70, 75 & the rainy weekend

It was a very special weekend...



with a very special visitor....who came all the way from California-



Sadly, the weather didn't cooperate with our birthday plans.
At all.

No matter, we made the best of it!




Happy Birthday Mom & Dad



Thanks for putting up with us- through broken bones, crashed cars, concussions and dropped birthday cakes (and too many happy memories to count!).



We love you dearly!

What's in a Name?

Cooper asked this on the way home today....

Hey Momma?
Is the reason they call them serial killers because they keep their weapons in a cereal box?


Wow- wasn't expecting that one, but I sure do love that kid!!

Game On-

These are the legs of a kid who stole home in the 1st game of the season.



And that's the coach who gave him the signal to GO!



He was itching for the chance.....



But ask him about it- and he's all business.
Stealing home is serious!




This year, the game is serious....he moved up to kid-pitch and it's game on. Let's just say that pitching at the 9 year old level isn't an exact science. Every batter had to duck or move to avoid being hit by a renegade pitch.

I was a wreck. Jon didn't seem to see the potential disaster waiting to happen.

But Cooper?
He loved it and is counting the days until Game #2.

Did you mean- Glamour Shot?

I had my hair cut/highlighted today. Let me be clear and say that I adore my stylist and love my salon. I'm also a huge fan of a free service. So, when I saw a woman from the TIGI/Bed Head company doing complimentary make up....I figured why not. Besides, I didn't want to be rude and say no- I pride myself in being a valued client.

Sooo- she did my makeup- and everyone at the salon said wonderful things....but I just couldn't get past what I perceived as a TON of make up on my face. In fact, I described myself to friends as a 2 bit hooker- with amazing hair.

Anyway- they asked me- "do you think your husband will notice?"
And I said, "Ohhh, yeah, he'll notice."

When he walked in, he took one look at me and said, "Didju get your hair done today?"
My response, "Yes, you like?"
And he said- "What'd they do....GLOW SHOTS while you were there??"

Um- "you mean GLAMOUR SHOTS? And no....no shots- just free makeup"

His response?
"Well, your hair looks good"

And there you have it, if you can't say something nice.....

I think that's reason # 439 that I love the guy!

Reason 436 that I love my hubs

Because our conversations go like this....

Him: Hey, did you leave the garage door open because of ADD or some other reason?

Me: (after thinking for a minute about his question) Ummmm. Oh, yeah- totally ADD.


Even though my doctor swears I don't have it....Jon is absolutely convinced.
(and really, he does have a point!)

He makes me laugh!

Today was different

Every year kids go to their 1st day of school without issue.
For the past 5 years that hasn't been the case with my kid.
The tears begin the night before, there is no sleeping, and the early hours of the actual 1st day are filled with complete worry, lots of doubt, tons of questions and one very stressed out momma.

But today was different.....

-Cooper has been excited since orientation. He got the teacher he wanted, his best buddy is in his class and 4th grade has a reputation of being a great year.

-Jon was starting fresh too- he accepted what may very well be his dream job in another county and was really looking forward to the kids coming today.

-Momma was on cloud 9...no tears, no stress....just happy boys! Hooray.

We were up early to say goodbye to Jon and start the day for Coop. I love this sweet & sleepy shot of them.



Our "traditional" 1st day pictures weren't to be taken- different schedules and rainy weather caused some changes from years past.



But I'll trade in a happy, excited, can't wait to get to school kid for obligatory posed pictures any day!



Here's to many more happy 1st days...and wishes for a great year no matter what your grade!

He wrote back! (sort of)

As we were getting ready for Irene to wreak havoc on us, I grabbed the mail.
Cooper was in the car with me and paid no attention as I pulled a large manilla envelope out of the mailbox.

A large manilla envelope addressed to my kid in loopy handwriting.
A large manilla envelope with THE WHITE HOUSE as the return address.

He asked his usual, "is there anything for me today?"
And this time my answer was exactly what he wanted to hear- "there sure is".

I wish I had my camera focused on his little face and had captured the wide-eyed look and smile that grew into a huge grin. I didn't- but it was perfect.

When he opened the envelope, he pulled out a letter, a signed picture of the prez, a picture of his family, a Q&A with the prez, and a special information card for Bo- the presidential dog. Cooper was so excited, he could barely focus- and after he tried to read the letter a few times on his own, he finally gave it to me and said, "He didn't say anything about the dogs, or the SPCA- but he says that if I work hard I can do lots of stuff".

So I read the letter- and while I tried to be positive (because it really was an inspiring message), there was a part of me that was so disappointed in the response. Yes, it's amazing that we even got a response, and yes, I realize that Cooper was one of thousands of kids who write....and really, we got so much more than I even anticipated- but there was a single thing about the letter that completely deflated me.

