All Over the Place!

This post may be all over the place, hence the name, but I have many different things to cover. Some will be funny, some will be sad and some will be neither, just pointless information.

First I like to give a big shout-out to my Dad! Today is his birthday and I'd like to say he doesn't look a day over 59! That could be because he's not yet a day over 59, But he will be tomorrow! :) Love ya Dad!

Next I'd like to point out the picture of Elijah. I took this on Friday on our way to the car to leave for Ohio. At least I got one picture of him while he was here. The picture pretty much sums up his stage in life...GOOFY! I hear he had a blast over the weekend riding EVERY water slide and even his first roller coaster. He even did a slide with Jon that Andrea was too scared to attempt, so I'd say that's something.



The last few days have been spent in the pool. We've definitly had the weather for it. Sue can't complain this summer about not having good weather for the pool. It has been an ideal swimming summer. Hopefully that will hold for the next couple of weeks as we wind up our summer break.

I haven't heard a peep about my interviews. I fluctuate between positive and negative thoughts on the matter. When these two interviews popped up seeminly out of the blue, I really thought, "Oh, one of these has got to be it!" But, I'm not so sure. And depending on which day you talk to me, I might tell you that I'd be fine going back to my teaching position one more year. Jaena sent me to a blog site of one of her friends who had some awesome insights into what I'm feeling right now. I'm going to post some excerpts from her blog below.

Just before the puppies came to us, I asked you all for puppy advice.

The Gaffords offered this:

I can't really think of any particular products to recommend, but one of the best things we did for Allie was to teach her submission. We did this several times a day (especially if she was getting too wild, etc.). All you do is flip the pup over on his/her back (either on the floor/ground or in your lap) and hold him/her down with your hand. The idea is to not let them get up until they've relaxed. They learn to trust you this way. It was great advice, and our vet reinforced the same principle. Hold them down, belly up, until they relax. Submission. Trust.

That’s how I’m actually feeling in our life right now. Ken is still looking for a job. When he didn’t get the job we thought was his in February – a dream job coordinating a team to create and write young adult ministry material – we were assured by family and friends, “That’s because God surely has something better planned.”

Yet here we wait. Other dream jobs that we thought were his have come and gone. We are no further along in the job search process than we were a month ago. In fact, we’re further behind.

And maybe God does have some spectacular job waiting around the corner. Perhaps someone will call him tomorrow and offer a job. But for now, I feel like one of the puppies, held down on my back. Learning to trust. Trying to relax.

The truth is, when I turn the puppies over, sometimes I have no reason other than to teach them to trust me. To learn submission. Sometimes it is to give them a belly rub or clean their paws. But I also sometimes just have to hold them down to teach them to rest, even while they are uncomfortable.

I think too often we try to rationalize God’s behavior, demanding that everything work out to make sense --wanting there to be a reason for being forced to wait and hold still. Expecting, almost demanding, for there to be a good reason for the forced submission. We expect that God will always have something better around the corner when He lets us up.

And He very well may. Yet insisting that God answer me in a way that I think makes sense or provide something better means that I’m not really allowing God to be God. Part of allowing God to be God to me is letting Him hold me down, forcing me to wait, forcing me to trust.

Yes, forcing me to submit.

And sometimes for no other reason than for me to recognize that He is God, and I am not.

There may be something wonderful around the corner, or there may be more waiting, or there may be something that isn’t what we had hoped for.

All is not lost. I don’t despair. I can trust that He is good. Whether Ken gets a job of his dreams that now seems out of reach, or stays at home as a full-time puppy wrangler, or stocks shelves, God is still good. I can choose to be angry at God for holding me down, or I can relax in His arms, knowing that whether this time will end the way I hope, or the way I fear, He is still good.

So as I feel like a puppy lying belly up on a bare floor, I'm learning to relax in the hand of the One who is good, no matter what circumstances may come.

Okay, so I know that was long, and I basically quoted the whole thing, but it's EXACTLY how I feel right now and EXACTLY what I needed to read at this point. (Thanks Jaena) So, as I lay here on my back, I just keep praying to relax and submit my life to the One who truely knows best.

