One of the Good Ones

A couple weeks ago, we went back to my hometown to visit my parents.  Sunday morning found us in the pew of my old parish with our wonderful new little family.  Grandma was so excited to show off Jackie to her friends and grandpa even got to hold her when she woke up for a while.  But when Jackie got a little fussy and needed a diaper change she was passed back down the pew towards us.  Before I could even move to grab the diaper bag, Ethan scooped up Jackie and the bag and said, "I'll take care of it."

Now, this was not a surprise to me.  Ethan has always been more than willing to take care of Jackie and anything she might do.  I think he was actually happy to find out that there was a baby changing station in the men's bathroom at our own parish, because that meant that he could take care of her.

Apparently this was a surprise to others.

We left for home right after mass was over, Jackie needed to eat and it looked like it might rain.  My parents stuck around to chit chat for a few minutes.  When they got home mom preceded to tell me that my husband was the topic of discussion.

I guess when Ethan got up to take Jackie out of church, one of the younger wives in back sitting with her family turned to her husband and said "See...that's how it's done."  The general consensus after mass was that my husband probably impressed many moms out there who are usually the ones to take a fussy baby out the back, and at the same time receiving glaring eyes from the dads.

On the eve of Ethan's first Father's Day I couldn't imagine sharing this day with a better husband and father.  He has been involved from day one.  Helping pick out names, clothes, decor, changing diapers, feeding, and especially holding his little girl.  For someone who was so scared for his new role as dad, he sure has figured it out fast. 

I just hope that someday Jackie and her siblings are aware of just how lucky they are to have one of the good ones. :o)

Community

I couldn't sleep last night.  It started out with baby not letting me sleep and when she finally stayed asleep I was up.  Not fun, considering I was planning my return to continuous exercise the next morning.  As I lay there one of the many things that popped into my head was college.  How the prices have gone up, how Jackie will begin to pay for it, and what a great experience it was for me.  I find myself hoping that she follows a similar path that I did.  Community College.

I think Community College, unfairingly, gets a bad rap in our society, and I'm puzzled as to why?  Especially this day in age when college tuition can set you back for YEARS after. 

I remember when I was first looking into colleges (I wanted to play volleyball and be a teacher) I immediately said "I never want to go to a community college."  In the end I had other opportunities to go to school and play volleyball at a four year university.  However, realizing that those schools were going to set me back anywhere from 40,000-100.000+ for for years of school I decided that community college didn't sounds so bad, and I became a member of the Hutchinson Community College Dragon volleyball team.  I recall being slightly embarrassed at first when telling people that's where I was going to go.  "They probably think I couldn't hack it at a real university..."

And you know...some people DID think that. 

Unfair.

First of all I COULD hack it at a "real" university.  I graduated high school with a 3.9 GPA.  I found my educational experience to be really good.  My professors challenged me.  I had to work hard for the grades I got.  And the best part...took the SAME types of classes as my 4-year-institutional-friends for a fraction of the cost.  When I transferred to Emporia State University only ONE class didn't transfer.  (Whoever at ESU decided to name Statistics as "Math for the Secondary Classroom" should be shot...it was STATISTICS!)

I don't understand is how in our society, especially today with protests from students of Ivy League schools who can't find jobs and have enormous debt, that community college isn't considered a good option.

I've heard from high school Seniors that "Oh...I can't go to a community college, I have a 3.898988 GPA"

or...

"Well, he's an athlete so he can just go to a JUCO for the first two years so he doesn't really have to worry about his grades..."

or...

"Community College is not an option, I'm better than that."

Seriously folks.  Really???  Fast forward 10 years out of college... I have 0 student loans.  That's ZERO!  I paid a total of 1,200$ for my Sophomore year of school.  AND met some of the best people I'll ever know during those two years.  AND had the typical "college experience." 

