2012

I find it funny that my very last post was from January 2012. Apparently, the entire year went by without anything happening worth blogging about. Nope. Mostly just email address changes and passwords that I couldn't remember. I gave up. But, I am back for 2013. I probably shouldn't say that, considering that I can't back it up.

I cannot believe how quickly the year flew by. The kids are well into the school year. Sofia turned 7 in August and is in 2nd grade. Darius turned 10 in October and is in 4th grade.  They are so much fun and we love to go to all of their sporting events. They both play soccer and basketball. However, basketball is Darius' favorite and soccer is Sofia's favorite.  I like them both. I have learned to love soccer almost as much as basketball, mostly because I have witnessed some pretty good games!  There is a lot more scoring in basketball, but soccer can get pretty intense!

We traveled to St .Lucia this past August to attend Ewan's Grandmother's funeral. It was definitely a bittersweet trip, but we all enjoyed the time there and look forward to our next visit. Hard to believe that I will be on my 4th trip there! The kids have been twice now. We are kind of on the 5 year plan as it sort of happened by accident that we have been there 2001, 2007 and 2012, so we are on target to go in 2017. Kind of freaks me out that the kids will be 12 and 15 then! Wow! Not ready to go there just yet.

Christmas this year was a great time since we had Grandma Vero with us. (Veronica is Ewan's Mother)  She visited for the week and will return home tomorrow morning. The time literally flew by.The kids have enjoyed having her here and I am sure she has enjoyed her relaxation.

I hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas and is looking forward to 2013 as much as I am. 2012 has been a rough year. Not for me personally, but for many people around me. Friends and family faced lots of difficult times and rough patches and I only pray that this made everyone stronger and even more ready to bring on the New Year.  I know that life can't be "peachy" all the time, but I just want everyone to be happy!

Well, I am off to help Sofia with another Duck Tape Project. So far we have completed 2 purses, one for her and one for cousin Morgane, as well as a very intricate women's wallet, and a pencil pouch.  I was pretty proud of my work on the wallet. The 9 minute tutorial took me 2 hours, but Sofia says the finished product "was worth it!" So, I guess that means she approves of my work!  It is hard to let her try and make the stuff because the duck tape isn't cheap and it is easy to get it stuck to each other or accidentally fold the tape.  She is going at it now, so I will just supervise this time. :)

Thanks for reading and I will try and do better about keeping those far away up to date with what is going on with the Kansas Auguste's.

A Christmas Miracle...or New Year Miracle? I'm Back!

Seriously!? I tried for like 6 months to get into this stupid blog account, and then I even tried the steps to get to the account and they wouldn't even grant me access! I gave up.

So, I am obviously not a regular blogger because I can't remember my passwords, but I am back! Happy 2012!

Show me your muscles! Or your format.

When I dropped the kids off at Mom's yesterday, I sat down to watch some Teen Mom 2 with them. I kept watching, thinking to myself, man, I know they got a new TV with an awesome picture and all, but these people are larger than life. The show went on and I just thought maybe their TV was bigger than ours. Which, it's not, but I thought maybe they bought a bigger one and didn't tell me!

Then, The Biggest Loser came on and those people are already larger, so it was really hard to judge...until some words came up on the screen and we couldn't read them all. I sat up and said, "Where is your remote?" They quickly handed me the COX remote, and I of course had to explain to them that the COX remote wouldn't do me any good for the settings on the TV. All I had to do was find the Format button, push it a few times, and voilla'! Everyone seemed "normal" again. Those poor people trying to lose weight and my Mom and Grandma have been watching them all this time thinking they were just naturally super GIGANTIC!

They laughed and laughed, thanking me over and over again. They were wondering why all of those people's butt's were so broad, and why the Kardashian's looked like they had packed on some pounds. lol.

I was home painting tonight and got a phone call. They were watching the Oklahoma Thunder game and were disappointed to see that one of the new recruits just wasn't as "muscular" as they had seen him on the previous game. He was a skinny guy. Ha! I could go format the TV back so that he looks like he has more muscles for them. ;) I love those two!

