Clones

I'm often saying I need a clone. It would be so nice to be able to share the work with another me. She would know how I like things done. She would think like me. She would do exactly what I want her to do. Wouldn't she? A good friend of mine brought up a good questions the other day. What if a clone took the other side in matters where you're torn? What if she called you on the things you know you shouldn't be doing but do anyway? What if she was better at living up to the standards you set for yourself, but don't always live up to? You could end up in a very frustrating situation! If you fight with yourself you'd never win! You might end up with a stalemate and NOTHING would get accomplished instead of TWICE the work. AUUGGG!! That would be awful. So now, instead of saying I need a clone, I think I just want a robot who doesn't think for themselves, but does exactly what I say when I say. Though, there's probably something intrinsically wrong with that, too, and it would backfire on me as well. Maybe I should just quit complaining and get things done myself.

Acupuncture

After a year of fighting crashes (in the water not the car) and several visits to the doctor to try to figure out what was wrong with DB we finally gave up on western medicine and went to an acupuncturist. Her first visit was earlier this week. Dr. Zhu talked with DB about what was wrong with her from her point of view for a few minutes. He asked about her eating and sleeping patterns, felt her pulse (or at least that's what it looked like) and made his diagnosis. She's not getting enough deep restful sleep, so she doesn't have enough oxygen in her body to support her when she swims. He can fix this by aligning the energy in her body properly through the course of six treatments in three weeks. And then came the words of profound wisdom, "It will work (pause) or it will not. We will see."


DB said the first treatment was a little uncomfortable on one side of her body, but no major pain. Today she was told that the reason for the discomfort was her chi was out of alignment, and as it gets put in to place it will no longer hurt. And guess what... HE WAS RIGHT! Already her practices are better, she feels stronger, and she's lasting longer before she crashes. It amazes me how sticking a few needles in strategic places and relaxing in a warm, darkened room with soft music playing can have such a profound difference on physical activity, but it has. I can hardly wait to see the difference all six treatments will make. Evidently, "It will work!"

Chemotherapy Buddy

Chemotherapy! Just the word sounds scary. Thankfully, the people closest to me have not been affected by the big C. Until now. A few weeks ago my dear friend Kristen was diagnosed with breast cancer. She quickly had a double mastectomy and had lymph nodes removed from under her left arm. She is the mother of 4 children and friend to thousands! She's an amazing woman. And has always been so full of energy she is difficult to keep up with. She comforted ME when she told me about the cancer... I cried and she soothed. that's just the type of person she is. 


Today I went with her to her first round of chemo. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't at all what I saw when we got there. The patients are incredible. Everyone is supportive of the newbie. The room is filled with words of wisdom, advice and encouragement. Doctors, nurses, patients, friends - everyone has a  positive outlook on life. I never would have expected this to be the place to come to make new friends and improve your mood


Thanks to Kristen's fight, I've realized that I need to enjoy my life more, be willing to take a few chances, follow my dreams, encourage my children to follow theirs, and have a positive impact on the people around me. I need to - no, I HAVE to avoid worry and get more out of my life. Just as Kristen had the cancer removed from her body, I need to remove the negativity from my life. And if that means having a difficult surgery to cut away life sucking people and things, so be it.

Swim Season Begins

I got to see DB swim for the first time this season. It was a short swim, but she was in the water, and it was beautiful! The meet was at Round Rock High School (I love that place) during the school day. My wonderful team covered me while I raced to RR (I even took the toll road, gasp) and back. I can't believe how much her form has changed since I saw her swim in June. She's like a different person, umm fish. She was much more confident and secure looking. Her "Big Sister" for swimming was watching near me, and was able to tell me that, yes, she really did swim well. Not just by being one of the first ones to finish in her heat (it was too close for my naked eyes to tell who was first and who was second), but also in her form. It's always nice to have someone who knows what they're talking about to confirm my belief that she's incredible. :-) 


She also got to see a friend she's known since Wee School when she was three-years-old. The young man (who was a bit of a toot then) has turned into a very nice, very talented swimmer/diver, very handsome, guitar playing, Christian young man. With that long list of attributes he was interesting to many of the other girls on her team, and they suddenly needed to talk to DB when she began to visit with him. They made plans to try to get together to do something later. Maybe the boy who defended her from bullies when she was three and four will be back in her life... who knows?

