Home of THEE Laura Strong

The Ville, The Village, Hooterville, Woodpile, The Dirty Wood, The Cop Shop, The Speed Trap, Hoodville, Weirdville, The Town NOT to be Mistaken for Gibsontucky, The Twilight Zone, Whoville, Whatville, The Dirty, Wildville, The "Other" Woodville (not the Woodville Mall), Skullyville, Woodtucky, The Bubble, The Lime Capital of the World

THE VILLAGE OF WOODVILLE

While most people only click on a blog post when I link it to facebook, there are a few people that actually subscribe. While I was "off the grid" I asked if any of my regular followers had any topics/questions that they would like me to attempt to answer.  This is one of them and I plan to answer honestly, but also have some fun with!

 

 SDD, a friend that recently PICKED to move back to Woodville...like took a pay cut and moved in with her rents for a while in order to make the move possible sent me the following questions:  "Why are you here?  Why did you stay?  Why didn't you get the hell out when you had a chance?  Does any part of you ever regret it? (And not in the, "No, I don't regret it because I wouldn't have married Aaron and had the kids," kind of way, that's a cop out.  Let's say you get to keep Aaron and the kids, but still got out for a while/forever...what do you think?)"

When I was 17 and headed off to "Woodmore #2" or "The Larger Scale of the Same" (BGSU), I was NEVER going to come back to Woodville.  I wanted to live in a big city like Chicago, have a fancy office in a skyscraper over looking the city and only come home when my parents begged me.  Aaron wanted to live in Montana or some other desolate place in the wilderness away from all socialization.  I wasn't going to have any children and wouldn't be caught dead living in "The Dirty Wood"...until I did.

Why I am here?  When I found out I was having Lilly, we couldn't afford anything more than the half-way house.  Aaron was living in Columbus. I was living with two of my friends.  Both of us only worked enough to pay the rent and buy beer.  If we were going to give the whole family thing a whirl, we needed the help of our families.  I cried when we talked about moving back to Woodville, but both of us knew that it was our best option.  Of course both of us convinced ourselves that we would only live in Woodville for a short time.  Once we landed real jobs we would get the hell out!

Now that we are making enough money to pay the mortgage, care for our children, and have a little extra room to breathe, we could easily get out of "The Ville".  So, why did I stay? When we shopped around for houses we looked in Luckey, Pemberville and Elmore. (Nope, didn't even look in Chicago or Montana...Woodville is actually a pretty good compromise for the two extremes, I suppose)  We put an offer in on a house in Elmore, but by the time the sellers were ready to come down to our price, I was over the cute little blue house with a white picket fence.  If we would have would have bid a little higher on the house in Elmore or if my Uncle Paul wouldn't have pointed out the many flaws in the other house we wanted to bid on in Woodville, we wouldn't have had a room on the first floor or the extra space when my Dad needed a room on the first floor.   Aaron was laid off from Martin Marietta the month that we were supposed to close on our current house.  When the lender learned this information, they wouldn't approve us for a loan without a co-signer.  At the time my Dad had no idea that he would eventually move into our house (that was already handicap accessible), but he could tell I wanted the house and agreed to co-sign on our behalf.

The same town that I rode bikes in, built forts in, collected spiders and fed grasshoppers in, smashed pumpkins on the roads in, rode the rocko planes in, was confirmed in, was NEVER going to live in...is now HOME. I can't imagine living anywhere else.

My children can do Woodmore jumping jacks.  The neighbors are some their best friends.  I am able to coach teams with my forever friends as we watch our children grow up together in a community that ALWAYS supports their own.  I have witnessed the overwhelming amount of love and generousity that is shared when someone is in need and I don't think that all communities can say the same. I know the parents of the girls that I call to babysit my children.  I am greeted by name when I enter the grocery store, the pharmacy, and the coffee shop. I can still name 90% of the classmates that I graduated high school with.  I can walk home from Jo Jo's...AND the beer tent! My mom and inlaws live close enough to help out, enjoy their grandchildren and we have ironed out the kinks of the drop by visits.  My kids have cousins that live here and great aunts and uncles that love them as much as their grandparents do. My house is the gathering place when friends come home for the holidays.   When we stripped wall paper we found rainbows and hearts drawn by our friends when they were little.

Why didn't I get out while I could and do I regret never leaving?  10 years ago I would have answered this question much differently, probably even 3 years ago, maybe even last year, but today, where I'm at now, I can say that I would move to Woodville again even if I didn't have to. I stay because I want to.  When the kids are out of the house, maybe I'll leave Woodville, but probably not.  On my list of regrets 'never leaving Woodville' doesn't even make the page.

So, yes, Sarah, "it's this piddly ass little town, but dude, it's home"!

THEE ROCKO PLANES

Where else could I live that I could coach my children with my best friend?

Over $50,000 in ONE year to cure Cystic Fibrosis...primary donors from Woodville and Elmore!

Lines a mile long to support Connor and ALL.

Kids of all ages bundle up to walk for Greta and Diabetes.

Wonderful church families to play with!

The list of why I stay in Woodville goes on and on...I don't care what you call it, it's home!

