I Did it now....

I put in my notice...2 weeks....freedom....

I QUIT!

Okay, so I haven't quite quit but I composed my e-mail to my boss. Jim is editing it for me. He says I need to be less emotional about it. Uh, I am emotional about it. Today I was told to come into Stanley's office - I didn't go because I was too mad about his lack of management skills or tact that I couldn't and be civil. I'm close. Maybe by tomorrow?? Wish me strength!

A Salute to My Dad

Here's to my dad's family famous sayings:

"It'll quit hurting when it feels better."

"Measure twice. Cut once."

"Do it now because you'll forget later."

"I have something that will make you feel better!" (Referring to his family famous peanutbutter ketchup and onion, yes onion, sandwich,)

My dad could make you wither with his, "I'm dissappointed in you." (Jewish mother's have nothing on the 'Idaho eye' when it comes to guilt.)

Then there were all those 'talks'; sex (don't!), work (do!), responsibility (heaped!), ethics (have some!), and don't get him started on religion (he would have been a televangilist in any other religion).

What I learned; 1) you don't have to get credit for something getting done as long as it gets done, 2) work hard and earn your money 'cause it isn't going to fall in your lap, 3) helping someone doesn't always mean giving them something: it could mean teaching them something, 4) be someone that your dad (and mom) would be proud of, 4) be grateful for what you have 'cause there is always, always someone worse off than you, and 5) love one another.

There are so many more things I learned from my dad that I can't possibly list them. But what I can say is thank you dad for life lessons that have served me well even when you didn't think I listened to them!

I got nothin'

You know the old saying, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade!". This last few weeks I got a few lemons and can't quite see my way to make lemonade. I have turned into a work-whiner.

I ask my kids when the whining gets to be too much, "What do you get it you whine?", to which they reply, "Nothing.". That's right folks, I got nothin'. I have been busy whining but not acting. I know what I want to do but I don't know what I should do. I have been on my knees trying to figure it out but I haven't got that lovin', or hatin', feeling yet. I think I'm asking the wrong question or asking to be handed the answer (can't I just get a little louder voice that says, "Why yes, Sherri, go right ahead with that!") I understand I have to do my part but (oops, here I go whining again) I want to get that burning feeling so when we are broke I can absolutely say, "The spirit said to!", and feel very justified.

So, I will go back to my lemons and my knees and try not to get any papercuts. And if I start whining to you don't let me. I need to be done lemonade or not.

He's Leaving on a Jet Plane ... I know when he'll be back again ...

Please note that if you can work lyrics into anything blog related do so, especially 70's & 80's lyrics 'cause they were so awesome. (I'm giggling now.)

Connor is leaving tomorrow for two whole weeks. Yup, two weeks. The longest we've been apart is 9 days last summer and I missed him terribly then. He is going to visit two of his cousins that are close to his age - thank you Danny and Jacob - and a few others that aren't close but nonetheless need to be visited along with several aunts and uncles.

I love that Connor asked for this as his one summer activity. I could send him to summer camps but family is so much better!

I'll miss you! sniff....

The Consequences for Lying

Yes, I lied. Pretty poorly but to a 9 yr old it was good enough. But this morning I found out the dire consequences of my lying to Lauren last night.

The Lie

Lauren: Mom, I just remembered Daddy is going to be home tomorrow and I want to be here! I don't want to go to Emily's overnight now.

Me: Daddy won't get home until late and then he has to get up early to go to work. You probably won't get to see him much. (The lie was the home late part - he was due in at 1:45. I just wanted to spend time with him myself - very selfish I know. I'm repenting as I type.)

Lauren: Okay, I'll go but I'll call him later and if he is home early I'll come home.

The Consequences

200+ people are stranded in Puerto Rico due to my lie. It's true. The plane that Jim was supposed to leave on at 7:30 was grounded due to problems. Jim had to catch the next flight out at 12:30 going through Miami with a 4 hour lay-over there and then on the SF. The flight gets in at 10:45 pm. He has hired a car to take him from SF and bring him home and should be here by about 12:00 -ish. Jim said the other people we really upset and working rabidly to get on the flight he was taking to Miami because there are no other flights out of Puerto Rico today. Lovely.

So, the moral is don't lie because higher powers can make these things true and make lots of people suffer because you lied. Not that I'm really done lying but I'm going to tell better ones.... ;-).

Uh, Seriously?

There seems to be carnage where ever I have gone lately.

Have you ever had one of those days that one thing after another just keeps happening and the more you think, "Well, that's got to be the last of it!", the more that keeps happening? I had one of those weekends. Let me recap:

Friday afternoon 2:30 - Left work to pick up kids from school. Serious file disaster - I raised my voice to my boss (not quite yelling but it was close).

