An only child

Today I was at work and took a few moments to text my son about mid afternoon to ask where he was at and what he was up.  I thought to myself how odd it was to have only one child to look after.  I say this because its been only Kyle and I together this week.  Tomorrow is Thursday and Sara will be back from Karlee's on Saturday.  I have missed Sara but its been interesting to see how things are with just Kyle around.  Earlier this evening he said wow its kinda nice being an only child this week.  Its funny he says that because he is in his room most of the time and so is Sara when she is home, so unless we eat together or go somewhere they are not really ever together much.

What I have noticed is how Kyle talks a little more to me.  He has been very patient with me while I've been worried about him driving his car in the weather still ever since I realized how bald his tires are at this point.  On a slightly negative note, when he gets frustrated with me because I disagree or I don't understand what he is talking about he stops talking and walks away, which is much better than yelling and shouting and slamming the door. Also he looks out for me, and steps up as the man of the house.

Tonight was really sweet, he went ahead of me an unlocked the door, I turned around and went and got his left overs from dinner from the car that he forgot and then as I was walking to the door he was still standing outside waiting for me and warning me.  He told me that in front of our door it was extremely slick with ice and to be careful, saying that he almost fell.  I appreciated the concern and the warning and avoided the area.  He made sure I was in without any problems then he came in behind me and locked the door and we were in for the night with our tummies full from dinner out together.

Thanksgiving in Whittman

Arriving Wednesday evening.....perfect timing, look at that sky!

I was happy to see my oldest!

Sisters together!!!

My Aunt's Mustang.  We went out and about on Friday at 5 different Good Wills.  It was fun spending time with my Aunt Susan.

Karlee, Talia & Angelia 

late night crew!

Our trip started out a little rough, I managed to make my son mad and my daughter cry.  But I kept driving forward, took a deep breath and drove down the road.  I always look forward to going to my Uncle's, its truly a get-a-way.  We arrived around 5:30 just be getting too dark.   Karlee arrived around 7:00.  We were all together!

This Thanksgiving was a little different than what I'm used to.  It was different for so many reason but what stood out the most was how informal it all was.  I'm not saying ours are formal, but a different feel.  My Aunt did most of everything, occasionally asking for help here or there.  She said that when it was ready that people could just come and go and eat when they want and that eventually she'd put it all away.  Well what I wanted most was for all of us to eat together.  My whole thing is eating together, share what you are thankful for, pray and then eat.  I went with the flow of things.  Most of us ended up eating together at the table.  My Uncle did not eat and my cousin Shawn ate after everything was put a way.  There were lots of laughs and conversation.  It was nice.

Friday my Aunt and I got ready to go Good Willin', she loves to go shopping at the Good Will and has found great items around her home and in her closet.  Sara and Kyle went with Karlee and Angelia to their place and then they went to the mall and lunch.  I enjoyed the day with my Aunt, found two nice blankets and some throw pillows for Sara's bed.  Later I headed over to Angelia's and Karlee and I went out and enjoyed sushi together.  I do miss getting sushi with her so I was happy that we could share that moment.

Saturday we all got up and went to get coffee from Dutch Bros and bagels from Einsteins for breakfast before heading home to Flagstaff.  Kyle and I left Sara there with Karlee for the week, (advantages of homeschooling) and we got home around 2:30.  Neither one of us were ready to be at home so he went to hang out with some friends and I went to Marshals and the Mall.  I ended up with stocking stuffers for the kids.  It was so nice to lay down in my bed, I missed my bed.

It was great to get away.  I'm happy we went to my Uncle's for Thanksgiving.

Moving on to the idea of Christmas now......*sigh

Mom & Son Saturday Night!

Bought a new dressy blouse today to wear at Kyle's Football Banquet.

I felt like I was going on a date with my son lol!

The banquet was at the High Country Conference Center

Coconino Panthers!!

Can you believe he is a junior in high school!  He will turn 17 in February!  Wow!

It was a nice Saturday night, spent with my son.  We enjoyed a nice dinner and I met a few of his friends and team mates.

I enjoy the moments I spend with my son. 

Quick Visit

Mom and Larry passed through here while they were on their trip of checking out some areas and places of AZ.  They want to move to AZ somewhere to be closer to the kids and I.

Kyle was hit the other day leaving the school parking lot for lunch :( He is alright but his car is a little ugly looking right now.  I called in a claim and waiting to hear back to see about the other person fixing my son's car.  It was an accident but it stinks just the same.

