RC's World

The Summer Lag

2010-07-23T11:39:00.006-04:00

First of all, I'm not promising that I'll get back to blogging everyday, because we all know where good intentions fall. I'm just going to post because I feel like it and we'll see where is goes from there.

SUMMER LAG...Do you know what summer lag is? If you aren't a teacher or a stay-at-home mom/dad, you might not. Summer lag (as defined by me, because it's my blog, take that!) is that time of summer toward the end of July, sometimes the beginning of August. It's time can usually vary depending on how busy your summer has been and how often you've looked at the calendar. Mine usually takes place after my birthday (the 15th of July, if you forgot to tell me Happy Birthday), but usually before August. It's about the time you realize the summer is over halfway over,there will be an end to these blissful days of doing nothing, and right before the Back to School items line the aisles. (Wait, who am I kidding? They started putting out Back to School stuff on July 5th.) It's that time when your brain is tired from too much TV or internet, you are starting to get a little annoyed that you never know what day it is, and your sleeping patterns are so out of whack that you are thinking that maybe, just maybe, getting back on a schedule with something productive to do could be a good thing.

But then you think, NAAAAA!! I wait all year for these days and weeks of summer. I'll try to savor every minute for the next few weeks, because we all know it will be another 10 months before this time come around again!

Oh, and just to make this post interesting, I'll add some pics.

Raiden with his VBS headband and Darth Vader

That's their super hero t-shirts. The latest craze at the Dean house.

Landed in a New World

2010-02-15T18:25:00.002-05:00

So, life has changed. Tim has a new job working in mental health, I am teaching middle school Social Studies, Roman is in Kindergarten, and Raiden is in a GREAT child care center learning all kinds of things.

Suffice it to say that although we have moved back to Rocky Mount (well, at least for me it's back), we have definitely landed in a new world!

I promise I'll try to update more!

It's been so long

2009-07-13T14:07:00.004-04:00

It's been so long since I've posted. BUSY BUSY and more BUSY is the best way I can describe it.

I wish I had something really interesting to post, but honestly I don't. We are actually in the middle of a whirlwind of a Family Crisis, but I can't really go into the details quite yet.

I will try to get something posted in the next few weeks but I make no promises.

In the meantime, I'll post a few pics of what we're up to...

E-Mealz

2009-05-15T11:05:00.003-04:00

Okay, I know it's been a LONG time. That's the life of a teacher. The Spring Semester always FLIES faster than I want it to and I never have time to get everything done.

This week I have used 5 new recipes! I think that's more than I have used in our entire marriage combined! We have discovered the art of E-Mealz!!!

I recently got into Dave Ramsey material and have really been trying to find ways to save money so we can be DEBT FREE! With that, we have learned that we need to cut back on eating out. The problem has never been that we can't cook, but that neither of us can ever decide what to make. We spent a lot of time staring into the pantry thinking, "What should we fix?" And we are not too creative, so the weeks we did a menu ended up being a repetitive cycle of tacos, spaghetti, baked chicken, or steak. I love all of those, but they get REALLY old!

WE'VE FOUND OUR SOLUTION!! E-mealz is a cheap, easy way to get a balanced menu on your plate! Basically, you sign up, visit the site once a week, download the menu and shopping list, go to the store, follow the isle by isle/section by section grocery shopping list, go home, post your menu, and each meal follow that step by step instructions. The meals are EASY to fix and most are pretty quick! They are GREAT recipes that are very filling! We are pretty picky eaters and have loved most of the meals! We even crossed one off this week that we didn't like, and it was simple to mark off the grocery list what we didn't need.

It is really awesome! It's only $5 a month and the groceries run about $75-80 a week! There are all kinds of menu choices: meals for 4, meals for 2, low-fat, low-carb! It's GREAT!!! And the best part is we haven't went out to eat in over a week! YES! Think of the money we are saving!!!

Check it out and make sure you give me referral credit! deanfamilync@hotmail.com The link is on the side bar!

What we're here for...

2009-03-27T13:40:00.004-04:00

I've been spending alot of time in prayer lately for some little boys who I've never met, but who've stolen my heart.

I began following a blog last summer of a little boy named Stellan. MckMama is a mother of 4 whose youngest has a heart condition. Although he was not expected to make it, he was born fully healthy with no problems. Recently, he is back in the hospital with a heart rate off of the charts and his poor little body is starting to have problems. This little 5 month old has captured my heart, not only because I feel for this family, but because his parents are such Godly people. His mommy bears her soul and tells of her deepest thoughts on a blog that reaches MILLIONS of people. She never loses sight of God and his purpose for us. Her honesty and deep relationship with God is truly inspirational.

The other little boy is a sweet little guy named Jonah.I used to work with his mommy and since then we have moved in opposite directions. This family was touched with tragedy when their first child, Gabe was stillborn at 37 weeks last year. Jonah entered the world in February with a skin condition called EB. His poor little skin cannot be touched because it flakes off. There is a lot of uncertainty about his future, but his family pours that heart out to readers in a way in which we must ALL look to Jesus. They are so thankfully each day with Jonah.

I also follow a few other blogs, including one of which an 8 month old little boy recently passed away from SIDS. We've also experienced our own loss from SIDS with our niece, Bailey, at 7 months a few years back.

So why am I writing this? All of the troubles, trials, and grief lead me to just one conclusion about life. We should never take for granted each day with our loved ones, especially our little ones. We should live each day for the reason that we are here. That one reason is to spread the love of Jesus and await his arrival or calling of us home. We shouldn't waste a single minute of this precious time. For very soon, we will be rejoicing with Jesus in Heaven!

Pray for Stellan

2009-03-25T13:26:00.002-04:00

I can't put it all into words right now, so please go to the site and PLEASE pray!!!

www.mycharmingkids.net

Pray for Jonah!!!

2009-03-01T08:05:00.000-05:00

Jonah Alexander Williams, son of Matt and Patrice Williams, was born February 27, 2009. Jonah is a welcome blessing after the loss of Gabriel Matthew Williams, their first son, who was stillborn in April 2008.

Jonah is afflicted with what doctors think is some kind of rare genetic skin disorder called Epidermolysis Bullosa. There are two degrees of this: severe and mild. The doctor said from looking at Jonah's lesions, he guesses he has the severe version.

Please continue to pray for their strength, that Jonah is the toughest baby ever, and for a miracle. Our God can do all things.

You can read about it at www.patriceandmattwilliams.blogspot.com

Play Time

2009-02-10T19:17:00.004-05:00

Here is a cool idea we took from MckMama, the author of my favorite blog, www.mycharmingkids.net

Some indoor play with shaving cream and cars! It's like playing in the snow!

Roman's School Report

2009-01-26T15:58:00.002-05:00

Tim met with Roman's teacher today, as she was meeting with all parents. We gained a little understanding of where Roman falls in his class as far as developmental skills.

Apparently he scored higher on just about everything. He has analytical skills on a 5th grade level, which is crazy, his comprehension skills are on a 3rd grade level, and his writing skills are on a first grade level. I had no idea he was so brainy. Every parent thinks their child is smart, so we fall in that category, but we had no idea he fell so high on the spectrum.

His worst score came in the gross motor skills. He had problems hopping on one foot and switching to the other. He must get his leg coordination from me. Hee hee!

And finally, his favorite toys in the class are puzzles and action figures, and his teacher seriously thinks the only reason he plays with action figures is to associate with being a kid.

CRAZY! We are so proud, but we'd love him even if he was the class idiot!

Random Thoughts

2009-01-20T19:19:00.002-05:00

I know it's been a while, but you'll just have to forgive me.

So...

is "Crappy Toiletpaper" an oxymoron?

is it reasonable for Carteret County to put nothing on the bridges and roads since they only have snow every 5 years?

do all 2 year olds go through major stages of defiance and will they all in fact outgrow this defiance to the point that they can then be disciplined again?

will we lose our sanity before we get there?

will Carteret County Schools ever have workdays during the school year?

does the inaguration of this President more like an all hail the king, Messiah, than just a Presidential inaguaration?

do Obama's ideas sound much like the false prophets and the AntiChrist mentioned in the Bible?

what happens next with the United States?

