We are all moved in.  Most boxes are emptied, but my garage is FULL of stuff I’m not going to use.  The kids are loving the pool and I’m thrilled with the house.  We’re taking a little trip to celebrate the 4th, but I’ll be back to regular posting next week.

Have a great holiday!

We left for Illinois on Wednesday to tie up the last loose ends of our move on that end.   It was interesting to pack the truck with patio furniture, bicycles, Keith’s motorcycle, the lawnmower and anything else that wouldn’t fit in a box.  Thursday morning Lexi and I had coffee with Vivien (Justine and Aiden) and Kyla, then ran errands while Keith wrestled our belongings into the truck.  Thursday evening we had dinner with our friends Jeff & Lisa and Gary & Laddie.   Friday morning we hugged Maria goodbye - she and Jack loved our cats and cared for our home while we were away.  It saddens me that we did too little, too late with our friendships.

We closed on our house and started the trek home.  Max and Sophie (the cats) quieted quickly and slept most of the way.  I stopped at Kaci’s to leave the cats and Lexi for a couple of days.   We close on our home in Oklahoma on Wednesday.   Moving in is one of my favorite things - I love to organize and make it “ours”.  Knowing this is my absolute last move, I plan to have nothing in storage other than holiday decorations.  If I can’t use it, I am getting rid of it.

Being without internet for the last couple of days sort of broke my “habit” - so today I went through and unsubbed from a lot of mail sites and blogs I read.  I am going to limit my online time and put more focus on my real life.  I’m debating whether to continue blogging.

I also have a new author - Katrina Kittle.  I read her book “Kindness of Strangers” during our trip and have to say WOW.  The subject was troubling but I was riveted.  If I could have read while driving I would have.  I am seeking out her other books.

Kaci and Brad’s Sunday school class is studying Ten Commandments from the Backside - and this week they discussed “Thou Shalt Not Steal”. We’ve all been victims of theft and we’re all guilty of taking things that don’t belong to us. Robbery, kidnapping or embezzlement are vivid examples, but what about taking advantage, long term “borrowing”, or overlooking mistakes? Long ago, taking someone’s cow might have grave consequences to a family. Today, noticing you weren’t charged for the water in the bottom of your shopping cart doesn’t really “harm”…or does it?

All week long this topic has weighed on me - and this story is in my thoughts. In my former life with BIG BUSINESS, I accepted a promotion to run a facility where the exiting Sr. Manager was being recognized and rewarded by top leadership and groomed as “the Golden Boy”, he was honored as Sr. Manager of the Year and was moving up in the company. Typically my jobs were comprised of hiring, firing, training and general clean up of messes made by incompetent management, so stepping into a spotlight job was an exciting change for me.

A couple of weeks in my new big office, imagine my surprise when I reviewed an invoice for gas - the charge ticket was signed by Mr. Golden Boy’s girlfriend for her personal vehicle. Curious, I pulled some files and found he had paid her “contract labor” as well as listed her as an employee (so she had health insurance), put a new motor in her vehicle, rented an SUV while her car was in the shop AND paid her travel mileage. On my office supply bill, there were lunch boxes, back packs and a dorm refrigerator. I uncovered expenses that totaled $40,000 in just a few months. At that point I stopped looking because I didn’t want to know.

As I reviewed reports, I noted hours some employees worked were completed “off the clock”, meaning they weren’t getting paid. It was one thing after the other. Suddenly, this location that WAS the shining star, was now running over budget. I was paying the employees for their hours, catching up back bills that had been hidden away, and taking the time to do things right. More hours, more expenses and a productivity tank. My boss was on my case.

I did what I thought was right and went to Mr. Golden Boy with the remainder of the unpaid bills. He laughed and said that “discretionary spending” was a fringe benefit of upper management. He suggested I go buy some furniture and just shut up.

Now what? I love to shop and that is usually my distraction of choice, but…um….no.  Silly me, I had been using my own checkbook. (insert scarasm here)  Besides that wouldn’t really help me cheat payroll, now would it?  Or live with myself.

I continued to look like an incompetent manager while quietly fixing the problems and the heat from above became intense. My director drilled me on a conference call with my peers. From his vantage point, the problems started with my leadership. Here I was doing my best to balance leadership with integrity and loyalty - and I was being cast as THE problem.

