Rolling With the Punches

At church on Sunday, one of the teachers mentioned in her lesson that she has moved 20 times in her life. She thought that was a lot until another sister told her she had moved 47 times.

Of course, this got me thinking (I may have to retitle my blog that: "This Got Me Thinking..."). I was reminded of a friend I had once who was serving as the Young Women's President at church. I was her counselor. She had a very hard time bending when bending was required. For her, things needed to be the way she had originally planned them or she'd freak out. I spent many evenings trying to console her and help her understand that plans sometimes need to change. And that's okay. One night I told her, "You've got to be more flexible and learn to roll with the punches." She chilled out a little bit, but it was always a challenge for her.

And what about me? Do I follow my own advice? Yes. A little too well. And Josh has always been very willing to roll with me. Sometimes he's even the instigator.

Where have these punches rolled me? Since marrying Josh, I've gone from Colorado to Arizona to Colorado to Montana to Arizona. This new home will be Move Number 14. And that's just since 1999.

Before that, most moves were orchestrated by my parents. So, what's the grand total? 20? 47? Well, the total moves (that I can remember or have some sort of documentation of) is 34. This includes the upcoming move, the two times I moved back into my parents' home at ages 19 and 20, but it doesn't include this summer when the kids and I stayed with my parents when Josh first came to Arizona. Oh, and only four of these moves were directly related to the Air Force.

With the last six moves occurring since December 2007, spanning a total of 1718.3 miles, I figure I've rolled enough for now. I hope and PRAY this will be our last move for a while. I was at the new house with the appraiser today. I love our house. I want to live in it. I want it to last us for a long time.

34 moves is enough for now.

Spring is Blooming

Today as we passed what happens to be my grandmother and uncle's subdivision we were bombarded by the perfume of citrus blossoms. Oh my goodness. It was heavenly. We were driving with the windows down (it was only 80 degrees outside, jealous much?) and the kids and I nearly freaked out. If you could bottle that scent and be able to avoid the tint of alcohol that most perfumes seem to possess, you'd make millions.

It reminded me a bit of my great-aunt's home in Mississippi.

(This isn't really a pic of her house, but it's a close comparison.)

She passed away in 1999. But in about 1989, we went to her house and I remember her front yard was comprised almost completely of wildflowers. She had ivy growing along trellises and up the side of her house. It was beautiful. I loved it so much that she gave me some seeds from her flowers to grow my own garden.

I also remember my great-uncle going out to his watermelon patch, taking one into the nook of his arm, thumping it, and after finding just the right one, he picked it and we immediately cut it open and ate it. There isn't anything much more refreshing than a freshly picked Mississippi watermelon. (Okay, that one's a memory of summer, but if you've never noticed, I function in chains: this made me think of this, which made me think of this.... you get the picture.)

Callings

Every Sunday I ponder the concept of callings in the LDS church. In our church, people are not paid for their services. A person will be prayerfully considered for a position and then asked if they will accept the calling. They have the ability to turn it down if they choose. But I think everyone knows that no matter how much you might dread a certain calling, you will be blessed for accepting it.

There's a certain bit of expectation I experience each time we join a new ward. Where will I be called? Because there's always a need, it's pretty much a given that a calling will eventually be extended. Where might I work? The Primary (children ages 18 mos to 11 years)? The Young Women (ages 12 to 18)? The Relief Society (women over the age of 18)? Sunday School (ages 12 to adults)? Activities? Family History? Music Coordination? So many possibilities.

Of course, this always gets me to reflect on past callings. I think one of the best callings I've ever had was also one of the most difficult. I taught the adult Sunday school lessons, called Gospel Doctrine. Basically, I taught a 40 minute lesson, using the scriptures as the basis, to adults so much more wise in spiritual matters than I was. I was 26, teaching people who had been active in the Gospel for 50+ years. Talk about intimidating. But, it all happened during a time in my life that I could have easily stayed home every Sunday and no one would have thought less of me for it. Matt had just been born (I think he was 2 months old when I got the calling), so Emma and Abby were 3 and 2. Josh worked weekends, so he rarely made it to church with me. I was also waist-deep in school and theatre. As uplifting as good theatre can be, not all plays are uplifting. My spirit was wavering. For three years I complained about my calling, but it kept me at church every Sunday and it forced me to study my scriptures so I'd be prepared for my lessons and possible questions/themes that could be discussed. It was a challenge, but after the fact I realized that I loved it.

So tell me. What callings have you loved?

Gearing Up For the Week

Sometimes, you just have to say to yourself, "Self, I know you don't want to do this, but ya gotta."

Tonight I cleaned my house. Just the usual: finished laundry, did the dishes, picked up toys, vacuumed, scrubbed the kitchen floor, and bathed all the children. Not necessarily in that order.

