Mini Me?

You know as a kid when your mom curses you that your kids will one day be just like you? I'm there. Although, I don't feel cursed at all. In fact, I couldn't be more overjoyed. I haven't figured out if it's a blessing or not for Katie though.

Had a phone conversation with her fourth grade teacher this morning. Right off I'll clear the air - nothing wrong - just checking in. Her teacher sends a daily email about what's going on, head's up about homework, etc. Yesterday her email mentioned a specific math paper that most kids did poorly on. So, the teacher gave each child an identical blank paper and they redid all of the questions again together in class. She wanted parents to look at the before and after papers with our kids last night and discuss it. So - I ask Katie about the paper, describe it really well for her (at first most kids did poorly, she says she gave you a blank one and you all worked on it together in class today, is this ringing any bells???), and I'm getting this 'duh' response, like "I have no idea what you are talking about". I'm like, "your teacher specifically mentions in her email that it was sent home and we should look at it together tonight". "oh", she says, "She had us put that in our math books." So, I email the teacher back and say what Katie says and while I'm at it, ask how she's doing in class.

So, this morning I go to grab her lunchbox from her backpack and find the math papers crumpled in the bottom of her backpack. Eeek! I call her downstairs. "Here's the math paper..." . You can probably see how this progresses. So, I decide to call the teacher this morning, tell her that my email was wrong and that the paper was actually in the bottom of the backpack.

Long lead-in to get to the point...Katie (like me) is doing great in school. She does her homework, gets her reading done, no worries...EXCEPT that she's a social butterfly. Yackity yackity yack. Her teacher doesn't know what to do about it. Was I surprised to get this report? Yea right! I've been hearing it since Katie was in Kindergarten. Wait - I've been hearing it since she was in preschool. Allright, if you know me then you know that I've really been hearing this since I was in elementary school. I have passed on the chatty gene to my very own version of Mini Me.

In the seventh grade, my English teacher Mr. Davis got on me every single day about talking during roll. How was I not able to just shut my trap? So, he tries everything...moves me away from my friends (didn't matter)...put me in a kindergarten size desk right next to his (didn't matter)...moved my desk out into the hallway (really didn't matter - since it was fourth period and everyone was in the hallways for lunch - super chat!!). So, I tell a short version of the Mr. Davis story to Katie's teacher this morning in an apologetic way. Yes, I'm owning up to my Darwinian contribution to her classroom this year. She says, "I was thinking that I should move Katie closer to my desk, but now that you told me that story, maybe that would make her feel too much like she was following in your footsteps, so I'll hold off on that plan".

Here's where I pull the Reason to Believe out of this tale...it's the Circle of Life, baby - and I love seeing me in her, even if it's through both of our wide open yaps!!

Slow But Sure...And, Appreciated

It's October 2008. Three summers ago Stuart and I started talking about painting the outside of the house. Three summers went by, along with several conversations about getting the house painted. There were several obstacles, of course...the color would need to be approved by our homeowner's association, and it takes 30 days once the request is turned in; would we spray or use a brush and roller; what about the weather - it's just so rainy around here. The excuses and the delays were never-ending and when August arrived this year and we hadn't even started looking for a paint color AGAIN, it seemed that another summer would pass without getting paint on the house. Another summer...even thoughI had bugged, I had gotten quotes for having someone else do it, I had whined and whined and whined. (All of this whining by me, of course, knowing that I would not be the one to do the actual painting.)

SURPRISE!! Stuart to the rescue. He might delay, and he might procrastinate, but I'll give it to him when it's truly due - when he decides on something he puts in a dang fine effort. So, he's out there again today, taking advantage of the rain-free weekend. We didn't go through homeowners association approval because we decided on only a slightly darker shade of gray than we already had. He started on Labor Day weekend. He has been out there nearly every nice weekend day since. And, did I mention he's doing it all by hand? And that he washed it all first? So far, he's got two full sides done and he's working on the third side. His goal is to get everything that can be seen from the street done before the weather fails him. The back side of the house, and the trim, will wait until the spring.