Yesterday, Sue wanted to go to the mall as JCPenny and Elder Beerman were having these terrific sales. I didn't have money, but I went along just for fun. Who came home with purchases? You guessed it..ME! I am ashamed to admit that I reverted back into a past addiction. But the sales were UNBELIEVABLE!! I got an $84 dollar purse (black leather, very awesome) for $18.00!!! Now, how could I pass that up? Then I walked to JCPENNEY and went to the clothes dept. I was just going to browse to see what "professional" clothes they had and somehow I got pulled into the next dept. which just happens to be purses. I got a little red leather bag that was normally $22.00 for just $6.00!! I mean, COME ON!! So, I'm happy as a lark and can't decide which to use first. I'm leaning toward the fun, red one and then save the black one for back to school. The message in church was on Gluttony, not just food but anything in excess. I'm not sure but the 2nd handbag might have pushed me over that line between okay, and excess.

Last, I'd like to say that my heart and mind have been heavy with thoughts and prayers for the Bucks, Grate's and Syswerda families as tomorrow is the year anniversary of Baby Ava's passing. I know that this will be such a rough week for all of them and my hope is that all of you will keep them in your prayers. I pray they will find comfort in the fact that she is being held in the arms of her Heavenly Father.

Kelley

My Week

Well, this has been an interesting week. Let me walk you through it...

Monday~ Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I brought Elijah back with me from Ohio. He has been here all week and has been great! We swam in the afternoon when we got home followed by a softball game and then afterwards a pizza/pool party at Sue's for the whole team. It was lots of fun and Elijah loved all the kids to play with. He especially loved the splash ball war with the adults. He proved not only that he could dish it out but that he could take it as well. He got nailed a couple of times and took it like a trooper. Did I take any pictures? NO!

Tuesday~ Daily swimming and then a surprise birthday party for Missy Snyder that evening. Jeremy and Jennifer Hite were there so Elijah got to play with Liam and all the other kids too, but he really liked Liam. We had another fun day. Did I take any pictures? NO!

Wednesday~ Daily swimming although it was cloudy. Wednesday evening we made a fire in the spitting rain and roasted hot dogs and made smores. Then we went and rented a couple of movies. Did I take any pictures? NO!

Thursday~ Today I had an interview at Marion for an assistant principal's position at 10:00am. So, Elijah stayed with Sue Wed. night so I wouldn't have to worry about him this morning. The interview went well and hopefully I'll hear something tomorrow. I still haven't heard about the other job though, so who knows. The waiting is killing me. I just want to know where I'm going to be in the fall (which starts in 3 short weeks). Again, Daily swimming. My friend Heidi and Elaine came over today bringing Shelby, and Elaine's two granddaughters to swim. Elijah enjoyed having friends to swim with. Since they were all girls, a little showing off was necessary. :) Then we got cleaned up and headed to Indy. They caught the sniper so everyone can relax. (Grandma Walsh was worried about us going to Indy since there was a sniper on the loose.) We played putt-putt and arcade games. I spent $11.00 on coins so Elijah could win 350 tickets and purchase $2.00 worth of junk. You've gotta love the arcade scam! THEN, Sue decided we needed Baskin Robbins ice-cream. So, the only place to get it is in Anderson so we would have to take 69 back in order to do that. We hadn't gone 5 miles till we started seeing the taillights. For the next hour we sat in bumper to bumper traffic going 8 miles in that hour. We finally came to a turn around, whipped the car around and tried a country route to Anderson which I screwed up and we had to back track to get to 37. An hour later, we finally arrived in Elwood where we purchased McFlurries from McDonalds at 10:00pm. So, our 1 hour trip home took about 2hr. 20 min. Elijah was THRILLED! He loves to ride in the car! :) Did I take any pictures today? NO!

Friday~ I'm guessing here but I'm sure swimming will be involved and that I will forget to take pictures! We will meet Andrea tomorrow evening for supper in Celina to make the transfer. Elijah will then be off to his exciting weekend with Aunt Andrea and Uncle Jon which will involve....More Swimming! Ha! It will be a little more exciting since they'll be doing their swimming at Wyndot Lake, a really cool water park. Elijah's pretty psyched!

