School Daze

I woke up this morning with a smile on my face because..........

IT'S THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, believe me, my mornings are ridiculous, but you know what happens after that frantic 2 hour window of getting four very different children ready to roll to 4 different places???????

Total quiet, and no interruptions of my work day.

WORK BLISS.  WORK NIRVANA.  PRAISE TO THE SCHOOL.

There were SO many cute pictures on my facebook of these ADORABLE signs the kids were holding that talked about their school, and their favorite movies, and their teachers, and what they wanted to be when they grew up....in perfect fonts, and different colors........

 I was just happy that they had clothes that somewhat matched and shoes with socks on.  And I had bought their school supplies.  That's what I was happy about.

 I did get a $1 dry erase board so I could at least put what grade they were in.  All very janky.  Gina looked very much like her name, "Lovely", this morning.  So proud of this girl.  She has come so very far, and she should have an excellent year.  The teachers really look out for her, and thinking about how just yesterday she was in 6th grade, a scared, angry girl.... and the obstacles she has overcome to get to here, 2 years later, in 8th grade......awesome. 

 Zachary is having a smile in picture crisis.  He grimaces and closes his eyes and smirks and snarls.  It's all very entertaining, and exhausting whilst trying to snap the perfect 1st day of pre-k picture.

 Steven on the other had had no crisis of smiling.  He's been smiling for about 2 years now, and has his cute face down to an art.  He also had to have VANS like Brandon's, so he's channeling his new bro in California.  I think he just looks like a really smart 5th grader. 

Now this grumpy ole "I'm not going to hold that stupid board and hurry and take the stupid picture, and this is totally stupid to have to do this, and everything in life is stupid, including school, and I hate to have to stupid carry 5 backpacks, and stupid give me money for lunch, and .........".   All I know is it's only 20 days until this ray of sunshine gets her drivers license and she can carry her happy butt to school all on her own.   Not that I'm counting or anything.

Just a glimpse into our life in the mornings.  I get up at 6:30 and shower.  Somewhere between drying my hair and attempting to find shoes that match, I wake up the boys.  They manage to get dressed and eat our pre-determined breakfast by around 7;15.   I then wake the sleeping girls, and escape to take the boys while they growl around the house trying to wake up.  I take Steven 2 miles east to his school, wait patiently or impatiently in the drop off line, depending on the time....drop him at the door, head 3.5 miles due west to Zach's daycare, where he will be attending Pre-K.  Little man needs another year of very structured, personal environment, and I just felt better about him staying in the smaller classroom one more year.  Next year he can tackle the "real school", but one more year of English and speech therapy and I think he will be ready to roll.  Check him in, and then race to 7-11 for my morning TEA, then home to see what is transpiring in my house.  This is usually around 7:50.  I rally Gina and make sure everything she is wearing at least somewhat matches, then just tiptoe past Hallie's room and hope there is movement.  I reassess my own wardrobe, making sure that I actually have the right shoes, and check makeup and hair, and at 8:10 leave the house to take Gina to the 3rd of my 4th drop off.  Today for an extra added bonus, we picked two of the sunshine girls friends up to take to high school with her, and I was in Norman North's parking lot by 8:30.

Today I challenged the high school sophomores that were in the car with me, to all execute two random acts of kindness to their fellow students today.   This thought was so bizarre to them, they questioned me with, "What the world could we do?"   I informed them that giving a compliment, helping a lost Freshman, being kind to someone with problems, any of those things would work.  One of the girls informed me that if she complimented someone on their clothes, they would say to her, "Why do you say that, do they look bad?  Do you want to fight about it right now?"  I just sat in the front seat Shaking My Head.  So I said to the three ridiculous children in the car, "Just keep your heads down, and try to stay alive".   That was all I had to give them.


After all that..... I get to go to work and rest.  WHEEEEEEE.

Old Friends, Good Times

My high school class has always been weirdly close.  We have a group of people that really, truly enjoy the chance to be together and hang out. 

Every 5 years, we get it done.  Now granted, it isn't the insane parties of old, but we still got it. 

Just most of us, can't remember where we put it. 

For the first 25 years worth of reunions -- 5 total, I sorta planned them.  Now the last two, I have had the incredible honor of just showing up and enjoying the crap out of them, and not worrying about decorations, name tags, entertainment, food, designated drivers, venue.....nada. 

Suzanne Stevens Maltos, Shelley Blackwell Gilbert, Fonda Lemons Nixon, and Lois Hill Maldonado took it on this year, and did just swell. 

Our first evening activities was at a really fun bar (!!!!!) downtown Shawnee America.  I met up with Terri King and we ran to Hamburger King and ate a bite before we ventured over to the Tap Room. 

Our first hurdle, other than the selfie I sent to fellow classmate, Lisa Grider White, to rub in the fact that she wasn't going to get to be there....

