Christmas Eve Mass

  Christmas Eve mass is quite a show!  For the last few years my parents and I have been in the gym of the school as opposed to the church.  We call this, Christmas Overflow!  I was there 35 minutes before the service started so I could get a seat.  I'm not sure what time the "chosen ones" in the church got there! ;) I used to get upset about being in the gym, it's not the same, why bother.  Well, you do bother and it's not about location.  I realize that now as an adult. 

I wish I could say that this mass, like all others for me was peaceful, quiet and humble.  I use the hour I have for mass to really sit and clear my mind.  Christmas Eve mass is no place to do that. 

Quickly the gym fills up and as if on cue old classmates of mine come in with spouses and children in tote.  Their parents who have saved the seats for 40 minutes stand and do a big wave to get their attention and smile proudly as if to show off their successful children and grandchildren.  The old classmates come in almost out of breath with kids on hips and clasped strongly in hands.  Anyone who has children (or worked with them) knows what it took to get those children dressed and out the door for mass, so no one minds their lateness.  We smile, do a polite nod and maybe even a silly face that acknowledges "oh you've had another child since I saw you last," or "he looks like he's a handful, but he sure is cute!"  We all know that face, we've all made that face!

While on a "normal" Sunday, I would receive Communion and walk quietly back to my seat, Christmas Eve mass is different.  This is the time for kisses on the cheek, and a whispered "good to see y'all."  As if you were walking down the red carpet, a wave here and there is almost expected! 

There is always an uncomfortable joke from the priest about the amount of people at this mass and how he wonders how many are actually from out of town.  But we all know what we are there for, to knock this thing out so we can do one of a few things: feed, bathe and put kids to bed, attend an amazing Christmas Eve party or finish wrapping presents. 

I know God has a sense of humor, and I truly thinks he just giggles as he watches parents of young ones fighting to keep the kids in the seat, or keep them from playing with the girls hair in front of them, or crawling under the chairs, or...or.....or. 

To all my old classmates from both elementary and high school, it was a pleasure seeing you!  We may not have spoken, or even caught each others eye but it's always lovely to watch how peoples lives change. 

Merry Christmas!

MMP Fall Trip

I got just back from a weekend in the mountains with my sweet girlfriends! The log cabin belongs to the Aunt of one of the MMP husbands who is generous enough to let us use it every year.  Generosity these days surprises me (I hate that) and it's always so lovely to see! 

What a difference a year can make.  Isn't that the saying?  Slight changes you can see in the pictures; pregnancy, weight loss, weight gain.  Some changes are sitting on bed side tables and bathroom sinks.  Pill boxes.  I went from one room to another and saw two pill boxes and just laughed to myself.  This group of ladies, what can I say?  At least we are together on this journey! We can laugh together about new pills, or vitamins.  We cry together about struggles and obstacles.  Grateful.  That's what I am when I am around these girls, among other things. 

 We joke to each other about what we share and with whom.  Kim walks in and begins to tell me a story, Amy starts laughing saying "you are telling her because you know she will agree with you." Too funny! We all know what story to tell and to who to get the reaction that we want and/or need at the time.  That is a perk of a group like this! 

It was quiet, easy, cozy, warm.  We laughed, cried, ate and drank.  We gave gifts, and accepted them and wished each other luck, love and well wishes especially in the next few months. 

Just another night

This is the story of a quiet little street in the middle of an old downtown neighborhood.  It's a warm night with a bit of chill in the air that reminds you November is around the corner.  It's dark, everyone is getting ready for the time change. Manor is dark, darker than its surrounding streets. No street light on Manor makes the trick or treaters stay away.

Manor Avenue is made up of ten old houses. All with their yards covered in a mixture of brown oak leaves and straw from the towering pines.

 It's quiet, and all you hear on a night like this is a dogs howl.  He truly believes he's helping when the sirens of an ambulance go by. He's on super alert tonight! There are children and families walking down the street that runs perpendicular to Manor.  It's busy out there, outside Manor Avenue.  Doorbells are ringing, parents are chatting, children are squealing and yelling out their best "TRICK OR TREAT."

