Excuse Me, Was That My Weekend That Just Flew Past Me?

Wow, it's already Sunday night? While my weekend was fun, it was jam-packed. I had no down-time and I don't do well with that. Right now, I'm exhausted and crabby. My family is not too fond of me at the moment.

It started Friday night with my mom's company picnic at Minute Maid park to watch the Astros game. I got home at 4 and was out the door by 5. The Astros were playing the Atlanta Braves (Melissa, Bear & I talked about you wondering if Brent watched any of the series). My stepmother is a HUGE Braves fan so Bear called my dad to see who he was going to root for. Of course he said the Braves. So they had fun calling each other and arguing back & forth. Then the Astros lost. Bear was all 'if Poppy calls, don't answer the phone!' That was a late night for us!

Saturday, I was able to sleep in some but I didn't get to veg for too long. We had Astros tickets again. My mom, being antsy, wanted to get to the game early. Four hours early! Two hours before the doors opened! Being the good daughter that I am (plus, she was my ride), Bear & I waited in line with her. It was really a pleasant day and it was fun hanging out with the fans. Some ballplayers I didn't recognize showed up and people hounded them for autographs. Bear got mad at me because he thinks I'm too overprotective. When the line got close to moving, some people thought they could cut in front. Oh no! The fans let them know real quick where they could find the end of the line. One lady refused to move so they got the security guard to 'explain' things to her. That game was a little better. Craig Biggio caught for 2 innings while our normal catcher, Yummy Brad Ausmus, played 2nd base. Poppy was rooting for the Astros. Brandon Backe, our pitcher, hit a homerun. And they won!! Another late night.

That brings us to today. ANOTHER Astros game. You might be wondering why I spent my whole weekend at Minute Maid Park. This weekend was the last home weekend, and the last games ever, of Craig Biggio. Bear's first favorite Astro. He is the epitome of a true hero and athlete. We didn't want to miss it. My mom was here by 9am. Bear decided that he'd just ride with his daddy. Again, the weather was nice and the fans were fun to talk to. And the fans also let the people know that there'd be NO CUTTING IN LINE. It was comical.

Bear had his 1st ballgame at 4:30. Unfortunately, he & Hubby had to leave the game early. They got ½way home when the coach called to tell him that the game was rained out. That was frustrating.

We said good-bye to Biggio which was hard. I got home about 4:30 and then an hour later had to turn around to get Lamb from her youth group. We had to run to the store to grab things for breakfast & lunch. Grabbed fast food for supper. I finally made it home for good at 7:30.

If I haven't bored you to tears yet, you now understand why I'm so exhausted. Tomorrow I am doing something I very rarely do. I'm trying not to feel guilty about it. I'm taking the morning off work. Morning is my slow time. The kids have their orthodontist appointments and I would like to meet the man putting on their braces. Hubby has been the one to take them. Then, hubby & I will go grocery shopping. The main thing is that I'll be able to sleep just a tad bit longer. Sleeping is very important to me.

Age I Wish To Go Back To

Misty Dawn tagged me for this meme. She wants to know what age I would re-do. I would really not want to re-do any age as everything in my life has brought me to this point. Why would I want what I have now to change? But, I would love to re-visit a time period in my life. That would be from ages 23-28. Those were the ages when I became pregnant with Lamb (23) & Bear (26) and then had beautiful babies. I would absolutely love to experience that with them again, especially knowing what I know now. I would love to hold them and love on them (as babies). I enjoy them so much now but I do miss their baby stages.

So, if I could go back in time, I wouldn't re-do anything, but I'd love to hold each baby again.

Original

Here is Craig Biggio playing his original Houston Astros position of catcher tonight on Game 2 of his last weekend of his career.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer

How are you today?
overwrought

Soup

Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.
Dancing with the Stars, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes

Salad

What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?
I lived in a tornado valley growing up, but the scariest weather situation I've ever experienced happened here in Houston. We hadn't lived here very long when we experienced our 1st tropical storm. That in itself isn't scary, but for the longest time I had no idea what happened to hubby. His work called me to let me know he was on his way home and he never showed up. This was before we had cell phones so I spent the whole night worrying. Come to find out, he was stranded on the interstate. It was like their own little island with flooding all around them. Someone was kind enough to let him use their phone so he could call. And, of course, the Hurricane Rita evacuation was scary on a different scale but I don't want to talk about it.