...just a few thoughts.

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-02T07:21:00.002-05:00

New Year's Resolutions are made to be broken, so let's not call them that, okay? Well, if you want to call them that, I guess you can, but it's my blog and I say NOT. Call them what you wish on your blog.

Anyway, I like to just call them goals. Tim and I ventured out on a limb last year and attemped our own version of The Bigget Loser. It lasted only a few short weeks because of various reasons, but the goal is still there. I'm not voting for a huge biggest loser edition this year, but I do have some goals that are very similar, just a little less pressure. I also have a really exciting goal that you can get involved with! So, without further ado, I give you...

Renata's Goals for 2009:

1. Lose down to my ideal weight category (I'm only slightly overweight, but I'm tired of being this way)

2. Pay off 1/2 of our debt (I do the finances in our house, and we're aiming to pay off our debt before Tim start seminary. We've started paying down our debt, but this will be the first year to really make a dent in it.)

3. Complete as many Random Acts of Kindness Deeds this year. (This is the one you can get involved in. Well, you can help with number one by not sending me baked goods or talking about yummy food I'm not supposed to eat, and you can help with number 2 by sending me money. WINK WINK. But I really only expect help with number 3.)

How can you help you ask? Well, I first need to compile a least of Random Acts of Kindness Deeds. For example, paying for the person behind me's food at a drive-thru. They pull up to the window, ready to pay, and BAM! Never knew who did it, but they get a free meal. Or another, have you ever really wanted a soda but didn't have enough change or you were spending time trying to count out your change and you were getting frustrated? What if someone had put extra change in the machine before you got there. Or finally, what if you went to your mailbox and there was a gift card to Walmart or Target with a note that only said, Pass on this good deed?

I need some more ideas! Hit me up!!

Santa and Hermie the Elf

2008-12-22T23:51:00.004-05:00

Santa and Hermie dropped by early since we are going to be busy with our secret (ahem!) roadtrip. Here's some pics from the day.

It's "Not Me" Monday

2008-12-21T23:34:00.004-05:00

I most certainly did not see my youngest playing in our foyer with a dusting of carpet freshner on the floor and proceed to just laugh and walk away, only to hear my husband discover a little while later that my son had dumped the ENTIRE container on the floor and was proceeding to play in it with his cars in it like it was snow. We don't get snow here, so he was getting a feel for it, but that definitely didn't happen!

I definitely didn't wear the same outfit 2 Sundays in a row because I really like it and hoped that the girls at volleyball practice wouldn't notice. Nor did I walk to the mailbox Saturday in the same shorts and long sleeve shirt that I slept in.

I definitely didn't feed my 2 year old popcorn for breakfast on Thursday because he definitely eats wholesome nutricious meals at our house. Nor do I give into his candy cravings on a regular basis, since his askings from Santa are cars and candy, candy, candy.

I most definitely did not take my 4 year old Christmas shopping to buy my 2 year old another present because I thought "Santa" was jipping him. And my husband definitely didn't do the same with my 2 year old.

I definitely didn't order sock sacks for myself for Christmas because I'm tired of sorting and repairing socks til my little heart is content. Nor did I order 60 dollars worth of prizes for my students for next semester in order to bribe them for better test scores. These are things I definitely didn't do because everyone knows I don't buy things for myself.

And we are definitely not celebrating Santa early because we are staying home Christmas and not traveling for a surprise visit and wouldn't want to lug all the loot....MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

Only You

2008-12-18T23:12:00.002-05:00

Only you, can fill my cup when I am empty.
Only you, can give me hope when life is hopeless.
Only you, can restore my strength when I am weak.
Only you, can fulfill my endless longings,
For a Savior to give me life.

Only you, can search my deepest sorrows.
Only you, can find my smallest needs.
Only you, can keep me quiet,
Only you, can extend your peace,
In a world that's full of evil.

Only You, Lord...Only you, Lord

Life's Little Necessities

2008-12-06T18:00:00.002-05:00

Praise the Lord, we are getting one of life's little neccessities back in our house! We've been without a washer and dryer since August. Tim's mom's dryer bit the dust back then and we decided to chunk the washer and dryer, move the laundry room in our house, and get ours from the house in Robersonville. Great Plan, never happened.

Between financial costs and inconvience of trying to get someone out to move the plumbing and wiring, we just never got it moved and never got the washer and dryer from Robersonville. So, about a week ago, Tim's mom decided she'd move into what we were going to make the laundry room and we could put the washer and dryer from Robersonville back in its original spot. So, the only thing we've been lacking is the washer and dryer from Robersonville.

I talked to Tim and his dad about 30 minutes ago and they should be here soon with our little neccessities. You don't realize how convenient it is to have them until you have to use someone else's every time you need to wash clothes.

PRAISE THE LORD FOR LIFE'S LITTLE NECCESSITIES COMING HOME!!!

The Power of Prayer

2008-12-05T14:41:00.002-05:00

Here is a few prayers from the Bible that were answered:

"Abraham: God agreed to spare Sodom and Gomorrah if He could find 10 righteous people in those cities (Genesis 18:22-32). Unfortunately, this was not the case and these cities were destroyed. However, God still answered Abraham's prayer by sending His angels to remove righteous Lot and his family before the judgment fell. So, even though the evil cities were destroyed, the righteous in those cities were spared.

Moses: God miraculously answered many of Moses' prayers including the parting the Red Sea (Exodus 14:13-22) and giving the Israelites good water in the wilderness (Exodus 15:25). Perhaps the most miraculous answer that God gave to Moses was when Moses prayed that God would spare Israel after the incident with the golden calf (Exodus 32:7-14).

Elijah: God miraculously answered Elijah's prayer on Mt. Carmel when he rained fire from heaven in the showdown between God and the false god Baal (1 Kings 18:20-40 especially 37-38).

Daniel: Daniel's whole career was spent in prayer to God his prayers were miraculously answered. Daniel prayed to be shown the king's undisclosed dream and God answered him (Daniel 2:17-18). Daniel was thrown to the lions because he continually prayed to God and God spared him (Daniel 6:4-24). Daniel prayed for Israel and for forgiveness of their sins when the 70 years of captivity were nearing an end. God answered Daniel's prayer by sending Gabriel to tell him exactly when the Messiah would come (Daniel 9).

The church prayed for Peter: The early church in Jerusalem prayed for Peter after his arrest by Herod and God miraculously answered their prayer by sending an angel to free Peter from prison (Acts 12:5-10).

David: God answered David's prayer and forgave him for his sin after his adultery with Bathsheba (Psalms 51)." --allaboutprayer.org

God still answers prayer today! We've been praying for 8 weeks for God to bless Tim with another job to support our family. Today we receied that answer!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!

Tim's New Blog

2008-12-04T18:30:00.001-05:00

Tim has started a new blog about his calling into the ministry. The thread on the side or its http:/timothyjamesdean.blogspot.com

ENJOY!

Holiday Rebel With a Cause Raffle-Way!

2008-12-02T06:50:00.002-05:00

I'm not really one to promote raffles or fundraisers, but this is TOTALLY different! Check this out and get involved!! Click the link to the right and get the real blog.

ORIGINAL POST from mycharmingkids.net:

Rebel Without For A Cause Raffle-Way!!!

Starts right now and ends with a big winner on December 14, 2008.

Wait for it, peeps. This is huge.

----------------------------------------------

"MckMama! MckMama! What kind of a camera do you shoot with?"

As I've mentioned before, I am a Canon girl, through and through. My digital Canon Rebel carried me when I first went pro and I've not strayed from Canon's SLR cameras since.

And now you can become a Canon SLR girl (or boy)...for a cause!! Welcome to the Rebel Without For A Cause Raffle-Way, everyone!

Let me explain...

