Saturday! Saturday! Saturday, Saturday!

The long weekend is finally here. Memorial Day.  The day we honor those who serve us, and who have served us.  I'm so thankful for our military, and for my relatives who have served and honored all of us in the United States.  Please remember them this weekend as you trek around.

It's a good thing it's a long weekend, because I'm exhausted.  ThatManILove got home from the field, and that's awesome.

And this morning, ThatManILove's talking we have to go pick out a new sink (to go with the new granite for the kitchen)....and new outside furniture (to go with all the new backyard remodel).

Dude! Honey, I have things to do.  I have to finish the entries for the mega 540 golf tournament stuff and hand it back over to my friend so we can get on with the rest of the duties to get this 2 day, 2 course extravanganza pulled off next weekend.

And I have to go run around with my new friend Melissa who's moving in from Tulsa, and looking for houses.  And I have to go take pictures for more friends sometime this weekend.  We could go to GlenRose and watch Elder Son rope?  Nahhhhhh.  Too far....

And, by the way, did I tell you that I promised you'd put that awesome burn on some salmon this weekend for Melissa and her step-mom?  We gotta show some of that famous Texas hospitality, even though you've torn half of our countertops down and the rest is still in that are we ever gonna freakin' finish this remodel slightly undone state.  It'll be okay, honey.  I promise.

And honey?  Call me after you get your haircut.  I'll meet you wherever.  It'll be fun!

Update...(Can You Still Put Them Up For Adoption After 20?)

Elder Son is doing better - he's mobilized, he's up and going, and already horseback again.  I sent him a text to see what he was doing and here's how it went:

Me:  What are you doing?

ES:  Riding a bronc...he's as hard headed as me.

Me: (Oh.My.God.Does.He.Have.A.Working.Brain.Cell.??) And your leg?

ES:  It hurts but what's new?

Me: (I swear he's going to drive me to drink.) What about the doc?

ES:  Gonna be Tues or Thurs next week

I guess we'll know more then.  His Nanny got out of the hospital today, and will be recuperating at her daughter's house.  Thanks so much for your prayers, they are greatly appreciated.


As to the Younger Smartalecjustlikehisfather Son, after his last April Fool's joke - prank - I thought his dad was going to kill him Facebook event where he told the world he had just found out he was going to be  a father, he is breathing.  I swear.  I saw him.  Yesterday, he changed his FB status to "single".  I couldn't resist, I had to do it.  I posted:  "But what about the BABYYYYY?"  Soon after, one of his friends jumped in: "Oh, did your beer break up with you?  how sad."  


How did that song go? "I believe the children are our future...teach them well and they will lead the way..."  RUN! RUN!!!!!!

And now, for an update on the backyard....FINALLY, things are moving along!  Artificial turf and sealing of flagstone this week...and then, in come the plants.  The pergola is now framed out, and over the next week we'll probably see it come to "be."


Happy Memorial Day weekend!

A Life In The Day...

ThatManILove and I booked flights to go to Dallas for the day plus an overnight stay.  8am Saturday flights.  Which mean we had to be at the airport at 7 a.m.  No problem, just an everyday occurrence at the Sounding Forth casa.  And then...it happened. Late Friday night, I get a  call.  My son just arrived home from a long trip to Arkansas.  Twenty minutes later, around midnight, Elder Son walks through the door, saying, “Mom.  I’m here.  Will you look at my leg?”

Four plus years ago, Elder Son had a serious leg surgery that our good doctor healed with a distal realignment procedure.  Sounds easy, but it’s not, by any means.  We had problems upon problems -  he developed blood clots, lost tons of weight, then the wound would not close because he had lost so much weight the skin wouldn’t stretch, and I could go on.  One thing led to another, and it took him 4 months, home health care, and 2 subsequent surgeries before he healed up and got on with his life.

I bet you’re wondering, “Is this the same leg?”

Yes.  Darnit.  Dang the luck.  Creepers.  It’s the same leg.

ThatManILove and I  and Elder Son discussed our options.  Should we go to the Midland emergency room NOW?  The leg is hot.  Tripled in size.  Hard to the touch.  Should we go to the Lubbock emergency room, where Elder Son’s doctor lives and practices, so he could followup?  Between the three of us, we can’t get to a firm answer.

I had a thought.  I ran to get my iPhone...scrolled through the contacts...and found the good Doctor’s cell number - after all these years, I still had it. Elder Son took a picture of his leg, compared to his other leg.  And then, he forwarded the picture, and a short message to his doctor.  Amazingly, said doctor calls Elder Son immediately (remember, it’s after midnight!), and they formulate a plan for Elder Son to go to the emergency room during the daylight hours when the ortho doctor is on call.

