I’ve been awake for over 24 hours and, despite being sleep deprived, I feel like I could run a marathon right now. I got a steroid injection yesterday due to an allergic reaction to poison ivy and it has me WIRED. So, hold on, because this blog post may be my post random one yet…full of lots of typos.
A couple weeks ago (maybe even three weeks?), I closed out another school year. I’m not gonna lie and say it was an easy one…as a teacher or as a parent. But, it was still hard to say goodbye to another group of students. This group was a challenge. BUT, they were also a group that matured more in one year than any other group I’ve taught. Several of them went from having behavior issues to becoming natural leaders among their peers. They also grew leaps and bounds academically, which is saying a lot because they are already a very smart group. But, they were ready to move onto Jr High and I was ready for the lazy mornings of Summer break. So hugs were given, certificates were handed out and my classroom was packed up….
Summer break has not been as busy as usual, but has still kept us hopping. We started the break by going to a family farm in Alabama for Memorial Day weekend. We LOVE going there, spending time with Uncle Fred, eating good food and fishing from sun up to sun down. Over the course of about 36 hours at the farm, we caught over 100 fish! Some of them were giants, too! It was a great way to start out break.
We added a few additions to the family at the start of Summer. We adopted a bloodhound puppy, Rip. He is quite a needy little booger that keeps us laughing with his clumsiness and droopy ears. He does not replace Fetcha in any way, shape or form but he has helped with relieve the big loss we were feeling after her sudden death. He’s been a good addition to our family. We also added 2 more chickens because who doesn’t need more chickens in life??
During the weeks we’ve been busy with youth group, baseball practice, and spending time with friends. I’ve also planted my largest garden to date. Even though I still have a long way to go with learning the ins and outs of gardening, it is fun to see the produce starting to sprout. Yesterday I noticed 3 small watermelons growing on the vine and I’ve been picking cherry tomatoes almost daily this past week. P has started a side hustle of making soft plastic baits and already had a couple customers ordering custom baits from him. E decided he wanted to start taking gymnastic classes to help with speed and agility on the baseball field. Turns out, he really likes gymnastics and wants to continue taking classes. Fitting that into his busy schedule may prove challenging but we always seem to make it work.
We’ve been busy finishing up the Spring/Summer baseball season. At some point I may share the debacle of this travel ball season. But, for now, I’ll tell you it’s been like a Cinderella story. From March to May, the boys were so dejected and didn’t even seem to love playing in their tournaments. But, a change in our standings changed all of that last weekend. For the first time since February, they ended pool play as #1 seed. I can’t tell you how happy it made me to see them joking with each other, laughing, dancing and thoroughly enjoying the game of baseball! That meant more than a win in my book because at the end of the day they’re still 11-12 year old BOYS. Life is meant to have fun and the team bonding is what they’ll remember way more than the tournament wins/losses.
Although our Summer started out somewhat slow (ie not as much traveling), it’s starting to amp up. On Monday I told the boys that this would be our last boring week of the Summer. Ha! I’m so funny! We’ve had friends over, spent hours doing yard work, will be hosting a crawfish boil tonight and a baseball team fish fry tomorrow. And to top it all off, Rob and I are celebrating 16 years of marriage today.
I believe that this is only the 2nd anniversary that we haven’t gone on a trip or dressed up for a nice meal out. Instead we’re having friends over. But I’m thankful that we’ll be spending our anniversary fellowshipping with friends and family. That is what our life has become together and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We are so blessed and I try not to ever take that for granted. I am so thankful for the people that the Lord has brought into our life these past 16 years. I am thankful for the highs and lows that have drawn us closer together. I am thankful for the 2 best boys that the Lord could’ve blessed us with. So much has happened in the past 16 years and I can’t imagine sharing this life with anyone else!
