Thanks for the memories!

 Happy Tuesday! It is only 3 more days until oldest son graduates from high school. Sigh. Today’s blog will be dedicated to some of my favorite memories from oldest son’s high school career. There are so many, that honestly, it was hard to choose. I did find a recurring theme in my trip down memory lane and that is the first day of school photos and how I felt as each year was starting. We have a tradition that, we, like many others, always take a picture on the first day of school before they start off on their new adventure. So here are my memories:

Freshman year:  Wow! My baby is going to high school. Am I that old? Is he that old? Is he ready? Am I ready? He looks so handsome in his khaki shorts, knit polo and sperry’s. When did he grow up? Will he make friends? He was very excited to start his new high school and I was a nervous wreck. I drove him to school and I kissed him on the top of his head before he got out of the car. I was afraid I had made a social error in doing this, but he looked at me and told me it was fine. He still allows me to do this. Even in front of his friends.

Sophomore year:  Hubby and I were married at this point and youngest stepson was starting his freshman year at Catholic. It was awesome to see the older brother looking out for the younger one. They are both independent persons, but this year started out what was to be many times of laughter as they recounted their days at the dinner table regarding the shenanigans (as hubby says) at school. I will miss this next year. This was also the year oldest son was diagnosed with hypercalcemia/hypoparathyroidism. We spent many hours seeing at what turned out to be 7 different doctors and finally ended up at the UAMS cancer institute. This is the year I saw my son turn into a man. He had too many medical tests to count, too many blood draws and too many unanswered questions. He is known as “Patient X” at UAMS and the Mayo Clinic as they still do not have a confirmed diagnosis for him other that what was stated above. He wears this title proudly.  He is loved by all of his doctors and nurses and took all of it in stride. He hardly ever complained and did not let his mystery illness define who he was or affect him as a person. Even when we had to wait an awful 4 weeks for a cancer test to come back negative he kept a positive attitude. He will for the rest of his life go to twice a year doctor appointments at UAMS and have multiple tests ran every year, but as he always says to me, “I got this, mom”.

Junior year:  I was told this was the hardest year at Catholic. I was nervous about this year and what it would bring academically. He did amazing, by the way.  This was the year we started our college tours. I loved these trips. I remember our trip to Ole Miss and his first experience with a real college campus. He was overwhelmed and thrilled all at the same time. This was also the year that it hit me that he would be headed off to college soon. Yikes! Our biggest challenge of this year was curfew. I abided by city curfew and apparently I am the only one in Little Rock who “makes” their kid do this. I told him when he was 18; I did not care anymore as he was not breaking any laws, but until then, city curfew. Believe it or not, I stuck to it and he did survive.

Senior year:  This has been my favorite year. All the traditions I mentioned yesterday are worth the wait. Ring Mass started us off and it was amazing. I told Mr. Straessle afterwards, you better have something amazing planned for graduation because it is going to be hard to top this! This was also the year that everyone started hanging out at our house. It is rare to have a Friday or Saturday night alone at our house and I love it. Jake’s friends make me laugh and I love being a tiny part of this part of his life. We made the college decision, finally! This was very stressful. He was accepted to all 8 schools he applied for. In the end, he chose University of Arkansas. Once a Razorback, always a Razorback. I am just thankful that process is over.

 So, thanks for the memories, my son. I am excited to see what memories college will bring you over the next four years. I know I will not be a part of most of it and I am okay with that. You are an amazing son and I am so very proud of you!

Hugs!

10 Ten List of why I love Catholic High School

 It’s Monday. It is only four more days until oldest son graduates high school. To commemorate this occasion, I am going to dedicate the next four days of posts to that particular event. In a nod to David Letterman I am creating a top 10 list of why I love Catholic High School, the school my son will graduate from.

10. Uniform-My boy knows how to dress up. Whether it is business casual or suiting up, he has got this down.

9.  Regulation haircut-no shaggy hair in the eyes or greasy, unwashed ponytails. Clean cut is the way.

8.  Homework-my son knows how to time manage. Because he was given homework on a regular basis and he worked after school, he knows how to juggle multiple tasks at hand.

7.  Mass- I love that he got to attend mass with all his friends. I appreciate religion not being crammed down their throats, but rather something to explore.

6.  Traditions- From the first assembly as a freshman to Senior Ring Mass, Catholic High is full of traditions. The boys know what to expect as they get older and looked forward to it.

5.  Teachers- Catholic has teachers who have been there for years and some freshly out of college. Now, I do have my favorites and there is a couple who I would love to see the backside of, but those are rare.

