjoying himself; things that build him up and encourage him. Youth group has become a chore for all of us.
Okay, I've got more, but my fingers are tired and I can't type clearly, so I'm going to bed.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Truth
Part of the Brave Girl stuff is to learn to recognize the lies we tell ourselves and/or allow others to tell us, particularly about who and what we are. There are several of these that have come to light lately, but for now, they'll stay private as I work with it a bit more and get braver about posting them here.
But, today, my Truth Teller nearly slapped me upside the head.
I'm setting a terrible example for my children. Now, she probably wouldn't phrase it quite like that, so let me edit that. I can and will set a better example for my children. (The Truth Teller is always positive and kind, see.....)
Here's the thing. I set out a few basic rules this summer for the kids. They have to get dressed, brush their teeth and hair, eat and clean up, plus practice their instrument before they can get near anything with a screen.
However, I frequently park myself in front of this box before I'm even awake.
So, starting tomorrow morning......no screen time for me until I've finished a few things too!
But, today, my Truth Teller nearly slapped me upside the head.
I'm setting a terrible example for my children. Now, she probably wouldn't phrase it quite like that, so let me edit that. I can and will set a better example for my children. (The Truth Teller is always positive and kind, see.....)
Here's the thing. I set out a few basic rules this summer for the kids. They have to get dressed, brush their teeth and hair, eat and clean up, plus practice their instrument before they can get near anything with a screen.
However, I frequently park myself in front of this box before I'm even awake.
So, starting tomorrow morning......no screen time for me until I've finished a few things too!
Updates
I keep thinking I need to have "meaningful" posts, rather than just my non-stop rambling, but the reality is that there's meaning in the ramblings. At least for me. And, according to my site meter, no one's really reading anyway, so I guess I'll write for myself.
1. Survived all the family closeness recently. That's a bonus. And, as far as I can tell, there are few if any hurt feelings. I hope anyway.
2. Summer has finally arrived. We've had a few weeks of warm weather, and a few weeks with little to do, so it seems like we're in the full swing of summer and it's nice.
3. My clothesline died. I'm annoyed. It drives me crazy to spend the energy (and $$) to dry things, particularly sheets, that will dry in half the time in the sun for FREE. But I've no where to hang them right now, so there we go. Bruce is scheming to use the holes already in place for the volleyball net to get me a new line. We'll see.
4. Tristan enjoyed Bell Tour. Though, by the end, I think he was peopled out. He's an introvert so being around people all the time is exhausting for him. He had a good time, and I think he'll go again.
5. Now, to work on cutting out some other stuff from his life. This is still a bone of contention with Bruce and I. Every activity the boy has a chance to do is one Bruce thinks he should. We're spending an awful lot of resources on that child and it's wearing me out. Bruce keeps talking about how it's all good stuff and will help keep him out of trouble. True enough, but there's only so much room in one person's life for all that good stuff. And Tristan really isn't inclined to get into too much trouble in the first place! Next summer, for instance, Tristan could go on Bell Tour, to a Boy Scout high adventure camp (Northern Tier), and to Mexico on a mission trip.
6. That was starting to turn into a rant about Bruce and I don't really want to do that. We're turning over new leaves in our marriage and I want to work to build it, not destroy it by ranting all over the very possibly public internet.
7. Bruce's niece is getting married in August in Washington DC. We're not going. It just isn't in our financial plan at the moment. I feel bad, but we've worked so hard, and this really is the first time something like this has come up that Bruce hasn't jumped all over, no matter the cost, and it's his family, so I'm following his lead. Not going means we can send a large gift card instead, and we're really not close to that part of the family. I think that's why Bruce is torn. Geography has played a role in the family distance and he'd like to bridge that. Not to mention, this is the niece everyone is so convinced will be a failure her whole life and we'd like to show her our support.
8. Bruce's parents are going to the wedding. They're flying, after calculating that it would cost 2x as much to drive their motor home out there. This is funny to me because FIL had such a hard time understanding why we'd fly to DisneyWorld instead of driving!
