FORTY

Well.  It's finally here.  The big 4-0!  I've dreaded it for a full year now.  Fought it for months and months.  Lost sleep over it and cursed it more times than you can imagine.  And suddenly...like it or not.  It was here.  And just as suddenly, I was okay with it!  I managed to relax into it and just be fine with it.  Accept it and all that comes along with it.  I actually feel better in my first week of 40 than I have felt for the bulk of 39!  And with all of this acceptance, comes a new photo.  Me!  At 40!  And so...without further ado...Happy Birthday to me!  The new face of 40!

40 year old me with Oscar and Cooper

Fall is in the Air

It's that time of year again.  The time I love.  It's FOOTBALL season!!!!  This year is especially exciting because it's my Ben's first year playing.  I'm loving going to his games.  I love the excitement of the parents.  And the thrill of seeing the team run out and take the field in those first moments each time.  I love their looks of concentration and celebrating the big and awesome plays.  Yes...Fall is in the air.  Not temperature wise.  Goodness knows we aren't there THAT way yet!  Last week's game was played with the thermometer reading 107 degrees.  Last night's game was practically chilly at 94 degrees.  Sigh.  Have I mentioned that I find the Texas heat and humidity to be slightly, ummm, oppressive?  Anyway...back to FALL!  My boy is on the team.  He wears red gloves.  And runs FAST!

That fast one there...in the gloves...he's MINE!

And he's aggressive on the field.  Fearless.  And when it's time to make a move, he makes it!  TACKLE is practically his middle name...

See Mr. Red Gloves taking blue boy out?!

Yes.  That's my boy.  Number 45.  Does a mom's heart good to see him come across the field like that looking so big and grown up!  

Go #45!!!!

Ahh, yes.  This one is mine!  

Isn't he so handsome?  I  just love a man in uniform!

Oh yes.  I'm so proud of this one.  So big.  So fast.  So NOT a baby anymore!  GO WOLVES!!!

"Truly Stunning"

