Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Happy Birthday, Carter!

Happy 7th birthday, sweet little guy.
You truly are something special.
Your laugh is contagious,
and your smile is unforgetable.
My last baby.
I am so in love with you.

Happy birthday, Carter!
We love you!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Bad Part...

I do a lot of blogging about how great life is,
but let's face it,
there are bad parts too.
One of those bad parts has been looming in my mind for a few months,
and now I need to vent.
Bear with me, friends.
Hear me out, and let me know what you think.

Child support.
Probably one of the ugliest parts of divorce.
I have experienced what it's like on both sides of the fence.
i.e. I've been the recipient of child support
and part of the giver {meaning married to a man who pays child support}
The problem with child support is that the laws governing its distribution are frankly archaic.
They were rewritten in the 1980's, in a completely different era of parenting
and need to be modernized to represent the divorced couple of today.
They were written when divorced dads were "weekend fathers"
and didn't spend the amount of time with their children that they do now which is a good thing.
In addition,
it's not something that can simply be decided upon according to a mathematical formula.
There are variables that need to be considered.

I receive child support.
I appreciate what I get.
I'm not looking to bleed the father of my children dry so that he cannot enjoy his own time with our children.
I constantly think about that.
Here begins the problem.
A lot of women don't think about that.
They go for broke.
In all honesty, how much do you spend per child in your home per month?
I would say somewhere around $500 is average.
That's a good average.
With that said, when custody is split 50/50 or 60/40,
why is the father paying, in many circumstances, almost 3 times
the average amount it takes to monetarily take care of a child per month?
What is that money going to?
one of the biggest flaws is that the courts simply assume the custodial parent is spending
the child support money on the child,
when in a lot of households, it actually goes to other sources.
Yes, I've done a little research.
It's not a divorced father's responsibility to take care of his ex wife's entire family.
Only his child.

I have friends that receive ridiculous amounts of child support from their exes, and I just don't get it.
Their childrens' fathers are extremely involved in their lives,
yet they are forced to pay an amount that inhibits them from being able
to do certain things with their kids when they are with them due to financial constraints.
I am all for women getting what is needed.
But when do women step up,
and take as much care of their children as their fathers do?
It took 2 to make the child;
it takes 2 to be financially responsible.

One more thing...are you still here?
Once a child support order is in place,
is there ever a reason to change it?
It depends.
Just because you can is not a reason.
If your ex was unable to pay enough to simply cover his half at the time of divorce,
it is reasonable to expect a change in the future when said parent gets on his feet.
Because the father works hard to take care of his family,
and is in return rewarded with a pay increase while still paying a more than acceptable
monthly child support payment is not a reason.
Why would a mother go after her child's father for more money
simply because he has had success?
Why is a women even allowed to do that when the amount she is already given is satisfactory?
It baffles me.
Especially when the mother is remarried and has a 2 income home.

This is where divorced men get the shaft.
Don't get me wrong.
There are a lot of deadbeat dads out there that need to go to jail for not supporting their kids.
But, what about the ones that are active participants in every part of their children's lives?

And breathe.......What do you think?

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Peace, Love and Harmony

Have you ever had one of those days
when things just don't seem to be going the way that you
originally thought they would when you woke up?
You know, the kind of day when you get up thinking the world is a great place,
and the inhabitants of our vast planet are good peace-loving beings,
only to have your rose colored glasses replaced with HD lenses
precisely magnifying the not-so-good portions of our existence.
Ya.
That was my day.
At least the beginning of it, but I refuse to surrender.
I'm making some lemonade from lemons, my friends.
The best part?
Tomorrow is Friday!
Ryan and I are kid free all weekend long.
Peace, love and harmony.

The boys made it through their first week at school.
Awesome.
Here's the run down:

Austin {AKA "The Teenager"}loves high school.
He's already made friends with some older kids, so he's feeling better about the whole scenario.
Makes a mama happy.

