Who Pays This Heating Bill?

Summertime has slammed into us with it's furnace blasting on full. This weekend was a holiday weekend (Memorial Day) so the kids and I have a 3-day break, Alan headed back on the road around noon today. They return on Tuesday to final exams and just 2 1/2 days of class left. I return to work to immerse myself in training for my new job. It has been a hot, humid and windy weekend. We bar-b-qued on Saturday - hot dogs. Went to a bar-b-que on Sunday - hamburgers, bratwurst, and hotdogs, and tonight we are having quiche. Okay so it's not the traditional Memorial day fare but I cooked it this morning before it got too hot. so it'll be a quick easy dinner to put on the table.
The one nice thing about the weather is the laundry dries really fast out on the line. 90's with a 20-30 mph wind - don't think my dryer could compete with that! We have already had two days that broke the record highs, I hate to think what August will bring. While we have received some rain in recent weeks we are back in another dry spell with none in the forecast, the garden hoses and sprinklers are getting a real workout already. We picked our first ripe tomatoes this morning. 4 cheery - cherry tomatoes. I think they'll be on the salad tonight. Ripe homegrown tomatoes are a real perk of this kind of weather. And I've quite few out on the vines that will keep us supplied in the coming weeks and hopefully months.

So the kids will be finishing class on Thursday I was hoping it would be a bit calmer around here in the mornings. It's not looking that way though. Abate will be doing weight training up at the high school before cross country training and 2 a day football practice starts in August. He'll also have Football camp for a week in July. Fantu may be going to summer school in June as she didn't perform up to standards on her TAKS test. I may be facing a showdown at the school over this. She also has several weeks of camp in July. Throw in the new job with an earlier start and a 9 day road trip with 2 adults and 3 kids in a Honda Fit (Jazz) it's going to be some kind of summer.
I just hope someone forgets to pay this heating bill - so maybe it will be disconnected. Come August I'll be wishing for those glorious summer temps in Co. Cavan. Lows in the 50's.... highs in the 50's... just seemed to always be in the 50's! Oh well we always had the heat on...LOL!

Riding the Rails...

Last week I hit the 6 month anniversary of my new job. I was called in to my managers office and received a very good review and feedback. I am really just finding myself settled in and comfortable in this position. I know my job, I know the people, I feel confident with the work.
So this week was looking to be a quiet week. My manager is on holidays, I was caught up on all the pressing tasks so I could just work my way through all the little piles of things that tend to stack up but aren't urgent. Ah yes just going to be a nice quiet routine week. Well it started out that way. So on Tuesday morning I was walking across the main hall checking on the set-up of the buffet tables for an event that would soon be starting when one of the managers asks if she could have a word with me in private. So we head to my office. My mind is racing - omg what did I do or worse - fail to do? I'm clueless, she then notices the panicked look in my eyes and reassures me - Oh it's good - don't worry! Okay so what could it be?
This manger - well she's not one to beat around the bush so she starts right in. The head admin. assistant has handed in her two week notice and they want to promote me into her job. Hmmm okay, So what does this mean? The hours are firm, 8 to 5, with a one hour lunch. I like my 8:30 starts as I can drop the kids off at school. I also like the 30 minute lunch as that's usually all I need to eat (I nearly always brown bag it). The job is more structured than what I currently do. payroll, billings, scheduling meetings, phones, ordering supplies etc...I won't be as involved in the events as I currently am. But as I said it is a promotion - a 5 level promotion so that means a substantial pay increase and full benefits, something I currently don't receive. I would also be working for her - a new manager and yes that's good ( not that there is anything wrong with my current one)!
I do need to think about it. I need to discuss this with family. The managers also have to work out the job posting details and such with the City Manager. So she says go and think about it, discuss it before I reach a decision.
So I talk it over with Alan. I talk it over with the kids (whom it will impact the most). All they were interested in was how much more it would pay. Sure Mom go for it!!! Okay I've got to make a decision.
Wednesday morning I walk into my office (at 8:30) set my stuff down when I get a call to come into the Manager's office. I head over - So have you decided? Yes! Good! So while we wait for all the decisions to come through the City offices I'll be the interim admin in training and I had to start that very minute as payroll had to be processed that morning and that would be my only chance to get trained to do it before I would take over.
So that train I was riding suddenly was switched to another track. I don't expect it to be a smooth journey - I've never been on train ride that was. I just hope it doesn't turn into a runaway train.

Who got who?

