Life with a TEENAGER...

So, it's 5:00 p.m. on Friday evening... I'm on my way home, tired from a long week at work and just ready to put on my pajamas and veg out in front of the TV all night, when I get a call from my 14 year old. He wants to go to the basketball game in town and a 5th Quarter event at our church after the game. The kicker is the church event doesn't get done until 11:30 p.m. (Most of you know that I'm not a morning person, but I'm also not a late night person. I'm normally in bed by 9:30 or 10:00 p.m. I know that's totally wimpy, but I've always required a lot of sleep.)
So, being a parent for over a decade now, I'm quite used to running my kids around; boy scouts one night, church another, at various times basketball/baseball/soccer, etc... I'm totally fine with all of that. I normally stay for whatever event is going on, and those events get done at a reasonable hour in the evening. I'm just not ready to leave my child unsupervised somewhere for hours, and then have to pick him up well after my bedtime. On top of that, we live 20 minutes from town. It's not like a quick trip to pick him up.
I guess we've been fortunate that most everything we do is together as a family. Jordan really doesn't ask to go to many events. He would rather be hunting or fishing, instead of going to social events.

Reflections...

Well, I just finished my first week of full-time employment. I can't believe I've been out of college for 15 years, and have yet to work a full-time job. So, here's a few reflections on my week:

• Phew! I am exhausted! I used to work Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from about 8:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. My new job is five days a week from 7:20 a.m. to 5:40 p.m. I have been quite spoiled! Maybe, spoiled isn't the right word? How about blessed? I feel blessed to have been able to be home most of the time with my boys while they were younger. Those are cherished years!
• While we are on the subject of me leaving for work at 7:20 a.m., I don't think I mentioned that I am not an early morning person. I detest getting up early, just ask my husband and kids. So in this matter, I have been spoiled!
• I don't get home until about 5:40 p.m., and the boys get home around 3:40 p.m., which leaves them alone for two hours in the afternoon. I didn't anticipate that being so difficult for me, but I feel like I have abandoned them. For instance, if it was raining I always picked them up from the bus at the end of the drive (which is quite long). Wouldn't you know it, but twice this week it was pouring down rain when they got off the bus. I felt so guilty for not being there to pick them up. They have also picked up some additional chore responsibilities during those two hours, like cleaning and cooking. They have always helped around the house, but now I feel guilty for having them do those things, because I am not there. For the last 14+ years, my main job has been to take care of my boys, so it's been difficult to make this transition.
• My new job is about 35-40 minutes from my home, which leaves me long amounts of time alone in the car. I've been able to watch the sunrise each morning on my way to work. I just got a new MP3 player for my listening enjoyment. I also pulled out my audio CD's of the Bible and have been listening to those during my commute. I have already come to enjoy those semi-quite times.
• I have to take an hour long lunch break each day, which I am not used to doing. That seemed a bit odd at first, but it has been nice to be able to run errands, do grocery shopping or just get out of the office.
• O.k., so enough about me complaining about being tired, getting up early and missing my boys, I love my new job! My new boss is a very nice, helpful, Christian man who I think will be a joy to work with. The people in the student affairs department all seem very nice, and many of them are Christian folks also. The gal that used to hold this position is just down the hall a few doors, so she has also been very helpful in answering questions. The administrative/scheduling/detail orientated work is what I love to do, so I am in my element there! I think it will be a good fit!

One Year Later...

I just had to show you a picture of our latest wall decoration. Jordan shot his big buck over a year ago, and has been eagerly awaiting the call from the taxidermist saying it was done. We picked "Red" up on Wednesday. You can't tell from the picture, but the fur on top of his head has a very reddish tint to it. I think he looks quite handsome! (Dan's big buck he shot in late 2006 should be done within the next few months, so "Red" won't be lonely for long.) Jor is pretty proud of his new trophy, and was talking about how that deer mount will be one the few items he will cherish and hold onto over his lifetime.

Awwwwwww!

Thursday was my last day at the church, so I spent part of the day cleaning out my office and erasing old files on my computer. I came to the "My Pictures" folder and found a file named "I Love You Corrie." I stopped for a moment, knowing that I didn't create that file. Then it dawned on me that my husband must have put it on my computer. Apparently, he created several years ago and I never found it until my last day at work! Awwwww! I thought that was so sweet!