Monday, July 30, 2012

Slow Down, Summer!

I've spent the last week or so attempting to simplify and organize my classroom and my home so that I can have a smooth school year, free of stress.  I get like this...every year.  Frantic to get it all in order before the madness begins.  It never lasts long.  My to do list only gets longer.  I check something off only to add something on.  We've been buying old furniture to paint and put in our bedroom.  I'm a little concerned that when August 14th rolls around and I have to go back to the real world, my dresser will still be sitting on my patio unpainted, and I'll be choosing my outfits from the piles in my floor.  My classroom, though less cluttered than it's been in the couple of years, looks like a tornado has passed through it.  As I type, I'm thinking I need to write myself a note to order ribbons and tattoos for football season.  And in the midst of all the chaos, I'm trying to soak up every minute with the funniest toddler I know.  Nothing is as good as a "big squeeze" and her saying, "I got you, Mommy!"

I don't remember the last time I blogged.  But I think B and I celebrated our anniversary since then.  We had a few childless days at the beach.  Ahhhhh.  A book, a cold Coke Zero, excellent company, people watching, naps, and a tan.  We enjoyed it.  I'm so thankful for B.  I often think about how things played out in God's timing.  He's the sweetest husband and a great daddy.  He's just right for me.  He keeps me calm and sane when I don't feel calm OR sane.  He gives Ella Kate her bath on the nights when I just need that 5 minutes to myself.  I'm not telling you he doesn't make me really mad sometimes or that he's perfect.  But he is top of the line and I'm thankful I get to be his wife.

It's thundering and raining and it's almost my bedtime.  So with all the frantic "get it all done" feelings I have swirling in my head, I think I'll just make a list for tomorrow and hit the sack, and enjoy going to sleep listening to the rain.




Tuesday, July 17, 2012

A Flea Market Run, a Visit to Pop's, and 1 E.R. Trip Later...

Cheerleader camp was a huge success!  I am sooooo proud of my girls.  They competed in Home Pom, Camp Champs Cheer, and Camp Champs Xtreme Routine and placed first in all three!  They also received the leadership award for camp!  They have WORKED this summer and it was evident.  It was a great week and I'm so happy to be showering without shoes again.  

Yesterday we spent some time in the pool before B headed off to football.  Ella Kate and I decided to hit up a few flea markets and found ourselves in Opp.  We found nothing special so we decided to swing by Pop and BeBe's before coming home.  All was well until Ella Kate took a little spill and hit her head on the couch leg.  There was blood...lots of blood.  She was screaming.  I was trying to hold it together.  See, I'm a calm person for the most part.  But something came over me and I began to gag and feel faint.  My daddy drove us to the emergency room.  Ella Kate and I rode in the back.  Both of us had a wet washcloth...seriously.  I thought we were going to have to pull over for me to hurl.  I knew she would survive.  It was just the combination of her being upset and the blood coming from the gash in her head.  I'm not sure how long we were at the hospital, but it was long enough for my husband to leave Goshen and get back to Jack to pick up his truck, then drive to Opp.  A little glue and some steristrips later, we went back to Pop's to eat chicken, per EK's request, and came home.  It was quite a night.  We all slept til 9 this morning.  

She's fine this morning and we're getting ready to go for our first haircut.  Hopefully, I'll handle that better than I did the transition to the big girl bed.  Happy Tuesday!

Friday, July 6, 2012

A Week-Long Staycation

This week has been extra marvelous.  On Monday, B and I spent the day shopping while Aunt Mary Sue kept Ella Kate.  We were happy.  Ella Kate was happy.  And I'm certain Aunt Mary Sue enjoyed herself too.  It was a win/win situation for all parties involved.  We enjoyed the day together, but felt like we were forgetting something every time we got in the truck.  

We grilled streaks on Tuesday with the family.  B grilled in between hail storms.  Literally.  Wednesday, we struck out bright and early for the beach with B's brother, Garret, and his fiance', Courtney.  Ella Kate was pumped about the "beach" and about the company.  All looked well until we arrived and the thunder began.  And continued.  And continued.  So we caught up on Kendra re-runs until it quit raining enough to get out on the beach.  We stayed several hours.  Ella Kate loved playing with "G and Corney".  Thank you for entertaining her.  We're taking you from now on.  We had dinner and started home with hopes that Ella Kate would be out for most of the trip.  She did go to sleep but it was somewhere between Opp and Elba.  

Thursday, we visited with old friends in the friendliest city in the South, Luverne.  Oh, how I've missed The Chicken Shack.  And my friends.  Dinner was great.  And I thoroughly enjoyed riding around town before we came home.  It made me a little sad.  I made some really good friends while I was there so visits are always bittersweet.  I could do a whole post on how good those people were to me when I moved there fresh out of college, knowing not a soul...My first year of teaching was one big blur and I felt like my kids were a science project of trial and error.  My administrators were the BEST.  And my colleagues were way fun...(is that a phrase?)  We also loved our church family.  So going back, even if only for dinner, brings back so many memories.  Life was definitely simpler then.  But life brought changes, most of them for the best.  Still, I am grateful for my time spent there.  It was just what I needed at that time in my life. 

In closing, a little shout out to my "husband of the year" who snorkeled around the pool until he found my missing pearl earring this afternoon.  They're just earrings, but they were his gift for me to celebrate Ella Kate's arrival.  I was slightly upset when I realized I'd lost it.  But he snorkeled until he found it.  I think I'll keep him.  

I'm off to camp next week.  I'm certain I'll have good stories to share when I return.  Until then...