I guess in the end I'm trying to say that Ethan and I are NOT going to be able to pay for our kids college.  We won't.  We are NOT going to take out student loans for them in our name.  (He did go to a 4 year college...graduated with TWO degrees and only had to take out a loan for is final semester...hard work pays off.)  What we will do (unless of course we end up with four super athletic children who all receive full-ride scholarships to the university of their choice...) is encourage a JUCO for the first two years, offer to let them live at home if they go to school around us, and make sure our kids have jobs and know how to be smart on when to save and spend money.  And hope that they come out with a good education and little debt.

Because it is a very scary thought on how expensive college will be by the time our kids are there...

&*%# Happens!

Things are happening to me that rarely happened before. 

I find myself saying the following statement multiple times a week. 

"I'm sorry I'm running a few minutes late..."

I have mentioned before in a blog post about how obsessed I am with time.  So this new found statement that I'm saying is causing me grief.  I hate running late.

It is easy to blame it all on Jackie.  And truth be told, some of the time it is her fault.  She will wait until RIGHT BEFORE going in the car seat before filling her diaper full of poo.  This event usually follows a freshly changed diaper and may or may not include a change in clothes too. 

But all the blame cannot ride with her.  Things are happening to me.  Random unexplained events causing me to take longer than it should.

I leave the garage door opener in the house...back inside

I leave the phone in the house...back inside

I forget to lock the back door...back inside

My flip flops BREAK as I run back in the house for my keys, so now I have to change my shoes!

Before Jackie came along people told me this would happen.  You will run late with kids.  I figured I would just start getting around earlier.  For some reason that just doesn't seem to be working, because thing happen right at the last minute. 

So until I get the hang of this multitasking-parent thing, I apologize in advance because I'm probably running a few minutes behind. 

This and That

I've been a little lacking in the blog world the for a while.  It's not that I haven't tried, I have.  It's not that I don't have things to say, I do.  I just haven't found a way to make what's in my head sound good when I write it down.  I thought I'd just put a few things in that have been going on around here and some random thoughts for now.

I had volleyball camp this week for my 7th and 8th graders for next season.  It has been good to see them in the gym again and see what work we have ahead of us.  I do always have to remind myself that it is early and they will get better by October.

Due to volleyball camp this week I have had no other choice but to leave little Jackie with her first non-family member babysitter.  I am incredibly lucky to have a great friend and colleague watch her for me in the mornings.  Throughout this process I have decided that babies have a conspiracy to be as absolutely cute and cuddly as possible right before you have to drop them off. 

I am so tired/frustrated/angry about all of the construction on the west side of Wichita.  I understand that it needs to be done, it needed to be done 3 years ago.  I am frustrated and angry at the genius who decided to have construction at every major intersection on the west side.  If I never see another orange sign "Road Construction Ahead" followed by annoying cones it'll be too soon.

I had the pleasure of going shopping for my husband for his very first Father's Day.  I know that it is very cliche to get a tie as a Father's Day gift, but in this case it was appropriate.  Ethan has been dressing nicer for church lately and it's something that he would like to continue doing for sometime.  That includes things such as nice dress shirts, pants, and the ole cliche tie.  In keeping with our gift-giving traditions, he got his gift early.  We tend to do this pretty often.  Sometimes it is the day before, sometimes weeks, sometimes we just decide to get ourselves something together.  (A house for example...).  This time it was because I knew he would want to wear his new clothes to Mass on Father's Day so I wanted him to try them on so if we needed to take them back to the store we could.  I think I did pretty good we only have to return two items and that's only because he ended up not needing a belt. 

I have been trying to find some new recipes that don't involve the oven for the hot summer months.  I'm already a month into not using the oven and I'm struggling.  I love grilling foods, but I need a little variety.  If anyone has some suggestions on recipes I will be happy to have them :)

I am going to get back into spinning classes again.  I did it a few years ago in January and loved it.  I ended up stopping due to the times in the evenings being difficult sometimes to get in.  Now that it is summer I can go in the mornings at least 3-4 days a week and then hopefully swim on the off days.  I'm looking forward to doing it again, but not looking forward to the sore bum I'm going to have for a week or so...