By 1:30 a.m., it’s been decided that TMIL and I will go on our trip, but cut it down to a one day trip, with no overnight stay.  Elder Son will go with his father to the emergency room and we’ll be back that night to check on him.

We leave for Dallas at 8am, go take care of our business, have lunch with friends, and head back to the airport.  I call my son, who doesn’t answer.  I call his father, and find out that his mom, my son’s grandmother, has suffered a stroke and they’re all at the emergency room.  So, father and son are at the emergency room where they are supposed to be, but for all the wrong reasons...

We miss our direct flight, and have to fly....from Dallas to Albuquerque, and then to Midland.  Yeah.  We flew over our town, just to come back 2 hours later.

We fly into Midland, and head straight to the hospital to be with Elder Son, his dad, aunt, and cousin.  When we arrive, Nanny has been stabilized to the point that she can be moved into ICU.  We all gather in the waiting room, and then, 2 by 2, get to go into her room to see her.  She’s awake, and communicating...I’m grateful.  We love this woman!

ThatManILove and I head home, hug the WonderDogs, and hit the sack. 

Today will find us at the emergency room, working on Elder Son’s leg.  We covet your prayers, for healing for both Elder Son, and his Nanny.

It’s never boring around here.  


Sunday evening update:  The ER Doc drained 120cc (for some reason, that is all he would drain) of fluid from Elder Son's knee; the Doc doesn't think his knee is infected.   Nanny seems to be coming around and reports have her sitting up eating a meal this afternoon.  Thanks for your prayers!

We May Be A Little Claustrophobic

Earlier this week, ThatManILove and I had a movie date.  We split salad and lasagna at at Pizzeria Venti, then headed to the movies.

We went to see "Date Night", the comedy with Steve Carell and Tina Fey.  The movie had probably been at our theatre 2 days, so we knew that most likely, the theatre would be crowded.

We were the first couple in the theatre, so for once, we sat in the middle of the second row from the top.  (We’re usually side seat aficionados.)  Our theatres are of decent size, for a mid-size Texas town, so there are plenty of seats.

We were early, and I was talking long distance to an old friend from North Carolina, and having a good time. ThatManILove was playing poker on his crackberry.  In about five minutes, a couple came and sat down on our row, about three seats down from me on my right.  And five minutes later, another couple came and sat the exact same distance from ThatManILove, on his left.

ThatManILove starts muttering.

Then, six people, who obviously go to the movies together all the time (I’ve seen them) came and sat...directly in front of us.

I’m still on the phone with my friend, and whispering the play by play to her.  She’s laughing hysterically, and I’m trying not to do the same.  ThatManILove is starting to steam.

People.  The entire theatre was empty.  No one was on the side seats, no one was seated in the lower section.  

The “Dancing Boxes” (what I call the previews) start, and I get off the phone.  But not before 4 people come and sit directly behind us.  I kid you not.

ThatManILove was grumbling.  I turned to him and asked him, “Did you order those special attractant pheremones from one of those funky 1-800 numbers or something?  Because these people are sticking to you like glue, baby.  Glue!”

So...to recap, we were instantly surrounded by 2+2+6+4 people.  The theatre didn’t fill up.  So, Including ThatManILove and myself, there were now 16 people in the theatre.  All smacking on their popcorn, kicking our seats, and talking amongst themselves.  Surrounding us.  In a theatre that probably seats at least 200 people.

And we were dead smack in the center of the top section of 12 seat rows, totally and irrevocably surrounded.  You just can’t get much closer than that.

I think we’ll repair to the side seats next time.

My Back Yard Looks Like a Demilitarized Zone....

Wow.  It’s gone from clean to scene in about 2 days here por la casa.  You see, ThatManILove had a dream.  And one of our friends, Doug, is a whiz at drawing out plans...and they're both good at executing said directive.  ThatManILove sees a plan, it's Katy Bar That Door...you can consider that puppy faded, put to bed, complete. No ifs, ands, or buts.

The next thing I knew, there are strange men over here digging up our entire backyard.  Bringing over slabs of rock for me to pick out colors.  Limestone?  Flagstone?  or Rosa?  Or Arizona?  Arrrrrrgggghhhh!  Digging major holes which are, by the way, driving Zanna the Wonder Girl crazy,  since they have filled them with water in order to ready them for cementing.  She swears there are birds in those holes, and tries to swipe them out with her paw.  We think she sees their reflection in the water.  Her high dollar trainers would be so proud of this girly dog.

this morning....

I digress.  Please forgive me.
I came home this afternoon, and there are these huge pillars of wood sticking up in the air.  Trenches dug all over our back yard.  Zanna’s pissed about that, too.  She looks at us like, “Hey.  I get time out when I dig, what the hey?  You’re not even scolding those guys.” 

