Flying by the seat of my pants

I can't believe I have a minute to sit down and write this...

I might fall asleep on top of this keyboard. 

No joking.

I'm tired. 

I woke up at 4:00am this morning, and while I stayed in bed, I COULDN'T go back to sleep. 

A thousand things were running through my mind.  Including what have I signed up to do?

I guess I need to backtrack a little.

At the end of last year, when Grace's cheer season was done, we were told her cheer coach could no longer be her cheer coach.  She was going back to college. 

The girls who were going to be 8th graders this year were sad, and I was sad.  She was a great coach.

I kept in touch with the Athletic Director's secretary over the summer, and even though the job was posted, no one stepped forward to take it. 

Fast forward to two weeks ago when I registered the kids for school.  At that time, STILL no one had taken the job.

The Athletic Director's secretary told me I should take it.

I know NOTHING about cheering, save for what I watched Grace do during basketball season, and what I've watched her do at home.

I played tennis in high school for pete's sake!

All summer I felt a tug in the back of my being telling me to just do the job, but I fought it off as best as I could.  At orientation, I felt the tug even more. 

I mean, I wanted her to have a cheer season before she tried out for JV at the end of this year. 

I went home, asked Brent what he thought...asked Grace if she would be embarrassed...and then applied for the job.

I didn't think I'd actually get it.  I have had no cheer experience...other than being a mom.

I got a call 2 days later.  I had the job if I wanted it.

I thought of Grace.  I mean, why else would I do it?

I said yes, and it's been a wild roller coaster ride ever since.

I've picked Grace's brain, and then some.

I've went over things in my head a thousand times, and then was thrust into it last Friday with the first round of try-outs.

Ok.   Maybe it would be ok.

All I know is that I HOPE it will be.

Our first game is next Tuesday.  I hope and pray these girls I've chosen are quick learners.

Have you ever taken a leap of faith for your kids...other than on a daily basis?

10 Simple Things

The school year has started for us, and MAN has it started.

Evan's been in either football camp or practice for the last 3 weeks, even though school just started 2 days ago.  No one signed up to be Grace's Junior High Cheerleading coach, so I put in my application...AND I got hired.  Yippee.  Yikes.  Oh boy!

I've worried about Evan's first year in Junior High, getting his locker open each time he tries, getting to class on time, and even how he handles leaving the house in the morning at 7:15, and not getting home till around 6pm at night after practice.

For Grace, Junior High is already old hat.  She's navigated the hallways and made it to class on time (even with time to talk to friends), figured out how to get through the lunch line the quickest, and how to look cool just about every minute of the day, despite having P.E. first period.  She's eager to start Cheer next week, and start tumbling classes the week after that.

I've filled up the van with gas twice in the last week.  It's gonna be a long year.

But, Evan brought home an interesting assignment for English tonight.  He had 10 questions he had to answer, in paragraph form, and then use it as a speech tomorrow.   He could write the answers in any order, and he had to add details.

These were the questions.  I thought I'd try my hand at the assignment as well.

1.  What is your name?
2.  What is your favorite color and why?
3.  What is your favorite food?
4.  What is your most memorable experience?
5.  Who is the most encouraging person you know, or the most encouraging experience you've had in the last year?
6.  What do you want to get out of this class this year?
7.  What is the most valuable lesson you've learned in the last year?
8.  What are your hobbies?
9.  What is your favorite book or movie?
10.  What is the quality you most admire.