You may hear a loud rumble or the swish of a broom from this Avenue but no worries, it's just a resident of Manor pulling in the trash an from the road and sweeping off the front porch.  Pretty boring here on October 31st.  By 7:30 pm the dog has given up and the residents, well they too realize that another Halloween has gone by without those chatting parents and without those squealing children.

Just another night.

Raina Turned 3!

On Saturday, the 14th my sweet niece Raina turned 3 years old!  Amazing! This girl has me laughing more than I feel I should for her just being three years old. 

Things I remember...

The night before she was born her mama was in the hospital.  I went by there to check on them and we played cards for a while.  The next day almost came and went without her.  But before we could even get to the hospital (which was a short 7-9 minute drive) Raina Dorothy was born. 

I will never forget her cheeks.  Those cheeks were too much!

She was beautiful! Her face was so puffy, poor thing, but she was beautiful! She changed so much from then, her looks alone.  Her eye color changed, the shape of her face...so much!

I remember painting her Welcome Home sign and going by their house to hang it up before they got home.  Those will always be the little things I remember and charish!

I'm lucky to have her so close! I get to see her and keep her and play as much as I can!  She is growing up fast, and I love watching her turn into a real person.  Watching her reaction to people, things, events.  Watching her personality shine through, the times she's shy and the times when she doesn't know a stanger.  It's so exciting!! 





Three years ago, the world changed.  My sweet sassy pants came into the world, and it will never be the same.  She adds such light and laughter! 

My Reputation Precedes Me

I got a call this morning from my boss who left me a message.  It said, in so many words:

I got a call from a provider (director of a child care center) in Kershaw that you worked with when you were with DSS and she said she would rather not have you in her facility. 

Um....ok. 

When I was with DSS-Licensing I regulated child care centers.  My job was to look for things that were wrong.  I realize that it didn't make me popular, I didn't care about that.  By pointing out that you don't have any covers in your electric sockets I know I was working for the health and safety of children. 

But this hit hard.  Hurt my feelings a little bit.  This means two things.  One, I didn't have the relationship I thought I did with providers in Kershaw and two, I'm losing my hard DSS shell. 

I wish the providers could see it how I do.  Here is a person who was a director of a center, worked with DSS for 5 years and now I can come into your center FOR FREE and help you with ANYTHING.  Um, I know some stuff.  Throw me a bone here. 

But I digress.  I will continue helping those that didn't know me as a "Regulator."

Night Time Ninja

It's 1:43am. The house was dark, darker than normal.  It's been raining today, dark clouds and gloomy.  When the sun that was already masked by storm clouds went down for the night it was dark.  No light from the moon to guide you.

I was counting on that, the moon light.  I knew the house, I lived there before, but when it's the middle of the night and you are a little disoriented it's nice to have a ray of moonlight from the window to guide you. 

I had no such light.  I was on my own.  I rubbed my eyes, the way a sleepy toddler does with their hands in fists and opened them real wide to make sure my path was clear.  I stood in the doorway trying to get my barrings for two to three minutes at least. 

It was ok, I had time.  I didn't hear anything from him.  He was still asleep. 

My eyes had adjusted as much as they could, I wasn't going to be able to see any better.  I grabbed all the gear I needed.  My hands were full so I had to make sure again that the path was clear or they would all be up.  That won't be good for anyone. 

Hands and arms full, I start slowly across the hall.  It has been a while, but I know this hallway.  I know the sounds.  I know the sound it makes when someone is walking from one room to mine, and the sound it makes walking down the stairs. 

These cracks and squeaks in the floor are something I learned fast when we moved in.  I could tell if I was going to have a visitor to tell me "it's getting late, you need to get up," or if they went directly downstairs with no stop at my door, which meant I had more time to sleep.

Think Jennifer.  You know this. 

On my tip toes and with my breath held I started my way down the hallway. 

Step, step, pivot.  There's a squeak there.
I made it to the steps, halfway there.
Step, step, side step, SQUEAK.....Shit, I forgot that one.

