Summer comes to a close

I'm behind on posting again. But it's been a busy couple of weeks, don't even know where to start lol. But I do know I have a TON of pictures this time.

Brooke has been spending lots of time over here the last couple of weeks and we've enjoyed her being here. She fits right in along with TAnner and Drew and they've all played so well together. None of them have had even the smallest fight, other than Tanner and Drew fighting with Tyler. We're still not finished with the pinatas, they've kinda gotten put on the backburner. But we're going to get them finished and busted this coming week.

We had Tanner's birthday party at the house 2 weekends ago. We let them use the waterhose on the trampoline, plus it rained some too. So they had a blast with that. Most of Tanner's birthday present was the puppy, but we got him a Transformers video game he wanted also. He got lots of money as gifts too, and he and Drew each ordered an airsoft BB gun off the internet. The guns came in, and took up ALL of their time for about 3 days until the guns broke lol. Brooke will be glad that the guns got broken I'm sure, because she got very bored with their BB gun playing. Here are some birthday party pictures, some pinata painting pictures, and just some general goofing off around the house pictures:

And......the puppy. He's still not house trained lol. I'm starting to lose hope. The new has worn off and Tanner doesn't like getting up early to take him out. And Tanner disappears throughout the day and no one is here to take him out except ME. So the puppy and I have really gotten to be kinda pals. I have begun to leave him outside for short periods of time by himself. I want him to get used to it. Because we go to work and school soon. And he can't stay inside. His eye has not gotten any better with the antibiotic stuff either. I think it's just going to be that way. Everyone that's been here has had a different theory on him. Cataracts, glaucoma, head injury, infection, you name it. Half the people who see him think he's blind in the eye, half of them don't. It doesn't seem to bother him any so I guess we can live with it. He goes back to the vet in a couple of weeks so maybe they will try something else.

Last weekend TAnner went to Alabama with mom and Brooke. He had a blast. And we spent the whole weekend at the Loft playing. It was fun, but so tiring. Danny flew in from Orlando to be our bass player for the weekend. He had a really good time playing dress up and singing 80's stuff lol. I wish he could be our bass player all the time, but Orlando is just too far. The class of '87 reunion was that Saturday night, but the people were really kinda disappointing. They weren't as wound up as I would have expected them to be. But we still had a good crowd there and we had a lot of fun. Chris finally came to see us on Friday night, I was thrilled! I think he had a really good time. He told me he was proud of me getting up there and playing lol. Posting a few pics from the shows . .....

This past weekend was great also. Friday night we took the kids with Donnie and Terri and their kids and we all went to this place called The Park in Jackson. They had putt-putt golf, ice skating, go-carts, and all kinds of stuff. It was kinda pricy I guess, but we had a great time. We played a round of putt-putt. Then Donnie, me, and all the boys got on go-carts for racing. Tanner wanted me to ride with him, but the 2-seater go-carts were longer than the others and he could not reach the pedals so I ended up having to drive him. But he'll have his very own next time! Here are a few pics from Friday:

And I guess that's about it for this time! I'm gonna try not to get that behind again. This coming week I go back to work :( I'm not happy about it, but oh well. The time is here.

Mid July

What a fun week!

I guess I should start with last Saturday's tattoo adventure lol. Me, Terri, Cheryl, and Rusty all drove to Jackson early Saturday morning not too sure what we were gonna do. We all had some rough drawings of the tattoo we had decided we each wanted, but had not yet committed to getting it. We thought we'd just go look. When we got there, there was already a line of people at the door waiting on them to open. So we figured we better get in line. By the time they opened there were probably about 15 people in line at the door! We went in, looked around a bit, then I saw that Terri was at the desk making arrangements for hers. So I joined her. I had a really bad print out of a tattoo I wanted (my printer ink was bad) but I showed it to them and she said they could do it, minus a few details, for $140. That was about $100 more than I expected! But Rusty was buying it for me for my birthday. Within 30 minutes, me, Terri, and Cheryl had all worked up a deal with them and set a time for 1:00-2:30 for one of their guys to do all 3 of us in a row. We went to eat and came back. Terri went first. She got her grandmother's birth flower tattooed on her ankle with a little ladybug. She never even grimaced, just said it felt funny. Cheryl and I were both a bit scared of doing it, but she was scheduled to go 2nd and me last. HOwever, when the time came, he showed a drawing and said "who's supposed to get this one?" It was mine, so I had to go 2nd lol. I got a neat looking sun/moon/stars/clouds tattooed on my lower back and it HURT! I couldn't believe Terri never made a face and I was sitting there having to squeeze Rusty's hand and bite my lip and close my eyes. It took about 30 minutes and I don't think I'd have made a single minute longer! Cheryl got a cute blue daisy tattooed on her hip and she had just as hard a time as I did! We now know for sure that Terri is the toughest lol.

Rusty decided right then and there that he wants one too. He picked one out while we were there but his was gonna be $250! Then he decided he'd rather wait and design one himself and come back later. So I think we'll be going back in a few weeks.

