I'm slowly becoming a once a month blogger.  Summer is a'coming and I'll try to do better.  The fact that summer's coming is the problem.  I'm drowning in a to-do list that never ends.  Deadlines abound.  But relief is in sight.  We have a fabulous vacation ahead and I can't wait!  The beach is calling my name.

Since I last blogged, softball season came to a close.  Bradley's girls played in Gulf Shores last weekend in the Regional Tournament.  Because they predicted rain, the games were pushed up and his girls finished their last game sometime after 4:00 Saturday morning.  Ella Kate couldn't hang, and we were back at the hotel.  Truth be told, I probably couldn't hang either.  I like my sleep.  B's proud of his girls.  And he's enjoyed it.  He's also learned alot...alot that he probably didn't want to know.  He says they'll say just about anything.  Preparation for Ella Kate, maybe?

I attended a retirement reception today for my school neighbor, Mrs. Stinson.  I'm so sad to see her go, but I'm excited for her to get to spend time doing things she enjoys.  She's kind of like my "school mom".  If she says it's ok, then it's definitely O.K.  My friend, Joni, used to work in my position, and she always said Ginger and Melinda were the best colleagues you could ask for.  She thought ALOT of them both.  I'm with her.  They are the best.  I appreciate you, ladies.

Field Day T-shirts are delivered.  The stack on my desk is smaller than it was this morning.  Progress?  Maybe.  Field Day is Friday, and then I play to spend Saturday drinking Coke Zero, playing with Ella Kate, and laying by/in the pool.  I have 2 new magazines, and I'm about to download a new book on my Kindle (I read during naptime or while she's watching "Melmo").  Yes, life is good.  And summer's still ahead...EVEN BETTER.

Happy Saturday morning!  It's so quiet at our house right now.  Ahhhhh.  I'm the only one up.  I enjoy this time of day.

We spent the last 2 days playing softball from afternoon until night.  B's girls were in the area tournament and finished as runners up.  They will continue to regionals in the coming week.  They fought so hard yesterday.  I was exhausted from watching.  I can't imagine how exhausted they were from playing.  Proud of you, girls.  And I'm proud of you too, Bradley.  I think you do an excellent job of keeping their heads up and motivating them to play with heart and class, all at the same time.

I just read a post from my friend, Joni, about her baby boy, Kaleb.  They've been at Childrens in B'ham for several days and seem to finally be getting some good results.  I read her post this morning and was struck by how tired and emotional she must be.  Yet, with God's help, she somehow holds it together.  She always finds the positive.  I'm super-proud of you, Joni.  So many people are watching your journey and you are making a positive impact on so many people...of that, I am certain.  I've always thought one of your greatest purposes in life was to be a mommy.  You're an inspiration.

The previous 2 paragraphs are about such opposite situations.  But it helps me put things in perspective.  I read the following quote a few minutes ago, and thought it applied to these situations, but so many more:

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

It's never what we'd choose, though, is it?  But when we learn though it and allow God to teach us from it, our faith grows stronger.  I've had some concerns this week.  When I have concerns, I roll them around in my brain over and over and over...and over.  I choose to believe this morning that God is in charge.  I struggle with this.  I'm a worrier.  But I'm making a choice for today to let go of all that control that I think I have and enjoy this day and the things that matter.

I have a new book on my Kindle, a large supply of Nutella and animal crackers, AND a case of Coke Zero.    All 3 of us are home and have no where to go.  If the sun will just come out, it's going to be a nice, relaxing day at the pool.  Happy Saturday.

A girl can dream, right?

I dream of a day at home with my Kindle to sit in the sunshine and sip Coke Zero.  Really.  I also dream of summer and being able to wear running shorts and t-shirts all day, every day + no makeup. I don't wish for much.  But for now, we're trucking along.  I have 2 or 3 different "to do" lists and I'm certain there are things I've forgotten.  Some days, I think my mind is going.  Last Wednesday, I lost my keys.  I searched everywhere.  I looked all through my classroom, investigated the garbage bags, and tore my car apart.  No keys.  I had a spare and used it to head home.  I called B at home, and I'm in tears.  He said, "Are you looking for the ones on the black keychain?  They're here on the bar".  I drove to school with my spare and never even realized it.  On Friday, I was halfway to Zion Chapel when I realized Ella Kate was still strapped in the backseat.  I wanted to cry.  Or nap.  Or cry, then nap.  But instead, I turned around and took her back, put on a smile, and went on to work.  It helped that it was Friday. This condition is called "too many irons in the fire".

The weekend was not necessarily easygoing, but it was still the weekend.  There were places to go...lots of places to go.  My in-laws took Ella Kate to the lake with them Friday night (Thank you, Gigi and Papa!).  B had softball Saturday and I had to make a family trip to Pensacola.  We enjoyed Homecoming at South Luverne on Sunday and lunch with some sweet friends.  Before we knew it, it was back to work bright and early Monday morning.  A busy weekend, is still a weekend, and we'll take it.

It's Friday afternoon, and and we have very few official plans for the weekend, AND the weather is supposed to be NICE.  Bring it on.

