Girls Are Silly

Work and Ankle Update

-I finally got the call from the Y.  I don't go in until Friday at 1:30.  I'm thankful for a couple days to rest with the family.  As much as I want to get paid started, I don't mind having this week due to my ankle appointments.

-Speaking of the ankle, I had an orthopedic appointment today.  I honestly considered canceling it since I no longer have sharp pain while walking.  I assumed I was getting better, but since I hoped to run the marathon in Nov. I figured I better go.  They took some more X-rays and the ortho doc that specializes in sports medicine is thinking I have a calcaneal stress fracture or severe tendinitis.  Unfortunately x-rays aren't much help when it comes to stress fractures since they don't show up until they're healing.  It's still really swollen and tender so he scheduled an MRI for Thursday morning.  If it's tendinitis I'll be able to run (as much as I can tolerate), if it's the fracture I'll be benched.  I'm not allowed to run at least until Tuesday when I go in for the MRI results.

-I couldn't be more thankful for my awesome new bike.  During my appt I was told I had to remain "under the symptoms."  Which basically means anything that makes it hurt is a no no.  He explained if I make it hurt I'm prolonging the healing process.  This morning I headed out for a ride on my new bike and was pain free.  It's obviously an impact issue.  During my 30 minute ride I covered 6.3 miles and burned 550 calories.  It was great and it felt good to break a sweat again. 

Randomness

-I received an email from the Y today.  They are a little behind in getting my paperwork started.  Can't say I mind.  I thanked my new boss for a couple days breather.  I took today off.  No school, no shower, no nothing :).  It's been grand!

-I get my cake and eat it too!  Jared bought a bike several months back.  Since my ankle injury I have been wanting a bike so I can have an alternate workout that won't hurt quite so bad.  Jared picked out one out for me (he's the expert around here) but it had a similar price tag to his.  It's the same bike, but the woman's version.  I've been using one I borrowed from Teri P (thank you Teri!). 

We decided we'd just keep an eye out for "The" bike hoping to find a great deal as the summer ends.  Today I found it!  The perfect bike in the perfect color at the perfect price (about 60% off retail).  The problem is it's in Buckner, Mo.  An individual bought it for their grandmother (?) who never rode it. 

I emailed them and due to the distance, they offered it at a reduced price (!!!!).  I text Cindy C. to see if she wanted to ride along (2 hours round trip).  She just so happened to be working today in Independence and offered to draw money from her savings account, go to a perfect strangers house, and bring the bike home for me.  HELLO!!!  Can you say, "Generous?!" I can't wait to try it out!  THANK YOU CINDY!!!  I was able to stay home and enjoy the rest of my day off!  You rock my face off!

-We had Corbin Y yesterday and today for Brennan's birthday.  He was such a joy to have over.  He was polite, well behaved, and I honestly didn't even notice he was here other than he asked for food once in awhile :)

-I have my mom's rat Yorkie for the week.  Her name is Maisy and the kids are having a ball with her.  She has boundless energy and desires to play fetch 24 hours a day.  With 5 kids, she's in heaven.  Anneliese wanders around the house saying, "Puppy, come ear."  The dog obeys, grabs a toy and gives to Anneliese.  Sis then throws the toy and the cycle starts over.  So cute!

Caught Red Handed

There was one lonely piece of cake left after yesterday's celebration.  My younger two were awful quiet which almost always spells t-r-o-u-b-l-e.  Luckily this time is was rather benign.

Happy Birthday Brennan!!

My tiny boy turned 10!

4 Boys, 1 Girl and A Wedding

Eli and Brennan

Graham and Tanner

Anneliese in one of my favs of all time

Graham being...Graham :)

Brennan took this and Anneliese smiled!

Love this, My and Sis' shoes

I Hear Bells!

Today my baby brother gets married!

I can remember about a decade ago Jared sweetly encouraged me to stop calling my brother Will; Willamina.  He informed me that Will was growing up and I should show him love by not calling him by a girls name.  :)

It's been difficult, but I've managed (for the most part).  Now I call him Woo, but at least it's not feminine. 

