The Rock

I've written before about my Grandparents and what they have taught me. I've also written about spending my summers at their house and the friends that I have made in this small Louisiana town.  I have never shared about their yard...about the outside of their home.

Their house sits on the corner of two dead end streets. Before the new access road was built a cotton gin was at the end of one street.  After the cotton was processed huge trucks would haul the cotton out of town leaving behind little boles of cotton on the side of the road in front of their house.  Some days it looked like snow.  At the end of the other road was my summer friend, Sarah Calvert.  When I visited we were joined at the hip.

My Grandparents had the perfect yard for hide-and-go-seek with  two big live oak trees in the front, two magnolia trees in the side yard, and one very productive pecan tree in the back.  I remember countless summer days spent climbing those two magnolia trees with my friend Sarah sharing our deepest childhood secrets.  You felt like you were far away at the top of those trees when you were actually about twenty yards from the house.

One summer it rained.  It rained and rained and rained. I didn't think we would ever get to go outside and play.  Finally the sun came out and my Papa said, "Girls, get your swimsuits on...we're going swimming!"  My sister and I jumped up and put our suits on and followed him out the back door. Sarah and her brothers were waiting for us in the driveway.  Papa marched us to the front yard and pointed to the swollen ditch.  Sarah's brothers jumped in and we all followed.  We were muddy and covered in grass and we were the five happiest kids in town.  My grandfather waded into the ditch and laughed along with us.  At one point he reached down into the water with both hands and pulled out the largest bullfrog that I had ever seen!  That was the first and only time that I swam in rainwater and it was amazing.

There were many hot summer days spent running around and just being little girls.  I wouldn't think of going inside for a drink.  We would just turn on the outdoor spigot and drink water straight from the tap.  Under the spigot was the strangest rock that I had ever seen. It had several perfectly round craters all over it and one perfect hole in the middle. I always thought this was the most fascinating rock that I had ever seen.  My dad told me that every winter my grandparents would leave the outdoor spigot on a drip so the pipes didn't freeze.  They put the rock under it so the water didn't drill a hole into the ground.  After many years of drips a crater would form on the rock and then they would turn the rock to form a new divot.  I guess one year they didn't move it soon enough and a hole formed.

A few years ago my grandfather passed away.  My mother and grandmother had to make a tough decision.  Stay or go?  Just this past December my grandmother moved away from Louisiana.  She moved into a beautiful retirement home in North Carolina near my parents.  She is happy but misses her home and her friends.  I am happy that I get to see her about every month instead of only during the summertime. 

When my parents were at her house moving her belongs I received a text from my summer friend.  Sarah sent a picture of a moving van in my Mimi's driveway with the caption, "Will I ever get to see you again?"  All of the summer memories came pouring back.  I'm not much of a tree climber now, but my boys have climbed those same trees.  Sarah and I haven't been swimming in ditches, but we have watched our children swim in her pool and become friends themselves.  And I just knew that the strange rock would be a mystery to whoever lives in that corner house next.

On Mother's Day we gathered at my parents house.  Three generations of mothers.  We sat around and opened our Mother's Day gifts and homemade cards from the boys. My grandmother and mom got flowers. . I unexpectedly got a big white box and I cried when I opened it. I got a little piece of my childhood summers.  I got a little piece of their house.  I got the rock.

Last Day

The day before departure we watched a debarkation video on our room TV so we knew exactly what to do the next morning.  There were a few options to debark and we chose to carry our own luggage off of the ship.  We had to be at a particular elevator bank at 7:10am to exit the ship.  We are early risers so this wasn't a problem.

Tod woke up really early and decided to go get some coffee and read for a little while.  I got up a little after that.  I went to the bathroom to change my clothes and brush my teeth.  Then I heard a gurgling noise that no one wants to hear coming from the toilet.  I quickly gathered everything off of the floor and opened the door.  Water started gushing out.  It was like a potty waterfall!  I panicked!  I kept pressing the flush button on the wall.  The water would be completely sucked out (like normal) then quickly rise!  Now I started to sweat!  I opened the cabin door and luckily our steward was right there.  She was just as shocked as I was!  She gathered lots of towels so the water would stay in the bathroom.  I kept pressing the flush button over and over to keep the water down!  Then finally...it stopped rising! Whew!   This is not how I wanted to start my day.  But I was thankful that this happened on the last day and not the first!!

A little while later we ate breakfast then headed off of the ship.  We were home by 10:30am.  Nice!

This was such a fun vacation.  The boys are at a great age that we can do these kinds of things and they are willing to be taken anywhere!  When we got home we asked them what other countries they wanted to go to.  Jacob said Ireland and Brady said Arizona......

Cruising Day 4 and 5...Freeport, Bahamas

 

 

We landed in Freeport on Saturday morning.  We scheduled a glass bottom boat tour that didn't meet up until 10:30am so we had a leisurely morning aboard the ship.  Tod and I ran on the ship, showered, had a slow breakfast in the dining room with the boys.  Brady loved his breakfast because his cereal came with a very fancy pitcher of milk.  As he poured his own milk he said, "We should totally do this at home, Mom!"   

