A conversation with Adventure Boy

Adventure Boy and I were walking to an attraction at a famous amusement park recently when the following conversation took place.

Adventure Boy: Grandma (aka Yo Momma) is older than you.
Me: Yes.
AB:  So she will probably die before you.
Me: Yes.
AB: You're gonna be really sad then.
Me (thinking to myself: "Oh, I am no where near ready for that to happen and I'm trying not to cry thinking about that now.") Out loud: Yes, I will be very sad.
AB:  You're going to need me then because you will be alone.
Me (now desperately trying to talk around the torrent of tears threatening): Yes, AB, I am really going to need you then.
AB:  I will be there...because you don't have a husband yet.
Me (tears gone, laughter bubbling): Well, have you been looking for a husband for me?
AB: Yes, yes I have.
Me: Okay, let me know if you find someone.
AB: I will.

Sometimes the depths of this child's soul and thoughts astounds me...love, love, love him!

A question from a 7 year old

My favorite 7 year old, also known as Adventure Boy, spent some time with me recently.  He came over and had lunch, then played some computer games after which we met up with his family for a movie.

As we were headed out of the house for the movie Adventure Boy asked, "Brittany, why aren't you married?"  If I had a dime for every time I've asked that question of God...but I answered him simply, "No one has asked me yet."  Yes, I was trying to dodge the complexity of his question.  Adventure Boy, however, is bright and inquisitive and he turned the tables back on me.

His reply made this liberal minded woman rejoice for the openness of a young mind, "Why don't you ask someone?"

Yes, Adventure Boy, that is an option and I'm still looking.

This conversation reminded me of a year or two ago when K and Adventure Boy had picked me up from work and we were driving back over the big hill together.  I honestly can't remember what we were talking about but from the back seat he piped up and said "Do you know what? A long time ago people were treated badly because of the color of their skin.  That's just not right."  He was five then.

I know plenty of people who discount others because of their skin color, judging them as less than worthy.  I wish it wasn't just a long time ago.  All we have to do is turn on the news every night and we see it playing out in our cities, nation and our world.  Adventure Boy is dead on, it's just not right.

Adventure Boy, I love you.  And I love that your parents are raising you to value people for people and not the gender stereotypes nor what color their skin is.  You, Adventure Boy, give me hope.

*Bonus story*

Adventure Boy has been taking piano lessons.  He had his first recital on Sunday.  The same day I was being quizzed on my marital status, I asked him how he was feeling about the recital.  He said "Scared."  We had a little discussion in which I told him I thought he would do a great job because he likes people and likes to be in front of people, entertaining them.  I didn't get much of a response from that.

On Sunday after the recital I asked him how he felt about his performance and he said, "I play better in front of people."  This kid!

Less Miserable

A few months ago I was with K, N, Adventure Boy, Creative Guy and Grammy for a birthday/Oscar party night.  We all sat around the dinner table enjoying BBQ ribs and watching the beautiful people on TV being awarded for their movie efforts.  Les Miserables was up for some award and N started to make a comment about the movie saying, "Le Miserables...".  Creative Guy, the 8 year old young reader, looked at the TV screen and said "No Dad, it's LESS miserable."  All the adults in the room shared a look and tried really hard not to giggle too much.

I told the Bachelor Viewing crew that and we laughed and laughed and laughed.  It was a completely innocent remark on the part of a young reader and yet...

A few weeks ago I was walking down the sidewalk towards the light rail.  I tend to smile at people if we make eye contact and as I passed a lady she returned my smile with a big smile of her own.  I almost stopped on the sidewalk in shock.  I'm so used to smiling at people and getting nothing, NOTHING in return.  People either don't want to smile back and thereby invite a complete stranger to talk with them or they just aren't happy and so they don't smile.

I've been in the "just not happy" place in life.  I've done my fair share of whining and yet that simple statement by my 8 year old godson has had me thinking...less miserable.

I believe there are people who live life to be miserable.  I KNOW people who are determined to be miserable.  Something happens that annoys them the slightest bit and the drama begins.  Huge, sweeping, dramatic statements are made.  Everyone is out to get them.  Nothing goes their way EVER.  They move from one place of unhappiness to another, destined determined to be miserable.  They are also determined to make everyone around them miserable as well...or at least determined to see the world in a negative manner.