MINI Maintenance

I just had the most amazing mechanic experience of my life. MINI offered a free check up for Puck (my car). They encourage you to be in the bay with your mechanic so he/she can show you what he's doing and explain things. They turned off a light that had been blinking since the trip to Shreveport and gave me a list of things that need to be tended to. When they went over the list they told me what was urgent (the CHEAPEST thing) and what to get done elsewhere because it would be less expensive (the tires) and what could wait until later. It was refreshing to have someone be honest when dealing with cars! I've made an appointment to get the urgent thing taken care of next week. It will cost less than a trip to the grocery store! And to top it all off they gave me a calculator and a MINI t-shirt. It just doesn't get much better than that!

Wisdom Teeth Part 2

It's amazing how differently people react to the same thing. JB was a joy to be around after getting his wisdom teeth out. And he had SIX. DA had hers pulled Friday, and it was anything but pleasant - though she was funny! While under the influence of the painkillers and anesthesia in the office she was trying to do the dance from Never Fully Dressed in Annie. The doctor asked me if she was ok. All I could do was laugh and let him know what she was doing. She kept mumbling about her feet and legs not working.

As soon as we got in the car she started drunk texting her boyfriend. He wasn't answering, so she got more and more agitated even though I reminded her that he was in school. Once we got home I managed to get her in to the house and on the couch and she said she wanted to change into shorts. A particular pair of shorts. Her New Balance shorts. I managed to find them in the disaster area we call her closet and she amazing put them on without falling down. Later I learned that she had texted "that one boy" (A) that her shorts lied. She did NOT have her balance.

Once the initial drugs began to wear off she started to hurt. We tried to stay on top of the pain, but had trouble doing it. At times all I could do was cry with her since I couldn't make the hurt go away. A did his best to comfort her over the weekend. I don't know how many times he watched When Harry Met Sally but I know it was more than two...while DA slept through it, leaning on him. He never complained.

She never did swell up very much, and already looks pretty normal - with the exception of some bruising. The key now is to keep her somewhat calm and not sucking on straws until she is out of the woods for the possibility of dry sockets.

Two set of wisdom teeth down - one more to go, though hopefully not for a while!

The Flood

Now I know why we have so many boats at our house...we're trying to be prepared for when the next flood comes. Which happened to be yesterday! The only problem is that the flood happened INSIDE the house and the boats were OUTSIDE. John woke me during the night to tell me it was flooding. Well, duh, it's been raining hard for more than a day. We quit flushing the toilets and draining water earlier because the septic tank was full. So I just said, "I know it's been raining a long time." He said, "No, I mean is flooding in here!" I looked down at the floor, stepped out of bed, and learned, yep, sure enough, there was about 4 inches of water covering the bedroom floor.


We got up to assess the damage. There really wasn't much other than the carpet. The dogs and cats were very confused. Apollo kept looking at the bathroom where the litter box is and looking at me. Finally, I asked, "Do you want me to move it to higher ground?" I moved it to the girls' bathroom. He immediately went in (with his wet paws) and started to dig. Then he began to fling his paws around inside the box, banging on the sides and top, and soon was grumbling and growling. The litter was sticking to his damp feet, and he was cussing about it.


We picked up anything that might get messed up by the water in the areas that were flooded (bathroom, bedroom, closet, living room, and kitchen). John got his snack. The animals found dry places to sleep and John reminded me that the bed was dry - so we climbed back in about 2:30 and went back to sleep.


Luckily, they decided to start school later to allow the waters to recede before picking up kids in buses, so we had the morning to clean up some. We were able to dry the bathroom and the kitchen, but the carpet in the other areas was soaked. After school we tried to vacuum up the water, but that proved to be fruitless, so we spend the evening pulling carpet out. DA's boyfriend, A, was there to help with some of the heavy lifting so we were able to get it all out of the house. Now comes the hard part - deciding what to do with the floor that is left. Carpet, wood, laminate, paint, tile? Too many choices. Maybe we'll get it done the week of Thanksgiving when I have all week off...

Go Bobcats!

