Records

Denver just broke it's all time high temperature record. Yay, Denver. Now that we've accomplished this, can we all just go back to some normal temperatures?  Under 105? You know, the ones where your kids don't come in from 5 minutes outside with a sunburn? Or complain that it's too hot to play? A few nights that actually cool down would be nice, too. It's a desert here (in more ways than one). Really, if I wanted this kind of heat, I could just move to Phoenix. 'Nuff said.

Common

When we named our children, we chose names we liked. They weren't names we heard a lot, either. I guess we didn't hang out around parks, playgrounds, or school settings often enough (or at all) before having children. How did I find out that we named our kids common names? In a mass-market magazine, of course!

Looks like Caitlin may be in for a lifetime of people misspelling her name. People already get it wrong. Even when they have the correct spelling right in front of them, or have known her for a while (ie, the admin at the dentists office, different teachers). Who knew that the traditional Irish spelling we chose was so out of vogue? But then again, few people get my name right, either.

Update on the Glasses

Yes, I did find Caitlin's glasses! Finally! She was complaining that it was hard to read. So where did I find them, my 4 loyal followers may ask? In the shoe box. Covered by 10 pairs of shoes. Again, it's just amazing those glasses are still around! I took my mother-in-laws advice and got a copy of her prescription, intending to get a back-up pair at some point. Our Costco doesn't do glasses. Of course not. I'll see if the one that's 10 miles away does them. Otherwise I'll look up the closest Pearl Vision and see if their cheap glasses ad does children's glasses as well. Looks like a trip to Denver is in my future.

The Case of the Missing Lens

Last week, when we were in North Carolina, Caitlin asked for her glasses. She hadn't worn them since we got to the Outer Banks, but said the words in the book she was reading were a little blurry. I dug them out of my carry on bag, and the left side lens was missing! It wasn't in her case, and, after dumping the contents of my bag on the bed, not in my carry on, either. The little screw that held the 2 halves of the left "eye" on the glasses had fallen out. Considering how much these glasses cost us, I felt a little ill. I really, really wish that we'd chosen something else. These glasses have bent in all ways, and we've even had to go in to get them readjusted. All this since early December! After searching my carry on, the whole bed, and the floor for something clear (!), I came to the conclusion that the lens wasn't there. I would look every now and then, hoping I hadn't just missed it. What kept going around in circles in my mind was that if the lens was in our OBX vacation house, it would be a lost cause when we left. It *had* to be at home. Caitlin hadn't worn her glasses since the last day of school, and that had been a week before!

We got back home late on Sunday night. There was no searching then, only bed. The next day was spent with me in a semi-sick, slightly exhausted, unpacking state, with a little searching here and there. Still nothing. Embarrassed by the sight of the coffee table in the front room (in reality, embarrassed by the fact that everyone had piled just about everything on it and I couldn't actually see it), I went into full-blown house cleaning mode on Tuesday. I put away the suitcases, went through the mail, and cleaned off the coffee table. I searched under the couch, under the tables, in Caitlin's room - still nothing. At this point I was mentally trying to calculate the cost of getting one lens, but my mind was still in a post-vacation hangover, and no amount of math was going to be processed. Two days later, finding the lens had proved to be futile.

Tuesday night Caitlin's friend M came over for a sleep-over. Her mom, who works the night shift as a labor and delivery nurse, picked her up up early Wednesday morning on the way home from work. Since Caitlin's friend lives just up the next street, she and Caitlin decided to walk to her home together. M's street is kind of busy, so I walked up to the top of our street, where our streets connect, to watch them while M's mom drove up the hill. Caitlin walked back down the street to me, and we walked down our street together. We walked past our neighbor's house, and lo and behold, what on the sidewalk before my eyes should appear? A small, clear, plastic lens (and 8 tiny reindeer! Wait - wrong season!). It was a little scratched up, but not nearly as bad as it could have been. I scooped it, took it inside, and found out that yes, indeed, it was our missing lens. How could it be there on the sidewalk, almost two weeks later? How was it not completely battered or smashed? How did I not step on it just minutes before when I walked up our street? How was this possible? Our neighbors have 2 active boys, and all the kids in the neighborhood frequently congregate in front of our house or their house. One would think the little lens would be crushed by now.

Lately, God has been impressing a few things on me. No words, no directions, but just a few things that he'd like me to do. I've been a little lazy, and have not been drawing close. But I've felt his presence, and I have tried to do what I feel he's asking of me. Even in doing so, I'm confused. Why is he impressing this on me? I wish I could get some better answers. He knows how much I hate not knowing what's going on, or where I'm going. I hate vagueness. Somehow when I found this lens - in a place I never would looked, and in good shape - I felt like it was just a reminder from God that he was still here! I know, I know  - it's just a lens. And I can choose to see it just as a lens that was lost, then (amazingly) found. But I'm not. I'm clinging to this little reminder that God's still here. And that he cares.

Oh, and the next day, Caitlin misplaced her glasses. Three days later, and I still can't find them. *Sigh*

Greetings!

Greetings from the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I'm going to go jump in the pool in a few minutes, but I thought I'd write about our trip. I'd like to post pictures of our trip, but that would have required me to pack my camera cables. They are, unfortunately, safe and sound back at home. Oh well. Mental note - put the cables on the packing list....

So... the atlantic ocean. Right now it's just as cold as the pacific ocean, and about as rough. I've heard it warms up in summer. There are more shells on the beach, but they're mostly bits and pieces of shells. I'm glad we told the kids that it wouldn't be like collecting shells on the gulf coast of Florida so they wouldn't be disappointed. Brandon still gets a thrill out of finding something pretty (or an egg case from a skate). Caitlin's still happy that she's near (or in) the water. The sand goes from soft to hard shell pieces. You have to watch where you walk.The coasts are long and uninterupted by cliffs or rocks.

It's a little odd to see the sun rise over the water. Being a west-coast girl, I've seen the sun set over the water. When I'm at the beach, facing the water, the wind is at my back. The breezes roll from the land to the water. Again, a reverse from what I'm use to. We got caught in the end of tropical depression Beryl the other day, and drove home during an amazing storm! Our area got over 6 inches of rain in 6 hours. There was much flooding, but most of it was gone the next morning. There's still a lot of standing water, but it's drying up fast in the hot, somewhat humid weather.

Okay - off to the pool. I'll post some pictures in a few days!