A little song for you.

This is my brother doing a cover of Shake Russell's song called Deep in the West. I love it, leave him some love on YouTube if you dig it too. I love you Mike. You did great!

Fan Mail for Friday

Dear Friday,
I am writing to you today (on Friday) to let you know I’m your biggest fan! I wish you could come around more than once a week. I always wake up in a great mood on the morning we get to see each other. I start getting excited about your arrival days ahead of time. And after we’ve spent the whole day together I feel like a new woman. Honest. I am happier, less stressed and so relaxed. You may not even know it but that joyous feeling lingers for at least two days after your visit. Like I said, I wish you would come around more than once a week.

You are just the coolest, my sweet Friday. The cat’s pajamas kind of cool. I understand now why so many people have loved you for so long. Almost since the beginning of time. Did you know there are Friday restaurants? And there’s even this really funny movie called Friday. You’ve got to rent it if you haven’t seen it already. You are loved by so many, but still I think I’m your biggest fan. I mean seriously, it’s cool that someone named a restaurant after you but if I had the money to do that I wouldn’t have stopped with just a stinkin’ restaurant. I can think of tons of things that would be better if they were called Friday. Like a mall. Or an amusement park. An amusement park called Friday just sounds like more fun. Or what about calling the White House the Friday House? Brilliant! I bet the president would totally go for it and he’d almost certainly be a lot more popular. He most likely thinks that “White” House is racist anyway. I will get a letter drafted ASAP to propose this idea. If he doesn’t respond I will send him a copy of that movie named after you because he’d probably laugh his ass off and then realize the geniusness (is so a word!) of the idea and be all “Git-r-done!” Wait, maybe that’s how the last president would have given the order. But whatever, just keep your eyes peeled for the press conference to announce the name change soon because I’m on it. See how much I love you.

You know what else is so cool about Friday? Sometimes people act all crazy when you come around and completely get away with it. It’s like “Woah, Dude, that’s not cool!” and then people are all like “Sorry man, it’s Freaky Friday” and then everyone is like “Oh, well in that case…” and they are totally forgiven. How cool is that? Right? I can’t just put the word freaky in front of my name and get away with a bunch of craziness. Well, maybe I can but most normal folks just can’t do that.

On a serious note though, you really need to drop that bitch Monday that always follows you around. Nobody likes her. Just because she shows up a few days after you doesn’t mean she’s cool. The only time Monday is cool is when she’s something else too. Like when Monday is also a Holiday. Then she can hang, but only for a day. Monday is like that one friend you have that is so freaking boring until you get some booze in her and then she’s pretty fun but that only happens like 3 times a year so it’s hardly worth letting her tag along behind you.

Long story long, you’re amazing! I spend all week thinking about you. If it makes any difference you could just visit my house more often. I swear I can keep quiet so the paparazzi doesn’t find out. I don’t need that kind of spotlight at my house anyway. Have your people call my people and we’ll set something up.

Very truly yours, Until we meet again, All my love, Your biggest fan,
S

Why I never finish my work

I am working at my desk, concentrating, when I hear my email ping. I stop working on my current job to check my email. The email is for a new order. I print the email and then need to put it in a job jacket so I don't lose or misplace it. I get up, walk to the back office, forget what the hell I am up looking for so I go back to my desk and start working on my job again. Then I notice I have something on my printer. What could it be? Oh, it's the email I printed a few minutes ago for a new order and I need a job jacket. I get up, walk to the back office but on my way I see some cut vinyl on the back table and start pulling out the trash to help prepare it for installation. I like doing that, it is very relaxing to me for some reason. Kind of like coloring, nothing is better than a fresh box of crayons and a new coloring book. But I get bored with that and go back to my desk and start working on my job again.  What is this paper in front of me? Oh, it's the email I printed a few minutes ago for a new order and I need a job jacket. I get up, walk to the back office and... mmm those cupcakes sure look good... I think I'll eat a cupcake while I check out what's happening on Facebook. (Thank goodness I'm not a twitterer too!) About 10 minutes later I figure I have goofed off enough and should probably get back to my super long to-do list! So I start working on my job and find that paper again, you know the one that I printed a few minutes ago for a new order and now I need a job jacket for it. THAT's why I got up earlier, for an effing job jacket. I get up, walk to the back office and *ring, ring...ring, ring*   "Hello. (short pause) Oh hey, what's up? (listening) What am I doing?  (looks around at desk full of unfinished work, half eaten cupcake, facebook staus updates and some piece of paper without a job jacket) Nothing much."