I did this in an effort to prepare for my week. Because we are moving back to the school district the kids were in when we first got to Arizona, we've decided to put our lives back together and have the girls finish the year in their previous school. Then I will only have one child at home to teach and one baby to care for. Can I tell you that I am SO HAPPY about this decision? I know the girls will be fine in the school and Matt will finally have all the time he needs for learning. It was all a bit rushed with the three different grade levels to complete everyday. So what better way to prepare for a less stressful week than to have a clean house (and clean kids)?

Also, my exercise is resuming this next week. And my SparksPeople food tracking. My gut has returned. As well as my behind. Their reappearance doesn't make me happy. So, it's time to get everything back into place. Less stress. Less mess. Happier Mommy.

Here's to a good beginning to a good week!!

Who Do You Think You Are?

I think my new favorite show on TV right now is "Who Do You Think You Are?"

It's an amazing show which follows celebrities as they search for their family history. Three years ago I began trying to compile my own family history. Of course, this includes Josh's family, since they will forever be my family as well.

Anyway, the stories they are able to piece together are amazing. Shockingly, Emmitt Smith was able to trace one line of his family all the way back to Africa, something very difficult to do with slave heritages. Last week Lisa Kudrow (whom I love to watch) discovered what happened to her great grandmother in Poland. Here is a clip of that.




This week Matthew Broderick was able to discover his great- great-grandfather's previously unmarked grave from when he was killed during the Civil War. Just amazing stories.

Next week will be Brooke Shields (whom I also love) finding her royal roots in Europe. Maybe we're related.

I just love watching this show. And it really spurs me to continue working on my family history. I really want to take some trips to discover even more about our family. I'd love to head to Mississippi, Maine, Scotland, and other places where my current records end.

P.S.

I did forget another slight con in the post about the house. We will now be neighbors with BUS STOP MOM. Nooooo!!! But, I'll even put up with her and her annoying kids and socially awkward self because we love our house so much. Luckily, she lives a few houses down. Bus Stop Mom. Ugh. For that story, go here.

Be Still My Beating Heart....

....Houston, we have a contract.

I can't believe it, but we have found our near-dream house. I'll just get this out of the way, I'd love it if this home was a bit closer to the freeway because that would cut down Josh's commute to and from work. But, if it was, this home would be at least $50,000 more. Like they say, "Location, location, location."

Now that I got the con out of the way, let me tell you all about the pros.

Our house is wonderful. It's a foreclosure, which means that our dealings with the owning bank are more difficult and strict. It also means we're getting a screaming deal. There are some cosmetic things that we get to do ourselves. We will repaint, buy new lighting fixtures for the living room, family room, and bedrooms. Because we are buying a home in the middle of the desert, we get to use a rural housing loan that does not require a down payment. That means we'll have plenty of our savings to use for these "touch ups" and if we're lucky enough, there will be enough left over to replace the flooring throughout instead of waiting until next year's tax return to do it.

The layout is great. You walk into the living room and at the other end of it are the kitchen, family room, and stairs leading to the upstairs and five good-sized bedrooms, including the wonderful master bedroom. Also, the main level has the laundry room, a small bathroom, and access to the two car garage.

Our yard has potential. Lots of potential. We're on a pie-shaped lot, but it's bigger than most in our area. If we had an extra $20,000, we'd have the ideal backyard: pool, kids' play area, built-in BBQ area, fire pit, garden area. And then another $10,000 to $15,000 would give Josh plenty of toys to park in the RV parking area beside the house. Unfortunately, that bill alone equals 1/3 of our future mortgage.

Probably my favorite thing is the fact that our home is two vacant lots and two houses down the street from my sister, Tara. Just the thought of walking over to her house or the kids riding their bikes to go play with their cousins is such an incredible thought. The Williams family has always been so disjointed from the rest of the family. Even when the kids all began settling down in Colorado and getting married, Mom and Dad moved away to Texas. The possibility of having even one sibling so close by is a miracle. (Lori, there are still plenty of homes available in the neighborhood.)

So now it's the pain of waiting for closing. I hate this waiting period. Everything could be fine, or it could all fall apart. Our inspection is scheduled for Thursday morning--we waste no time. Our scheduled closing date is April 28. I'm sure I'll be keeping you informed.

I {Heart} Spring Break

No school. It's like this wonderful fairy land. I am the fairy queen. "Gather 'round, children," I call and the little fairies rush to my side, wanting nothing more than to hear what I have to say.

"Yes, our Queen," they call in unison as their little fairy wings flutter and their beautiful array of pastel clothing brighten the world around them.

"Children, it is time to gather your belongings and place them in their proper places. Pip, pip!" And they float away, happily laughing and joking as they clean the home around them.

*Sigh*

I wish.

It really has been wonderful to not have to worry about school. Of course, the Fairy Children actually have had their monstrous moments. Fights, yelling, Matt nearly getting hit by a car. Heaven has been far from our home on several occasions this week. But, with no school, it did make house hunting a bit easier earlier this week. Look for the housing update soon.

Oh, and I've never used the phrase "Pip, pip" before this post.