I mentioned to someone this week that I was having the week from hell. Literally, I wondered if our rash of negative events was an attack from ‘the dark side,’ or more accurately a spiritual attack on our family. And, as usual, I wondered if I had somehow caused this attack by my own carelessness.
It all started last Saturday, ironically, at the Jeffco Safety Fair. Walking across the street, both Drew and I fell, with the consequence that Drew broke his clavicle. It’s bent, fortunately, rather than severed, and God made our bones with an amazing ability, not only to heal but to correct the bad angle. Wow! He’s healing up nicely. Mom’s still a basket case.
Shortly after this incident, one of the kids knocked a hole in our shower tile. Almost $500 later, it will be fixed next week. This was bound to happen, given the construction of the wall. And the cost was less than my husband had anticipated. Not only that, the hand man who is going to fix it was a cop, a fire fighter and would like to discuss writing with me, since he’s writing a book also. One of his previous locations was Jersey, which happens to be the location of one of my stories.
We plan our vacation every year in mid September, to avoid the crowds and to view the changing colors of Colorado. This year we planned our trip to the Rocky Mountain National Park. The arrangements were made and the kids began to come down with a virus. My first thought was for Drew, because he comes down with Croup every year. I prepared, according to two doctors’ instructions and Drew seemed to be handling the virus just fine…
We woke up at 5:00 am the first morning out, with his airways tight and the cold morning air only afforded a slow recovery. He did work his way out of it, however, so we continued our day, keeping watch over his breathing and carefully following the doctor’s instructions. Later that day I was just about to make the decision to stay when he took a turn for the worse. His airways were clamping down and nothing seemed to be working. Well, I’m not superstitious, but bad things DO tend to come in three’s… Just wait, there’s more. While I was making the decision to pack it up and head home, our 10year-old daughter was borrowing her brother’s bike. She headed downhill…and lost her breaks. She hit a car, broadside, and rolled over the hood. As it turns out, the couple driving the car had lost a child in an accident. For them, this was more traumatic even than for us. Amazingly, Becca came out of this with a strained wrist and tears of embarrassment. In the process of this accident, we met the local deputy, Matt. He had a very stabilizing, calming effect on the situation and was very concerned about Becca. My husband was so impressed with how he handled everything. Yup. I haven’t met a deputy yet that I didn’t like.
Well, there’s more. Drew ended up in the hospital the night we returned from the RMNP. His airways just kept closing. Turns out the medicine I was told to use was inappropriate for Croup. Hm. I’m so glad I made the call to come home!
Now, this morning, in the hospital, the Front Range is visible beyond the bustling Saturday morning city, and calls me home. As I sit, and pace, with my coffee, and wonder how this piece of really sticky tape got attached to my hand sometime during the night, I have a whole new perspective on the situation. What looked like a rash of bad things WAS. But over all of it I saw a layer of God’s protection. It all could’ve been so much worse. God is good, and I am thankful.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
I love the mountains!
So we went into Littleton area today for dance classes. Afterward, I asked for directions to Costco from our our friends' house...Got the directions to the new one, and I looked ALL up and down Bellview for Santa Fe... With the sun setting right on the top of the mountains as I headed west, we saw a road called Zuni, right past 85. Going back east, the same road sign says Frontage Road santa Fe. So we turn onto this supposed Santa Fe and it DEAD ENDS! Why don't I have a map, you ask? My 18ds did NOT put the map back into my car...he is so busted! So I finally stopped and asked someone who told me to go back under the freeway and I would find Santa Fe. Ri-i-ight! I do what he says, and am examining the 'under the freeway' scene, when he drives up beside us and points - to 85! To quote one of our favorite movie lines, "Whoever designed this city needs to DIE!" Turns out, after taking 85, we had to take the FRONTAGE ROAD off 85, to the LEFT (who knew?), so we passed it because I was prepared to exit on the right.
