Happy Halloween!!

We're a little behind schedule this year.  We usually carve pumpkins a week or more before Halloween.  It got done today.  The kids don't mind and the pumpkins will stay on the front steps until they start to sag.  I just have to mention how much I really, really, REALLY dislike pumpkin gut slime!!!!!!!  But, my  hands are washable and I got through it.  My sister-in-law was here and she helped with Jared's pumpkin.  Ronan even got to use his own knife!  Okay, so it was a butter/table knife.  He still did really well with the carving!  The pumpkins are all different sizes because we have a strict rule in our house- when picking out a pumpkin, you have to be able to lift it and carry it to the cart.  If you can't, pick a different one!!!  No complaints so far.

The kids love Halloween.  I had 2 military guys, 'Prince of Persia', Batman and some sort of 'grunge' Sleeping Beauty.  I even got out of walking the neighborhood with them when my sister-in-law offered to take them around while I stayed home to hand out candy.  I managed to get photos with 4 of the kids but Brandon took off to a friend's party before I caught him on camera.
Once they got home, the kids had tons of fun answering the door and handing out candy.  I got a video of that.  They are so darn hilarious.
And so we begin, the longest stretch of sugar highs of the year.

Onward and Upward

I went to a retreat in Denver this past weekend for Mary Kay.  It was fantastic!!!  I got to go to Leadership Training at my National Sales Director's home.  I learned so much over the weekend.  I can't even start to tell everything.  We got to hear from several National Sales Directors.  One of them especially touched me.  Her name is Davanne Moul.  She told us her story.  There was so much that I related to!!!  I learned so many new things from her.
I came to the conclusion before I went to Retreat that I want to become a Director in Mary Kay, not for the money but for the choices that the money can give us.  It can give Brian the choice to stay home instead of having to be away from us so much.  It can give us the choice of where we want to live instead of where we have to live.  The choice of the lifestyle we want to live instead of living on the edge of broke all the time.
On the flight home, I wrote out my plan for becoming a Director.  I was shocked after I had written it all down because it's going to happen MUCH faster than I thought possible!!!  I will be a Director by the end of January 2011!!!!!!!!!!
So, here we go.  It means a lot of work (thankfully scheduled around my family time!) and a lot of discipline.  It scares me half to death but Jan Harris (my National) says that if your goal doesn't make you sick to your stomach when you think about it, it's not big enough!  Well, I'm quite sick to my stomach thinking about it!!!!!
Here's my pitch to everyone reading this (I know, there's not many but...............)-  I need to meet new people.  Lots and lots of new people!!  I am looking for anyone interested in having a free facial and makeover.  I'm looking for people who are willing to give me referrals (names and phone numbers of people they know).  It's the only way my business will grow fast enough.  I can go out and meet new people every day but that's not going to be enough.  I need help!!!!  I'm willing to travel to Utah even if there is enough reason to.  Heck, I would fly pretty much anywhere if there was enough reason to!!!  :-)
End of pitch.  :-)
Here are some photos from the weekend.  The first two are of Davanne Moul.  She's so darn gorgeous!!!  She's only 4'11 1/2".  She is quite the fireball!!!  The 3rd photo is Sales Director Melissa Nix-Henderson (l.) and National Sales Director Jan Harris.  The 4th is me and my roommates, Martha (l.) and Missy (center).  They were fabulous!!!!!!!!!  I couldn't have asked for better roommates!!!  One quirk about retreat is that Jan picks our roommates, we don't get to choose.  It's fun to meet new people!  The last photo is of a project I finished today.  It's my favorite quote from the whole weekend.  I cut it out in vinyl and put it on my office wall to remind myself that there is no room for doubt, only for discipline (another favorite quote!!).

Freezer Burn? Nope.