Yesterday Thursday I started prepping for the rehearsal dinner.  We had a fiesta and it was soo good.  I made beef enchiladas, white chicken enchiladas, home made salsa and guacamole, re-fried beans, and a beautiful cake for the event.  Erin brought relish trays and creamed corn by the crock pot full.  My mom made cheese con caso and decorated everything in pewter and yellow.

The food went over exceptionally well.  Everyone showered us with thanks, but most importantly I pray Will and Becky received all that hard work as an expression of just how much we love them :)

Will proposed to Becky while on a Harley road trip.  When mom and I were planning this meal she asked if I would make a "Groom's Cake" for the dinner.  I asked for artistic license (please let me do what I want).  I had the perfect idea and it turned out awesome!

Miss Alisa showed up at my house with boys in tow early Friday morning. She and I labored and giggled for hours.  It was such a blessing.  I can't even begin to express how much that meant to me.  She got to see a very "real" side of me :)  While trying to get all the food loaded, kids collected and dressed, we had missing shoes, an indoor cat that escaped outside, an obnoxious beagle, and a disaster of a kitchen.  My Dodge does not currently have AC and due to the massive amount of food and children I needed to transport I had to take it vs the KIA (KIA=TINY).  Before I even left the house my cake began to melt:

I cried out to Alisa as she was loading her own family, "THE CAKE IS MELTING!!!" I ran into the house and grabbed the remaining icing in it's decorator bags (thankfully we didn't clean the kitchen!!).  As I ran back to the van Alisa encouraged me with, "You can fix this!  This even happens on Ace of Cakes!"  Now that it's Saturday morning, that's hilarious :)

I went straight to QT and bought bags of ice and sat the cake on two bags and the melting stopped.  Once at the church I scraped away the melted icing and was able to repair it.  I honestly don't think anyone would have even known.

Now that all the hard work is done, we can just sit back and enjoy today.  I'm so excited for Will and Becky.

Congratulations you two!  We love you both so very much!

Agenda

My life is a bit of a blur right now.  There is so much going on all at once!

First of all, last night went great!  I had the meal for Wednesday night and Brennan requested the menu due to his 10th birthday being Sunday.  We had chicken and noodles, home made rolls, green beans, and salad.

The church surprised Jared and I with two beautiful cakes celebrating our 10 year anniversary here.  What a precious thought!

Today my family is coming over for lunch.  My sister, niece, and nephew are flying in from El Paso for my baby brother's wedding.  We are so excited to get our hands on them all!  I can't wait to kiss those sweet faces.  The menu closely resembles last nights due to the massive amount of left overs.  I have fresh bread rising as I type.

Tomorrow is the rehearsal dinner catered by yours truly.  I promised my mom I would prepare the bulk of the food as my gift to my brother and future sister in law.  I have white chicken enchiladas, beef enchiladas, home made salsa, guacamole, refried beans, and a special cake (pics to come) to prepare.  I'm so thankful for my sweet friend Alisa who offered to come over tomorrow to help!  I can't wait for a morning of baking and fellowship.

The wedding is Saturday and I was asked to sing during the ceremony.  I can't wait to have all our family together celebrating this awesome union!!!

Sunday is Brennan's bday and he has requested cinnamon rolls for his Sunday school.  I'm not positive that's going to happen but I'll make every effort!  Sunday afternoon Dustin's family is coming for lunch and then the rest of the Altic/Rice clan is coming over for cake.  Brennan wanted a Harry Potter birthday so his cake will have the Nimbus 2000 broom on it.  I'll be sure to post pics :)  I'll probably have to bake that today and freeze it, then decorate it after church.

Sunday night is bible study at our house.  At some point I need to head over to our Doc.  It's looking like my ankle issue may be more of a stress fracture and less of an Achilles issue.  I need to have a X-Ray. 

Monday I start work! 

As my profile says, "Life is full, but it's fantastic!"

Change Is A Comin'

The call came this morning.  I am officially an employee of the Providence Ball Y.

There are so many good things that come from this job.

-Health insurance.  As a part time employee I am still offered the option of health insurance for my family.  It's through Blue Cross of Kansas City and this alone is worth working for.  We've gone back and forth between no coverage and terrible coverage over the last several years.  This is a group plan that will allow me to take the kids in when I would have waited it out before.  I will sleep better at night knowing that if one of my 4 boys ends up with a broken appendage we will not go under financially.

