A Full Life...

Life has been so full lately free time has been limited and what down time there is has been spent sleeping.  I have to admit, if I am home and not studying, I am sleeping.  I try to keep up with loved ones, texting all the latest news but end up having to muster an apology the next day for dropping off mid-coversation.  I more often than not find I fell asleep, phone in hand, waking the next day or too early the next morning to return a text sent hours before anxiously awaiting a response.  Since being able to do more recently, I have a lot of life to live and with that, I have a lot of sleep to caught-up on so I can keep going.

So much has happened recently.  One particularly interesting event was Victoria's dream of seeing some of her favorite KPop stars in concert came true.  The poor things spent hours from early in the morning until late standing in line in hopes of snagging some free KPop concert tickets.  No one anticipated the tremendous response or the fact they would give away over 10,000 tickets to the free outdoor concert in record time leaving thousands more lamenting the fact they didn't camp out in tents in front of the bookstores overnight to be one of the first in line to assure they would get tickets.   

Our baby girl came home so disappointed each day and our hearts went out to her.   So, being the loving and caring parents we are, Josh went on and bought her a ticket to the paid concert at Madison Square Garden.  Victoria was so excited.  She was going to get to see her favorite groups in a very rare East Coast concert and get a really great seat so she could see everything.  Far better than a crowded park with no advance seating and 10,000 screaming fans.

Madison Square Garden waiting for the concert to start!

To our baby's delight, the concert was wonderful.  She enjoyed all the parts including her favorite artist, U/Know, Yunho, who even said a prayer during the concert since many of the artist are Christians and are not ashamed of their Faith.  They were for the most part clean cut and talent young men and women. Our daughters delight didn't end with the concert.  It wasn't long after standing in line for hours and being so disappointed that she was given a little reward as these stars were actually staying not in hotels near the Garden but in our building.  She got the opportunity to talk to them here and there and found out they were not just talented men and woman but also very kind and down-to-earth kids. 

A Great Seat.

Since Josh and I were not about to let our precious girl go to Madison Square Garden's all on her own, we took her to the door and dropped her off and picked her up directly after.  It was amusing to see all of the caring parents standing in the cold and rain waiting patiently as the concert went not just the first 3 hours but on to an additional 2 hour encore because of the tremendous response.

So, what do parents do for their five hour wait???  Well, I don't know about all the rest of the parent's there but Josh and I found a little restaurant and tucked ourselves away.  When we walked in, the dining room was two steps up and my chair couldn't make them so the maitre' d offered to help and lift my chair up the two steps.  It was kind but my electric scooter weight 300 pounds plus me so we opted for a little table off the bar area.  The staff was super kind and covered the table with a cloth and made it very comfortable for our long stay.  Josh and I weren't all that upset over our projected five hour wait because we were enjoying this quiet alone time that gave us time to just talk about everything!

Josh and I sat there and enjoyed Calamari fried to perfection, Josh had a Red Snapper and I had Shrimp Scampi that were tender and flavorful with sides of creamy mashed potatoes.  The end of the meal was no less perfect as we chose to enjoyed a wonderful Creme Brulee.  We took our time and ate very  slowly and savored every bite and then sat there enjoying our coffee and tea and waiting out time out.  After about four hours we decided to walk the shop and see what was around the Garden then we found ourselves in the mass of other parents waiting on our children who emerged a little before midnight with bright smiles and everyone singing under their breath.

It was one of the special memories.  Just to see your child that perfectly happy for even a moment in life makes all the effort to get her there worth every second.

And, so, life continues and being a mother, I knew our eldest son's hair had to be addressed.  He is a handsome guy, 6'2"+, blond hair and baby blue eyes but he had started to look like a mad scientist.  Although there is part of me that would love my children to stay with us forever, we know they are fast becoming adults.  One positive part to them growing-up is being able to print a picture of a haircut, write a few instructions on the side, give our son a $20 and send him to the barber.  I was thrilled to see him come back with what is affectionately now called the 'Captain America' cut.  And, since Ben fits the profile pretty closely, he looks really great in his new 'do'.

Another big job that has been waiting on us was cutting Taddington.  As you can see from the above picture, he looks cute with long hair.  I love him all puffy and soft and wanted so badly to keep him that way but it was not to be.  You see, we also have Sebbie, a 130 pound Bernese Mountain Dog and when Sebbie and Taddington play 'lovingly' together, they tend to get aggressive.  Sebbie loves to take his very wet mouth and grab Taddington, lovingly, all over causing an almost 'felting' affect on his hair which in turns creates huge mats.

Now, for a while, I can cut a few of these out.  In fact, it was almost a daily chore.  I would cut out the mats, brush him out completely and by the next day, after a period of play with his big brother, Sebbie, he was matted all over again.  After a while he began to look like he had mange.  There were big spots that were cut almost to his skin trying to extract the mats Sebbie created!  The hopes of me keeping my beautiful white coated Maltese in his long shaggy miniature Sheepdog type cut was not to be... I finally had to give in and Josh and I began to cut him down.

He was not a happy camper!!!  He didn't like the razor, which was rarely used on him before and he wasn't particularly cooperative about letting us cut around his face or trim his feet.  It was a long hour and half!  I was grateful for a strong husband who could hold the squirming mess off the table for me to get to all the necessary areas.

Now, I am in way a professional dog cutter but I figured, with what had to be done, I might as well save the money and shave him myself.  After an inch or so grows back, we will take him to be shaped but since there was no other choice but to shave him down, we did the deed ourselves.

 One unusual benefit from the cut is Taddington has suddenly become more loving.  It puzzled us for a bit until we realized, he was cold after having all his warm coat cut off.  I am going to have to get knitting and make him a little winter jacket but until then, I am enjoying the fact, he likes getting really close and snuggling to keep warm.  Maybe the new cut was a blessing in disguise and he will like snuggling more in the future!

With all my new activities, there has been a few times when the older children were busy with their lives and Josh was stuck at work but I had to travel to the city.  Normally, going into the city on my own wouldn't bother me but when you are in a wheelchair, things become more difficult.  You can do it on your own, but it is much harder when you have to watch so much all by yourself.  I am still very blessed though and for a while yet, I have one more kind-hearted child to help me.

Samuel is coming up behind his siblings and is starting to take point once in a while.  Our first trip into the city by ourselves I documented with a quick phone shot.  Samuel was so embarrassed I made him pose for the photo so commemorate this first adventure.  He had learned well from his Daddy and made sure he walked by the street side so I was protected, he took the lead everywhere we went, put through the Metro Card and called for all the elevators.  He was a perfect gentleman, protective and attentive all the way to our destination.  Josh has done another fabulous job with yet another son.  I'm a very proud mother.

So, life is full for me lately.  I am tired a lot and have to rest every second I can as I am getting use to my new more active schedule but through it all I am continually grateful for the healing I am seeing on a daily basis.  Last year at this time, I couldn't sit-up in bed; this year, I'm moving around the city and keeping up with my family.  God is a good God and I am grateful for all He does for me and my family.

May God Bless and Keep You in His Grace,
Lynne