And we press on...

Other than being a little angry that our school system told the kids
they were not allowed to talk about what happened at Chardon in school
(I sent a strongly worded email that may, or may not have had certain
parts of it typed with the caps lock engaged!), we are trying to start
the healing process. It's going to be hard, but it needs to start.

Anyway, our hive doesn't really know what to do with ourselves. Rec
basketball is over and C's tournament at Chardon this weekend has been
pushed back two weeks. Other than her practice Thursday, we have had
NOTHING going on in evening. It's weird. I have been *gasp* cooking
real meals! The kids have been playing with their neighborhood
friends, and everyone is overall pretty happy. Other than the kids'
mom, that is. She has been starting her crap again and I even had to
go down and file a police report last Monday on her for harassing
phone calls. I'm really not surprised though. Things have been quiet,
and dare I say peaceful as of late. I knew something was brewing.
*sigh* Oh well.

The weather is supposed to be really nice today. It's rained most of
the day, but the sun is out now and it's almost 60 degrees! Maybe I
can get out and take some fun pictures tonight with my "precious" ;)
Couple more weeks and it should be like this all the time! YAY SPRING!

Aftermath

Well, it's been 24 hours.

My heart is so heavy, I feel it may collapse.

While it did not happen at my kid's school, we are a neighboring town
and kid's get all emotional and do irrational things. Therefore, as of
yesterday at 9am, our schools are in lockdown as well. There were at
least 4 or 5 police officers milling about at the high school where I
dropped J off this morning.

As time passes, more and more information is made available. One child
passed away yesterday mid-morning. Another was placed on life support
yesterday afternoon, and pronounced brain dead around 4pm yesterday.
This morning, his parents made the hard choice of taking him off the
life support. He died shortly there after. We have just heard a 3rd in
in critical condition and things don't look good.

I was heart broken after Colombine 13 years ago. Now? As a parent? I
am devistated. I can't help think "What if it were my kids? Our
school?" and then I don't want to let them out of the door. But, I
have to. I have been praying non-stop for Bee and his brother who both
graduated from Chardon and are taking this very hard. Most of our
friends are either from there, or still reside there raising their
families. I have been praying for all the citizens of Chardon who are
now have their sleepy, safe little town forever on the map. Their
community has been rocked to it's foundation. I pray for the families
of the victims who's children will forever be changed, and for two
families, will never come home from school. I also pray for T.J. Lane
(the shooter) and his family. They too, have suffered a loss. Their
child will not be coming home from school either, but for a different
reason. They must suffer alone as a community comes together.

I am wearing my black and red in support, today....

As for my kids. Little man is for the most part, unaffected. They did
not tell the little ones. I am assuming today they will talk about it
a little bit since they have all had a chance to come home and talk to
mom and dad first. C, was upset and a little scared, but had questions
most of all, and J...well she was most upset. I figured as much, since
she is older. She also tends to hang out with loner types and I think
it may have hit home for her. She was upset for another reason as
well. Her best friend is a student at Chardon. When she finally got a
hold of her yesterday, T told her that she was sitting at the table
right next to the table the shooter was sitting at. She was sitting
facing him, so when he stood up, drew his pistol, and started
shooting, she had a front row seat. T is not doing very well. She
can't sleep. Can't eat, and can't stop crying. Her brother, was good
friends with the young man who was just taken off life support today.
He would have been sitting next to him at that table had he not made
it all the way to the cafeteria, only to have to turn back because he
had left something in his locker. He made it back in time to see the
boy stand up and shoot his friend.

My kids are good kids. My kids live in a good neighborhood and attend
a good school. Just like Chardon. In fact, it is a LOT like Chardon.
They shouldn't have to be afraid to go to school. No kid should.

Tragedy

About 8 minutes down the road from me is a sleepy little farm town
called Chardon. It's a beautiful little town with an old timey town
square where the Maple Fest is held every March (they are known for
their Maple trees), old victorian homes, farmland, and a great school
system. In fact, both sets of Grandparents of my kids live there and
Bee graduated from there. When we moved two years ago, we almost moved
there. It was a quiet and safe community.

Until today.

At 7:30am two armed kids walked into the cafeateria and fired 5 shots
before fleeing. 5 kids were hurt. 1 is currently in stable condition,
while the other 4 are in critical condition. As of now, both shooters
are in custody.

