Home for the holidays

Well, I survived the Thanksgiving holiday. But, I must say I needed a vacation from my vacation. Thanksgiving Break started with packing clean clothes, dirty clothes, electronics to keep everyone occupied during the drive to Arkansas, and food. My wonderful children lost the car adapter for the DVD player, so I had to charge the battery. It took eight hours to charge the battery and it went dead after only two hours, so I had to listen to fighting, bickering and whining for the duration of the trip. I tried to tune them out as I sang along on with the music from my MP3 player, but they refused to let me enjoy. I finally had to stop because all I heard at one point were shouts of MAMA!

Well, we arrived in Arkansas early Wednesday afternoon and they got their bikes out and asked everyone about a million times when my sister and her family would arrive. They got there about two hours later and the fun began. As they played in my mom's store, it sounded like a group of fifty kids-- there were only five of them. The noise level continued throughout the entire stay and thankfully I had a new supply of Exedrin.

Thanksgiving Day found me at the table of three different families. Since my mom was taking forever (sounds like something DQ would say), I called a friend of the family and LP and I walked over and enjoyed a wonderful meal. We had smoked ham, fried turkey, greens, potato salad, dressing and a few more things I can't think of. We walked back to my mom's where I tried the dressing with cranberry sauce...pretty good. Later that evening, I stopped by a girlfriend's place and tried the cheesecake, it was so good I went by later that night to get another slice. I really overate, but hey, Thanksgiving only comes once a year.

Friday-- picture day. We dressed the kid in black and white and decided to take them the park for pictures. The park is decorated with Christmas lights and such and made an attractive background. The kids were excited, well, we thought they were. LP said she couldn't look at us or smile because the sun was in her eyes. We tried to move them to another spot, but she refused to cooperate and by this time nephew #1 said the sun was in his eyes too. They started rubbing them and now they were red and watery. I think we managed to get a couple of pictures-- who knows! Maybe we should've just gone to Sears!

Saturday morning-- time to get ready for the Christmas parade. My mom wanted something to represent her business. She owns a small convenience store in town. Our float plans changed and our theme was "Cooking Up Holiday Fun." My sister bought aprons and chef hats for the five kiddos and my dad found old stove. We had a few hours to get everything decorated because thankfully, the time of parade was changed from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The kids were very agreeable to the hats and aprons and they loved throwing out candy. In fact, I think a few people may have bruises from the candy hitting them. Our plan to end the domination worked...we won first place! The kids were exciting and so were the locals, finally someone else won. Can't wait until next year.

So, now I'm at home and after a much needed nap I have tons of clothes and gadgets to unpack. Only four more weeks to Winter Break. Well, at least it's about three weeks long and maybe I can get a much needed vacation.

I'm thankful for...

As the Thanksgiving holiday nears, I try to remember to be thankful. After receiving a phone call yesterday from DQ's Language Arts teacher, I tried to focus on the fact that she can talk, even though I was informed that she is talking too much. It seems she has been moved three times since school started, but the problem persists. She talks through the lecture and when it's time for her to do her assigment, she doesn't understand how to do it. No kidding. As any good parent would do, I prayed not to hurt her when I got home. I prayed for patience, understanding and wisdom on how to handle the situation. As many of us know, when we pray for patience, God grants it and it is immediately tested. I've found it almost impossible to reason with DQ. She refuses to take responsibility for her actions and seems to think life is supposed to be fair. I've explained several times that life is not fair and the earlier she realizes it, the earlier she will find peace. So, after about two hours of fussing, screaming and talking, we came to an understanding that she is to go to school, sit, listen, do her work and talk only when it's appropriate. We ended with her writing an apology to her teacher. This morning her mood was somber, so hopefully things will get better. I really am thankful to have three beautiful, healthy, vibrant children.

Not only am I thankful for my children, I'm thankful for my family, no matter how wacky and crazy we can be. This includes my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law and nephews. It seems we'll all be at my parent's for the holiday and my mom informed me that all of her grandchildren are going to help her prepare the meal, now that should be interesting. The children range in age from eleven to four, three boys and two girls. She also informed me that she needs an updated photo of all of her grandchildren. About four years ago, my sister and I decided to the kids and have a portrait taken for my parents for Christmas. It took two trips to the photographer. Trip #1: Nephew 2 didn't want to take his pacifier out of his mouth, there was a car as a prop and four of the five wanted to sit in the car, LP was eight months old and wanted no one to hold her, BUT we got a picture...Trip #2: Everyone was in a good mood and we didn't want any props, so they sat according to height and LP was on her belly, much better. As my sister and I thought about what it took to get the first one done, we decided that we would just go to the park and take pictures in the gazebo, have them developed and frame and mat it ourselves.

