Lookeeeeee another entry!

 

here I sit at my computer and another entry!  Wow! 

I am now free on Tuesdays and Thursdays as the grandkids are with Tracey's mom.  Last week I subbed a route on Tuesday and actually subbed my own route in the pm on Thursday.  My friend M (who shares my route with me) had to go to court for a stop arm violation.  A 16 year old ran her stop arm while her bus was stopped unloading a child.  Mom and monitor saw this, but M did not think to bring either as a witness.  Somebody (perhaps court appointed lawyer) told the kid to bring a witness and say that M was just 'visiting' with child's mom and that she should have pulled the stop sign in.  Judge bought the crap and let the kid go, dismissing her case.  BULL!  To me it's highly unlikely that a bus driver would take the time to blame some brat for passing her bus, let alone write it up, go to court and in M's case find somebody to watch her 7 year old son.  Makes me very angry at this judge.  Now little 16 year old thinks she can get away with doing breaking the law.   Probably the same kid that rear ended my car :)

I was able to see the boys Saturday night as my stepson Matt had a bag party (toss bean bags  into a hole in a board for competition).  I took them to the park as the party was small and not too exciting for me.

I am also filling in for a girl who works mornings for Mrs. H. on Tuesday and Thursday.  I enjoy my time with her as she is a wise wise lady plus the extra $$ is nice.

Some boy pics to make me smile...I miss them, but hopefully I'll have them over night sometime this week....

 

 

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all in a day's work...

On Wednesday night Mark and I took Liz to a car dealer of which we have known the finance guy for a long time.  He played football with our older boys and Tim bought his car there a few years ago.  Liz's old car, which I thought was a deal at $500, was a pile of junk with a rusted frame that was a death trap.  Fortunately for us scrap cars are big business and we had 3 different junk yards fighting over the little blue car.  She ended up with $250 which is awesome.  She also had some money saved.  She ended up with what she calls an "old people's car"   It's a Buick Century, in perfect shape, low miles and no rust.  Everything including the air conditioning power windows, stereo works.  It has new tires and muffler.  Plus the owner of the dealer took $2000 off the asking price.  I was very happy as it's time for her to have her own car.  She will driving the 20 minutes to Junior college in the fall, plus work, along with socializing.  So I am good.

 

Yesterday, I drove, along with 5 other buses, a school that house the park districts summer camp to Medieval Times.  This is about an hour ride involving two very busy toll ways.  One was under construction.  I was following another driver which is custom as we all try and go in at least pairs on long trips.  Suddenly there is activity in the back of my bus.  Seems little 4th grader has to pee.  She says so bad she's crying.  Nice.  So I say to head of group, "do you have any suggestions as where we find a bathroom???"  discussion between her and other leader (adults).  "can't you just turn off the toll way at Ogden avenue (busy area)"..."or how about Butterf (worse near a mall)" 

I veto both stating that I am in a 38 foot tube that is not a compact car.  I suggest another road 5 miles away, Leader freaks.  "but the girls is crying!!"   I finally turn off a mile after busy mall exit.  We find a gas station and of course the whole dang bus tries to unload.  NOPE I say.

Although I do allow one boy to go on the car wash wall.  Girl and Leader take 10 minutes as whomever was in the bathroom would not come out after many knocks.

My partner leaves me as I am taking to long.  He gets lost.  I do not.  We make it in time for the knights to introduce themselves.  I sat next to a kid I knew a couple of years ago, we have fun.  But our red knight lost.

On the way home I follow my buddy the trainer.  The other guy who wanted me to follow him broke down.  I made it home in time to catch my husband using the chain saw on some ugly bushes that we have had growing next to our garage.

Today we are attending a picnic at Matt's house (my middle stepson).   His wife Brandy is a teacher, so many teacher's attend.  It's always interesting conversation.

 

 

 

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just wondering

I am home, ALONE!  Most of the day I've been alone.  I've had some time to think, ponder, cruise j-land.  And wonder.  Why do people stay married?

This lovely couple is me and the Mr...April 1st 1995.  Many gray hairs ago...I would have fixed the color but my computer is ticking me off, plus I have to go to my Bus permit refresher class in an hour. 

I've had two very close people that I love dearly decide to end their marriages.  Why?  They have their reasons, because I love them I won't talk about it in specifics.  But both used the words, " I (they) aren't in love anymore"   I asked a girl at work today, who's been married over 20 years, if there were days she wasn't "in love" with her husband ...she gave me that smile...I understood.  Somedays the line between love and hate is a slim one...but the brave stay and work it out...we love them and we stay until we like them again.

Why do people end their marriages?  Maybe like my first marriage... I had no business being married to this man...maybe that's why people stop trying.  And it is an effort to be married.  Some times a big effort.  I asked my husband the other day why we are still happily married after 13 years, so many kids, job changes, deaths, births, big changes...he said because we try...we try and we're friends first.