Main Course

If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?
Great Britian because they speak my language ;)

Dessert

What do you usually wear to sleep?
tank top & panties but that might be T.M.I. for Coastie Brother :D

#11 of Things I've Been Putting Off

11. Return library books that were due September 11th.

Not only can I not pay my water bill on time, it appears that I can't make it to the library either. And like the utility building, the library is just up the road from me.

I am getting so bad.

Dream

Is she dreaming about a life in the theatre? Or is she dreaming about about the wonderful time she is having? Maybe she's not dreaming anything, just feeling safe & content in her daddy's arms while riding the subway.

10 Things I've Been Putting Off

Oh, how this speaks to me, the ultimate procrastinator. I take Scarlett O'Hara's words to heart. I'll think about that tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day. Why, I even procrastinated making this list!

1. dentist appointments for the whole family (but that's because we have to find a new dentist, really it is ;) )
2. cleaning the house
3. doing the dishes (they are rinsed off just haven't made it anywhere)
4. hanging up the pants that my husband so lovingly washed and folded
5. scanning the pictures that were taken pre-digital camera
6. moving the kids' games from one bookshelf to another
7. grocery shopping
8. scrapbooking Lamb's Washington D.C. trip (that was 3 years ago)
9. painting the living room
10. crotcheting Bear's orange blanket

Like Father, Like Daughter

Lamb was playing with my cell phone's camera when I heard a distressing sound coming from her. "Mama, mama, I'm so sorry." She somehow deleted all the pictures stored on my phone. Is there a conspiracy going on?

Other notes of interest:
Big D's absolute favorite college team is the Auburn Tigers. That means that he hates the Alabama Roll-Tide. Bear got his Fall Ball baseball team name today. Can you guess what it is? Hee! Alabama, baby! This will be a fun 6 weeks!

Both kids had their orthodontist consult today. I'm still in sticker shock. Bear's cost isn't *that* bad. But Lamb's? Oh man. We don't need groceries, cars, or a roof over our head as long as she has pretty teeth, right?

My t.v. shows are starting now. Yay!

A new rule for the school year. On Mondays we can wear jeans as long as we wear a a grade level t-shirt. Woot! My team can't really identify ourselves as Special Ed so we are calling ourselves the D.R.E.A.M. team. Determined to Readily Educate ALL Minds. Sunday nights are always a pity party for me. This alleviates so much stress. Really it does. And the rule has always been we can wear jeans on Friday as long as we wear our school spirit shirt. That means I only have to dress up 3X a week. Nice!

I had a lunch date with Big D today. It felt like old times. :)

What a crazy Monday this has been!

The Beauty of Lamb

I have noticed a trend about Lamb that alarms me and strikes fear in my heart. Whenever she travels, she attracts attention. And not the attention that we, her parents, like. Here are some examples:

• When she was about 9mths old, we visited Coastie Brother in New Orleans for Mardi Gras. We rode the Amtrak which was quite fun, I might add. The station is by the French Quarter so the day we left, we decided to leave early and walk around. It was like a ghost town due to everyone sleeping off their Mardi Gras partying. We were walking when out of no where, this drunk pops up. He exclaimed that Lamb was the prettiest baby that he's ever seen. Big D had her securely in his arms, but I was still nervous. I was afraid that he was going to try and snatch her. He followed us and kept talking about Lamb. Luckily, he was so focused on Lamb that he didn't notice the big, metal lamp post in front of him. He ran smack into it and knocked himself out. I wish I could say that I did the Christian thing and made sure he was ok. I didn't, I got the heck out of Dodge.
• Fast forward a few years to Lamb's 5th grade year. In our school district, our 5th graders have the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. during Spring Break with their peers. Parents are welcome to go, but it's not mandatory. There is a chaperon for every 7 students. While the chaperon was my very dear coworker, Big D & I were hesitant about sending her off on her own. We couldn't afford her ticket and my ticket, so my mom came to save the day. She went with her. I do not remember where they were, but this Asian couple came up to her and started stroking her hair. They then told Mom how beautiful she was. Now, my mom doesn't know for sure if this was the case, but it seemed like they were stalking her. Everywhere they went (I think it was at a museum), the Asian couple was there.
• Chicago, Illinois. We were walking along the crowded street when this homeless lady noticed Lamb. She jumped up, got in front of Lamb, and started walking backwards so she could continue to look. Thank the good Lord above that we got separated in the crowd.