I am officially the mother of a college student. We dropped JB off at Texas State today. The process of checking in to the dorm was so much smoother than I anticipated (or remembered). They have students who meet you at the door, help you load your stuff into carts, and take it to your room. The whole process took only a couple of hours (plus driving time to and from San Marcos and lunch with John). We left JB to organize his stuff and wait for his roommate, H, to arrive tomorrow. I have a hole in my heart, though. I'm glad he's moving on to the next phase of life, that he's being successful, but I'm going to miss having him at home. He's the one I talk to. It's going to be weird to not have him wandering through the house grumbling. I'll miss him helping transport his sisters from place to place (even if they can drive). I'll miss him tormenting the cat. I'll miss his smart-ass remarks to almost everything I say. I'll just miss him.


The girls are torn: excited about having more room in the house (and taking over his room when he's gone) and being without the harassment of a brother but feeling a bit abandoned, too. The one I worry about most is John - he's now the only male in the house. That's got to be a bit unnerving. Even Jake (the dog) and Apollo (the cat) don't really count as males! I hope we're not too much for him. 

Closing Night

I can't believe it's over. The end of the best and hardest summer of DA's life. From the audience the final performance looked much the same as all the others, but the emotion on- and backstage was much different. A group of teenage girls have bonded like they've never bonded with anyone else. The have been orphans, thrown together in an orphanage, all summer long. They've loved each other and come close to hating each other. They have created a pact that will most likely last for the rest of their lives, at least for most of them. I'm glad she's had the opportunity, and I'm glad to get my life back for a day! I go back to school tomorrow...

Driving Parts 2 and 3

We went to the DPS office this morning. DA and DB got their drivers licenses. Let the fun begin...

California

JB left (with 3 friends) for California yesterday morning. The car was packed to the roof with food, clothes, camping gear, boys and Eve. Eve is like a mascot. She's the torso and head of manikin that the CPHS theatre department threw in the trash last fall. The boys found her in the dumpster and rescued her, and she's been a part of their lives ever since. I couldn't believe that they were taking up precious space in the car with her defaced body, but they felt she had to go along - so she did. They plan to go to the beach in San Diego and Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Death Valley, the Grand Canyon. The first night was spent with family of one of the boys in El Paso, but from here on out they are on their own. Amazingly, I'm not too worried. Thankfully, JB is a planner, so he's already collected money from the other to pay for gas and lodging along the way. They have enough food to feed an army for a while, so four cross country runners should be okay for a week or so. I hope they have fun...but keep it safe.

Opening Night

Last night was opening night for Annie at the Zilker Hillside. The park was packed; people were excited; and I was prepared to be tearful throughout the whole thing. My child was getting to live a dream she's had for so long. When the overture began I thought I might lose it, but I held my emotions together and beamed proudly when a stream of orphans began pushing their beds across the stage. The show was amazing. It's hard to believe that just 6 weeks ago they got their scripts and began to just read through. This was a full blown professional production and DA was in it!!! I must say that the orphans made the show. Hard Knock Life got people singing along right at the beginning. When they did Never Fully Dressed the crowd hooted and cheered - especially for the kick line. And the looks on their faces as they entered Daddy Warbucks' house in the final scene made everyone say "awww". We had quite a few friends and family there. Jan made it in spite of a sprained ankle, John, DB, and DA's boyfriend, A, were among the crowd. Getting her into the car after the show was a feat in and unto itself. She was so excited it was hard to fit her vibrating body into Puck (my MINI).

Annie at Zilker! (Well, rehearsal anyway)

DA got to perform in Annie (well, a rehearsal at least) on the Zilker Hilside Theatre for the first time this week. She's been waiting for this opportunity for about, oh, umm, THIRTEEN YEARS! The hillside looks beautiful. They've made improvements to the paths in front of the stage and added a porch to the tech booth at the top of the hill. Evidently some changes have been made backstage as well, but I didn't get to see those. Even though the girls seemed a bit overwhelmed by the size of the stage and the incredible set the first rehearsal at the park went great. And most importantly, DA WAS ON THE ZILKER STAGE FOR A REAL PURPOSE - not just playing around like she did when she was younger. She's well on her way to a dream come true.

Shreveport

Last weekend DB and I drove to Shreveport for a swim meet. When you look at it from it outside it seems ridiculous. We drove for about 6 hours each way, stayed 2 nights in a hotel, and she competed for about 5 minutes. Crazy, right? A closer look shows a much greater adventure...

