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Saturday, July 12, 2008

Surprise Date Night ~ Boston...

My strong silent mysterious man surprised me with a date night for the 1st night the teenager was away... he got tickets to see "Boston"!!!!!!!
It could have been anything, but just the fact that he came up with something on his own is HUGE, he never does that! I was sooooo excited!!!
What a great way to start working out that knot in my neck!!

We had a super fantabulous time!!! The band was really great, it was outdoors in an amphitheater type setting, so that added to the fun and excitement for me. We were sitting back on the grassy hill... so awesome!

And my man is so fun to go to concerts with, he is strong and silent for the most part, but he knows all about the different guitars when they do equipment changes, he can explain why. He knows about the original band members and the backgrounds on the new members to keep you up to speed, and knows interesting tidbits of information you might not think to ask. He can pick out interesting things when they do harmonies, and effects, and he can explain what all that big equipment is and what it does. He is a walking Internet on classic rock bands!

It was so fun, what a wonderful date night to start off our empty nest time!

Friday, July 11, 2008

The Teenager goes to Seattle...

Yesterday morning the teenager left for Seattle...

It has been a crazy busy week, but somehow he was ready to go.

Since he is officially 16 years old now, I am trying really hard to back out and let him take care of his own things. So I let him pack his own bags, and tried not to go through them to make sure he had everything!

(I did have to ask about 101 questions to make sure he didn't forget some major important things though).

It is much much much harder than I ever thought it ever would be to let him grow up.

Partly because my motherly instincts kick in and I want to protect him.

And...

Partly because I have learned that I am a control freak (I can't believe I am admitting this, but it's true... I like everything and everyone to be up on stage and the entire "play" to go off how I have it in my mind... when someone gets off the stage, I freak out!) so sad, I know. I am working on being more flexible and HAVING FAITH in the fact that I have taught him, now let him practice what I have so diligently taught.

It's just HARD!!!!


So, in order not to have too much time to relax in the rushed motion of this week... we head out to the DMV to take the final written test, on our way to the airport. Kind of a last ditch attempt to get the teenagers license before he goes to Seattle (that's kind of how he is rolling this week too... everything has been last ditch attempts).

So the schedule, if it goes as planned, should be 8am at the DMV when they open... then we have until 9:30am to take the test, get the license, and go have a leisurely breakfast out before we have to leave for the airport. I thought it would be a fun way to reconnect before he left, since we have been at each others throats all week long.
He got all packed loaded in the car and ready to go, we made it to the DMV on time... discovering they must have opened early (??????what???????) because we were already 12th in line at 7:59am!
It was okay, we had plenty of time. The teenager had much more confidence after taking his written test. He knew he could do this!
As they called his number, it was so hard, but I stayed seated in the chair.... after all, he is a big boy, he should probably be able to answer all the questions, pay for the test, and follow the directions from the officer, on his own now.
I really wanted to go stand by him... but hey, I am falling back, this was his thing.
So then I have my own little personal emergency, and my contacts begin to get fuzzy... I was panicking, how would I make it all the way to the airport and back not being able to see very well. So I left the DMV to run home and grab my glasses.
By the time I returned the teenager was standing outside.... what did this mean, that didn't take very long???? Did he pass, was he crying, did he fail????
When he got in the car.....

HE PASSED!!!!

He was so excited, I couldn't wipe the smile off his face. But one minor problem, he had forgotten his phone at home! So back to the house, one more time... it wasn't a problem, we still had 45 min. plenty of time to go eat a leisurely breakfast and head to the airport.

Until it hit... the "I lost my phone" syndrome! My mother has it, he earned it honestly!! It was gone, it was turned off, and gone.

No where to be found... we tore the house apart, the car, looked high and low.

We were down to 5 min before we had to leave for the airport... and knelt down to pray we would find it. 45 min into the search, I found it between the front seat in the car... where he had looked twice. Something about a mom's xray super sonic senses and vision! It didn't matter, we found it and we were off.

We went through the drive thru at Mc'D's and got him a quick bite to eat. I was a mess, but we were on-time had the phone, got the license. All was good!

He tried a half ditch attempt at a self portrait with me while we were driving, so he wouldn't have to do a real one, at the airport.

But the control freak in me was having nothing of that... we needed a real pictures with smiles... like none of the arguing and yelling, and fighting had ever happened!

Much better.... aren't we convincing!

( really do love him to pieces, even with all the missing brain cells!!!)

