Well, a whole lot can happen in a 24 hour time frame when you are a foreigner in an unfamiliar country. Let me first begin by describing our night since I last posted...
If you recall, I was "bragging" about being the Mother of the Year, because I let my darlings stay up until 2:30 in the morning on the same evening that we arrived, because they wanted to watch a beloved TV show. Then, if you recall, I also ended my previous post going to wake up said darlings at 12:15 in the afternoon of the following day. Poor, poor sleepy babies...Fast forward to that evening. (Honestly, we didn't really do anything very "blog worthy" that day other than just lie around and try to get familiar with the house.) Well, by midnight of that night, my formerly sleepy babies were no longer very interested in sleep. Now, in Ashlynn's defense, she did have a very bad cough which did keep her up, but I knew that if she ever WENT to sleep, her cough would subside. So, Chris and I finally got them all in the bed (the same inflatable mattress-bed, mind you)at around midnight. I decided I was going to sit up and wait to see how Ashlynn's cough did before I went to sleep. Her cough didn't get any better, and at around 12:30, she showed up in our room. I let her crawl into bed with us thinking that she would eventually drift off to sleep and her cough would go away. (By the way, I had already given her some children's cough syrup from the ginormous suitcase full of drugs that we had checked at the airport.) Anyway, she continued to cough. And cough. And cough. And cough. And, then...at around 1:30, in walks visitor number 2. Aaron comes in immediately complaining that Ashlynn's cough had woken him up, and he just couldn't go back to sleep. Good grief. So, with Ashlynn hacking in our bed and now visitor number 2 about to crawl in bed with us, I suggested to Chris that he might actually get more sleep if he would relocate to the air mattress with child number 3. So, off goes Chris and in climbs Aaron. Meanwhile, Ashlynn continues to cough and complain that she is not tired. She eventually convinces me that she needs to go sit in Avery's room and play her DS so that she can "be bored and go to sleep." At this point, it is nearing 3:00 in the morning, and STILL suffering from jet lag, this sounds like a good plan to me. So, off goes Ashlynn. Aaron and I continue to try to get some sleep, but between him complaining that he is "hot" and "not tired" and "can't sleep because of Ashlynn coughing," I knew it was hopeless. I finally decide to get up at around 3:45 to go and give Ashlynn a repeat dose of medicine. Immediately, as I try to slide out of the bed without waking the giant, he grunts, wakes up and jumps out of bed to follow me, because he is too scared to stay in the bed without me. As we get to Ashlynn, Chris somehow intervenes and makes Aaron get in the bed with him. I gave Ashlynn another dose and took her back upstairs with me. I think everyone in our house was FINALLY asleep by 4:30. So, mental note...NEVER let your kids stay up until 2:30 AM after they've been up all night on an eight hour flight, AND then allow them to sleep half the day away the following morning. Lesson learned.
Our day continues...
The next morning, we all had to get up, because a lady named "Brenda" was coming to pick up all four of us to take us to two appointments to "officially" apply to become legal residents of the Netherlands. So, since "Brenda" was due to arrived between 9:00 and 9:30, Chris had set the alarm to go off at 7:00. So, after only having been asleep for two and a half hours, I was not very excited to hear that alarm go off...especially when the sound of it was totally NOT what I expected. The alarm sound was the sound of a ROOSTER! For real. And, then I couldn't figure out how to turn off the crazy thing. Good morning.
So, to try to wrap this up...the children and I went to our appointments, and we are now almost "official." We also had an appointment with our "tour guide of sorts" Riemke at 1:00. She showed up ready to answer any questions I had and to take us wherever I wanted to go. So, we went to the Blokker (the Dutch version somewhat of Wal-Mart), and I got my beloved coffee maker. Now, when that rooster crows in the morning, I'll be ready. :-)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Greetings From Holland!!
WE'RE HERE!!
We're Here!
We Are Here.
We. Are. Here.
Well...There are so many thoughts going through my head right now that I'm sure there is no way to be able to get everything down.
