Kids Return to School

Well, today is H & O's first day at Christ Episcopal School in LA. They were very apprehensive about the new school. It is a 20 minute commute each way so I am a bit unsure of this new venture myself.

I spent my first day of kidless unemployment doing the following:

I took the back roads home so I can find some new shops & restaurants.

I wandered aimlessly around the house.

I played some games on my new iphone.

I did some laundry & light cleaning.

I looked out the window a few times.

I filled the bird feeders.

I took a nap.

I had some prayer time.

Spent some time on facebook & looking at real estate in the area.

All in all, a pretty relaxed day. In a few minutes I will leave the house to venture out on I-12 to pick up H & O from school. This routine will probably get old fast. I am considering getting a job (maybe going back to teaching) in the area around the school.

So far my extended time off without pay is okay. It would be great to find someone else that is home during the day to do stuff with. On the bright side, I've got some time to discern what I should do with my time. Also, it will give me some time to plan youth group!

Updates and pictures to come...

Wow, I can't believe how long it was since I posted. Life has really been busy since November 2010. So here is the catch up on my extended time off without pay....

First of all, there has been some pay but not much. I've done some youth ministry with work-study pay. I was also contracted to do some work for EFM & Trinity institute. That was fun and fulfilling.

November we went to visit some churches in the Diocese of Lexington. It was lovely. I think I could really live in horse country. It was very cold! We also got in a visit with my Ohio family while there.

December was busy with Christmas and a visit to Ohio to see family. We went without Harry because he was studying for those dreaded GOE's... YUCK!

January is when all hell broke loose... Harry had GOE's!

February is when my hair started falling out. Oh yes, I woke up one morning and I was missing a 1.5 inch diameter spot of hair behind my left ear. There was no sign of my hair anywhere... not on my pillow, not in the shower, not on the floor. Very mysterious. It was as if the hair fairy came in the night and took it. I should have at least had some money left under my pillow. I guess hair isn't as valuable as teeth... or maybe it is the recession.

March was HAPPENING! I took a group of youth from the seminary to Happening in the diocese of East TN. What great fun. We also went to Paris to look at a church there. We LOVED Paris and the people. Oh yeah... it was Paris, TN which is a very quaint town in the middle of nowhere.

Then... our BIG trip to Louisiana! I did NOT want to go! I left my heart in Paris. It was the first time we left our kids home alone over night. Actually it was 5 night. We went on a world wind tour of 4 churchs in 4 different towns. It was an eating frenzy of the best "cultural" foods Louisiana had to offer. And the people.... just awesome! (except for one guy who I am not at liberty to name). We video taped the whole trip for our kids. We really wanted them to have a part in deciding where our new home would be. We came home, shared the video, prayed ALOT, and waited....

April... The call came.... we were moving to Slidell, Louisiana! Christ Church would be our new spiritual home.

The trip to find housing was a quick trip with the kids. We toured homes, schools, restaurants, a festival, shopping, and many sights. We stayed on a horse ranch with a member of Christ Church. It really felt like home... but we found NO home.

May... we and packed, and packed, and packed, and packed! And we purged, and sold stuff, and purged, and threw stuff away. We made many trips to the recycling center.

A house! better than we could imagine. You have to come visit for details :)

June... The move

July... The trip back to Sewanee for the 4th weekend!

The unpacking began & ended! Finding doctors, orthodontist, etc... Visits to the beach in Bay St. Louis (with the dogs... fun, fun!). & Shopping!

and more hair loss began and continues...

And that ends my first year of Extended time off without Pay. Since I am still unemployed this blog will continue.... more to come...

Broken Bones & Broken Hearts

November 5, 2010

This post is about the times when my expectations in life have not panned out or gone in an unexpected direction. Of course there are many times in my life when I would say that changing courses has really been for the best whether it was my choice or not. And so, as I sit here and ponder the course of my life currently, I know all will be very different in June (just 7 months from now). There is no way of telling at this point where I will be living, worshiping, having parent conferences, etc... I also have no idea where I will be working and what I will be doing. On the bright side... I do know in my broken little heart that God is preparing a place for me and it will be wonderful!

Yesterday, Oliver had a follow up appointment and a new x-ray on his broken little arm. The result of this evaluation was that it is not healing as we expected and he is scheduled for surgery on Monday (prayers please!). This surgery will change Oliver's life forever. He will have a plate screwed into his bone that will remain as long as his body will allow (potentially forever). This news does not excite us in the least but we know it is the only way we can be sure of his complete recovery and proper future use of his dominant arm. I guess that is the bright side.

So my prayer today is:

Almighty God,

you who know what is best in this broken world,

have mercy on us.

