Is closing her eyes, covering her ears and whispering quietly...say it isn't so

August 1st...sigh. School registration tomorrow. Where has the summer gone? Why do I say this every year? This year the precious one will be a sophomore (and I will be sure she knows how to spell it) and sonshine will be a Junior. They will be riding to school together for as long as they can stand each other and no one gets hurt, or until her schedule gets out of hand which will precipitate the mama pitching in with rides...


Besides the portion of the national debt that equals school registration fees, I'm just clearly not ready for them to go back. NOR am I ready for the joyous one to head off to college just one week later.


Being this is my first summer without graduate school for, count them, five summers...I may have slightly over enjoyed this summer. In fact, I'm catching up on things like cleaning under my bed and organizing the linen closet. True story, both of those have happened. Perhaps I will enjoy the business of two teens in high school without homework and classes of my own. There's a chance that I'll relish in all things back to school like I have in all things summer this year...but it's unlikely.


The good news is, we still have a weekend planned for the beach... Summer, it just doesn't get any better than this.

Coming in and out of your life...

That title is from a Barbra Streisand song that I loved...perhaps in middle school? That seems odd to me, that I would like that song at that age, but I loved to hear Barbra belt it out, while playing the record. (For all you under 25, that's a plastic thing that music used to come on that was played with a needle...odd I know) Anyway, I heard on the radio that every 7 years or so, 50% of your friends are no longer your friends. ponder, ponder, ponder...I have found myself saying lately on more than one occasion, that SO many people have come and gone from my life recently and I really wasn't appreciating it. I'm thinking we lose friends so often, because people change jobs so often...you think? I have been extremely blessed to have maintained friendships from my last job (one I was at for 9 years), especially when the job was in a daycare where you see your friends and their children for 9 or 10 hours every day where everyone is so close, I count myself lucky. I still have a few friends from a job I had for 9 years before that. Hmmmm, there seems to be a trend with the 9 year thing...Anyway, the point I'm making is this...friendships have to be maintained. They do. When one of my best friends left for greener pastures, we committed that if we had to we would schedule time to see each other! Doesn't that sound crazy? But...it worked. We used to schedule scrapbooking trips and then when our budgets got tighter, we scheduled scrapbooking nights. Well, our last night of scrapbooking, I'm not sure anyone scrapbooked, but we all sure did chit chat and catch up and it was wonderful. We looked at Lia Sophia, we talked about soap operas, we talked about who knew who and who lived a few houses from my daughter's boyfriend. I suggested maybe next we should schedule dinner and movie so we can all just chat!! Those nights I cherish and the time flies so fast. We always try to schedule our next get together right away or before we know it, kids have gone off to college! Ok, maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration...but you know, time gets away from you and next thing you know, 50% of your friends are gone!

To digress and share a memory from my baby book: My mom wrote, Jacque doesn't like when anyone goes bye bye without her. Odd isn't it...it's only a few years later :) and I still don't like when people go bye bye without me! So, here's the thing...if you're in my life, make an effort to stay there ok? I'll do the same...

http://youtu.be/VkGAi-LVSbQ

I hear voices...not the kind that require $300 an hour therapy sessions, but voices none the less

I am a country music monger. When driving in the car the other day my baby niece said..."Auntie, we don't listen to this music at my house, we only listen to rock and roll." The funny part of that statement is that her mama sure doesn't listen to rock and roll, unless Brittany Spears and Lady Gaga have suddenly changed genres. Anyway, I digress...on the second sentence, that must be a record.

I was going to blog about voices. A post that was inspired by the country song...Voices, by Chris Young. A few lines...

I hear voices...

Like my dad sayin, work that job, but don't work your life away
Mama tellin me to drop some cash, in the offering plate on Sunday.
And Grandad sayin you can have a few, but don't ever cross the line.
I hear voices all the time.

You get the picture now right? THOSE kind of voices.

So as I was deep in thought paying close attention to driving and listening to that song I began to ponder a variety of the voices that still bounce around in my head today. Come to think of it, maybe some did require therapy...clearly that's a story for another day...

Thought I'd share a few of my favorites...

Work before play .... I'm not sure, but I've surely been called a work-a-holic


Pretty is as pretty does .... I'm still pondering that and I'm not sure where sarcasm falls on that continuum...but sarcasm can be pretty, right?


Showers and snacks before 9:00 ... probably why my kids have no bed time ...


If this is old age, I don't want any part of it ... A truer word has never been mumbled by my precious Gramma Bee


Are you cereal? ... spoken when something just couldn't be


S'nice piece ... Originally spoken to depict a lovely antique


Flip-ops ... all rubber bottom shoes shall now be known as flip-ops


It's too mall ... when something clearly doesn't fit!


It's not Santa, it's Marks! ... from a little friend who departed this Earth MUCH too early and clearly wasn't fooled by that Santa costume!



