Summer is almost over...

Summer is almost over... and that is a little disappointing because it doesn't seem like we really did anything because it's been sooo HOT!! Every day I wake up thinking that it will finally be the day for it to cool down but it hasn't happened yet! 

 I've made a lot cards, washed a lot of dishes, cleaned out closets, helped re-model a bedroom, watched our bathroom get re-modeled, traveled to Colorado to watch my nephew play baseball, read a bunch of books (I'm reading one right now about a man who went to federal prison for kiting checks who ended up at the last colony of lepers in the United States... it's fascinating...), watched Scout run near Palo Duro Canyon, watched Sager and Shaw play video games - we haven't even hardly played in the water since we're on water restriction because of the heat... gone to Dallas and Lubbock and will go to Amarillo soon for Sager's doctor's appointments.... so a lot of things done but none tooo exciting.''  Have you had a good summer or have you had a GREAT summer?

Sager's birthday is coming up and he had wanted to have a party ot the city pool but they've drained the pool so that's a no go!! oh well... we'll figure something out...

  

I love, love, love skin damage....

I know - the title of this blog is definitely not politically correct - I almost put a disclaimer on here that said if you are Sharla Miller please do not read this!! (because of Sharla - a skin cancer survivor - I vowed never to go to a tanning bed again!) however - I didn't promise to stay out of the sun.... sorry Sharla!!!

When my sister and I were little we would "lay-out" all summer long.  When I say "lay-out", I mean literally lay out in the backyard, the city pool, the Amarillo Town Club (remember those days Sarah - that's a whole 'nother post!!).... even the pool in Gruver, Texas (that is the "new" pool that probably is quite old now but when we were little they had an indoor pool and that was the old pool - at the high school - how swanky is that? - but then when we were in jr high or high school they got a new pool that was totally outside... )  We would go outside in the backyard and take drinks, chips, sandwiches, our boom boxes - you know the ones with the D size batteries... geesh - those batteries were expensive (and half the time we would just use an extension cord and plug in the radio - ya know.. po') because you couldn't be going inside all the time and missing the sun and letting all the cool air from the swamp cooler leak out of the house (do you know what a swamp cooler is?  my kids probably don't know what they are... it's an evaporative cooler, you know the ones with the pads that you had to run water over in order for the fan to spin and cool the air - and when it was really hot someone would have to go outside with the hose and spray more water on it....geesh! how ghetto is that!!!) and lay outside for HOURS....HOURS I tell you.  Sarah and I had given the topic of tanning many, many thoughts. (at just a side note - Sarah grew up to marry Shawn - a total tan-orexic who goes to the tanning bed EVERY day.... hmmm.... and he just thought it was his charming personality, mullet and mustache that hooked her!)

Since we tanned pretty easy and we were poor... as in po'.... we couldn't buy the expensive tanning lotions that smelled like coconut (hello hawaiian tropics - I would wear that as perfume if I could!!!)  no, no we had to improvise.... only now that I look back at what all we did, does it seem really, really ridiculous.... especially since I was out in the backyard today tanning.... sorry Sharla.... watching the boys play in the water when I decided I needed some sort of oil to really get me good and tan so I asked Scout  to get me the canola oil out of the pantry and when I did... he stood there for half a second and stared at me like I had spoken swahili.... then and only then did I realize... I have a little problem.... When my sister and I were in our prime tanning years, we would get baby oil and put iodine in it for a really nice tan - anyone know where that came from? If someone is reading this and knows the origin of the baby oil, iodine concoction, I would love to know!  We also used crisco, laid on aluminum foil,  pooled money together and went in for a baby pool to lay in so it was like we were at the pool, (because everyone knew that the reflection of the water off your skin was necessary for optimum skin damage...) we did the sprinkler with the lawn chairs, you name it we tried it...

Those were the days.... I smile at the idea that as long as I was tan, I was beautiful.... how simple....I had a friend named Jennifer Carroll who got a tan and didn't want it to peel and she took her big ole' bottle of lotion to jr. high school (because everyone knew that you must keep your skin properly hydrated so your tan wouldn't fade....) clearly it wasn't just my sister and I who wanted to be tan.... anyhoo...I'm off to watch baseball and try to sit in the sun... just kidding...I'm just kidding.... sort of.... I have a sickness - you people shouldn't judge me!!!

