Thus It Is

Good morning. My list of things to do today is very short. It has only seven items. The reason for that is because I do not yet know what the day looks like. I will proceed with my list as if I have nothing else to do and hope for the best.

I was waiting for Amena after work.

There are some problems with writing in a journal, electronic or not, with the sole intent of posting on a blog. One of those is that the mundane every day occurrences don’t get recorded. I have so many thoughts and feelings that just don’t get expressed because they are unpopular with someone in my family and probably with some of the people who might read my blog. And that is very sad because it means that I’m not really being me. Julia got her ear full when she was over the other day and I feel bad for dumping on her but it doesn’t seem to me that anyone else, with one exception, really gets it. Still, I should be writing things down somewhere and if not here (meaning the journal, not the blog), where? I don’t know. I do have some entries here, meaning the journal, that are not posted in the blog. And I keep this, the journal, on a password-protected flash drive. I don’t know.

This morning, however, I felt like writing and I almost have to wonder why. And some of the reasons why I won’t be posting on the blog and I’m not sure if I’ll even write them here.

Still, here I am.

We stopped at a cemetery in Gardner for some pictures of the sunset. This picture doesn't do it justice but I thought it was cool, anyway.

It has been a lot of fun watching Maddie. She’s getting so big and learning so many things. She’ll have her first birthday in just one month and ten days from today. Where has the time gone? And Elias is growing, too, but we don’t get to see that. And I miss it.

Anyway, Maddie has started waving good-bye and “Ma-ma-ma-ma” and “Da-da-da-da” have begun to take on meaning. I always listen for Joanna when she comes to pick Maddie up so that we can meet her at the door, and Maddie is learning to expect that. She’s started sucking her thumb when she’s tired but she tries really hard to avoid falling asleep. She just loves to talk and is very animated.

I am so looking forward to seeing together and spending time with her and Elias.

I have been taking a class called Starting and Growing My Business. It is part of the Self-Reliant Services of the Perpetual Education Fund of the church and it is fantastic. I was asked to participate in the class by the facilitator and I of course said I would. I’m pretty sure that he and those who know me very well who are also taking the class thought I’d use the information to do something with soap but that is not the case.

Maddie was having some fruit. I just love the expressions this girl makes.

Everyone makes soap now. I’m not going to stop making it and I might even sell at a Farmer’s Market again if I can find someone willing to work with me, but I’m not going to expect it to take off and pay my bills.

I decided to use the class as an impetus to finish my doula certification and begin working as a doula. My initial goal was to have the course work done and be ready to get my name out there by the end of the class. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I would be able to because it seemed like there was so much to do. However, although there was a lot to do, much of what there was I already had at least begun so it was really just a matter of finishing. This week we will have our seventh (of twelve) class and it is theoretically possible I might have everything done by then.

She's so much fun!

At this point, I have only two assignments to complete. For one, I need to finish collecting client evaluations. I have one, two should be in the mail, one I can get done as soon as the two in the mail arrive. That just leaves the fifth which might be a bit more tricky, but I’m going to be optimistic. The other requires attending a breastfeeding class. Since the current unit I am working on for midwifery is breastfeeding, I contacted the director of the doula program and asked if completion of this unit would count and she said it would. So, I have much reading and some assignments to do. If I am able to get lots of reading accomplished in the next couple of days, it is possible. Perhaps not likely, however, since some of the reading is seven chapters of a fairly dry textbook.

Seven-hundred ninety words, a green smoothie later, and 2/3 of my bottle of water later, I believe it is time to be done with this and bid you adieu.

Have a fantastic day!

PS Guess what will be out on DVD tomorrow?