Neighborly, Over Average, And, They're Baaack!

Beth texted me from the bowling alley last week:

'I have a pizza and sweets to' 

'That sounds good!'

'Yeah. i got my medal and first place'

'What?!? Wow Beth! Congratulations!!'

'Thanks. i will show you and dad my medal to when I get home'

She came in the door and showed me her medal and said she also got $5. I asked if I could take a picture but she said no. A couple days later I'm reading the bowling newsletter and I see:

'The most over average last week was Ms. Beth Anderson as she saved her high game for when it counted the most and it was a terrific 146! She beat her average by a whopping 62 pins!'

Wow, there's over 100 bowlers! No wonder she got a medal and some cash! She hasn't bowled regularly for over 2 years but she's starting out hot! I took these a couple weeks ago -

For quite a while now I've watched our neighbors try to navigate a street corner that was overgrown and dangerous. I finally called the city a couple months ago and was told they've been looking at this corner for a while but haven't been able to move forward due to a power pole that was in the way. Well, this week they showed up! The other corner is much worse than this one and they're fixing them both! I love my city!

 I saw the man out there talking to the workers, he was pointing at areas of the new sidewalk; filled my heart with joy! And I'm so glad the workers got to see exactly who they were doing it for and what a difference they're making in that man's life.

 

We began seeing those old familiar signs: twigs on the porch, tiny sticks, moss, and then one day, there it was. Mrs. Junko had come back to build her nest!

 I took those pictures on Tuesday and when I checked the nest again today...

 Two tiny eggs! They should hatch and be out of the nest in just a few weeks. The Junko's have used this wreath for many years now and I look forward to seeing them every time!

Have you had any fun surprises this week?

Just Breathe

I left work at 3:00 yesterday afternoon and haven't been back since. I think this is the longest I've been away in the last 3 weeks. I've got 3 people working today so I know things are in good hands.

I've been listening to a song by Jonny Diaz called Breathe. I keep hitting the repeat button:

Ready set go, it's another wild day

When the stress is on the rise

In my heart I hear you say

"Just breathe. Just breathe.

Chaos calls but all you really need is to

just breathe."

That's what I've been doing today. I spent some time with the Lord this morning, remembering His faithfulness to me over the years and I'm beginning to feel like a human again. I did a load of laundry, emptied the dishwasher, mailed a card to a friend, filled the dishwasher... real human stuff! 😊 

I've still got some difficult things ahead of me at work but yesterday I trained two new people and I think they're going to be great! Two young guys who are strong and eager to work. Plus I've got two more applications on my desk from people who have applied so I'll talk to my boss when he gets back from vacation on Monday and get his thoughts on hiring them.

Until then I'm just going to breathe.

Whew. It feels good to breathe. 

Now on to other things ~

Sharaya gave me this card for Christmas:

  

When I opened it I heard my dad say, "Well hi sweety!" And of course I lost it. To hear his voice again was indescribable. She found a company that inserts a recording into a card or lets you insert the recording into a device that you can then put in a card, I'm not sure how it works to be honest but oh my goodness what a phenomenal gift for someone who's just lost a loved one!

We got Beth a bowling ball for Christmas. She's had two others but after a while they begin to crack and break apart. The guy at the sports shop told me that those were probably made of plastic and we needed urethane or resin. And this time she chose purple!

Measuring her fingers so they can drill the holes

 

Of course we had to bowl a couple of games when we picked up her bag and ball. I mean, what kind of parent would I be if I denied the family a good game of bowling, right?!

I honestly don't remember who won but I'm sure Sharaya or Diana could tell you. There's no competition in our family! Oh no, none at all! 😉

Have you ever been bowling?

Alligator Eyeballs

We were trying to figure out where to go for Mother's Day and Sharaya suggested Uncle Bucks Fish Bowl and Grill. It was amazing!! 

As you walk in, there's a restaurant on the left and a bowling alley on the right. 

But it's not just any bowling alley. It's underwater themed and so much fun!

