Last day of June

It takes a lot to get me in a funk, and today I am in a funk. We've been battling our health insurance and I am at the point where I don't care anymore, even if I know that they are doing the wrong thing. Matthew is gone (Minnesota today) and I just really miss his presence when he is not here. The dishwasher is only half working. Sigh. But the biggest thing of all is the door knob. The front door knob is broken, and it takes an act of God to be able to get in and out of our house. What should be an amazingly simple thing to do....replace it!, isn't such an amazingly simple thing to do.
We've lived in this house for 11 years tomorrow. It's the 1st home we ever owned, and it took a lot of struggling for us to even make it work back then. 6 weeks before we moved to California, we were starving students with 2 children and $400.00 in our checking/savings account. If that. Suddenly, Michael was a college professor and we were homeowners of a house we bought sight unseen. That I hated when we first drove up.
And then I fell in love. With my home, my neighbors, my neighborhood, the schools, the location to Michael's work...and 11 years later, to the itty bitty mortgage.
But the door knob is broken.
It's not just a door knob, though. Our windows are almost 30 years old and half of them don't shut. The other half don't open. And the front door is crooked and warped. If you buy new windows, they throw in a new front door. For free! The locksmith would then be able to come once to key both the front and back doors together. All in all, it's lotsa bucks.
However, our furnace/AC is also almost 30 years old. And they tend to get tired in the middle of running and stop running to take a rest. Which is fine if it is not 95 outside. Again, lotsa bucks.
But it's bigger than that. Either we put the money into this house, or we move to a bigger house. With a bigger mortgage. But more space. The funny thing is, we live in the smallest house out of all our friends, yet everything is always here. My boys friends are always here. Parties happen here, even if we are gone. This house just has a very, very happy feel to it. But it IS small. Tiny, in fact.
We've been living with the broken door knob for about 6 months, but just last night Michael couldn't get it opened and had to come in through the back door. (Which actually made us laugh for quite a long time...especially when our neighbors stopped by and we had to wave them around, too!)
So, because of the door knob, we have a big decision to make. We are heading out on vacation and have decided to have a decision made before we come home.
And walk in through the back door. =0)

All About Alex

Today brought 4 hours spent in the car taking Alex for his cast and Brian to a new chiropractor. Alex has found that taking pictures of himself makes for great entertainment...

...and so does my lipstick!

Simple pleasures! =0)
Brian was watching every move his big brother made from the back seat...too funny!

As for the current injury...a stress fracture to his right foot. He'll be in an 'air' cast (Thank you, Amy! It pays to know your Dr!) for a few weeks, though he seems to think he is playing basketball games this weekend. NOT!

I've been dealing with health insurance woes (more on that in a later post, after I've had time to chill!) and was feeling pretty stressed...and then Tammy called! (From my favorite Boulder restaurant, too.) =0) My dearest friend from Colorado, who along with her gorgeous husband, Chris, have 3 daughters. I told my boys it was time to go back to Colorado to choose a wife, and Alex says, "I'm NOT marrying my cousin!" I've been hoping some inter-marrying would happen, but whose idea was it to start this whole Aunt/Uncle/cousin thing???? It's backfiring!

Kathy!

Kathy came to visit! There was only one problem, we had to stand outside next to the car the whole time. She was borrowing a friends car and somehow managed (?) to not be able to restart the car once it had been turned off. Which in all honesty, I am never going to be able to forget, and will remind her of it each time I see her.

=0)

Anyway, Kathy is our amazing foodie, Italy loving, music loving, Harry Potter friend, (we cried together on the phone after reading the last book!) who left us to move to the East coast. And came back to visit looking young and healthy and happy. Somewhere, she has tapped into the fountain of youth. And got an amazing new hairstyle to boot. Maybe next time she'll be able to come inside, or maybe we'll just have dinner in the running car!

Greg and Joanna and crew were supposed to come for dinner, but baby Logan woke up from his nap with a high fever. With Kathy gone early, (before she ran out of gas! Bahahaha!!!) no dinner plans, and no Matthew to drive, we did the next best thing...margaritas! The first of many to come this summer! Add a few burgers on the grill, a little corn on the cob, and we were set to go.

A student of Michael's knocked on the door just as we were sitting down, so we fed him dinner and the two of them were able to talk. I love that his students, both old and new, feel they can just stop by if they need to talk...it's the part of his job that I like best.

