Slow Down!!!

When I drop into bed, absolutely exhausted, every night then toss and turn because of all that we have going the following day, then waking up exhausted to do it all over again, I think back to 2020. To how life shut down and I said I’d never take the busyness in our lives for granted again. I need a middle ground. Somewhere in between insanely busy and bored out of my mind would be nice. When Monday rolls around, I think, “I can’t wait until the weekend so I can relax.” But then the weekend arrives and we’re even more busy. The never ending cycle is just that….never ending. 

The past two weeks have been insanely busy! One boy played two Fall Ball tournaments back to back weekends. I started a weekly Bible Study. One boys adopted a kitten only to find it, dead, a week later (Talk about an emotional week for him!). One boy had his first homecoming dance, which had me running all over town buying-and returning-clothes and shoes. The boys and I all had homecoming activities this week and Rob even got finagled into driving the elementary school float in the parade. 

The redeeming light at the end of the tunnel is that Fall Ball tournaments are behind us and, typically, life slows down when the weather changes. I pray that’s the case. But if it’s not I’ll hang on for dear life and just keep enjoying the wild ride of life! Like a close friend of mine always said, “You can always catch up on sleep when you’re dead.”

August Dump

 I can't believe the first month of school is already behind us! It's been a very busy month. So busy, in fact, that we're still not completely unpacked after moving into our house 2 months ago. But it's been good. We've been busy with school football games (and tailgating), cross country, baseball, surgery and Covid. We've had 3 home high school football games, which we've enjoyed tailgating at with family and friends. The boys LOVE tailgating because they can play football with their friends, have food readily available and sit to actually watch the football game when they want. After every game, they tell us how much fun they had. I thoroughly enjoy watching them play with their friends, laughing and creating memories. 

E has had baseball practice once a week for the past few weeks. While he goes to practice, P goes to youth group. Both have found their niche, which makes me beyond happy. E had his first baseball scrimmage this past week. The team struggled at the beginning of the game but by the end they had gelled and won the game! E had a great at-bat and even got into a very entertaining pickle. When it was all said and done he was safe. But he had been called out and stepped off the bag. At that time, the opposing team tagged him, so he got out. It was used as a good laugh and a learning experience. Last Sunday, E and I went on a 9 mile bike ride by our house, which we both really enjoyed. We're going to try to do that as much as possible. He's looking forward to adopting a barn cat in the next few days. So our bike ride included stopping to meet his new kitten, which he has affectionately named Snickers. I told him not to get too attached to the cat as I have a feeling it won't be with us for a long time. But he's still excited about his new pet.

Rob had neck surgery a few weeks ago to relieve arm pain due to pinched nerves. It's been a rougher recovery than expected and he's been very limited in what he's able to do. He's going stir crazy and can't wait to get back into the routine of work this week. 

P has had a great month! He asked a girl to homecoming and she said yes. He's been to 2 back to back concerts, one of which he thoroughly enjoyed and one we left early from. During the 2nd concert, he kept coughing and saying he wasn't feeling good. But I chalked it up to allergies since he had been outside all day. By the time we left, I knew he was sick and I feared it was Covid. We got home and he took a home test, which immediately showed up as positive. He had to quarantine for the first part of last week. But he got to go back to school Thursday and got to participate in his first school cross country meet. He came in 3rd place for his school and 8th overall! It was his best place finish to date and he barely coughed afterward. We were very impressed with how well he did. 

Yesterday we kicked off the start of college football season at our friend's farm. It was nice to enjoy time with friends, ride the 4-wheeler and the boys got to make memories with a non-existent dove hunt. I am personally looking forward to Fall. It's typically the time that life starts slowing down and temps start cooling off. I know that the slowing down part won't happen for us any time soon as our calendar is already full for September and part of October. So, I'm looking to the memories we'll be creating with our packed calendar, memories that I will relish for years to come. We fall into bed, exhausted, most nights and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Appreciated

Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Whether it's because of your hard work, act(s) of generosity, dedication, etc, it's nice to know that someone appreciates you. This school year I started teaching at yet another new district. When you've taught at as many schools as I have, you take notes on how things are done.

My current district goes above and beyond to make its staff feel valued and appreciated. We had new teacher training for 3 days, a few weeks ago. During the training days, we were provided lunch, snacks, drinks and door prizes. We also got paid for it and received CEUs for our time. Not every district is willing to do that for new teachers.