It said, Dear Student:

Really? Someone addressed the envelope by hand, and that's the best salutation they could come up with? Even a plain, Greetings from the White House! would have been better. Or has anyone heard of mail merge? Dear Cooper, would have been perfect- and not that much trouble.

But my sweet 9 year old didn't even blink at Dear Student.
Because the great thing about being 9, is that you believe that of course, the President would write back to you. And although he didn't say something specific about helping to save the dogs from no kill shelters, he did include a picture of his dog- so that means that it's all going to be ok.

Mission accomplished!

(to read Coop's letter and the story behind it, click here)

Thankful Thursday ( or, why I love Georgia Power)

There is so much to be thankful for this week....we're safe, we're healthy, we have a home that sustained no damage in the storm, we have wonderful friends, we have wonderful friends who have offered food, laundry services, hot showers, buckets of ice and plenty of moral support.

But what I'm really thankful for this week?


Georgia Power.



I'm thankful for these teams of workers who left their families and traveled hundreds of miles to help my family.

I'm thankful for their skills, huge trucks with extra transformers and piles of telephone poles, friendly faces and a willingness to get the job done- even 6 days after Irene hit town.

THANK YOU GEORGIA POWER, from the bottom of my heart.

5.9

It doesn't seem like a very big number....but as far as earthquakes go- it's big enough.

Big enough to feel...even though at first I thought that my washing machine was off center.

Big enough to scare me once it was all over and I realized what it was.

Earthquakes and Virginia don't typically end up in the same sentence. Today they do for the 1st time in 100 years.

Thankfully though, not big enough to cause significant damage or harm anyone (that I'm aware of).

And, as you can see from the below text from my friend Jess- not big enough to stop a woman on a mission.

"Just tried to text you back but it won't send. You ok? I was in line at Brusters when the earthquake hit. Don't worry, I still got my ice cream."

Hope you and your family are safe tonight!!

Twelve

Twelve years ago today we were married.

He still makes me laugh...probably more than he used to
He still makes me dream...we've got so many yet to come true
He still makes me proud...he's accomplished so much in 12 years
He still makes me crazy...there are lots of quirks that come to light in 12 years
He still makes me smile...he's really pretty sweet
He still makes me swoon...I think he's simply dreamy


He's still my #1...and I'm still his!
I still love him...and always will.

Happy Anniversary!!!

more random

Right after I pushed the "publish" button on my last post, a box appeared with these links included-

Diabetes Type 2 Diet
Free Type 2 Diabetic Diet Guide! What To Eat & What To Avoid.
DailyLife.com
Sugar Free Dessert
Get a Sugar Free Dessert Online Your Culinary Expert Resource.
chewonit.com
Smith Island Baking Co™
Authentic Smith Island Cake - Official Site
SmithIslandBakingCo.com

Blogger sort of freaks me out.

random

do you have a kroger?

does your kroger have apple cinnamon soft top cookies?

i do, and mine does.



and i can't stop eating them.
stop the madness.

true love

i took a ton of pictures of the coop on vacation.
i think this is my favorite. it was taken on our way back from whale watching. we did see a whale...but clearly the thrill had worn off by this time.

it's not perfectly focused but then, neither is he.

and that's only part of what makes him who he is....and only part of what makes me love him more than i ever thought was possible.

BOS 3 CLE 2

Remember when I said that I didn't like baseball?
And how I changed my mind a little bit when Cooper started to play?

Well, things have changed a little more.



And so, while we were planning our vacation we decided that it would be fun to take in a game.




Yup, it's official.
I'm a baseball fan!

But really, how could you not catch baseball fever when you're in "America's Most Beloved Ballpark"





It was really an awesome experience. I loved Cooper's face when he walked into the park-


It had been raining, so when we arrived (as soon as the gates opened) the field was all covered-



I did catch a glimpse of #33 though...



My friend Teresa is a HUGE fan of his and gave me plenty of inside info before our trip.

We had no trouble finding our seats


Once the rain stopped (95 minutes later), they uncovered the field- which was something to watch all by itself.







Finally, it was time to PLAY BALL!



And by the end of the night, our good seats turned into great seats!


We were right next to the Indian dug out....


Perfect seating to see the head-first slide into home that won the game for the Sox!





So exciting...
So much fun...



Such a night to remember!!

Cape Cod

Our vacation started with a visit to Cape Cod- and I really could have stayed there all week. It was blissful.

We spent the day with our friend T. He spent his childhood summers on the Cape as did his parents....and now passes the tradition to his son. Sadly, B and S weren't able to join us but we managed to have a great time anyway.



T took us out for a tour and we saw a fisherman out clamming.





Hmmm....great idea!





Nothing like catching your own dinner-



The boys did a great job and had a ton of fun in the process.



It was all quite impressive...



And really quite satisfying-



But best of all....



delicious!!!



I love these little hands....they worked so hard for their dinner.



We loved Cape Cod!!





Thanks for such a great day T!!!