 

 

We met the tour group and headed by bus to the marina for our boat tour.  The driver was wonderful.  He told us that Freeport was the industrial capital of the Bahamas with the 4th deepest port in the world.  Guess who owns the port???  Carnival Cruise Lines!!  Yep, I wondered why this was a destination!  The driver told us all about the people, the schools, the government, and the island way of life.  I have to admit...this was my favorite part of the day.

 

 

It was a little chilly so we bundled up the best we could and headed on board our glass bottom boat.

 

We all sat along the edges of the boat and we could peer over the inside railing to see these glass panels....

 

After a 15 minute (very cold) boat ride we made it to the coral reef.  We were able to see some beautiful fish, coral, and amazing blue-green water.

 

Here is Brady with his hood up and head down while the boat was moving.  We at least got a seat in the sun!

 

It is hard to believe it was cold on a day like this!

 

We left the coral reef for another 15 minute (very cold) boat ride to see SHARKS!!  Now this was an incredible surprise.  They took us to an area where sharks were known to be. I am sure they fed them regularly so why leave?!   

 

The captain then baited a rope to try to get the sharks to surface.  Man did the surface.  They fought over the very gross fish head for several minutes.  Glad I got this shot...

 



After the glass bottom boat tour we hopped on a different bus back to the port.  This driver was just as good as the first one.  BUT...he quizzed us on all of the information that the first driver gave us! The boys both answered some questions right and that made him very happy.  He even sang us a song before we got off the bus.  It's nice to see people who love their jobs.

As you can see Freeport is an industrial city with a make shift shopping village for tourists. We were about to depart so we wanted to get a good spot on the outer deck.

 

We were scheduled to depart at 5pm.  We were able to see this beautiful sunset.  We decided to try to move to the front of the ship for the rest of the sunset...



 

Just missed it...



 

We realized that it was getting a little late and we haven't left yet.  People started giving up and going to dinner.  We wanted to stick it out for a little bit longer.  Looking over the railing we noticed a minivan and another strange looking vehicle racing toward the boat.  We thought it must be some passengers that were late for departure.  A few minutes later the captain came over the loud speaker to tell us that one of the passengers passed away while in Freeport and we were not leaving.  We then realized that that strange looking vehicle was a hearse.  I don't know if the family was getting on the ship or gathering their belongings to get off.  Dinner was a little somber that night. 

 

 

Day five was another Fun Day at Sea.  We slept late and watched the sun rise over the water.  Tod and I went to the jogging track and were almost blown off the ship!  It was so incredibly windy.  There was another runner and she passed us saying "Good Luck!  It's awfully windy up here!"  She was right!  It was comical.  Going from the front of the boat to the back of the boat the wind was at our backs.  I think I made that section in about four steps.  Then you rounded the corner.  It was like a wind tunnel.  It took all of the energy we had to make it back to the front of the boat.  There were moments that I am sure that I was running in place.  One mile was 11 laps.  I think I laughed the whole time.

 

 

The boys went to Camp Carnival for about an hour after lunch then we let them have some free time.  They loved that they could explore the ship on their own.  They went to the arcade, played golf, ate ice cream, and went to the candy shop. 

 

 

Tod and I sat in an alcove and read our books and played some blackjack at the casino.

 

 

We met up before dinner and decided to walk around the ship one  last time.

 

Jacob and I on the front of the ship (still in Freeport)

 

Brady couldn't get enough of the Lego Carnival ship...

 

Jacob creamed me in shuffle board.  Guess I am not ready for retirement!!  (Jacob is!)

 

 

Brady and Tod (with Jacobs hat on) acting goofy...

 

                                               

This last night we went to bed early because we had to leave the ship pretty early the next morning.  We watched our favorite channels on our little TV that showed the map and where the ship was located and let the boat rock us to sleep.

Cruising Day 2 and 3...on our way to Nassau, Bahamas

 Day two of our cruise was a "Fun Day At Sea".  Well, this day started at 3:30am for me.  I was woken up rolling around on our bed and loud sprays of water hitting the boat outside our window.  We were sailing through a little storm.  When you are out at sea a little storm feels like a HUGE storm.  As my family slept soundly to the rocking back and forth, I laid there trying to go over our safety drill.  Did I remember our route to the life boat?  What was our Muster Station again?  Should I go ahead and put my shoes on?  I was awake for about an hour and decided I needed to stop driving the ship and get some sleep.  It worked.  I let the boat rock me back to sleep.

We woke up to this...

 

 

 

...a beautiful day with smooth waters.  The ship had lots of little bay windows to sit in.  Here are the boys.  Brady was a little nervous sitting out over the water!



 

Our day at sea was spent exploring the ship.  Tod and I got our daily run in on the jogging track on the top deck of the ship.  It was strange running on a ship.  You could feel the boat rocking.  There were a few times I was all over the track swaying and running at the same time.  I'm sure it looked hilarious.

