Our first Teenager Spend-The-Night

We were excited that Destiny finally has found a friend that we wouldn't mind staying over. So when she asked if she could come over, we jumped on it. I have to be honest and say that we were a little nervous of the unexpected. I mean we are just now getting used to having one teenager, and now we are volunteering for a second for a weekend, what were we thinking? Boy were we all wrong!

Well, I wish I could fill this post with all the crazy fun things they did, but if you are a parent of a teenager you know that would be impossible. Josh and I were prepared for one crazy night, but instead we got the two of us sitting on the couch watching a movie, hearing giggles from up the stairs. We barely got to see them. Please answer me this, what can two teenage girls do upstairs for HOURS with no TV? I know I used to be a teenager not too long ago, but for the life of me I can't figure out what they were doing. We briefly got to see them as they inhaled a piece of pizza, or as they were running out the door to go to the "gym" in our neighborhood. I was able to snap a few quick shots this morning after they got up as they ventured downstairs and onto the trampoline. The only proof that she did have a spend-the-night.

I think we could actually get used to this happening every weekend! It was a nice adjustment to having he TV to ourselves, and doing what we wanted without having a teenager driving us nuts! We could certainly get used to this.

As for everything else going on in our lives, this week has been one for new beginnings. If you remember I started my new job this week. I have quickly found out that I LOVE it! It is soo up my ally. I also have quit my third job as night auditor for a hotel on weekends. I now honestly work a nuclear schedule with weekends off. It has been a huge stress relief. It's nice knowing that I'm actually going to see my husband and kid more than once a week.

We also started karate this week. The first meeting wasn't as successful as I had hoped. We seemed to have had high expectations and by "we" I mean Destiny. However, the second meeting was much better. Josh and I both sat in to watch. Sometimes it's nice to know that your parents honestly care about what's going on in your life. I remember begging my mom to watch me just jump on the trampoline. I really just wanted her to be there. So Josh and I plan on just being there to not only share in the experience but hopefully help this be a positive influence in her life. Now don't get me wrong, Karate isn't the most exciting thing to watch for an hour. However, when you throw two grown men in a class with a bunch of kids it tends to be quite comical.

Destiny also started tutoring this week. Shout out to Maegan G.! She has the patience of a Alligator Snapping Turtle (look it up). She did a great job of keeping Destiny focused and engaged. We look forward to the progress that is going to be made this semester.

We continue to learn new things from new perspectives. We are hoping and praying that we continue to have open hearts and open minds as we continue through this crazy thing we are now calling life.

Pythagorean Theorem= 2 crazy parents and a frustrated teenager

We started the semester with a couple of goals in mind. One, form a mathematical foundation to build upon. Two, establish meaningful friendships and relationships with people of good character. Three, become involved with an extracurricular activity that will have a positive effect on Destiny's mental and physical well being.

Sunday started a goal #2 for all of us. We started going back to Church of the Highlands. Josh and I went there a couple of times as college kids, but we never made it a priority. Now that we have Destiny, we don't have a choice, but to make it a priority. We still have a long road ahead of us in this area. However, I can't deny the morals and values that growing up in church taught me. So for now, we are taking it one Sunday at a time. That morning we met with a lady that told us about "Switch" (their Jr High and High group). That night Destiny wanted to go. We took her and she hit it off with some great people. Fingers are crossed that she will continue to like the positive environment that is there and continue to want to go.

As for goal #1, well it's a work in progress. At home we have been working on remedial Math skills (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing). If you are thinking, "What in the world are they doing teaching a 14 year old that?" Well, you are right. Destiny is very far behind in Math. So as we are studying the simple things, at school she is still responsible for grade level material. This week is was Pythagorean Theorem or if you are at our house- the dreaded 9th layer of HELL. I have to give a shout out to her teachers at school. They have done a great job of letting us know what is expected of her every step of the way. So we dropped remedial math and started on the daunting task of geometry. We spent countless hours studying, some yelling, a little crying but.... It finally paid off! I got a call late Friday afternoon stating that she probably got a high B or low A on her test. WAHOOO!!! Lord, I never thought I would be this excited again over a grade. It wasn't only the grade that meant so much, but the proof that she doesn't have a learning disability and that she is fully capable of learning this material with some help. Celebrate the small battles until you have victory! She will start remedial Math tutoring on Monday as we continue to chisel away at grade level material. So keep your fingers crossed for us and any prayers regarding our sanity will be much appreciated. We are going to need it!

Next week is a pretty big week for myself. Late December Josh and I noticed that our schedules needed to change. It isn't fair for Destiny to come home to an empty house every night. So, we began looking for other jobs. A week later, I was called to meet a lady from the School of Nursing, two days later I met with the dean. When we came back from Christmas break I found out that I GOT THE JOB!! If you have ever applied to work for AU you know that this process is a tedious one and takes a while for final decisions to be made and paperwork to be filled. It is unheard of that something like this moved so fast. It's just another testament to God's will. My first day at my new job is Monday. I will be the Coordinator of Development for both main campus and AUM. Honestly, I will miss my callers, they always seemed to brighten my day and have a surprisingly smart outlook of life. However, I'm looking forward to working a normal 8-5 schedule for one in my life. This means normal nuclear morning and afternoons. Even weekends off! Truly an answer to prayer.

So as you can tell Josh and I are still alive and kicking although this past week seemed to hit us in way we never thought. Learning to communicate not only as a teacher but as a parent is a constant struggle. We are still trying to share interest in boys, cell phones, and silly text messages. We know they are important to her, but seem trivial to us. We are constantly trying to learn new ways of getting our point across. It seems as though parents tend to learn more than the actual children do while they are growing up. Josh and I are in this thing double-time. Looking back on both our teenage years, I think we have our work cut out for us!

First Family Trip To The "Gump"

Before school started back, Josh and I decided that this year was going to be filled with tons of learning experiences for Destiny. So why not start off the year with our First Family Trip. I have to be honest and say that it wasn't anything spectacular to an outsider, but to us, IT WAS GREAT!!


We started our trip at our state's capitol. Josh and I haven't been there since we were kids, and we thought that Destiny would enjoy a little History too!

Our second stop was the Montgomery Zoo!

We got to meet Nova's sister.

Destiny got a chance to say her apologies to the zebras for her room being plastered in their print.

Feeding the Giraffe's, she didn't want to turn her back to them... Heck, I probably wouldn't either!

Our last stop in Montgomery was the Museum of Fine Arts. If you live any where near Montgomery, we would certainly recommend the MMFA. It's free and fun!

We had plans to go visit the Planetarium, but they were closed....total let down. So instead we did something way cooler....WENT TO DO GUMBALLS!

Josh and I thought that Destiny needed to know the hard work that goes into being able to provide her with the things she needs. Boy did she learn!! Thank God it wasn't a school night because we didn't get back until 2am. Regardless, it was good for her to see.

It was a VERY long day, but successful!

We are taking suggestions for our next trip. Leave a comment with your suggestion.