Rough one

It's been a rough day. I've been particularly weepy.

-sigh-

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you that are still praying for our family. It means so very much. Keep it coming, if you don't mind :-)

The slow, painful death of a laptop computer...

Yes. My laptop is dying. It is very sad. You see, I love my computer very much. I've had it for about three or four years and It has been good to me. But now the whirring sound that my hard drive is making is telling me that the end is near. Fortunately, I have all the important stuff backed up (thanks, Mom - again). Also fortunately, we are computer junkies so I have not lost my ability to connect to the internet. SO I shall keep you updated on the fate of my Dell.

Love your computers, folks. They will not last forever.

Hail to the chief...

Micah was sitting at the kitchen counter Thursday evening having his snack. He was playing with this wooden flower thing I have, pretending it was a pencil and his napkin, a piece of paper. He told me he was writing letters. The first was to George Washington. I asked him to read it to me.

"Dear George Washington, I hope you are having fun with Caleb. I want to be just like you when I grow up."

"You want to be just like George Washington?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied. "I want to be the FIRST President of the United States!"

Theory on life...

You know, in the midst of all that life has held in the past years for us, I've come up with a theory. It goes as follows:

God doesn't owe us anything. He never said life would be easy or fun. Actually, He told us quite the opposite; that we would face trials of many kinds to help shape our character and develop perseverence. The only things He promised us were joy (which is a choice), wisdom, His strength when ours is not enough, that He would never have us face anything that we could not bear without His help, etc.

So each day happens. If it's a particularly good one -- bonus. If it's not, we'll make it.

Every day is a gift. You don't get any of them back.

That is what I've learned. I'm hoping to "master" this way of thinking to make my journey between the trees a little more bearable. It doesn't mean that I don't get sad or excited or frustrated. One of my biggest fears is walking around having a chip on my shoulder like someone owes me something. Our friend, Rob Stoppard, calls that the "victim mentality". We're not victims -- everything we experience in a result of our choice in one way or another.

..... I'm getting sidetracked.

Your thoughts....

(have a good weekend, by the way :-)

Book Reports

As I sit here and type, I am listening to my 6th grade students present their book reports. So far we've had Pollyanna, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Still to come, I believe are Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, the Indian in the Cupboard and a couple of others. Good stuff. They are doing a fine job. They're pretty facinated on how Injun Joe killed the doctor right now.

So what favorite books do we have out there? I've read a few that I've about done backflips over. For the last year or so, I've been on a big Tedd Dekker kick. I LOVE his stuff - he's brilliant. I've read the Circle trilogy (Black, Red and White), Obsessed, Blink and my very VERY favorite is Thr3e. I have his new one, Showdown, is in my bag (thanks, Mom). I hope to start it this weekend. I also like stuff by Beverly Lewis, Terri Blackstock, Francine Rivers, Lori Wick, Dee Henderson, Ray Blackston... the list goes on. I generally stick to Christian fiction. I'm glad there are some really talented authors in this genre. Don't get me wrong - I've read some stuff that's pretty cheesy, too. But, in general, that's my preference.

How about y'all?

Valentine's Day pictures

Alright, friends. Welcome to the first installment of "Pictures with Katy". These are pictures from the holiday of LOOOOOVE!! AKA - St. Valentine's Day.



Esta es la Hummer que Josh construyo. For those of you not fluent in Spanish - this is the Hummer that Josh built. He did just about all of it all by his little ol' self. I helped with the front bumper and Matt helped with the luggage rack. Yes, we know it kind of resembles a school bus, but he insisted on making it yellow. It's actually a box for Valentines. He was awarded first prize in the contest for Valentine's boxes between all the 6th and 7th graders. Yea Josh!!



These are the pretty-ful flowers that my super groovy husband got for me. Yea Matt!



This is my baby daddy and me. hee hee. I am so thankful to have spent 15 Valentine's Days with this wonderful man.



How many of you got a Valentine's kiss like this? Jacob and me. Don't be jealous...



Micah and his best buddy.

Love, peace and happiness to all! XOXO

Pictures a'comin'...

Hey friends. I finally got some of the pictures off of my camera and onto my computer today so I will be sharing them soon. I've gotta fix all of the red eyes -- my boys all look like little demons!

We've been tossing the sickness around still this week. How very annoying. Jacob was vomitting this weekend and now Micah has been croupy and looks a little puny. Please pray we get all this stinkin' sickness out of our house! Argh!

I hope all of my blog-o-licious friend out there are doing well. Holla at yo' girl...

