Silver Airways

He did it!  Mark did it!  After three crazy weeks, he was offered a first officer job for Silver Airways.  On September 23rd, he started the adventure with ground school.  He has to learn all the FAA regulations and all the nitty-gritty details about the airplane he will be flying.

I feel like God gave him this job and made the path smooth, but I still get anxious.  Sometimes I worry about the lack of income and the bills that are piling up. (It's a lie that pilots make crazy, good money...  only the really senior captains of big airplanes roll in the dough.)  But when the anxiety starts to creep in, I have to remind myself that God is in control of this and he will work out the details.  He has yet to make us eat dirt and live in a cardboard box; I don't think He will start now.  

I know that we won't see much of Mark in the next few months, but I also know that it will get better as he gets more seniority.  I also know that once he can carry his own insurance, I will effectively get a "raise".  I hope to get to the point that we can live off my income and save his.  Hey! A girl can dream...

Mark also plans on selling his airplane, we have had to put $1500 of fuel bladders into the stupid thing and that is not counting the cost of labor!  Hopefully he is correct and we can sell the thing pretty quickly...  

We don't know where Mark's base will be, he put in his bid today.  It will probably be Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia or Pennsylvania.  How is that for being narrowed down?  I figure he will have to find a crash pad and that is another source of worry.  But again, I know God has it figured out!  We also don't know what his schedule will be and how often he will be able to come home.  I think that will change monthly...  

I just know we are in a transition and God is in charge!!

Onto Bigger and (Hopefully) Better

The end of an era.  Time to move on. When one door closes another one opens. See ya later, alligator.

Whatever cliche you want to use, it fits. The last three weeks have been one, huge source of stress, but God has guided our footsteps each step of the way.

On August 22nd, I called my parents on my way home from work to wish them a happy 49th anniversary and as I was getting out of the car, a wet nose goosed me.  I wondered how Brewster got out of the house and then realized, Mark was home.  Early.  I don't know about you, but if my husband is home early, I only assume one thing and it isn't good news.  Sure enough, he learned that his job position was changing and they wanted to cut his hours by a fourth.  That was the final straw and we felt God telling us it was time to move on.  We talked and had no idea what he was going to do next, but we knew God would provide.  He took that afternoon and the following day off to pray.

That weekend, a dear friend of Mark's told him he would help him get hired at a regional airline.  Rob completely did Mark's resume, cover letter, and had it walked in.  Within two weeks of giving his notice at his old job, he had an interview lined up. In between being asked to interview and actually having the interview, Mark had to take the ATP written exam (no easy test) and get a physical.  There were a few glitches in the process, but God worked them all out - and quickly.

Three weeks to the day, he interviewed and was offered the job!

He reports to ground school the day after my birthday!  The big 4-0.  I love how it all adds up - a new season, a new decade.

I know having Mark work for the airline will be difficult and I won't see him much for the first few years, but being an airline pilot has been off and on his radar for twenty years!  Let's see how it goes...

And God lined the pieces up so nicely...  I am hopeful that we will get into a groove and God will bless us in the new adventure!

The Ways I wish I were like Zach

I was thinking about what I've learned from my kids and what qualities I wish I had.  I think God gives extra things to the people who have bigger obstacles than the rest of us. Zach is intellectually disabled and there are things that he can't do and won't ever do. But there are times that he is perfectly "normal" and logical.  And sometimes he has phrases that are just so age appropriate it makes me smile.  For example, when he is apologizing, he cries, he says he's sorry, he asks for a tissue and has recently added this gem: "I won't ever do it again."  So normal.

Some of the pictures are tiny and I have an explanation for that, but I won't bore you with it.  But here are some of the qualities I need to nurture in myself:

Complete awe and amazement during movies!  He discovered 3D for the first time this summer and it's more fun to watch him try and grab things than it is to actually watch the movie.  He's not afraid to jump up and try to grab the animation.  Such fun...

