Clutzy Renovations

Okay, we finally got around to painting the kitchen and dinette. My good friend, Jeanette, came over one Wednesday evening and got us started. She is the gal who did the painting in all the other rooms that were painted before we moved in. She is so organized and calm about the whole procedure. I, on the other hand, enjoy painting but am not very neat about it. I wear more paint than the brush sometimes.

So we got the first coat almost done. I was on the ladder painting the trim near the cupboards and the header above it. I felt more comfortable with a brush and Jeanette prefers using a roller so it worked out well. What wasn't taped off, I trimmed before she painted.

After I got off the ladder, Jeanette got on to do her thing. She said, "Oh, I think I need to turn this ceiling fan off while I am up here." She then looked at me with a questioning look. "Was that on while you were up here?"

I looked up with a dumb look on my face I am sure. "Oh yeah, I was painting while that fan was going around and around."

"How in the world did you do that without getting hit with it? You must really be short!" she laughed.

Comes Saturday and Ken and I put the second coat on. I once again did the trim and he used the roller. Things were looking good. The room was nice and bright. We worked well together. The finished product:

Well, the tape still needed to come off. Once the paint dried, I pulled near the header and Ken got the stuff down lower. Coming along just fine until.....Whooosh, pling pling pling.

"What was that?" Ken asked me.

"Oh nothing. My hand just hit the fan blade when I pulled this tape back."

PLOP! "What was that?"

"Oh I guess I must have broke the fan because the blade just landed over there on the counter!" I explained as calmly as possible.

Yes, Blondie once again came through to take one step forward and two steps back. Our kitchen looked great (the walls anyway-don't look at the ceiling). The bright yellow walls really perked up the place, but the three bladed fan kind of looked out of place.

Noah's Journey

I usually look forward to a journey - a new place, new people, new customs, new surroundings.

Why is it then that I had such a hard time knowing that a polite, well-liked young man of 14 years of age was to make a journey of his own?

Noah is one of three brothers. His two brothers are 11 year old twins, Isaac and Hayden. All three boys are great kids, well-mannered, and enjoyable to be around. Each of them has his own personality, his own quirks. I don’t know about all of them because I have only recently gotten to know them.

 

Jessica, Noah, Grandma Debbie, Hayden, Pop-pop Bob, Isaac

 

Noah is off on a journey to a new school hundreds of miles away. I felt bad knowing that he wouldn’t be around his brothers and mom, Jessica. His grandparents, Debbie and Bob, would also not be seeing him while he takes this journey.

I prayed about it, asking for the best for Noah. He is what matters, not my emotions.

Noah has gone to stay with his aunt and uncle and cousins in Texas. He will be starting high school in a new location. He will be starting fresh with no baggage behind him. He will be the “new kid on the block” and the “hot new boy” in his high school. He will definitely be checked out by the girls.

He is such a friendly boy and can so easily communicate with people that I doubt he will have any trouble making new friends. He enjoys boxing and drawing. I have seen some of his artwork and was very impressed. I hope he pursues it and continues to improve.

Noah will have opportunities in front of him in Texas and cousins to enjoy it with. His aunt and uncle will keep him busy and help get him involved in things he enjoys. He likes to golf and loves wrestling. I am hoping that he joins either the golf team and/or the wrestling team. Hopefully he will find his niche while there and continue to build his confidence and skill levels.

The neighborhood is adjusting to the absence of Noah but we look forward to hearing from him via snail mail, email, Facebook, or Skype. You will be on our minds Noah and we’ll be wondering what you are doing and how it is going. We look forward to the days you come for visits and hopefully one day, you will be back for good.

This is a great opportunity for you Noah and I hope you make the best of it. Take chances to better yourself, do well in school, be kind to your new friends and your extended family members. Enjoy this journey, embrace it and fly with it, better yourself, and the life ahead of you. We are all counting on you!