-Family Y membership that allows my kids to participate in swim lessons and other programs at a seriously discounted price.  Graham and Elijah will be signed up for swim lessons at the earliest possible date.  Brennan and Tanner will follow (and sis eventually) but the middle two seem most urgent.

-After interviewing with the Personal Trainer boss, and the main boss, I was encouraged that my children are welcome at the Y while I work.  The main boss said he brings his kids to work when he can and as long as they're well behaved they can come.  As any working parent knows this is priceless.  I don't intend to take them every time, but having the option so that Jared is free to do his job brings so much peace! 

-Financial help.  Obviously with any job the income is usually the purpose behind it.  They are willing to let me work as much or as little as I need to.  I am so excited at the prospect of not only getting caught up on bills but even getting our emergency fund funded.  We are planning a trip to the beach for our 15th wedding anniversary and having extra income is directly related to that being reality!

-They encourage education and offer several different certifications (like the Personal Trainer Cert) that I am welcome to participate in free of charge.  I am very interested in teaching step and yoga.  

I feel like I could write bullet point after bullet point.  It's overwhelming in a lot of ways.  While it's obviously going to bless our family, it's also going to change our current dynamic.  I'm not a fan of change.  I've gone on 2 trips this last month and had to lean heavily on Jared and family to help with the kids and their school.  It has gone remarkably well and has been a great encouragement to me that my family is entering a stage where I can have more freedom away from them. 

While that tugs at my heart to type, I am fully aware that my goal as a mother is to train these little people to leave me someday and this is simply a sign that we're headed in the right direction. 

It's impossible to ignore how effortlessly this has all come together.  Way back on July 15th I stated my goal and the reasons behind it.  I started working diligently towards this and God provided everything we needed along the way.  I was provided with the books and study materials at a fraction of the price through ACE and then was able to raise the funds for the exam with little effort.  Now that I'm certified, the very job I desired came available just days before my test. 

I called the director and set up an interview and the rest is history :)

There is most definitely satisfaction that comes from setting out to achieve a goal and then doing just that.  I am so thankful to my family for being loving and supportive while I studied.

Thank you Lord for this opportunity, may I use it for your Glory!

Interview and Race Update

Tomorrow morning is my interview!!!  I'm so excited! 

I called Friday, right after passing my test, and let the director know. 

Using a program on our computer I put together a resume.  That was bizarre.  I work to be a humble person and the purpose of a resume is to inform your possible employer of how awesome you are.  It's awkward and a bit embarrassing.  We've all been in the small group where you are asked to list something about yourself that you love.  I always gave a sideways glance and mumbled, "my hair?" 

Unfortunately, being a redhead won't get me hired at the Y (it so should though). 

I want to tell them how much I fail but am still able to maintain my weight loss due to the fact that I just jump back on track.  Everything I read on google says to present yourself in the best possible light, so admitting failure probably isn't best first impression. 

It's my goal to maintain the same authenticity that I strived for in Weight Watchers.  I am not a beef cake waiting to win my first weight lifting competition.  I'm working daily to maintain a healthy weight so I can be here long term and enjoy my family in the meantime.  Surely there are those in WYCO that want to achieve the same and would appreciate the fact that I love pizza and will still eat it on occasion. 

On another note, my ankle is still hurting.  Last Wednesday I went for a 45 minute training run and apparently put too much stress on my left Achilles tendon.  It's been swollen and sore ever since.  I had a run scheduled for Thursday and went on a bike ride instead.  I thought my ankle would benefit from less impact but even the ride aggravated my injury.  I was due for a 3 hour 15 minute run on Saturday and I had to sit out.  I spent most of yesterday in bed and had difficulty walking.

I'm not sure what this means for my run in October.  I know I've cried a few times over it.  It's difficult to have completed 16 of 19 weeks of training and think I won't be able to run.  I've done the hardest part of the training.  I've been icing, and wrapping it and it is a little better tonight.  Wednesday will be a week since I ran.  If it's not better by then I may have to consider a different race.

BFF

A friend and I had a discussion the other day about labels.

I want to challenge adults to refrain from using the phrase "best" when referring to a friend.

