back on!

Hey! Look at me! I remembered how to log in!

The kids are in bed, the laundry is tamed for now, the kitchen is cleaned, the stories have been read, the dogs have been fed, I worked out, and am now settled in with a glass of Cabernet and my laptop.

Race is gone and I am trying to acclimate myself to being a one man...er....woman team again. I sometimes throw around the "single parent" term on this blog, when referring to myself after Race leaves. The fact is it's not even close to that. Even though Race is away and out of contact for long periods of time, he is a wonderful provider for us. I don't have to worry about MAKING the bucks. That's pretty huge don't ya think? Also, Race prays for us daily. And we pray for him. And that is one of the ways that we manage this. God hears our prayers and He is merciful to us, and grants us unmeasurable grace. And that's how we make it. And I am so thankful.

I am up to my eyeballs in school planning right now. I will be glad to get it all done. Austin is going to a local classical school part-time this year, and Savannah is taking on Calvert again, and Jack is going for some evaluations this week that will hopefully clear up a few things with him. So, I will be glad to finish up these final loose ends for the school year.

I am afraid that Races' few weeks at home weren't very relaxing. But we tried to make the best of it. We did do a couple of fun things. We took a bunch of Brits to a National's baseball game, and that was a riot. We also went to a water park for the day just before Race pulled out. (And Jess, I DID get him back......I'll tell the whole thing in another post) But other than that things were pretty hectic around here. Lets' see...........

We are having our basement finished,(insert hallelujah chorus) so while that is exciting beyond belief, it is also super loud and noisy every day.

Our mattress was maiming us both, so we went for a new set. To make a long story short-our new set arrived LATE. REALLY LATE. Race and I slept the whole time on a sort of make-shift mattress that we made from memory-foam and a box spring. Which was a lot more comfortable than the OLD mattress. He got to sleep one night in total comfort before he left. ugh.

Austin was away at scout camp for a week, and Savannah has been busy for several weeks at Encore' (the theatre production at the Fine Arts Academy). Race really missed spending all his time with them. Watch out, cause I think that they might be growing up. EEK! He was so upset that he would miss Savannah's performance.

Jackson was with us the whole time, and that was great. He and Race connected in a big way this time. And that warmed my heart. It is absolutely KILLING Race that he won't be here for the start of football. Race went to college on a full scholarship for football, and it was his life for many,many years. This will be our family's first introduction to football, and Race wants so badly to be here for Jack.

But alas, Here we are. And it's where we're supposed to be.

And I am so thankful that I've heard from Race. He is where he is supposed to be. I am so thankful for our wonderful family who have helped to fill in the gaps for our kids. I am so thankful that we have the resources to provide enriching opportunities for the kids to stretch their wings and try out their gifts and talents. And I'm just thankful to be a part of it all.

It's good to be back!
g'night,
Melissa