This rocks my world on several levels. One, I was a senior in high
school when colombine happened. I remember crying in my 8th period
class. So close to summer and graduation and some would never get to
expierence it. Two, as a parent, my heart hurts for any parent whose
child goes there...let alone the victim's parents. Three, as the
parent of a child who is..different...and not "popular" and tends to
surround herself with loner trenchcoat type kids, my heart breaks for
the parents who have to get that call that their child..their precious
baby, caused all this. Especially, in a small town.

However, today's events only futher enforce my belief that we need to
keep score at peewee soccer and football games. Go back to making kids
try out for teams instead of just allowing anyone to play. Give real
grades to kindergardeners. Parents neex to STOP stepping in and
resolving their children's conflicts. Kids NEED to experience
injustice ans unfairness early on because guess what? Life is unfair.
At 18 you are an adult and the world is a brutal place. Kids grow up.
Kids tease. Kids bully. It's natural. I am certainly NOT saying it
should be left uncheckecked, but some is normal and some is ok. It
teaches our children conflict, how to deal with and process it, and
how to get over it. Right now, we are sending them out into a world
without a thick skin and the proper tools to deal.

And then some kid brings a gun to school and shoots up the place.
And we blame the media and musicians.
We are directing the blame to the wrong places....

Do me a favor. Hug your kids extra tight. Love on them and kiss them,
and tell them how special they are.....and tell them "no" from time to
time....even if there is no reason for it.

As Bee tells our 3 all the time, "being fair only means everyone is as
equally miserable"

Splish Splash!

Little man waited very patiently, and finally..FINALLY we had his birthday party! I know we are two months late, but I was out of town for a week, we were busy, and the pool was booked...but finally the date arrived!! I'd say he had a great time ;) As of now, him  and his bff are sleeping in the mudroom under their sweet tent :)

"Epic"

I have three kids in my house. 18, 11, and 9. New trends often start at the top. The high school kids start saying or doing something, and then it filters down. Usually, to siblings, who then take it to school and start saying/doing the "new" thing with their friends, who pick up on it and so on.

About 8 months ago, my 18 year old started saying everything was "epic".

"That was soooo epic!" "It was be really epic if I could get my own car"  "It was, Epically, the best day of my life!"

Then, the 11 year old (who is "popular") picked up on it and all of her and her little girlfriends started saying it too. All you would hear at the basketball games and practices was how this was epic, and that was epic etc, etc..

Now, waay after the fact the the older kids have deemed "epic" so last month!"  it has made it's way to my 9 year old's age group. Just like all things, 9 year old's are not too good with judging when they are overdoing it. Every other word out of their mouth is "Epic", and it annoys the other kids who tell them "You don't even know what epic is!"

It's an  Epically Epic situation....  ;)

Technology Hates Me..

Now my phone won't let me post either....GAH!

I am working on it...

Until then...

REC Basketball is done!!! C's team was the 5-6th grade girls Champion!!
Little Man's Team made it to the Semi-Finals!

Now we just have travel....and Hockey...and Football....and Flag football...and soon, Soccer ;)

I have not passed on...

So, here's the thing.... I hate with the powers of the heat from 1000 suns, this new blogger setup. I am busy, busy, busy and can update mainly from my work computer. However, the new setup is not compatable with my work browser.....and I can't update the browser. Soooo my little blog is suffering.

I have a ton of stuff to say, tons of pictures to upload, and I just generally miss my blog. Right now, I haven't been home for more an hour at a time because of basketball for both kids, travel basketball for C, flag football for Bee, Hockey for Bee, and now semi pro is gearing up. Basketball is coming to an end, but we get two weeks off before soccer starts.

I don't mind being busy, at all. In fact, I like it! However, it doesn't leave a lot of room for downtime at home. Until I get the browser thing figured out, I am going to try and post from home...or at the very least, from my phone like I am doing now. Who knows, that,might work out even better than before! My life is already spent on this phone as it is haha! Until later....

My Precious!

I got my new camera!! I love it! It's a cannon EOS Rebel Ti1.Now, I can take the good quality pictures I have always wanted to :)

When I got back...

I got back from Indiana on Friday afternoon. Bee and I celebrated by going to a late lunch together before the kids got home from school :) Afterwards, we just hung out as a family.

