Thankful Thursday

Today I am SO thankful for this guy:

Who won't be doing much of that until our new deck gets done! He is amazing when it comes to tools and building stuff. We've been in our house for almost three years and are so looking forward to getting our deck!

Then there will be endless days of rest once again.

Thank you Ben! You just rocked my world! Love you!

*****hey, hey, hey, hey!*****

~~I got a deck, I got a deck, I got a deck, hey, hey, hey, hey!!!!!~~

(Think Little Rascals)

So that peppy little tune keeps running through my head and has been since about 9:30 last night as we were walking out of Lowes. It's been three years in the making but it's time for:

~ outdoor eating

~sleeping under the stars

~watching the bats fly at dusk

~planters full of flowers

~no more filling small propane tanks--I have a hook up on my deck to a BIG tank

~786 more square feet to live in! errr..OUT!!!!

It looks a little some thing like this......

Well, it's going to look something like that. Mostly like that except our railings are going to be WAY MORE AWESOMER! sorta like this....

Ben can't wait to get started! He asked me this morning to call and see if Lowes could deliver whatever they have in stock NOW and we could pick up the rest later. I'm so excited, I've been doing a little happy bounce in my seat. I'm getting weird looks. I'm grinning my face off!

The best part.......DECK PARTY!!!!!!!

maybe for my Birthday (in 25 days) Or maybe later....either way!

Or EvErY dAY!!!

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

^me grinning me face off^

Phhwwuucckkkkkkk!!!!!!

So I was eating some pork rinds this morning and having a conversation with Tiffany about how from here on out I claim all of her portions of pork rinds for the rest of her life. Believe me when I say she is more that willing to hand those beautiful babies of crispy goodness over to me. Crazy right?

Well as I was munching on the pork rinds someone had put on my desk I absentmindedly put my pendant in my mouth. I play with it alot, if it's not my pendant it's my pen, or a straw, or my nails......

You wouldn't believe the shock when I found out that this morning I had gotten some of this on my necklace.....(still not sure how I pulled that one off)

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combined with:

Phhwwuucckkkkkkk!!!!!!

At least I'm pretty sure that's the sound I made.....

My Family, by Tiffany

My dear, dear Tiffany is starting a photography business. This weekend she met up with me and my rascals, all 3 of them for a family photo session. The sun was out, we were on the beach, and Tiff is AMAZING!!!!!!!

There are are more photos on her blog, as well as on the one for her blooming business.....

Good luck Tiff.

Thank you for the memories!

(I had no clue I looked like that! It must be her camera...)

Mindi told me....

According to Mindi's words here, I am a good mom. A REALLY good mom.

This is MY camera and yes, that's MY lens. It's my third baby! Just to share, the camera is a Canon Rebel XTi and the lens is the 75-300mm.

Of course I tote it around to fastpitch, t-ball, soccer, and football games.

Of course it goes on vacay with us.

It pretty much stays in my car so I can take a picture when ever I get the urge! And I get so mad when it's not in my car and I see "the perfect shot"!

And yes, I took all of these pictures with it :) I love the range that my second lens gives me. Someday I'll get a few more to add to my collection.....hint, hint.... honey my Bday is in 33 days!!!!!!

Today I Cried

I did. I cried. I was promoted and left the job I had known and loved on Oct. 26, 2008. Today is the first time I have truly missed it. Today it HURT. My new job is great. I have a desk. I provide engineering support. I'm supposed to be one of the smart ones.

Today I just want my tool bag back.

I want to climb down in to one of these:

And work on some of these:

I want to use one of these:

To fix some of these:
Obviously this one is broken since it's on in the middle of a sunshiny day....It needs me!

I think it all started this morning when I saw this and thought....

....I'll never get to climb that again. All 315' of it....
I always liked that day, it was one of my favorites.

From there I just got worse. I L.O.V.E.D. what I did. Leaving my old job was scary but I knew I was moving on to greater things. I know my new job is awesome and I am so thankful to have it!

But today I am pathetically reduced to tears over dirt, sweat, cuts, blisters, mud, allen wrenches, grease, oil, rain, howling wind, meggers, beating sun, aching muscles, working at 2 in the morning, stains, wrenches, rat poop, cleaning rags, vacuum cleaners, cable cutters, hy-pot machines, 409, light bulbs, nuts and bolts, screw drivers, testing relays, box knives, fire, dirty coveralls, holes from batteries in my jeans.....

The list could go for a while. Today all of that hurts. A lot.

I figured if I was going to miss it it would happened before I hit the six month mark. Don't get me wrong, the new job is going great. It keeps me busy learning lots of new things, working in higher areas on newer projects, and helping others learn too....

But today, I miss finishing a job and looking like this:

And that's not even a really dirty day....

Some days Mike Rowe had nothing on me! And I loved it!

I'm going home and eating. Everything. That might help.

Does anyone need any electrical work done? That might help too....

I went to Bed with Scratches all over my Body!

Calm down ladies, it's not what you think.

Nothing that exciting--no I didn't go wrestle me some cacti, or Ben.

(sorry family for that picture but hey, we are married, we have kids, it happens)

I was itchy. So itchy I was using everything I could get my hands on to scratch with. Just so you know, even though the zipper on your hoody may feel good, it may leave a mark or two or six that your husband might look at and wonder what exactly was all over your neck....

