Our long Labor Day weekend

It was a very nice weekend...most of the time.  Friday began with a bang...for hours.  A horrible thunderstorm came through and I kept waiting for the lighting and thunder to pass so I could finish running errands, but after two hours I just had to go and get it done.  It meant that the football game couldn't be played, and that made Saturday a very long day for Andrew, but everyone was able to be in bed at a decent hour Friday since the cross country bus left at 7AM Saturday!

The meet Saturday morning went really well, and for the first time Robert ran under 20 minutes.  He came in third on his team this time, and we were really pleased with the race.  We had to rush back to town to get him to a band function and he was there the bulk of the day.  In the meantime, I was able to watch a lot of football while Andrew was working at the girls soccer game and rescheduled football (which had more weather delays before they were finally able to get the game in).  That evening I caught Robert in some lies that break my heart and make me sick.  It's not the same really big stuff that we were dealing with last year, but it's the same little stuff that happened last fall that started leading to the really big stuff.  I take comfort in knowing that Andrew and I are doing the best we can (even according to "experts") and I just pray.  A lot.

Sunday I woke up feeling lousy, but took Robert to church before I took him to work.  I ended up admitting defeat and taking some heavy duty cold medicine and allowed myself to sleep the evening into overnight.  Andrew took the kids to our friends house for a cook out and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.  I'm so grateful that I woke up feeling better yesterday.  We were able to spend a little bit of the day at my mother's house, and both of my grandmother's, my aunt, my sister, and two cousins and their kids (including our newest addition, Ava, just three weeks old!) were there as well.  It was such a great opportunity to be able to visit with them, and I was grateful for the day.  We got home just in time to get Robert to band practice and it allowed Thomas, who was an emotional basketcase, to get some extra sleep.

Overall, it was a decent weekend...and now we are ready for another busy week!

The early mornings are starting to feel really early

The newness of the school year is definitely beginning to wear off, and the mornings are getting a little rougher around here.  Thomas in particular is no longer jumping out of bed, although he is still making it to the bus in the mornings.  I think I might suggest that tomorrow be a day where I drive them so he can sleep in a bit.  Catherine has entered the phase of life where she is completely convinced that her parents are the dumbest people on earth and are put here only to make her life difficult.  Since she has decided that she knows everything, not only will she not listen to us, but she feels the need to make sure Thomas knows what he is doing as well.  As you can imagine, this does not particularly go over well because a) Thomas doesn't really want to hear it and b) Thomas has more common sense than Catherine and realizes that she doesn't always have the answers she thinks she has.  The disagreements are constant and it is beginning to wear on my nerves...especially first thing in the morning!

Ready for some football!

I have been counting down to today!  I know that sometimes, the Thursday night college football lineup is nothing to get excited about, but I'm just glad that it's here, and there is going to be something to watch on TV.  Tonight my game of choice is Michigan vs. Utah.  Everyone knows as an OSU fan we can't be rooting for Michigan, but honestly, I'm looking forward to them being a better team...it makes it all the more delightful when they lose to the Buckeyes!!!!!  I am also very excited about the Buckeyes having the Monday night game at Va Tech (although it might make Tuesday a very long day) and of course our Fighting Irish play Texas Saturday evening.  Loving this weekend!

Last night's dream

Last night (more accurately, this morning) I had a dream that I saw my dad.  In this dream, I was back at my job where I worked with him.  I had turned around, and there he was, the man I knew before he was ill.  He looked great and there were no oxygen tanks.  In my dream, I began to cry because I knew he really wasn't there.  I began to walk towards my desk and my dad's best friend/boss came out of his office to ask why I was crying, and I cried even harder because I knew he wasn't really there either.  I was trying to explain to someone that I had seen them so vividly even though I knew they weren't there...and that's when I woke up.  It was one of the very few dreams I've ever had where I wake up and I'm either actually crying or very near to doing so.  While seeing my dad look so good was in some ways very peaceful, this particular dream was more upsetting than peaceful.  Frotunately, I was able to fall back to sleep and it wasn't how I began my day.  I sure do miss that man.

Sixty five years

Sixty five years ago today my paternal grandparents were married.  They were wed in my grandmother's parents' living room by a Rev. Floyd.  I remember that my parents had us all go out to dinner for their 40th anniversary, and then my aunt, uncle, & cousins gathered together at my parents' house for their 50th.  Grandpa passed away less than two weeks before their 54th anniversary.  He had suffered for over seven years with Parkinson's disease, and spent the final seven weeks of his life in a nursing home.  Grandma had been such a devoted, conscientious, and selfless caregiver during his disease.  I was heartbroken when he passed, not only because I would miss him, but because I knew how much Grandma had loved him.  I know they had so many wonderful years together, and I'm sure Grandma feels like it went by in the blink of an eye.  I'm very grateful for the 30 years I had him in my life, and I'm very grateful for the example of dedicated love I was able to witness!

It's a slow process

As a sixth grader, Thomas is in his first year of band.  Years ago, we had thought perhaps he would want to play the trumpet like Robert does.  However, he wanted to do his own thing and I can't blame him.  He decided saxophone was to be the instrument for him!  We had been very blessed that Robert's trumpet we were able to purchase used (although there was still sticker shock!) and Catherine has used my clarinet so that was free (my favorite!).  I had put off and put off worrying about getting Thomas a sax, in part because he changes his mind and I wanted to make sure that was what he really wanted.  Finally at the beginning of August, I decided it was time to get serious.  I was able to connect with a friend's sister, who had purchased a used sax eight years ago that had been sitting in her living unused for the last seven years.  We were able to get a great deal on it, and Thomas was very pleased.

Even though school began two weeks ago, yesterday was the first day the students were expected to play their instruments.  Thomas was excited that they learned a note.  I had to chuckle to myself at the patience of the instructors in teaching and listening to just one note, the exact same note, over and over again.  Today when the kids got home, I asked Thomas if they had worked on a note today.  He enthusiastically answered, "yep!"  I replied, "Now you know two notes," and he responded, "Nope.  Still the same one."  I smiled at his enthusiasm over knowing just this one note...and again I admire the instructors who can teach this!

New month, new background (and new weather)

Another new month has arrived.  I'll be honest, August felt like it took forever.  It wasn't a bad month (gratefully) but it just felt like September would never get here!  Here we are though!

Ironically, the weather has changed as well.  One would generally think that going from August to September, a weather change would mean cooler temps.  Oh no!!!  It is hotter than the blazes around here, and going to get hotter all week!  This is not my kind of weather at all!  I am fortunately in that I don't have to be out in it much, but Robert is really going to have some very long, hot days.  I almost feel ridiculous that my new background looks fallish...it does NOT feel it around here!

I am so looking forward to Labor Day weekend and all that it is going to bring...in the form of college football!!!!