I give up

I tried, but my time is not allowing me to share all of the excitement that goes on in my life daily or weekly. Between work and my 'presidency' and Natalie going back to school and Shannnen's weekly trips to Kentucky, my 'free' time is pretty much non-existant. If you want to know anything about me, call me, leave me a message, and I'll call you back--next summer.
Thanks for reading.

I am alive, still

It was a tough week, but knowing that the kids were well taken care of helped me immensely. Today has been spent cleaning and tidying up all of the 'stuff' that was set aside all week because I was too tired to lift a finger when I got home every night. Tomorrow I don't have to be at work until 1, so I'll be back to a 'normal' in-school schedule. No events this week, just Willowcreek Orientation and a board meeting. Friday night we do have a football scrimmage, but I don't really count that as an 'event.'
Life is good, I am just TIRED.
Have a super week, everyone.

I'm alive... but it's all over in THREE days!

Sorry I've been lacking in my blogging skills. Honestly, not much to report. We're getting ready for me to start back to work on Monday morning. EARLY. Like I'm leaving my house at 6am EARLY. I've been trying to spend as much quality time with the kiddos as possible and truthfully, have been quite busy with all things Willowcreek. No need to go into that, but I can't imagine being the President of the Willowcreek Preschool Board by myself. My co-pres is amazingly efficient and we work very well together. We knew coming in that it wasn't going to be pretty... but for goodness sakes--school hasn't even started yet!!! ANYWAY, once we get settled in to the school year, all will be fine.


The big event of the week was our Tuesday night on the town with none other than NEIL DIAMOND. Don't be jealous, people. Actually, it wasn't bad. He has SOOOOO many songs that I didn't think I'd know all the ones he sang. I think I knew more than I didn't... but there were a few times I was like, UH, can't you sing something GREAT that I know???? Oh well. Shannen and I had a great evening out and my dad did a super job with the kids. Who cares if they were still up when we got home? They were clean, fed, and happy. And on summer vacation. No one was any worse for the wear (maybe dad...). Thanks again!

Wednesday was Landry's 18 month doctor appointment. Would you guess that the little guy weighs just UNDER 25 pounds? He is almost 34 inches tall. The weight was under-average and the height was right on. One quick shot and we were done until December.

No big plans for the weekend. I suppose the regular stuff-cleaning up "stuff" and vacuuming and finishing laundry. We might go to the pool, might not. I have a coaches' meeting Sunday night in Greenfield, so THAT should be fun...

That's it from here. It may be a while. It may not. We'll see how next week turns out. Pray for me and for RAIN. Take care.

Quick recap....

I'm sure you can find all of this information on my siblings' blogs, but if you don't read 'em, you won't....

Thursday night started the fun. Susan and the boys made it all the way from Texas. Mom came over and we made food for the rehearsal dinner on Friday. After Susan and Joanie got back from a quick trip to Tipton, we visited and decided it was late enough to go to sleep!

Friday was spent "getting stuff done" and trying to enjoy ourselves at the pool. The boys LOVED it and my kids, having not gone to bed until about 11 the night before and getting up at 7am.... did NOT love it. Naps followed and then we started to get ready for the rehearsal/dinner. The rehearsal was good, I suppose. Natalie said so. Dinner was GREAT. It was warm, but the frozen lemonade and strawberry daquris were super. After another long evening, we headed to our cool house.

Saturday was more running--beer, wine, soda and ice to the reception site as well as some "consulting" on decorations and wedding issues. By the time we got home, it was about time to get ready for the wedding. As you can well imagine, the flower girl did NOT do her duties. She tried, but just couldn't go down that aisle. With some hand holding and her mother and brother tagging along, she walked down without so much as ONE petal taken from the basket.... maybe next time. The wedding went off perfectly after that, and the reception was a super duper par-tay. The food, decor, drink, and guests were top notch.

Sunday was the beginning of the end--we hosted one more bash. This one was for my WONDERFUL and INSPIRING and AWESOME parents who celebrated FORTY (IN A ROW) years of marriage TO EACH OTHER. A fun afternoon of relaxing and catching up and eating and wedding-present-opening was the perfect way to end the weekend. Thanks to all who came and sorry to all who missed any of the activities. It was a MAGICAL weekend!

Today Mom and I took the kids to the Children's Museum. We went to most of the exhibits, ate good pizza, and even got goodies at the end. All (except me) are now "resting" at my house while I am here at work for a while.

Tonight and tomorrow night I am co-presenting a student athletic trainer workshop with a colleague from New Pal HS. Unfortunately, this is the beginning of the end of summer '08. Oh well... we're that much closer to Purdue football!!!

That's the skinny from here. Hope you are all doing well. I know I am. Take care.
(sorry no pix-can't do that from school!)

MMMM good....

Our weekend started out on a good note. The kids were REALLY good on Friday night and we had had a super day--swimming, NAPPING, having Fazoli's with Mimi--Shannen got home from Lexington in time for books and songs and minutes. Natalie decided sleep was so overrated and she did NOT want go to bed. Luckily for her, the WONDERFUL neighbors next door came over and asked if the Princess wanted to have S'mores (even though it was 9:30pm). I decided, what the heck--what does she have to get up for? We went over and once it got to 11pm, decided she needed to really get some sleep and our friends next door needed to get cleaning up.

Yesterday was a quick trip to Flower Factory--Mom got a few more things for the wedding and I started picking up tablecloths and napkins for Purdue tailgating. It is still a few months away, but we've got to start planning!!!! We had dinner out and then a quick trip to Staples for some office supplies for Shannen. The only problem with our evening out--the TORRENTIAL rain/thunderstorm during/after our adventure. Apparently Landry didn't like the rain either--or maybe his dinner was the problem. We had a LATE night/EARLY morning. L-dog decided he was WIDE awake and must have been talking to his sister about the "overrated-ness" of sleep. By 3am I decided I'd rather hear him cry than deal with him in my room anymore. He was finally down by 3:30....

Today was the "catch up" day--finishing laundry, cutting the grass, taking out the trash, blah blah blah. Tomorrow starts "Wedding Week '08." Look for photos next week. Have a good week everyone. We'll see you soon!!!!

Still nothing--which is good!

I'd write, but I don't have much to write about. We are kind of "in limbo" between our end of school year gatherings/meetings/hostessing duties and our next extravaganza--THE WEDDING/ANNIVERSARY weekend!!!

