Day 4 of Pool Construction

Today, the pool peeps shocked us by showing up at 7am to begin work. The shock ended there. By 9:30 am they were on the road to another job and said they wouldn't be back until Monday. Ugh.

With Day 4 came little progress. A little more digging on the deep end, a little more rock breaking, but that's about it.

Day 3 of Pool Construction

And Jamie said "Let there be no rock!" And the heavens opened up...and there was rock. Uuughhh.

They definitely made some progress today when they broke out the pneumatic poker thingy. It was surprisingly much easier than I thought hitting rock would be. I logged their time using the pneumatic at 1 hour and 15 minutes. The benefits of watching are that I get to make sure I'm being charged accurately.

I'm pretty sure they're done with the shallow end, and should start making their way down to the deep end tomorrow. The deep end is 6ft. If we're lucky, we won't hit anymore rock. Cross your fingers and toes!


Here are the pictures from the day. The first is of the rock breaking ceremony. Ha!
The rest are the end of the day.

Day 2 of Pool Construction

As I mentioned in my previous post, the labor didn't show up until 2:30, and then didn't begin digging until 3:00. Day 2's progress is only an hour and 45 minutes of work, so these pictures don't look a whole lot different. They did remove the stump from the tree Ash and I cut down, and that was a bit of a challenge. They also moved the huge pile of dirt to the back corner of the yard to make room for more dirt. I've asked them to leave a good amount so I can level out the yard, and build a retaining wall around the existing concrete patio under the deck.
Moving on. Here are the pictures for Day 2:

Catch Phrase

We've been in to playing Catch Phrase lately. Basically, Catch Phrase is a game where you try to get the other people on your team to guess the word you're trying to describe before the timer goes off. The three of us play a modified version, where we all guess, while one person describes. No points. Just some fun.
Alex gets a word and here's how it went today:

Alex: Ok, the first word is frozen water.
Ash: ICE!
Alex: YES!! Ok, second word is a three dimensional square.
Ash: CUBE!...ICE CUBE!!!!
Alex: YES!!!

(Mom Picks jaw up off the tile floor)
WOW! THREE DIMENSIONAL SQUARE??!!! 6 years old I tell ya, SIX!

Work Woes...maybe not

Where did I leave off on Friday... interviewed with two preschools last week and applied for a 90% perfect job on Saturday. Fast forward to Monday (today),
I log on and start my routine of searching want ads.
Once again, nothing.
Only it was worse; the job I applied for on Saturday had mysteriously disappeard. And there I sat, once again starring at screen full of jobs that I'm not qualified for. So there's the start of my day, as it has been for weeks. I sit, I ponder, I drive myself deeper in to dispair. Maybe I will read some more of my History text, for the class I haven't even started. (Yes, that is pathetic, I know)

It's not that I NEED this job.
But really, I do NEED this job. I need something. The kids are getting older, need less of me, and I NEED something more.
Fortunately, I was preoccupied with the notion that the pool worker bees would be showing up "any minute now", and that helped me not get too deep in my funk. So I paced from window to computer screen, to window and back again to computer screen, thinking somehow, one or the other will provide me with some sort of hope. Neither prevailed. It's amazing how busy one can be doing absolutely nothing. 2:30 rolls around, and low and behold, a work truck appears. YES! We will make progress today!
Or so it seemed. The guys pile out, spend 30 minutes repairing the broken backhoe and then get to work. Finally, I have something to preoccupy myself. So I sit. And I watch. And I watch some more. By 4:45 they decide to call it a day, and they pile back in to their truck and they're gone. **Sigh** I'm pathetic. Just pathetic. Unmotivated, unstimulated and in need of SOMETHING.
And then it happens.
I notice I have a voicemail.
It's the Castleberry.
After being "on call" for what?? 3 months I guess it was, he calls! He's ready for some help. He needs me 3 to 4 hours a day asap.
And finally, I can exhale.

Pool Progress

I updated my Day 1 post for anyone that's interested. End of Day 1

Today mark and I finished putting the back fence up. I'm soooo proud of Mark. He built the fence himself, installed the post holders in to the concrete retaining wall and all I had to do was help him put the segments in place. He did an excellent job of measuring, the segments went in trouble free and took no time at all.