And my new principal is AH-MAZ-ING! Before the school year began, she and her mom hosted a beautiful lunch for the new staff as well as key people at the school so we could get to know each other and she could tell us things that the veteran staff already know. During our PD days she made sure breakfast, lunch and snacks were provided for us. One thing that I have never witnessed a principal do but totally LOVE is how she treats ALL staff as equals. The administrators, custodians, SRO, assistants, office staff, and teachers are all together for the professional dev days. She also makes it clear that she expects teachers to clean up messes just as much as she expects custodians to correct students as necessary. Another thing I love that she does is to remind each of us that we are handpicked by her. She makes herself available and is quick to help her staff as needed. As a principal, she makes it a point to make each and every student feel special. She (and a lot of helpers) decorates the school with a new theme every year to make it a special place. The most important thing she does is she addresses each child by name. Like every child. Not just the ones who are always in trouble. That means a lot as a teacher and as a parent. 

The community that surrounds the school loves on their teachers. They've provided lunch for us. The PTO heads up a lot to provide for the teachers. The first day of school teachers were provided with a customized coffee drink and cinnamon roll. 

These little things, that may seem insignificant, mean the world to me. To know I am appreciated as a teacher and a staff member of a growing district/school makes me want to give 110% all the time. I know that what I do does not go unnoticed and that is something I appreciate more than I could ever express!

Settled....Not Really

Every day for the past two weeks I've thought, "Today I need to take time to blog about our new house." But we have yet to be completely settled and, with the new school year beginning this week, I am running around like a wild child every day, trying to get it all done. This morning I decided to slow my roll until church and just enjoy a relaxing morning. 

We moved in a little over two weeks ago and we have a never ending To-Do list that has us falling into bed, exhausted, every night. But it's a happy exhaustion. We are working as a team to complete projects. Rob is teaching P how to build a backyard fence. It's almost done so the dogs will be able to be outside all day instead of the mud room. (I even got to help dig holes for the fence posts!) P has also learned how to use the riding lawnmower so he gets paid to mow the lawn every week. E has spent the weekend pressure washing the driveway. Together, as a family, we helped the landscaper clear out and trim back the bushes in the front yard. Rob is constantly cleaning up areas and now has a big project to turn the dilapidated barn into a storage shed for our lawn equipment. He's also going to clear out the abandoned greenhouse so I can plant veggies this Winter.

Watching TV has always been a bone of contention between me and Rob. But, since moving here, I've actually had to tell him that maybe he should go sit down and watch TV. He's going to have neck surgery in the near future and pushes the limits daily with doing projects. We are so busy that the TV is only turned on for a very brief time before we all go to bed. That's the only thing I've missed since moving here- the family time at night, after dinner. But, once we get into a routine with the new school year, I'm sure we'll get back into that routine.

It's not that we haven't had family time. In between house projects, we make time to do fun things together. Last week we had dinner on the water and enjoyed a concert by an up and coming country artist. Yesterday we took the boys to the Wildlife Extravaganza. It hasn't been a Summer full of vacations but the boys still seem to be enjoying it. They ask to stay home all the time because they love our new house.

My favorite part of our house is our front porch. Yesterday Rob surprised me with a beautiful new porch swing since my other one was too big for our front porch. I've gotten in the habit of enjoying my morning coffee and devotions on the front porch every morning while the dogs run around and explore. That's my favorite part of the day and I am not looking forward to rushing that in the mornings now that school is about to start.

Speaking of rushing, I need to go get ready for church so I'm not rushing to get it done. 

Goodbye LA

We moved to Louisiana a little over 9 years ago. We've lived in our current house longer than I've lived anywhere since I was 17 years old. But yet, this still doesn't feel like home. That being said, there are some great people here. I have made some wonderful, lifelong friends while living here. We've created priceless memories. And I wouldn't trade that for the world! Today is our last official day living in Louisiana. So, if someone came up to me and asked what I'll miss most about LA first and foremost I'd say my friends. But here are a few other things I will miss as well:

1. The way the energy comes alive any time "Callin' Baton Rouge" is played. Whether it's at a ball game or at a race or at a parade, the crowd takes it to a whole new level that you can't understand if you haven't lived here. 

2. Seafood boils at the Deslatte'. I've never understood the fascination with crawfish, but I sure love all the veggies Cory puts into it. Actually, scratch that. I love all the get togethers the entire Larch Ct invites us to. They are an awesome group of people and I love watching them bring together a BBQ, party, seafood boil, etc.

3. The Tiger 10k. I've done a lot of runs in my life but this one is a favorite. I love that the boys run it with me and it's a family event. I love that there are always so many people I know running it. I love running across the finish line at the 50 yard line of Tiger Stadium. I love it all!

4. Cate St. We didn't discover this delicious restaurant until a couple years ago. It quickly became our favorite because of the sushi. But, in reality, everything on the menu is great. P and I went there the other night for a mother/son date and he asked if he could sign a dollar bill to hang in the restaurant, something they are known for. So we left our mark on one of our favs.