Well, Folks, it's been an interesting week. I'm sure I have the beginnings of an ulcer. My stomach is in a constant state of unrest. Even in the midst of my stress and nervousness, I did enjoy my time with Elijah. Amanda~ I am really sorry that I didn't take any pictures. I don't know why I can't seem to remember. I guess my mind is just pre-occupied. That might explain why Wed. I backed straight into Amanda's(Sue's neice) car as I was leaving Sue's. I knew it was there, but I was thinking about other things and just slammed straight into it. There was some damage so I had to report it to my insurance. This is my first claim ever. I was just sick. I guess in the grand scheme of things, it was minor. No one was in her car and Elijah wasn't with me. So, nobody was hurt. Just the car and my pride.

I'd love it if you'd all continue praying for me. I'm looking forward to the day when I can blog with some big announcement about what I'll be doing for a job this fall. Even if it's just returning to my teaching job. I just need some peace. Thanks a bunch!

Love ya,
Kelley

Life Update

There's not much going on... How's that for an update? I don't know anything about the job. I haven't heard anything which I'm personally viewing as a negative sign, but I guess I don't know. I have another interview at Marion for an assistant's job on Thursday, so please be praying about that.

I had a GREAT weekend at home. I went home on Friday and was able to spend several hours with grandparents on Friday afternoon. Grandma Grate is home from the nursing home and doing really well. We worked on a puzzle while I was there. I also spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa Walsh. Then Friday night Mom, Dad, Andrea and I went to the Palace Theatre to see the musical "The Music Man."
A friend of ours was in it so we went to support him. It was really good and we all enjoyed it.

On Saturday Mom, Andrea and I went over to Berlin Ohio (Amish Country) to do spend the day shopping. It was a great day! We ate good food (stuffed french toast that was out of this world!!) and spent lots of money. Well, actually not that much money, but I was able to get a few things for the house.(Thanks Mom) Andrea bought me valances for my bedroom as my birhtday gift ~ They look awesome Ang! They match the bedspread perfectly. I was so tickled today when I put them up. Thanks! :)

Sunday I sang in church which is always nerve racking, but it went well. Aunt Eva was tickled with me, so I guess that's all that matters! :)Thanks Aunt Eva! You always make me feel special when I'm home. You're my biggest fan! :) Then we were off to Andrea and Jon's for Sunday dinner. (Scrumptous as always) The rest of the day was spent relaxing and just being together as a family. It was nice.

Today, I came back and brought an extra passenger. Jason and Elijah came in late last night. Jason will be working for dad part of the week and then leading worship at the Ohio district campmeeting. So, I have Elijah for the week. He's excited to do some swimming. Friday I'll meet Andrea half way and she'll get him for the weekend before he goes back home with Jason.

Well, this has just simply been a play by play of my weekend, but it's the best I can do tonight. I have a lot of my mind and heart, but I'm too tired to go there tonight. I'll write more this week.

Love ya All!
Kelley

Waiting

Dear God,
Why is waiting so hard? Why is your timing so much slower than mine? Why can't I just relax and know that you have everything under control? Please bring me peace while I wait...

Your Child,
Kelley

Interview was a Success!

What I classify a success is that I made it through the interview without throwing up or stuttering. I wasn't hired on the spot, but I felt like I did as well as I could. I had clarity of thought and I personally thought I gave some kick butt answers. Don't you sometimes wish you could be a mouse inside the other person's mind? I'd love to know what they thought. It appeared to me that they liked me, but who knows?! They are interviewing today and tomorrow and then they will either call to tell me the bad news, ask me back for a 2nd interview, or offer me the job. They said if one candidate stood out above the rest, they would not require a 2nd interview, but if they have several that are good, they would do 2nd interviews. The interview this morning was only 40 min. long and way easier than I anticipated. It was pretty laid back and my nerves subsided once we got going. Thank you all for your prayers. I felt them surrounding me and I know that the calm I felt was only from God. I'll keep you posted when I hear something more. Love ya!

Kelley

Monday, July 17th, 9:30 AM

Please put this date and time on your calendars as I will be needing your prayers...I HAVE AN INTERVIEW!!! Holy Cow life comes at you fast. I mailed the last of my projects this morning, and then on my way home from Hartford the cell phone rang. It was Alexandria schools calling for me to interview. So much for my stress free relaxing weekend. Honestly, I am beside myself with joy and nerves. My first thought was, "I don't have anything to wear!" So Sue and I are off to Indy tonight to celebrate and do some shopping. Will I charge the power suit? Yes, but I won't feel a moments regret. This is a NEED, not a WANT! HA! :)

I'M DONE!!!

