Rain, Rain!
Go Away!
Come again another day!
The beep of the cell phone beckoned from the hall closet while I was torturing Arvin with a mutual session with the diabolical Jillian Michaels. After we survived our workout where one moment Jillian was telling us that we should "really be feeling alive" and the next moment she said that we "should be begging for death", Arvin limped over and checked his voice mail where he learned that another night's work has been canceled due to rain. I wondered if construction workers are made of sugar and Arvin gave me a mercifully and uncharacteristically brief lesson on the fine line between being able to work in the rain and not being able to work in the rain. Needless to say, he'd prefer to at least get some work in because putting it off now only means longer days in the future to make up for it, but deciding to be optimistic he said he is happy to be home with us.
Folks have asked how Arvin is adjusting to this new schedule and the best we can so far, is we don't really know yet. :)
Jillian must not have been very hard on the Arvinator, because he talked about taking the dogs out for a run later. Funny! I'm off to lay in the fetal position...
Monday, May 30, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
90% Chance of Confusion, I think, I dunno, I can't remember...
What's today? Day Three? Or Day Four? Or by now, it's the eve of Day 4. I have a feeling I am not going to keep up with the numbering the days thing. Like Arvin is at this point, I am losing track of what day it is. He said he is already finding himself telling people to "Have a good night", even if it is daytime. :) This discombobulation has me wondering if we were ever really combobulated in the first place.
I was planning on having posted a bit earlier than this, but this has just been a very discombobulating 24 hours actually. Arvin woke up around 1:30 yesterday after a good solid stretch of sleep to find a voice mail from the contractor that they were cancelling that night's work because there was a 90% chance of rain. Well, shucks. NOW what do ya do? A half dozen phone calls later and it was what it was. He stayed home and we looked out the window wondering when that rain was going to come. Turns out, we'd have been waiting a long time because it didn't come really until the wee hours and we both imagine that they'd have been able to accomplish at least most of their work for the night. Ah, but that's how these things go sometimes, I suppose. It was nice to have my man snoring beside me last night.
Both Thomas and I suggested to him that he might want to maintain his schedule as much as possible and stay up as late as he could, but when the pillow beckons, Arvin is not one to resist.
Then the funny thing was that he had a meeting called by his boss for today at 1:00. I said, "Doesn't she know you work nights?," rather cheekily. Evidently, this "nights" thing pretty much means whenever, wherever, and be ready to work basically 24/7, as needed. Oh, and the days you work might be flexible too because now that they didn't work last night, they may add an extra night tomorrow night. I can sense that this is going to be lots and lots of fun. That is if you totally like living with an uncertain fate. :)
But there are perks too. Yes, I can hear my Dad in my head, "Like a paycheck". Yes Dad. But also time...Today, Arvin got to come along on Norah's class field trip to the High School's Agricultural Fair. It was lots of fun and great that he got to be there and share the memories. We were assigned the sweetest, best behaved and most lovely foursome of little girls in the class (God Bless that teacher!) and we didn't lose a single one! We watched log bucking, archery, and fishing, and got to pet cows and horses and bunnies, and we got to look at pigs and sheep and all sorts of critters. I was impressed by the high school students running the demonstrations. They were very smart, kind, prepared, and knowledgeable. Their parents and teachers must be very proud.
I had an eye exam today and Arvin was also able to be home to watch Norah while I went to do that. I have taken her along with me to that appointment several times before, and it's very do-able, but not particularly easy for either her or me. So it was a blessing that she got to stay home and play while I took care of that.
A recipe called "Loaded Potato Chowder" and whole grain rolls were for dinner tonight and when it was time to say good-bye, that sinking fog sensation did not roll in...the one that echos "this is too hard". That was good. That was a blessing. But it's relative, "I hate good-byes" did whisper in my brain. Why did that pop in? He was just going to work, that happens all the time. And I remembered that little bit of myself, from way back, and why it is that I flinch at good-byes, why I hate watching the last episode of anything, why I cried even when I left a job that I really wanted to leave...When I was a little kid, I packed and moved a lot. And having stability really meant a lot to me then and obviously still does today. So sometimes even packing for a much anticipated vacation or saying "Have a good day at work honey", gives me butterflies. But only sometimes. God has done quite a healing work in my life in that area and will be faithful to complete it.
