Wall-E

Just a heads-up....this movie is great! I can't wait to watch it again. And I don't rewatch too many movies. It has romance, it has message, it has social commentary, it has music, it has laughs, it has incredible animation and an imaginative premise... I liked everything about it, even the "history of art" given in the final credits! And it is G-rated, without any over-the-kids-heads kinds of double entendres.

...About that close call

I'm finally getting pictures of what's left of his car. Today it went to the junkyard.

Another close call

Anyone who has known much about my life of the last 10 years or so will read that title and think to themselves, "I wonder what Grayson has done this time?" In that relatively short span he has had a near drowning, a skateboarding-induced brain injury, and has narrowly escaped being hit by a train. He has rolled not one but two cars while driving on the interstate, and has wrecked two others. As a pedestrian, he has been hit by a car at 50 mph. There are more incidents than these, but you get the idea. And now he is soon to be deployed as a Marine. So you will be relieved that this close call doesn't involve Grayson.

His brother Mackenzie now has the distinction of being spared death on the highway. His dad had just bought a car for him to drive three weeks ago.... it hadn't even been registered yet. Late Friday afternoon he left Greenville to join us up in Asheville NC for our family reunion. We're not sure what happened, whether he nodded off, blacked out (how he described it), or just lost concentration. He went off the road, sheared several trees and drove over a fallen tree before he T-boned straight into a large tree. The car is destroyed and the EMS personnel said that they couldn't believe he was alive. Yet he only has superficial scratches and soreness, as far as we can tell.

As a parent, I've gotten these calls so many times that I've become emotionally inured, I think. But my gray hairs keep sprouting and I keep wondering why it seems that my children have thus far survived so many incidents, when I can read any day in the paper of other children who are, in similar incidents, lost to their parents.

Because they have had these experiences, and because their siblings see all these accidents/judgment errors, our home certainly doesn't want for lack of "life lessons". Mackenzie has had more than his share of those "learning opportunities". How many more of these will it take? What important purpose do all these incidents, and resulting losses, add up to? Will life always involve phone calls from schools, from jails, from hospitals, from strangers that begin, "I think he's going to be alright, but I'm calling to let you know that your son has been involved in ... " ? And will a call come one day that doesn't have any positive news first, only sadness and regret? I can't help but think these thoughts.

Major life change

Well, the decision has been made. The confirmation has been sent. The background checks will be done tomorrow. If I pass that (and I'm not a skeleton-in-the-closet kind of gal) I will be gainfully employed. The last time I drew a paycheck Ronald Reagan was in the White House, Amadeus was on the big screen, and the first Ford Taurus was rolling off the assembly line. So you can imagine that this is a major change around here! I accepted a job at the boys' Catholic school, as the assistant director of advancement. (And for all you Office fans, that's NOT the same as "the assistant to the director of advancement".) I start in a week. I feel good about the work I'll be doing and the people I'll be working with, and the school I'll be advancing. My duties will be to orchestrate the fundraising events, to oversee parent volunteer groups, to oversee communications with donors, etc. Of course, that means an end to my art classes. But to everything there is a season -- (I can't say that without hearing that Pete Seger song say "Turn! Turn! Turn!"). I hope one day I can take at least a few more classes. Actually, I'm going to take a Photoshop workshop in August. But for now, this season of life calls for me to focus on a job.

I'm happy that I was able to find a job relatively quickly, and that the whole "homemaker gone back to work" thing wasn't so much of an issue. I'm also happy with the schedule, giving me half-time in the summer, and enough vacation days & school holidays to spend with the family. The pay is what you'd expect in the education world, but the easier schedule and the tuition breaks make it more attractive. I think getting back into the work world will give me a new challenge, and I like that. It will be good for my kids to see their mom in a new role too. Maybe with my first paycheck I'll get a digital camera and start back up with blogging! :-)