Natalie got a new bookcase. It came already assembled. You would think this would be a good thing, but when you have a minivan with two kids in car seats, it isn't so great. We drove down the road with some rope holding the hatch down and the bookcase in. THe man was SO nice to give me rope, but said I had to do it.... Needless to say, we got it home. I moved it from the car to the house on a hand truck with two flat wheels. Two flat wheels are WAAAAYYYY better than nothing, I decided. I then figured out how to "heave ho" it up the steps to the first landing, flip it over, and "heave-ho" to the upstairs. The best part of the deal--a NEW spaceship/puppet show box/house/slide! I personally LOVE that all of the books (and more!) fit on the shelves and I truly belive we will have a bit of organization now.

Shannen went to Louisville for a few days, got back last night, and proceded to make Landry stay up until Midnight. I don't think he did this on purpose, but L-dog was adamant about NOT going to bed. I finally put him in bed about 11 and went to bed myself. While watching the news from my room, I could STILL hear him. He finally tuckered out around 11:45.... And got up this morning at 8. We just got back from the pool and he went down without so much as a wimper... maybe he'll sleep until 6.

Natalie is at a friend's house right now (due back any minute). She has gymnastics tonight and Shannen is taking her. Seriously, this is how exciting our lives are right now.

GUess that's it. The countdown is on for the visitors and gatherings and celebrations and such. I'm really looking forward to all of it! Take care--see many of you soon!!!

total success

The brownies and cheesecake were well received at the party. We had a nice time at dinner, visited for a bit, and went to Hillcrest Country Club (down the street from the party) and watched some really LOUD and BIG fireworks. The reason for the loudness and bigness--we were about 100 yards from where they set off the 'works. Natalie decided she DID like fireworks, Landry--not so much. He didn't hate them, but was somewhat startled at the beginning and didn't really recover. HOnestly, it was RIGHT down the street from the party and the show was a as good as any I've ever seen. I bet it lasted 20 minutes and they spared NO expense. A good time.

Off to the pool in a bit. We're takin' it EASY this weekend. Have a good one.

Nothing... I mean NOTHING

To report from here. I've been waiting for some EVENT to occur to write about, but honestly, we've had nothing of interest to anyone to write about.

Monday Natalie stayed in her pajamas until 4, when we got swimsuits on to go to the pool for about an hour. Tuesday, we spent four hours at the pool and then came home and took naps! Wednesday, Natalie went to visit a friend from school and played at her pool. I took Landry to our pool and we had a nice time just us--the bonus was visiting with my friend Jan from high school, who happened to be there with a friend of hers who lives in our neighborhood.

Thursday was the rainy day, so we (and most of the children in Indianapolis under the age of 6) went to the Children's Museum. It started out as a great trip--both kids doing what they wanted, us taking our time and going at a slow pace, knowing that EVERYONE else had an agenda and we didn't--and then all hell broke loose. Natalie decided at lunch, in front of 500 people, I'm guessing, to throw a HUMONGOUS fit (she could only have 2 oreos, not 4). Seriously, she made the place go quiet for a second. Needless to say, I wasn't going to put up with that, so we packed up our things and slithered out the door. She obviously knew she was in trouble. She got in the car, didn't make a sound, got home, walked straight to her room, and took a nap. They both slept for a bit and then Landry decided it was his turn to throw a fit. Since he couldn't have juice RIGHT NOW, he took it upon himself to scream and screech for about 20 minutes. Shannen got home JUST in time and took us to buy a new bookshelf for Natalie (you know, because she was so good at the museum...) and then to dinner (to celebrate Shannen's official new title DISTRICT MANAGER). We got home in time to call Nana and Papa in Tennessee and set up our Spring Break trip to Disney. We're staying at the Polynesian Hotel if all goes well.
As soon as the kids were in bed, Shannen bought four tickets for March 29-April 5 to Orlando. The total was just over $1100, so I guess that is good. Who knows if Northwest will even be flying in 9 months--or if we'll be charged $100 each for fuel when we get to the airport, but at least we have seats.

OK. That's it from here. Natalie and I made a wave your flag cheesecake and I made brownies for our cookout at Lou and Deb's house tonight. Too bad it's 63 degrees and raining today. I think it should clear up by dinner time, so I'm not too concerned (heck, nothing concerns me anymore)!

We're out. Happy 4th to you and yours!

What a week!!!

So, as many of you know, my sister (one of the strongest people in the entire world--this was confirmed a few days ago) and her family suffered a tragedy that I just shiver to think about. My greatest fear in the entire world is fire. Their house caught on fire. Apparently lightning hit the roof and BAM--that was that. They are SAFE and have found friendships that they might never have found, but for this incident. The garage is gone as well as a few other important rooms. Most of the rest of the house (theirs for TWO weeks now) was, obviously smoke and water-damaged.
Fortunately for them, they have good insurance and no one was hurt. Unfortunately for them, they will have to find a place to live for maybe six months while their Texas castle is being rebuilt. Man, that just SUCKS.

My sister is an amazing person. She has weathered LOTS of things in her life and just keeps going on. I know her faith and her family are huge sources of strength for her, but man, there's got to be more than that. I truly admire what she has done for her family in the last 10 years (moving and moving and moving), but mostly because she has had to do it by herself. Just putting this out there, but if anyone EVER needs moving or packing advice--call this girl!!! But it is SO much more than the moving and logistics and such. She is one of the friendliest people you will ever know and there is no place she has ever been that she didn't find SOMETHING to be involved in or a group of people to hang out with. I just want everyone to know that even though I am the "big" sister, I definitely look up to that woman every day.

OK, enough about her--now about ME!!! This is a pretty busy weekend for us. Tomorrow I am co-hosting a wedding shower for my sister-in-law to be. It should be really fun (and educational)! Because the guest of honor is from Germany, where wedding showers don't exist, this is all new to her. Her mom is here, too, so that should make it doubly exciting!!! We've got games and food and fun and presents, so I think we're ready to rock and roll.


Sunday we're hosting Shannen's family reunion. All week the weather has been predicting sun and warmish (80s) temperatures. Now we're looking at rain and coolish temps... UGH. I certainly don't mind everyone in the house, but it is so much better to be able to sit and eat and have fun OUTSIDE!!!! We'll see. These weather guys aren't good (winter storm=MAYBE one inch of snow OR twelve inches...), so I guess we'll just see what happens Sunday afternoon.

