Ode to The Smell

There is a smell,
I can not find.

Upon opening the front door,
the smell reaches my nose.
It is a smell unlike any other.

The run down of offending odors
I know
flow through my brain.

Wet Diaper
Messy Diaper
Smelly Sock
Dirty Feet
Un-flushed Toilet
Days Old Wet Clothes in Washer
Unwashed Children
Unwashed Dog
Over Flowing Garbage
Burnt Toast
Sweaty Softball Player

None match the smell that assaults me.

There is a smell
I cannot find.

Finally,
a week passes,
the smell passes.

A month later...

...a moldy slice of an unidentifiable fruit,
stuck under the couch,
by my son.


Copyright 2008

The end of the Summer of Adventure!

The Summer of Adventures has ended! On to the start of the Fall Experiences!

We spend the "last" weekend of the summer visiting Matt's family. We had a great time. Thursday night we left home at 7pm to visit Matt's sister Hannah and her family in PA. Samuel, Hope,and Amelia slept most of the way down. Elizabeth has not fallen asleep in the car on long rides in a long time, this trip was no different. She talks a blue streak!

We quickly settled into Hannah's house that night. The next morning her oldest son, who is the same age as Samuel, was so excited and surprised at who had shown up in his room overnight! He and Samuel were very loud. We spent Friday and Saturday at their house, relaxing as much as one can with 7 kids around and enjoying our time with them.

It rained all day Friday, so we were all trapped inside. When we finally couldn't take the kids any longer Matt, Jamie, and myself ran off to Chick-Fil-A with 5 of the kids. Great food and a great play place! The other three we left at home to nap. I'd never been to Chick-Fil-A, although I had seen their cow advertisements.
Wish we had one closer to us. And I now know it's pronounced Chick fillet, and not Chick Fil Ah.

Saturday Matt's parents came down for our nephew's birthday. We knew it was time to head on out to our next destination, so left in the afternoon for NJ and a different kind of relaxation.

Matt's brother Adam works for a minor league baseball team. He got tickets for Matt, Elizabeth, and Samuel. The kids went to their first professional baseball game. Matt and I both enjoy baseball, although one of us more than the other. We wanted to introduce our kids to the National Past time. This was the perfect opportunity. They had a ton of fun at the game and seeing Uncle Adam at his work and eating funnel cake.

The younger girls and I stayed home with Aunt Becky at their one bedroom apartment! It was very relaxing and I love their apartment. I'm going to need Becky to come to my house and do some color coordinating for me, she does a great job.

Matt and the kids returned home without Adam, who stayed for the second game of a doubleheader. Managed to get all the kids to bed at a reasonable hour and then spent 30 min. trying to decide where to order pizza from. I wanted NY pizza, so we went with a pizza place around the corner. Matt had never eaten NY style pizza, so I hoped the pizza was good. I was not disappointed. It was better than Papa John's! I won't be able to eat pizza from here for awhile, I'll be too disappointed.

Got up this morning, Adam made the kids breakfast and then took Samuel and I to a bakery to pick up breakfast for the adults. Yummy! I would be very fat and very broke if I lived where they do! So many good restaurants within walking distance and reasonable driving distance.

The kids, Matt, and Adam played Wii, then we headed over to a local park to play and have lunch. Adam had another game that afternoon, so we said our good byes and headed home.

Now it's on to the Fall Experience. Elizabeth starts school this week and Samuel starts school next week. MOPs starts up in a few more weeks and swim lessons and piano lessons! Here I thought things would slow down a little bit. I'm going to need a personal assistant just to keep our schedules organized! It will be fun though.

Sleepy Success!

I worked hard today, physically at least. The kids went to their Grandmother's while I cleaned the upstairs. That is not something I do often. We don't spend much time up there, except to sleep and get dressed. With the kids home it often takes me a week to clean even a small amount. They feel the need to be with me when I clean upstairs. While I'm cleaning on corner, they're in another making a bigger mess. So today was nice. My house hasn't been this organized since we moved here six years ago!

I have not written much lately. I've been so tired. I think I'm going to need to just suck it up and stay up late a few nights and just write. I actually know what I'm going to write, I just need to do it. Probably not tonight though.