First of all, let me just say that it is 11:45 AM in Holland, and all three of my babies are STILL asleep! AND, Chris called here this morning at just after 11:00 AM and woke ME up! Now, I'm sure that the kids are exhausted just from everything else that has been going on around them...the move in general and especially jet lag. But,I also know that they are especially exhausted, because I let them stay up until 2:30 in the morning (local time) to watch the "new" episode of "Shake It Up!." I remember several weeks ago when Disney started advertising the new episode. My babies were so disappointed that they weren't going to be able to watch it, because it was to premiere the night we arrived here. Then, I guess they began to do the math with the time difference, and they both were thrilled to discover that they could, in fact, watch it...at 2:00 in the morning. So, I'm pretty sure that qualifies me for the "Mother of the Year" award, right?...not that I needed ANOTHER reason to qualify me. I'm pretty sure I've done a million things to qualify me for that category over the course of the last four months...including watching TV and eating at McDonald's much more than I'd like to admit.
So, anyway, here I sit. In the quiet, quiet living room. By myself. Normally, I would relish any moment like this, but it really is a totally different feeling being utterly alone. After I got up this morning, I looked out our kitchen window, and I saw some sort of "work truck" parked across the street. I have no idea what they are here for, and I intend to "Google" it to find out. I wish I could post a picture , but right now, my phone doesn't work. AND, I'm certain there is a way to do it on this crazy laptop, but I don't know how, yet. Our computer from home is currently packed up and waiting to be placed on a boat that will take approximately two months to arrive here. Good grief.
Last night, Chris had to take the rental car back to the airport. We were all tired, so he waited until around 9:00 to take it. Now, I realize it is at least a half hour's drive to the airport, so that should have accounted for at least an hour. I also allotted him about half an hour to just simply turn the car in. But, last night at 11:15, he still hadn't made it home. It was then that I realized that I don't know a soul here. I didn't even have a phone to contact anyone. I knew we had a phone on the computer desk, but I didn't have the foggiest idea how to use it. And, even if I did, who would I call?! And, what was the number here for 911?! I tried to think about how to get in touch with Chris, but all he had was his American cell phone that was still in "airplane mode," thanks to the outrageous cost of international calling. And, my phone was the same. Chris can take the SIM card out of his cell phone and replace it with one here, but I wasn't sure if he had done that before he left or not. And, even if he had, I didn't know the number to get him, and did I mention that I didn't know how to call anyone, anyway?! Crazy thoughts started going through my head, and I could feel myself begin to panic. Fortunately, I had the kids here, and I didn't want them to be scared, so I pulled myself together and calmed down. I ended up looking for our sweet "tour guide of sorts" Riemke's email. It took me several minutes of searching in my past emails to find it, but I did. I sent her an email, and about five minutes after I had sent it, Chris showed up. Whew!
Needless to say, I got a crash course in how to use our phone, got a tiny list of numbers (including 112, which is the Dutch 911), how to use the oven, the dishwasher and the washer and dryer, and how to turn on the televisions. Good grief, my brain is still hurting.
And, did I mention that the kids wanted pizza last night for dinner just after Chris had left? I thought, "Ok...that sounds easy enough!" Until I realized that not only were the directions to cook a pizza in Dutch, but I also couldn't figure out how to turn on the oven. Now, I'm certain that I could have figured out how long to cook that crazy thing, but with the conversion to celsius for the temperature, I was not even going to try it. So, we had cereal. That's better than McDonald's, right?!
Well, I guess I should go and wake up my snoring babies. After all, it is 12:15 PM now. Poor little guys. I hope the neighbors haven't gotten too used to it being quiet on this side, because that is ALL about to CHANGE.
I'll post more soon!
We're Here!
We Are Here.
We. Are. Here.
Well...There are so many thoughts going through my head right now that I'm sure there is no way to be able to get everything down.
