Change In An Instant

When we arrived back home from vacation, our plan was to remain in relaxation mode until the next day when Tonto headed back to work. We had also planned to move to our new home this weekend.

Little did we know those plans were going to be foiled and turned  completely upside down. There were heavy rains while we were gone (like, super heavy) and, unfortunately, our landlord never had the roofers come back to finish the work they started a month ago.

So we arrived home to a giant hole in the roof (like, we could see daylight) and water and wet insulation all over many of our belongings. Not. Cool.

Even less cool was the fact that he told us someone could come by on Monday to look at the damage.

Needless to say, we moved early. Our families and one of Tonto's co-workers dropped everything at (literally) a moment's notice and he called in on Saturday. We moved absolutely everything (keep in mind only about 60% of it was packed prior to our trip) within 24 hours.

An incredibly busy 24 hours.

And though there are still some things we need to work out at the new place, we are no longer living here...

...and are officially residents of this beauty.

Funny thing is we've been wanting more space and now we're kind of overwhelmed by it. Like, we keep losing each other. :-)

But - thanks to my parents - we are also unpacked and most of the rooms are either done or just need a bit more work. And, though it wasn't what we planned, it is a huge relief to know we can just enjoy Baylor's first game weekend without worrying about a move. 

So, you know, Sic 'em!

A New Era Begins

Yesterday was the beginning of a new era for our family. One that will probably include boys, heartbreak, (more) giggling girlfriends, many more activities and - hopefully - a whole lot of fun for my girl.

You see, it was her first day of 7th grade. Yep, that means I'm officially the mother of a middle schooler. I honestly expected to be more broken up about this milestone than I truly am. It's due, at least in part, to the fact that she was born when I was pretty young so I'm not dealing with any "milestones" of my own right now, if you hear what I'm saying... :-)

But it's also mostly due to something else. Several of my friends have children who have or are currently battling cancer. One of them recently said that she knew many parents would be upset about the new school year because it meant their babies were growing up. But, she said, that's really sort of ridiculous when there are so many parents who have lost their children or are just praying they make it to their first day of school.

So, yeah, that pretty much wrecked me. And I vowed not to be sad about this...thus far I'm succeeding.

Here's the girl before she left yesterday morning....

When I sent this to my precious husband, he replied with the following:

"You let her out of the house like that?!?! What in the heck is wrong with you? Are you trying to get me thrown in prison?!?!"

Turns out I'm really not adept at photographing in our new home and using the camera on my phone coupled with weird shadows makes her look like she's wearing a lot of eye makeup. Let me assure you that was not the case...though it may not look so in the pic.

Honestly, I was thinking to myself that she had grown up so much over last summer that she really didn't look that much different than a year ago. Well, once I pulled up the first day of 6th grade pic...

...I realized the extreme error of my ways.

I mean - seriously - who is this child and when did she begin looking 25?!?!

But I'm still not sad. For a variety of reasons. And I'm so incredibly proud of her than I can't even put it into words.

Today and tomorrow she has volleyball tryouts and I'm praying she does her best. When she's at the top of her game, she's actually very good but I don't know what the summer did to set her back even though she did attend two different camps.

Hoping, praying and pleading for the best for her. Whatever that may be.

And also sort of wishing I was still here when none of this had yet occurred. :-)

Sun & Sand Highlights

So I'm back. Again. Finally. Maybe with some regularity now? Who knows...

What I do know is that we had an amazing vacation but, unfortunately, we ended up having to move the moment we returned (a week early) so I have no internet to upload all my pics. For now I'm relegated to what was on my phone which, turns out, was quite a bit.

We stayed in a phenomenal house that was right on the beach. We were technically in Jamaica Beach, which is about 12 miles outside of the main Galveston strip. Totally worth the extra time to drive into town to have a (basically) private beach. 

My parents drove down to stay with us during our first few days. And, because it was vacation, we immediately hit up an ice cream place. I personally think the dentist who determined this location is a marketing genius. 

 

On Saturday morning, I grabbed my running shoes and hit the beach. The view was spectacular. My bum knee wasn't so appreciative of the uneven sand surfaces but we managed to push through.

Soon after, we set up camp for the day. And we were, of course, reppin' BU.

Rambo was too cool for school.

After a full morning of waves, sand and sun, we headed to The Strand for some shopping. And my girl talked Tonto into a henna tattoo.