Then we had to tell our moms lol. I didn't expect mom to like the idea of it, but didn't think she'd make a big deal of it. And I was right. She thinks I'm having a mid-life crisis lol. But - she did slip up and say that she wouldn't mind getting one one day maybe! lol. Cheryl's mom thought it was a bad idea, and I don't think Terri has told hers yet. So I guess we'll see. Tyler was just not impressed one way or other. And Tanner thought it was kinda neat. So anyway, here it is, the day I got it. So it's still red in places. The clouds will be gray instead of pinkish once it heals. It's about the size of the palm of my hand.

So, as for the rest of the week, we've been homebodies. Last Saturday evening Cheryl, Lysa, and Terri came over for a girls night gab session and we had lotsa fun. Brooke has been here most of the week and Tanner has been grateful. She, Tanner, and Drew have really played so well together. I'm glad that has worked out. We got out yesterday and started making some pinatas. They are not going to be ready in time for TAnner's birthday party today though. In fact, it might take a week to get them ready lol. But once they finished the pinatas, they had a glue battle in the front yard lol. Here are some pics of them through the week.

This has been a good week for taking it easy. I have not accomplished anything much around the house, just the basics. I've watched some movies, some talk shows. I've been good for nothing basically. BUt I have thoroughly enjoyed it. And since I have to go back to work in just a couple of weeks, I haven't made myself feel guilty over it. The puppy is still cute as ever. He actually went to the door whining twice yesterday, wanting to go out. But not to pee, he wanted to go play. But at least he's associating the door with "OUT" lol. This afternoon we're having Tanner's birthday party. Tomorrow is band practice. Incidentally, our drummer and bass player decided they don't wanna do it. So we got our good drummer back that we had hired in June, and we're auditioning bass players AGAIN. Danny is flying in next THursday to play the July 20-21 shows with us so we're not too worried on that one. The drama never ends.....

First week of July

Rusty and I have been without kids for about 10 days, til they came home last night. It was strange lol. It was so quiet, I had so much less to do, and I even made it to the bottom of the laundry basket. But we missed them badly and were ready for them to get home. I often wonder what life will be like when they are both grown and gone. I wonder what will Rusty and I have to do then lol. But I think after this week I saw that we'll just still be the same 2 folks we always were. We'll just have to find stuff to do to entertain ourselves. We watched a few movies throughout the week. And we got back into playing some video games together. But all in all we had a pretty good time, it was just so QUIET.

Last weekend it was obvious that the grass would not wait another day for mowing, and Tyler was gone. So Rusty and I had to get out there and do it ourselves. Tyler would have loved to see that I'm sure. There was a bit of griping and grumbling, but we got it done. And this time I took the picture of Rusty mowing. Last week Rusty also got into my oven to find out what was wrong. Luckily, he didn't even have to replace anything. Just an old wire had burned through somehow. So he rewired it and it works just as hot as it used to now, I have to set the temp a good 50 degrees lower than directions say lol.

Tanner and Tyler called me last Sunday to ask to stay at the lakehouse the extra days. So they stayed til Thursday. But that meant they were not here for our 4th of July cookout. I didn't think we were really gonna do much, if anything. But we ended up having a nice crowd here. Rusty's dad and stepmom, Aunt Joni and Uncle Ronnie came. Plus Terri and Donnie and kids, Ken and kids, Mickey, John, James and Norma, Michael, Dale, and a friend of ours Jason and his son came. There were lots of kids here disappointed that mine weren't lol. And for the first time ever, Terri got the whole crew outside for us to take a big group picture, and I sure wished my kids were here then. But I know they had lots of fun at the lake.

So. Monday afternoon I get a call from Tanner BEGGING me to let him have one of Susan's puppies. I said absolutely NOT, we're just not ready for another dog for sure. He begged and begged. He told me that the puppy has blind in one eye and that it needed somebody to take care of it so BAD. I don't know what it was, the stars were lined up just right or something. But he got ME to wanting the puppy too. So I told him I'd talk to Rusty and call him back later or the next day. I told Rusty, and I didn't even get the words out of my mouth before he was saying HELL NO!!! So then I was the one begging and pleading. Telling him the sob story about the half blind puppy that nobody else would ever love lol. I got mom to send me pictures, he still said NO. AFter several hours of begging from me and Tanner both, he finally gave in and said "whatever". So Tanner came home last night with Smokey, our new puppy. I took him to the vet this morning and the vet can't find any ulcerations or punctures in the eye or anything. He gave me some antibiotic eye drops and hopes that will clear up the cloudy looking eye. But if it don't, I guess he'll come up with plan B. But I just don't think he's blind in the eye. We got his shots and worming and that really good flea stuff that goes on the neck. So he should be good to go. He's a very good natured little fellow. And loves Tanner to death. Follows him everywhere and cries when he can't find him. And Rusty, who wanted nothing to do with a puppy, is even warming up to him lol. Here are some pics of the new puppy. Please overlook the Auburn blanket, you can blame that one on Mamaw Sandra lol.

That's about it for the week I guess. Tomorrow morning me and 3 other of my female friends, and Rusty, are going to Jackson to look at tattoos. Yes, tattoos. Terri and I have been talking about getting one for 2 years now and we're finally gonna do it I think. I'm getting a very small one on my lower back that won't ever be seen unless I want it too I reckon. But I just want one lol. And so does Terri, Cheryl, Leslie, and several others. So we're gonna excercise our free white female creative will and do it I guess lol. Rusty's gonna get one soon too. Until next week.....