Sunday night I will be hosting the annual board members retreat for Natalie's preschool, Willowcreek. This is the LEAST of my worries, although I don't think that will be the case come Sunday afternoon. We have lots of planning to do and many "strong" personalities on the board. This makes for fun meetings.... Seriously, if I can make it through a family reunion where I know like 5 other people, this should be cake.

OK. I'm off to clean. At least the house looks good. As far as the LONG grass in the backyard, that's another story. Not my job.
Take care, all. Look for all the details next week!

We're still here...

You might have thought we fell off the face of the earth. Couldn't be farther from the truth. The kids and I have been cleaning and planning for our big weekend o' gatherings. OK. This is now going to be short--guess who just woke up??? UGGHH.
Anyway, we've been busy planning and I hope I don't forget anything before Saturday afternoon.

We'll try this again some other time.
Have a good one, people!

You know, I'm not surprised at all....

You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Just a day

I'm sitting here with the windows open and the birds singing and the wind making a soft sound as it goes through the trees. It is currently 71 and I have no complaints right now. My children are taking naps, my dog and cat are sleeping and my house is pretty quiet except for those birds!

Shannen is in Savannah for his final week (we think) of training. He is in District Manager meetings from 7am-9pm. Seriously, I would rather be in a meeting all day in Savannah than most places in this world. He gets home late Friday night and then does a few job fair things next week and then maybe, just maybe, gets to really start his job!!!

Natalie got to go to a movie this morning. Now, most people would say, Uh, OK, the kid got to go to a movie. But the big deal is this--she's NEVER been inside a movie theater! Personally, to me, that's no big thing, but I guess to most normal people, it is kinda weird. She went with her little friend from school (the one with the broken arm who can't have very much fun this summer) to see Arctic Tale. The mom said Natalie was really good for the first hour and after that started fidgiting a bit and asking "how much longer" and "when is this going to be over???" Oh well... she made it through.

Landry and I got to go try and purchase a new water filter for our ice machine/water dispenser in the refrigerator. Problem was, the filters were delivered but not off the truck yet, as the nice gentleman at Sears told us. I wanted to tell HIM to go find a filter on the truck and bring it to me, as it was NOT busy and what else was he going to do on a Tuesday morning at 10am? But I didn't.

No big plans for the rest of the day here. We're gearing up for a great end of the week, though. Natalie's friend will be coming over on Thursday morning for some quality playtime and then Natalie starts gymnastics Thursday night! Friday is pick up dad at the airport day, and Saturday is Christ the King Festival night!!!! Shannen and I will be selling drink/food tickets late and (LUCKY) Sarah M will be watching the kiddos.

I just heard a door open. My free (QUIET) time is over. Peace out, people.

Blame it on the Rain (quoting Milli Vanilli....)

We have visitors at our home today--roofers. I'll blame it on the wind, actually. There are just enough shingles loose that we need to get some replaced/added on. There is a small leak in the kids' bathroom that, with 7 inches of rain or whatever we've had in the last month, was turning into a bigger leak. No big deal, really, except we had NO access to that area for the guy to check and see if it was a pipe or a venilation thing or the roof. SO, they spent this morning putting a hole in the ceiling of the guest room so they could check the roof. It is all nice and covered up, but it has kept us at home all day. They came back after lunch to work on the roof and re-do some siding that again, was victim to wind a few months back. Natalie was lucky enough to get an invite to the pool with the neighbors. Landry did, too, but I chose for him to nap, instead. No need to punish the kids next door with BOTH of my kids at the pool!!!

It is HOT (93) now and muggy. It is supposed to rain (AGAIN) and storm (AGAIN) tonight, just in time for Shannen's arrival from Savannah tomorrow. Oh well. By the way, while he is "working" at the corporate headquarters of his new job, he had a few minutes to steal away and take this picture. I feel SOOOO bad for him that he is cooped up in meetings for HOURS on end... Give me a freakin' break!!!!!!


No other exciting news, really. The van is blue and pretty and smells new. The coolest feature for me is the "tailgating" seats in the back row. You can pull some cords and flip some switches and the seats turn over and around and you can face backwards with your feet hanging out of the back of the van. NOW, this will never happen, as it is Shannen's work van and is for official business, but maybe I'll just sit in the driveway with the back hatch open and watch the kids ride bikes!!!

No big Father's Day plans as of yet. We did purchase an iPod Nano for Shannen. Stupid me registered it so I could start adding songs. Put it in his name, obviously. We'll guess who sent a "Welcome" email to Shannen on Tuesday??? Great. Thanks, Apple. Oh well. It's not like he has it yet or anything. Oh yeah, another cool feature of the van is that you can just plug the iPod into the radio--no tuner thing like I have in my car. I'm sure it is MUCH better sound. OK it is MUCH better sound, but since I haven't driven the van, I can only assume....

I'm out. Gonna enjoy the sound of pounding nails on the roof, the whirr of the air conditioning, and the quiet of Landry sleeping and Natalie way down the street at the pool. Take care.

Some guys have ALL the luck... (quoting Rod Stewart)

He left this morning for "corporate training" in Savannah, Georgia. Now, I can only imagine how much "work" he really has to do... come on, he's been in training for over 6 weeks and it's not like he's the next president of the company... (someday). I think it is a continuation of a plot by Cititrends to let Shannen have an expense paid SUMMER VACATION. I mean, Dallas for a month, Alabama, Mississippi for a week a piece, and Savannah two weeks in a row. If ONLY I could take one of those weeks. Oh well. Oh yeah, he gets his brand new company van tomorrow, too. A Dodge Caravan, I think. I'm hoping me and the kiddos can try it out before he comes home... probably against the rules, but you know me--a real rulebreaker!

Pretty uneventful week here, unless you count me getting up EARLY this morning to go to Maggiano's for my birthday dinner--mmmmm good. Sunday was church, the pool, and Natalie's favorite--CiCi's Pizza!!! Again... don't be jealous, people!

I guess that is it from here. When something exciting happens, I'll write again. Otherwise I'll just write again about unexciting things, like today. Take care, all.

It's a sunshine day!!!! (quoting the Brady Bunch)

What a great day. Got up, made a few important calls, and started preparing for the big trip to the pool. I now give MUCH more credit to my mom--how did you get four kids to the pool AND ALL THEIR STUFF and feed us, too???? Thank goodness, my pool friend/COUSIN Sarah was there to help. We had a nice morning of fun in the sun (except for the green baby pool--we skipped that today), followed by a great early afternoon of playing by the pool, in the pool, and near the pool with our fabulous neighbor-girls.

Landry, of course, came home and took a great nap. Natalie, not so much. She did have some "quiet time," however, which allowed me time to get a few things done around the house--like find a good ziti casserole recipe. We called Grandpa and he agreed to come over and help us try out the noodles, sauce, meat, and CHEESY recipe--he's such a good sport. It actually was VERY easy to make and equally tasty to eat. We topped off dinner with brownies and followed with a bath and life was pretty good.

Natalie has decided, recently, that there is NO reason to go to bed if you aren't tired. Or if it is still light out. So, since it is still light out NOW (9:15pm), she is lying on the couch watching some silly Boomerang cartoon... It's summer, for goodness sakes. She's no worse for it, and I don't have to keep going upstairs and telling her 'it's time to go to bed, Natalie!!!!'

No huge plans for tomorrow. It is supposed to be nice, so we'll hopefully make it to the pool for a bit. No chance the part for the baby pool chlorinator will be in, so we'll have to brave the (COLD) big pool. Maybe a trip to the library to return books, a trip to Mimi and Grandpa's to pick up Oberweis milk, and then home to await the return of DADDY from Mississippi (although it might be late-ish---he is scheduled to get in around midnight).

I guess that is it from here. Best wishes to Susan, Fred, Nic, and Will as they travel from Iowa to Missouri to Oklahoma to TEXAS. Hopefully they can dodge tornadoes and get to their new home with NO exciting stories, save for the ones that happen when they stop in Norman, OK tomorrow night...or is it Saturday? Anyway--good luck to them...Good luck, too, to my fabulous bro and future sister-in-law as they continue to plan for their big day in 6? short weeks. Hey, at least they have the dress, the rings, the church, the reception place, and the cupcakes!!!

Peace out, people. It should be a great weekend.

OK, that's about enough

So we come home from an enjoyable evening of ice cream, a trip to the "ponds," and the beginning of "Beauty and the Beast," and just as we pull into the garage... the skies open up. Thanks so much to weathergirl Sarah. All I have to say is DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOBS!!!! NEedless to say, there was an extended bedtime as one little girl wanted NOTHING to do with the thunder and lightning. By 11, the kids were asleep and I was waiting for round 2.

Round 2 started at 2am and lasted until, seriously, about 6am. There was NO stopping. Lightning (BRIGHT) and thunder (LOUD) and I could NOT get back to sleep. Natalie finally joined me at 5am and Landry decided he had had enough by about 6.... No damage, again, and no water inside our house. Our grass is green enough for a while, so I think we've had enough.


I'm ready for sun and fun. Maybe tomorrow we can get to the pool (it is supposed to be 90 and VERY VERY sunny).

We're off to Kroger to re-stock the lost contents of the refrigerator. You know, had we done this yesterday, we would have lost power last night--just thinking ahead!!!! Naps this afternoon and then the big cookout tonight. Ta ta for now. Have a super (DRY) day!

We sure are lucky...

The storms came on Friday night, fast and furious. We lost power, but figured it wasn't a big deal and we'd get it back in a while. WRONG. Fortunately the kids were sleeping and kept sleeping. It was a DOOOOOZY--we thought it was over, but it just kept coming and coming and coming. Shannen got up Saturday morning and checked the basement--dry as a desert. We had no electricity, still, Saturday morning. Seems a BIG tree decided to fall over near the entrance to our subdivision and take out a few power lines. As we packed up our things to go to Mimi and Papa's for the morning, we noticed LOTS of restoration/water removal trucks and vans in the neighborhood. After some discussion with neighbors, it was decided that we (7640) might have been one of a SMALL handfull of homes without water damage. We lost most of our refrigerator contents as well as our inside freezer, but I'll take that any day over a basement full of yuck. We also had no tree/yard damage. THere were a LOT of branches in with people's trash this week. Again, we were VERY lucky.

Shannen is off in Mississippi for the week and all is pretty calm here. Yesterday Natalie went to play at a classmate's house for the afternoon and Landry slept most of the time she was gone. I got three junk drawers cleaned!!!! Today I was blessed with sleeping children (9:30am wake up call by Natalie) and then we had MORE rain. Since the pool was not going to be an option, we decided we'd go to the Children's Museum with the rest of Indianapolis' toddler set. It stormed while we were there, but the kids didn't even notice, as they were having SOOOO much fun at Playscape. Thanks to Sarah Martin, it was easy to corral both kiddos, as each had their own idea of what to play with when. After a TOTAL MELTDOWN (I DON'T NEED A NAP, MOM!!!!!), we made it to the car and headed home. After just a mile or so, guess what--two sleeping kids all the way home.

Tomorrow we're going to my friend Anna's house for a cookout/Willowcreek board meeting. It will be nice to see some of Natalie's school friends (and not cook). Thursday is a pool day and Friday we'll get ready for Shannen to come home!!!

I guess that is it from here. Have a great middle of the week everyone and best wishes to Susan, Fred, Nic, and Will (and Pete) on their journey from Iowa to Texas.

quick update on my life

1. Shannen in Alabama
2. Hurt my back yesterday and it still hurts today.
3. Spent two hours in Greenfield yesterday but got nothing accomplished.
4. Still waiting for a warm day so we can go to the pool. It will probably be Saturday, because that is a super duper busy day for us and there is no "pool-ing" time available!
5. My sweet angel, Landry, is pulling on my t-shirt as I type. Gotta go.
Take care all. When is MY summer vacation?

Plans for the Weekend

Just so you know where we are and what we are doing, here is my plan for this weekend:
Friday morning--shopping at Kroger for "Night Before the Race" stuff
Friday afternoon--NAPS for at least two people, maybe three!!!
Friday evening--arrival of Shannen at 5:30ish as well as Jim and Marilyn, time TBD
Saturday morning--drive downtown to Indy 500 Festival Parade
Saturday afternoon--prepare food/house for "Night Before the Race" party people
Saturday night--"Night Before the Race" party for about 40 people
Sunday morning--preparations for Indy 500 food Sunday afternoon--Indy 500
Sunday evening--dinner following Race at Mom and Dad's
Monday all day--trip down to Lawrenceburg for fun in the sun at Krider's pool! (I think the forecast is rain)
Tuesday morning--EARLY trip to airport with Shannen for his trip to Atlanta until Friday
Tuesday morning--Willowcreek Cooperative Preschool end of year inventory/clean-up
Tuesday afternoon/evening--SLEEP.