I can't live that way.  There are big, awful things happening in the world.  There are awful things happening all over the world that we simply don't hear about.  Not just awful, horrific, unspeakable acts occur all the time that we in US never, ever hear about.  In light of that, the fact that I'm not 100% happy right now doesn't mean much.  I look at my life and I see a lot to be less miserable about.  A roof over my head, a family that loves me, a God who offers grace and compassion all the time, friends who make me laugh, a job that doesn't stink, a car that works most of the time now, some money less money in the bank because of said car.  Not perfect but definitely not miserable.

There is a part of me convinced that being miserable is a state of mind.  I can choose to dwell on the crappy things in life, I can choose to think about the good things.  I can choose to remind myself over and over again about those qualities I find lacking or I can choose to remember the gifts and talents I've been blessed with.  I can choose to feel miserable or I can choose to be less miserable.

Some days it is admittedly harder than others to choose the less miserable point of view and yet today I think I am going to take a lesson, however inadvertent, from an 8 year old and be less miserable.

Adventure Boy

Last weekend, Adventure Boy had his 6th birthday.  I can't believe it's been 6 years since he was born.

Anyway, for his birthday, Adventure Boy requested a cake.  A chocolate cake with strawberry filling.  Well, he started with Chocolate cake with strawberry frosting and I helped him change his mind...because he also wanted his cake to be in the shape of a scarab.

Yes, I did say a scarab.  I looked at a couple of pictures and breathed a sigh of relief.  I could make a scarab cake for Adventure Boy.

I think the end result came out pretty well.  There are things I would have done differently but there are always things I would do differently when it comes to cakes!

Adventure Boy and his scarab cake

Adventure Boy, well, he looked at it and said "It's good."  When his friends started commenting "hey, it's a beetle!" he was quick to correct them.  "No," he would say, "it's a scarab."  That meant, job well done.

Adventure Boy

Adventure Boy needed a ride from preschool this evening.  I happened to be arriving back from work about the time he needed to be picked up, so I stopped by and got him.  He quickly came over and we left preschool with the Bat cave and jet fighter in tow.  Love him.

Jumping into the Race Car he quickly spotted the bear that Aunt C had given me at Christmas.  It had taken up residence in the back seat and Adventure Boy picked it up.  He decided that the bear needed to fly in the wind (the top was down on the Race Car) and we discussed how the bear needed to fly within the boundaries of the car because "I would be sad if the bear flew away."

He talked all the way to his parents office and then as we walked to the front door he asked "when am I going to see you again?"

"I don't know," I replied.

"I think we need a play date at your house," he said.  I know his little mind.  I knew what he was thinking.  I waited and then...

"Because, you know, I can't play video games now, but I can watch Creative Guy play them!"  Um hmmm.

Adventure Boy was distracted by someone coming out the office door and we tromped down the back stairs to the play room that has been set up for Creative Guy and Adventure Boy.  Creative Guy was there trying to get a movie to work on Netflix and getting frustrated.  I sat down to help fix things.  Creative Guy and Adventure Boy tussled in the background and Adventure Boy was trying to get as much attention as possible.  Creative Guy escaped up the stairs for the moment and I made Adventure Boy stay with me.  He tried to get my attention by being, well, gross and it didn't work but I did pull him up onto my lap.  The next thing I knew he was just sitting there, perfectly willing to be held and hugged and loved.  Heart.melting.moment.

Creative Guy returned, Adventure Boy went back into his attention getting mode.  I got the movie working and went to leave but not before Adventure Boy asked, one last time, "When I am going to see you again?"  "For sure in 10 days" was my reply.  I left them grateful to be reminded that underneath the layers of exuberance and attention getting behavior is a little boy who just needs to be loved.  For one moment today he knew that he was loved, unconditionally loved and it was good.

A day at the zoo

There is a reason why I have nicknamed these two young men Creative Guy and Adventure Boy.