My friend Amie and I are collaborating in this Rebel Without For A Cause Raffle-Way. Think raffle meets giveaway. We'll use this Raffle-Way as a super fantastic way to raise support String of Pearls, a ministry close to my heart after coming within a breath of losing our precious baby Stellan, as well as two adoption grant organizations that are of great importance to Amie--No Hands But Ours and The Elison Project.

It's Christmas time. And we thought it was the perfect time to bless others and for all of us to have the chance to make a difference in the lives of couples facing a fatal diagnosis for their baby as well as for couples wanting to adopt a special needs child.

It's time for a the Rebel Without For A Cause Raffle-Way. Would you like to bless another and, in the process, have a chance to win a prize package of astronomic proportions? Yeah, I thought so. I know you guys so well. Every single penny that is raised in this Rebel Without For A Cause Raffle-Way will go to String of Pearl, Elison Project and No Hands But Ours, and, if you participate, you'll have the chance to win big.

And I mean big.

What's up for grabs exactly? Well, buy a Raffle-Way ticket (or five!) for the suggested donation of $10/ticket and a kick-butt bottom (Surely you don't think we say the word butt in our family!?) massively monstrous Canon Digital Rebel XSi price package could be yours!!!! A MckRebel Prize Package, if you will. And, believe you me, my friends, you are going to want to get your little wolverine paws on these goodies.

What is in the MckRebel Prize Package, you ask? You might want to sit down for this.

That's right, peeps. This is huge. A 12.2 Megapixel black Digital SLR Camera with an EF-S 18-55 f/3.5/5.6 IS lens will arrive brand spanking new right on someone's doorstep in time for Christmas!! You'll be photographing like me in no time at all and before you know it, I'll be asking you for photography tips.

(Want more specs on the camera that could be yours? Click here.)

And all the while as you learn to shoot stellar photos with your pimped out new camera, the money from the Raffle-Way tickets you bought that earned you the chance to win that very camera will go to help families through the three organizations I mentioned. It's a win-win situation, to be sure!

Oh, but you didn't think a Canon Rebel XSi would be all that you'd win, did you now? The winner will also get...

An additional lens!! Get really super close to your subject without actually having to smell the baby food on her breath with Canon's 75-300mm zoom lens.

Click here to read all about this super lens.

Also up for grabs (I told you this was a kick-bottom prize package!!!)...

An ATP ProMax professional series super high speed SD card, in a 2 GB size. This card has a 133x transfer rate, the highest speed available.

You can read more about the SD card here.

You didn't think that was all, did you!? No, donate via our Raffle-Way, win the MckRebel Prize Package and this also will be yours...

A Jill.E camera bag in brown or yellow; the winner will get his or her choice of color!

No sense stopping here, people. And...

A long, adjustable, custom-made camera strap from VM Jess, in the winner's choice of fabric.

And like that wasn't enough, my dear friends, the winner will also get...

A 16 x 20 canvas print from iPrintCanvas so you can show off your mad photography skills. A photo of yours will be printed onto canvas by iprintcanvas.com so you can display it on your wall at home!

What I'm Thankful for...

2008-11-27T18:57:00.003-05:00

1. Jesus Christ and my relationship with him. No matter how far I stray, he always let's me come back.

2. My husband who is a wonderful father to my children and an unconditional lover of me.

3. My two little boys who never stop loving and laughing.

4. My wonderful family who know what it means to be a family.

5. America, the land of the free and home of the brave. Although it's changing far from what our forefathers wanted it to be, we still have our freedom of religion and the chance to share Christ with others, not to mention we are in the top 10% of the richest people in America, just by owning a car.

6. The neccessisties of life, and the money to buy more. Praise the Lord for his goodness.

7. Time that I'm able to spend with my family. Not every family gets to enjoy the Holidays together.

8. God's plan for my life, although I do not know where it will lead.

9. The beauty of God's creation...as I looked at the beach today, I still stand in awe of HIM.

10. Each breath I take on earth...One day those breaths will cease and I will stand in HIS presence, which will be AWESOME, but as I wait, I am thankful for this opportunity here.

Running For God or From God?

2008-11-25T13:29:00.005-05:00

On October 14th my world came crashing to a halt. I had been so worried/excited about my volleyball game that I failed to check my cell phone for messages all day. When we stopped at a service station, as we were making our trip back to school on the bus from Topsail, I noticed a new text message on my phone. The words just seemed unreal. Tim had lost his job. What was happening!

Tim and I have spent the last 6 years, moving from place to place. Granted, each move has had some rhyme or reason, it all ends up in a jumbled heap of facts that sound more like a bad adventure than a life. We've lived in 7 different houses in 5 different cities in 6 years. In all but one year, we either moved or had a baby. We've lived with my brother and his family, my parents (twice), and are now living with Tim's mom and grandparents (in the apartment that adjoins our house). We've slept on mattresses on the floor, air mattresses, and couches. We've stayed in basements, 2nd floors, and a dining room divided with a curtain for privacy. We've put in 3 new dishwashers. We've painted 20 different rooms. We have 2 children born in 2 different states who have attended 3 different daycares.

When Tim's job was taken, it led to the question: Have we been running for God or from God? I can't answer that question. So many times along this journey, I have felt that each step was toward a closer perfect plan that God has for us, but did God really call us to move halfway around the country and move this many times to follow Him? Does this madness really equal God's will? When I have said in that past that a peak into the future might scare me, it was the understatement of the year! If I had been told on my graduation day what my future held with all of these different moves, I would have quickly bolted to the closest employment office and asked for a job in a permanent location without the freedom to leave! I would have never signed up for this had I known the logistics of this journey, but the emotional bond that was created throughout this journey has poured a foundation for our future in Christ.

Although Tim and I loved each other on our wedding day, it does not hold a candle to the love that we have for each other today, nor the spiritual and emotional bond we have formed. There have been dark days of uncertainty, but for 99% of our journey, the Lord has enabled us to grow closer to each other through Him. He has carved a path through the mountains and the valleys and bridged the rivers and reguided our misfortunes.

Tim has been called by the Lord to seek out a new vocation, to make ministry is full time work. Have the paths we've followed brought us to this new path of ministry further along the journey or have the paths brought us back full circle to begin again, the path of God's wonderful plan? I guess it is like an illustration I heard one time, about a man running into the woods. How far can he run into the woods before he begins running out of the woods? Halfway...for when he gets halfway, he is then running out of the woods. Did we begin running back to God halfway through our journey?

Has our journey been one of coming back to the Father or has the journey been a parallel of God's plan all along? Are we just meeting another fork in the road that offers the opportunity to change paths? Would the path we are on now continue to take us in the same direction? Sure, we can continue a close relationship with God without taking the new course, but what opportunities are on this new path? Would we spend another 6 years wandering in the wilderness? Have we spent 6 years in the wilderness? Did we spend 3 years running from God, and 3 years running back?

All I know is that we have been broken before the Lord. Sometimes it takes our brokenness to be reshaped by the potter's hand. The Lord has His hands on us and He will continue to shape us in the direction He would have us go. Does that mean God is preparing us for more venturing or a new life of settled restlessness? I do not want a peak into the future anymore because our 6 year journey in retro is much easier than a 2 year glimpse of speculation. I am broken and ready for Him to use me, even if I must stay in the fire a while longer.

Holidays (Tag Your It!)

2008-11-24T23:59:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I got tagged by my buddy Paula, who is enjoying the fine weather in Budapest, while I live here by the beach, hee hee. We just put up our short sleeves last week! HA!

Anyway, I'm supposed to post 7 random things, but I thought I'd veer off in the direction Paula went and give you 7 things about my Holiday traditions.

1) My family's holiday traditions include hot dogs and deviled-egg sandwiches on Christmas Eve, along with the opening of one gift from each other. Santa brings the rest later.

2) My dad watches Christmas movies year round, and during high school, I got so tired of watching Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life (the only two he had) that I began buying him a new Christmas movie every year. Now he's got a ton and as much as I hated it then, when we visit my parents in the fall of the year, I always try to talk the family into watching one of the Christmas movies.

