Adventures of the Supersized 6

So I watched this movie with Jennifer Garner, "13 going on 30". It is a cute movie about a girl who on her 13th birthday has a joke played on her by the "cool" kids and hurts her best friends (his name is Matt) feelings. While in a closet she says she wishes she were "30, flirty, and successful" which is an article she read in her mom's magazine. She wakes fast forwarding the last 17 years and she is now 30, flirty and successful. Her "best friend" is one of the "cool" girls. Trying to make sense of it all she trackes down Matt to fill in the blank. When she realizes that since she was 13 her life to a twist to be every thing she wanted. She was "cool" and had it all, except Matt. They stopped being friends and he was getting ready to marry another girl. She soon realizes that it cost her family, her best friend Matt, and most of all her self in the process. She doesn't like the person she had, or I guess could become. In the end she realizes that being 30, flirty and succesful stinks if you don't like yourself, and she loved Matt because he was the same as he was at 13. She makes a wish the same way she did to become 30 and she is back to herself at 13 (in 1987 to which I loved!) and she does things the right way and.... well as they say, lived hapily ever after.

I watched this movie the same evening I had talked with a good friend I had in High School. We were talking about "old times" and about the things we did, and who we knew those many moons ago. I had little desire to go to my reunion at either high school I attended, even though I was curious to see how some people turned out. My friend said she couldn't stomach it, after less than an hour she left. Could it be that bad? She said she heard people talking about myspace and blogs. So we decided to attend our own reunion in our own way, myspace. There is a feature that allows you to see members listed by the school they attended, and even the year they graduated. So we set out to check up on those we were the most curious about. After seeing what all the girls we knew were up to, we set out to check up on the old flames. What did we see in them? It turned out to be a loaded question. I ended up feeling a mix of emotions. It had been a while since I had seen those faces, and had heard the stories. "Remeber that one time..." is never a good start to a story from my younger days. I felt disbelief that I was actually that person. Did I do those things? Say those things? Be those things? How could I have liked myself back then? How did others like me? I was ashamed of myself, embarassed that I really didn't remember who I was until it was back in my face.

To be honest it is all a blur to me. It felt like a Tarantino movie. I was trying to piece together the clips in my head of how I got to where I am today. I remember bits and pieces of my actions, and my words, I remember times with my friends and my relationships. What did I see in those guys? I started to think of the person I would have been had I stayed in a particular relationship. Each one had a very bad scenario. One of those guys is now the owner of a well lets just say an establishment that caters to the male population. How could I have been involved with someone who would become that person? After I chronologically put back the pieces I had left in my memory I came to where I am today.

I don't know why my husband was drawn to me, I was a horrible person when he met me. But I was drawn to him in a fierce way, the Holy Spirit drew us together. Against all odds we have made it work. I think we work better than any other couple I have seen. We have both grown into these people who are so vastly different than those two people who met 10+ years ago. The journey to bo who I am now was rough, and equally as painful to remember. But the destination has been so worth it. What is even cooler is that my journey is not over. There is always room for improvement, and my faith, and the spirit will work on that. I am like an "Extreme Make Over: Life Edition". I think I can be ashamed of who I was, and for my actions and choices. But to say that I would go back and change it, or that it hasn't impacted who I am today is wrong. Each mis-step was a lesson into what I was going to avoid the next day.

I know now more than ever that I am heading in the right direction, it is OK to be ashamed of the me-past, like the me-now, and to strive to make the me-tomorrow better. I am married to the most amazing man, and we were drawn to each other for a reason. Marriage isn't all that much work if it is done right! Now that I am "30, (not so) flirty, and successful (in the ways that are important)" I would not want to go back to be that 13 year old to change things. I might whisper in her ear to go to youth group more, and to hang on, she'll eventually get it right!


TLM

Wow, it is nearly April 1st. Scary.

So lets see what is going on now.

School-
My Spring semester started yesterday and I can see that it is going to require much attention. I am going to work on my re-reqs to apply for the RT program, and if I am on the list when fall starts then I will fall back on the Medical Assisting program. But I will have both pans in the fire. So far all my instructors seem amazing and I don't anticipate any real problems.

Home-
We re-fied the house and we are saving ourselves a small sack of gold every month now. It is a huge relief for both Aaron and I. Adjustable mortgages are EVIL! We have been getting some things done around the house and I hope to see not one but now 2 potties in our house by summer. Wouldn't that be lovely!? Spring is here and it is hot! It is helping the flowers right along. We have some daffodils coming up and Aaron has been busy in the yard getting things looking green, and pretty.