First of all, let me just say that it is 11:45 AM in Holland, and all three of my babies are STILL asleep! AND, Chris called here this morning at just after 11:00 AM and woke ME up! Now, I'm sure that the kids are exhausted just from everything else that has been going on around them...the move in general and especially jet lag. But,I also know that they are especially exhausted, because I let them stay up until 2:30 in the morning (local time) to watch the "new" episode of "Shake It Up!." I remember several weeks ago when Disney started advertising the new episode. My babies were so disappointed that they weren't going to be able to watch it, because it was to premiere the night we arrived here. Then, I guess they began to do the math with the time difference, and they both were thrilled to discover that they could, in fact, watch it...at 2:00 in the morning. So, I'm pretty sure that qualifies me for the "Mother of the Year" award, right?...not that I needed ANOTHER reason to qualify me. I'm pretty sure I've done a million things to qualify me for that category over the course of the last four months...including watching TV and eating at McDonald's much more than I'd like to admit.
So, anyway, here I sit. In the quiet, quiet living room. By myself. Normally, I would relish any moment like this, but it really is a totally different feeling being utterly alone. After I got up this morning, I looked out our kitchen window, and I saw some sort of "work truck" parked across the street. I have no idea what they are here for, and I intend to "Google" it to find out. I wish I could post a picture , but right now, my phone doesn't work. AND, I'm certain there is a way to do it on this crazy laptop, but I don't know how, yet. Our computer from home is currently packed up and waiting to be placed on a boat that will take approximately two months to arrive here. Good grief.
Last night, Chris had to take the rental car back to the airport. We were all tired, so he waited until around 9:00 to take it. Now, I realize it is at least a half hour's drive to the airport, so that should have accounted for at least an hour. I also allotted him about half an hour to just simply turn the car in. But, last night at 11:15, he still hadn't made it home. It was then that I realized that I don't know a soul here. I didn't even have a phone to contact anyone. I knew we had a phone on the computer desk, but I didn't have the foggiest idea how to use it. And, even if I did, who would I call?! And, what was the number here for 911?! I tried to think about how to get in touch with Chris, but all he had was his American cell phone that was still in "airplane mode," thanks to the outrageous cost of international calling. And, my phone was the same. Chris can take the SIM card out of his cell phone and replace it with one here, but I wasn't sure if he had done that before he left or not. And, even if he had, I didn't know the number to get him, and did I mention that I didn't know how to call anyone, anyway?! Crazy thoughts started going through my head, and I could feel myself begin to panic. Fortunately, I had the kids here, and I didn't want them to be scared, so I pulled myself together and calmed down. I ended up looking for our sweet "tour guide of sorts" Riemke's email. It took me several minutes of searching in my past emails to find it, but I did. I sent her an email, and about five minutes after I had sent it, Chris showed up. Whew!
Needless to say, I got a crash course in how to use our phone, got a tiny list of numbers (including 112, which is the Dutch 911), how to use the oven, the dishwasher and the washer and dryer, and how to turn on the televisions. Good grief, my brain is still hurting.
And, did I mention that the kids wanted pizza last night for dinner just after Chris had left? I thought, "Ok...that sounds easy enough!" Until I realized that not only were the directions to cook a pizza in Dutch, but I also couldn't figure out how to turn on the oven. Now, I'm certain that I could have figured out how long to cook that crazy thing, but with the conversion to celsius for the temperature, I was not even going to try it. So, we had cereal. That's better than McDonald's, right?!
Well, I guess I should go and wake up my snoring babies. After all, it is 12:15 PM now. Poor little guys. I hope the neighbors haven't gotten too used to it being quiet on this side, because that is ALL about to CHANGE.
I'll post more soon!
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Blessings...
So, once again, I sit at the computer, and it's late. I'm a night owl, so that is not really that uncommon for me, though. I have SO much stuff that I really NEED to be doing, but I just couldn't resist sitting down and journaling the last three nights I've had and their impact on me.