Sara is trying to teach grandma about snapchat, its a fun app to do silly faces and send to people.  It was quite entertaining to watch.

Silly face time!

It was a nice visit.  They came to town on Wednesday afternoon, and left Friday morning.  We enjoyed eating out and time together.  We watched a few funny movies on Netflix and laughed and laughed together.  Sara had fun being home to be the host and the "map" while they went out and about while I was at work and Kyle at school.  It was all around a good visit.  I'm so happy they came for a visit. I missed my mom the moment I walked out the door on Friday morning to go get in my car to head to work.  I can't wait for them to find a spot to settle in Arizona.

An Extra Day

Last weekend wasn't anything special but it was perfect!  I had Friday off, Veterans Day.  Having an extra day off was so nice!  I finally got my car in to be serviced.  I spend most of Friday with Sara and we ran around doing some shopping.  I didn't want to be at home, the weather was nice and I wanted to be anywhere but home.  At home there were things to do, cleaning to get done and I just didn't want to deal with it.  Later Sara ended up going and spending the night at her friend Marlee's house.  Kyle was hanging out with his friends.  So it was just me the rest of the evening of Friday.  I was tired after all the walking around we did at the mall and the driving to and from, here and there.  I was so done for the day!  My knees ached and my fit bit recorded lots of steps for the day!

Saturday morning Kyle and I enjoyed breakfast together and then he spent most of the day at home playing video games.  I ended up spending my time being a social butterfly.  It was nice actually. I really do enjoy being around people.  I went to the FCF craft boutique first thing to check things out.  I bought some tortilla soup and potato soup, that was a must!  As I browsed around I ran into ladies I hadn't seen in a while and chatted with some briefly and others a little longer.

While I was there looking around I ran into someone who had spoken into my life shortly after I found out that I had Fibromyalgia, she had it too and dealt with it a lot longer than I had at the time.  We had met at Wildflower Bread Co. for lunch one time and I remember really enjoying our time together.  She had given me a journal with helpful information she had hand written in for me along with some bible verses of encouragement.  Telling me use it as a tool to record how I was feeling and how this or that affected me on this new journey of discovering Fibro.  The journal meant so much to me since she had put such love, effort and thought into it.  She and her husband had moved to Texas and that was the last I saw of her.  She pops in every year for the craft boutique at FCF to help, I think its great how she comes back each year. I love seeing her, she always looks so full of joy and happy.

During this encounter this  year I learned that she isn't in Texas any longer and is in California.  She left her husband 3 years ago.  I was a little surprised but she was so happy and okay with it.  She was closer to her kids and grandkids so that was the best part of it all.  I told her that I was divorced now and left Micah.  Her reaction was priceless, she high fived me and said awesome!  It was alright her reaction she meant sincerely and has happy for me.  She said that I looked so happy and that it was great to see my smile so big and happy.  She had learned to embrace life and re discovered who she was and was single and happy.  It was at that moment that I realized I was single on a path of re-discovering myself.  I didn't think much about it at the time, but the feeling that washed over was alright and I felt relieved.  It was a little odd but good at the same time.  I went from her to another friend and then another before I left with my new signs I bought and some soup.

I received a text from a friend that I used to live next door to.  She wanted to get together and catch up.  I ended up going back to meet up with her for lunch after I had left and gone home for an hour or so.  It was great to meet up and talk.

Sunday I went to church with Jane.  Her husband was out of town and she knows that I have been trying to check out different churches and she suggested one close to her and she had been to before.  So we went together and it was nice.  For once it felt okay to be someone that no one knew and I felt okay sitting among others that I didn't know.  It was a nice feeling, I was comfortable.

Field Trip to Bearzona

Went to Bearzona about a week ago...

Bearzona and fun place to go and see some great animals! 

Vicky and I.  She has been great with helping me get Sara started with Homeschooling!

My girl and I

Oh Deer! :)

An American Burro....as opposed to what? A Mexican Burro! Ha ha ha!

These wolves were awesome!  But a little scary at how close they came up to the car as we drove slowly looking at them.

Bison 

let the sleeping bear alone....

Beautiful.  Anyone know how to make them spread out there feathers? It would have been a great picture but the bird didn't want a picture taken, I guess.

Porcupines, they made me laugh just watching them sit there and eat together.  Not a care in the world just chowing down.

I loved looking at how beautiful they are and wondering if their fur was soft and plush to touch.

