Adding to the list of fun

So, Shannon got home safe and sound from her mission trip to Appalachia. Once again she LOVED it, although I swear to you, I think that every bug in TN and KY bit her legs. Good grief. Anyway, she got home on Friday afternoon, and basically ate, showered, and went to bed for 12+ hours! Doing home repair in the summer heat is HARD work.

On Saturday afternoon, my friend Tricia invited Shan and I up to TN (lol! Back to TN for Shan) for an impromptu quickie visit while they did some work at the IL's house. We threw our toothbrushes in the car, and hit the road! We ate dinner with Tricia and her family, and then went next door to their aunt's house for a night swim. We saw lots of fireflies, bats, and satellites from the pool. SO fun. After the kids went to bed, Tricia and I sat up talking into the night. We headed home around lunchtime on Sunday.





Once we got showered up on Sunday afternoon, we went and helped build a float for our preschool to be in our town's 4th of July parade. It turned out very cute and patriotic. We ran back home, picked up Patrick and my parents, and then headed to see fireworks! What a GREAT show! It was long too...which I love. Probably 20 minutes or so!





Monday found us at one of our local high schools at about 8:45 am...putting finishing touches on our float.



We stood around, then got ready, then walked the parade, advertising our wonderful school.





It was memorable, and super fun. Doing stuff like that, you really feel a part of your community, y'know? Anyway, once we got done, we met up with the fam and had lunch at Chick Fil A. We were BEAT! I think we all came home and took a nap in the air conditioning. For dinner we grilled out hot dogs (while it thundered), and ate corn on the cob, baked beans, and chips. For dessert we had red/white/blue strawberries!



Today, Shan met up with friends to go to the mall, and then see a movie. It's her first time going without a grown up...and whooo...I think that was way harder on me than it was on her! Hahahaha! Now she's sleeping over at her friend's house. My baby's growing up! Tomorrow is piano lesson, and then helping prep some crafts for Girl Scout Daycamp next week.

I'll say one thing...we sure are keeping BUSY this summer! I LOVE IT!

Empty Nest

Well, as empty as it can be with my parents living downstairs, and between us all...FIVE dogs. Anyway, Shannon's out of town...so we're "footloose and fancy free" this week.

We've been getting up everyday and going to the gym. I'm getting ab muscles!!! Not visible ones yet...but I can feel them! Annoyed that the scale only showed a .6 loss this week. Stupid thing. But I saw my BFF today and she said "Wow, you look great! Have you lost weight?" So...maybe I'm tighter or something. Anyway, I'll keep doing what I'm doing.

We went on a bit of a movie bender for a few days, and saw "X-Men: First Class," "Cars 2," and "Green Lantern." Super fun. I love summer movies! We're getting happysadexcited for Harry Potter to come out in July. I can't believe that's the end of it. Wah! I know I will cry.

Like I said earlier, my BFF and I got together today and got pedicures, lunch, and then hung out for about 5 hours and just laughed ourselves silly. Need to do more of that. In fact, we made a date for next week to hang out at our pool. I wish she lived closer. Here's our cute feet, lol!

Keeping busy

Since I last posted, we've been working on giving Shannon's bedroom a make-over. We haven't put any art up on the walls yet, but it looks great so far!!!





Shannon and I spent three days up with friends at their lake house on Lake Hartwell. We spent time jumping off docks, riding waverunners, swimming, going for boat rides, etc. Unfortunately, on our last day there, I got stung by a bee...and spent the next week in a Benadryl coma. I'm fine now, lol.

And now, Shan's leaving tomorrow for a week-long mission trip. We've spent the last couple days getting her ready and packed up!

Oh yeah! We also dyed her hair pink! Ha! Fun!!!

More summer fun!

In keeping up my summer fun list, I have LOTS to add! (Maybe I should do it more often than once every two weeks, huh?)