Yesterday we went to the zoo.  It was so fun and a good reminder of how awesome it is to see the world through kids size glasses.  The world is HUGE!

Adventure Boy lived up to his name.  He was literally running circles around us at any moment in time.  I nick named him the great peacock hunter, as he tried to get close enough to touch the peacock...until it went into the off-limits area of the zoo.  I gave him the camera as we rode the train around a portion of the zoo.  Turns out he likes to photograph people. 








Adventure Boy asked a million questions, had a million statements to make and I knew when we got back into the car to go home he would crash...HARD.  Which he did.  He woke up and immediately joined the conversation going on in the car, to which Creative Guy said "wait, you're awake?"  The prompt indignant response from Adventure Boy was "I wasn't asleep!"  Riiiiiiight...

Creative Guy kept saying "I bet this would make a great movie" as we moved from exhibit to exhibit.  He was just as animated as his brother at times (I think R-girl and I both have sore stomachs and arms from the multiple head-butts and head bumps throughout the day from both boys!) but all of a sudden he would get very serious as if he was viewing the zoo through a movie camera lens.  At one point I was reminded that he is growing up as he looked at me and said "You're embarrassing me."  Ooofff.  When did I become my Mom?

We did get a group photo, though neither of them try too hard to smile when a camera is brought out.  I did, however, catch a couple of great candid photo's of them.  It was fun to spend the day with them and R-girl.  I would classify the day as a success as they both said as we were leaving, "Next time we need to..."

It was a good day at the zoo.

Imposter

Creative Guy and Adventure Boy are hanging out with me tonight.  I picked them up on my way home for work.  I hadn't gotten out of the car yet and Adventure Boy was asking me to come help them with whatever thing they were doing.  Eventually, after much confusion and talking and "come, look" moments, I rounded them up and headed for the car.  We were almost there when Adventure Boy looked at me and said "why are you wearing those girl clothes?".  Well, I am a girl...but I get the point.  He's used to the jeans and t-shirt Brittany.  The dressed down Brittany.  Not office girl.  I'm not used to her either.

The other day I was thinking I was looking good, had it altogether, looked down and realized that my shoes were falling apart.  Bought new ones and they looked like granny shoes...granny shoes my granny wouldn't even wear.  Bought a replacement pair and they look awesome in jeans (haven't tried them in work clothes) and make me 6 ft tall.  Literally.  I put an outfit together another morning, turned around to get the rear view and quickly decided a longer shirt was in order.  I.can't.win.  On the upside, the Office Coordinator for the building I work in told me how much she liked the sweaters I wear.  Tiny win.  And my hair hasn't been completely awful, well, after I went to my favorite hairstylist ever and said "Wash the gray out."  I am owning being my Grandma O's granddaughter.  I don't care if my hair is a different color each time you see me, just as long as it isn't completely gray yet.  Can't go there.

I feel like an imposter most days, which just further solidifies that while I'm doing what I'm doing for the moment, it's just not the right thing.   I'm not unhappy, just not settled.  Still wondering what God is up to.

Today was...

It's a beautiful February day in Northern California.  There are somethings that should not be said in the same sentence.  "Beautiful", "February" and "day" are some.  We are WAY below our rainfall average this year, as is pretty much the whole state.  Lil Bro is in the ski industry.  He finally got to start work 2 full months after his original start date.  Not good.  But that's not why I posted.

I took advantage of this beautiful February day.  First I had my weekly chiropractic appointment.  Then I stopped into get my toes done.  Yay!  The people at the nail salon asked me to make sure my friends knew that they were the only "F." Nail Salon in town.  Turns out that one of their employees quit after two months and is opening up a shop in town with a similar name at their old shop site!  People amaze me.  So spread the word!  "F." Nail Salon has changed locations!  The people at their old shop are imposter's!

I went from there to coffee with Jeffy and LN.  LN brought me mini-oranges with my name on them. 

LN and Jeffy were Mississippi buddies.  When packing lunches in Mississippi I would always put a banana in the group lunch sack with my name on it.  It reminded me of Mississippi.






Speaking of Mississippi, as we were sitting in the sun Ben sends me this picture and text "I forget, how do you eat these?" 
 