This is George

Okay this is taking "walking in the grass" to the extreme, lol!

I'm not sure I could wear those what about you?

I thought these were cute!

It was a great day!

FCF Women's Retreat 2016

Hope is the anchor of my soul.  Hebrews 6:19 

The theme was about hope.  We have an "anchor" for our lives that can help us stand fast through the storms of life.  It is the conviction that no matter the circumstance, God's plans for our lives are "for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." Jere 29:11

Heb.6:29

Heb 11:1

The worship was amazing!  It always is the best best part of the retreat!!!

The view from a bench I was sitting on enjoying some quite time.

This skit was based on a show that I have never seen called Chopped.  I don't have T.V. just Netflix.

But basically contestants are given various ingredients and then asked to make something out of it that presents well and tastes good.  My friend Deana was so funny with her "taco cupcake"!

Laura always comes up with the best skits! This one has her as Donald Trump and the other one is Hillary Clinton.

I was happy to see that my son spent time downstairs, the table was messed up and my bed was slept in....silly I know but it was nice to see how comfortable he made himself while I was gone.

I started this blog post three weeks ago and finally getting around to finishing it up.  Since then the retreat has had time to set in to my mind.  I was with a friend yesterday that I don't see very often.  I love it when we do get together, always so spontaneous and enjoyable and up lifting.  Anyways I ran into her at the FCF craft boutique we decided to meet up for lunch.  All this to say that she asked me about the retreat and what I got out of it.

I told her that I have been so busy moving forwarding that I need to stop  and sit still and just be with the Lord.....just sit still. 

A new adventure....homeschooling

My sweet Sara is super excited and wants to do homeschooling.  I'm a little nervous but excited too!  Its amazing how far homeschooling has come with all the options and the how many more opportunities open up.  This decision was not made quickly or just from no where.  I believe this is God's plan and Sara and I have been lead to this point.  God has placed it on our hearts.  I have thought about it, researched it and prayed about it.

This weekend at the retreat I was surrounded by several that do or have done homeschool so I heard lots of conversation.  On the drive home two other ladies in the car talked about it.  My boss homeschool.  The flexibility and freedom are nice but whats more important is how you open the world of learning back up to a child that can find the joy in learning again.

Sara has struggled this year in her classes, she is passing with As and Bs but she feels like she doesn't feel like she really knows what they are teaching especially with math.  The program that they use....this Core Math is awful.  There have been many nights that Sara has been so frustrated and in tears.  This year there are a few differences in teachers that really are not cool.

Sara has recently been struggling with energy and fatigue, I think she is suffering from stress.  She wants to learn and understand what she is doing.

We have been told that school is where our kids needs to be.  Homeschooling has been given a negative name at times over the years but I think its because its not understood of how someone can learn and benefit from it.  I still get stuck in the box thinking of school and that will take time to work through.  School is more like a business that they only care if the kid is in the seat so and not so much if they are learning or not.  With homeschooling there is no limit and there is time, no time table, no way to "fall behind".

I'm a little overwhelmed with all the options and curriculums that are out there but thats the beauty of it too.  Every child learns differently, this way you can choose what works and if it doesn't you find something else that will.  There is a huge network or support, co-ops, field trips, learning from books, learning online.......there is soooo much!  I can't wait to start looking to find what we will use for Sara!  Oh and.......she can still do sports, like volleyball at any of the schools so that is a plus!

I signed the homeschooling affidavit today and then I withdrew Sara from school today, she turned in all her books.  Yesterday she told her teachers and friends.  She wasn't given any ugly or negative remarks, her friends will miss her but with social media they will not be disconnected and can arrange to get together.  I just hope that if anyone has anything negative to say or any questions or concerns that they go through me and not her and support her even if they don't understand or agree.  I can tell you that she lights up when she talks about it.  She sees the great potential for really taking time to learn and learn at her pace.

Sara is so super excited!  I can't help but be excited with her and I will support her and we will give this a shot!  I think she will really do well.

When my kids were small I used to teach them things and I would use what we did in our daily lives as teaching moments and it was fun and they learned and enjoyed it.  Then I put them in school and there are ups and downs and frustrations and they lose the excitement of learning at times and go through the motions of school to get by and keep moving on but I wonder how much they really learned, the quality of it. Now I can take those moments again, its like a lifestyle change that can be inserted into life and she can gain life experiences and really learn.

Sara and I are the road to a new adventure......