Some before and afters of the fence:

Before: (Yeah, not such a pretty site, eh?)




After:

Work Woes

This past week I interviewed at two preschools in the area. The first was at Primrose School, a private preschool (not sure I understand what that is supposed to mean), and Private Kindergarten. This school is awesome...classrooms are oversized, bright, cheery with plenty of play and work stations for the children. Each room has their own door leading to age appropriate playgrounds. The cirriculum was excellent and chock full of fun. They integrate sign language and Spanish at every age level, from babies to Kindergarten. Anyway, the interview went well, it mostly consisted of me observing a few rooms for about 30 minutes each. I was very impressed with the program and anxious to sit and chat with the director. "Interviewing" with the director was a bit surprising, she was really much more interested in finding out if my hours would work than finding out about how I teach, discipline and react to certain situations. I don't believe she asked me a single question pertaining to children. A bit of a let down. As we got further in to the "interview" I realized that this "competitive pay", "flexible schedule" (as stated in their ad) job was not for me. Number one, they were not flexible with the work schedule, not at all. And the pay, well, I did expect it to be low, but was amazed to find out that $8.50/hr is competitive. It makes me so sad to see the way our society views the important job of caring for and teaching children. It has to be one of the most important jobs, yet, even at a professional level, pays so, so poorly. Obviously, those that work with children do it for reasons other than pay, thank goodness, but really our priorities are so screwed up in this country in regards to educators. It's so disheartening.

Pros: Awesome cirriculum. Beautiful school.
Cons: Director not as "warm" as I would like, and not up to par as far as I'm concerned. I also forgot to mention that I did speak with an assistant teacher. I asked her about how she liked the job. She doesn't. I'm sure it's all relative, but I got a bad vibe about management from her.

On to the next school. The Goddard School, just blocks away from our old house. I was impressed with their entry system. They have a fingerprint scanner, and unless your fingerprint is on file, you cannot enter the facility. The director was wonderful. Very caring, good natured and welcoming. She was very different than the previous director I interviewed with. She gave me a tour of the facility, which was nice, clean, no "day care" smell, and the employees seemed to be happy and enjoying their jobs. Good sign. After the tour we sat down and talked a bit. She asked several questions relative to caring for children, and followed through with explaining their procedures. Very thoughrough. She was interested in hiring me, however, there was not a current opening for the hours that I am willing to work. She said she'd try and adjust some things and see what happens in the future.
Pros: I know I'd be happy with management. Willing to work with my schedule.
Cons: 15 minute drive, and low pay. Education philosophy is not entirely on board with my philosophy. They seem to be a bit Piaget based than I care for...but I don't know that for sure. They don't believe in timeout either, which I found a little strange.

So the search continues. This morning I did my regular job search and ran across an ad for an Admin. Assistant for the drafting department at a manufacturing company here in Georgetown. The job description and requirements could have been quoted from my resume. The position would be perfect for me AND it's right here in G-town. The pay is much, much better, however, this is an 8-5 job. Not so good. I went ahead and shot off my resume, how could I not. I'm sure they'll want to at least interview me for the position, since there's nothing on the ad that I don't have documented experience in. I figure if I get far enough to receive an offer, I can see about negotiating a little with the hours. If that's not possible, I have a lot of thinking to do.

Cell Phones

I just received this email from my mom, and thought I'd pass it along. Ironically, I have felt the same thing when using my phone.