After dinner at Fisherman's Wharf, I basically passed out from all the fun of the day. Tay and I woke at 4:30am to hail - yes, HAIL - beating down on the hurricane shutters. Seemed to me that should be illegal during August in Texas but no one cared about my opinion.

Turned out to be a beautiful day except for the fact that my parents left for home. I drug my man out that evening for a little golfing fun. I had a 4-stroke lead heading into the last hole but he used some psychological manipulation and we ended up tying. :-)

Monday the adrenaline junkies (me and Tay) won out and we spent the day at Schlitterbahn.

And Rambo sported his beach look.

Tuesday was a big day because someone turned 2 years old...

...and these crazy kids celebrated their 9th anniversary. 

Wednesday night we headed to Pleasure Pier and Bubba Gump's.

And Thursday we lounged on the beach all day, ate tons of bad-for-you snacks and enjoyed our last day in paradise. While I was packing, a rainbow appeared. I thought that meant we should just stay but reality awaits, right?

And a crazy reality it turned out to be but, honestly, it wouldn't be our life if there wasn't a certain level of crazy on a daily basis. :-)

Meet the Bears (aka Celeb Stalking)

Last Saturday was the annual football scrimmage followed by Meet the Bears. My daughter was beside herself at last year's event because she was all about seeing RG3 and getting him to sign her pink jersey. It was a monumental event for her. Apparently.

This year, though? Not so much. In fact, she bailed on me and went home with a friend after skating.

And Tonto was working.

I was actually pretty bummed but refused to go up there by myself. At the very last minute, though, one of my friends told me via the ol' Twitter that she would be there with her precious sister. Score!

Now, because I hadn't even jumped into the shower due to my mild depression, I missed most of the actual scrimmage. But, y'all, we had the best time at Meet the Bears.

Here's a little glimpse...

...and I realize you might be wondering what in the world is so fun about that scene but my friend and I are both huge football fans. And we follow all the players on Twitter. And we've each had some pretty random experiences with many of them. So we just chatted our way through each position.

And, because my daughter bailed on me, I took a photo with her favorite player. :-)

Though it was no fault of his own, I also took a pic with Tonto's favorite player. He and Nick are actually pretty good friends. Due to someone's absence, though, I've now been labeled his "biggest fan." And I'm absolutely cool with this distinction...

Random pic of the tight ends. I really didn't take too many photos. We were too busy talking (shocker, I know!) with the guys, awarding Ivory Wade with the Best Penmanship Award, and noticing the impressive facial hair of the offensive line.

Yes, we are complete dorks. But we're ok with it.

Our next to last stop was with the quarterbacks. Let me just tell you now that I believe Nick Florence is the most underrated QB in the Big 12. I'm not saying he's RG3 (not one is, let's be honest) BUT he's a phenomenal player in his own right. He knows the system like the back of his hand and he reads defenses very quickly. 

Get familiar with this face, y'all, because he's the real deal.

I was also caught off guard this day by a defensive lineman who called me by name and knows where my office is. Weird. And awesome. All at the same time.

Also, know that events like Meet the Bears are all fun and games until several of the players call you "ma'am."

That's all I have to say about that but...

Sic 'em, Bears!

Dog Days of Summer Continue

So my girl is gone. Again. She's in Cajun country with my parents and grandmother. And, from what I hear, she has been completely spoiled. Color me shocked... :-)

I'm so glad she was able to spend time in Louisiana but am looking forward to seeing her tomorrow. And counting the days until girl bonding during vacation.

1. While the kid was away, Tonto and I decided to play. We headed to Hawaiian Falls in Mansfield on Saturday to clear our heads, make some major life decision in the wave pool, and spend some time alone. Was a huge success until we got back to the car to find a flat. Happens every time we go to Mansfield. Weird.

Luckily, he's a handy fella...

2. During the trip, I found my Baylor football roster. Doesn't everyone keep one in the car?

3. And I rocked the Electricity...

4. Sunday found one of our fav players - KJ Morton - on the cover of the sports section. He's a phenomenal player, a great Tweeter and has fantastic hair. What more can you ask for?

5. Rambo's wardrobe is all set for vacation. He wasn't exactly thrilled...

...but his dad has plans to work with him over the next week or so to get him more accustomed to his duds. All I really want are good pics on the beach...we'll see if he cooperates...

