WinterHaven Swim Meet

A new Swim Season is upon us... Ben and Carly are on the Year Round Team, but the "New Season" started and they had their first Short Course Meet today.  Somewhere in the above picture is Carly, swimming with the flag for the National Anthem, prior to the meet.  Notice the sky!  Welcome to a Swim Meet in Florida!  Nope, the meet was NOT cancelled!!!  Great work, kiddos!  No DQ's, and they even shaved off a few seconds here and there!

BEN

50 Free  31.97 (previous 31.89)

50 Breast 58.58 (previous 1:06.92)

50 Back 40.11 (previous 46.25)

CARLY

50 Free 52.05 (previous 50.98)

50 Back 1:02.75 (previous 1:04.05)

50 Fly 1:07.89 (previous 1:06.41)

A Day Called September 10th

*this could be why I don't do FaceBook updates*

6:52am  Our day started with Ben volunteering to pray.  It is not polite to laugh out loud when your kids pray.  They probably should not start said prayer by saying, "Thank you, Dear Lord, for a day called September 10th...".

7:00am... coffee.  In a quiet house.  Love.

7:04am... just remembered our new bed is getting delivered this am.  It's been on back order since July.  I should probably get dressed...

8:50am... Ryan just called me to see if I will go shopping for him on November 9th.  Should have called earlier, that day is all booked up.

9:12am.  Still waiting for American Signature to arrive with our new bed.  Since I hate wasting time, I have cleaned the whole house while waiting.  If I weren't "Just waiting" it would have taken me 6 years.  Today it took 1 hour.  How is this possible???  And I wonder where Ben gets his "Focussing Issues" from. 

10:09am... pretty sure The Fly Lady is the anti-Christ.  I do not want to remove the grill off my refrigerator and vacuum the coils.  I didn't even know there WERE coils.  And I'm ok with that.  Yup, still waiting.

10:51am.  Bed is here.  Pretty sure Cassidy no longer lives with us, I'm certain he ran out the door when they left it open for 15 minutes.  They are setting it up...  The Head Guy said he liked our house.  He is the only one who's ever seen it clean.

10:59am.  Still setting up.  Second Guy told me there is a big gouge in my front passenger tire.  Really hope that doesn't interfere with my lunch plans.  Since I know nothing about tires, I have txt'd a picture to Ryan. 

11:06am... just checked the progress in my bedroom.  :) 

11:10am.  Just heard Second Guy-up-in-my-bedroom-putting-my-bed-together say, "Is the door still going to close?"  He's kidding, right?  I'm too afraid to find out.

11:30am... Ryan is not a fan of me driving the car.  All is not lost, my friend is coming to pick me up.  Good thing, because I HATE it when All is Lost.  Good news:  the bedroom door still closes:)

12:29pm.  Waiting for Debbie.  I am working on stuff on Picnik and decide that this would have made a WAY better job than being a nurse.  As it turns out, I prefer fonts to shots.

2:19pm  Returned from lunch... Very fun.  I always enjoy people with more drama in their lives than mine.  Makes me feel better, somehow:)  Ironically enough, it is very hard for me to sit still during lunch when I don't have to cut up food for other people. 

2:31pm   Made the bed.  It looks BIG and COMFY.  Also, I put a few clothes away in the drawers under the bed.  Then I stopped because it occurred to me Ryan needs to slide the bed over a couple of inches so it's even in between the windows.  I guess Head Guy and Second Guy didn't notice this.  Who am I kidding... I didn't notice either until I couldn't reach the electrical outlet.  ANYWAYS, a few tshirts might make it too heavy for Ryan, so I stopped.

2:52pm.  I decided to vacuum the living room before putting the vacuum cleaner away.  When I said I cleaned THE WHOLE HOUSE, that might have been a slight exaggeration.  It is STILL significantly cleaner than before.  As in, When I Woke Up.  Anyways, I nearly killed myself putting the vacuum away in the Harry Potter Closet (aka The Cubbard Under The Stairs, to normal families).  I'll not get it out again.  Ever.  Vacuuming is highly over-rated.

3:06pm  Waiting for Ryan to get home so we can drop the car off to get the tire fixed.

3:34pm   Dropped the car off... then we stopped by the post office to mail a package to Laurie.  (Finally sent you those stamps!)

3:58pm  Back at the house, and now I've decided I must go to Target to get Ryan a new pillow and a birthday present for the party Carly is attending tomorrow.  There is no way I want to drive Ryan's Cracker Truck, but it seems currently unavoidable.

4:46pm  Wandering at Target.  So far, I've gotten Ryan underwear, socks, undershirts, a pillow... oh yeah.  Supposed to be looking for a birthday present.  Further distracted when I stopped to chat with Charisse, who I bumped into (umm, almost literally.  Sorry, Charisse).  Need a present.