9. Bruce's Washington DC family hasn't seen his parents in a long time. 7 years, if I'm remembering correctly. A couple of the grandchildren have been out this way and have seen them, but I doubt they'd realize just how much MIL's health has deteriorated over the last few years. They're in for a shock, I think. And MIL is talking about how she's not sure she'll go....not sure she can make it, etc. I really hope she does because I just don't think the sisters have any idea how unhealthy she truly is. I'm sure she's not telling them.
10. Bruce thinks his mom isn't going to live for more than about a year. Another reason I hope she goes to the wedding. The sisters really have no idea and I know they'll feel bad having not seen her in so long.
11. Bruce wants to go visit his parents for a weekend again. You can imagine how thrilled I am about that. Yes, there was an argument. But, I think I won in the end. Now he's talking about going to a beer festival up there in September. Since this isn't something the kids and I will enjoy, we're possibly off the hook.
12. Shannon wants to take art lessons. And French. And tennis. Alana wants to take art lessons. And swimming, but only private lessons with our friend who's not doing them this year. And tennis. I'm hoping to find someone who can teach some art stuff locally for cheap.
13. I went to the doctor for my annual check up. To be totally honest, if I didn't need him to authorize a refill of my sleeping meds, and my insurance weren't essentially paying me to do it, I wouldn't go. I have lost a little weight, but it's bouncing up and down by about 2 lbs. Everything looked good, except my vitamin D was low, so I'm now taking my supplements again. So far, I haven't noticed a difference, but it's only been a few days. However, supplements mean I have to eat breakfast (or I'm burping up herbs all morning) and that's a good thing too.
14. My resolve not to play computer games keeps slipping, but I am getting better. I find myself staring at a Zuma Blitz board and wondering just what the heck I'm doing. And I move on to scrapbooking or laundry or something else. I've nearly finished two of the three Disney scrapbooks for the kids.
15. I've decided to catch up on the other stuff by doing it digitally, printing the pages, and slapping them in. My next task is to plan that out a bit. See, digitally, I can work on it just about anywhere, as long as I have power or my battery holds out (not long....the computer's old!). It doesn't make a mess all over a table. I can save the page, half-finished, and walk away. And, I can make one page, and essentially duplicate it for the other kids, swapping pictures in and out. However, I do need to do some planning so I can incorporate memorabilia and "regular" pages in there too. We'll see how it goes.
16. I've started "Soul Work" through the Brave Girls Club, introduced to me by a couple of very dear friends. It's been enlightening and fun. I've been working toward something like this for a long time, with that sense that something's coming, something's out there I need to learn. I don't know that *this* specific thing is what I've been waiting for/looking toward, but it certainly provides a framework for me to further explore things I've been trying to work through on my own.
17. YIKES! Be careful what you type in your browser or you'll find lesbian porn with your daughter sitting just a few feet away.
And with that, I'm going to take a shower and start my day. There are sheets to change and scrapbooks to create!
1. Survived all the family closeness recently. That's a bonus. And, as far as I can tell, there are few if any hurt feelings. I hope anyway.
2. Summer has finally arrived. We've had a few weeks of warm weather, and a few weeks with little to do, so it seems like we're in the full swing of summer and it's nice.
3. My clothesline died. I'm annoyed. It drives me crazy to spend the energy (and $$) to dry things, particularly sheets, that will dry in half the time in the sun for FREE. But I've no where to hang them right now, so there we go. Bruce is scheming to use the holes already in place for the volleyball net to get me a new line. We'll see.
4. Tristan enjoyed Bell Tour. Though, by the end, I think he was peopled out. He's an introvert so being around people all the time is exhausting for him. He had a good time, and I think he'll go again.
5. Now, to work on cutting out some other stuff from his life. This is still a bone of contention with Bruce and I. Every activity the boy has a chance to do is one Bruce thinks he should. We're spending an awful lot of resources on that child and it's wearing me out. Bruce keeps talking about how it's all good stuff and will help keep him out of trouble. True enough, but there's only so much room in one person's life for all that good stuff. And Tristan really isn't inclined to get into too much trouble in the first place! Next summer, for instance, Tristan could go on Bell Tour, to a Boy Scout high adventure camp (Northern Tier), and to Mexico on a mission trip.