I went out this morning to pull something from the freezer for dinner (I was actually thinking ahead today).  I reached in and realized that what I grabbed was NOT frozen, it was soft.  I looked deeper (it's a chest freezer) and sure enough, everything was thawing/thawed!!!  The bottom was covered in what looked like meat juice (okay, blood).  I started taking everything out and was so grateful that pretty much everything was sealed.  As I pulled things out, I realized that the meat juice was actually purple juice from thawed berries.  Whew!!!  Sticky but not nearly as disgusting to clean up.  There was a salmon in there, though, that wasn't wrapped so well.  Yummy.  Salmon and berries.  Sounds good actually but both the berries and the salmon went in the garbage bag along with a few other things that wouldn't have done well if re-frozen.
Everything was still cold so I think it will be okay.  The french fries will be interesting to cook.  The corn dogs ought to be just fine as they are individually wrapped.  The lasagna- not so sure, we'll see.  I didn't want to re-freeze the beef roast so we had that for dinner tonight.  If we all end up in the hospital with food poisoning, you'll know why!!  :-)
I pulled out the wet/dry vacuum and got all the liquid out.  I rinsed it with clean water and wiped down the entire inside.  Thank heaven for the vacuum!!!  I was dreading having to get that out with my hands and cloths before I remembered it!!!
I wiggled the power cord and the freezer kicked on again.  It was plugged into an extension cord with a clear connector.  I could see sparks when I wiggled it.  And when I pulled the plug out to look at it, one of the prongs is black from the sparking.     And, of course, my electrician husband is 14,000 miles away!!  Thankfully, I have a Father-in-law who taught him almost everything he knows and will come over and change out the plug for me.  
My freezer is humming away for now.  There are no sparks if the cord doesn't move.  It's better than loosing everything in the freezer.  I might unplug it for the night, though.  I am terrified of house fires and I have a vivid imagination that probably wouldn't let me sleep if I keep it plugged in.

Why Ronan?

I've been asked why we named our 3rd son Ronan.  Well, here's the story.  Just remember, you asked.  :-)

About 10 years ago, Brian and I were enjoying an evening of flipping through tv channels.  We stopped on PBS to see what was showing.  It was a recorded concert of The Irish Tenors.  They were fantastic!!!!  The flipping ended and we watched the whole thing.  One of the singers was highlighted through clips between songs.  We were amazed at all he had accomplished in life despite handicaps.  He was born with a congenital defect in his legs.  He never let it slow him down or stop him from doing whatever he wanted.  He was a rowdy, "trouble-maker" throughout his early days.
At the age of 20, he was involved in a car accident that damaged his legs further and the doctors had to amputate both legs below the knees.  Once again, he never let it slow him down.  He was back to college in a very short time (can't remember if it was 6 weeks or 6 months, a very short time for healing!!).
He participated in the Paralympics, over time winning 18 Gold medals and setting 14 World Records (9 of which he still holds today, so I'm told).  He was an avid horseman, riding, jumping and competing.  He grew up on a small family farm in Ireland.  He worked with his father doing chores and they would sing together.  He sang around the local area but it was for enjoyment.
After receiving his Doctorate, he practiced Sports Medicine.  In his early 30's, he was encouraged to try out for a tv show called "Go For It" (an early version of "Britain's Got Talent, I think).  Surprising a lot of people, he won!!!!  And he once again switched careers.  He was invited to join the Irish Tenors and they produced some wonderful music!!!  They sang everything from Irish ballads and traditional songs to classical opera to......well, pretty much everything.  He has now gone on to a solo career and we love everything he has produced!!!  Being able to see him in concert was......well........ amazing!!!!!
Brian and I had been thinking about baby names (we weren't expecting at the time, though).  We had used family names from Brian's side for the 2 oldest boys and we wanted something to honor my Irish heritage.  After watching this program, we knew that we would be naming our next son after this incredible man, Ronan Tynan.  We hope that our Ronan will accomplish many, many things in his life.  If he accomplishes even half of what Dr. T has, he will have a well-spent life!!
In Irish, Ronan means strength.  It is a strong name!!!  Over the past 8+ years, we have found that he is aptly named!!!!  Our Ronan is a strong-willed, stubborn, passionate, rowdy, rambunctious, loving, caring boy.  He reminds me a lot of the man he was named for!!!
Just in case you're wondering, we also chose an Irish name for his middle name.  Machen.  It was my Grandma's maiden name (I don't think he would have appreciated being named Nettie after her!!).  It has gone through some spelling changes since my 3rd great-grandparents came over.  I think the original spelling was Machin.  I would have to look that up, though.

So there you have it.  Why we named him Ronan!  :-)

Ronan Meets Ronan- the Videos

Here we have Ronan singing with Ronan.  The first video is "Amazing Grace".  Kind of.  The 2nd video is Ronan T. giving Ronan S. some advice.  I couldn't get the other videos to load so you can find them on YouTube at this link- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wv5mMe0u8lA 

Ronan Meets Ronan- the Photos

The Shelly Irish Dance Company

Billy at the piano, Ronan at the microphone

Ronan S. got some great one-on-one time with Ronan T.!!

