We are of peace. Always.

Oh, man, I’ve been so negative lately. Let me take a few minutes to talk about the OTHER stuff that’s going on in my life.

It has been simply amazing to see the transformation in our home in the last several weeks. It’s been easier to see that Scott and Kristi are actually friends. Well, most of the time. They ARE still brother and sister, after all :D

Christmas was a time I feared because drama doesn’t usually mix well with family celebration. Oh, wait, I guess that’s actually an oxymoron, right? Seriously, when there is peace, when there is no anger swirling around, when there is no one standing by to dash the feelings of the 13 y/o boy and 11 y/o girl, it’s amazing what comes to the surface. Sure, we’re still puzzling over how to get Scott to learn the lesson about appropriate behavior in class, but he’s a pretty awesome kid, so it’s easy to forgive him.

We, of course, are having a little landlord drama over moving out of our too-large, too-expensive home, but it will all be a thing of the past fairly soon, and we have a hunch that THEIR financial troubles are coloring how they are behaving towards us. Oh, and he’s a lawyer, so that would add to the mix.

As Darryl pointed out, we are all healthy. We love each other and really like to hang out. Scott and Kristi love nothing more, it seems, than hanging out with us in our room watching TV. We have great pets who give us all the unconditional love our hearts could desire. Each of us (Darryl and me, that is) has a great job for which we have worked really hard to qualify. His allows him to be paid while helping those who really need help. My job is less touchy-feely, but it feels tremendously good to be able to finish editing a job barely half an hour after I first took it because it was taken down so cleanly in the first place.

Scott has been flourishing with his French horn. Jeremy (his private instructor) tells us that he’s a good player but not a great player, though he has the potential to be. He just needs to decide if he really wants to be serious about it. I have a hunch that decision is just around the corner. He also had a long talk with his guidance counselor who is really great with him. Even though he’s only in 7th grade (halfway done with the year), he’s excited about all the educational opportunities awaiting him in high school. Keep your fingers crossed, because I echo the counselor who said that he thinks we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg of Scott’s academic achievement.

Kristi is just about the sweetest person I know. What 11 y/o do you know who is so compassionate that she not only offers foot rubs, but she takes the time to assure her loved ones that she appreciates them and whatever they do for her? I rarely, maybe almost never, get any negative feedback when I ask her to do anything. I actually have to remind myself to NOT ask her to do too much, because it would be very easy to take advantage of that cooperative nature. Her kindness to me makes me want to make sure I am patient and kind with her. What a concept. Imagine if we all did that.

Last night I drove Darryl down to Thornburg to run with Spotsy. I stopped at the store on the way home to pick up things for dinner, made it home around 6:30, and quickly made dinner while Scott, Kristi, and I made our lunches for today. We were at the table by 7 and had finished cleaning up by 7:30. Kristi was marveling at how efficient we all were. I was secretly marveling at how much more efficient everyone/everything is.

Aaron’s been very helpful in the preliminary stages of our move. In fact, all three of the kids have really stepped up, which makes my huge task seem less burdensome. We need to get this done more quickly than we had planned, so I hope to also come up with some energy and motivation. ::Negativity alert:: Have I ever mentioned how much I hate moving? At least the packing part. Unpacking is not a problem.

Speaking of Aaron, we are hoping to hear soon from the Woodrow Wilson school that he should begin attending this year. He hopes to get advanced training in either IT or auto mechanics. Frankly, his knowledge of computers now is almost frightening, so I hope that’s the direction he heads. Everyone needs a computer genius (I promise, I am not making this up) in the family!

I love you all, my friends and family. I hope that you will continue to listen to my whines and support me with your prayers, as I will you.