Well, it's official! I'm done with my masters!!!! I finished my last project yesterday and submitted. I have to drive to Hartford today to get my principal's signature on one assignment and then I'll drop it in the mail. I can't even begin to explain how amazing it felt yesterday to hit the submit button. I worked from 10:30 till 5:00 yesterday finishing up. Of course, true to form, I saved the hardest project for last. You'd think I would have learned about the stress of procrastination through all my years of schooling, but it still seems to be the method that works best for me. When the pressure is on, that's when I can make myself sit down and do my best work. It's like if I don't feel the pressure, I just can't get motivated to work on it. Well anyways, I'd like to take this opportunity to Thank all of you for your prayers over the last 3 years. I've been a basket case at times thinking I would never make it, but here I am and I know it's in great part thanks to all of you. I have 34 days of summer left and I plan to enjoy every one of them. If you need me today....I'll be in the pool! :)

Kelley

Tim and Faith~ Soul 2 Soul II Tour!

Last night Sue and I went to Indianapolis for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's Soul 2 Soul II Tour. HOLY COW IT WAS AWESOME!! I know that the conservative Wesleyans reading this blog will be shocked to find out what a huge country fan I am, but Tim and Faith are 2 of my favorites. That fact that they are happily married just makes it all the better. Mom and Dad bought my ticket for my birthday so I'd like to say a HUGE Thank You! It was a wonderful concert and well worth every penny. Tim and Faith started the show by coming up out of the stage on opposite sides to sing "Like We Never Loved at All" their last big duet together.


After this duet they went back into the ground and Faith came up alone in the center. She did her solo concert next. The next few pictures are of her, but I think I got one of Tim out of order. That was taken at the beginning. He was one our side of the arena. (I was hugely disappointed, Yeah right!)






After Faith sang, they did 2 more songs together but a huge net came down around them and it wouldn't allow me to take pictures that would show up. These next pictures are of Tim's half of the show. The cool thing was the stage went out 4 directions as you can see and they were both great about shaking people's hands and taking pictures. I was very jealous of those people.




After Tim's concert, they ended the show together doing 4-5 songs.

The rest of these pictures were not taken by me. I got on the internet and found someone who had been on the front row at their Columbus show, but Faith ended the show in the same dress so I put them on here so you can see up close how cute they are together. :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well, it's 11:27 so if I don't get this posted soon, it won't be my birthday anymore. Today was my 35th birthday. I've joked all day about being 29 and holding, but I really don't mind saying that I'm 35. I even threw myself a party. Sue asked me why I would want to do that? She likes to pretend that birthdays aren't happening anymore and maybe when I'm as old as her I'll feel that way too, but I still have a couple of years. :) Sorry Sue I couldn't resist. But to answer her question, I have found that if I make my birthday fun, I don't get depressed about it. I could easily turn this into a day of mourning. Whoa is me, you get the picture, but why? Having an excuse to party is so much better. So, after our softball game tonight (we won
15-5 BTW) I had the team over for cake and ice cream. We also had a fire going and all the fixins for smores. It was lots of fun. My patio and sun room came in real handy. This was my first big outdoor party and I loved it. I truely love entertaining and I'll look for any excuse to do it. That was an open invitation by the way, just give me a heads up that you're coming and I'll do my best to entertain you. :) Below are some pictures from the party. You will notice that I (the Birthday Girl) am the only one missing from the pictures. I had Sue take a picture of me with Missy, but it was truely such a bad picture of me that i couldn't bring myself to post it. You'll just have to trust me that I was there for my own party.


Gathered in the kitchen, getting ready to eat.


Heather Hord and her friend Michelle


Deb Wuertley fixin her plate


Bob and Janet ( Sue's mom and dad)


Shelli Rowley and Jill Dmyszewicz (formally Smithley)


The fire builders ~ Deb Sigworth, Shawn (Jill's Husband) and Sue


Lynn Munday, Missy Snyder, and Brooke Justus


These are my birthday flowers from my mom and dad. I had to post them so they could see what a beautiful bouquet they sent me. Thanks!