5:13pm  Heading back home... having found Scout an item "with skulls on it".  Ummm, what kind of party are we sending you off to, Little Miss??

5:45pm  Car is ready, so we are going to pick it up.  Then Ryan is going to a wake for a sibling of his co-worker and I'm picking up pizza's for dinner.  Does this sound off to anyone else?  Ok, Cassidy apparently still lives here.  He's yowing at me.  Which is odd, because he usually ignores us.  I ask him what the problem is, and I still can't understand the yowing.

6:13pm  My big plans of a night of sitting on the couch RELAXING don't seem to be panning out...

6:14pm  Proud owner of a new Front Passenger Side Tire.  And new oil.  We got an oil change, too.  Why not?

6:34pm  I just blew out the inside of an egg without cracking it open.  The things I do for my kid to do a school "Egghead" project.  And seriously, Mom?  You used to do that for a CRAFT??  What were you thinking?  I'm not ashamed to say that I did tell Ben that if he breaks his Egghead, I'm never speaking to him again.  Ok, kidding.  It wasn't ever,  just for a week.

7:21pm  Family Pizza and a Movie Night... Watching Back to the Future III.  Great Scott!  It doesn't get much better than this!  I won't write quotes for the next 2 hours.  You are welcome.  Seriously.  Best Movie Ever.

7:57pm  Just got a txt from Kristin.  I won't say what it said.  Tracy might be mad:)  But, now that I think about it, you probably got the same txt.  Movie Update:  ZZ Top singing in the Wild Wild West.  Hilarious.

8:58pm  Your future is whatever you make it, so make it a good one.

8:59pm  Rays game... Rays up 8-5.  We'll see how this goes.  Love Rogers Centre in Toronto... Good memories there!  Hey Carlos, button up your shirt.  There's no reason for that.

9:07pm  Ben just whacked Carly in the neck with his newest creation (broken Silly Bandz all tied together to make a rope).  Tears everywhere.  He was pretty sweet telling her he was sorry and he gave her a very sweet, unforced hug.  Awwwww.  I guess it's ok that he beat on his sister. 

9:38pm  Kids off to bed... now I'm crocheting dishcloths.  No way can I just sit on the couch doing "nothing".  There's something wrong with that.  Anyone want any dishcloths?  Laurie, I just sent you some.  With the stamps. 

9:58pm  I think if I were making millions of dollars a year, I could make a home run.  I think I could figure that out.  You know, for millions.

10:09pm  Rays win.  I'd be more excited, except I'm tired. 

10:09pm  16.

There you have it.... A day called September 10th. 

You know it's Labor Day...

... when we are eating at Dairy Queen!

We are McGregor's - we LOVE our traditions!

15 years running.

Random Disney Fun

Most people use the Labor Day weekend to WRAP UP summer fun, we used it to START it up again!  Headed right back to Disney.  We were actually TOO BUSY to go all summer, so we were happy for some time to have a little fun, Disney style.  It would seem that if you decide very last minute to book a hotel online, you can actually stay in a super nice Disney Resort for MUCH cheaper.  We got a great room at the Dolphin Resort, with a very fun view of the Swan Resort... and to the left of THAT, Epcot and to the RIGHT of it, Hollywood Studios.  That was kind of fun.  I only had my cell phone for pictures, so they are a little rough.  Ben LOVED looking out the window!

We took the resort's Water Taxi over to Hollywood Studios for a couple of hours to hit a few of our favorite rides.  Ok, guess.  Yes, Aerosmith's Rocking Rollercoaster, and the Tower of Terror.  I rode neither.  I'm getting WAY too old.  I made them go on the Great Movie Ride.  Ben said he was HAPPY to go on my pick, since he loved me so much.  Pretty sure he didn't do his homework before we left.

Dinner at Pizza Planet.  Actually pretty good pizza, if you have to eat in the park.

After our brief tour of the Studios, we hopped on the bus to the Magic Kingdom.  It was open LATE, until 1am if you were staying at the resort.  They have started decorating for the Halloween party and my little Pumpkins were happy to get photographed in front of The pumpkins.  They will pretty much agree to anything if they think it will get them in the front gates.  So, really not crowded at all, and in our few hours hanging out, we went on a bunch of rides!

Carly requested a turn on the Speedway, and Ben drove me around.  Yikes.  Anyways, I made him STOP the car so we could get a self portrait... Yes, I told him to OPEN HIS EYES.  You see where that gets me.