I didn't come across a Scripture verse today that seemed to just pop out out "nowhere" and soothe my mental hiccup. So I will offer instead one of my favorites, one of many, that reminds me of my husband as he works tonight on the highway:
I was planning on having posted a bit earlier than this, but this has just been a very discombobulating 24 hours actually. Arvin woke up around 1:30 yesterday after a good solid stretch of sleep to find a voice mail from the contractor that they were cancelling that night's work because there was a 90% chance of rain. Well, shucks. NOW what do ya do? A half dozen phone calls later and it was what it was. He stayed home and we looked out the window wondering when that rain was going to come. Turns out, we'd have been waiting a long time because it didn't come really until the wee hours and we both imagine that they'd have been able to accomplish at least most of their work for the night. Ah, but that's how these things go sometimes, I suppose. It was nice to have my man snoring beside me last night.
Both Thomas and I suggested to him that he might want to maintain his schedule as much as possible and stay up as late as he could, but when the pillow beckons, Arvin is not one to resist.
Then the funny thing was that he had a meeting called by his boss for today at 1:00. I said, "Doesn't she know you work nights?," rather cheekily. Evidently, this "nights" thing pretty much means whenever, wherever, and be ready to work basically 24/7, as needed. Oh, and the days you work might be flexible too because now that they didn't work last night, they may add an extra night tomorrow night. I can sense that this is going to be lots and lots of fun. That is if you totally like living with an uncertain fate. :)
But there are perks too. Yes, I can hear my Dad in my head, "Like a paycheck". Yes Dad. But also time...Today, Arvin got to come along on Norah's class field trip to the High School's Agricultural Fair. It was lots of fun and great that he got to be there and share the memories. We were assigned the sweetest, best behaved and most lovely foursome of little girls in the class (God Bless that teacher!) and we didn't lose a single one! We watched log bucking, archery, and fishing, and got to pet cows and horses and bunnies, and we got to look at pigs and sheep and all sorts of critters. I was impressed by the high school students running the demonstrations. They were very smart, kind, prepared, and knowledgeable. Their parents and teachers must be very proud.
I had an eye exam today and Arvin was also able to be home to watch Norah while I went to do that. I have taken her along with me to that appointment several times before, and it's very do-able, but not particularly easy for either her or me. So it was a blessing that she got to stay home and play while I took care of that.
A recipe called "Loaded Potato Chowder" and whole grain rolls were for dinner tonight and when it was time to say good-bye, that sinking fog sensation did not roll in...the one that echos "this is too hard". That was good. That was a blessing. But it's relative, "I hate good-byes" did whisper in my brain. Why did that pop in? He was just going to work, that happens all the time. And I remembered that little bit of myself, from way back, and why it is that I flinch at good-byes, why I hate watching the last episode of anything, why I cried even when I left a job that I really wanted to leave...When I was a little kid, I packed and moved a lot. And having stability really meant a lot to me then and obviously still does today. So sometimes even packing for a much anticipated vacation or saying "Have a good day at work honey", gives me butterflies. But only sometimes. God has done quite a healing work in my life in that area and will be faithful to complete it.
I didn't come across a Scripture verse today that seemed to just pop out out "nowhere" and soothe my mental hiccup. So I will offer instead one of my favorites, one of many, that reminds me of my husband as he works tonight on the highway:
"Go out! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise flag for all nations to see."
Isaiah 62:10 (NLT)
Amen!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Night Interrupted
DAY THREE
So yesterday, the sleeping was spotty. Sleepin' around 10:00, up by Noon, snoozed again 'till 2-ish then up for the rest of the day. So I knew, fatigue-wise that there is a storm comin'! ;) But the neat thing was Norah's reaction when she came home to find Daddy home and awake. She yelled, "Daddy!!!!" and JUMPED into his arms and pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon playing with him. Arvin is a really, exceptionally excellent father. He likes to play with the kids where I am more of a set it up, give them what they need and just make sure no one gets hurt, sort of parent.