Heal our hearts and our bodies;

because we know that only through you can we truly look

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE.

Amen

Thought Reading Week/ Fall Break Would Be More Productive

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Reading week was off to a bad start when I got a call from St. Andrew's School stating that Oliver was hurt. This is not the first time getting a call of this nature. These calls usually need a visit to the emergency room. There was the call from Hannah's elemetary school when she fell off the monkey bars and put her 2 front teeth completely through her bottom lip. There was another time that that same school called about a head injury in PE with Oliver. An then there was the time we got a call from a friend about a dog bite which required many stitches in Oliver's lip. And the call from another friend about an accident with a boomerang.

This call was no different. Oliver had fallen off a swing, yes a swing. A child's play toy. We took him to the Sewanee Hospital emergency room where he was x-rayed and determined his arm to be broken. He received a temporary cast and was sent on his way with a prescription for pain meds and the names of 3 orthopedists.

Friday, October 15, 2010

I spent Friday (after Midlore) calling orthopedist only to find that 2 of them don't have office hours on Fridays and the other had the flu. This meant that Oliver would not be seen by an orthopedist until after our trip to Savannah.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

We left early Saturday morning in order to attend the wedding of 2 young adults who met in our youth group many years ago. We had to rig up a dress shirt for Oliver so it would fit over his large temporary cast. It was a beautiful wedding! Congrats Ashley & Kim!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Needless to say we needed a day to sleep in and this day was it. We went to Forsythe Park around 10am to walk Oreo (the puppy) and spend a leisurely Sunday morning in the park. We sat for a while in the park to get internet and check emails while Oliver attempted to sketch with his right hand (since he broke his left & dominant arm). He is actually getting very good at it. It was a wonderfully relaxing morning. We went to the "Brighter Day" health food market to stock up on some healthy yum yums. YAY! My day was complete or so I thought until we attended the Celtic Eucharist at St. Paul's that evening. What a beautiful service. Must do that again on my next Savannah visit!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Called the orthopedist office. I got an appointment for Oliver's cast. Drove back to Sewanee. Feeling a bit under the weather, but happy to be back in my mountain home.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Oliver got his new shiny HOT PINK cast. He will need to revisit the Doc to have his arm x-rayed again. If it is not healing well, he will need surgery. YUCK!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Completely wiped out of all energy. I now have a full blown cold! another YUCK!

got nothing done so far and reading week/ fall break is 1/2 over.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Repeat of Wednesday...

Friday, October 22, 2010

Drove Harry to the Nashville airport so he could fly down to GA for a meeting with the Commission on Ministry and the Standing Committee. Still not felling well, but since I was in an area with real stores, I decided to get some ferret food and a dress for Dubose. Score! within an hour I tried on about 8 dress and found one that fits well and isn't black. Low expectations made it easy to meet the criteria. I was back home in time for lunch. at 1:30 I needed to meet with Dean Bruce before instructing a class for college pledges on safe practices while consuming alcohol.

I made some chili for dinner. I had to take Oliver to a Fall party in Cliff Tops. I like to call Cliff Tops "Fort Knox" because it is hard to get in and hard to get out. Of course in the dark of the night, I made one wrong turn on a one way street (no turning around and going back) and I was lost in there for about 5 miles. I hope to never live in a gated community!

Saturday, October 24, 2010

Went to the market. No eggs... bummer. Got some muffins and scones... YUM. Had out biannual Seminary Missions Committee Work Day... great fun and fellowship & HARD WORK! We had a great turn out. Finnished by 12:30 had lunch and went to CVS for some drugs! Drugs knocked me out and I slept 12 hours. Of course I completely burned the potatoes I was baking in the oven. Note to self... 4 hours is too long to bake potatoes, take cold meds after potatoes are done.

Sunday, October 25, 2010

Harry came home a little after midnight. I was feeling much better after the meds and rest. We went to church, had lunch, and went out for a drive to take pictures of the peek fall trees! Beautiful Day! (see pictures on my facebook page soon)

So as you can see.... I didn't get much done this week. On the bright side... between the pictures of Oliver's arm, the wedding and the fall pics, I have some great memories!

Busier than EVER!

We are a month into the semester and I'm realizing that I can be very busy without work.

Monday is Spiritual Direction

Tuesday I am taking Contemporary Moral Issues with Dr. MacSwain & Group Spiritual Direction or Spouse's Board meetings (and occasionally a home soccer game)

Wednesday is the Women's Bible Study

Thursday is Church History with his holiness: Dr. King (and occasionally a home soccer game)

Friday is EFM

Saturday is time with Hannah & Oliver (while Harry studies or writes papers) and sometimes bartending

Sunday is youth group (TOSS)

All of the in between time is filled with reading or preparing for all of these events. Not having a steady paycheck makes me somewhat uncomfortable however I am really able to indulge in the community and classes.

