Quote of the Day

Keagan: Mom, will you go running with me?

Me: I don't know, Keagan. You sure are fast!

Keagan: Don't worry. I'll turn around and come back for you. 

Spring Break Week

Day one of our spring break has commenced, and most would think a spring break week filled with dentist appointments, closet cleaning, science fair projects, and filing taxes, would be uneventful and rather drab. Not in this house.

For starters, we are on week two of our marathon Monopoly game. See? I told you. The excitement is really unbearable. I had a chance to go bankrupt last Thursday night and didn't. I don't know what I was thinking when I "accidentally" moved 10 spaces instead of 9 and totally skipped over Park Place and its $2000 fee. At that moment, for some unknown reason, I just couldn't lose. So I cheated. I justified it by saying the bonding time we experience over board games is worth it. I have kicked myself all weekend for that decision.

We bought new tennis shoes today. This is a very rewarding experience for a parent of a tween who hates to shop. Of course, both boys selected shoes with price tags nearing $60. I said, "Absolutely not. I am NOT paying that kind of money for some shoes." And then Evan pulled off his current pair of shoes, and I saw that every stitch of lining had worn away from the heels and the cushioned sole revealed daylight. I did what any responsible parent would do. I asked for a size 5 and 12 and we left with two new pairs of shoes.

I have also mediated two knock-down drag-out fights over a lost bouncy ball, and I made seven grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. I was thanked with, "Is that all you are going to make?"

Let me remember that the beach is awaiting our arrival. Only two more days and we will leave board games, tennis shoes and grilled cheese sandwiches behind for the sun, sand, and surf!

Godly Wisdom

This past week Keagan had a complete melt down about missing a soccer game to attend a track meet. It was only one game, and there are only four track meets this season. I tried rationalizing with him, and it totally back fired on me.

"Keagan, you are so very fast. God has given you a special gift, and by not running, you are not using your God-given talent. You should really think about that when you tell me you want to skip the meet."

Keagan stomps off to his room. A couple of minutes later he returns.

"Mom, I've been thinking about what you said. I know God made me fast, but He made me fast for the soccer field. Not the track. I want to run fast when I play soccer."

Needless to say, track has been scratched from the calendar, and I have learned to never argue God given talents with my seven year old. He is wiser than I.

We're Half Way There

Since Wes has been gone, I only cook two nights a week. We eat lots of left overs and lots of grilled cheese sandwiches or Cesear Salad from a bag. Tonight I found myself in the kitchen asking, "Are you boys gonna want to eat tonight?" While I awaited their response, I opened the fridge wondering how I could make beer and yogurt a presentable dinner when I saw the pizza box. SCORE!  I knew it was the right decision to buy two pizzas last night, and just like that the nightly dilemma is solved.

We are half way done with the deployment and half way done with my hiatus from cooking because just like Keagan, Wes is serious about his meats. Grilled cheese and salad won't be an acceptable dinner when he gets back home.

But I  will gladly buy out the meat department and whip up something fantastic when these guys and gals return!

Outdoor Fun

Something very exciting happened to us today. We actually saw the sun! To celebrate this, on our last day of spring break, we headed to Oatland Island Sanctuary right outside of Savannah. We invited our besties to join us and we did some hiking on the nature trails, 

we observed wild animals and got up and close with the domestic animals exhibit,

and just enjoyed being outdoors without fearing that we might float away.

Only 39 more school days and we'll have adventures like this planned for every day! 

Sweet Deal

I feel like I have spent the last fifteen years waiting to see what the Army will do...with our assignment, with a promotion, with a school, with our lives. I am waiting again, but I am planning next year without knowing if we are staying four more months or staying three more years.

Today, though, Keagan was offered an opportunity that is just too hard to resist, and even if we leave in October, I am going to pretend we have years left in our assignment and just go for it.

He received his first invite for a select team try out today - a very professional invite complete with a business card and a request of release from our present coach. So very classy and professional that I just want to say yes and yes again without even considering the other two possibilities.

Don't let the relaxed pose in the picture taken after today's win fool ya, though. He and his sweet feet are giddy with excitement.

This Will Drive Me to Drinking

If I wasn't responsible for driving my track star to the quick track at 0830 for a regional track meet, I would have had my first drink at 0800 because this morning at 0745 Keagan decided he no longer wanted to run track. He put on his soccer shin guards and his Gator uniform and declared himself ready for the drive to Savannah. It took 30 minutes and even more threats to get him into his track shorts and Rockets shirt. Even after I pushed him into the car, even after I said multiple prayers on the way to post, even after I explained that his track team needed him just as much as his soccer team, he was inconsolable about missing soccer. An hour later, after a hard run, after stretching, and after warm up laps, he was still crying about it.

Thoughts of a libations entered my mind again at noon. I was cold. It was raining. And Keagan was still begging me to drive him to Savannah to play soccer with his brother. I was ready to gouge my eyes out. No one told me track meets could be so painful to sit and watch; no one told me it would be so hard to miss a soccer game.

And then this happened.

My nerves were shot. My hands began to shake. I started praying.

I was near faint because this was the 400m race, and after three weeks of track practices, he has never run or trained for this race. Sweet Jesus, what were the coaches thinking?

He got third place, though. Yeah!!!

Just a few short minutes later, his name was called again.....for the 800m. Having never run this race either, he looked at me with big eyes, and asked, "How far is that, Mama?"

"Two laps, Baby." As he ran to check in for the race, I yelled the best piece of advice I had, "Don't sprint until the second lap." And then I paced and paced, and for the third time today, I wished I could take a swig of something strong.

He got second, though!!! Yeah!!!

After five hours of sitting and waiting and even after all that success, he looked at me and asked, "Can we go already? Maybe we can make the last soccer game."

Yes, I think it's time for the drink.