A Bad Saturday

still beats a good Monday. Are bad Saturdays possible? We hooked up the trailer Saturday morning and took off to Kinston for a pallet of sod or 2. We got one and stopped by my parents' house. Ella Kate decided to hang out there a while and we came home to lay sod. I've never taken on that task, but I thought it couldn't be that bad. Whew. That stuff's heavy. We moved pretty fast and got the first pallet out. B had to go to Enterprise to drive our Power Lifting Team back to school, so I decided to take the trailer back to Kinston by myself for another load. I've never pulled a trailer, but I can drive a school bus. I thought I could handle it. I left Bradley in the back yard pulling up a few leftover roots. I wasn't 2 miles down the road when he called to tell me he'd hit the gas line. GREAT. I hit END and put my phone down when the truck started shaking. I looked in the rearview mirror...tire was going EVERYWHERE. So I pulled over and called him back. The trailer had a blowout. He couldn't leave because the gas company was sending someone. His parents were out of town. My daddy was out of town. So I sat by the road a while. The sweet daddy of my "bestest friend" saved the day. He picked me up and took me home, took the rim to Opp and got a tire, brought it back and put it on. My brother in law drove me back to the truck and I went on to get the sod. I made it home with no more mishaps. It definitely could have been worse. But for an hour or so, I was beginning to wonder. Our back yard looks marvelous. Now, if we can just keep the grass alive.

Ella Kate seems to be Miss Independent lately. My mom helped her put her pants on last Saturday, but because she didn't do it herself, she wanted them "off". Where did she come from? We love her and she keeps us on our toes.

Looking forward to seeing the First Grade Play tomorrow night in Luverne. Can't wait to see some long lost friends. Happy Hump Day!

Back to the Grind

Spring Break came and went. And it was back to the real world. You know the one. The one when you run around like a crazy person and feel like you have waaaaayyyyy too many irons in the fire. That's my world lately. I had a break from cheerleading from the middle of February until April. But when we get started, we really get going. We had tryouts yesterday. I now have 15 Varsity Cheerleaders. I'm wondering if I've lost my mind, but I'm excited to start the new season. They seem to be sweet girls, and I'm looking forward to getting to know some of the new girls. Our goal is to compete this year, and if you'll check back with me about November, I'll be wondering what we were thinking when we decided to do this.

Bradley has successfully removed all the shrubs from our back yard. We have 2 pallets of sod ready for pickup on Saturday morning. Yes, he's a good man.

We ran another 5K a couple of weeks ago. It was tough. I won't lie. I think I started off a little too fast. I finished in 34 minutes. When I told a fellow runner my time last week, she said, "well at least you finished". What????? Yes, I finished. And I didn't pass out or die. AND I wasn't last. I call that success.

I'll close on a serious note. My daddy has an older brother who is very, very sick. Growing up, I thought he was the best. He had no children of his own, so he was always up for a tea party after he let his "food settle"...his famous line. When we visited him in Pensacola, we would park on the back 40 at the mall because "those women would sling their doors open and hit the car". And he was all about an all you can eat buffet. I'm not sure what happened. Life I guess. But I haven't talked with him in about 5 years. I share this in hopes that you won't let things that don't matter steal the time that you could spend with people you love. I debated on blogging about this, but decided it could be a good lesson to share. I did get to see him on Sunday and show him a picture of sweet Ella Kate. But it doesn't make up for all that time. It makes me sad. But it's also a lesson in life.

Hoping the weekend brings some good times and a little rest to us all.

Hello, Spring Break!

Let me preface this post by saying I do love my job. It's just that I need a break in a bad way. I am pretty certain my students are going to like me better when I return from spring break.

We kicked off spring break with prom last night. Ella Kate stayed with my mom and dad, and B and I got to dress up and watch everyone break it down for a few hours. We loved it. We even slept past daybreak this morning. Then we did what all the cool people do the morning after prom...we headed out to Lowe's where we spent a small fortune and returned to work in the yards. We have a fairly large patio out back and it's surrounded by shrubs...tons of shrubs...layers and layers of different shrubs. I announced my plan to remove these about 2 weeks ago. My husband, knowing he would be the "remover of the shrubs", shook his head and said nothing. But being the fine man that he is, the shrubs on 2 out of 3 sides are gone as of today. He worked HARD all afternoon. I told him thank you, but if you could see the shrubs piled by the road, you would understand. A "thank you" kind of seems inadequate. Ella Kate and I appreciate you, B.

We have other "fun" projects planned this week along with B's softball game, Uncle J's baseball game, and a beach trip for a day. We might even throw in some lake time. It's nice to have a week ahead without a schedule and tons of time to play with Ella Kate. Happy Saturday!

A Coke Zero and Nutella Kind of Day

Ahhhh. Saturday, you've arrived. Don't we all love a break? I feel like we've been running in a hundred different directions lately. I don't typically "freak out" about things. But stress tends to sneak up on me. Like this week...I've had that headache/neckache that really is just tension from trying to keep everything straight this past week. I'm not sure when it came on, I just know it's not comfortable. Maybe I need a massage. Or Spring Break.

Today has been nice. I ran before daylight because B had a softball game and left home just after 6. I knew if there was to be ANY Hope time today, it had to be before he left. I even got a quiet 30 minutes on Pinterest with a Coke Zero in hand before the princess woke up. We played outside and worked a little in the flowerbeds. Then we headed to Andalusia in search of fabric (no such luck), but I did get my rings cleaned and we stopped off by Gantt to see Gigi and Papa and have a quick lunch. We've since made stops at a baby shower and a birthday party where EK had a slight meltdown because Barney was present. She will outgrow this, right?

We are finally home. Ella Kate is down for the count. B is still coaching a softball game. I have another Coke Zero AND some animal crackers and Nutella (BEST SNACK EVER). Life is good and that tension in my neck might be easing off. Hope you've enjoyed this perfect weather kind of day. Happy Weekend.