Show me 5

Has it really been that many weeks since I've last blogged? I promise I'm not that neglectful of my family, well, not all of the time. At least the kids are old enough to take care of themselves! Have I mentioned that Meg is a great cook on the grill, Drew is getting the hang of laundry, and Matt, well, he does good just keeping his clothes on :)

I was getting familiar with all my friends and their blogs when I realized that I had been tagged. Just in case you were needing some great information on Keli, here are a few basic facts about me:

5 things that WERE on my to-do-list today:
1. Exercise this morning - I did walk to my chocolate bucket twice, but I don't think that really counts
2. Begin printing over 500 invitations, 85 diplomas, and about a bagillion programs for our 5th Grade Graduation
3. Mop my floors at school - I realize we have very capable janitors to do this, I'm just very particular about who bumps around the Computer Lab
4. Bathe my 4th child - Big Tex Ranger Hill
5. Mop my floors at home

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Chocolate covered cashews
2. Hot, buttered popcorn with peanut M&M's mixed in
3. Cheesecake bites from Sonic
4. Little Debbie brownies
5. Awesome French Fries with Ranch from Oby's (chased with a Root Beer)

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Tithe
2. Erase all our debt
3. Set aside money for my kids' car
4. Set aside money for my kids' college
5. Build a sound-proof library filled with my favorite books, comfy chairs, lots of chocolate, and Cherry Dr. Peppers and/or Barq's Root Beer in a cute pink fridge

5 bad habits (I suppose I'm to fill this with mine and not my husbands):
1. I forget about life when I have a book in my hands, for real. When I begin a book I will literally stay up all night and read it from cover to cover
2. I'm a hopeless planner (thanks parental figures!)
3. I think I have a named disease where I start one project but then am easily side-tracked with another one
4. Sometimes I sleep with my glasses on - explanation time. I'm like scary blind and get a little freaked out at night when I can't see what's going on. My husband HATES it, but it makes be feel safe, so there :)
5. Placing others ahead of me, almost to the point of neglecting areas of my life that I need to concentrate on

5 places I have lived (although it might be easier to list those places I haven't lived):
1. Dallas, Texas
2. New Orleans, Louisiana
3. Pelahatchie, Mississippi
4. Jenks, Oklahoma
5. Florence, Mississippi

5 jobs I have had:
1. Day Care worker at FBC Brandon, Mississippi
2. Secretary at Cable in the Country in Clinton, Mississippi
3. Mothers' Day Out Worker in New Orleans, Louisiana
4. Assistant Librarian in Flowood, Mississippi
5. Assistant Computer Lab Person in Flowood, Mississippi

5 people I want to know more about (I apologize if you've already been tagged. As I've stated earlier, I'm a little behind on the blog world):
1. Sarah Smitherman
2. Emily Witcher
3. Monique McGonagill
4. Emily Tate
5. Anne Elisabeth Peacock

Another wild hair

Crazy me came up with another zany idea, only this time I brought back up!

I convinced Sharon Ryan (got to give her credit for hanging with me on this) to join me at the US 96.3 radio station at 7:30 Tuesday morning.

I had it in my mind that we would invite hosts Karen Lowe and Scott Steele to do a live show during NWRE's Family Walk Night on the 28th of this month.

Picture this now, Sharon dressed up in our school's Cougar outfit, me holding 4 dozen HOT Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, and 6 kids all bombarded the station. When Meg passed out the fliers for Family Walk Night and Marshall Madness, Marshall Madness got the most attention. We were even asked to speak about Marshall Madness on the radio (Sharon did a fabulous job with that) and the kids gave their best impersonation of a cougar growl.

In my most humblest opinion, US 96.3 - and Scott & Karen - have got it going on! They didn't have to speak to us, didn't even have to take the donuts we brought. But they did...and they brought us back to their "room" like we were old friends! Way to go, guys!

When you want what you've never had ~ you must do what you've never done

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let now your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

Well, I took a HUGE step today and did not sign my intent at school.

Take a breath, Keli.

I am going back to big school in the fall, MC to be exact. As my kids say, "Mom's going back to school to learn how to be a teacher."

Breath in, breath out, Keli.

I can honestly say that this is one of the most difficult decisions I've ever had to make.

Hang in there, girl.

I just knew that if I didn't go through with it this time, I would never finish my degree.

I have tried to go back to school, about 4 times. I've even applied, got financial aid going, the whole works. Funny thing ~ it just wasn't God's plan. Each and every time I would get my ducks in a row, we would find out we were moving or that I was pregnant. No lie.

God got my attention in a big way!

Brian and I have been talking and PRAYING, like forever,

about me making this move and we just knew.

The time is now.

I was so terrified about stepping out of my comfort zone, about moving away from my NWRE family, about leaving behind all that I feel I'm known for.

Crazy, right?

Me, Keli Hill, infamous mover

(I've been married for almost 14 years and we've moved 8 times

in three different states), is petrified of taking a different road.

I must need my head examined.

It is my goal in life to have stability for my family. An outsider might look at the Hill's and wonder how we can be on the go so much of our life. We live in one city, Brian works in another, the kids and I go to school in yet another city, and still our Church is an hour and a half away.