4.  No girls. They are way too much of a distraction. I know because I am one.

3.  Cyber days- This was a brilliant invention.  No snow days to make up.

2.  Senior Tie- This one item separates the men from the boys. It is a badge of honor.

1.  And my number one favorite thing about Catholic High School is the principal, Mr. Steve Straessle.  You will not find a principal who loves their school more than Mr. Straessle. He honors the traditions of what makes Catholic High great and enjoys doing so. He is a champion for my son.  He was a key person in Jake’s high school career not only as a principal but as a teacher.

So as the alma mater says:  

Proudly we speak your name,
Proudly wear your colors.
Friendships made within your walls
Will mellow through the years.
We, in some distant day, may brush away a tear,
Born of memories as these we hold so very dear.

Thank you, Catholic High and go Rockets!

Hugs!

Minute by Minute

 Go hug someone. Text your loved ones. Tell everyone good night and I love you before you go to bed. We never know when will be the last time for us or for those we center our lives around. Last night, I attended the memorial service of my best friend’s (really my sister) husband. Yes, I said memorial service of my best friend’s husband. He was only 35. He passed away in their home in bed of a coronary attack. She found him cold lying in bed. I cannot even imagine. Even though I have heard the story a few times now, I still cannot wrap my head around what happened. My sweet sister is hurting so much right now. Words are not enough. What do you say? I’m sorry only goes so far. Hugs, hand holding and tears are the only things I know to do right now. I was in awe of her last night as she stood at the front and greeted all those people. I don’t know how she held it together. I appreciate everyone who came out last night to express their condolences and offered their words of advice and hugs. One gentleman said to take it one day at a time. And he said when that gets too much, take one minute at a time. Sometimes life gets so hard that that is exactly what you need to do. I can say that life has gotten rough a few times for me, but nothing like what  my sweet sister is going through. I cannot even imagine life without my Mark. So here is to my sweet sister, by choice and not by birth. I love you so very much and you can get through this. Minute by minute.

 

Hugs

My son

 Two more days of exams, senior picnic, senior pool party, senior bbq, senior yearbook signing, senior clean up, senior luncheon, senior party, graduation practice, graduation, after graduation party and then two more graduation parties after that. I swear my son needs a social secretary to help him keep up with the next ten days.  Just reading that makes my head spin. I am so very excited for him. It has not hit either one of us that his high school career is just about over. I am so very proud of him I could burst! He made it through high school with grace and without too much complaining. I am excited for him to start his new phase in life. It’s hard feeling two emotions equally. Joy, because he has been given this amazing opportunity to go away to college, but sad, because I will miss him. Not just as a person but also the things he does for our family without hesitation. Picking up sister from practice, running out for dinner, getting last minute groceries, taking the trash out, cleaning up, mowing the lawn, the list goes on and on. His absence will leave an impact on our lives for sure. But, wow! College. Off on his own to discover whom he is without the family as a safety net. Not that he has used us too much. He is pretty independent and for that I have no hesitation sending him off on his own. So I say this morning, Congratulations Son! You have made me proud. I love you so very much and am awed at the man you have grown into.

 

Hugs!

37 pieces???

  Happy Thursday! The sun is shining and the weather is gorgeous. I love spring and summer when it is actually spring and summer. No cold weather for me. Blech! Hate it.

 I have been researching a new concept regarding my wardrobe. It is based on the concept of only keeping 37 pieces, including shoes-what???, and rotating the outfits out throughout the season. Think lots of basics and making your outfits pop with accessories. Now, that is 37 pieces per season, so 37 for spring/summer and 37 for winter/fall. The concept comes from www.un-fancy.com.  She has a great blog and I love this idea. The only thing I need to tweak from her idea is I need a more defined work wardrobe. I work at a company that is business casual to business dress, so I need less casual then her ideas. I started working on my wardrobe this weekend and have gotten rid of one trash bag full of clothes and shoes! I changed out my winter wardrobe, got rid of things I did not wear this season and then only kept the things I loved and wore out of my summer wardrobe. I think I can get my 37 pieces, but I may need to add a couple of things. I need a good white button down that is suitable to dress up or down and I need two work jackets. I have never been a jacket (think woman’s suit coat) wearer, but I need to dress up my outfits a bit and a jacket would be perfect. I thought I had two purchased, but the size 4’s I purchased were too small. I really need a 2 for the classic fit. This is going to be a huge problem because size 2 is just about impossible to find. The place I got my jackets from does not even carry the jacket in a size 2! So very frustrating!  This weekend I am on a quest to find these jackets. Wish me luck. I will keep you updated on my 37 piece wardrobe, complete with pictures to keep me accountable. I am a clothes and shoes fanatic, but I am trying to change my hoarding ways.

