Football and the possibility to revist the past.....

Cade’s first football game is tonight.  Let me tell you, Jr High Football is where it is at.  It is 1 million times better than the youth sports football.  The timing of practice is so much better….right after school!  That means he’s done by 5:45-6:00.  That also means that we aren’t rushing home to get him to practice that starts at 6 and won’t end until 8….which also means I don’t have all the stresses with dinner….when should we eat, what should we eat, Camryn can’t wait until 8:30, etc.  I can’t tell you how much easier the evenings have been.  Another huge plus is not having to witness everything.  I’m just going to say it – some of those parents were so stupid that to sit and watch/listen to them at practice would almost give me a stroke.  I would leave and my BP would have to have been sky high.  That’s usually what made me want to write letters to all of the people who irritated me during this time of the year.  Since I’m at work during practice I don’t have to witness any of what goes down.  Also, since it is a school activity at least the majority of the guys helping have been checked out AND have brains in their head.  They aren’t some local yokel telling everyone they had a scholarship to play college football at LSU.  Yeah right…… 

Another plus is the games are on Monday night.  I GET MY SATURDAYS IN THE FALL BACK!!!!!  I love my fall Saturdays, I love craft shows and going to Fayetteville when the Hogs have a home game.  I love being at home with the windows open and my fall Scentsy scents going.  I LOVE it!!!  I am so excited to enjoy my fall weekends again.  The last few years we were always in the limbo on Saturdays.  Especially when the games would start at 2!  Talk about a day killer!!!

I also just feel more relaxed and happier than I have the last several falls.  When I was in High School I did everything.  Everything.  By the time I graduated I was so burnt out on having to be everywhere at a certain time.  Even twenty years later someone controlling my time almost gives me an anxiety attack.  So when we’d have to listen to some of the parents, and the game times would change and I couldn’t go to Fayetteville and shop when Jay went to a game, and I had to miss the craft shows it made me a little pissy.  Actually it made me quite pissy.  So another plus of Jr High Football is that I’m more relaxed and can laugh off some of this ridiculousness……

Miller had a state winning football team 20 years ago.  The year Jay and I were seniors.  Obviously we weren’t in school at Miller and since I grew up in a town with no football I had no idea any of this went down in the fall of ’94.  These Jr High boys (and the 6^th grade class) are being hailed as the next ’94 team.  Hopefully the town is right and they can win a state championship in the next 6 years.  But I have to laugh the tiniest bit...and I think a lot of this goes back to the fact I don’t get in knots about football.  But they’ve used numbers from the roster of the state winning team to make new jerseys for these jr high boys.  They’ve pumped these boys up with stories of so-and-so wore this jersey so you’d better do xyz or he will take it from you...and my personal favorite “inspirational” quote from the men in charge….a lot of men from that team would give their right testicle to be back playing ball.  Remember when those Successory pictures were so big?  What an awesome quote that would’ve been in a frame. 

Cade came home telling me all of this Friday and I had to laugh.  And I wondered if given the choice would a man really give up a testicle?  Too bad I can’t put it to the test….And since I believe in being fully honest with your kids (well I mean I do lie to them at times which could be another post) but I mean in life skills we are honest.  Like we tell Cade that he is the product of Jay and I – he’s probably not going to be winning the Heisman but he could be a National FFA Officer….that sort of honesty is what I’m talking about.  I told Cade that I hope he has fun in HS BUT I hope it is not the peak of his life.  I want him to go to college and raise a family and quite honestly my 30’s have been pretty darn good.  There were some rough times but there have been some really great times.  There would be no way I’d ever give this up (or my testicle if I had one) to go back to high school.  I mean….curly permed hair and mom jeans and glasses .  Yikes!!!  No thank you!!!!  But then I guess men probably don’t have as many fashion skeletons hiding in their closets so maybe going back to ’94 wouldn’t be as traumatic for them???

Another Chapter in the Bus Driving Chronicles

Jay had to sub drive a bus yesterday.  I’ve said this a million times but I’m not sure the whole thing is worth what he gets paid.  At least there is usually a good story that goes along with it.

