Sidewalk Adventures - II

Well, one thing you don't do. A young lady wearing a dress decided to sit on the window sill in front of the building while she waited on a friend. Well, she stood next to the sill and jumped up as she tried with her arms to push up and sit on the sill that was about 3 foot high. Well, Murphy intervened and things didn't go so well. No, the building did not moved. She managed to get almost on the sill, of course the wind blew and her dress flew up in the back so when she slid back off, the granite edge was rough enough to tear the clothes she was wearing ... mainly her hose and panties. There must have been some minor bleeding as her friend tried to wipe her backside with some Kleenex. These two ladies were so involved in fixing the damage they forgot they were on a busy city street ( 5 lanes of traffic) and eventually they went inside the building.

Next time ... don't step out between two parked cars with enough room for someone to park in between. As a knucklehead was waiting to flag down a taxi another mentally challenged person decided to park in that space. So halfway through his backing into the slot he hit the taxi flagger and knocked them into the other car ... denting the hood of the park car. Then they were smart enough to start shoving as a precursor to fighting ... right in the street ... a street that is 5 lanes wide and with constant traffic. Luckily the police showed up soon and got them under control.

I am beginning to like this window office ... perhaps a good pair of binoculars would enhance my viewing pleasure ... now this is reality TV.

Anxious for a Moment

The weekend was filled with activities and not long enough. Saturday was the Oriole and Angels game. Of course the Birds lost 11-6. I did like it since there was quite a bit of hitting. We also added dinner at a restaurant at the inner harbor. Sitting outside and watching the crowds go by was fun too. Friday night was family movie night and the movie was "The Ultimate Gift". It was good but more of an adult movie. Peanut and AJ went with us, perhaps more for the free food than the movie. Sunday started good but ended a little on a downer. We had to take AJ to the ER. Viral infection and something else, well, he is ok and in a short time this will pass too. Other than that everything else was normal and part of our weekend routine. Since AJ needed the time Sunday night, I will have to find another time to go see "Dark Knight." I wonder who I can find? The Tour De France is over so my life will return to normal until next year. I guess Lady will start finding honey-do's and keep me busy and out of trouble. Lil Princess is walking very good now and that provides a new dimension to her life and ours. Now we can have her wear some of those pretty dresses that were too hard to crawl in. Lew is like any 5 year old .. a little bit precosious and a handful for #2 to handle. It is so much fun to see a 5 year old stand defiantly in the face of #1 and #2 ... as some analyst says ... it goes from adult-child to child-child very quickly.

Next Event: ChincoTeague or Cheat River

Road Trip #1

My First trip was quite eventful and enlightening. We left on Saturday after Lil princess's birthday party. Gee, I did not know finger painting your face could be so much fun. Well, we drove the first day to Pigeon Forge and I managed to get caught up on my sleep. Hey, I did managed to get Virginia and Tennessee as notches on my belt. I wanted to try out the neat go-karts but Papaw was too tired. So once again, they put me to bed with the bribery of a bottle. Sunday, I was determined to get out of the seat and look outside at the country side. So I made enough noise and fussed until Nana gave in and let me loose. Now that was fun watching the scenery whiz by. Nana thought she could force my medicines into my mouth but the "lips of steel" clamped down and I won. Eventually, I gave in since I do need the foul tasting stuff. We ate breakfast at Denny's where the waitresses went crazy over me. Naturally, I was on my best behavior and didn't cop a feel even when the blonde gave me a good shot to. At the Alabama Rest stop I managed to get my toes into that grass for a few minutes. Sunday meant I added Georgia, Alabama, and Florida to my long list of travels. Once in Florida, all bets were off. I pitched a fit at the restaurant because of some silly rule I had to be buckled into the car seat. One bad thing about being carried is that if the knucklehead stands where the sprinkler can get them ... I get it too. It was cold enough to make me catch my breath. But at least we both got wet. There was this black and white dog who constantly kept laying beside me. Just wait till next time when I can move ... I will even the score. While at dinner at Chet's, I kept amused by the waitresses and all the stuffed animals on the wall. And cheese grits won't kill me ... though I am not use to that taste. One night, I managed to stare down a squirrel. You see, the man of that house fed them pecans all the time. Then they will come to the glass door and sit there looking in until someone feeds them. So I conveniently parked myself there at the door and stared them down. Even waving my arms didn't scare them away. Then I was embarrassed when someone strapped rattles to both my arms and put these sock things on my feet that also had rattles. The socks had colored rings on them and fit very loosely and I looked like a clown with over sized feet. How embarrassing. Just wait till I can get even. Some day ... Some how. Well, finally it was time to come home so I added North Carolina and South Carolina to my list of travels. I have travelled the Southeast US by my 3 month birthday. We stopped off in Georgia to see some person named Star. Needless to say, she talked all the time. But the house was pretty and those cats amused me. One was cut to look like a lion and the other was crazy active. We ate at some restaurant where the waitress wasn't pretty and everyone managed to squirt the peppers all over the table. Then I started the long ride home. The carseat is hard enough and more so when they leave the pacifier in it. Just for consistency, I spit out my medicine again to make Nana mad. I have learned how to let out little stinkers that Nana blames Papaw for. Then I got home and Mom was all happy but complained how big I was ... well, it has been 5 days. Duh.