 I am so very excited! I am finally well enough to go run with my girls tonight at Women Run Arkansas! I miss my group. They keep me laughing and I am awed at the accomplishments from every one of them. You are welcome to join us tonight even if you have not officially registered for WRA. We are at War Memorial from 5:30 to 6:30.  Would love to see you! Tonight we are running 4 minutes and walking 1 minute for a total of 31 minutes. I believe I may die. I have not run in two weeks so it should be interesting. I try to remember something I read which is great advice: “Your mind always gives up before your body does”.

Hugs!

It's National Walking Day!

It is National Walking Day. How are you celebrating? At the office we are participating in a company walk. I work downtown, so we are starting at Broadway and walking to the Capital Building and back. It is going to be sunny and 70 degrees and should make for a beautiful walk. 

 I finally am getting back to the land of the living. I have been struggling with some health issues the last couple of weeks and things are finally starting to level out. Once I fully get over the hump, I will share my story with you, but needless to say I slept decently last night for the first time in forever. Yippee!!! I hope this trend continues because this girl needs her sleep.

 Last night hubby and I went to the European travel informational meeting last night. Youngest stepson is traveling to Europe for 10 days with his high school. I am excited for him to have this opportunity. He, his mom, and grandma have paid for the majority of the trip and hubby and I have picked up the last minute expenses. Hubby and I did not contribute more because, honestly, we have multiple kids to take care of and believe what we do for one, we should do for the others and we do not have the finances right now to spend a couple thousand dollars to send kids to Europe. I am glad his mom and grandma have been able to provide this for him. It should be lots of fun. When Brother Richard was talking about the trip, it made me long to travel overseas again. I have been fortunate enough to have travelled internationally. I have seen all of England, Scotland, Spain, Amsterdam, Canada and Mexico. I loved it and it is an experience I will never forget. Experiencing other cultures is fascinating to me and makes me appreciate home even more. Hubby has never been overseas, so we are in the midst of planning an international vacation. It will not happen for a few years because like I said earlier, we have multiple kids to pay for.  Plus, we are trying to narrow down where we would like to go. I would love to see the Orient, but hubby is leaning toward England. I guess being the soccer fan that he is, I can understand that. We have friends who live in England so we already have somewhere to stay, plus I would love to show hubby my old stomping grounds. I encourage everyone to travel overseas at some point in their lives. It really is a wonderful experience. 

Have a fabulous day and get out there and walk!

Hugs!

Catch up!

 Wow! Almost a month since I have last blogged. Crazy. This is our busy time of year and the days are flying by. I am home today with an illness I am getting over(will expand upon this later) and decided to catch up on my blog. Sorry for the absence my loyal readers!
 What's been going on this month:

1. Princess made high school cheerleader. I am so proud of her for this accomplishment. She worked hard and succeeded. What a rock star.

2. Oldest son finally decided where he wanted to attend college. He was accepted at the 6 he applied for, but in the end, he decided to be a Razorback. I am proud of his choice and the ball is already rolling in preparing him for departure in the fall. He has picked a roommate, someone from Houston, Texas. They have never met. They found each other through a website kinda like match.com only for college roommates. He graduates in one month and I am mentally preparing myself for this. His graduation invitations came in and I only cried a little bit.

3. Still loving my job. Passed the 90 day mark and they still like me so I guess I am staying. I will say, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas is a wonderful company to work for and I can see myself retiring here. It is so nice to finally have a career. My college degree really paid off.

4. Women Run Arkansas is going amazing. I hate that I am missing tonight. These ladies inspire me and I love them dearly. I am also really enjoying the running we are doing. We are up to 3 1/2 minutes running and 1 1/2 walking. We are true rock stars. I am ready to rock out the graduation 5K with these ladies in 3 weeks. And, you should see my legs and ass! I got a bit jiggly over the last couple of years and I am toning up nicely.

5. Hubby is doing fabulous. He is training to run the Rocket 5K and I am so proud of him. He gets in about 6-7 miles every day. He gets up early and runs with Wally. Of course, this is after he gets my coffee and breakfast ready. I told you I was spoiled.

6. Youngest stepson went on his first college tour last week. For some reason he is interested in all these expensive private schools. Now, I am not knocking these schools and he has the test scores and grades for them, but none of them give full scholarships. Why not go somewhere that you will not have to get a loan or grant?

7. Oldest stepson? Hmmmm, not sure on that one. I hardly ever hear from him. I am going to assume that he is doing well. He and his dad text and talk occasionally, but have not seen his face since his birthday dinner. Pretty convenient, huh?

8. Hubby and I are celebrating our anniversary next month. 3 years! Like I said before, time has really flown. We are making plans to do something fabulous to celebrate because, we are so thankful we have found each other. Like he said, I was not his first because you always save the best for last.

Hope all is well with everyone and remember to do something amazing today.

Hugs!