Gotcha! 2 years ago today we got our two beautiful Ethiopian Children. They got us as parents. So who got who?
We went out and celebrated with a dinner at our local Italian restaurant. Caleb joined us which was only fitting as he played a big part in our decision to adopt. HE also thinks that we adopted just so he'd have another Aunt and also an Uncle. What a fun dinner out we had. Fun conversation, good food and together as a family.

So again who got who?

We all got each other... we all got a family.

Bugs Getting Carrie'd Away

Bug aka Caleb son of my daughter Carrie. She moved to Gatesville in October 2004 gave birth to Caleb in September 2005. Him and I spent several days a week together from the time he was a baby until I went back to work full time in November of last year.


He's been a light in our lives and inspiration. It has been so nice having them so close for these past 6+ years (5+ Caleb). But Carrie is now looking at moving back to Austin.


It all started a few weeks back when Andre was up for Easter. Her and Chris are moving into a larger home just 2 doors up from her current home. So at some point it came up during their conversation that Carrie could move into her old home and take over the lease. It's small and affordable for Austin. So after approval from the landlord That she can take over the lease, Carrie has started looking for work down there. If she is successful in the coming weeks she will be heading off to Austin with our Bug.

I sure hope gas prices come down, looks like trips to Austin will become a regular journey.

Like the Sands Through the Hourglass.....

Just two short years..... what a difference!

Like the sands through the hourglass...

So are the days of our Lives. This was the lead-in on a soap that was on US TV for years. Each grain of sand - a day slipping so quickly through.

2 years ago Alan and I stepped off a plane in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. WE figured that even though the adoption process was at time difficult and so nerve wracking, it would probably pale in comparison to what lay ahead in the days, weeks, months and possibly years to come. We had waited nine months for that day to arrive, but we would not be holding a new baby for the first time. This was no small child that we would know everything about since their birth. We would be holding 10 & 12 year olds. Children that were smart, wise, clever. Children that had seen and experienced things many of us can only imagine. They had lived a life that had shaped them and moulded them into the young adults that there were quickly growing into. Alan and I would be there to give them love and guidance as they complete their journey into adulthood.

Were we in love with them from the start? In a way I know we were. Maybe for us it was just the glimpse of what we saw in them and the dreams we had for them that we loved. It didn't take long though to know that we did love them. These two kids were a perfect match for this family. We hadn't a clue either about their personalities. We had thought Fantu would be quiet and shy - oh boy did we get that one wrong! She is crazy funny, has a infectious laugh all the time. She entertains with song, dance and comedy even when not trying. She is quirky, has her own style, and could care less what anyone else may think about her. If she doesn't like you - she'll tell you. You'd think people would be offended by her bluntness - but it's so unexpected they usually think she's joking. Fantu is loving and caring which is something we saw from the start.

Abate was and still is all about sports. Doing it all... all the time. Teenager, sports star, over achiever. He excels at school in academics, sports and is quite popular. He loves school here. He has grown at an astronomical rate this year. Lately it's been new shoes every 2 months - sometimes even sooner. He can be a sweetheart and a cranky moody teen. He is the more serious of the two. He loves picking on his sister and playing practical jokes on me. He is a son to be proud of often. He can also get into trouble as we have noted lately. Abate completes the definition of what it takes to parent a teen.

Two years from frightened little kids to confident outgoing teens. Two years to go from parenting two Ethiopian children to Parenting to Ethiopian -American teenagers ( emphasis on the American). What a ride it has been and I'm sure it will be.

Days of our lives - are quickly becoming years.

It can be tough...

Mother's day today.

Presents, a bit of extra help around the house, a lovely meal later this afternoon, and of course cards. A day to take joy and pride in the job that seems to define me and millions of other women. How many years have I been known as - Andre's mom, Trevor's mom, Carrie's mom, Abate's mom and Fantu's mom? Five children, one grandchild. There have been many rewarding moments, and challenging moments. Moments of love and those of heartache. I've known the joy five times of holding a child for the first time ( six times if you count Caleb) I've known the extreme pain and heartache of burying a child. I've known childbirth and adoption and that the joy is as great with both as is the love.

Abate posted on his facebook page yesterday - If you have an amazing Mother post this as your status. My first thought does he mean me? Does he mean Asnaku his mother that died so young? How can he mean me? He's been angry, frustrated, bored, bitter, well you can imagine how he has felt after getting grounded for a month. He occasionally perks up and will have a laugh with us or play a game with Fantu. I think she is enjoying him being grounded as she's had him here to play with and talk to. Abate hasn't really done much today to make me feel like it's a special day. He's barely spoken two words to me and frequently has given me a cold shoulder. I even told him he could go out and see some of his friends for up to two hours - but no, that wasn't long enough so why bother. grump.. grump... grump.... AUGH!!!!! Apparently I'm the cruelest mom in the world and I only grounded him for so long because he's Ethiopian. He's so sure I never grounded his three older siblings for a month and well he's right. Looking back now there are numerous times I should have though. I made quite a few mistakes over the years and I'm sure I will make more. But I learned from those mistakes and yes it does make me a stricter parent now. I want to say I did everything as best as I knew how to raise them to be good successful and maybe even remarkable adults. I'm not raising them just to make Alan and I proud, but for them to be proud and for their birth parents - Asnaku and Mekonen to be proud.

