Stats Suck Sunday

Sunday has rolled around again. I didn't even get a Positive Post Tuesday up. I have turned into a slacker. I don't want to be a slacker! So here's a Sunday post:

• Enjoyed a Third Day concert from Slovakia online yesterday! It was a little choppy, but still. I've never seen them live before, but been a fan for a long time.
• No chat room, but several of we die-hards tweeted the whole time.
• No job prospects for husband or myself. Trying to stay positive. To be anything else is thumbing my nose at my faith & trust in God and His plans for us.
• Have enjoyed spending several days in the backyard. Reading, doing step-work, just relaxing. Today was too warm & then we had a shower about 5:30. Hoping tomorrow can be a repeat.
  
• Furniture in living room stacked due to having ceilings painted. He started Friday & will finish in here tomorrow, then on to the kitchen & dining room.
• Daughter is "tired" from her first 40 hour weeks! But, still enjoying the fact she has a job.
• She already needs things out of her storage unit. In Waco. An hour away. Will need man-help to move things to get to what she needs....
• A Baylor seminary grad student is trying to help plant a new church in Austin this summer. Amanda worked with him at her on-campus job this past year. She likes the group they have so far, but is checking other churches out, too. Austin Stone for one. (Chris Tomlin's old church & where Todd Agnew & his bride attend). It took her 4 or 5 months to decide on a church home in Waco.
• Enjoy the fact that my husband is picking a project a day to stay busy. Cleaning garage, cleaning stuff above my cabinets in kitchen, you know, generally driving me a little nuts! But, his stress level has gone to peaceful. I like that.
• Ted loves to cook. He loves to try new things. Not working really has him wanting to try new things! He can make something out of nothing.
  
• Penguins lost Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Game 2 has a lot of time left to play. Then to Pittsburgh for 2 games. (they are in Detroit to start).

It's gonna be a great week.

Stats Suck Sunday

It's Sunday & I haven't done a SSS in a while. Last Sunday I was at my daughter's graduation from college in case you missed my MONDAY post. This Sunday? Cool & rain clouds, but no rain in this part of town.

• Went to see "Star Trek" yesterday. Thought it was pretty good. They did such a great job with the make-up, etc. It was kind of eerie seeing the characters so young. Does that make me old?
• Amanda started her new job. So far, so good. Sleeping on a friend's couch until the friend gets moved out, then she can sleep in a bed again! And then moving some stuff out of storage in Waco & getting it to Austin.
• Husband lost job on Tuesday. Kind of at a loss. Life sucks sometimes.
• Back to a year ago when we were looking at leaving Amarillo for work. 20 years worth of closets to clean out.
  
• I really hate garage sales. Going to them or having them.
  
• Amanda needs to come clean out her own closet & dressers. Talk about a pack rat! If she hasn't needed any of it in 4 years away....
• Hubby tries to make fun of my lack of enthusiasm, but the garage & attic are FULL of his stuff, projects, and trains he had in the 50's. (yes, 1950).
• I have great friends I have never even met. You know who you are. You give me strength when I can't seem to feel it. You remind Who is in control. (it's not me, although I want it that way most of the time). You listen when I'm cranky. You cry with me, even though we are miles apart. Thank-you.
  
• I thank God for Brody. He brought so many of us together. At first for music. But, eventually for fellowship. From "sea to shining sea" we continue our lives, but include these new friends in our daily life.
  
• Guess I'm sounding a little reflective & sentimental today. Think I'll curl up & read a book I got from the library.

It is a good day. I will name 5 things that bring me joy today. 1) God 2) Great husband 3) The roof over my head 4) a happy daughter 5) New friends.