That was 14 years ago, but it’s still as vivid in my mind as if it were yesterday. What would you do? I’ll post later what ultimately happened, but I’m curious to see what others think. I’ve had great bosses and crappy ones - those at the director level of BIG BUSINESS can be wonderful leaders or smart-ass snakes. In my decade of Sr. Management, I did not ever experience anything in the middle.

Shoot me a note with what you think would have been an appropriate choice - and remember at that time I was not in a position to throw my career out the window.

In all the excitement of Keith’s new job, our house selling, and buying another home in Oklahoma - we felt a huge rush of happiness and relief. There was no doubt in our minds that God was blessing our family with this opportunity. We heard comments like “Wow, what luck!” or “Super timing”, which we were quick to joyfully credit back to God’s graciousness.

Then, something went wrong. Another something went wrong. Some things presented in a certain way were really a screwed up mess. There has been impatience, disrespect, and what *I* will label dishonesty. Riding the crest of God’s good-will was suddenly dunked into a hole of doubt and worry. I actually said to myself “God, I thought You were preparing our way???” My mind has been running wild with the concern that we acted impulsively, that the lesson wasn’t opportunity and perhaps we jumped the gun.

A message crossed my path this morning - the story of Abram, told in Genesis. Abram had faith and he was obedient - but that didn’t mean his journey to fulfill God’s promise was free of obstacles. An interesting observation to me is that our faith was not strengthened by the joy, but becomes our rock during the hard times. Some days I feel weary (and my troubles are minuscule compared to many), I struggle to balance my trust in God to lead me, with the efforts of being a responsible human being.

My prayers are simple but intentional, “God, help me to trust in You and be confident that you are in control”.

Sometimes I lift my feet off the ground and say “SEE GOD?? My very being rests in YOUR hands.” But He knows my worries, my skepticism and self-doubt. When I truly give my burdens over, my heart feels a shift of relief. It’s hard to describe, but try it for yourself. But you can’t be half-assed serious. He is not fooled.

My friend Sandy posted this yesterday - and it made me laugh out loud.

Butt Prints in the Sand

One night I had a wondrous dream,
One set of footprints there were seen.
The footprints of my precious Lord,
But mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger’s prints appeared
And I asked the Lord, “Where have we been?
Those prints are large and round and neat
But Lord, they are too big for feet.”

“My child”, He said in somber tones,
“For miles I carried you alone.
I challenged you to walk in faith,
But you refused and made Me wait.

You disobeyed, and you would not grow.
The walk of faith you would not know
And there I dropped you on your butt
Because in life there comes a time
When one must fight, and one must climb,
When one must rise and take a stand
Or leave their butt prints in the sand.”

Tonight was Lexi’s piano recital, the grand finale to all our activities in Illinois. Tomorrow all of our belongings are being loaded into 2 big trucks for the trek to Oklahoma. Everything is going into storage for the time being. We close on this house June 20 and haven’t purchased another one yet. I am surrounded by boxes, all taped and labeled. My laundry is done, cabinets are empty and bathrooms are clean.

Any time I have to say goodbye, I cry. Any time anyone ever has to say goodbye, for any reason, I cry. I am excited beyond words to be going home, but I’ve made some really sweet friends here. Vivien, Laddy, Martha, Lisa and Sarah are a few I’m really going to miss. I will cry….and smile.

There is nothing better than melted marshmallow warming a chocolate bar between 2 layers of crisp graham crackers. Here is our recipe for happiness:

Step One - Build a fire. This is a small flame by my hubby’s standards.

Left to him our little outdoor fireplace would harbor a raging inferno. There are no outer bounds to his love for fire. He’s been known to have flames shooting out the top of our chiminea until yours truly discretely screeches “FIRE!!!”. When the smoke alarms start sounding. From the neighbor’s house. Across the street. We’ve even had strangers frantically ring our doorbell to warn us - I’m so not kidding.

Ok, back to this delicious treat.

Step Two - It’s critical that you hold your marshmallow in the fire JUST until the middle gets ooey gooey soft. Too long and it either falls off the stick OR turns a beautiful crunch of crusty black charcoal. I happen to like igniting my marshmallow and blowing it out just before the blackness occurs. You have to be a cautious cook to get it exact. Then you mash it between 2 graham crackers with 1/2 of a chocolate bar between.

