Overnight Transformation

You know how usually your kids change so gradually that you don't often notice? They grow taller. Their hair changes. They mature. That is certainly true for me. All of a sudden, I will realize that my oldest son has left "boy" behind in exchange for "man". I will notice that my youngest daughter is on her last few months of being a "teen" and has developed talents I was never aware of before.

Recently, however, my youngest son (turns 14 in May) did a transformation of enormous proportions in less than two hours. It was like watching "Jekyll and Hyde" only in a GOOD way (and without the music). We attended a teen gathering two and a half weeks ago. He didn't want to go. He is a "home body", much preferring to hang out on the computer or read on the couch. His evil mother made him go, however, also forcing his older brother to tag along reluctantly. We were the first to arrive and already the boys were chafing to leave. Had the meeting place not been in a bakery, they would have already headed to the car, but they were holding out hope for a cinnamon roll first.

We sat, we waited (while one of them had a roll . . . ) and the teens and parents rolled in. Within 30 minutes, the teen table had a dozen people sitting at it with chatting, giggling and other expected behavior. We moms (and dad) sat to the side doing our own fair share of chatting and giggling. I was aware that the oldest son was restless; in fact, he ended up doing what he often does in social situations: hangs with the adults and entertains the toddlers--which was fine.

But our other son? The shy one? The one who is usually ready to head out the door? He was having a fabulous time. He was talking animatedly. He was moving around the table. He was as hyper as I have ever seen him. At the end of two hours, he did not want to go. He had memorized all their names. He asked me repeatedly, "We are coming back next week, right?"

(We did and he had just as good a time.)

But what has happened since this first meeting? This "home body" has begged me to find as many social activities as I can for him. Anything I have found, we have gone to (an OMSI party, a game day, rockwall climbing party, etc.) More over, he has moved towards independence in ways I would have said he'd never try yet. He is talking about going to RESIDENT CAMP this fall. That is a HUGE step for a son who has struggled terribly with anxiety and homesickness for years and years. He told me, "I want to have something fun to go out and do every single day now" and I've been working to help him do that. I certainly can't promise EVERY day but I still feel like we have gone from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds.

He is happier--more confident--and while he was a FABULOUS person already, he has truly blossomed this time around. He counts the days until Tuesday (teen group day) and talks to his siblings about camp all the time (they are both veterans). We have always been proud of him, of course, but this new stage in his life that appeared in a flash, has made him, I believe, proud of himself. It doesn't get better than that.

Call me Beautiful, and I'll Fill out any Questions. . ..

So my friend Susan tagged me on her blog (amimental.blogspot) and I am supposed to write out five things I love. Hmmmm.

(1) I love reading the comics in the morning with my husband. He takes the short page and I take the long because I read faster. We chuckle out loud and if one comic particularly relates to one of us, we make the other one stop and read it right away. Sometimes we are even concerned about the people in the comics and we end up discussing them later throughout the day.

(2) I love being in the living room with all of my kids. We typically all have books in hand and all you hear is music, breathing and turning pages. When one of us reads something that is unusually funny or surprising, we tell the others. We are also known to define words for each other. More often than not, we are sitting near enough each other to have a leg thrown over the other one or we share blankets. I love having kids that not only make me proud but that enjoy spending time with me and consider me a mom and a friend.

(3) I love writing letters. I am so into stationery, stickers and fountain pens, it is a little embarassing. I write to about 12 to 15 people a month right now and derive great pleasure and relaxation from it. Finding a good penpal is as difficult as finding a friend that you actually spend time with. You run into a lot of odd birds in your quest for those special writers whose letters you can't wait to get. I'm fortunate to have found a few that I treasure and hope to write to for years to come.

(4) I love to go to live theatre. Musicals are my preference but I like other plays as well. I am blessed to live in a city that has no lack of theatres and performances to choose from either. In past years I have seen "Rent", "Grease", "Wicked", "Spring Awakening", "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita" and many more. This year, I already have tickets to see "Lion King" and am working on ones to see "Cats". Three of my kids love theatre also; the hubby and oldest son do NOT. That's fine. More ticket money for me that way. :)

(5) And finally, I love living in Oregon. After 40 plus years living in the stifling, soul-deadening land of Hoosiers (for US, I know others love it there!), I still continually marvel at this state and at Portland. It was like coming home for us. We love it here, we love the people, we love the scenery. It remains one of the best decisions of our lives. Now, moving to Australia has its appeal too . . . but everytime I think about trying to pack up all of these books and PAYING to ship them, I come back to my senses.

Of course, I love more things than these. My friends. My dog and cat. My parents. My work. Seeing my name on the cover of a book. Chocolate chip cookie dough. (Not necessarily in this order). No bake chocolate cookies. Whoops. Better stop there. Anyway, thanks for hearing about what I love. Stop by and leave a comment and tell me what YOU love.

An Absence

Yea, yea, I know. Where the heck have I been? I can give you quite a few excuses but that's all they are--excuses. Between all the writing I do for work and the letter writing I do, I sometimes run out of "steam" for putting words down. This seems to happen whenever I think, Tami, update your blog . . . .

