Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend  marks the end of summer.

The weather takes a nose dive around this time.

Last Thursday Michael went golfing.  It was 99 degrees.

On Sunday we went boating. It was a balmy 72.

The boys fished.

Ethan loves fishing.

Men are serious about fishing.

 Then some of the boys felt the need to jump in the cold water.

Someone said Ethan jumped.

I'm not sure I believe it.

I didn't post the photo

of the sheer terror on Ethan's face.

Sam couldn't let his manhood go unchallenged.

(Those were his words before jumping.)

 

Michael and Brian did not feel compelled to jump.

Notice the sweatshirt crowd

Sam caught a fish, but I didn't get a pic.

Feet dangled in the water

 I told you it was cold.

The weather grew warmer

We enjoyed the ride.

 For a moment, I thought I was back at the beach.

 Ethan drove the boat.

 "No grandpa, I've got it."

"No really, go sit down."

Ahoy!

 A pirate-y ship

What? 

You didn't see me on the boat? 

I was there...

by the food,

 

where else did you think you'd find me?

Senior Moment

My mom-in-law has been waiting for a phone call-for nearly two weeks.  I began to wonder if her Dr. was out of town, excusing his tardiness for not calling back.  She hates to go anywhere, for fear that he'll call the moment she walks out the door.  (She didn't give him her cell phone number since "it's long distance.)  Instead, she carries around the phone wherever she goes.  Usually that is sitting on the front porch.

Yesterday Michael went outside to talk to her.  He asked her why she had the t.v. remote with her.  She looked at the table beside herself.  Sure enough, there was the remote control to her television.  No wonder she hadn't heard back from the doctor's office.

(Just in case you are wondering...no, I am not poking fun at my mother-in-law.  I can't.  We have a good relationship and can laugh at ourselves for having a senior moments.  It happens to me all of the time.  I run downstairs to get something.  I find myself standing in the family room, racking my brain, trying to remember what I went down there for.  I know the moment I go back up the stairs,  I will reach the top remember what it is I wanted.  Instead of going up,  I wander to the kitchen, then the laundry room, even open the pantry or refrigerator hoping to jog my memory.  It doesn't usually work, so I head back up the stairs.  The moment I step off the tope one, I figure it out and back down I go.)

I Hate It When...

I go to the gym,
Set my water bottle down,
Come back later,
Take a big swig,
And it tastes funny, kind of sweaty/salty.

I glance around,
A few feet away,
I see another water bottle,
Identical to mine.

Cough,
Choke,
Spit.

I look around.
I'm really not interested
In sharing my water bottle with anyone I see.

I wonder if the matching water bottle owner thinks I just drank from "his" water bottle.

Cycling

Pro Cycling descended upon Colorado over the weekend.

 The race rolled close to home, 

 giving us a glimpse of the crazies that come out,

and what a big event cycling is.

 Look closely at the determination on the yellow shirt,

That is the look of a winner-Levi Leipheimer.

 

Go USA!

Birthdays and Catching Up

I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I'm planning for my next birthday. It's going to be a doozy. I have 29 weeks or 203 days until the big day.  That means 153 days until....well, you will just have to check back and see.  I hope I don't disappoint myself.  I've been known to do that.

Speaking of birthdays, I've missed a few this year.  My lovely married-into-the-family daughter, Lauren, had her birthday recently. 

She is everything we ever hoped and dreamed of for our son.  Add to that she is the woman I prayed for, the little girl that I knew was out there waiting to become his lovely wife, his companion and partner for life.  We adore her.

Speaking of adorable, Ethan had his birthday in July.  I can't believe he is 9 years old.  He is all boy, loves baseball,

motor vehicles,

and working on things.

He also has a very tender, sweet side.

He found a baby doll the other day.

He was fascinated and kept repeating "baby?" 

Speaking of babies, my baby boy turned 27 in July.

In August, he and Lauren moved to New Orleans.  Christopher started law school last week.  He is smart, funny, thoughtful, responsible and fun.  (He takes after his dad.)

Speaking of dads, mine has begun writing down stories from his past.  It has been fascinating to hear about his early years.    I've added a link in my sidebar.  Dad's mother died before I was born and hearing stories makes me wish all the more that I could have met my grandmother.  I'm told I look a lot like her.  In fact, one day my dad was at my home and did a double-take.  He said it was as if he was a boy again watching his mother cooking in the kitchen. 

Speaking of kitchens...I have some cooking to do.

The Fun Grandma

A Good Grandma lets her grandson spend the night.

A Fun Grandma stays up until 1:30 a.m. with her grandson when he spends the night.  Then stays up another hour to unwind.

A Good Grandma gets up early the next morning so the two can have breakfast.

A Fun Grandma convinces her grandson he'd like to snuggle in grandma's bed for at least another hour as 5 hours is not nearly enough sleep.  Then she makes him gluten free pancakes.

A Good Grandma watches her grandson play baseball.

A Fun Grandma plays baseball with her grandson, wears the obligatory cap when outfielding and helmet when pitching-even though it gives her hat hair.

A Good Grandma lets her grandson take a bubble bath in her big tub.

A Fun Grandma lets her grandson go fishing in her big tub.

A Good Grandma lets her grandson have mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups after dinner.

A Fun Grandma helps her grandson eat a bag of mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups after dinner, of course.

A Good Grandma lets her grandson help bake cookies.

A Fun Grandma lets her grandson wear an apron, take food orders, make drinks, and cut with sharp knives.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord

 Praise God in his holy place.
Praise him in his mighty heavens.

Praise him for his mighty acts.
Praise him for his immense greatness.

  

Praise him with tambourines and dancing.

Praise him with sounds from horns.

  

Praise him with harps and lyres.

Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes.

 

Praise him with loud cymbals.

Praise him with crashing cymbals.

 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

   Hallelujah!

Randoms

Massive mosquito bites make for miserable nights.
Calling customer service should create calm, not commotion.
Hot, humid weather has me hankering for the beach.

Highest Phone Bill Ever

Our T-mobile phone bill arrived in the mail  yesterday.  It was 350 pages long, printed on both sides of the paper.

The grand total?

Yes, you read that correctly:  $2,720.07

Apparently 3 weeks ago, when we bought SB her new phone, they changed our plan.  Unlimited text messaging was inadvertently removed.  We were charged 20 cents for each incoming and outgoing message.

Really?  Did they think we wanted to pay two thousand, seven hundred & twenty dollars and seven cents instead of paying a monthly unlimited fee?

Summertime

If Only I Had A Tripod

Hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July.  I sat in the sand, watching fireworks over the ocean.  It was beautiful!  One day I get a tripod to take pictures of fire in the sky.