February 21st

Today was the final in what I consider to be three significant hurdles. I know people just walked around going about their normal Tuesday business. I felt as if I wanted to stop them and say, "Don't you realize what today is and how hard it is for me?" But the world went on as usual.

Today should have been a day with birthday cake, laser tag and presents. Today is the day my son, Caleb, would have turned 11 years old. In some ways, it was harder than the other two hurdles, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I guess it's because one's birthday is about just that person and no one else.

-sigh- I miss him so much I can hardly stand it sometimes.

Sometimes when I get really down, I imagine what my sweet son might be doing in heaven. I wonder if they celebrate birthdays and what an 11 year old does up there for fun. Matt, the boys and I have had some fun conversations about this. Josh thinks he's driving a Hummer and skateboarding with my grandma. I've decided he might be an activities director of sorts; planning scavenger hunts, bingo and the like.

So we went to the Baltimore aquarium today. At first, I was fighting depression so bad, I didn't want to go anywhere. Once we got there, though, it was great. I am finding that keeping the mind busy is a good way to cope with grief.

Thanks for sharing in my thoughts today. Our family can still use all the prayer we can get!



Joshua, Caleb and Tucker



Caleb being... Caleb



My boys

Does anyone else think my sister looks like Drew Barrymore?

I was watching "Never Been Kissed" this weekend -- we were snowed in so a lot of TV was watched. It's great movie. See it immediately if you have not already!

Anyway, I was watching the end where she was at prom with her hair up and was thinking how she reminds me of Jen(Our grandma always used to say that, too). So I was sitting there thinking may be it was just me when my 6-year-old said, "She looks like Aunt Jenny." So there. Validated by an observant 6-year-old.

Anyone agree (besides the obvious fact that my sister has more natural charm, beauty and radiance)?

Happy Valentine's Day

Hey everybody. Happy v-day. Hope you were able to celebrate those you love. Pictures of our festivities coming soon...

4

This is fun. Feel free to copy and do your own...

FOUR cities you've lived in
1. Colstrip, Montana
2. Marion, Ohio
3. Huntsville, Alabama
4. Parkville, Maryland

FOUR TV SHOWS YOU LOVE TO WATCH:
1. SNL
2. Amazing Race
3. ER
4. Law and Order SVU

FOUR PLACES YOU'VE BEEN ON VACATION:
1. Myrtle Beach, SC
2. St. Louis, MO
3. Orlando, FL
4. Gatlinburg, TN

FOUR WEBSITES YOU VISIT DAILY:
1. My yahoo mail
2. My blog
3. accuweather
4. myspace

FOUR OF YOUR ALL TIME FAVORITE RESTAURANTS:
1. Red Brick Station
2. Olive Garden
3. El Salto
4. Don Pablo's

FOUR OF YOUR FAVORITE FOODS:
1. crab dip
2. lasagna
3. chocolate chip cookies
4. BBQ pork

FOUR THINGS YOU'VE DONE TODAY:
1. packed three lunches
2. sang
3. prepared 6th graders for a history test
4. kissed my husband

FOUR THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT LIFE RIGHT NOW:
1. my family
2. the fact that my CD is getting done
3. my friends
4. my flannel sheets

FOUR THINGS THAT YOU WOULDN'T WANT TO BE WITHOUT:
1. my family
2. my dog
3. my palm pilot
4. the ability to sing

FOUR FAVORITE PIECES OF CLOTHING:
1. the jeans I bought in Lancaster
2. my beige coat
3. my hooded sweatshirts
4. my brown pants

FOUR PEOPLE YOU CAN DEPEND ON:
1. Matt
2. my sister
3. my parents
4. my Jess

FOUR FAVORITE BANDS/SINGERS:
1. Eva Cassidy
2. Switchfoot
3. anything '80's
4. Kelly Clarkson

FOUR THINGS YOU ALWAYS HAVE WITH YOU:
1. cell phone
2. iPod
3. my palm pilot
4. my crocheting

FOUR THINGS YOU ALWAYS DO AT WORK/SCHOOL:
1. hang with Jess and Lynn
2. put beans in a jar
3. grade stuff
4. go up and down the stairs

FOUR THINGS YOU MISS:
1. Caleb
2. being a teenager
3. Jimmy Fallon and Chris Kattan on SNL
4. sleeping in

Girlfriends and good food

Tonight was really cool. See, I have these girlfriends. They're all women I've known from being involved in MOPS (Mothers of PreScholers)over the course of the past six years. I haven't been able to go to the meetings anymore since I'm working now. Anyway, a group of us try to get together in the evenings when we can. We talk about everything and nothing. We eat and laugh and try to figure out how to be better moms, wives and women. It's quite wonderful.