By Myself

Tonight I had taken the kids to my Mom's since they were anxious for a sleepover during Spring Break. E was out playing basketball so after I dropped them off, I would be going home...By Myself.

The last time I was at my Mom's and when E was out playing basketball, I said that I was going to go home and take a shower. My Mom wondered how I wasn't scared to take a shower when it was dark out and I was home alone. I guess I hadn't really thought about it, but of course, she made me think about it. I survived and no one came in and got me while I was in the shower.

Tonight, Sofia was on the floor, coloring a picture, minding her own business - or so I thought. (Kids hear everything and remember everything. It's amazing.) I said, "Well, I am going to go home and take a shower. By Myself." Sofia pipes in and says: "By Myself. (pause) All Day."

Luckily, Sofia didn't actually learn this from the KH DVD, but from her Dad. E has been going around saying this for the last few days. She may not even associate it with KH, but it was still hilarious! Of course Darius was the only other one in the house that got it. But, I knew it would give E a chuckle. And it did. :) These babies have seriously been keeping us entertained over the last few months! Thank you baby Jesus for these little blessings in my life!

Basketbawl

Well, I thought I blogged a lot more in 2010 than I did in 2009, but numbers don't lie and I only had 27 posts in 2010? What's up with that? And no, I am not going to make a resolution to post more, because then I will fail miserably, and that's just not necessary.

Anyway, day 2 of January, 2011, and I am already posting. Nothing exciting or anything, but you can keep reading if you'd like.

Today's topic: Basketbawl. Not basketball.

Today is Sofia's first basketball practice EVER. She has been crying about it for weeks. She doesn't want to do it. But, the opportunity came about and we want her to at least try it out. If she doesn't like it, then she doesn't have to do it again.

I took care of today's tears with a promise of going to pick out some awesome new basketball shoes and a new basketball practice outfit. A trip to the mall cures everything! We'll see how long this lasts!

Caribbean Night 2010 Poem

You find yourself asking, “When’s Caribbean Night?”
Without this day in the month, things just wouldn’t feel right.

How do we celebrate Caribbean Night in Topeka?
A house full people from the Caribbean. Eureka!

We’ve celebrated milestones and had lots fun.
We’re a big, happy family, coming together as one.

We’ve made fun of each other, like a sister and brother,
About movies, marriage, this, that and the other.

Standing over a hot stove, waiting for the beloved bakes.
They vanish immediately, no matter how many E makes.

Curried chicken, rum cake and macaroni pie.
Everything’s so good…will make a grown man cry.

Oh wait, that’s just Troy. The Notebook is on.
But when The Hangover‘s on Showtime, he will burst into song.

Late nights trying to whip up seamoss punch.
Lost blender gaskets? No problem. A mixer works in a crunch.

Let’s not forget the main event of the day.
Hours on end of competitive domino play.

Road trip CN to Schlitterbahn will become a tradition.
Endless trips around the “wavy river” will serve as our mission.

But wait, that’s not all. There is more for this crew.
To each and every one: “I love you Boo-Boo!”

Show Me The Money Honey!

My cousin has been in town for a few days and she has a daughter, Madison, just a week older than Sofia. The girls had been finding money around the house...we're talking dimes, quarters, etc.. My Mom told Madison that she could keep any money she finds. Sofia overheard this and went running off to my Mom's room, coming out with 2 twenty dollars bills that she "found" earlier on the dresser! I never did find out the outcome of this story....is Sofia $40 richer, or did she have to give the money back? lol. I may have to hit her up for a few dollars.

Bunko and a Broken Heart

Wednesday night was Bunko night at my house, which also happened to be basketball practice for Darius that Ewan had to coach, so, there was no option but for them to be out of the house. Of course, they were going to have to kill a little extra time because no kids or spouses allowed in the house during Bunko time. (It's not that serious, I'm just being dramatic.) Anyway, it happens to be my birthday on Sunday. (I'll be like Baskin Robbins...31 Flavors. That's just what pops into my head when I think of 31.)