Preston is totally stoked about 5th grade.
He has 6 teachers this year
and when asked what his favorite part of "intermediate school" is,
his response was,
"Not having to walk down the hall in a straight line."
He's easily pleased.

I picked Trysten up from school today for the first time this school year
and when asked about how he was liking 4th grade so far,
the word "boring" was used 3 times.
He'll come around.
He always does.

Carter is loving being at his school without his older brother.
I think he feels more "grown up".
He keeps telling me that he just missed getting his favorite 2nd grade teacher by one.
When I asked him how, he said,
"Because she's next door to my class, so I missed getting her by one door."
Okay.

Thank the good Lord above that Ryan has been in town all week.
Getting back into the swing of things with all of our clowns is no easy task.
Love those kids.

That's all for now, friends.
Have a great weekend!!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Short and Sweet

Hello, friends!
So many exciting things are going on
that I cannot wait to share with all of you.
Here's the short and sweet version!

* Yesterday was a special day in the Soladay household
because someone had a birthday.
This handsome man below turned 36.
Happy birthday, Ryan!
You are an incredible father and husband,
and I am so proud to be your wife!
We love you.

* Carter lost his first tooth last week!
Do you know what this means?
It means I have no more children who will lose their first tooth.
Ever.
Bittersweet.

* This is what the chalkboard in the kitchen said yesterday:
It is hard to believe another summer has come to an end
and another school is ready to begin.
I really do love this time of year.
New school clothes,
new school supplies, new beginnings.

Flash forward to this morning...
Carter was so excited this morning.
My baby is in 2nd grade this year.
I love this little guy.
Carter gave his new teacher a small gift to help make this school year start on the right "note".
See, they're notepads.
Clever.
I know.

Preston started 5th grade today
which means he's at the intermediate campus.
He's big time, people.
Such a sweet kid.

This kid started high school today.
High school, my friends.
It's going to take me awhile to get used to saying that.
Bless his heart,
he was so nervous this morning.
His biggest fear was having to eat lunch in close proximity to juniors and seniors.
Broke my heart to hear his worries.
Love him.
Can't wait to see what great things this school year holds!

* Speaking of this school year,
remember when I said I was going to substitute teach this year,
and I made those little clipboards to give to all the principals here?
Well, 30 minutes after dropping one off last week at one of the elementary schools,
I received a phone call from the principal asking me if I would be
interested in doing a long term substitute job for a teacher going on maternity leave.
Needless to say, last Thursday I met with the principal, assistant principal and the teacher going on leave,
and by the end of the day, the principal called me to confirm my employment!
And guess what I'll be teaching:
Yep.
This girl will be an art teacher beginning September 6th until sometime in January!
I am super excited about this opportunity.
Yay for art!

* One more final piece of exciting news.
Ryan surprised me with an anniversary getaway for us in early October!
He booked us a 4 day trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to celebrate 4 wonderful years of marriage!
The beach, the beautiful weather, the great company.
It doesn't get any better.
Oh, except I get to fly first class.
Ya, baby!
We cannot wait!

That's it!
Short and sweet.
Have a great week, friends!

Monday, August 15, 2011

All Good Things Must Come To An End!


 Hello, friends!
Despite the fact that our family vacation did not take us to some exotic locale,
it was by far one our best ever.
Why, you ask?

Let's see:
1. Lots of family togetherness relaxing and goofing off
2. The kids got along REMARKABLY well
3. The backdrop was a perfect for a family of active boys
4. Did I mention the kids got along really well?

The boys loved that the neighbor's dogs were all over the place! 
And I do mean ALL over the place.
Going out on the boat never got old.
Just hanging out
I love these boys!
And this man.
Be still my heart. =)
When not on the boat,
the boys were still on the lake.
Pushing each other in:
But then helping each other out
And finally passing out at the end of the day...