Arvin helped me make dinner. This time it was good old bacon and eggs. Sometimes breakfast for dinner just hits the spot. He did the bacon, I did the eggs...I am told I flip them better...but how is it that I make everyone else's yokes turn out perfect while my own always pop? Then Arvin also helped out by giving Norah a bath. Like I said, pretty much a perfect parent. What am I here for anyway? Vacuuming and laundry services, evidently. ;) The afternoon was pretty much great and soon it was time for him to leave for work. Well fed and smellin' clean, we wished him a good night.
And then that feeling rolled in like the fog.
That "this is hard" fog.
That "I don't wanna live like a single parent" feeling.
It was a sort of a mini ripple of panicky feeling that you get just before you do something that you are not super ready to do. One quick gulp of air before dunking your head under water.
Lots of doubts crept in. I know in my heart that IF i had to do it all myself, that God would step in and give me everything I needed to get the job done. I would be sufficient in Him. He's made me strong and resourceful and full of joy and blessed me with many strong people in my life. I've had stretches where Arvin worked super long hours and all the best in me rose to the surface and I was able to hold down the fort at home. But it was lonely, hard work. And ironically, when he returned it took adjustment because I'd become accustomed to being independent. I don't know how the wives of our service men do it. God bless them. I have only sampled that dynamic and they have my respect.
And part of me feels guilty during those long-away times when I have to ask more of our son. "Can you get that ____?" "Would you help your sister _____?" "Could you please _____?" I know that he's older and it is actually for his benefit to learn to do more and more things not only for himself but to bless others as well. We are part of a family and each member does their part. But I am insecure in this area because I grew up with a mother who asked a lot of us as children, and I overcompensate by asking comparatively little of my own kids. Balance. I want to learn to keep it in balance.
Well, bedtimes for the kids went pretty well. Norah only got up once to ask for a blanket that she had wadded up and stuffed inside the oven of her play kitchen. Yea, she's odd like that. Thomas and I watched TV for awhile and then I sent him to bed around 9:00. I washed my face and went to bed, expecting a call from Arvin before I fell asleep. He said he'd try to call around 10:00. He must've been busy because the call never came.
But that was okay because the night was punctuated by other events. In between my odd dreams about Steven Tyler complaining to me about the American Idol set, both of my kids had their chance at waking me up. I was tossing and turning around midnight, when I heard music coming from my son's room. You know how just the slightest sounds seem so amplified in the calm and still of the night. It was country music. Garth Brooks to be exact. And I realized, Thomas was singing along! As my brain tuned in I realized he was actually belting out the words! "If tomorrow never comes............"! Oh good Lord. No wonder this child is so difficult to wake up in the morning! So I got up and knocked on is door. The singing halts. "Um, hey, Midnight Cowboy, can ya please turn down the music and go to sleep?" No reply. If tomorrow never comes? It already was tomorrow and he was crowin' about it! :)
Back to bed and to see what more Steven Tyler might have to say. Never did find out because and hour later Norah screams, "MOMMY! MOMMY! HELLLLLP! MOOOOOOOOOOOMY!!!!" in that blood-curdling, awful, shriek in the middle of the night that just gets a parent's heart thumpin'. So I FLY down the hall praying "Oh good Lord, is she okay? What's wrong?!?!?!?!"
The problem?
She couldn't find the right button on her radio.
What is it with these kids and their nocturnal audio entertainment?! What are we running here, a recording studio?!
Of course, as soon as I was in her room, "Oops, I found it." as the music was playing.
"Norah, don't you ever scream at me like that in the middle of the night again unless something is seriously wrong!"
I can be very unedited at night.