You know what? I'm so pleased...he really came through. And I BELIEVE that he will finish up as soon as he gets his painting weather back in the spring. He's a trooper who's painting time had finally come.

Thanks for being my REASON today, Stuart. You rock as a house painter!

Long time...No Write

Here goes...another entry. It's been about three months so I guess it's time.

What has happened in the last three months that remind me of my Reasons to Believe?

• Junior High: I loved it and I hated it. In retrospect, I really only hated it. In fact, as I start thinking about it I realize all of the writing I could do just recounting the horror stories of 7th through 9th grade. But, this Reason really has nothing to do with me. Ryan started 7th grade in September. I am fairly certain that I was worked up into much more of a fear frenzy about it than he was. I gave him a talk about bullying, and mean kids, and getting exposed to all kinds of stuff (like talk about sex, profanity, drugs, etc.). Well, we're about 45 days in and so far, so good. I think he's a natural. I know - early poll results should never be reported for fear of making the wrong prediction. But, this kid is doing good things - and I am feeling so much better about it all. He is a constant reminder that I need to BELIEVE more, and WORRY slightly less. ;)
• Being a girl: I have always loved that I am a girl. Truly. I have always felt thankful to God that I was born a female in the United States. I don't mean anything sexist about it - I just mean that I think that I have to endure less (basically I'm lazy and I get the easy way out a lot of the time) because of it. As I am growning up (notice the tense - this is still a work in progress) I find myself even more thankful that I have a daughter [who is EXACTLY LIKE ME, BTW] who is also a female in the United States. We share girl stuff. There are so many things that are just ours because we are girls. Looks, giggles, knowing grunts. She loves me - and I BELIEVE that it will never end. Might get strained - but it will never end. I have no worry on that one. A first?
• ABBA: OK - I don't think I can type a B backward on my keyboard, so I'm spelling it the "wrong" way - arrest me. I have had the chance to relax and enjoy a few times this summer thanks to ABBA and the crazy little movie that features their music. It started in '07 when I saw the musical with Krisann in Vegas - and as soon as I heard there would be a movie I knew I HAD to see it. Twice now - once with friends Karrie and Deana, once with Karrie (again! :) ), Kindra (sis-in-law), and Karrie's sis-in-law. I'm left with a perma-grin after that movie and I love it all the more because of the experience of sharing it with my girlies. Pure joy!

Hmmm...Lots of others are coming to mind - but I think I'll stop right here for now, because maybe if I leave a few things unsaid I'll actually get back on here and write more.

Here's a teaser for you (and a way to remind myself what to write about):

• Grandma's broken ankle
• Family Reunion
• Planning to go to Vegas with "Sprenger Girls"
• Wanting to do more writing
• Appreciating work through the financial crisis
• Ryan's first drama class performance
• Scrapbooking for a whole weekend with my sweethearts
• Loving being an aunt
• Winning on the radio

Well, if that doesn't whet your whistle, it certainly whet's mine. I'll be back - and until then I hope there's someone out there reading this besides me...

Finally - A Good REASON to get back to the BLOG

Well, note the time that this is being posted. I can’t get back to sleep (a true rare event for me). Celeste called about 2:10 and Kindra’s water broke. Her and Trevor are on the way to the hospital (TG) and Bob & Celeste are on their way to K&T’s house to pick up their dogs (tricked you – you thought I was going to say that they were also on their way to the hospital – I bet that little side trip caused Celeste a bunch of anxiety) to take them back to their house and then they are going to the hospital, too. Lucky for me I’m going to the hospital at 7:30am. Oh, wait – I’m going for a two hour meeting. Dang. And, can I just say that I’m getting my boxing gloves warmed up as I type because of the fight I’m going to have on my hands when Ryan wakes up and 1st realizes that we didn’t wake him up in the middle of the night to tell him and rush him to the hospital for the birth(s) and 2nd because I’m actually going to make him go to school in the morning. He’s been telling us every night since mid-April that we have his permission to wake him in the middle of the night if we get the call. He’s also been trying to carefully craft the plan/chain of events the day “it happens”. I think he might be a bit excited to meet these little ones. As we all are……………. But, we’ll have to wait until this afternoon – lucky for all of us (except Stuart) that we have Wednesday afternoon off. We can wait and give the parents and grandparents some room to breath – and fully experience the miracle.