We have also decided we are going to enter the Christmas parade in Montrose. The parade is sponsored by the Montrose Development Council and it made up of individuals of a certain family. It seems every year members of this particular family win the cash prizes for best floats/cars in the parade. My sister and I have decided that is going to end this year and we have plans to enter my mom's store in the parade. I was excited about it until I got this elaborate diagram of the float from my sister. At the top of her diagram she wrote, "I know I have too much time on my hands." As I looked at the fireplace and the Christmas tree, I started to rethink the float thing. Thankfully, there has been a change of plans and we are going to do a Christmas cooking theme. I'll be sure to take plenty of photos from both events.

I am so grateful that I am actually looking forward to spending some time with my family. I know there are those who hate the holidays because they are forced to spend time with their families. I feel so blessed that my family is wacky and funloving and no one gets (too) upset about anything. We take a licking and keep on ticking!

Reading is fundamental!

Today I put another book in my "to be read" (tbr) stack and wondered if I'd every finish any of them. I currently have two tbr stacks, one in the house and one in my car. I like to keep books in my presence because I never know when I'll have some down time and whenever I get the chance, I read.

My mom oftens wonders how I can read three to four books at a time, but any avid reader knows that we must have a book on hand at all times. I took a brief break from reading and now I'm back in full swing. I look at my stacks and wonder what in the world I was thinking to allow my reading to laspe, if even for a short time.

As I think about reading and my love for it, I tried to remember when I became a reader and who influenced this love. I remember my mom always taking my sister and I to the local library. She also had us in book clubs and we looked forward to receiving our monthly box of books, we still have some of those books and I've tried to pass them on to my kids...that's another story.

I took a turn and during the teen years my attention was on the usual stuff, ball games and hanging out. I do remember my eleventh grade teacher, Mrs. Smith, had a reading list, but what sixteen year old is interested in "The Scarlet Letter" and "The Great Gatsby"? I did find "The Lord of the Flies", "A Separate Peace "and "Jonathan Livingston's Seagull" quite interesting, but they didn't pique my interest to continue reading. Then came college and who had time to read with classes and parties going on. I was living too much to spend time reading! Having come from a small rural town in Southeast AR to a fairly large town in Northwest AR, I had to explore and that left no time for reading.

After I graduated from college, I spent some time unemployed and with nothing else to do in Montrose, I started reading. I went to the local library and discovered mystery and suspense and that is where my love affair began. I visited all the libraries in the area, since they were part of the same library sytem, I could use my card at each one and I learned about new authors. Not only that, I started reading and learning about African American authors and fell in love with Terry McMillan, Alice Walker, Walter Mosely, Connie Briscoe, Eric Jerome Dickey, and E. Lynn Harris.

I'd been such a frequent visitor to the libraries in area that when a position was available, I was recommended. From there, I started reading an abundance of authors and customers turned me on to James Patterson, Sue Grafton, Sidney Sheldon, Iris Johansen, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg, John Sandford, and Patricia Cornwell. I couldn't get enough. I've read just about everything these authors have written and I'm continually exploring new ground.

I'm finding that my reading interests is changing and that I'm more interested in nonfiction lately. I'm currently reading "Dreams of My Father" by Barack Obama. After reading about him in Time magazine and watching him on Oprah, I was struck by his sincerity and his dream of a bipartism government. I also want to read it before I move on to his second book, The Audacity of Hope."

I'm also reading, "The Teacher Who Couldn't Read" by John H Corcoran. I will be leading the discussion of this book at our monthly reading roundtable this month. Our group is made of several educators and teachers and I know it will be a lively event. Mr. Corcoran passed through the system and even graduated from college unable to read. There are skeptics and many doubters, but I believe Mr. Corcoran was a very smart man who had the ability to learn and manipulate people and circumstances to his advantage. Although this story takes place in the 1940s and 50s, it is still a timely book and makes readers wonder about the state of our educational system. I work with students who don't have the ability to read on a tenth grade level, but are in college expected to read and understand textbooks chapters at a time. The blame is passed around from teachers to parents to the students themselves, but until we all take responsibility for educating our children, the problem will not be solved.

In my stack, I also have "This Much I know for Sure" by Tavis Smiley. I read the first chapter and decided I needed to read further. Denzel Washington's, "A Hand to Guide Me." I even have a fiction book, E. Lynn Harris' "I Say a Little Prayer" just because I am such a huge fan.

So as I ponder when it was I began to become of lover of books, I have to say it was inbreded in me since childhood. No, my mom recently told me she read to me while she was pregnant with me. I guess we can hear our mom's voices in the womb. I'm trying to pass my love for books to my children and I think they'll take the same course I took. DQ is at the age where she is reading because she has to have a certain number of A/R points. LB is a the curious age, so whenever he asks a question about something, I bring a book home and he can read and learn about it. LP is four, so she loves to be read to and I enjoy reading to her. I love the smile and enthusiasm she displays as I read and get animated.