I'm not sure why Lamb attracted these people. She is certainly beautiful, but I would call it more a classic beauty rather than an 'in your face' beauty. Her Granny (hubby's mom) thinks she has an unusual look, very European. While I'm not thrilled with her choice of words, I suppose she could look European. After all, her Granny is British and on Big D's father's side of the family, they immigrated from the Ukraine. My mom thinks she has an old-fashioned look that is refreshing in today's day & age.

I know I'm going to have to teach her a sense of awareness. Of course, every child should be taught this. You never know what lurks out there.

Paper

While in New York, Bear developed a fascination with reading the New York Post. He liked looking at the sports stats AND the A-Rod stripper drama. That story made the front page every day it seemed like. I'm surprised Bear hasn't asked for a subscription to the paper. ;)

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is your favorite type of art?
Toughie because I enjoy it all. I'll go with theatre arts. I enjoyed performing growing up, I enjoy watching it now, and I absolutely love watching my daughter now.

Soup
When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?
Wednesday lunch. My friend, anonymous, paid for it. However, I fully intend to either pay her back or return the favor.

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you?
My hubby would say a 10. I'll say an 8.

Main Course
Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?
Hmmm...I'm not sure. It depends on how much I have when I get home from work. I'm really bad about reading an email and not responding right away. The brain, it is tired when I get home.

Dessert
To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?
Pretty much all year round it is set on 74. When it's cold, the heat will be set on 70 or 72.

Simple Pleasures

One of the things I miss most about staying at home (besides having the house to myself) is lunch dates. I was lamenting about that to my good friend, anonymous in my comments, and she had the wonderful idea of going to her house for lunch. Yesterday, I did just that. She grabbed our lunch from a yummy tea-room and had it waiting for me. The 30 minutes went by way too fast but it was such a nice break in my day. I appreciated her offer so much! And I look forward to the next lunch date!

Hubby has been lamenting that he just doesn't get to see me anymore. We literally have 15 minutes of quality time a day together and the kids get the bulk of that time, which they should. So I told hubby that he could come visit me during lunch too. We can sit in the car to eat or, if the weather is nice, at one of the school's picnic tables. We'll see if I have something else to look forward to as well!

It's the small things that rock my world!

Chill

Something you don't see too often in Florida (or Texas for that matter), a chilly day on the beach!

I Suck.

Not only was the cake a disaster (look at that thing, it's PITIFUL, you can't see but Big D is laughing hysterically, Lamb is in the background gasping with horror), but I forgot to buy candles. I thought we had some in our junk drawer. We always have candles. Apparently I was wrong. The only one I could find was one that played Happy Birthday. It would seem that this was a very old candle. Instead of it being upbeat and festive, it was creepy and s...l...o...w.... I baked cookies for him to take to school today. They got so busy at the end of the day that they forgot to pass them out and sing to him. Poor Bear. Oh yeah, and the Astros were losing when we left. Poor poor Bear.

Other than that, he had quite the happy day. Thank you all for his birthday wishes. They mean a lot to us!

P.S. 1 Thing I Hope Bear Has Learned About Me

While it may not LOOK like it, everything I bake is baked with YLOVEY!

*supposed to be a Happy Birthday strawberry bundt cake

Scroll down for the 1st part of the post :)

10 Things I've Learned the Last 10 Years with Bear

Happy Birthday to Bear! It's finally happened. As of 6:40am September 18th, I no longer have any single digit aged children. Wah! This means I have no exemptions from jury duty if I get called up. It also means my children are growing up way too fast! While I enjoy this age, and look forward to the people they will become, I do miss the babies they were.