It's simple really.  Anytime you refer to an individual as a best friend you are complimenting that one friend and isolating everyone else that loves you.  In a sense, you are telling them that they aren't as important to you as this one charmed individual.

Not to mention, what if your "best" friend doesn't feel the same in return.  We've all been in relationships that at some point in time we've realized that the relationship was a bit one sided and we were more committed than they were.  Labeling him or her your "best" may isolate them as they realize the imbalance in affection.

In a marriage relationship our spouses need to be our #1, our "go to" guy (or gal).  When I truly evaluate the relationships in my life, Jared is my closest confidant and friend. 

There are so many people out there that I cherish, love and wouldn't want to live without. 

Some I've known for years and feel a long time commitment and bond to, like family.

Some I've known of for years but am just scratching the surface of who they are and how special God created them.  I'm in the beginning phase and learning what a blessing they are to my life.

Some I admire from afar and hope to get to know better as time progresses.

Relationships ebb and flow.  God grants His body for comfort, friendship, camaraderie, and even to exhort in love. 

As soon as I start to think of one characteristic that I just love in one friend, granting them "best" status, I think of another friend and something about them that I just cherish.  Everyone that God has granted us has a special place in our lives.  There is a Jared sized hole in my heart that can only be filled by him just as there is a special place just for you.

I'll tell you what I told my friend.  Even if I spent all day every day with someone else...I would still miss you.  No one can fill your role in my life but you!

Ace-d

I had my test this morning.

In case you haven't heard, I passed :)

I'm so excited and ridiculously relieved. It has been a long haul and I'm so glad it's over. I have been just giddy all day and this evening I'm crashing hard.

I didn't realize how stressed I was until it was alleviated. My interview at the Y is Monday. Jared and I plan to put my resume together this weekend.

I hope to get back to some sense of normalcy now that the nagging need to study is over. I've been working on this since July and my house has suffered. I plan to clean this weekend and really soak up some snuggle time with my babies!

It's Been A Few Days

-I was just watching a link over at Notgreener with Graham sitting in the background.  As soon as the ad was over he looks at me and says, "You know what happened?"  And then he described the ad step by step.  Apparently he thought I wasn't paying attention.

-Graham came up to me and said, "I hate Hip Hop Harry.  He's boring and he's for babies."  Good to know...

-Brennan and Tanner were claiming they were from all kinds of different planets at lunch.  Some were too gross to repeat.  One however was pretty funny.  Brennan exclaimed, "I know!  I'm from planet Good Looking!"  Tanner immediately replied, "Where every day is opposite day?!"

-My test is Friday.  I'm still spending a couple hours a day going over the material.  I am really ready to be past the test taking.  It's all consuming.  The bad news is the job at the Bonner Y is no longer posted online.  The good news is that there is a new position at the Providence Y that appears to be a better fit.  I have a call into the director for more information.  It seems to be a Wellness Instructor paired with a Personal Trainer.  I'm hoping for guaranteed hours and pay.  Right now I'm just praying for a passing grade...

-I only have two long runs left in my training before the race.  It's only two runs but they are 3 hours and 15 minutes and then 3 hours 30 minutes.  It's nothing to shake a stick at.  My mom was driving the other day and happened to be watching her odometer.  She was shocked when she realized how far 23 miles was.  She called and asked how far I'll have to run.  It's 26.2 miles and I can't wait to cross that finish line!

Globe Trotter Has Landed

-Does anyone have an extra blow dryer I can borrow?  I left mine in Joplin and won't have it until the 16th.

-I'm a redhead!  That may not be a surprise to most but did you know I've colored my hair off and on for nearly 7 years?  It's true.  Long ago I decided to have some low lights put in to make my hair appear darker, richer.  The problem is once you start, there's upkeep.  I've tried different reds and always wishing to have my natural red back.  Over the years I have mourned my natural color  and was desperate to take back that day.