Sammy-ism: The kids like to find the moon at night. Sammy keeps trying to figure out why it looks like the clouds and moon seem to follow him everywhere he goes. I've explained to him many times about how distance makes something look like it follows you. His reply is normally one of two things 1. "The clouds follow me because they like/love me." or 2. "The moon follows me because I'm cute." He is very cute, so maybe they are following him around.

Bonfires and Road Signs

We spent the afternoon and evening at my parent's house. What a great time to relax and enjoy my family. My brother and his family where visiting, so it was even nicer. The kids were excellent. Well, as excellent they can be at their age. We ended the evening with a bonfire and sing-a-long. A nice end to the summer as everyone starts to prepare for going back to school in the next few weeks.

On the way home Elizabeth was very chatty. She likes to talk in the car. Probably because that is the only time she has that Mommy can't escape or be distracted very much by the other kids. She asks some tough questions, about everything.

She's been noticing the road signs recently. I did not realize just how many road signs and reflectors there are along the roads. I think she pointed out almost every single one of them. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, a road sign is worth at least a thousand when you explain what they mean to a five year old. Often you use more, since you have to go into all the back detail about driving!

Her best question tonight: She pointed out a sign that meant a signal ahead. She asked what it was for. I explained it to her. She then asked, "But why do they need a sign for it when we can see it from here?" Many different answers popped into my head. I went with the simplest. That perhaps a tree branch had obscured the stop light from farther back, so they put up the sign and then at a later date cut the tree branch down.

I was greatly surprised by all the road signs used. I've often complained that there aren't enough road signs, at times. If I looked hard enough, I could see that there are plenty of road signs with all the information I need to traverse the various highways.

It made me stop and think about my life. Life is sometimes depicted as a road. I always ask for more road signs. God has plans for my life. I'd like to know what they are. I often complain that there are not enough road signs and that the ones there need to be clearer. Maybe I'm looking at things wrong. God doesn't give us a specific map to our destination. He does provide road signs along the way. They are plentiful, if I pay attention. And they also give me all the information I need, maybe not all I want, to travel the correct pathway.

Adventures Beneath the Bed: Dustin Dust-Bunny and the Phantom Shoe

Dustin Dust Bunny went out to play His mother warned him to avoid The Phantom Shoe. He promised, with fingers crossed. When all the old ideas were spent, Dustin spied The Phantom Shoe, laying on its side. He pulled and shook the laces snaked upon the ground, then scurried inside. As his tail whipped out of sight, The Wandering Hand appeared and snatched up The Phantom Shoe. Later, a rather squashed Dustin was seen sneaking home. Although begged to tell of his adventures, he kept his silence. All through his life, though, he smelled faintly of old gym socks.

(My first attempt at Flash Fiction)

Copyright 2008

Picnic Time and Spiritual Gifts

We had a wonderful afternoon at the park. My parent's church planned their annual picnic there. The older three kids love to go to their church, so we headed over for the afternoon. They are always very welcoming. We spent the afternoon playing on the playground with the different kids, my parents, grandmother, and my sister's family. Very relaxing and very enjoyable.

That erased the frustration of this morning. In Sunday School we are discussing spiritual gifts. There are many tests you can take and many studies to go through on this subject. I find myself very frustrated because every time I am labeled with a different spiritual gift. I find it very hard to use my gift, whatever it is, because I cannot discover which one I actually have as my primary gift. I guess I will continue to wade through all the information and maybe this time I will find something of practical use.

Wheezes and Whines

A stay at home mom never has a weekend. Saturday and Sunday (if you don't go to church) are just the same as every other day. The kids don't sleep in, they like the same schedule, and the housework can't be forgot or it multiplies.

Today was just like the rest of the week. One of the kids was sick and whiny, the rest were just whiny. I did get all the currently clean laundry folded, of course I've washed more so now there is more to fold. I hate folding laundry. It ranks right up there with washing dishes.

The kid who was sick - Hope. I think she might be on her way to having asthma. Every time she has a cold she sounds like a 50 year long smoker - hacking and wheezing. I had to nebulize her twice last night, and once today. The two of us also were up for 2 hours together last night. Well, I hadn't been able to get to bed, so I guess she was the only one actually up for 2 hours. Hopefully we don't have a repeat tonight. I haven't had a good night's sleep, or over 4 hours, since Amelia was born. It's beginning to wear on me.

Twists and Turns - When your plot takes on a life of its own!