Anyway, they came home, super excited about their shopping excursion. (And, they came home REALLY late I might add.) Dad must have forgotten about baths, showers and um, bedtime, because bunko ended before 8:30pm and they didn't get home until close to 10pm. I was worried about them until I talked to my Mom, who happened to be working at the mall that night, and called to tell me about this cute little family she just saw, that happened to be mine. :) (That was about 9:25pm)

They arrive home and after cleaning up the bunko mess, which wasn't too bad, and enjoying my time alone on the couch, I had to deal with the hustle and bustle of now preparing them for the next day. As if it wasn't late enough, Sofia lost her mind. Well, not literally, but seriously. This little girl was breaking my heart. All of a sudden she cried, saying, "My brain can't stop thinking about telling you what we got you for your birthday." I tried to brush it off and tell her it was supposed to be a surprise and that surprises are fun. That did not work. At all. She burst into full on tears, saying she just couldn't handle it. She did tell me that the present was now with Grandma, so I tried to convince her to call Grandma and talk to her about it. Yeah, that would be fun. I picked up the phone, dialed Mom and gave Sofia the phone. The only thing my Mom heard was sobbing. So, I had to get on the phone, explain the situation and then give Sofia back the phone. Terrible idea. She really was breaking my heart, watching her cry like that over a present for ME! She was so sad!

I sent her out to talk to her Dad about it. He said, it's a B-B-Basketball Goal. (Some of you may know where that came from.) That didn't help either.

Finally, I layed her in bed with me and asked her if I could guess what it was. I got some big smiles, and when I started guessing, I got some big laughs too....

Me: "Is it a...Christmas tree?"
Sofia: "No!"


Me: "Is it a snuggie?"
Sofia: "No!"

Me: "Is it a watch?"
Sofia: "No!"

Me: "How many presents did you get me?"
Sofia: "Two."

Me: "Is it a purse?"
Sofia: "Yes."

Oops, I may have gone too far, but it did stop the tears and made her forget about it. I haven't heard a word about it since, but we'll see what I get for my ThirtyWonderful Birthday on Sunday!

Memories last a lifetime

What a flip flopped week. Thursday started out horrible...as in, super-busy, car insurance mini-disaster, soccer practice rained out, straight from work to a Pampered Chef party...luckily, I work from home and the party was across the street! And Friday, was fantastic!

Friday, I got to watch one of the neighbor girls and it was so fun to watch her pretend and play. She did discover the Baby Alive doll and how it went potty. When the kids got home, she was anxious to show them. She squeezed the water into the doll's mouth and kept pulling the diaper down. The doll suddenly shot out water across the room and nailed my arm! That created a lot of laughs!

The girls were playing with pretend jewelry and I had the idea to set up a jewelry store. I told them each to go get a purse from Sofia's room and we set up shop, playing for hours. There were several quotes I wish I could remember. At one point, the boys came out and Darius pretended to "rob" the jewlery store. He thought it was funny, but I advised against that type of behavior. So, instead, the boys started shopping at the jewelry store when it "went global" according to Cole, and we set up outside. The jewelry gave the boys super powers.

It was such a great days since there wasn't a lot of fighting, really none actually, and we only watched The Princess and the Frog and started Aliens in the Attic, but got too busy playing jewelry store.

We only had one soccer game this morning and then Sofia plays tomorrow. And next week is the long awaited debut of Darius playing basketball for the first time. We waited until he showed an interest in it and he finally said he wanted to play. So, Ewan will coach yet another team. For the next few weeks, soccer and basketball will overlap and Sofia is starting a cheerleading class for the next month or so. It's pretty much going to get chaotic at the Auguste household. But, it's going to be lots of fun and I am looking forward to it.

For those that don't have kids, you do not realize how quickly this time flies. Honestly, it is so scary. So, we do what the kids want to do and there will be plenty of time during the years when they don't want anything to do with us. We can't do it all, but we enjoying the balancing act, and still trying to have some down time at home with each other. We feel so thankful for what we have been blessed with and despite the stress and chaos of our busy schedule, we are making memories that will last a lifetime.