We are gypsies.

But if you look a little closer, each time we make a "chess move", it is with the ultimate goal of consolidating our life. I can honestly say that I have found the end of the tunnel and a bright and glorious light awaits me. No, I'm not dying, not that type of light.

Peace.

I think that's what the Hill's are craving. That's what God is leading us towards.

That's what my light looks like.

Today I went to school without a heavy weight. I could take a cleansing breath, shake my head, and know that I'm doing God's right thing. For my husband. For my kids.

For myself.

Others might question the saneness of our decisions ~ have I mentioned that we now have to move to keep the kids at NWRE. For real. Like we HAVE to move this summer.

But you know what, I fall back on my new favorite life-line,

"Those that mind don't matter, and those that matter don't mind."

Someone at school asked me today if I was coming back. You bet. She asked if that was a promise or a threat. My response? If there's on opening, it's a promise. If there's not, it's a threat. Hey little sis, keep something on the back burner for me.

Snap, I need a tissue!

Curious?

OK, I'll spill the beans about Saturday night with the Killoughs. I'm still shaking my head at my crazy expectations.

Many of you wouldn't guess this, but my sweet - very redneck husband - Brian, is a member of the Richland Rotary Club. I'm not really sure who or how many Rotary Clubs were involved with this plan, but somehow and someway we were told that the Harlem Globetrotters were coming to Brandon. That's right folks, the Harlem Globetrotters! Actually their B-Team, but the team nonetheless. Every Rotary member was to sell tickets with all proceeds going towards the March of Dime (I think). Kara jumped on board with me, both of us thinking that we could get some ideas to use for our school's Marshall Madness Basketball Benefit.
I immediately knew something was wrong when we pulled into the Brandon High School parking lot and there were very little cars. VERY LITTLE! Dun, dun, dun. Then, we got a glimpse of the Harlem players, all 5 of them.
Come to find out it's not the Harlem Globetrotters but the Harlem Ambassadors! The only resemblance between the two ~ the red/white/blue basketball and the name Harlem. That's where it ends. Their team consisted of 4 guys and one gal, who was the coach. They had one, 1, uno, lapel mic that they rotated to whomever needed it. They did bring an announcer who also doubled as their music technician on a laptop and speaker beater, yes speaker beater. The Harlem Ambassadors had brought one speaker that had a short in it so every few minutes the announcer would run over there and shake/beat it.

Poor Kolton was running a fever and DROOLING a puddle everywhere (he's still the cutest thing ever). Lucky sis and family got to leave early. My family had to stay until close to the end.

I hate to say it but NWRE ladies could definitely teach the Harlem Ambassadors a few things about basketball and entertainment. You ain't lived until you've seen our teachers play it out on the court!

You or me

OK, Kara, should I tell everyone about Saturday night or would you like to have that pleasure?

Those little moments

Looking back, it's been a while since I wrote anything of substance. I think today would be a fine day to remedy that problem. The kids are entertaining themselves, which could lead to future problems but at the moment I just don't care. I'm blogging. Yep, words refresh me.

The boys are playing soccer this year, on the same team if you can imagine that. Their first game was the other day and I can honestly say that I've NEVER laughed harder during a sporting event than when I was watching their game.

If you've never met Matt, he's Tigger re-incarnate. That boy doesn't walk, he jumps EVERYWHERE! I don't think he made a move on the field that didn't include at least one hop. Most of the time he kept his hands in his pockets and skipped down the fields, WAY behind the rest of the players. Too funny. This is also the child that LOVES to spell words. His latest word to spell is "Eugene" but why he picked that name to attempt is beyond me. Care to know how he spells "Eugene"..."youjean". How can you correct that?

Drew was a hoot to watch on the field as well, but for entirely different reasons. He is such a caregiver and nurturer. When one boy from the other team got hurt, Drew took it upon himself to walk the boy over to his coach ~ patting the boy and trying to comfort him the whole way. When another child fell and wouldn't get up, Drew was the one to tell the whole field,

and I mean the WHOLE field, to take a knee.

That leaves me with Meg. Where, oh where, do I begin. Have you ever eaten a ton of your favorite food and then felt sick? It tastes great in the moment but leaves you with a bad taste afterwards. Life with a pre-teen is like that. I have never experienced so much laughter with my sweet girl only to be followed by a significant mood swing that left a horrible taste in my mouth. At this point in her life, she could be in a Sci-Fi movie and win an Oscar for her performance. Got to love that girl! Right now she is fascinated with a moustache on her face that quite frankly, only she can see. Just proves my point.

Short but sweet

I'm supposed to be cleaning my house right now (don't tell my husband) but instead am curled up with a good book. It's beautiful outside, there's a pleasant breeze flowing through my house, I can hear the boys in the backyard laughing with the neighborhood kids, and Meg is giving me a few minutes of peace and quiet. Aaaww ~ serenity...why waste that on cleaning!
I've come across a line in this book that states, "The ones that mind don't matter and the ones that matter don't mind." How true is that! Be yourself, be an original, be true.