Changes

Changes are good right? Then why do most of us resist change? Why do I get sick at my stomach at the thought of having to change anything? Change is all around me these days.

Job Changes) For those of you who don't know - my job has changed and has many uncertainties to it now. I am now the State Irrigation Engineer and technically my office is on the fifth floor of the federal building in Little Rock. Now the idea of being the SIE is really cool but the new responsibilities are huge. The location of the job is an issue for me because this is the same federal building that Timothy McVay once considered as a location for bombing though he chose Oklahoma's Federal Building instead. I don't think like an extremist so to think that one person out there thought of this building makes me concerned about the other extremist that exist in the world. The scope of my job is the other issue - I've been working on irrigation project almost since day one on the job and I believe in the irrigation projects. They are designed to reduce the ground water consumption of farmers to a tolerable amount in order to keep from depleting the water source. The solution to the problem is to divert excess drainage water out of local rivers for their use. I fully believe in being good stewards of the land and believe that using our resources wisely is how we can honor God. How this relates to change is that because of legal suits against the government, funding for my office has been almost nil and thus the powers that be want to shut the office or reorganize it, as is the latest endeavor. I believe in these projects and don't want to stop working on them, but I work for the federal government and thus must do what some bureaucrat in Washington feels is important and not what I feel is important.

Girl Scout changes) Scouts is a huge part of my world. I have two girls who love scouts, a husband who should have made Eagle Scout, a mother-in-law that was a scout/leader/training for GS and the one of the first den mothers, two nephews who are Eagle Scouts, a aunt-in-law that is a life time scout and my very fond memories of my little time in scouts. Well, like all things people move up in positions and think that they need to make their mark on something and they start tinkering with it to make it "better." Well, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm sure that this too will work out fine but I like scouts how it is. I'm a very old school type scout and like the structure of the organization and I even like the uniforms for ceremonial purposes.

Friends change) It's moving season again in Cabot. We live in a community that has either lived there their entire life or are military (usually) transients. Every spring/summer, the moves start happening and we have to say good bye to someone that we have come to know. Well, this time it isn't a military friend but a UP friend. Thanks UP for bringing them here but do you have to all the good promotions in Omaha? Can't there be any really cool plush engineering jobs here in Arkansas? My family has grown extremely close to the Hicks family in the last year. The girls are more like sisters and Kristi and I are more like sisters then I would have thought possible for only really knowing her for a year and a half. I was there with her through the darkness of her sister's death and now I have to watch as she moves away to a city 10-12 hours away. With gas prices and economic trends, I know face to face visits are going to be very limited at best and that just isn't the same. Again change is good, but change still hurts.

Kids change) Hey did you know that my first born is now 10 years old? She is leaving elementary school next Tuesday for the last time as a student there and will be officially a middle schooler. Do you know that she is on the edge of becoming a teen and all those wonderful hormonal changes that come with it? I didn't either until just the other day. Wow, were did the time go? Just the other day, I was pregnant and scared out of my mind about child birth. I'm so very proud of her because she is an awesome, sweet, respectful young girl but am I ready for the next phase? I don't think I have a choice.

Technology Challenged

Okay, must of you wouldn't think that I'm technology challenged but I'm. I love blogging and reading other's blog pages. This is how I know what my wonderful friend Tiffany is up to in Japan and that my friend Laura just had a baby boy. I love myspace and facebook, though I am completely challenged trying to make it look the way I want it to. However, I see things that other do and I want to be able to do it too. Like putting video online. So dug out our old RCA camcorder that we purchased just before Emily was born so that I could "record" ever aspect of her life. Yeah, right! I had to remember how to use the thing but was able to make some recordings. Okay that wasn't so bad, but know I have to figure out if I can get this old technology camcorder, which well before usb ports, connected to my computer. Well I asked my technology expert friend and of course she knew exactly what I needed. So for Mother's day, I got a dazzle converter. After several attempts, I managed to get the software loaded correctly and the recorder connected to the computer. I was even able to make a small move clip. GREAT! I can do this.

Well, here's were it goes wrong. Last night was Emily's last elementary school musical and I was all excited because I was going to record it and post it on my blog. Alexis could see Emily way over in Japan. Yeah, that didn't happen. I went to make sure that I had the tape in the right spot because I didn't remember if I had after I had learned to download. Well, the recorder ate the tape. Okay no biggy there because I had nothing of importance on there really because it was a new tape we had purchase when I dusted the thing off and had only recorded some none important things. So, I fix the tape and tried making it play. No dice. No video is on that tape now. Okay, so I try recording. No dice. Flashes "Tape" at me and locks up. Okay, try another brand new tape. No dice. Press record, it starts, then it hangs up and flashes "Tape" at me. Get it froze and it will rewind or fast forward or play but try to record an "Tape", "Tape", "Tape". Okay, I get it.

So instead of me blogging and showing you my first video of my "baby girl" just before she leaves behind elementary school and enters the world of middle school, I'm blogging about crappy technology. Sorry, but you missed a GREAT musical. Oh and you'll also get to miss her second piano recital, because it is Thursday night and I just don't see me getting over this technical hurdle that quick.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

My baby is 8 today. I just can't believe that it has been 8 years since the day this precious child came into my life. She was happy, healthy and a ray of sunshine and she still is today. She is a thoughtful, selfless child. She always seems to put others first and just loves to give things to people who mean something to her. She likes bugs and flowers and biking and cuddling. She is my cuddle child. She swarms a lot but she just loves to cuddle.

I didn't get to spend the day with her like I wanted to. I have found that with the end of school, Memorial Weekend and Mother's day, May is a very, very busy month and if you happen to have birthday in that month it's almost impossible to get a birthday party scheduled. So like most of our month, other things took president today. That makes me very sad. My beautiful, precious child spent the day at church and then at a friends where she wrecked her bike and skinned her arm and leg up. I wasn't even there to hold her when she cried.

She did get to have her birthday party last night though. She had a swimming party at the local indoor pool. She was so excited because she got 7 new webkinz and now she has more than her sister. I don't have her pictures handy to post but will get them up soon. She has grown so much in 8 years.

My baby!!!

Tagged by Tiffany

Tiffany tagged me about my husband...

How long have you been married? we will be married 14 years this October.

Where did you meet? We meet at a friends house. He had been dating a girl for 3 years and I was dating one of his friends.

How long did you date? We started dating June 9th, 2001 and got engaged March 28th, 2003.

How old is he? He is 8 months older then me.

Who eats more? He does

Who said “I love you” first? I did

Who is taller? He is

Who sings better? We sing about the same.

Who is smarter? I think he is. Neither of us have had an iq test so who knows.

Whose temper is worse? MINE

Who does the laundry? we both do

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Is the right side when your laying down or when your standing at the foot looking at the headboard?

Who pays the bills? I do

Who cooks dinner? We both do

Who drives when you are together? 90% of the time he does

Who is more stubborn? Me

Who kissed whom first? We kissed each other first.

Who is the first to admit to being wrong? He is.

Whose parents do you see the most? we see them about the same

Who proposed? He did

What’s his best physical attribute? His blue eyes

Who has more friends? I do

What are you most proud of him for? wow - what am I not proud of him for?

Who has more siblings? I do

Who wears the pants in the family? We rule the house together.

Okay Tiff, there are the details. I tag Laura because other then Kristi, whom Tiffany already tagged, none of my friends blog.