 

 

On all cruise ships food is everywhere.  There were two dining rooms, a cafeteria style dining room, a grill, and many soft serve ice cream machines all over the ship.  The first two mornings we ate breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria style dining room.  Lots of wonderful food to chose from.  They always had lots of fruit and salad makings which surprised me a little.  The dessert area was always so beautifully arranged.  And, yes, we did have dessert with EVERY meal!!

 

The  boys went to Camp Carnival in the afternoon for about two hours.  They were able to play some video games and meet the other kids on the ship.  They went reluctantly, but really enjoyed it once we picked them up.  While they were in Camp Carnival, Tod and I hit the casino!! 

 

 

That night was a chilly.  We ate in the formal dining room.  The boys loved it.  The wait staff was fabulous.  They didn't understand our names (don't know why) so Tod and I were Tom and Kathy for the rest of the trip.  We answered to it by the end of the trip.

 

Here is Brady with his camo hoodie on relaxing and looking out over the pool a the tail of the ship.  While Tod and Jacob....

...played ping pong.  Jacob looks a little possessed in this picture too!  Several times a day we played miniature golf.  The 9 hole mini golf course was in the middle of the jogging track.  After our full day at sea we decided to cap it off with some night golf!!

 





 

As the sun came up on day three we pulled into Nassau, Bahamas.  It was a beautiful day.

 

We decided not to do an organized excursion while in Nassau.  The port is a block from the town and about 5 blocks from the beach.  We found a great place to camp out for the day called Junkaroo Beach.  The owner of the World Famous Tiki Bar (actually it was more like a make shift hut) approached us and offered us two chairs, and umbrella, 4 beers, and unlimited soft drinks for the kids for $40.00.  Sold!  We set up camp!  We both enjoyed the local beer...

 

In case you can't read that label...

 

 

 

 

You are going to have to trust me...Bush Crack is delicious!  AND all you need is two beers!!

 

There was a concrete pier next to our beach and Jacob loved running to the end chasing off all of the sea gulls.

They played and built lots of sand castles.  What a beautiful day!

 

Jacob...hates that mom always wanting to take his picture!

 

The owner of the Tiki Bar's son was off of school that day so Brady and KJ became fast friends.  Brady was more into building and KJ was more into tearing down.  The friendship was short lived!

 

Brady...he has no waist so his swimsuit kept falling down!

 

You can see how close we are to the ship.  There were 5 other cruise ships that we were able to watch  come in and dock.

 

We debarked from Nassau at about 5pm.  We were greeted in the dining room.."Welcome back, Tom and Kathy!"  The boys were so very tired after dinner.  We tucked them in and headed out for another winning session at the casino! 

 

With the calm waters in the Southeastern Atlantic we slept without interruption. 

 

Next stop..Freeport!

Cruise...Day 1 Charleston, SC



 It is hard coming up with gift ideas for 8 and 11 year old boys that doesn't include very expensive gadgets that require batteries or chargers or solar energy so they can spend hours upon hours in front of some kind of screen. Tod and I took a different route to gift giving this year.  We gave the boys a Carnival Cruise to the Bahamas for Christmas this year!!  The boys have been wanting to go on a cruise for such a long time too.  The timing was just perfect.

Before we left I had done extensive research about cruising with kids and what to expect every step of the way.  There were some YouTube videos that were extremely helpful and was spot on with every piece of advice!

We left our house on Wednesday January 15th at about 930am and arrived in Charleston, SC at 1230pm.    As we drove into Charleston there were signs on every street corner directing us to the ship, which is basically one block from downtown Charleston!  While still in our car we went through three checkpoints.  The first one was to check our documentation.  If you didn't have the right proof of citizenship you couldn't get past the first checkpoint.  The second was to give the ground crew our luggage.  We handed it over in hopes that it would find its way to our cabin.  the third was to pay to park...$85.00!!!  I knew how much parking would be, but still...$85.00??  We then were able to park our car in an old warehouse, yep...they locked up the cars in an old shipping warehouse.  Ok...$85.00 is worth knowing our car was completely inaccessible to anyone.  After parking we headed to a bus which drove us to the one block to our ship...

 

 

We had three little stops to go through before we got on the ship.  First we went through security.  Which was much less stressful as going through airport security.  Next we went to the Carnival Sign and Sail desk.  They give you your room key card which is also your credit card and your proof of passenger card for getting off and back on the ship at each port.  The last stop was to say "cheese"!  We had our Welcome Aboard picture taken!!  Super cheesy, but we embraced the experience.

 

 

Here is a picture of our room.  We had a king bed with two bunks that folded down. And, yes, each of us hit our head many times over the next 5 days!!  The best part is that we had a window!  We were able to watch the sun rise on the way out and set on the return. It was a little tight at times, but the beds were super comfortable so we slept really good!  We had a little TV that got a few channels.  Our favorite two channels were Channel 14 which was a camera mounted on the front of the ship so we could see the Captain's view.  Our other favorite channel was channel 15 which was a map showing where the ship was, how fast we were going, wind speed, and weather.