Two of my favorite quotes deal with reading.

"What is reading but silent conversation?"-- Walter Savage Landor

"The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them."-- Mark Twain

I love my job!

I'm often asked how I like my life in Senatobia and I quickly inform the curious that I love it! I grew up in a small town and once I moved here, I realized how much I missed the hospitality and I'm close enougth to Southaven/Memphis if I need access to a larger city. My daughters (and now son) have adjusted well and are thriving in school and socially. Life if great!
Perhaps the most important thing that has made this a very smooth transition is that I love my job! I look forward to going in every morning to find out what challenges lie ahead. My experience is in public libraries, but I'm finding that it's not much different. Okay, I admit, sometimes I'm a bit oblivious to the noise level.

One of the reasons why I love my job so much is because I work with great people. I felt like I've been knowing everyone a long time and I appreciate everything everyone's done to make this a smooth transition for me and my family.

My job is so rich and rewarding. I remember when I was growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. As I entered college, I realized that a career in teaching would not garner a sizeable salary, so I majored in Business. The business world is very cutthroat and I soon found myself jobless. As a newlywed with a new baby, I needed a job and so I began work at the small public library. I loved it, I'd finally found my calling. So when I moved to Oklahoma City, I started library school and finished in 2004. During that time I was still with a public library and I'd switched from public service to technical services. I was beginnning to miss the interaction with customers and was gettting antsy from sitting all day. When I realized that I needed to leave the state, I searched high and low for a job and came across an ad for a technical services librarian at NWCC. As any librarian would do, I immediately did some research, made a few calls and sent in my application. As I drove from OKC to Senatobia, I was so nervous! As I was driving through Memphis, I got lost and had to call and inform them that I would be a little late, the sweat was pouring. Once I got to my interview, I quickly relaxed and had a great time. I can honestly say, it was one of the best interview I've had.

I found out I would be a faculty member and would do some bibliographic teaching and it seemed that my long lost dream of teaching was coming true. I know I groan and moan about the orientation classes, but I love it! I love a challenge and it is truly that, trying to keep the students awake and interested, yet get the information to them is tough. I love to interact with the students and let them know that I'm here to help them be successful. I leave my door open so they can walk in any time and ask questions. I have a few that come through and just talk about life and that's okay too. College is a major adjustment and sometimes they need someone to talk to. I love cataloging, not only do I touch every book that comes through the library, I'm constantly learning by browsing the contents and reading through the texts.

Okay, that's enough. But can you tell: I LOVE MY JOB?!

Internet buyers...beware

Imagine getting a call from your bank asking that you verify a purchase and when they tell you the amount and the merchant, you have no idea what he is talking about. This very thing happened to me early Friday afternoon. The amount– $1045, the merchant– somewhere in Mexico. I was told that since I wasn’t trying to make the purchase, my debit card had been compromised and was no longer valid, I needed to cut it up and wait 5-7 days for a replacement. He verified a few more purchases to make sure those were valid, asked me if I had any questions and the call ended. I was horrified– I am THE spokesperson for online bill paying. I’ve told people it’s more secure than paying by check, because checks pass through many hands and the account information as well as personal information is right there in plain sight. I use my debit card for everything because it’s so convenient and I don’t like to carry cash, what am I going to do now? I went on about my day thankful that the bank caught it and didn’t debit my account. I went to the bank, got some cash and went on my merry way to enjoy the weekend in Arkansas.

Fast forward Wednesday morning, I log-in and check my account and I see a (135.00), I’m in the hole! I check my transactions and what’s there, a debit for $1045 to SamsTuxtla! I immediately call the bank to find out what the heck is going on. I was informed that I had to go to my local branch to fill out a dispute form. I go and talk to a bank representative and ask her how this could happen after I informed them that I did not authorize the payment. She told me it depends on the merchant, sometimes they can catch it, sometimes not. They can do nothing until the customer comes in to dispute the purchase. She then got a list of the checks/amount I’d written, so they would pay them. I then breathed a sigh of relief, at least I wouldn’t have any rubber checks bouncing around. She assured me that it would take about three days to have my account credited and she would call as soon as it was done.

The internet has been a blessing and a curse. I love the convenience of paying bills online, but I’ve learned a valuable lesson about using my debit card for all of my online purchases. Some of the merchants will do a check my mail and with those they don’t save personal information, it has to be entered each time the bill is paid. I’ll stick with that route. I only have a few dollars and I don’t want the hustlers and criminals to have them.

It’s been a weird day and my supervisor informed me that things usually happens in threes. The first thing, this morning as we were going into the hall bathroom, we noticed the floor was wet. When I turned on the light, the floor was covered in water. Second, my account is drained. Third, when I called the office, they came by to look at it, but don’t have a wet-dry vacuum, so I had to clean it up by hand.