Jamie,
I have been using the cell phone alot lately & have been complaining about it to Andy everyday. I kept saying that it gets really hot & feels weird, somewhat like a low voltage shock & actually hurts the side of my head & face. Just yesterday I told him that I don't want to use it at all anymore without an earpiece because it was bugging me so much. I checked online & found that our immediate neighborhood is in a low signal area. Just a few blocks East the signal is better.
Then today this news shows up on MSN.com. I copied it for you below.
It's a Bummer, but please read it.
Love ya,
Mom

When Vini Khurana, PhD, an Australian (and Mayo Clinic–trained) neurosurgeon, announced that the link between cell-phone use and cancer was irrefutable--the result of his analysis of more than 100 studies--it set off alarm bells around the world. Use a cell phone, he said, and you increase your risk of developing a malignant brain tumor by two to four times. Until recently, the majority of research indicated little or no link between cell phones and cancer (the World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society maintain that cell phones pose no threat), but several new long-term studies have cast doubt about their safety. Given that cell phones and PDAs serve as lifelines for so many people--24 percent of 10- and 11-year-olds carry them--it raises urgent questions. To find out what precautions you should take when using your cell phone, we dialed the nation's leading experts.
Do cell phones cause cancer?
Maybe…with extended use. Mobile-phone users are twice as likely to develop malignant, difficult-to-treat brain tumors called gilomas, according to a first-of-its-kind study that analyzed the effects of cell-phone use over 10 years or more and was published last year in the journal Occupational Environmental Medicine. The Bioinitiative Working Group, an international coalition of scientists and public-health experts, recently published a hefty report detailing the link between the nonionizing radiation caused by a cell phone's electromagnetic fields (EMFs) and cancer, DNA damage, Alzheimer's, and other diseases. "The cells in the body react to EMFs in cell phones just like they do to other environmental toxins, including heavy metals and chemicals," says Martin Blank, PhD, a professor in bioelectromagnetics at Columbia University and one of the report's authors. The study found that risk from cell-phone use starts at 260 lifetime hours.
Do cell phones emit radiation only when you are talking?
No. "Cell phones give off radiation any time they're turned on so that they can communicate with base stations," says Lou Bloomfield, PhD, professor of physics at the University of Virginia and author of How Everything Works: Making Physics Out of the Ordinary. "The radiation emitted, however, is stronger and more frequent when you're talking or messaging." Also, the greater distance you are from a base station, the more radiation your phone must emit in order to get a signal, which is why your phone feels hot when you have low reception. That heat you feel is radiation. The Bioinitiative study found that adverse effects to DNA can also occur before the phone heats up. To reduce your exposure, make calls only when you have strong reception, hang up before your phone heats up, and store your phone away from your body when it's not in use.
What is a phone's SAR value and why does it matter?
SAR stands for specific absorption rate, and it refers to the rate of radiation exposure from radio frequency and microwaves measured in watts per kilogram of tissue, says Bloomfield. The FCC limit on any cell phone sold in this country is 1.6 watts per kilogram. To find the SAR value for your phone, go to fcc.gov/cgb/sar/. At press time, the phone with the lowest radiation was the LG KG800, at 0.135 w/kg. The highest: Motorola V195s, at 1.6 w/kg. The Apple iPhone is in the middle, at 0.974 w/kg.
What is the range of the radiation?
Exposure to radiation from your cell phone drops off slowly for the first three to four inches from your body, and then it falls dramatically, says Bloomfield. To reduce your exposure, invest in a hands-free headset and limit the amount of time you spend talking on the phone. Khurana recommends using the speaker mode and holding the phone about eight inches away from you. Also, limit your use of Bluetooth devices. While it's true that they emit the least amount of radiation (one study found they can operate as low as 0.001 watts per kilogram), even that can add up fast.
Is it risky to carry a cell phone in your pants pocket?
Maybe. One 2006 study found no link to testicular cancer, but other researchers suspect a link to male infertility. Ashok Agarwal, PhD, director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, recently completed a study in which cell phones were set down for one hour in talk mode, next to sperm samples in test tubes. He found that the sperm's motility and viability were significantly reduced, and levels of harmful free radicals increased after exposure. Agarwal suggests storing the phone in your jacket pocket to reduce exposure to cell-phone radiation. Pregnant women need to take precautions too, because a recent study found that cell-phone use while pregnant is linked to behavioral problems in children.
Are kids more at risk?
"Yes, since children's nervous systems are still developing, and they have thinner scalps and skulls than adults, they should use cell phones only in emergencies," says Gene Barnett, MD, professor and director of the Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center at the Cleveland Clinic. The association between childhood leukemia and exposure to EMFs like those from cell phones has led the International Agency for Research on Cancer to classify them as a "possible human carcinogen." The medical establishments in Germany, France, and the United Kingdom all recommend severe restrictions on children's cell-phone use, with some experts going so far as to say that children under 16 shouldn't use cell phones at all. Make sure your kids opt for landlines when they're at home, and if you must buy them a cell phone for emergencies, get one with a low SAR number.
What about texting?
It's actually a safer way to communicate, says David O. Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany. Since kids hold phones away from their bodies when texting, they're exposed to less radiation than when they have the phones to their ears. "We are very concerned about teen cell-phone use, fearing that we face an epidemic of brain tumors 10 to 20 years from now, and there are so few who are raising warning flags," says Dr. Carpenter. Make sure your teen keeps his cell phone turned off and stored in his backpack when it isn't in use, which will dramatically reduce exposure.
The 10 worst cell phones according to their SAR numbers:
1. Motorola V195s 1.6
2. Motorola Slvr L6 1.58
3. Motorola Slvr L2 1.54
4. Motorola W385 1.54
5. Rim BlackBerry Curve 8330 (Sprint) 1.54 6. Rim BlackBerry Curve 8330 (Verizon) 1.54 7. Motorola Deluxe ic902 1.53 8. T-Mobile Shadow 1.53 9. Motorola i335 1.53 10. Samsung Sync SGH-C417 1.51