• Patrick and I took a 6-day trip to Myrtle Beach, just the two of us. Shannon stayed home with my parents and took care of the dogs, etc. We had THE BEST time. We went to the beach every day. We slept in. We drove go-carts, and played mini-golf. We went to a movie (Hangover 2), and ate like kings. We went to the Bodies: Revealed exhibit. Just wonderful!
• The day after we got home, we took Shannon over to Athens, GA and toured the University of Georgia. She had NO trouble envisioning herself going there...loved the classic architecture and history of the campus.
• We went to see the new X-Men movie, and we all (even me!) loved it. It was excellent.
• We broke Shannon's bed. Oops. To be fair, she's had it since she was 20 months old, and it was time for something new. So, we went to IKEA and outfitted her with new bedroom furniture. For the past few days we have been repainting her room from her 8-year-old-girl color choice of lavender...to her 14-year-old-girl color choices of aqua and slate gray!!!
• Shannon went to a soup kitchen in Atlanta today and prepared and packed meals for the needy.

Summer time!

Yay, school's out! This year, our "plan" for the summer is to "keep moving." Not to just become couch potatoes because it's hot outside.

We've been getting up each morning and going to the gym. I know, can you believe it? And what's weirder...we're actually LIKING it. It's great to get your workout done before it's super hot (and first thing in the morning, so you don't have to dread it all day)...and it gets you up and going with your day. No more finding yourself sitting around in your jammies at 2 pm, and being shocked that the day is half gone. Loving it! And the best part? I've lost 3 lbs. this week.

We're also making more of a effort to be conscious. That sounds kind of weird. But what I mean is that we are trying to be...present. To be aware, and appreciative of what's going on around us. It's actually very fulfilling! (Who knew, lol!)

I want to try to keep a list of the fun stuff we do this summer. I like to see it all in one place!

So far we've:

• Fed ducks
• Saw Kung Fu Panda 2
• Got frozen yogurt at Menchie's
• Shannon's rediscovered bubbles, and is actually having fun blowing bubbles, lol! (She's 14!)
• Got new curtains and rod for our bedroom.
• Keeping the top off the Jeep and going for spontaneous convertible rides (and occasionally with a dog...they LOVE it!)
• Shan and I found ourselves up late last night, and changed out the posters in her bedroom.

Crunchy?

I think I might be becoming "crunchy."

But first, let me back up...and just give a brief WOOHOO that I'm in my last week of school! I have class tomorrow, and then Wednesday and Thursday are the last days of school (programs and parties) for those kiddos. I cannot believe it, and yet...I'm so ready. I'm kind of getting to that overwhelmed/shut-down frame of mind where I just don't want to do anything. That's NOT so good. Time to relax and have some time to myself. Soon. SOON!

OK, back to the potential crunchiness.

Patrick hasn't been feeling well for about a month, and to shorten a very long story...they've tested him for a lot of things, and we're still waiting for the results of his celiac test. But the fact that they tested him for that made us look into the signs/symptoms of celiac disease...and we realize that even if he doesn't have that...that he almost definitely has a strong sensitivity to wheat. So he's cut it out. Hence, we've got a house full of gluten-free foods, etc.

Anyway, I just found myself sitting eating a snack of snikiddy fries, drinking orange barley water (not gluten free, obviously, lol). That alone made me chuckle. Then I realized I was wearing my Jeep "Life is Good" shirt, and Keen sandals. LOL! Yep, I think I'm getting a little crunchy!

Hello, two weeks!

This time of year is brutal...don't blink, or weeks will just simply be GONE!!!

I wish I could say I've been going to the gym every day, but no. I've gone to yoga twice since I last posted.

Preschool has been SO busy with Mother's Day Tea parties, and finishing art work, and then setting up the Art Show, etc.

And then I got strep throat. So I'm in bed. Sigh.

I have LESS than two weeks left of preschool, which I find absolutely astounding...so I'm tying a knot in the end of my rope, and hanging on!

I can do this!