     Hi, my name is Lorie Yoder.  I am a wife, mother, sister, daughter, granddaughter and employee.  My favorite color is too hard to pinpoint to one, so I'll list my favorites:  aqua, kelly green, red, gold, and chocolate brown.  I love ALL those colors because they most resemble what I have in my life.  They make me feel calm and comfortable, and they are what I most often pick to wear, or use in my home.  My favorite food isn't just one thing...it's a TYPE of food.  I could eat anything Mexican and be quite happy and satisfied.  It's also the food I like to make the most because it's usually the easiest to make.  I'm all about ease in the kitchen!  The quality I most admire in people is a sense of humor.  People who have this quality are the people I most gravitate to.  I laugh ALOT.  My husband makes me laugh, my kids, and my co-workers.  Nothing makes you feel better than laughing, and I hear it keeps you young, so why not do it more often?
     The most encouraging experience I had in the last year was when I had someone offer me a job.  A job I didn't even know existed until my friend offered it to me and said they thought I would do a good job.  I LOVE this job, and am so glad I decided to pursue it.  It's the perfect mix for me.  In my spare time I like to work on crafts, scrapbook, read, and watch movies.  My favorite books, well, there are too many to list, but my favorite authors are:  Diane Chamberlain, Anita Shreve, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, Kate Morton, Kristin Hannah, Jude Devearux, and many more.  I like all movies.  Action, comedy, drama, suspense and mystery.  I have to supply my habit by having a membership to Netflix.
     The most valuable lesson I've learned in the last year is to watch EVERYTHING my kids do.  Time has FLOWN in the last year, and I feel like if I don't watch more closely, I will miss all the important things.  They have grown so smart, so funny, and so strong in their faith, and I am so proud of them.  My most treasured memory this year...going on vacation with our good friends.  We had an absolute blast, and we'll talk about the memories we made for years to come.  I'm so glad we made it happen.
     As far as what I want to get out of this class...well, I'm just glad I'm done with classes!  School seems like so long ago, but I'm reliving it through my kids, and even through the teachers they have that used to be my teachers.

Wow.  I haven't had an "assignment" like this for awhile.  I hope Evan does well in class tomorrow when he gives his speech.  He did a great job writing it.

How would you tell your story?

Wishing

You don't see many photos of me on this blog, and there are several reasons.

One...I'm not very photogenic...no matter the pose.  No matter what I do, it looks awkward.

Two, I've gotten heavier since college, and don't like how I look in pictures.

Three, I'm usually the one behind the lens.

AND

Four, I'd rather take pictures of other things...namely my kids, although that's getting harder and harder to do.

They don't like it as much as when they were younger.

I did tell them the other day in no uncertain terms they would have to get used to the pictures, even though they might not like it.  I will take them when they play sports, when they are being silly, and to record each year of their lives.

So, several weeks ago, once the craziness of fair was over, we went downtown where the old brick buildings give off their shabby charm.

The result...some silly shots, and a lot of really good ones.

It was really hard to pick which ones to blow up and frame...so I picked lots!

Somethings are always newer to someone else

It was time to refill my Etsy shop a little.

I've been slacking over the summer since my cousin, Emily, and I have been focusing all our creative efforts on our small booth at the local flea market.

I'm sorry Etsy customers of mine, you've seen little variety, and a whole lot of time between new things.

So, I added some new things tonight.

Like oilcloth bunting/pendants,

 more chalkboard items...

 fabric flower pins,

 map tags,

 ornate bulletin boards,

 vintage ceramic planters,

 and cutesy chalkboards.

Things I would use in my OWN home, anytime.

I'm even planning for a surprise event Emily and I were invited too...a little craft fair in Galveston, IN in October (more details later).

So much to think about, with so little time in between!

Hope you find something you like in my shop...and have a GREAT WEEKEND!

Deja Vu

This whole week I've been driving Evan to football camp at the high school.

The high school where I went, where my kids now attend junior high.

I've been driving the same route I drove 20+ years ago to school.

First through our tiny town,

(which has stayed the same since I was a kid.)

Then to the corner, where I remember on a snowy, icy school day, I turned and went sideways in the road, my sister screaming her head off beside me.

Where there used to be a historic wooden covered bridge, now just the rails reside.

(The bridge was burned to the ground when I was in high school.)

And onto the high school, which in our tiny district, still houses the junior high and high school together.

That's fine with me.  I don't mind a small district, I'd rather my kids know most of the kids in their class.

I've felt very nostalgic all week, driving the course I've been driving.

Maybe it's because school starts in a couple of weeks, maybe because we're attending Evan's first football game tonight at the school...I don't know, but the feeling is not ALL BAD.

I'm proud to say we live in the community where I grew up.