Baylor Graduation

Where to start! We left home Thursday & headed to Llano where my brother & sister-in-law live. We just spent the afternoon & evening having a great visit. Hubby just want to get out of town for a day of nothing. It was accomplished! First time in a long time we got to just visit. No bunches of people at a wedding or graduation. Just quiet time to catch up before they, too, headed to Waco. We missed their daughter's graduation from college last spring, and I have felt guilty ever since! My younger brother stopped by for a few minutes, too. He works nights as a sheriff's deputy for Llano county. It was good to see him, too.
Friday morning we drove the 2 hours to Waco, arriving around 11. We drove to Amanda's apt & guess what? No packing had occurred yet! Amanda had it all sorted & ready to pack. She's OCD like that! She had a plan of action & directions for who would do what. We decided on lunch first, then Wal*Mart for some more storage totes & U-haul for a wardrobe box & big box. We got a lot done Friday afternoon. Moved a 4 runner load full to the storage unit. Got the food for post-graduation ordered. Took a second load to storage unit. Called it a day.
Saturday we started with breakfast; the most important meal of the day! It was cool & rainy. Ran a few errands. One for a cake. We went to this little cake place, off the beaten path. The owner is a member of Amanda's church. We picked a cake & she went to the back to write congrats on it. When she came back, it was great! Then when Ted went to pay, she said it was her gift to Amanda! Thanks, Patsy. There were so many graduates this year, Baylor had to divide it into 3 commencements. Amanda's was the last, on Saturday at 2:30. We took the cake & tea by the church. We were going to use the Backside for after graduation. Thanks, ubc! Took Amanda back to her apt & we went back to hotel to change. Back to the apt. The plan was to have everyone park there & walk the 3 blocks to the Ferrell Center for graduation, but the rain was a little much. We got everyone to the Ferrell Center & sat just 10 rows up from the stage. We also were by the entrance Amanda actually came out of during the processional.

It only took 2 1/2 hours for the whole ceremony! It was still long! I know my cousin's girls were so bored by the end. When my niece graduated last spring, it was from a very small school.
After the ceremony we took a few pics & gave everyone directions to ubc. They beat us to it! We had a great meal from Risotti's. A couple of Chicago brothers who do pizza right. And the pasta, and the meatballs, and the Italian sausage! We ate til we popped! And then there was cake. And more pics.
3 of Amanda's best friends from college came to graduation & to eat. It was good to see them again. They are all A & M students or grads. Thanks for coming to enjoy this moment with us!
I am so blessed to have such great family and friends to enjoy this time with us. Cherish all the time you can. It goes by so fast!
Sunday morning we went to ubc. It was a little on the low side for attendance without all the students! dc*b rocked the house with 1 new song (hope it's from the new CD) and 2 older ones. Hogan plays such a soulful violin. Love that element in the dc*b. B-wack was really intense. Loved Mark's guitar. There was a baby dedication-5 new babies. The sermon was on finding joy in all days, good or bad. I got teary-eyed several times. She spent so much time in this wonderful place the past 4 years. Got to say good-bye & thanks to so many ubc friends. She has made us so proud.
Back to the apt to finish packing & moving the last load to the storage unit. It was 3 when we finished and got on the road home. I cried. Didn't cry when we left her at Baylor 4 years ago. Amanda is trying not to cry. I couldn't help it. I am so excited for her and so proud.
I am thankful for the friends she has made these past 4 years. She does know several in Austin. She is sub-leasing this summer while she looks for her own place. Friends I don't know, but trust. They met through iWitness, so I know they have a common love! It's a new phase of life & growing up. For all of us. Hope I didn't bore everyone!

Positive Post Tuesday

I have been in kind of a frumpy mood the past few weeks. Not doing a PPT because I felt I didn't have anything positive going on in my life. I don't know why we get like this. God is right there with us, every step of the way. So where does the frump come from & why? I've decided it's to learn something. I am so thankful God is so faithful. Because I am not so much of the time.
A lot of my frustration is work, or the lack thereof. I really burned a lot of bridges in my active addiction. Lost a lot of co-workers trust. This led to lower self-esteem. I have come a long way in 22 months of recovery. I have confidence in myself again. I feel good about myself again. A lot of pharmacies don't want to have to "supervise" me 4 hours a week & write a quarterly report. Being unemployed since November has kind of deflated my self-esteem again. I know "this too shall pass" and "the right job is out there". But, living on unemployment stinks. I make more in 1 day than the max that I get from unemployment in a week. It has been a humbling experience. A learning experience.
My most positiveness comes from my daughter right now. After 4 years at Baylor, she is graduating. She never changed her major and is graduating on time! Thank goodness. Saturday she walks across a stage, Monday she walks into a job! The job isn't necessarily marketing, but could turn into that. She had to lower her sights a little and watching her go through that has been encouraging to me. But, she is ok with it. I know she will miss her church & many friends in Waco, but she is only an hour away. She has left her mark at her church by volunteering her time for the Children's Church for the past 6 months. They are being gracious enough to let us use the kitchen/dining area Sat after graduation for dinner for all of our family that are coming.
Her job? I can now show you. You need to go to this website. It is an impressive place. I know she is excited because one benefit it is free use of the exercise room & there is cycling. She loves the cycling! This is in a beautiful, wooded area in SW Austin. It is the Lake Austin Spa Resort. I am excited for her. She is so outgoing, that I know she can make a mark there. She has many friends in Austin & family an hour north. It's about 8 hours for us.
It's funny really, how God works. Last year my niece took a job at a school about an hour from us! Now, Amanda will be about an hour from my brother!
Life really is good. I MUST find that positive part of each day. No matter how down I feel. There is always something to learn from every single day. Good or bad. Positive or negative. It is all a blessing from God.
Have a great Tuesday!