.

We all got to be in the last photo!!

 

Ronan Meets Ronan

It finally happened!!!!!!!  Our son, Ronan, got to meet the man he is named for, Dr. Ronan Tynan!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My sister, Kelli, told me that Ronan Tynan was going to be in concert in Provo.  I got on the Covey Center for the Arts website and found that there were still 4 front row, center seats available!!  And the price was far too good to pass up!!!  Brian was going to go but since he left for Afghanistan Saturday, I took Jonah in his place.  So it was just the three of us on a road trip!!!  We got to my brother's house (where we stayed the night) in time to quickly change clothes, grab a bite to eat (thank you, Allison!!!!) and head into Provo.  I was a bit behind schedule so we arrived about 8  minutes before the concert was to start.  Whew!!  We made it!!
There were several "warm-up" acts.  An Irish dance troupe.  They were fantastic!!  Then 3 singers from the Utah Lyric Opera company (who hosted Ronan T.) performed 9 numbers.  By that time, my Ronan was completely disillusioned by the whole thing.  I forgot to mention to him that there are usually warm-up acts before the star of the show.  Oops.  Then he had to suffer through 15 minutes of intermission.  Poor boy.  :-)
Ronan's accompanist and friend, Billy, came on stage and introduced Ronan T.  It was so surreal and amazing to actually see him striding out onto the stage.  And we were right there in the front row!!!!!!!  He is an incredible performer!!!!  Singing, comedy, audience participation.  He has it all down!!!!  
He noticed my Ronan on the front row.  You have to understand that at 39 years old, I was one of the youngest in the audience!!!  So having 8 year old Ronan there was quite noticeable!!!  Ronan T. said "well hello there!  And what's your name?"  My Ronan went speechless.  I had to nudge him and tell him to tell his name.  So he finally spoke up.  When Ronan T. heard his name he said something along the lines of "God bless you with that name.  God bless your Mum.  You're going to have to watch out when he turns 18.  I know what I was like at 18!!"  From that point on throughout the concert, Ronan T. made several comments directly to my Ronan.  He loved it!!!  Ronan T. is so funny!!!  And personable.  Self-deprecating.  Amazing.  He involved the audience in the program by talking to people, asking questions.  I wish I could have gotten it all on video because I just don't have the ability to describe it completely!!  He performed "Red is the Rose", "Danny Boy" , "Wild Mountain Thyme" (also known as "Go, Lassie, Go") and more favorites.
After the concert (which Ronan T. closed with "God Bless America"), there was a 'meet-and-greet" in the lobby.  My Ronan wanted to rush right over and talk to Ronan T.  I told him that if we waited until everyone else had a chance to talk to him, we could have more time with him because no one would be behind us.  My Ronan understood that and was really quite patient waiting.  Rambunctious but patient.  :-)    So we were the last to get up to the table where Ronan T. sat signing cd's.  Like a bit of a geek I took all the album covers out of the cd cases and had Ronan T. sign all of them.  I also had Ronan T.'s autobiography with me (I've had it for quite a few years sitting on my shelf).  I had already written a note to my Ronan in it because it has always been intended for him when he got old enough. So I had Ronan T. sign it, too.  My Ronan latched onto that book and hasn't given it up since except to go to school this afternoon!!
We had to do a bit of coaxing to get my Ronan to sing something for Ronan T. but he finally sang with Ronan T.  I got video of it!  I'll have to figure out how to post it so you can see it.  Being in the front row, I also got some video of the performance and plenty of photos!!  
It's still so surreal that I actually got to meet THE Ronan Tynan and, even better, I got to introduce my Ronan to the man he is named for!!  I truly hope my Ronan remembers that night always!!!
If you don't know much about Ronan Tynan, go to his website, www.ronantynan.net, google him or look on wikipedia.  

