Sunday, May 30, 2010

Heroes

My daddy passed away a few years ago at the age of 87. I loved him so very much, and will always miss him. He wasn't perfect. In fact, by a lot a standards, he was SOOO far from perfect. But he was my hero, for a lot of reasons. Every little girl looks up to her daddy as a hero, just by reason of him being big and strong. If he is a halfway decent Dad, then he is also loving and protective. For some reason, I was extra attached to my Dad. When I was a kid, I would spend hours in his workshop with him, handing him tools. I couldn't talk much, because he had lots of numbers and measurements in his head, and talk would make him forget. It didn't matter. I was with my daddy. And life was good.

One of the BIG reasons I saw him as a hero is because he WAS. Daddy was a platoon leader in the Army, and on D-Day, he led his platoon off the boat, through the waves, and onto the beaches of Normandy. My daddy was a hero. This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day. And I have special reasons to remember, and to be thankful. Thank you to ALL who serve this amazing country we live in, the United States of America. To all who keep it safe, both on the homefront and overseas. Please know you all have my heartfelt gratitude!

Blessings...Nancy

Saturday, May 29, 2010

FOUR WEEKS!!!







In four weeks my baby girl will be heading off to Ballet Camp! I can't believe it's that soon. It seems like just yesterday that I was making lists and thinking how very premature all my planning was! And now it's a month away. Oh, I miss her already! Her gramma/godmother called today and asked how much a pair of pointe shoes were, and she is planning on giving Shao the money to buy a pair as needed, at camp. I just bought her a new pair, and it is likely she may need 2 or more pairs considering how much ballet she will be doing over that four weeks!

Her leotards are all ordered. I still need to order the tights she needs. A sweet bloggy friend and participant in "Crazy Love" is sending us a set of sheets for her bed at Camp...I am sure they will be awesome! Can't wait for that surprise...I LOVE surprises! :) I've begun a box of stuff to take...a roll of paper towels, soap, shampoo, bandaids, toothpaste & brush. Still, there is a lot of little things I need to get: black bobbypins, black hairnets, sanitary supplies, etc. I want to take a couple of cases of bottled water up with her, so she'll have plenty to drink. And I would like to stock her little refrigerator with some wholesome snacks. Oh, I am gonna miss this kid!

I tell people that I spent the first 45 years of my life having lots of leisure time...I'm done with that. I want my kid! :) Poor soul, she likely would have been much better off with a sibling, so she could catch some breathing room. And I would have loved to have many more, but it was not to be. So I support OTHER people's adoptions, and live vicariously through their wonderful stories! :) Anyhow...four more weeks. Then four weeks without her. When asked by others if she will be coming home on weekends, she does not say instantly, "Of course!" So I am laying low, and leaving it up to her. But I hope she does. I will miss her too much. At least the first weekend, which is July 4th, it would be nice to have her home. We'll see. I'm going to let her decide. But it will be SOOOO hard not to beg her to come home! :)

Blessings...Nancy

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Memorial Day Monday...ummm...Thursday!


So, does anyone out there have a toy Dodge Neon that they could spare? Cuz that's what I need for my Memorial Box! Here is an incredible thing...an illustration that God, our God, cares about our every need, and has our WHOLE future in His hands.

The other day Shao's godmother, my dear friend Donna, mentioned that next Spring she and hubby Ron were going to sell their Florida home. Not only were they selling the home (any0ne interested? It is being sold with most furniture, and is REALLY nice, with heated pool, etc!!!), but they were also going to sell their boat (hey, it could be negotiated into the house price!) and their car, too. They just bought a condo in Arizona, to be near to their daughter, and didn't need TWO places to fly away to when it got cold in New Hampshire!

Tuesday night Donna & I were talking on the phone, and after awhile she said, "Oh, by the way, Ron says we are just going to GIVE you our Neon! But you'll have to come to FL to get it!" Now I have a car. But it has 130K miles on it, and their Neon hasn't even hit 60K yet. And I'd rather sell mine (hopefully for enough money to afford to go to FL & collect the Neon!) while it is still doing relatively well. It is beginning to use a lot of oil, so this does not bode well. Donna's car has been garaged all it's life! And it has working AC!!!! WOOHOO!!! That'll be a first for us!

So...I am in need of a Neon...match car size! :)

Blessings...Nancy

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Special

Today was special. And hard. And a little sad. Today, Shao danced in a benefit performance to raise money for the artistic director (and one of her ballet teachers) of New Haven Ballet, where she dances. He is dying of pancreatic cancer. So very, very gifted, with a 7 year old child, and a whole ballet school full of kids...and he is dying. It was his every intention to be at the benefit, but on Thursday he ended up in the hospital, so was unable to attend. It was videotaped, and a copy will go right to the hospital. Not only did NH Ballet dance, but many many other dance schools and companies participated. It was wonderful to see so many people come together to help out one of their own. I cried, as I always do at such times. It kinda broke my heart that Noble wasn't able to be there. But it was wonderful to see all the different modes of dance.

