September Summit Serve

For the second year in a row, Julianna has chosen an owl for her Build-a-Bear project for Brenner's Children's Hospital.  The year before she made a monkey she named Congo.  Last year she made an owl named Hedwig in a fireman's suit.  This year's owl she called Princess Peach (yes, from Mario) and dressed her in a wedding gown.  I hope it will bring a special child some joy.  It sure was fun for Julianna to do.

thank you

Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me over the last two years.  As you know, I quit teaching when Julianna was a baby and have been wanting as well as needing to get back to work for some time now.

I've considered many job opportunities and nothing was exactly what I wanted or ever panned out.  I've spent countless hours considering my options and for the last two school years I always went back to the flexibility of being a substitute teacher instead of settling for a position teaching part-time or teaching in a subject area/school that I didn't want. 

Last year I had a couple of interviews at schools that ended up filling the positions with surplus employees from elsewhere in the county (thanks NC, for your wonderful budget cuts).  This year I had two interviews just before school began and when I hadn't heard anything back from either school before the teacher work days started then I just assumed that I hadn't gotten either job.  Then, around lunch time the day before school started I got a call offering me one of the positions - a position as the full-time technology teacher in the magnet program at a science and technology middle school.  I accepted and started work the very next day.  Fortunately, the county did have a substitute to helpe me out the first couple of days of school.

Anyway, the only way I can describe the way the last two weeks have been is like a whirlwind.  I had to scramble to come up with childcare for both kids.  Julianna already went to preschool five mornings a week but now I had to find somewhere for her to go each afternoon and I didn't want to consider daycare.  I also had to figure out what to do with Josh.  It's not ideal, but he's going to the same preschool as Jules and then one of the preschool teachers will spend the afternoon with them both at home until I get out of school. 

I feel overwhelmed.  I feel lucky.  Most of all I feel happy.  Thank you for praying.  God is good!

hi mom!

all boy

 

 

 

come and get me!

and look what I found!

Daddy says I need a haircut.

I think he must not have seen the dog lately.

bye bye Betta fish

My daughter's dear fish, Purple-y died the other day.  I'm pretty sure it was a result of over feeding.  Ever since we added the "Taking Care of Pets" magnet to the chore chart he'd been getting more than his fair share of fish food.  Fortunately, she's not too torn up about it.  We asked her if she saw him and knew that he was dead and she said nonchalantly, "Yeah, I saw him.  He hasn't moved an ankle all day."

last weekend I became a triathlete

I could not be more proud of myself.  I certainly didn't break any records.  I most definitely didn't finish in the top half of the competitors.  In fact, only about ten people were slower than me in the biking part.  But I did finish.  And without much training and preparation prior to the event, that was my only goal.

It was a lot of fun.  I will definitely do it again.

My place overall was 426 out of 587.  I placed # in the swim, # in the bike, and # in the run.  The whole time I wasn't in a big hurry, I just kept thinking that I wanted to finish.  I had to walk up several hills with my bike because I couldn't make it up them.  My bike seat was too low and I didn't know how to raise it.  Jonathan told me it was before I went to the race but I didn't listen.  He was right. 

It also would have helped if I understood how to change the gears on my bike.  Heh.  Oh well. 

Surprisingly, I was only minorly sore the next day.  Mostly it was just my arms that hurt.
One of the best parts about the whole thing was seeing my friends and family as I traveled by them on my way out of the pool, on my bike the first time around and then again on the second loop, and finally at the end of the run down by the finish line.  I kept thinking about how Julianna might want to do the whole thing with me one day.  I would see a bottlecap on the ground as I pedaled by and I would think of her and the bottlecap table she wants to create.  I could see Josh as he finally recognized me coming by and smile at him. 

It was a women's only race and everyone so was encouraging.  No matter where I went there were people cheering me on, either by number or by name.  We had to get body marked which was kind of neat in and of itself.  Our names were on one arm and our numbers were on the other arm plus both legs.  Then they put each woman's age on the back of her right leg.  At first I thought that would be embarrassing for some people and I didn't like that they did that but then as I completed each event and started noticing how old some of the people were that were racing I became more and more amazed.  If a woman in her seventies can do triathlons then surely I can. 

I found a nice lady to run the second mile with.  We jogged the whole way talking all along.  She was twice my age and a total inspiration.  Her daughter and granddaughter were competing for the first time as well.  There was another woman I saw that had an artificial leg.  Completely inspiring, I tell ya.

I would highly recommend the Ramblin' Rose for any woman living in North Carolina.  I have participated in numerous races around our city and this was by far one of the best that I have ever completed.  All sorts of people participate and not everyone there would have considered themselves an athlete before it started.  I'll guarantee that they did after they finished and that feeling of accomplishment is one that is hard to match.

And eating pink lemonade cake square from Dewey's bakery after it was all said and done.

nervous

beginning to wait

Mom, these things are cool.

waiting in the pool

getting ready to bike

Whit finishes up

getting on the bike

pulling back in the transition area

all done

Josh, happy to finally get some attention

pink lemonade cake reward

Suemo, Whitter, and I at the finish line

today I started taking away ride privileges

As it stands, Julianna does not get to ride the kiddie motorcycles, the carousel, or the gigantic slide at the Dixie Classic Fair this year due to her behavior.  Jonathan says the best thing about today ending is that you get to try all over again tomorrow.  I hope tomorrow is a better day than today because next goes the fun house.

What?  You don't take away fair rides for misbehavior at your house?

Nanna in Jules' Playhouse

photo by: Julianna