Know what you like and play with it... Talk about it... And just have fun!  Zach loves 3 things right now: Pirates, Monsters University, and Mermaids.  He talks about them NONSTOP and plays with them every opportunity he has.  

Working out is fun - just don't commit to doing it for too long.  Here he is using a foam roller as a barbell.  He's having a great time and he's not afraid to show the world how I work out.  In fact he's happy to demonstrate it at any time.

Eat what you like!  If you mainly eat apples and bananas, then chocolate won't be a problem!

Don't be afraid to wear your super hero cape!

The Obligatory Year in Review

Obviously I haven't blogged much this year, so here is a summary of my favorite memories of 2012. They are in no particular order, but I've chosen 12 because ya know... it seems appropriate!

 January... We got annual passes to Busch Gardens, unfortunately, we only went 3 times.  Here's a few lessons learned: Don't put your child on the new roller coaster right away.  He will be afraid of everything else.  Mother's Day is an excellent time for B.G.  We walked up to every ride!!

 In February we got our 4.5 year old dog, Brewster!  He's a perfect dog (except when he gets in the trash or eats chocolate.)

 In March, Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit!  I think they are Zach's favorite people...

 In April, I went to Indiana for my dad's retirement party!  I got to go by myself and it was a wonderful weekend with my parents!!  I hope to do more visits with them by myself...

This spring, we started playing TOPS Soccer - it's special needs soccer and each child has a buddy.  The boys love it and are much more involved than when they play Challenger Baseball!!

 I took my motorcycle class and Zach is sportin' my safety gear while he rides his scooter.  Safety first!!

In July we went on a road trip to Indiana and Michigan.  Our car broke down outside of Knoxville and that was stressful.  The boys were annoying and that was stressful.  But when not driving, we had a wonderful time!  Taking the boat to Power Island is certainly a highlight.  We also celebrated Zach's 11th birthday with family in Zionsville.  Zach loved that Grandma made his cake.  His favorite present was the whoopie cushion from Uncle Doug and Aunt Carla.

 What's not to love about the start of a school year?  Zach is in 6th grade with Mrs. Peters and Ryan is in 2nd grade with Ms. Dziadik.  We LOVE their teachers and are impressed by the great job they do!!

Challenger Baseball...

The moment Zach's birthday was over, he started talking about Halloween.  He wanted to be a "Yee-haw Cowboy".  And Ryan *had* to be Buzz Lightyear.  We bought the costume in September but had to hide it because he was waking up waaaay to early to wear the costume.  On November 1st, he changed his focus to Christmas... just like the Big Box Stores...

 Ryan turned 8!!!  My baby... 8!!!

Zach loved the traditions of Christmas.  Immediately after Halloween, he started talking about it...  We put the decorations up after Thanksgiving and every night Zach asked if it was time to make cookies for Santa.

Some of my favorite lines of the year: 
* While the boys play restuarant, Zach says, "What you want?" and then writes your order.  Ryan asks, "Ah-ah?" This is his way of asking, "How many hot dogs do you want?"
* We let Zach answer the phone during all the political calls... he had plenty of opportunity to ask, "What you be?" As in... what's your halloween costume?
* When Zach wants your attention and you don't answer immediately, he says, "You-who!"
* Zach has learned that presents are "Secrets"... not hat he doesn't tell you what's in it!
* Brewster is known as "Boober".

Thanks for looking... we have some big goals for 2013!!  I will share those soon!!

Ryan is 8!

Wow!  How is my little munchkin/peanut/shrimpy-shrimp/littlest one/tumbleweed eight years old?  How can he get older and I stay the same age?

Ryan is the little one who will melt your heart with hugs, kisses and this gigantic grin.  He loves to help and does so without being asked.  One of his favorite things is to hand out the snacks or dinner plates. He is always so concerned that Zach gets his food first!  He will chase Zach around the house to give him the first snack.

Ryan is the one who loves to play computer, loves to take pictures and look at pictures, he loves to climb and bounce around.  He does this little hop thing that is just so adorable.

But Ryan is also the one who is super stubborn and knows exactly what buttons to push to send you over the edge.