We left home about 10:00, just like we had planned. Everything was going great. John had replaced my brakes, and Puck (my MINI) was running beautifully. Outside of Temple my light that says I have a flat came on. There's no spare in my car because it's so small, and you're supposed to keep runflat tires on it so that you don't get a flat, but they're expensive so I have regular tires and a can of fix-a-flat. I pulled over on the access road to I-35, and checked the air pressure in all the tires. I couldn't see any problems, but I'm no mechanic, so we continued into Temple and somehow managed to find a Discount Tire Center (after a couple of other stops). The guy there checked the tires and explained that replacing brakes messes with the flat tire sensor, and that was probably the problem. So with a light flashing - and that really messes with my head - and only an hour out of town, we continued down the road.

We had a wonderful time playing with JB's Garmin that he let us borrow (changing voices is great fun!) as we travelled along and finally made it to Shreveport in time for dinner with the team (about eight hours after we started). I didn't know any of the parents very well, but the company was great. 

DB swam well at times, not so well at times, and dove in on one race to find herself with a very stylish goggle necklace...but she kept on swimming. We got to spend two days with just the two of us in a nice hotel and in the sun. She got to swim (her passion), and I got to knit and read (my passions). It was fun and relaxing. I even got to make my first trip to a casino with some other parents while the kids went to a dance sponsored by the meet. :-)

Sunday afternoon we started our drive home. Again, I had great company and a chance to spend time alone with my daughter. We were able to talk without interruption! And we made it in record time (for us), about 6 hours. All in all it was an incredible weekend. We should do it again sometime.

The Next Rite

JB went to Freshman Orientation yesterday. Last night while waiting for DA at rehearsal I got a text from him...


JB: Anthropology I should get a BS, right?
Me: Yes, that would be better than a BA
JB: Why exactly?
Me: Because it's a science so a BS looks more dedicated. But I have a BA in chemistry and did ok... It just doesn't look as good as a BS
JB: Gotcha. Well the only difference is with a BS you have to have a certain minor and with a BA you can have anything
Me: Remember anything can be changed as you go along. Archeology for a minor?
JB: Uh, idk. I will check when I get back to my room and book
Me: Or maybe sociology
JB: People? Gross
Me: See what you're interested in that's easy :-)


Then the conversation stopped, but he actually ASKED me about it! I was excited. Then totally came the text that is probably more normal...


JB: I need a check for 7152 dollars please.


Ahh,  I'm learning the joys of a college student (Oh, and I learned today that archeology is a specialization within anthropology and it's a liberal art - not a science, hmm. 

Graduation

One down, two to go - or one down, one to go. It depends on how you look at it. One child has finished with his childhood, two are still my babies - or one graduation finished, and one yet to sit through. (A perk of twins is sometimes you get those good kinds of two-fers!)


JB's graduation was...well, a graduation. The speeches were nice (DA's boyfriend's sister was valedictorian so she did one). Everyone behaved (no bare butts). JB looked handsome and happy. It was LONG. There were about 500 graduates. At one point Pops let me know how many minutes until JB would be called based on the data he had collected, i.e. number of names called per minute and number of names left to go. At least it kept him entertained.


The bottom line is - we're done. I got a little choked up when they started playing "Pomp and Circumstance", but overall did better than at my students' fifth grade completion ceremony (but I was thinking of JB then, too). Now, on to the next step...Wednesday he heads to San Marcos overnight to register for next year! Now, THAT'S  going to be an adventure.

Prom Dresses

I've spent the past 3 and a half weeks making 2 prom dresses. I love to sew, and it was a blast making the dresses, but a bit stressful as well. JB's girlfriend, K's dress was a Vogue pattern that I fought with from the very beginning. I've learned through the years to make a mock-up of important pieces before I cut into the "real" fabric. It was a good thing on this dress. it looked stupid - nothing like the picture on the pattern envelope. Each time we tried it on K did her best to be diplomatic, but she and I both knew it looked awful. After several tries and finally cutting new pattern pieces, we (I) got it done. And she looked beautiful. Just before I hemmed it, I was taking a break and thought I'd Google the pattern on the computer. Up popped a page with all the idiosyncrasies and errors of the pattern! Things I spent 3 weeks figuring out were laid out there in black and white. Lesson learned: Always check your resources FIRST!

