I've gone so long without posting there is just no way to catch it all up. Perhaps little by little over the next weeks I'll get to throw in some anecdotes and tell some stories from the summer time like from our cruise and the many other things that we did. I wish I had kept up this summer. ANd I've actually begun putting it off because I dreaded having to sit down and try to remember stuff and get the photos organzied, etc. So if I don't just start from where I am now, I'm liable to keep putting it off indefinitely! So I'll just start.
It's the 4th week of school now I think. School started back with lots of excitement. It's Tyler's senior year. Bittersweet excitement. The doctor released him to play football and the football coaches and team were very happy to have him back. They had their first game last week, the Red Carpet Bowl. We always lose the Red Carpet Bowl because they invite the state champions to come in and play our local teams and the locals always get creamed. I have no idea why they do it. But Tyler played VERY well. He's not getting to play the position he used to play, he's playing something called nose guard or nose tackle? Something to do with the nose. But he's really having fun at it. And he keeps getting double and triple-teamed just like the good old days. So I'm guessing he's pretty good at it. WE have a long season ahead though. I used to really care a lot about winning. But at this point I really don't. I"m just happy that he is getting play at all. Playing and losing is a lot better than not getting to play at all. TAnner is playing 7th grade Jr. High football. They are getting a really slow start because they don't play but a handful of games. But he's liking all the workouts. Who knows, he may just prove himself to be a darn good football kid. He's also still playing trumpet in the band, and I"ll never let him quit that.
My choirs at school are nice and full. Not as many as I had put on the roster. But still more than double what I had last year! I'm thrilled for sure. It's going to be a great year I think. SO much talent in that school. All I have to do is dig them up and make them sing and then everyone thinks that I'M the one that's awesome lol.
It's been odd with mom living in alabama. My kids pretty much stayed the whole summer out there with her and they had a blast. I missed them badly. But I know they were having more fun and being more physically active out there than they would have here.
I turned 38 this summer and Tanner turned 12. No more babies around here for at least another 8 years, preferably until I am 50. Have I told my story of getting my yard mowed for free???? I read back and I could not find it anywhere. I'm so proud of it. So I'm going to post my story. If it's a repeat, I apologize. But, yeah, I'm 38 and I've gained a lotta weight back. So let me have my moment!!!!
So here is my story, as told on Facebook to a select handful of people July 8 (didn't wanna look like I was bragging on facebook):
This morning I went outside to weed the tomato plant area because it desperately needed it. I decided to just totaly saturate the area with the water hose, too. And I had to dig holes to plant some plants I still had in pots. I was in my worn out pajama pants and a VHS Gators football t-shirt. In no time, I was covered in sweat and MUD up to the elbows. I had a huge ass muddy mess going on.
The lawncare truck drove up and started mowing the neighbors grass. They mow about half the yards on the street. After a bit a young fellow, barely older than Tyler I'd guess, walked up and asked me if I'd like him to mow our yard. I said no, my teenage son usually does it and I really can't afford to pay anyone to do it. But thanks anyway. Then he said "Well how about I mow just the front part for free for you today?" So of course I'm like, free???? For REAL free?? He said yeah, he'd do it, and maybe I'd decide to have them start cutting it, etc. So I told him sure! Go right ahead!!!
I went about my mud/tomato/bell pepper/weeding business. He mowed and even weedeated and edged everything. He came up when he was finished and said "Ma'am, if that guy over there (his boss) comes and asks you what you paid me to do your yard just tell him $25. If he finds out I did this for free he's gonna come and ask me why. And he won't accept me telling him 'cuz her ass looked good in pajamas' as a reason!!!"
I about fell out lol. I know he was just trying hard to get us as customers. And it was kinda creepy too lol. But having gained some poundage and being this close to my 38th birthday I chose to take it as a compliment. And I've laughed about it all day. Rusty has laughed too, and of course he's getting plenty of joke time in on that one. (So what did you REALLY do to get the yard mowed free?????) So I had to share my pajama pants story. Wonder if I wear them to Wal Mart if they'll just give me stuff for free? I need to make better use of those pants....
Last Thursday I came home from work for just a second, was on my elsewhere as usual, and there they were mowing the yards of my neighbors on both sides. I hollered at the guy to see if he'd still do the front for $25 and he said yeah! So I paid him this time lol. We still can't get the back mowed yet. We still have the gigantic tree down and no money to pay to get it the rest of the way down. It's not safe to walk back there I don't think. So I guess it's just gonna grow sky high til we get the tree down. Got a guy coming this week to give us an estimate on just getting it down. Then we will probably cut it up ourselves from there.
Anyway. Tanner's birthday was as he wished it. I can't remember now, I think it was something like EIGHT boys and Brooke who spent the night here. I tried very hard not to get easily aggravated. But there were times..... Let's just say we all survived it and Tanner had a great time so that's what matters lol.
The cruise was incredible. I could write a book on it and it still would not get the point across about how much fun we had and how relaxing the whole thing was. Keith and Clay enjoyed it also. I think we've totally won them over on the cruise thing. EVeryone is dying to go back again, asap! We are going to go again next June. I don't care if I have to sell everything I have. Which isn't much. But we are going. Kids are going too, it will be kind of a graduation trip. I want as many of my family and friends to go as I can get. Yall start planning. It's well worth it.
I went to the Jr. High orientation with Tanner and Brooke. It turned out that Brooke and TAnner had 4 classes together. Wow! Cody had 2 or 3 with Brooke and 2 or 3 with Tanner I think. Those poor teachers. So far, Tanner has only gotten in trouble once or twice. He had to go to after school detention one day. And when I pulled up to the school to pick him up from that, there was a teacher waiting on me in the parking lot. She wasn't able to find my number and Tanner told her he didn't know my number. She said she knew Brooke was his cousin so she asked Brooke for my number and Brooke said she didn't know my number either!!! lol. But, he still got in trouble. He was talking and playing and being silly in class and had not done his homework a couple of times. Imagine that.
My tomato and bell pepper experiment never did well. I worked and worked, watered and watered. And I think from April til here at the end of August I've maybe a total of 12 tomatoes and all of them have been small. (See my other post where I have some pictures comparing mine to Susan's). I told Tanner yesterday that I think all of that trouble I went to was so that God could teach me a lesson. He asked me what lesson. I said it would have to be one of two things:
1. God wants me to work harder at trying to figure out how to do it better and to gain a better knowledge of how things grow and to learn more about the natural world, which could in turn teach me more about myself and the whole world, OR
2. God is trying to tell me that I am not meant for such things and I need to spend my time doing things that I know how to do and go buy my tomatoes from someone who was born to grow them well.
Tanner told me that he thinks it is lesson number 1 that God is trying to teach me. So I guess we will try again next spring.
I've been worried about Papaw Jr this week and all his troubles at the hospital. Hope all is going well with that. Waiting to hear how he did today.
Trying to think of anything major that's going on. I'm sure there is plenty. I haven't blogged in nearly 2 months so I'm skipping a ton of stuff. I hope I remember it along the way. I'm going to make this post, then I"m going to make a separate one with some pictures from the cruise and other things the past couple of months. Then I need to go catch up on everyone else's blogs. I will try to blog again this weekend with any news I have left out!
My freshly mowed yard, that I got mowed for free lol
What's wrong with this picture???? The tomato on the right is my largest one yet. The tomato on the left is one mom brought me from Susan's, probably one her smaller ones! She obviously knows something I don't know! Getting frustrated with the tomato situation.