 

 

.

 

Before we set sail we had to do our safety drill.  Brady is modeling the life jacket here...

 

 

We made our way to the deck overlooking Charleston to watch us embark!  It was a little chilly leaving Charleston, but sunnier skies are just around the corner.

 

As the sun set over Charleston we departed on our new adventure! 

 

 

A Little Fall Update

Things have been busy around here.  Here's a little update...

- Went to the eye doctor yesterday for my regular check-up.  Now I need reading glasses. Yuck!

- I am about a month away from my 900th day of running. 

- I just turned 40 (see previous post) and it wasn't earth shattering!  It was a very sweet and perfectly orchestrated weekend trip to the beach by my family.

- Let Me Run starts next week.  I cannot wait to see the boys from last year and all of the new faces.  We had so many sign up that we were able to have two teams!  I have to admit...I love being called Coach Kat!

- My boss just quit.  Yep, she quit...  There is lots of whispering going on at work and I am staying out of it completely.  The rumor is that I will be either offered her job,or my job will be terminated, or they will hire someone for her position and my job will remain the same.  I am hoping for the last option!! 

- Got the house decorated for Halloween for the very first time!  The boys have been bugging me about Halloween decorations for years. The most we ever do for Halloween are a couple of pumpkins carved with goofy faces.  This year we have SPIDERS!!  Big fuzzy spiders.  The boys love them.  I may even put Santa hats on them and bring them back out in a couple of months....

Birthday Eve...

Today is the eve of my fortieth birthday.  I have to admit I am trying to turn 40 quietly.  No cake. No balloons. No shenanigans. Just another day, right?

Don't you remember as a kid 40 being so old?  Parents were 40.  Teachers were 40. Anyone in authority was 40. Forty always seemed so...well...old.

I remember when my parents turned 40.  I just couldn't believe they were THAT old!  Now they are turning 70ish and they seem so young!  I am completely confused about turning 40.

Each day I know I do something that my 20 year old self shakes her head at, like knees popping when I stand up, lecturing my boys on proper dinner time etiquette (always ends with someone burping followed by laughter), or getting excited when CBS Sunday Morning come on.  There are also days that my (almost) 40 year old self shakes her head at my former 20 year old self.  The poor decisions I made (I had fun, but hey...), the people that I allowed to take advantage of me, or even (what seems like a good idea at the time) the regrettable tattoo.  I guess that is all part of "growing-up".

As the sun rises tomorrow I will put the kids on the bus, kiss the husband good bye, and go for a run.  I will shower, eat breakfast, and then head to work.  I will, throughout the day, be thankful for another year here on Earth.  I will look back and see what wonderful people I have had the privilege of knowing.  I will look forward to all of the amazing places that I have yet seen.  As the sun sets I will be so grateful that I am old and that I am 40.     

Are We Being Unfair?

Yesterday our oldest son came to us with a proposal.  He wants a dog.  He REALLY wants a dog. 

Tod and I are not really "pet" people.  We have had several fish over the last 10 years, but you cannot snuggle up to a goldfish. Who am I kidding...fish are truly temporary pets.

It is so hard to say no to him.  He's a good kid.  He gets good grades.  He is just a sweet kid who has never given us any trouble.  How can you say no to him?

My mom tells the story about when I was three years old and crawled on to the floor for days and acted like a cat because all I wanted was a kitten so very badly.  After a few days my mom gave in and got us a kitten.  A little black kitten with white paws, chest and a little white mustache.  His name was Buster.  I loved Buster.  I would follow him around everywhere.  I would put him in the basket of my bike and ride round and round in the driveway.  I would carry him and hug him and try to get him to sleep with me every night.  Buster hated me.  I looked like a battered child because I was so scratched up from head to toe.  I didn't care.  Love is blind, right? 

In middle school we got a little Shih Tzu puppy.  Her name was Buffy.  Buster hated Buffy too. (It wasn't just me!)  Buffy was a good dog except for meal time.  We couldn't keep her from begging...couldn't blame her.  My mom's a pretty good cook!  Buffy lived for a long time.  I remember planning our wedding with Buffy laying in the living room.

Aren't all little boys supposed to have a dog? 

Explaining to him that we don't have a big yard, we travel so much, and dogs poop...a lot, and listing all of the reasons why we just cannot get a dog was reasonable and truthful.  Looking at his little sad face was heartbreaking.  Are we being unfair?  Unreasonable?  Cruel?

sigh.

The Next Chapter

This week a very special package arrived on my doorstep.  A new book!  My friend actually wrote her first novel and I cannot wait to read it.  I may not just read it...I want to escape into it!! Devour it, chapter by chapter.

Lately I have been looking at life as a series of chapters in a very long book.  The first few chapters are a blur because they happened such a long time ago.  The next few chapters are kind of bunched together because memories are tricky sometimes. I remember going to the beach every summer with the Clay family.  In actuality it was maybe 3 or 4 years in a row but we had such a fun time my memory of all of our beach trips gets mixed together.  These beach memories make my childhood such a long and happy chapter.

