Surprise? Only the weather...

On Saturday, October 6, 2012, we saw the fruition of a surprise birthday party that I have been planning since April. My husband, Ronnie, turned 60 this year. That is a milestone that bears recognition. So, recognize it we did. I rented the outdoor pavilion at Harry Myers Park in Rockwall. We had used one of these facilities in June, when it was blistering hot, for my mother's family reunion. It was perfect for our needs so I rented these accommodations knowing that they would be perfect. Then I set to work on the other details...guest list, food, cake, gift, etc. The one thing I guess I should have considered, but didn't, is the weather. Afterall, October is usually a temperate month. Usually is the operative word here. In the week prior to the party the weather was in the 80s and 90s. The sun shone brightly and we continued to use our air conditioning. Then...on Friday evening prior to the next day's party, a cold front blew in. The high on this day was 50 and there were scattered showers and gusting winds. Wouldn't you know it. Regardless of the cold wind being channeled through the pavilion...and the two heaters we brought...and the fire in the grill pit...we partied and had a great time visiting with one another. Good friends and family came out to help us rehash old memories and make new ones. We grilled burgers and had delicious birthday cake. We laughed at Ronnie in his shorts and a jacket and we revealed the special birthday gift...a forthcoming trip to Ireland! Ronnie has always said he would love to go to Ireland...and so he will once we figure out the timing for the trip. Can't wait! In the meantime, a huge HUG to my daughter, Kristin, who took care of designing and mailing the party invitations while I was partying it up on my trip, to my son, Ryan, for figuring out how to get Ronnie to the party (and home again), to my son-in-law, Scott, for his expertise at the grill and to my friend, Brandy for the delightfully Irish themed birthday cake. Hugs, too, to all the friends and family who braved the chill in the air and the threat of rain in order to share in this special day!

Make Mine a Triple...

Last night my phone rang. Not that this is an unusual event, but it is part of my story. Anyway. Phone rang. The screen displayed "Facetime" from Kristin. My daughter. My heart skipped a couple of beats because I knew she was having her "gender determining sonogram" that day. I'm not sure "GDS" is an official term but work with me here. I knew when I saw that display that we were about to find out if Baby Durbin is a boy or girl. Let me digress here a minute and say that IT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE TO ME WHETHER THE BABY IS A BOY OR GIRL. All I want...have ever wanted...is a healthy baby. I will admit that both Trenton and Carter had expressed a desire for a baby sister and I wanted them to get what they want but, in fact, I know that Trenton probably doesn't care what it is and Carter probably doesn't understand the whole thing. I'm not sure he's going to be happy with either since it will usurp his strangle-hold on being the center of attention! Back to my story. Phone rings...When the connection is finally made Kristi asked if Ronnie and I were both home. We were and we moved together so that the phone would show both of us. Kristin then turned to phone on her boys so that they could tell us that their new baby is a...boy! Trenton seemed quite happy with that as did Carter...until Trenton said "it's a brother." At that point Carter said, "No, it's a sister." He actually said it a couple of times. I joked, "So it's twins?" which went unaddressed since Carter started to cry. I think he was more upset about being corrected than he was about it being a boy. Carter likes to be right, but then again, who doesn't? To make a long story short, Trenton and Carter were talking to us while enjoying "blue lollipops and blue "boy" cake. I know that baby Durbin doesn't have a clue how lucky he is. He is being born into a family with the two best brothers in the whole world, with a mommy and daddy who already adore him and a Nana and Popaw who can't wait to spoil him rotten. God bless you, little Durb! Take care, grow nicely and we will see you in late January or early February. We love you!!

Back to School...

School started last week. I had my first assignment on Friday of the first week. I have been subbing in Rockwall for four years and have never subbed at Pullen Elementary until Friday. Oddly, it is one of the schools closest to my house. I had a great day and made a new contact that may provide me with more jobs closer to home. Today, Monday, is Labor Day and I already have jobs for Tuesday and Wednesday. Not bad...work one day and then have a three day holiday...work 9 more days and then have two weeks off for a trip to Vegas and San Diego. I could get used to this!

Fall is...well, falling!