Well my wish came true!  Natasha D. had mentioned there was a process that removes color from hair and this weekend Wendy and I found it.  After about a hour and a whole lot of water and rinsing my hair is back to it's coppery beginning.  I was just thrilled.  I'm sure some day I'll get overwhelmed with gray and go the color route again, but for now I'm loving matching my precious daughter and niece :)

-Thursday early morning I headed to Joplin to spend some time with my friend Wendy.  While I was there I helped her clean out the fridge/freezer, organize her closet including new shoe racks.  I took her toilet completely apart and replace the all the interior mechanisms due to a leak, water running, and a weird noise when it flushed.  I put a new shower head in and extended the neck of the shower for her and her 6'3" hubby to be with a nifty "S" shaped pipe.  We dropped off a load of stuff at Goodwill and I have a huge bag full of cute clothes and several new pairs of shoes!  I would say it was a success :)

-My husband is so incredibly helpful.  I was struggling with the planes of movement in my studies.  He read through my text book until he understood it and then explained it to me.  I have so much more confidence now that I have this extremely important concept down.  I would not recommend taking a test after reading a text book.  Having an instructor that understands the content is priceless.

-As wonderful as it is to have the freedom to travel now that the kids are older, I'm glad to be home.  Seeing the beach was an amazing experience and I loved being able to help out my sweet friend, but I belong here.  There's nothing better than a day in my pjs refereeing the kids, doing laundry, and making dinner for Jared.  I love the life God has granted.  He generously provides for us and the family He gifted takes my breath away.

I Love To Stay At The...

Y-M-C-A

I had my walk through at the Y this morning.  I have to admit I cried on the way there.  I had a busy morning with a 5 mile run and I misjudged the time it would take to get ready and get to Bonner.  So it was a bit of a rushed morning.  For some reason I had the time of my appointment in my head (8:30) and didn't take into account actually getting there.

I left the house with a partially wet head.  As I was  struggling to leave I couldn't find my purse, Anneliese was desperate for me to hold her, and Graham was begging for cereal.  It was chaos.  As I shut the door to leave Anneliese was crying, "bye, bye!"  She didn't want me to leave without her.  I could hear her screaming all the way to the driveway.

During the drive I started to shift out of "get there" mode and settle into "what am I doing" mode.  It struck me that if all went "well" this would be the first of many trips away from my family and towards the Y.  I started to cry and all I could think about was that little bitty redhead crying at the door. 

Please understand that I am not the stay at home mom that secretly wishes for a career and really can't wait until I can move beyond this stage.  That's just not me.  I honestly feel designed to be right where I am.  Home...raising my kids, and taking care of my husband.  It's my ministry, it's who I am.

The walk through went well, other than horribly uncomfortable heels.  The director was kind and informative.  He seems to have a lot of the same values and priorities that I do.  He is not a "meat head" but is more focused on over all health, supporting families, and connecting with the community.

I found out that I will be paid handsomely when I am actually personally training a client.  Otherwise, I will make a decent wage doing fitness evaluations and chatting with members building rapport.  I would be responsible to recruit my own clients and therefore in control of my hours and scheduling.  The problem is there is no guarantee of hours or clients.

It was a lot to take in. 

A gentleman walked in as I was about to leave that had just finished his ACE exam yesterday.  The director introduced us and I was able to pick his brain a bit about what to expect.  He also let me borrow ACE's flashcards that ACE produces to aid in studying.  They are about $40 so I haven't purchased them.  That will be a big help and I'm very grateful.

Right now I am going to pray about this position and focus on passing my exam.  None of it matters if I'm not certified. 

Today's Lesson

Tanner and I made bagels as part of school today! What a fun experiment and they are SO good!! Tanner has taken a liking to blueberry bagels and I have always heard they are a bit difficult to make. I googled it and we decided to try it out. It wasn't hard at all we had a great time.

Tanner scooping out 8 cups of flour.

We had a cheering section

Tanner loved kneading the dough. 

Look at those precious paws :)

Bagels go together like most breads, it's the boiling that's the main difference.  Boil 1 minute, flip boil 1 more minute.

Once they're boiled they go into the oven for 20 minutes.

We made ours brown sugar and cinnamon and topped them with buttery cinnamon and sugar.  SO GOOD!

Enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Things Running Through My Mind

-Since when are wood stained cabinets "out dated?" I subscribe to a lot of different home decor, remodeling blogs and the theme as of late is white painted cabinets. I want to shout "NO!" Partially because our first 9 years of marriage were in trailers. Out dated trailers with almost black cabinetry with handles in the center of the door. I had to paint kitchens in two different trailers to update it. When we remodeled our home (7 years ago, where does the time go?!!) I was so excited when Gale R. started sanding our antique cabinetry to find beautiful wood underneath. To me: wood=house, white=trailer. This may be one update that I'll just have to watch from the sidelines.

-We just finished up week 2 of homeschool. I have really appreciated the writings over at The Homeschool Apologist.  The writers have given me a sense of belonging.  I love being with people and sharing experiences, but for some reason I tend to isolate myself in certain areas.  I didn't realize how much I needed them until I found them.  They featured our very own Mrs. Jane D.  One of the bloggers (two different people contribute to the blog) has challenged "real" homeschoolers to stand up in this hilarious article.  I'm working on an idea for an article about a day in the life of the Altic Homeschool.  If you are interested in reading my ramblings about our schooling and my journey just type "school" or "homeschool" or "home school" in the search box.  I've been bad about tagging my articles with schooling and homeschooling so the tags on the sidebar aren't as helpful as they could be :)

-I ran my legs off this morning.  Today was a 3 hour run and I went with the comfy shoes over supportive shoes.  NOT SMART.  I got up at 5am and met Ashley B.  She ran the first 2 hours with me.  She was awful gracious when I kept whining about how bad my knees hurt.  By then end of the first hour I was in bad shape.  I had blisters forming on my left foot and my knees where insane!  My thought was: 3 hours, wear comfortable shoes.  The problem is my comfy shoes are completely worn out.  I dropped Ashley off at my house at hour 2 and ran into the house to get my Vibrams.  The combination of Ash finishing and my knees hurting I broke down.  I was bawling and telling Jared how defeated I felt as I rushed to change shoes.  I headed right back out the door and hobbled through my remaining hour.  The "comfy" shoes are going in the trash.  I ran 16.5 miles and I'm so glad it's over  :)

-Thursday I get to go to Joplin to visit my friend Wendy one last time before she moves to GA.  She asked if I would come and help her clean and organize to get ready for moving and to make room for her new hubby.  I was promised first dibs on closet overflow so I'm pretty excited.  I'm going to leave super early Thurs and then be home Fri afternoon.  I'm starting to feel a bit spoiled.

-I'm still plugging away at my studies.  The test is the 17th and I would appreciate prayer that my time studying would be effective.  It's really really really really hard to find any time to sit and focus with the kids.  Anneliese is my biggest issue, she's also the cutest :)  I'm trying to spend at least a hour a day reviewing and focusing on the hardest concepts.  Wednesday morning I have a "meeting" with the Director at the Y.  The position I want is still available.    They can't interview me until I'm certified but this is a chance to see what my responsibilities will be and what they will expect of me.  I'm excited and nervous.

-We have a Craftsman riding lawnmower for sale if anyone is interested.  It's 4 years old and I have the original paperwork etc.  It has a new battery and a 42" mower deck.  

A Quick Peak

Since our camera broke our sweet friend from church, Teri P, gave us one!!  She had an extra and thought we could use it while we save up for the Olympus Pen (since it will take a stinking year).  I am so excited! 

I took a few pics of how we do school...today.  It changes weekly, but for now we hang out in the dining room at the table.  The kids will wander off to my room or upstairs for reading.  They like quiet and if the TV (in the living room) is on for Graham they just can't focus. 

So here's a couple quick pics from our new Kodak easy share camera :)

Teach:

Student #1

Student #2

Student #3

Distraction Numero Uno!

The girl was napping, thankfully....

Random Beach Pics

Wendy and I headed out of KCI. I have a really cute picture of her and I outside Richard and Anita's house on my camera that broke :(

This is the tank Jeep we picked up in Orlando and dropped off in Columbus, GA for Danny (Wendy's hubby-to-be).

This is my first glimpse of the beach.  I had the camera out and ready and as soon as it came into sight I took a pic :)

Arriving in Daytona and the famous A1A Beachfront Drive

Our hotel.  We stayed on the 2nd floor right on the corner near the beach.  We had our own little stairs going down onto the sand and a shower to wash the sand off our feet.

Someone was on my mind...