Can't sleep...

I woke up early with a coughing fit, and couldn't get back to sleep. There's a lot on my mind today

We will definitely be sending Wyatt to school. Hopefully we get the house we want, which is very close to a wonderful Christian School. It's not that I don't think teachers can do their jobs...I know they can. It's more or less what we want him exposed to socially. Plus, my concern is that he is a very bright little boy...who looks for trouble when he is bored. He doesn't mean to get into trouble, he is just...mischevious. And I don't want him to get bored in school. But I will definitely stay active volunteering wherever he goes!
I'm very worried about a good friend. She's got a lot on her plate, and I hate not being with her to help her go through it. If I felt better, I would drive down to see her. Maybe this weekend I will kidnap her and go do lunch or something. I don't know yet. I want to make things better for her, and I can't, and I hate that.

In Loving Memory

I sat in the dark this morning thinking about a year ago today. I never wake up to my phone when it's on vibrate. Well, about 1 am a year ago, I woke up to a text message that Trooper 2 (a MD State Police helicopter that also does medical transports) was missing. I will never forget how I thought it was a joke at first. This is a helicopter I have been on with patients time and time again. At that point I was wide awake. I walked out of my room at my brother's house, and he was awake feeding my nephew. I told him what I had heard. While he fed Mason, I looked on the internet to find that not only was it true, but they were carrying 2 patients and an EMS provider from the first station I was ever a member of. My heart sunk. I thought for sure it was someone I knew. Then reports came in that the wreckage...and 1 survivor were found. How she survived we will never know. She was one of the original patients of the car accident. We still didn't know who the provider was. We were worried about our younger brother, since he was a member of that station. We knew he wasn't on board, but we also knew he was most likely going through a terrible time. We found out who it was (suprisingly, noone I knew well...just in passing) The next few days just seem like a dream. I'd been on the helicopter once when it had a malfunction. Thank God it was a minor one.

My blog today is posted in memory of:
Trooper Fist Class Mickey Lippy
Pilot Steven Bunker
EMT Tonya Mallard
Patient Ashley Younger

May God watch over their families.

Trooper 2 Memorial Video (Click to watch)

Me sitting on the helicopter during a high school field trip (We took EMT as part of our high school curriculum)

What an insane week!

Well, let's see...where to start.....

The terrible cough I had all week progressively got worse. Thank goodness Randy had taken some vacation time for a vacation that we postponed, so he was home to take care of Wyatt so I could take care of me. After getting short of breath walking across the room last night, I was pursuaded to go to the ER. And I was then diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia. But m-o-o-o-m....I want bronchitis like everyone else! All the other kids have it, why can't I?

Someone came to look at the house today. I hope they love it. While they were here, we went to our old stand by, Chick Fil A. Wyatt opened the door to go into the playroom, and got his foot stuck under the door. A trip to the rescue squad to see Daddy and have him fix it, and Wyatt was good as new. Daddys are the best fixers ever!

Yesterday we aquired 2 kittens. They are currently nameless. 7 week old boys. I have no clue...Tom & Huck? Barnum & Bailey? (My house is like a circus most days)

Now....for the bad mommy moment. (Other than him losing some skin today) I am so torn about the whole schooling thing. I enjoy homeschooling him, but I also enjoy a peaceful and quiet house when he's at school. I feel rotten saying that. He's my son, it's my job to raise him, and not to be (just a little) relieved when he's at school. Randy's pushing me to send him, because he says he can tell a difference when I've had that me time, since I've been sleeping in. That makes me feel terrible! I've started looking at options. If we stay in this house because it doesn't sell, he will go to public school (we have great schools) If we get the house we want (terrible schools) then he will go to christian school. (Already researched the school, I'm excited to schedule a tour) I feel like I'm somehow failing as a mother. Which I know isn't true, because a lot of good parents send their kids to school. I just wanted to homeschool. Or I thought I did.

Signs are everywhere...you just have to look

Wow...What a week this has been! We had some issues pop up, and things were not looking too good, to say the least. We prayed, asked our friends to pray...and a decision was reversed, making things better. Still not perfect, but MUCH better. Someone in our church stepped in and helped us in a way that we never would have imagined. We really took that as a sign that this church is meant to be our home church. We had been looking at houses in various parts of the country, and we really decided that this was a sign for us to stay in the area.

And, on that note...We found a house we like. It needs work, but all cosmetic. New floors, new paint, new appliances. I am itching to get over there and open the windows and let it air out. Now the trick is to sell our house. Well, while we were looking at houses yesterday, we got a phone call that someone wants to see our house Saturday. This is the first phone call we've had like that since the week we put the house on the market! Pray that they like the house and want to make an offer! We have it insanely underpriced...we just want to get it sold!