Some of the bowling balls were even painted to match the theme ~

We stuck with the plain bowling balls though. I know I couldn't bring myself to hold that ball! 😳

When all was said and done, Beth won. Being on that bowling league has really helped her!

If you get a chance to go to Uncle Buck's please do! We really had a great time!

Boyfriends, Bowling and Burns - Our Week

Beth had been asking if Nick could come to church with us so I texted his mom and we set up a date. She scheduled DART to drop him off at church and he joined us in Sunday school. 

After church we stopped at McDonalds for lunch, then headed up to the theater. Beth and I had already seen Christopher Robin but she was excited for Nick to see it too. To be honest, I don't think he really wanted to see it as much as he just wanted to be with Beth.

I scheduled an appointment for Wednesday morning with our regular doctor to look at the burns Beth got from the hot water bottle. (Beth asked me to take a picture so she could see them, they're on her bum!) We had Allie that day too so we all got up early and headed to the doctors. Chuck and Allie stayed in the waiting room while we saw the doctor. She was concerned with their size and the way they looked and cleaned them for me. She gave me a different medication and said she wanted to see her again in a few days. That appointment is tomorrow morning. She told me what to watch for, but I can't tell if they're getting better or not. I'm glad we're going back.

Beth has an art class and karaoke on Wednesdays so after the appointment we drove her up to All Aboard, then Chuck, Allie and I went out for breakfast. 

   
Special Olympics Bowling started this passed Saturday. The first day is always a little crazy with the coach trying to assign the bowlers to a lane, everyone is trying to pay and there's always lots of questions. The Bowling alley's been sold since last year so many of them were talking about how much it's changed. The same bowlers come every year and it's so fun to see everyone again.

 

Panic Mode

I'm one of those people that tend to panic in an emergency.  Adrenaline flows, my heart pounds, I talk faster and walk faster. That's what happened today when the assistant called from the bowling alley to tell me Beth was laying on the floor crying and did I happen to know what might be wrong?

I did know. Beth had called me at work right after she got on the bus (of course) to tell me her stomach hurt. I prayed with her and told her to call me after she got to the bowling alley. She was on the bus, there was nothing I could do anyway. When she didn't call, I figured everything was okay. Until the assistant called. The bowling alley is filled with about 150 kids practicing for Special Olympics. I kept thinking about Beth laying on the floor in the middle of all the noise and chaos. My heart ached.

I talked to her and she said she felt like she was gonna be sick. I told her to go into the bathroom, lean over the toilet and I'd be there as soon as I could. I work about 12 - 15 minutes from the bowling alley. I was there in 10.

I guess it was a good thing she waited until I got there to get sick. Boy did she get sick. I will save you from all the details. It was kind of funny to hear all the kids coming into the bathroom. They didn't hold back at all! "It stinks in here!" "Oh man! What smells?" "Wasn't me. Mine don't smell like that." Beth and I were in a tiny stall with the door locked so I said, "Someone got sick." One of the girls said, "Oh. That's why." Too funny.

Another assistant brought in Beth's purse and bowling ball. She still had on her bowling shoes so we had to change those then we slowly headed out to the car. I had some plastic bags that I put in her lap, just in case! (I also had to have her sit on a plastic bag and wished I had some extra undies in my purse, but that's all I will say about that.)

Got her home and had Diana call DART to tell them to cancel her ride and that I had brought her home. While she was talking to them, the bus driver called my cell asking me to confirm that I did indeed have Beth. All of this while I was hand washing clothes and getting Beth settled on the couch. I was thankful they wanted confirmation. Too many kids fall through the cracks on stuff like that.

So now Beth is settled on the couch watching the Disney Channel. She is sipping her Sprite and nibbling on crackers. Tomorrow is my day off so I'll be able to stay home with her. It was scary. I kinda wonder where the adults were who let her actually lay down on the floor. I wonder if anyone helped her up and to the bathroom. I guess they aren't as supervised as I thought they were. I don't know, with so many kids, maybe they were overwhelmed. And Beth doesn't like to talk to people. She's very shy and holds things in.

Oh well, I guess it went okay considering. She's home now, safe and comfy on the couch. And I think I'm past the panic mode.