Happy Birthday to Me

Once again, it's been too long. I've had some things to blog about, just no time to actually sit down and do it. We'll see how this goes. Gertie is on the loose, so I'm stealing time.

My birthday. I turned 39 this year. My highlights were:

• I woke up at the crack of dawn and got some cleaning done before my sister and her family arrived. I was actually loving getting things done, them staying done, and the look of an organized, clean home.
  
• I took the kids to the park to have a play date with some other kids and see some other moms I miss. It was horribly windy, and a bit rushed, but we had fun catching up. The government has a program going on this summer again where they will provide a sack lunch for any child that shows up to pick one up at a school in our neighborhood. At first, I thought the program was a waste of our tax dollars. ANY child? Some kids don't need a free lunch. But then I started to think that it's my tax money too, and it's so convenient and FREE, so we do that every once in a while. We've been trying to get together on Fridays over lunch and let the kids play. But finally to the birthday highlight: My friend Amy shared her little dill pickles with me. I know that's ridiculous, but I am the only one in my family who likes pickles, I rarely do the shopping, so I rarely get pickles. She just kept them coming, and I just kept eating them. Yummy!
• John asked me what I wanted for dinner, and I said shishkebobs (no idea how to spell that word). He made them for dinner, they were delicious. We had a delicious watermelon to go with them. I loved my birthday dinner.
• My sister brought that sweet little new niece of mine to see me.
• My husband and children gave me chocolate for my birthday. Lots of it. Tons of it.
  

So those are the things that made my day special. It was a good day.

My mom added to our crew on Saturday, and she brought my nephew Tate, whom I rarely actually saw over the whole weekend. He disappeared with Ethan and they barely popped their heads up for air. They had a great time together. My mom gave me a couple of clematis to plant along our fence for my birthday. I can't wait to watch them grow.

I often found my mama wandering out in the yard early in the mornings and at other various times throughout the weekend. I think she's chomping at the bit to get her hands in the dirt. (At least that's the way I like to look at it!) A friend had dropped off some perennials, and she helped get those in the ground, but the major project was trimming the way-overgrown hedge at the front of our house. I've hated the way that looked for so long. I love it now. We just took those huge hedges down to almost nothing. They are kind of artsy looking now, with bare stems and a little green at the top. Maybe I'll have to get a picture to show you, but it looks so much better. It was a very big job, and Beth was in there too. I love this family of mine that sweeps in and tackles these things for me. I'm very grateful.


We finally got to see Grace in South Pacific. She did great. We had front row seats, the production was over-all very nicely done. Beth had thought it was going to be a school production, but it was a community production. The singing was nice and the show was fun. John wasn't able to go with us (on FATHER'S DAY) because I had completely forgotten to try to line up a sitter. I can't believe I did that. Actually, I can. But I knew Mike wasn't going to go, he was going to stay with Verena. It was on my mental to-do list until then it wasn't. But it turned out that he went with Mike the next night, so it all worked out okay.

John and Ethan went to the college world series in Omaha in the middle of the week, with a quick side trip to see John's mom in South Dakota. We didn't hear hide nor hair of him the whole time (can you ever hear hide or hair? I don't think so.) Anyway, I know he had a great time. I wish I
could get him to blog sometime and give you the highlights.

Now we're already to our anniversary. John and I have been married for sixteen years today. I can still relive that wedding day in my mind, and I love the memories. I'm thankful for this man in my life. He's been kissing me today, and he loves me too, I just know it! We've had a good marriage and a good life. I like knowing how he ticks. I like how he takes care of us, cooking for us and shopping for us. I just love him all around. My man...


Pictures will come. I just don't have it in me right now. I've got to go.