ShaoXi danced divinely, as usual. It's funny...she MAY make mistakes, but since I only have eyes for her, when she is on stage, unless it is a glaring one, or she falls (which she NEVER does), as far as I'm concerned, she's perfect! :)

Today was also sweet Chrissie Patterson's funeral. I can't even imagine. Little girls should get to live to be five years old, don't you think? Sigh.

Hug your loved ones especially close tonight.

Blessings...Nancy

Friday, May 21, 2010

Teenagers!

So...yesterday, ShaoXi was all upset because she has two friends who lately have been ignoring her, in her eyes. They sit at her lunch table, but they whisper to each other, which ShaoXi has asked them not to do, to no avail. And if she is with one of them, talking to them, if the other comes up, the two just wander away, leaving ShaoXi standing there. I suppose, though she hasn't said it, is that these two girls were NOT friends before they each became a really GOOD friend of Shao's, and then she introduced them to one another. I would imagine that hurts a bit. There is another friend who is also feeling the same way, very left out, very sad. And the two girls are SWEETHEARTS, so I don't even think they realize what they are doing.

Thus...the intervention. I am so stinkin' proud of this girl of mine. She does NOT take after her mama, who talks a good talk, but when push comes to shove, doesn't do this well...she contacted all three of the other girls, and they are having a meeting with a guidance counselor (who Shao said she is going to ask NOT to talk, just to mediate if the need arises!) :) I think it might be about NOW, actually...hang on! Okay...I'm back....bathed it all in prayer again. Sweet girl of mine.

So...life with a teenager. I am blessed that she is not snotty or defiant, rebellious or wild. She is a total sweetheart, and doesn't handle rejection well. Been there, done that, I get it. BUT...she IS willing to step out and make herself vulnerable. You know why? Well, first, because she knows how to be a true friend. And second....she wants her friends to come to know the Lord, to have a personal, on fire relationship with Jesus that lights up their lives. And if she walks away, she feels she will have failed to lead them to her Saviour. I told her that God Himself will provide a way for them, but that it is up to THEM to choose to take the gift of salvation. So I did NOT want her to feel that way, but that I DID expect, even if she chose to walk, that she would continue to care about them and pray for them.

I'll keep ya posted!

Blessings...Nancy

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Sadness

My girl was sad yesterday. She gets that way on occassion, and I seldom know what to do to help her, other than love on her, and pray with and for her. I tell her it is all the new things going on in her life and her body, and the hormones, etc. But that only assures her it is normal, it does not REALLY help with the sadness itself. We talked for a long, long time, we prayed, and by bedtime I think she was better. But it breaks my heart to see my joyful, loving child so teary and in emotional pain. I asked her if she thought some counseling might be in order, but I never did get a definitive answer to that one. Meanwhile, I will continue to pray for the right words. This parenting thing is HARD!!!! Particularly when you are doing it on your own, and have no other parent to bounce things off of, and to have your back. sigh. But you know? I wouldn't trade it for the world. Not for anything short of my salvation in Jesus, itself. That's the only thing more valuable to me than my girl. She is the treasure I am laying up in heaven...I am investing in her, and what a treasure she is!!!! Please keep us in your prayers.


Blessings...Nancy

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Dancing with Jesus

Please pray for the Patterson Family. Their sweet Serbian Sensation, Chrissie (see sidebar button) went home to be with the Lord early this morning. It has been such a long, terrifying, amazing 30 days since her surgery. I feel some emptiness myself, and I never met them! But, OH, how many lives that one little Warrior Princess' life has touched! I pray it goes on and on! Knowing what I do about the Patterson's, I believe it will!

Blessings....and hug your loved ones extra close today!...Nancy

Monday, May 17, 2010

This and that...FINALLY!!!

OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!!! No wonder almost no one has visited my blog this past week...there has been NOTHING to draw them here! No excuses...although I guess I could definitely come up with some! :) BUT...I am here NOW. Hello, friends! :)

I have spent much of the past week helping my sister move. It is amazing what one can accumulate in 20+ years. 2 years ago her husband walked out on her, and she could not pay the mortgage anymore. The house FINALLY sold, in a short sale, for probably HALF of it's actual value, and as of this weekend, she is no longer a homeowner. And it's sad. And it's happy. All at the same time. I LOVED her house. An old 1850's farmhouse, lots of original features, etc. But needing lots of work. And Carrie, the new owner? LOVES it! Which makes us smile. She is so excited. My sister, Polly, is now living in a camper trailer, at my other sister's house. That's a temporary situation, as she has a rent but it won't be vacated until mid August. Should be an interesting summer!

I am scurrying about, trying to get things together for Shao's summer ballet camp. I got a letter from our town, offering $120 toward a camp of her choice. What a blessing! That money went toward her leotards and such. Yay! She needed THREE of them, each a different color. $30 each! I am thankful beyond words to see God's hand providing in ways I never thought of!