It started with him leaving the school and then realizing he had 1/8^th of a tank of gas.  He told all the kids to not dawdle getting off the bus.  He was running on fumes.  Then there was a girl that Jay thought,  by looking at her, would be the one who could tell him where he needed to go.  Instead she turned out to be a huge tattle tale and drove him crazy.  There was a boy playing with one of those cut in half balls that you turn inside out and then they flip.  Jay said the boy was just playing with it and not bothering anyone.  The girl confiscated it and brought it to Jay.  That caused Jay to raise his voice a little and say “what are you doing?  Why did you take it from him?  Give it back and sit down!”  Imagine Jay’s voice saying that…..

Then he got to his last stop and it was two little girls.  He showed me what he thought their height was so I knew they had to have been K &1^st grade. 

Jay: what does your house look like
Girl:  There will be a red and black car out front
Jay: But what does the house look like
Girl: There will be a red and black car out front
(a few minutes pass)
Jay:  So what does your house look like
Girl: (pointing out the window) There is goes….My parents aren’t home

So Jay has to back the bus up, remember he’s running on fumes.  The girl kept saying “my parents aren’t home.”  Jay noticed a white car parked close to the house so he kept saying “are they picking you up?”  The girl kept saying “my parents aren’t home.”  Finally one of the girls noticed the white car and said “oh yeah, they are picking us up today.” I’m sure it took every ounce of self-control for him not to yell at them to get off the bus!

 

Another story about the girls.  One of them was wearing a neck brace.
Jay:  Why are you wearing a neck brace
Girl:  I have a herniated disc
Jay: How in the world does someone your age get a herniated disc
Girl:  Jumping

And another bus story.  We all went in to the school last night  to get Cade.  He had a great time and managed to stay with the group.  He was also full of funny stories from the trip. 

Cade:  I got to ride in the back of the bus today
Jay:  How was that?  It’s pretty bumpy back there
Cade:  Yeah, it didn’t feel as grown up as I thought it would

Cutting the Purse Strings.....

Today was a big day in our family.  Cade went on a major school trip without one of us there.   It has been really hard on mama. 

Last night I kept going over the instructions with Cade. 
Here is money for food in this part of your wallet, here is your money if you want to buy something else. 
Just because you have all of this money doesn’t mean you have to spend it all.
Stay with the group.
Make sure your phone is charged.
What shorts are you wearing?  Make sure your pockets are good.
Stay with the group.
Don’t play games on your phone all the way to St. Louis because your phone will be dead.
Do you have Lyle and Jania’s number in your phone?
Stay with the group…..

 Yeah, I was and am still a little nervous.  This has probably been good for both of us.  These are normal life skills he needs to know and I’ve got to let him experience this stuff on his own – even if he blows all of his money at the first stop and is hungry all day.  Or if he forgets to go to the bathroom before they get back on the bus.  Yes, that is a thought that popped in my head.  I don’t know how my parents did it.  I’m sure I did similar things at his age AND I didn’t have a phone that they could periodically check on me with.  My parents left me and my sister alone at the kiddie area at White Water when Charity was 2 and I was 6 so they could ride some of the bigger rides.  So  I’m not sure they are the best ones to take advice from on these types of situations.  And another true story.  I looked at Facebook a little bit ago and saw someone had posted pictures of the game on the schools page.  I put my nose up to the screen and looked for Cade in every single picture.  Finally I got to the very last one and saw this......

 

 

 

 I’d know those freckles anywhere.  Whew – as of 2:00 pm he was still with the group.

Through out all of this Jay has been laughing at me.  Either he isn’t at all concerned or he is laughing at me to cover up his own nervousness.  He kept saying “you  need to cut the purse strings.”  Finally I said “It’s apron strings, you have to cut the apron strings.”  He said “Oh yeah, the purse strings are what you hold me by.”  Always a comedian. 

Back by popular demand.....

It was funny - Friday I got two seperate requests to update the blog.  I had already been planning to try to start updating it more, but that helped me to finish up a few old posts I had hanging around.  I really love to write on this blog and I had been missing it a lot.  It is somewhat of a stress reliever for me.  And I love having a record of the little things that happen around our house that otherwise I would completely forget about. 

But this summer that pesky thing called "having a job" got in my way.  I don't want to complain because being busy at work is usually a good thing.  There are lots of people who's jobs are stressful because they are worried they won't have one.  So I always hate to complain when I'm feeling overwhelmed because we are so busy, but that was the case this summer.  I don't even know how to describe what I been through at work since the end of April...except saying that I was close to a nervous breakdown with everything would be close.  There were days I was tempted to put my head down on my desk and cry.  In all my years of working here I've never had it the way it has been the last few months.  I don't have time to finish any single thought, file, sentence, etc. completely.  It has been pretty hellish. 

