Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Mid Life Crisis???

Aloha friends!

All these years I used to think that the term midlife crisis was simply a title people who were in their forties would use to describe a bad decision and was basically a bunch of bunk! However, as a forty year old wife of a Senior Chief who is a CMC, mother of four teenagers, Director of a CDC, and Director of the Children's ministry who is also working on her Masters...I believe it is true!

OMG!!! With all the stress and pressure I have in my life right now I feel like I just may lose my mind (although I refuse to lose the mind of Christ) Let's see where do I begin? Well we are up for orders again...well we really aren't...but have been given a harsh nudge in the direction of picking a boat, as there is going to be a major shifting of senior leadership here on the waterfront beginning at the Force Master Chief and working its way down. This means that there are going to be several COB billets opening up on the waterfront, and they are going to need them filled. So we begin the process of having to choose a boat to be our family for three years. Those of you who have been following me for years, or are close friends know that this is no easy task....for Rick....he checks the schedule, the crew, the upcoming changes in command...and a whole host of other things that he will review. He will change his mind at least 400 times, making all of us crazy. Oh, and let me add that now he is also scrambling to finish his Bachelors before he goes to another command...which means he is cramming way to much homework into a small window. All while attempting to complete all the projects in the house he wanted to complete before he was deployable. I have begun to hate Home Depot!

Four teenagers...I have no idea where to begin on that one! Brittany is doing really well in college...after a rough start and the possibility of loosing her scholarship and she loves her job. However, she is struggling with passing her road test! Three times and still no luck! Joshua turned 17 Monday and Rick refuses to let him get his license until he shows some maturity (ummm...does this mean I should revoke Rick's license???) He has a job...at Mom's Soul Food Kitchen...the white boy is cooking your soul food:-) He is faithful to his responsibilities to include the Usher Board, his job, school, and of course his beloved football! I really am proud of how he is committed and responsible to the things in his life...I just wish he would be nice to the people he lives with. He is so incredibly grouchy! The alarming thing is that he really is not engaged in this whole I am graduating from high school in a year thing...so I am going to have to take the reigns on that one...because I refuse to have him at home everyday playing Xbox in his underwear! Becca is very passionate about REAL an anti-tobacco movement and speaks in the senate to the representatives of Hawaii and does interviews for local news shows. Zachary is still playing football..tackle...flag does not matter to him. He was in the symphonic band but gave up on it.

All of the above have one thing in common....they need a ride where ever they go. They take the bus every once in a while but for the most part I am their driver! Add to that the stress of raising four people who are starting to spread their wings and want their independence...but still need guidance...guidance they don't want. Don't forget to throw in a Senior Chief that would like to see our home run like a submarine...and his children to act and listen like his adult sailors do....this is a recipe for disaster my friends. Most days I feel like a a referee!!!

I love my job....but the Good Lord knows that there are days where people take me to the edge of the brink. Working within the military community has its challenges...we are undergoing major budget cuts and deployments, the whole lifestyle is extremely stressful and that stress comes out in different forms...often times we see it as when we are getting screamed at when we ask a parent to pick a sick child up, or we enforce a major regulation...we try not to take it personally...but after so many times in the day it starts to wear on you. We are also renovating our building. This means I have to move all of my staff and children to another building for six months. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Well, in doing this I am cutting my spaces down and cutting my hourly program down a two thirds...which is scary because I cannot keep up with the demand now. My staff is stressed because we will be combining some rooms for the move and there are a lot of things up in the air. I can't blame them, at the same time I have no answers for them right now either, so I pray they can hang on for a while with the unknown. I have an awesome staff...and I think that there may only be four or five who hate me as opposed to the entire building...progress!

I have 13 months left in my Masters program and honestly this program is easier than I thought it would be. However, because and I are both in school we often take turns driving to football games and other activities so the other one can do homework in the truck. Children's Ministry is great, although I took a break fro a while it seems that we are back on track and so is the rest of the ministry.

I have come to the conclusion that we need a maid...because my kids already think we do! I am tired of cleaning up after grown people. I can clean all day Saturday and by Sunday evening they have trashed the place. I don't know how many times I can say the same dang thing...clean your room, get your stuff out of the front hall way, do your dishes, clean your bathroom, sweep the floor.....I can't take it any more...there people are ridiculous!

So all of the above, combined with the things I have left out to protect the innocent (and my job) has made me understand that we may all be presented with a possible midlife crisis situation...HOWEVER it is how we respond to the situation that determines whether it will be later considered a crisis or a victory. It is a minute by minute decision making process...often painful. There are times I would like to walk out the front door and not look back. But when that thought occurs I need to dig deep and ask God to help me.....and eat some chocolate!