When we left Costco, I asked the lady at the door for some help getting back to 85 so I could get back to 285. She says 'turn left at the light, then left at the next light and get back onto Santa Fe... I laughed. "There is no sign on this planet that calls 85 'Santa Fe.' She laughed back and said, "I know."
The whole way through this scenario, and all the way back up 285, Daniel is sneezing, loud. Every time he sneezes, one of the kids says "Daniel, stop it!" He says, good-naturedly, "I can't help it. I'm allergic to something. I'm just sneezing." I laughed so hard, I almost had to pull over on 285. But I couldn't do that because I'd had enough of pulling over and making u-turns to last awhile. I said, "Daniel, that's not a sneeze, that's a war cry!" We laughed the whole way up into the mountains.
I must be a mountain goat, now. I don't EVER want to go back into the city again! I LOVE my mountains!!
When we left Costco, I asked the lady at the door for some help getting back to 85 so I could get back to 285. She says 'turn left at the light, then left at the next light and get back onto Santa Fe... I laughed. "There is no sign on this planet that calls 85 'Santa Fe.' She laughed back and said, "I know."
The whole way through this scenario, and all the way back up 285, Daniel is sneezing, loud. Every time he sneezes, one of the kids says "Daniel, stop it!" He says, good-naturedly, "I can't help it. I'm allergic to something. I'm just sneezing." I laughed so hard, I almost had to pull over on 285. But I couldn't do that because I'd had enough of pulling over and making u-turns to last awhile. I said, "Daniel, that's not a sneeze, that's a war cry!" We laughed the whole way up into the mountains.
I must be a mountain goat, now. I don't EVER want to go back into the city again! I LOVE my mountains!!
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Jeffco Safety Fair
We went to the Jeffco Safety Fair on Saturday - it was very cool. There were so many people, we had to park across the street. There were food vendors, bouncy houses, an old car show (that was awesome!), all sorts of booths and then there was the Jeffco section. I had no idea there would be so much there.
The dogs were really great - we saw two of them, a regular German Shepherd and a pure bred black Shepherd. The first dog was a little nervous, I think, about the crowd. The trainer kept glancing at the announcer and shaking his head. The dog did well, considering, though. The guy in the Michelin man suit did well too. I think I would be freaked out. At one point, the dog grabbed his arm and the guy swung him around several times. The trainer has to work with the dogs to get them to let go.
The black dog was in the car barking up a storm while the other dog performed. I was a little nervous about bringing him out around all the kids. But he was very well behaved. It was incredible to watch him go into attack mode and then stop on a dime when the deputy called "Nein! Nein!" They have him trained to stop the attack if the officer sees the suspect begin to comply. He was a beautiful dog.
We got to see Dee. I really like her. She even remembered me. Brian will be in her class for Alive @ 25.
We got to see the bomb squad - that's a scary job. There was a robot there, which fascinated the kids. It's on remote control, has 3 eyes, a long arm and parts that move. It's on tracks and can turn on a dime. He held a small board, about the size of 3ring notebook, and pushed and pulled levers to move it for us. It's about a quarter of a million dollars worth of lifesaving equipment. For the bomb squad guys, distance from the bomb is the key. The suit was amazing. I didn't know that they have to back out of the building, since the back of the suit is not the same as the front. They said that the suit will not necessarily save their life if they are too close when a big bomb goes off. Wow!
Drew's favorite was the SWAT team. (Ok, it was Mom's favorite too!) He was very nice and explained a lot to us. Drew wanted to touch the guns, of course, but that was not allowed. There was an AR15, and I don't know what else...one was an automatic rifle, I think. We got to look at the vest, which had all sorts of goodies attached to it. He pulled out a cartridge (I think that's what you call it) for the shotgun that shoots did he say mushrooms? It's not a bullet, but has softer stuff in it, but it hits hard enough. He compared it to a fast pitch with a hard ball in the big league. What's that, about 90 miles per hour? There was a mask that attaches to an air tank, and the helmet was cool - that ought to do some pretty good protecting!