5. The sense of community SELA has after a natural disaster. When the flood of 2016 hit I was overwhelmed with all the people who had lost everything but were still reaching out to offer help. Then Hurricane Laura hit and a year later Hurricane Ida hit and people continued to help their neighbor. The sense of community here is probably something I will never experience again and I'm so thankful that I've been able to witness it, to know there are still a lot of good people in this world. 

6. P's youth group and its leaders. That is one thing I wish we could take with us. The youth leaders pour themselves into making the youth group the best it can be and, more importantly, they pour into the kids. Both of the youth leaders called P last night after youth group to let him know they are only a phone call away if they're ever needed. One of them prayed over our family as we embark on this next chapter. We are blessed, knowing P is doing as well as he is with his Christian walk, because of prayers and, in part, awesome youth leaders.

7. Our neighborhood. I have loved that E's best friend is only a few houses down from us. I love my evening walks around the neighborhood with our dogs. I love the different houses in our 2 street subdivision. I love how quiet it is. And my favorite, is being able to walk over to my friend Melodie's house to chat. 

8. The sunrises and sunsets. My favorite part of the day is when I come out of our subdivision in the morning. The sun is coming up and the whole sky is bathed in orange and yellow. In the evenings, I try to go out for a walk around sunset so I can watch the sky once again light up as the day comes to an end.

9. You know I can't write my Top 10 Favorite Things without mentioning my gym. A year and a half ago I made a lifechanging decision to join Fit Body Boot Camp. Over the past year and a half they have become more than a gym. They've become a family. I will miss the coaches and my gym friends tremendously!

10. Last but certainly not least, I will miss my 5th grade team at LVE. I have worked with some awesome people over the years. And I have been part of some really great teams. But this one takes the cake. We meshed and gelled and never once had drama. The cohesiveness we had was phenomenal. I knew they had my back and I had theirs. A one of a kind group of ladies! (And sadly, we have hardly any pictures together.)

That concludes it. My Top 10 Things I'll Miss Most about LA. On that note, it's time to finish packing before the movers show up. Peace out, LA!

Summer Shenanigans

 When our Summer break first started, we didn't know when we'd be moving. So we didn't plan a lot for this Summer. Usually we are on the go so much that the start of the new school year is when we actually get to slow down and relax. Ha! This Summer is much like our 2020 Summer without a lot on our calendar. We've gotten together with friends for BBQs, the trampoline park, baseball and dinner dates for me. But we've also had a lot of down time at the house....and WAY TOO much screen time for all of us.

The highlights of our Summer was P going to church camp, his 13th birthday celebration, the end of E'a baseball season (with a couple wins!!) and our trip to Cali. We went to Cali at our usual Summer time  but this time we didn't stay as long due to uncertainties with E's baseball schedule, P's church camp and our move. On the way to Cali we had a long layover in Vegas so I paid way too much in Uber/Taxi fees to take the boys to see the strip for the first time. We watched a snipit of the Bellagio water light show and saw some of the famous casinos. Then we made our way to NorCal to visit my parents, where we fished, fed fish, went to a small town parade, ate great food, swam at the lake and went to a baseball game. Then we topped it off in SoCal with my brother and his family, going to Disneyland for the boys' first time, touring the USS Midway, looking for shells on the beach and eating great food. As my mom likes to say, "We crammed a lot into the little time we had together." We always love our Cali time, but I especially loved spending extra time with my brother and his family this trip!

Once we got back, I went to into "move mode". We also celebrated P's birthday. A friend of mine made a custom Ole Miss cake for him, which is probably the best red velvet cake I've ever eaten. We also grilled steaks and corn on the cob at his request. Then, a couple days after his birthday, we celebrated with a few of his friends by going to the movies to watch Top Gun: Maverick and then having dinner at his favorite local Mexican restaurant. It was a low-key, but fun, way to celebrate our boy becoming a teenager.

Well, I'd write more but I'm off to pack more before doing a photo shoot and then watching E play baseball on a friend's team. Happy Saturday!

    

So Much

I have had a million things to blog about over the past month but I haven't been in the right head space to put my thoughts into a blog. It's been stressful...and then boring....and then frustrating....repeat. I guess I should've powered through and blogged because now I can't remember half of what I wanted to blog about. So let me start from my last blog and go from there.

Our property- A couple years ago we bought 10 acres of land in hopes of building our dream home there. But, last Summer, we decided that that was not what we wanted to do (especially with the cost of lumber going up!). So we put it on the market and had a full asking price offer within 48 hours. We were elated! Well, long story short the buyer kept dragging things out and even paid a few months of the land payments in order to prolong things. In February, the month we were finally going to close on the land, the buyer ghosted our agent and the deal fell through. We put the land on the market, and within a couple weeks, we were under contract again with another full asking price offer. We moved forward with everything and even had a closing date/time scheduled. But the day before closing we found out that the lenders dropped the ball in getting legal information out in a timely manner so we had to push the closing back 2 days. Frustrating but not the end of the world. Until it came to the new day of the closing and the buyers decided to walk from the deal. I have lost sleep over it and still can't figure out how they can legally do that. But it is what it is.

