A Bullet Monday

Odds & ends of the past few days:
Ø I start my “temporary” assignment tomorrow, & I’m frankly a bit torn. I will enjoy being in an office by myself & not having the stream of people coming by my desk, asking questions that I’ve already answered twice or needing this invoice/statement/phone number right away. On the other hand, since I will working in one office M/W, & the other T/TH/F, & will still be responsible for doing my regular job, I will be hauling a butt-load of stuff back & forth everyday. I’m thinking of using one of those foldable shopping carts instead trying to carry all the bags, boxes & trays individually. But the image of myself, in my long skirts, sensible shoes & requisite cardigan (our offices are terminally cold) pulling a loaded cart around town is just too “bag lady” for me to contemplate.
Ø Sam has had a tough week- it seems to be his quarterly “I’ve lost my mind & my mother is really ticked”. In the past seven days, he has:
~Lost his wallet, with school id (can’t be on campus without it), medical card, library card, & a week’s allowance
~Borrowed his Dad’s bike, rode 1 mile with a flat tire so it fell off the rim, & instead of taking it back home (he was in a rush to get to the Homecoming Parade), he stashed it in some bushes by the middle school; of course, when he went back for it- yep- gone
~Left the front door, back door & garage unlocked (same day as bike fiasco)
~Showed up home 1-½ hours late from school, having left a message on my voicemail “Still at school, be home later” & no phone number- his cell phone has to stay home, since they aren’t allowed at school. [One of the few strict rules around our house- you are home from school by 3:20, unless previously approved (like for club meeting or tutoring) & call me; if you want to go somewhere, you have to ask me personally & only if homework is done]
~Returned home with 7 friends (same day as previous) unannounced- when asked what’s going on, said they were all going over to M’s house to hang out & then go trick or treating. 1st problem- you didn’t ask me first & it’s a school night; 2nd problem- you are too old to go trick or treating (they are all sophs & juniors); 3rd problem- when I pointed out #1 & #2, got an argument & attitude from Sam & his buddies. Result: You are not going anywhere tonight.
~I was given a really fancy caramel/candied apple at work; when Sam mentioned he saw it in the fridge, he was told to keep out of it until I got home- I would share it with both him & Dad. When I got home, found only ½ the apple left in the fridge
It was at this last point that I blew my top, ranted about selfishness & lack of self-control, grounded him for 2 weeks, & sent him to his room for the evening. I walked by his room a couple of hours later & heard him on the phone with his best friend- that little turkey told him that I grounded him because… “I ate my Mom’s caramel apple”!
Ø Chris & I went to the football game on Friday night- Sam declined, saying he didn’t feel good (either that, or he was pouting over being grounded)- & had a great time. It was the last home game for the season & the weather, which had been windy & drizzly all day, cleared up around 3:00, so everyone was dry & reasonably warm (around 55-60 degrees) We got to sit in the Boosters’ section at the 50 yard line & had a great view of West’s 34-8 victory over #2 ranked Tokay, clinching a playoff berth! It was actually a better game then the score shows- they are pretty evenly matched & slugged it out in the middle of the field for most of the night- but West got a couple of lucky breaks & made the most of them. I doubt we’ll go to any of the play-off games, unless they play here, but we’ll be able to watch on community access channel & will be cheering them on.
Ø Saturday, we attend the wedding of two friends who met at our church. C grew up in our church & was our assistant choir director after college & very involved in youth ministry. When she decided to go south to graduate school, J started coming to our church. He was a family friend of music director & joined our band, playing bass. When the music director moved a few months later, J took over as choir director, in addition to being in the band & youth ministry. Six months later, C returned to the area, having transferred to be closer to home. Since J had so much on his plate, C was asked to step in again as assistant director. The rest, they say, is history! It was so wonderful to watch God’s plan unfold in the lives of these two young people, & it was an honor to witness their vows, set in the beautiful Morris Chapel at UOP (the pictures don’t do it justice), surrounded by family, friends, & music praising God & their union. The reception was quite nice, held at a private club nearby, & we sat with several of J’s co-workers; they had never been to such a “religious” wedding & had lots of questions. Chris is naturally outgoing & friendly, & had everyone laughing & sharing stories about the couple. We even got to do some dancing, but I have to say- it was funny to watch all these Pentecostal kids try to dance to old school rock & disco; they just don’t know how to “shake their groove thing”, so of course the parent-types had to show them how it’s done!