The 10 best cell phones according to their SAR numbers:
1. LG KG800 0.135
2. Motorola Razr V3x 0.14
3. Nokia 9300 0.21
4. Nokia N90 0.22
5. Samsung SGH-G800 0.23
6. Samsung Sync SGH-A707 0.236
7. Nokia 7390 0.26
8. Samsung SGH-T809 0.32
9. Bang & Olufsen Serene 0.33
10. Motorola Razr2 V8 0.36

Source: CNET.com, current as of May 22, 2008

Day 1 of Pool Construction

THEY'RE HERE, THEY'RE HERE!!!!

The machinery has arrived, and soon they'll be breaking ground on our swimmin hole!

Here are some before pics. I'll take some at the end of the day and post them later.





Update: End of Day 1

The boss man came out to the house today for the first time, and I have to say, he got me VERY nervous. He stared at the site for quite some time shaking his head, and finally when he spoke he said, "I think this is the toughest job we've ever had to do." Joy. Warm Fuzzies. NOT. After he was here for about half an hour the pin that connects the shovel thingymabopper broke. They had to cut their day short and order a new pin. Thankfully, this won't set them behind too much, since they didn't plan on working over the weekend anyway. They'll be here first thing Monday morning, and once again, I will probably get abosolutely nothing done, as I can't seem to pull my self away from watching and waiting to find out whether we'll hit rock or not. That's where the big bucks come in. So far so good, but there's no telling, one dig could be beautiful black dirt, and right underneath could be solid rock shelf.

Here are some pics of the progress:

400 posts! Plus one!

Post #401. So, I'm trying to come up with a funny way to include my latest endeavor of chopping down a tree (ie: POST)...but for some reason it's just not that funny. I'll 86 the atempt at humor and just cut to the chase.