It turned out to be a really nice evening.

As for today, I did my Meals on Wheels run and picked up Brian from VBS. Michael and Alex squeezed in sushi after having Alex's foot xrayed - more on that later. As for Matthew, he has a show in Oswego, IL tonight. Praying for safe travels for him...

1st Week of Summer

I can feel it coming...late nights and lazy mornings are right around the corner. Are they here yet? Not so much, but they are close!

Brian is at VBS this week, so we've been out of the house by 8:15am. Alex has basketball camp every afternoon this week, but was hired to work at the morning camps also. He's pretty excited about his first 'job'...making money playing basketball? All is right in his world!
And Matthew? He flew out on the red-eye last night for Chicago, and is in Plainfield, Illinois for the next 2 nights.

Michael is working today and I am cleaning (shhhh!) the house as we speak. It's a tad too quiet for me and I even have Bruce Springsteen (just LOVE his newest CD!) blaring on the stereo. I asked for quiet and I've got it. =0)

Last night after Matthew was dropped off, we took Alex and Brian and went to our new favorite Mexican place and had dinner. This picture looks disgusting, but LET ME TELL YOU!, it was the most amazing tomato soup I have ever had. I love tomato soup. Good tomato soup, not the stuff from a can. This soup was a roasted tomato soup and it was smoky, and creamy, and spicy. YUM! It was the special of the day (and perfect with a lobster taco and sangria) and so Michael asked how often it is on the menu. The answer? Once a month. Once a month? Yes, only once a month. I may have to camp out so I don't miss it!

We then walked over and saw 'Evan Almighty'. Very cute...not one we will buy, but worth seeing and discussing after. It was a great movie for all of us to see together, that we all liked, which isn't always easy with an 8, 13 and 17 yr old!

Back to cleaning for me! Later Gators! =0)

Melon Mania

Last May while Michael and I were in Italy, we ate the best Tuscan melon while in...well, Tuscany. Florence, to be exact. We bought it at a market and devoured it while on a picnic, and then I had an idea. (Scary!) Like a freak, I gathered the seeds in a napkin and stuck them in my pocket. Fast forward 13 months, and my brilliant idea worked...we have a 'real' Tuscan melon in the garden! It's been hiding it's pretty little self under a bunch of leaves, but while watering this morning I found it...and 5 others. If only I had brought home that leg of prosciutto to go with it!

Saturday night we saw Matthew perform for the last time until later this summer. We loaded up our car with a bunch of his friends, and met up with Greg, Joanna and Katharine at the show. We were able to see him afterwards before they packed up and drove all night to Arizona, where they performed tonight. He'll be home tomorrow night and then flies to Chicago on Tuesday and won't be home for 2 1/2 weeks. Do I like it? NOPE! (But I am glad he's having fun...)

Haircut for Alex

Alex finally gave in and went for a haircut today, though in all honesty, we didn't give him much of a choice. (Though I really think he believes he had some say in it!)

Trying to get a picture of him is impossible!

Lovely

Lovelier

And on goes the beanie.

What a funny kid, he is! =0)

Golden Anniversary

Today, June 21st, is our 21st wedding anniversary. Time flies when you are having fun! We have had so many GREAT adventures, and I can't wait to see what's to come. 21 years ago we had our whole lives planned...we knew exactly how things were going to go and when they were going to happen. We had a plan.

And then God stepped in.

He let us know from the very beginning that if we trusted in Him, that He was going to take us on one mighty fine ride. And He has. We've been led to move, been offered jobs, given children to raise, a home of our own, unbelievable friends, family....I am so overwhelmed with thanks when I think about all of it. We have been blessed.

Our wedding text is Matthew 6:25-34. It's been taped on every bathroom mirror in every house we've lived in, and I read it every morning when I'm getting ready. I've never known anyone else to choose this as a wedding text, but for some reason we were led to these passages over and over (especially verses 33 & 34) while we were engaged. God knew that as a very, very young couple getting married, that these words would give us peace...

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Perfect, isn't it?

Wednesday Thought

Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History

-Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Father's Day

OK...so I am a little behind! =0)

Father's Day means one thing in our house...the beginning of Drum Corps. PC holds its Sneak Preview every year on Father's Day, which in Michael's eyes is perfect. We drove Matthew to practice (45 minutes away), went to church (30 minutes back), came home for a quick lunch (30 more minutes), hurried out to Alex's basketball game (20 minutes away), home to change, (20 minutes) and then back out to catch Matthew's show (45 minutes). Oh, and then back home again (45 more minutes).

