OK...now..it's official...SUMMER IS OVER!!! YIKES!!

My baby girl turned 9 today, she and I ended the summer at Camp Judy Layne (Girl Scout camp).  I have to say, I REALLY did enjoy the camp experience.  Having not gone as a child myself, it was an opportunity for me to experience camp somewhat like a Girl Scout.  The 10 girls we had were a really great group of girls and of course, the 4 moms (including me) were just AWESOME!!    The "COOL MOM'S" joined in and had fun with the girls.  I hope to post a few photos soon...of my girl atleast.

ACORN, our hiking guide...and please forgive me for forgetting the two other guides names.

CHEETAH, an all around fun gal...she last saw us at "gross pond" where our leader, "BRADY" got dumped in!

SMILEY, for dumping BRADY into the pond and making our canoeing adventure fun and educational....we learned she was a firefighter!!!

COMET, another gal who got to know our girls and cooked, washed dishes, helped them climb the rock wall, jumped on the jumping pillow and framed COMPLICATED to do the dishes that last day...we'll be calling you!!

MUSTANG, what a wonderful young lady!! She and my daughter seem to be good friends...she was so funny and a blast to hang with, she was always there it seems, rock wall climbing, bouncing pillow, dinner...!!

OTTER, we didn't see much of her...but she was at the first camp with my and Brady's daughter...a VERY fun gal who the kids love dearly!

TONTO, thanks for helping our girls out with their skit!!!  Very memorable moment for us mom's!  You run a VERY classy camp!!

MIDNITE, what a fun gal!  A lot of fun and I think along wtih COMET, CHICK-A-DEE and MUSTANG ... devoured brownies while getting to know us.

CHICK-A-DEE, you are a HOOT!!  You seem like a really sensitive girl...and very funny....hope the brownies made you happy!!!

SCOOBY, now, you are one of the popular gals with our girls...and you were a lot of fun...we didn't get to sit and get to know you much...but you were great with the girls...you did cook a MEAN meal for us there on Friday...you should be VERY proud of yourself.

ZULU, another gal that I admire...she too was always taking pictures...and she managed to get them all onto CD just in time for us before campe was over!!

... ANYONE ELSE I FORGOT...I'm sorry!!!  Remember, I'm the old fart of the bunch...if I forgot you, please....remind me...leave me a message!!!

As I sit here in my favorite room in my home, my craft room, I glance out the window and see the grass is not green...it's actually almost paper bag brown.  The neighbors are watering their flowers, I probably should do the same...the kids are all playing football and beneath the window I can hear one of them getting a drink of water from the water hose.  The sweet sounds of summer on a typical Saturday.  The sky looks a bit overcast....will we finally see some much needed rain?  Of course, our recent trip south makes me realize it could be worse....NC and SC lakes were really low.  There were very few boaters out this July 4th weekend, a traditionally popular weekend for boating.  It was sticky hot and even in the shade I found myself sweating.  The pool was a great relief.

Anyway....I sit here and realize that my 'vacation' is coming to an end....quickly!!  I've been doing "work" related things all summer, but it won't be long and I'll be REQUIRED to get out of bed just as the sun begins to shine instead of hanging out in bed until the kids beg for lunch!   I have been fortunate to take it easy, yet work on projects I wanted to do, this summer.  I think I can get use to this 'fringe' benefit of working for the school system.  I also have taken some time to reflect on life...mine in particular.  I'm at peace with myself.  I'm finally at peace with the fact that my sister moved to foreign soil...and I hold on to the prayers that we'll get to see them and experience that foreign land that she seems to really like.  I'm also happy to know that she finally 'made amends' with our parents after 12 years of estrangement.  I hope she too feels the peace within as I'm certain our parents do.  I could see it in my dad's eyes during our visit...I hooked him up a webcam and he got to use it to see my sister and her daughter.  His health is questionable right now and while I'm sure he'll be strong and fight to be here for us and his grandchildren...a number that is growing now thanks to the reunion with my sister and the pending arrival of a 2nd child to my brother and his wife.  Imagine that...there'll soon be 5 grandchildren on MY side of the family.  There's 6 on my DH's side (no more on the horizon!).  That is just so wild for me to think about.  How'd we get here?? It feels like we were kids just last week....wow!!!  [Yeah...I'm sounding a bit old!]