I'm sure you get the gist of the plan. Lots of fun, food, and family. Can't wait!!!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone. If you are not here, we're thinking of you--and talking about you, too.

We picked a winner!

It only took 7 hours from start to finish, but we have chosen our new women's basketball coach at G-CHS. I can't say who it is, but I'm happy with the choice. So is Shannen.

Because it is 11:45 and I have a meeting in the morning about Willowcreek stuff, this is short and sweet.

The next few days should be pretty crazy around here. Friday we pick Shannen up from the airport and make final preparations for our weekend visitors. Saturday we are planning on going to the parade, come home and nap (me, too???), and get ready for the BIG Night Before the Race Party. Sunday is THE BIG RACE and Monday we are off to L'burg for more fun. Shannen goes to Atlanta next Tuesday (EARRRRRLLLLLLY) and we have Classroom Cleanup at Willowcreek. Wednesday I'm going to work (maybe) and then THE SUMMER IS OFFICIALLY ALLLLL MINE!!

OK, gotta get. Take care, all!

What a SUPER day!

What a great day for Indianapolis and an even better day for HUGE football fans Shannen and me!!!! The Superbowl will be held here in 2012. As mom points out--that will give our kids enough time to grow up and be old enough to really enjoy the celebration that is SUPER-BOWL 2012 INDY.

The other awesome event that occured just a few hours ago.... LAST HOME SPORTING EVENT at Greenfield-Central High School for 2007-08 school year! We won the baseball game in the bottom of the sixth, even though we blew a lead. The worst part was the temperature. I'm sure it was NOT 60 degrees and it was a bit windy... Not idea conditions for a late May Senior Night game. Sectionals are Monday and the season should be OVER OVER by the end of next week.

My job is not over for the school year. Tomorrow and Thursday I get to sit in a conference room and help decide the new girls' basketball coach for the high school. We have finished the preliminary round, cutting about 20 applicants to seven. Tomorrow night is the first interview and Thursday we'll bring back our three faves if we don't have a decision after round two. I'm looking forward to a new role, and I hope I can pick the "winner" of Greenfield-Central Women's Basketball Idol '08! I'll let you know, but not 'til it's official!!!

Today was Natalie's last day of school. We've made plans to attend playdates and a number of the kids have already invited each other over to the other's pools for swimming. No one lives too far away, so I bet we get together with most of the kids in her class at least once. I like all of the parents, so that sure helps!!! I guess her teacher gave them a little "pep" talk before they went out to play at the end of the day, as Natalie told me "we're gonna be the BIG kids in school next year, mommy. We're gonna be in the FOURS class." As if I was supposed to be impressed. It doesn't seem like it's been too long since we started this "journey." I know I have a whole year to go, but man, she's almost ready for kindergarten!!! I remember the day I went on the tour of the preschool. It was "graduation" day for the fours class and this woman was CRYING, just thinking about her little girl moving on to real school. I thought she was wacko. Next year, that woman will probably be ME. Stay tuned.

OK, I need to catch up on some other work. Take care all. It is ALMOST Summer!!!

Rain, rain go away

So we DON'T play baseball on days it DOESN'T rain, but we DO play games on days it DOES rain.... I just don't get it. Fortunately, it didn't rain too much and we did win our game. The other cool thing is that is WON'T get rescheduled and I only have TWO more nights of events for this year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Relatively uneventful day for us here. Did some laundry (still doing laundry), cleaned out kids clothes for the Willowcreek Preschool garage sale this weekend, went to work, came home and hung out with the neighbors for a few, and got my kids to bed. Oh, yeah, I also snuck out of my house to go sit in the back seat of a car and eat ice cream!!!! Wonderful aunt and uncle stopped by to drop something off and felt the need to help me celebrate my birthday a bit early. Chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream--with more chocolate chip cookie dough than ice cream, amazingly--hit the spot! I'm now waiting for a little bit longer so I can watch Grey's Anatomy all at once (SANS commercials...) and then finish up the garage sale packing.

No big plans for tomorrow, unless taking Natalie to school, making a quick? trip to Kroger, working all afternoon/evening, and hanging out with my kids counts. The big event for the weekend is my college roommate's wedding on Saturday. My friend from Michigan and my friend from down the road a piece (who I NEVER see) will be there, too! A mini reunion. Probably a GOOD thing Shannen is still in Dallas. He loves these girls, but I'm not sure he could take the giggling and cackling that will probably occur (and all the "blast-from-the-past" boys we will talk about).

Ok--I'm off to put Natalie to bed--I thought she was sleeping!!!???? Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Yeah RAIN!

Not only is it good for flowers and replenishing our drinking supply, it also gets me A DAY OFF FROM WORK!!!

Our wonderful sitter was not able to come today, much to Natalie's chagrin, so I got to take the kids with me to G-C. We had a baseball game and a softball game scheduled, but the rain from last night and this morning was enough to render our fields "unplayable." I'm not sure we couldn't have played the games, but with Senior Awards tonight and the upcoming sectional games, there was no need to push it. Fortunately for me, they also cancelled most practices, so me and my kiddos hung out for a bit and headed back to our house for the afternoon (AND NAPS!!!)

Not a lot of news from here. Shannen is spending his days in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, learning the ins and outs of Citi Trends. Yesterday he got to participate in a store inventory, starting at 6am and ending around 4pm... He had to leave his hotel at 5 to get to the store, so he had a pretty long day. Today he was working in a store 2 minutes from his hotel--and he didnt' have to be there until 9:30am, so I think he was pretty happy about that. Nothing bad to report regarding his training. I think his years of experience at Family Dollar and AJ Wright have helped him immensely in making him feel very comfortable with retail management.

OK... now getting some mean email messages from the current Willowcreek Board President. Guess I need to quit blogging and start working on my volunteer position that starts IN A MONTH! (GEEZ, relax Megan!). Have a great Wednesday, everyone!

I think Mother's Day should be once a month... at LEAST!

You know, the more you think about how great moms are, the more you think, THEY NEED A DAY A MONTH!!!

