Constant reminders in life; What is a Friend?

friend  (frnd)

n.

1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.

2. A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.

3. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.

4. One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement: friends of the clean air movement.

5. Friend A member of the Society of Friends; a Quaker.

tr.v. friend·ed, friend·ing, friends

1. To add (someone) as a friend on a social networking website.

2. Archaic To befriend.

Sometimes we need a friend, sometimes we are a friend, and someone times we are reminded of who are friends really are.  I am not generally one of those people that says just anyone is my "friend". I love days when friendships are truly validated.  When you see actions or hear words that remind us why you love that person and value them in your life!  

Today was one of those days for me.  I have been so stressed and exhausted from the move and job search that I have not taken time to appreciate all the little things and be thankful for those I hold dear to me.  I have some of the best friends one could ask for.  Some friends I do not get to see as often as I would like, but when we are granted the opportunity we pick right back up as if a day has not passed.  

When I left my job at Scott Elementary last week I did not tell anyone goodbye.  The relationships I have forged with these women since 2009 are not all just work.  They were all part of the scariest time of my life and their support, love and prayers were invaluable.  I did not want to say goodbye because I am determined to maintain those relationships.  I know that it is hard to maintain friendships when you are not near each other every day. 

 Although I am not as good at it as I would like to be, I have tried to maintain communication with my friends from Kansas.  As we grow older and raise our children we tell stories of our childhoods... I wish my kids got to spend time with those I shared these memories with.  Just the other day I was showing them pictures of me, Elizabeth and Kasi showing sheep at the County Fair. They also saw pictures of me, Erin and Kim competing in our very first pageant.  These stories and pictures reminded me to reach out and connect with these people soon, because it had been too long! Thank goodness for Facebook!!

So, this summer I have a plan.  For starters, I am going to work on keeping in better touch with those I do not see often.  I am going to make sure that my friends here in Arkansas know I appreciate them for being a part of my life and that I do not take their friendship or support for granted.  Take a moment to appreciate your friends this summer!

Moving brings soooo many things out of me....

Well, my children and I are officially making the move back to White Hall, Arkansas!  Although I am very excited for what this next chapter in our life will bring, moving is about to do me in.  We are moving in to a house my parents own, and it is very old!  I love old houses, I think they have a ton of character.  But, to bring back some of its original charm (and shed some yuck) we decided to refinish the hard wood floors.  For anyone that has taken on this job themselves, you know exactly where I am going with this.  There is a reason people charge thousands of dollars to do this job... IT IS AWFUL!!!

In an effort of saving myself tons of $$ and to get to have the pride of saying "we did it"  I decided to tackle this job with the help of some of my loved ones.  Matt, his Dad, my brother, my Mom and myself have spent the past two weeks ripping out carpet, pulling tack strips and staples, and now sanding.  My hands are cut, my fingers hurt, and every time I blow my nose it is full of saw dust. Yes, I am a whiner. These floors best be beautiful I tell ya!!

Working all week and dedicating months of weekends to moving is not only taking its toll on me physically, but emotionally as well I have decided.  I am becoming irritated, stressed and panicked!  Although I know everything that has to be finished to move in will be complete in time, it still hasn't prevented me from experiencing all of the above mentioned emotions.  Not to mention I am a teacher, and this is by far the busiest time of year for me with records and portfolios.  Oh, and did I fail to mention I have to pack up my classroom as well???  Since I am not returning to Scott next year this requires me to pack up the past 3 years of my classroom stuff.  It's official, I am insane.

So I guess the point of all this is that I am in serious need of prayer and patience right now.  I am trying my best to go with the flow but that does not always come easy to me.  I will be thankful to be finally living in one house, not in between two.  I am looking forward to being close to Matt and right down the road from my Mom and Dad (I hope they share this excitement!).  And most importantly, I really hope my health cooperates with me... I really don't have time for a flare up or vision problem right now! So... "say a little prayer for me!" Project for this weekend... Move Matt to his new house and staining my floors.  Pictures and update soon!


Here are some photos of our projects....

 

Round #1 of Sanding in the Living Room

 (you can see how dark they started over by my Mom's feet)

Round #2 Sanding - Dining Room

Finished Sanding - Dining Room (trim not complete yet!)

Spring, Kids, Health & Fun!

I hope that everyone is enjoying Spring!! Here in Arkansas we decided to skip winter so it has been Spring-like for several months now.  I am just hoping this is not an indicator that we are going to have a miserable summer.

Many things are going very well for my little family right now.  The twins are wrapping up the 1st Grade and I am happy to report they both made the Honor Roll again this week.  If they could just quit talking back to their Momma all would be grand! We are also preparing to move to a new house down the street from my parents.  Although it has been a lot of hard work, we are all very excited about the move.

My health has also stabilized pretty well right now.  I had a severe "flare" a few days after Christmas that left me without vision for over a week.  However, they were able to clear up the blood and scar tissue to enable my vision to return.  We still do not have all of the answers as to "why" these bleeds occur, but one answer we do have is that it is associated with inflammation.  Ironically though, this flare occurred in my right eye.  The right eye has been quiet since my onset in Aug. 2010.  I guess it was feeling neglected and needed some attention!! So, I have had 2 surgeries to repair the damage from this "flare".  January 6 and April 16.  I have healed up fine though and am doing great!

Matt and I have been busy planning a summer trip.  My children have never been on what they consider a vacation before.  Whenever we have time away from school we usually visit my sister in KC or go to our Lake House.  But they want a car ride, hotel stay and the whole nine yards! So, I am excited to make that happen this summer.  I am pretty sure we are going to Branson to see some shows and play at Silver Dollar City.  I also think Horseback riding will be a must on the to-do list.  Kennedy is fascinated with horses these days. 

My last bit of business to report is that I have joined the Thirty-One team!! If you are not familiar with Thirty-One, it is amazing organizational products, purses, totes and thermal bags.  They make everything fun by adding the personal touch with embroidery or laser etching.  I have been a consultant for almost a month and it has been a lot of fun!  I decided to give this opportunity a try to help with some of my medical expenses and compensate for so many missed days of work & I will admit that I am already hooked!  If you would like to see the products, here is my link:

www.mythirtyone.com/sarahbrooke/

I hope everyone is enjoying the weather!!  I will be posting some of my flowers soon... they are almost all in bloom!!  Take care & love the life you live.

Sarah

Luke & Kennedy enjoying the first boat ride of the year!