Aaaand, for more exciting news....My Trish passed her National Registry Paramedic Exam!!!! YAY TRISH!!! I am so excited for her, and not surprised in the least. She studied her hiney off (well, tried to). She is so smart and darn good at what she does, and it showed! You go, girl! And *ahem* I told you so

Stupid SMIB germs!!

Well...for those of you who don't know, a SMIB is a Southern Maryland Inbred. It's a term of endearment for anyone from SoMD. I have come to the conclusion that noone else in PA is sick, therefore, this is all from the visit a week or so ago. I blame swampwater.

We saw Jeff Dunham Saturday night. Oh. My. Gosh. Freaking hilarious! Apparently he never brings out Bubba J anymore. Well, people from PA wrote to him and asked him to...so he did. And everyone in the audience was reciting Bubba J's lines with him. It was a riot! I have never laughed so hard in my life. You know that laughing you do where you forget to breathe, then it gives you a headache? (Play along with me here...smile and nod) Well, that was me all night.

There is still a big decision looming on the horizon. Not sure what we are going to decide, but for those of you who pray, I ask that you do please. It's not anything bad, but it would be nice to have some direction to go in. And we all know my husband....he tells me what I want to hear, so I never know for sure what he wants. And I don't want this decision to be about what I want.

I had SO much fun today. I volunteered some time setting up for a large consignment sale. (Did I say large...how about ginormous?) I worked with a great group of ladies. I can't believe how much they had...and I left before they were done collecting! I get to shop tomorrow. There is a wagon I have my eye on. I hope it's still there! I get to be one of the first shoppers since I volunteered 8 hours, so we will see... For anyone in the Carlisle area...JustLikeNewKids.com I promise it's worth it! I will never buy new clothes again, I don't think

So much to say.....Hmmm.....

I have no clue what to blog about today, but I promised myself I would try to blog every day. It's really very relaxing for me. This morning I woke up early on purpose so I could have my coffee and my blog. There's tons on my mind, but nothing I want to put "out there" just yet. And no, *sniffle* not pregnant yet.

There, I will talk about that. Why is it that it was SO easy to get pregnant before, but now? It seems to be escaping me. I never in a million years thought that, when I was ready to try, it would take some time. Have I blogged about this before? Possibly, I don't know. I can't remember yesterday, much less what I blogged about before.

Homesteading....something I so want to do. I have NO clue how to do it, but I want to anyway. I am learning from a great group of girls. Somehow I do think I blogged about this yesterday. I need more coffee.

AHA! You blog readers don't know that I'm watching my neice and nephew today do you? See, there ya go. Something new. Yes, I will have the cutie pies today. I love being surrounded by kiddos. It just makes me so happy. Today will be very busy...I have to drop some consignment stuff off, Wyatt's soccer game is at noon, take all the kiddos (even Wyatt) to my brothers, come home and clean for the open house tomorrow, then tonight I am going to see Jeff Dunham! Yay! I am super excited about that.

OH OH OH! I didn't tell you people this either....I am SO proud of Wyatt. Part of his homeschooling curriculum is to learn a bible verse every week. At first, I was very skeptical. Well, this week, he has memorized Proverbs 4:20 "Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully" Now, let's just hope he follows it! But I am SO proud of him! I added hand motions to it, and it took him 2 days! We started school late this year, so it's only been one week, but I think this week has shown me that I CAN do it. I hardly expect results overnight, but in a weeks time I can see progress! I am so excited! He's learned his days of the week (although sometimes he forgets Thursday....little booger wants to jumy right to Friday), the bible verse, and what a dictionary is. I really feel like we are off to a good start. I can do this!

Wishes, dreams, and plans for the future

There are really so many things I'd like to do for my family. I've already blogged about a weekly unplugged day, and that's going well. I've stepped back and taken a hard look at what it means to be a biblical homemaker. That is something I strive for.

I also want to learn to be more self-reliant. When we move, I'd like to start a hearty vegetable garden, start buying meats from a local butcher, sewing things myself (not everyday clothes, but cloth diapers, when the time comes, maybe a skirt or 2 here or there)

This all sounds so crazy, and it's so very different that what I wanted even a year ago. I feel like I'm a totally different person now. I'm someone that I think noone expected me to be. Some of my old "friends" were apparently pretty surprised I got married. You know, I am so much happier now that I ever could have believed I would be. I stumbled upon some online groups that promote homesteading, and I really feel like it's a direction I'm meant to be headed in. Unfortuntely, where we are right now, it's not possible (stupid HOA!) but where we are going...I can see it being a reality. I don't expect it to be easy, and I know it will take work, but how rewarding!

I know some of my old friends are going to read this and think I'm nuts, just like some of them think I'm nuts for homeschooling. And I'm totally ok with that :) If we were all the same, then things would get pretty boring pretty quickly!