On Saturday, the kids had basketball as usual. C's team had two wins and Little Man's team lost             :( However, they would have tied, but in the last 2.5 seconds they got the ball and the little boy on his team who had the ball thrown to him (indecently, the best player on the team) got excited, and turned behind him and tore to the hoop and shot it and made the basket!! Unfortunately, it was the opposing teams basket. Since it was good, they points go to the other team. :( Oh well, everyone makes mistakes as the little guy told me. Good news is we got their basketball pictures! :)

Afterwards, we came home and Bee and I got ready for his flag game. After he got done getting his behind handed to him, we went out to dinner with our friends Rob and Amy for Rob's birthday. We went to Hibachi and then out for some drinks afterwards. It was a lot of fun :) Sunday we hung out at the house and I CLEANED my house. Like, REALLY cleaned it,  and then we headed out to Bee's Hockey Game. All in all, it was a great relaxing weekend :)

They had the same hands..

Well, a lot has happened since I updated last.

First, there was a HUGE snow storm...When I say HUGE, I mean HUGE! Quite literally, we got 3 1/2 feet over night. That was Saturday the 14th.  The kids had their basketball games canceled and Bee and I spent the day snow blowing and shoveling.

Then, when we were done, it was time to do it all over again. We came in for the night just in time to see that I had to missed called from my cousin Tony in Indiana, and a missed text message status update from Face Book from my cousin Allison (Tony's sister) that said "pray for him". Instantly, I knew that Tony's call was not good news.

When I called my cousin back, I found out that my uncle had passed away suddenly. This was no bueno. My aunt, who is sick and has dementia, she was supposed to go first! We were prepared for that. I didn't know what my work would give me in the was of time off, but I knew I had to go. Mom didn't have the money to go, sister couldn't get the time from work, and my dad didn't have the money or the means to get from Tucson.

Work made me take all of my own time, but whateves. I shopped for groceries like a mad woman, cleaned and prepared my family as much as possible, then kissed my lovey and my hive good-bye on Tuesday morning around 6am and headed on down 71S. I had an uneventful drive (other than all the rain. My word,  the rain!) and arrived around 1:30pm. My cousin Brian was bummed my dad couldn't make it, and when he heard that my dad was really upset about not making it, he immediately booked him a round trip flight! I got to see my dad! He came in on Tuesday night and hung out with my cousins and I.

Wednesday we had the viewing. We were there from 2pm until almost 10pm. It was a long day. A long day of hundreds of people I didn't know telling me who they were and how they were somehow related in some way. My uncle didn't even look like him, and I kind of found myself feeling sad. However, sad for my cousins and their loss. Sad for my dad. Also, sad because I realized, I didn't even know him that well :( I decided right then and there, that it's Bee's and my duty to make sure our kids see their relatives. I don't want them to be standing at a casket of an uncle 20 years from now not knowing that person. I finally did cry when I saw my dad touching the arm of my uncle and I realized, they had the same hands :( That honestly, was the most profound thing. I will always remember that.

Picture my uncle painted

another one...

Sign The Guestbook..

another painting

Marengo

Marengo

Marengo's one and only street

The Quary

Poppy at the mouth of the Quary

3/4 of my extended family

Thursday was the funeral. We were late. It was nice. My aunt made a fool of herself. She has a painkiller problem and she got into her pills. She was passing out for the whole thing. Thankfully, people just thought she was overcome with emotion...the grave site service was an hour's drive away and my dad said he would rather stay in the little town where he grew up and wait for everyone to come back for the reception dinner. We killed time by grabbing a bite at a small diner, and then he took me around and showed me the town he grew up in I have been there many times before, but it's been awhile) and we visited the house he grew up in. Afterwards, we went to the the church hall that my uncle built and had a very nice dinner with people who knew him well and loved him. Then, I said my goodbyes and went back to Tony's house where I sat with him and did some big time catching up :) Till 2am ;) I left Friday morning at 6am and was home by 1pm. I spent the rest of the night attached to the hip of my Bee. I missed him so much and he missed me :)




This all just reaffirmed to me how important my family is. I need to just spend more time with the extended part of mine and make sure my kids do too!

(I have more pictures to post, but my phone is being weird and Bee is playing his game and pictures eat the wi-fi..)