Fun with Friends!

You know you're good friends with people when you can spend more than a few hours with them right? This weekend the Muylle's invited us and the Bojo's up to Interlochen, MI to stay with Jill's parents and have some good old outdoor fun.

I don't even know how we started talking about going but Jill turned 40 last week and somehow weeks ago we got talking about it needing to be the best birthday ever. We had a nice lunch on her actual birthday Wednesday, Thursday there was a surprise party for her (and I tell you that was almost a fail because someone wasn't very cooperative about going to Amy's) i.e. not feeling well, marinating steaks for dinner, wanting to go to Walmart, needing prescriptions. But lo and behold she showed up only 15 minutes late and we all had a great time.
Now, for years I've always grumbled about being a nature hater. I vowed I'd never go camping again and her family couldn't really house us all comfortably and there was a chance some of Jill's sisters might want to come up too. We couldn't just take their place. So quasi-camping was the solution. We had my In-Laws offer up their trailer and vehicle to tow it, and also Mike & Julie offered up their trailer. I was happy I wouldn't be sleeping on the ground in a volatile tent. With the busy week and through an epiphany of sorts Joe and I decided that tenting it would actually not be too bad and was probably our best option. After all, we were only going to be gone two nights and it would have warranted us driving separately so we just bit the bullet and camped. And you know it was great!!! We used to camp a lot before we had kids and even took Tommy camping once when he was about Ashley's age. I am definitely up for revisiting our camping life. I was telling Joe and the friends, it wasn't really camping that ruined my camping enjoyment, it was a few camp outs that were ruined by the company that went with us. My brothers would shudder if they heard me say "we're gonna have a lotta, lotta fun, but it's gonna be a lotta, lotta work." I could have a whole post on camping horror stories but as I've said many a time I try to keep this a PG-rated blog.

This weekend was perfect! Except that Ashley no matter what time we put her to bed will wake up at the butt crack of dawn. She's like a dang rooster only louder and absolutely screamed before 6 am each day. Bless Joe for getting up with her both days. Today in her darkened room she made it to 7 am. Ahh, bliss.

Anyways, we had an action packed weekend visiting the Cherry Fest both days. We got to see the Blue Angel's and it was my first air show ever. IT WAS AMAZING!! The planes were so loud, and they'd be flying right at each other and then quickly diverge. They do all kinds of flips and tricks, they fly so close together in perfect formation. It was so neat watching these planes, and I've heard people talk about air shows and you truly do not understand what all the hubbub is about until you experience one for yourself. Put it on your to-do list if you've never experienced this. Austin and Mike watching the show, check out Austin's cherry tattoo.

The boys got to drive the little motorized tractors/4 wheeler. Austin did especially well after a shaky start having to push with his right foot and with turning. He & Tommy loved it, and Ashley even wanted in on the action climbing on the four wheeler. I asked, she won't be able to get that moving will she and Jill's like oh no I don't think so and quickly almost gets runned over. LOL. I guess Ashley could get er going after all.

We went to a couple of different Lake Michigan beaches to swim. The water had such awesome waves. Tommy & I loved that, and Austin, Joe, and Ashley enjoyed the calmer waters closer to shore. Water is crazy powerful and I'd never experienced wave action like that.

The food was great, Duane & Nancy fed us an amazing breakfast both days and we also had all your typical 4th of July & camping fare throughout the weekend. Pizzas on the campfire are just awesome, they rank higher than smores in my book. Everyone took such good care of us and I can't say enough good things about Jill's folks. They were so welcoming and just excellent with the kids. The boys especially as Ashley is a cling on unless you are Ms. Jill, poor Jill couldn't even get a solo shower on Saturday. LOL. Their poor dog is a beautiful golden retriever, and sadly my kids are all afraid of dogs. By the end of the weekend the kids were fairly comfortable around her except Ashley when Mildred would get really close to her.

So it was a productive weekend in that my kids are now more tolerable of dogs, more appreciative of nature, and Tommy kept joking that we'd be back in two weeks. The kids and Joe & I really had a wonderful time and won't soon forget all the fun with such GREAT FRIENDS!