I lived off this stuff when I was pregnant.

It worked great but there is never enough in one package.

I haven't had any packages of it in my house for oh, about six years now. Don't know why, it's some of the best stuff ever. I was going crazy last night. I got desperate.

I had the BEST IDEA EVER!!!!!

+

+

=

HEAVEN!!!!!!!

What have I been thinking buying tiny little packages at the store. Last night I ground up four, five, six handfuls, I have BIG hands, of oatmeal and put it in a baggie.

Then I put a few handfuls of oatmeal dust in my tub and settled in for a good soak with a book. My skin LOVES me today! NO itchy, No scratchy, No more funny looks from Ben.

I might do it again tonight. I was SO nice!

Wedgies are like Yawns

I swear they are contagious.....

Every week when I'm out playing soccer I'll watch someone else pick their wedgie and then I'll think, "Dang, me too." I pick mine. And then the next gal picks her's.... They funny part is that your sitting there on an indoor field and the walls are plexiglas and there is a landing above with people watching from all angles. So the only really safe place to pick a wedgie is the side line. And who wants to be there?

Good and Better

So yesterday I had the opportunity to have a teaching moment with miss Madison. It was that time for achievement days again and I had dropped her off and after chatting for a bit I ran to the grocery store for some mayo and milk. When I got back and was done killing time reading in the car I walk into the church to look for her. I found another friend and we started talking while I was waiting for Madison to be done. apparently she already was. As I was in the gym I see her tear through there and fly on out following a group of girls. I talked with my friend a bit more and then we went our separate ways. I went off in search for my girl. I walked around the church, twice. I poked my head back in the gym, four times. I couldn't find Madison. I heard a ruckus coming form the chapel and knew that couldn't be my girl, she wouldn't be so loud in that reserved space. Still, all my other options inside the church were taken. I peek my head in and who do I see. Madison. She knew she was busted. I handed her things to her and we went to that car.

Then the conversation started. I told her there were more than just two types of choices. In my opinion there is Good, Bad, and Better. I know that it's not always good vs. evil. Sometimes it's good vs. good and that is the time that we have to choose the "Better" of the two choices. I told her that I wasn't mad at her just disappointed. Then I defined disappointed for her. I told her that I never thought that my daughter would be the one squealing and gallivanting up on the stand in the chapel. I asked her where the right place in the church was to be rowdy. She knew, the gym. I asked her if she thought is everyone was rowdy in the chapel like we can be in the gym if the chapel would be a pretty and preserved as it is. She replied no. I knew that she knew what the right choice had been. I knew she had gotten caught up in playing with her girlfriends. I pointed out to her that the choice she had made hadn't been horrible but it also hadn't been the best choice and we need to try to make the best choices possible.

After all the "discussing" was done, I hear a "Hey mom."

"Yes Madison?"

"Did you know the organ has keys on the floor? That is so cool."

Hey, maybe she learned more than one thing yesterday....good vs. better and organs are cool.

Really?

To the lady who gets completely silent as I walk into the bathroom:

Do you really think that by being completely silent I won't know that you are there or what you were doing? Or *gasp* what you might start doing once I leave? Do you realize that by being totally silent you're only making it awkward for yourself? Guess what, everyone poops. Yes, even me. And your mom. ALL WOMEN POOP. But, hey, I guess you like to poop in private, sorry that I interrupt you. Maybe in the future you could hang something on the door knob, a sock, a jacket, or perhaps just a sign that says "Pooping in Progress". Until then, I look forward to our awkward bathroom rendezvous.

P.S. How did you know I was coming? I heard the courtesy flush from out in the hall.

Play Ball!

It's that time of year again. Time for bat bags, ball caps, cleats, belts and socks. Time for sunshine, bleachers, folding chairs, finding new fields and sunflower seeds. I love sunflower seeds! Time for laundering dirty jerseys and pants twice a week. Time for cheering and proud "That's my kid!" moments. Time for "Can I eat my snack in the car?" NO.

I love baseball!

I love this time of year!

Did I mention today's games are rained out?

This is Madison's first year playing fastpitch. It's still coach pitch and occasionally she still needs the tee but she has already improved so much! She had played tee-ball for two years but took last year off. This year she was ready. And I'm so glad, she is having fun and learning how to play different positions. She is also learning how to swing the bat, it's quite entertaining :) I love when she connects with the ball and sends it ripping through the infield!

Ty is in his second year of tee-ball and desperately want to play "real baseball". We had to tell him that the second year of tee-ball is part of his job in getting ready for "real baseball". I think we were pretty right on considering this is how he plays right now:

Yes, that is a guy standing on third base. Yeah, I can't blame him. Tee-ball isn't the most exciting game ever...

We are working on playing attention to the rest of the field. Ty does have a great arm and can throw long distances pretty accurately. AND he's a switch hitter. He does pretty darn well on either side of the plate and will switch from one side to the other as the game moves along. He's really comfortable with a bat in his hands or a glove out in the field. Any one jumping in line to be his agent yet? He has learned not to run all over the field and jump into a pile to get the ball. He is rather patient in waiting for the ball to come his way, and in tee-ball unless your the pitcher, it doesn't happen very often, but when it does it's usually a zinger.