And that is why I never finish my work.

Circle, Circle, Dot, Dot.....

THE NOTE FROM SCHOOL:

Trey and a girl in my class were kissing in music today. That teacher explained. Please follow up. Thanks. -P.L. =)

Wha..what? I had to read the note twice to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. Or drunk. I am so NOT ready for this ya’ll. He’s in freaking kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN! What happened to boys and girls having cooties? I remember needing my cootie shot on a regular basis until at least the second or third grade.

And what does Dad say about all this? Take a guess. “Is she cute?” Uh, sorry babe, but that is not the point or relevant to the matter at hand. Honestly, I expected his response to be along those lines. And he even threw in a “That’s my boy!” later when we were talking about it again.

But just so you know - she really is a cutie and smart too! (That's my boy!)

A little "OCD" anyone?

Yesterday Michael and I decided to go out for lunch to Subway because we had a buy one get one free coupon and like always the minute he's ready to leave I am not, and the minute I am, he's not. This goes back and forth a few times until we are both at a good place to walk away from whatever it is we are working on at the time. "You got the coupon?" I asked as we head out. "Yes, but I forgot my wallet." So he goes back to his desk, gets his wallet and we make the less than 10 minute trek up to the Subway in the pouring rain, get out in the pouring rain and make our way to the order line. As we approach the counter he starts checking every pocket, twice, looking for the coupon. No coupon. So we go back to the car, in the pouring rain.

"I thought you said you had the coupon."

"I did."

"Um, ok... what happened to it."

"I don't want to tell you because you'll think I am crazy."

(Too late!) "Just tell me!"

"I took the coupon out of my pocket because I didn't cut it on the dotted line exactly and must have left it on the table after I recut it."

No further explanation was needed my friends because that is my husband. His job (and sanity) requires that everything is level, square, even, straight, etc. Having that coupon in his pocket with it's irregular edges, out of square shape was just to much. He couldn't turn a coupon like that in to the Subway lady. She might not even accept such a haphazardly cut out coupon.

I can't give him too much shit over his OCD because I have my moments also. We don't need to dive into all that right now.  ;)

And poor Trey, he is already starting to show the signs. As a toddler he needed his blanket to be completely free of wrinkles when he went to bed. "Flat it out momma," I heard countless times. He doesn't stand a chance at avoiding inheriting these behaviors completely.

But what was I saying? Oh yeah, the coupon incident. So, we go back for the perfectly cut coupon and drive back to the Subway (in the pouring rain) where upon handing over said coupon the cashier promptly crumples it in her hand. She clearly did not appreciate the care given to cutting on the dotted lines.

Mommy vs. Mummy

I won't allow myself to write until I get Trey's Halloween costume finished. He wants to be a mummy and I'm almost done. This YouTube video helped but I don't want to wrap his head so figuring out a mask that is easy for him to put on and take off has been tricky. Hopefully I will have it done by this weekend. I will post pictures later.

We Really Were Happy Campers

Our first family camping trip was to Lake Livingston State Park. We packed up and drove out on a Friday for 2 nights in the great outdoors. Living in Texas we a have good selection of campgrounds but we wanted our first trip to be fairly close to home just in case Trey didn’t like sleeping in a tent as much as he thought he would. Turns out he likes it just fine and would probably live in a tent if it were an option.

Even though this was the first time Michael and I went camping together we easily fell into our natural rhythm and tackled the tasks at hand without a need to discuss who should do what or when. We got there and found a camp site, got our tent up for the first time without too much trouble, setup the kitchen area, made up the bed and got together some wood for a fire. It doesn’t matter if I am camping or in a hotel, I have to “move-in” before I feel completely comfortable.