I've been a little stuck with my current story. It's an Alternate History (sci-fi) story that takes place before the Flood. I'm having plenty of trouble developing cultures for a time period where not much is known. On top of that, there is a lot of science involved and lots of extinct creatures. This is the third time my story has taken on a "life of it's own." It can be very disconcerting when this happens. It almost feels like I have multiple personalities.

First time this happened a sub-plot was added with some unsavory characters. I was floored when I was typing and this all came out. It was not in my plan for my story.

Second time. I had a professional author suggest I take one of my flash backs and build it into a prologue or a live action event. I thought I can do that. It's not much longer than a prologue should be. I think I'm into the third chapter of it.

Most recently, aka today, the third event happened. I'm working on the prologue/who knows what. I know where it's going and what will happen. I've even worked out how to connect it with the first part I wrote. I'm trying to add in some of the evil that the Bible says permeated the world during this time period. It has been very hard for me to work that in with the characters and location I have. Today, as I'm changing laundry from the washer to the dryer an idea hit me. I have to write a section from the "evil" point of view. It was kind of scary, since this was nothing I had even remotely considered nor could I see my story going in this direction.

I'm finishing up the "prologue" and then I'll start working on this evil bit. I've already thought of several ideas to throw in. Who knows what the next plot twist will be, or where it will come from!

The Light Sleeper and The Noisy Sleepers

Once upon a time there lived a beautiful Infant Princess. Beloved and adored by all who knew her. Her hair shone like the rising sun. Her eyes grew dark as freshly turned earth. Her checks, round and soft as peaches, begged to be kissed. Her lips, a little rose bud, opened into a brilliant smile. She grew day by day, stronger, taller, and smarter.

The Infant Princess had two older sisters. They doted on the Infant Princess. The Eldest helped the Queen care for the Infant Princess. She brought diapers, wipes, tissues, and blankets. The Eldest aided the Queen joyfully and received much praise for all her help.

The Second Eldest, while not old enough to help, brought the Infant Princess toys, hugs, and kisses. She took pride in making the Infant Princess smile and talk.

During the day life sped by, mostly smooth. The night, on the other hand, presented the Queen with difficulties.

One by one the Princesses dressed for bed, brushed their teeth and tresses. The Queen read to them from an assortment of books, sang bedtime songs, and kissed them good-night. Swiftly and quietly the Eldest and Second Eldest Princesses slipped into a pleasant slumber.

The Infant Princess, however, needed to be snuggled and nursed before falling into slumber. Finally, all three of the princesses slept peacefully in their chamber.

The three princesses loved each other very much and could not bear to be parted, even in sleep. Thus, they shared a chamber in one of the towers of the palace.

All would be well, until the Queen decided to retire. At the precise moment her foot stepped upon the floor of her chamber disaster would befall her.

Many different formats occurred on different nights, but this is what often happened.

The Second Eldest Princess fell out of bed. The Queen rushed in to rescue her from the floor. Setting her gently back into her bed, the Queen covered her and made sure her royal stuffed bear was withing her arms. Kisses her softly on the head, the Queen attempted to slip out.

Just as the door clicked closed the Infant Princess awoke. The Queen hear her first whimpers. Hoping they signified all that The Infant Princess would vocalize, she quietly made her way to her own chambers.

Alas, this was not to be. The Infant Princess continued to whimper, each time louder than the last. The Queen, still holding on to the hope that each whimper would be the last, dressed for bed. As she laid her weary head upon her pillow, the Infant Princess erupted into full wails of distress.

The Queen rose from her bed and made her way back to the princesses' chamber. Gathering the Infant Princess into her arms, the Queen carried her back to the Queens chamber. Within a few moments the Queen succeeded in calming the Infant Princess.

Thinking her soundly asleep, the Queen swiftly, but silently, returned her to her royal crib. With a sigh of relief the Queen closed the chamber door, walked back to her own chamber, and laid her head back upon her pillow.

Just when the Queen allowed herself to relax, the Infant Princess began to whimper again. Holding her breath, the Queen listened as the time between whimpers extended. A whoosh accompanied the exhaled breath, and so did a cry from the Eldest Princess.

Rolling her eyes heaven ward, the Queen prayed for the Infant Princess to stay asleep. Like most nights, this prayer was answered negatively.

Rising again from her bed, the Queen walked to the Princesses room, gathered the Infant Princess into her arms, and, this time, walked to the library.