I walked him into the airport, mostly because I didn't know how they dealt with oversize luggage, and I knew those clubs would definitely be oversized! I didn't interfere, I just stayed back to give a last hug goodbye.

He got them where they needed to be and off through security, like a pro. He has been flying most of his life, and alone since he was about 6 years old... so he knows his way around an airport! I wasn't crying, I knew I would miss him.

But my goal is to get my relationship with him into perspective while he is away. So we don't have so much conflict when he gets home, and I can let go a little more each day, especially since he is a licensed driver now.

I left the airport with a big knot in my neck, I need a mesage!!

Taylors Dog Obedience Class, Week 4...

Lesson 4

Heel, Down, Stay, Sit, Stand...
Last night was Taylors Obedience Class Training... here she is with me in the green shirt, she tries so hard to behave amongst the 50 other dogs in class!
(I shake and shutter about the number of dogs in class, but the training is based on being able to obey off leash with all the distractions of the world around them... so if they can obey in this class, they should be able to obey in any situation)
Here are some of Taylors buddies, who get the "down" command already.
It was so hot, and I have been so sick still coughing so much... I must have not been getting enough oxygen and I got super dizzy in class, so I called over my strong silent mysterious man to stand in for me and finish the training. Taylor was a little confused but she finally figured out who was in charge... and it wasn't her anymore.
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On the right is another one of Taylors friends "Toby". He is 1 year old and loves to pick up all the little sticks on the ground like Taylor does, and when we are in a "down stay" he will try and creep and crawl on his belly just like Taylor too. They love to play together, but we had to separate them in class, they are two peas in a pod.

This little puppy "Molly" has a stubborn streak a mile long, and never looks happy about being taught obedience. Apparently they are much smarter than we give them credit... it's all a ploy. She knows exactly what to do, the first time she is told to do it. Her owner is being trained to learn how to be stricter with her commands and corrections so Molly doesn't think she can get away with all her shenanigans.

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Yes, most of us are being trained and the dogs are just there to help us learn.

Here, my man has Taylor in a "sit stay". She doesn't break many times now, she is about 97%, not quite 100% yet, but she will be very soon... she is finally getting it. Wahoo!!!!

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Earlier in the day before class we tested her and the teenager drug a piece of lunch meat tied to a rope, across the leash line between me and Taylor and she never broke her stay to go after it!! I know, we should have gotten it on film, her Nene would never ever believe this! But it's true!!!

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Hopefully this is just the beginning, and after ten weeks we will have allot of footage with our little Taylor behaving like a dog with some major manners.

It is an expensive class, but well worth the money we have invested.

And it is more work than I would have ever thought... but that hard work is starting to pay off!!

I am so excited!! It will mean all the difference in the world to have a dog that minds, is easy to be around because you can give them your expectations and have them revolve around your world, not have your life revolve around them. And for us, the safety factor... we love our dogs like children, and to be able to take them camping or even to the store without any incidents (like this one I had with Taylor) or worrying about how to control them, will be an entirely different world for them and for us!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

The Teenager takes his driving test...

Today was the day... the teenager was going to take his drivers test to get his license.
So I took the car and got it washed... it was just too hot outside for me to go out and wash it myself. I totally melt in this heat! I know... wimpy!
But hey, for $4 bucks... I am all for the car wash... plus I love the inside of car washes, they are just too cool, and I get a kick!

So with a nice shiny clean car... I take him to meet the tester dude...

And he does the standard inspection on the car...

And checks all the blinkers and lights... whew... we passed that part...

(that would have been a huge bummer, if he couldn't take the test because of MY car)

I was soooooo nervous for him. I didn't know I would get that nervous, but while I was waiting inside a little fast food restaurant while he took the test, I thought I would throw up, I was that nervous. My heart was in my throat and beating a hundred miles a minute!!!

It really surprised me HOW nervous I really was for him. I just wanted so badly for him to pass the first time.

So here I am video taping him leaving the parking lot with the tester dude.... and praying and praying he does well and is NOT as nervous as I am for him....


They were supposed to be gone for 25 min... and showed back up in 15 min.

What did that mean? I couldn't tell by the look on either of their faces when they were walking in.

Then the tester dude, starts asking me about South Carolina and what part I am from, and proceeds to tell me about his recent trip to Hilton Head Island.

It was torture... but then finally shares with me the teenager passed with a 97%!!!