Just prior to this, we enjoyed Ben's choice, the Carousel of Progress!  Not kidding.  He really likes it, and Ryan and I do, too.  Mostly because of the song.  It's super annoying.  Also, the People Mover, which the kids agree to go on since ONE TIME the lights were on when we were touring through Space Mountain.  You could see the whole SUPER SMALL, very unintimidating looking wooden roller coaster.  They pray the whole time that that will happen again.  It was pretty cool. 

Carly took her Dad for a spin. 

 

And of course, Space Mountain.  I don't care if I have seen it in with the lights on, I'm too scared to go on it OFTEN.  I do agree, occaisionally.  But I do not like it.  Anyways, while I was waiting, this woman came over and sat beside me and said, "Hello, Fellow Chicken".  So, MEAN LADY, I'm very sorry for lying to you and telling you I was pregnant.  It is not true, and Yes, I'm very aware of what happens to women who tell THAT particular lie.  I did NOT feel I deserved to be called a CHICKEN, however, seeing how you did NOT notice that I was soaking wet, having JUST gone on SPLASH mountain.  Which I swore YEARS ago, I would never go on again.  And to my darling daughter, Caroline.  You are a mean, mean girl for turning to me JUST before the VERY big 5 story drop and saying, "I've been praying the whole time that we are the boat that gets the BIG cannon of water, and we get soaked!!!".  Actually, we were NOT that boat, but I got a little wet, and HORRIBLY terrified, none-the-less.  5 stories.  The things I do for FUN.

Yes, that's Ryan taking a picture and texting it to me during the ride.

 

The Color Changing Castle.  If you would like, I also have this picture in pink, purple, and yellow.  We had a great time... I'm also reasonably certain that they have sped up Thunder Mountain Railroad (um, Ryan actually agreed, so it's not just me being a big OLD baby), and hands down agree that the Haunted Mansion NEVER gets old!!!

Amazingly enough, the kids slept in until 10am!!!  If you know them, you know what a miracle that is!  We had a nice drive home, with a stop at Cracker Barrel for Brunch.  Heads up, CB, it's SEPTEMBER.

... not so Random thoughts

So, a LOT has been on my mind lately.  People I love who are sick.  Friends who have lost family members.  Ben in Middle School.  Just a lot that is rotating around in my head, probably making me lose sleep.  Some of it seems so very serious, some just kind of insignificant (you know, like whether or not Ben will EVER be able to turn homework in without me) but still weighs heavy on me. 

My Uncle has been pretty sick lately.  I guess the "not knowing" what is really wrong is the hardest for me.  We've been talking about it alot  lately.  Praying alot for him lately.  I've been worrying alot lately.

So, yesterday, this song kept going over and over again in my head and I kept thinking how much it made me think of Uncle Ike and I wanted to share it with him, I thought it might be encouraging, you know?  Turns out, it's on You Tube, so here it is...

Anyways, then I went to work.  And it was a good night, but somewhere in the middle of it, I got REALLY discouraged about Ben and school and just really worrying and feeling anxious.  I hate it when I get overwhelmed and seriously, had to talk myself down off the ledge!  And so much of me was thinking "You are worrying about stuff that ISN'T GOING TO MATTER!!!!"  and the other small part was saying, "Yup." Anyways, I looked up verses with "Anxious" in them because this seems to work for me lately.  Here's what I came across:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; 
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Psalm 139:23

yeah, no kidding.  There are PLENTY of anxious thoughts.  I thought it would be a GREAT idea to read the whole chapter, and loved this in verse 4:

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.

I really needed that.  Because truth be told, I was so distressed I couldn't even GET the words to my tongue.  And then, in complete NOT so random fashion, I read the end of verse 12... "for darkness is as light to you."  I did NOT know the words from the song were a direct quote from the Bible.  Then it occurred to me even MORE not so randomly that the very words I thought were great for my Uncle, were great for me.  Who knew that hours later I would need them just as much?  Life seems so random to us, but it most certainly is NOT random to God.  He knew I'd need it.  I'm glad I was listening, because usually I am not.  Usually I'm so worried that other people will think I'm a hypocrite if I share too much about the Bible or my relationship with God because they KNOW me.  They know I have a big problem with eye rolling.  And about 7,000 other things I'd rather not discuss.  Ever.  Here's the thing:  I really am a hypocrite.  And obnoxious, and annoying.  I go back and forth daily with God breaking my heart and moving me closer to Him, and pushing Him away so I can do my own thing.  Probably hourly.  Thankfully He is so patient with me. 

I've been thinking alot, too, about my "new" favorite verse:

And here's what I think... Sometimes God is SHOUTING this at me.  Like He's BELLOWING it across time, across that raging ocean, really getting my attention!  Commanding! Reminding me He's redeemed me.  I am His.  It's so loud, I tremble with the sound.  I'm a hypocrite?  Well, no kidding.  He's redeemed me.  This hypocritical flaw makes me not want to listen, but how can I miss it?

