How Long?

How Long

I can hear the tick of the clock
Too close to my head
It’s giving me a headache
To think of all the
Tick Tocks I’ve ever heard
Only a second counted,
Now, didn’t it?
Once long ago it was like
A bomb went off inside of me
And everyone left
Wish I could have withstood the blast
Instead
I shattered like an ordinary sheet of glass
Wishing I could put it all back together
I wish I could lie
And I wish I didn’t care
But wishes don’t count
When
I can hear the tick of that clock
Still close to my head
Maybe if I couldn’t hear the seconds pass
I wouldn’t have to ask
How long...
Till I feel whole again

April~ Marie
1997

TIME

Time

When it all comes down to silence
There’s just a single thought left in my mind
I love you
Let me count the ways
And count the days
Till when I see you next
Emptiness is a dark forbidden feeling
And it grows in my soul
To leave me sick with silence and nothingness
Smiles only come in passing memories
And laughter has become its own irony
Soon my love only bears the thought of time
The moment it can breathe again
My life was to be my own
But I’ve grown to know how the demons control
Waiting for the alarm to go off
Waking me from this nightmare
But all the clocks have seemed to stop
As motionless as a dream

April~Marie
11-1996

We've Moved!

 

Our Moving Interview

Interviewer: You Moved?!?

Mitchell's: Why yes, We've moved to Nampa from Weiser.

Interviewer: Didn't you like Weiser?

Mitchell's: We loved the little town of Weiser, the community was great, the people were so kind and we are sad to leave them.

Interviewer: Why did you move then?

Mitchell's:We needed to be closer to Levi's Boise Truck Terminal. We moved to Weiser because we did not need to be near his work, and we thought it would be fun to live in the country. Levi was able to bring his truck home on his days off so it was very convenient. After some changes made with Levi's company, drivers who live 50 miles away from a terminal (Weiser is about 66 miles away) can no longer park trucks at home. The change was announced in February and made officially in May. We are a one car family and April was commuting 3 hrs round trip 2 times a week to pick him up and drop him off during his home time. Or we were just staying at Levi's parents house in Meridian 2-3 days a week. It was exhausting for us. After weighing the options, it made more sense financially to move back closer to Boise then to buy and maintain a new car. Plus we are closer to family and friends again.

Interviewer: Where did you move to in Nampa?

Mitchell's: We moved off the last Nampa exit #33, near Caldwell Blvd and Orchard Ave.

Interviewer: Did you buy a house?

Mitchell's: No, we have never been able to settle down and buy a house, we prefer to be foot loose and fancy free. Maybe one day!

Interviewer:So are you renting a lovely 6 bedroom home with a hot tub on 2 acres?

Mitchell's: (give them a moment they are laughing hysterically) No. We are renting an apartment.

Interviewer: You are squeezing your family of 6 into an itty bitty New York type apartment?!? Isn't that illegal?

Mitchell's: Uh, no. Actually our apartment is larger than the home we had in Weiser. The new apartment is a lovely 1400 square feet. We also have a large garage and a patio with a large grassy area. We have 2 bedrooms, and a large bonus room with french doors that we use as an office/playroom/classroom.

Interviewer: So, you make your kids share a room? Isn't that considered torture or at least child abuse?

Mitchell's: Why yes, all the boys are in one room with two bunk beds. We think making them share, although sometimes more work for us, teaches them lots of life lessons and we avoid many unnecessary issues that arise from having a whole room to ones self. For example, if your child has their own room they are often always shouting, "Mom, so-and-so is in my ROOOOOM!!"....we do not have this issue. They learn to share, learn to give others space, learn to communicate more effectively, etc.

Interviewer: Are you just making this stuff up to justify your rare form room sharing torture?

Mitchell's: No, it works. Look at those Duggar Kids...they share rooms.

Interviewer: Living in an apartment can't be fun, what about a swing set and pool in your back yard? Won't you miss the amenities of having your own yard?

Mitchell's: Actually we are on the bottom floor unit, with only one neighbor above us and one on our left. We have a lovely patio area, with a fenced in grassy area that comes around the side of our apartment. It's about the same size as those new subdivision yards...hee hee...plus we don't have to mow. (

April pipes in here) These hunky lawn care guys come on Wednesdays and do all the yard work, its amazing!...I mean what they do for the lawns and all of course.

(Levi interrupts here) Anyway...because of our lifestyle, me gone on the road most of the month and April busy with homeschooling. It just made more sense to make our living situation as simple as possible. I don't have to worry if things break down or need done. The maintenance guy does that for me. I can enjoy all the time I'm home with my family, not out mowing the lawn and fixing stuff. Also our apartment community is gated, which means my family is safer. We also have a gym, sauna, pool, and play ground. Not to mention the cute ponds, streams and walking path.

(April pipes up again) Don't forget the large Community room that I can use for my parties and activities! Don't worry I won't invite the lawn care guys.

Interviewer: Well, it sounds like you guys are pretty happy with the move *cough* weird...but happy! Well, welcome to Nampa!

Kaleb's First Stitches

The Saturday before we moved I was taking apart the boys beds and had leaned some metal bed rails against the bunk bed. Ian knocked them over by accident. One hit Kaleb right between the eyes while he was sitting on the floor playing. He was so lucky it didn't hit his eyes! We rushed him to the Weiser Memorial Hospital ER.

We'd seen most everything in the small town of Weiser, but not the Hospital. Good thing we were able to squeeze in a trip before we moved. Dr. Thompson and his ER nurses were fast and were able to stitch Kaleb up with no fuss. He did not have to have any shots to numb the area, they used some liquid drops on the wound that numbed it up. Then Dr. Thompson sewed Kaleb up with blue thread and sent us on our way to return in 6 days to have the stitched removed.

Kaleb, day of accident

Leaving for Nampa Dr. office to get stitches removed.

All done! That's gonna leave a little scar.

Kelsi's EhCapa

My friend Tanya's little girl joined Ehcapa this year a bare-back riding club for children 8-19. She has practiced all Spring and done performances all over this Summer, in parades and rodeos. They hosted a performance just for friends and family and we were invited. We really enjoyed seeing the horses and riders perform.

The Organized Homeschool

It's August again. Here are the Mitchell house we are packing up house for a move. I am so glad I had already organized our homeschooling material earlier this summer, because it has made packing so much easier. Around August many homeschooling mother's are gearing up for a new homeschool year. Getting everything ready for your school year and organizing your learning materials can be a challenge even for those type 'A' moms. What are your favorite organization secrets and tools? Please comment to share.

Destiny

Keiichi Nishimura, Cranes Over Moon

Sometimes change sneaks up on you, not like a thief in the night, but like a gently breeze against your back. It whispers to you that it is time to move on, but it's the kind of nudge you cannot ignore. So you take the motions to bring about change and events fall into place and it happens so fluidly and peacefully. You can't help but wonder. Was it destiny? What is destiny? Just a change, a change we feel like we didn't truly embrace, but was right for us all along. What could destiny be, but God's own will. A force so strong as to steer the course of lives, but so soft as to appear but a nudge in one direction or another.