Some chapters I wish I could erase.  I know these chapters made me grow and learn tough lessons.  Still, I want my life to be written like a romantic comedy.  Doesn't everyone?

Other chapters are not even about me.  They are written about those major characters in my life.  My sister getting married, my parents moving twice since I have graduated from high school, my Dad having and beating cancer about twenty years ago (that was a terrible chapter), my brothers-in law and sisters-in-law making me an aunt  many times over (I gotta tell ya, being called Auntie Kat is the most wonderful thing!), my father-in-law being confined to a wheelchair, my mother-in-law having the strangest of health issues (really!), my oldest son getting into the gifted program at school, my youngest son having to get glasses and realizing he was truly seeing for the first time.  All of these chapters are very important chapters and have overlapped into my life story.  Good chapters and bad ones.

As I move forward and on to the next chapter in my life I must admit that I am anxious for it to already be written and over.  On Friday my Mom will be undergoing surgery to remove a lump from her breast.  Yes, cancer has reared its ugly head....again.  I will be positive that this chapter will be a short one.  One that will result in health and happiness.  This chapter will be one of those that I wish to erase but I will be glad to have the closeness and love of my family when it is over.

I am thankful to have all of my long and short chapters in my life.  I recognize that I need to have the good chapters as well as the bad to make life worth reading.   I am also grateful to have my friends new book to lose myself in while sitting in the waiting room trying to get through this current chapter.

The New Kid

We all know what it feels like to be the new kid. And we all ask ourselves the classic internal questions.  Will everyone like me?  What exactly am I supposed to be doing?  Will I totally embarrass myself on the very first day?  Who will I eat lunch with?  Am I wearing the right clothes for this?

I have been the new kid with each move that my family has made and with each new job that I have taken.  It doesn't get any easier.

I was the new kid when we moved from Albany, GA to Cincinnati, OH.  I remember everyone making fun of me because of my "twangy" accent.  One kid in my class didn't even believe that I was American.  He told his mother that they had one foreigner in their class and she was from Georgia!  Being the new kid isn't easy.

I was the new kid when we moved to Perry, FL midway through fifth grade.  On my first day of school I remember Amanda Wiles towering over me to see if I was a Florida fan or a Florida State fan.  Looking eye level at her FSU Seminole sweatshirt I immediately claimed allegiance to Florida State. I wore my new grey suede boots with plaid roll down cuffs that day and felt good about it.  Trey Howard laughed at me and said "Nice boots, Fancy Girl."  Well,  at least I had Amanda Wiles on my side! But the Fancy Girl nickname stuck for a while. (And I never wore those boots to school again!)

I was the new kid when we moved to Germantown, TN.  My best friend lived there too and I was so excited to have an instant friend.  After she introduced me to her friends I realized that she wasn't the person that I thought she was.  She was letting her friends read all of my notes that I wrote her during class.  They would memorize my notes and repeat them at lunch.  I was so embarrassed.  Lunchtime became so lonely.  I hated being the new kid.

I was the new kid when I started working for American Express.  I was lucky because Kelly Myers was the new kid with me.  At first she hurt my feelings on a daily basis with her dry-biting sence of humor, but then I realized that she was teaching me some valuable lessons.  She was honest, funny, and got me in lots of trouble.  I loved every second of it.  She toughened my skin and helped me find the humor in life.  Being the new kid is much easier when you have someone to share it with.

On January 3rd I will be the new kid again.  I got a new job working for the school district.  It is only part time, but I am asking myself all of those same internal questions.  Will everyone like me? What exactly am I supposed to be doing? Will I totally embarrass myself on the very first day? Who will I eat lunch with? Am I wearing the right clothes for this? 

We will see...

Good-bye Mini

Yesterday we traded in our minivan for a new car.  I have never been your typical car person.  I've always felt that a car just needs you get you from point A to point B.  It needs to be reliable, practical and safe.  I don't really care what color it is or if it has any bells or whistles.  Just want something to get me where I need to go.

In 2006 we had a 3 year old, a new baby, and an unreliable car.  Tod and I decided that it may be time to get a minivan.  I never thought I would be one of 'those minivan moms'.  After test driving just about every minivan that was on the market I decided on the Dodge Grand Caravan.  The dealership had 3 to chose from.  My decision basically came down to color and automatic doors.  If I was going to have to trade in my Cool Card for a minivan I was getting automatic doors/tailgate and it was going to be black (the coolest car color out there!).

Over the next couple of years I was so in awe over my power doors and tailgate.  My life of loading groceries, kids, and overall stuff became so much easier.  Press a button it opens. Press it again it closes.  Ahhh.

Then after another couple of years and I had burned the motor out of the automatic doors.  I was back to manually opening doors.  I have learned my lesson.  Bells and whistles can be more of a headache than a bonus. 