3) My parents grew up in the foothills of NC, so it was always cold at Christmas. They refused to buy any of us kids a bike for Christmas because they said we wouldn't be able to ride it until Spring. My parents broke that tradition when I turned 12, and by far its one of my most favorite Christmas presents.

4) On Christmas Day, we always put on our new clothes and go visit my grandparents. We always took one of our new presents to play with and show off. No matter how old I get, I still follow this tradition as best I can.

5) Tim proposed a few weeks before Christmas, so this time of year is always really special.

6) One of my most unforgettable Christmas's with Tim was our 2nd Christmas in Kansas when Tim's mom, sister and her husband decided to fly out to celebrate Christmas with us. When they got stuck in Cincinnati, Ohio and could only get a flight to St. Louis, Missouri (the other side of the state from Kansas), we thought we'd hop in the van (we were borrowing from my bro) and just go pick them up in a few hours and be back. Little did we know their flight would be delayed again, and several hours later we ended up in a hotel with no extra clothes, a 9 month old Roman who wouldn't go to sleep, and a 14 hour wait for them to arrive. We ended up finding a store in the mall to buy clothes and we were able to pick them up and head back to our house in time for Christmas Eve.

7) We started a new tradition last year of wrapping the boys presents each in one distinct wrapping paper. I totally stole this idea from someone else's family traditions, but we really love it! It made handing out presents to the boys MUCH faster and made our picture of the tree much cooler. THANKS!

Happy Holidays EVERYONE!

And I have no idea who will take this tag...I don't think 7 people even read my blog...but if you do, please list 7 random things people don't know about you, or try the holiday spin!

Sleepless in Bettie

2008-11-09T22:59:00.002-05:00

For the past week, we've been sleepless in Bettie. Right here is the reason...

We've tried everything to get him to go to bed. We've tried walking him back to bed and threatening to spank, we've tried sitting next to his bed and rubbing his back, we've tried laying down with him (which he continues to play, while you fall asleep and wake up 2 hours later to find he's done the same), and we've even tried the Super Nanny thing where you just walk him back to bed without speaking to him....All in vain my friend. Not consistent enough or whatever, we just couldn't get him to go to sleep. So, 5 nights, countless hours of sleep lost, minus all of the schoolwork I could have been doing, and 1 night spent on the couch, we finally did the unthinkable. We closed his door. Now, I really don't want to give him a complex, but we don't have our kid gates here (they're still in Robersonville) and I really don't want to freak him out, but he slept with his door closed from last September until we moved here in April. So really he's used to it. And he has a night light. So, we finally just did it. He cried for less than 5 minutes and he was OUT like a light. Oh and the new little toddler bed we bought him, nope, not interested. So he's sleeping in Roman's twin sized car bed and Roman, who wanted the new toddler bed when Raiden first got it b/c it's Lightning McQueen, is in his. So, the little one is in the big one and the big in little. Oh well, it's 11 o'clock and they've been asleep for a few hours, that's all that counts, right?

Where did all the good waitresses go??

2008-10-26T18:47:00.004-04:00

Ok, so we went to eat at what used to be our favorite restaurant here in the Morehead City area, and once again (for the 3rd time now), we were disappointed with the service. URGH! What happened to all the good waitresses there? Did they leave after summer vacation? Did the manager cut back because I think he let the wrong people go?

The waitress took FOREVER to get our drinks, while we watched her stand there and talk to other watitresses. She finally comes over with the drinks and to take our order. Ok, note to waitresses, when someone has a 2 year old with them, they want to order and get food ASAP. They don't want to be humored by you asking the 4 year old questions just so you can here him talk back to you. JUST TAKE THE ORDER! So, uncharacteristically, the food came out pretty quick which was great, but as Tim pointed out, we should start ordering Raiden tea to drink. He loves it and decided to drink mine while waiting for our food. Needless to say, as I get about 10 bites into my food I need a refill. Do we get one? Of course, not. The waitress once again was back talking to the other waitresses and hanging out. When she finally comes back over, she promises she'll come back by with tea. YEA RIGHT! I finally resort to using Raiden's applesauce he wasn't eating to wash my food down. After everyone else is finished eating, she finally brings refills, but now my food is pretty cold. URGHH!

It is a little comical. I said earlier this volleyball season that if I ever quit coaching I'd become a referee because the only way to fix the problem with refs is to become one and do it right. So, I guess if I ever quit teaching, I'll become a waitress and do it right. Don't hold your breath! I don't hate teaching that much!

It's that time again!

2008-10-22T15:29:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I'll give you a few guesses on what it's time for...

...Renata's volleyball season to be over and her family to shout HORRAY we get to see mommy every day again? Well, yeah, kind of, but not what I was thinking.

...Renata's students to finally be settled in her class and quit acting like a bunch of hooligans? Well, yeah, most of them.

...Renata's least favorite season change and the dragging out of long sleeves and sweatshirts? Well, yeah, that too.

...Renata's exhaustion from volleyball season to over take her and make her feel REALLY out of it for about a week? Definitely, but not exactly what I was thinking.

...Renata's curse of the October/November blues? Yep, that's it! I seriously think I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Every year at this time, I feel like the worse things happen. Is it really that only bad things happen to me in November? Probably not, I just don't deal well with them during this time of the year. Of course, this year has seemed a little worse than normal, but I know God has a plan. I think he's just teaching me to trust him.

Raiden hits the big 2!

2008-09-27T23:37:00.002-04:00

I've decided that no one follows my blog, so I could write pretty much anything and no one would know. In fact, for the past week I've debated on just deleting it. Oh well, maybe there is SOMEONE out there that follows along. Hopefully not a stalker.

Anyway, Raiden turns two in just a few days. We celebrated his birthday today. We just had cake and ice cream at the park, and of course we had presents. Every birthday I debate whether or not we should be buying the other son a present even though it's not really his birthday, but I always come to the conclusion that since the birthday boy gets so many new toys that he will not want to share, it's just easier to get the other one a present. I don't know how much longer that makes sense, but we'll see.

It was a blast! We had a very low key crowd and the party consisted more of just Raiden running around avoiding opening presents. He really liked the ball he got first, and just wanted to play with that. But he was so wound up by the end of the night it took him FOREVER to fall asleep. Oh well, you only get to celebrate once a year right? (Or maybe twice for my kids.)

Weigh-In...It's been a while

2008-09-08T13:23:00.004-04:00

Yes, I know it's been awhile. Tim and I have kind of postponed our competition due to financial circumstances. We have to fork out a big chunk of change in order to shore up the house and its inheritance, so we haven't the money to do the whole gym thing for Tim. I'm sure this is just a postponement and we will get back on track in the next few months.

In the meantime, we have been sticking with our no soft drinks rule. It has now been 2 months since we've had a mountain dew, dr. pepper, or any glorious soft drink, but I have to admit that if I had just one, that wouldn't be all I'd want. So I'll continue my fasting of soft drinks and pray that December 6th gets here soon, and that I have the will power to drink only one, but who knows? Maybe I'll just keep fasting when we get there.

It's been a really busy couple of weeks with school starting and volleyball, but both of those give me less time for eating junk food and more activity which I think is what has amounted to my recent weight loss. I am happy to announce my new weight and say that the 140s are in sight!!!

Starting weight (7/5/08): 160 lbs.
1st weigh in (7/20/08): 158 lbs.
2nd weigh in (8/3/08): 156 lbs.
3rd weigh in (9/8/08): 152 lbs. WOOO HOOO!!!!!

Tropical Storm Hanna, not a problem

2008-09-06T15:41:00.002-04:00

Well, no power outages, no falling trees, no problems. God blessed us with a problem-free storm. We missed most of it. It went to the west of us. We did get a good bit of wind, which showed us the trees that really need to be cut down before next storm season. There are a few that are too close to the house.