Yippee!!!! I was thrilled for him.

I have not had too many people turn me down when I ask for pictures to document the moment... so even though I knew it would embarrass the teenager to death... I asked. He said "this is a first, I have seen allot of things testing new drivers, but never been asked for my photo at the end"! He even seemed a little honored to oblige!


Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Progress...

I am making progress... all it really took was quit making lists and get moving!!!!! (And a little support from my Sis, never hurts).
check - Prod the teenager into getting his drivers license before Friday
check - 1st trip to the DMV (they won't take mom's word he is who he is, and his school ID was destroyed... so we had to drive back home and get a school year book... can you believe they take a year book over a mothers word, I was appauled, and let them know about it)
check - 2nd trip back to the DMV (he missed one too many, but there is still hope... he has a drivers test on Thursday at 330pm and another written test on Friday on the way to the airport).
check - Finish one mound of paperwork to complete our identity theft fraud claim, and got it notarized and in the mail.
check - Agenda for camp meeting
check - Hard case golf bag for the teenager
check - got the teenager on laundry

check - Schedule Roto Rooter
check - 30 min dog training session
And the day is still young!

I will, attitude...


Our Theme for Girls Camp this year... should be an inspiration for me this week! As I am getting ready for camp, making sure all the final details are in place (which they never are!), getting the teenager ready for his summer trip to Seattle to see his grandparents, finishing up the piles of work I have to do before I can be gone for a week to camp, and keeping up with the regular schedule at home...

I will! That would be a great attitude to have right now!

However, It feels much more like the less spiritual part of the theme, and I am running an Olympic Marathon, just enduring to finish the race... only I can't see the finish line!

The school board voted to change the 1st day of school to August 13th... and I have so much to fit into our summer before school starts back, it was an insane change to our schedules and I don't know how I will get it all done in time! So that is part of why I am feeling like an Olympian minus all the training and support of coaches!!

Since the teenager will be leaving for Seattle on Friday, I will be at camp the following week and he will be gone at scout camp the week after that... my entire summer list of things with him just about has to be done between now and Friday... and it's already Tuesday!!!
  • Teenagers dentist appointment
  • Prod the teenager into getting his drivers license before Friday (Dad's request so he will have another driver while I am gone to camp)
  • Finish all the mounds of paperwork to complete our identity theft fraud claim (oh yeah did I include in the midst of my life, as careful as I am with identity issues, we have had someone break into our bank account and credit card and take money).
  • Golf tournament
  • Golf Lesson
  • Camp meetings
  • Dog Obedience Class, and 2-30min practice sessions everyday to be ready for the class
  • Find a hard case golf bag for the teenager
  • Laundry
  • Work my 4 part-time jobs
  • Schedule Roto Rooter to clean out around our irrigation pump.
  • Groceries
  • Buy Dog Food

I am blaming it all on the school district! We will just have too short of a summer this year, and it was decided too late in the year for anyone to do much about it, or make plans around it. I have to blame someone, and since they do not defend themselves... easy target!!!

I am sure it will all fall in place! Somehow!!!! But it sure makes it hard to stop and smell the roses along the way! I don't know how any mother can do all this with more than one child. God sure knew what he was doing with me! If I had to add to my list the needs of 4 or 5 more children I would drown in lists! And there surely wouldn't be much smelling of the roses!

