A Fresh Graduate and a Bad Influence

The boys and I are in Florida on vacation. We got here on Sunday and my cousin Abigail graduated from high school on Monday. It was a fun and exciting evening for all of us. Before the ceremony we went to Hollis Gardens to take a few pictures of Abby. Unfortunately when we got there the garden gates were locked! Aunt Kathy said that she has never seen the gates locked and I could tell they were both disappointed. So I used my good girl influence and just jumped the gate before they could even argue.

From my side of the gate I convinced them to hop on over really fast before someone saw me and arrested me.





Once we were on the forbidden side of the gate we took as many pictures as we could as fast as we could. Then we got outta there ... Fast!



The best part of breaking into Hollis Gardens was that we had the entire place to ourselves. Usually it is a very busy picture taking spot during big events (proms, graduations, weddings, etc)

The whole evening was fun for everyone. I am sure Abigail isn't forever scarred by my bad influence. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

I Am Aware

Yes, I am definitely aware of the fact that I have been absolutely horrible about updating my blog over the past couple of weeks. We have been so incredibly busy I really wonder how I ever had time to go to school. I could sit here and type a bunch of updates about our lives but it is 10:00 and I am tired and I have about a million things to do tomorrow. Briefly ... get the boys ready for school, take PJ to the groomer, meet Chelsea for breakfast, body pump with Jennifer, Morgan & Danielle at the gym, chaperone pool party for the 5th grade, pick up PJ from the groomer, pick up boys from school, go to music store to reserve Chase's percussion kit for middle school, and about a dozen more things that I can't even think of right now. Yes, I know some of these things are not necessary, but I want to do it all. So blogging gets pushed to the bottom of the list. I have 5 bird eggs now instead of 1 -- would like to get a picture on here, but this new mama bird won't leave the nest even if I hold a cat up there to threaten her. I took several pictures today of our airport because I have an entire blog idea about that. Oh, and there's Chase's recorder concert in painstakingly long video clips. So much to share, so little time. Last weekend we went to a going away thing at a bar on Friday, had a UFC fight party here at our house on Saturday, and went to a going away barbecue on Sunday. Last night we had our ebay account stolen by someone attempting to sell a bunch of crazy electronic shit stuff. It just never ends. So, the blogging stuff ... I will get all of it on here eventually. Promise.

Happy Birthday!

We Love You Sweet Girl!

Friday's Feast

Ok so I went to Friday's Feast today and found out the the "chef" is on vacation. I have been really, really bad about blogging lately so I was going to just skip the whole thing, but then I went out with a bunch of people from Brian's work and got really drunk and now it is late and I am drunk, and oh, did I say that already? Hm, so I went back to Friday's Feast and found an old one from before I started doing Friday's Feast and I am just going to go ahead and use that one. So there.


Appetizer
Given the choice, would you prefer to live in the country or in the city?

country

Soup
Who is the cutest kid you know?

mine (I know that's two, but I just can't chose one of them!)

Salad
Fill in the blank: I couldn’t believe it when I heard ___________.

how much money it was going to cost me to go back to college

Main Course
If you could star in a commercial for one of your favorite products, which one would you want to advertise?

right now I would say tequila but I don't think they advertise that on tv. Besides I have a DVR so I don't even watch commercials. I mean I really never, ever watch them. Even if I am watching something live with the rest of America I will pause the tv and just sit there staring blankly at the screen until I can skip the commercials.

Dessert
What type(s) of vitamins and/or supplements do you take on a regular basis?

women's once a day

Wordless Wednesday -- De Ja Vu

Saturday

Saturday was just as busy as Friday. After Jennifer and I got done at the gym (step class followed by body pump) I went home and started making chocolate covered strawberries and a brownie trifle for a party we were planning to attend that night. I was just done with that when the Ludwigsens and Starrs showed up so that we could all go down to the Goodfellow Recreation Camp together for military appreciation day. Chase gave Owen a lift on his buddy pegs and the rest of us walked.

Jennifer and I left the dads with our cameras and headed to the pavilion to stand in line for lunch. So the following pictures are Brian's and I take no responsibility for the fact that the only thing you can see on the climbing wall is big bushy hair!

After lunch the boys decided to pummel each other for a while.

When we were finished at Military Appreciation Day we headed out to the the Holder's ranch for a farewell dinner. Three people are leaving and one is retiring. One of the families that is leaving is the Ludwigsen family. We have spent a lot of time with the Ludwigsens and we are really going to miss them. This is their daughter Hayley holding a turtle that just wandered by while we were getting the food all set up. Things like wandering turtles are pretty normal at the Holder's ranch.