So for starters, my sweet in-laws offered to keep my children overnight on Monday night, my sister-in-law offered to keep my children overnight on Tuesday night, and then, on Wednesday night, all three of my babies were going overnight in three different directions! Now, I haven't written much over the last couple of weeks, but let me just say that I've had a VERY emotional past several days, so I really needed a few nights away from my beloved babies. The only other time I've had three nights in a row away from my babies was in February when Chris and I went on our "preview" trip to the Netherlands. Having had at least one child with me every single second since Chris has been gone, including sleeping with me, I can't tell you how much I needed a few nights just by myself. Now, of course, once I found out that I was going to be childless, I decided that I would work during the day, and then I'd line up my long overdue Girls' Nights Outs with some of my gals! Here is the how the last three days have played out...
Monday...I had planned to hook up with my bestie Melissa on Monday evening, so I knew I was going to have to work Monday during the day to get as much stuff done as possible. I did accomplish a lot, but I still had a bunch of "running around" to do, so poor Melissa ended up going along with me on all of my stops that night. We went to Kohl's, Lifeway (where we ended up buying the book "Radical Together" that we intend to use as a Bible study over Skype...can't wait!), Barnes and Noble, World Market, Kirkland's, and of course our personal favorite...Target. Then, we headed back to Melissa's so I could drop her off, and we sat in her driveway talking until almost 1:00 in the morning! It was SO good to catch up! Goodness, it really has been a LONG time since I've been out talking that late! ☺
Tuesday...so, Tuesday was mostly the same way. I worked and worked all day on the upstairs of my my house trying to separate (again!) the kids' stuff, so I could get ready for the movers when they showed up on Monday morning. (I need to be able to just tell them, "Just pack this side of the room." Or, "Pack this whole closet.") Anyway, two of my closest friends from high school were scheduled to come by at 6:30 that evening. Our plan was to gather some of our favorite recipes and swap them out. Now, we'd been planning this for several months, and it didn't look like it was going to happen, but thanks to my unexpected babysitters, our night became reality. So, my sweet friend April donned her pajamas and went to a Chinese restaurant and picked us all up some fantastic Chinese dinner. So, my sweet friends, Kelly, April and I, sat around for hours in our pajamas copying recipes, listening to Kelly's eclectic mix of songs on her iPod, and just reminiscing and laughing. There is something about old childhood friendships, and I'm so thankful that we got to have that night!. Can I just say how much I love these two?! They are definitely going to have to come visit me when we all turn forty! Can't wait!☺
Wednesday...so this morning, I got up and straightened up a bit. I had to leave at 10:15ish to meet my sister-in-law Becky in Joelton at 11:15 to pick up my crew. They had a FANTASTIC time, and they were also looking forward to going in different directions that night! So, I got them, ran home and changed out clothes in their suitcases. We were supposed to be at our cub scout den's "End of the Year" swimming party at 12:30, but I had given Ashlynn and Avery the option of going to the party or going to the house where they were going to stay. Both of them wanted to be dropped off at their destinations. So, I dropped off Ashlynn at Melissa's, and I dropped off Avery at my sister's. Then, Aaron and I jetted out to the swim party. Okay, let me just say that I had NO idea that the "party" was for us. There was a sweet cake with "We Love the Kennedy Family" written on it, and we were serenaded with "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow." Then, I was presented with three precious scrapbooks for each of my babies. I couldn't even look at them today, and I totally wasn't prepared for anything like that. We are planning to join the Cub Scouts of America at our new school overseas, but I can say with all certainty that there will never be another group of boys and Mama's that will ever be able to live up to this one. They are truly irreplaceable, and I love them. THEN...I left there to go change clothes and head out to meet another group of gals. This group is my Bible study gals. We planned to eat at Newk's (LOVE that place!), and again, I wasn't prepared for what they gave, either. They gave me the movie "The Proposal," because during our Gatlinburg trips, that is our choice movie, and I love it! They also gave me two journals...one that is BEAUTIFUL! It is leather, and it has my name embossed on it! I can't wait to write down all of our adventures in it! The other one has my favorite verse (Jer. 29:11) on the front of it -AND- I *almost* bought it on Monday night when I was with Melissa at Barnes and Noble. It immediately caught my eye, but for whatever reason, I put it back. The girls had warned me not to look inside this one while we were out, because they had each written in it. So, tonight after I Skyped Chris, I leaned back in the chair for just a minute, and my eyes fell to this journal. I picked it up and read the entries. How. Blessed. I. Am. Tears streamed down my face as I read the precious words written on the pages that were meant especially (and only!) for me! After I finished reading the entries, I just sat and thought about the unique situation that I'm in. How many people get to really see what their true friends think of them? I've just been OVERWHELMED by ALL of my precious friends and seeing how much they care about me and my precious family.