Psalm 78:4
We will not hide them from their children; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.

Thank Heaven for Big Brothers :)

I completely dreaded the days of kindergarten after two years of preschool and having to wake Sofia up. She is not a morning person. Her hair was a mess, she wouldn't wear socks, wouldn't wear panties. It was basically a total nightmare. I dreaded it the 3 days a week that I actually had to get her ready. So, all I could think about was the fact that at the start of kindergarten, I would have to do it 5 days a week!

Luckily, the Happy Morning Gods have shined upon us. Everyone wakes up without a fight. The braid has kept me sane. Undo it in the morning, no tangles, beautiful hair. Thank you Lord.

Despite the few tears at school at the end of the last two days, Sofia is really enjoying it. I have gotten two different stories from two different kids, trying to explain why these tears occur. Apparently, Sofia thinks the school day is just a little too long. When they are getting rounded up to head in the gym to get on the bus, Sofia breaks down and is ready to go. But, never fear, Big Brother to the rescue! Mrs. Switzky goes to get Darius to come stand by his sister. He really is a great brother. On the first day of school, they were eating breakfast and out of the blue, Darius patted Sofia on the head and said, "Have a great first day of school Sofie." It was so sweet. No one was talking and that's what he had to say. He really does love her, even though he chooses to "beat" her up sometimes, or take her things.

So far, the start of the 2010 school year seems to be a success. Only two days down. We'll see where this new adventure in life takes us!

Have a Schlitterific Day!

Okay, so the Negative Nancy attitude that some people have about Schlitterbahn can just stay home. There's a reason that I only have pictures from our mini-vaca include everything BUT Schlitterbahn....we were too busy having fun!

Friday night started off at the Holiday Inn Express, where we discussed what would be served at the complimentary breakfast, where Kids Eat Free. Hmm. Does that make sense to you? I am not even a breakfast person, but was fascinated with what stuff they might have. I knew there would be no bacon and waffles, and Ewan was convinced there would be. No bacon. No waffles.

We went to the T-Rex cafe on Friday night. Been there before, but Janel hadn't and it's kid-friendly. Sort-of. Unless you're Sofia and you're afraid of everything but water. It was delicious and we ended up celebrating Sofia's birthday there. Why not? I mean, give the girl a cookie and some ice cream. Fun times.

Walked around Legends for awhile and got the kids some shoes at the only store that was open at this time. Played in the fountains. All around, a great time. But, still just leading up to the point of the trip....SchlittTrip 2010!

Long story short, I bought our tickets on ebay (Thank you Stacy!) and the deal was too good to be true. I was just sure we would get to the gate and have to slap down the credit card and pay another $130 on top of the $58 that I got 4 tickets for. Yes, 4 tickets for $58.00. Total. So, we paid less than $15 bucks a head. But, after actually going to Schlitterbahn and experiencing the most awesome attraction...

The "Wavy River" (that's what we renamed it) and, the Shawnee North "Lazy River" is now renamed Lamo River. Things will never look the same there again. It can't be called Lazy River anymore because you can't be lazy there, you actually have to do some work to get yourself going. The "Wavy River" (actually called the Torrent River) will do all the work for you, however, it is fun to position yourself against the outside wall in order to catch the full height of the wave. I could go on and on about this, but I will stop. Just go experience it for yourself.

And, if this day wasn't already amazing, Shelly and Nelly took us to an amazing Jamaican restaurant, G's Jamaican Cuisine.Un-believeable. I like food and all, but when I take a bite and start making noises, it's pretty darn good. Brown Stew Chicken. Out of this world. Sofia of course got chicken tenders and fries, but those things were awesome too. So, she says she's going back and getting the same thing. Whatever. Suit yourself, I will be branching out and trying some more Caribbean food. I told Ewan on the way home that regular food just doesn't taste good anymore. There's no flavor explosion. These island people know how to cook. No air conditioning in the restaurant. You walk in and feel like you walked straight into a place on the actual island. You can't beat that. Darius just walked in from riding his bike and randomly started talking about G's. We had authentic Jamaican "pop," Kola Champagne and Cream Soda and they loved it. Obviously. They can't stop talking about it.