We live VERY close to the ocean, in case you didn't know. If Ike turns North, we'll be heading out for the storm. We aren't staying for Category 3 above storms. It's just too dangerous.

WWWWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

2008-09-01T18:31:00.002-04:00

I'm sorry that it's been so long. It was a LOONNNNGGGG week. I don't think it's fair to start school on a Monday. Teachers and the kids are worn out by Wednesday and the rest of the week just drags.

Funny story, per the title of the post. Roman was so exhausted yesterday afternoon that he fell asleep in our chair in the living room. He slept through his Grandma sawing and banging and all the other noises in the house, but by far the funniest, was Raiden's idea. Raiden decided that is would be fun to spin Roman around in the chair he was sitting in. I look over and there is Raiden just a giggling saying, "WWWEEEEEE!!!!" And there's Roman spinning around, still sound asleep.

We finally decided to put Roman to bed when dinner was ready, and he slept until 9:30. Sleepy boy!

School TIME!!!!

2008-08-23T23:12:00.002-04:00

It's that time again!!! Back to school time!!! I think I'm ready, or at least I hope so! No thanks to my well-meaning associates who kept me in meeting ALLLLL week. I spent only about 3 hours in my classroom this week, so you can imagine what it looked like when I headed out to volleyball practice on Friday afternoon. Depressed isn't even the word. Fortunately for me I have a SUPER AWESOME husband who sacrificed his Saturday of playing some video games and relaxing (or cutting the grass and taking off the trash) to come help his frantic wife decorate her room. I have to say that Tim has always been my room decorater and organizer and as always, he really came through for me again this year! He's awesome!!! Now my room looks more like a classroom than a prison cell. No, I take that back more like a classroom than a prison cell of an inmate that's only been there a few days, because if you've ever been to prison, those people COVER their walls with stuff they get in the mail!! Hee hee!!

I'll update after the week unfolds. Volleyball is 0-2 with VERY close losses. In fact, we couldn't have come any closer to winning, we lost both matches by 2 points in the last game. :( BOOO!! It's going to come together though!!

Blue-Gold Match

2008-08-14T23:12:00.007-04:00

When I evented the idea of hosting our own Blue-Gold match, I had no idea how it would turn out. I thought it might be a lot of work or really stressful. I didn't think the community would come out to watch a scrimmage or even buy tickets to one. I thought maybe we'd try it this year and it'd probably just be another nixed idea.

I am happy to say that NONE of these ideas was founded. It turned out to be VERY little work. I just had to make the tickets, which I did on my computer and get sponsors, which once again, I did on my computer (all but one sponsor responded by email). The girls each sold 15 tickets, most of the girls sold all of theirs and a few came back to get more. The community TRUELY supported our event. There was probably 50+ people there, and if you know volleyball, that's about what game crowds look like on a good day.

We made around 1000 dollars, and if I'm calculating right, we made enough money to order new uniforms, which was my goal! The girls are going to be so excited!! We're definitely doing this one again next year!! Enjoy the pics!

Shhhh!!!! Mystery Shopping

2008-08-12T12:23:00.003-04:00

Shhhh!!!! You can't tell anyone! I'm a mystery shopper!! Shhh!!!

I was reading about the middle class disappearing and how daycare costs are killing young-would be middle class families when I saw an article on ways to supplement your income. It mentioned a lady that did lots of little jobs to supplement her income and one of those things was mystery shopping. She made about $2,000 a year, plus free merchandise. So I thought, hey, I need extra money. I HATE to shop, but I'll check it out.

So, I found a few companies that pay mystery shoppers, only one that pays pretty well, and off I search to find places in my area. My first shops were back in July. Basically, you complete this powerpoint/information reading and then answers questions about what you are looking for when you shop. There are very specific guidelines as to what you are looking for and what the sales people are supposed to be asking, etc. Then, you do the shop, and report what happened.

There weren't many in my area in July, but I had to travel from my parents house to Greenville to head to the coaches clinic, and there were a few along the way. I did a Staples shop and 2 US Cellular shops. It turned out to be REALLY easy and actually a little bit of a break from normal life. I don't really like to shop, but it's not really like shopping at all. Some shops you don't even buy anything. I'm a detail oriented person, so for me, the thrill was in remembering the details and seeing if the sales associate was doing their job correctly. (Since I knew, what they were supposed to say.) Also, I am huge on customer service, so it was fun to critique good/bad ones.

Anyway, I picked up a couple of jobs here in Morehead City this week, which it's great that they had some jobs in my area with this company. So far, I've made about $70 and got a box of ink pens and a big writing tablet that I wanted to get for my classroom. (Teachers, this is a good deal if you can do the office supply stores.) All for about 2 hours of my time. EASY MONEY!

Well, I'm off for now. Remember, SHHHHHH, don't tell anyone I'm a mystery shopper!! Hee Hee!

Butt-Naked

2008-08-11T11:42:00.003-04:00

After I went to bed last night, I thought, "Man, I should have blogged about Raiden too." So here's his story from yesterday:

We went out to eat after church, and we missed the early service, so we sat at a table while Daddy stood in line with all of the other church goers at Subway. Anyway, this put us home really late, which made Raiden late taking a nap. So after about an hour I heard him throw his empty cup out of his crib on to his hardwood floor and start fussing. This is Raiden's true sign that he wants me to come check on him.

So, I went in there, and the master creator confessed to filling his diaper with a not so pleasant aroma. I took off his cute overalls (Daddy has even gotten Roman into saying that Raiden's little overalls look like he's wearing a dress, but they are oh so cute and this is his last year of wearing anything too cute before he starts having to look tough.) and changed his diaper and decided that since we don't have any A/C today ("the man" is coming to fix it this afternoon, we hope) I should just leave him in just his diaper.

I leave him to drift off to dreamland, very doubtful that he's going to get there because he's jumping around like he just ate 2 vats of double chocolate (I know, studies have shown that chocolate has no affect on most kids). Anyway, roughly 40 minutes later I hear him start fussing again and can make out, in between the announcers of the Olympic beach volleyball match I was watching, that he is saying "Pee pee! Pee pee!" So I decided that since the volleyball match is right at a critical point and the players couldn't possibly finish without my viewing, that I'd wait a few minutes before checking on him, who knows, maybe he'd settle down.

The match finishes (not the way I wanted it) and I lend my ear toward his room and hear nothing. "Hmm, guess he's out!" So I push my recliner back and drift off to dream land. A little while later, Daddy decides that maybe Raiden needs checking on, since he was in there awake for so long and he goes into check on him. What does he discover you may ask??

Raiden decided that he needed his diaper changed, so he took it off, and tossed it over the rail onto the floor. Then, I guess he was just really tired, so he went to sleep. There he was butt-naked in his crib, fast asleep.

Incidently, he slept til almost 6, at which time Roman and I decided to go get him up. Roman thought it was the funniest thing that Raiden had on clothes or diaper on. And fortunately, he didn't even pee in the bed. As soon as I got him up, I took him to the potty (yeah, we're not interested yet) and I put a diaper on him. WOO HOO!! No mess to clean up, but quite a funny story!

Lights out

2008-08-10T23:10:00.002-04:00

After putting Roman back in the bed for the 2nd time tonight (he's a great staller, and we go through this every night), I told him not to get up again, go to sleep. Roman responds with, "But Mommy I can't go to sleep!" I said, "Why not?" Roman innocently says, "Everytime I close my eyes the lights go out!" SILLY BOY!!!

Thought I'd share this silly little story. Our air condition went out Friday Night, so we've been sweating it out for the past few days. Thankfully everyone goes back to work and daycare tomorrow, so they can find some cool air. I, on the other hand, am going to hang out here to wait on the heating/air guy. But it's not going to stop me from my exercising regiment. I'm going running first thing in the morning before it gets too hot!

Bye for now!

2nd Weigh-In

2008-08-04T17:31:00.003-04:00

First, let me say that this is an unofficial weigh-in. We had to make a slight detour in our contest due to some unexpected issues that arose. Anyway, we are getting back on track. Tim will be able to sign up for the gym this week, and since the boys are back in daycare, as of today, I'll be able to head to school early and work out.

