It's amazing how much we miss the little things in life when they disappear - especially without warning.
Such was the case yesterday morning after I got out of the shower. Just as I was about to begin drying my hair the electricity went out. Then it came back on. Then it went out again. And it was gone for good. I fumbled around for the lighter, the candles, the spotlight and the whiskey (just kidding) and used the oh-so-loved automated voice system to inform OG&E that I had no electricity. You gotta love a pre-recorded voice that informs you that, "All of our customer service representatives are busy serving other customers right now. For immediate assistance, please log onto our web site at www.oge.com." I would if I had POWER.
Long story short, I arrived to work resembling something between a drowned rat and a sea urchin and proceeded to finish drying my hair. Not exactly how you want to start your day, but thankfully the electricity was back on by the time I arrived home.
This morning I regretfully dragged myself out of bed and turned on my shower. Just as I stepped into the warm water - the water stopped running. But the electricity was still on. What was the deal?! And then it hit me. THE PIPES ARE FROZEN. On one of the coldest nights of the year, I forgot to leave our faucets dripping.
Sooo, I got dressed again, grabbed my trusty blow dryer and trudged outside and into the well house at 6:30 a.m. It took about 15 minutes, but my little Conair 1500 got the job done. For the second day in a row I was 20 minutes late for work, but at I was fully assembled when I arrived today.
Once again, thank goodness tomorrow is Friday.
Nursery Day
Every second Sunday of the month Chris and I work in the nursery at church with another adult and his teenage son. Our designated age group is around two years old, and this Sunday we had 11 kids! From when we check in at 10:15 to when the last child checks out at 11:50, we are four diaper-changing, nose-wiping, chaos-organizing maniacs. Our morning always goes something like this (note that names have been changed to protect the innocent):
"Good morning! Hi, how are you all doing? Oh, Suzy, you look so cute in your little skirt. Uh oh, somebody needs a Kleenex. Big blow. Is it normal for it to be green? Jimmy, sweetie, get down off the table. Feet on the floor, please. Ohhh, somebody smells dirty. Sam, are you dirty? No, it's not Sam. Jack, are you dirty? Ohmygosh I think I'm going to throw up. Found the dirty one! Okay, let's get you changed. Fifteen diaper wipes later. Okay! All clean. Don't you feel better? Must go wash hands immediately. Make mental note not to wear dry-clean only clothes when working nursery. Joe, honey, that's not your drink. Here's your drink. Adam, that's not your pacifier, honey. Here's your pacifier. You want your mommy? Your mommy will be here in just a minute! As in approximately 65 minutes."
And repeat the exercise above approximately five - six times.
Working in the nursery is exhausting to say the least, but it's fun. The kids already have such diverse and fun personalities, and it's so fun to watch them interact with each other. It also gives us a renewed respect for parents of toddlers. After the last child is picked up, Chris and I are exhausted. But for the parents of these kids, their day has just started. It makes me need a nap just thinking about it.
"Good morning! Hi, how are you all doing? Oh, Suzy, you look so cute in your little skirt. Uh oh, somebody needs a Kleenex. Big blow. Is it normal for it to be green? Jimmy, sweetie, get down off the table. Feet on the floor, please. Ohhh, somebody smells dirty. Sam, are you dirty? No, it's not Sam. Jack, are you dirty? Ohmygosh I think I'm going to throw up. Found the dirty one! Okay, let's get you changed. Fifteen diaper wipes later. Okay! All clean. Don't you feel better? Must go wash hands immediately. Make mental note not to wear dry-clean only clothes when working nursery. Joe, honey, that's not your drink. Here's your drink. Adam, that's not your pacifier, honey. Here's your pacifier. You want your mommy? Your mommy will be here in just a minute! As in approximately 65 minutes."
And repeat the exercise above approximately five - six times.
Working in the nursery is exhausting to say the least, but it's fun. The kids already have such diverse and fun personalities, and it's so fun to watch them interact with each other. It also gives us a renewed respect for parents of toddlers. After the last child is picked up, Chris and I are exhausted. But for the parents of these kids, their day has just started. It makes me need a nap just thinking about it.
Hello, Old Friend
A familiar friend has returned this week with which I have a love-hate relationship. When it's around, my work is exciting and busy, school flies by and there's never a dull moment. When it's gone, I'm calm and relaxed, but then I often feel anxious, waiting for the next project or exciting adventure to appear. Who, or more appropriately, what is this old friend, you ask? Oh, you know it well, I'm sure. It's stress.
What's that old cliche? Can't live with it, can't live without it. Stress is often the motivating factor under which I complete time-sensitive work and school projects, but it's also that annoying thing that makes my shoulders and neck knot up, and if things are really crazy, it makes my heart feel like it's skipping beats (don't worry; had that checked out last year). Chris claims it even makes me cranky. Well, I'm not so sure about that...
School projects are cropping up, and one of my classes ends the very week I'll be in Salt Lake City helping to produce our company's annual conference. Right now I'm in the midst of writing the scripts for virtually every word that will be spoken on stage. Did I mention that this conference begins in two weeks, six days and 22 hours? But I love it! I love the way work gets chaotic and everyone is running in a million directions but we're all working toward the same goal. It's so rewarding to have the opportunity to have a hand in writing every script and speech that is delivered from the stage.
I love my job, and even though school is demanding and stressful, I really enjoy it too. If it wasn't for my Blogs class I wouldn't be doing this blog, and I really enjoy blogging. It's hasn't been easy taking classes over the past three years, but I have learned a lot, and I know I've benefited greatly from pursuing my masters degree.