I decided to make my own 10 on Tuesday in honor of Bear's day. I know with every being in my body, soul, & mind that Bear is meant to be in our family and in this world. Here are 10 Things I've Learned being Bear's Mama:

1. I have to be literal with him. If I'm not, he'll find a loophole and exploit it to his advantage.



2. He is incapable of silence. He absolutely can not do anything without making noise or talking.



3. I have re-learned that little boys are gross and laugh at inappropriate things. He also loves to say things that shock or make you laugh.



4. I have learned that any word can be used as an adjective. Johnny Cash works exceptionally well.



5. He has taught me to enjoy baseball. I can hear my dad laughing all the way in Arkansas.
   
   
6. I have learned patience. He is a drama king and I have to be patient with that. He is curious and I have to be patient with that too. Did I mention he's loud and a noise-maker? Again, I must have patience. Bubble baths are my friend!



7. I have learned the importance of setting boundaries. If you give him an inch, he expects a mile.



8. I have learned that the color orange is really a very pretty color. And the Texas Longhorns are the team to root for in our house (really, except for Bear, we have no allegiance to any Texas college team).



9. The moniker Babycakes? I have learned to love being called that. It will be a sad day when that word has left his vocabulary.



10. I have learned that a son's love is such a blessing. Being pregnant with him, I wasn't so sure it would be. Boys grow up and break their mama's hearts. How could anyone be as sweet & loving as my little daughter? He taught me!

Injustice!

So, the kids & I were all up early. We had our game plan. I was on the computer & cell phone. Lamb was on the house phone, Bear on the laptop, BFF on the kids' computer. Even Big D got up to help out. At one time, we had every single computer & phone in the house going. To no avail. Webpages wouldn't load, phone lines were busy. One time, BFF got music rather than a busy signal. We were whooping for joy! Two minutes later, promptly went to busy signal. Big D was able to get to the order tickets page only to be told that no tickets available. But we kept trying! One hour and 15 minutes later, BFF finally got the music again. I took the phone from her and waited. And waited. And waited some more. FINALLY I got a real life person on the phone! Only to be told: Sorry, Hannah Montana tickets are all sold out. ARGH!!

But! While all this was going on, Big D was also looking at ebay and ticket broker sites. They already had tickets posted. If I had no sense of money, or money to randomly spend on whatever, I could buy tickets. It's grossly not right. This is a trend I'm noticing for everything. Hot toys are bought up only to be sold at ridiculous prices. Any kind of entertainment venue is the same thing. Sigh.

The war is not lost however. We have not given up hope. There are still other options!

Cleo Playing With A PLASTIC Bone

Word of the week is PLASTIC

Random-ness

• I hate fundraisers. I have already given my whole life savings to each school. Now they want my blood as BOTH have fundraisers at the same time.



• I so need to get my hair done. It's frizzy, split-endy, and the highlights have grown WAY out.



• My kids have discovered that our cable tv comes with radio stations. Bear: Radio Disney! Yay! Lamb: SHOWTUNES, it has a showtunes station! The fun never ends here!



• My life is about to get hectic. Baseball is starting next week and cross country next month.



• The job position Big D has his eye on to get him back to days won't be posted for another month. Wah.



• I got a compliment on my eyelashes. That's never happened before. I didn't mention that it was all about the mascara.



• Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus with Jonas Brothers concert tickets go on sale Saturday morning. I have my game plan with each child on a computer, me on a computer, & Big D on the phone. My mom says she'll try at her house too. I'm trying to convince my brother to get up early to help but I don't see that happening. I doubt we get tickets but how SWEET it would be if we could!



• In Math today a boy asked me how come when I explained something it all made sense to him. Awww. I told him that people are different learners. Some can read directions & understand and some need to hear it explained.



• I am seriously considering having Bear dismissed from speech. He only needs it for articulation and the last goal is "R". He's been working on that one sound for a dang year! He flew through his other goals. It's starting to upset him being pulled out. Last year, it was during recess 2x week. This year, it's during his favorite subject, Social Studies. Also, he finally made Math Explorers for the current math objective. His group just got together to decide what project to do when he was pulled for Speech. Blah!