The Queen lit a small candle and selected a think tome. Settling herself into a squishy arm chair, the Queen nestled the Infant Princess against her body. The Infant Princess snuggled in and the Queen read a few pages.

Finally, after the Queen decided the Infant Princess was truly asleep, she made her way back to the princesses chamber, placed the sleeping Infant Princess into her royal crib, returned to her own chamber, and slipped beneath the covers of her bed.

The Queen waited for a whimper, a cry, or a thud. When none appeared, she closed her eyes for sleep. Unfortunately, by this time the Queen was no longer sleepy herself. After tossing and turning a few minutes, she returned to her book and read deep into the night.

The next morning the Queen appeared at breakfast with dark circles under eyes. The King glared at them, then at the three princesses.

“I am issuing a decree,” he said. “From now on the Princesses will sleep in separate chambers.”

The two elder princesses voiced their horror over this decision and protested it vehemently. The King refused to be swayed. He ordered the servants to move two of the princesses to separate chambers.

Upon leaving for his kingly duties he warned the Queen not to let the princesses return to one room. He also reminded the three princesses that if they disobeyed his decree they would be punished. Hanging their heads, the two elder princesses promised to obey.

That night, when she laid her head down on her pillow, the Queen listened intently for any noise from the princesses. She heard nothing. Sleep finally found her still waiting.

The next morning, the Queen awoke well rested and refreshed. The dark circles under her eyes had vanished in the night. The three princesses declared the Kings decree a splendid thing, for each of them had slept the most peaceful sleep they had ever slept.

And they all lived happily ever after.

copyright August 20, 2009

Shots and Christmas!

What an odd title you might think. After the day I've had, it makes perfect sense.

The day started out normally, for us. Hope woke up, wandered into our room, and bugged us to take her potty. Matt groggily walked her into the bathroom, where she of course wouldn't pee. Took her back to bed only to have her appear at our bedside again to go potty. A more reasonable time too quickly arrived and she finally went pee on the potty. Matt decided he needed to stay home because of a bad cold.

We got the kids up, dressed, and fed. Then came the fun of dragging all four of them to the doctor's. I should have woken Matt up and left Hope home. The kids are forever trying to convince us to get a puppy. Often they play at one or more being puppies. This morning they all were puppies, except Amelia. I walked out the door to the accompaniment of barking "puppies." This set off every dog on our street, because everyone's windows were open.

The examine rooms in the pediatrician's office echo. My children know this and thus our stay is pierced by high pitched, loud noises. A normal visit for us. Amelia had her 9 month check up. Samuel and Elizabeth had their school physicals. Then came the shots. Samuel received one. He took it well, although he gave the nurse a disgruntled look. Amelia started screaming when the nurse wiped her leg with the alcohol wipe. She calmed down shortly. Elizabeth I had to hold down and she did not calm down for a long time.

It is a terrible thing to hold your screaming child. While the whole time they are begging you not to do something to them. It almost broke my resolve. I couldn't let her see me cry and I couldn't back down. I've seen how horrible viruses can be if you are not vaccinated. While I may hate myself still for causing her pain, she's forgotten all about it and proudly showed her sparkly band aids to Daddy.

To de-stress I started working on a Christmas present. I've found that playing the piano or working on needle work is relaxing for me. Playing the piano used to be, now I play a quartet, not relaxing. I'm making most of my Christmas presents this year, which I've found I enjoy. It's not necessarily cheaper, but more rewarding.

Now onto something currently stressful, writing. I feel immense pressure to get everything out, but it does not come very well. I equate it with giving birth, at least the horror stories of giving birth. I've never been in labor longer than 8 hours from first contraction to holding the baby. There is something inside of me that is wonderful and it needs to come out. I'm built to get it out, but it's not very easy.

What's crazier than taking 4 kids to the store?

Why taking 5 and your mother of course! Headed over to the Mall today to pick up a few birthday presents and try and find sneakers for Sammy and Elizabeth. Both of them have very narrow feet so it's hard to find shoes that fit them. My mother came along to help, and brought my niece as well. I think some of the kids had a good time. Elizabeth was just one major hysterical moment after another. I should have picked a different day. I picked up almost everything we needed to start school! Yeah!