After mass today we went up and lit candles for Asnaku and said a prayer for her. I think of her often, but even more so on this day. I can't help but think of the sorrow she felt as she died leaving two small children behind. I am grateful to her for the life she brought into this world. I am blessed to be their mom too.

Fantu does have plans today to paint my nails. She wants some mom & daughter time to chit chat and do girly things. My husband has planned a nice steak dinner which I am looking forward to. Oh it should be nice - a beautiful filet mignon. While parenthood can be tough at least I hope my steak won't be.

Sometimes It Pays To Be A Weed

I hate weeds! I dig and I pull and occasionally I get so frustrated I spray. It's a constant battle to keep them away from my veggies. They also love sneaking into my lawn trying to lay claim to their own patch of land. It's a battle made more difficult as some of my neighbors wouldn't have anything growing in their yards if it weren't for the weeds. I dream of beautiful gardens, lush lawns and bountiful harvests. Instead I get dandelions, clover, and some horrific prickly things that sting and burn (not nettles). I will continue to dream because time is something I seem to have in short supply, and the garden demands more than I have.


I do have a weed that continues to grow. I can see the change almost daily. This is one that I nourish. I feed and water it and protect it. This weed is now taller than Fantu. It's name is Abate and he must be a weed because that's the only thing I've seen grow this fast.

Insert witty title here.....

Some days you have to have a really good sense of humour to parent teens. Without it I'd completely lose my wits. This weekend it was a struggle to find the humour in the latest crisis.
It's not something that took me totally by surprise, I knew that boys being boys they can get into trouble even when they aren't really trying. So when a knock came at our door at midnight Saturday night I remained calm as I crawled out of bed. Fantu and her friend Katie also headed that way. I figured it was Abate and he decided to come home instead of staying the night at a friends house (who lived nearby). As I entered the living room Fantu had opened the door and called, "Mom you had better come." Well there stood Abate with two police officers standing behind him. Oh great, I had a pretty good idea before they began to speak what was going on. Abate and his friends had been picked up over by some houses near the golf course. A homeowner complained that they were bothering mailboxes and were running around people's yards and backyards. No charges were being filed, so they just brought him home. Apparently they had ventured over that way (about a mile or so) to meet up with one of the lads girlfriends. They were just horsing around over there, all seemed pretty harmless. My issue was it was after 11 pm, they were out and about on foot, they weren't where they were supposed to be. We live in a small enough town with a small police force and they will remember you. Very easy to get a bad reputation and then get hassled by the police whenever they see you.

Abate broke the trust I had in him. He knew he was not to be out that late. He knew there would be consequences if he got into trouble like this. Abate is grounded for one month. He will not be allowed to stay the night at that friends house again - ever. It will be a very long time before he is allowed to stay the night at any ones house again. We are coming down hard on him. He is not happy. He was full of excuses and stories as to why and how it all came to be. Yes, he was just so innocent in the whole affair. Sorry kid - you were out late, you were disturbing people, you broke the rules.

In addition to the grounding I also sat him down and told him what the consequences will be if this should happen again. There will be no second chances. He will lose many privileges. He will be transferred to a Catholic High School near my work. His life will be academics and school sponsored sports. He will not be given an opportunity to even think about getting into trouble.
Am I being harsh? Where is my sense of humour? Boys will be boys after all. Yes they will be and I'm sure some day we will look back on this and have a chuckle, but the only way we would be able to do that is if he stays out of trouble. If he keeps getting into trouble then we will look upon this with sadness knowing that this is when it all started. It is hard raising a boy in this day and age to be a responsible, caring, upstanding adult. It is even harder raising a black boy to be those things as all too often society is against them. I will not let him fail.
Abate has the brains and the talent to go far in this world. He is driven not to fail. Peer pressure can be a powerful thing - many young people have had their lives ruined because of it. It is probably one of the toughest obstacles we face as parents. Parental approval they expect. Approval by their friends they feel they have to earn.

I just hope that some day I can come back and insert a witty title here.....