I got a good resource for drug information for my writing, and we saw some of the drug testing kits, etc. The kids got to see how finger prints are dusted for and how molds are made of footprints. One was a shoe and one was a huge paw print.
We're going to do the Citizens Academy next year. Or at least I am. It's for 18 and up. I was hoping Josh could do it, but I guess not.
We got fire safety for the kids, a 15minute lesson by a very pregnant firefighter. She was great. The trailer is set up as a 'house' where you can go through and spot fire hazards and fix them. It starts in the kitchen, then moves to the living room with a fireplace and then to a bedroom. They have a remote control smoke maker and they have the firemen lift the kids out the 'bedroom' window. She turned on the smoke alarm for us to hear. She told us that the escape rope ladders are not part of her training. They are concerned about the kids falling. Her instructions were to throw stuffed animals and stuff out the window so that when the firefighters get there they will look up at the windows where the kids can wave their arms and yell for their attention. Then the firefighters can get them out safely. Their first task when they get there is to walk all the way around the house to spot trapped residents.
I'm excited about setting up NESS with my neighbors and putting together a plan for emergencies. We had one to deal with after the safety fair - Drew fell and broke his collar bone! It occurred to me that I was uncertain where, up in the mountains, I could take him. The doctors were all out, including the chiropractors, and the urgent care was closed. I'm glad I went up to the door of the urgent care place - they had a note on the door to direct people to the other one in Bergen Park. I ended up following an ambulance, with lights and sirens.
The people at the urgent care place were very nice and Drew's clavicle is bent, not severed, so we were relieved. The only hitch was that the doctor kept trying to get me to give Drew his vaccinations...he was very disapproving of me on that regard, which I understand. Still, no thanks. Drew is doing fine, but I hate to see his left shoulder an inch lower than his right. He's in a soft brace that wraps around his shoulders to pull them back, so he doesn't hunch forward. Now we have to be careful for the next 3-6 weeks that he doesn't fall or get bumped. Heavy sigh. For Mom, I hate that this happened on my watch. On the other hand, I'm glad I was there for him. He needed his mom.
The dogs were really great - we saw two of them, a regular German Shepherd and a pure bred black Shepherd. The first dog was a little nervous, I think, about the crowd. The trainer kept glancing at the announcer and shaking his head. The dog did well, considering, though. The guy in the Michelin man suit did well too. I think I would be freaked out. At one point, the dog grabbed his arm and the guy swung him around several times. The trainer has to work with the dogs to get them to let go.
The black dog was in the car barking up a storm while the other dog performed. I was a little nervous about bringing him out around all the kids. But he was very well behaved. It was incredible to watch him go into attack mode and then stop on a dime when the deputy called "Nein! Nein!" They have him trained to stop the attack if the officer sees the suspect begin to comply. He was a beautiful dog.
We got to see Dee. I really like her. She even remembered me. Brian will be in her class for Alive @ 25.
We got to see the bomb squad - that's a scary job. There was a robot there, which fascinated the kids. It's on remote control, has 3 eyes, a long arm and parts that move. It's on tracks and can turn on a dime. He held a small board, about the size of 3ring notebook, and pushed and pulled levers to move it for us. It's about a quarter of a million dollars worth of lifesaving equipment. For the bomb squad guys, distance from the bomb is the key. The suit was amazing. I didn't know that they have to back out of the building, since the back of the suit is not the same as the front. They said that the suit will not necessarily save their life if they are too close when a big bomb goes off. Wow!