The minivan was a very reliable vehicle for us.  We only had one hiccup.  We broke down in Lexington, KY (only an hour away from our destination).  We were able to pull into a gas station and call our insurance company for a tow truck.    A very scary man with a giant tow truck came to rescue us.  With the four of us crammed in the cab with the scary driver, our minivan was taking the ride of its life.  We cut through rush hour traffic, did illegal U-turns, and took corners at top speed.  All with white knuckles in the cab, but you could almost hear the minivan saying, "wheeeeeee".

We ended up at the scary tow truck drivers shop.  As we drove into the car shop and the chain link fence gate closed behind us I got a little scared.  Three very frightening men took the minivan off the truck and quickly got to work.  These were the roughest men I had ever seen and none of them remembered to put their teeth in that morning.  They told us that it would take about 24 hours to fix.  We called Tod's parents and they came to our rescue.

The next day Tod and I went to reclaim the minivan.  The shop manager (yes, he was toothless too) gave us a detailed list of everything that they had to do to the minivan.  He explained what happened and why. We chatted for a while with him and his mother.  We found out that this was a new family auto repair business and they were just getting their business started.  We were their first customer.  They were thankful, gracious and unexpectedly professional.  When I got back in the minivan I noticed that they had washed it and vacuumed the inside. After a 8 hour car ride you can imagine how dirty the INSIDE of the minivan was.  This "breakdown" taught me a valuable lesson on not judging a book by it's cover.

So I say goodbye to our beloved minivan.  It taught me that going back to the basics just makes life easier and that there is a simple goodness in people no matter what package they come in.   

Just Dreaming

Have you ever had one of those dreams that just stick with you?   It is a little too strange to ignore.  Well the other night I had one of those dreams.

My Great Uncle Harold was in my dream.  We always called him Uncle Brother because my Grandmother called him Brother her whole life.  It just seemed so natural to have an Uncle Brother and I never thought it was weird until one of my friends pointed out how odd it truly was.

Anyway...my dream took place at my Uncle Brother and Aunt June's back yard.  Uncle Brother approached me with his horse Pepper in tow.  I remember Pepper.  He was a tall white horse with back specks on his back end.  Uncle Brother handed me the reins and said to me in his slow Southern accent, "It is now your turn to take over."  I took the reins and he tipped his hat to me and strolled away. 

That is it.  It may be nothing but the dream was so vivid.  I even did some research to find some possible meanings to my dream. 

To dream of Horses -

To see a horse in your dream symbolizes strength, power, endurance.  It also represents a strong, physical energy. You need to tame the wild forces within. The dream may also be a pun that you are "horsing around". Alternatively, to see a horse in your dream indicates that you need to be less arrogant and "get off your high horse".

If the horse is white, then it signifies purity, prosperity and good fortunes.

To dream of an Uncle -

To see your uncle in your dream represents some aspect of your family heritage and trait. It also symbolizes new ideas and emerging awareness. Consider the idiom "say uncle" to mean surrender or admit defeat.

I am not sure how to put these pieces together and not sure if I really want to know it's specific meaning.  I just can't get the image of this dream out of my head. 

Last night Uncle Brother and Pepper crept into my dreams again.  This time he said to me, "Please take care of everything." Then handed me the reins, tipped his hat, and strolled away.  

Hmmm...

Now I really can't stop thinking about what this dream could possibly mean.

Today at lunch, Brady and I went to Panda Express.    After eating I cracked open my fortune cookie.  My message : YOU WILL RECEIVE A MESSAGE FROM A GREAT DISTANCE.  Ok. Now I am completely freaked out.  I need to figure out what this message is and how to handle it.  What am I supposed to do with the reins. 

Maybe tonight I will get some answers.....

 

 

 

A Proud Moment

There are many moments when I am proud of my kids.  Their grades and effort at school always sends me beaming.  The way they treat their family and friends is with such kindness.  When someone compliments me on my kids it always makes me proud.  Whether it is because of their manners or their spirit it always fills my heart to hear someone boast about them.

When Jacob was little I would get so frustrated because I wanted and expected so much from him.  I wanted him to be on his best behavior at all times thinking that what he did or said reflected on my parenting.  I guess that is one of the fears with becoming a new parent.  Finally, Tod sat me down and gave me a very honest lesson in "lowering my expectations".  At first I thought he was crazy and he didn't know what he was talking about.  I am the mother.  I am the one that people will judge if my kids do anything wrong.  What does he know.

Over the last couple of years I have taken his advice.  I have "lowered my expectations" in a way.  I have learned to just step back and allow my boys to learn from their mistakes and take note on others behavior both good and bad.  We continue to have conversations on what is acceptable and expected, but we are very loose on the interpretation.  My apron strings are not as tight as they used to be.  Don't get me wrong...I still hover....a lot.

This week Jacob has been in basketball camp at our local YMCA.  He loves it.  Every afternoon he shows me what all he has learned and wakes up early to practice in the garage before we go.  Today when I picked him up he was very quiet.  I asked if anything was wrong and he said, "No. Can I watch some TV when we get home.  I'm tired."  Sure.  It has been a long week.

