Time flies when you're having.....

normally, this is completed by the word "fun". I'm not sure I'd describe this week as fun.

Monday and Tuesday weren't bad. Tuesday was a long day because we're trying to catch up from 2 missed classes so my class went until 9:30 PM. Driving home in the murky fog wasn't a treat but I made it.

Wednesday was pretty wild. I wasn't expecting to slide on our street but when I started to, I realized that I'd better let off the gas pronto. Then, well, the fog was like trying to drive through mayo! This was only the tip of the iceberg.

Jon had to go out and get supplies for the fish fry during his lunch break. He came out with all of the stuff and found a flat tire on the van. He can't lift the van, tire, etc. since his surgery so he had to wait for AAA to send someone. Luckily, they sent someone who also did tire repair so the tire was patch after a 4-inch nail was removed. When the tire was reinstalled, a lug nut snapped off. This is the second one in less than a year. The tire was secure but Jon set off to try and get it fixed. Ha! The soonest anyone could fix it is today. Jon ended up taking the rest of the afternoon off work at this point so he ran a couple other errands while he had time. However, time started to run out when he looked at the clock and realized that he was supposed to come by the house to pick Jonnie & I up at 4:30 so we could get a parking spot and seat for the 5 PM Ash Wednesday prayer service at church. Well, Jon must have been trying to make up for lost time on one of our back roads and got busted. I guess trying to get to church on time isn't a valid excuse for speeding. Jon finally gets to the house at 4:45 to pick us up.

At this point, things did start to look up. I thought sure we'd be walking a million miles to the church and standing. The church was practically empty and remained that way! I was very surprised. Perhaps now that we have the activities center with ample parking and seating more people decided to attend mass. Perhaps others had bosses like Jon's who wasn't going to let him off work early for mass (odd thing out it worked out that the tire ended up causing him to get the time off).

I've been going into work early a lot not only to get things done but to also prove my dedication to the organization despite my taking time off recently to assist family with medical issues. I was in really early yesterday at 5:45 AM. I'd woke up at 3 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. I was laying awake trying to decide what to do at Easter and Mother's Day with regard to my parents. I was trying to figure out where Jon and Jonnie would stay since my father-in-law's place is packed now that his girlfriend's son and his family moved in with them. I've been trying to collect info so that I can try to convince my folks to sell their house and move down here so we can be closer.

I was really beating myself up about how I've treated my parents over the years. Jon's family came first because they are the ones with all of the important parties that you have to attend. With the recent health concerns, I've felt horrible about all of the holidays my parents sat at home alone with only a phone call from me to wish them glad tidings. I proposed to Jon that he leave me in Ashland for both Easter and Mother's Day weekend. He didn't like this because Mother's Day weekend is also a celebration for my sister-in-law's college graduation and maybe a birthday party for Jonnie. I apologize for the language but I quote what I said to Jon "No one will give a shit if I'm there or not as long as I come through with the gifts". It's true - Jodi is the money and gift machine while Jon contributes nothing even to his own family!

Okay, I am starting to droan on and on which is good therapy but part of my plan was to get studying done although Jon hadn't told me wanted me to get up at 5:40 AM. I had my alarm set for 6 but his went off first. Funny how he's still in bed!

Have a wonderful weekend, stay warm, and stay safe!

Long time, no blog

Greetings! It's been well over a week since my last posting and it's been a busy time.

With the winter storm, I left early for Ashland so I could be sure I was there for my Mom's surgery that was scheduled on Wednesday. Ashland had 14 inches of snow and it was complicated by blowing and drifting both in town and in the country. All non-emergency surgeries scheduled for Wednesday were cancelled and my Mom was moved to Thursday. By Thursday, the roads were fairly clear. Mom's surgery went really well and after a long period of fasting, she was happy to get saltines and a cup of coffee. Mom was told to rest when she got home which was hard for her to do. Thursday happened to be my birthday so she felt guilty when I was doing stuff around the house. I was there to help birthday or not. My birthday hasn't had quite the same meaning since my Grandpa Woodruff died 7 years ago on my birthday. I figure, okay, I'm 34 years old which is older than our two favorite NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. who make more money each in one year than I'll probably ever make in a lifetime!

I made some breaded baked chicken, packaged mashed potatoes, canned gravy, and salads for dinner on Thursday night. My Mom is like me and tends to enjoy pretty much any meal she doesn't cook. My Dad said it was good and he's pretty hard to please. Perhaps picking all of the carrot shreds out of his salad helped.