He's been sending me pics all week long as Mardi Gras has been in full swing.  I told him to stop sending me pictures.  I want to be there too!








Then I made Creative Guy take this pic with me as I took him to the office from his after school program.















A beautiful day does deserve the top down on the race car. (And it saved me from the "toxic toots" of Creative Guy.  We had quite the conversation about this bodily function and the need to have the top up on the car so I could smell them.  He is all boy.)  He was much better when I took the picture without him knowing. And before you "yell" at me for using my phone in the car, we were at a complete and total stop and I wasn't talking on the phone.

It was a good day...though the wrong day to forget to put on my SPF 30 moisturizer.  *Sigh*

Hope your day was beautiful too!

Paradise

Yesterday afternoon, I picked up Creative Guy from the after school program at former church.  I pulled into the parking lot, turned off the car and turned around to clear off the stuff from Creative Guy's seat in the back.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw this flash of movement and then heard a sound.  I looked up to see Meg dancing outside my car window, saying something like "I run all the way over here to see her and she isn't even looking my way."  Sorry Meg.  Nice to know I have friends who run to meet me.  :)

Creative Guy runs over to meet me too.  That's always good for a heart melting moment.  Yesterday, as we were driving away our conversation went a little like this:

Me:  How was Snack Time?

CG:  Good.  We had a special snack.

Me:  Oh, what was it?

CG:  Chicken nuggets...I was really hoping there would be hot chocolate.

Me:  Yeah, hot chocolate would be pretty special.

CG:  (sighing)  That would be paradise.

Me:  ??  What would be paradise?

CG:  Having hot chocolate.  Watching a movie.  Eating my favorite foods.

Me:  What are your favorite foods?

CG:  Bacon and yogurt.  Oh and little pizza's with small bacon bits.

Me:  So eating bacon, yogurt, little pizza's with small bacon bits, watching movies and drinking hot chocolate would be paradise?

CG:  Yeah...I have two birthday parties to go to this weekend.

Oh how I love this boy. 

Dream job

As I type this Creative Guy is lounging on the floor at my house, watching Despicable Me and creating something spectacular with the Erector Set he has.  He's home from school because he has a gnarly cough and a little bit of a fever.  K asked if I could hang out with him today.  Of course I said yes.  I picked him up from the office and we got coffee and Jamba juice (cuz fruit is always good for sick kids, right?!) and headed back to my house.  On the way Creative Guy piped up from the back seat "are you ready to have so much fun?!"  My melty ol' heart melted again.

Being mostly unemployed has given me a lot of time to think and rest.  I've felt very restless the last couple of months, anxious for a new job.  I realized the other day that while I want to be busy, a major reason behind wanting a new job is for the paycheck.  Which frustrates me to no end.  I've held off on making any kind of volunteer commitments because of the job search thing, but I know if money wasn't an issue this restlessness inside me would be eased as I volunteered at the Library or wherever.  It bugs me that money is so much of an issue.

Money is an issue, though, so the search continues.  I have a few dream jobs.  One would have me NOT go to seminary and still work in a church setting.  Director of Administration sounds really good to me.  Another is Volunteer Coordinator for Disaster Relief.  Something about being on the ground with volunteers, helping them help others is very appealing.  Another is a job where I go to work and come home and nary the two shall meet.  I'm actually working at another dream job at the moment, helping a Youth Pastor with the nitty gritty stuff so that he can focus on ministry.  If there were more hours there, it would be ideal. 

Really, the biggest dream job would be one where I can be busy, feel useful, be paid and still have time to, well, hang out with Creative Guy when he's sick or go to coffee with someone at a moments notice, or whatever I feel like doing.  A little more than part-time work with a salary that pays the bills and time to play or volunteer.  That is my ideal world.

Next week I have a job interview.  It's with a non-profit and sounds like a really good opportunity.  I am nervous, trying not to get my expectations up and prayerful.  I don't know what's around the corner, if this is something that will truly happen, but I do know that I'm ready to be involved with something, making a difference somewhere and feeling as though I'm participating more fully in making the world go round. 

In the meantime, I'm helping the world go round at home, with Creative Guy, watching Toy Story 2 (yes, it took that long to write this post.)