It truly was a blast.
Even the car trip home was fun.
I was a little nervous about not having the DVD player to keep the boys entertained during the ride,
since our rental car {mine is STILL in the shop} was without one, but it was great!
Get this: 
We actually laughed and talked as a family instead of driving in silence
while the kids' ears were attached to headphones.
Amazing.
I know.
One thing that really touched me was when Austin told Ryan how much he loved him being his step father.
Friends, it was awesome.
Our little family has come a long way over the past 4+ years.
It just keeps getting better.
When you're a blended family,
the time you have together is precious because it doesn't happen every day,
and taking the time out to talk about the good things is priceless.
Warmed my heart for sure.

Until next time, Lake Hamilton...
We love you!!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Hello From Lake Hamilton!

Hello from Lake Hamilton!
We are having an absolute blast.
As I said 2 years ago when we last visited as a family, the lake house is a boys' paradise.
They're in their element.
Sweet boys.
Lots of UNO games taking place as usual.
And LOTS of time on the boat.
Doesn't get much better!
Trysten and I
Brothers!
Food on the grill at the lake is perfection.
The usual minor surgeries are taking place.
What kind of surgeries you ask?
Why getting splinters out from the deck of course.
We brought both of our dogs,
which means dogs from all over the hood are at our back door wanting to play.
Speaking of the neighborhood dogs,
2 of them are obsessed with giving the boys "piggyback rides" as Carter says.
Observe:

Trysten is keeping us entertained as always.
Such a sweet kid.
Ryan once again managed to surprise me on vacation.
Seriously.
How did I get this damn lucky?
A card?
On vacation?
Yes, please.
I'm a lucky girl.
We ventured away from the lake house for a bit of action of a different sort.
We're quite a large crew.
Time for some go karts!
"The Teenager" has been so much fun to be around this trip.
Such a handsome kid.
Sweet little Carter.
Trysten was so excited that he was tall enough to drive all by himself.
Maybe next year, Preston!
Next up, bumper boats!
This is Austin's friend, Ryan, that came with us.
Great kid.
Love these boys...
Miniature golf, anyone?
Okay!

We took the boys to eat at The Fisherman's Wharf right on the lake.
The fed the ducks while we waited for our food.
Love =)
Herb encrusted talapia, grilled shrimp, catfish, clam chowder, oysters
Let's eat!
I heart this family!

More fun on the way tomorrow
with another big day on the lake!
See you later, friends!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Hello, Friends!

Hello, friends!
I really suck at blogging lately, but I am determined to change that.
Here's what's been up since the golf tournament.
* We had our first Prosper Desperate Housewives Poker Night.
Holy Texas Hold 'Em.
We managed to play 4 hands.
Four hands in 4 hours.
We might have gotten a little side tracked.
Love these girls!

* I finally got around to taking the boys to In-N-Out Burger.
My review:
hamburgers = good
The boys didn't care for the fries, but at this point, it's more the novelty of going.

* Let's talk braces.
Remember when Austin and Preston got braces last summer?
Well, because Ryan worked for such a small company,
the only dentist/orthodontist we could go to was Monarch Dental.
They are horrible.
With his job, we have new and much improved insurance,
so we were free to go to anyone as long as as they are in our network.
Long story short, I made an appointment with a new orthodontist literally around the corner.
They informed me that they will need to take the boys' braces off, and start all over.
Seriously?
That means the $3,000 we've spent thus far is basically down the drain.
Awesome.
By the time they're out of braces, we will have spent about $10,000.
Nice.

* Summer is quickly coming to an end, but before it is officially gone...
IT'S LAKE HOUSE TIME, BABY!!
We are leaving early Saturday morning for 7 fun filled days of
boating, tubing, fishing, swimming and relaxing!
Look how much younger the boys look the last time we were there:
We're letting The Teenager bring a friend this year,
which means we are continuing to move swiftly into a different era of parenting.
We're no longer cool enough to hangout with 24/7.
The Teenager needs supplements.
It's okay.
Ryan and I both remember those days.
Can't wait to see Lake Hamilton!

