My Little Boy

Nine months, 40 lbs, one pregnancy rash, a tummy full of stretch marks, one RHIG injection and 36 hours of labor and he was here. My first born child; he was so tiny. 6 lbs 1 oz. and 18 inches long. He was bald as an onion, although you wouldn't believe it to look at him now.

My son has taught me probably as much as I have taught him over the years.

Here’s just a few:

• When you diaper a boy baby you need to make sure you “aim” him in a southern direction. No brand of diaper will work, if you do not do this simple thing.
• A small amount of Caro syrup can cure a colicky tummy.
• A 2 yr old with a pregnant Mommy thinks everyone who has a large tummy has a baby in their belly!
• There’s nothing more adorable than a 3 year old singing “Chattahoochee” karaoke style.
• Nothing will melt a Mommy’s heart more than to hear her 5 year old tell her Fiance that he can’t possibly marry his Mommy, because he is gonna marry her when he grows up.
• There are some things in life that a Mommy’s kisses cannot fix.
• Little boys grow up into young men.
• Sometimes, my “little boy” is stronger than his Mommy.
• Watching your child learn the hard lessons is harder than learning them yourself.
• Realizing the depth of love your child has for others is awe inspiring.
• Handing over the keys to your car while you are sitting in it, is very scary.
• Standing on your tip toes to hug your “little boy” makes you feel short…and old.
• Listening to your “little boy” talk about his plans for the future is a very proud moment.
• Every moment you have with your child is priceless and fleeting.

My “little boy” will be a HS Junior this fall. I am excited, nervous, proud and a little sad. Excited to see all that he will do and what more he will teach me, nervous for the paths that he may cross, proud of the man he is becoming, and little sad about letting go of my “little boy”

It's time for Football!

With Football officially on here in Lake Butler, I was looking over the schedule. Homecoming, November 5th this year. Homecoming week is the absolute best when living in a small town. This made me think of last Homecoming week. I wasn't blogging back then, but I did write a note on my FB page. Thought I would share it here.

UC Homecoming 2009!

UC Homecoming week! Busy! Tiger Growl, Bonfire, Parade....floats, Kings, Queens, Cheerleaders, Football Team, Band, parents running around like crazy chickens with no heads....and don't forget the candy! Cause if you do, it'll probably hit ya if you forget to duck and cover! ; ) Did I mention a football game too?? Oh yeah, and there's a football game too!!

Add to that mix one extremely interesting stranger. Last Friday afternoon, while waiting for the parade, a small group of us were fortunate enough to meet Linda. Linda retired from the Air Force (23 years, if memory serves me) and set out on a cycling trip that began in Washington State. We met her on day 78 of her trip which was to end on day 79 in St. Augustine. She stopped to take a few pics and answer a few questions about her loaded down bicycle, but she ended up staying for the parade and sharing lots of stories about her trip across our country.

Living in a small town, we often take for granted just what we have here; seeing it through the eyes of a stranger can make you stop and count your blessings.

When the parade was over, Linda turned to me and said, "That was an exciting parade!" Remember now, this is coming from a lady who served our great country for 23years, traveled around the world, and was just ending a cycling trip that spanned more than 3000 miles through many big cities, mountain ranges and the Great Plains....now that says something about what we have here.

Linda set up a website to journel her trip. It's an interesting story from start to finish. Check out day 78 - See Lake Butler in a different light.

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/globetrotter

Band Camp Registration 2010

Band Camp Registration 2010....oh so incredibly different from HS Registration 2010! Thank the Lord!

We have a scheduled time to be at registration, based on the first letter of your last name, no long lines here! Yay! We get up this morning and get ready to go. Kids fed. Check. Teeth clean. Check. Deo. Check. Dressed appropriately. Check. Out the door, on time. Drive half a mile down the road and remember that we are supposed to bring the hamburger buns that I signed up to provide for Band Camp next week. Turn around. Get the buns. Leave again. Get to the band room. Park. Exit the car. Approach the building and are greeted by a cheerful little UC Band Geek, "Good morning. Welcome to Band Camp Registration. Do you have your paperwork and instrument?" Instrument?? What for? Inspection? Oh poop. Back in the car. Back to the house. Get the instruments. Back in the car. Back to the band room while the guys hastily clean the instruments that they have not touched all summer. LOL.

Welcomed again by the cheerful little UC Band Geek. Paperwork. Check. Instruments. Check. Entrance gained into the Band Room! Check!

What should we see when we enter? Chaos? Mayhem? A repeat of HS Registration?

Wake up! We are talking about UC Band Geeks here! A superior species to be sure!! There are clearly visible signs to point you to the correct pathway. Once on the pathway, you again see clearly visible signs pointing you to each "station" where you complete your paperwork, sign up for concessions, have your instruments inspected, collect your music and folders for Band Camp, try on shirts and shoes, make your necessary purchases, and finally be sized for your uniform. Wow! 2 kids and we were out in an hour!!! And of course, we stopped to chat too!!

