Showbiz

In just a few short moments I will be leaving to attend Midway Elementary's First Grade Production, "Take Me Home."

This was the conversation as I tucked my 1st grader into bed last night:
Jamison: "Hey Mom, did you know that I have an understudy?"
Me (incredulous): "No. What?"
Jamison: "Yeah. I have an understudy and he is really hoping that I am sick tomorrow so that he can do my part."

Even in first grade, it's a cutthroat business.

Inside Jokes

If it seems like I've been delaying my 100th post, it's because I have. Do you know how much paperwork is involved in moving a kindergartner to 1st grade? Plus I've been busy planning a surprise party for my husband's 40th birthday. Besides, I wanted my 100th post to be something really, really good. I finally got it.



When Dan and I got married, we each brought things with us to start our new life together. He had a T.V. I had a compter. He had a good car, I had a Dodge Omni that wouldn't run if the weather dipped below 68 degrees. Thankfully we lived in Arizona. But the best thing I got from Dan with our marriage (besides Dan) was a handful of good friends. They were all high school/college buddies and because Dan was their friend, so was I. We've been married for nearly fourteen years and I have heard all the stories from the glory days enough times that I can repeat them to you verbatim. That's almost as good as being there, right?



A typical get-together looks like this: all the guys are on one side of the room incessantly ripping on each other about all the stupid things they did when they were younger. All the wives are on the other side of the room laughing at them. It works.



So for Dan's big 4-0, our good buddy Robb put together this little ditty. It's full of inside jokes, but you can appreciate the talent.



Enjoy.

There's a Girl I Know

Happy 11th Birthday to this horse-lovin', piano-playin', friend-makin' gal!

Jessica is the one who brings music to our family. She can't do anything without humming a tune. She hums when she's making a sandwich. She hums when she's cleaning her room. She hums along as she plays the piano. She hums along as she plays the violin.

Jessica is the one who brings beauty to our family. Her smile dazzles anybody, even before the braces went on. She leaves sweet notes and is always up for hugging.

Jessica is the one who sets the example in our family. She fits well into any situation and is our social butterfly. She's not afraid to stick up for her friends but also isn't afraid to tell them when they're "acting ridiculous."

Jessica is the goal-getter in our family. Yesterday she told me she's going to try and read one chapter in The Old Testament every day. Thanks to her grandpa, she's got her sights set on BYU-Hawaii. "It's only 7 years away, you know," she told me. She's planning to own some kind of horse-related business by the time she's 16, and her bank account is getting there. I told her she'll be the only sixteen-year-old riding a horse to school instead of a car, and she simply smiled. "I'll have to make sure they have a hitching post," she replied.

Happy Birthday Jess!

Tell the Girls to Get In Line

Today I had some fun. I got to take senior pictures of my nephew, Parker. Yep. He's graduating from high school in just a few short weeks. I used to give him piggy back rides and now he towers over me by about a foot! It really wasn't that long ago when his little legs were dangling off of the kitchen stool while he did his kindergarten homework! How time flies... In just a few short months he'll be a college man. Way to go Parker!

Happy Mothers' Day

To all the mothers out there, thank you.

Thank you for knowing where everything is, even when you've never laid eyes on the thing in question. Thank you for remaining invisible until somebody wants something. Thank you for vacuuming under the couch, for wiping the sticky messes off the floor, for signing those permission slips, and for combing the knots out of unruly hair.

Thank you for saying the hard things. Thank you for being mean. Thanks for not caring what other kids get to do, for not handing out money like it's candy, and for not handing out candy every other minute.

Thank you for going to work... and then coming home and working hard. Thank you for working hard at home all day long. Thank you for going days at a time without having a conversation with another grown-up, for eating PB&J for lunch instead of shrimp cocktail; for cooking healthy, delicious meals fit for a king, and doing it on a budget. Thank you for for not eating your young when they complain that your delicious, healthy dinner tastes like sour lemons.

Thank you for buying new shoes that will only be worn by short people without jobs. Thank you for spending hours at a time sewing Halloween costumes that will be worn for a fraction of that time. Thank you for the Hello Kitty birthday cakes and the Transformer backpacks. Thank you for thinning out the toy box when no one else is looking. Thank you for everything you do when no one else is looking, because usually, no one else is looking.

Thank you for taking care of other mothers' children. Thank you for feeding them, for allowing them into your house when all you really want to do is watch Oprah; for treating them like they matter to you because they matter to your kids.

Thank you for being the keepers of the peace. The guardians of love. Thank you for making home a sanctuary.

Thank you for being a mom.

Oh Yes I Will

Today's bucket-list item is the nearest and dearest to my heart. And the one that WILL happen, even if none of the other ones do. I will own a Shelby GT 500 Mustang. I have no doubt. (Tomboy, remember?)
"Why," you ask? There is no why here. That's like asking how long eternity lasts. There is no answer.