Just one of those days

Jackie is having one of those days...

Poor baby has been fussy most of the afternoon and evening.  I haven't known her long enough to know which of the many things that could be bothering her, are bothering her today. 

Is it another growth spurt?

Is it gas?  Constipation?

Early teething?

Does she have allergies?

Is she hungry?  Tummy ache?

Sleepy and fighting it? 

Anxiety about going to the doctor tomorrow and getting shots?

All of the above?

Or something completely new?

If only there was an Ap for this...

Family and Marriage

When Ethan and I were preparing for our wedding I remember talking with my grandmother (who will be celebrating with her husband 60 years of marriage this year) on what makes a good marriage.  We were discussing what she thought and what I thought.  The typical things came up that you hear from successful married partners time and time again...communication, laughter, understanding, forgiveness, etc...

Then I threw something else on the table that I believed Ethan and I had that many couples unfortunately lack. 

A good relationship with our in-laws.

I have seen so many relationships tested and sadly broken because one set of parents is difficult to get along with.  I've had girlfriends tell me stories I couldn't believe about their Mother-in-Law.  I've seen Fathers of friends of mine tell me how much they can't stand their daughter's husband. 

I just can't imagine it. 

I believe this is due to how similar our families are.

From the very beginning when E and I first met I amazed at how many of the stories he told about his family was strikingly similar to stories I had about mine.  Both of us came from families who were strong in their Catholic faith, went to mass every Sunday, and participated in Church functions.  We both grew up being teased and teasing our closest relatives.  We were punished when we didn't follow the rules.  There were expectations.  We were not spoiled, but we didn't suffer.

Our dads share the same desire to always be working on some project, fixing something that is broke (or about to break, or not even broken...), or figuring out how to make something better.  My dad would LOVE to have Bill's truck, Bill would LOVE to have my dad's workshop.  Ethan and I often joked that if his dad drove his truck into my dad's workshop they would never leave.

Our mothers both stayed home while raising their kids.  They kept clean homes and cooked for large families.  They both have a great talent for making friends with others through the power of conversation.  That was just a long way to say that they talk a lot.  A gift, thankfully, they passed on to Ethan and I since the majority of the beginning of our relationship was spent on the phone.

Marriage is the toughest of all God's callings...or so I'm told.  Today there are so many examples of marriages that don't end up working out for one reason or another.  I just know that Ethan and I are so lucky to come from two families where marriage has worked.  And because of that, I believe the odds of success are in our favor in a big way. :)

Lessons From "The Office"

Ethan and I love watching The Office.  Even with the changes this last season leaving a few episodes that weren't as funny, we still tune in every Thursday night.  What's even better is the seasons are available for streaming on netflix.  Guess what I watch in the middle of the night while Jackie is nursing.

I've decided there are some very important things to learn from life around the office.  Especially since I spend my working days in a classroom (which also has things to learn from...but that's another post sometime).  Here are just a few of the fun things I have learned from the Office!

~  If you carry around a cup that says "World's Best Boss" people will eventually believe it.

~  Bears eat beats.

~  If you are getting married and your bride freaks out because things are going wrong, just cut off your tie.

~  Waaaaassssssuuuuppp!

~  Anytime your coworker agrees with you that it is Friday...double check that it is really Friday.

~  The smell of up-dog can be anywhere. 

(If you just asked yourself "What's up-dog"  you got the joke!)

~  Anyone can feel special when they win a Dundee

~  Christmas is the time to give gifts that show someone how you really feel. Unless, they end up with an I-Pod and your teapot gift ends up being used as a sinus rinse.

~  Dating in the office is encouraged.

~  Women are like wolves.

~  Wearing a tuxedo to work is classy.

~  When debating whether to get new chairs or a new copier, have the security guard settle the dispute.

~  A good boss avoids conflict, but when solving conflicts between coworkers always go for a "Win, win, win" option.

~  Alcohol always makes office parties more fun.

~  Everything is funnier stuck in Jell-O