We are right on the edge of September. Where has this year gone? I know I shouldn't be surprised because I have been conscious (most of the time) but I am truly amazed that we are on the precipice of fall...the holiday season. Since last I blogged I have been rather sedentary. Enjoying the last days of my summer break because, yes, I am going to sub at least one more year. I actually have found these last few days that I am restless and anxious for some normalcy. Since all I have ever know since I was 16 is working, then that is my normalcy. In the meantime, and to kill time, I have done a few things until I begin working again. First, Ronnie and I went to Choctaw with Ryan and Rich. It was just a quick trip up and back, but it was fun. Especially since I came home a winner. I turned $7 into $265 so I was very happy. That rarely happens for me. I also FINALLY schedule and went to a dental appointment that was previously scheduled in April, 2011, before my car accident. I go tomorrow for the final step...the real crown. Ronnie had surgery to remove a fatty tumor from his back and I took him to that and took care of him for a couple of days after while he was in pain and sore. I followed up with a CT scan and appointment to find out that the lump in my foot is actually a benign cyst that I don't have to do anything with unless it grows or the pain increases. Speaking of lumps, I knew that I had a fluid filled cyst in each breast. Not my first rodeo. I have had SEVERAL needle aspirations since I tend to be prone to this condition. My doctor, however, is concerned that one of the masses doesn't feel like a cyst that he can drain so...off I will go on Wednesday to have another mammogram, followed by a sonogram. They will drain the one large cyst and if the other is, in fact, a cyst they will use the sonogram to guide the needle to the center of the cyst in order to drain it. Must say that I am not looking forward to this procedure though I am not worried about it either. At the same time that I am having my cyst procedure Ronnie will be undergoing a procedure to remove a basal cell carcinoma from his chin. Can I just say that it sucks to get old? But, it beats the hell out of the alternative. Anyhoo...as we step in to September there willl be some R & R. We will be heading out the middle of September for almost 2 weeks in Las Vegas and San Diego. We will be celebrating both Ryan and Rich's birthdays in Vegas. When they fly home we will go to a Hall & Oates concert before packing up and heading on to San Diego. Neither of us has ever been to the Pacific before so we'll stick our toes in the water just to say we did! After we return the crunch begins. It's Ronnie's birthday, Carter's birthday (g'son #2), my birthday, Thanksgiving and then ::insert scarey music:: Christmas! Shortly after Christmas we are expecting the birth of grandchild #3! Life is good!!! Till next time ~ Cheers!!

Summer 2012

Wow! What a summer it has been! Expecially in the good news/bad news department! The good news first... We took a couple of short vacays. It was nice to get away...both by ourselves and with at least one of the grandsons. Summer school was an awesome experience. I was responsible for the computer lab. I worked mostly with 7th graders who needed help in both English and Math, but I also worked with one group of 5 who were math only and one eighth grader who needed help with pre-AP English. The other teachers that I worked with were awesome and some new friendships were formed. I found out that I get to be a Nana again! It was really cute. We went to my daughter's house to pick up her youngest for a weekend trip out of town. While there she asked me if I had my phone with me. When I said "yes" she said she wanted to text something to me. She then texted me a picture of her sonogram. I am just as excited this time as I was the first time...and the second time. We're getting ready for a bigger trip...two weeks...in about a month. We will be going to Las Vegas with Ryan and Rich and when they fly back to Dallas we will continue on to San Diego. Really looking forward to that trip. I bought a health tracker and I love it. It is making me much more conscious of my activity and eating habits and is helping me keep track of significant information like blood pressure, blood sugar, activity, weight, resting and exertive heart rate, etc. that I will need to share with my doctor. It has also resulted in a steady decline...of weight. Because I am paying more attention to my activity level I am being more active and therefore, am losing weight. Yay! I have a Winstar trip planned with Ryan and Rich...actually Rich and I are going to a concert there and Ryan is going to gamble. We don't have the same taste in music! Lol! In the "not so good news" department... Since my doctor made me aware that I need to be monitoring my blood sugar it has gone totally beserk! He wants it to be between 80 and 100. Some mornings it will start at 103. Some mornings it will start at 213. Some days at lunch time it will read 144. Some days it will read 67. Frustrating! That is the reason I bought the aforementioned tracker. I had a CT scan done on my right foot. It was a "growth" that the doctor is baffled by. I'm still waiting to get the results but hopefully there's an answer in my future. I am getting rid of my wine business. Because I make sweet wine...and the whole blood sugar issue...I have determined that it is not in my best interest to have that wine in the house. I have given cases of wine to my children and a couple of friends who hosted tastings for me and I am going to continue making just a couple of wine solely for personal consumption...wines that aren't sweet like a reisling and maybe a zin. Otherwise I am out of the wine-making business. I am currenty trying to decide how I will repurpose the wine room. In the good AND bad news department...AC went out in hubby's car (bad...in case you couldn't figure that out)...BUT...it is still under warranty!! (good!!) So now, as summer 2012 draws to a close, and we're cramming in those last minute medical things that need to get done and getting ready for our trip(s), I am readying my "kit" for subbing next year...getting my calendars and notebook ready...sorting clothes...cleaning closets...etc. You know, the routine and mundane that HAS to get done. So...till next time... ~Cheers!!

When you're having fun...