Monday, July 7, 2008

1 Year Blogaversary!

Wow! I can't believe it has been a year since I started my blog!
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In the beginning I was really excited, but also afraid... I wanted to begin something creative that I could use to keep my family linked to us without pushing it on them.
But nervous that I wouldn't be able to keep it going.
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I guess I made it a year, and now I am hooked. Here are some things I have learned over the past year as I blogged.
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I love that I have a journal of the things that have happened over the past year, and I hope to get it printed into a book for my birthday each year!
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I have dipped my toe into SPT's this year, but found I really don't like pictures of myself! (I might regret that later, when I want to see what I looked like without wrinkles and white hair someday, or just want to keep track of all the crazy hair changes I make... so I am trying to "get over it").
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I like having deep thoughts, even if I don't always know what they mean... sometimes it was fun just to talk through them.
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I have loved reading family and friends blogs, but found out that I could spend so much time out there searching blogs that I get over whelmed and days on end can go by before I can tear myself away, so I just stick to family and friends now... I stay away from searching other blogs... it's way wayyyyyy too addicting! So I pick and choose where I go blog reading very carefully.
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I found I love cooking blogs as much as I love cooking shows.
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I love to take pictures, but my picture taking has changed and I think more about the story than the pictures now.
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I really like having days with nothing pressing on the calendar, but they are hard to blog about.
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I have worked very hard at not just blogging the good and happy things, but tried to be real about what I blog... I want it to be a journal I can come back to and learn and grow from my mistakes too.
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I found out that I am more sarcastic and negative than I thought I was and I really don't know where I got that from, my family is not that way.
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A year goes by really really fast, and I hope I have kept enough memories with my teenager that will comfort me when he leaves home. (I might have to get more dogs).
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My Strong Silent Mysterious Man lets me take his picture more often than I thought he did.
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I hope I have as many pictures of me with my teenager, as I do of him with his Dad.
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I have been more thoughtful at keeping goals of taking better care of myself, serving others, doing something creative on a regular basis since I have had my blog to keep me accountable.
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I have gotten way better at self portraits and can even get in a sign in the background now!
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I wish my Strong Silent Mysterious Man would read my blog, it would be a neat way to show him what I am thinking without flooding him with all that talk, he gets tired of hearing me talk all the time.
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I sometimes wish I was more Strong Silent and Mysterious and didn't wear my feelings on my sleeve, but then I might not have much to blog about... a double edged sword.
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I know that truly have a love for blogging because when anyone asks me about it, I can go on and on and on and on about all the good things that have improved in my life since I have been blogging!

4th of July 2008

The majority of our 4th of July was spent in bed, resting... well coughing and hacking and sneezing mostly, but trying to get better from being so sick.
I really missed going to the parade and all the fun festivities in town.
But we did manage to get out of bed for one very special event!
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A Baptism!
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One of my husbands scouts who he has been working with over the past 2.5 years and mentoring on the guitar was finally ready for baptism. Actually he was ready and really excited about 2 years ago when his Mom got baptized.
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But his parents are divorced and his father was not ready to give permission for him to be baptized and since he was only 12 at the time... he needed that to move forward.
So finally with his fathers blessings Luke entered the waters of baptism on the 4th of July, and he asked my husband to do the ordinance, since his Dad is not a member of our church, and does not have the proper Priesthood authority. He had family there with him for his special day, his mom and dad of course, and he has a younger sister, and his grandparents on his fathers side came to be with him also, they are a very quiet shy family, but you could feel how special Luke is to them, and it was really neat to be a part of that. Our Bishop has grown very close to this kid too, and he had such nice words to say about Luke, I could see his grandmother smiling from ear to ear - I know she felt all of our love for her grandson too.
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My Strong Silent Mysterious Man was so honored and excited to be a part of this.
It meant even more to him, since he was not able to baptize our son. So he could kind of relate to Luke's Dad and sympathize with his situation. He was very comfortable with my husband since he had been at a few jam sessions and knew he and Luke had a good relationship. Luke also asked our teenager to give a talk on the Holy Ghost.
So most of our day was spent helping him to prepare that, since he only had one day notice, he was pretty nervous about saying the all right things.
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It was just a very special evening for all of us!
The teenager did a great job presenting his talk... My husband was very moved by the power of the ordinance, we all cried and talked about it together afterwards.
I couldn't think of a better way to spend my 4th of July celebration!


It will be a special day Luke will always remember as well!
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It was still warm and all of us were weak from fighting off the sickness at our house, so we came home and changed clothes after the baptism and would go get a bite to eat for dinner. When my Mom was visiting in May we found some patriotic t-shirts and got them to wear for 4th of July.
So I made the boys put them on, so we could get a picture together in them before the day was over.
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So we changed into them for pictures, and then proceeded out to grab a bite for dinner at Taco Bell... as we got out of the car, the teenager looked down and said out loud "OH GREAT, WE ARE WEARING MATCHING SHIRTS"!!!
We laughed so hard. Here he was on the 4th of July - 16 years old being dragged around by his parents in matching flag shirts!
I will have to add that to our list of most embarrassing moments for the teenager!
It wasn't intentional, but funny none the less!
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Somewhere in time, you do transition from being the embarrassed teenager to getting a kick out of your own embarrassed teenager!
I could feel his pain (because I remember all too well the embarrassment of my parents), but it was still really funny!

So here we all are on our back porch watching fireworks until the mesquitos starting eating on me... then I was back in bed for the night!

Happy Independence Day!!

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