And other times, He's whispering this so softly in my ear, it's a breath.  A sigh.  I have to listen to catch it.  It's hard to hear.  My anxiety, my fear, my loneliness, my feelings of unworthiness?  I am His.  He repeats it over and over... He's redeemed me.  I am His. 

I still can't get over it. 

Great Delight in the New Blog Header

So, new blog header.  There are many reasons why I love this one, even though it was a long time in coming... seems like they ALL are!

1. Basic Reason - blogger changed their design templates.  In doing so, my headers shifted over to the left side only.  I tried for a very long time to figure out how to remedy it, and FINALLY discovered (completely on accident, mind you) that if I crop the photo in Picnik using "Golden Ratio", then they fit perfectly.  SO HAPPY.  I know, (insert eye roll), it doesn't take much to make my day.  But I am happy to have "fixed" it, because sadly, I am one of those people who feels all off when something isn't where I think it should be.  And I wonder where Ben gets it from.

2.  WAY BACK IN MAY I was reminded of the verse.  I was looking up verses with "Quiet" in them and really loved this one.  I just kept thinking about what a sweet blessing it was to quote to my kids.  It contains so many of the "Elements" of God  that I want them to "get":

God is with you!

He is mighty to save!

He takes great delight in you!

His love will give you peace!

He rejoices over you!

The part that I can't stop thinking about FOR ME is "He will quiet you with his love".  I NEED that more than I care to admit.  Our lives are so CRAZY busy, and I need to know that there is someone who is offering quiet, calmness, stillness... peace.  Love that.

3.  So, this summer, while on vacation... Ben slipped and injured his hand.  I'm not sure if this is the right venue to pass on that he was TOLD by his loving father (Ryan, not God) to NOT run on the grass in just socks... WEAR SHOES.  Of course, he chose to go shoeless, slipped and hurt himself.  About 30 minutes later, he was still sitting on the grass, socks thrown as far away from him as he could get them.  (That could be my favorite part).  It was, of course, all the socks fault he slipped.  Anyways, his hand was starting to swell, so we gave him ice and decided to wait it out to see if it would get better. 

Of course, the next morning, it was still swollen and he was really complaining about it.  Ben doesn't complain about much, so I was slightly concerned and figured we better get it checked out.  Laurie was kind enough to accompany us to the nearest Urgent Care Center, where we got GREAT CARE, and Ben had (fortunately) only sprained his hand.  He got a fancy ACE wrap, which he had to wear for 5 days.  5 of the longest days of my life, and his life.  I have included myself in there since I am the one who had to listen to "Whenareyougoingtotakemycastoff?  Whenareyougoingtotakemycastoff?  Whenareyougoingtotakemycastoff?" (Ryan tuned him out, and Carly had her ipod on!) Got to love a kid with Asperger's Syndrome who can't even tolerate a BANDAID, let alone an ace bandage that is now impeding his video game hand.  I was pretty thankful it WASN'T actually a cast.  That would have been WAY worse.

Ok, so the reason this has ANYTHING to do with the header...  Kristin was kind enough to take Carly to church with her while we were taking Ben to the doctor.  (Thank you, KRISTIN!!) Once they got back, Kristin told me that Carly was doing sign language to one of the songs they sang:

Savior,

He can move the mountains,

My God is mighty to save

He is mighty to save

Forever

Author of salvation

He rose and conquered the grave

Jesus conquered he grave

And it just made me think of this verse all over again!  Later that afternoon, my Uncle and Aunt came over to visit with us again, and Carly sang this song for Aunt Syl, with Laurie.  I was behind the camera (discretely)crying my eyes out because it was so sweet, and so much reminded me of MYSELF at her age, singing songs in my Grammy's room.  Now, my Aunt Syl is not a fan of getting photographed, so I have altered this photo for her sake... it was too sweet a memory for me not to post the picture.  Plus, I think the picture looks cool in silhouette. 

Signing the song...

4.  I love this picture because it is from our fantastic vacation!  Just looking at it reminds me of GREAT memories!  It is in Acadia National Park, Jordan Pond... and those are the Bubble Mountains.  It was such a relaxing, beautiful time.  I love getting to be with my sister.  I love being surrounded by nature, it really does shift my focus back where it needs to be!  I love vacation with the kids... especially when it involves their cousins!  They are COUSIN people, that's for sure!  I can understand that!

And because I found ONE MORE cool feature on Picnik I feel compelled to share... the Before and After frames you can add to your picture!!!  I thought this was so cool.  And you can see what the original picture looked like before I got crazy with it!