So...we continue to be blessed, and busy, and happy. Please DO pray for me though. Having some health issues, not quite sure WHAT'S going on, but not feeling quite right. Headed to the Dr.'s for an appt RIGHT NOW!!! Gotta go!

Blessings...Nancy

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for just about everything in my life! :) No, really! I am so blessed! I have the most amazing kid I have ever met as my OWN! I have my home, food in the cupboard, friends and family. I am blessed.

But I'll tell you what I am really thankful for, today. I am thankful that these crazy Crazy Love people are STILL coming back to my little blog, and posting comments that they are praying for us. THAT, folks, is something to be thankful for! Prayer changes EVERYTHING!!!!! I know it does, for sure, for positive! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please know that YOU play a part in every good thing the Father sends our way! Thank you for being His hands and feet, and heart, extended to this little family. We so appreciate it!!!!!!!

May His love enfold you, and may you be blessed many times over!

Nancy

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Terrific Tuesday, anyone?

I am thankful that God's mercies are new every morning, and we can begin again with a fresh start. :) This has been a much better day, although I did lose patience with my bus aide...not that SHE knew I did. Because I bit my tongue and held it in. But.....ayiyiyi! She is a little elderly lady who spends our very LONG rides commenting on my driving "You'd better slow down!" "EEEK, watch out!" "OH MY, watch out for the guy, he's going to pull in front of you!!!!!" "You know, my other drivers never drove in any lane but the far right." "I've never had a driver go over 60 mph before!" All this said in her sweet grandmotherly little way...um, well, no maybe not, since much of it is screeched!

So here's the deal. I'm a good driver. I am a confident driver. I am NOT an aggressive driver. Miss G. is gonna drive me nuts. BUT...school is over in 7 weeks. I can DO this. YES I CAN! But I MAY bleed to death before then, from biting my tongue!

Anyhow...better day, less traffic, no random drug tests. Life is good! :)

Blessings...Nancy

Monday, May 3, 2010

UGGGHHHH

Ever have one of those days? Well, me too...in fact, TODAY was one! I drive a van for our local school system. My kids go to a special school for autism and it is 45 miles away. Which on a good day can be done in 2 hours, round trip. Except today was NOT a good day. There was a 23 mile back up, over half of which was between home and the exit the school was at. So a 2 hour trip turned into 3. That's a long time to be bumper to bumper, with antsy kids in the van. They did well, though. But, OH, I was tired when I got back into town. I didn't have to go back out for another 4 hours though, so thoughts of a nap danced through my head like sugarplums. Nope. Not happening.

I walked into the office, and got the lovely news that my name had come up randomly for drug testing. I had to turn around and head BACK the way I had come. Waahhh!!! All I wanted to do was go home. And I had to use the restroom...but I couldn't, since I was gonna need to "perform on command" when I got to the facility. Big bummer.

So I drove over there, went to the window, only to be told they had no idea I was coming, and where was my form? Uh...nobody gave me a form. I sat down and called the office, and was told they DID know I was coming, and THEY provided the forms. So I waited...and waited...and waited...and waited some more. 45 MINUTES went by. I went to the desk and said "Uh, I've now been waiting 45 min to pee in a cup. And I had to pee DESPERATELY when I arrived here, so you can imagine my problem!" Uh, yeah...they (same girl who was flustered and clueless that I was coming....ya think she's new or something?!?) had put my paperwork in the wrong slot, and the staff in the back thought I was there to see a Doctor. Which apparently takes a long, long time in that place. Once that got straightened out, I went right in. I must say, I performed magnificently, if not a little frantically, as soon as I went through all the procedures: put purse in a designated place, remove jacket and hang on hook, empty pockets, wash hands, and pick the collection cup from the second shelf (this one puzzled me, don't ask!) By the time I got home I had an hour and a half before I had to go out and pick up my kids. At least the traffic wasn't nearly as bad as the AM run, and I did the whole run in just a little over 2 hours. AND I will get paid for the time getting drug tested. So there is ALWAYS a silver lining, as indiscernible as it might seem!!! :)

Blessings...Nancy

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Happy May Day!

Happy May Day, everyone! Consider your doorbell having been rung, and finding these on your steps! :) Anyone ELSE remember that little May Day custom? No? I'm the ONLY "old" person here? Alrighty, then!!!

It is a glorious day here in CT! Headed to the mid to upper 80's in temp, soft breeze, no humidity! Oh, ya gotta love it!!!! Of course, I am INSIDE, writing THIS. But I hope to get outside and ENJOY, today.

Please continue to pray for sweet Princess Chrissie. She is a miracle, through and through. See her "button" on my side bar. I have seen God do so many miracles in the past few weeks. What an encouragement to my heart, to see Him as a Miracle-Working, Mountain-Moving, Awe-Inspiring, Gasp-Giving God!! Yep, stole it from my sweet bloggy friend, Linny...and I KNOW she won't mind! She wants MORE people to come to know our precious Jesus in this way, believe me!

Didn't have much "new" to post. Just wanted to wish you all a joyful May Day! Enjoy!!!

Blessings...Nancy