In the wake of my family's tradgedy this summer, we talked a lot about my family and how we're doing and how this changes life and how we see it. I'm a talker so for me, tonight was very therapeutic. It amazes and impresses me that five busy women with their own stress and craziness would take the time and mental energy to be there for a friend and emotionally invest in a heart-wrenching topic.

I look forward to many more girls' nights out to come. Thank you Heidi, Ellen, McKenzie, Wendy and Kerri for being there. I am so blessed to know all of you.

Rain

Oh if only it were about 25 degrees colder - the ground would be covered in snow and I would most likely be at home in my jammies. but alas, it is raining -- and quite hard at that.

Why does the rain make me (and those around me) so sleepy? What is it about the precipitation that makes me want to curl up in my sweats, watch a good movie and do NOTHING!? What are your favorite rainy day movies?

Cuteness

I ran across this pic the other day and thought I'd share it. It's my youngest son, Jacob, and I at his friend's birthday party. We're in a fire truck, though you can't really tell that by the picture! (Isn't he cute?)



This is Jacob and birthday boy, Carson, at said party.

Happy New Year...

A very happy 2006 to everyone! I can definitely say that I am glad to put 2005 behind us - it is an understatement to say it was a rough year.

I'm going to try to get back on track with my blog. I mean, it is an injustice to keep all of this wisdom and wit inside my own head!

Hope your first 14 days of the year have been good. Here we roll....

Those crazy Christians...

OK. I'm a bit disturbed by a thread I've seen as I've watched TV this week. Thursday night on Law and Order CI, an abortion doctor was killed by a psycho Christian with inside information and good aim. The Lord apparently spoke to him and told him that he was saving countless lives by shooting a man in front of his 5-year-old daughter.

Last night, same show (rerun on USA), a religious mother builds a car bomb in an attempt to kill herself and her four children. She tells her son it is the hard road to heaven. She and her oldest son survive and she goes to jail.

So I stay up way to late and watch the Soup's year and review (I find Joel McHale very amusing, I admit). Of course among the top clips from 2005 we find the crazy Christian lady from Wife Swap who screams, commands everyone to leave in Jesus' name and attempts to tear up the check from the show (which she later decides to keep). She rants and raves from behind her tooth about how demonic and horrible everything is.

My question is this -- is this the way the majority of Christians are viewed by the general public or are these examples just picked because they make more interesting television?

Blogging absence...

This is a picture of my boys and Tucker last Christmas.

OK..I've not blogged in awhile. There have been several reasons. I have been very busy... I know, everyone has. This past week, though, I've had sick kids (one with a sinus infection; one with a sinus and double ear infections and double and walking pneumonia; the other generally OK but with a slight cough and attitude problems -- and last I checked, there is no medication for that!), a student recital for 11 of my piano/voice/flute students, a school Christmas program for which I was the drama director, Christmas shopping and tyring to get some meaningful academics in the heads of my 6th graders before they break for the holidays.

The other main reason is because I've been very up and down emotionally. Understandable. I suppose the blogging would be theraputic when I feel that way, but I just haven't been up to it. I miss Caleb terribly. I so have not been in the mood for the holidays this year. We don't even have our tree up yet, but Josh is going to put it up today. Micah and Jacob are looking forward to that. There have been some other highly stressful things as well that I will leave unmentioned

I am so thankful in the midst of everything for all of the friends and family that we have lifting us up in prayer. I know it makes such a huge difference. Even with all of the teachers I work with -- I've known all of them (except Jess) less than a year and they've all been so sweet.

We're headed to Ohio Christmas day. I am looking forward to hangin' with my homies.

Have a merry Christmas all...

Seven Things

Seven things I want to do before I die:
See "Phantom of the Opera" (on stage, not the movie)
Become fluent in Spanish
Take tap dancing lessons
Travel out of the country
Go on a cruise
Sing the National Anthem at a sporting event
Ride in a hot air balloon

Seven things I cannot do:
The splits
A cartwheel
Go to sleep with cold feet (had to steal that one, Jen)
Whistle through my fingers
Play the drums
Sleep on the floor (without an air mattress)
Shoot a 3-pointer

Seven things that attract me to my spouse:
His honesty
His ability to be laid back
His preaching
The way he smiles at me
The way he loves our boys
His support in everything I do
The way he makes me feel safe

Seven things I say most often:
See...
Whoopsie doodles
Absolutely
I love you
Crap
Oh snap
Cool

Seven books I love:
the Bible
Thr3e - Ted Dekker
Redeeming Love - Francine Rivers
Pretense - Lori Wick
the Olivia books - Ian Falconer
Mary Magdalene - Ellen Gunderson Traylor
Flabergasted - Ray Blackston

Seven Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
Napoleon Dynamite
the Princess Bride
Patch Adams
Remember the Titans
Funny Girl
Gone with the Wind
Monsters, Inc.