Just a tad bit of driving.

Back to drum corps. For those of you (and you all know this!) who don't know, M and I met in a drum and bugle corps way back when. As teenagers. And fell in love. And got married. And found out on a Father's Day long ago that we were going to have a baby. And that baby is now in a drum and bugle corps. And that baby's corps performs on Father's Day.

Cool.

Once the season begins, Michael will spend lots of time going over scores and placings and judges recaps. To him, this is relaxing. To me? Not so much. (But I really like him, so I pretend to listen intently.) We catch as many shows as we can, and this year is extra special. For the first time ever, finals are on the West Coast...at the Rose Bowl, and we are going!

Extra cool.

A little side note...I just want to say publicly that my children are the most blessed children. I not only have an amazing husband, but he is truly, truly, truly a wonderful, kind, loving, supportive, hands-on dad. They see everyday how a husband should treat a wife, and how a father should treat a child.

Thank you, God. =0)

And one more thing...a very Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law, who raised this boy and trained him to be the kind of person he is today. Thank you!

Quick Chat

Busy, busy, busy! Here's a rundown of the last week:

* M and I stole away for a lovely weekend in Boulder, CO. It is 'home' for both of us, yet neither of us is truly 'from' there. Does that make sense?

* The main reason for the trip was to attend the wedding of Luke & Lisa, two of my husbands former students. It was a beautiful day with a beautiful couple, and a great chance to catch up with former students. Awesome day!

* We stayed in our favorite place and ate at our favorite restaurant, and just hung out in our favorite places. We needed that time away...life is just crazy with all these boys!

* Alex's mambo ball team (think killer frisbee, but with a ball) at school won 1st place. All limbs are still intact and functioning properly.

* Matthew was chosen to be one of the drum majors for his marching band next year. He will also be playing a few solos on the field.

* Matthew learned to park in my car. The tree is fine. So is my blood pressure.

* Brian went on a field trip to a one room school house. It was my 3rd time along, and it was just as much fun as the first. I think I am living in the wrong era.

* Had an amazing night of cocktails with an old friend. So much to catch up on, so little time.

* Have caught up on almost every movie that is out in the theatres. M must be on vacation!

* The boys last full week of school was last week. Matthew and Brian finish on Thursday, Alex is done on Wednesday. M and I took advantage of our final quiet week alone and took many long walks on the beach.

* Celebrated Logan's birthday yesterday and caught up with the family.

* Started a great new Beth Moore study (Get Out of That Pit) with my 'girls'. I love summertime!

* My garden is flourishing! Zucchini, anyone?

Sadness

Two years ago today, I held my fathers hand as he took his last breath on this earth.

Entertainers, Great Hair, and a Pioneer

Let's start with the great hair...and Alex wins. 

And how, exactly, do you lose 1 shoe, while the other is ON your foot? 

Matthew and friends at the Entertainers installation...he's decided to sing again next year. I at one time worried that he was 'too quiet'....now I worry that he's not!

Brian's school ends the year with an 1850's one room school house. They have to dress every day for the part, and for 3 weeks they do as close a simulation as they can. Pretty darn cute!

No Time To Breathe

And no new pictures, either! 

Our lives have gone from busy to busier, though at least there are now two of us doing the driving. 

Last week brought the in-law's, a choir concert for Matthew, drum corps in a far and out of the way place, and a basketball tourney for Alex...with 4 games in all. Add in Logan's 1st birthday, a family dinner at Nick's, Michael singing at three church services, and you have our weekend. (Did I mention MP's open house and Brian having the flu?) 

This week brings 3 band concerts, a choir installation, and a much needed weekend get away...but more on that later! 

Alex had an amazing game on Saturday. Down 1 point with 9 seconds on the clock. He gets fouled and has an 'and 1'. Steps up and makes both free throws and his team wins by 1 basket. Last year on that same day he broke his hand and the Dr's weren't sure whether or not he would play basketball again. God is so good!

On a side note...we are sneaking in some fun time while the boys are in school. We found a great new Mexican restaurant that will now make its way to the top of our Happy Hour list! 

We definitely have our priorities straight...