Here's Chase riding Austin's dirt bike out at the ranch.


This is the spectator section. If you are an adult male at the Holder ranch it works like this ... drink & watch, then do. So even though the dirt bike looks a little small for Chase, apparently that's ok because in the next couple of pictures you'll see Brian and Eric taking Owen for rides (after they had their first couple of drinks) We're real safe like that when we get out in the middle of the country in west Texas.

After dinner Greg and Jenni Holder saddled a couple of their horses so the kids could ride. They all rode around in circles within the safety of the fences because the people who were not on the horses were out shooting guns at cactus plants or something like that. When the shooting was done Jenni gave Chase a mini-lesson on horseback riding and let him gallop the horse. It was too dark to take pictures so you'll just have to use your imagination -- just trust me when I say he had fun and he looked really cool :)


Kenny and Mathew did a great job of keeping the bonfire going all afternoon and evening. They had so much fun out there. It really makes me wish we didn't live in suburbia!

The entire weekend was fun. I love summertime in Texas. Just love it!

Friday

Friday was a long day for us. I spent the entire day at the boys' school helping with the "senior luncheon." That is a lunch for 5th graders and 12th graders who used to go to elementary school in the same school. I thought it was a good idea because the 5th graders got to meet and talk with the high school seniors, the high school seniors got to walk through their old school and see some of their old teachers, and the teachers got to see some of their students from years ago. Apparently all of the elementary schools here in town do it. Ours was a little different because our elementary school has only been open for 4 years so we had seniors in attendance from the two elementary schools that no longer exist and merged to make our elementary school.

The guy in the gray t-shirt is Chase's homeroom and social studies teacher. The woman in the blue shirt is his math teacher.

While I was helping set up for the senior luncheon I took a short break to go watch Kenny's music play. They did a musical rendition of The Rainbow Fish. You can barely see Kenny in the second picture. He was a "monster rock" because he didn't want a speaking part.

At 5:30 we dropped Chase off for a school dance. Here he is with his date (and girlfriend) Emily.

After we left the school and the chaos of the dance, Brian, Kenny, and I went to see the soldiers that were running in the Relay for Life. They started with a team of 15 people, but around midnight ended up calling 10 more of their friends to come out and help them because they were getting so tired. They ran nonstop from 7 PM until 7 AM. Their team won the competition for the most laps by running 505 laps. That's 126.25 miles! The second place team was the Marines with 449 laps.

Kenny was glad to see his friend Nick at the Relay for Life. Nick's mom was participating with her coworkers and they were camping out overnight. Kenny was a little jealous that we weren't camping out, but still enjoyed hanging out with Nick while we were there.

The whole day was busy, but it was fun. I don't know how I ever had time to go to college!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What is the nearest big city to your home?

This has got to be a joke! Hm, I guess San Antonio? That's about 250 miles from us.

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

10. I am good. Partly because I don't like gossip and partly because I think I have early onset Alzheimer's disease.

Salad
Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

brown, soft, not quite long enough

Main Course
What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

Self-centered. I am courteous and kind unless you piss me off.

Dessert
When was the last time you had a really bad week?

Must have been sometime during this past semester. It was a tough one. But no worries, life is good now :)

Wordless Wednesday -- Crazy Weather!

Empty Nest Syndrome

Remember our cute little eggs in my cute and very clean bird feeder? This was April 23rd.

And here they are on April 30th. If you want to revisit the video I took on this day click this.

On May 2nd we had a little drama when Rosie killed their mother. Not nice, I know. But nature is truly amazing. By the time I had contacted Animal Control and Animal Rehabilitation, the daddy bird had taken over and was letting me know he was going to care for them.


Here are our little neighbors one week later on May 9th. Their dad did a great job of taking care of them while he pooped all over my bird feeder. I am sorry my pictures are not very clear. My camera just wouldn't focus on them.


Here they are again on the same day.


This was taken the very next day on May 10th.


I decided to grab a chair and peek into their nest one more time. While I was looking I realized one of the birds was gone already. We were starting to wonder when they'd fly. Chase had seen them cleaning their wings that morning. At the very moment that I snapped this picture the other three birds flew out of their nest. I am certain I scared them out of their nest and I hope they were ready. My only consolation is that one was gone already. They all flew out and flew into trees at the house across the street. If I was a better photographer, or if I hadn't been busy screaming out in surprise I could have gotten a photo of them flying.