So, 11pm and we roll into the driveway. A fantastic time had by all and SchlittTrip 2010 was a HUGE success. We missed the rest of our Caribbean Crew, but we're not leaving you behind next time. No crew member, or wife or kid left behind!

It's 12:45am and I am blogging...

Long boring day, what am I still doing awake? Sofia is on the couch next to me, snoring. Darius is laying in his bed, coughing, as usual. And, I should be in bed. Thursdays are now my Friday due to my latest work schedule, so I guess I am just taking advantage of my awesome 3 day weekend.

I seriously wish I had something entertaining to share, but I just don't. I am topping off this boring day, with a boring blog. I guess that would be starting off this day with a boring blog. Maybe I will wake up and have something important to share. A cool dream or something. Until then, goodnight. :)

Isn't it Ironic? Dontcha think?

Well, we live in Kansas, so I suppose rain at the most inopportune time is VERY likely. What goes better with fireworks than water? i.e. rain.... Actually, I can think of MANY things that go better with fireworks. The pool, water slide, horseshoes, water balloons. Everything I had planned for the Caribbean Night/Birthday/4th of July/Anniversary celebration. It felt like we were staring at the rain all day long, waiting for it to stop. It would sprinkle, pour, sprinkle, pour. Repeat.

The dominoes went on. The music went on. The food, went on and on, and on. The rain went on. Watching the radar, eating some more, playing in the rain. Rain seemed to be the guest of honor, and then, finally, a ray of hope.

The rain stopped just in time to go load up on fireworks, return home, get dark and light them off. It was definitely a memorable time for me at the fireworks stand. Sloshing around in mud, and somehow, I was the only who left with mud splattered up the back of my legs, all over the back of my shorts and squished between my flip flopped toes. I wish I had a picture of this lovely sight. My husband sent me straight to the shower when I got back. Apparently, this mud mess didn't look quite right on my rear.

We had a slight mishap with the neighbors firework falling over and everyone ducking for cover. I did run away and slipped in the garage falling on both of my knees, but did go back to try and snatch up my kids. By then, I think the scare was over. But, when you have shots firing all different ways and you don't know where the next one is going, things turn into chaos mode. The important thing is, I remembered to go back for my kids, even if it was slightly after the fact. Oops. I think everyone was a little weary of lighting anything...for the next few minutes.

Sofia survived the noise and she actually enjoyed herself, despite needing a nap "right now" in the middle of the day. But, Grandma Pam let her sleep on her lap, and then she was good to go.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures from the evening. Sometimes you are just too busy to take any pictures. And somehow, I woke up to a clean house, all of the dishes done, not many fireworks outside to clean up and everything back in it's place. Thanks to all of our wonderful Carribean crew guests, WU family and my Mom and Grandma for helping keep things under control and picked up throughout the night. The 1st annual cul-de-sac 4th was a fun and exciting one, despire God's little rain display. But, he was generous enough to open up the floor just in time for the lightening of the fireworks. Isn't it ironic? Dontcha think?

Time for an update, just to say I blogged today.

Wow. There has been absolutely nothing to blog about lately. Nothing really interesting, besides all of the sickness at our house, which is definitely not fun to blog about. So, I will spare you the details. I could have been blogging about the Hammers successes, but I didn't want to jinx them. They did end up with a 1st place finish for the regular season and are now in tournament play. I am just going to let them have fun with this. In the end, they will still get a tropy for being first place in the regular season. It's been a long few months, but I know Darius has had a blast!

But, today is a Happy Birthday day. Happy Birthday to my wonderful husband. The beginning of July is big for us....July 1st - E's birthday. July 3rd - our anniversary (7 great years!) and then of course, July 4th - Independence Day!!!! And, for us, that means, food, friends and fireworks.