Please pray for Tim's grandmother, Harriett. She fell and broke her hip last Sunday, July 27. The doctors did hip replacement surgery and she spent a few days in the hospital. Now, she is in a nursing home for rehab. As some of you know, we moved down here partly to help out with family. Tim's grandparents live in an adjacent apartment to our house which we share with Tim's mom. Tim's grandfather has Alzheimer's and cannot be left alone, so it has been a tough few weeks for Tim's mom with all of the shuttling him around to different places. They have a sitter coming in tomorrow, so please pray for our family during this transition. We're hoping that the sitter arrangement is an answered prayer and will help everyone.

Anyway, I'm pleased to report that even though I am not officially working out, I have still lost a few pounds and it's been 1 MONTH today since I've had a soft drink/carbonated beverage.

Starting weight (7/5/08): 160 lbs.
1st weigh in (7/20/08): 158 lbs.
2nd weigh in (8/3/08): 156 lbs.

I did get some running in while on vacation, but I'd like to get in a little more over the next few weeks. Next weigh in: August 16.

Hatteras Vacation

2008-08-02T14:46:00.011-04:00

We spent the week at Hatteras. We had a blast. Above is Roman and Raiden heading to the water to fill their bucket.

Here's a group shot of the Cobb grandkids. A few of them aren't too happy about photo time. From left to right: Front row, Raiden, Roman, and Lexi, Back row, Tyler, Brenner, Riley

Riley and Lexi jumping a wave.

Some scenery pics I took on the beach.

Getting them to smile was like pulling teeth, but at least they're standing still.

Raiden and Roman playing on the beach.

Mommy and Raiden warming up on the beach.

Hope you enjoyed the pics! More posts to come soon!

1st Weigh-In

2008-07-20T16:01:00.004-04:00

Roman took this picture! Hee Hee!

Yeah, I know, I'm late in getting this on here, but to be fair to us, you gotta understand that we aren't starting our gym workouts until the first week of August due to a lack of funds and the boys being out of daycare for the summer. It was a pretty okay 2 weeks. I should have been more adamant about drinking my water the last few days and I would have lost more weight, but hey, I'm just happy to be in the 150s. Also, we celebrated my birthday this week, so it was hard not to eat too many extra sweets. My favorite part of my report is that I haven't had a soft drink in 16 days!!! YAY!!!

Renata: Starting weight (7/5/08): 160 lbs.

1st weigh in (7/20/08): 158 lbs.

My goal for the next 2 weeks is to start my running program. I'm going on vacation so I'll have a little extra help with the boys.

Hitting the Road

2008-07-14T21:35:00.002-04:00

After I got the boys to bed tonight, I hit the road on my bike. It felt so great to get out there and ride. I haven't gotten out there in a while and it felt so good, but gee, what a different muscle group! My legs felt like jello when I got off.

So, I signed my contract with Carteret County today. I have to admit though, it was a little overwhelming. I had to fill out all of these papers in a short amount of time. A lot of them I had to make decisions about health, vision, dental without really thinking about them. It was a little frustrating, but the good thing is that it's behind me and I can get started on my career here!

Well, keep thinking thin for me, especially tomorrow. It's my birthday and you know how easy it is to eat lots on that day! We are waiting til Saturday to eat out, since we are weighing in on Saturday morning. Tim has been doing really good, but I'm going to work EXTRA hard this week!

Water Weight

2008-07-12T10:10:00.003-04:00

Although it's only water weight that I've been losing this week, it does make a girl feel good to lose some pounds pretty quickly. The rest will not be so easy.

So, in honor of water:

Water is important to the mechanics of the human body. The body cannot work without it, just as a car cannot run without gas and oil. In fact, all the cell and organ functions made up in our entire anatomy and physiology depend on water for their functioning.
Water serves as a lubricant
Water forms the base for saliva
Water forms the fluids that surround the joints.
Water regulates the body temperature, as the cooling and heating is distributed through perspiration.
Water helps to alleviate constipation by moving food through the intestinal tract and thereby eliminating waste- the best detox agent.
Regulates metabolism

In addition to the daily maintainence of our bodies, water also plays a key role in the prevention of disease. Drinking eight glasses of water daily can decrease the risk of colon cancer by 45%, bladder cancer by 50% and it can potentially even reduce the risk of breast cancer. And those are just a few examples!

And you know what the best news about drinking water for health benefits is? It's virtually free! You can drink over 4,000 glasses of tap water for the price of a six-pack of your favorite cola.

Detox Complete!

2008-07-09T10:44:00.002-04:00

My caffeine withdraw headaches are GONE! I haven't had any soft drinks since Friday Night and today is the first day I haven't woken up with a headache since Friday. It may be because Raiden woke me up at 5 AM before I even had time to think about a headache, but even so, no headache. As I say every time I quit drinking softdrinks, I AM NOT GOING TO GET ADDICTED to them again! What a PAIN, literally, to try to get off!! It's not like Tylenol really takes care of the headache either! Anyway, so I'm now drinking my 64 ounces of water a day (and floating to the bathroom every hour or more) and occassionally sipping on a nice cool homemade smoothie with fresh fruit! So exciting to be more healthy!

No more SOFTDRINKS!

2008-07-06T23:43:00.003-04:00

Part of my new campaign is no more softdrinks. You have understand that I am absolutely ADDICTED to them. I guess I have always drank them, and other than a few short stints here and there, I've NEVER been without softdrinks for more than a few weeks, maybe even days. So NO MORE SOFT DRINKS. Our biggest loser idea actually started with a bet to see who could go the longest without softdrinks and evolved from there. So ADIOS Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, all my favs! See you on December the 6th at my celebration party!

Just for the fun of it....Here's all the bad facts I found about drinking soft drinks:

The carbonation in all soft drinks causes calcium loss in the bones through a three-stage process:
1. The carbonation irritates the stomach.
2. The stomach "cures" the irritation the only way it knows how. It adds the only antacid at its disposal: calcium. It gets this from the blood.
3. The blood, now low on calcium, replenishes its supply from the bones. If it did not do this, muscular and brain function would be severely impaired.

In the spring of 2005, research showed a strong correlation between esophageal cancer and the drinking of carbonated beverages

The salt in these "beverages" may reduce the amount of water in your cells. Salt increases dehydration, which is why sailors don't drink seawater.

The sugar in these "beverages" (other than the diet kind) increases hunger.

The obesity and nutritional deficiencies typically suffered by heavy soda drinkers bring on back and joint pain.

The various colorings and other substances in sodas aren't noted for cancer prevention.

So if you ever needed a reason to quit drinking sodas, there you go.

A Couple of Big Losers

2008-07-06T19:16:00.004-04:00

Welcome to the Biggest Loser Tim and Renata Style! Okay, so we've been inspired by our good friend in Thailand, Matt Jones, who was able to lose 48 lbs. while competing with his missionary friend in Poland. Theirs of course was Missionary biggest loser. We'll just call ours A Couple of Big Losers. We decided that we're tired of looking at that extra fat hanging around our bodies and we just want some more energy. Tim and I are very competitive and we've been competing for years in just about everything. When we first started dating, we started our annual March Madness Hoops competition, and it evolved into everything from NFL football to who wins Survivor or Big Brother. So we are at it once again to see who will be the Biggest Loser!

Here's our stakes:

The competition begins tomorrow, July 7th, and runs through December 6th

That's right! 5 months of competition!

Weigh-Ins: At first we weren't going to do them at all, but we then decided we'd need a little bit of fuel for the fire, so we'll be weighing in every other Saturday. Also, we'll have a weigh-in on Saturday, October 4th for a mini-prize (dinner at the winner's favorite restaurant).

Obviously, we're not going by pure pounds, we're basing it on percent of weight lost.

Diets and the Gym: The rule is you can go on any diet you want as long as you don't go bulimic or anoxeric. Also, Tim will join the gym near his work, and I'll have the gym at my work to use.