Dropped my mother and niece off at her house and stayed a bit. We were only going to stay a few minutes, but then a thunderstorm hit. I had forgotten how much I love watching thunderstorms out in the country. It was beautiful! So powerful. Amazing. The kids enjoyed watching it with us. A perfect way to take a moment to rest, relax, and be amazed at Creation.

Victory! Sort of...

The Camp laundry is all washed, but only half way folded. Now I just need to catch up with this weeks. I've decided I don't like the Third Law of Thermodynamics...or the Chaos Theory.

The week has turned rather busy for me. I thought I would have a nice quiet, get the kids ready for school week. I do have that, but now I'm shopping for birthday presents, a new mattress, writing, putting together a sample church newsletter, have at least one sick kid, and try to deal with kids who don't react well to the heat. At least I'm not bored.

I'm very excited about the whole church newsletter. I'll have to post the sample one when I finish it. I'm trying to keep it short, but good ideas for articles keep coming up and I don't know which ones to include. So far I'm keeping - Calendar of Events, Birthdays/Anniversaries, Meet the Teen, Xample Sample, Recipes, Meditation Moments, and various columns on current goings on at the church. I only have a little more than a week to prepare it for the Pastor and deacons, so I'll be having some late nights writing that and my book.

In sad news...Matt's softball team lost the playoffs tonight. I quote - "It was the most anti climatic championship game played.

Mounds of Multiplying Laundry

I'm still working on finishing the laundry we generated from going to camp. I believe I have one load left. Then I need to move on to the laundry that we generated this weekend and the laundry that apparently multiplied while we were gone. I thought I had washed the majority of the laundry before we left for camp. The only laundry that wasn't clean were the close we had worn the day before. We we arrived home, I noticed that there was a lot more laundry than when we left. Hmmmm. Very mysterious!

In other news...Amelia has decided that it is no longer fun being a bump on a log. She is now exploring her options of mobility. She has mastered the art of laying on her stomach and spinning in circles and pushing herself backwards. She is working on scooting backwards while sitting up. This evening she managed to work her way forward while sitting up, albeit very slowly. She was quite proud of herself when she worked her way to where I had a stack of paper. Rewarding herself by eating one of the pieces, she grinned and chatted at me. Looks like life will be more interesting after this.

My Alternate History story continues to develop, slowly. At least I'm still writing it and haven't run out of ideas. I'm still working on what the world looks like and how I want it to be played out, but I do have the final chapter written...

Family Camp

What a busy week we had. Camp was a blast! The kids loved it. Elizabeth and Sammy made new friends and were able to do lots on their own this year. Hope wasn't quite sure what she thought of the whole thing, but she did love the swings. "I go wing." was her favorite phrase of the week. Amelia loved watching all the people, especially the kids. She even met a little boy her age and had fun talking with him.

Matt and I enjoyed the speaker, Dr. Dave Crandall from Answers In Genesis. We learned a lot from him. He also had a great sense of humor. We didn't get to spend a lot of time together, but it was relaxing for both of us. Reconnected with friends from last year and made some new ones. I know we both wished Rob and Gwen lived closer. We did get to spend tons of time with the kids, in groups and individually. We look forward to getting back there next year.

Our Summer of Adventure continues. This week we'll be home, getting ready for school to start - shopping and physicals. We'll also be spending a lot of time trying to stay cool! Summer's finally hit. My brother and his family will be up next week. We're also trying to plan a trip down into PA to see friends, family, and trains.

After that, summer will be over. Elizabeth starts school on September 2. I guess that means the fun is really about to start for us. I hope I can hold on and make it through.

Packing and Camp

Matt always wonders why it takes me so long to pack when we go places. I think I've got him convinced that I actually pack for 5 people, all four kids and myself. It can be a daunting task, so I make a detailed list for each person a few days before. I'm usually not harried, so I'm thinking clearly. That also leaves me time to add or remove things. As of now I'm all packed up, except for morning items. We have a huge pile of stuff in our living room that will need to be packed into our car.

Tomorrow our Summer of Adventure continues. We'll be heading off to family camp at Camp BaYoCa for the week. The kids are excited to see friends they made last year, have swim lessons with Miss Bethany, and paint rocks. I'm still not sure if I like this whole idea.

Last year was our first year, and I was hugely pregnant with Amelia. Not a very comfortable time to go camping, even in a cabin. Being a very grouchy, hot, pregnant lady you don't make many friends. Hopefully this year will be better...