Graaaatefully I didn't write these down while I was paying careful attention to my driving...they just all continued to bounce around in my head. There are so many. It amazes me how many times each day I think of the person who's 'line' I still hear to this day...in their voice. They are fond memories...they have become a part of my voice.

You have voices? Feel free to share them here and save the therapy fee :)

In 30 minutes or less

The time leading up to my daughter's graduation was certainly a roller coaster of emotions for me. I spent a lot of time crying happy tears as well as I can't believe it's over tears. I cried them not only for my daughter but for at least 20 of her closest friends. I went to many end of the year performances where I watched out of the corner of my eye. If I were to watch too closely and realize this is the last this or this is the last that...the tears would flow. When graduation day finally came....no tears! I was pretty sure they were all out...until now.

It's graduation party time and that means creating a "Joyous one, this is your life" video. I'm not sure how you summarize 18 wonderful years in 30 minutes or less, but I have done my best. As I walked into the video store with pictures, videos, music in hand...the tears began to flow. Thankfully, a family friend is making her video so I was among understanding company :). After a bit of a struggle at the door, a thought popped into my mind. 'Be grateful you are creating her graduation video and not an end of life story'. If've had friends that have lost their children at tragically young ages due to very tragic circumstances and once I got things in perspective, I was able to go through the pictures and videos and realize what a celebration this is....with no tears. I am blessed to have raised a successful young lady with a good head on her shoulders. I couldn't be more proud of her. I so enjoyed watching her baby videos...her sweet face, her cute waves, and best of all her saying, "Grammie! Take a picta of me making this face!" Pictures of soccer, dance, softball, birthday parties, sleep overs, dragways, playing in the front yard, plays, musicals, and honors societies. It has been one amazing ride...one that I will summarize in 30 minutes or less...with joy in my heart.

I just decided not to

In the past hour or so, I have toyed with the idea of going to church. It's ordinarily not a decision, I just get up and go. Today is a little bit different. Today is father's day. Which means to me, two things. One, my dad is buried in the cremation garden, which I will have to walk by to go to church. Two, my former pastor is also buried in the cremation garden, which I will have to walk by to go to church. Any other day, I enjoy throwing a greeting their way...Hi Poppy & Pastor Bill, hope things are well in Heaven....miss you more than you know.

Today....I'm longing for a pastor Bill sermon about father's day and a trip to the store to buy Twinkies and peanut butter cookies for my dad, not a visit or a walk by the cremation garden. I'm longing to hear the benediction...And now may the Lord bless you and keep you, may he make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May God give you his peace in your going out and in your coming in, in your lying down and in your rising up, in your labor and in your leisure, in your laughter and in your tears, until that day you stand before Jesus in which there is no dawning and no end, in Pastor Bill's powerful voice with his hand held high for the blessing.

I'm longing for hugs for my kids from their Poppy, and handmade wooden toys, or the project B, or S, or K. I'm longing to hear...hey Jackson!...to take a picture on the Polaroid, or to go on a family outing to the garden store. But most of all....I'm longing to not be sad.

So today...I'm going to just stay home

I know a large Blue dog that needs a face lift...

We have a large dog. An old large dog. With big saggy lips. The lips have never been a problem until he turned about 10 1/2. We first started noticing wet spots on the floor where he had been sleeping. Assuming he was becoming incontinent, we assumed the worst. However the spots were no where near large enough to be that. We finally figured out it was drool.

Our dog is part great Dane and part lab...so he has big saggy lips. Now, evidently they are too saggy to hold in the drool. There are not only wet spots where he sleeps, but around his water bowl since part of the water goes in, and the other part leaks out his lips!

I've heard of a tummy tuck, but never a lip tuck. Perhaps he needs collagen implants in his lips to fluff them up a bit and thereby hold in the drool?

Anyone one know a dog plastic surgeon? Or better yet, anyone wanna donate several boxes of swiffers for the cause?

Be it ever so humble...

There is no place like my own bed :) We just took an amazing trip to Disney World for the joyous one's graduation from high school. It was a fabulous trip, because not only did the Ruchus attend with two boyfriends in tow, but also, my two brothers and their lovely wives. Eleven of us in all! There will soon be a photo montage of the 400 images of all things Disney...AND I hope to get a copy of my sister in law's pics that actually have me in them! Shocking I know, but I digress.

OK, so, you know how you don't appreciate something until it's gone? Well that is what I discovered about my bed. You see, we have one of those beds that when the other person moves...you don't feel it. And I must admit, I appreciate it every day. Let me mention that Disney World did NOT have the foresight to invest in 80,000 of those mattresses and WOW did I notice! I was certain I was on a cruise ship, or in a tornado, or an earthquake or something every time the man of the place moved in the super tiny double Disney bed.

So....besides having a great time, spending some MUCH needed time with my brothers and family (including celebrating the 10 year anniversary of my kidney donation) the best part of being home is by far my bed! As I sat in bed for the best part of two hours catching up on work email...let me just mention that I don't think the man of the place has moved once. Evidently he saved all that for the super tiny double Disney bed.

Did I mention I was glad to be home?