6. That was starting to turn into a rant about Bruce and I don't really want to do that. We're turning over new leaves in our marriage and I want to work to build it, not destroy it by ranting all over the very possibly public internet.
7. Bruce's niece is getting married in August in Washington DC. We're not going. It just isn't in our financial plan at the moment. I feel bad, but we've worked so hard, and this really is the first time something like this has come up that Bruce hasn't jumped all over, no matter the cost, and it's his family, so I'm following his lead. Not going means we can send a large gift card instead, and we're really not close to that part of the family. I think that's why Bruce is torn. Geography has played a role in the family distance and he'd like to bridge that. Not to mention, this is the niece everyone is so convinced will be a failure her whole life and we'd like to show her our support.
8. Bruce's parents are going to the wedding. They're flying, after calculating that it would cost 2x as much to drive their motor home out there. This is funny to me because FIL had such a hard time understanding why we'd fly to DisneyWorld instead of driving!
9. Bruce's Washington DC family hasn't seen his parents in a long time. 7 years, if I'm remembering correctly. A couple of the grandchildren have been out this way and have seen them, but I doubt they'd realize just how much MIL's health has deteriorated over the last few years. They're in for a shock, I think. And MIL is talking about how she's not sure she'll go....not sure she can make it, etc. I really hope she does because I just don't think the sisters have any idea how unhealthy she truly is. I'm sure she's not telling them.
10. Bruce thinks his mom isn't going to live for more than about a year. Another reason I hope she goes to the wedding. The sisters really have no idea and I know they'll feel bad having not seen her in so long.
11. Bruce wants to go visit his parents for a weekend again. You can imagine how thrilled I am about that. Yes, there was an argument. But, I think I won in the end. Now he's talking about going to a beer festival up there in September. Since this isn't something the kids and I will enjoy, we're possibly off the hook.
12. Shannon wants to take art lessons. And French. And tennis. Alana wants to take art lessons. And swimming, but only private lessons with our friend who's not doing them this year. And tennis. I'm hoping to find someone who can teach some art stuff locally for cheap.
13. I went to the doctor for my annual check up. To be totally honest, if I didn't need him to authorize a refill of my sleeping meds, and my insurance weren't essentially paying me to do it, I wouldn't go. I have lost a little weight, but it's bouncing up and down by about 2 lbs. Everything looked good, except my vitamin D was low, so I'm now taking my supplements again. So far, I haven't noticed a difference, but it's only been a few days. However, supplements mean I have to eat breakfast (or I'm burping up herbs all morning) and that's a good thing too.
14. My resolve not to play computer games keeps slipping, but I am getting better. I find myself staring at a Zuma Blitz board and wondering just what the heck I'm doing. And I move on to scrapbooking or laundry or something else. I've nearly finished two of the three Disney scrapbooks for the kids.
15. I've decided to catch up on the other stuff by doing it digitally, printing the pages, and slapping them in. My next task is to plan that out a bit. See, digitally, I can work on it just about anywhere, as long as I have power or my battery holds out (not long....the computer's old!). It doesn't make a mess all over a table. I can save the page, half-finished, and walk away. And, I can make one page, and essentially duplicate it for the other kids, swapping pictures in and out. However, I do need to do some planning so I can incorporate memorabilia and "regular" pages in there too. We'll see how it goes.
16. I've started "Soul Work" through the Brave Girls Club, introduced to me by a couple of very dear friends. It's been enlightening and fun. I've been working toward something like this for a long time, with that sense that something's coming, something's out there I need to learn. I don't know that *this* specific thing is what I've been waiting for/looking toward, but it certainly provides a framework for me to further explore things I've been trying to work through on my own.
17. YIKES! Be careful what you type in your browser or you'll find lesbian porn with your daughter sitting just a few feet away.
And with that, I'm going to take a shower and start my day. There are sheets to change and scrapbooks to create!
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