And after what seemed like two blinks of an eye it was 6:00 AM and the man of my dreams was trying to crawl into bed. "What are you doing?!", I said. "It's time to get up and get the kids off to school!" :) And he did help. The coffee fairy had come, the lunch fairy had come, even the Cream of Wheat Fairy appeared, which is very rare and wonderful because mom usually resorts to whatever we can fit in the toaster or cold cereal. Then we took the little musical savants to school so their teachers can try to stuff as much information as they can into those little brains in six hours. Arvin returned to bed around 8:30 and has been in there since. The storm came and he is rolling with it. :)
I had a coffee visit with Denise this morning and then went off to work in Norah's class today right after that so I didn't have that usual time to get into the Word before the day got going. But I just opened my Bible and found this:
So yesterday, the sleeping was spotty. Sleepin' around 10:00, up by Noon, snoozed again 'till 2-ish then up for the rest of the day. So I knew, fatigue-wise that there is a storm comin'! ;) But the neat thing was Norah's reaction when she came home to find Daddy home and awake. She yelled, "Daddy!!!!" and JUMPED into his arms and pretty much spent the rest of the afternoon playing with him. Arvin is a really, exceptionally excellent father. He likes to play with the kids where I am more of a set it up, give them what they need and just make sure no one gets hurt, sort of parent.
Arvin helped me make dinner. This time it was good old bacon and eggs. Sometimes breakfast for dinner just hits the spot. He did the bacon, I did the eggs...I am told I flip them better...but how is it that I make everyone else's yokes turn out perfect while my own always pop? Then Arvin also helped out by giving Norah a bath. Like I said, pretty much a perfect parent. What am I here for anyway? Vacuuming and laundry services, evidently. ;) The afternoon was pretty much great and soon it was time for him to leave for work. Well fed and smellin' clean, we wished him a good night.
And then that feeling rolled in like the fog.
That "this is hard" fog.
That "I don't wanna live like a single parent" feeling.
It was a sort of a mini ripple of panicky feeling that you get just before you do something that you are not super ready to do. One quick gulp of air before dunking your head under water.
Lots of doubts crept in. I know in my heart that IF i had to do it all myself, that God would step in and give me everything I needed to get the job done. I would be sufficient in Him. He's made me strong and resourceful and full of joy and blessed me with many strong people in my life. I've had stretches where Arvin worked super long hours and all the best in me rose to the surface and I was able to hold down the fort at home. But it was lonely, hard work. And ironically, when he returned it took adjustment because I'd become accustomed to being independent. I don't know how the wives of our service men do it. God bless them. I have only sampled that dynamic and they have my respect.
And part of me feels guilty during those long-away times when I have to ask more of our son. "Can you get that ____?" "Would you help your sister _____?" "Could you please _____?" I know that he's older and it is actually for his benefit to learn to do more and more things not only for himself but to bless others as well. We are part of a family and each member does their part. But I am insecure in this area because I grew up with a mother who asked a lot of us as children, and I overcompensate by asking comparatively little of my own kids. Balance. I want to learn to keep it in balance.
Well, bedtimes for the kids went pretty well. Norah only got up once to ask for a blanket that she had wadded up and stuffed inside the oven of her play kitchen. Yea, she's odd like that. Thomas and I watched TV for awhile and then I sent him to bed around 9:00. I washed my face and went to bed, expecting a call from Arvin before I fell asleep. He said he'd try to call around 10:00. He must've been busy because the call never came.
But that was okay because the night was punctuated by other events. In between my odd dreams about Steven Tyler complaining to me about the American Idol set, both of my kids had their chance at waking me up. I was tossing and turning around midnight, when I heard music coming from my son's room. You know how just the slightest sounds seem so amplified in the calm and still of the night. It was country music. Garth Brooks to be exact. And I realized, Thomas was singing along! As my brain tuned in I realized he was actually belting out the words! "If tomorrow never comes............"! Oh good Lord. No wonder this child is so difficult to wake up in the morning! So I got up and knocked on is door. The singing halts. "Um, hey, Midnight Cowboy, can ya please turn down the music and go to sleep?" No reply. If tomorrow never comes? It already was tomorrow and he was crowin' about it! :)
Back to bed and to see what more Steven Tyler might have to say. Never did find out because and hour later Norah screams, "MOMMY! MOMMY! HELLLLLP! MOOOOOOOOOOOMY!!!!" in that blood-curdling, awful, shriek in the middle of the night that just gets a parent's heart thumpin'. So I FLY down the hall praying "Oh good Lord, is she okay? What's wrong?!?!?!?!"
The problem?
She couldn't find the right button on her radio.
What is it with these kids and their nocturnal audio entertainment?! What are we running here, a recording studio?!