Hope your Wednesday is as happy as mine.  :)

The Ninja cake

Creative Guy turns 7 in a week or so.  His birthday party was today.  It was a Ninja party.  He requested a Lego Ninjago cake.  Specifically Kai, the red Ninja.  I believe I have created a monster.

So I did my research and found a site where someone had created a great Kai cake.  Then found a site that had an outline of a Lego Man.  Awesome.  Then realized that if I was going to do this cake right, I needed to use fondant.  It's not a super easy material to work with, it's expensive to purchase and many people don't like the texture or taste of it.  I had found recipes online for homemade fondant using marshmallows and so last week I made my own.  It was super easy to make.  I waited until there was no one home so they didn't see the complete mess I made of all the counters with powered sugar everywhere.  But it came out well, if a little sticky.  Still have to work on that.

I was going to bake the cake on Thursday but the power was out and I had the boys with me and it just wasn't working.  Friday I schlepped all the stuff down to Old Church and used their kitchen to bake the cakes and then put it together.  I made a yellow cake from a recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook circa 1970, with the addition of a box of vanilla pudding to add some moisture.  It came out sooooooooo goooooooodddddd.  Then I found a recipe online for a strawberry whipped cream filling.  Yummmmmm.  I had to ice it all with a buttercream frosting to make the fondant stick, but I think I will see if I can figure out something else for that.

Anyway, long story, many hours later the cake actually came out well.  I had red and black mottled hands for a little while after mixing in the coloring and some of the fondant tore but overall it was a huge hit.  Not perfect but awesome.  Creative Guy was really excited about it too...which makes all of the project worth it!  I am especially proud of the star/fire guy on the sash.  That was all freehand...I sweat over that one.

Like Lightening?

We were supposed to be heading Northeast today for Thanksgiving with Lil Bro, New Sis and Miss P.  A slight malfunction at home means we are staying home for Thanksgiving.  (Everyone is okay, just a house problem.)  That change of plans changed my plans for a little pre-craziness-of-Black-Friday-shopping.

After my chiropractic appt with K today, I was planning on heading down to two stores.  One to pay a bill, another to buy a Christmas gift.  School are out, which meant that Creative Guy was just going to hang around the office this morning as K and N worked.  After hearing that I was free for the morning, K asked if Creative Guy could hang out with me.  It was not a problem!

We stopped at Jamba Juice, enjoying a smoothie, some Pop Chips and a free sample of KettleKorn.  Creative Guy REALLY liked the KettleKorn.  Then down the road to stop number one.  In between talking with Creative Guy, watching the road and watching the guy in the car behind me, I took a turn a little too fast, which in the race car can be a fun thing!  As we were coming out of the turn I said "Uh oh!  The race car wants to go a little fast today!  It's been driving these slow roads for way too long, it wants to go faster."  Creative Guy responded with "Yeah!  It feels like it's speeding!".  He was laughing, so I took that as a good sign.  A few seconds later he piped up again, "I wish we had this car, then we would get to Filmore faster."  A child after my own heart.

Stream of thoughts...

I need a job.  2nd interview went OK.  I wasn't enthused, it was easy to see.  While I could do the job, I wouldn't love it and that makes it a dilemma.  Not that one always has to love their job but...

Anyway,  I applied to two other places this week.  One is with a local school (which I would LOVE!!  Almost afraid to say how much I would LOVE to work for the local schools).  The other is at Costco.  Who knows.  At least applications are going in.  A job coming back to me would be lovely.

I'm painting a bedroom over at G.G's house.  It's slow going, but it will get done.

I realized today that I'm struggling with living at my parents house.  I LOVE them.  Really, really do.  They have been fantastic.  Yet looking at my space I realize that everything I own is either in a box in the garage or shoved into this room.  I want to organize and make things look good but there's no place to put anything and so it all just gets plunked down wherever there is room...which there isn't much of these days!  Things will work out, just needed to whine a little bit.