I am very excited about going, but all of these "Good-byes" are almost too much for me to bear. I'm sure I'll make friends in Holland, but they will NEVER replace my sweet friends here at home. "Blessed" is the only word I can think to describe how I feel right now.
So for starters, my sweet in-laws offered to keep my children overnight on Monday night, my sister-in-law offered to keep my children overnight on Tuesday night, and then, on Wednesday night, all three of my babies were going overnight in three different directions! Now, I haven't written much over the last couple of weeks, but let me just say that I've had a VERY emotional past several days, so I really needed a few nights away from my beloved babies. The only other time I've had three nights in a row away from my babies was in February when Chris and I went on our "preview" trip to the Netherlands. Having had at least one child with me every single second since Chris has been gone, including sleeping with me, I can't tell you how much I needed a few nights just by myself. Now, of course, once I found out that I was going to be childless, I decided that I would work during the day, and then I'd line up my long overdue Girls' Nights Outs with some of my gals! Here is the how the last three days have played out...
Monday...I had planned to hook up with my bestie Melissa on Monday evening, so I knew I was going to have to work Monday during the day to get as much stuff done as possible. I did accomplish a lot, but I still had a bunch of "running around" to do, so poor Melissa ended up going along with me on all of my stops that night. We went to Kohl's, Lifeway (where we ended up buying the book "Radical Together" that we intend to use as a Bible study over Skype...can't wait!), Barnes and Noble, World Market, Kirkland's, and of course our personal favorite...Target. Then, we headed back to Melissa's so I could drop her off, and we sat in her driveway talking until almost 1:00 in the morning! It was SO good to catch up! Goodness, it really has been a LONG time since I've been out talking that late! ☺
Tuesday...so, Tuesday was mostly the same way. I worked and worked all day on the upstairs of my my house trying to separate (again!) the kids' stuff, so I could get ready for the movers when they showed up on Monday morning. (I need to be able to just tell them, "Just pack this side of the room." Or, "Pack this whole closet.") Anyway, two of my closest friends from high school were scheduled to come by at 6:30 that evening. Our plan was to gather some of our favorite recipes and swap them out. Now, we'd been planning this for several months, and it didn't look like it was going to happen, but thanks to my unexpected babysitters, our night became reality. So, my sweet friend April donned her pajamas and went to a Chinese restaurant and picked us all up some fantastic Chinese dinner. So, my sweet friends, Kelly, April and I, sat around for hours in our pajamas copying recipes, listening to Kelly's eclectic mix of songs on her iPod, and just reminiscing and laughing. There is something about old childhood friendships, and I'm so thankful that we got to have that night!. Can I just say how much I love these two?! They are definitely going to have to come visit me when we all turn forty! Can't wait!☺
Wednesday...so this morning, I got up and straightened up a bit. I had to leave at 10:15ish to meet my sister-in-law Becky in Joelton at 11:15 to pick up my crew. They had a FANTASTIC time, and they were also looking forward to going in different directions that night! So, I got them, ran home and changed out clothes in their suitcases. We were supposed to be at our cub scout den's "End of the Year" swimming party at 12:30, but I had given Ashlynn and Avery the option of going to the party or going to the house where they were going to stay. Both of them wanted to be dropped off at their destinations. So, I dropped off Ashlynn at Melissa's, and I dropped off Avery at my sister's. Then, Aaron and I jetted out to the swim party. Okay, let me just say that I had NO idea that the "party" was for us. There was a sweet cake with "We Love the Kennedy Family" written on it, and we were serenaded with "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow." Then, I was presented with three precious scrapbooks for each of my babies. I couldn't even look at them today, and I totally wasn't prepared for anything like that. We are planning to join the Cub Scouts of America at our new school overseas, but I can say with all certainty that there will never be another group of boys and Mama's that will ever be able to live up to this one. They are truly irreplaceable, and I love them. THEN...I left there to go change clothes and head out to meet another group of gals. This group is my Bible study gals. We planned to eat at Newk's (LOVE that place!), and again, I wasn't prepared for what they gave, either. They gave me the movie "The Proposal," because during our Gatlinburg trips, that is our choice movie, and I love it! They also gave me two journals...one that is BEAUTIFUL! It is leather, and it has my name embossed on it! I can't wait to write down all of our adventures in it! The other one has my favorite verse (Jer. 29:11) on the front of it -AND- I *almost* bought it on Monday night when I was with Melissa at Barnes and Noble. It immediately caught my eye, but for whatever reason, I put it back. The girls had warned me not to look inside this one while we were out, because they had each written in it. So, tonight after I Skyped Chris, I leaned back in the chair for just a minute, and my eyes fell to this journal. I picked it up and read the entries. How. Blessed. I. Am. Tears streamed down my face as I read the precious words written on the pages that were meant especially (and only!) for me! After I finished reading the entries, I just sat and thought about the unique situation that I'm in. How many people get to really see what their true friends think of them? I've just been OVERWHELMED by ALL of my precious friends and seeing how much they care about me and my precious family.
