People on the path

It was a week of ups and downs here on the ranch.  I'm trying REAL hard to live in the moment and am honestly finding myself less stressed and able to enjoy some of the little things that I would have normally missed.  I'm getting involved in some wonderful projects and meeting the neatest people by living now instead of carrying the baggage from mistakes made in the past!!

Carrie and her family were on vacation at the beginning of the week and, while I missed them immensely, I was glad that they were able to get away and spent some time off the beaten track.  The kids both called me on their way home to tell me how much fun they had 4-wheeling and going to a zoo in the UP.  I asked what else that they did but whatever it was, it wasn't as memorable as those experiences.  They took some wonderful pictures of the fun they had that Manny insisted I come and view as soon as they got home.  I loved the ones of them 'mudding' and the look of shear joy on Manny and CeCe's faces.

I was so busy that I missed my Konner bonding time and am hoping that I'll have some time soon to make up for it.  I've checked Christie FB pictures and get this really cool loving feeling in my chest whenever I see his little smiling face.  What a joy it is to have this little guys in our lives.  He's proof of the power of prayer, belief, and hope. 

Thursday I had lunch with a woman that I met during my job hunting journey.  It was weird how we met -- I thought that for sure I'd get a job right away so I sat at the far table during the workshop we attended.  The people at the other tables seemed pretty engaged, but I felt pretty comfy just by myself.  Cathy approached my table and asked if she could join me and we immediately shared our stories and bonded.  She directed me to the Crosswalk program at Elmbrook Church where I met people who have changed my life:  Wayne Breitbarth with his LinkedIn enthusiasm which led to Dick Dassow with his mission work passion.  Cathy hasn't found a position yet, but has spent a great deal of time volunteering in various capacities and learning just what she wants in this next chapter of her journey.  I am eager to spend time with her again -- for some reason I feel that we were supposed to meet.

After lunch I spent some quality time with CeCe, learning about all the fun she had on her vacation and going to our favorite store, JoAnn Fabrics.  I picked up a 'Jennie' knitting kit for her at a rummage sale so we sorted out the yarn and got a step-by-step book on how to use this cool thing.  She picked out some gorgeous yarn for her next project but at the last minute decided on some modeling clay and a bead project.  So, I'm not sure if she's as excited about the 'Jennie' as I am -- it happens!

We grabbed a McD's shake, I dropped her off and went to school.  I got there early and chose a spot closest to the building so I could pull out quickly.  During my break I saw an odd congregation of students situated by the front door; I poked my head through the crowd to see what they were watching and was completely overwhelmed with the flood that enveloped the whole road and was rising up to the doors of the building!  It occurred to me that if this area was flooded, what would the parking lot look like?  I ventured out only to find my car swallowed by the stream of rushing water with my car sitting in the middle of it!  I waded into the knee-deep water to see if I could move my car to higher ground but it wouldn't start.  Yuck.  I called Gregg at home only to find out that he was out rescuing Carrie who's car was also swallowed by the flood.  He got her car started but the noise it made indicated worse problems.  Gregg did make it out to school and was able to get my car started and moved -- luckily it didn't make the same noise but was quite saturated.  I mopped it out at home and drove it to my breakfast meeting on Friday and to work, listening to the slushing water every time it stopped.  The electrical system was so wet that the door locks and truck continued to go up and down.

My Friday meeting certainly made up for the mess the night before!  I met with Pam and Karen, from Simple Hope, and Kelly from Graebel.  I had this crazy idea that perhaps Graebel could help with their warehousing and shipping needs, and was surprised when Kelly thought it just might work!  Pam was so excited that she was shaking when we embraced after the meeting was over. 

God DOES put the right people in our paths at the right times . . . Cathy, Wayne, Dick, Pam, and Karen.  I'm pretty sure if I hadn't been on my 'living in the moment' mantra I'd have missed them.  It'll be interesting to see where this path will lead me, stay tuned!