Now all I have left is an empty bird feeder covered in bird poop!

We are a little sad to see them go, but it was a fun experience watching them for the past couple of weeks. We knew we couldn't keep them and that they wouldn't stay for very long, but going from eggs to flying away seemed to happen way too quickly.

"God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages."
(Jacques Deval)

My Thoughts Exactly

Motherhood

In honor of Mother's Day I thought I would share with you some quotes about motherhood that I find interesting. Some are inspiring, some are thoughtful, and some are just down-right hilarious.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. (Elizabeth Stone)

Mothers are fonder than fathers of their children because they are more certain they are their own. (Aristotle)

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother. (Abraham Lincoln)

If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much!
(Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis)

And a few I found out in the blogosphere today:

We are pretty much glorified zoo keepers here.

Whoever said that children don't come with a manual were so not kidding.

Raising children is like being pecked to death by chickens!

Regardless of how you feel about motherhood and all of its tribulations and triumphs, today is still a good day to be thankful for your mom. After all, you wouldn't be here without her.

(PS I just showed this post to Chase and he said, "Mom, you look kinda pale." Then he got to listen to me explaining that I had just had a baby (HIM!) and that I was still recovering and although he was 11 1/2 years old now I am still recovering because I am too busy taking care of him to take care of me ... blah blah blah etc etc etc. I bet he'll think better next time he wants to tell me I look pale in a picture!)

Happy Mothers Day Mom!

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Friday's Feast

Appetizer
When someone smiles at you, do you smile back?
Almost always

Soup
Describe the flooring in your home. Do you have carpet, hardwood, vinyl, a mix?
Mostly ceramic tile, but carpet in some places.

Salad
Write a sentence with only 5 words, but all of the words have to start with the first letter of your first name.
An angry alligator ate apples.

Main Course
Do you know anyone whose life has been touched by adoption?
Yes

Dessert
Name 2 blue things.
Madame Blueberry (Veggie Tales), My ipod case

Done!!

Post Secret

Lisa recently told me about a website she visits once a week. It's called Post Secret. It is sort of like a blog, except it is not written by one person. People make homemade postcards with secrets written or drawn on them and send them to postsecret.com. Each Sunday new post secrets are published. Some are funny or clever. Others are sad or angry. All of them are thought-provoking. Sometimes I can see myself in some of the secrets I read.

Catching Up

I have been very bad about updating my blog lately. I think a blog posting is much better with pictures, but if we don't do anything interesting enough to even get the camera out of it's case then I know I don't really have any good blog material. So if you are reading this just because you are interested in my boring life I have a few updates for you.

I am almost done with finals. I have two more to go. The final I took this morning was surprisingly easy. That may be because I actually studied for it. The last time I took a test in that class (biology) I only got a 72%. That is probably because I didn't study. I am hoping I did well enough on my final to ensure a B in the class. Not really up to my usual standards, but I will blame it on spring fever and an overall feeling of being exhausted and needing a break from classes. Oh, and the not studying for the last test thing too. I guess some of the blame lies there.

Brian was in another race last weekend. It was a short run-bike-run that was on a different scale than the last one (a lot less people) and also different because it was on trails (think mountain bikes instead of tri bikes). The boys and I are not gung-ho spectators at these events. That is to say we are not the families that show up at the crack of dawn with chairs and blankets and snacks and cameras. Instead I ask Brian for a prediction on his time and we try to show up about 5 minutes before he finishes. Nice, huh? Anyway, we showed up at our designated time last weekend and I noticed his bike wasn't even in the transition area. Strange because there were already about 8 or 10 bikes there. I thought we were showing up to see his finish and he wasn't even in from the bike yet. Then in the distance we saw him walking his bike. I really should have gone back to the car for my camera at this time because he just looked so defeated as he walked his bike in (and that would have made for an interesting blog) Again ... nice, huh? Apparently he had run over a mesquite root on one of the trails and somehow pulled the entire plant right up into all of the workings of his bike. This caused the rear derailer to come completely off the bike which left him with a useless bike. He was disappointed because he said that he was in 1st place in the run, then moved to 2nd during the bike, and was sure he could catch the guy that was ahead of him when they transitioned back into the 3rd leg of the race. Better luck next time.