This year AIG (Answers In Genesis) will be there. I'm looking forward to learning lots of things and bugging them. The current story I'm working on involves their area of expertise. I plan on asking lots of questions and trying to make contacts for specific research I'm looking for.

But, we will be at camp, so no internet for the week. You'll have to sweat it out to see what happens. Until then, wish me luck!

The Sweetest Thing!

What a wonderful week I've had. It wasn't without it's 'difficulties' though - whiny kids, lack of sleep, miss communication, etc., etc. I have felt such peace this week, despite the 'difficulties.' I know where my story is going for the next 10,000 words. The house is relatively clean. I got to see Matt's sister and her family. My Grandmother is home from the hospital and relatively healthy. I weeded most of my garden's. Matt's car is fixed. Most of the tree is gone, the rest will be gone tom. I have a whole collection of Apologetics to listen to. Even Matt has had less stress this week. I feel wonderful.

Then I started to worry. Who wouldn't? In this Current Life things generally take a turn for the worse after a week like this. Which is very true. Just as I started to stress over what the next trouble would be I ended up with a sleep baby. My youngest was getting sleepy. Normally she's cranky when she gets sleepy. Tonight she just melted into my arms, put her head down, and fell to sleep. There is nothing sweeter than snuggling your baby to sleep and watching her sleep. She has no cares, no worries, no stress. She has complete faith and trust in me. That allows her to fall asleep in my arms and sleep deeply.

What a wonderful picture that is. I should be that way. Why don't I relax like that into God's arms? Knowing He will protect me and keep me safe. After all He tells me He has plans to prosper me and keep me from harm. To be more child like with God, that is my goal tonight. And to keep reading His Love Letter to Me, even if I don't understand it. It is like a soothing balm to my soul.

I can't wait to snuggle my baby again, The Sweetest Thing!

Sammy's Dentist Trip

Sammy went to the dentist for the first time this morning. He was very excited and couldn't wait to go. He kept pushing Elizabeth to move faster this morning. He watched me get my teeth cleaned, then he went in to have his own cleaned. I was very surprised. My son, who never stands still for me to brush his teeth, cooperated with everything the hygienist wanted him to do. His favorite part - spitting in the little sink! I'm glad it went well. He tells me he can't wait to go back and have his teeth cleaned again and, of course, spit in the little sink.

Quote of the Day!

A bore is a man who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company.
- Gian Vincenzo Gravina

Happy Birthday!

Today is Matt's 33rd birthday. 33 years ago today he was born in the same hospital I was, just four months later. It is interesting to see how often our lives came close to each other, but did not intertwine until after college. A short synopsis of those interactions.

July 4, 1976 - I was 3 months old and Matt was still a month away from being born. We were both at the Ithaca fireworks that night.

August 5, 1976 - Matt was born at Ithaca Hospital, same place I was.

September 1981 - We both attended Groton Kindergarten, with separate teachers. When I married Matt his teachers remembered him. (and his brother!)

September 1983 - We were in the same second grade class, but I don't remember him. He remembers all the other Matt's in our grade, and one little girl - Shannon Doa-Cute! This was his last year in Groton. His parents moved to McLean and transferred their children to Cortland Christian Academy

1980's - Sometime in this decade my Aunt and Uncle transferred their children to CCA, their oldest son became friends with Matt and his brother.

1990's - Went to watch one of my cousin's basketball games, which Matt played in. My Aunt tried to hook me up, with another one of the players...

- My oldest cousin graduated from CCA, Matt attended his graduation party. I still didn't notice him...

1996 - Matt transferred to Messiah college where I was attending. I would give him rides to and from school, every now and then. The first time I drove him home he spent the whole ride flirting with my sister's friend. My mother said to me, "Wouldn't it be funny if you married Matt Cobb?" I replied, "I'd never marry Matt Cobb, he's from home."

Fall 1998 - We both attended Homecoming weekend at Messiah. We ran into each other and talked some. Apparently he thought I was throwing myself at him, because he called me a few weeks later. The first night we got together I knew this was the man I was to marry. Funny how it took 22 years for us to connect.

Fall 1998-Spring 1999 - We spent a lot of time at his friends' apartment in McLean. He met my family fairly early on. I didn't meet his family till later.

March 1999 - After taking a cruise with a friend from college Matt returned home and asked me to marry him.

April 29, 2000 - We got married.