Well, that's it! Another year gone. As I ponder this next year I have a few goals, but I'll have to make that another post. It's almost midnight and i'm fading fast. I just thought of something I have to add. Sunday during Sunday School Emmy mentioned to another little girl that tomorrow was her aunt's birthday. The little girl asked her how old I was going to be. Emmy's response was, "I don't know, but she's really old!" You've gotta love the honesty of little ones. Night!

Emmy Rae~ Part I

As I stated in an earlier post about Elijah, I decided to get the kids seperately for their own special weekends this summer. For some of us kidless Aunts, all 3 at once is a little overwhelming. Doable, but not nearly as enjoyable. I have had the best time with both Elijah and Emmy this summer. I feel like I've been able to build even stronger bonds with both of them. My time with Emmy was priceless, especially at night when the silliness fades away and sleep starts to take hold. When she crawls up in my lap, wraps her arms around my neck and whispers, "Aunt Kelley?" I say, "What baby?" She answers softly, "I love you." There's no greater feeling in the world. This aunt wouldn't trade that moment for any other.
So, here's how we spent Emmy's special weekend.
I picked her up on Thursday evening. When we got here, we started a fire and roasted marshmallows.
Looks like she's done this before!

Emmy would catch her marshmallow on fire and then swing it around suddenly for Sue or I to blow out the fire. I was sure one of us was going to catch a flaming marshmallow in the eye.

Friday we were off to the Indianapolis Zoo. We had a great day!
This is Emmy and Sue in front of the bears. They were sleeping on this hot afternoon.

Aunt Kelley and Emmy in front of a pond. There were lots of ducks and flamingos, but not in the picture unfortunately.

Emmy with a baby goat.

Her favorite part of the whole day was riding the pony.

The drumstick came in a close 2nd. It was such a hot afternoon that a little sweet treat was necessary. :)

Time to go home. Emmy loved the polar bear she got for a souvenier.

To be continued.....

Emmy Rae ~ Part II

Saturday was spent in the pool, but I forgot my camera. That's okay though, I'll get pool pictures tomorrow. Saturday evening was spent cooking out over the fire pit. We roasted hot dogs and made smores.

Laid back and relaxed!

After church Sunday we spent the afternoon in the pool. Emmy has gotten so brave in the last month. When she was here for Memorial Day, going under was not even an option. Now she's ready to learn to swim and jumping off the side without swimmies. She loves to go under!
What a little heart breaker!

Learning to swim...

Jumping in...

Aunt Kelley with her girl...

Whew! What a day!

What a special weekend for Aunt Kelley. Emmy was a constant amusement. I enjoyed having her here so much. It will be hard to take her home in the morning.

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th everybody! We celebrated the 4th in our usual manner which was to have our good friends the Porters, Rowleys, Wuertleys, and Womacks over for a cookout and swimming party. The weather wasn't that great, but it didn't stop us. Since the pool temperature was a warm 87 degrees, we were able to enjoy it in spite of the cool temperatures outside.

Here you have the annual picnic on the porch picture.














After all the kids are fed, the adults get to eat. From left to right you have Doug, Shelli, Madelyn and Jaena, Kismet and Deb.













After a good lunch, we all head out to the pool. It can get pretty wild and crazy with 11 children and 8 adults. (There were a few adults who didn't participate in the swimming portion of the day)

Sue helps Heidi make a slam dunk!













Shelli and Kismet watching the kids swim.













Deb and Jason are having a good time.














Lifelong pals~ Kismet and Kelley















Okay, it's time for some adult fun. All kids must scatter to the edges of the pool as the adults get ready to rumble. This is also a yearly tradition. The girls face the guys in a game of splash ball war. The ladies are letting them have it!














While the boys say, "Ouch! Not so hard!" The guys have been known to leave with welts.














I'm helping to entertain the youngins on the side of the pool. I wouldn't want to get hurt... I mean, I wouldn't want for any of them to get hurt!













This final picture is of me with Sophia. This is Kismet's youngest. She was telling me about her new kitten, Jordan.














Well, that's it. That's how we spent our 4th of July. Thanks to all my friends for making it a special day. I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday!