We've had an exciting weekend here....it POURED down rain on Sat and both boys still played their football games.  Charlie's team basically played in a mud pit and loved it!! They had so much fun.  In the midst of the game, he ended up breaking his thumb during a tackle.

I took him to Urgent Care where they X-rayed him and said it was broken.  Today I took him to follow up with the Orthopedic Surgeon and to get his cast.  Believe it or not, this is the FIRST cast for any of my kids.

Here he is in all his glory....

Surprisingly, he is still allowed to play football.  He will just have to wrap the cast in foam. He won't be able to write because he's right handed.  Hmmmmm...he can still play football but he can't do his school work.  Sounds like a boy's dream come true!!!

45 Lessons

This was sent to me by my Dad a few months ago, and I love it. I wanted to share it with you all.

It was written by Regina Brett of The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

She says it is the most requested column she'd ever written and it was rerun in honor of her 90th Birthday. I'd say she's got a lot of wisdom to impart.

45 Lessons Life Taught Me

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement early starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words, "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative.

37. Your children only get one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we threw all our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

42. The best is yet to come.

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

So what do you want to do??

When Brian & I were first married, we spent 4 years together without kids.  I have no idea what in the world we did with all that free time, but I do remember both of us sitting around all weekend asking, "So what do you want to do??"  

"I don't know, what do you want to do??"

and so on, and so on....

I was thinking about this last night as I fell into bed at 10:30PM.   We had no idea back then, just how much free time we had.

When my kids were little, it was so physically exhausting because they needed me 24/7.  I always thought it'd be so much easier when they were older.....it's different, not necessarily easier.  Now instead of physical exhaustion...the culprit is busyness.

Here is a recap of our weekend:

Friday:  

I worked a little.

Went to the grocery store.

Made 12 dinners for a Dream Dinner swap.

Took Charlie to football practice & stopped to buy him a ticket to the Sock Hop on the way home.

Brian & Mike TV went to watch Veruka cheer at an away game.

I went back and picked up Charlie from practice.

Drove Charlie to Sock Hop.

Sat in silence all by myself for 1 hour!! :)

Bri came home & picked up Charlie from Sock Hop.

Saturday:

Helped Veruka with Car Wash signs.

Went to Mike's football game.

Left game and went to Veruka's Cheerleading Car Wash...stayed to help for an hour.

Drove Veruka home.

Went straight back to football field to watch Charlie's football game.

Came home & got changed to go out on a date with Bri....we saw Tropic Thunder.....very funny, if you like "stupid funny" movies.

Sunday:

Went to church.

Met friends for Dream Dinner's swap.

Went straight to both boys baseball tryouts...for Spring baseball.

Left in the middle of tryouts to drive Veruka home from her tumbling class.

Went back to finish watching tryouts.

Came home, picked up Veruka and went Homecoming Dress shopping.   She got a dress & shoes that we both love!!

Had Bro-in-Law's fam over for cookout.

Sat on the couch for an hour & went to bed!!!

Here's what I didn't do:

1.  Meet with our Community Group....thankfully, we were taking the week off.

2.  Go for my long run Saturday.....I'm off to do that now!!

So, to those of you with young kids, my advice is cherish the time.  It goes by so quickly.   Before you know it, you start living your life in your minivan.....being the taxi driver!!

Good Bye, Ty-Dye!

I've been meaning to post all week, but I am just now getting around to it.  Why??? Because all 3 of my kids have been sick with the stomach virus!!!   Doesn't that stink?   Today, they finally all went back to school.  I can bleach the barf buckets and put them away until next time.  (Oh yes, there's always a next time.)

So, I need to let you know that we've had a dear pet pass away this week.  Ty-Dye the gekko. He lived a long and happy life.....3 years.   I thought that was pretty good, until Veruka told me that most gekkos live 30 years!   (I guess Ty-Dye was 27 when we bought him.  :)

That's right, I said bought him.  No, he wasn't free.  We actually paid money.....for a gekko!  (I know, I couldn't believe it either!)  It all started when Charlie was turning 9.  He had been asking for a pet.  Veruka had gotten a kitten for her 9th Bday.....that's another story for another day.  At the time we were trying to avoid the whole dog thing....of course we eventually caved on that front.  But at the time, this was before Dakota  aka...before dog.

Anyway, we were at the mall & the kids wanted to go in the pet store.  While we were there the boys had to look at the reptiles.  I mean...snakes and lizards are required viewing for all boys, aren't they??  Veruka and I were ooohing and ahhhing over the adorable puppies when Charlie ran up and asked if he could pleeeeease get a gekko for a pet. 

I thought it sounded like a great idea....I mean a gekko...that had to be low maintenance right? He drug me to the back of the store to show me the cool gekkos that he liked.  They were neat alright, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from the price tag.......EIGHTY DOLLARS!!!!  I am not making that up!!!!  

8 - 0....Eighty!!!

I quickly recovered and told Charlie we'd need to see if we could find one that cost a little less.I was hoping he'd forget after a couple of days.  No such luck.  He wouldn't let the gekko idea go. After all, I had said yes, he could get one.  He decided he wanted it for his birthday.   He asked for $ and supplies.  My sis gave him her old fish tank, along with a thermometer and money to put towards the gekko.  I was able to find a cheaper gekko.....only 50 dollars....(can you believe it??) ....at PetSmart.

