Bad Car Karma!!

I, as a woman, have mastered the art of a self pity party.  MASTERED!!  I claim to have only mastered a handful of skills in this life but I have mastered the party aspect of it. 

Two weeks ago as spring break is approaching and I am knee deep in this self pity mode I get a call from my dear loving husband who is on his way out of town with our girls.  His car has stopped all forward motion.  It is spewing oil under the hood and he fears it is the transmission.  Short story is that he then took my van on vacation and I was left stranded.  In come my Knights in Shining Armor the Fasse's.  They came to pick me up Saturday morning and hauled me around.  They took me shopping, for a pedicure, a parade, to a wedding, out to dinner and back home.  My saviours.

Monday morning I have to go to work and I am still stranded.  In comes my next Knight, Jean.  She gave me a ride to work and even checked up on me to guarantee I had a ride home.

Fast forward to Thursday and we still don't have 2 cars.  In comes my next Knight, the Showalters.  They give me a ride to work and back home and then again back to work again.  Friday night I am expecting a half relaxing evening and weekend.  Que 5:00 and my van won't start.  My husband is at work and I am at work.  Thankfully the last Knights were still around and helped get us at least in the same location.  The fuel pump has gone out.  YIKES!!  We have no vehicles.

Saturday morning we are geared up to get either the car or the van (hoping for both) back.  We are excited to get out the motorcycle for a beautiful ride.  What, the bike won't start.  The battery is dead.  Seriously...the transmission, the fuel pump and now the battery.  Bad car karma!!  To top off the bad karma the van does get done but not the car.  (Seriously this is an entire other blog!!)

Monday morning...they haven't even started on the car yet.  We live in Perry, work in Topeka and our girls go to school in Lawrence,  How are we going to swing this ridiculous schedule I ask you.  Thankfully my Knights haven't ran out yet.  Thank you Laurie Ostronic.  You will never realize how much help you have been.

So 2 weeks later and lots of bad car karma I have realized those self pity parties may need to come to an end.  I realize I have more friends then any one person should be blessed with and God will provide.

Thank you Fasse's, Jean Martin, Showalter's and Laurie Ostronic!!

Difficulty

I knew when I became a mother that there would moments of difficulty.  I never knew those difficulties would one day encompass moments, hours, days, weeks, months and sometimes even years.  I thought having a newborn was hard.  I didn't know how easy that infant was until I had a toddler.  I thought having a toddler was hard.  I didn't know how easy that toddler was until they hit kindergarten and beyond.  School was hard.  I never realized how easy school was until they hit the teenage years.  Those teenage years were hard.  I thought to myself although every one of these stages are hard, surly we are coming to the end of the hard times.  They have grown and matured....er they have grown and now we can become more then a mother/son we can become friends.  Fast forward to their 20s and I realize the last 20 years have been a preview of the moments, hours, days, weeks and months to come.

When Dennis left home at the ripe old age of 16 everyone told me "He'll come home."  He never did.  When he graduated everyone assured me "He'll grow up."  He never did.  When he got married at 18 everyone said "He'll mature."  Yep still waiting.  I continually hear "When he has kids..."  We'll wait and see on this one.  I'm hoping the wait is a long one.

When Robby graduated at 17 and left for boot camp I was happy for him.  We had arrived.  He was joining the National Guard and had a full scholarship for football.  He was happy and I was happy for him.  The day he graduated boot camp he gave us a plaque that read

"Parent's Appreciation Certificate"

Let it be know that

Lorene & Tim Martins

having mastered the art of parenting

by having a child successfully complete

Basic Combat Training

and for being the parents who stood by, watched over, comforted

and guided me down the path to a

successful graduation has accordingly been awarded

this successful parents

Certificate of Appreciation

from

Robert J M Martins

on

August 2007"

Fast forward a couple of years after he has dropped out of college, lived in my basement, been unemployed and then deployed, married and now living in his wife's parents basement.  The 20s are hard.

It hurt when Dennis changed his last name and it hurts no less as Robby is doing it.  I'm not sure how we went from successful parents to the losers they now believe we are but that is where they have delegated us.  It hurts, it's hard and I don't enjoy this.  Tomorrow as Robby gets married for the 2nd time (to the same person) and changes his last name from Martins to Madden it will be difficult. 

I hope they always realize that although times were difficult and will continue to be I'll always be there mom and they'll always be my babies.  I love them even when I question if they love me.  Sending prayers to God for grace and dignity.

Uniforms

As most know my girls go to a Parochial school, Corpus Christi Catholic School.  They love it.  They love their friends, they love the curriculum (as much as a 9 and 11 year old can), they love the school, the teachers, on and on and on. 

The one thing I'm sure they don't love is uniforms.  This is a love thing for me though.  I don't have to argue what they wear.  I don't have to make sure we have clean clothes.  I don't have to keep up with the Jones' on the most current fashion and designs.  No I just have to make sure they have their clean polo's and khakis.  This works for me. 

I remember the first day they tried on said uniforms.  Bridgette loudly announced "Mom I am ugly."  To which I promptly replied "But Baby you will all be ugly together.".  This appeared to be an okay answer for the last two years.  They wear uniforms without to much complaint.  I do hear once in a while; "Mom I wish we had more dress down days."  "Mom I wish we could have a pajama day."  The normal things I would expect to hear.

Fast forward to the beginning of spring.  The warmer weather has broken out the shorts sooner rather then later.  I don't have a problem with the shorts.  I love summer; I love shorts, I love flip flops.  I love the season!! 

I soon realized with the changing of the seasons my dear lovely very beautiful daughter with her 9 year old self would develop her very own style to deal with winter/spring/summer.  All merged into one.  Here comes out of the school my dearest Bridgette wearing a long sleeve uniform short, shorts, knee high Christmas socks and boots.  Oh my...

I do still love uniforms, I love the fact Bridgette is confident and I am left speechless in regards to the uniform!!