The Prize: If I win, we will remodel the bathroom, complete with a new bathtub with jets, a shower, enclosure, an additional sink, new paint, and most importantly a water softener with filter. Right now the water smells like rotten fish when you turn on the water, something about underground water smelling like sulfur for some purpose?? I don't know it just stinks and that's my biggest nemesis since moving here.

If Tim wins, he gets a small boat. One of the exciting things about living down here at the beach is being able to get out on the water. Unfortunately, so far we haven't been able to do that much without a way to get out there. So Tim wants to remedy that with a boat.

We'll post blogs each week to let you guys know how it's going! Wish us luck!

Renata starting weight: 160 lbs. <---I'm definitely not happy with this, but I do have to say that it is less than where I was at when I started working out last November. Unfortunately, I stopped working out mid-February due to hip bursitis.

You can read about Tim's progress on his blog at http://deanempire.blogspot.com/

Renata's Top OCD Tendencies

2008-06-29T15:31:00.002-04:00

Just for fun...I thought I'd list my top OCD tendencies because they are goofy and I'm goofy and I was just thinking about this the other day and I thought it'd be a funny blog.

When I eat fast food, I have to use the napkin from that place to wipe my mouth. I discovered this one recently when I had Arby's napkins in my car, but I had to dig through the bag to find my Wendy's napkins since I was eating Wendy's food. Strange I know!

When I erase the board in my classroom, I can't stand stray marks on the board. I have to get every spot.

To go along with the previous, I can't have the overhead string hanging down in the middle of the board. It drives me CRAZY.

My car keys have to be in my right pocket, and my school keys have to be in my left. Something I've always done. I added the left pocket-school keys when I started teaching.

When I eat a sandwich or burger, I flip it and eat from the opposite side. Some people do both, some people eat it the other way, I don't.

When I eat a sandwich, I eat about halfway through, and then I eat around the outside until I finish the crust, only then do I eat the rest of the sandwich. WHY? Because I don't like the crust as much and I don't want that to be the last thing I taste.

I like things symmetrical, so I have been known to rehang picture frames in peoples offices or houses.

Well, that's enough for now......Later taters

Ferry NIGHTMARE Part 2

2008-06-22T19:24:00.005-04:00

*****SPOILER ALERT**** If you haven't read part one, you gotta read it first.

So, I decide to call Tim with the only dollar I have left. I pray that he answers, and he does. SUCCESS! The only problem is I didn't really plan out what to say, so I said, "You gotta call my dad and tell him to come back. He has my wallet and phone. I'll wait by the ferry. Bye."

I walk up to the visitors center and plop down. The only thing left to do is wait. I eat my snack and just sit and ponder, while I watch my 5 o'clock ferry, my ride back home, pull out into the sound. Then, I start thinking. If there really is no cell phone service on the island, my dad won't get my message until after he gets back to Hatteras. The next ferry here doesn't come until 10, so I can't go anywhere anyway, but my dad doesn't know that. He doesn't know that I would still be sitting there. There's no way for him to call me, and I can't call Tim back to tell him that I'll just sit and wait. What am I going to do if he doesn't make it back? I can't just sleep here, but I also don't have any money to get on the ferry even if I did give up and try to go home. I'm stuck here with no money, no food, and no way to talk to anyone! What a crazy deseparate feeling!!!

SO.......I waited. And about 5 minutes of worrying later, my dad pulled back up! PRAISE THE LORD!!! Just in time to see the ferry pull on out into the ocean! Fortunately, Tim was able to reach him, but unfortunately he got pulled over by a cop on his way back to bring me my stuff. He might have made it if it wasn't for that.

My dad and the boys hung out for a little while to keep me company. I bought a souvenir to remember my wonderful trip. I got home at 1:00 AM. I did have 7 1/2 hours to THINK about what I wanted to pack. I had time to read my tear jerking novel, which only added to my tears of frustration.

I did learn a few things from this event. Other than the obvious, I also learned that its nice to have a little compassion for people. I was reminded what it was like to feel lost, lonely, and helpless.

Ferry NIGHTMARE!

2008-06-22T12:14:00.004-04:00

So, the plan was to take the boys over to Ocracoke to meet my dad, who would then take them back home with him to Hatteras, because I have to be in Durham from Sunday-Wednesday and my parents were generous enough to watch them for us. Pretty simple plan I'd say. The boys and I would take the 2 o'clock ferry to Ocracoke, which would arrive around 4:30 on the island. We'd get off, my dad would be there, and he'd take the boys and I'd jump on the 5 o'clock back to Cedar Island, and be back home by 8:15. That would give me time to pack my stuff for Durham and get a good night's sleep for my trip. My dad would drive back across the island of Ocracoke and catch the Hatteras ferry (they're 10 miles apart) and they'd be home in Hatteras by 6 (Their ferry was only 40 minutes.)

Everything was going really well. The boys were doing great. Roman asked a billion questions about things that live in the ocean and why there were boats out in the water, and insisted on sitting in the upper deck of the ferry, even though we had to climb up and down the stairs 3 times with the laptop in tow (I don't trust strangers, too much.) to go to the bathroom. Raiden was saying HI to everyone who came by, going in circles around the tables to make himself dizzy, and even rubbed his head and laughed when a man who was balding came by. Things were going great. I looked like the bag lady with my big sweatshirt on because it might be cold on the ferry and there's no way to carry it with my 3 bags in tow (diaper bag, their overnight bag, and the laptop), it was pouring down rain when we boarded in Cedar Island, so I had the big umbrella, and a 4 year old who walks only 2 inches in front of you, while carrying a 20 month old who would jump in the ocean if I put him down. But still, things were great compartively speaking.

So, we arrive in Ocracoke. It's not raining, PRAISE THE LORD! Roman agrees to carry the umbrella and my dad meets us half way across the loading bridge of the ferry. Things are good. We take the boys over to the car, and get the strapped in. I grab the laptop, and kiss the boys goodbye. My dad offers me money to grab something from the snack machine, and I say, "Nah, I'm good. Tim gave me some ones." So, as they drive off, I think "Oh, where did I put my car keys?" I put them in the computer bag, "WHEW!" found them. I'd put them there when we got our of the car at Cedar Island, just in case I forgot about them later. Better be safe than sorry, I thought.

Anyway, I walk over to the snack machines, about a tenth of a mile up the loading area for the ferry. There's this guy from the ferry system standing there. He's already pushed the button for his drink to come out of the drink machine, and he's busy selecting his 2 items from the snack machine, and I'm thinking, "No biggie! I've got time. So what if I'm the last to board on the 5 o'clock ferry? I don't care too much where I'm going to sit." The guy finally finishes, and I reach into my pocket to grab the 2 dollars in quarters that I had safely tucked away that morning. I use those to buy my snacks, and I reach back in my pocket for the couple ones I had in my pocket to buy my Mt. Dew. And I think, "Hmm, this is my last one. Do I have another dollar? I don't want to break my twenty dollar bill to buy my ferry ticket." My next thought was normal too, "Sure, I have those ones Tim gave me. They are right in front on my twenty in my wallet." Then suddenly, "MY WALLET!!!! IT'S IN THE DIAPER BAG!!!! IN MY DAD'S CAR!!!!" Oh, no biggie, I'll call my dad and have him come back, they might miss the 5 o'clock ferry, but there's another one at 5:30 going to Hatteras, no big deal. "MY PHONE WAS WITH MY WALLET IN MY DIAPER BAG!!!"

