Phone interview with a company in Michigan today at 1:30. Previous phone interviews have all occurred in my vehicle, down the road from my office to preserve any and all precious vacation hours (in case I might get an interview). Last night, I lay in bed wondering how I was going to conduct a phone interview in my vehicle when it is RAINING. Listened to the radio weather report this morning, “Cloudy today. Cloudy tomorrow.” If it is currently PRECIPITATING, shouldn’t that be mentioned? How long will it last? Will it be heavy or just sprinkles? Will the employer actually be able to hear me over the sound of beating rain on a windshield? Turned on the television for local weather report. Had to wait 20 minutes before I finally set my eyes on a Doppler radar screen showing me green masses (rain) moving out of the area with only smaller patches of green (showers) left behind. The hour by hour forecast shows partly cloudy skies by noon. WHEW.

At 1:10, print copy of my resume, cover letter and job description for this position. 1:15, pee. 1:20 tell my supervisor I’m headed out to “run an errand and pick up lunch” (I even throw in a “do you want anything while I’m out?” just to throw her off.) 1:22 get in my car. Realize the clock on my computer at work is FAST and it’s only 1:10. Drive 100 yards down the road, turn into familiar parking lot, park in a different spot (last phone interview did lead to a personal interview, but not to a job offer.) 1:13 say silent prayer thanking God that it’s not raining (even though the sky looks ominous). 1:15 rain starts. 1:15:30 Curse. 1:17 wind picks up 1:19 decide to relocate car back to original spot which has a trailer in the spot next to it. (Perhaps the trailer will block the wind and the rain.) Park. 1:24 call my sister. “Can you hear the rain?” “It sounds like muffled static. Don’t worry about it.” 1:25 worry about it. 1:26 torrential pouring and high winds rocking the car despite trailer buffer. 1:27 look heavenward with an imploring look. 1:29 rain stops, wind dies down. 1:31 phone rings.

2:10 the suggestion is made that she might like to have me come into town for an interview. She’ll call me around the 1st of November with details.

2:15 high-tail it back to the office where my supervisor says, “that took awhile.” “I ran into someone I haven’t seen in a long time!” I say with surprising conviction.

2:20 shoot an email off to my sister and folks saying all went well.

2:25 exhale.

LM loves the view from 13 stories up and after 6 consecutive years of visiting the tower, he finally remembered that when we look East we’re not looking at Delaware, we’re looking ACROSS the Delaware to New Jersey!

The housing developments have certainly grown in recent years.

We watched a paper airplane launched by a pair of teenagers from the top of the tower,
float and glide for nearly 10 minutes.

We left happy and full of the contentment that comes with honoring family traditions.

I know, I promised pictures and then I never delivered. I finally got them off my camera on Tuesday and played around with some yesterday and now today I finally have time to post a few!! These are with our new digital camera, on a hiking trip a couple weekend ago.

Gorillabuns wrote a great post about single parenting. (Go ahead read it, I’ll wait….) First off, I wanted to say thanks for the shout out she threw my way – I’m flattered. Secondly, I’d like to say, I don’t deserve accolades for doing anything spectacular at all. Yes, I am a single mom, but to be completely honest, I really have a pretty cushy job. I know several single moms who have a tough row to hoe. More than one child, children still young enough to be physically demanding, no help from an ex, juggling two jobs to pay the rent, they deserve high praise in my book for making it work. There are even married parents out there that I know, who are raising children all on their own. With uncooperative or absentee second parents, they struggle like a single parent but with the live-in burden of someone completely useless. They, too, deserve a shout out. Me? No, not so much. I have one child. He’s 10 going on 35 and as independent and mature as they come. Sure, he has his moments but for the most part, he’s a really good kid. He helps around the house far more than he hinders. He does a chore every day that he’s home, which really helps ease my work load around the house. His dad is involved and faithfully contributes through child support. He chips in when there are trumpet lessons, orthodontist bills and the like without complaint. I have a job, and while it isn’t something that I’m passionate about, it more than pays the bills, affording us a very nice, new home to live in. We drive a sensible, late model car that is rarely in the shop.