The pool guy came out today and spray painted the shape of our pool in the precise location...which we are just exstatic about...so that the machinery and worker guys can come dig our swimmin hole tomorrow. It turns out that the edge of our pool came about 6 inches from a 8" diameter oak tree. Sad as it is, it had to go. After borrowing the "chainsaw-on-a-stick" from Grams' house and being lectured on making sure someone was watching me work (in case I chop off a limb or something, there has to be SOMEONE to acurately tell my story to the Darwin Award folks) I found myself on the second story deck, atop the ladder, reaching for the ridicuously high branches of this 20-ish foot tree. Once I figured out that I couldn't hold this thing up, AND pull the trigger unassisted, I employed my darling daughter to assist me in my attempted suicide. Picture me, on a second story deck, on ladder, holding the middle of the 10 foot chainsaw-on-a-stick, while I yell "NOW" and she pulls the triger. Yeah, probably not my most intelligent stunt, but hey, we got the branches down that we were after and managed to avoid injury.
But that was just the beginning.
We made our way down to the yard and pondered what we were about to embark upon...wondering if this is a job that maybe we should just leave for Mark...in fact those were my darling daughters exact words.
Nah, we can do it.
Up goes the chainsaw-on-a-stick, me in the front, child labor in the back...
"NOW!"
Slowly, the chainsaw-on-a-stick works its way through the "what appears to be a not so big limb, but is actually quite huge" limb, and eventually, a massive limb comes crashing down with an incredible thud! Mind you, this "limb" is probably ten times bigger than the TREES at our last house. Ashley and I look at each other with a look as if to say "HOLY CRAP"...although neither of us speaks a word. We just stand there with huge eyes wondering what on earth we've gotten ourselves in to.
We spend the next 15 minutes cutting it in to smaller managable pieces (once again me in the front, child labor on trigger duty), and wow, we're done with half the tree. At some point we realized that looking up in to flying shards of wood chips probably wasn't the best idea, so we dug up some protective eye gear and got back to work.
We went through two massive limbs, and an 8ish foot tall trunk in about 45 minutes, including clean up. I was so proud of my girl, never once complaining, even with her friend Ava staring in horror, shock, or possibly just complete pity.
What a good girl I have, she even helped drag off the logs without me even asking.

I think I'll reward her efforts with a pool. I think that sounds fair, don't you think?

Dad, I can see you shaking your head in horror as you read this. I promise, I won't do it again. ;)

Easy come, Easy go

I can't believe I forgot to post this!

While the kids and I were visiting Nana's last week we spent a great deal of time swimming in the lake, lounging in the sun. All week the kids begged and begged for me to take them out on the boat for a tube ride. Fine. Lets do it. So I'm weaving all over the lake, submitting to their pleas for me to go faster, when suddenly both kids scream STOP! STOP! Frightened that I'd just injured a child I throw it in neutral, and turn around to see Alex screaming and blood flowing down his chin. All OVER his chin. As you might imagine, I was horrified at what I might find at the end of the rope once I finished pulling the kids in. About halfway through pulling them in, my adrenaline began to settle when I realized that they were LAUGHING, not screaming with fear.

They're finally at the back of the boat, where the blood is clearly visible, and clearly flowing and I can't for the life of me figure out why he's laughing and not crying! Finally, he yells, "I lost my tooth!!! I lost my tooth!" And proceeds to hand me his little sliver of a tooth, jump back in the float, bloody face and all, and yell, "lets go!".
And so I went.

Mid Summer

I'm still trying to figure out how this summer has gone by so fast. It's late July, and already time to start school shopping. Good grief, where does the time go!

So here I am, once again, on an endless search for that perfect part time, close to home, no nights, no weekends, all school holidays off kind of job. In case you're wondering, NO, IT DOES NOT EXIST! Everyday, first thing in the morning I start my search, craigslist, Monster, Statesman, etc. And each morning, I end my search wondering if I'm just disillusioned by my hopes of finding that perfect job. The jobs that don't require weekends are the ones that run in to the evening hours, both of which I won't even consider. I've been applying for jobs through the school district for over a year now, with no luck. In fact, today, I applied for another Pre-K assistant position at a local elementary. This time I included a cover letter, all but begging for the chance to work with children. Problem is, (I'm assuming) I don't have any "formal" experience working with children. Nevermind the two amazing well adjusted children that sit in the next room. I've even resorted to searching for preschool jobs. I called up the private school down the street only to find out they're fully staffed. My other options are a bit frigtening. How can I work somewhere that I wouldn't even consider taking my children? And nevermind the pay.
I never imagined myself in this sort of predicament...unable to find a low paying job working with children. Huh?

Anyway, back to summer. The kids and I (plus Savannah and four dogs) just got home from Dads. In between the time I was lounging and playing in the lake, I painted their bathroom cabinets and installed new hinges and hanldes. They definitely look better, but I still need to do some fine tuning when we go back this weekend.