DA's dress was one I had sketched last August, and she modified. We didn't have a commercial pattern, but she had confidence in me, so I had to have it in myself. Again, after several tries, frantic searches through pattern books (to no avail) and some frustration, we got a workable product. It wasn't exactly what I had envisioned, but that was primarily the fault of the fabric she had chosen; it just wasn't stiff enough. But she still looked gorgeous in the end.

Now it's DB's turn for a special dress. Thankfully, there's no looming deadline during the busiest month of the year. I can leisurely and joyfully make her dream dress - and have it ready for next year's prom, I hope...

Appliances

We've had appliance issues lately. It all started in March 2009. The dishwasher messed up, so I ordered the part I needed and put it in. it was easy, and that should have been the end of it. But it wasn't. Evidently there was more than just the arm that sprays the water that was defective, and I began doing the dishes by hand.

In August my laptop computer died. The screen told me that no hard drive was detected. My young computer

savvy friend told me that this was "VERY BAD"; as in there's nothing salvageable. He fusses at me regularly for not staying up-to-date with my technology, but luckily I had recently backed things up.

Then the toaster quit toasting. Now, this toaster was almost 50-years-old and was living with a fourth generation of the family (5th if you count my kids), but I NEVER expected it to quit working...it's now a piece of kitchen art because I just don't have the heart to trash it.

Next the water heater went out. This one we had to fix because the kids complained about cold showers. John replaced a couple of heating elements and voila - we were as good as new.

Shortly after that the household computer which had been moving slowly for a couple of years decided it couldn't make it another day. It went the route of my laptop and said, "No hard drive detected." Well, I already knew the outcome of that scenario - so I just let it be.

Next came a big problem. Just days after the demise of the computer, the washing machine refused to spin. Water would go in, but there was no agitating or getting it out. I jumped on that one like a dog on a June bug... I've been wanting a front loading washer for years, and thanks to a bad economy, an appliance sale, a free gift card for opening an account, and some mad bargaining skills, I got the washer I really wanted for the price of a top loading washer AND free delivery and haul off of the old one. I felt VERY accomplished.

The most devastating loss for the girls came when our prized Chi flat iron would no longer heat and flatten hair. One simply can NOT go out with the least bit of wave in one's hair. I get it, so I went the next day and purchased a new one. Thankfully all curls are again under control!

As these things were being added to the list, the pool began to have algae problems. Evidently the chlorine generator is not working properly and the solutions for the problem that are recommended by the manufacturer do no good. I've tried to contact our pool builder, but they seem to be ignoring me. I'll begin a full assault on their answering machine as soon as school is out. A call every 30 minutes or so should get their attention. For now I'm adding chlorine the old fashioned way - a scoop at at time.

And most recently - John's laptop screen went blank. The repair guys said it would be about $300 to fix it. The computer isn't worth that much anymore, and it won't hold a charge anyway so it has to always be plugged in. So John hooked it up to the monitor of the broken computer. Between the two we're in business.

In addition to the appliance woes, we had some car related ones as well. JB's brake lights quit working when he hooked up his trailer lights. A piece of trim on my car came off at highway speeds (thanks to JB "fixing" it). The passenger seat in my car will no longer adjust - you just have to sit where it is. And my brakes are grinding, but we won't even count those in the appliance problems.

I won't dare say, "What else could break?", because I'm sure God would have an answer for me. Instead I'm choosing to laugh at the situation and be grateful that we are a resilient family who can live without many modern conveniences - at least for a time. We'll make it through. We'll replace the computers; get the chlorine generator fixed; the toaster, flat iron and washing machine are new; and the water heater has been mended. I may decide to leave the broken dishwasher in the cabinet and continue to wash dishes by hand. At least no one bothers me when I'm doing that chore for fear of having to help...It's nice to have a little quiet time each day. :-)

Promises Kept Part 2

The promise is fulfilled! last night we saw Elton John! It was a first concert for both of the girls - what a way to start - and the first JB had seen at the Erwin Center. They've all been going to the theatre all their lives and have learned proper etiquette for that, but a rock concert was a new experience. DA was thrilled to be allowed (and even encouraged) to sing along. She usually has to curb that desire. She got to jump and spazz and screech. DB, of course, took it all in stride. She was amazed by the man's talent and enjoyed his performance, but she's usually calm and in control, so didn't get quite as crazy as DA...At least I don't think she did. JB and his girlfriend, K, had fun too, even though she didn't know many of the songs. My only disappointment was that we sat in three different areas, so I didn't get to see them enjoy the show... But DA's hoarse voice after the concert told me how much she loved it. What an incredible night. We are truly blessed!