I took Mom to her first of several follow-up appointments on Friday morning. We had to stop at the tire place in town because I had a low tire and I didn't want to drive home with it that low. If you're ever in Ashland and need tire service, got to Smetz's on 250. They were kind enough to check and fill my tires for free. We got to Mom's appointment and she's reading letters two lines better than before her surgery. She goes back again on Monday for another follow-up. She has several drops she has to use until her next surgery on the 28th to fix the right eye.

I got home Friday afternoon after a windy drive home and a car that shimmies like Charro. I'm hoping the wind was causing some of the shimmy. I'm taking it on March 3rd for an oil change, tire rotation, and multi-point inspection plus I'm going to have them pull off the tire that's been going up and down for the past couple of months.

Something amazing happened as I was getting ready to leave my parents house. My Dad came over to me and he hugged me. Never in my adult years has he initiated a hug until Friday. He started to cry and went back into the dining room. Mom was worried about them not giving me anything for my birthday but little does she know that Dad's hug meant more to me than the list of things I gave her out of the JCPenney sale catalog!

It's time for me to go and get Jonnie up so we can head out for mass here shortly. Thanks to everyone for all of their prayers.

Sitting in Silence

I believe my friend Sarah had either done a blog posting or sent an email regarding the act of sitting in silence. She talked about sitting silently during one of her Adoration hours. The idea behind sitting in silence is that you sit in the silent presence of God and you don't think about all of the other things in your life.

Well, I tried this during my Adoration hour last night and failed miserably. I am in day 2 of a horrible headache and I was having trouble reading last night. I thought since reading was difficult that I would try sitting in silence. How hard could it be?

Woah! It was hard and as I said earlier, I failed. To help guide my effort to sit in silence I tried repeating in my mind "I am one with God". Since I don't have a watch that fits (too big!), I don't know exactly how long I tried this but here is a "transcript" of how things went.

Jodi: I am one with God

brief silence

Mind: I wonder why all 4 students want to meet with me tomorrow? Did I make them mad? Is this about the colo? Wait....STOP!

Jodi: I am one with God

brief silence

Mind: Jon's attitude is driving me nuts! I'm sorry his blood pressure is acting up but he's got to stop being such a jerk. I mean, he completely lost it yesterday over a shower head and...Wait....STOP!

Jodi: I am one with God

brief silence

Mind: What am I going to do with Jonnie? Overall, he's not a bad kid but he's starting to get a bit mouthy and he fights us so much. He really honked Jon off last night by kicking him 3 times and Jon was starting to scare me....Wait....STOP!

Jodi: I am one with God

brief silence

Mind: There is so much to do around the house but I am only one person. I don't know why Jon couldn't have fixed that back splash in our bathroom; I mean, all it took was some super glue. Oh geez...I need to get clear caulking to caulk the back splash in our bathroom, Jonnie's bathroom but I don't really know how to caulk so should I hire someone? Wait......STOP!

As you can see, I was fighting a losing battle with my mind. Does this mean that I'll never try this again? No, I'll try again. Will I succeed? I won't know until I try again.

It's a challenge to sit in silence. I've been praying for strength from Mary, the Mother of God, to help me fill my roles as wife, mother, and daughter. I figure that's a good place to start. Maybe next I'll look up Patron Saints for my other roles as (interim) Dad, handyman, student, and housekeeper.

Blessings for a great rest of the week!

Mommy & Jonnie Days

Yesterday and today are "Mommy & Jonnie" days.

The day care center was closed for in-service yesterday so I took a vacation day to watch Jonnie. We went to Kroger and did our grocery shopping in a mini-blizzard. That went pretty well and Jonnie only talked me into a box of powdered donuts which wasn't on our list. We also played trains, did puzzles, read books, watched movies, and even took a nap!

Today, Jon had to go to a work-related function for part of the day. I was up early and braved the cold to go to Sam's club during business member hours. Our Sam's has a gas station but I told Jon that I wasn't going to fill up the car in single digit temperatures so I have to go out later today after he gets home from work. It's at least 14 degrees now (feels like -2) which is much better than it was a few short hours ago.

I've gotten quite a bit done this morning as Jonnie watches the Disney channel. I swept and mopped the kitchen floor, changed the sheet on Jonnie's bed (he had a big leak), and dusted all of the rooms on the first floor. I'm done with time to spare before "Handy Manny" comes on!

I have some laundry to do so I think I'll put a load in. Believe it or not, I even emptied and loaded the dishwasher last night. I absolutely hate doing that and try to put it off long enough that Jon will do it.

I think Jonnie went to play trains so I'd better go.

Have a great weekend! Stay warm with some hot coffee or hot chocolate (maybe some mulled wine?). The big game is on tomorrow and we're making 3 different flavors of wings to eat with chips & salsa. Yummy!