* Speaking of summer coming to an end,
I've decided that I'm going to substitute teach here in Prosper this school year.
I thoroughly enjoyed being home last year,
but I have to admit, I got a little stir crazy at times.
Substituting would allow me a lot of flexibility and a little extra cash to put straight into savings!
I decided to make a little something something to drop off at all 6 of our campuses here.
You know, something to make the principals remember me.
They're mini clipboards with my contact info, all my teaching experience,
my various certifications and references.
You likey?

* Ryan and I went to Winstar this past weekend to see Billy Currington.
He's awesome.
We had such a great time
and brought the camera to document all the fun, only to discover
that I had left the memory card in my laptop at home.
Nice.
The next night we went back to a theater that we have been to a few other times.
It's called iPic.
We went early and Ryan killed me in multiple games of pool
while we shared a bottle of wine before we watched
Horrible Bosses
Cute movie, and totally out of character for Jennifer Aniston's typical roles.
Good times.

Y'all still here?

* Sara and I met up Sunday at Cafe on the Green
at the Four Seasons resort for brunch with Dee who was in town from North Carolina.
She is precious, as is Sara's new baby, John Robert.
I have pics of the day somewhere on my computer.
I edited them, and they disappeared.
I'm hoping Dee will email me the ones she took!
Dee?!

* I am receiving daily messages from the high school about
things such as freshman orientation, parking tag registration, etc.
WHAT?!
Slow down, people.
I'm not ready yet.
Austin will be 15 in just over 4 weeks!!
Totally freaks me out.
FIFTEEN
That's like almost driving, dating and attempting to sneak out age.
How in the hell am I going to make it through the boys being in high school?
I held Sara's sweet angel yesterday, and he's so small.
Yet, they they grow so big, so fast.
Makes me wish I could slow the clock down.
Enjoy your babies, friends.

Have a great week!!

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Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Happy Birthday, Carter!

Happy 7th birthday, sweet little guy.
You truly are something special.
Your laugh is contagious,
and your smile is unforgetable.
My last baby.
I am so in love with you.

Happy birthday, Carter!
We love you!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Bad Part...

I do a lot of blogging about how great life is,
but let's face it,
there are bad parts too.
One of those bad parts has been looming in my mind for a few months,
and now I need to vent.
Bear with me, friends.
Hear me out, and let me know what you think.

Child support.
Probably one of the ugliest parts of divorce.
I have experienced what it's like on both sides of the fence.
i.e. I've been the recipient of child support
and part of the giver {meaning married to a man who pays child support}
The problem with child support is that the laws governing its distribution are frankly archaic.
They were rewritten in the 1980's, in a completely different era of parenting
and need to be modernized to represent the divorced couple of today.
They were written when divorced dads were "weekend fathers"
and didn't spend the amount of time with their children that they do now which is a good thing.
In addition,
it's not something that can simply be decided upon according to a mathematical formula.
There are variables that need to be considered.

I receive child support.
I appreciate what I get.
I'm not looking to bleed the father of my children dry so that he cannot enjoy his own time with our children.
I constantly think about that.
Here begins the problem.
A lot of women don't think about that.
They go for broke.
In all honesty, how much do you spend per child in your home per month?
I would say somewhere around $500 is average.
That's a good average.
With that said, when custody is split 50/50 or 60/40,
why is the father paying, in many circumstances, almost 3 times
the average amount it takes to monetarily take care of a child per month?
What is that money going to?
one of the biggest flaws is that the courts simply assume the custodial parent is spending
the child support money on the child,
when in a lot of households, it actually goes to other sources.
Yes, I've done a little research.
It's not a divorced father's responsibility to take care of his ex wife's entire family.
Only his child.