ANNIE!

DA auditioned for a part in the Zilker Hillside Production of Annie last Saturday. She managed to get a callback on Sunday. I was immensely proud of her. Just to get a callback was a great accomplishment. The next few days were tense at our house to say the least. If anyone mentioned the audition to her they were likely to get their head bitten off! She knew that the competition was tough, and that few people get the opportunity to do a show like that, but she's wanted a part in THAT show on THAT stage since she was about 5-years-old. She's been telling me since she was 2 that she was going to be an actress on a stage. This is a life-long dream (though the life is only 15 years and 8 months old).

Yesterday she got a email saying that she's got a part....DA is officially an orphan. Rehearsals start in May and the shows runs July 9 through August 15. Twenty-three shows! And one is on her birthday! This is going to be the hardest, bestest summer of her life.

Promises Kept

Elton John is coming to town. Ten years ago I promised Daughter A that when he came back I would take her. Well, earlier this week I learned that he's coming in March, and tickets were going on sale this morning. Someone (I don't know if it's Sir Elton, or some promoter along the way) thinks that these tickets are worth as much as the golden tickets found in Willy Wonka's chocolate bars! Lucky for me, I saved my Christmas money from John's parents and had the cash to buy tickets for the whole family (plus one). I was about tenth in line at the location I went to, and got to the guy with the computer about 10 minutes after they went on sale. By that time the only thing left available was in the mezzanine, and no more that 2 seats could be found together. So I took what I could get - two for John and me, two for JB and K (they're back together again), and two for DA and DB.

DA is beside herself. She's singing the songs, posting that she's going to the concert as her Facebook status and floating as high as a kite. She even thinks I'm pretty special for keeping a ten year old promise. Now I just hope Elton has as good a performance as he had the last time we saw him. That should make me her favorite adult for the rest of her life!

Swimming, swimming, swimming

Daughter B had her first district swim meet last week. She didn't do as well as she had in previous meets. Partly because she's still having trouble with consuming enough food and partly (in my opinion) because she put so much pressure on herself. Regardless of the reason, I thought she was great, and I saw a side of some of her team mates that made me think even more of them than I did before. The team is so incredibly supportive of one another. It's refreshing to see a bunch of teenagers (especially girls) who are competing against each other, but want everyone else to be successful and are willing to comfort each other when things don't go as planned. These kids are exceptional in every way. DB couldn't have chosen a better group to be a part of.

Hopefully, she'll soon learn what and how much she needs to eat, but in the mean time I'm glad she has friends like these to help her out along the way.

Wisdom

JB had his wisdom teeth out last week. All six (yes, six!) of them. I'm not sure why the child had so many, but I know that the extra two cost as much as the original four put together! I expected him to come through it without too many problems since I had mine out at about the same age and was on the go the next day, but I didn't expect him to do as well as he did.

After the surgery the doctor explained to me that sometimes the anesthesia causes young men to react in an angry or volatile way because of the part of the brain it interferes with. JB had studied this in psychology recently and seemed to know all about it. But he certainly didn't react in that way! He was extremely friendly, to say the least, telling the doc all about my car, and how he should get to drive it home because it would be fun to go fast. The doctor helped me get into him the car and sent us on our way. He seemed somewhat coherent, but his normal "home" personality was magnified. He kept running his hand down my cheek all the way home saying, "Let me drive, Mommy. I'll be good," and then texting K (his ex-girlfriend whom he would like to have as his current girlfriend) and saying, "Oops, I drunk texted K again."

He spent a few hours uncomfortable, slept on the floor for an hour or so when he got dizzy going from the kitchen back to the couch, kept the frozen peas on his cheeks like he was supposed to, followed the rules to avoid getting dry sockets, avoided all major painkillers, and did beautifully. The thing he was most upset about was that he had gotten blood on one of his favorite shirts. (I managed to get it out.) All in all it wasn't too bad of an experience. And K even came by to check on him the next day and brought him some ice cream.