My sparklie

And don't love make it shine? I think Tracy Byrd probably sang it best around the time Joe and I were engaged or newly married. I loved my beautiful solitaire that Joe picked out all by himself. We then picked out matching bands.

I remember an I Love Lucy episode where Ricky tries to teach Lucy a lesson about being careless and takes her ring after she'd left it on the windowsill and hides it on her. Well you know through the course of the comedy all heck breaks loose and the ring ends up being lost for real. I remember Ricky saying "I'll buy you a new ring with great big diamonds all the way around it" and Lucy cries "I want my old ring with tiny diamonds half way around it." Lucy did find it in the end when she bit into a hamburger, lol. All was well.

Joe and I had wedding ring talks last weekend. He ended up joking with me to never lose mine because he'd have to spend a lot more money today then he did back in 1996. Haha! Well I'll be darned but I had a scare thinking I'd lost it at hockey. I swore I put it in my shorts front pocket and it wasn't there. I scoured the locker room floor, a teammate went through my smelly bag shaking every item, it was horrible. I was almost in tears thinking how am I going to tell Joe I've lost my wedding ring. One lady told me to take off all my clothes and shake them and I'll be darn I found my ring. It was in my back pocket!!! Oh man that was close. As far as replaceable possessions this is my most prized. And unlike many ladies who I know "trade up" their rings as the years go by, I see me wearing this one for the duration. And that's not a dig on them. There is nothing wrong with trading up, or resetting a diamond, it's just not in my plans.

I also don't believe in any way that a marriage is doomed if a ring is lost. Joe would have been frustrated with me if I hadn't found it but it wouldn't have been a marriage killer. He would have chalked it up to another one of those "imperfect moments" that Fr. Jim warned us about at our wedding. And like Ricky Ricardo, I'm sure he'd have offered to buy me the biggest and most beautiful diamond he could find (maybe even remortgage the house or something). But thankfully I'm still wearing mine and only had to get nearly naked in front of a small audience to find it. I think finding it in a hamburger would have been less embarrassing.

Hockey with Tommy

Well Tommy finally got his wish or maybe it was my wish but tonight I got to bring him to my ladies hockey night. With the summer they just have drop in without teams so the crowd is light. I had asked two weeks ago if the ladies mind if I brought him. And the gals agree the more the merrier as long as he doesn't act like a butthead and coast to coast, score and hog the puck the whole time. And the best way to prevent that is to simply put him on my team during scrimmage. That way he's not showing off to beat me. Plus, I'd warned him pretty intensely before going that he better not act like an animal out there. And he did a good job of listening for once. He didn't piss anyone off I don't think. He just skates so fast and smooth and passed the puck beautifully and unlike us oldies he never tired. He could chase pucks forever. Oh to be 9! I guess it was still good for him because he was very sweaty afterward. The ladies were pretty tough on him knocking him on his keister a few times. What we lack for speed we make up in size and brute strength I guess. And when I bugged him about not showing off he said, "geez Mom I only scored five times!" Which honestly wasn't that bad because we didn't have any goalies. Any old asthmatic goalies reading this that want to un-retire now is the time.

At the end I said I'd race him down and back the full ice. I figured he'd kill me but he actually didn't beat me that bad. Apparently I am pretty fast straight up, it's the turning, and skating with the puck that I am crappy at, not to mention stopping can be dangerous at times too. He said he was tired and that's why he didn't beat me that bad. Whatever, I don't know. I'm just happy I got to spend an hour with my boy doing something together we both enjoy but typically don't get to do. And it sure beat staining the deck which we did together earlier in the day.

Safety vs. Aesthetics

Last night Joe and I went hog-wild buying brand new bikes for us, ordering a trail-a-bike for Austin, and a getting a new bike seat for Ashley. And dang if we aren't going to look the shi-ite biking through town. That is until you see us with our mushroom head helmets.