I have friends that receive ridiculous amounts of child support from their exes, and I just don't get it.
Their childrens' fathers are extremely involved in their lives,
yet they are forced to pay an amount that inhibits them from being able
to do certain things with their kids when they are with them due to financial constraints.
I am all for women getting what is needed.
But when do women step up,
and take as much care of their children as their fathers do?
It took 2 to make the child;
it takes 2 to be financially responsible.

One more thing...are you still here?
Once a child support order is in place,
is there ever a reason to change it?
It depends.
Just because you can is not a reason.
If your ex was unable to pay enough to simply cover his half at the time of divorce,
it is reasonable to expect a change in the future when said parent gets on his feet.
Because the father works hard to take care of his family,
and is in return rewarded with a pay increase while still paying a more than acceptable
monthly child support payment is not a reason.
Why would a mother go after her child's father for more money
simply because he has had success?
Why is a women even allowed to do that when the amount she is already given is satisfactory?
It baffles me.
Especially when the mother is remarried and has a 2 income home.

This is where divorced men get the shaft.
Don't get me wrong.
There are a lot of deadbeat dads out there that need to go to jail for not supporting their kids.
But, what about the ones that are active participants in every part of their children's lives?

And breathe.......What do you think?

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Peace, Love and Harmony

Have you ever had one of those days
when things just don't seem to be going the way that you
originally thought they would when you woke up?
You know, the kind of day when you get up thinking the world is a great place,
and the inhabitants of our vast planet are good peace-loving beings,
only to have your rose colored glasses replaced with HD lenses
precisely magnifying the not-so-good portions of our existence.
Ya.
That was my day.
At least the beginning of it, but I refuse to surrender.
I'm making some lemonade from lemons, my friends.
The best part?
Tomorrow is Friday!
Ryan and I are kid free all weekend long.
Peace, love and harmony.

The boys made it through their first week at school.
Awesome.
Here's the run down:

Austin {AKA "The Teenager"}loves high school.
He's already made friends with some older kids, so he's feeling better about the whole scenario.
Makes a mama happy.

Preston is totally stoked about 5th grade.
He has 6 teachers this year
and when asked what his favorite part of "intermediate school" is,
his response was,
"Not having to walk down the hall in a straight line."
He's easily pleased.

I picked Trysten up from school today for the first time this school year
and when asked about how he was liking 4th grade so far,
the word "boring" was used 3 times.
He'll come around.
He always does.

Carter is loving being at his school without his older brother.
I think he feels more "grown up".
He keeps telling me that he just missed getting his favorite 2nd grade teacher by one.
When I asked him how, he said,
"Because she's next door to my class, so I missed getting her by one door."
Okay.

Thank the good Lord above that Ryan has been in town all week.
Getting back into the swing of things with all of our clowns is no easy task.
Love those kids.

That's all for now, friends.
Have a great weekend!!

Monday, August 22, 2011

Short and Sweet

Hello, friends!
So many exciting things are going on
that I cannot wait to share with all of you.
Here's the short and sweet version!

* Yesterday was a special day in the Soladay household
because someone had a birthday.
This handsome man below turned 36.
Happy birthday, Ryan!
You are an incredible father and husband,
and I am so proud to be your wife!
We love you.

* Carter lost his first tooth last week!
Do you know what this means?
It means I have no more children who will lose their first tooth.
Ever.
Bittersweet.

* This is what the chalkboard in the kitchen said yesterday:
It is hard to believe another summer has come to an end
and another school is ready to begin.
I really do love this time of year.
New school clothes,
new school supplies, new beginnings.

Flash forward to this morning...
Carter was so excited this morning.
My baby is in 2nd grade this year.
I love this little guy.
Carter gave his new teacher a small gift to help make this school year start on the right "note".
See, they're notepads.
Clever.
I know.

Preston started 5th grade today
which means he's at the intermediate campus.
He's big time, people.
Such a sweet kid.