I joined a gym this week. I used to go to a gym in North Carolina and enjoyed it a lot when I made the time to go. When we first moved here I didn't consider joining a gym because I was homeschooling and I was not willing to leave the boys home alone so that I could exercise. Then I started classes and I was too busy to keep my teeth clean, nevermind take care of my body. Now that my classes are done for the semester I have decided to try to get back into shape. Next semester my class schedule will allow me to go three times a week so I am thinking I am going to try to continue this for a while. At least until I student teach and then I will be back to trying to find time to brush my teeth. Anyway, yesterday Morgan and I went to Body Pump. Oh. My. Stinking. Heck. I. Am. So. Sore!!! But it is a good sore and I will go back on Friday. (can't go back tomorrow I have a final)

Hm, what else???

If you don't know it yet, I have made our summer vacation plans. We'll be in Florida, North Carolina, and New York. I'll send out dates so that we can visit if you'll be close enough to make the trip.

Our baby birds had a little trouble on Friday when one of my cats killed their mother. I called Animal Control to come pick up the babies and take them to the Animal Rehabilitation Center but before Animal Control even got here the daddy bird took over their care and they are doing fine. We check on them every couple of days. I will try to take a picture soon. They are growing quickly and probably ready to learn to fly and get out of their bird poop filled nest. I am telling you, that daddy bird poops a lot!!

Well, on that note I guess I better get back to the college. I have another final at 10:30 this morning. Sorry my life is so absolutely boring and if you never come back to read my blog again I will completely understand.

If you want an exciting blog that is updated just about every day go here. She happens to be doing a giveaway every day this week to celebrate her two-year anniversary as a blogger. This morning's was a $500 Best Buy gift card. So check her out and remember me if you win.

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What was your favorite cartoon when you were a child?

Super Friends

Soup
Pretend you are about to get a new pet. Which animal would you pick, and what would you name it?

A male shih-tzu ... Tito

Salad
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you enjoy getting all dressed up for a special occasion?

Depends on the occasion. Usually I am not very excited about the effort that goes into it, but once in a while I enjoy it. In the last 5 or 6 years I can only think of twice that I really enjoyed it.

Main Course
What kind of music do you listen to while you drive?

Lately my Ben Taylor and Anna Nalick CDs.

Dessert
When was the last time you bought a clock? And in which room did you put it?

Last August we bought Kenny an alarm clock because he thought he wanted to wake up to an alarm for 2nd grade. That lasted about a day. He realized he needed someone to hear his daily "I don't want to go to school today." Since the alarm clock didn't sympathize at all, he promptly turned it off and I have been acting as his alarm clock all year.

Mixed Feelings

I love my house. I love my neighborhood. I love my town. We are very, very, very happy here. We spent months missing our old house and friends in North Carolina more than I can even describe. We still hope to go back to Fort Bragg someday, but for now we are blissfully living in Texas and enjoying every day we are here.

This summer the boys and I are going on a vacation to visit family and friends. We'll be in NC for a few days in June. I feel like I spent the first six months we were here trying not to think about anything that would make me sad. Case in point, our home. The first house we bought. The first place I felt like we had a real home ... a home like the home I grew up in.

When we go to NC I will drive past my old house every time I go in and out of the neighborhood where we are staying with my friend Mandy. I am dreading seeing my home every day. I am scared I will cry like a baby the first time I drive past it!

At least I won't have to see this. That really would make me cry. The only thing we'd change about this kitchen is a new countertop. Other than that is is so perfect. So warm. So HOME!

What was that I said about being happy here in Texas? Oh, I am so conflicted! Can't I have my NC house and friends transplanted here to Safeville, Texas?!?

Music Lessons

Yesterday I took the boys on campus for a percussion lesson. Recently, Chase had to sign up for his middle school electives. He couldn't decide between "teen leadership" and band. The only other choices were choir and orchestra so it wasn't like he had anything that was super-appealing (to him) to choose from. I think if he ended up in choir he'd have a mini-heart attack and I'd have to homeschool again. So ... he put teen leadership as his first choice and band as his second choice. He still isn't sure which one he wants as there are pros and cons to each. Anyway, if he is in band he thinks he might want to be a part of the percussion section. So I found a college student who is majoring in music education to give him a couple of lessons. This way he can see if he likes it and get a little experience before the try-outs. Who knows, he may end up switching to saxophone or something like that. Or maybe he'll end up in teen leadership after all. Regardless, they had a fun time, I took some cute pictures, and we're going again next week for another go-around.