Business, Family, and Life

Well, life has a way of throwing you for a loop doesn't it?

No sooner did we get hit with this huge opportunity on the coast, just as soon, it dried up, so to speak.

But then another opportunity and another company has kept Lance's business even busier here in San Antonio! One of the largest premier event and catering companies in central texas, Rosemary's Catering, has been using us for the last 3 or 4 weeks and we now have an exclusive contract with the company and boy is it keeping us hopping.

I even did a couple of jobs with the company last week. One of them was at this big old fashioned ranch, a complete western saloon-style event, you know complete with dirt roads and old buildings that looked like an old movie set. The other was for the Culinary Food Institute where chefs from around the world flew in to sample their food for eachother under this big tent. It was just my luck though that both my events were outside.

But a couple of other events that we staffed that evening were weddings; one was this huge beautiful event held in Austin where both the groom and the bride were pilots and they both flew off at the end of the night! How cool is that!

Man, I wish I'd seen that!

Anyway, the business is growing, the kids are growing even faster.

Emily is at the head of her class. I got a note from her teacher saying that she is being nominated for submission into the gifted program for "study" if I will give my permission. Of course! Wow! Her teacher had told me at our conference that she was already at the end of first grade reading level and excelling at all her subjects, the only issue she had at all was that she needed to concentrate a little more on listening. The teacher has to repeat things to her.....Yeah. This is a problem. I completely agreed with her. We are working on this at home as well.

I remember I had exactly the same "report card" at the same age. I excelled in every subject, didn't act out, wasn't a problem student at all, but I was at times "distant".

But I remember distinctly my side of the story, too. Because it wasn't that I wasn't focused, because I was. I was just focused on something that interested me more. I remember one day in particular, (this was in Duncan, OK) I was "daydreaming" as the teacher would relay it, but what I was actually doing was "inventing".

I was creating a machine, a flying machine, a kind of combination between a bicycle and a helicopter, with wings off the side. I was watching the birds outside the school window and seeing how they worked, intently trying to figure out how my machine could work.

Anyway, I was caught "daydreaming". But I was so excited about it! Because I was so sure it would work.

I later told my mom about my machine and how I'd actually figured out how the gears would work together to turn the propellors and help to maintain some sort of lift, at least if only for a little way. But she completely poo-pooed my idea and told me it was ridiculous and that it was impossible and wouldn't work and really just ended up totally stealing my dream. I was crushed! I mean I was a little kid with this great idea! I'd spent a lot of time on it and it was a lot of intricate design and engineering that went into it. But hey, if my mom didn't think it was going to work I guess she was right. Of course I gave up on the idea. I mean I didn't ahve the means or the money to make it happen on my own anyway if she wasn't going to support it, so what was I supposed to do?

But then, a couple of years later, I saw on TV another person, (an adult, of course) on a news story who did almost EXACTLY my same invention! Someone ELSE created MY flying helicopter/bicycle! I was so mad! Yeah! It wouldn't work, huh?

Anyway, back to Emily. She is like me in a lot of ways. She has a lot going on "up there" all the time. She is an inventer, a thinker. She is curious. She is a problem solver. She helps me come up with ideas and solutions all the time for things. I encourage her to think outside the box.

And I am fascinated by how her mind works because I understand it. I only pray that God gives me the wisdom to channel it well so that she is actually able to reach her potential in life.

She is such a bright light in my life! Often, I don't even realize I am down until she walks in the room with her smile and I have to shake myself out of it for her sake.

But she is also different than me in so many ways! I believe God gave her to me to bless me but to teach me as well. And I believe that God will give me everything I will ever need to give Emily everything she will ever need from a mother. For whatever reason He gave her to me and me alone to mother. I am the only one in the world that can fulfill that role for her in the same way and so I am trying to grow and stretch myself to become the best I can be, fallen though I am right now.

I pray that I will be a mother who challenges her to grow and stretch herself, not by pushing her but by giving her the gift of seeing her own mother challenging herself. Because children ultimately learn what they see. They do what they see, not what they are told.

I have spent the blog on Emily today because I have needed to spend more time with her so she is on my mind. But Blake is growing llike a weed! He is attached at the hip. He is definately a mama's boy right now! He doesn't get to see daddy much right now because of business so I think he's a little miffed at daddy and clings to me a little more because of it. But he is also just with me all the time because Emily is at school and he's not. I'm thinking of trying to get him into a pre-k program when we can afford it just to get him used to being away from me some more. He's already spelling words and writing and interested in math so I think he is ready for school next year. And I NEED some mommy time!

I also am hoping to get some of my jewelry bags online this christmas, so check back soon everybody.....