Then when things get out of control in one area of my life chaos seems to follow in the other areas.  I've also been forgetting things from the stress.  I've missed hair appointments, forgot to pay our electric bill (I remembered the day after it was due) and many, many other things.  Probably the worst thing was the safety deposit box incident.  We've had a safety deposit box at the bank in Miller for several years.  It was set up to automatically come out of Jay's Icebox account every July.  Last fall we closed that account and opened up a different checking account.  In July we got a letter from the bank saying that the account that normally paid for the box was closed and we needed to send in a check.  No big deal.  I wrote out the check and addressed the envelope and put it with my other stuff to take to work.  Then a few weeks ago we got a certified letter from the bank saying they still needed their money and if they didn't get it they would hold all of our contents for five years, etc.  I had forgot to mail the check...So Jay took care of it. 

I keep hoping things are going to get better and I will quit forgetting things, but I'm not sure.  I'm also hoping I can reign in this chaos a little because it is making me crazy!!!!  But I've also noticed that the crazy at work has kept me from being quite so angry in other areas.  This is probably the first time in years I haven't felt the need for a letter writing campaign at the start of school. 

Thanks for letting me get all that out.  Now read below for the recap of the fun trip Jay and I got to take.  Alone!!! 

Vegas Vacation

On June 30th Jay and I flew to Vegas. As crazy as things are with Cade's showing schedule we couldn't fit in a family vacation very easily.  Since Cade went to DC with Jay earlier and Camryn could care less we didn't feel bad taking a trip by ourselves. Our 15th Anniversary is this December so we decided to celebrate a little early. This was the first time we've taken a trip like this for fun since we got married. We did have the trip to Pigeon Forge/Knoxville 4 years ago but I don't count that. Anytime your husband is giving you a shot in your butt twice a day it really shouldn't be considered a vacation. 

We stayed at the Monte Carlo. I enjoyed it and would stay there again. It wasn't nearly as fancy as the higher priced ones but it was clean and nice. I would recommend it. 

This was Jay the first day at the Flamingo habitat. He looks thrilled. I think it was about 112 degrees at that moment. I'm being serious about that temp. We flew to Vegas while they were having a heat wave. Imagine that...

My favorite part of the trip was Fremont Street. I loved the lights...and if I'm being completely honest the $.99 Margaritas we stumbled on to.

 

Apparently Coke has a new thing where they are putting names on their bottles. Jay ran across this one at a souvenir shop.  (I did start this post a few months ago so the name on the Coke bottles is old news by now).  And a side story.  See the little purse I was carrying?  Only my phone would fit in it.  There was no way my wallet would fit so I had some little baggies that I used to contain my DL, credit card and some cash.  I thought that if I had it contained in one place the chances of me loosing it wouldn't be as high.  And I wasn't going to let Jay carry it in his wallet because 1.  what if we got separated and 2.  what if I saw a margarita deal???  The night we went to Fremont street we found a cheap buffet which was pretty neat. It was set up with those old round booths....like the old Vegas you've seen in the movies.  When we were leaving I got my baggie out of my purse to leave a tip.  Jay looked horrified and asked if anyone saw me do that.  I thought he was talking about our first day in Vegas where he saw some young girl counting out close to $1000 in cash at a table in the food court of our hotel.  It disturbed Jay a lot.  I figured that was what he was worried about so I said "I've only got like $50 in here."  He shook his head and acted like he didn't have a clue what I was talking about.  He said "Are we at White Water?  Why do you have money in a baggie?  That is embarassing."  So there you have it.  I thought he was worried about my safety.  Instead he was just horrified. 

My trip to Vegas would not have been complete without an Elvis impersonator.  Jay wasn't quite as impressed with the crowd singing Viva Las Vegas as I was though.

The Forum shops at Ceasers Palace. 

This is a picture of Jay being Jay. That boy kept invading Jay's personal space to take videos of the Mirage Volcano on his iPad. Jay wanted me to capture the moment. Jay made sure he had lots if oohs and aha's for the boys video. 

While Jay had that boy breathing down his neck I had problems of my own. A man taking pictures of the volcano kept resting his elbow on my shoulder. I really don't remember much about the actual volcano.  We were giggling too much about the people around us.  That's pretty typical of our trips together. 