I had a wonderful Mother's Day, except for the ridiculous RAIN and COLD that started at 4am (I only know this because that is precisely when Natalie came to bed with me...). I got cinnamon rolls in bed as well as a COOOOL iTower for my iPod and a neat digital picture frame. We got ready (QUICK) and went to church. We got there right about 10:30 and the place was PACKED. The kids' choir sang (good job, too!) so we lost like 10 pews PLUS we had all of their fans/moms/dads/aunts/uncles/cousins/neighbors to add to the mix. Needless to say, it was a big snug, but both the kids AND Shannen were very well behaved. I personally think it was because Mimi showed up about 10:35 and all was well with the universe. We went to Kohl's--a weekly occurence it seems--picked up a few necessary items, and were back home to chill for a while until we went to the airport. Shannen is off to Dallas again for 12 days. The kids were NOT happy, as they figured out that he was going to be gone for a long time--and they were going to be stuck with ME for almost two weeks. I tried to convince them that this is a good thing and daddy's job is important and he needs to be good at it and they didn't buy ANY of it.... ANYWAY, we stopped at mom and dad's and had KFC and GOOD corn on the cob (thanks dad!), played with Kirby the cat, and were on our way home by 9. After a phone call to Nana and Papa in Tennessee, the kids were off to bed. Amazingly, not a sound right now in my house. LOVE IT!!!!!!!

Should have a pretty good week. Not a lot of events, as we're winding down for the school year. My big event this week is my college roommate, Liz's wedding on Saturday. I'm excited for the chance to go to a grown up event AND to see my other roommates from oh-so-long ago, Jenny and Beth! I'm sure we'll have a wonderful time.

OK, I'm out. Waiting for Shannen's plane update. He was sitting in the middle seat in the back of the plane and broke his sunglasses as soon as he got to the airport....can't have gotten worse, could it????

Have a great week, everyone!

The party's OVER!

Thanks to the nice people at Qdoba... my party was a success. Maybe it would have been successful without them, but having warm, tasty food was beneficial.

Last night was the Spring Fling for Willowcreek Cooperative Preschool. It is our ONE fundraiser of the year where we ask the parents to join us for fun and frivolity and to give us money. There is a silent auction, a live auction, food and drink, music and dancing (if you want), and generally nice adult conversation. Last year I helped, and this year I was in charge. Looking back I don't know if I would have changed anything other than maybe having a committee. I had some help getting auction items, but other than that... this was my baby. I got the place, the food, the drink, the music, the auctioneer (Jake Query of WIBC's morning show fame--also the little brother of our current president), the decorations, and did most of the set up and clean up. I am not complaining about this now.... a few days ago, yes. We did, however, raise about $5000 "for the KIDS," so it was ALLLLL worth it. I was blessed to have some friends/relatives accompany me to the event--my wonderful brother Ben and his equally wonderful girlfriend Andrea, my cousin Melissa (wonderful, too), and her friend (and mine) Kathy. Due to some extenuating circumstances, I was husbandless for the evening... he actually would have had a good time, too, except for the tacos.... He could have made up for it with the drinks!!!! I'm glad it is over and I say now I'm DONE, but I know when it rolls around next year I'll be right back in the thick of things.

Today I decided that since I have pretty much abandoned my children this past week, we would do fun stuff TOGETHER and enjoy this gorgeous Indiana Sunday. We started out by going back to the clubhouse to clean up (Natalie was SOOOO excited--and helpful--because her teacher was there). By 10am we were back home and off on our next adventure to Sahm Park (much more exciting than our neighborhood swings and slides). That "adventure" ended a bit early due to lack of indoor plumbing, so we came home, had lunch, played outside a bit and then Landry took a nap. I cut the grass, Natalie and I then took naps, and by 4pm we were up and at 'em! We ran around outside, played with chalk, ate chocolate ice cream (after TACOS for dinner) and enjoyed a visit from a "pool" friend and her family. After some singing and dancing and general roughhousing, I decided we'd had enough fun for the day and it was time for pajamas.... It is now almost 10pm and guess who is still WIDE awake? Prince Landry is snoozing as usual, but the Princess just cannot get it out of her head that monsters are on their way to her room tonight. Any help here, people????

OK, back to a "normal" week and the countdown is on for Shannen's arrival on Friday afternoon. We'll be in touch before then, I'm sure! Take care everyone!

catching up before the CRAZY end of the week

Shannen left Sunday for Dallas. He is working VERY hard (opening AND closing every day, just to make sure he knows how to do it) and isn't going to have much time to visit our old stomping grounds... bummer for him. Natalie asks each morning, "is Daddy coming home tomorrow???"
I made a countdown sheet so she can mark off the days. I don't think she quite gets it. Maybe by the 4th or 5th week of training (out of 10) she will.

Today Natalie gets to go to her school with Mimi for "special person night." It's a 90 minute play/circle time/snack time for the kids to bring someone who wouldn't normally get to go (like Shannen but...). They are both looking very forward to a fun night. Happy Birthday, by the way!

I'm at school today (like always) and I'm very glad it is sunny and "warmer." Yesterday might have been the worst day EVER at Greenfield, weather-wise. It was supposed to rain (and it did), so I didnt' bring any "warm" clothes, thinking i could go home instead of sitting at a softball game. Silly me. I got to sit at the softball game anyway--and have sleet and snow and wind and rain on my face most of the time.... That'll teach me!!!

I'm almost ready for this fundraiser this weekend. There's always the last minute stuff, but when you are doing it all by yourself, there is even MORE. I know I'll forget something important, but honestly, at this point I do not care. I sure appreciate all the help I had when I did this in Oklahoma for the Heart Association--like a professional party planner and a caterer and an auctioneer and such... Oh well. Whatever happens happens. I do know that I'll be able to get some good stuff for CHEAP and I won't feel bad about it at ALL.

Thanks Andy for responding to our requests for random things. We could do it again next month--there's ALWAYS random stuff we want to know, right?

Good luck Susan--the last week of work, the First Communion party, the trip to Big D, and all the fun that will follow. I'll be thinking of you lots and hope you pick out a big ol' mansion like Southfork Ranch.... (don't forget to send some of those peanut butter balls back to Indy!!!!!)

Take care, all!