By this point I began to panic. The people walking outside of their cars waiting on the ferry to load have now began moving back to their cars. "Quick Renata! Think! What's the best thing to do? Do I really need my wallet and my phone? Could I just go home on this ferry and get them on Thursday when I come back to get the boys?" Pause. "NO, I am going all the way to Durham. I'm staying in a hotel. They're going to ask for ID." Pause. "Could I take this ferry back home and come back with my car tomorrow?" Pause. "No, I have to be in Durham by Noon and the first ferry doesn't leave until 7. There's no way to make that." Pause. "IDEA! I can call my dad using someone else's phone." So, I ask the nice looking couple who's walking hand in hand with a little boy who looks about 2. They very sympathetically said, "We don't have one with us." I then remember that I don't have my kids with me, so the sympathy factor has decreased. I move to the ferry line, where I ask this lady who had been pushing a kid in a stroller had left the kid waaaayyy over in the parking lot to hand some guy in their truck a quarter she had found on the ground. Again, a no. The motorcycle guy at the front says, "There's no cell phone reception on the island."

So, I think, hmm, maybe a pay phone. So I see one down by the ferry loading dock, and I head down there. One dollar for long distance. I reach in my pocket and find 75 cents. That Stinks! I need some more change. Of course no one has dropped any on the ground. So I ask these ladies saying their goodbyes at the ferry if they have any change and one graciously grabs her purse out of her car and gives me a quarter! YES! I have a dollar to call! NO! I have no idea what my dad' s cell number is!

Stay tuned for the rest of the story....

Camping--SUPER AWESOME!

2008-06-14T15:41:00.002-04:00

Other than our neighbors letting their kids run around screaming while they drank and laughed obnoxiously loud until after midnight, our camping trip was GREAT! As Tim said, as the beer went down, their voices went UP!! Our kids slept through it though. PRAISE THE LORD!

Maybe we are just getting OLD?!? When we were little our parents made us be quiet during the campground's quiet hours, maybe its just the dawn of a new, rude generation!?!

Summer TIME!!

2008-06-12T23:17:00.005-04:00

So, in case you haven't heard, we are now living in Beaufort. Well, our mailing address is Beaufort, the little town (not really a town, more like several houses in a row with a little green sign in front of them, one of those that you'd miss if you weren't looking for it) we are part of is called Bettie. On a side note, funny story, the first time Tim brought me home to meet his family, we had been out on the boat with one of his friends and had went back to Tim's house to freshen up before heading to his grandparents. He said something about, well, let's hurry up so we can get to Bettie and I asked who she was, thinking she was some aunt that he hadn't introduced me to.

Anyway, things are good. Tim is enjoying his job. It's lots of work, but it's really nice to see him doing something that's more his thing. He's really good at it. I start my volleyball summer workouts next week which I'm really excited about. I have TONS of work to do for teaching Social Studies in the fall, but I'm going to take a weekend off this weekend and just relax with the family.

The boys are great. We had the best day ever today. They were just so good.

Here's some pics I thought I'd share:

This is Tim and Raiden at the beach on Memorial Day.

This is Roman and me. I absolutely adore this picture.

This year was actually the first year we've been to the beach on Memorial Day, and it was super AWESOME!

KU Fans :) Gotta LOVE 'em!

2008-04-26T12:26:00.002-04:00

Okay, I know it's a little late, but just to prove I'm not a sore loser, I decided to post this. This is a pic of my sis-in-law, her kids and her sis, and her daughter, going to greet the newly crowned National Champions at the airport. I have to admit that I slept through their triumphant come-from-behind victory against Memphis; however, I did see the thrashing of UNC. Congratulations guys! You deserve it!

Easter?!!???

2008-03-23T21:01:00.002-04:00

It didn't really feel like Easter to us this year, since we missed the most important part. You know, the Easter service at church?

"Why did we miss it?" you ask. Well, standing in the dugout on Saturday morning 30 minutes before game time for our softball tournament, Roman proceeds to puke all over himself. So, we made a mad dash for home, hoping we'd make it before he got sick again. We arrived home just in time for him to continue puking in the grass. By lunchtime, he had a fever of 102, and he slept for a few hours. He felt better and played outside in the afternoon but felt a little warm when he went to bed last night.

We decided to keep our stomach virus to ourselves, so we stayed home for Easter. We did go for a walk and played outside in the afternoon. By the way, the girls won their softball game 3-0 against the No. 1 ranked 4A team in the state, West Johnston. I'm so proud of them!

The funniest story I can give you for the weekend though is this:

Tim told Roman when we put him to bed that he couldn't come out of his room again last night or the Easter bunny wouldn't come see him. The thought of course was that he'd walk back down the hallway and find his surprises. So a few hours later Roman yelled from his room that he had to potty. I got to his room and told him that he should come on and use the bathroom to which Roman replies, "I can't leave my room Mommy! That rabbit won't come visit!"

Happy Easter everyone!!

5 AM...Blood everywhere!?!?!

2008-03-17T14:04:00.003-04:00

Raiden has never been a good sleeper, so I often find my self in a slow stupor, feeling my way through our dark house to get a cup of milk out of the fridge. Sounds simple yet, it isn't. I have to quietly avoid the detection of my 3-year that is snoring loudly over the humdrum of his aquarium that I meant to fill with water 3 days ago. Next, I have to straddle a 3-foot gate between the hallway and the den. It guards the bedrooms from our loving yet annoying 6 year old mutt named Tic-tac, who although well meaning, wants to snuggle under the covers on cold winter nights, but wakes the house with her night time frolics for water or food. Once I've reached the bright light of the refrigerator, I can only see bright spots as I try to pour milk in a sippy cup, trying not to overfill the cup, I realize that once again, I've left only enough milk in the jug to fill the cup half full, or half empty depending on your position in life. I reach for a new jug only to battle the blindness of the light inside the fridge again. As I'm trying to make sure the top is back on, Raiden's wails grow louder and louder.

I head back through my obstacle course of toys and stacks of clean clothes and jump the gate while the dog groans loudly behind me. Of course, I've awoken the sleeping menace and I must jump back across the gate to let the dog outside before the entire house is awaken. I wait impatiently for the dog that only stares in the coolness of the morning back up at the closed door. I realize the dog doesn't need to use the bathroom; she just wants to invade the comforts of my bed. I let the dog back inside and it's a mad dash to the hallway. Man vs. beast...of course the dog wins. Now, here I am trying to get the dog back into the den, I'm trying to use my stern, intimidating voice to get the dog to abide by my whispered commands, while Raiden is still screaming "bloody murder", my 3 year old is still in dream land, and my husband probably has a pillow over his head.

With a little persuasion, I achieve my objective and pull the pocket door shut behind the dog. She's resigned the fact that she will be able to join the comforts of my bed and quiets down behind the door, as I move back down the hallway. I open the door to Raiden's room and walk over to his crib, where he has begun to soothe as he sees his rescuer in all her early morning beauty arriving to free him from his caged bed. As I pull him over the crib rail, he rests his little head on my shoulder and wraps his arms around me. Ahhh, those sweet moments in the night!

We arrive in my bedroom, as I've said this is a fairly usual occurrence, and begin to get all tucked in. As I reach to put his sippy cup to his mouth, the light from my son's aquarium across the hall displays an unusual finding. What is that under his nose?!? As I look closer, it appears to be on his forehead as well. I reach for the light as I bellow out, "Is this puke or blood?" My sleep-deprived husband turns over and suggests, "Kool-Aid!" A common beverage for our house, if there were no Kool-Aid, what would we drink? As the light sheds a little truth to the scene, I begin rambling about the impossibilities of this idea. "There's no way it could be Kool-Aid, he hasn't had any since Saturday," I recollect. "BLOOD!" I identify it as if an intruder has just entered our home. We scan the 18 month old, who's still blinking from the bright light that has interrupted his sleepiness, trying to find the source of this bloodshed. From his nose oozed a little blood, and by the time my husband is able to get a wet washcloth, the bleeding is beginning to cease.

A quick call to my parents confirmed the idea that had first come to mind. My dad had experienced nosebleeds the previous week, due to sinus problems, so we had a pretty good idea that this situation had the same culprit.

To sum it all up, a prescription from the doctor and one sick day later, Raiden is on his way to recovery. I guess I'll never quite get used to the surprises of parenthood, but then, what kinds of stories would I have to tell without them?