Reunions...

First, I need to start off with the fact that I don't know where all of the mosquitoes have come from, but I seem to have attracted every single one of them within a 5-mile radius (to bad it wasn't the American and Australian men's Olympic swim teams...did I just write that? :)). I think I counted 17 a few minutes ago.

So, last night was my 10-year high school reunion. And, I must say: I actually had fun!

I went with my best friend from high school, Sarah, and our husbands (who are relatively minor characters in this story). There's a song out there that says "you're always 17 in your hometown." I've never really recognized the truth in that statement. But, it's so right. Every frame of reference I had of my classmates ended at graduation, for most of them I hadn't kept up with. And, high school in retrospect was a pretty scary place...cliques, awkwardness, developing an identity. That scariness doesn't end with a diploma. I was terrified to walk through the doors into the banquet room. Flashback to first day of school 1997..."what will everyone think of me?" And so, 10 years later, I'm in the same mental place.

Fast forward 3 hours later...I've come to realize that who we were 10 years ago is a far cry from who most of us have become now. And, I would say, for the most part we've just gotten better. There were the few who stayed simply with those who they new best, but on the whole, everyone made the effort to reconnect.

And, boy, were there surprises! Now, I think I have aged quite well. We'd all be lying if we said we didn't want to look good 10-years post graduation. I think deep down that's what we really go back for- curiosity gets the best of us. And, being girls (somethings never change), we still secretly rejoice when we realize that the weight we've gained is nothing compared to some of the others. That said, though, the girls were easy to recognize. Time works differently on men, however. They weren't so clear-cut. *Mind you, we didn't have name tags.

But, here is just a sampling of what I found out has happened in 10 years... one of the girls is married, is a pharmacist, and has 4 kids! One of us now is a cheerleader for a professional football team and just came out of a relationship that ended after 9 years. One guy lives literally 5 miles up the road from me. Many of us have kids, but some still aren't married. One girl has a husband currently somewhere in the Atlantic on a submarine for the next 3 months. One guy was seriously injured and was in rehab for 6 months after a bull-riding accident; he said he was literally happy just to be alive.

And, yes, I ran into my old flame. I thought it was going to be weird. It wasn't. In fact, we really kind of talked as if nothing had ever happened, just old friends. He's married with a baby on the way. I talked to his wife for a little while, and I liked her. And I was genuinely happy for him.

I write all of this, 1) because it was fun to catch up with people who shared many years of what most would call our "previous lives," and 2) because school starts tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll have a new set of students who are stand currently where I stood 10 years ago. And I want them to know that even though they don't see it now and even though they carry baggage and even though they think this may be the best or the worst days of their lives, my hope for them is that they only get better.

For those of you who know me well, I can usually find something judgemental to say. But, I left last night thinking in a completely different way. I'm excited about the new school year and seeing my students. And just like those who attended last night from the class of '98, I'm excited about seeing them hopefully get a little bit better each day. I have high hopes for them 10 years down the road. The bull-rider guy may have summed it up best. He ended by saying he is happier now than he has ever been. Isn't that the point of life...to always look back and say you are happier today than you were yesterday? That is my personal goal for the first day of school- to wake up tomorrow happier than today. Happy back to school!

Frustrations...

#1. Walls and fences (both in the literal and figural senses)....I don't like them. They should all be torn down. Unless your us, in which case, you should build them (per the HOA bylaws). For anyone who remembers me saying that our fence was blown down by the small tornadic activity that came through here in mid-spring, we're STILL rebuilding the fence. Alas, great success...wood is going up. And, with any luck, we should have a majority of it completed by the end of the weekend. On the plus side, I have learned to use an auger, a jackhammer, an engine hoist (don't ask), a post hole digger, and an air compressor during this project. I'm pretty proud of myself, I must say.

#2. New jobs. No matter how much you're looking forward to it and are ready to say "bring it on," the first few days, weeks, and months are always icky. I'm just trying to find my place in this world (hmmm...those would make good song lyrics :)) ! I think it will get better.