I am very excited about going, but all of these "Good-byes" are almost too much for me to bear. I'm sure I'll make friends in Holland, but they will NEVER replace my sweet friends here at home. "Blessed" is the only word I can think to describe how I feel right now.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Friends
Okay...can I just say that I have the BEST friends a girl could ever ask for?!?! I just got back from a MUCH NEEDED Girl's Night Out with my sweet friend Melissa, because my sweet friend Marian selflessly volunteered to come over and watch my babies tonight. I got to go eat at Newk's and Sweet CeCe's, and then Melissa and I went to pick out books for our babies for our annual Christmas in July. Since it seems that our phone conversations that once lasted for hours have now shrunk to mere minutes, because of babies and husbands being out of town and the like, it was so great to catch up! There were even stories that I thought I had already shared with her that I didn't realize she didn't know the details about. It really had been too long since we had gotten to go out for coffee!
Melissa...I remember the first time we ever met. It was the summer of 1998, and I had just been hired at Stewartsboro Elementary to teach first grade and be the new cheerleading sponsor. It was my first year as a "real" classroom teacher, and I had been hired to teach first grade! My certification was only for first through eighth grade, but my emphasis was on grades six through eight. What in the world was I going to do with all these baby first graders?! I'll never forget going to the school to get my classroom key and Mrs. Belcher, the assistant principal, taking me to see my classroom and then on a tour of the rest of the school. As we were approaching the end of the first grade hall and clearly on the way back to the office, we heard some "child like" noises coming from one of the classrooms. Mrs. Belcher stopped and said, "Oh, one of the first grade teachers is here teaching summer school. Come here and I'll introduce you!" We walked into the classroom, and Melissa quickly stood up and came over to say hello. She was immediately warm and welcoming, and I knew instantly that we would be friends. Before I walked out the door, she had given me her name and number and had told me that if I needed ANYTHING to give her a call. It wasn't until later that I found out that she also had decided to be a co-sponsor for cheerleading. God truly does work in miraculous ways, because I had no idea what I was getting into and how much I needed Melissa in my life...and not just for that one year. Since then, she has been my confidant, my cheerleader, my prayer partner, my problem solver, my babysitter, my shoulder to cry on, my partner in crime and countless other titles. I can't imagine how I'm going to function on the other side of the world without her being ten minutes away. :-(
Marian...our babies (Alex and Ashlynn) were in the same dance class at Dance With Stacey in Smyrna. They were four years old at the time, and I had Aaron who was three years old and into everything, Avery who was a baby, we listed and sold our house because we were building another one, and we were living in an apartment at the time. My life was crazy then, and I didn't socialize much in that class. Then, the following fall, Ashlynn's kindergarten open house was scheduled for one evening in August. I remember walking in and scanning the room filled with several people I already knew. I remember seeing Marian sitting at the table with her husband, and I remember recalling that our kids had been in the same class the previous year. I also remember feeling badly that I had not made an attempt to talk to her at all during the dance year. Right off the bat, Marian and I immediately began to volunteer for Ms. Cockrell, so we began to be around each other quite a bit. It certainly didn't take long for me to see how caring, hard-working, selfless, creative, dependable and all kinds of other labels she was. Everyone needs a friend like Marian. She is that friend that you know you could call at 2:00 in the morning in an emergency, and she would do whatever it took to help you out, and she would not think twice about it! I tell everyone that she would give you the shirt off of her back if you really needed it. Again, what am I going to do without her? :-(
These two precious friends (along with some other friends of mine that I have similar stories about!) are also in the progress of planning a going away party for me. I can't even tell you how incredibly blessed I am to know them and to be able to call them my friends. I know that everyone comes into your life for a reason...some for a short time and some for a lifetime. I know these girls are in it for the long haul! I love you, girls!