Of course, as soon as I was in her room, "Oops, I found it." as the music was playing.
"Norah, don't you ever scream at me like that in the middle of the night again unless something is seriously wrong!"
I can be very unedited at night.
And after what seemed like two blinks of an eye it was 6:00 AM and the man of my dreams was trying to crawl into bed. "What are you doing?!", I said. "It's time to get up and get the kids off to school!" :) And he did help. The coffee fairy had come, the lunch fairy had come, even the Cream of Wheat Fairy appeared, which is very rare and wonderful because mom usually resorts to whatever we can fit in the toaster or cold cereal. Then we took the little musical savants to school so their teachers can try to stuff as much information as they can into those little brains in six hours. Arvin returned to bed around 8:30 and has been in there since. The storm came and he is rolling with it. :)
I had a coffee visit with Denise this morning and then went off to work in Norah's class today right after that so I didn't have that usual time to get into the Word before the day got going. But I just opened my Bible and found this:
"We also pray that you will be strengthened with his glorious power so that you will have all the patience and endurance you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father, who has enabled you to share the inheritance that belongs to God's holy people, who live in the light."
Colossians 1:11-12 (NLT)
A timely word indeed! Thank you Father for fortifying me with YOUR power so that I will have all the patience and endurance I need to be a good mom and an excellent wife. And in the process, you have blessed me with joy and and a thankful heart. I love my life. I love living in the light. Even when some of us do our best work at night. ;)
Monday, May 23, 2011
So far, so good. . .
DAY TWO
So far, so good. Kiddos went to bed just fine and hubby called me at about 10:15 P.M. to say good night. Which was probably a good thing because I had allowed myself to get sucked into a very strange show on T.V. and the distraction was a good thing. ;) There is just really bizarre stuff on television! Anyway, sometime around 4:00 A.M. I was awoken by a strange man climbing into bed with me. I said, "Hi". He said, "Hi". And that was that! My alarm went off at 6:00 A.M. and I did my usual hopeful routine of getting dressed directly into my work out clothes so that I am more inclined to get them sweaty after taking the kiddos to school. Stumbled down the hall and my nose told me that the Coffee Fairy did indeed deliver, as promised, thanktheLord! ;) I wasn't certain my man of the night would make it out of the clutches of the blankets, so I started the process of assembling the school lunches that my kids probably won't eat, but we gotta at least try. Sipping my coffee, gathering ingredients, I had most of the bits & pieces out when he made his appearance. So I let him make the sandwiches and came over here to my desk to read a bit of the Word.
I love the apostle Paul. Sometimes he ties my brain up in knots and when I meet him I am going to have lots and lots of questions for him. But today he had left these words for me,
So far, so good. Kiddos went to bed just fine and hubby called me at about 10:15 P.M. to say good night. Which was probably a good thing because I had allowed myself to get sucked into a very strange show on T.V. and the distraction was a good thing. ;) There is just really bizarre stuff on television! Anyway, sometime around 4:00 A.M. I was awoken by a strange man climbing into bed with me. I said, "Hi". He said, "Hi". And that was that! My alarm went off at 6:00 A.M. and I did my usual hopeful routine of getting dressed directly into my work out clothes so that I am more inclined to get them sweaty after taking the kiddos to school. Stumbled down the hall and my nose told me that the Coffee Fairy did indeed deliver, as promised, thanktheLord! ;) I wasn't certain my man of the night would make it out of the clutches of the blankets, so I started the process of assembling the school lunches that my kids probably won't eat, but we gotta at least try. Sipping my coffee, gathering ingredients, I had most of the bits & pieces out when he made his appearance. So I let him make the sandwiches and came over here to my desk to read a bit of the Word.
I love the apostle Paul. Sometimes he ties my brain up in knots and when I meet him I am going to have lots and lots of questions for him. But today he had left these words for me,
"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, let me say one more thing as I close this letter. Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think things that are excellent and worthy of praise."
Philippians 4:4-8 (NLT)
Thanks Paul. Thank you Lord. I sure needed that.