This kid started high school today.
High school, my friends.
It's going to take me awhile to get used to saying that.
Bless his heart,
he was so nervous this morning.
His biggest fear was having to eat lunch in close proximity to juniors and seniors.
Broke my heart to hear his worries.
Love him.
Can't wait to see what great things this school year holds!

* Speaking of this school year,
remember when I said I was going to substitute teach this year,
and I made those little clipboards to give to all the principals here?
Well, 30 minutes after dropping one off last week at one of the elementary schools,
I received a phone call from the principal asking me if I would be
interested in doing a long term substitute job for a teacher going on maternity leave.
Needless to say, last Thursday I met with the principal, assistant principal and the teacher going on leave,
and by the end of the day, the principal called me to confirm my employment!
And guess what I'll be teaching:
Yep.
This girl will be an art teacher beginning September 6th until sometime in January!
I am super excited about this opportunity.
Yay for art!

* One more final piece of exciting news.
Ryan surprised me with an anniversary getaway for us in early October!
He booked us a 4 day trip to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to celebrate 4 wonderful years of marriage!
The beach, the beautiful weather, the great company.
It doesn't get any better.
Oh, except I get to fly first class.
Ya, baby!
We cannot wait!

That's it!
Short and sweet.
Have a great week, friends!

Monday, August 15, 2011

All Good Things Must Come To An End!


 Hello, friends!
Despite the fact that our family vacation did not take us to some exotic locale,
it was by far one our best ever.
Why, you ask?

Let's see:
1. Lots of family togetherness relaxing and goofing off
2. The kids got along REMARKABLY well
3. The backdrop was a perfect for a family of active boys
4. Did I mention the kids got along really well?

The boys loved that the neighbor's dogs were all over the place! 
And I do mean ALL over the place.
Going out on the boat never got old.
Just hanging out
I love these boys!
And this man.
Be still my heart. =)
When not on the boat,
the boys were still on the lake.
Pushing each other in:
But then helping each other out
And finally passing out at the end of the day...

It truly was a blast.
Even the car trip home was fun.
I was a little nervous about not having the DVD player to keep the boys entertained during the ride,
since our rental car {mine is STILL in the shop} was without one, but it was great!
Get this: 
We actually laughed and talked as a family instead of driving in silence
while the kids' ears were attached to headphones.
Amazing.
I know.
One thing that really touched me was when Austin told Ryan how much he loved him being his step father.
Friends, it was awesome.
Our little family has come a long way over the past 4+ years.
It just keeps getting better.
When you're a blended family,
the time you have together is precious because it doesn't happen every day,
and taking the time out to talk about the good things is priceless.
Warmed my heart for sure.

Until next time, Lake Hamilton...
We love you!!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Hello From Lake Hamilton!

Hello from Lake Hamilton!
We are having an absolute blast.
As I said 2 years ago when we last visited as a family, the lake house is a boys' paradise.
They're in their element.
Sweet boys.
Lots of UNO games taking place as usual.
And LOTS of time on the boat.
Doesn't get much better!
Trysten and I
Brothers!
Food on the grill at the lake is perfection.
The usual minor surgeries are taking place.
What kind of surgeries you ask?
Why getting splinters out from the deck of course.
We brought both of our dogs,
which means dogs from all over the hood are at our back door wanting to play.
Speaking of the neighborhood dogs,
2 of them are obsessed with giving the boys "piggyback rides" as Carter says.
Observe:

Trysten is keeping us entertained as always.
Such a sweet kid.
Ryan once again managed to surprise me on vacation.
Seriously.
How did I get this damn lucky?
A card?
On vacation?
Yes, please.
I'm a lucky girl.
We ventured away from the lake house for a bit of action of a different sort.
We're quite a large crew.
Time for some go karts!
"The Teenager" has been so much fun to be around this trip.
Such a handsome kid.
Sweet little Carter.
Trysten was so excited that he was tall enough to drive all by himself.
Maybe next year, Preston!
Next up, bumper boats!
This is Austin's friend, Ryan, that came with us.
Great kid.
Love these boys...
Miniature golf, anyone?
Okay!