While we were gone, Mark spent a majority of his time building a privacy fence in order to bring the yard up to code for the pool. I'm amazed at what this man can do. I really don't think their is a single project he couldn't tackle on his own. Am I the only one who finds that extremely attractive?? I am so proud of this husband of mine.

As for the pool, just as we suspected, the 25th was too good to be true, and they've bumped it back a few weeks. Apparently, both crews have hit rock on their current digs, and this has put us behind schedule. We're not worried about it, in fact after our experience with contractors and their "estimated dates" we fully expected it.

That's it for now, we're off to the orthodontist.

le pool

Yesterday, I opened my email to find this:

July 16, 2008

Dear Mr. & Mrs. Urben,

THE INSTALLATION DATE FOR YOUR POOL HAS BEEN SET FOR_____7/25/08______(approximately). DEPENDING ON WEATHER, WE WILL STAY ON SCHEDULE AND KEEP YOU UPDATED OF ANY CHANGES.

I am just so giddy with excitement I can't stand it!

We have a lot of work to do once this puppy gets here... Mark and I will be installing a privacy fence on a large portion of our yard, and because we're on a hill we'll also have to build a retaining wall around the pool area. This will certainly be a challenge, but one I'm sure we can live up to. I'm planning on documenting the process from start to finish, so you guys can follow along and enjoy in our excitement.


On Tuesday, I took Miss Ash and three of her friends to Claire's and we all got second ear piercings. Yeah, I said *we*. And for the record, Nana started it. (Oh yes you did!) While she was visiting for the 4th she gave me a pair of diamond hoops and told me I should really get second holes. And that's when the wheels began a turnin'. I'm not sure why it had never occurred to me before then to get second piercings, it's just something I never thought about I suppose. Maybe somewhere in my subconscious I knew that this was something my 11 year old daughter and I could share someday. Ha! That's it!

So now imagine the four of us girls driving down the road, I reach for the radio and turn the blaring top 40 music all the way down to silence, which also silences the backseat full of pre-teen American Idol wannabes...what mom, whydja do that?
All right girls, it's time!
Everyone turn and jiggle!
And on cue, the four of us reach for our sensitive new additions and together we turn and jiggle our new jewelry.

Silly girls.

Basketball Slideshow

Here's the slideshow I made for the end of season party for both of Ashley's teams. It's a joint party, since most of the players are on both teams.

Warning: It's long, but worth it!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

News

Mark and I have been engrossed in research these past few weeks, and it looks like if all things go as planned, we'll be sporting one of these before too long.

Happy 4th!

This was by far the most laid back 4th we've had. It was a little strange not having Miss Ash with us...she's off on a trip with her good friend Maddi and won't be home until Monday. Despite missing our girl, we had a fun time.

Nana showed up in the early afternoon, and by about 5:00 we were on the road to meet Carol (Nana's bestest friend) and the John's. We parked in Nana's building, which is right across the street from the Town Lake festivities...excuse me, the Lady Bird Lake festivities (I'll never get use to that change). We met up with the others at Spagetti Warehouse and had a remarkably pleasant dinner. How 5 small children were able to stay calm, QUIET and well behaved is beyond me, but I'm sure it has something to do with some awesome parenting, and smidge of luck. Renae's four kiddos range in age from 1 to 6, and are by far some of the most well behaved kiddos imaginable. My dinner was nothing to brag about, but the Sangria was muy delicioso.

After dinner we headed back over to the building and set up camp atop the roof of the parking garage. I was concerned about the amount of time we were going to have to wait with NO TOYS, but the kids managed to do an excellent job of entertaining themselves running around and scoping out the view. Another smidge of luck? I dunno, but two plus hours is quite a long time for kiddos this age to entertain themselves with no altercations or whine-fests. By the time dark set in, we'd passed out the glow sticks, Renae had passed out her special snack and the kids were anxiously awaiting the show. And the show, it was A-MAZING! We were close enough to hear the live band playing in unison to the fireworks, which was a MAJOR bonus that we hadn't counted on. And the grand finale, good greif, it was remarkable. The best and longest I've ever had the opportunity to see. By the time it was over, I realized that my cheeks were aching from the smile I hadn't noticed that had been plastered to my face for 23 straight minutes. Listening to the kids dialogue along with the itty bitty ooh's and ahhh's brings a sort of happiness that I can't quite put in to words. They loved it. WE loved it. I'm certain that had we been in a crowd of hundreds, as opposed to the maybe 30 that were up there with us, our enjoyment would not have been half of what it was.