I don’t want to sound at all unappreciative of someone who team parents recognizing some of the challenges that come to singles, but there are perks, too, and I try to keep my focus on the good stuff in this life!! For example, some of us single parents:
1. get every other weekend ‘off’ from parenting. Sometimes we even get an evening off during the week, too!
2. don’t have to compromise on our parenting technique or standards. If I believe grounding him for a week is ample punishment, then so be it, that’s the punishment. If I want to serve oreos as “brain food” when he works on his homework, then so be it.
3. don’t have to visit relatives we don’t even like on the holidays. We only have an obligation to one side of the family (mine!). Other than transporting the Little Man back so he can visit the outlaws, I don’t have to spend time with family that is not my own.
4. get a huge break on our taxes. Between claiming the child, being head of household and itemizing the interest on my house, I barely pay anything to the feds.
5. never have to hear, “but Dad said…” In my house, it’s my voice that governs, not the ex’s. It doesn’t matter what his father told him, I set the rules here.
6. with primary custody, I get more of those moments with LM that just take my breath away. Whether it’s finally having a breakthrough on his math homework, or mastering a tough piece for the trumpet, I’m the one who is usually there to witness the accomplishment. That also means I get first dibs on hugs!
7. without another adult in the house, LM gets my undivided attention (except when football is on!) I feel very in tune with LM’s life, both physically (how much did he eat today, how fast did he grow out of those jeans) to emotionally (what was the fight about at school with his best friend) and spiritually (this week he and I had a long talk after church about what “idols” are and how they are in our lives even if we don’t have a golden calf that we pray to!)
8. meals are quick, easy and well received. Macaroni and cheese from a box for the fourth night in a row? Hooray! I’m Mom of the Year!
9. feel like being spontaneous? A trip to the park, off to the movies, or dinner out? Go right ahead, there’s no one to contradict you or spoil the fun.
10. there seems to me to be a special bond that I have with my son because we are a team. Don’t get me wrong, I believe sincerely that parents are to be parents not peers or best friends, but we recognize that we have to rely on each other and I think LM is more conscious of all that I do for his sake and I’m conscious of the ways he helps me out, too. It’s a really cool deal.

I’m not trying to promote single-parenting or to suggest that I think it’s the best option. I just think I’ve got a pretty good situation all things considered and so while I recognize the many who don’t have it as easy, I just wanted to point out some of the ways we have an edge on the married folks!

Thanks, again, Gorilla. You’re a very cool mom, even if you’re not single!

I’ve already decided. For Christmas this year, I’m getting God a blowhorn. I know it’s not really a proper gift if I’m the one who really benefits from it, but man, I could use His voice just a little louder in my life (I think. You know that saying, ‘be careful what you wish for’.)

Own of my co-workers stopped by my desk today to tell me he’s putting a bid on a ranch house north of town. He currently lives in the same subdivision as I do, only in a townhouse not a condo. He said, “I know you’re frustrated living in the condo, so let me know if you’d be interested in taking a look at my townhouse.”

I don’t know what doors God is meaning for me to step through and which ones I’m just supposed to peek into and say, “that’s nice, but I think I’ll go this way.”

A blowhorn. Think about it. God’s voice booming from the heavens, “NO, Amy you dork! I meant for you to move to Nebraska!”

I want to apologize for the dream I had last night that involved Eli Manning. You know you are my favorite Quarterback. You know I have no interest whatsoever in Eli – I rarely even watch him play. But for some reason unbeknownst to me, he appeared in my dream last night.

I didn’t mean to kiss him. I kept telling myself he was only 20 and that there’s no way a guy like Eli (or yourself for that matter) would be interested in a girl like me) but in the moment, he looked so cute and I just couldn’t resist. I have to be honest, I did kiss him back.

I know it will come as no consolation to you whatsoever but in the dream, I kept trying to change my clothes and was walking room to room to find something else to wear. I wasn’t happy with anything that I found and I couldn’t seem to find a room to change in that had a lock on the door, but I finally settled on my Patriots jersey. I told Eli it was blue and white like a Colts uniform so it would be okay. I guess he wasn’t offended since he went ahead and kissed me.

Please do not let this change your opinion of me, nor of my status as Supreme Patriots Fan. Maybe it was just a jealous fit because you’re dating that gorgeous model. In any regard, my most sincere apologies.

Eliza Jane