The Name Game

I totally lifted this off of Stacey at JameeForever. Fun times!!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Callie Impala

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Chocolate Brownie Snickerdoodle

3. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) D'Hal

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Red Giraffe

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Leigh Portsmouth

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Halda

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (”The” + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Blue Coke

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Eddie Royce

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Pleasures Hot Tamales

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Karen Lee

11. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Brooking Brooklyn

12. SPY NAME/BOND GIRL: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Spring Daisy

13. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Pineapple Jeansie

14. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Snickers Magnolia

15. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR NAME: (”The” + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Photography Storm Tour

The Trials & Tribulations of the Mom of a 9 Year Old

When Bear was in pre-k, his teacher read him a book that changed his life. It was called "The Kissing Hand" and it was about a raccoon and his mother. The mother would always kiss his little paw so that while they were apart, the son could feel her love. For the next 2 years, Bear & I would do that. Of course, as all kids are wont to do, he grew older and grew out of it.

We had some high drama this past weekend. Bear wrote something in anger that he didn't really realize the full meaning of. We decided to use it as a life lesson and treated it as if he meant the words. While I wasn't yelling or didn't talk in anger, I was tough not coddling. I said some things to get him to think. And think he did. What he wrote is NEVER an option. Never. And seeing how it affected his daddy, of all people, probably reached him more than my words to him.

As he's a week shy of being 10, I'm sure the lesson won't stick 100% for the rest of his life. He'll say/write other things that he doesn't mean/understand. But, I do hope he remembers our conversation. I hope he remembers that words can devastate and hurt. There are words that shouldn't be said lightly. Those words that he wrote shouldn't be used as a guilt-I'mmadatyou-I'llteachyou ploy. And that there is nothing more scary or hurtful to a parent than to see these words(no, it wasn't I hate you). Much more to actually have to live them. I also hope he remembers that he can come to us with anything and know that we'll be there to catch him. Most importantly, I hope he remembers his faith. While I would have rather spent my Saturday night a different way, it did open up lines of communication between both children about a serious matter. I might not have otherwised thought I needed to talk about it.

Does parenting ever get easier? Does parenting a Drama King get any easier? He is such a sweet, charming, good boy. Really and truly he is. But does he ever wear me out some days! He definitely keeps me on my toes and exercises my brain.

After a long evening, it ended with him telling me that he didn't want to lose me (like that would EVER happen). And the kissing hand.

10 Cities I Could Live In

In no particular order, here are ten cities I could live in. Most I wouldn't want to live there forever, just enough time to learn the city and find all its hidden treasures.

1. Memphis, Tennessee - Where I met my husband, started my adult/married life, had my babies....I have a lot of special memories of this city...and just 'down the round' I have a lot of family!



2. Destin/Panama City Beach, Florida - My favorite beautiful beaches and a good friend are located on the Emerald Coast. You can't really ask for much more.
   
   
3. New York City, New York - I could so live there for a period of time (probably couldn't afford it tho). I am still thinking about this city 3 months after I've visited it.
   
   
4. Chicago, Illinois - We have visited 3 times and I still haven't gotten tired of it.
   
   
5. Orlando, Florida - Another city that I have visited several times and find it filled with tons of entertainment, the most important one being Disney!
   
   
6. Paris, France - No one said it had to be American cities! I have always dreamed of going to Paris. I almost went sr. year with the French club, but I had a flaky unorganized teacher so it never happened. One day though, one day!
   
   
7. Boston, Massachusetts - I lived right outside of Boston my jr. year of high school. The city is so rich with our U.S. history. I regret that I never got to explore it. Oh, we did the Freedom Trail several times, saw the House of Seven Gables, and even made our way to Salem to learn about the witch trials. But, now that I'm adult, I'd love to live there and really embrace the city.
   
   
8. Savannah, Georgia - A Southern city that has always appealed to me. I'm not sure why, maybe because I just love its name. Lamb was almost named Savannah, but her daddy nixed it.
   
   
9. Birmingham, Alabama - Another Southern city that appeals to me. I've been a couple of times and it's really a pretty city. And after reading Anne George's Southern Sisters mystery series, I'd love to live there even more.
   
   
10. Austin, Texas - If Bear gets a scholarship to his dream college, I'll move there so we won't be far apart. ;) It wouldn't be a hardship as it's a pretty cool place!

One State Under God

I had something I wanted to post about but I'm incredibly tired and stressed at the moment. Something happened this weekend that kicked my butt and my tired brain hasn't recovered yet.