It turned out to be a great weekend. The park was beautiful but the campsites were very close together and unfortunately the couple camping 2 spaces away were not the best neighbors. They were loud, foul mouthed, fought regularly and didn’t seem like the camping type. It was more like they were hiding out instead of camping out. Their tent was falling down by the hour and they didn’t have any camping gear. I didn’t see a cook stove, lanterns, flashlights or chairs. They did have one cooler, probably full of beer. Other than that, it was perfect. Except when I realized I left the battery for my brand new camera at home. I was so disappointed but my husband saved the day and proved once again how much he loves me by driving home (at 9pm) to get it, an almost 3 hour drive roundtrip. Love.

I loved our weekend. Trey liked fishing. Well, he liked playing with the worms and minnows. We surprised him with a one hour horse back riding tour available at the camp ground. He liked that too but it could have been about 40 minutes shorter and he still would have liked it and my ass wouldn’t have hurt so much. But Trey’s absolutely favorite part of the entire trip was the campfire. He thought having a campfire was so cool. We started it up Friday night and again Saturday morning. We cooked “Foil Chicken” on Saturday night followed of course by Smores. He fell asleep by the fire pit on Saturday night and woke up all ticked off when I tried to move him into the tent insisting that he was just “resting his eyes.” He probably would have been perfectly content to spend all weekend just building up and poking at the fire.

Camping is not a glamorous activity. It is not for everyone. It is a frizzy hair, no make-up, smell like smoke, cold shower, bring on the bug spray, lucky to have a flushable toilet kind of activity.

And I can’t wait to do it again.

As he said it.

After school one day:
“Mom, can we stop and get a smoovie? Dad always stops to get me a smoovie at Jack-in-the-Box after school for my snack. You never do it. So can I have a smoovie?”

At a shoe store recently:
“Mom, wouldn’t it be cool if I had a crotch?” The lady next to us just about snapped her neck whipping it around to give me an odd and questioning look. “Hmmm, I’m not sure I know what you mean” I said to him. “You know, like if I broke my leg and had to walk with a crotch.”

While looking at Halloween décor:
“Mom I really want a braveyard this year. Can we make one? Pleeeease?” Now, I have corrected this term to graveyard since last Halloween but he insists on calling it braveyard. I finally figured out why. “Don’t you mean a graveyard?” I asked. “No, (rolls eyes) cause you have to be brave to go in it.”

These are the things I am going to miss.

Emotional Intelligence

T’s become more and more observant and insightful recently. Today while in the CVS drive-thru, waiting for a prescription the nurses never called in, I was starring out the window for a few seconds and realized that I had completely tuned him out. After about 6 straight hours of words coming out of his mouth non-stop and 3 failed attempts at the “quiet game" I was starting to zone out. Or maybe I am going crazy. Is that a sign? Being completely oblivious to the world around you.

I would like to say that my expression was nothing more than a blank stare and not sorrowful but maybe I’m wrong. I’ve had a lot on my mind lately. Been stressed. I am probably a good candidate for Botox at this point.

I must have looked upset to him though because, in a very soft voice, he asked me if I was sad. The question surprised me a little and I quickly snapped out of my daydream. It wasn’t really a daydream; it was more like I just quit having thoughts, intelligent or otherwise, for a few seconds. A quiet brain. It was nice.

There have been times that I have seen T express empathy for another’s physical discomfort. If I have a scratch or anything requiring a band aid he will sometimes wince when he sees it might be hurting me. But today was different. He was compassionate and perceptive to my emotions better than some adults I know or have known.

I don’t know whether to feel proud that we’ve raised such an emotionally mature child, or heartbroken that he can recognize sadness on my face. Of course I didn’t have long to think about that because there was so much left to talk about. All. Night. Long. The kid literally talked himself to sleep.

This Summer

This summer my little man decided it was time to swim without floaties!