Apparently, we have a family tradition of staying at home on the 4th of July. We're not allowed to go anywhere. People can come to our house, we just can't go to others. I do appreciate that my husband gets these things in his head, and they mean a lot to him. So, this year will be a big collaboration of celebrations.... the birthday, the anniversary, Caribbean night and the 4th. I think I may actually be leaving something out, but that doesn't matter. The show must go on.

This will be our first year of having the 4th at the cul-de-sac and we are excited. I was kind of hoping that more of the neighbors would be home so we could have a big outdoor party, but it sounds like some of them will be out for awhile. I wanted to share our bakes and rum cake! But, we will still have a great time. Regular Caribbean night activities will resume in August, just before school starts. Wow. That is so crazy to even think about. So, let's don't.

We did kick off the week on Sunday with a great day at Phil's house. There were blow up water slides, a bouncer, the trampoline, the pond with paddle boat and diving board, and of course food, friends and fireworks. The 3 key F's. Unfortunately, Sofia was sick and didn't participate much in the evening. She had to be rescued by her Grandma Pam Cockerham. Thank Goodness for Grandma's to come and save you. I am sure she was feeling much better after some TLC from her. She was like a new kid when we went to pick her up. And, also a big thanks to Lisa for the Motrin. It was truly a lifesaver that night!

So, the countdown is on. Only 2 more days until the 4th of July. Happy Birthday America!

Take me out to the ballgame....

Am I seriously about to post this? Really? Admitting that I can't get enough of watching the Mini 7's play baseball? Wow. Who am I?

So, around February, some of you may have read my posts complaining about all of the baseball practices and how I hate baseball anyway, and Darius isn't going to like it, blah, blah, blah... Well, I take it all back.

The Hammers have been working so hard and have been pulling out wins all season. It has been so much fun to watch them work together and get excited to keep winning. They have been told that they can't assume they will win, and I think they all realize that, and that is very important, since they are currently undefeated. I don't even like to say that out loud. They seem too little to be keeping score and standings. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or bad thing. I haven't decided yet.

Win or lose, I will be proud of those Hammers and how well they have done this season. We've got three days straight of baseball coming up, and I actually don't mind. (And, I'm sorta tan from being forced to sit in the sun for two hours at a time, days in a row.)

Go Hammers!

CBN Memories

According to Darius, Caribbean Night has been one of the best things ever invented since moving. This is supposed to be an exclusive event and I could get in trouble for sharing so many of the details, but I just can't help it. There are so many memorable quotes, photo ops, candid kids and grown adults, just having a great time.

Darius woke up this morning and said...

"Could you please just play the Ragga Ragga song?" Darius had a great time dancing around the entire house and this was one of his favorites, although he has already complained about not letting him hear Justin Beiber. Hmmm....

Then, he walked into the kitchen and shook his head and said, "Man, this Caribbean Night, all we had was meat and grains and cheese. That would be a milk product." I guess he forgot about the cheese balls, cupcakes, cake, spinach and artichoke dip, Twizzlers, hershey kisses, some secret food that the Committee wouldn't share and cheesecake that never even made it out.

Now, the girls just float around the house. You don't hear much out of them, but they have their baby dolls and push their strollers. (Since there is so much space) And, baby Sean is up and walking. I can't wait for him to start talking!

This Caribbean night was particularly special due to the graduation of three of the committee members. The 4 members of the Caribbean Committee are now all proud alumni of Washburn University. Congratulations to 4 SMART BODS!

Darius walked up to one of our newest Caribbean Night regular, Janel, and said, "Ya know what?" Janel acknowledged him and Darius said..."My Dad's a Master." Now we're all just trying to figure out what he is the Master of.

The 4th of June

So, yes, I may be a little early for the Fourth of July, but in the world of blogs, changing your template is kind of a pain. Who has time to search for a new template when there are so many random things to be blogged about.

I labeled this the Fourth of June, because, that is just around the corner, and then, one short month from then, will be...the Fourth of July.