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
Melissa...I remember the first time we ever met. It was the summer of 1998, and I had just been hired at Stewartsboro Elementary to teach first grade and be the new cheerleading sponsor. It was my first year as a "real" classroom teacher, and I had been hired to teach first grade! My certification was only for first through eighth grade, but my emphasis was on grades six through eight. What in the world was I going to do with all these baby first graders?! I'll never forget going to the school to get my classroom key and Mrs. Belcher, the assistant principal, taking me to see my classroom and then on a tour of the rest of the school. As we were approaching the end of the first grade hall and clearly on the way back to the office, we heard some "child like" noises coming from one of the classrooms. Mrs. Belcher stopped and said, "Oh, one of the first grade teachers is here teaching summer school. Come here and I'll introduce you!" We walked into the classroom, and Melissa quickly stood up and came over to say hello. She was immediately warm and welcoming, and I knew instantly that we would be friends. Before I walked out the door, she had given me her name and number and had told me that if I needed ANYTHING to give her a call. It wasn't until later that I found out that she also had decided to be a co-sponsor for cheerleading. God truly does work in miraculous ways, because I had no idea what I was getting into and how much I needed Melissa in my life...and not just for that one year. Since then, she has been my confidant, my cheerleader, my prayer partner, my problem solver, my babysitter, my shoulder to cry on, my partner in crime and countless other titles. I can't imagine how I'm going to function on the other side of the world without her being ten minutes away. :-(
Marian...our babies (Alex and Ashlynn) were in the same dance class at Dance With Stacey in Smyrna. They were four years old at the time, and I had Aaron who was three years old and into everything, Avery who was a baby, we listed and sold our house because we were building another one, and we were living in an apartment at the time. My life was crazy then, and I didn't socialize much in that class. Then, the following fall, Ashlynn's kindergarten open house was scheduled for one evening in August. I remember walking in and scanning the room filled with several people I already knew. I remember seeing Marian sitting at the table with her husband, and I remember recalling that our kids had been in the same class the previous year. I also remember feeling badly that I had not made an attempt to talk to her at all during the dance year. Right off the bat, Marian and I immediately began to volunteer for Ms. Cockrell, so we began to be around each other quite a bit. It certainly didn't take long for me to see how caring, hard-working, selfless, creative, dependable and all kinds of other labels she was. Everyone needs a friend like Marian. She is that friend that you know you could call at 2:00 in the morning in an emergency, and she would do whatever it took to help you out, and she would not think twice about it! I tell everyone that she would give you the shirt off of her back if you really needed it. Again, what am I going to do without her? :-(
These two precious friends (along with some other friends of mine that I have similar stories about!) are also in the progress of planning a going away party for me. I can't even tell you how incredibly blessed I am to know them and to be able to call them my friends. I know that everyone comes into your life for a reason...some for a short time and some for a lifetime. I know these girls are in it for the long haul! I love you, girls!
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13
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