I am silent.  Still.  Frozen.  The doors are closed, but that was loud.  Still no sound from the boy. 

I continue my journey to the boys room. 

I'm a foot from his door.  His squeaky, in desperate need of WD-40 door.  Exhale, finally. 

How am I going to open the door with my hands and arms full? 

The boy is still quiet.  I must not be as loud as I thought.  It must have taken me thirty minutes to get from one room to the other.  What time is it? When did I start this journey? I'm exhausted and I haven't even completed my task. 

Door open.  The boy is laid out on his stomach and made no move when I entered the room.  Exhale.  It's darker in this room than it is in the hallway.  There must be some light coming from the moon. 

It's Louis's night time feeding. 

He was asleep through the bottle, and the diaper change.  It wasn't until I laid him back down when he woke up and looked at me.

I can't imagine what I looked like after my journey. 
Out of breath
Disheveled
Hair a mess

That boy.  My eyes had adjusted and I could see his big eyes smiling back at me with a grin to match. 

Don't engage, don't engage.  I had to repeat quietly to myself.  It's so hard. 

I quietly backed out of his room and made my way back to my room.  I was greeted by Louis singing in the monitor that was sitting next to my bed.  He sang to me for the next 45 minutes. 

My journey was over.  It was 2am.  I did all of that in less than 20 minutes. 

Note to self: ask Lindsey the shortest she has ever done night time feeding.  I mean, that has to be some kind of record. 

Only 13 hours until Lindsey and Tab get back from the mountains. 

I make another mental note: Add to resume-Ninja.

Edisto 2013

This was our 5th year going to the beach!  Hard to believe until you start to look back at the pictures.

This year we were back in the same house!  It was a great house!  Jaimie and Jimmy felt a little more comfortable using this house, although there were a lot of talks of changing beaches. 

The fact is, between accessibility, travel and income loss, this group sacrifices a lot to be together for a week in the summer. 

And the that we have been able to do it 5 years in a row give or take a few of us here and there is pretty amazing!



I don't know what year the bottom picture was, but long enough to know that we all look really good in 2013!





Catherine came with Luke about mid-week and it didn't him and Aiden long to become best friends for those couple of days.  Even needing alone time from each other!  They played really well together!  My room is right next to the boys room, so I got the privilege of hearing some great conversations in the morning.  One being one of the boys asking the other if they are going to be best friends forever and the other simply answers, "yeh." And my favorite was when Aiden needed some help wiping and Luke enlisted Catherine's help at 5:30am!  Catherine quickly called Kim in. 

 

Can't you see the conversation!  They are such good friends Luke was going to get his mom to wipe Aiden's behind.  Don't worry friend, I'll get my mom!  Awesome!  Those two were a lot of fun! 

 

Miss Sass Pants though, now that girl is a ham and a half!

 

 This little girl was so much fun all week!  As much as she is ALL girl, she can hang with the boys and keep up with them!  Just like her mama!  She was so snuggly!  And brave, what?  There's no sitting in a chair watching her play at the beach.  She makes a B-line to that ocean! 

The kids ate at the table on the porch every night, it was just so great having them around!  Hearing the laughing, watching them test the waters both figuratively and literally. 

I had a great morning jogging on the beach and then riding my bike.  It was early, quiet, peaceful.  One of my favorite things about the beach are early mornings.  The other being late nights with the stars! 

We had pretty good weather.  It did rain more this year, but it was your typical late afternoon thunderstorms.  I think there might have been a couple of nights that the storm went through the night. 

Play time on the beach!   

We got a better beach wheel chair than what Jimmy had last year and it made a big difference!  Jaimie and Michael got him down to the water, it was great!  He looked very happy!

Lastly, one of my favorite pictures from the whole week!  Aiden and Luke got water guns!  Rory was always right in the middle of the action, but this time she got in the cross-fire!  Poor kiddos, we laughed and laughed before we opened the door!  They were so much fun!! 


Edisto has a lot of our memories!  There may be a time when we have to find another beach that is more accommodating to our groups needs.  God willing, our group will only get bigger!  But for now, for 2013, it was a great time!