But, even with that said, here I sit at 2 in the morning because I’m so nervous/excited that I can’t get back to sleep. So, I decided to email my friends and then post - for the second time ever - on my blog.

This is a good day. It is truly a miracle in so many ways and I ask each of you to please take a moment and ask for blessings of health and happiness on this new family, but even more that you thank God for the miracles that he gives us big and small – this being one his Biggies.

Today is truly one of my Reasons to Believe.

First Post

Here it is ~ first blog entry. And, Diane, since you are the only one who will know about this, consider it personally done for you. :) Today I felt especially inspired to go ahead and get it moving. Not good timing considering that I have a to-do list about 12 hours long, but when inspiration strikes we need to listen right?

So, what's behind my blog name?

REASON TO BELIEVE

Not only is Reason to Believe the title of my very favorite Springsteen song, but I feel like it is the phrase that I have been living by each day. Many days I let the Reason run by me without a thought, but today it struck me pretty hard in the face, and, well here I am online.

Last night at our PTA general membership meeting I was awarded the Golden Acorn Award. I am humbled to have been given this award. Humbled is an understatement. Never did I think I would even be nominated. The Golden Acorn (in case you don't know) is the highest honor that a PTA can award a volunteer and represents service to the greater good of the school that goes 'above and beyond' the call of duty. Me? I certainly didn't think so. But, apparently some people did, and I got the award. I was floored and it was amazing and I am so thankful.

Well, I've been thinking about this all day today. Why me? Who nominated me? Do I really deserve this, because there are probably other people out there who are thinking "Why Samantha??". But, as I was driving on my errands just a little bit ago I realized that this honor is a message to me to appreciate my gifts - and I'm not talking about awards and iPods and stuff like that. I'm talking about my intangibles. The things that give me a reason to believe in myself, my life, my family, my purpose.

When Katie started first grade I cut my hours down at work so that I could be home each afternoon when the kids got off the bus. It was a hard thing to do and I still struggle with feeling like I'm 'giving enough' at work to get my full time workload completed in 30 hours a week. I worry and fret about it all the time in light of the fact that my reporting relationship is changing soon and I'm not sure if my new boss will be as supportive as my current boss has been. Coupled with this is the fact that I overcommitted myself this past year in a gargantuan way! I have been the PTA newsletter editor at school for three years, am on the PTA board, chair the Children's Council committee at church, sit on the church council committee, teach Sunday School, assist as a leader in the planning of our Vacation Bible School program, participate in an intensive 32-week bible study with daily reading requirements and a 2-hour weekly meeting, take Katie to dance once a week, attempt to write a memoir, etc........etc.......etc......

I'm not complaining ~ although recently I have been. I turned down my seat on Children's Council for the next year (my term will end in June) and I'm looking for a new newsletter editor for PTA. I have decided that it's time for the pendulum to swing in the opposite direction and for me to get time for me. THAT'S ENOUGH has been my motto!!!

But, I feel like it's time for me to step back and remember my reasons. I cut back my hours for my family and I can honestly say I've never been happier in my life than I have been since I did it. I do the newsletter so that I can be involved at school even though I can't physically be there. I have been on Children's Council at church so that I can be an active participant in the spiritual education and growth of my children. I go to bible study to keep myself grounded in the reality that my life is a gift from God.

I have so many reasons to believe. The most important reasons give me kisses every night before bed. Other reasons fade in and out of my life but are always there to smack me in the face when I need a hefty reminder.

I am so blessed. I need to believe that, and remember it, and appreciate it. I am thankful that I received that award. And I appreciate it.

Now - I must get on with my 12 hour to-do list. You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm so not. Tomorrow I'm off to Wenatchee to pick up Krisann, who is one of my most wonderful reason to believe, so that we can go to a scrapbooking retreat in Chelan until Sunday! Yippee! Time for me!