We were only home a few minutes when I get a call from the Y.  His basketball coach called me to tell me about an incident that happened at camp today.  I went in the next room and listened in private.  Jacob overheard a conversation between two boys.  An older boy told a  younger boy that he was going to bring a gun to camp tomorrow and someone was going to die.  I was beside myself with shock when I heard this.  The younger boy was so afraid.  Jacob took the younger boy to the coach and told him everything he heard.  The older boy admitted what he said.  The Y has a zero tolerance in these matters (this is actually the first time this has happened there) and this child has been permanently released from camp and can no longer attend the Y. 

The coach was calling me to tell me how proud she was of Jacob.  She said that he certainly did the right thing and should be proud of himself for informing the coach right away.  She said that it took courage to stand up to an older kid and stick up for someone else.  I was teary when I hung up.

I asked Jacob what happened today at camp.  He retold the same story the coach did.  I gave him a big hug and told him how proud I was of him.  He said that he knew he had to tell on the older boy, but felt bad because he was getting in so much trouble.  He felt like it was his fault.  Oh...this is why he was so quiet.

We had a talk about sometimes doing the right thing can be a very hard thing to do.  I am so very proud of him. 

Louisiana 2012

Every summer we head to Louisiana to visit my Grandmother.  The boys love going and were so good on the 12 hour drive down (and back)!  Each time we go there is always a new adventure.  This year we were able to see a logging operation!!!  I think I was more excited about this than the boys!  It was such a neat experience!

Here are the boys in front of the tree saw.

Brady in the Skidder

Jacob in the Skidder

Jacob

Brady

Jacob, Brady, and Mimi

One of my Grandmother's friends has a pool.  The SAME pool that I swam in each summer as a little girl.  Every day we headed over to the pool to cool off and splash around.  Brady and my Mom had water gun fights and I was able to teach Jacob how to dive....off of an actual diving board!!  Yep...not many pools left with diving boards!  He loved it!

Jacob....loving the diving board!

When it was time to leave there was a very loud "NO!!!" from the boys.  Makes me feel good that I am not just dragging them around to my summer haunts!  They are having just as much fun as I had!

Toot! Toot!

This blog post has been a year in the making.  I've had several titles rolling around in my head including -  365, I Did It!, and Run! Kat! Run!  I decided to go with Toot!  Toot! because this is the best place for me to just toot my own horn.

Well, today I did it.  I ran every day for one year.  Every day.  Running.  For a whole year.  I have to admit it is a little anti-climactic...until I looked back at what a year it has been.

I ran through pouring rain, 100 degree heat, 40 mph wind gusts, and a Christmas fog so thick that I almost got lost.

I ran through sinus infections, respiratory infections, massive hangovers, and two broken toes.

I ran through cities like Charlotte and Washington, DC.   Mostly I ran through small towns like, Gatlinburg, TN, Warsaw, KY, Morganton, NC, Rayville, LA, Hilton Head Island, SC, and Nokomis, FL.

I fell once - pretty bad.  I was chased by barking dogs.  I was almost hit by a car and have learned NEVER run in the neighborhood on Garage Sale Day!  

I have also learned a lot on my runs.  Not only about myself but about my surroundings.  Here is what I have learned...

*I love my Brooks running shoes
*The serious dog walkers are out at 5:30am
*Running is a great way to see a city
*People in small towns love to wave at you as you pass them on their porches
*I can never EVER be a foot model - even if I wanted to
*I no longer have back aches
*I feel like I am being a good role model for my kids
*I am stronger than I thought I was

Tomorrow, Tod and I are going out to celebrate our (yes, he has been running for a year too!) one year anniversary.  And, yes...we will keep running...every day.

An Opportunity

For the past few weeks I have been watching two little brown birds build a nest inside the flowerpot on my back porch.  At first I was a little disgruntled.  I know my flowers will die because I cannot water it anymore.  And these little brown birds have made a huge mess digging out the dirt and piling the small pot with pine straw.

Well, a couple of days ago a neighbor was driving by and she stopped to talk with us.  We asked about her family and she told us their sad news that her pregnant daughter is going to lose the baby because of a genetic disorder.  Tod and I instantly teared up.  We shared our story with her about losing a baby between Jacob and Brady.  I offered to speak with her daughter if she had any questions or needed anything else.  Later that night I get a text from her daughter saying "Can we talk tomorrow?"  I have to admit I was a little nervous, but was more than willing to sit with her.

Yesterday I sat across from a very beautiful teenage girl going through something so very adult.  She is having to make decisions that will effect the rest of her life.  We talked for about half an hour and I realized that it doesn't matter what stage we are in our lives that we become a mother, but it is the instinctive notion to protect our children that unites all mothers.  She has accepted the fate of her child but struggles with the continuous pain her child will go through.  We ended our conversation with a hug.

