Tamara Lowe at Christ Fellowship

Wow Has it been that long? since I've updated my blog?

Well, I guess time really does get away from you. I didn't think it had been 9 months since my last entry but I guess it has been.

So where do I begin? Maybe just a small tidbit from the past few months would be best.

Let's see???!!!!!

July was a celebration of Little Nick's 7th birthday (his first with us in the States) and the 4th of July of course.

Then we had the beginning of another school year for the kids. Mason is now a Junior in High School and Jesse is at ASU in her 2nd year of college. They are both doing well and I am very proud of them.

By November we had Thanksgiving. The kids and I traveled to WV to spend the holiday with my family. It was a wonderful visit and we never get enough time.

Then came Christmas and it was just as good as Thanksgiving. (aren't you just loving all the details I am giving ya'll? LOL.


Now for the past 4 months. In a nut shell, Kenny and I have been able to spend several weekends together and in the past 2 months Kenny got a brand new truck and then last week we got him a new Harley Davidson for his 50th birthday (which isn't until May 1st)

Ohhh and how could I forget.....Jesse got a new puppy (Harley Rae) and we have built her
a nice pen. Very large.

There you go! The shortest update for 9 months ever...:)

Schools out for Summer!!

School may be out for the summer, but I am still trudging along at work at the high school. Each year I find it harder and harder to work in the summer when all the teachers and other secretaries are off enjoy their summer. Oh, well, I was the one who wanted the 12 month contract when I took the job 7 years ago. I do long for the day that they may consider cutting my contract to 9 1/2 months. But I don't see that happening anytime soon.

So now that summer is here, so is the heat. Triple digits already. Being the outdoor person that I am, I find myself happy to have the sun shining and beating down. It is hard to spend all day behind a desk in air conditioning and then going outside to work in the yard but a little heat won't stop the farm girl at heart.

As for what is going on in the Coleman household, well, let's see. We celebrated Kenny and Mason's birthday's the first part of May. And Jesse's birthday this week.

This past weekend, all of us were able to take off work and visit Kenny for Father's Day. We had a great time and did some summer site seeing too. We saw the World's Largest Catsup Bottle which is really a water tower in Collinsville, IL only 6 miles from Kenny's apartment. I have been going to visit Kenny in Edwardsville, IL almost every weekend. It has been fun. The kids are both working. Mason is working full time this summer for the school on the remodel crew and Jesse is still working at the Law Firm and taking summer classes at the University. I am proud of both of them. It leaves them little time to be with Kenny and I and that takes it toll on me. I miss the days that they needed me. But I am dealing and trying to find my new role.
I have taken to birdwatching in the past month. Something that Kenny has done for years. I figured it would give us something to do together even though we are far apart. It has turned out to be a true source of enjoyment for me.

Not much else going on right now. I have a new website on Shutterfly.com so I am debating whether to shut this one down and only do the one or try to keep up with both of them. If anyone has a suggestion, please comment. My other website is http://uglyshoes.shutterfly.com/#.

I hope you all have a wonderful summer!!!

Kenny's new "HOME AWAY FROM HOME"

Once again, Kenny's job has created another move for him. He loves to move to a new jobsite and meet new people and dive into new challenges. I, on the other hand, find it a bit overwhelming. But his love of 'new', makes working with this company the ideal job for him.

His latest endeavor is in Wood River, IL> He is working on the expansion project at the refinerary there.

About 5 weeks ago we went to St Louis (which is about 23 miles from Wood River, IL) to look for him a place to live. Thanks to Priceline.com we were able to stay at a 4 star hotel in St. Louis for 5 nights while we got to know the area and look for housing for Kenny. It was a great getaway for us.

We finally found an apartment in Edwardsville, IL. It is a nice little place that has a wooded area in the back where Kenny can feed his birds and enjoy viewing some woodland creatures. lol.

I have been able to go up to spend the weekend with Kenny for the past 4 weekends. The kids are busy with school and their jobs that they haven't been up there yet. But we are all planning on going to spend the weekend the 1st weekend in April.

Kenny and I have got to spend some much needed quality time together. This job keeps us apart so much that sometimes we don't get a chance to talk about anything but kids and household matters. But this has allowed us some intimate time where we can talk about other things and get to know each other again.

Life is definitely good at this point. There was a time a few months ago that I wondered if I would ever feel happy again. But I am now getting used to Jesse being in college and Mason working and being out alot with his friends. In other words, I am embracing my alone time and learning alot about myself.

I will probably stay home this weekend and catch up on some much needed house cleaning.

