It's August - Time for Some Changes!

It's that time of year again, isn't it?! All kinds of changes coming up. Maddy starts first grade next week! Cboo (aka Connor) will be a senior at the university and is moving to an apt close to campus soon (sniff, sniff, we'll miss having him at home)! Philip will be starting his second year of med school and his bride, Catherine, will be starting her first full-time teaching position -- teaching Spanish at an all-girls Catholic high school. Plus, Philip and Catherine are moving into their very first house together!!! I like changes, I really do -- but they sometimes make me a wee bit nervous. Not so much about Philip, Catherine and Connor. They'll all do just fine -- but, you know, Moms always worry anyway, don't we!

Mostly I worry about Maddy now. Will she be ok in first grade?? Will her teacher be as nice as her kindergarten teacher? Will Maddy remember to speak up louder and not use her itty-bitty voice? Will she tell the teacher if she can't hear her? I'm sure the first few days will be a little challenging, especially until they get the FM-system set up in her classroom. Our public school system is required to provide her with services due to her hearing loss. But, since she goes to a private Catholic school, they wait until after they have all of the public schools taken care of first.

I can't recall if I wrote about the FM system before, but it is is very cool. Basically, once it's set up in her classroom, the teacher wears a microphone and there is a little boot attached to Maddy's hearing aid. The teacher's voice then goes directly from the microphone to Maddy's hearing aid. Then Maddy can hear her better and doesn't have to have all of the background noise and kids voices to deal with too.

So, those are just some of the changes coming up for us. How about you? Do you have a lot of changes coming up soon to deal with too? How do you cope? More chocolate? Me too!!

A Fair Evening

Can you see us up there?? A visit to the county fair was in order over the weekend. My hope was that if we visited the county fair, we could avoid the more expensive and crowded, Nebraska State Fair in two weeks. I'm not sure if that will happen, but it was a lovely evening, so we headed to the fair on Saturday evening. The rides are rather limited -- which is good -- because I am not very brave and luckily for me, neither is Maddy. We went on the Ferris Wheel -- wheeee!! Even that rather tame ride turned my tummy a little bit at first. I kept repeating to myself "don't look down" throughout the ride and that seemed to help.

Then Rick and Maddy went on the Spinning Strawberry- whooohoo!! The rides were fun, but it was Maddy's real goal to win more stuffed animals! Who knows why...since we seem to have about every stuffed animal ever produced! She did win a couple of little ones and the Rickster promised they'd go back again today with Connor to try and win bigger ones. Oh joy! Can you tell how thrilled I am at the thought!! Just what we need (not)! Anyway, it was a fun evening and even a little cool out. Last weekend it was 100 degreees -- this weekend at the fair in the 70s! Not to worry though, I'm sure the high 90 temps will be back in time for school to start in another 10 days --not that I'm counting or anything!

Favorite Friday Foto or is it Friday Foto Fun?

A quick peek at one of the photos taken last weekend by Jenny Gegg. Watch for more next week! Kind of amazing that any turned out as it was about 100 degrees on the evening of the photo shoot. Thanks Jenny!

Sports and Me!

Last night, Maddy and I went out to dinner with our friends, Mei and her mom. We were chatting a bit about school starting soon and the various sports and activities that begin in the fall: soccer, volleyball, gymnastics, dance, etc. Mei loves sports -- she's doing it all -- or as much of it as she can talk her mom into signing up for on the dotted line! When Mei asked Maddy, what sports she's doing -- Maddy responded, "None - I don't like sports!" Aackkk -- what have I done?? Do I have a little couch potato on my hands? Have I turned her into a mini-me?!!! Yep, you guessed it -- I am not very athletic. Oh yeah, I go to the Y nearly every day over my lunch hour, but that is really so that I can eat more chocolate -- not because I really enjoy it and using a treadmill or elliptical is hardly athletic.

I tried some sports in junior high and high school -- softball -- that was the worst!! I remember it like it was yesterday . . . I was the girl that everyone knew was an automatic out every time up at bat. I could not hit that ball to save my life. Really, I think I played a whole season without getting a single hit! It was excruciating!! I cringe even now thinking about it! Then, I tried track -- surely I could run -- everyone can run, right! Yeah sure, and somebody's gotta be last -- but did it always have to be me??? No, track was not my sport, either. How about tennis? I tried that so I could play with the Mr. and the boys. I LOVED the outfits, but could not get my serve in to save my life. Are you noticing a pattern here?? I guess the moral of the story is that I tried. And I still exercise and so that's the important thing. It's ok to not excel in sports. Somebody has to be there cheering the real athletes on, right. There we go -- that's my talent -- I'm a really, really good spectator!