I did want to mention this though. When Lamb started kindergarten, we had only lived here for a year. She came home that first day and informed us that they pledged allegiance to the flag. I thought that was pretty cool since the Memphis schools had stopped that. Then in the next breath, she informed us that they also pledged to the Texas flag. I have to admit that I didn't believe her. I had never heard of such a thing. The next time I saw her teacher, I asked, and sure enough, they do. It went like this:

Honor the Texas flag
I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas
One and indivisible

Over the summer, legislature decided to revamp the pledge. Now we say this (& I hope I get it right as it's still brand new to me):

Honor the Texas flag
I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas,
One state under God,
One and indivisible

After 9/11, we also incorporated a Moment of Silence into our morning routine. Not sure if it was related, and now that I think of it, I might be lying about when it started, but anyway....I like it because it gives me a chance to pray for the students as they get ready for their day.

We will never forget
September 11, 2001

Music

When Lamb was in 5th grade, she was asked if she'd like to take piano lessons. She declined and said she'd rather take violin lessons. We complied and that January she began the lessons. The Student Council at our elementary school decided to have a first ever variety show that May of the same year. Even though she'd only been playing the violin for a few months, Lamb tried out and won one of the spots in the show. I do not know where she gets her courage and self confidence.
Sadly, she doesn't take lessons anymore. Last year, she wanted to be on the track team and the practices interfered with her lesson time. Plus, her violin teacher quit teaching. After 2 full years, Lamb thought it was time for her to quit as well. She has a gift, but as far as I know, she doesn't miss playing it nor has she picked it up since her last lesson.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer

Using only one word, how does grocery shopping make you feel?

overwhelmed

Soup

What is your favorite part about the season of Autumn?

My favorite part is the thing I miss most about living in a place with seasons: the cool crisp weather with the color change of the leaves

Salad

Have you ever had any bad experiences online?

Nope

Main Course

Name three things that make you happy daily.

kids, my husband, my friends

Dessert

What one household cleansing or organizing item would you not want to be without?

computer

The Trials & Tribulations of the Mom of a 13 Year Old

Right now, Lamb is going through something that is affecting me much more than it is her. Big D doesn't think it's a big deal really so I don't want to make it into one. This situation has been going on since school started and 2 things happened again today. Let's just say that I don't like it when Lamb is being used. And I get that feeling from one of her so called friends. I also don't like it when plans are made outside of school in front of her and she's not included. Today made twice that this has happened to her with the same people involved.

When I was growing up, my BFF and I spent all our time together. We had a half-way point between our houses that we'd meet at and either go to her house, my house, or just walking. We walked all over our part of town. We became part of each other's families. We had great fun together, we had awful home lives, we fought, and we loved each other. Correction, we love each other. We are still in contact and even though we aren't as close as we were, we are still family. I know I could call her up if I needed anything and I hope she knows the same. Now, my grandfather had different ideas. He felt like I needed more friends and shouldn't spend all my time with my BFF. What he didn't understand was that I did have friends, school friends. Friends that both of us had in common. But, none that I cared about like I did S. At the time, we didn't need anyone else besides each other. We were happy. I was angry that he thought that and knew that he just didn't get it. And, I didn't listen to him. Of course, neither one of us could have foreseen that I'd move away. I had to make new friends and she had to make the friendships she did have stronger. It was a tough time.

This is what we are kinda going through now with Lamb. She is not an outgoing person; she doesn't always know how to talk to people. And she is perfectly happy. She has her BFF who has been with her since 2nd grade. She also has her school friends who have totally different interests than her so she doesn't care to hang out outside of school. I used to struggle with that since I was afraid in high school her boy friend (notice the spacing) would be her only friend there (my thinking was more for lunch than actual class time). However, after what we have been dealing with, I'd rather her have her couple of close friends who truly love her & may or may not be at the same high school than a lot of friends who use her or don't have her best interests at heart. Some people are more social than others and need/have more friends. Some are content with their small circles of friends. Neither is right or wrong. It's all about that person. Twenty-four or so years later, I still say my grandfather had it all wrong.

Future Junk Collector

To help Lamb train for cross country, we thought it might be a good idea to have a treadmill. Right now it's either too hot or too wet to run outside.