It really isn't school, work, church or housework that's overwhelming. It's all of them combined. But I know that this too will pass. May will be here before I know it, and all this craziness will be a vague memory.
I also know that there are so many people in the world who would love school and work to be their biggest problems. So, for the comparatively little stress that I do have, I'll be thankful. My sister is expecting her first child in July (it will be the first grandchild in my family) and my dad recently said that instead of worrying about so many things, we should pray for a new set of fingers and toes. Now that helps put things in perspective.
What's that old cliche? Can't live with it, can't live without it. Stress is often the motivating factor under which I complete time-sensitive work and school projects, but it's also that annoying thing that makes my shoulders and neck knot up, and if things are really crazy, it makes my heart feel like it's skipping beats (don't worry; had that checked out last year). Chris claims it even makes me cranky. Well, I'm not so sure about that...
School projects are cropping up, and one of my classes ends the very week I'll be in Salt Lake City helping to produce our company's annual conference. Right now I'm in the midst of writing the scripts for virtually every word that will be spoken on stage. Did I mention that this conference begins in two weeks, six days and 22 hours? But I love it! I love the way work gets chaotic and everyone is running in a million directions but we're all working toward the same goal. It's so rewarding to have the opportunity to have a hand in writing every script and speech that is delivered from the stage.
I love my job, and even though school is demanding and stressful, I really enjoy it too. If it wasn't for my Blogs class I wouldn't be doing this blog, and I really enjoy blogging. It's hasn't been easy taking classes over the past three years, but I have learned a lot, and I know I've benefited greatly from pursuing my masters degree.
It really isn't school, work, church or housework that's overwhelming. It's all of them combined. But I know that this too will pass. May will be here before I know it, and all this craziness will be a vague memory.
I also know that there are so many people in the world who would love school and work to be their biggest problems. So, for the comparatively little stress that I do have, I'll be thankful. My sister is expecting her first child in July (it will be the first grandchild in my family) and my dad recently said that instead of worrying about so many things, we should pray for a new set of fingers and toes. Now that helps put things in perspective.
A New (Unwelcome) Guest
This furry creature captured by our game camera is not cute or welcome; it's a coyote. Molly has already had one run in with him, and despite her usual "bring it on" attitude, this time she tucked her little tail between her legs and headed for the hills (our back porch). By the time Chris figured out what was going on and grabbed his shotgun, the coyote was already gone.
The good news is these guys are nocturnal, so hopefully he and Molly (who sleeps in the house) won't cross paths. There are many benefits to living in the country, but varmints like this one are not one of them.
TGIF
I'm always glad to see Friday roll around, but I was even happier when the clock struck 5 p.m. today. It was quite a week for Chris and me! My Monday started out with a sick dog; Molly (see last week's post for more about her) woke me up coughing and wheezing. I ended up taking her to the vet and she had bronchitis! What kind of a dog gets bronchitis? A shot, two prescriptions (an antibiotic and a cough suppressant) and $110 later and she's almost back to her old self. And for the third year in a row, we've spend more on Molly's medical bills than we have our own. But, we still love her. Go figure.
On Tuesday I went to visit a new doctor (no big deal) and had to take some forms with me. One of them that I had to complete had mine and Chris's name, our address, social security numbers, etc. on it. When I made it into the doctor's office, I couldn't find the forms. Must've left 'em in my car. Went to my car. No forms. Must've lost 'em. Now, some pain medicine addict leaving the Mercy emergency room (adjacent to the doctor's office) has all my personal information. Thankfully, a few hours later I discovered they had simply fallen under my driver's seat. That was a relief.
Chris has had quite the week as well. He's currently working for a company installing a sprinkler system in a cave in Missouri where it's about -20 degrees Fahrenheit. That might be a little exaggeration, but not much. They have to wear special suits and socks just to stay warm.
Weeks like this can cause one to focus on negative, but despite all the craziness this week had to offer, there were some bright spots too. The bad weather caused UCO to cancel class Wednesday night, so I got to go straight home from work rather than go to my two-hour class. Although Chris's job is very cold and distant right now, he has a job, and that's something for which we're very thankful. And besides little Molly, the rest of our family and extended family are in fairly good health. I guess you just have to keep it all in perspective, and thank God for Fridays.
On Tuesday I went to visit a new doctor (no big deal) and had to take some forms with me. One of them that I had to complete had mine and Chris's name, our address, social security numbers, etc. on it. When I made it into the doctor's office, I couldn't find the forms. Must've left 'em in my car. Went to my car. No forms. Must've lost 'em. Now, some pain medicine addict leaving the Mercy emergency room (adjacent to the doctor's office) has all my personal information. Thankfully, a few hours later I discovered they had simply fallen under my driver's seat. That was a relief.
Chris has had quite the week as well. He's currently working for a company installing a sprinkler system in a cave in Missouri where it's about -20 degrees Fahrenheit. That might be a little exaggeration, but not much. They have to wear special suits and socks just to stay warm.
Weeks like this can cause one to focus on negative, but despite all the craziness this week had to offer, there were some bright spots too. The bad weather caused UCO to cancel class Wednesday night, so I got to go straight home from work rather than go to my two-hour class. Although Chris's job is very cold and distant right now, he has a job, and that's something for which we're very thankful. And besides little Molly, the rest of our family and extended family are in fairly good health. I guess you just have to keep it all in perspective, and thank God for Fridays.