So we tag-team the morning, which is different for me because I'm used to getting the kids out the door on my own, but it's nice to share this part of the routine with Arvin. Thomas was excited today because he was going to surprise a friend with a very neat birthday gift. I love that he was excited about giving. It is one of the biggest thrills of my life too. Norah had peanut butter on her cheeks that I had to do that "mom thing" and lick my thumb and wipe it off before we walked her to her class. She has a substitute teacher today. But I know this lady and she is very nice and I know the kids will have a great day.
After coming home, Arvin got on his work computer a bit and made a couple of phone calls. I kinda tensed up a bit because this is where lines get blurred. With work, there seems to be few boundaries with Arvin. Over the years I have been very frustrated with how much of his time, how much of himself, that Arvin gives away. "When are you ever just "off work"? When are you simply "not available"? Are you on call 24/7?" I would ask. Again, I thought of what God had to say to me through Paul today....think on the excellent, praiseworthy things. THANK GOD for what He has done and He WILL give you peace! Sigh.....deep breath. Okay, Lord. I will chill out. This time. ;)
A bit later, Arvin asked if I wanted to go jogging with him. I groaned. I was having a hard time with the idea of even exercising at all, contemplating just letting my workout clothes remain April fresh. So he took our two obnoxious Labs out for a run, which they appreciated wholly. Meanwhile, I put away laundry, vacuumed and finally decided to MOVE a bit and put in a Pilates Walk exercise DVD that I had not done on a long time. It was good to move in a different way that I have been usually. It was not as challenging as my usual workouts, but I modified it a bit and got a good sweat in which I am proud of.
Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do what you don't want to do.
Arvin returned from his run and showered and then later around 10:00, I tucked him in with a season of our favorite T.V. show "Everybody Loves Raymond" on DVD so it could be just like "nighttime" and closed the blinds and left him alone. He's in there snoozing with the dogs again. :) I forgot to ask if he wanted me to wake him up! Whoops! Guess if he's not up by 5 or 5:30, I will go see if one of the dogs smothered him or what.....
So far, so good.....
Sunday, May 22, 2011
An Experiment in Nocturnal Life
Today begins a new phase in our family's life. I thank God that it is a temporary one. It's long-term-ish, but temporary nonetheless, which is helping me be optimistic about this. My husband is going to work the night shift for about six months. It is going to be quite a change to our family routine and rhytms. We are expecting this schedule to have lots of plusses and minuses. I am guessing that after a couple of weeks of this, we will fall into a routine that fits and we will all better understand what is expected of us, who does what, when and at what time and how loudly! I am hoping that it will become a comfortable second nature and that we learn to lean more on the plusses than the minuses of this schedule. Today at church, our Pastor was speaking about using the gifts that God gives to each one of us. He was teaching about how some of us see our gifts as limited, but that doesn't matter to God. We are to use what we have. I generally struggle with WHAT to write about in this blog so a few minutes ago, I decided to be inspired by Pastor David and use this blog to exercises the muscles of God's writing gift to me by chronicling what this journey will entail for us as a family. Pastor David said that if you don't use it you'll loose it! So here we go!
**************************************************************************************************
DAY ONE
This morning, I was thinking about how the Jewish calendar goes from sundown to sundown. That's it, right? I'm not certain. Please correct me if I'm wrong. But I do know that they consider each day to begin at sundown the day before. So tonight, when my husband goes off to work at 6:30 P.M., he's kinda heading off in a Hebrew sort of direction then, huh? :) Knowing that God is on duty both day and night, I am sure he will be Master over my husband's work days.
Arvin went to sleep about 2:15 today to get just three hours' nap in before getting up. He'll be exhausted tomorrow, but we expect this. My friend, Denise, who's wonderful husband, Greg, is a police officer, told me to expect Arvin to be very, very tired. Fact is though, fatigue has been a constant state of life for Arvin for well, forever. I believe it is a combination of factors for him. Number one, he works HARD. No matter where. No matter what. He expends a LOT of energy. Number two, I don't think he gets very restful sleep because he suffers from allergies, and may have a deviated septum or sleep apnea (just call me Dr. Kiki because I have diagnosed this so perfectly! Ha!). But what I have seen over almost 16 years of marriage is that we can sleep the same amount of hours and he always is more tired than I am. I do not think he gets good rest because he cannot breathe. Then there's the thyroid issues. Another of life's yo-yo's! So anyway, all that to say that I will be very curious about if this night shift will really change much at all for him in the tired department. It MAY, but it may not. We shall see.