Joe and I had bought cheapy mountain bikes on layaway back before we got married in 1997. It was so thrilling to actually get my first brand new bike since I was 8 years old. I remember that birthday. I also remember in 7th grade I finally convinced my Dad I needed a new bike that fit me. And a bike for me was critical. I had to bike to band practice, ball practice, friends houses, I was not simply taxied around. I loved my bike. My Grandparents were over and came to Dad's financial rescue. Grandma had a practically brand new bike she'd maybe rode 3 times that I could have. I had my hopes up but I kind of knew what I would be getting. It looked something like this.

My friends used to tease me mercilessly about it. Them in their hip hot pink 12-speeds and what not and me in my cream, blue, and brown 3 speed monster. Oh well, that bike took me all over the place!!! And though it was super fugly, I loved it. And I only cared a little bit what others thought of it.

Which leads me to this question? Why am I so stinking worried about what I look like with a helmet on? We make our kids wear helmets. Most kids by the time they are Tommy's age around here no longer wear them. I guess if I want my kids to be ok with them I have to lead by example. So Joe bought us both helmets. I hate it. Ashley looks cute like a little Toadstool from Mario Brothers. I just look like that weird rat from Pinky and the Brain. But seriously who am I really trying to impress anyways? I guess I just feel sheepish as I barely crack 10 mph and don't do any rough terrain. Do I really need a helmet? I made it my little 4 miles and saw many people I knew and even stopped to visit with one person. I didn't get teased about my helmet. In fact it wasn't even mentioned. I suppose like anything it will just take some getting used to. Moral of the story, if I could survive my teen years riding the fugly monster I should definitely not care about a piece of safety head gear as a 32 year old.

But here is a great PSA that makes me feel so much better about my mushroom head. Enjoy!

I blinked

And school was over. One more working day for me and it's summer vacation. To say I'm behind on blog reading and I guess posting would be an understatement.

Here is life in short stanzas since my last post back in April! Yeesh!

Tommy had 3 hockey tournaments - he won 2, and lost 1. Pretty darn good. He is now done with hockey until camp in July.

Ashley is running all over the place and is getting in her molars. Ouchy! She loves being outside and riding her little bike. She also loves going for long bike rides on the back of my bike.

Austin lost his first top shelf tooth.

Austin had another very successful coach pitch baseball season. He had fun and even seemed to be more aware of the game when in the field. He almost made a few plays even catching one throw when he played first base. Too bad he wasn't standing on the base. haha.

Tommy also had a successful ball season. His team won more games than they lost but were out early in the playoffs. He got to do a lot of pitching and did pretty well. His hitting was average and he had fun and being the oldest in his bracket; this was his year to shine. Next year he'll be the young one again. Boo! He is playing travel ball this summer so at least our ball days aren't completely done.

I graduated another wonderful class of 8th graders. They gave me a beautiful statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It's taller than Ashley. What a wonderful gift.

I had another successful trip to Washington DC with my students. It was my longest stint away from Ashley but I was so darn busy I had nary a moment to miss the family. Go, go, go! We had a blast.

Ashley had her first overnight sleepover. She & Austin stayed with the Muylle's while Joe and I went to a wedding and then down to Detroit for Tommy's hockey tourney. We all survived. :)

The Gold Diggers got 2nd place in the hockey league. It was fun. We're now doing a shinny type league in the summer.

My brother Andrew graduated from High School.

We started Co-ed softball. We are sporting a new look with a new sponsor. A!BM It's our school cleaning company. So far we are 1-1. Win or lose, I love spending my Sunday afternoons with my family and my friends playing ball. But winning is definitely much more fun. Last week we lost and got to play in the mud. That was kind of fun too.

I had my 32nd birthday. I'm no longer prime. In fact I have 5 years to wait until I'm prime again. Doh!

And a gabillion other probably trivial things that just clog up life. But eh, life is good. I'm hoping that I don't blink and summer is over. Though that tends to happen. Stay Tuned.

Interesting hockey tonight.

And I'll be darn none of the craziness had anything to do with our championship game which we lost 3-2 and I sucked eggs. Oh well. It was fun anyways. We'll be back at it next Monday night and I wonder what team I'll get shuffled to next.