Stats Suck Sunday

Today is Mother's Day. So much to be thankful for. To me every day of my life since my daughter was born is Mother's Day! I am blessed with such an awesome child. Getting teary-eyed just thinking about the past 22 Mother's Days! Here are my random thoughts for a Sunday:

• Daughter graduates from Baylor on Saturday afternoon. It seems like she just graduated high school!
• Daughter got job offer on Friday. Will accept tomorrow. Neat place to start out! Not what she imagined, but it is where God wants her right now.
• We will drive down on Thursday. Going a little out of the way & staying with brother & family Thursday night. Time for a visit without some function to interrupt the conversation. Will go on to Waco Friday.
• She will start work 2 days after graduation. Not a lot of time! Hopefully she will sublease for the summer & have a few weeks to find a place of her own. She's already thinking ahead.
• Spent 3 hours yesterday afternoon at a Regional meeting of NA. First one I've attended. We are in a huge (sq miles wise) region. In West Texas it's like from "sea to shining sea". Only without the sea.
• NA's 12th tradition states: "Principles (spiritual) before personalities". I think some folks tend to forget that! I know that when I run on self-will, things don't get done as well. That's the way such meetings should be; NOT run on a bunch of self-wills. Oh, well.
  
• Daughter gave me a 5 hour "mini spa day". It includes facial, pedicure, manicure, lunch, & more! I've never had a pedicure or a facial. I'm pretty excited. Wish she could come & go with me.
• Still no job. Got a couple of calls to make tomorrow. One I interviewed with a year ago, but because of the blip on my license, they wouldn't even give me a chance.
  
• It's been a quiet day. That's the way I like it.
  
• Really want to see "Star Trek". Didn't have time this weekend. Amanda saw it & loved it. She's not familiar with the original series, so I think that says alot about the writers. They bridged the gap somehow. Said it's a little long. For me that means getting squirmy & uncomfortable the last hour. I still want to go.

Stats Suck Sunday

Today is Sunday & that means following this guy's suggestion. Since no one reads blogs on Sunday, the numbers game is down. I have found it doesn't matter the day, my numbers always disappoint me a little. I really do find it cathartic at times, so numbers aren't really what I'm after.

• It has been cool & cloudy for 3 days. Hardly any rain. If you are going to be cloudy, produce something sky!
• Countdown to graduation. 13 days & counting. Now if she could just find a job....
• Wish I were on a plane, on my way to the Music Boat. Sure are a bunch of tweeps going. Sounds like a fun time. So much food on a cruise. Simple to elegant.
• Got to see pics of Brody's gift from the Blog Nation faithful. Mike Donehey's (of Tenth Ave North) Dad made us proud when he met up with Brody at the Doves. Thanks, Mr D.
• Was absent last Sunday. Was in Austin for a mandatory seminar. Didn't have access to a computer. It was a long road trip. I drove by myself Saturday. Attended seminar Sunday morning. Drove to brother's house an hour from Austin to visit & stay the night. Drove rest of the way home Monday.
• It was good to visit without a reason. No graduation. No wedding. Just us. Watched me a little NASCAR. Will see them again at graduation.
• Also, worked 3 days week before last. At pharmacy I was laid off from. The other 2 pharmacists went to a "shot" clinic CE. It was great to see friends & catch up. Co-workers & customers alike.
• May have another recovery-based project to work on with the advocate overseer. Would include dentists & pharmacists.
  
• Need to do a little cleaning. The lady who helps me every 2 weeks is with her mother who is in the last stages of cancer. My range of motion & pain level don't like cleaning. I will keep it light.

Guess that's all this week. (actually, the last 2 weeks). Hubby gone to coach his softball team from work. Think he wishes he had a least 1 ringer! He wants try-outs for next years team. Ha! Have a blessed week.