She's Here!

My sister and niece came to visit and will be here through Sunday. I am so excited to have them here.  We rode around singing at the top of our lungs and driving by her old house, etc. It's so good to spend time with her. 

Can't Stop Laughing

My long-awaited visit with my sis has finally happened and she's HERE!!!!  We have been sitting at the computer laughing at videos and this one literally made me cry from laughing so hard. Too funny.

The Boys of Summer are Back-- June 17, 2014

After a hiatus that included a trip to Seattle for the Momma-person and a trip to Alabama for the boys to visit their grandparents, the Boys of Summer have returned. To make up for lost time, we have spent two days swimming with a movie thrown in for good measure!

Katie, D, J and Ella after seeing How to Train Your
Dragon 2 today. Such a good movie!

Daniel showing off his mad diving skillz. :)

Jacob making waves

Momma and Daniel soaking up some vitamin D

Float wars in action. We take this seriously, folks ;)

A Few Seattle Memories-- June 2014

Finally had the opportunity to work side by side with my good friend Melissa on an event in Seattle last week. Here are a few pics from the trip (too many to post here!) :)

Mt. Hood during our approach into Seattle

View of Puget Sound from Pike Market

A fully functioning radio station in our booth

Jason from DST working the booth

A few of our Mobile Concierges for the week

Vitaliy, Sean and Justin taking a quick break

Katie and Sara

Twins Max and Sam on door duty

Katie and Mel at Pike Market on Friday afternoon

Our fish monger Sean holding the salmon I bought Keith for Father's Day

The best pears on the planet. I brought a couple home!

What can I say? It was a long week!

My FAVORITE store on the planet. Located at the Seattle airport.

Father's Day 2014

Keith and the boys didn't make it in from Alabama until Sunday evening so we had some catch up celebrating of Daddy to do. Hid some surprises around the house for him and made chicken 'n dumplins for the first time (his favorite meal). Shockingly, it tasted pretty good!

Olive oils and marinades from the market in Seattle.
Found a recipe for the dipping spices they serve at Carraba's. Yum.

Brought back a King Salmon for him from Seattle.
(Yuck-- but he loves it and it's his holiday, lol)

Pretty self-explanatory :)

Massage time for Daddy

This Makes Me Incredibly Happy

Anyone who knows my affection for the elderly will understand why I love this so much! I will watch this over and over. And over.

First Flight Turns Into Best Friendship

Back In (and out on the) Town

Made it back to the steamy south and my friends Debbie and Steve invited me (took pity on me being alone) to join them for an evening at 10 East Washington. Nice to just sit back and listen to some fantastic music. 

Homeward Bound

A very productive week in Seattle and lots of pics to post but we're headed home.  Buckled up and ready to go. Georgia here I come.

A Long Day Comes to a Close

Today was a busy, busy day and this girl is getting ready to turn it in.  But before I do, Melissa and I were jokingly trying on some berets worn by our spokespersons for the show and we got so tickled we couldn't breathe.  Probably just fatigue ;)   night all.

Sleepless in Seattle

You knew that title was inevitable, right? Well, the time change has certainly thrown me for a loop as I was wide awake at 4 o'clock this morning.

Our trip here was uneventful and we actually got a lot of work done while squeezing in a little sightseeing, too. My friend (and co-worker this week) Melissa has never visited the northwest so it's been fun to show her around.

Have quite a bit on our plate today.  More later!

Head (North)west Young Woman

Who is up writing on their blog at 11:30pm when they have an 8am flight to Seattle? Yep. This girl. My typical night-before-a-trip insomnia is kicking in and my mind is racing with any details that might have been overlooked.

Even though it's a 5 1/2 hour flight, I do love touching down in Seattle and seeing the snow-capped mountains in the distance and the familiar sight of the Space Needle imposing itself on the landscape. I'll be trying to blog each day (we'll see how I do with that) but I'm sure there will be plenty of interesting things to report during the week.

Guess I'd better try to get some shut eye.  Til tomorrow...