Anyhoo, on with the countdown of interesting events.

3. There was a beautiful doe running down the busy lane just outside of the arena. It's near a busy metropolis so I thought it odd. I dreamed about a car deer accident this weekend and always see deer on my way home from Bay City but usually a little bit closer to home.

2. I went out on the ice from the locker room and quickly fell face first and sprawled out like an dead fish. My Dad and brothers were there and I looked up and got lots of cheers. I then stood up and immediately fell again. I guess I had left one skate guard on. Jackass. That got quite a few laughs.

1. I was using the bathroom and some crazy ass dude comes in from the other locker room and uses the urinal. He's whizzing away, and coughing, and clearing his throat and I'm thinking for #$#@! sake how do I end up in situations like this? I just hung tight in the stall until he was done but a sadistic part of me wanted to make a scene and walk out on him and then scream"Oh dear God!" in shock but I really didn't want to see Captain Winky. What's with men? Can't they knock? Us ladies always knock, then open the door without looking, yell "is anybody in here" and then go about our business. And you know what else?? He didn't wash his hands. Although my flushing probably scared the piss out of him LOL so he got out of there as quick as he could one he realized he wasn't alone. So that was interesting. It was kids playing so it must have been a Dad or coach. At least I haven't walked in on any dudes in the shower. But it might make for good blog fodder.

The Bell of Shame

Everyone has seen Akeelah and the Bee right? It's a great movie about an inner city youth who goes on to win the Scripps Spelling Bee. When a speller gets a wrong answer there is no empathetic "ooh so sorry you missed" it's a shrill "ding" and the speller takes the long walk of shame to the chairs to watch the rest of the bee internally beating themselves up over their errant spelling.

Tommy's latest endeavor...you guessed it the spelling bee. It was the Catholic's vs. the Lutherans as two local schools came to our gym showcasing local 3rd and 4th graders in the annual parochial spelling bee.

We studied a bit, probably not as much as we should but I was confident that young Thomas would fare well though he probably wouldn't win. He did do well, for a long time there were about 8 students who were all looking great, after a while it was down to four and Tommy was still in. It was looking like a possibility that he could go all the way. They threw homonyms at him left and right, words like weigh, pare, etc. and he cleverly asked for a sentence and would quickly spell the word correctly. During our "trainings" Joe had urged him to ask for a sentence for every stinking word, even if it was obvious what the word was with no double meanings. He scoffed at that deal and said "only for homonyms, I don't want to be annoying." And that my friends was his undoing. On and on the final four are going when the spell master gives him the word "piece" and he immediately starts spelling "p-e-a-c-e" and just like that "DING" and the crowd moans. It was all over. He gasped, then threw his hands in the air, looked up to the heavens and took his walk of shame. He had gotten overconfident and didn't ask for a stinking sentence. And we had practiced that one too.

Oh well it's all good and well. And it was nice that our little neighbor girl won it all. She is a sweet little thing and wouldn't you know it, she asked for a sentence for every single word she was given. Nice strategy which may have saved Tommy, I wonder if he'll follow her suit next year and ask for a sentence at every word. Her brother won the 4th grade bee as well. Smart little cookies. And honestly, little Amber knew every single word on that list; Tommy not so much.

The final chapter in this excellent story is just knowing who the bell ringer was. Any guesses? Oh yeah, it was me. And I tell you what I felt very bad ringing that bell for all those poor kids. I think it's a little harsh but I guess it's the way things are done in the big bees so why not give them a taste of that agony as 8 and 9 year olds.

Poor Tommy, he will never forget that piece/peace was his undoing in the 3rd grade spelling bee. Just like I will never forget in 2nd grade it was down to me and one other dude and they went to 3rd grade words and I got out on freeze leaving off the last "e." And just like Joe and "cotten/cotton" in his 4th grade bee. Thankfully he didn't take it too hard and was happy that Amber & Aaron won. However in the few hours afterward he had no peace over his inaccurate piece of spelling work.