hey, it works! all week i've been logging on to try to blog and the thingy would just spin and spin and would never load this page. i think really it was God telling me to keep my nose to the grindstone and get my work done :) either that, or He knew I was crabby and was preventing me from spewing all over you.

at any rate, it's friday and i'm coming off a week full of molding. not the kind you find on the back of stuff in the fridge, but the kind that happens when you are CHANGING and being molded into something hopefully better. sigh. not easy, but i can feel it.

you see, it's been a crazy summer with the whole "gonna build a house" journey not exactly following the path i had set in my head. lots of twists and turns and stops and starts and hopes and disappointments...and we have not even put a shovel in the ground yet.

long story short, i have GIVEN IT UP. it's not in my control. i put God in charge of this move wayyy back in february, and told him to open doors and close them. i have to just keep faith that He's doing what's right for my family--even if He's taking the long route. i'm sure years from now i'll look back and say "NOW i know why such and such happened..."

God already knows the ending of this saga, and i guess i have nothing to do but wait for the end of the story. i bet it will be a good one. God's stories usually are.

just some summer stuff. caught the husband and little j napping after they cancelled the big game due to rain (again). also, i took your advice, deann and karen, and got myself a nice boy to mow the lawn. it's not always perfect, but he comes cheap.

finally, baseball is in full swing and the boys are on the same team. this is a rare moment of brotherly love. i'm sure they were pounding on each other moments after the shot was taken :)

we just had a big ol' storm sweep through here, but the weekend ahead is forecast for sun sun sun. maybe i'll have some waterskiing photos for you come monday if all goes well.

happy friday!

you know how it is when one morning you wake up, look in the mirror and realize you need a haircut really bad? that was me today. then i realized it's been since the end of april since i had one.
no wonder i was eating bangs with my cereal. i'm going to try to squeeze one in this week, but it may not happen. too bad it's not stocking hat season. i could drag this bad 'do out for at least a week and no one would ever know. i do love my stocking hats...

in other news. i am not taking a picture cuz it's kinda gross. but...sidney got her leg amputated and she really seems happier. we're pretty excited for her, she's got a little giddy-up in her go again.
she was in so much pain that she wouldn't even attempt to get up if someone threw a ball (which is pretty serious if you know labs at all). her first day home, i took her outside and she went right into the garage and grabbed a tennis ball. it was so cute. another week or so and i bet money she's chasing that ball all over the place.

other than that, we had a small taste of summer on saturday with a day at the big (heated) pool ini mitchell and a night of waterskiing. we didn't get off the lake until 9:45...that's a record, i think. sunday the clouds and rain were back. on the bright side, this place looks like ireland.

i'm wondering if my mom earned her pilot's license this weekend? i should say, i wonder how WELL my mom did on her pilot's test. anyway, i'm proud of you mom. i know you aced that thing, with FLYING colors. you are da bomb. next up? barrel racing?

i have been thinking about all of us facing this big class reunion. we all want to show up looking just like we did 20 years ago, if not better. that's a lot of pressure. i know that 20 years ago i did not have crows feet and i could fit my butt into a pair of size 2 pants. yeah. that ain't happening. thing is, i'm pretty happy with the older me. she's a lot different than i thought she would be, in a good way. but still. the surface stuff is hard sometimes...i'd really like to look like i'm 25 but be 38. without surgery :)

then today, i got the best advice...three different times in a row. i deliver meals on wheels once a week, and i have to say it's been a great blessing. i knew it would be. most of my ladies are in their 90s. they all like to chat, and today i made some time to chat back.

the first lady came up to me at the counter when i was picking up the food. she's one of those sweet ones with big blue eyes and white hair. she told me that the thing that bothers her most about being old is being limited. she said she doesn't FEEL old, and it's hard to swallow the fact that she can't do a lot of things anymore. i totally got her. i really did. i bet she feels just like i do...wondering how this young person got stuck in this older body? then she said "girl, you just got to keep a movin'. don't stop, just keep a movin'."

the next lady is kind of crotchety. very loud, very opinionated. but i like her anyway. she's 94, and just had knee surgery. she talked for a good 20 minutes about how much stuff hurts and how hard it is to be old. she's worried they might take her car away, and she wants to be independent. she said, "i don't move like i used to, honey. i wished i would have known when i was young like you to take better care of myself. you just got to get out there and move."

hmm. that's twice.

the third lady is a really sweetheart. kinda quiet. never complains. always sitting in the same spot, waiting for lunch. we talked about the weather and i told her it sure is nice to finally have some sun. she said "when it's cloudy, it hurts all the way down in my bones. you don't know what i'm talking about, but you will someday. sunshine is something you should never take for granted. and those long legs of yours, keep 'em moving."

wow. did i really hear that same thing three times? i guess the message of the day is: keep a movin. :)

i think i'll go do that.

by some crazy, lucky coincidence the husband and i have the house to ourselves tonite. for the whole night. all the way until morning. the last time this happened was the night before thanksgiving.

at any rate. big j was invited to a birthday sleepover and little j was invited to his FIRST sleepover at a friend's house. on the same night. it may be a wednesday, but who cares? it's date night!

i'm not sure little j will make it through the whole night, he tends to be more of a mama's boy than people think. but he was so excited, he packed his bag this morning. i'm thinking he just might do it.

my date is still at work, so i'm going to go be by myself for awhile. i'm giddy just thinking about it.

it's all about balance. when my life is in balance--meaning when my house is clean, my work is caught up, i've had time to exercise AND time to hang out with my family (without thinking about cleaning, working or exercising) i feel really happy. but the minute one of those things is off kilter, i have a hard time functioning. i spent all last week watching the days rush by, work crash in, the kids mess up the house and my bike rides go right out the window. i didn't want to face another week like it so...

i spent my weekend at home. the whole time. i cleaned really good, caught up on work, got all the laundry done, tackled the yard work, took two long bike rides, watched movies with the boys, had margaritas with the husband, dog-sat a really goofy dog and i just now caught up on all those blogs i have been neglecting.

it wasn't a glamorous weekend. actually, it wasn't even that fun. but i know that i needed it. and now that i'm facing another crazy week, it feels pretty good to know that for today, at least, everything is just where it needs to be.