February has gone by in a flash. Here are some of the highlights.

(1) I found out that I apparently had a stroke of my eye muscle in my right eye, leading to many of the vision problems I have had for the past few years. I have new glasses, plus a computer vision exercise program to help correct it. The fact that it is my second type of stroke (the first being in my ear three years ago) is a tad unsettling.

(2) Nicole's rehearsals continue and she is really getting into her role. She has gotten some great compliments on her progress and we can't wait to see her on opening night Of course, by now, the entire family knows her lines as well as she does from helping her practice.

(3) We went on a temporary fast--six days of juice and water and then segued into Atkins. So far, the family has lost about 45 or 50 lbs. between all of us.

(4) Nicole, Coryn and I went to see "Forbidden Broadway" and what great fun it was. We laughed and laughed. We also have tickets to "Lion King" in July and are trying to get discounted tickets to "Cats" in March.

(5) Work continues to flow in at a good pace and it seems like it will be a decent year for us. I am not sure if we will be able to swing a summer vacation, but we are hoping, hoping, hoping. We all miss road tripping desperately. We need rest parks, little towns, KOA Campgrounds and the ocean. I sure hope we can fit something in, mid July to mid August.

(6) March is shaping up to be a very busy month. Nicole has her play. Joseph is going to take a body shop class. Caspian and Nicole are both going to Habitat for Humanity throughout the month. Yes, we are but here to drive people to our children from place to another.

(7) I have done virtually no reading lately. In fact, in the entire month of February, the only book I read was called Thereby Hangs the Tail. I am currently reading Angels of Destruction and it is absolutely entrancing. It is by the same author as The Stolen Child.

So that's it. See why I haven't posted? Just not much new happening around here. If life picks up, I will be back with more to say. Sheesh, What kind of writer am I?

Catching Up

So much for new year's resolutions. I haven't kept up a journal and I haven't kept up the blog. For shame, Tami. Sheesh.

I have a partial excuse. My carpal tunnel has flared up pretty badly in recent weeks such that the minute I am done working, I get off the keyboard or otherwise amputation begins looking mighty attractive. I wear an arm brace to bed, do some icing and heating of it and my chiro hubby works on it, so I'm hoping that, between all of those treatments, it will eventually improve.

Other news on the Orr horizon . . . . getting new glasses this week and have high, high hopes that they will help with the immense eye fatigue the long days bring me. Work is keeping me mighty busy, for which I am grateful, but it is also tiring. All children are well and good. Nicole and Jon recently celebrated a year together and went tubing at Mt. Hood to celebrate the day. Nicole has been cast in a community theatre play so we've been practicing lines with her in preparation. Once rehearsals begin, we will also be driving, driving and driving. Boys are great. Caspian is working at Habitat for Humanity two to three times a week and seems to thrive on it.

On a personal front, I've been writing letters voraciously. I continue to write articles wherever I can advocating the beaty of snail mail. For the latest, check out the Jan/Feb issue of Home Education magazine. I've done a little reading and highly recommend two very diverse novels: The Child Thief by Brom (an adult fantasy novel about the Peter Pan legend) and A Reliable Wife by Robert Goodrick (an old fashioned Victorian/gothic mystery novel).

See why I haven't posted much lately? I just don't have too much to report. Okay, no excuses, right? I will try to check back more often. Feel free to nag me if you see fit to do so. however.

Where does the time go?

How the heck did it get to be 2010?

Do you remember where you were when it changed from 1999 to 2000 and everyone was convinced that the world as we know it was coming to an end? I do. I was sitting at a table with my husband, mother in law and sister in law. The kids were playing in the other room. We chatted and then the clock chimed midnight and you know what? NOTHING happened. Not a single glitch. Kinda disappointing.
Now, it is a decade later. 2010 still sounds futuristic to me somehow. I have high hopes for the year though. My workload has certainly increased and that bodes well for the year. I am going to be doing classroom presentations to kids this summer, which I think will be great fun.
I really, really want to take a vacation this summer. I missed it rather desperately last year. We took several fun short trips but that just wasn't the same. I need to pack for a road trip. I need to go away from work for at least two weeks. I need to pack up my favorite clothes and books. I need to see parts of the country that I haven't seen before. I need rest parks! See? I told you. I need a vacation.
As the year begins, all of my children are in a good place. Nicole and Jon have been together for almost a year (amazing!) and going strong. Caspian is actively working with Habitat for Humanity and enjoying it. Coryn hasn't found his direction yet but he will--he's only 13, so there's time.
I'm feeling pretty good. My only real hassle is my right arm. Lots of carpal tunnel going on so I do most of my work with a wrist brace on and sleep with an ice pack. I consider amputation on a fairly regular basis but that would significantly slow me down and I don't want that.
I've been writing letters whenever work allows for it. I must admit I love it. Getting the mail is ever so much more fun when there are letters in the box. Checks still get top priority, but letters are a close second. If you're interested in letter writing, check out the Letter Writers Alliance and the Letter Exchange.
Well, this is far from the most exciting post I've had but honestly, not a great deal has happened in recent weeks. Christmas and New Year's were over in the blink of an eye and now I'm trying to keep up with deadlines. I love my job once again.
Drop me a message if you stop by. I will try to get back a little sooner this time! Ha, there's my first real new year's resolution!