3 pm - Got kids and most of their stuff - forgot a carpool kid and had to turn around about 1/3 of the way home to go back and get her. In my defense I thought she was having a sleep over elsewhere.

4 pm - Got Lauren to her birthday party sleep over: picked up 2 more boys for a sleep over at our house. Forgot sleeping bag in car, dorky me.

5:30 pm - Went to 5th grade picnic - no cooking is a good thing right? - boys refused to eat chicken, salad, corn, and cake. Did eat garlic bread - seriously I paid $34 for this??

7 pm - Dropped Connor off at mall to see a movie with friends. Me: "Do you have your phone?". Connor: "Got it!" (kiss/kiss, bye-bye) Got back to picnic ... found Connor's phone in car. Really?

Saturday 5 am - Connor gets up with half of his face swollen. Off to the pediatrician at 11 am. Infection in his jaw.

12:15 pm - Go pick up prescription. Realize that I have been driving on a completely flat tire - ("Why is the car pulling to the right?", crossed my mind twice but, hey, why would it be a flat tire?)

1 pm - Have to run all over valley to get father-in-law: cheesecake, birthday presents, card and specialty dessert. And bread from a bakery in Campbell - they sold the loaves I asked for because it was after 2 pm by the time I got there and special orders can be sold if they are not prepaid if it is after 2 pm. It was 2:10 - seriously, 2:10.

Sunday - 7 am - Remind Lauren that church is at 9 but we have to be there at 8:45 so we can see the flag raising. Huge fit ensues. Lovely.

12:15 pm - Out of church (the church is a little more true at 9 am)

12:30 pm - Work like a mad dog all afternoon on the International Fair food - mini apple pies, wrapped hot dogs and chocolate chip cookies. Make signage for fair.

3:45 pm - Remember we have to actually wrap presents for Grandpa Voydat's birthday.

4:15 - leave for Grandpa V's dinner. Park at their house on a hill and set parking brake.

6:30 - Try to leave for home. No chance. The parking brake cable broke. Call my in-laws AAA and they will come fix! (Much longer story but I LOVE AAA right now!)

7:50 - AAA comes and takes 1 minute to fix problem and one more minute to show me how to fix it in the future! yeah! My Mother-in-law mentions my flat tire. The AAA guy will follow me home and fix it? What are you kidding?

8:25 pm - Home finally. AAA fixes tire. I may be enamored!

9 pm - Connor looks terrible still. I am giving him meds and Tylenol every 5 hours.

10 pm - Find that our cat has sat on one plate of my apple pies and ruined 10 of them. If I could find it I would kill it right now. Hide, kitty, hide!

Monday 7 am - Connor isn't going to school so only two lunches to throw together. "What you don't like pastrami, turkey and swiss?" ... too bad today dude!

7:20 am - leave for school

7:30 am - set up booth for international fair. Let everyone know I may be late but I will be there.

8:20 am - At work. Working furiously (and furious) on things that aren't coming together.

10:30 am - Leave for a friend's funeral.

Non-Sequitar - Why I love Mormon funerals:

1. Venue is free

2. Speakers are free

3. Sermon is uplifting (as it can be) and appropriate

4. No "open mike"

5. Correct music is used with the correct hymns

6. Good food made and served by RS and a lot of it

7. No one uses the words "Donation" or "Give what you can"

8. People generally know to wear Sunday clothes, biker wear,

while not discouraged, doesn't happen often

12 pm - Leave funeral for International Fair - Goes excellently and the USA is the biggest hit!

3:30 pm - Gather up all of Connor's outstanding homework and a test to deliver to him

4 pm - Find Connor in pretty much the same state as the last three days but grumpier (no

food will do that to you)

Can I be done yet?

Why does this happen every year?

Every year the end of the school year sneaks up on me. I swear it is April and then it skips to June! And how do I keep over booking myself for all this 'stuff' that happens in the last two weeks of school, such as:

8th grade graduation - The 7th grade parents put it on and I'm in charge of assignments, drinks, ice, serving and replenishing food and of course clean up.

7th grade field trip - Had to scramble and pull in quite a few favors for this one. Not one parent signed up (a case of "Oh, someone else (Sherri & Kim*) will take care of it!")

International Day - I get to represent the good ol US of A. I loved it last year and I'll make it great but still, one more thing!

*We, as a family, need to adopt Kim. She'd be a perfect fit. She totally gets our humor, knows all of the important family names and great in a pinch. All in favor say Aye!

So, basically, I'm a little stressed, Jim's gone (nothing new there), and I have "... a wedding to plan, my wife to kill and Gilder to blame for it: I'm swamped!"