Last night was my first time on it. And, let me tell you, it isn't easy! First, you have to find your groove so you don't go off the back or the side. It comes with a handy emergency feature so if you do go off the side or back, it'll automatically shut off. It was very frustrating for Lamb because that kept happening to her. Once you get your groove going, you have to stay focused so you don't lose that groove. Seriously. Then, it's time to get off it. And the fun begins. When you shut it off, you still feel like you are still moving. I literally had to put my hands on the bar because I thought I was going to keep going into the computer part of it. Once off, I felt like one of those cartoons on fast forward. Everything kept moving at high speeds and I felt like I was still walking on The Beast. Have you seen the Diet Coke commercial where the man wakes up and realizes he's going to be late for a meeting? He does everything in fast motion and it's like he's not even walking, he's on a speed walker. Yeah, that's what I felt like. It was crazy how it even affected my vision!

Right now it's a novelty item with everyone fighting for a turn. I think Bear walked on it 2 or 3 times last night. I predict that once the newness wears off, cross country is over, & it's not fun anymore, that it'll make a lovely clothes rack.

Lost

An UNO game in which 1 person won and 3 people lost.....

*yes, that is a corn cob pipe in Bear's mouth.....

*yes, that is the other brother and no, he is not cute....

* click on the picture to see my poor baby's mosquito ravaged face.....there is a story to that one

10 Things I'd Save in a Fire

I'm assuming ya'll know that the kids, the pets, & my purse are the absolute 1st things I'd save in a fire. So I'm just going to list my material possessions.

1. our bibles


2. my pictures


3. my jewelry (just about every piece has sentimental value)


4. computer hard drive (altho, it'd probably be easier to just yank the tower)


5. my travel spoons


6. 2 big cross stitch pieces that I made for each child


7. our cameras


8. kids' baby books/school stuff (such as awards)


9. some figurines that have special meanings


10. my travel & life souveniers


Little tidbit about myself: When our parents divorced, we lived in a house in an older neighborhood. It had iron bars on the windows and you had to walk through Coastie Brother's bedroom to get to mine. We didn't live in it for very long but, while we did, I had my 'in case of fire' box filled with everything I wanted to save. I was young so I'm sure it was filled with toys. When we moved into our new house, I stopped. No rhyme or reason to my mind.

At the Risk of Bringing on Coastie Bro's Wrath

Let me tell you about my hubby. He's a handy man. He's a smart man. There isn't anything that he can't figure out or do. He's also a procrastinator, some might call lazy. Not me, I'd never call him that! I know he works hard and deserves to rest/relax when he gets home. He just has a tendency to start projects and never finish them.
Here are a few examples:

• When we 1st moved into the house, he noticed that the bathtub needed to be raised some. When it was filled with water, it was pulling away from the seal. So, he fixed it. Before he put it all back together, he wanted to make sure he raised it enough. This was 3-4 years ago.
• Our kitchen was fairly dark so he put in under cabinet lighting and recessed lighting in the ceiling. In half of the kitchen. He says before he can finish the other half, he needs to build the island.
• We have pitiful attic space. He bought an attic door and plywood to make our own attic above the garage. Hasn't started that yet.
• In March, he pulled up our carpet in 2 rooms and installed wood flooring. He was going to do the kitchen too, but has to wait for the island. Then he decided to do the hallway instead. Still waiting.
• Also, the quarter round moulding is still waiting. He did start on that yesterday. Got 3/4ths of the living room finished. Then he quit. No reason. Just quit.

And, because I understand his need for relaxation, I never nag. Which is why none of the projects are completed as of yet. I'll give him the island. That's going to take some money to build.

Lamb wants ya'll to know that he also throws things away without looking. He saw a Wal-Mart bag one day and threw it way. It contained all her soccer things: uniform, cleats, shin guards. I don't think she'll ever forget.

Of course, there's a list he can make about me too. However, this is my blog. If he wants to reciprocate, he can write his own blog. One day I'll make it up to him and write about all the sweet things he does for me. There's more of those than his uncompleted projects. I promise.

Dirty

Cross country meet held the day after heavy rain. They all had dirty shoes and legs.