An I.O.U. Christmas

Merry Christmas to all, as always. I hope your day has been filled with good friends, close family, and warmth. As I listen to the wind roar outside, I am grateful that I am not in the states that were hit with such a violent snowstorm or those that are stranded in airports. I will take my cozy house anytime.

It has been such an odd Christmas at our house. After a tough year, my work is really picking up. I am actually at a point where if someone else asks me to do a project for them in January, unless it's great money, the answer will probably be no because I can't fit it in. It has been a long, long time since I've been able to say that. It's another thing I am grateful for right now.

However, due to strange timing of checks, banks, holidays and karma, money just was not available like it should have been for Christmas shopping. When we did get some in, we used it to buy gifts for those far away because those presents had to be packaged up and sent to other parts of the country. After we did that, paid for the postage costs, and bought groceries, little was left. Coryn got his new computer tower--his Christmas money from Grandma and Elsie made that possible. Caspian got a full weight lifting set and bench--again, thanks to the holiday money from Grandma and Elsie. Nicole was able to go out and buy presents for her siblings, parents and boyfriend with that same money. Other than that, however, pretty much ZIP. When it came time to wrap, I had virtually nothing to do. The tree looked bare. As the mom and the breadwinner, I felt guilty. REALLY guilty. Rotten, depressed, awful guilty. I decorated the tree with envelopes full of I.O.Us for when the checks arrive next week. I apologized to everyone, with tears.

Guess what? No one cared. The day was still special. Everyone was still happy. At the risk of sounding like the narrator describing the enduring spirit of the Whos down in Whoville, not having lots of gifts did not matter. They know that next week I will run out and take advantage of checks cashed and post holiday sales and get them some treasures. Moreoever, they know that they are loved and maybe that is the best gift I could give them.

It was a lovely day despite the lack of presents. Jon spent it with us and made it even nicer with great gifts for each of us (Starbuck's will be seeing a great deal of us now!) and appreciating what we gave him. Joseph and I took a 90 minute nap in the middle of the day--a definite rare treat. I am refusing to do any work until tomorrow, another treat. People were missed, of course. Our eldest, who we haven't heard from since spring, was missed and we are hoping she had a wonderful holiday with her hubby and friends. My parents who LOVED Christmas were missed. I always got such a kick out of calling them and listening as they opened what I sent. I miss their laughs.

It is slowly getting dark outside but I know that each day now, the daylight will last a little longer and the night a little less and that means summer is returning. That is always a reassuring thought in the depth of winter.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas. May it bring you what you want. Mine already has.

Update Time

I was online this morning bemoaning people's blogs that hadn't been updated and then I felt hypocritical as I haven't updated in several weeks. So, here I am, although not with any terribly exciting news, events or announcements.

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Joseph and I did all of the cooking together (a first) and instead of turkey (which takes a lot of effort and no one is all that crazy about it), we made his incredibly delicious pot roast (which is ridiculously easy to make but tastes amazing). We also made steamed cauliflower with cheese, nutty brussel sprouts, rosemary potatoes and rolls. Jon brought pie for dessert. It was the six of us and we laughed and talked and as my husband says, "We were happy". I can't think of a better way to spend Thanksgiving.

I've been busy and getting busier. Work continues to pile in and my next three months are full of projects that will keep me "out of the bars" and in my computer chair. If my right wrist and my two eyes can just hang in there and not betray me, all will be well!

The kids are doing great. Nicole and Jon have been together for almost 11 months now--hard to believe! He has become a part of the family to the extent we can text him and ask him to bring toilet paper and ice (not to be used together in any way, mind you!) on his way to our house. Nicole is trying to get an application into the Police Cadets Program. . . . it is the most complicated application we've ever dealt with (19 pages and requiring transcripts and fingerprinting. . . ) She is also looking into a job with an all female construction team. I still enjoy spending time with her so much, I can't begin to tell you. I have deeper conversations and laugh more with her than with anyone else I know.

The boys are getting bigger all the time. Caspian is suddenly into exercising and using hand weights and hanging out with his father as much as possible. Coryn is developing an even more wicked sense of humor and last night we went to another play together and I was astonished at what good company my son can be. He was witty and smart and funny and just plain fun.

I am getting ready to do my annual Christmas newsletter, complete with pictures. Some of you reading this will certainly be getting a copy in the mail within the next couple of weeks. If you don't get a copy and would like one, you can always ask for one . . . . It is one of my favorite parts of the holiday season because I get to recap the year at the Orr House and share it with people I care about!

So, off to get that first morning cup of coffee (usually my only cup of coffee) which contains a small amount of coffee and copious amounts of chocolate and then to work all day. I plan to do it sitting in the living room with the family, probably watching a movie and appreciating both.