Kids-
Jake is doing great! He got a great report card and he is enjoying cub scouts. He just got promoted and is looking forward to all the summer activities and being at camp "all summer". It is two weeks but it sounds like forever.
Madie is doing amazing as well. Madie is earning badges like mad in her American Heritage Girls troop and she is looking forward to summer activities also. Madie got a stupendous report card and reads ALL of the time.
Noah is enjoying kindergarten and got a great report from his teacher. He is all ready to go to first grade. Noah is enjoying the weather and bugging us about the pool daily.
Annika just turned 2!! I know crazy right!? She is into coloring and then eating the crayon when she done. She also loves ponies and babies. We are lucky she doesn't want to eat them too.

Church-
Aaron and I are busy with Church stuff as well. We took a group of 10 (including us) to Muncie Indiana for a conference called "Acquire the Fire". It was an amazing weekend and I think that all there got alot out of the message. I came home looking at everything that my kids come in contact with and I questioned what kind of influence it may have on them. What is influencing your kids? Your home? Your life?
We have lots of fun things planned for Easter and for the summer for both the children's and the youth ministries.

Well I guess I should get some homework done.
Enjoy the weather if it is as nice where you are as it is where I am.

TLM

So we had plenty going on today. I was up early and took my mother in love to work. Which it is always nice to chit chat on the drive. And I enjoy doing what I can for my in law's since they do so much for us. Then I was to take my van, Ruby to the shop. I had a grocery list of things that I knew she needed in addition to the regular stuff. I had been given a quote by the dealership for just the replacement of the O2 sensor and I was cringing at the thought of how much all my repairs were going to cost. But I didn't have time to stress over that, I was due for a huge biology lab test. I had been stressing over this test for a few days, studying like mad. This instructor was ver demanding and very picky about details so I had to be in tip-top form. I am not sure if it was the extra studying, or my grasp of the material covered but I sailed through the test with great amazement. On my way home from school I heard that Ruby would be ready after Aaron needs to leave, but before I need to get the kids. Hmmm.... Nikki to the rescue. She and Abby took Annika and myself to pick up Ruby. To my surprise I did not need the brakes I thought I would need, nor the alignment that I was expecting. All of Ruby's ills were fixed and then some and I walked out paying less than the dealerships cost for one of the 4 things that my van got today!! That was amazing! Ruby runs like an champ, or should I say princess now. She is a girl car ya know. Now I just need to give her a bath.

So we come home and the phone is ringing...physical therapy appointments...check...Occupational therapy appointments...check...dentist...check. Boys are bugging me to help with homework...check. They run off into the living room and I hear " Oh my Gosh!!! Annika don't move!!!" I go in and all I see is RED!!! Everywhere!!! When we came after school I put her down and she was holding the clear finger nail polish which I took from her when I picked her up and took into the living room to watch her beloved "Backyardagains" while I did all the phone talking and homework helping. She must have either, A) had the red polish in her other hand and I did not notice, B) She stashed in her pocket, or C) Used her mind powers and materialized my polish from the kitchen into her (RED) hot little hands. I got the "carribean red" off of pretty much everything but there is some in the run and a little on the couch. So I don't know how to get out of fabric. But at least it doesn't look like there was a horrible accident at a nail salon in my living room.

I guess I caught her RED handed.

Oy!


TLM

I had an apointment with my advisor to make sure I was all set with next semesters classes and my entrance into the Respiratory Program in the fall. To my dismay I was told that the program was full for the fall and I would be placed on the waiting list. Waiting list? I worked my rear end off to make sure I had all my pre-reqs done and now I am going to have to wait? How fair is that? As it turns out the University of Cincinnati does not hold the credentials for the program, it is rather a joint venture between UC and Cincinnati state. There are 25 slots (at each school) for the program each fall. Since Cincinnati State holds the credentials their students are going to recieve the slots at BOTH schools if needed to fill the program. So those of us at UC are in this catch 22. Those who have been in LONGER get preference as well. So even though I have known what I wanted to be when I grew up and I have worked hard to earn a 3.8 GPA with 15 credits a semester while raising 4 kids and being a wife, I get bumped by someone who has been lollygaging along for a year longer than myself and said " Hey, I will look at Respiratory Care...", and they get in the program. Even though I got little to no "advising" from the advisor, I am going to I suppose bump someone out of the Medical Assisting program next year so I am not paying for my student loans while I am on the waiting list for a year for the Respiratory program. It will take me 4 years to get a 2 year degree, but I will have 2 degrees when I am done. Go figure.

Two steps back= a step forward.