Summer Wrap Up in 2014

I found it impossible to sit down and write all summer with both kids home with me. If one didn’t need something, the other did. Every time I had intentions of sitting down to write, it just never worked out until I finally just gave up and stopped trying. It still has not gotten any better, but for right now at this moment, I am giving it my all.

So what can I say about summer? It was a pretty good one. All is mended with Scott. Somehow we are communicating even when fighting, so things remain good because there are no hurt feelings bubbling below anyone’s surface. We spent a lot of time at the lake this summer. My favorite aunt and uncle had a death in the family, which brought them to Kentucky, so we had a quick turn around trip there for the weekend and got to see them. I vowed to connect more with my friends and to get the kids out more, though that didn’t really happen.

So when I say we spend a lot of time on the lake, I’m not talking about a boat. We bought season passes to a water park that is on the lake beachfront. It’s fantastic because the water is refreshing and the beach clean. The kids have water slides and splash pads to play in, and Scott and I enjoy the food and drinks the restaurants on the boardwalk have. We spent almost every Saturday of the summer there. Salem learned how to swim in the lake too.

Fourth of July we were invited to a friend’s lake house on the complete opposite side of the lake. We spent the day at the water park, and then went and met them there for dinner and fireworks. We went out into the middle of the dark lake which hundreds of other boats and watched multiple firework shows all over the lake. It was beautiful. The kids loved being with their friends and going on their first real boat ride.

The visit to with my aunt and uncle was short, but I really needed it. I was very happy that when I asked Scott if we could make the 5-hour drive there and back for just one night, he didn’t even bat an eye and was completely understanding of why I need to see family. We stayed in the same hotel they were in and got there late afternoon. The kids went swimming while we waited for them to get back from the funeral. We all changed and then went out to dinner. We stayed up talking late in the hotel room afterwards. They had such an early flight that they ended up with only 4 hours of sleep and we of course didn’t get to see them in the morning because we were still sleeping. The drove there and back was beautiful, and after driving across the country for 5 days, 5 hours in the car really doesn’t seem like much. Plus now we get to say we have seen yet another state.

The church did a family style Vacation Bible School in the evenings that was full of fun and games. Salem was very timid and didn’t want to do any challenges because they were on stage, but on the last night Scott and I got up on stage and did one with her, and we won! It was such a good experience. Salem collected a lot of raffle tickets over the course of VBS and turned them all in on the last night. We won a family gift box full of stuff for a movie night, a few board games, and some outdoor toys. We also won a gift card to Fridays for a family dinner night. The most amazing part to me was Salem doing that challenge. She is always second guessing herself and always talking about how she is so shy and just not willing to do anything. I’ve been praying for a really long time for her to break out of that mind set, and I think that was the start of something that clicked in her.

We got two kittens that we adopted from the Humane Society. I fell in love with one of them, Salem the other. Scott didn’t want to make us choose, and he didn’t have to because they were two for one. The cats are just now starting to tolerate the dog, but they still pretty much hate him. We are still holding out hope though that they will get a long and give the dog some companionship. Either way though, we love them!

At the end of Summer (well I guess Salem’s Summer) Scott was laid off. It was not at all what we were expecting with the big merger, but nonetheless, it happened. I still haven’t told anyone outside of my friends at church and my parents because I don’t want to make people panic. He got two months of continual pay, plus a severance we will receive at the end of September. He’s had a couple of good interviews, but no job offers yet. It is of course stressful, but I am not necessarily scared yet. I think we were both hoping he would have something by now, but we are trusting in God for the right job. The company is doing their best to take care of him. They have already offered him his old job back (he doesn’t want it because of pay) and set him up to interview for a position he didn’t apply for, but the pay was way off from what he was told. He has an interview next week for another position, and it is where he wants to be. The company tried to get him interested in it while we were still in California, but it never worked out right. As soon as the manager in that department found out he was laid off, he called him and told him he wanted him in there, but just needed the jobs to be posted. It is the department that is essentially getting the software the Scott was already selling as a separate entity, so it is a perfect position for him and the pay is exactly what we need it to be. We are pretty positive that is where he will end up.

At about the same time, our friend from church was also laid off. Him and his wife asked if I could help out with their son when he interviewed so they didn’t have to spend money on day care and I said of course. He is six months younger than Ian, and they play really well together at church, but not always outside of service. It has really been awesome though because we have had him over a lot, and Ian has learned a lot of patience, how to share, and what it means to be a friend. It is helping them out, but it’s an answer prayer for me, because I didn’t know how to teach him that without sending him off to preschool or something. They are pretty cute together. It’s a jot for me to watch, and his mom really likes getting the pictures I take.

Salem started third grade the second week of August, and my brother got here for a two week visit at the same time. Salem really likes her teacher this year, and is enjoying everything she is learning so far. While my brother was here we took him to the lake, and just kind of showed him things we do here. We took him to a few parks, the mall we shop at, and our favorite restaurants. He was also here to celebrate Salem’s birthday, which was nice. Salem decided that she didn’t want to have an actual birthday party this year and wanted to go to Six Flags instead. We ended up buying season passes instead of doing the party thing. We got a lot of coupons and we were able to get my brother, plus Justin and Destiny in for $10 each on her birthday. They came down from Nashville for the weekend to celebrate Salem with us. Her best friend Julia Kate and her have the same birthday, so we spent the morning before at her house for a mommy daughter brunch that she chose to have for her party. It was so cute!!!

Last week Salem came tried out for the Christmas pageant at church, and will be performing. Again I was ecstatic because again it is something working towards her getting over her fear and conquering feeling shy. And then on Friday she came home with a letter from school saying that her teacher picked her to be a student ambassador for new students in her classroom. We were overjoyed with that and Salem is really proud of telling people that it’s because she isn’t shy. And for the first time, Scott played with the worship team on Sunday morning. I have been praying really hard about that one for quite some time. He still just says he was filling in, but I am praying it grows on him and he wants to join the team full time.

My mom gets here for a visit next Wednesday. She will be here for Ian’s birthday and the kids have no idea she is coming so I am really looking forward to that visit. Fall Bible Study is starting next Monday and I am looking forward to spending time with my girlfriends again. Rehearsals for the Christmas Pageant start next week too. We have a lot to occupy the time coming up, I just really would like things to go back to normal because it feels like we have been on vacation the last month with Scott home every day.

Oh, and I have been working out. I did awesome for two and a half months, until my brother got here, and that threw things way off. I lost 8 pounds prior to him being here, and am sure I gained some, if not all of that back while he was here, I just don’t know how much. I have started back up though, but am doing three times the amount of cardio, and I can already see a difference, I am just too scared to get on the scale and see. I am proud of myself and that feels good.

These are just a bunch of random pictures from different days at the lake.

Ian has come to really enjoy picking out his clothes for the day, and he has really gotten good at building stuff with Lego’s.

Pictures from our Fourth of July boat trip.

The box we won at VBS!

The kids visited the dentist over break. It was Ian’s first visit and he did great!

The cats. The black one is Salem’s. His name is Hershey. The calico is mine. Her name is Flora, and she doesn’t have a tail. The picture of me with her, is the first time I picked her up. How could I not take her home after that?

Celebrating my friend Sarah’s 30th birthday.

Salem at her sneak-a-peek day, and on her first day of school.

Ian pretending to take a nap with Avner, the little boy I baby sit.

Camping out for Salem’s birthday.

Salem and me at Julia-Kate’s party.

Cake for breakfast!

Random pictures from Salem’s day at Six Flags.

Scott playing at church. He’s the one all dark. LOL..