VBS ... Once Again

Another week and it should prove to be a busy one. Vacation Bible School starts Monday and will fill our days until 8:30 pm at night. Lady should be real busy. Lil Princess and Lew should be kept very busy with all the activities awaiting them. Saturday, we will head to Florida to get a few Sonny-do's done and maybe have a few minutes for doing something really fun. Wild Mom is anxiously awaiting our arrival. The sonny-do list is so long it has become unmanageable and too heavy to carry. Peanut and AJ are gone to her mother's for the week. So that should change the house dynamics this week. #1 and #2 have for the most part been on a different schedule than us. Perhaps one day when they are gainfully employed their schedule will align with ours. Who says things are dull? The day started with some excitement ... the hot water heater shorted out and smoked quite a bit and for a short few minutes had a nice flame. It was shut off after a few anxious minutes and now we await the plumber to show up and replace it. Then the cable decided to go on the fritz. Are we in that cycle now? Only 4 weeks left on the Summer Youth league and we doggedly hold onto 3rd place. We just can't seem to get that extra mark to win the 4th point right now. There have been a lot of close games this summer.

Ooops, I forgot

Another milestone in a parent's life has come and gone. My daughter has graduated from High School. Actually, she graduated on 08 June 2008, but I forgot I had wrote this and just found it as I was purging my files. So I have cleaned it up some and will finally get it posted.

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I can only imagine what she was like as the early years passed by but I am thankful God has allowed me to be a small part in her life the last 2 years. She has grown up so much I almost don't recognize her. Oh, I know who she is from her physical attributes but who she is inside is harder to see. But as soon as she says "I love You" I know. I marvel that in spite of my best efforts to get in the way, she has reached a goal that many don't reach.

I saw her struggle with Mathematics and Spelling wondering if she would ever "get it." No matter what she did, it never seemed to be good enough. But now I see it was good enough for the School System. You see, I saw her as my daughter and nothing is ever good enough except perfection. She is better than that I thought. But now sitting half a football field away in the hot evening sun, she was right. When I tried to smother her perhaps to keep her as a small child ... I had to let her go and by letting go I would give her the chance to come back not as a small child but a woman capable and ready to take on life. Perhaps we were all in school with her. She was learning how to cope with life and we were learning how to let go. So in reality, she made the "A" and we made the "C".

When we stood there arguing that night before the black gulf separated us for a season, I think it was fear on my part ... fear she wasn't ready. How could she make it on her own like that? Yes, we didn't see eye to eye, and yes, in many things we still don't. I wasn't seeing her as the person she was but as the little girl with pigtails carrying the barbie lunch box of years long past. But she is being who she is with some small amount of influence from me. It is hard to let that child ... or grown woman ... go. But she has survived 12 years of school and is ready for the next phase of life. Do I agree with all she says or does, no, but she is a sum of me, mom and her. God has given her to us for a season. To teach and guide ... now it is time to let her go and let him lead and guide her to the next point in her life. I now must become her greatest cheerleader and support her as she uses what we taught her. I must learn to stand back but be close enough to catch her when life shoves her down. So I wonder who has learned the most or grown up the most.

Am I proud of her ... yes I am. Do I love her ... yes ... more than I can say. Would I do this all over again ... in a heart beat.

In the 90's

Can you believe it ... the weekend and yard work is here! I have waited 7 days for this ... not! Things are slowly returning to normal as this project winds down. Mind you it is not without its bumps. And the one immutable law of nature ... Can't Fix Stupid ... continues to raise its head. As I sit here watching people scurry along the sidewalk on their way home, I wonder when time will slow down and take on a more normal pace. vacation Bible School starts next week so we will be very busy. Peanut and AJ are heading north for a vacation at her mom's place. So our house will be quite different. Maybe we will just have #1 wear diapers and whine a lot so we can feel like things are normal. Job hunting is slow for all personages at our place. Could it be a genetic flaw or perhaps a virus we suffer from. I guess one day we will be illuminated as to the reasons why. I do manage to watch the Tour De France every day. The scenery is beautiful and very relaxing. The American riders are doing quite well. Lady is busy but also hoping to have a brief vacation on the 19-23 in Florida. Wild Mom is busy dusting the sonny-do list off and double checking it to make sure everything is on there. Will Lil Princess be running now or just walking a lot faster. Next weekend is her first birthday including a party. I will be there and then leave for Florida afterwards.

Pop - Pop - Pop

Well, the holiday weekend is over with and we must trudge back to work. The project is complete for the most part but there will be a few monkeys to deal with for a while. The Holiday was quiet and mostly non-eventful. On Friday, we BBQ'd, made ice cream and watched the kids while the older kids went to the fireworks. Saturday was the usual with the Mexican restaurant the main part of the afternoon. Sunday was busy as it was the new Pastor's first day. Sunday School was easy for me since they had a pot-luck breakfast in its place. The night ended with youth bowling. It was kind of frustrating as people had the idea that "I bowled my average, so it was good. " Well, when the other team bowls over their averages, you lose with that attitude. And non-bowling kids are another issue or should I say a distraction.

Wild Mom is getting use to having GungHo Jen around. The major sonny-do's now are computer related. Perhaps in two weeks a trip can happen. The gazebo is getting a good workout in the evenings. I wonder how many mint juleps are consumed? The motor home is on the list to be disposed of if the price is right. It seems to becoming the proverbial "money pit."

Lady is busy getting ready for Vacation Bible School next week. No matter how much you plan, you can never get ahead and wind up rushing around at the last minute. Work is still the same for her. The workload has grown and her hours haven't.

#1 has been busy doing odd jobs. Bowling practice is a priority so he won't embarrass himself in August when the new league starts.

#2 is still looking but I sense the effort level is very low. I guess it is time to polish the boot and help provide some motivation.

Peanut is having a blast with AJ. He is a challenge at times and definitely keeps her busy. She is aching to get back to work and before long will test the market once again. Finding a way to sleep while he sleeps is another challenge. I wonder who will give in first.

Lil Princess is walking now. Though she is wobbly she does get around. It was fun watching her toddle around. Her first birthday is fast approaching. So a party is in the works. Lew was his usual self. He did love the fireworks and had a million questions as they went off.