The day finally arrived, and I took him to PetSmart where we spent $50 for a carpet, water bowl, fake cave and driftwood.  Then of course there was the $50 for the gekko which Charlie named Ty-Dye.  Now that is a cool name for a gekko isn't it???  He looked like he was ty-dyed....thus the name.

Well, as we were getting ready to head to the check out, I mentioned to the overly helpful PetSmart girl, that we almost forgot to get food.  I turned and asked her,

"What do gekkos eat???"

"Crickets", she replied.

"What????  I thought I heard you say crickets???" was my reply.

"That's right!!" she said, "and don't worry, we sell them here."

"What????"

"Can't the gekko just eat cricket flavored food?"  I asked exasperated.

Apparently, not.  The girl helpfully showed me where I could get a small cage for the crickets....and food for the crickets.  That's right, food for the food of the gekko!!!!  Sheesh!

So, every two weeks for the past 3 years I've driven my butt 20 minutes to the nearest PetSmart to pick up live crickets.  Oh, how I'll miss that duty.

Ty-Dye was buried earlier in the week with a full funeral.  When we realized he had passed away, I asked Charlie if he wanted Ty-Dye to have a burial at sea or a burial in the earth.  He and Mike TV just stared at me wide eyed and silent. 

 

Then finally, Charlie asked, "Does burial at sea mean flushed down the toilet?"

He chose burial in the earth.

So, Ty-Dye was placed in the finest of caskets.....an Ann Taylor jewelry box.  He was draped in a flag...one of the mini flags on a stick...for the procession....and he was laid to rest under our Japanese Maple tree.  At the end of the funeral, Brian played taps on Charlie's trumpet.  Good ol Ty-Dye, may he rest in peace.

Hershey Park Happy!

I'm backtracking just a bit here...on Labor Day we spent the day at Hershey Park with some old friends of ours.  We had tons of fun...if you've never been to HP...you must go...it's our favorite amusement park!!

Feeding the ducks!???

(We came all this way and they wanted to stop and feed the ducks!  It kind of reminded me of when we've gone to Disney World and they want to wait in line to get autographs!!)

Duck butt!!  (The kids all thought this was hysterical!)

Tree Huggers!

The Champ & his buddy had to ride in front!

The Storm Runner....Charlie with his hands up...crazy kid!!

Cool boys!!

Sweet girls.....

The thrill of victory!!! 

(He won this on his first try!!!! Can you believe it??)

The agony of defeat!  :(  

(I don't know what was worse....the fact that he didn't win, or the fact that his brother did.)

Don't worry, we hugged him up and made him feel better.

There's always the next time...right??

Braces Off!!

We have some exciting news in our house....after six years, My Girl has finally gotten her braces off for good!!! She is thrilled! I know an angel is smiling down from Heaven. :)

Happy Birthday Honey!!!!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Brian. It's from our Outer Banks vacation last year and he's holding baby Evan.

Thanks for being my best friend.

Happy Birthday!!!!

I love you.

I love a RAINY day!!!!

Hello my laptop friends,

I haven't forgotten about you. I'm still here and all is well. No need to worry. My life's been busy, that's all.

First, I got a job!!! I am still subbing, but last year it was sooooo inconsistent. I decided to take a little part time job and I'm loving it. I am working with 2 of my good friends so we're having a blast. (Lots of talking and laughing to accompany our work, if you know what I mean!) I'll be back in the classroom too, but this will give me something to do that is a little more consistent.

The great thing is that the office is only 10 minutes away from my house. My hours will be very flexible....on working days I'm only in the office from 10:00AM-2:30PM or 3 so I'm home when my people get off the bus. So far, the first week's been great.

Second, I have to confess that I've been cheating on all of you with facebook. I'm totally addicted to it. I love going on to see if I've got any new friends and who they are and I'm really loving the flair!!!

Here's the pathetic part, I went on fb to check it out for Veruka. Just to see if we thought it was safe enough for her to set up one. Well, in doing that, I set up my own facebook. I started getting requests from people that I know in real life who want to be my friend on fb. At first I was emailing people and telling them that I really didn't have a facebook, partly because I knew I'd get hooked on it, but soon there were so many requests, I said what the heck and just went with it. (I was right too, I'm totally hooked on it!) It's pretty cool. I've reconnected with some friends from High School & college plus lots of other friends. If you don't have a facebook, you've gotta check it out!

So, now I sit here on this rainy day and I'm finally catching up with my blogging buddies. Today, I was supposed to wake up at 6AM and run 12 miles (yes, you read correctly, I said 12!) Our boys were each supposed to have football games which Bri was going to leave for at 6:45AM. It all was cancelled thanks to my good friend Hanna!!!! So instead, I slept in, drank my coffee in my pj's, read my People magazine (because a girl's gotta have her priorities), did a ton of laundry, cleaned my house and am catching up on my blog! What a great day!

Also, when our mail came, look what was in it....

I won this from Nancy at her blog. This is the first time I've EVER won anything!!!! How fun!