We took the boys to eat at The Fisherman's Wharf right on the lake.
The fed the ducks while we waited for our food.
Love =)
Herb encrusted talapia, grilled shrimp, catfish, clam chowder, oysters
Let's eat!
I heart this family!

More fun on the way tomorrow
with another big day on the lake!
See you later, friends!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Hello, Friends!

Hello, friends!
I really suck at blogging lately, but I am determined to change that.
Here's what's been up since the golf tournament.
* We had our first Prosper Desperate Housewives Poker Night.
Holy Texas Hold 'Em.
We managed to play 4 hands.
Four hands in 4 hours.
We might have gotten a little side tracked.
Love these girls!

* I finally got around to taking the boys to In-N-Out Burger.
My review:
hamburgers = good
The boys didn't care for the fries, but at this point, it's more the novelty of going.

* Let's talk braces.
Remember when Austin and Preston got braces last summer?
Well, because Ryan worked for such a small company,
the only dentist/orthodontist we could go to was Monarch Dental.
They are horrible.
With his job, we have new and much improved insurance,
so we were free to go to anyone as long as as they are in our network.
Long story short, I made an appointment with a new orthodontist literally around the corner.
They informed me that they will need to take the boys' braces off, and start all over.
Seriously?
That means the $3,000 we've spent thus far is basically down the drain.
Awesome.
By the time they're out of braces, we will have spent about $10,000.
Nice.

* Summer is quickly coming to an end, but before it is officially gone...
IT'S LAKE HOUSE TIME, BABY!!
We are leaving early Saturday morning for 7 fun filled days of
boating, tubing, fishing, swimming and relaxing!
Look how much younger the boys look the last time we were there:
We're letting The Teenager bring a friend this year,
which means we are continuing to move swiftly into a different era of parenting.
We're no longer cool enough to hangout with 24/7.
The Teenager needs supplements.
It's okay.
Ryan and I both remember those days.
Can't wait to see Lake Hamilton!

* Speaking of summer coming to an end,
I've decided that I'm going to substitute teach here in Prosper this school year.
I thoroughly enjoyed being home last year,
but I have to admit, I got a little stir crazy at times.
Substituting would allow me a lot of flexibility and a little extra cash to put straight into savings!
I decided to make a little something something to drop off at all 6 of our campuses here.
You know, something to make the principals remember me.
They're mini clipboards with my contact info, all my teaching experience,
my various certifications and references.
You likey?

* Ryan and I went to Winstar this past weekend to see Billy Currington.
He's awesome.
We had such a great time
and brought the camera to document all the fun, only to discover
that I had left the memory card in my laptop at home.
Nice.
The next night we went back to a theater that we have been to a few other times.
It's called iPic.
We went early and Ryan killed me in multiple games of pool
while we shared a bottle of wine before we watched
Horrible Bosses
Cute movie, and totally out of character for Jennifer Aniston's typical roles.
Good times.

Y'all still here?

* Sara and I met up Sunday at Cafe on the Green
at the Four Seasons resort for brunch with Dee who was in town from North Carolina.
She is precious, as is Sara's new baby, John Robert.
I have pics of the day somewhere on my computer.
I edited them, and they disappeared.
I'm hoping Dee will email me the ones she took!
Dee?!

* I am receiving daily messages from the high school about
things such as freshman orientation, parking tag registration, etc.
WHAT?!
Slow down, people.
I'm not ready yet.
Austin will be 15 in just over 4 weeks!!
Totally freaks me out.
FIFTEEN
That's like almost driving, dating and attempting to sneak out age.
How in the hell am I going to make it through the boys being in high school?
I held Sara's sweet angel yesterday, and he's so small.
Yet, they they grow so big, so fast.
Makes me wish I could slow the clock down.
Enjoy your babies, friends.

Have a great week!!