I have had one of the most interesting days of my life.  It's been 12 hours now since the "incident" around which this particular blog entry unfolds and I am still shaking my head in disbelief.  And surprise.  Let me just begin with painting a picture for you of my morning.  It started earlier than normal by a half an hour.  Not a big deal for some...but since my NORMAL alarm clock goes off roughly 30 to 45 minutes before my own internal clock (which goes of reasonably early), an added thirty minutes really IS a BIG DEAL.  The reason for the early rising?  Well?  I guess we can thank the orthodontist YESTERDAY for that one.  Max had an appointment to have his appliance rechecked and his mouth evaluated for progress as we are approaching his time for braces here soon and sooner.  While he was at the orthodontist, he missed an essay test for his history class.  WHICH he had to show up at school an hour ahead of time today to take.   Not a real big deal if the fates had smiled on me.  WHICH they did NOT.  Getting Max up to the high school involves going up Highway 26, which happens to be under MAJOR construction right now.  And at precisely the time that morning traffic starts kicking up a notch.  Not peak time...but busy just the same.  Max needed to be in one direction, Clara in another direction at the exact same time, and I had a dentist appointment scheduled for 15 minutes after that in a completely different direction still!  I'll just add in here that between construction and school zones, top speeeds this morning were a whopping 30 miles an hour.  Nice.  Had to cross through FOUR school zones before I hit the dentist.  AT 20 miles an hour.  Sigh.  To tell ya the truth, I was exhausted just thinking about the logistics of making it all happen....never mind actually doing it!  Would not be a big deal had Chris been in town.  He could have dropped Max off as he heads that way.  Would not have been a big deal if Clara were taking the bus this year.  She's not.  Would not have been a big deal if maybe I didn't have a dentist appointment (which only seems to fall ONE day out of every six months or so).  But I did.  And thus...it was a BIG DEAL!!!!!!  And therefore, I needed to be super organized (and pull out my magic supermom cape) and allow extra time in the morning to make sure everyone had their ducks in a row and were equally and properly prepared as myself.  So I hauled my very nearly (getting nearer by the hour now) forty year old self up out of bed, feeling more than a little tired and sleep compromised and headed to the bathroom.  Went through the normal routine.  Went potty.  Weighed myself naked on the scale AFTER my bladder was empty (because surely that counts for a couple of pounds, right?), did a happy dance because the scale did not make me cry today, evaluated my saggy bags under my eyes (sigh) and proceeded to get dressed and get a move on.  I pulled on my favorite sundress.  It's a simple black number. I love it because the cut of it is SO forgiving!!!!  It hides a MULTITUDE of sins!  And it's cotton and totally comfy and nice and cool since today was well over 100 degrees.  AGAIN.  But lets not go there.  It gets me fired up!  Anyway...back to my morning.  I wiggled into my favorite dress, did the best I could with my makeup, made a mental note that I might need one of those "life lifts" cosmetic procedures sooner than later, and then got my kiddos moving in the appropriate direction.  We made it out the door, rushed, but on time.  Both Max and Clara got to where they needed to be.  ON TIME!  Clara with just a whopping 30 seconds to spare (but who's counting?) and I skidded into my parking spot with 2 minutes left on the clock!  It was a successful morning.  I was scheduled at the dentist for a small filling and to have a crown seated.  I have had the annoying temporary on for three weeks now and was looking forward to ditching it for the real, more comfortable, more smooth, more BETTER real deal!  But as I slid into the chair, they told me they had some unfortunate news.  Apparently, yesterday, when the lab delivered all the crowns and other assorted dental accessories for patients, MINE was inadvertantly NOT delivered.  Stayed somehow in the van.  They were all over it first thing this morning.  Which, unfortunately was a bit too late, considering I was their 8:00 a.m. appointment.  However, they assured the office they were on the way with it and that it would be ready to pop into my little mouth within 30 minutes.  And since they had a filling to do anyway...would not be a problem.  Well, we proceeded with the filling.  It took a bit.  I am really hard to numb up for some reason.  A challenge, so to speak.  They generally numb me.  Then after a few minutes, numb me some more.  And then it's not unusual AT ALL (and today was NO different) for them to have to stop a few minutes into the procedure because I can feel everything they are doing and numb me some MORE.  I'm just special that way.  Anyway.  It can be quite a process and always seems to take longer thanks to the added waiting of having to renumb every few minutes.  An hour later, the filling was done.  And my crown had not arrived.  Grrrr.  The staff there was MOST unhappy.  And terribly apologetic.  And felt so bad.  Like terrible!  SO terrible that they discounted my crown $100 in way of apology.  What's not to love about that?!  So I was done.  For today.  I get to go back tomorrow.  I'm so special that way.  But anyway...on with the day.  So now I am done earlier than I expected (since now I'm not getting a crown seated) and realize I have time to get some gasoline before my next activity.  I pull into the gas station on the corner and hop out of the car to pump my gas.  As I am inserting the nozzle, a man comes around from the other side of the pump and starts talking to me.  An older man.  70's maybe?  Late 60's?  A grandfather (as he shared with me).  But alas I get ahead of myself.  This gentleman comes around the pump and starts telling me about how amazing this day is.  That first, there are clouds and a promise of rain and cooler temperatures in the air.  Then, he gets to be pumping gas next to ME.  And he proceeds to tell me that I am so beautiful.  "Truly stunning" to be exact.  And that he hoped my husband knows just how lucky he is (he'd BETTER).  He asked if he could give me a hug and I was just dumbfounded. I shrugged and said sure.  I was actually struggling a bit with the whole thing because 1) here's this total stranger flattering the heck out of me and wanting to hug on me and 2) I was just desperately trying not to drool on myself.  Which, was no small feat, considering I was numb all the way down into my chin!  He went on, just gushing and gushing over my beauty.  He told me we were meant to ENJOY life and not to just ENDURE it.  That if were enduring life, than Satan's hand was all in it.  But if we were enjoying it, then it meant angels were around us.  Lots of conversation passing there in the time it took to pump that tank of gas.   And I do mean LOTS (danged slow pump)!  When I was all done, he wanted to hug me.  Again.  Strange, I tell ya!  I've just never really been so forwardly hugged by total strangers in such a strange place.  So we said our goodbyes, had that one last hug, and then I wrangled my big ole "truly stunning" but ridiculously numb head back into car and went on my merry way.  My neighbor had quite the chuckle when I told her about it.  But then, who wouldn't?!  It's seriously the weirdest, funniest thing that has ever happened to me.  I know I will remember for many, many, MANY gas fill ups to come!  Maybe even forever!  And so...on that note...I am going to take my "truly stunning", but getting sleepy self off to bed.  My head is pretty big and I am still riding the waves of flattery from this morning's meeting with the stranger.  But as flattered as I am, the images from this morning's mirror are not so far from my memory and I am acutely aware that  I am in desperate need of BEAUTY sleep!  Or plastic surgery!  Regardless of what that fool at the gas station thinks!  Good night, friends!  Signed,
Truly Stunning in Texas    :)