We make the effort, we communicate, we respect each other.  Sure we have fights, God when we first married we had some loud fights...but now?  Nah, we respect each other too much to do that.  

  around 1998

This picture is one of the few professional ones we have had taken.  This was a time when Mark traveled 3 weeks out every month for the railroad.  I used to say he would come home to visit :::wink wink:::

I was working at the newspaper delivering over 600 newspapers a day, every day.  I had 5 sometimes 7 kids living with me, from at 8 to 16 years old  My mother was just diagnosis with cancer.  This was tough times back then, but look at us, we look happy.  We still are happy. 

I've always believed what does not kill you will make you stronger.  I believe if you but God in the center of your life things work out for the best.  You get knocked down you get back up.

I have become the woman I am from my experiences...and I am a lucky woman to have a man I love right by my side...for better for worse...

Still going strong...

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I started an entry I think it was last week, but it disappeared.  My old computer turned off.  But brighter days are ahead, my son gave me his computer.  It's a nearly new Dell, with an all clean hard drive!  I am so happy.  He'll be over next week to help me set it up.  I know how to set up computers, but his is wireless and I'd rather have him here, it'll shorten the swearing time.  = )

The past few weeks have been one drama after another. A close friend and a family member are both having very bad marriage problems ::my marriage is actually better than ever::: I  try and listen, but there are no easy answers.  My town has had some very scary events happen.  A teenage boy drowned in the Fox river a block from my house.  The river was so fast that it took the divers 2 two days to catch up with him down stream at a dam.  A 3 year old boy on my route went missing and wasn't found for 12 hours.  Thank God he was unharmed.   A 16 year old new driver  rear ended my car while Liz was driving.  I pried the bolts to her front plate out of my back bumper...I only have one payment left on the stinking car, thank you.  No one was hurt and I can live with a scrapped bumper. 

Work is slow for Mark, but he still has his weekend job, I have my weekend job and I have picked up a trip or two along with my part time summer school route.  We are making it just fine.  My stepson (he's 28) is now paying rent, not much but it'll cover some bills.  I've learned that life is too short to worry about the little stuff.  Go to work, do what you can today, and enjoy.

Liz is now happily moving on from Mike.  They are now good friends & talk often.  Thank God she is NOT vengeful like I used to be.  She is now hanging around a childhood friend.  They both are involved in summer theater so they have much in common.  I told her have fun and take her time...no sense in a rebound boyfriend.   She has much going for her and I want her to enjoy being 19, she seems to be. 

The grand kids are great.  Dayton will be 2 on Sunday.  He is much easier to deal with now that he can talk and be understood.\

Jacob's Birthday party was early this month...he's now 5. Jacob's birthday! 

some friends...& the three grand kids...Dayton, Dakota, and Jacob having a pirate birthday

I am loving this summer!!

 

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a mother never retires...

Been a busy summer...seems I've been wearing the mother/grandmother hat more than I ever did when the kids were young.  Don't let anyone tell you that your job is done when they grow up...no way.  You just have to listen more, you still get to hug them, kiss them, throw in a few "it'll be ok" but dang it you gotta suck it up and let them go...

I got a call this past Wednesday while I was sitting on my friend's bus during a field trip, my boy's step mom called telling me my boy's grandfather had passed.  My ex's father had been ill a long time and everybody knew it was just a matter of time.  She had told Eric, my 23 year old soon, who had just recently been transferred to Ohio that grandpa was gone. This is the same kid who has been working 92 hour weeks (is there even 90 hours in a week??!!) opening a new Menard's store.  She told me he was silent, she was worried about him, she said, "Rose you call him, you have a way with him". God I hope so he's my kid!  I was a bit worried too, only because my son Eric is a "stuffer", he loves to go merrily along in life doing his thing, working, playing, living life and shoving the unpleasant things down, not dealing with them until the inevitable explosion.  I called, he sobbed and we talked.  I told him how proud I was of him, how hard it was to do what he was doing, being away, working unGodly hours, and how grandpa who himself was not a showy person would want him to stay put.  Grandpa was not having a service. 

Mark and I drove the 5 hours to see him Friday morning.  The kid needed us.  We spent the night,  he worked until 8 even though the store closed (the 4th of July holiday) at 6.  We went out, we met some new friends of his, we saw fireworks.  Today we had breakfast and he wentback to work, to work another 12 hour day.   I know tonight he will go out with some of his new friends, probably drink too many beers, and tomorrow he'll get up and do it again.

I worry about all my children, some days more than others.  I remember how I was when I was 23, 26 or even 32 like my oldest stepson Jeremy.  I think of how everything I went through in life made me who I am today.  I would never cheat any of my children the experience of living their life's by trying to tell them what to do, but I sure can be there to hug them, kiss them and tell them that everything is going to ok.  Oh yeah trust God that He has an eye on them too.  After all, we mom's can't be everywhere, right?

Menard's, Celina, Ohio

 

 

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