Ryan has come so far and is really trying to communicate without grunts and hitting.  I know he gets frustrated when we don't understand what he wants, but this is where being stubborn is a positive... he doesn't give up until we get it.

I've often wondered if I would have had Ryan if I had known he would have the same "funk" as Zach.  The answer is yes!  He brings so much joy and I know God has a huge plan for his life and it will be accomplished through his "funk".  (As I type this, he is tipping chairs over.) I know God created Ryan exactly the way He wanted him to be.  So like all parents, we have the huge job of shaping him into the best he can be!

Just a little thought...

I'm going to pretend that I'm totally caught up on blogging and that you know all the nitty gritty details of my world.  Here's the summary: 6th grade for Zach, 2nd grade for Ryan, dog barks too much, Mark still flies, and I'm still in the media center.  Baseball and soccer start soon.

Anyway...

My church is starting "The Story" series - 31weeks through the Bible.  Sunday School, small groups and worship all center on God's story.  Last week we talked about creation and how God just desparately wants to be with us.  When we tried to take things into our own hands, the "virus of sin" entered the human genes.  God still wants to be with us even though we disobey.  I was reminded of something interesting.  There's a poet -rapper(I think that's what you would call him) named Prop.  And he talked about how God spoke the earth, the heavens, the sea, the sky, the days, the months, the animals into existence.  But for us humans, he got down in the mud and formed us himself - with his hands.  He did not just speak us into being.  How cool is that?

Anyway, this week we learned about Abraham and how God promised to build a nation through this elderly, barren couple.  They stepped out in faith and moved from their hometown.  They didn't know where they were going - just that God would show them.  I would have a seriously hard time packing up my house and family and just going.  Not knowing where I was headed - just going...  Every intersection I would be stressed out wondering if God wants me to turn or go straight.

Later, Abraham and Sara finally had a baby.  Just one.  Then they had two grandkids.  This is a pretty slow start to nation building.  Eventually they had 12 great grandchildren (who they probably didn't meet) that because the 12 tribes of Israel.

At small group, the question was posed, what is God asking you to do by faith.  I was seriously stumped.  For awhile, I've felt like I'm on the verge of something big -but for now just in a holding pattern. I have no idea what the "big" is - I have dreams of what I would like it to be... but that doesn't mean it's God's plan for me.  So I pondered this all evening.  And I realized something.

God is calling me to do all sorts of "little" things and I'm not doing them.  He urges me to call someone.  I ignore it.  He urges me to send a card.  I ignore it.  He urges me to invite someone over for dinner. I ignore it.  So it stands to reason that if I'm ignoring the little things there is no way I'm ready for the big things.

So my challenge - call to action if you will - is to respond to the little things and practice with that!! I'm excited to see what fun is in store!!

So it's been awhile...

We will just forget that it has been 6 months since I've blogged.  Of course, plenty has happened, but nothing super exciting - unless Ryan acting like a terror, Zach having tons of seizures, and me doing nothing while the boys are in summer school is exciting.

Anyway, Zach has been saying some pretty cute stuff lately and I wanted to record the ones I remember.  This is for my memories and probably won't be that cute for you.

• We won tickets to a baseball game and I'm not allowed to go he told me that Sue can come.
• He wanted an expensive backpack and I wanted him to explain why.  He told me that Brewster ate his backpack.  So I asked why it had to be this particular one and what he needed it for.  He said, "Umm.  Hmmm.  I want to bring my teacher movies in my backpack."
• While at Target, he told me, "Daddy said I'm not allowed to have new shoes.  Daddy says we can only buy backpacks."
• When asked how old he is, he says, "I'm four on Saturday."
• He finds fart noises and burps hilarious. He loves to imitate the burping of happy birthday...
• He calls the Internet motorcycle store "Bike broken store"

I'm sure there is more and I will add to it...

But not to be left out, Ryan is doing a better job of talking.  He's got quite a few mastered including Momma, more, home, phone, done, sound, daddy and Brewster.