#3. Mating flying ants in my living room.

#4. There isn't a fourth frustration. Actually, it's a celebration. Emily is finally, though cautiously, cruising along the coffee table. She thinks she's so big (we do, too!). Oh, and her new favorite phrase: "Bye, bye, baby." And one last good thing: it's Little Caesars pizza night- with cheesy bread and garlic butter dipping sauce! Happy Friday! Long live the weekend!

Two, four, six, eight...

Ok, I haven't forgotten that I am no longer a cheerleading coach. However, I felt like a cheerleader tonight. Did anyone else watch the Olympics? Did anyone else see Michael Phelps win his 7th gold medal and break world and olympic records in one of the men's swimming events? I was SO excited. In fact, teary-excited, right there along with his mother who was crying and cheering in the stands. (Luckily, my husband is currently at a casino with some friends so that I could have my "emotional moment" without the "why did I marry a crazy person" looks from him).

I know, I know! No, but really. Now that I am a parent, I can identify with that mom. Why? Because that's what I want for my kid! Baby steps (literally, she's not even walking yet!), but I love her that much and want so badly for her to be successful in all of her dreams and endeavors, whatever they may be. Ok, enough of my sappy ramblings.

Some of you will find this amazing: we have wood cross-beams on our metal poles for out fence. Great success!!! We might actually have a functional fence by Christmas. Baby steps...

Chicken Nuggets

Let me tell you about the highlight of my day: my child ate chicken nuggets. I know. You are thinking that every 15 month old should eat chicken nuggets. And I agree...everyone one of them EXCEPT mine.

We've been going through this rediculously frustrating "only eat hard, crunchy things" phase for about 3 months now- Gerber "cheetos," crackers, Cheerios, you name it. Any other foods offered her would elicit this "nose in the air, flutter of the eyelashes, slow turn of the head" response- such a little diva. Now, if you've seen pictures of my child you know that she obviously wasn't starving, but still, I was slightly concerned on the nutritional end of it. But, alas, tonight...2 chicken nuggets!!! Halelujah!

On another note, I moved into my office/classroom at my new school today. Very strange feeling! But, I'm excited. I'm now an orange and blue Bulldog. I'm not sure how I'll look in those colors. But, I do know one thing. I can wear sleeveless and blue jeans on Friday; I almost don't know what to do with myself!

Two posts in one day- I know!

Ok, so for anyone who lives in the area, there are two great kid stores. One is Kid2Kid and the other is Learning Express, both located in McKinney. They came highly recommended by some other moms, and I have to agree! I see $ from future paychecks being spent there. I know Drew will be excited!

We finally have a blog!

So, for those of you who have been saying we need a blog, we finally have one. Yippee! We just returned from Shreveport for the weekend, where we played for 3 days celebrating our 4th anniversary (we still actually like each other!- bodes well for a successful future!). Emily, our great little 15 month old daughter, spent the weekend with her Grams. I don't think she missed us very much, although she did squeal with glee when I went to pick her up (heart-warming!). Did we win? No. Did we lose? No. We pretty much broke even, which I consider a success. Side-note: I have progressed in my gambling strategies. I no longer just play the penny slots (even though they provide hours of mindless gaming fun). I am now a table player! Pretty proud of myself. That's a big leap from penny slots to five dollar bets! We also saw Batman, so for those who haven't seen the new movie, go! I'm a fan...I know why there was all they hype! It's good.

I officially start back to work tomorrow. I wasn't supposed to. Three months ago, I was going to be a stay-at-home mom. That changed. I panicked. I didn't know if I was going to be so great of a full time SAH mom. So, I took on an even harder position. Good news: I'm excited about it. We'll see how things work out.

Emily got to have dinner last night with BFF Makalya. Fun stuff! And for this coming weekend, she had to choose between two birthday parties, one for boyfriend Spencer and one for boyfriend Harrison, both turning one. She's going to Spencer's (he "asked" first). Does anyone else feel a little down by the fact that their baby is growing-up so quickly? I told my mother-in-law this. She suggested another baby. I laughed.