When I got home I watched the two little brown birds continue their nest building.  They are so focused and it is a constant flow of pine straw, leaves and twigs to finish this nest.  Soon we will have some little eggs to watch and hope to find some little baby birds hatching.  I will allow them to make a mess of my back porch.  Life is messy and we need to cherish all of it.

New Favorite Quote

My new obsession is Pinterest.  I can get lost in this website.  We even painted our living room black...yep...BLACK after seeing some gorgeous pictures of black rooms.  It looks beautiful and was glad a daring decision turned out so beautifully.

Yesterday I came across this quote (not sure who the author is) - 

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, champagne in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and screaming, "Whoo Hoo, what a ride!"                          

I LOVE this.

I am not one to take risks, to seek danger, or to live a life of excess.  I do like to live my life though.  I am still learning to not be so careful all of the time, not be the one who sits on the sideline, and not to be the parent who wraps their children in bubble wrap every time they go out of the house.  Again - I am still learning NOT to be this person.

This quote is going to be my new motto in life.  I want to enjoy this ride.  I want to be able to tell the stories instead of listening to them.  I want to show my kids that there are joys in life to be experienced and we may skin our knees and elbows in the process.

Potential

When I was in high school a friend of mine talked me into donating blood with her. She was very passionate about it. I reluctantly agreed and allowed them to take my one pint of blood. The best part was drinking OJ and having a cookie afterwards. We did this every three months together. It was just something we did without even thinking about it. We had it on our school calendars and would meet after school and head on over to the blood bank.

I even continued to donate blood while in college. Every three months. This is where I was asked if I wanted to be registered to be a bone marrow donor. After reading the information I said, "Why not?" So in 1994 I registered to be a bone marrow donor.

Fast forward 18 years.

While helping the boys with homework a few weeks ago I got a phone call from a number that I didn't recognize. Normally I would let this go through to voicemail, but for some reason I answered it. A very nice lady on the other end said, "Hello Mrs. O'Donnell, I am Linda with the National Marrow Donor Program and you are a 'potential' match. Do you remember registering for the Donor Program back in 1994?" Uhh....

Yes. I do remember but I truly thought that it was like the lottery. My "number" would NEVER be picked. Right? Wrong! My number was picked??? My number was picked!!!!!

The very nice Linda sent me some information via email and some forms to send back to her. She told me that it could take up to 60 days to find out if I am a "true match" for this gentleman who is in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Sixty days to wait. I was surprised that I was so panicky. I felt so much pressure. It is like I didn't want to fail this ultimate test. Of course I was going to go through with it if I am a true match, but....wow! There is a person out there that I have never met before that my bone marrow could possible save his life. That is a lot to take in.

Well, I have been (not so) patiently waiting for my letter to come in the mail. It came. And, yes, I am a true match! I am a true match!!! I cannot believe it. I am a true match....

The letter states that the gentleman that will need my bone marrow is not ready for the procedure yet, but I will be contacted once he is ready.

I will be giving my bone marrow many pep talks in the next few days/weeks/months...however long it takes. I am still in a little shock over this. I guess I always new I had potential...

What's on the inside?

My son Brady is the most inquisitive kid I know. And the question he asks most is "What's on the inside of _______?"

After a trip to Discovery Place he was able to have some of his questions answered. We got to see what the inside of the heart, the brain, bones, and the planet Earth looks like. He is now asking questions about things like mushrooms, rocks, and dirt. Our usual answer is , "just more dirt", or "just more mushroom".

His most resent question had us trying desperately not to laugh and hurt his feelings. "What is on the inside of testicles?" Our answer...."just more testicles!!!"

Cheers From the Playroom

Sometimes going on my daily run can be a challenge. Rain, cold, sickness, and even wind can play a huge factor in outdoor running. Well, today's challenge was....I needed to run, but who was going to watch the boys??

I decided to leave them in the house for the first time by themselves. Jacob is 9 so I figured this was OK to run in the neighborhood and leave him in charge. I left strict instructions and had them both repeat them back to me so I knew they were paying attention...then off I went.

Usually I wind my way around the neighborhood and eventually end up back at the house two miles later. Today was different. I didn't want to be too far from the house just-in-case I am needed. So I ran a small loop then back and forth and up and down my street. Never out of sight for more than a couple of minutes.

On my first pass of the house all was quiet. On my next pass the playroom window opened and the boys started shouting at me. I quickly turned off my ipod and yelled, "You OK?" They both started yelling, "Great job, Mom!" "WaHoo!" I got a huge smile on my face and kept running back and forth and up and down my street. Each time I approached the house the window would shoot up and the cheers would begin. "You can do it!" "Awesome!" "WaHoo!" "Go! Mom! Go!" I was beside my self with pride.

When I finished my run I ran upstairs to the playroom and told the boys that their cheers meant so much to me!

Me: Man, You guys are great! That was so sweet and you kept me going!
Jacob: Yeah! It was cool!
Brady: Mom, we are so proud of you!

Oh, my gosh! I couldn't speak because I got so choked up. I gave them each a kiss on the head and went downstairs to cool off.

Today I felt like a champion!