And that, my friends, is why UC Tigers Marching Band is Superior!! Check out our Half Time show if you get a chance!!!

High School Orientation = Frustration and Aggravation!

My oldest son is a 10 grader this year! Where has the time gone? We loaded up and went to orientation at the HS tonight. Here we are supposed to receive a wealth of information and support for the upcoming school year. What we got was a full hour of promises of information to come at future meetings, crowded hallways, failing A/C, tired and angry parents, snappy crappy staff and a schedule that didn't even resemble what my son had signed up to take. He is even scheduled to take the same English 1 class that he aced last year. *sigh*

Not usually so happy to be "almost" 36, but I have to say, tonight, I am soooo glad to be a grown up!!! ;)

What?! I have a blog???!!! :)

Okay, it has been over a year since I posted....guess I forgot all out my lil ole blog thingy. So much has happened in that time, I don't even know where to start, so I reckon I will just pick up from the here and now and carry on. Soo..... look for more later, cause I have to figure out something to blog about....LOL!!

Incompetance Abounds!

This year we booked a flight for Taylor-Lynn to fly down with Delta with Unaccompanied Minor Service from YVR (Vancouver, B.C.) to JAX (Jacksonville, Florida). I called Delta Airlines and booked the flight directly with them. I did not book online. I did not use a travel agent. Went straight to the Big Guys !

So when I booked the flight, I asked the agent if Taylor's Mom would be allowed to escort her through to the terminal and see her off on the plane. I was told that she was required to stay with her child until she boarded the plane and that she would then be required to stay at the terminal until the plane had departed. Great! Right?!

So we called Mom and gave her the flight information. Mom was worried. Asked if she would be allowed to go through to the gate. We told her the instructions that we were given by the agent. She was not convinced. I called Delta back. Spoke to a different agent. Again, I was told that Mom would be required to see her through to the terminal and so on. Called Mom back. Told her again. She seemed to feel better. Great! Right?!

Fast forward to the morning of Taylor's flight. I get a call from Mom. That's right! You guessed it! Mom is not allowed to go through to the terminal and put Taylor on the plane. OMGosh! Somehow there was a break down and neither the booking agent nor the second agent realized that this was an international flight and that Mom, who was not traveling, would not be allowed to go through customs with Taylor. Great! Right?!

Fast forward again. Summer is now over. Taylor must go home. :( Dave takes his daughter to the airport extremely early in the morning to make a 6:30 am flight. They stand in line for 1 1/2 hours before finding out that her flight departed early and she had missed it. Dave stands in line for another 30 minutes before getting to the counter to book her on another flight. The agent he speaks to wants to put her on a flight leaving out in 30 minutes that will have a 6 hour layover in Atlanta!!! Remember now, she is an Unaccompanied Minor. Yeah. Dave refuses that flight and takes the second offer which puts her on 3 different flights intead of 2. The last of which is the last flight out for the day. Remember....Unaccompanied Minor. Against policy for her to be on the last flight of the day. Argh! By the Grace of God, Taylor made it home safely to her Mom, 12 hours after she was scheduled to be there. Great! Right?!

Dad's not happy. Mom's not happy. Dessie's not happy. Dessie complains to the airline.

True to form, I get an email today from Customer Care at Delta appologizing for all the troubles that we have encountered with their service this summer. Out of the goodness of their hearts they have decided to bestow upon me a $100.00 travel voucher, good for use on any Delta flight. It will soon arrive in a second email. Great! Right?!

I get the second email. I open it up and what to do I find? My travel voucher? Nooooo.....why would they send me that?? I received an eTicket Receipt for a flight purchased by one Amy Jones!

Great! Right?!

Coupon Queen??

Okay folks! I am to be 35 in just a few short months...er, make that weeks. In my life I have been a divorcee, a single mother and a loving wife. I have lived in another country, driven 3000 miles with nothing but a map to guide me (and a little help from above). I've been a waitress, a receptionist, a front desk clerk, a school bus driver, a substitute teacher and a mail carrier! I've overseen the making of court orders, visitation agreements/disagreements, school schedules, ball schedules, band schedules, dental appointments, doctor appointments and vacation schedules. I purchased plane tickets and rental cars every year for 7 years and always managed to get the best deal and be at the airport on time!

WHY WHY WHY does coupon clipping and sales paper shopping seem to be more work than all those things combined!!

• I made the menu for the month.
• I made the shopping list for the week.
• I bought the paper and clipped all the coupons
• I bought the second paper to get the sales paper.
• I sat down with the list and went through the coupons.
• I sat down with the list and went through the sales paper.
• I shopped like an elderly lady, going down each and every aisle.
• I compared all the prices, with and without the coupons.
• I hounded the lady at the register, with sales paper in hand, to get the advertised price.
• I proudly handed over my coupons.
• I saved myself $6.00!!!

Are you kidding me!?