Week 4.....REAL (real) FACE TIME....

So here it is, time for Week 4 of my Real Face Time Blog. Well, I'm gonna be honest here......not really feeling the face time blog at the moment....I'm in a rut, and I was about to just skip it this week, but then I thought, I'm not the only one. People have days, even weeks when they feel off. So I'm owning it and just going with the flow. I'm crabby, and tired, and ready for Fall to begin.

First off, did you do your Week 3 assignment? I did contact my "person" and we are planning a wine/coffee date soon!  Life gets in the way, and we both have things going on, so as soon as I get home from vacation we're on! I'm not going to write who, or any details till it happens! I'm so excited to meet with her! Its been over 20 years!! This will be the highlight of my Face Time idea!!

Okay, so why am I feeling so blah? Well, its the end of summer, and I get out of sorts when this time comes around. I'm definitely a routine person, and I've had enough of unscheduled chaos. Yesterday we registered Noah for High School....yes.....HIGH SCHOOL! This in itself should depress me. My baby boy is now a freshman in high school and I feel OLD. I'm not ready to give up my "Beverly Goldberg" parenting. Secondly, we haven't had a vacation at all yet this summer. Been nowhere. Hopefully we'll get our trip in soon, cause I'm losing it. Farming this year has sucked majorly...the rain set us back at least a month and therefore, our summer reflects that. So, until I get Mac to drive out the driveway, I'm gonna keep Kimplaining.

So as you see the end of summer approaching, try to get out there and make some contacts. Face to face contacts.....it really is a nice way to perk up your life in the social media world.

Have a good rest of the week and weekend!

Week 3.....REAL FACE TIME!

Sorry, we missed a week.....life....ya know, gets a bit out of control and I get lost in it.

Did you do your Week 2 assignment? I sent a package to a family member with a handwritten note in it. I choose my brother Brian who lives in Indiana.....well worth the time and effort....its the little things!

So , are you like me and you find that Summer of 2017 is almost done? I am kinda depressed that it feels as if I haven't experienced Summer yet. August will be on the calendar tomorrow! I know it has a lot to do with the wedding, and the fact we haven't been on vacation yet. Hoping that changes in the next few weeks....I need to get outta here for awhile.

So what I'm planning on doing this week is a bit more "outta my box" type of assignment.

We all have "those close friends" on Facebook that we consider our close friend, yet, when is the last time you actually had a face to face conversation with them? Five, Ten, Twenty years???
I'm going to contact someone on my friend list that I haven't seen probably since high school! WHOA, tough one eh? I'm gonna do it. At least I'm going to contact this person and make plans for a coffee or wine date. This might be a tough one, but I'm hoping you're in! Wanna get some extra credit? Make a date with more than one person! Maybe a girls get-together? Let me know what you do!

Can't wait to share with you how it goes!

Until next week......get out there and make some REAL FACE TIME time!

Welcome to my Week 2 "Real Face Time" blog!

Did you do Week 1? Did you call up a neighbor and spend some time together? I did! It was awesome. I called up my friend Leslie. Her and I sat and had the best time! We even included our daughters! I went to bed that night feeling refreshed and our friendship renewed.

There's just something about face to face communication that a simple text can't relay. I highly encourage you to read last weeks post and start your own face to face assignment!

So what am I doing for Week 2? 

This week (and I'm sorry we're halfway through it already), I decided I was going to send a package to a family member with a handwritten letter/note card enclosed. The gift doesn't have to be an extravagant gift....just something that lets them know you're thinking of them. I chose my brother Brian, who lives in Indiana. I sent him a T-shirt that he had commented on, on Facebook, that he liked. I wrote a nice little card with it, telling him some mushy stuff and sent it off.

I got a phone call from him thanking me for the gift and nice card! Not a text, a phone call! Making progress here people!!

So, there ya go......Week 2.........Send a small package to a family member with a handwritten note. Are you in?

Have a wonderful week!

REAL FACE TIME

Sometimes my mind just runs, far, far away. Yesterday I had an idea. I talked about my idea to Jessica and she thinks I'm onto something. So here goes.....

Over the summer we lose track of friends, schedules, and time. Facebook, Instagram, and all social media takes over our face to face interactions with people that we somehow feel we need to keep in touch with.

I've decided to make a schedule that will help ME (and maybe you too) stay in touch with people, re-connect with people, and give me the feel goods!

Each week I'll have an assignment for you to help YOU (and myself), stay in touch with people......I will tell you on the beginning of the week what your assignment is. Don't worry, it isn't going to be hard at all. You might have to get out of your box a bit, but isn't that what communication is all about?

I'd love to hear how your interactions are going. I'll be blogging about my assignments to you! I hope this helps you connect with old friends, new friends, and making real life relationships in a non-social media kind of way.

~This will be Week 1~ 

Call a neighbor that lives close, and invite them over for coffee, wine, or beverage of your choice! 

Stop and Smell the Roses

Today when I woke up I told myself I was going to take an hour or so to catch up on my "Jesus Calling" book by Sarah Young. Planning this wedding, doing all the little details left me 7 days behind in my daily book. When I read this morning I felt the Holy Spirit talking to me. I was going to write a Facebook post, but instead thought a blog entry would be more sufficient.