My kid came home at 3 in the morning!!!!

Well... it happened... one of my kids came home at 3:00 in the morning (2:45 in the morning to be exact!)  It was a shock.  As I waited for him to come in the house, all these questions were going through my head... was he all right? what had been going on? how was I going to react? would his future actions hinge on how I handled this?.... I asked him - what's going on? and he says - I've had a long night - I just want to go to bed.... I asked him what happened? he said - I don't know....

after reading this - you probably think it was Scout right? well you'd be wrong! It was Sager.  He had been over at a sleep over and he got sick and his Aunt Holly had to bring him home.

 The reason I tell this story is because of this.... sometimes when you only know part of the story, you don't really know all the story.  For me, it gets really old people only learning part of a story and then talking about it... if you want to know something find out the real story - as Paul Harvey always said - the rest of the story (especially if it's about me - just ask...but be ready - I'll have some questions of my own - just saying...)

Now on a more positive note - Scout is getting ready to go to his first camp at Texas Tech - he's very excited - it's a track and field camp - woo-hoo!  Shaw is finishing up his baseball season - he's absolutely hysterical - at his last game there was a triple play and he got out on a pop fly - Brandon was asking him about it and Shaw tells Brandon - well clearly I wasn't thinking....too funny! and Sager... he's been sick since the last week of school - he's been to Amarillo and Dallas for doctor's appointments but he's still going strong!  Shaw will be with me next year at Jr. high and Sager will be a big fourth grader - holy moly!! Where did the time go?

Sager Shaw Scout

 Shaw: what he is: loving (but not for long - ya know how jr high boys are with their mommas...),laid back, middle child, baseball loving, his best friend - Doc Holiday the dog, nail biter, kind, courteous, hard of hearing unless it's possible gossip..... 

what he isn't - a morning person, Scout, Sager, assertive, early riser, tidy,  health food nut, scared to use the public restroom, totally NOT obsessive compulsive, vegetable eater....

Sager - what he is: kind, loving, obsessive compulsive, nail biter, lip picker, dehydrated, cheese lover, Taylor Swift lover, funny, sarcastic, witty...

what he isn't - passive, quiet, tidy, afraid, vegetable eater, afraid to speak his opinion, 

Scout - what he is - competetive, health food nut, lover of all things running and running related especially apparel, smart, loving, confident, loyal, slightly obsessive compulsive (almost as bad as Sager)

what he isn't - neat, afraid of wearing non matching socks, coke drinker

Three boys all different, three spirits different as night and day but all mine!!

Aaaahhhh Mother's Day.....

      Today has been a wonderful day before Mother's Day.  Today was the epitome of why I love being a mom.  This morning I was awaken by my teenager who was showering in my shower at 6:30 this morning... did I mention it was Saturday?...at least he didn't start singing!! He was headed out to play baseball in Canyon, Texas (the Bobcats by the way just won Bi-District! Great day to be a Bobcat!!!) Then I promptly got up and fixed breakfast for the two remaining children that I gave birth to... Shaw had pictures and a baseball game - and as usual Sager was along for the ride!  Shaw had a great day of baseball.... wait - that's not true - it was 98 at 11:00 and his team the rangers got trounced! Sorry Dude, but you looked sweet in your red socks.  Then we came home where I did more and more laundry, made some cards, washed some dishes and played in the sprinkler.  Does that sound very exciting? probably not but it was just like I like it!

     Anyhoo - here is my ode of love to the most wonderful mother I know, my sister Sarah.  As I write this, she has hauled her family to Albuquerque, NM so that her sweet baby boy (who is over 6 feet tall...) can play ball!!! (For the record he gave her two out of the park home runs for mother's day! isn't that so thoughtful - he knew just what she wanted!!)  She was our surrogate mother growing up, the oldest child of an alcoholic who was the peacemaker in all that she's ever done.  I've written about the fight we got into because she was mad at me for coming in late after canoodling with my boyfriend.  She was in the right, I shouldn't have been out that late on a school night, but you couldn't have told that to a teenage girl filled with hormones and hate!  