It’s hard to believe today is Wednesday, feels more like a Monday or better yet, Friday, the 13th.

My Body is a Temple

Today I cataloged a book titled, “The Real Skinny on Weight Loss Surgery” and as I browsed through, I wondered, why would anyone want to do such a thing? The authors of the book had “positive” experiences and success with their gastric surgery, but write about the nightmares and negative experiences of others in an effort to educate readers on what to do to have a successful surgery. As I thumbed through the first few chapters, I learned about the side effects, after effects and assembly line facilities and my question remained. I realize we live in a society that is obsessed with weight, but to alter what God created to lose weight is beyond my comprehension. I realize there are people who have struggled since childhood with this issue, but there has got be a better way.

I’ve always been a bit on the “thick” side and a few times I’ve been downright chubby, so I know what it’s like to be depressed and discouraged about having excess weight. I also know what it is like to be “skinny”, although it was for a relatively short time, and I can honestly say, if life sucks when you’re fat, no amount of weight loss will cause the suckiness to disappear, that comes from within. I remember being a size 7/8 and hating my life. I am now comfortable size 9/10-11/12 and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, what happened? I grew up and realized that happiness comes from within. I try to take care of myself to the best of my ability, that included making a lifestyle change and with that change came weight loss and just a general healthy feeling.

The change began to take place as my faith in God grew. I came across the scripture, Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 1st Corinthians 6:19-20 and that changed the way I treated my body. Many times as Christians we choose not to smoke or drink, but neglect to honor our bodies by eating properly and exercising consistently. My first step was to educate myself on what it meant to eat properly. I quickly learned that my diet consisted of too many processed foods and way too much sugar. I also learned that red meat has a lot of saturated fat, so my first steps included eating more whole grains and eliminating red meat from my diet. I knew this was something I couldn’t do overnight, so I did it gradually and it made the transition easier. I started substituting turkey for beef and instead of sugary cereal and muffins for breakfast, I started having oatmeal. Once that change was consistent, I started eating meat once a day. If I had meat in my meal at lunch, I’d prepare a meatless dinner and vice versa. I started drinking my eight glasses of water a day and within a week, my energy level increased. I could see positive changes in my life. Next came the hard part, finding an exercise routine that I could fit in my schedule. My cousin suggested I try Leslie Sansone’s Walk Away the Pounds. One try and I was hooked, I now own at least seven tapes and DVDs which I do faithfully. I try to squeeze in as much exercise as possible and sometimes go for a mile walk on my lunch break, it is such a stress buster. I take my mp3 player and walk and sing the mile away. There are times when I have a hamburger or candy, but I don’t beat myself up. I try to enjoy everything in moderation, too much of anything is not good.

I talk with my mom about my lifestyle change a lot and ask her when she is going to start her new journey. She told me she has to pray about it and I reminded her that prayer without works is dead. As I thumbed through that book this morning, it reminded me that our society is into quick. We want everything instantly, forgetting that anything worth having is worth working for.

Family matters!

I spent another weekend in Arkansas, but this time around, I was surrounded by family. My cousin MW, called me about three weeks ago and told me to mark my calendar because on November 4th, he was going to have a fish fry to celebrate his new job making big bucks. Okay, everyone knows I’m sucker for free food, so I was hooked immediately. On November 3rd, I packed up the kids and we headed for Arkansas. The kids watched movies and I listened to uninterrupted music on my MP3 player, life was grand.

The fish fry was fun, everyone in town stopped by to say hi, grab some food and just hang out. My cousin is bachelor and his house is a testament. There is a pool table in the living room and the den is consumed by a couch, chair and entertainment center with everything connected to the television, so imagine the women in the house trying to change the radio station and adjust the volume—we were totally screwed up. I had a good time, but once the card game started, I was out. Nothing worse than watching and listening to a card game, especially when they are playing for money and the beer is consumed like water.

My mom told me my dad was wondering why I came all the way to Montrose for a fish fry and she told him that I was coming for the food, but I also wanted to spend some time with my family, couldn’t have said it better myself. My dad lost his oldest sister in December 2004 and when I saw cousins at the funeral that I hadn’t seen in over twenty years, I realized that I need to keep in touch. I think most of the family members there felt the same because we revived our family reunions. I missed the 2005 reunion in Dallas, but we had a blast at the 2005 reunion in Peoria, IL. I love my family and as I’ve gotten older, I realized how important it is to keep the bonds tight.

So on my way home Sunday evening I began to think about family. I started thinking about my immediate family—my three precious children and how thankful I am that they are healthy, vibrant and active. I realized that I need to do all I can to help them be successful, productive citizens. As I lay in bed that night, I began to devise a plan and daily schedule to focus on my kids and their needs. This week is going to be our pilot week of turning off the television from 4:00-5:00 and focus on homework. Day 1 was pretty successful, we’ll see how it goes…