Almost to 20,000!

Since my blogger count is almost to 20,000 views (some people have 20,000 views each day and I'm excited that I will hit this mark in a year and a half;)) and really all I do is ramble on and on...and on about whatever I am thinking about when I get the urge to write, I figured I would see if any of you, the crazy people that read my scribbles, have any questions or topics that you would like me to write about or attempt to answer.

It's not that I'm having a writer's block because I'm full of, well, shit, but if you have any questions that you would like answered, here's your chance! 

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not going to attempt to answer questions like "what's the cure to cancer?", "why are people stupid?", ect...A-hole friends that will still probably send questions like this, I'm sure I'll laugh at them, but I'm not going to answer them)

Email the questions or possible topics to me at lstrongl@yahoo.com and I will try to answer them for you! 

When in Doubt, Call!

It has been a crazy morning at the office.  I am writing to unwind a little bit, stop shaking, and hopefully make my hives disappear while I'm at it.

Recently, one of the partners from our firm moved to Tennessee.  He was one of the attorneys that hired me and I have worked in a small firm atmosphere with him for seven years.  Quickly we started a friendship because in his words, I have "spunk".  He is more than 30 years my senior, but there is no age barrier when we communicate.   I have attended concerts with him and his spunky wife, enjoyed cocktails in his basement bar, they stop by when they drive through Woodville.  He is more than my boss, he is my friend.

When he told me that he was moving, I was excited for him.  His wife, Diane, is wild and crazy.  She wears flamboyant clothes, she says what's on her mind, she thinks outside of the box.  I think Nashville fits her personality perfectly!  Ed still plans to work remotely and I am his primary contact.  I gave him a big hug and reminded him that he still owes me a trip to the Village Idiot.  He assured me that the next time they were in town, he'd pay up.

This morning he called for assistance in filing a document.  I formatted the document and asked another attorney to sign the pleading on Ed's behalf.  The attorney had a question about the pleading so we called Ed. 

Ed has a heart condition.  He had a mild heart attack a few years ago. He has "in case" pills (nitroglycerin) that I tease him about when he gets worked up.  His face turns red when he's mad and when I can tell he's in a "mood", I tell him to give me his keys so that I have his "in case" pills when he needs them.

When we called him this morning, he admitted to the other attorney that he had taken a couple nitroglycerin pills and was feeling similar to how he felt when he had a heart attack.  They wrapped up their conversation, but they were supposed to talk again in just a couple minutes about the revisions to the pleading.  We called him a couple times before the alarm bells went off.  Then Dave asked for the contact numbers.

Ed JUST moved two weeks ago.  We don't have his current address, they don't have a home phone, Diane was at work and not answering her cell, Ed's cell went straight to voicemail, neither of his sisters answered the phone.  We called a friend of Diane's here in Toledo and she had their address and knew which hospital Diane works at.  We put in an emergency call to Diane with the hospital and called the Police in Nashville.

I told the attorney here that Ed was going to be pissed at him and he told me that he didn't care.  I'm not sure that before this incident I would have called the emergency squads simply because he didn't answer the phone when he was supposed to. Dave was confident in his decision and told me that if it was a false alarm it wouldn't be the first time he looked like a fool and certainly wouldn't be the last!

I am losing hope quickly that it was a false alarm.  Diane is supposed to call as soon as she can and it has been more than an hour now.  I have two great big hives, I'm still shaking and I want to throw up.  The lesson that I learned today is when in doubt, call.  Dave didn't hesitate for a minute in the crucial time.  He had me contacting people as soon as Diane didn't answer the call to her cell.  He called the police as soon as I had the number and their address in hand.

UPDATE:  They are admitting Ed for observation, but they don't think he is actively having a heart attack.  He turned the paramedics away when they arrived and told them he did not call them.  When I talked to Diane she jokingly asked me, "Are you surprised?".  I chuckled and told her no, but I was happy to hear that he was being his stubborn self because that is a good sign.  She forced him to make the trip to the ER and he personally called to thank us after he talked with the doctors.  I think he was calling more to make sure we were filing his pleading:)  Great big sigh of relief. 

UPDATE 2: Angiogram today.

My pray list is enormous right now...can everyone just stay safe for Easter, please!!!!

Can't wait to check fb!

Busy, but good weekend:)  Lunch with the Mights and the Clyde girls...only one thing that I HAD to do all weekend and it actually went very smoothly!  After delivery I drove around BG for a few minutes just because...lots of memories there!

CAMILLE IS PLAYING SOCCER!! So proud of my shy, little sweetheart!  She repeatedly said no when we asked her if she wanted to play, so we didn't sign her up.  One of the teams needs another player and somehow I convinced her to try it...and she LOVES IT!  Yay!

Higher life insurance premium because my Dad died from cancer.  Isn't it enough that he died from cancer!? I have to pay more because of it...what a kick in the face. UGHHHH. 

Really over cancer in general this week.  Continued prayers for Connor AND his family.  Kudos to Sarah for not exploding on the gentlemen that commented on Connor's mohawk haircut...I would have lost it! I heard a saying that I'm sure I've heard a thousand times, but when I heard it yesterday I thought of dear Sarah.

