Summer Days

These are the best days. The temperature is warm. The sun is shining. And the day is all ours. Keagan chose to go for a run. I’m reading a new book. Wes and Evan spent the morning on a creek fishing. 

Texas Summer

Our last day in Texas was sunny and warm. It is still too cold for Evan and me to get in the pool, but the girls have no qualms about jumping in. I’ve never been in Texas the last weekend of May with temps this cool. Twenty-two years ago this week the temps were above 100; I know because my wedding portraits were taken at 2:00 in the sizzlin’ heat. 

We started the day at the sporting goods store trying to spend a gift card. The girls really wanted the boys to get one of these swimming trunks. Surprisingly, Evan bit on the pair with dinosaurs on jet skis.

We had lunch today with my grandmother and aunt. She told us stories of her days living in government quarters in California during WW2, and PaPaw’s teen years playing the coronet for Harry James’s Big Band. 

Who would ever guess Moo is 94 years old?

For dessert, we made our way to the peach orchard for homemade ice cream.

Evan and Jamie went fishing one last time. And Vikki and I swapped small town news one more time over dinner. Tennessee is our next stop. 

Memorial Day

School finished earlier than anticipated for me this year, so the boys and I hit the road looking for some fun in the sun. We spent the long holiday weekend in Texas with the family. In between rain storms, we swam, fished, and played board games. Keagan did a workout or two, and the rest of us sat back and watched. 

I read a book. Keagan took 152 naps, and Evan and Jamie explored just about every pond in this small town.

Million Dollar Mutt Strikes Again

I was in the house doing laundry, and Wes was mowing the front yard when our neighbor Val heard Ryker yelping. We noticed he was limping and thought he must have twisted his ankle chasing a golf cart down the back fence line. A few hours later we learned he had actually impaled himself on the fence trying to bark away a golfer. Wes rushed him to the vet certain he had punctured his lungs. 

The lungs are fine, but he has a tube inserted to help drain the fluid developing from all of the swelling in the chest cavity. He’s high on meds today, but he should be back to chasing birds and carts within the week. He’s like a cat with nine lives. He has to be on life four or five by now, and he has no idea how lucky he is to get to live out all nine!

Quarantine Champion

When you can’t play soccer with real people and in person, then you do the next best thing and play virtually. During our eight week spring break, Keagan has been playing FIFA on the PS4 far more than I’d like to admit. To lift the players’ spirits and keep the competitive spirit alive, his soccer club hosted a virtual soccer tournament. For the past two weeks Keagan’s played just about a match a day with dozens of “warm-up games” in between. Early on he got in the loser’s bracket after finishing second in his group, but tonight he redeemed himself in the championship game with a 3-2 win. Ironically, it was against the kid who won his group at the start of the tourney.  

I asked him what he won. He said he was hoping for a windbreaker with the club’s logo. I think he won bragging rights, instead. Just call him, “Champion.”

Swim Parties

Our mandatory quarantine has lifted, and besides eating out, going to church, going to school and playing sports, we have returned to a more “normal” way of life. We got to watch soccer on tv this morning, we can shop inside of stores again, and we can hang out with people that aren’t in our family. Things are looking up for us!

It’s almost summer time! The timing of the start of summer could not be better. Three more days and all three of us will be done with school for the year. In the meantime, it feels like summer, and we are doing our best to soak up as much sun as possible. Vitamin D is supposed to help fight Covid-19 if you become infected. That’s my justification for spending a couple of hours on the deck each day with a book anyway. 

Thursday Evan went to a pool party to celebrate a birthday. His girlfriend is on the far right. 

Friday night Keagan went to a friend’s house for basketball and a quick dip in the pool to cool off. 

Six more weeks and we will host our own pool parties. Four more weeks and my kitchen will be redone. Now that I can get inside stores, I was able to find the perfect slab for my countertops. Here’s a sneak peak. 

This could be the most exciting summer yet!

Funnies

Today both boys had long awaited hair cut appointments. They had barely gotten out of the driveway when Evan called to say they needed a debit card. Evan has his own card, so this made no sense. In the time it took me to find mine, Evan told me he was at the Dairy Queen drive thru when he dropped his card inside the slot the window rolls down. He was unable to slide a finger in the slot to pull it out. He and Wes are now taking the door off of the Jeep in the hopes of turning it upside down and having the card slide out. 