     Sarah has always been the fabulous one, she was beautiful, inside and out and tried to take the best care of me as best as she could.  I was living with her and her husband when Scout was born, and I can still remember how mad she was at me for getting pregnant first but how much she loved Scout and now his brothers.  She wants so much for her children and there's nothing that she won't do to make them the best.  She always said - I'm a do-er - I'm going to get it done.  Often, people take her nice ways and run over her, but she's getting better about being more assertive... God help us all! 


   She's my favorite person in the whole world.  Literally.  I've given my feelings for her many moments of contemplation so I can say that with no apologies to no anyone else because they haven't been together as long as Sarah and I have.  We have always been together, even when we're mad at each other, we're still together. She's Shirley to my Laverne.  She's Lenny to my Squiggy.  So here's to you sister of mine.... you're the best! The best mom, the best friend, the best! I love you!

My sister Sarah and her baby boy Jackson!

Austin, Texas Here We Come....

I mean, Austin Texas here comes Scout!!! This week, Scout and his fellow Bobcats went to Odessa Texas to compete in the Regional Track Meet.  Now for those who don't understand the process.... They ran in Fritch Texas where they competed against about eight different schools.... let me remind you of what transpired....

Shame on you.... Bushland guy... here he is about to whack Scout!!

Now that everyone is on the same page...once they placed in the top four of that meet, They went to Regionals where they competed against about twenty five or so more teams.  On Monday, you had to place in the top eight to make it to the finals in Odessa and then they ran again on Tuesday and they had to mplace in the top two to make it to State, in Austin, Texas... So Scout made it to  the finals in the 800 run in the last spot but then his coach wanted him to be fresh for the mile relay so he didn't get to run... bummer - I know but on the other hand.... the mile relay placed second so they are STATE BOUND!!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!

Here's some pictures....

On your mark...

Get Set..

Go!!!

All the Bobcats going to State!!

We are so stinkin' proud of Scout and his team - you would NOT believe how incredible they ran... AWESOME!!!! I'll have to keep you posted as soon as we get back from the Big City!!

Long time... no blog....

How have you been? yeah... I know... it's been quite a while since I've graced you with my witty commentaries on life as I know it.  Let's recap the recent activities....

Baseball - Scout has been playing baseball, Varsity and Junior Varsity - just wherever they need him.  This picture is from the Clarendon baseball game... seemed to be a little confusion, Scout was just trying to get home and the nasty catcher wanted to get him out.... what to do, what to do... don't worry all you Bronco fans.... Scout was ejected, and the kid was all right, we still don't know what the ejection was for.... any hoo.... Shaw has begun little league - they had opening ceremonies last night, it was a huge turnout, so glad to see all the support from everyone - so glad to see these kids participating and getting up off the couch - boys and girls! Take that childhood obesity!!  

Sager is singing with the Togetherettes but he really wants to take a Mixed Martial Arts class... we'll just have to see... his mouth is already mean enough - he'd be a contender if his body was as tough!!! 

Here's Scout on the first lap before he gets knocked off the track by Kale Lane of Bushland, he's the kid with his head hung down in shame for what he's about to do!

Track is in full force.  Scout recently competed in the District Track Meet in Fritch, Texas.  Scout placed first in the 800 m run as an individual and then the mile relay team which he's on placed first so they'll be going to Odessa, May 2 and 3rd! We're so excited but there's a long story about it so I'll have to save that for another post!!  Here's some more pics from the meet...

The family that cheers together, stays together...

Maniacs... straight maniacs!!

Brandon and I just love track meets (he would love them even more if they were closer but oh well!!!)  Shaw is still getting ready to play for his Guild competition in Quanah, Texas and then the end of the year piano recital, and this year he'll be playing in the Fifth Grade Follies - kind of like a talent show, it should be a lot of fun.  Well until next time, I'm writing about the saga that was the District Track meet but you'll have to wait until I'm finished...