So my friends if you find yourself at the end of your rope (although after talking to the Joint Base Master Chiefs wife Friday at the Sub Ball I am no where as close to the end of my rope as I will be once he takes a boat) dig deep and embrace the mind of Christ...because while we may be going crazy...God never did or will!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

OMG!!!!

Did you ever have one of those days where if one more person made asked a stupid question...or made a stupid statement you thought you might lose your mind?

I am at the point where there are no real words to convey what I have to say. I feel like I should just shout out random thoughts. For example when an employee walks past my office late yet again...maybe I should yell in my loudest crazy person voice "YOUR LATE AGAIN!!!!" or maybe when they ask a question they already know the answer to I could say, "Do you want to retract that ridiculous question you asked or did you mean to sound that foolish?"

People refuse to take responsibility for the own stupidity....I'm ready to make them own up!

Monday, February 7, 2011

There are two people who want my job!

There are two people who want my job...Their names are Everybody and Nobody!!!!

Lets start with Everybody. You see everybody wants my job... Or what they imagine my job to be. Those who think being in charge is glamorous really want my job. They think having business cards with their name on them and an office is where it's at. Then there are those who think that all decisions I make are wrong and they could make much better ones and make everyone happy. Let's not forget those who think being in charge equals no work and plenty of free time

Let's move onto Nobody. Nobody wants to have to answer the questions when the person who the business card was given to calls. When do do want this? Where do you want this? Are willing to pay for this? And oh! The work that goes on in that coveted office. The decisions that need to be made, the budget, staffing, schedule, the angry clients... The ones that were made angry by everybody and nobody that I have to deal with. The constant stream of emails and phone calls that need to be answered...the never ending stream of paperwork piles on the desk. The decisions that need to be made...you have to weigh the regulations, customer service, the welfare of the employee, the union, and what's best for the entire picture....not just nobody. Nobody always second guesses you and tells you that you could have made a better decision....and most of the time you were put in a position to have to make a decision by everybody and nobody....because they couldn't...or wouldn't take the risk! Finally...I work 13 hour days with no lunch....while everybody and nobody make sure they get a break, a lunch, and they punch out after their 8 hours...on the dot!

So to Everybody and Nobody....you really don't want my job...you couldn't handle my job!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Blogging from my phone...

Ok so I downloaded this app to my iPhone to see if I could blog on the go...because let's gave it sometimes you just have to get it out there! This is a test run:-)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Here I am!

My husband came to me the other day and asked me if I knew the last time I blogged, was. I told him I thought it was sometime in the fall of 2009. In actuality it had been August 2009, right after I started working for the Army. He admonished me to start blogging again and I have to admit I really have missed it!
So much has happened...I don't know where to begin. Some of it would be too painful to write about and some I am still trying to figure it out, so I'll cap the highlights and post some pictures:-)
The biggest thing would that I turned 40, on October 13th. I am not one of those people who see tragedy or even loss at turning 40. Instead I see it as the next step in the journey I am on. I chose to celebrate the whole month by posting an 80's song of the day on facebook for each day of the month. We covered everyone from by beloved Bon Jovi (who we saw in concert last February here in Honolulu:-)) to even my not so favorite Phil Collins. My husband and friends threw a surprise birthday party for me...with much help from my daughters. It was extremely comical to hear their tales about pulling the party together, without me finding out. I have decided that there are things that I want from life, and that now is the time to embrace and celebrate those things, so I look towards the next decades with anticipation and excitement.
I also have moved from being a Training and Curriculum Specialist for the Army Child Youth and School Services to being a Director of one of their Child Development Centers. This center has given me some of the greatest struggles I have faced in my professional life, but also some of the greatest victories and joys. The ladies that work with me are amazing and make coming to work easy. I love what I do, I know I am walking in my calling and I am grateful to be where I am today.
I am now a mother of three teenagers and one tween who still resides as the family Dennis the Menace



In this picture we have from left to right Zachary (12), Joshua (16), Becca (15 next week), and Britt (19 who they have started calling Midge...because she is the shortest out of all of them, except Zachary who is quickly gaining on her...Joshua is a whole foot taller than she is)

We continue to spend all of our Friday nights and Saturday mornings from August to November at some sort of football field or another....with even Britt sporting the Aiea colors..shhhh don't tell those Campbell people. Britt is in her sophomore at Hawaii Pacific University, Joshua is finishing his Junior year at Aiea High School, Becca her sophomore year, and Zachary is in his first year of junior high. Rick is wrapping up his Bachelors from Wayland University and I am still pursuing my Masters in Educational Psychology from Capella University.

I feel we are coming to a time of transition in all areas of our lives....God is getting ready to do something amazing and something we could have never expected....above and beyond any of our expectations....and I am ready!