Life is weird.  In the grand scheme of things, I think life is pretty good...we always see things we would LIKE to change, but if I spend time making changes, I won't appreciate what I have.  Marriage...something I didn't really have in MY grand scheme of my life.  Don't get me wrong....it's a good thing.  Sure, there's been some really TRYING times and having survived a tour in Iraq...we are pretty confident that we can survive anything.  As I often think, I've been though the sickness and health, poorer...now I'm waiting on the richer!!   My DH is such a wonderful man.  HE HAS NEVER forgotten our anniversary...and he always gets me SOMETHING.  He tries to surprise me but he hates to wait on the surprise and usually blows it himself.  This year, just to give an example of his thoughtfullness, he got me a dozen roses...not red PEACH....why?  Because, peach and emerald green were our wedding colors.  Thirteen years have gone by and he STILL remembers the wedding colors!!  Sorry guys...but he really does put a lot of thought in his gifts.  I hear of other couples on the verge of the "BIG D" and it breaks my heart.  I want to reach out and shake 'em and watch all the bad thoughts and feelings shatter and go away...but I know it's not that easy.  Living with someone is hard...sharing everything is hard...compromising is the hardest!!  I think that we often get so wrapped up in the fairytale of marriage that when we finally let reality settle in, we don't want to compromise anymore.  I know that first hand.  I was so caught up in my DH just doing what I wanted and not making me compromise that when we were faced with his Iraq tour, I realized this was something HE wanted and I had no choice but to compromise.  It wasn't somethine he MADE happen, but he is all about serving his country and I had no right making him feel it wasn't something he should do.  I dealt with it and I learned that I had to dig deep within myself and see who my DH was as an individual....before we married.  He was a man of the military and he had interests..things I didn't participate in.  So I promised to be more involved with his interests....and have done my best to keep that promise...I compromised.  I put aside my preconceived notions of his interests and embraced them.  We've since been able to go out as a family and do things HE enjoys thus we all enjoy something new from another perspective. 

Life is one amazing event ...and like any other event, soccer game, baseball game, olympics, school....we have to really live in that moment or it will be gone...life will go on wheter we live it or not...we can live it alone or share it with someone.  Personally, I think I'm a better person because I have chosen to share it with someone...I now have three people to share it with on a regular basis...and I'd not trade it for anything!!!

Well...it's time to get the slip-n-slide out for the kids...give them some relief from the heat....and hopefully I'll get some good photos of this moment in our life!!!

We knew it was going to be a busy day... baseball started at 11am and soccer at 11:30am...how was I to get between fields and give equal attention to my stars!?!?  Well, with camera in hand...keys in pocket and good shoes on my feet, I managed...well enough.

Ryan was FINALLY starting infield at 1st base...first time for this Fall team this season.  He was all smiles when he came to tell me and I told him I was glad and for him to do his job.  His granny and papaw arrived shortly after the game started.  They too were going to do the field shuffle...but they were leaving early.  They did get to see Ryan up to bat once (only to be hit by a pitch) then they got to see him on 1st.  I was glued to the game hoping he'd make a significant play...but it was pretty much a 1-2-3 inning and they were batting again.  I was just about to rush over, notified Ryan I was going and he informed me he was pitching the next inning!!! WOW!!! YES.. I was shocked...but worried too.  He'd not taken the mound in a long time.  This coach had given him NO instruction or practice...I prayed for him as I rushed over to watch soccer.

Upon arrival, I found Kaitlyn in the goal.  They were down by one..I got to see them score a goal and rushed over to catch Ryan in a wind up...I approached slowly since I knew he'd see me as I was directly behind the catcher.  I waited until the ball crossed the plate and took my position.  Another parent walked over and gave me compliments on his form and power...but he was having trouble getting it down the middle.  He was skimming the outer edge of the plate and the volunteer coach/ref was calling them balls...a regular ump would have given him a strike on that...but he held on...he made a GREAT attempt to prevent a steal at home on a wild pitch; unfortunately, his former teammate slid right under the tag...but it was a GREAT effort!!!  He hung in and pitched a few more pitches...struggled...walked a few and the coach took a trip or two out to talk to him before finally pulling him.  He was so depressed...but he took center field and let the relief pitcher do his job.  They won...it was a slaughter. I was on my journey back to the soccer field, as I reached the fence, the game was ending.  Kaitlyn spotted me and announced that she scored a goal!! (DARN IT..I MISSED IT!!!)... she'll do it again for me...I know she will.  We got back to his game, watched it end and left the park by 2:30...GAMES OVER...do it again next week!!