Seven Quickies

Thanks, as always, to Jen for hosting!

1. It's been a LONG year.  I have passed my one-year anniversary since I started working with Apple.  I'm tired.  I miss being just the homeschool Mommy and Wifey-Poo to Travel Man.  But it's been worth it for the benefits we've received.  Our financial peace is nearly established, and it feels good.  I'm only slightly phased that we might need to replace Travel Man's company car with a private one.  (It means my kitchen fixer won't happen, but that's okay, too.  It's not like the kitchen isn't functional; it's just not the best for storage.)
   
   
2. I missed the last co-op meeting.  I was working in the morning - 7:30 to 9:00 - and then not scheduled to work again until 2:00.  Co-op is usually over between 12:30 and 1:00, so plenty of time to get back.  I wound up talking to someone from 8:40 until 12:05.  I kid you not!  She *did* buy two computers and a boatload of software, but we missed co-op completely.  By the time we would have gotten across town, we would have had to wave hello-goodbye and leave again.  The girls were quite bummed out.
   
   
3. Jen's talked recently about spiritual dryness, and I'm all over it, too.  I'm trying to push myself to reach for God even when I don't "feel like it."  I'm not a child, you know, so I really can't use that as an excuse.  It is certainly easier on the face of things to just go along blithely and ignore my prayer and spiritual life, but it's not really easier.  It makes my life harder to ignore my soul, and it makes the days feel quite empty.  I'm glad I can look to the saints for guidance in this area.  I'm so glad to be Catholic!
   
   
4. The girls were watching TV with Travel Man one day and found a new show: "Phineas and Ferb."  I was trepidatious (yes, I use that word frequently), but I finally sat and watched a couple of shows.  It. Is. Hysterical!  The show is based around two brainy brothers and their older sister.  It all takes place during Summer vacation, and the sister is asked to babysit her brothers while her mother runs some errand for a couple of hours.  The brothers build amazing contraptions and have adventures while their sister freaks out and calls their mother, but she can't seem to bust them for their activities.  Oh, and they have a pet platypus that is a secret agent/spy.  Yes, it's insane.  And there's always music!
   
   I've found that with some shows for kids, it takes a particular episode for me to fall for it.  For "Spongebob Squarepants," it was when he cheated on his boating test by planting a radio in his head so Patrick could give him directions.  For "Phineas and Ferb," it was this clip, which had me rolling with laughter.  (The quality isn't that good, but you get the idea.)
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. Yesterday was the Holy Father's birthday, and Sunday is the fourth anniversary of his election to the Chair of Peter.  It's hard to believe it's been that long!  I have to say this: when John Paul II died, I wasn't sure I'd love any pope as much as him.  I was, after all, only eight when John Paul was elected.  I didn't really remember any other pope (though I do remember being confused that John Paul I had died so soon).  But I absolutely love Benedict XVI.  We are so blessed to have him to guide us.  (And he's there to guide all of mankind to Heaven - not just Catholics.  He loves each and every person in the world and wants all of us to go to Heaven.)
   
   
6. Travel Man's company took over his cell phone, and because he was worried about restrictions, we took the opportunity to jump ship from Sprint to AT&T.  And my new phone is VERY cool, though it's not an iPhone.  (That'll be my next one - two years.)  But I can text and go online and even do a blog post from it.  It's a neat little toy, I tell ya'.  And if you think I'm happy about this phone (Samsung Propel), just wait'll I get my iPhone.  Oh, baby!
   
   
7. Big Girl starts soccer tonight - provided she's not too sick.  First game with the "big kids" on the 9-12 team.  Up until now, it's been all 6-8 year olds, with the exception that girls are allowed to stay through their ninth year there.  (Every age group is set that way, since boys get bigger and the girls are at a physical disadvantage.  Big Girl will play on the 9-12 team until she is about to turn 14.)  She's discovered that soccer is actually hard, that coaches on the older teams make you RUN (a lot!), and that there are terms and position names that she is completely clueless about.  She has been discouraged over this dramatic change, so if you could say a little prayer for her, it would help her a lot.  I think she'll be fine by season's end, but in the meantime, she is definitely struggling to re-learn and move up from the bottom of the totem pole.