And then, in walking into the building, realizing that we were going to have to CLIMB THREE FLIGHTS OF STAIRS. 

Uhm, planning committee, we are at our 35th reunion, not our 5TH!!!!   I had to stop twice on the way up just to catch  my breath.   The only thing that would have eased the pain, would to have been an oxygen bar for us to refresh ourselves.  Instead we were greeted by a bubbly Monty Peters, who encouraged (bullied) us to write our names on a nametag and include the last name of your favorite teacher in high school.

Now let's face it, I can't remember most days what I ate for breakfast.  So,I'm not only winded, I'm having to use precious brain cells to recall a name of a teacher that probably thought I was a big giant slacker.  I finally settled on Patty Gail Masters, so my name tag hailed me as LAURA MASTERS.  Nice.

Here's how Marcus looked after his hike up the stairs.

The next hurdle was the fact the building had pretty high ceilings, and that was super neat, but it made for yelling.  I'm somewhat deaf on a good day in optimal settings, so put me in an acoustical disadvantage and I'm smiling and nodding my head when you ask me anything. 

True story.

So I'm yelling at my sweet classmates and they don't know why.  Plus now I'm sweating from walking up the stairs, so I am presenting the most perfect face ever. 

 These girls didn't sweat, and all looked super cute.  Not me, man

By the time, my sweet friend, Pam Fowler Hatchard got there, my hair had fallen and it couldn't get up. 

Those stairs almost ate Garrell Keck's lunch, as well.  

I made it to about 10:00 because, here's the thing.  I tell everything interesting on my facebook, and my blog, and there wasn't one interesting thing I could share with anyone.  EVERYONE knows my crap.  I'm about the most boring human on the planet, and all I could think about was getting home to sleep in my quiet, empty house.  :)  Except, Hallie was home, so it wasn't truly empty.   So I bid the crew adieu, and headed to the house. 

Then Saturday early, rose from my bed, and took Hallie to a beach tournament in OKC with her new partner and good friend Rachel Krutz, and they did fantastical and won the whole thang.  It was pretty fun watching them win, even though I sweated and started to smell not so pleasant towards the end there. 

I love the club director, Toriano Lands,  He brings the very best out in his players. 

I like Amy laying on the ground where she just went for it, and they sailed it past her.

But I especially love they won, and got a bag of goodies for each of them.  

Then I raced home, after a quick stop at Texas Road House to get a ribeye for the victor, and we headed to the showers. 

Then back to the friends.  It was "Selfie Saturday" at the Crossing Heart Ranch and we all had a great time. 

I was so happy to see this fellow.  Tony Kozel is one of my oldest and best guy friends from high school days.  He had a farming accident and burned himself pretty badly a few weeks ago, so I was overjoyed to see him (and meet his much hotter (he married up) wife).  This is what reunions are all about.  Seeing friends you have loved most of your life, and sharing their joys and their pain.  It's just the best.

I've blogged about Cash Matthews before and everyone on this blog knows how I feel about him.  I wanted to do a selfie with him, but it was pretty hard explaining how you had to look at a random thing to get a decent picture.  He suggested we just look up and look pensive.  I think I just look lost, but he looks a wee bit pensive.  We could title this masterpiece, 'Seeing our future reunions'. 

But my biggest laugh came from Molly.   Molly Jones Hall and I have been friends since 1st grade.  She makes me roll on the ground laughing, anytime I am around her.  I told her we needed to take a selfie and she told me she didn't care as long as it didn't end up on facebook.  I assured her it wouldn't (crossing my fingers under the table), and letting everyone at the table know that it totally would.  Now I am serious about it being hard to know where to look on the ipad for a selfie.  It's truly an art to look like you know what you are doing when you take a picture.  You are staring at yourself on the screen.... well.... staring back at you, then I snap it. 

Molly wanted to know what she needed to look at so she wouldn't look wall-eyed.  I told her to look at her necklace.  "OK", she says, as she LOOKS DOWN at the necklace around her neck.  I spewed tea across the table.  "Hey, Mol, let's just look at the necklace in your picture".   "OH" she says. 

I couldn't help that laughing face of mine.   She makes me roll on the floor.  I love me some Molly.

Old friends really are the best friends. 

Don't even ask me why I thought I needed to not only have my hands on my hips, but also bend my knees.  I'm on the end.  That's a keeper, right there. 

Looking forward to the next one already! 

P.S.  I took many more pictures with many more friends and I just couldn't put them all on here. 

Here is the link to my facebook, and just click on this and you can scroll through all of them.  Thank you TERRI KING for, as always, being the beauty behind the lens and making sure we have excellent keepsakes from the events.  I'm Blurry McBlurryson on the Ipad, so mine are iffy, but they have character, that's all I'm saying about that. 

 Terri's fabulous pics

Blurry pics from yours truly