Playing Catch Up-- The Boys of Summer: June 5

Thursday was supposed to be a day where the boys entertained themselves while I tried to finish up some work for next week's event. The day started out promising as the boys quietly played card games in the dining room as I worked upstairs. It was almost blissful as I listened to them cajoling one another and Daniel being patient as Jacob learned new games like Go Fish and Slap Jack.

Then, the phone rang. And a realtor on the other end said "we'd like to show the house in an hour." UGGG. It would be only slightly less annoying if this were actually OUR house we were trying to sell but I'm actually keeping someone else's house clean and have to leave at a moment's notice. With two little fellas that lack a certain affinity for cleanliness, it can be quite challenging.

Card Sharks in the making...

So we straighten everything up, grab some tennis racquets and balls and head out to a local park to kill some time. I would love to say I participated in a grueling, calorie-burning round of sport but it was mostly me trying to show Jacob that if you spin around in circles and swing at the air like you're swatting a fly then your chances of getting a ball over the net aren't very promising. My exercise came mostly from running to the far corners to retrieve balls that the boys had lobbed into the adjacent courts. But, we were outside and trying something new. :)

Taking a break from the heated match!  LOL

Nearing the point of heat exhaustion, we decided to go get some water and ride around getting to know our new town a little better. We stumbled upon a new park in downtown Senoia that had a great playground where we commenced to playing hide 'n seek, tag and "see who make make the others gag first on the merry-go-round."  Yep, I'm the mother of boys alright.

All in all, I was thankful that the realtor forced us out of the house. I still got my work done later and took advantage of the play time with my kiddos. It actually turned out to be a really good day.

If You Need Me, I'm in the Bed Doing Absolutely Nothing

Yesterday Keith left to take the boys to his parents' house in Alabama where they'll be staying for the coming week while I'm traveling. The empty house gave me a chance to wrap up some last minute details for the event next week and to enjoy a few moments without hearing "he hit me" or "Mom would you tell (insert name here) to leave me alone?"

My responsibility next week in Seattle is to manage 30 models that are acting as spokespersons for my client at this conference. Guys and girls ranging in age from 18 to 32 who I am grooming to serve as "mobile concierges" for conference attendees. They also have no clue I am on Eastern time as my phone has rung on several occasions after midnight with questions about preparing for the job, where to park and if one guy's inner arm tattoo would be a problem.  This is going to be an interesting week to say the least. Come Friday you may find a blonde woman huddled in the fetal position in a room at the Sheraton Seattle rocking back and forth. :)

Taking advantage of an empty house, I have spent the entire morning engrossed in a book in bed. I have done NOTHING except start a load of laundry and let the dog out (well and played a few rounds of Words with Friends). But basically I have been useless. I can't remember the last time I have just laid in bed and done nothing. Guess I need to get up and try to feign some sort of productivity. Maybe I'll get dressed sometime today, too. The possibilities are endless.

Just Me, Myself and I

The house is so quiet. Sooooo quiet. Cassie is asleep at my feet. The cat is out hunting some sort of wild boar I'm sure and I am alone. And it just started to storm again outside. Keith took the boys to Alabama today so they can stay there for a week while I'm working in Seattle. I've gotten so used to being with them 24-7 that the quiet is almost eerie.

I'm struggling a bit with Daniel's level of separation anxiety, though. He kept saying he would miss me too much and wouldn't stop crying. It's been going on for days and I have tried tenderness, I've tried humor and then I finally resorted to tough love and asking him to be strong for Jacob. He is also supposed to be going to Lee University in Tennessee the last week of the month for church camp and I hope this week will teach him he'll be ok.  It's not the first time he's been away so I'm not sure where this is coming from but it makes me sad. Trying to not cry myself, I told him "hey sometimes you wish I WASN'T around. Just think! You have a whole week without me!" Nope. That didn't work either. I did set him up an account on this walkie-talkie app I use so that we can talk throughout the week. Hoping that will help.

Did I mention how quiet it is????