Even with the political unrest, and trying times we're going through in this country, we are so fortunate to be able to call this place Home. Happy Independence Day!

Fun Stuff

Starting Over

Yesterday was Mark's first day at Apple. He left at 7:45, and was home a little after 6. As much as I missed him, I have to say, it was such a relief for me to get my routines back. Since he's been home, we've all been a little out of whack, with no real routine to speak of. No real defined roles...we just sort of flew by the seat of our pants. That was fun. For a while.
While he was home, we both did an incredible amount of nothing. With two of us responsible for keeping the household running, there was much more down time than either of us have ever had in our own home. If you know me, you know that when I'm at home, I'm typically on my feet. I don't sit back and relax, and really, I wanted to, I just didn't know how to let it all go and allow myself that luxury. Nothing a crash course in relaxation couldn't fix.

So, here we are, back to normal, and ever so thankful for the opportunity to have it all back. I broke out the Fly Lady checklist on Sunday. God I love checklists. This is my list of chores broke down in to daily, weekly, and monthly tasks. It's fail proof. I've had these checklists for about 3 years now and I've learned that with the checklists momma's happy. Anyway, breaking out the lists was like seeing an old friend again. That checklist and I have a lot of catching up to do, and strange as it may sound, I'm anxious to rekindle that relationship we use to have. Like a slice of normal pie.


Something I thought was pretty cute: Any guesses as to what Mark can get for free all day long everyday from the cafeteria at work?

Nationals...and other juice

Ashley and I made our way to Navasota, TX last Tuesday, along with 11 other teammates and numerous parents to watch our 6th graders play in the Dribblers National Tournament. We fully expected it to be a two day trip considering the talent pool that the tournament brings in, however, two days turned in to four, and four days in to a second place finish.

It was an excited four days that I'm sure the girls will talk about for most of their lives. The opportunity to play the in the Championship game is a rare one, and for Georgetown, it was a first. It was so, so exciting to be a part of.

I took about a thousand pictures that I will post as soon as I can. I'm still working on the photos from Tiesa's wedding that Mollie and I shot last weekend. I have SO much to do. This was my first time to use my new camera and lens for Basketball, and I'm anxious to see the improvements!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news...you know what they say about an Apple a day...well, for us, it will be keeping more than the doctor away, it will be keeping the bill collectors, psychiatrists and marriage counselors away. After 4 1/2 months of unemployment, Mark is on his way to becoming an Apple employee. We are all so relieved, excited, anxious and thankful that the wait is over.
They're running background checks and going through all the standard procedures right now, but barring any unforseen circumstances, he's in! I feel like I took a deep breath months ago and forgot to let it go. Finally, we can all exhale knowing that everything is going to be just fine.

Sweet little nothings

Yesterday, Alex comes inside with a big grin on his face:

"Momma, I bet you don't know where I just was...
I was in the front yard pulling weeds." *Grin*

"You know, our Susans are falling over?" (Our flowers, the Black Eyed Susans, he calls them our Susans) "I think we need to figure out how to make them stand back up again."

With a proud momma grin, "Ok sweetie, lets go find a stake and see if we can do that."




And this morning he wakes up, makes his usual dash for the bathroom closest to me. (because this is just what he does, I suppose he likes to find me first, then run for the porcelin) Even first thing in the morning he's full of spunk and without fail he tells me something silly in his rough little morning boy voice. His wit never rests.
From the bathroom in the same sleepy voice:

Boy, men sure can pee a lot.
You know, the other morning I peed for like 2 minutes.
I'm sure it was at least a gallon or so.

And then he runs off in his Cars themed underwear to watch some morning cartoons.