Maddy does like tumbling and gymnastics, so we'll give that a try again. And I'm signing her up for a little theater class called "The Teddy Bear Picnic" with the hope that it will help her to speak louder and give her confidence a boost. Since there's a Teddy Bear involved, I think she'll like it. In the meantime, we will do the everyday sports of walking, running, jumping and encourage her to exercise, try new things and have fun. After all, that's what being an athlete at her age is all about.

A Shout-out to Mr. Tennis

Interrupting my regularly scheduled blogging for a quick moment to give a shout-out to Mr. Tennis on our 31st (!!!) wedding anniversary!! Oh my -- it really hardly seems possible that it was 31 years ago on a very hot morning that we were married. As many of you may now be guessing . . . yes, it's true, I was a child bride!! :)

Fun now to think back on our wedding and how absolutely clueless we were at the time. Right after the wedding (no, we did not go on a honeymoon) -- we moved to lovely Philadelphia where the Rickster started law school at the incredibly beautiful campus of Villanova. He took a really cool high-speed line train to classes every day from our little down-and-out rowhouse apt. I took the dirty (smelly) scary el-train to my little job in downtown Phila. We were in culture shock to be sure after growing up in slower, not-so-metropolitan cities. Oh my!! I remember nearly screaming on the el train one morning when I saw another train coming straight at us. Ahem -- I didn't realize at that time there was more than one set of tracks. Luckily, I simply stared in horror and did not actually scream. I was so relieved when the other train veered off on its own tracks. That was only one of the many stories of our adventures in moving from the sticks to the big city that my friends at work would find to be quite hilarious!

So many, many things about Philadelphia that we absolutely loved -- our neighborhood bakery that would save brownies for me; NY style pizza; Philly cheese-steaks; the Mummers; trips to the Jersey shore; riding the high speed trains to the mall or the movies; walking to the grocery store and home again with my little cart, and the delightful life-long friends we made there. We had no car, but managed just fine. Wow -- what a little walk down memory lane I'm going on today, eh!

Anyway, we've had some great adventures and some scary times (his heart attack -- being the scariest), but there's no one I'd rather be sharing this life and our wonderful children with than the guy I lovingly call Mr. Tennis! Yeah, we're still having fun and you're still the one! Happy Anniversary Hon!

Swimming with Maddy and Mickey

We're roasting here in the Midwest and have been trying to go swimming a bit more lately even though I do hate getting into a swimsuit. I almost feel like I should wear my Spanx under my suit to keep that tummy under control! And speaking of Spanx (I'm not kidding here), but Maddy and I saw one woman putting her Spanx on before she changed into her swimsuit - ouch! Now I admit, I did have one of those "Miraclesuits" one year. I actually think the miracle was squeezing into that suit and that I was somehow able to peel it off after wearing it! Yikes -- it was so snug -- guess that's how it performed the miracle of holding my flabby tummy in -- but it was NOT comfortable. However, my sister did point out that she thought I was looking a bit voluptuous -- so, oh yeah that's what it did -- pushed the flab upward -- not a bad idea I guess.

Another one of my phobias about swimming besides sharks and frizzy hair -- my white legs. The Rickster always makes me feel so good and not self-conscious at all when he says "wow, haven't seen that much white meat since Thanksgiving." Sweet, eh!

Anyway, back to the point of this post . . . I know you're wondering if there is one. We've been going swimming a bit more this summer and I seemed to conquered at least some of my fears -- the white legs, the flabby tummy, etc. Maddy loves to swim and splash about, so that makes it all worthwhile! And if you know Maddy, you know she doesn't go anywhere without at least one stuffed animal. Maddy swimming and Mickey watching, how fun!

A Confession

Well, I didn't think it would happen, but it did. Yes, I have a confession to make . . . I really missed those eyelash extensions I had put on for my son's wedding after they fell out!! I thought I could get along without them and I really tried, but I just can't!! Feel like I look so tired, old, worn out, haggard (hmmm- any other words that mean tired???) without them. So, I'm having them put on again. I know, I know, I admit it -- I guess I'm kind of vain -- but really, they make me feel so much better -- like having a great new outfit, losing 10 pounds or getting a fabulous haircut. Seriously, I am not one of those "high maintenance" women -- I get a couple pedicures during the summer sandal season; rarely, if ever, get manicures or facials or massages, so I think it's ok if I have this one little expense since it makes me feel so good. Plus, think of how much I am saving by not having to use mascara!!! Yes, there's my reasoning -- I won't be spending so much on mascara since I won't really need mascara with my long, full gorgeous eyelashes! Just had them put on and already am feeling so much better. See, aren't they lovely!!