Tag...I'm IT

OK, Susan, I'll play your game. Then we'll see if ANDY will do it...
1. I was born in Berlin, Germany, the daughter of an Air Force SPY;
2. My best friend when I was little was a kid named JUNEBUG. This was his real name, right mom?
3. I won the Christ the King spelling bee when I was in 8th grade. I went to Orchard School for the "city" tournament and finished one spot higher (better) than Tom O'Gara, who I went on a few dates with when I was in high school at Chatard and he was at Scecina.
4. My favorite Crayola crayon color is Midnight Blue. Now that I think about it, though, I REALLY liked silver and bronze, too.
5. One of my fondest memories of my "young" life was going on our family trip to Boston, New York, Niagara Falls and hanging Duran Duran posters in our hotel room because I was SUCH a big fan of those dudes.
6. My perfect day would include sleeping in until 10am, going to the pool, taking a long, warm shower, going to a Purdue football game and tailgating before and after, then taking in a Chicago Cubs victory--in the World Series.... A girl can dream, can't she??? (and this might be longer than 24 hours).

TAG, Andy, you are it.
Have a great end of the week, everyone.

Adventures in reading

Pretty low key day here in Indy. Got up, went to chuch (I did... the kids went to Mimi and Papa's to play), had some lunch, and went to the "new" Indianapolis Marion County Public Library for an "invitation only" event for the Early Reader's Club. We listened to some books, did some stamping (not nearly as good as yours, Susan and Sara), had a snack, went up 5 escalators (to the top of the building--so mom and I could see downtown, and Natalie and Landry could enjoy the rides), and left 1 1/2 hours later, $2 poorer for paying for parking in the wierdest parking garage I've seen in a while. Natalie and Mimi DID, however, complete the scavenger hunt, resulting in a NEW book that Shannen JUST read (like 2 minutes ago) for bedtime.

We came home and made meatloaf (the EASIEST recipe ever--hamburger, 2 eggs, 1 pkg. stuffing mix, 1 cup water, 1/2 cup BBQ sauce... I separate into two "loaves" , cook in a 9x13 pan, cook at 350 for an hour and a half, and it is DELICIOUS), waited for Shannen to get home from work (LAST Sunday EVER...), and had good dinner--meatloaf, baked potatoes, corn and rolls. It's all cleaned up, the kids are in bed, and now we're watching Big Brother 9. Life is good.

Shannen's last day (as of this writing) is Wednesday. He works about 5 hours a day for the next two days and then should be home by noon on Wednesday. He is a free man until Monday, when he reports to who knows where for who knows how long.... Stay tuned!

I guess that is it from here. Have a great week!

The SKY is falling... I mean the EARTH is moving!!!

So, I'm sleeping all snuggly in my bed this morning and for some STRANGE reason, I wake up, look at the clock, and say "why am I wide awake at 5:38am??????" WELL, maybe 'cause my HOUSE IS SHAKING and my bed is moving and there is absolutely no reason for either.... except maybe if there was an EARTHQUAKE. Shannen was in the shower and Natalie started to make some noise, so I walked into her room and asked if she was ok. I said "did it feel like your bed was moving, honey?" she said, "uh, I don't know... " So I brought her back to my room and we were talking, and Shannen came out of the shower and said "why are my two girls awake at 5:30 in the morning?" and I said "because I think we just had an earthquake" and he said "ok, good, I'm not crazy." Me and Natalie went back to sleep, he went to work, and we woke up to find out we were NOT crazy... I'm sure you've heard all about it, but it was sorta crazy to wake up to that... not your normal Friday morning, for sure.

So we went to Sahm Park for school today. Landry and I joined in because it is GORGEOUS out today and he is a BIG fan of running around at parks. We played at the playground, went on a nature hike (Natalie was mad because she thought we were looking for treasure and when she didn't find any gold... she was quite disappointed!). We had snack, played some more, and came home to get ready for our NEXT adventure--The CHildren's Museum! We got there at 12:30 and the place was PACKED with school kids. We went to Playscape (NO school kids) and by the time we went upstairs to ride the carousel, the place was ours for the afternoon. We are now at the point where Natalie and Landry like the same areas, just not the same place at the same time--makes for some juggling on my part, but Natalie is a good sport.

No school for me today--G-CHS prom tonight at Circle Center downtown. We are scheduled to have softball tomorrow, but the rain is a comin' and that is GOOOOOD news for me!!! This is a JV tournament that should NOT be played, as the level of softball we "play" is not at all good.

Shannen is deciding when his last day will be. It started as next Friday, then moved to Wednesday, and we are currently at this SUnday... stay tuned. His start date for Citi Trends is Monday, April 28--the first day of the rest of our lives!

OK, gotta go make burgers to cook on the grill. Can't pass up cooking out when it is currently 76 degrees outside. gosh, we might even have popsicles for dessert! Have a great weekend.

Did you hear the screams?????

Well, we went to the doctor today... but you probably already heard that--from Natalie and Landry. Everything went well. She is 36 pounds, 40 inches (75th percentile height AND weight--"solid" the doctor said) and he is 23 pounds, 33 inches (50th in both, I think). Both are healthy as can be BUT we had to get shots. Princess went first and got FOUR (she got her kindergarden shots now) and he only had TWO. This was the first doctor's visit for either of them without Shannen in attendance. Boy, I wish he had been there! I think Natalie was more upset about the bandaids, but I can't be sure. If you didn't know any better, you would think she was getting her arm cut off, but no, just a couple of PREVENTIVE injections. Almost $800 later, we walked out of the office, paying just $40 (so far). Not a bad deal, considering Shannen is leaving his job and this insurance in a few SHORT days....

THe kids joined me today for a visit to Greenfield. Our wonderful babysitter has some YUCKY sickness and decided not to share it with my kids. We watched track practice, went to softball and baseball practice, threw a few balls around, hit with some bats, and then went to the tennis match. Needless to say, my kids do NOT know how to be quiet when they are outside. We did not stay at tennis too long....

After G-C, we headed to the South side to meet up with Shannen to have pizza for dinner. It was delicious and I didn't have to cook it! We made it home in time for five minutes of "Super Why" computer game and books, songs, minutes, and bed. They are both sleeping now and I am off to watch Big Brother with Shannen. Have a great rest of the week. We will!

It was a pretty good day--for a Monday!

It started out as a decent day and so far, I cannot complain. Except about SPRINT, and I might just do that every day for the rest of my life... My new mission--complain about SPRINT... sounds like a GREAT idea. More about that later, maybe. You would understand why I don't want to talk about it once I tell you my story, and I don't know if I have enough time or battery power in my laptop to write it all out... maybe I'll do a chapter a day or something.....