::crickets chirping::

Fighting Off the Sandman

My eyelids are waging a fierce battle against the sandman as I type this. It has been quite a day and the end is nowhere in sight for me. Because I am leaving on Monday for Seattle, I'm trying to tie up a lot of loose ends for an event I'm doing there. I'll have to post about my day with the boys tomorrow because I still have quite a bit to do before I can call it a night (or a morning, actually).

It has been storming outside all evening which has been exciting and, unfortunately, relaxing all at the same time. A few times I actually set my alarm and curled up on the guest bed just to watch the storm beat against the windows. It's my favorite kind of weather for sure.

OK, back to work. (YAWNNNNN)

The Boys of Summer--Day 7: June 4, 2014

As the sun fades on another summer day, I look back on the small things I tried to appreciate about what was a seemingly ordinary day:

• The kindness of a youth group leader to offer Daniel a free Braves ticket to accompany a middle school group to a baseball game today.
• My patient 6-year old watching me try on 50 outfits in a dressing room and not complaining one time
• Laughing as my 12-year old recounted how he spent the $10 I sent him to the game with (in addition to the lunch and snacks I packed him):  unlimited popcorn bucket, cotton candy, cracker jacks and then "we stopped for ice cream on the way home!"
• The giggles of neighborhood kids as they flew down the slip 'n slide in our front yard.
• Breakfast for dinner and sliced strawberries and bananas for dessert

Jacob "hanging" with Cassie

Daniel gets into the action after the ballgame

Goofballs

D-Man

J-Rock

There was nothing extraordinary about today. It was a hot, party cloudy, uneventful summer day. My kids got to be kids and I got to be their Mom. Doesn't get much better than that.

The Boys of Summer--Day 6: June 3, 2014

Once again, and hopefully for the last time, The Boys of Summer and I had to play "clean the house in super speed fashion" so that a real estate agent could come and take pictures and put up the For Sale sign. It's quite a challenge to get a house ready for MLS photos when you've taken down all your decor and started packing. But, once again, we managed to make it look presentable and were all exhausted by the time they got here.

But, there are highlights to Day 6 of summertime for the fellas. First of all, we stopped by Daniel's school to pick up his report card and the boy GOT ALL A's! He was pleasantly surprised and I was THRILLED. He worked so hard this year and really applied himself (uggg...I sound like such a parent saying that) and it paid off. Way to go, D-Man!

Next up on Momma's Carousel of Summertime Fun was....GROCERY SHOPPING. Woohoooo!!! Well, I'm only half kidding because when we hit the cereal aisle their eyes lit up like Christmas trees and they each got to pick out a box (nirvana as far as they're concerned). And, like that, the Wall-Street worthy cereal negotiation began. "If you get the Rice Krispies then I'll get the Fruit Loops but if you get Trix, I'll try the strawberry Mini Wheats...." This is SERIOUS BUSINESS, Y'ALL. And, like most win-win business deals, a fair agreement was reached and we were able to move to the condiment aisle without incident.

 

But, after all the cleaning and running around was done, we did manage to squeeze in a little bit of summertime after dinner. Because Jacob has an ear infection, the doctor said he can't swim this week. So, it was time to pull out the second best cool-down solution--the trusty sprinkler! They had a blast and nothing screams summer vacation like peeling off wet clothes with blades of grass stuck to your legs.

See you tomorrow...

What I'm Listening To: June 3, 2014

I can't get enough of this one. One of my favorite all-time songs sung by up-and-coming country artist Maggie Rose. Her voice brings such a rich texture to these lyrics. (Plus, we have the same haircut so that means I doubly love it. ;)

I've Been Summoned!

I'm not sure why, but I've always wanted to receive a jury summons. I'm not thinking I would want to be saddled with an OJ Simpson-esque trial but something kinda juicy would be fun.

Well, lo and behold, I received a letter stating that I have been appointed to a Grand Jury trial in Williamson County (where I used to live in Tennessee) and must report July 7. I no longer LIVE there so I'm pretty sure that eliminates me but they provide no option other than SHOW UP OR ELSE.

Guess I'll make some calls tomorrow. Just my luck to receive a summons in another state!