I don't have anything really exciting to post about, except that I am preparing for a special day tomorrow. It will be a Caribbean Committee graduation celebration extravaganza. Also, good luck to the Hammers! We will miss the game due to Ewan's graduation, but it was easy to choose which was more important. I love watching those Hammer's, but I will love watching my husband even more. Hey, I'm lucky he is even going to graduation!

The Tornado Saga

Well, anyone who has ever read my blog probably knows that this isn't the first tornado dream and certainly won't be the last. If I had the power to block out these terrifying dreams, I certainly would do so.

Last night's episode occured out in an open area similar to the cul-de-sac we live on, but Ewan and the kids and I were actually together, which is a rare occurence. I don't know why it is so much more comforting to have Ewan there in terrifying situations, especially when he thinks tornadoes aren't a huge deal, but, he was there, and I was glad.

This wasn't as long as some previous tornado dreams, but we were all outside playing. Darius was riding his bike when we spotted one tornado. I was motioning for Darius to find this little hole that we would take shelter in. The ground was white, the hole was round and about the size of a frisbee. Darius was able to get in feet first, and I was halfway in when Ewan pointed out another tornado on the other side. He was reaching for Sofia's hand and then I woke up, so Darius was the only one in this strange shelter.

We live outside these days, and the surroundings were familiar, but we are usually surrounded by our neighbors and neighbor kids. In the dream, no one was around. It was quiet and still and then the wind picked up and the tornado appeared.

Since I was awake and couldn't sleep after the dream, I made the mistake of googling tornado dreams, which surprisingly, I have never done before. Of course, there were lots of different interpretations...chaos in your life, the possibility of being uprooted to a new place, etc... but I still attribute these dreams to 1) my fear of tornadoes since I was little and 2) my kids. I started having these recurring tornado dreams when I was pregnant with Darius and for awhile, everytime I had a tornado dream, I thought I was pregnant. I always had such detailed dreams while I was pregnant with both kids, so, naturally, I put the two together. I now know that if I really was pregnant everytime I dreamed about a tornado, we would have outgrown this house long ago!

The "Glee" way

I watched previews for this show, for what felt like an eternity. The commercial with the Don't Stop Believing song got me so excited. I know this is just a show, but I love when I come across a heartwarming, funny, entertaining, not reality show, that just makes me smile. Many of my friends know that I love/loved... to sing. I don't do it much anymore, since I don't have a fabulous group of people to do it with. Of course, the things I miss most about high school are cheerleading and Singers. That shouldn't come as a shock to anyone.

Glee takes me back to the days of getting out of class to go perform at a nursing home, quick changes into our lovely gowns with strapless bra's (or lack of bra's in some cases) and hose and jewelry...the whole nine yards. And who didn't love going in someone's room and waking them up in the middle of the night/super early in the morning and dragging them to Denny's in their pajamas? It does seem strange to me that I don't remember being initiated into Singers. Maybe initiaion came after my first year. I honestly can't remember. It was like 13 years ago!

The music of Glee just makes me happy. I pretty much love every song, whether I loved or hated the original version by the original artist. I usually prefer "the Glee way."

Of course, I am already anxiously awaiting the next episode. There is such a wide variety of personalities. It's easy to get sucked in, even if you aren't into music/singing/glee clubish types of shows. Glee is great entertainment!

Master of the House

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I am getting anxious for the school year to be over, and I am not even the one in school! What's with that? Well, I am really looking forward to getting my happy-go-lucky, carefree husband back. He has worked so hard, and spent countless hours on projects, homework, studying for tests and preparing presentations. This chapter in his life will soon closed in a few short weeks. There has definitely not been a lot of complaining on his end, probably more on mine.

I am so proud of his hard work and dedication, and finding a way to balance work, family, coaching soccer and school. I tell him continually how much I appreciate him for everything he does, but I don't think he will ever realize how grateful I am. We have gone through so many obstacles and experienced so much joy together. I know that the best is still yet to come! I'll be ready for this MBA graduate to take back his favorite position...Master of the house. (Or, I will let him think it's his title anyway.) :)