Leaving Again

Today is the day.  Brian is leaving for Afghanistan again.  He'll fly out at 1:35pm and come back mid-January.  We actually have a return flight schedule but I don't know it right off the top of my head.  
I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this.  I know it's the right direction for us.  I know everything will work out fine.  I know I will miss him like crazy again.  I know it will be difficult to have the holidays without him.  But I don't know for sure how I feel.   Sad?  Not really the right word.
We had a fantastic family night last night!!  I was so glad to have had that with the whole family before he left.  The only thing we didn't do this week is go to the Temple one last time before he goes.  
We have quite a bit to do before heading to the airport.  I'll post more later along with photos of last night and today.

Changes

Well, Brian has signed a contract. We don't have a departure date but it will be within the next week. It's a bit different than we expected. Instead of doing electrical, he will be project managing. It's much broader in scope than just worrying about the electrical. He's excited about it because it's something he's wanted to move into for awhile.
One of the biggest differences is that this is a permanent job. It's not just one contract. It's a 12 weeks on, 3 weeks off career. The owner of the company made it clear that he is hiring Brian as a project manager to see what he can do and then move him up in the company. So who knows where this is leading. This is a British company. We were planning on working for an American company but this is what came up. One of Brian's friends from his 1st "tour" recommended him to this owner. His friend, Paul, works for this company so we have reliable information on the reliability of the company. Knowledge is good.
Brian will definitely be gone for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I don't know what the rest of the family will be doing. We might travel. We might stay home. We'll have to see when the time gets closer.
I'm certainly not looking forward to this separation. But it is what it is. Brian has been trying to find work around here. He's had some but we haven't had a paycheck for over a month. If he doesn't take this job offer, we won't have anything. I'm doing my best with my Mary Kay but it isn't to the point yet of being able to cover all our needs. Soon!!! I have 2 new team members and another will be submitting her agreement tomorrow!! Sales have been great over the past month and will continue. One step at a time.
We're having family portraits done this afternoon. I will post those as soon as I can.

Time Flies

Wow. I had no idea it had been so long since my last post!!! Not much to update, though. The kids are ALL in school this year!!! It's kind of weird to be home completely alone and not have to wonder where the children are and what kind of trouble they're causing. haha
Brian had some work to do when he first got home but hasn't had much lately. It has given him some time to do things around the house that need to be done. He is waiting to hear back on his Master's license renewal. As soon as that comes back, he will be able to take a new contract for work. In Afghanistan. Yep, we're planning on him going back one more time. I know, we're crazy. But when there isn't anything available here............... We don't know how long he will be gone this time but we are planning on him not being here for the holidays. It's easier if we just start planning that now.
The fun side of him going back is that the rest of the family will have a chance to vacation in Europe!!!! If Brian's contract is long enough, we will go spend a few weeks traveling Europe as a family, seeing all of our exchange student children. I really actually hope it works out that way!!!
Life has smoothed out into our normal, school-year routine. Ronan is up and out the door before 8am. Brandon is close behind and Jonah leaves at 8:30am. I have to take the kindergarteners to school around 11:45am. They all start trickling back in around 2:45pm.
Brandon is working on graduating this year. He's got a tough year ahead of him but he is certainly capable of it.
Jonah is really excelling at the new school he is going to. It's called Madison Academy and is the "alternative" school for middle school kids. They study one subject at a time for a 3-week block. There are only 6 kids in the school/class. Jonah is doing well without all the distractions of normal school.
Ronan has the same teacher for 3rd Grade that he did for kindergarten!! He's loving it!! I like that I already have a relationship with the teacher and we have great communication. She is really on top of things. Ronan is getting the hang of reading bigger books and loves reading!
Isabeau and Jared are in the same kindergarten class. We'll see how that works all year. So far, so good.
Jared is struggling a bit due to his Mother's choices while pregnant with him. He is going to be getting some extra reading help from school and we'll have to see about an IEP.
Isabeau is doing well. She loves coming home and showing me her "homework" and then doing it!!!! Let's hope it continues!! She is also busy with gymnastics. She gets to go twice a week and is on the girl's pre-team. I don't know where it will go but she loves it for now.
My Mary Kay business is going well again. I took about 3 months off while Brian was gone but I'm back with a vengeance now!! My goal for this year (July-June in Mary Kay) is to build my business enough that Brian doesn't have to take any more contracts that take him overseas ever again!!! I just have to keep the momentum going that I started last month.
So over all, life is good. Everyone is healthy and usually happy (although Brandon does hate us from time to time). We're looking toward the future and know there are some great things in store!!!