Ten Things on Thursday 12.3.09

Arbitrary Bits of Nonsense

One - 1001 is Crazy

I've been home from our family trip to Nana's for Thanksgiving for 4 days, and I am currently doing what I have dreaded...uploading pix. I deleted a few on the ride home and STILL have 1001. I love taking photos. I love capturing the moment. I love looking at photos the absolute most: mine, yours, everyone's. But I just absolutely cannot stand sitting at my desk uploading them or post-processing them. Even if I don't tweak the contrast or sharpen a bit, I still have to convert from RAW to Jpeg. I am in no way inclined to sit at a computer half the day doing this nonsense. I have to make myself do it at all. My goal for today is just to get them uploaded. Baby steps.

Two - Really....Two

My son will be two in the morning at 3:53 am. Do you know how enormous an occasion this is? We have so many healthy children that we take for granted (or I have) just how precious life is. Everything about Gabe's life is about balancing risk. His heart has problems but it is more of a risk to life to fix it now than wait until it is critical. His immune system is screwy, and it is more of a risk to his life to NOT get the swine flu vax than any possible side effect from the shot itself, however big or small. I've never parented a child or had one in my extended family where so many decisions day-to-day are about life/death. Should we take him into Target? Should we let him go to his cousin's birthday part at the roller rink? If I am honest, if Ella sleeps late, I think, "I hope she is not sick. That would suck." If Gabe doesn't wake up at the normal time, very different thoughts go through my head. Everything about his life is about statistical analysis and "He should be okay," is often said. "We can't say for sure, but we suspect..." I don't take life for granted. Every morning that my husband and kids wake up, I thank God. I'm not hyperfocused on death or tragedy. Contrarily, I am hyperfocused on life and today and making it memorable.

Three - Hugs

I realized the other day it had been a week or so since I had hugged one of my teens. One of them is a hugger and she seeks me out. The other is not so much of a hugger, and I realized even though she is not asking for it, she needs that. We need that physical connection every day. Everyone needs hugs! So I make it a point to hug them a few times a day. I tell them I love You before bed or before we part for whatever reason. Have you hugged all your kids today? Do you hug your preteen or teen as much as your toddler? I didn't. But I should. The ones that seem least likely to enjoy it probably need it the most.

Four - Creative Juices

We've been on a great mission lately to create, create, create. Oh, I have all kinds of inspiration. There are things I never thought we had time for, which we really did. It was a matter of me not sitting in front of a TV or a computer. There are SOOOOOOO many hours in our day. The girls are working on something right now!

Five - Untrained

Last night was church night, and since Gabey and Ella cannot visit the nursery and there is not a program for adults on Wednesdays, I stay home with them. It is the night of the week that I watch TV in the living room and check out what Michael has DVR'd during the week. Anyway, he texted me and told me he had uploaded this season's Project Runway to the PS3 somehow. Ok. Cool. Except I have not touched the PS3 since he got it a few weeks ago and I had no clue how to operate it. Finally, after he tutored me via text, I was able to watch a couple of episodes. How cool is that? I felt sorta dense, though, not knowing how to operate the console. I am pretty sure I sounded like one of our mothers if they were asked to hook up a dvd player to the TV. LOL Am I old? Someone please be honest! =0)

Six - Cold

Its cold. Rather than complaining about that, I am just going to say that there are benefits I am enjoying. Sure, my favorite seasons are spring and summer. But since I am in hotflashing and having night sweats at night, I am really enjoying the cold weather for the first time in my life! I sleep so well at night and keep my bedroom thermostat on the low 60s. It sure is hard to get out of bed in the mornigs though!

Seven - Changes

I've decided to make some huge changes to my blog-life. I've contemplated not blogging at all, but I kind of enjoy it. I want to hold myself accountable to guidelines I thought out on my drive home from New Mexico Sunday. I need to continue journaling so I can look back on how God changed and stretched me, often through my most idiotic and spastic moments. I don't believe it is in any way healthy to project just the good things about me or my family and not the ugly things we go through. When I write, I feel like I am addressing anonymous friends out in the blogsphere and I think being transparent is one of the most enjoyable things when I read others blogs. I learn from women who share their hearts. I'm not a blog reader who enjoys fluff and a presentation of oneself to look like something you or I am not. BUT over the last year, I realize I could have avoided some difficult times had I not overlooked the fact that people I am close to read what I write as well. Familiarity can breed contempt. Sometimes intimate relationships give us a false sense of omniscience or a license to judge. I am guilty of this and I've had to make a LOT of changes this year to my thought life, reading habits, etc. I've had to change ME! And this is just another part of doing that. So I am not going to be writing on here any more about my personal growth. This blog will be about family: memories, discoveries, foster care ministry, adoption, home education and general life. I have another platform now to write out about my intimate thoughts. Its been a long time coming.

Nine - Truth Hurts

I read last night the phrase "The Truth Hurts." Have you ever thought about that? When someone reacts in such offense to something brought to their attention, it is almost like an admission of guilt. I don't know why but I chewed on that for an hour last night as I was working the yarn. If you told me in a horrid fashion how short I am, I would laugh. I'm not short. If you made a comment about my long face, I would be upset...I know I have a long face. Isn't that just profound? So if something hurts me, it almost makes it certain what they've said is true and I know it. That is just crazy awesome!

Ten - Doodie

I simply can't think of a tenth. Isn't that a great reward for sticking through this nonsense?