Homeward Bound!

Off to get some of this yummy ice cream! The long road trip will make it all worth it.

We'll get to swim, shop, and visit family:))

Happy 4th to all!

something borrowed

Picture copied from this website.

Today, I finished another book, something borrowed by emily giffin. It was very light-hearted keeping me up way too late trying to finish it. It was so nice to read something easy. I liked the prose, the chapter length and the story. After reading the book, I looked up the author. She is just a few years younger than me. Her fashion insights and fashion memories of high school struck some similar chords. The main character even talks about Rollerblading. Gotta love it!

The only issue I had with the book is the carefree attitude toward sex. I have been married for 18 years and am very thankful I don't have to deal with that scene. It did make me think about what single folks go through. Anyway, I am trying to too hard to make something deep out of the book. It would be perfect for the beach. Emily has published a few more and I am curious to read her other books. Off to the library website to see what they have...

Three Cups of Tea

Yesterday I finished the book, Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and Dan Oliver Relin. If you have not read this book, please please please add it to your list. Greg Mortenson deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. I fall into the category of ignorant American as far as all the issues go on the war on terrorism. Reading this book gave me a brand new perspective. It seems like our leaders could learn from Greg. Peace has to come out of education. This book inspires me to learn more. I may even add the Central Asia Institute to my list of annual charities. I saw Greg Mortenson is coming to the middle of the state in August. It may be worth the trip to hear him speak.

Weekend at Summer Sizzler

We had a nice weekend in Nashville watching Pumpkin swim in the NAC Summer Sizzler. He swam well swimming in the morning and the evening. At this meet, they had Super Finals. I learned they do this when the Olympic Trials are coming up. The Super Finals give the top four older swimmers the chance make the Olympic trial cut time. It was amazing to watch the older kids swim. And, we got to see some swimmers make the cut for the trials next week in Omaha. When the swimmer got the time, the entire place erupted in applause.

On Friday, we went to lunch at a place, Buca di Beppo, in Franklin, TN. It was great. They serve family style Italian dishes. We had an extra swimmer with us. Those swimmers appreciated the pasta. The Big Guy and I opted for the pizza. There were enough leftovers for lunch the next day! I just noticed they have a restaurant in Cincinnati. We just may have to stop in. Here is Pumpkin after lunch on a carb high!

The Big Guy participated in the Harpeth River Ride cycling the 42 mile route. This was the first time he has ridden in this area since his accident 2.5 years ago. He had a nice ride through farmland and up some BIG hills. I was thrilled he made it in one piece. He enjoyed the ride. It was worth it to schlep the bike with us. This picture is not the best. It was quite early and I just snapped one. I had to drop him off and head back to the hotel to pick up the swimmers. He thought ahead bringing the alma mater jersey to wear in Vanderbilt territory!

BTW, we traveled in the Volvo. It was great! That car is old with lots of miles. We are crossing our fingers it can go many more as we can't decide on what to buy next. The seats are so comfortable. It has a way of making you feel very spoiled.

We did not get to hook up with my good friend that lives in Franklin. It was a hard meet as Pumpkin was swimming in two different pools. I am learning that these meets are all about the swimmer and his social life. I don't mind. It is those friendships that will keep him in the water in the years to come.

On Sunday morning, the boys did their good luck "clap" for the camera. They were getting ready to swim the 100m Backstroke. The clap worked as they both shaved tons of time. We won't dwell on the fact that they have not swam the event in quite some time! I played with the video in iMovie - just a bit. That is addicting and I could spend hours editing. I'd love to add music, but just don't have the time right now. Here is their movie ">debut.

Sunday afternoon, we headed to the Cheesecake Factory. Every time we go there we forget about the enormous portions. We all ordered our own dish and had leftovers for lunch today. I was glad we packed the cooler in the car. Unfortunately, we were all full and did not get to enjoy any cheesecake. We'll have to do that next time. I wore my special shirt having desserts of my own! This is the one I finally made. It was super easy to make and comfortable. I even altered it a bit. Go figure! Ruthie, are you impressed? I want to order some other fabrics. And, I may try my hand at using fold over elastic. The pictures are a bit corny, but show off the shirt. I am getting ready to put it in the washer on gentle. We'll see how it survives!