Present - Here we are, married, four kids, a house (no dog), still living in Central NY and I'm at peace with my life (but not always content)!

Adventures Beneath the Bed: Dustin Dust-Bunny and The Menacing Marmalade Cat

DUSTIN DUST-BUNNY AND THE MENACING MARMALADE CAT

by

Juliana M. Cobb

Dustin Dust-Bunny raced around the house. He dove under a bush and listened. His heart pounded wildly.

“Nine...Ten...Ready or not, here I come,” Doris shouted.

Dustin watched Doris run by him. He waited, then stuck his head out. A large shadow crossed in front of him. Dustin froze.

“Meow.”

Meow? Why would Doris Meow?

He listened a second longer, then looked around. He looked, not at Doris, but at a large, orange paw. He followed the paw, to a leg, down a body, to a long, twitching tail.

The Menacing Marmalade Cat! He had heard stories about this Cat.

It's only a story, he told himself. He squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them, the cat was still there.

Dustin watched as the cat stepped over the neighbor's house and disappeared from sight. Phew!

Dustin raced to find his friend, “Doris! Doris!”

“You're supposed to be hiding.”

“I saw the Menacing Marmalade Cat! Right there!”

“Yeah right.”

“Did so.”

“You're making it up, like you always do.”

“I saw it! I'll show you,” Dustin dragged Doris to the neighbor's backyard.

Empty.

“But...but...it was right here.”

“You're too much. I'm going home.”

“It was here...It really was!”

That night Dustin couldn't sleep. Visions of an orange paw and twitching tail crept into his dreams.

The next morning, Dustin did not go out to play with Doris. He sat in his room, with his telescope, looking for the Cat. Not even the enticing aroma of his mother's chocolate chip cookies could bring him from his room.

His mother did make him eat lunch, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Dustin ate as fast as he could, then hurried back to his telescope.

He had almost given up, when he spotted a dark shape rise up. Holding his breath, he watched as it stepped over houses.

The Cat crouched, still as stone, the tip of its tail twitching.

The Menacing Marmalade Cat pounced. Dustin heard a scream.

“Mom! Mom!” Dustin flew downstairs. “The Menacing Marmalade Cat just caught someone.”

“Oh dear, not again,” his mother said.

“But.. Mom, I heard a scream.”

“How many times have we told you not to lie?”

“I'm not lying. We need to call the police!”

“There is no such thing as the Menacing Marmalade Cat. Just like there are no such things as the Phantom Shoe or the Voracious Vacuum.”

“The Ancient One-”

“You can't believe those crazy stories.”

“I saw it. It's really there.”

“That's enough, young man. Go to your room!”

“But-”

“Go!”

Dustin trudged up the stairs.

Why doesn't anyone believe me? I'll prove it!

He pulled out his escape ladder and lowered it to the ground. Another scream reached his ears as he got to the bottom.

Dustin rushed to find the Cat. Oooof. He fell into a hole in a flower bed.

This is strange. Why is this hole here?

Dustin walked to the other side of the hole, climbed out, and walked a few steps forward. He promptly fell into another, strange hole.

This is weird. Another hole?

These are the Menacing Marmalade Cat's paw prints!

Dustin hurried out of the hole and followed the paw prints. Just when the paw prints ended, he heard a third scream.

He ran around a corner. There stood the Menacing Marmalade Cat. It was sniffing something. Doris! Stuffed into a corner of the alley, Doris tried to make herself smaller. The Cat reached out with its paw and hit Doris.

Doris screamed again.

I have to do something. Why isn't anyone coming to help? What do I do?

Dustin gathered a handful of the dirt and dust around him. He formed a ball and threw it at the Cat. The Cat ignored him.

He gathered an even larger ball and launched that at the Cat. This time the Cat turned and looked at him. Dustin waved his arms, yelled, then turned and ran.

He zigzagged through the streets. The pounding of the Cat's paws loud in his ears, he headed to the fire station. The streets grew crowded, slowing him, but not the cat. Dust Bunnies turned and stared at him. They pointed and screamed at the Cat.

A fire truck raced around a corner. Firebunnies quickly set up their hoses.

“This way, kid. Run this way,” a firebunny yelled.

Dustin dashed to safety behind the fire truck. The firebunnies sprayed the Menacing Marmalade Cat. Hissing and spitting, the Cat stopped. Continuing to use their hoses, they drove the Cat from Dust Town.