Last week I had my kitchen remodeled, my parents came to visit (just as they finished), Hannah had a 16th birthday celebration, and I led a two day retreat for the Spouse's of the Seminary. It was craziness but with God's help... I got through it. Leading the retreat was an amazing experience that is leading me to explore new options in my search for my "off the mountain" calling. I really enjoy working with adults as much as youth.

Hannah's Soccer season is going well. Now that she is over her knee injury she is back on the field in full force... and she is fast! I thoroughly enjoy watching her games. She has been 16 for all of a week now and it is nice to see her growing up and being more responsible. She is quite lovely :)

All in all... busy is good because when I am not I tend to bring cute furry creatures into our home. Creatures need food, water, and much love and attention. As busy as I am, I have no more time for any more creatures.

On the bright side... life is good on the mountain! Good friends, good times, and a great community! Thanks everyone :)

Oh Blog how I missed you!

Day 58 (August 27) Oh Blog how I missed you. Life got a bit crazy. It is amazing how busy I can get without pay. I've been preparing for EFM, the Spouse's Retreat, & the Teens of the Seminary Youth Group. Between those activities and having a new puppy and school starting at St. Andrew's & the Seminary I just haven't had any time to write.

This week consisted of: open house for Oliver (SAS middle school), open house for Hannah (SAS high school), Bar tending at the Vice Chancelor's home, Church picnic, First day of school for SAS, Quiet day, Matriculation, Dean's Dinner, Class (church history), Lake Cheston picnic... Let the craziness begin! I am absorbing all of the last times this year.

We have now had Oreo (the puppy) for 3 weeks and he is getting along great with Patches (the 12 year old dog) and the 2 ferrets. The cat is still unsure of this new "house guest" and she is waiting for his departure. She attempts to skulk around the house at night while the pup is in his pen and no threat to her. We don't see her any other time except when her food bowl is empty. At which time she meows from some safe distance. Oh poor kitty!

EFM prep is going well. I think I have 12 in my group. My co-mentor will not be certified until January so I'm flying solo to start.... ugh. Getting paperwork and checks has been a drag!

On the Bright Side... the Spouse's Retreat is going to ROCK!!!! I've got some great stuff planned. I just need to get some spouse's on video which may be a bit of a challenge.

St. Andrew's had a parent's marathon of activities that were so redundant. I feel for parents of a middle & a high schooler. It is twice the wretchedness. All in all, I am thrilled to have the kids back on a routine. Hannah has had 2 soccer games so far and her team won both! YAY SAS! High school is going well so far...

TOSS (Teens of Sewanee Seminary) will begin next week. So excited to get started. I've had so many people volunteer to help. Thanks all! (but not everyone can get on that high paying work-study salary. Of course, a conflict has been added... the cook outs are continuing... this cuts into our meeting time. We will have to work this out... time to consult the professionals.... TEEN.

Well, back to enjoying my last Friday.... until EFM and TOSS steal you away...

Farm in the Jenkins Home

Day 36-39 (August 5-8) Ever since the adoption of our 5th current pet (Oreo the puppy) life has been a bit changed. This is the first time I've ever owned a puppy. Killian, our 17 year old dog that passed last summer was a year when she found us and Patches, our 10 year old dog was 9 months old when we found him in a shelter. I am up at 5 am to let the pup out of his crate and a 6 am feeding before my exercise routine. Of course this means I need a nap in the afternoon so I can stay up until 10:30 to put Oreo back in his crate.

Taking in Oreo seems like falling off the wagon of my down-sizing plan but it has definitely a gift and a blessing in our home. He is a precious sweet addition to the Jenkins family farm now consisting of 2 ferrets, a cat, and 2 dogs. I've never seen such a mellow and easily trainable pup. I can not believe someone would dump him.

We got Oreo to the vet. He got his first shots and deworm medication. Yuck. He is about 10-12 weeks old. The vet says he is part boarder collie but his brother looks like a lab. I sure hope he has something small in him as well.

Leave without Pay continues for another few weeks. In September I will be working as a Youth Minister part time! YAY!!! I am not at liberty to share where until we get the details worked out. So you will have to continue to read this very boring blog to find out.... ha ha ha :)

EFM is also beginning in September and I am taking a couple of classes so my blog will need to be adjusted. I'm sure I will need to change the name as well. Maybe it will be "Count Down to Moving off the Mountain". I really don't want to leave. I have been so blessed to be here.

More to come...