Catching Up...

I know that's what I want to do with everything... Catch up!
It's been pretty crazy on all fronts. Stay tuned... I'll be back soon!

(Oh yeah, I finished the book, and I now see what the hype is all about. I just started book 2 in the series. In case you didn't know the first one, here it is. I definitely recommend checking it out!)

Happy Birthday Kyle!

I know, I should have put this up on your actual birthday, but since we celebrated all weekend, I had to wait until today. I love ya, kid, and I'm very proud of you!

?+?+?+?=Busy

I believe I am now officially in full swing. Of what? You name it! Kyle's in school, Sydney's in school, things are hoppin' at work, dance is going full force, things are just happening. It's all so crazy and so comforting at the same time. Here's what I don't get... I have homework. Yeah, that's what I thought, too.

Almost all of Kyle's teachers have sent home paperwork for me to sign. Well, I'm not going to just give away my John Hancock, I want to know what I'm signing. So far I've done quite a bit of reading for his classes and signed and dated about 7 different forms.

Sydney's first day of school was yesterday and she had homework, already. She did a good job, too, no complaining. So, today being her second day, I knew that the homework was still going to flow. Still no complaining... on Sydney's part. I, however, have homework that's due back to her teacher on Friday. I have to answer 10 or so questions about Sydney surrounding her personality and habits. Sounds easy enough, right? I know my own kid (for almost 11 years now). But I want to make sure that I put some thought into it so that her teacher knows what she's dealing with. Anyway, I put it on my calendar so that I don't forget to turn it back in. Scary.

If you've visited my photo album (which, I know hasn't been updated in forever), then you've seen plenty of pictures of Sydney. The girl will smile when performing in front of 40,000+ people. Harldy afraid of the camera, right? My, how things change... I know she won't be happy about this, but I have to share the proof by way of a couple of pics. This first one says, "Hurry up, this is the best smile you're gonna get this morning."

This second one says, "Go away, I'm not looking at the camera again!."

On another note, DE is back in action and Paulette and I had our first Booster Club meeting of the year. It was a success, I might add. Committees have been formed and things are really moving. Our first special event for the girls is going to be a swim party sometime next month. Hopefully we'll get costumes and a preliminary list of some performances soon.

Hope things are going just as smoothly for all of you!

He's Come A Long Way, Baby

Kyle has been here exactly 2 months tomorrow. Now, that's not a long time, but in the two short months since he came down to "visit" for the summer, a lot of things have happened. Just take a look at these photos.

Before:

After:

Today was his first day at Red Mountain High School. And let me just tell you, it's quite the change from the school he was going to in Iowa. The school, comparatively speaking, is really a small college. It has over 2600 students! Day one down, and Kyle made a friend. I kept my cell phone out and kept checking my phone at work to make sure that all was well and no one called. I know, I should have more faith, but this is my baby boy we're talking about. He did miss the bus at the end of the day, but I report good news.... Kyle made a friend and found a ride home. It's gonna be a great year!

No Crying Allowed

I love to read. And when I read a good one, I typically read it more than once. Let's take a Dan Brown book for example, Angels and Demons. I think I've read that book 4 or 5 times. Why? Well, if I haven't made it to Borders, or the Mesa Library, I'll re-read something I already have. And it seems like every single time I read it, I pick up something new, or notice something that I didn't the last time I read it. (Something tells me that I... a)either need to slow down and savor the reading more, or...b)not fall asleep reading every night). In the last couple of weeks, I've finished a couple of books.

A friend of mine from work is in a book club, so I like to ask her about books she's read. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult is the first one that I've read that she recommended. I didn't have a true understanding of what the story was about going into it, but I trusted her judgement. OMG. What a great read! Since finishing this book, I've recommended it to anyone and everyone who will listen. The subject is controversial, and I really connected with all of the characters, in some way or another. I picked this one up at the library, but I will definitely be adding this one to my permanent bookshelf.

Last year I read the Kite Runner. If memory serves me correctly, it's the first book I read that made me cry (My Sister's Keeper had me sobbing uncontrollably). I remember I was on a plane flying from Ft. Lauderdale back to Phoenix, the only open seat on the whole plane was between me and a guy with some headphones. I knew that the author had another book out, and I was dang sure I was going to read it! I don't know that I was necessarily looking for another cry with A Thousand Splendid Suns, but I found one. I finished the book today and, even though I may not read this one again, I'm glad I read it.

So two books in a row had me in tears. Kyle recommended I read a series that he read last year when he was at Linn Mar. Now here's the irony.... If you remember, a few weekends back we had that little staycation at the Kierland Westin. Now, my two friends were talking about these books that they were both reading about vampires. I was already in another book, so I didn't involve myself with what they were talking about. A couple of days later, Kyle tells me about the series that he read that he thinks I would like. He said it was about vampires, kinda romantic, but good. I put two and two together and voila.... realized that the series he was talking about was (is) one and the same that my two friends are reading. What's even more is that every time I turn around, I see someone else reading one of these books. The first book in the series is called Twilight. Maybe you've heard of it? I still don't know a lot about it, but I'm going to start on it tonight. What I think is really fascinating is how popular these books are.. and don't let me forget the author: Stephenie Meyer. And she lives right here in the Valley. I told Kyle that I better not cry when I read these books. I'm ready for something a little different. We'll see what happens, though.

I Am Loved

....by these lovelies.

And here's how I know.....

Allow me to explain. For some reason, there are two things that I just cannot get enough of this summer: Tombstone frozen pizza and Dairy Queen soft serve. I know, healthy, right? Last Friday I was not feeling very well at work. I had a "Friday" headache, had a little stress going on, and just wasn't feeling 100%. Rod had Friday off and it was his day to take care of all things school. He drove Syd around getting her all ready for next Tuesday. He called a couple of times for different things, and I mentioned being tired and not feeling well. That being said, and him knowing how often I've been uttering the words Tombstone pizza and soft-serve, you can imagine how excited I was when I got home to find both! How thoughtful!! I was able to put my feet up and enjoy my Friday evening. And quite frankly, the rest of the weekend was just as great. We didn't do much of anything, but we did all go to Red Lobster so that Rod could finally enjoy something other than cabbage soup. Then today.... I haven't been drinking too much coffee lately, but today we stopped by this cute little coffee shop not too far from where I work (Coffee Rush, if you get the chance), and I picked up my favorite.... an iced Coconut Latte. It was so delicious! Other than that, we did some cleaning and we now have more hangers. What that means to my near future is new clothes to hang on those lonely hangers! Back to the grind tomorrow. Last week before school starts for the kiddies. Oh, and I'll have to fill you in on how things are going with the DE Booster Club. Our first meeting is this Thursday, so stay tuned and have a great week!