"God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called."

Your positive attitude is inspiring. Your love for your son is so very obvious in each word you write.  It breaks my heart to read your words, but I hope you know that your courage and strength is admirable.  It pushes others to give that extra kiss and squeeze when they're late for work.  I hope you can feel the love that everyone is sending to you!!

Prayers for the Mights...not looking forward to seeing Ry and Ady this week. They think I have unlimited knowledge on the subject of death and dying.  I managed to dodge the questions this weekend, but I'm sure they will corner me soon, especially since Smoky died so soon after their puppy was killed.  It's hard to answer the type of questions they will ask.

Lots and lots of prayers for Mugga and the rest of the Bowen clan.  One of the sweetest ladies around town, who is giving and kind to everyone she knows.  Prayers to my aunt, uncle and cousins as they stand strongly united in the waiting room...oh, how I hate the waiting room. Prayers to my pseudo aunts, uncles and cousins and Grandpa Bowen as well.

Facebook Withdrawl Week 5

Super sore from square dancing...pathetic!  Clark was surprised! Had a nice time meeting their friends:)

Beautiful baby shower, beautiful Mommy, wonderful friends.

My cousin should be a party planner.  Cowboy boots two nights in a row...YEEEEEHAAAWWW!

Loved the fork decor for the soon to be Jessica Fork!  Adorable, packed house for a super sweet friend:)

Time with my Texas girl makes me smile...I was in a MOOD on Sunday.  Laura and Jess turned it around for me;)  Don't know what I would do without all of my girlfriends!

So sick of losing in volleyball! Last week-acceptable.  This week-NOT.

DO NOT stop by my house this week...it's trashed!  No time to clean or put things away or breathe! (Nevermind, started the cleaning frenzy last night, to be continued tonight and in shape for drop ins the rest of the week:) I even swept out my car...passengers understand how badly needed this was!)

Special prayers for couple ladies this week. I hope they can feel the extra love.

That's it.  I hear bits and pieces of things on fb...I'm ready to be back on the grid!

My reminder. Always always always.

All powerful. All knowing. Ever Present. 

 Grace. Mercy. Forgiveness.

Faith. Timeless. Hope. Limitless. Love. Infinite.

God

His understanding has no limit (Psalm 147:5). He searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought (1 Chronicles 28:9). His love endures forever (Psalm 136).

Since my days of dorm rooms with stereos booming Dixie Chicks, I have wanted a tattoo. On spring break one year I even went to a tattoo parlor with my closest friends. I was going to pick one of the cute girlie designs and go with it.  I was feeling rebellious that year and ready to mark my independence with a meaningless design. The shop we selected randomly, didn't tattoo feet.

As we walked out of the shop, I pretended that I was disappointed and deflated. Honestly, I was relieved because I didn't know what I wanted! I wanted it to mean something, but what in my life meant enough to have it permanently embedded on my youthful skin?  I have always wanted one, but could not think of the perfect design.  So, yes, mother, even though I'm not eighteen, I still wanted one and even though nobody believed I would actually follow through, I did!

I stumbled on the design on Pinterest of all places. You can check out her blog here: http://amorestef.blogspot.com/2011/02/ggpwn3d-7-failing-flesh.html  Her reasons are part of why I LOVE the design so much.  IMMEDIATELY I knew that I wanted this design. For more than a decade I have thought about what design I would like enough to last forever. A design that will stand the test of time, tell my story, remind me of the scars and the glory.

I LOVE IT!

PLUG: Dominic at Infinite Art 419-292-1990.  I printed a picture of Stef's blog post picture and he drew it up on the spot, kept me calm and it looks amazing. I laughed and used my favorite word quite a few times, but actually it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. I screamed "I have a tattoo!!" all the way home...and, no, I did not have anything to drink before he started! A special memory with Ashley and Wendy that will last forever! 3/21/12

For me, the design starts with the words at the bottom and ends with the words at the top of this post. 'It' and 'that' which can only be explained by God. 

My journey to Him.  A reminder to myself, always always always.

Question. Believe. The Story. The characters. Perceived. Real. Life. Death. Prophesy. Known.

Children. Mother.  Insanity. Still. Water. Wine. Broken. Compassion. Reflection. Face to Face.

Loss. Prosperity. Self-seeking. Charity. Sin. Salvation. Mystery. Knowledge. Confident. Humble.

Failing Flesh. God is Strength. Wilderness. Light. Repent. Rejoice. Fall. Spring. Doubt. Assurance.

Facebook Withdrawl Week 4

OH NO! I am not thinking in facebook terms at all anymore! LauraBook will be nonexistent! By Easter I might not want to log on!

Yeah right...I can't wait to get on:)

But I did not log in to Blogger much last week other than to write about co-existing.  I can't remember what I did two days ago let alone all week:) BUT, I do love Sarah's new tattoo and it makes me want mine so much worse!  Soon, dear tattoo, soon:) Love listening to live music, especially with a few of my best friends...if you missed Rockoustic last weekend, your loss! Lovin' the nice weather, grilled food, and dirty feet...that's about it!