It is no fun to be excluded from fun things like fire and flaming marshmallows.  And a good thing pointy spears go unnoticed.

It’s even less fun waiting to see if my bite is cool enough for me. Notice how Lexi instinctively has her corralled.

Step 3 - EAT

Reason #4687 that moving home to Oklahoma is so important to me.

Yes, it is raining.  Again.

If you drive by down our street, wave!  Hoot and Hollar too!

We’re dancing and singing. Loudly.

This morning we signed the contract to sell our house.  We had TWO to choose from.

After I stop twirling and the reality sets in, I must get boxes and pack!

The buyers have 10 days to complete their inspections.  Close date is set for 6.20.08.

God continues to bless us on our journey home.

We had a wonderful, busy weekend. The house was listed on Thursday and Realtors showed it once on Friday evening, four times Saturday and a repeat showing yesterday. Each appointment is scheduled for one hour.  The kids feel banished from their own home.  While they’re here, I am constantly putting things away, nagging them about the little leaf wing things they track in on their shoes and wiping up after them. The rest of the time they’re docked at the library, the children’s museum, the Mall, the bookstore. Anywhere to bide our time so we can return home to do it again.

Keith left at noon yesterday, driving to Little Rock so today he can meet with the staff of his new company. The last thing on his “honey do” list was mowing the lawn, but it rained all weekend, so I’m going to do it. I’ve mowed one time and was chastised by my big girls that it is NOT the same as vacuuming. We’ll see how that goes.

2 weeks of school left. Yea! The kids are getting anxious - top that off with our upcoming move, they are almost beyond concentrating. Oceania and Australia will end our geography tour of the world. Dad finished their math last week, their spelling program is done - so it is winding down.

Hope everyone had a wonderful day celebrating Mothers. I vote every day should be Mom’s Day! Part of my Saturday was spent at a spa, getting pampered and relaxed. Hope you and yours had a joyful day.

50 Age
Friday Day you were born
18,515 Days lived
608 Months lived
50 years, 8 months, 9 days Exact age as at 09/05/08
444367:42:26 Time alive (Press & Hold F9 button)
444,368 Hours lived
26662062 Minutes lived
1599723746 Seconds lived
148,123 Approx hours slept
6,172 Days sleeping
33% % of life asleep
16.9 Years asleep
1,919,668,496 Approx number of heart beats
Virgo Zodiac Sign
Rooster Chinese Star Sign

14 Years to Retirement (LOL, as if!)
5225 Days to Retirement
3,732 Approx number of workdays

We met with a team of Realtors yesterday to get our house on the market. I’ve spent the last week getting closets organized, excess “stuff” packed up or sent to Goodwill and everything clean. My house looks pretty clean most of the time, but it’s different when buyers are inspecting a home they might buy. Now that everything is in it’s place, it is a matter of keeping it that way. Keith is leaving for Oklahoma on Sunday, so I’m looking forward to a cooking holiday. The average house in our area is on the market a little over 100 days - but I’m hoping, praying, trusting it won’t be that long.

We have 2 weeks of school left, so the kids are getting excited about finishing. They each have a checklist of things they are responsible for when our house shows. I get tickled watching them take their jobs so seriously. Shower curtain closed - CHECK, Closet door closed - CHECK.  Nicholas has a “guitar corner” in his bedroom and wants to ensure it is pointed out to prospective buyers. When we move it will just be a corner, but the new homeowner will surely need some decorating ideas. Lexi has submitted the housing order from the ‘hood, who want it in our contract that a young girl between the age of 10 and 14 moves into our house.

I’ve been house “shopping” on the internet - and have a few ideas to help sell homes:

• Have well-lit photos of your entire home available - not just a curb shot. The more, the better.
• In said photos, shut the lid to the toilet, make the bed, pick up the toys.
• Show me your laundry room - even if it is just a closet.
• Publish the room sizes.
• Share neighborhood features (club, pool, gated, etc)
• Decorating - if you’ve sponge painted your kitchen in eggplant purple and lemon yellow, understand that instantly blinds some prospective buyers.

I’m sure there are other thoughts that have crossed my mind the last few days. I’m anxious to start looking for real!