All in all, a great weekend for everybody. We picked up one of Pumpkin's friends for the ride home. They get along great. And, Peanut loves hanging out with his brother's friends:)

Birthday Party Fun!

We had Peanut's birthday party last Friday night. It was a fun time. We did the putt-putt, video games and bumper boat thing. The boys had a blast with the bumper boats. We came back home for pizza and some kickball in the cove. The boys had a good time and the birthday boy was honored! He got a few gift cards and asks me on a daily basis if we can go to Target. We just got his room purged of stuff and he wants to add more to it!! Gotta love it!

Hoppy Father's Day!

We gave the big guy his Father's Day present a day early. We hope it is hoppy and happy, of course!

He was a sport and gave it a try right away! You can't feel the heat. It was hot and very humid! Enjoy the video!

comeback

I picked this book up months ago at a resale shop. It is a poignant memoir of a mother and daughter as the daughter struggles through addiction in her teenage years. The first half or so is horrible. I am naive about all the drugs and stuff out there influencing our youth. The power of their love withstands the struggle. It is not your average light summer reading. The fact that they make it through kept me reading. We are about to have a teenager in our house. Those years will be a bit tougher. I think. This book showed me the importance of giving the child enough room to make his/her own choices. It will be hard for this control freak!!!

Now, off to a summer beach read...any suggestions?

Beautiful!

This lilly opened in our garden. It is beautiful. There are seven blooms on one stem. I took the picture with my phone, but you can still appreciate the beauty.

My inlaws have green thumbs. The spring was just right this year for the rose garden. The roses were in full bloom. Here are just a few. Beautiful!!

Happy Birthday, Peanut!

I can't believe it! Today is Peanut's tenth birthday. My baby is in the double digits. He was born in the afternoon about the same time as this gets posted. He was induced four weeks early as it seemed like he wasn't growing as he was supposed to be in the womb. At birth, he was 5 pounds 2 ounces and was just precious. He was small but he was beautiful. We were thrilled to add another boy to the family. Pumpkin was a great big brother from the minute he saw him. Pumpkin's favorite memory of that day was bringing a picnic dinner to the hospital. I think it was his choice of McDonald's. Gotta love it! We all ate around my bed and Pumpkin got to get cookies from the nurses' station.

Today, Peanut got up early to open his presents.

Recently, he showed a renewed interest in Zip Zaps. The big brother got the last two for him that Radio Shack had in stock.


No birthday would be complete without Legos. He kept telling his dad that there were Indiana Jones legos. Now, he owns a set! He got the Indiana Jones Lego game for the Xbox 360 too. I'll have to pry them away from that:)

At soccer camp, his coach recognized him. All the campers sang Happy Birthday. We brought in popsicles at the end of camp to celebrate. HIS day is a busy one with his first swim meet this evening. He is swimming for the country club and seems to be enjoying it. We are planning a putt-putt party next week. We are on the party every other year rotation. This is the year!

FIVE HUNDRED MILES

When I saw my odometer on the side bar, the first thing that popped into my head was this song. I did not necessarily think of this version but did not have much time to search to the vocals that were playing in my head.

Today I rode a brand new route. I found myself faced with a dichotomy on my bike. I like to explore new places, but wasn't sure I could make the ride. It was pretty hot out and the Big Guy warned me about some hills. As it turned out, I did fine and the new route was not as far as I thought it might be. I am just not talking about the woman dressed in full garb that went flying past me. I am going to rest tomorrow. My house desperately needs to be cleaned and when I ride, I don't feel like cleaning. I may try the reverse route on Thursday. We'll see!

I am toiling with the goal of 1,000 miles by summer's end. Might be too ambitious and it all depends on what defines the end of summer!