When the boys returned, Keagan told me he was most pleased with the new girl, Sierra, who cut his hair. (This is a huge compliment because Marissa has been the only one allowed to cut his hair since the Great Clips fiasco four years ago. I’ve been mentally preparing him for six months that he would need to let someone else cut it while his “girl” was at home with her new baby.) Wes stopped him mid-story and asked him why he had to have a new girl. Keagan replied, “Marissa’s on fraternity leave.” 

Quarantine Training

We are in week ten of no sports. Our lives have not been the same without the constant practices, training sessions, soccer games, or sporting events on tv. This month Keagan developed his own soccer training regimen. He runs 2-3 days a week, does footwork other days, and uses his agility ladder to improve quickness. He created a new footwork move this week, and I was sure to record his agility session. 

https://youtu.be/NK3dmtLwshs

When I saw he had created a ladder from twine, I asked why he didn’t use the actual ladder. He said, “We have an agility ladder?” Evan and I dug it out of  the garage so he could train without the string getting caught in his cleats. However, he did quite well even with the string.

He tells me, “Mom, I’m going to play in college one day. I’m going to prove that driving hours every week for games and practices was worth it.” 

Be still my heart. ❤️🌟⚽️

This Week in Home Repair

It has taken 52 days, but I now have a screened in porch with a stain color that is not blue! I was beginning to doubt this would come to fruition.  Especially this week when I found the guy we hired to restain it had painted himself into a corner. He had to stand in the corner and wait 15 min for it to dry before he could move again. I laughed so hard, I cried. 

It was worth the frustration with the good ‘ole boys and the unpredictable rainy weather. It was worth waiting another week and asking the guys to do it again because it wasn’t right the first time. To top it off, Ryker is scared of the flames from the fire pit and refuses to go near the new rug. 

And now that the deck is done, I was able to get my herb garden planted. We just lack mint. 

I expect to spend many days here reading books, listening to the finches as they fly across the yard, and watching some golf. If all goes well, by mid-summer I’ll be here on the porch in between swims. Life is grand.

Next project: Keagan’s bathroom.

Gone Fishin’

Two weeks ago Evan and some friends made plans to hang out. They were bored as everyone had been quarantined for more than six weeks. The weather was nice and everyone was itchin’ to get outside. So they decided to build a bonfire and go fishing. They hit a couple of creeks and a pond. They didn’t find much, but they did catch enough to hook Evan.

Last week Evan decided he needed his own pole, so Wes took him to get a few basic supplies. He got up early today; I found him at Port Royal where he had gone fishin’. 

Happy Mother’s Day

I wanted to pick up a few groceries yesterday, but as soon as I got into the parking lot of the grocery store, I decided that was a no-go. The place was packed with people picking up Mother’s Day things. I assumed today in the early morning would be a better time to shop with fewer people, and it was to some degree, but I couldn’t get over the number of men running in at the last minute to get flowers and cards. 

I spent the majority of my day doing my favorite things: sitting in the sun, reading a book, going for a run, and working in the yard. My boys treated me to a new pair of Birkenstock’s. I’ve now lived long enough to experience fashion repeating itself. I feel it’s 1990 again with my hair in a scrunchie and Birks on my feet. 

I’m so grateful to be a mom to these two great boys! After yesterday’s fender bender, I’m even more thankful that they are healthy and well. We will wrap up the evening spread out on the couch watching “The Last Dance.”

College Applications

We have nothing pressing to do this week, pretty much like every day for the past six weeks. I told Evan to make good use of his time, and with lots of encouragement from me, he decided to research schools with pre-PT programs. Two days later, he had a list. Then I told him to start applying. After I was live with instruction with my third graders today, we started application #1. 

This was our conversation five min into the first college application. 

What is your sex? 

Evan: thank God they only have Male and Female. 

What is your gender identity? Evan: "oh my god. There are multiple choices. Really?!?! I can't go here."

What is your ethnicity?

Evan: "I'm white. Easy."

What do you consider as your ethnicity?

Evan: "I just told you. White. How is this a debate or a choice? You are what you are."

We have six more apps. I won’t survive.

This Week in Home Repair

This week we updated the laundry room with shelving and a mirror. Wes needed a weekend job and took this on with a picture I found on Pinterest. 

We got rid of the dated porch lights and hung new lanterns across the front porch. 

Wes built flower boxes for the new screened in porch. I wish I could say my deck was stained, but the good ‘ole boys we hired are taking their good ‘ole time getting it done. 

And we signed a contract for a pool. Quarantine never looked so good.