Lord, I'm much too young to feel this damn old....

Sing it to me, Garth Brooks!

I am way to old to stay out so late and get up so early. Well, I didn't choose to get up early, let me rephrase. I'm to old to stay out late and Hank wake me up at ten after seven on a Saturday morning.

Oh well. I'm awake. The coffee has been brewed and I'm starting to function.

I have to say, we had a great time. Joe, Saundra and I went to a little bar to watch a friend of Saundra's play in her band. The beer was cold, the drinks were fruitty, and the music was rockin'

A good time was had by all!

And, tonight it's our monthly Girls' Night Out. I'm going to need a nap before then, that's for Oh, as a side note, I found a great dress for the Kentucky Oaks. Now, it's time to work on the hat.

I'm going to have another cup of coffee and start laundry. And, nap.

Peej

I love this child. But, he drives me insane.

He's an incredible kid. He's smart. He makes good grades. He's a great little brother. He's an awesome big brother. He has great manners. But, he drives me insane! He's compassionate and kind. He makes me laugh hysterically. He loves his family. But, he drives me insane. He's funny and handsome. He's stubborn. He's determined. He still calls me "Momma".....

He drives me insane. He also makes me smile.

Just Say NO!!

Girl Scout cookies are like crack in a box! They are pure evil. I can't just eat one or two. I eat half the box, at a very minimum. I do believe I had an entire sleeve of Thin Mints for breakfast yesterday. Oh, you know you've done it, too! My reasoning was this: if I hurry up and eat them all to get them out of the house, there will be no more temptation! Hey, it sounds good in theory!

Until, the next time I go to the grocery and sweet, darling Girl Scouts innocently ask, "Would you like to buy some cookies?"

It's a vicious cycle that in time I hope to break, but until I am that strong, I'll look at those sweet little Girl Scouts pushing their crack and say, "I'll take a box of Samaos!"

The problem with well laid plans...

Most government offices are closed today in honor of Presidents' Day. My office, however, is not. I would have liked to have been off today. It seems today was another Monday morning where I look around the house and think of all the things that I meant to do over the weekend, and didn't.

This weekend was busy. Saturday we ran some errands, went to a birthday party, and then Joe & I went to Louisville to see 'Mamma Mia' at the Kentucky Center. It was GREAT! I will definitely go again when it comes back to the area. Our original plan was to leave early and go have dinner before the show at The Olde Spaghetti Factory. I was looking forward to this as much as the show itself. But, like most well laid plans, that didn't happen. We stayed to long at my little buddy Jenna's birthday party. By the time we got on the road, we realized we weren't going to have time. So, our yummy dinner at the Spaghetti Factory turned into a quick stop at Arby's! Not what I had in mind, but the stop at Krispy Kreme after the show almost made up for it. Really, is there anything better than a warm Krispy Kreme donut at midnight?

Yesterday, the plan was to buy a new couch. We realized the sectional that we wanted was just too large for our living room. Like most well laid plans, that didn't happen. We scraped the sectional idea, and settled for just a regular size sofa. The money that we saved ended up going towards a new dining room table & chairs. That wasn't in the plan at all. But, I'm very happy with our purchase. I have been wanting a new table, but said that it could wait. Sometimes, I'm just not very good at waiting.

Due to our change in furniture purchases yesterday, we had to do more shuffling and rearranging than we had anticipated. That in turn, lead to not getting all the laundry washed & put away. Again, those well laid plans.... they just never turn out the way I had planned!

That brings me back to wishing I was off today. That way, I could get the laundry done, the bathrooms clean, and everything else that I meant to do and didn't.

I have a new toy!

Last night, in a moment of weakness, I let Joe talk me into buying a new camera. I have been wanting a 'big boy camera' for quite some time, but couldn't justify buying one. I still can't. But, that's neither here nor there, because I have one sitting on the table. I can't wait to start playing with it. I'm going to be a picture taking fool!

Happy Valentine's Day

This picture has been named one of the most iconic kisses in history. I just love this picture. Always have. Because of the era, it reminds me of my grandparents. I wonder if that's how my grandfather kissed my grandmother after WWII. Because of the military uniform, it reminds me of all the welcome home celebrations Joe & I had while he was in the Army.

I can remember every detail from every welcome home ceremony. I can tell you what I wore, what the weather was like, what time they said Joe would arrive, and what time he actually arrived. The old Army motto of "hurry up and wait" was never more true than when the wives are waiting for their soldiers to come home!

Who says Valentine's Day has to be February 14th? Ask any wife who has had that first welcome home kiss after a deployment, and she'll agree that day is the most romantic day of the year.

EDIT: Today has been wedding day at work. And, I have to say, it has been a romantic day. I have loved the couples that have made today their wedding day. One couple, was a sweet, young couple that was full of hope and promise. I could tell they truly loved each other, and Iwish them a lifetime of happines. Another couple made me smile from ear to ear. They're both in their mid-seventies and widowers. I knew the bride in a round about way, their family farm is less than two miles from Mom & Dad's house and everyone on that end of the county knows that family. She's a spitfire! She's the momma of all boys, she cusses like a sailor, she's outspoken and runs their farm better than any man ever could. She can bake a loaf of bread that melts in your mouth, and she can tell you everything there is to know about delivering calves. To see her come in my office all dolled up in her pale pink suit with baby's breath in her hair made me giggle. When I told her who I was she grabbed me in a big hug and said, "Oh honey, I haven't seen you in years!" ..how can that not make you smile?

She made me the photographer, and told the magistrate performing the wedding, "I don't know why you're so nervous, this isn't my first rodeo!" It was however, the first wedding ceremony that he has performed since taking office.

To have a 70-something-plus couple come in to get married and witness how happy and full of joy they are, it is romantic. It made my heart swell.

Oh, Hankadoo!

Yesterday, as we were leaving the high school, Hankadoo looks over at the football field, and says, "Someday, I'm going to play on that field!"
It wasn't so much what he said, as the way he said it that worried me. I could see the drive in his eyes, and hear the determination in his voice. He was serious, he meant it. I think he set a goal for himself yesterday in the back of the van looking at that cold, snow covered field. All I could think about was Kenny Chesney's song/video for "The Boys of Fall"...
I don't doubt Hank. Someday, my baby bear will be on Central's football field, and there will sit Momma in the stands.