Did I mention the phone line was inadvertently cut?  Oh, yeah.  Not that we use it, except for dsl.  And at the last minute, when our friend had already come by and replaced our ancient gas line, ThatManILove decided he needed yet another tap for the fire pit?  Can you say “Cha-ching!” three times in a row, really fast?  YIKES.  We passed up the DIY budget days ago.  And ThatManILove’s talking about a “water feature”.  Maybe even a koi pond.  I guess Zack and Zanna would be German Shorthair Fishing Dogs.  

That’s right, fire pit - water feature - koi pond.  ThatManILove is creating his own little Margaritaville oasis in the back yard.  And when he’s on a mission, he’s on one.  And Zanna is more than stressed out and acting all weird.  There are PEOPLE, Mom, invading HER territory!! And Zack?  He’s loving all this activity - because that means ThatManILove is a wee bit distracted. Distracted dad =  free Zack. Today, ThatManILove got a phone call from the city.  

“Do you have a large brown dog?”

“Yes sir.”

“Do you know he’s running free?”

“No sir.”

The city employee gave ThatManILove the address, which happened to be 4 houses down from ours, and when TMIL went out to get him, the city employee was holding Zack by the collar.  Thank God he didn’t call animal control, we would have had to attend Defensive Doggie and pay a hefty fine.  I tell you all that to inform you that Zack is quietly standing by any door that might crack open enough to allow him the slightest chance of sneaking out.

this afternoon

Within a week or so, though, it should all be shaping up.  And that will be exciting. Today, ThatManILove said, “I might have rushed this all a bit - our timing may be a little off, but babe, I think it will all be worth it.”   Me:  “I just want to finish the kitchen and paint.”  Him:  “Babe, we’ll get lots of use out of this outdoor area - I’m even putting the outlets in so we can pull the musical instruments out if we want.”  Me:  “I know, but people have to walk through our house to get to this outdoor area.”  Him:  “We are so going to enjoy this, I promise.”  I know, I know, but how long is it gonna take this WonderWorld to develop?  Did I tell y'all that it rained today, so none of the workers showed up?  And when I say rain, I mean SPRINKLED.  Weenies.  All of them.  Weenies.

What can I say to that "We are so going to enjoy this, I promise?" ?  I mean, holy crap, we certainly can’t stop now...but if he starts pricing lions and tigers and bears, oh, MY!  Our yard may be paid for, but it's not that freakin' big!

Just finish the backyard already...and then, the backsplash in my kitchen and paint, cowboy, and I’ll be  one happy camperette.  Yes, I will. And honey, you will, too!


It's never boring around here!

Powered Down and Holding...

This is the ol’ I’m having trouble getting back to my blog whine.  Wah.  Okay, I’m done with that post, now on to bigger and better things.  (Quickest ever, huh?)

This is our first weekend por las casa with absolutely no plans.  A friend came in to see us, but basically, we’ve done not one thing but visit, and eat.  And visit, and eat.  And the guys have played guitars, and I’ve taken some pictures.  We’ve gone to the dog park.  ThatManILove’s about to put a burn on some salmon a la grill, our boys should make an appearance sometime this afternoon, and play some of their songs for our friend,  and then....we’re gonna eat. 

It’s been a restful, fun weekend.  Powered down, fun, quiet times. 

So good.

How about you?

March 2010 in Pictures

Spring's upon us, and I've taken lots of pictures this month.  I thought it might be fun to recapture the month in photography.  So, enjoy!

My good friend Connie's dad passed this week, and these kiddos were there to honor their great-grandfather.  They brought a lot of laughter to the situation.  To me, children always represent hope...and heritage.
Meet Camry and Addison - cousins - who were doing EVERYTHING my friend Tamra told them to do - "Girls, hold your hair up - act like a movie star!"

Aren't these girlies too cute?   They loved the camera.

And sometimes, the photographer inspires them to act out a little...y'all know I can't resist a sign - or a challenge!!  This is Coby, Camry's brother, posing with his sister and cousin.  If the cops ask, I had everything nothing to do with it. 

A friend of mine asked me to take Easter pix of her boys.  Their dad is a fireman, so we dropped by the station, just as he was coming in from a call.  Here, the boys and their mom are watching the truck back into the station.  It was so cool to watch the boys run to their dad for hugs once he got out of the truck.

In this shot, Ayden's teaching little brother Maddux the perfect rock throwing technique.

I was so glad I snagged this shot of Ayden giving his mommy some love...it was a crazy windy day, and the boys were tired.  We got some great shots, though!

Below, Geoffrey, our Little Brother in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.  Here, we were at a restaurant, and I loved the light pouring in through the window on this overcast day.  Geoffrey's always up for a photo moment - I love that about him!

I've watched Anna grow up...we had so much fun on this shoot day.  She's a card!

Happy End of March!!