6. Finally framed one of my fav pics from our spring photo shoot and put it in my office. So incredibly in love with this girl...

7. Texas heat is brutal right now. At least I had sense enough not to run in this yesterday. It's a step in the right direction.

8. Rambo showed off his skills in the Dogtopia Games again yesterday. This time he excelled in the High Dive. Multi-talented, this kid...

9. All that playing and athletic activity wore him out, though...

...but he was lucky because Uncle Gilbert was willing to hold down the other end of the couch for him. Teamwork.

10. We. Are. Moving. Got the official news yesterday. We're soooo excited but are going on vacation first. So that probably means more blog silence/sketchiness. Surely things will pick back up this fall, right? :-)

Tiny Hands

When my girl was younger, I had an incredible fascination with her hands. Though it may seem somewhat odd, the truth of the matter is that no matter how quickly it seemed she was growing up and how much bigger she seemed each and every day, all I had to do was look at her tiny hands to realize she was indeed still little after all.

I love those sweet hands. And I loved each and every stage in which they gave me the peace and reassurance needed during those moments. Because the frightening reality is that our babies grow up entirely too fast. And, if you're anything like me, it can make your heart hurt at times. 

Particularly when you look down one day and realize your baby's hands - like mine - are now larger than your own.

There is incredible peace, though, in knowing that - barring some unforeseen tragedy or illness - my baby girl will continue growing into the beautiful young women she's meant to be. We may not be the wealthiest in the world but we have been blessed with the means needed to take care of (and, if I'm being honest, spoil) our sweet girl.

And it's something I try very hard not to take for granted.

Much more frightening than our babies growing up too fast, though, is the fear of them not growing up at all. As many of you know, we lost a child last year and it rocked me to my core. Though I played the game well at times, it was almost a complete year before I found myself being "myself" again. I cannot imagine having a child physically in my arms only to slip through my hands because I was unable to care for them...

For me, that would be the greatest tragedy of all.

For this reason - and many others - I recently decided to team up with Compassion International to spread the word about so many children who need help. Worldwide.

Please don't take that to mean I'm going to strong arm you into something or try to make you feel guilty. Because that's not what this blog is about...not at all. In fact, this is the first time I've promoted anything here and it's only because my heart physically hurts seeing the photos of children who are struggling to survive for no reason other than that they are in a different part of the world. But for the grace of God, mine could be facing the same circumstances.

And here's the deal - you can totally do the same. If you feel the need. Just click here to learn a bit more...or don't. Totally your choice.

In the meantime, I'll be getting my not-so-tiny-hands ready to begin middle school. 

Sigh....

Weekly Top 10 - It's HOT Edition

Yes, I have been MIA. No, I really don't want to discuss it. But let's just say love is not for sissies. :-) But all is relatively well so let's move on to me whining about the heat.

Why? Because it's my blog and I'll whine if I want to. Thankyouverymuch.

The girl has been mostly out of town lately and leaves again this evening so the only photos we've taken have with with the ol' phone. Consider this a massive picture dump.

1. Because I'm mostly carb free right now (and down 10 more pounds in addition to many inches in the past 6 weeks), we've hit Wing Stop more than I care to admit. Did you know their lemon pepper wings have no carbs? It's life-changing news. Also, I've apparently given up cooking for the summer.

2. VBS was fun. And exhausting. And I may have made some enemies on the last night...

3. I've taken up running. Yes, I realize the timing (summer) is a bit suspect. Can't really explain it but I did get some fun kicks with my birthday money.

4. Rambo has also been honing his athletic skills. He brought home gold from the Dogtopia Olympics in freestyle wrestling. And, yes, his certificate is now hanging on the fridge. Duh!

5. Back to running...I clearly do not live in a neighborhood for beginning runners. My quads (and a number of other muscle groups) hate me.

But I told them to suck it up... :-)

6. Can't say I've found the ol' runner's high yet but we have some pretty awesome neighborhood views.

But I don't recommend taking them in when the temp looks like this...seriously wondered if I would make it back that day...

7. Got a new blinged out phone case. It just may be the most obnoxious one on the planet. The pic really doesn't do it justice...

8. This little guy kept me company all last weekend. Such a lover and definitely not a fighter.

9. But he is also a total dork who loves to go to "school."

10. We are now 14 days from the beach. To say that I/we desperately need to get away is an understatement. Cannot. Wait. 

Happy weekend, y'all!