Update

It has been a long time since I made an entry to this blog. Alot has happened in that time and I really don't know how to get it all down in writing. The highlights of the past couple of months are the best I can do.

Christmas has come and gone and we had a very enjoyable holiday season. The kids and I made a trip to WV to spend a week with my family. We LOVE to go to WV and spend time there. It is very relaxed and it seems that the stress and pressures of my daily life melt away while I am there in the place that I grew up. I only have good memories of my growing up and I hope that one day when my kids grow up they will be able to say the same thing. I was able to visit with all of my family except one sister who was unable to get off of work to come in while I was there. I hope to see her this summer if I am fortunate enough to make another visit then. I also visited with several friends that I had not seen in many years. It was refreshing to talk and catch up.

We then came back home to Searcy and I spent the night at home and then headed to Port Arthur, TX to spend a week with my husband while the kids stayed at home. It was the first time that the kids stayed home by themselves for longer then 3 days. They enjoyed it and had a New Year's Eve party. Kenny and I got to spend some much needed time together and ring in the new year together for the first time in 10 years. We went to Houston, TX one day. I had never been so Kenny thought it would be fun. And it was.

This past week brought tragedy to our family in the form of an unexpected death. I will not go into details as it is hard to think about right now. But all of our lives are changed and will continue to change this year as things settle down into a normal state but I will say that for that to happen it is going to take several months. Keep all of us in your prayers as we go through this very difficult time.

Kenny was home this past week as we dealt with the death and left to go back to work on Saturday morning. As luck would have it, his truck wouldn't start. He had bought a new battery the day before and put it on. He had also bought some new battery terminals and was going to put them on when he got back to Port Arthur, TX. So he ended up taking my Highlander and I ended up changing the battery terminals. I must say, I was very impressed with myself. (although to be quite honest, it is one of the easiest things to fix on a vehicle). So I spent all day yesterday washing and cleaning the truck.

Well, that is what has been going on in my life (in a nut shell) the past couple of months. I truly hope that everyone has a wonderful New Year and is blessed with good health and happiness all year long.

Phase II

I don't know how many of you have been married 20 years to the same person, but I am here to tell you that it is a wonderful accomplishment. Kenny and I were married 20 years ago yesterday. Hard to believe that much time has gone by. We are very proud of our accomplishment. But it has not always been all sunshine and roses. Marriage is a fulltime job of sorts. It goes through many stages and twists and turns. Hills and valleys. Sorrow and happiness. It is all in how you decide to handle each of those stages that will determine the outcome. Love does not always conquer all. Kenny and I have seen many stages in the past twenty years. (and let me tell you, there are times that both of us wanted to throw our hands up and say, "That's it, I'm done. I can't do this any more") I am glad that we decided to push on and overcome whatever struggle we were going through. We are now at a stage of having an empty nest in the next couple of years and we hardly know each other. We have concentrated so much on being parents that we forgot to be husband and wife. It is hard to suddenly not have to worry so much about the kids. We are finding it difficult to communicate as individuals. We don't even know what our interests are any more. We have come to the conclusion that we are going to have to just start from scratch and try to learn about each other all over again. In a way, that alone is very exciting. almost like dating and getting to know the person. There are unlimited possiblities as to what we will learn. We love each other and are looking forward to starting the 'rest of our lives ' together. (Phase II) :)

vacation long over due

On Thursday of last week, I got in my highlander and headed to Port Arthur, TX to spend a few days with Kenny. As most of you know, my husband works there and lives in an apartment there. We don't see alot of him and since Hurricane Ike tore thru there, it has been impossible for Kenny to get any time off to come home. Anyway, it was a wonderful trip despite it raining the entire 10 hour drive there. Once there, I was able to relax and just enjoy spending time talking and sightseeing with Kenny. We drove around the area looking at the devastation from the Hurricane. It is amazing to me how quickly the people there gather up their lives and start the rebuilding process. It is also amazing to me that alot of them will rebuild in areas that are constantly threatened by severe weather. Whatever their reasoning, it is amazing to see them continue to get on with their lives.

There was debris every where you looked. But for the most part, the majority of the destruction was carried back out to sea leaving behind 'nothing'.

I was also able to meet some of Kenny's friends and coworkers. We went out to eat with a couple that he works with and ended up staying out later then we have in years. We shared alot of stories and laughes. I had fun and am so glad I was able to go.

I cleaned Kenny's apartment as I always do when I go visit him. He keeps it clean but isn't the greatest at dusting. lol.

The kids stayed at home (Jesse was on Fall Break from college so she came home and stayed with Mason) I think they had an ok time. I am fortunate to be able to have two kids that I can trust.