Mama On The Move

We have not actually trick or treated in years.  We've been going to our church's fall festival (which is essentially the same thing - dress up in a costume, get candy) but now that we've moved, we decided to just stay home and hand out candy. The kids, of course, decided to dress up and prowl around the neighborhood.  Ben and Emily are past the age of candy begging, but they still like to dress up. I like to think they take after their mother.  Ben went as Slender Man.  Google it if you don't know who that is.  I don't have time to tell you everything you need to know, people!  Katie went as a lemonade stand.  The "lemonade" was actually jello so that it wouldn't slosh everywhere.  Emily was a fortune telling machine.  She even had little slips of paper with fortunes on them that she would hand out in exchange for candy since she couldn't actually trick or treat for candy. There's always a way of getting around t

We went out to eat this morning, just Kerry, the girls, and me.  We picked a cute little breakfast restaurant that we had heard good things about. It took about fifteen minutes to get a table, apparently people like to eat out on Saturday mornings; who knew?  So by the time we were seated, we had already perused the menu and we ordered right away.  Our waiter was a friendly, chatty type with an emo haircut.  Usually when they are really friendly and joke around with us, I think they are aiming for a good tip.  Well, I know they are trying to get a good tip.  I've done my time waitressing; I know what I know. He checked on us a lot.  He asked how the food looked, then came back to find out how it tasted.  He asked if we needed refills three or four times.  Usually I can't find the waiter when I need him, especially when the restaurant is packed.  Katie and Emily had each gotten a lemonade (for breakfast !) and refills weren't free so I had limited them to one each.  Whe

We were thrilled recently to score tickets to a Casting Crowns concert.  I had hoped to find a concert around Christmas so it could be a gift for the kids.  But, there happened to be only one close enough for us to get to is and it was this month.  It was on a Thursday night and it was a three hour drive but Kerry and I talked about it and decided it would be worth it.  Casting Crowns is Emily's favorite Christian band and we knew she would be beside herself over it.  Plus she caught me looking at concert dates so I couldn't hide it after that. Not only did we get to see Casting Crowns, but there were two great opening acts!  Kerrie Roberts, who sings "No Matter What" and "Outcast" came out first and treated us to four or five songs. Then, out came Kristian Stanfill who is from Georgia like us which means we probably know somebody who knows somebody who knows his mama and daddy.  That's how it works back home, we are all connected somewhere.

I was drying my hair in my bathroom when Emily materialized next to me with a huge grin on her face. "Mama, you know how Rigger drools?" "Yes, I believe I'm acquainted with that." "And you know how when he he shakes his head, the drool can just fly through the air?" "Yes." "And you know how Katie just got out of the shower and her hair was all clean?" "Uh-oh." Katie was showered with liquid love.

The Greatest Show on Earth really is the greatest show on earth. We went to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus this week.  What a show! From the very opening act, we were mesmerized.  The parade at the beginning involved elephants, dogs, horses, dragons on segways, motorcycles, clowns, trapeze artists, acrobats and dancers all moving in different directions.  I don't know how they kept from colliding.    I have to say, from the time the kids were born I have found that usually when something is advertised as "fun for the whole family", it usually isn't.  Things are always geared toward one age group or the other.  Either the adults or the kids are bored.   But not at this circus. We all were enthralled from the beginning.  I can't tell you the number of times we laughed, gasped, and applauded.  There are thrills, chills, and giggles galore. My favorite thing is always the elephants.  I don't know why.  

Katie is taking a speech class.  That girl does know how to talk and she wants to be a lawyer, so speech is a good step in that direction. This week she had to do a demonstrative speech and she chose "How to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich" as her speech topic. She practiced during the week and even made PB&Js for everyone in her class. Then, the day of the speech, she came running up to me just before speech class, "Did we bring the bread ??"   She had packed everything but the bread.  Hard to demonstrate how to make the perfect PB&J without bread. Thinking quickly, Katie ran over to the arts and crafts class and asked the teacher, "Do you have any pieces of cardboard about this size?"  She held up her hands to indicate how big. "Sure!"  The teacher grabbed two pieces of cardboard and cut them to the requested size. "Thanks!" Katie  told her, "I forgot bread for my sandwich." &

Transitioning from Hawaii to Illinois has been one of the most difficult things I've ever done.  Hawaii is just so beautiful and the weather is always wonderful.  It's a culture shock to move to a place where there really isn't much to do aside from shiver and watch the corn grow. But I've been telling the kids for years, every move is about attitude.  You can move to a new state and tell yourself you don't want to be there and hate it every minute.   You are still going to be living there and hating it won't make the time go any faster.   When we lived in Alaska, I knew people that loathed it.  They couldn't wait to get orders to go somewhere else.  Meanwhile, we took our family to dog sled rides, ice carving festivals, outhouse races, salmon bakes, sledding, a riverboat cruise, train rides, a day cruise to a glacier where we saw killer whales jump out of the water and we watched the Northern Lights every time they were visible. When we li

Ben had an exciting new experience last week.  He got a new roommate.  One of his old roommates decided to trade rooms with another student, Vern.  So Vern moved in.  Everybody's happy. Then at two in the morning of Vern's first week, their dorm room door burst open and two police officers and the Resident Assistant of the dorm walked in.  "Where's VERN!?" I don't know about you, but my first thought would have been, "My new roommate must be a druggie!  They are about to tear my room apart looking for drugs and I might be implicated!" Actually, my first thought would have been, "Mmmph?  Wralla moomee bah."  I don't function so well at that time of day unless one of my kids has just said, "I think I'm going to throw up" in which case I can wake up startlingly fast and move like the wind. Fortunately in this case the news was not any illegal activity.  The issue was that Vern had neglected to call his Momma and let h