As we were dealing with that drama, I was ending the school year with one of my top favorite classes. Before the school year had begun, I was worried about the group of students and was not really looking forward to the year with them. But, I'm so thankful that I had nothing to dread! I loved this group of students something fierce! I told them repeatedly that I would loop up with them every year through junior high if I could. I only had one persistent issue and it wasn't even with a student. These kids were, hands down, top notch students. So saying goodbye to them was bittersweet. Bitter because I can't easily keep track of them after they leave elementary school, but sweet because I'm glad I got to leave LVE with such great memories of this past year.

Baseball, too, has been bittersweet. It was a rough season, not at all the way I envisioned after spending thousands of dollars for E to play for a certain organization. But the last tournament of the year we got the sweet taste of victory not once but twice. A coach that we all love and adore stepped in for our "head" coach and he brought out the best in the boys and the team. You would've thought we won the World series with how we were all acting like fools when the team got their first win! My regret is that this particular coach hadn't coached our team the entire season. If he had, I think we would've had a different outcome. There are "winning" coaches and "teaching" coaches. He is definitely a "teaching" coach, which would have led to more wins, in my opinion, if he had been with us from the beginning.

On Memorial Day, P and I had the honor of doing a modified Murph Challenge that my gym was hosting. We had trained for it together for about a month and we loved taking part in it. We pushed ourselves and tried to honor fallen soldiers who paid the ultimate price for our freedom. It was a touching way to celebrate Memorial Day this year.

The last week of the school year we put our house on the market. We had been advised to get it listed the first of May but we weren't able to make that happen. We were told by several people that we'd have multiple offers within the first few days of listing it. We had one. A contingent one that we did not accept. For 3 weeks we have had 1-2 showings a day with a dose of false hope thrown in. False hope as in we'd get feedback, stating that the people "maybe" are interested in making an offer or potential buyers asking our agent a ton of questions only to make an offer on another house. It's interesting to me that people notice things the first time, looking at our house, that I haven't noticed in the 5+ years we've lived here. I've about killed myself, trying to "fix' everything that strangers have noticed. Finally, I told Rob last week, that I just can't do anymore. It's too much and people will just have to like it the way it is or find a different house. (I'll admit that I "fixed" more stuff yesterday but today I have left well enough alone.)

While we've been dealing with our stuff here, we're slowly transitioning our life to the next chapter. We are under contract with a house and the current owners have been more than helpful with giving us leeway with closing on it. It's a house that needs updating so we're excited to get in there and do some things to make it ours! I'm making the most of my last week at my gym here. That is going to be one thing that I REALLY miss! There are some good gyms around here, but FBBC was the perfect fit for me and my fitness goals. I have thrived there and I doubt I'll ever find another gym quite like it. E tried out for 2 different baseball teams that had reached out to us. After the tryouts we talked to him about the teams and coaches. We talked about it and prayed about it and last night we decided to go with the team that we think best fits him/our family. He is beyond excited and I think this will be a great upcoming season for him. P is super excited about the move, especially now that he knows they have a bass team at this new school. Middle school was rough for him here so he is looking forward to a change.

Speaking of P, he's at church camp this week. It has made me realize I don't think I'll thrive as an "empty nester". Each day Rob and I ask each other, "Has he called you?" Last year he called every night and that's when he didn't have his phone with him. So, knowing he has his phone and he's choosing not to call makes me think he's having a blast. That doesn't mean I'm not counting down until Friday, when I get to see him and hug him, though. P being gone has made for a rather boring week. E spends most of the day down at his best friend's house. So I do chores and read but then I get bored. E assured us last night that I won't have to worry about being an empty nester. He said, "Even when I grow up and buy a house I'll still come spend the night at your house every night because I'll be scared." If only....

To top it off, Rob and I celebrated our 14th anniversary yesterday. We decided that we weren't going to do anything big this year so we just enjoyed a nice dinner out....with E. As I was falling asleep last night, I thanked God for how far He's brought our marriage. The first several years of it were rough. Like, we were going to get divorced rough. But we've powered through, with God's help, and we are stronger than ever. I couldn't imagine going through the stress of the past couple months with how things were in our marriage 10 years ago. But now I can't imaging going through it with anyone else. Rob has truly become my best friend, my biggest cheerleader, my confidant and so much more. I am so thankful that we made it through a rough few years to get where we are today.

Phew, I guess that about sums it up. It's a lot but I wanted to catch up with the blog. Until next time...