Nine

My baby girl is nine now.  And since school is back in session, it was time to snap some pictures!  Because you KNOW I can't do the standard issue school mug shot that comes home from school pictures each year.  So glad I did.  I realize that we are going to blink and this one is going to be all grown up on us!
Prepare yourself...she's awfully pretty in some of these.  Stinkin' cute in the others!  Love this girly!

And there you have it.  Our sweet girl at nine!

The Joy of Breathing!

Ahhh.  It is a BEAUTIFUL day here in Texas!  Or, in other words, it's a nice COOL day in Texas.  AT least this morning it is!  It's simply FANTASTIC outside!  Downright brisk and refreshing!  Makes you just want to throw open the windows (which I did) and head outdoors to soak it all in (which I am about to do)!  It's a treat for the senses to be sure!  To feel that cool air wrapping itself around you...the cool freshness a delight on the skin.  The smell of fresh cut grass in the air (because cooler air is VERY inspirational for yardwork!) and the undeniable delight of taking a huge gulp of it into your lungs and just relishing the joy that comes with being able to take a full breath and not feel as if you are suffocating under the heat and humidity.  Ahhh....it's like having a new lease on life!  And not a MOMENT TOO SOON ALREADY!!!!!!!!  Good grief!  Talk about God's timing not being OUR timing!  He definitely has different ideas of exactly how much heat is too much heat and just how long it should go on.  Texas has had it's own personal preview of Hell the last couple of months with all the endless heat and drought.  I tell ya....it's enough to send to your knees in repentance for sure!  May this summer in Texas be as close as I ever come to the fiery pits of hell!

In other news...today is my Ben's first scrimmage for football.  He is CRAZY excited.  I'm not going to watch because it's not a game...just kind of a first practice between some players other than themselves.  NEXT week is his first real game and I WILL be there for that!  Can't WAIT actually!  I'm going to have to remember to stay respectable and not get too excited with yelling and cheering.  I tend to embarrass my kids that way when I watch football.  I just LOVE watching a good game when a team I am passionate about is playing.  The Cross Timbers Wolves are my new favorite team!

On Thursday this week, Clara's brownie troop will be coming over and we will have a "bridging" ceremony as they are no longer brownies, but Juniors!  There will be snacking and playing, a brief ceremony and then some pool time! Should be a lovely day and the weather should be tolerable too, though we are climbing back up TOWARDS 100 degrees as we go later into the week.  Not supposed to hit it...but 99 is close enough, if you ask me!

What else?  Oh...I lost ANOTHER pound on my Fit for Life 21 day challenge.  It's about time!  I've had a week being stalled out and I was getting pretty frustrated.  This newest pound brings my total to 7 pounds.  Still another week to go on the challenge and then I start cooking for myself again.  I will be glad to have that privilege back again.  To cook for myself and to choose my own meals.  I tell ya what...I will NOT be eating too much chicken or salmon. That's for sure!   I am overloaded with those two entrees!  Enough already!  So just 5 more days to go!  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now!

I guess that's about all for now!  Got to get outside and enjoy this beautiful day!  Hope YOURS is just as cool and wonderful!