I found so many pages just speaking directly to me. I want to share some of them with you, and hopefully you'll gain some clarity on your own life. Whatever it is we get busy with, remember, God is in control and nothing we do with deviate the path he has chosen for us.

"Do not miss the Joy of My Presence by carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders." Whoa, this one hit me hard......I do this ALL THE TIME. I always carry my own weight, as well as many other people's shoulder weight. That is how I roll. I am a worrier. When I do this, I lose sight of the "Joy of His Presence" that comes from the Lord. I'm too busy trying to fix things out of my control, to sit and acknowledge all the blessings around me.

In Proverbs 31:35, it says, "She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come."

"I am the Firm Foundation on which you can dance and sing and celebrate My Presence. This is My high and holy calling for you; receive it as a precious gift. Glorifying and enjoying Me is a higher priority than maintaining a tidy, structured life. Give up your striving to keep everything under control~an impossible task and a waste of precious energy." This blows my mindset of keeping everything perfect.....I'm guilty. I wanna spend more time singing and dancing than worrying about my dishes being done, or the dust bunny forming under the table.

And finally today's reading (yes, I got caught up), "Wait patiently with Me while I bless you. Don't rush into My Presence with time-consciousness gnawing at your mind. I dwell in timelessness: I am, I was, I will always be. For you, time is a protection; you're a frail creature who can handle only twenty-four-hour segments of life. Time can also be a tyrant, ticking away relentlessly in your mind. Learn to master time, or it will be your master."

So what am I getting to? We have 10 days until the wedding...life is crazy here. I have respect for anyone who has planned a big wedding. Mac and I eloped, Megan and Derek eloped. Are we smarter? I don't know. Jess wanted a big wedding since she was a little girl, and she's gonna be a princess. Weddings are hard, and all the little details make your head spin. I'm going to try to remember what I read today, and slow down and smell the roses.

New Chapter!

Oh my gosh....its almost here! The last day of school. Not just the LAST DAY, but the last day of private school for my last child at home! I've driven carpool for 23 years! Hello, do you know how that wears on a person???? I know, I know, be grateful you were able to send your kids to private schools....I get it. But, seriously, this has been MY LIFE!

Now, its over.
How do I feel about it?

Hmm. First ECSTATIC! I mean come on, I'm adding almost 2 hours of time to my day! Secondly, happy I'll have a bit more money in my pocket. It was always a sacrifice we didn't question, we don't regret it at all.
But this is what I'll miss. I've had countless hours with Noah that will never be replaced. Spending so much time in a car creates communication. We talked, a lot. We sang, we cried, we prayed, we really bonded a lot. I've had that time with my girls as well, when they were little, but with Noah, it was a lot of alone time that is priceless. I've gotten to know my niece Emily a lot better this year....I call her my own. I'm gonna miss that time with her next year!

I went through countless books on tape, which saved my sanity. The kids didn't appreciate my books, but whatever works right? I gained countless reward points from Starbucks, Panera, Great Harvest Bread company, and any other drive thru coffee spot that kept me awake! We went through two mini vans, an Explorer, and now my Flex will be ready to rest awhile.

I'm now gonna be a Palmyra Eagle mom. Noah starts high school this Fall and we're so excited! I'll probably still drive him to school, I can handle the 8 minute drive to town! Piece of cake. We won't even talk about when he gets his license, that's a whole other milestone I'm not ready to face.

So bon voyage to that life, and hello to our new life! I'm so happy to be here.

Life After Loss

Here I am again, with some heavy stuff on my mind. March and April are always hard for me, as 16 years ago this week we were told Thomas had only one month left to live. They were right, he passed on April 18th, 2001, almost 30 days to the date of what they told us.

How has my life changed, or even continued since then? Life does go on, but it's not the same life you had before. Life is precious, life is short, and life is much more meaningful. I've found that I really don't care much about the drama life throws at me, nor do I spend too much time getting involved in things that don't directly affect me. I still pray most days that God give Thomas a little hug for me, and tell him his mama loves him so. Yes, I do that. And yes, I believe that is what God will do.

Noah is approaching the end of his middle school years. Am I sad? Yes, I'm sad that my sweet, little Noah is growing into a sweet, young man, and his baby days are gone. But, I'm so looking forward to see what he makes of his life. He's made us so proud, and I can't thank God enough for Noah, which means, "comfort". I find comfort in all the blessings God has bestowed upon me, and I also have days that I feel sorry for myself.  I feel empathy towards other parents going through what we did, and I pray for so many people that have no idea I pray for them. If I could help one child, or one parent, I would. Noah has been given a gift of empathy, and so the legacy continues.

So what was this particular blog about? I don't know, maybe just a glimmer of hope for a parent who just lost their child. My life is good, my life is humble, but my life also has a few sad chapters in it. I'm sensitive, and I'm strong, and I know all those qualities came from being Thomas' mom for almost 7 years.

Thanks for listening. I appreciate your reading my blog.

Kim