Had lunch with K and Adventure Boy today.  He was full of questions.  "What does 'vocational' mean?  Where is heaven?  What does 'whatever' mean?"  There was another word he asked about but I can't remember what it was at this moment.  He did say that he thinks heaven is a town...in Jesus' heart.  His brain is working on overload!

This morning I woke up to the news of the protesters/riot/college students at Penn State having their say.  I am gonna be 100% honest, I'm dismayed by the whole thing.  As one who did Safe Church/Safe Child training on preventing child abuse in churches, it completely amazes me that three men in positions of leadership seemingly did little to nothing to stop an abuser.  Especially if one of the men actually did walk in on an incident and turned around and walked away as has been reported.  The mama bear in me just can't fathom it.  I realize I'm getting everything through the media and there could be incorrect information but something tells me there is probably a lot more to the story.  This could get uglier.  One statement that caught me this morning, again, on the news, was from a reporter in the throng of the protesters saying "not all Penn State students are angry about the coach's firing, but the one's we talked to wouldn't on camera for fear of retaliation by other students."  What?  There's something majorly wrong here.

Okay, now that I'm all fired up, I'm gonna go eat dinner.  One GREAT thing about living at home...Yo Momma makes dinner.  :)

Oops!  I forgot one thing!  I'm usually a Star$ girl.  However, on the way home today Star$ was on the left hand side of the road and Peet's on the right.  I figured I could deal with Peet's today...just in a coffee mood.  I think I have a new favorite coffee.  Caramel Pecan Mocha.  Oo-de-lally!  That was goooooood.

Which reminds me...of one of my favorite Disney movies...I think it's a movie night.

Today and other things

This morning I got to be a "room aunt".  Not a "room mom".  It was easier to describe myself as a kind-of-aunt to Creative Guy to the mom's that asked "which one is your child?".  K had asked me to go in and help with the craft project this morning.  She is the "room mom" and was in charge of getting snacks to the class and coming up with one craft project.  They did spiders out of Styrofoam balls and pipe cleaners.  Totally awesome! (I forgot to take a picture but let me just say, for someone who says she isn't crafty, K was crafty...in a good way!)

Creative Guy (the blond boy), K, Rebecca and Grace

I happen to know Creative Guy's teacher.  I was a care provider at her son's daycare when he was Creative Guy's age...which was about 12 years ago.  Sigh.  Anyway, Creative Guy's teacher recruited me for the Bingo Table as opposed to helping with the spider craft (don't worry another Mom helped K).  It was fun to just hang out with them.  Creative Guy was excited that I was there too.  He looked at his friend Grace and said "Isn't it so exciting that Brittany is here?!".  Too cute.

In the afternoon I went to coffee with LN.  As we were talking something that has been kinda rolling around in my brain came to the surface.  While I'm waiting for a job to come along, I think I need to find a place to volunteer.  Helping in Creative Guy's classroom filled some time that I would have otherwise wasted away.  So as I look for a job, I'm going to look for a place to volunteer as well.

In other news, this coming weekend I am joining Miss P and family at Disney on Ice.  Which hopefully will NOT be my car sliding around on the black ice or snow that is promised to be on the pavement in the mountains this weekend but will actually be Lightening McQueen and Mickey Mouse gliding gracefully across an ice rink.  I'm looking forward to hanging out with Miss P and family!

In true aunt fashion, I can't resist sharing this picture of Miss P coloring her pumpkin.  She took this job seriously!

Be still my heart

Adventure Boy turned 5 last week.  We celebrated by going to the Children's Discovery Museum.  K told Adventure Boy that he could invite two friends, which he did and then there was one extra friend to hang out with Creative Guy.  Grandma R and N rounded out the group of us.

Adventure Boy wanted a Darth Vader cake just like Creative Guy's.  It wasn't quite the same but it came out pretty well!  I had to get a little creative with the sides cuz part of the sides stayed in the pan.  Sigh.  It was a reallllllllyyyyyyy yummy cake though.  If I do say so myself.

After Adventure Boy's party, we headed up to Meg's house for Emi-Pie's birthday party.  She turned 4.  I can't believe how quickly the years are going by.  Anyway, while at Emi-Pie's party, Meg asked Adventure Boy "What friends did you take to the party?"  To which he replied "Owen, Damien, Dominick and Brittany."  I love that boy.