Over the last five years, or so, we have encountered a variety of challenging work shifts. I can remember 12, 18 and 24 hour work days. We've packed him bags of changes of clothes and coolers full of sandwiches because we didn't know when or if he'd be able to come home. For his most extensive project, for three years, he commuted and hour and a half one way just to get to his job site, work one of his 8, 10, 12 hour days, then commute back home. And don't ever tell me that all government workers are slackers, because every minute of that drive he was on his speaker phone, working. Often when he was home, too. Believe me, the state has got it's money's worth in this man.
He's worked on a lot of projects that have been in isolated areas. One time a HUGE bolder had fallen off a mountainside and landed smack in the middle of a narrow, two-lane highway that was the only outlet for a small community. Without this road, they were cut off from the world, removed from their only source of food and fuel. He traveled probably and hour and a half to that site as well to begin the work of restoring the road for that community. As he's snoring away in the other room, I reflect back and am incredibly proud of him.
When the opportunity came up for him to take this current job, one of the benefits in his mind was the fact that this job is local. It's right in our own town. He's really happy for this chance to give back to his own neighborhood after so many years of working so far from home. He's also doing a bit of a different twist on his usual work by adding new skills to his repertoire. He will be learning how it is to work in a more urban environment, having to consider all the factors of utilities, municipalities, business's' needs, and different traffic control. Arvin is looking forward to learning as he goes. He is that rare rolling stone that actually gathers lots and lots of moss. He doesn't just punch in and punch out, he gathers, gleans, and internalizes information at an amazing rate. He's the perfect guy to be doing this job. Well, any job.
Personally, he is excited that he will not have such a long commute to work and he expects that despite the nocturnal hours, he will actually have MORE time to spend at home, with family, where his heart truly resides. His PLAN is to come home by 6:30 A.M. and make lunch for the kids (as he usually does) and to wake them up, get them ready and take them to school! Well! We shall see! Like I said, we'll have to learn what routine works best as we go. That would be great and all, but I have seen waaaaaaay too many days where he is late coming home from work and while that is one thing in the evenings, it would be disastrous if I was snoozing away and he wasn't home to get the kids off to school. So for now, we have agreed that I will get up at my regular time and see how it goes. Of course, this is with the caveat that he will still set the coffee pot so that the Coffee Fairy has my brew all ready for me when I stumble down the hall! :) Yes, I am high maintenance, and I know it. He's cool with that or he wouldn't still be sticking around.
Anyway, my hopes here in this bloggy is to kinda journal each day how it's going, what we're learning, and how this season affects us and those we love. A little bit ago, I was feeling a bit unsure. Our son was off at a friends house and our daughter was playing in her room and Arvin was sleeping I was alone and wondering what have we gotten ourselves into???? Is this gonna be okay? WILL it work out???? I was kinda mini-panicky, with all these unknowns swirling in my brain. What if I need to get something out of my room?! Which, of course, I needed to do--I had to do laundry and the hamper was in there....so I tip-toe in....and he's snoozing away, with the blinds fully open (Who does that?!), with the DOG on the bed with him! Sheesh! I turn my back for one minute and he's got another girl in the bed! ;) Anyway, he just got up...a half hour earlier than he was supposed to! Now it's time to make dinner and wish him a good day at work! Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode of As the Time Clock Ticks!
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DAY ONE
This morning, I was thinking about how the Jewish calendar goes from sundown to sundown. That's it, right? I'm not certain. Please correct me if I'm wrong. But I do know that they consider each day to begin at sundown the day before. So tonight, when my husband goes off to work at 6:30 P.M., he's kinda heading off in a Hebrew sort of direction then, huh? :) Knowing that God is on duty both day and night, I am sure he will be Master over my husband's work days.