SO, I went to work and even though it was VERY COLD, we had a softball game, a baseball game, and a tennis match scheduled for tonight. The baseball game was pretty fun--we beat Warren Central 10-0 in 5 innings (THANKS GUYS) and even though the softball team lost, we kinda knew that was going to happen, so no big deal. The tennis team was losing last I heard before I went in to clean out coolers and such, so we might not have had such a great day at home, but at least we got to play! This past Saturday, the SLEET and WIND and RAIN and COOOOOOOOLD, was NOT fun. The softball team DID play their doubleheader (lost one, won one) but the baseball team did NOT (freshmen sorta put the tarp on "backwards," allowing for rain to POOL at home plate instead of being repelled from said location). This Saturday, the day after PROM, there is a JV softball tournament. Talk about horrendous. Our team is NOT good, and to have to sit through 4 games--I'm NOT looking forward to that at all.... Part of the job I suppose.

Speaking of jobs, Shannen has officially accepted his new position and given his 2 week notice to current employer. After the way he was treated today, I think he wishes he would have given a 2 HOUR notice.... Which is one of the reasons he is getting a new job. The PRO is that he has to go to Savannah sometime in the next 2 months. The CON is that he can't go to Texas this summer because he will still be in training. SUSAN--we're really wanting to come down... we'll see!

I suppose that is it for today. Thanks to Dad/Papa for watching the kids for a few hours tonight and making "the best ever" pancakes for dinner. I wanted it to be easy and quick--and we had the bonus of: the kids LOVED them! Tomorrow should be a great day--Natalie has school and then me and Landry pick her up to go visit Dr. Mazurek for our 4 year/16 month, respectively, appointments!!! As long as there are no shots involved, Natalie should be good. The problem is--I think there are shots involved. You might hear her screams wherever you are....

I'm not talking about SPRINT today. I've had too good of a day.
Take care!

Just another Friday...

It has been somewhat of a crazy week here. You know how when you come back from vacation, you think you need a vacation? Between laundry and getting things back in order to having to go back to work... I need a break. But I won't get it today--or tomorrow.

Today I was the substitute for Natalie's class at Willowcreek. There were just 7 kids, but it sounded like 27! They are just so glad to be back from break and with the sunshine and then rain--they just wanted to RUN and YELL! I had some good help from one of the other parents and we got along just fine. I'm not so sure I could do that every day...

We're off to my school in a little bit. Of course they have rescheduled a softball game from an away contest (too much rain on their field) to a HOME contest. This would normally not be a big deal, but knowing that I had no home events today, I gave our wonderful sitter the day off (she had an appointment or something). SOOOOO--Natalie and Landry get to sit out at a softball game with me this afternoon/evening. Guess I need to find some money for the concession stand!!!

Tomorrow we have doubleheader softball and baseball. My sitters are all previously engaged, so unless we get more rain or some of that cold, flaky, white stuff, my kids will get to watch even MORE softball and baseball this weekend.... I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL SUMMER!!!!

Shannen does have a new job. We are waiting for the official letter. The offer has been extended and taken, it is just a matter of having "that letter" so he can give his two week notice. If all goes well, he should be a Citi Trends (CTRN--Andy) man by the end of the month.

I suppose there is not much else to share. The sun is shining, it is 68 degrees, and the flowers have started to bloom. We are supposed to have rain and flurries this weekend, so I suppose we had better enjoy our afternoon as much as possible. Take care!

I'm alive... and back to the real world

So you might have thought I fell off the face of the earth (or into the Grand Canyon), but I'm still here!!!

Shannen and I took a wonderful trip to Las Vegas last week, leaving our wonderful children with some REALLY wonderful babysitters. As Natalie kept reminding me "Mom, me and Landry are having a MUCH better vacation than YOU!". I don't think so. We took off EARLY last Wednesday, checked into our room at the MGM, and started off on our adventures. We walked and walked and walked and then slept. We spent time by the pool, watched some basketball, ate a LOT of food, and enjoyed our time away from chilly Indy. Some highlights include:

* I Love This Bar & Restaurant (Toby Keith's)--It was actually REALLY good!

* A trip to the top of the Stratosphere, but NOT on the "slide" and "crane" rides off of the building

* A trip to the top of the Paris Hotel's Eiffel Tower

* A gondola ride at the Venetian

* Shopping at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace--FAO Schwartz Toy Store

* Wondering what it would be like to be as rich as the people who stay at the Wynn Resort/Casino

* NOT flying ATA the week it shut down

Ben picked us up LATE on Sunday night/early Monday morning and I was back to work at G-C yesterday afternoon. We are starting a MAJOR construction project at the school--adding a new pool, a classroom wing, and other "stuff." This will not change ANY of my training room BUT it will probably really mess me up for parking and getting to where I need to go on the campus. We have officially started spring sports--our varsity softball team has scored 64 runs in 4 games... I think they are pretty good. JV... not so much. The baseball team is doing well and tennis and track... well, I guess they'll be fine.

Big news here is about Shannen. It is VERY probable that by the end of the week, he will be employed by a new company. The position is district manager and the compensation is pretty good. Honestly, the best part is the GAS CARD AND CAR that come with it. More news when it is official. It took me a while to see the good in this move, but the more we talk about it (and we sure did when we were in Las Vegas), the better I feel about it.

I guess that is it for now. As soon as I get the camera USB cable from mom, I'll be posting some GREAT photos (as far as I'm concerned). Stay tuned. Take care everyone.

Well...here we go!!!

So, I'm feeling a little bit like I need to catch up with my internet-savvy siblings. I'm going to TRY and keep up with this thing, but you all know how busy things can get in the spring (and fall and winter!!!).

This is going to be my attempt at keeping all of YOU in the loop of my oh-so-fascinating life. I personally don't think MY life is all that exciting, but I do have two GORGEOUS children that I LOVE to take pictures of and honestly, every once in a while, something great does happen in my life!!

I guess that is it for now. I don't want to tell you everything in the first post--I'll keep you wanting MORE!!! The kids and I are off to G-CHS for a little baseball practice and then a quick trip to Kohl's for a new watch battery (remember--my life is NOT very exciting!). I'll be home tonight PACKING for my trip to LAS VEGAS on Wednesday--an anniversary trip with my wonderful husband. OH I CANNOT WAIT for SUN and FOOD and NOT HAVING TO BE RESPONSIBLE for ANYONE but MYSELF!!!!!!!!

Have a wonderful day, everyone. I'm sure the sun is shining SOMEWHERE (just not here).