Dots of life

• This morning I took Adventure Boy and Creative Guy to soccer camp.  I had the windows rolled down a little but the interior of the car was warming up due to the bright ball of light that has been insistent on being around the last few days.  Adventure Boy piped up from the back "It's getting hot in here.  Roll up the windows."  My reply: "If I roll up the windows the car will only get warmer."  "NO," was Adventure Boy's response, "it will cool down."  Thus said the child who has known air conditioning in vehicles his whole life.
• Last night was Messy Night at the church.  My last messy night as youth director.  It was good.  I especially enjoyed the power washer that we had to clean up the mess afterwards.  The job that usually takes 2 hours, took just a little over one.  Nice.
• Tonight was Bible Study with the Young Adults and High School youth.  It was relaxed, filled with laughter and good discussions.  This is what I will miss about my job.
• For a long while our household has been having a little bit of a struggle with the newspaper delivery person.  Namely, getting the newspaper delivered, correction, the RIGHT newspaper delivered.  A couple of weeks ago Papa Bear was actually swearing into the phone, albeit it was the automated answering system at the newspaper but he was still swearing.  I've been picking up the paper this last week and what an adventure it has been!  We got the correct paper two days, wrong paper one day, wrong paper and correct paper the next, wrong paper the next day, two day's worth of copies of the right paper and today, well, today I finally just started laughing.  We got not one, but two papers, both of the them different, neither of them the paper we subscribe too.  They were for the correct day though!  I think I'm going to pray for the newspaper delivery person. 
• I don't care how old I get, I hope to never outgrow animated movies.  Excited to see Cars II and the new Winnie the Pooh movie this summer!
• Currently reading Ashley Judd's book, All That is Bitter and Sweet.  My celebrity gawker side is being satisfied with the glimpse into her life and my God centered helping soul is resonating with her experiences in helping others.  And I'm only a few chapters in!

That's all for now!  Nighty-nite!

Creative Guy (formerly Train Guy)

Creative Guy joins me on Wednesday afternoons at the church.  He rides the school bus to the bus stop...which is conveniently the church parking lot...and then eats his lunch, watches a movie, does a project and plays on the playground until our Wednesday kids program starts.

Some Wednesdays, Creative Guy arrives having had a rough day.  Those are the days when his usual response to the question, "How was your day?", is "I don't want to talk about it."  Did I mention that he is 6 going on 16?  Other Wednesday's he'll arrive peppy and ready for fun.

Yesterday as he got off the bus (driven by the same bus driver that I had when I was getting dropped off at the church in elementary school!!) Creative Guy had a brilliant idea.  "Hey Brittany," he said, "you should come on my field trip to Johnson's Farm tomorrow.  We're going on the bus right when school starts, about 8:50.  You could ride the bus with me to school, since it picks me up at church, and then go on the field trip.  You'll need to bring a snack but don't bring it in a paper bag.  They have crows up there that will grab the paper bag and eat the bag and your snack!"  Love him.

Later, as he was watching Chicken Little for the hundredth time, he called out "Hey Brittany, do you know how to spell 'uh'?"  I was a little perplexed and asked him "What is the sentence?".  His response was "One day 'uh' (a)..."  The English teacher in me (thanks Mrs. C.) came out.  "Oh you mean 'a'.  One day 'a'."

About 20 minutes later I was called back into the room.  "Brittany, how about I tell you the story and you write it out."  And that's how I spent 15 minutes writing the story Mouse Goes to Camp by Creative Guy.  I left room for him to draw the pictures and wrote line after line about the Mouse who went to Camp and was told by the Teacher that there was a spirit in the lake and a secret jewel.  Turned out that the spirit in the lake was the Teacher in disguise and the jewel was a red sparkling jewel.  I'm thinking someone has been watching Scooby Doo.

At the end of the children's program, K came to take Creative Guy home.  Creative Guy is a planner.  He likes things to go his way, so when K appeared he turned to me and said "But Brittany, I wanted to go in and watch a little bit of a movie."  Sorry, Creative Guy, there is always next week.  :)