Arvin went to sleep about 2:15 today to get just three hours' nap in before getting up. He'll be exhausted tomorrow, but we expect this. My friend, Denise, who's wonderful husband, Greg, is a police officer, told me to expect Arvin to be very, very tired. Fact is though, fatigue has been a constant state of life for Arvin for well, forever. I believe it is a combination of factors for him. Number one, he works HARD. No matter where. No matter what. He expends a LOT of energy. Number two, I don't think he gets very restful sleep because he suffers from allergies, and may have a deviated septum or sleep apnea (just call me Dr. Kiki because I have diagnosed this so perfectly! Ha!). But what I have seen over almost 16 years of marriage is that we can sleep the same amount of hours and he always is more tired than I am. I do not think he gets good rest because he cannot breathe. Then there's the thyroid issues. Another of life's yo-yo's! So anyway, all that to say that I will be very curious about if this night shift will really change much at all for him in the tired department. It MAY, but it may not. We shall see.
Over the last five years, or so, we have encountered a variety of challenging work shifts. I can remember 12, 18 and 24 hour work days. We've packed him bags of changes of clothes and coolers full of sandwiches because we didn't know when or if he'd be able to come home. For his most extensive project, for three years, he commuted and hour and a half one way just to get to his job site, work one of his 8, 10, 12 hour days, then commute back home. And don't ever tell me that all government workers are slackers, because every minute of that drive he was on his speaker phone, working. Often when he was home, too. Believe me, the state has got it's money's worth in this man.
He's worked on a lot of projects that have been in isolated areas. One time a HUGE bolder had fallen off a mountainside and landed smack in the middle of a narrow, two-lane highway that was the only outlet for a small community. Without this road, they were cut off from the world, removed from their only source of food and fuel. He traveled probably and hour and a half to that site as well to begin the work of restoring the road for that community. As he's snoring away in the other room, I reflect back and am incredibly proud of him.
When the opportunity came up for him to take this current job, one of the benefits in his mind was the fact that this job is local. It's right in our own town. He's really happy for this chance to give back to his own neighborhood after so many years of working so far from home. He's also doing a bit of a different twist on his usual work by adding new skills to his repertoire. He will be learning how it is to work in a more urban environment, having to consider all the factors of utilities, municipalities, business's' needs, and different traffic control. Arvin is looking forward to learning as he goes. He is that rare rolling stone that actually gathers lots and lots of moss. He doesn't just punch in and punch out, he gathers, gleans, and internalizes information at an amazing rate. He's the perfect guy to be doing this job. Well, any job.
Personally, he is excited that he will not have such a long commute to work and he expects that despite the nocturnal hours, he will actually have MORE time to spend at home, with family, where his heart truly resides. His PLAN is to come home by 6:30 A.M. and make lunch for the kids (as he usually does) and to wake them up, get them ready and take them to school! Well! We shall see! Like I said, we'll have to learn what routine works best as we go. That would be great and all, but I have seen waaaaaaay too many days where he is late coming home from work and while that is one thing in the evenings, it would be disastrous if I was snoozing away and he wasn't home to get the kids off to school. So for now, we have agreed that I will get up at my regular time and see how it goes. Of course, this is with the caveat that he will still set the coffee pot so that the Coffee Fairy has my brew all ready for me when I stumble down the hall! :) Yes, I am high maintenance, and I know it. He's cool with that or he wouldn't still be sticking around.
Anyway, my hopes here in this bloggy is to kinda journal each day how it's going, what we're learning, and how this season affects us and those we love. A little bit ago, I was feeling a bit unsure. Our son was off at a friends house and our daughter was playing in her room and Arvin was sleeping I was alone and wondering what have we gotten ourselves into???? Is this gonna be okay? WILL it work out???? I was kinda mini-panicky, with all these unknowns swirling in my brain. What if I need to get something out of my room?! Which, of course, I needed to do--I had to do laundry and the hamper was in there....so I tip-toe in....and he's snoozing away, with the blinds fully open (Who does that?!), with the DOG on the bed with him! Sheesh! I turn my back for one minute and he's got another girl in the bed! ;) Anyway, he just got up...a half hour earlier than he was supposed to! Now it's time to make dinner and wish him a good day at work! Stay tuned for scenes from the next episode of As the Time Clock Ticks!
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