Drew's favorite was the SWAT team. (Ok, it was Mom's favorite too!) He was very nice and explained a lot to us. Drew wanted to touch the guns, of course, but that was not allowed. There was an AR15, and I don't know what else...one was an automatic rifle, I think. We got to look at the vest, which had all sorts of goodies attached to it. He pulled out a cartridge (I think that's what you call it) for the shotgun that shoots did he say mushrooms? It's not a bullet, but has softer stuff in it, but it hits hard enough. He compared it to a fast pitch with a hard ball in the big league. What's that, about 90 miles per hour? There was a mask that attaches to an air tank, and the helmet was cool - that ought to do some pretty good protecting!
I got a good resource for drug information for my writing, and we saw some of the drug testing kits, etc. The kids got to see how finger prints are dusted for and how molds are made of footprints. One was a shoe and one was a huge paw print.
We're going to do the Citizens Academy next year. Or at least I am. It's for 18 and up. I was hoping Josh could do it, but I guess not.
We got fire safety for the kids, a 15minute lesson by a very pregnant firefighter. She was great. The trailer is set up as a 'house' where you can go through and spot fire hazards and fix them. It starts in the kitchen, then moves to the living room with a fireplace and then to a bedroom. They have a remote control smoke maker and they have the firemen lift the kids out the 'bedroom' window. She turned on the smoke alarm for us to hear. She told us that the escape rope ladders are not part of her training. They are concerned about the kids falling. Her instructions were to throw stuffed animals and stuff out the window so that when the firefighters get there they will look up at the windows where the kids can wave their arms and yell for their attention. Then the firefighters can get them out safely. Their first task when they get there is to walk all the way around the house to spot trapped residents.
I'm excited about setting up NESS with my neighbors and putting together a plan for emergencies. We had one to deal with after the safety fair - Drew fell and broke his collar bone! It occurred to me that I was uncertain where, up in the mountains, I could take him. The doctors were all out, including the chiropractors, and the urgent care was closed. I'm glad I went up to the door of the urgent care place - they had a note on the door to direct people to the other one in Bergen Park. I ended up following an ambulance, with lights and sirens.
The people at the urgent care place were very nice and Drew's clavicle is bent, not severed, so we were relieved. The only hitch was that the doctor kept trying to get me to give Drew his vaccinations...he was very disapproving of me on that regard, which I understand. Still, no thanks. Drew is doing fine, but I hate to see his left shoulder an inch lower than his right. He's in a soft brace that wraps around his shoulders to pull them back, so he doesn't hunch forward. Now we have to be careful for the next 3-6 weeks that he doesn't fall or get bumped. Heavy sigh. For Mom, I hate that this happened on my watch. On the other hand, I'm glad I was there for him. He needed his mom.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Off to a running start!
School is going very well, and the kids are as excited as I am. It's like a breath of fresh air. Even Algebra is going just fine! My 18ds is moving ahead on subjects that we haven't even started yet. He's thinking maybe he can graduate early. We'll see... If he keeps this pace, there's a good chance.
I've found that each child is moving along independently and I'm finding a great deal of one-on-one time with each one. This is a tremendous blessing. The only one who needs more time from me is my 6ds, but I'm working on that one, today. He's so happy all the time, that he never seems to 'need' me to drop things for him. I must purpose to create that special time with him each day, because he doesn't demand it. My 10dd and I go walking every morning by ourselves and are enjoying time together.
Brian's truck gas tank arrived today - Guess I know what he's doing this weekend!
Gotta go, only had a few moments to spare.
I've found that each child is moving along independently and I'm finding a great deal of one-on-one time with each one. This is a tremendous blessing. The only one who needs more time from me is my 6ds, but I'm working on that one, today. He's so happy all the time, that he never seems to 'need' me to drop things for him. I must purpose to create that special time with him each day, because he doesn't demand it. My 10dd and I go walking every morning by ourselves and are enjoying time together.
Brian's truck gas tank arrived today - Guess I know what he's doing this weekend!
Gotta go, only had a few moments to spare.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Nothing stops traffic...
like elk...
Except maybe...moose!
Except maybe...moose!
From our trip to Rocky Mt. Nat'l Park.
Just moosin' around!
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