Doris ran to Dustin. “Thank you for saving my life. I'm sorry I didn't believe you.”

“I'm glad you're okay Doris,” Dustin said.

Later, Chief Dunkirk brought Dustin home.

“Oh, Dustin,” his mother murmured, as she folded him into her arms. “I'm sorry I didn't believe you. You were so brave. I'm so proud of you.”

Dustin hugged her back, and gave her a kiss.

(copyrighted July 2008)

Shopping, with four kids?!?

Yes, I brought all four kids shopping with me this morning. It was a rough one, but not the worst time I've had with them.

Taking three kids can be an adventure. If one of the three is Elizabeth, things are most often very smooth and well organized. If she's not there, chaos rules. Two is much easier, one is a breeze, especially if it's the baby or Elizabeth. But four can be insane. Elizabeth only acts as a calming influence on the other three for only so long. Then she's sucked into the craziness that is Samuel and Hope. (kind of like life. We hope the good will rub off on something bad. Which can happen, if we work hard at keeping the good. Often we let our guard down, the bad starts out as a little bending of our good, and then it's a quick slide down into the bad. It takes great strength of character and a strong connection with the Ultimate Good in order to keep us away from the bad. Much easier to stick with the good and avoid the bad, unless you've been called by that Ultimate Good.)

The trip started out well. Went to Walmart, worst store to go to in Cortland. Kids not too bad. Although I questioned their intelligence when the three older ones decided to climb on the same side of the cart at the same time. (I bet you can picture that one!) Price Chopper is great. They have a little room for 3-9 year old's, so two of them play in there while I take the littlest two with me. Last is Aldi's. Apparently my children think Aldi's is a play place, because they all go crazy. Sometimes bribery will work, "I'll give you a treat if you behave and walk with Mommy." Sometimes I threaten, "If you're not good you will sit in time out when we get home." Today, neither of those things worked. I finally got sick of trying to drag them down the aisles with me while pushing the cart and shopping. I left them. I just walked away and left them cavorting in the cold foods section, opening and slamming the doors.

Elizabeth, as always, is the first to run to me. Then Sammy and last short legged Hope. It produced half of the desired results, they stayed with me, but did not act any calmer.

I was furious by the time we checked out. We got home, I put Amelia to bed since she had fallen asleep, banished my other three to the play room, brought the groceries in, and finally sat in the sun listening to the crows. (Have I mentioned I hate crows. I understand their purpose, but they are creepy and have annoying cries.) A few seconds into my quiet that Ultimate Good came tapping on my shoulder. With a sigh I told Him I was enjoying my wallow into anger and self-pity. If He wanted me to have a better day He'd better press the reset button Himself.

Thankfully He loves me and so He pushed that button. Which always works better, since He has more force behind His finger. My day became better, with it's few pitfalls and mishaps. More importantly, I felt better.

The Agony of Lag

I promised to post some of my writings, so here is a poem for you...

The Agony of Lag

by:

Juliana Cobb

The screen

strob

es

before my

ey

es

Jerk

ing

my Avatar

thr

ough

time.

I stop

my for

ward

run.

/em Noooooo

Too Late...

I've run through an aggressive mob.

They assail me from all sides.

I punch frantically at keys

and

click madly with my mouse.

Perhaps I can clear a path to safety.

The str

obe

begins again.

As

I je

rk

through

ti

me

once more,

I not

ice the mob

has

BAF'd.

The strobe ends.

I lie

face down

on the ground.

A sign in red,

over my head

reads

“You have died.

You can wait for one of your team mates

to rez you or you can...

[Go To Hospital].”

(Copyrighted 2008)

Leaving in 1 Minute

I have no sense of time. I never have. I rushed around trying to get a dish and dessert ready for the picnic this afternoon. The kids were already for church, so I wasn't distracted by that. I finished cooking sooner than I thought. I looked at the clock, half an hour before we needed to leave! I thought 'I'll sit down, check email, facebook, blog, and then write! Yeah! I've accomplished everything but writing. Time seems to have escaped from me again and I now have one minute to finish getting ready to go...Guess writing will have to wait till later.

Quote of the Day

I do not take a single newspaper, nor read one a month, and I feel myself infinitely the happier for it.
- Thomas Jefferson

Quote of the Day

Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of witnesses.
- Margaret Millar