Alone?

My husband is watching an engaging PBS program called "Alone in the Wilderness". This incredibly resourceful man is building a cabin and completely living off of the land all by himself. It is a bit facinating.

My only question is, if he truly is "alone in the wilderness", who is holding the camera?

Movie Review - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

OK. So instead of my nap, we decided to take in a flick -- the much anticipated Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.

I think the strongest testament to this film is that my four-year-old sat through the entire 126 minutes of it. It was beautifully done and very engaging. I read the book to Joshua and Caleb a few years ago and have seen bits and pieces of the old BBC version (which is less than spectacular). I was amazed that this Disney version of the book closely matched the pictures in my mind while reading the book. Mr. Tumnus, for example, matches the illustration from the book (on the cover, I believe) and the chain of events matches the story exactly (as I remember anyway. I'll have to get your opinion on it, Jen). The talking animals and other special effects are wonderful as is the countryside where it was filmed. The spiritual message was not compromised and was surprisingly obvious including Aslan, the lion, using the words, "It is finished" and much talk about sacrifice and good and evil.

All five of us enjoyed it immensely. I hope you get a chance to see it soon -- especially on the big screen.

TTFN :-)

Snow Day!!

Well, it's 12:15 in the afternoon and I'm still in my pajamas...with a big ol' smile on my face! At approximately 5:45am, I saw those four beautiful words on the TV screen -- "Baltimore County Schools - Closed" Yesssssssss. This is my first official snow day. How absolutely divine.

I honestly am hoping to get some much needed housework done. Matt is going to take the boys for some much needed haircuts. Later, I even may take a much needed nap! Life is good :-)

The highest achivement in, perhaps, my entire life...

OK. I have just created a myspace account and subsequently, been added to Jess' top eight list! I know, I know. This is the stuff dreams are made of. I have to stop typing now because the tears may start to flow. So much emotion....

As soon as I figure out how to use myspace, I'll invite you to take a peek. Have a blessed night and PRAY HARD for SNOW tomorrow night!!! It's comin'!!!

That's all I have to say about that.

What I learned in school today...

1. A two hour delay makes sixth graders very hyper (like they needed help with that).
2. A child having an asthma attack will leave large sweat marks on a gym floor (and that I can run up a flight of steps in about 7 seconds to get an inhaler from the office)
3. When you bring leftover pizza for lunch, they honestly think you'll give them a bite if they look pitiful enough (OK...she got a piece of sausage out of me).
4. Be careful how you pronounce schist (it's a metamorphic rock).
5. When kids do something wrong, somehow it's never their fault.

I'm learning so much in school this year...

Big plans for Friday night...

Don't envy my exciting life when you read all that I have planned for tonight. I finally picked up the new DDR Extreme 2 tonight and am looking forward to getting my groove on. My friend, Jess, is coming over to join me. I think we may do a little Karaoke Revolution Party, too. I may bake some brownies or something.

Oh, now I've gone and make you all jealous. I'm sorry.... OK. Not really. Hope your Friday is half as exciting as mine :-)

Joy

I was thinking about joy yesterday. We typically associate joy with happiness. What if that's not at all what God intended joy to be? The Bible says to count it all joy when we face trials and suffering (I think that's James 2. I suppose I should get up and check) so that doesn't seem to make any sense. How can happiness be connected with trials and suffering? How can we put into practice in our everyday lives that joy is something that is within, based on the fact that God is ultimately in control? Nothing is a surprise to Him or out of His control. That alone should give us the peace that passes all of our natural understanding, which, ultimately, is what true joy is about.

That's what I think, anyway...

Cub

This is my son, Caleb. He went to be with Jesus almost 4 months ago now. I miss him terribly. He was such a sweet kid. You can see more about Cub here I'm sure I'll talk about him quite a bit....

My seester and me...

My seester and me...

My First Blog

Wow. It's like my first big girl shoes or something but they're not pink with bows. Huh. Let the randomness begin!

(A big shout out to my big seester. Holla)