We spent 3 days in Vegas. That was a good amount of time. We got away and had some down time. Jay went on a tour of the Pawn Stars shop one day and I stayed at the pool. It was a win-win situation for both us.  I didn't care enough about Pawn Stars to fork out the money for the tour and Jay isn't a pool person.  I told one person that and they were shocked that we split up for a few hours.  Maybe I'm the weird one but I think Jay and I each enjoyed doing our own thing for awhile.

We flew home July 3rd so we were back for the 4th. It was a fun little get away and some much needed time away from work for me. Then we were back in time to make the showing rounds in July....

A Trip to the Store

Jay is covered with Poison Ivy and possibly some other skin disorders at the moment.  He’s got enough patches on him (and he went through an entire tube of anti-itch cream yesterday) that I’ve told him he needs to go to the doctor and get a shot.  He is famous for thinking he can get rid of these rashes on his own and then they get so out of control it takes a several trips to the doctor and a couple of trips to a dermatologist to get rid of it.  So by trying to save us the $30 co-pay (which I appreciate) we end up spending more in the long run by the time we buy tube after tube of different medication.  But whatever.  He’s the one itching so I guess I’m not going to worry about it.

Last night, after trying a bleach bath which someone suggested, he needed to get some Calamine Lotion.  It was about 9pm when we decided to head in to town.  We had cleaned the bathrooms and kitchen, cooked dinner and I had just got back from a walk when we decided to take a fun family trip to the grocery store.  I didn’t even glance in a mirror because I wasn’t going to leave the van.  I picked up Camryn and wondered if I should grab shoes for her, but since we were only going to be in the van it would be ok.  I should also mention she was wearing pajamas.  I was wearing work out pants and a t-shirt from college which would be pushing  20 years old.  Yes, we were an attractive bunch.

Jay and Cade went in to the store and Camryn and I were in the van.  Then she asked her famous question…”am I wearing underwear or a pull up”  Great, she had to go to the bathroom.  I told her it was underwear and I asked if she needed to go and she said no.  Exactly 2 minutes later she announced she had to go to the bathroom.   I dug around in the van and found a pair of filp-flops for her so at least I wasn’t taking  a pajama clad no shoes wearing toddler in to the grocery store.  But she did have a dirty face and crazy hair which really helped out our image.  We made it to the bathroom and all was well.  Then I looked in the mirror.  I had eyeliner and mascara all underneath my eyes.  I then remembered back to rubbing my eyes while I was walking.  I was a definite mess.  As I was walking out of the store I was trying to take comfort in the fact Camryn’s PJ’s at least matched.  Since she has started randomly changing her own clothes she rarely has a matching set of PJ’s on.  Last night was an oddity.  I was thinking we really couldn’t look much worse…..

That was until I got to the parking lot and Jay was standing by the van rubbing himself down with Calamine.  When I saw him he actually had his shirt up and was rubbing it on his stomach.   I looked at him with bug eyes and said “seriously”.  He said “yes, seriously – this is serious.”  I am thankful that we didn’t run into anyone we knew….or if we did they at least had the grace to make us think no one we knew saw us last night.    

To whom it may concern...

When you sent the text Sunday evening about the football camp Tuesday and Thursday night you stated it started at 6 and ended at 8. Jay, along with the other parents did their part and got their kids there by 6. Did you forget to wear a watch? I know football may be the only thing going in your life right now, but it is the tiniest ittsy bitsy part of ours. With Jay and I working full time along with chickens for the gala, pigs for Ozark Empire, cows for State Fair and a three year old tornado named Camryn our schedules are tight. We have plotted and planned and scheduled within an inch of our lives. So when you decide that what you are doing is way too important to quit at 8 and you drag on past 8:15 then on towards 8:30 I get irritated. In fact if looks could kill you probably would've died 40 times between 8 and 8:15. I'm curious,  can you feel the daggers I'm staring at you?  

Also, to the man no one knew tonight. When you continue to repeat 5 or 6 times what the head coach just said you don't look or sound smart. In fact you sound the opposite of smart. I also stared daggers at you just because.  

So after the day I had at work going to football camp was probably not the best idea. I will take part of the blame for tonight's letter. But in the future please look at your watch. Or even better- your iPhone comes with an awesome alarm clock. Maybe you should use it.