A week in:

 After a week of my young men being out in the working world, I take a minute to reflect. 

Several thoughts come to mind.  The first one is that I seem to be doing what for me is easing in to "empty nest syndrome".  For others this would be more confusing I think.  My " empty nest" seems to vary from day to day. 

I do laundry for approximately 5 people.  I have spent the last week sort of catching up on that task as my dryer has been broken for I guess a couple of months now.  This really doesn't bother me for the most part other than I hate towels and sheets that have been line dried as they are rough. 

Life continues to be full of surprises

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days with my sister in law.  

Let me explain.  My husband and I have been married for more than 20 years now.  I have always lived in a fairly central location to my extended family, because  we are yuccas, or chickens or something.  But one of my husbands siblings is about 4 hours from us and his parents and other siblings are about 10 hours from us. 

Sprouting Wings....preparing to fly

The last 48 hours have been very eventful and interesting in our world.  My youngest two young men are in the process of becoming gainfully employed.  What a rush of action it has been. 

We have a young man who has been "adopted" by our family and for gosh I guess about a year now has been sleeping on our couch.  His involvement with our family is "a whole other story"  that I wont begin now but he begins this story. 

My phone rang yesterday afternoon as I was out running some errands for our business.  It was the big redhead. 

"Mom, you know how you always say that even if you don't like your job, you should keep it while you put out applications for other jobs?  Well, one of your kids FINALLY DID IT... "R" put in an application out somewhere that they called him today and want him to start tomorrow and he is going to be gone out of town for at least the next week with this new job.  AND when they get back from this job they said he could bring me in to talk to them too."  

Mom says... Cool.... you should go put in for the job that he will be leaving unexpectedly then. 

Big Red takes that under advisement.  

A short while later, Big Red calls and tells me that this company  needs him on this crew as well and he needs to go do paperwork to get the job as well

Mom: "  Great.. what company is this?"

Big Red "Umm, I don't know"  Ill tell you when I go out and talk to them"

Next phone ring..... 'I'm going with them, Mom.  The name of the company is ***** .  (Ok, Mom is aware of this company and knows basically what they do.)  We are going to be gone at least a week."

Mom:  That is wonderful.  When are they going?"

BR:  "We have to be at the office ready to go at 1  (yes, that's right 1 AM)  So we are going home to pack.  Can I get some money to go buy some socks? "

Mom:  "Sure, we need some, so come by and we will work out what you need.  Where are you going?

BR: "Not really sure, mom, Going somewhere in Texas, I think they said near where L and family lives" 

(if you have followed any of our story, you will know that his oldest sister, her husband and their two kids live in the Fort Worth area) 

Skip forward past the shopping trip to purchase a couple more heavy duty shirts, socks, sunscreen and a few more necessities of life for a couple of young men on the road, we get them off and running and the first text message I have this morning is from him around 6 am.
A couple hours later he texts again letting me know, We are almost there, Mom, I think.  
Ok son, when you figure out where THERE IS.. kinda let me know.  He then later on texts me to let me know they have arrived at the location, gives me the name of the community north of Fort Worth that they will be spending the next week or so in and the day goes on. 

Now then, the 17 year old who is itching to make his own money as well, so that he can also help out by earning his own money, has arranged to take an application in today to one of the local restaurants who also does catering and has several other irons in the fire.  He takes the application in and they tell him what times during the day they are looking for help.  He is thinking that this is not going to work out at the present time as he cant miss the orchestra class that he goes to in the early afternoon.  (He is homeschooling the rest of his day, so school time is flexible. 

Flash forward to a phone call that comes in again on Moms phone, requesting to talk to said "M".  He is just getting gout of class so I will have him call as soon as possible. 
He returns the call.. gets no answer.. tries again, gets no answer... calls mom.  Grandma offers to go back to our house to pick him up again and take him back down to said restaurant as she had just moments before dropped him off.  Back they go.  Long story short, he comes in to our office, a six foot tall, beaming, bundle of excitement.  He reports back to work at 9:30 in the morning and it seems at this point as they are going to be willing to work around his orchestra schedule to employ his talents. 

So, today looking at the world around us, I can say, this is a great time in life.  I was talking to the oldest *L* on the phone when he came in and got to celebrate with us.  She did make the comment that all of my children are now gainfully employed except her. 
And yes, we now have #4 going tomorrow to find out just what his job is going to be, while he completes his high school career and keeps several other irons in the community fire,  #3, of not just in another town on his beginning flight. (this isn't his first job but this is the one that will show the mark of adulthood) but in less than 24 hours from hire, he is in a different STATE.  And, he is able to share this time with his friend which hopefully will help both of them be more confident.  There is then #2 who is in the last 9 weeks of her first year as a 4th grade teacher, soaring on her own wings, and helping her husband complete his schooling.  Their flight through this life is really just beginning as well.  Daughter #1 may not have a salaried position but she is in many ways the busiest one of the 4 at this point in time.  She is the wife of a young family pastor and they are BOTH working on masters degrees in seminary. Her husband works full time besides his classes and family pastor duties.  They are the parents of two beautiful children, who are way too smart at their very young ages.  She is a Sunday school worker for the children of their church, and she is the newly named Vice President of the On Campus Women's organization at the Seminary that they attend. 

What a roller coaster world my family lives in.  You Gotta Love It. 

Whats Going On.

Both of our trucks were coming through town at the same time for a change.  We took this opportunity to get some pictures of the convoy.  I climbed to the top of the overpass coming in to town as I wasn't going to have time to park in a parking lot and walk to the top.

While I was waiting, I took some random shots to practice.  The pictures didn't turn out as well as I hoped but it is spring around here and that means windy and dusty.  I was almost having to hold on to the overpass to keep from blowing over.  I really didn't look at the pictures till I got back to work to load them to post. This first shot is, interestingly, a shot of our competition. 

Then, as I looked in to the distance, I saw them coming around the corner.

 

Hopefully some day when it isn't so windy, I will be able to try again. 

But even though the pictures weren't as great as I had expected..... I couldn't be more proud of these guys!!!!!!!!!!