Summer is upon us and with it comes the burning desire to get away...to take a short vacation from the routine and relax without some task or obligation hanging over your head. We chose to get away for a couple of days by taking the RV up to Hot Springs. Just the two of us...and Beau. Let me start by saying that Beau is not necessarily a good traveler. He is a bit nervous. So why does he insist upon sitting on the dash where he can see everything that is going on while fidgeting around in a nervous state? The only tie he appeared comfortable was when I put my feet up on the dash, put his bed in my lap and let him sleep in my lap like that. Can we say spoiled? Anyway, this was the first time for us to pull a car behind the RV. It gives us the opportunity to park the RV but still have transportation to scoot around town. We parked at the KOA in Hot Springs...a shady spot in a scenic park. Really nice. We put up our screened canopy over the picnic table and this gave us the opportunity to sit outside in the evenings without being chewed on by the bug of the day. There must have been a billion cicadas there because they made a thunderous noise at night. But each camping spot had a cute little street light and curbside garbage. We spend our five days in Hot Springs just relaxing. We stayed at the campsite for the most part and spent our days...and nights...resting, reading, swimming, napping, etc. Oh, yeah...and taking Beau to the puppy playground... We went out to eat a couple of times. There was a really tasty Italian restaurant that overlooked Lake Hamilton. Beautiful view while enjoying margaritas and pasta. We joked about the plethora of Mexican Food restaurants in Hot Springs. There seemed to be two or three on every block. We went window shopping down main street on Friday. It was humid and hot so after a bit we happened upon a kitchy little bar named the Ohio Club. What a find! This bar was established in 1904 and has been patronized by lots of famous, and infamous, people. Mae West performed there as did Frank Sinatra. Al Capone tipped a few glasses there and rumor has it that Teddy Roosevelt also stopped in for a beverage or two. The bar was this massive oak cabinet with horses and ship maidens carved into it. Mmmmaaaassssssssiiivvveee...and gorgeous. This bar was a "cigar store" during prohibition and there were still holes in the floor where the false wall separate off the illegal bar and casino. There was a tunnel that had been walled in. Apparently it runs under the entire area and it is how the patrons escaped when the Feds raided the "store." It was a fascinating place!!! We broke down our camp on Saturday evening so that we could head back home early on Sunday. We had plans for dinner with our son, Ryan, on Sunday evening. So, after breakfast on Sunday morning, we hooked up the car to the RV and headed back to Rockwall. While it was an uneventful trip home...I can't say the same thing for our trip out to dinner. On our way back home we had a flat. The good part of that is that we were out on a two lane country road that doesn't have very much traffic. Of the traffic that did come by there were three people who stopped to offer their help if needed. We got the tire changed and made it back home. On Monday morning I had to go to work for a few hours....inservice for summer school that I am teaching in July. Afterwards I bought a new tire and got my car inspected. Now...vacation is over and everything is back to normal. The RV has been cleaned, laundry done and everything put back in its place. I've got a couple of weeks before summer school starts and then it's only a matter of time before the next school near begins. Amazing how time flies....when you're having fun.

Time for myself...

Time has flown...and "things" have changed since last I rambled at you. Shortly after my last post I ended my long-term subbing position (which had gone on for 3 months) and took a little time off. Actually, I worked in all the medical appointments and things that I had been putting off for work. I worked a couple of days a week and took the rest of the time for myself and the things that I needed/wanted to get done. My husband and I, along with two other couples, headed out in our motorhome and their travel trailers for a week at Lockhart State Park. We went hiking (and got lost), shopped at quaint little shops in Wimberly, shared meals and fellowship, visited a goat farm, and just generally relaxed. It was refreshing...and renewing. Ahhhhh! The only thing that would have made it better is if my allergies hadn't flared up and I hadn't come home with bronchitis which I battled for two solid weeks before I began to improve! During our trip I got a follow-up call on a medical appointment I had prior to the trip. Seems my blood sugar is too high and I must change my diet and get that under control. It's not ridiculously high...most of the time. I bought a glucose monitoring kit (the finger prick thingy with the machine that tests the blood drop) and have changed my diet radically. I still can't seem to get the reading down to the 80 - 100 range where Dr. S wants it. Guess that means there is more work to be done! Hubby is looking into vacation options for us for late June. That's the only time I will have off since I agreed to teach computer lab in summer school and that starts on July 7th. I'm actually looking forward to that. Four days a week for four weeks. No lesson plans and no papers to grade. Now really, who could turn down that kind of a deal? That said, I will have four weeks off before summer school begins and three weeks off after it ends. Niiiccceeeee! Took a short (overnight) trip to Shreveport with "the girls." Lost my butt! 'Nuff said. Went to the Ranger game Wednesday night. They were "playing" (and I use that term loosely) Seattle. I stopped paying attention in the 3rd inning when we were already down 16-0. It was ridiculous...painful to watch. I turned in my paperwork to sub again next year. Figure I'll give it one more year. After that... That's all my news. It's summer and I'm taking it slow and easy. Wishing you the opportunity to carve out some time to do the same. Till next time... ~Cheers!