I just got the coolest email ever! I was so excited when I opened it - it really made my day! Hell - it made my year! It was just amazing, seriously….

You could maybe even say that my whole life is changed - from this one value-packed email….
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This is cool and super exciting news, ya’ll! My sweet friend, Mary, (one of my blogging buddies) had a baby three months ago, only he was way tiny and needed to stay at the hospital for quite some time. She thought he was going to get to come home last week, and then was hit with another, “No, we need to keep him a bit longer for this, that, and the other….” Sucker punch! Oh man!

I got news today, however, that she got to bring him home!!! She left a message for me on one of my posts here, and when I read it I was so excited for her, that I got chills and tears in my eyes!
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Expected arrival times of my monsters today. I’m a dork, and just think it’s interesting. I know, if we were still in Richardson, and they were at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels - one at each, it would be similar to that. I know that. I just go over it in my head, trying to figure out if I’ve accounted for the delivery of each child to my home. Being in a new town (hey! it’s still new to me! I didn’t leave Dallas for THIRTY-SIX years, you know!) and not having a car, I get a little nervous when their arrival times are approaching, worrying that maybe I haven’t arranged transport for each child.

So that’s that. I’m a weirdo, I just thought their *AT’s were interesting, and decided I better share it with you.

*How do you like that cool ‘airport speak’, eh? Pretty cool, huh? I told you I’m a weirdo….

A few weeks ago our high school band, of which both of my boys are a part of, had their district band assessment. Now, when they first told me about this, I kind of got a screwed up look on my face. You see, our ’school district’ is comprised of TWO schools - our elementary and our high school. So the whole thing sounded funny to me. I realized, though, that we have participated in the neighboring district’s activities quite a lot, and they have plenty of schools in their district. I think they just kind of let us tag along, because, we’re all by ourselves.

However, I forgot one thing - one very weird, bassackwards thing that state school systems do. When they said ‘district’, they didn’t mean ’school district’, they meant the larger ‘district’, comprised of multiple school districts. I know in Richardson, TX, we were in District 10. I learned that when I was PTA president, and it was a constant source of confusion.

“Oh - you mean the school district?”
“No, no - not the school district, the district district.”

Uh, yeah - whatever. Could they not have called them something else?! Really?! Gah!

Anyhoo - this is not supposed to be another public school system rant of mine, now, is it? No, I’m supposed to be here bragging my buns off about our band!

They did so AWESOME at the district assessment, that they are now going to the STATE ASSESSMENT! Woohooo! And the really cool thing, for me, si that they are wearing their tuxedos again. See, for district, they wore tuxedos sans jackets (even the girls) and they all looked so freaking adorable! However, Patrick had spent the night with his friend and the two of them got there late, so I didn’t get a chance to get a picture of him.
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My neck has been hurting pretty badly lately as a result of that ear infection that I couldn’t afford to treat. Totally and completely weird that the pain is in my neck - I’ve never had that happen before with an ear infection, that I can remember. I’m told it’s caused by a buildup of fluid from the infection in my Eustachian tubes. My mother-in-law had told me to put heat on it, but, I didn’t know how in the heck to do that. I didn’t want to put Freeze It on my neck - I was afraid that would be uncomfortable. And my heating pad - how the hell do I get it to stick to the side of my neck?

Well, yesterday I woke up in way more pain, and I did some researching on the internet about ear infections. And what did I find? “Put heat on it.” Gah - don’t you hate it when MIL’s are right about stuff? ugh. So I piled all my notebooks and my notebook in bed with me and I just stuck that heating pad on my neck, haphazard and all. It was awkward, and it was really only in direct contact with my neck when I was hanging onto it in some way - like I’d kinda pull gently on the electrical cord. When I was watching TV later, right before going to sleep last night, I was able to just sit there with it on my neck constantly. And then when we turned off the TV (Hulu on the) computer, I switched the heating pad to ‘off’ and let the heat wear out on my neck, while I dozed off to sleep.

And I woke up this morning in considerably less pain. It was really great to be relieved of that - it’s been hurting so long. It’s starting to come back now, too, after a day without heat - I’ve been working at my desk today. So I’ll need to skedaddle on in there in a minute, but, I wanted to share with you my oh-so-lovely thought processes first. Aren’t you lucky?
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I’m not kidding you, the mess of stuff on my dresser just shook. I think it was my giant lava lamp - whatever it was, it shook. Geez, louise!

The explosions have been happening for several months now, as they are exploding right through our lovely mountains (foothills, I know, they’re foothills) to build a friggin’ road. “Easier travel, blah, blah, blah….” So it’s been shaking the house for a good while now, but, these mini-earthquakes today - man, they’re much stronger!

It’s strange, because, they are annihilating precious Mother Earth building the road about ten miles from here, so the effects that we feel and hear are not that strong. So I wonder what the heck is going on today since they are so strong.

The first year we got out here, there were some really strong booms that went on throughout the day - always during the week, always during the school day - so Puppy and I were home alone and scared to pieces! Then my monstermother-in-law finally told us what the horrible disruptions to our sanity were! You see, back in 1986, Ronald Reagan (Ronald Reagan? Isn’t he in Heaven? Why yes, yes, he is….) signed into the law the destruction of some freaky weapons, chemical or some shit like that. Did you say 1986?! Yes, I did. Long time ago - that president just happens to no longer even be living anymore…yeah… So the Army Depot near us was in the process of destroying those weapons! In 2006?! Isn’t that TWENTY years later?! Why yes, yes it is.

So anyhoo - yeah, there were countless interruptions to the sanity of myself and my beast. We were quite disturbed by them. The windows would shake and everything. And then, not long after they friggin’ finally finished that up - did they decide to demolish our precious earth and build a friggin’ road, thereby once again, toying with our mental and emotional comfort. I’m serious - the dog and I may just need therapy.

And I sure would like to know why the BOOMS! are so much louder, stronger, and more powerful today if the damn road is TEN MILES AWAY!

I’m ornery - my neck is killing me, that damn ear infection is dripping its way down my friggin’ eustachian tubes, so if I write some bitchin’ and naggin’ posts, like this one - you’ll know why.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about my grandmother, and what it was like for her when she lived in California. She was far away from home (Colorado) and didn’t know anyone. I’ve been thinking about her, and this time in her life, because, of my having moved to Alabama far from home (Texas). I often get so incredibly lonely that it just aches. It was during this time in my Grandmother’s life that she had her first child. The baby, Anne, died when she was five months old. It must have been so painful to be so far from home, going through something like that. I remember Grandmamom telling me that she was often at home alone, with Grandpa off working. And that is when her love for crocheting really blossomed. That may have been when she got into crosswords and jigsaw puzzles, too.

Anyway, I got really sad this morning, and I was feeling homesick ….and sorry for myself, and my thoughts wandered to Grandmamom, and how utterly painful it must’ve been when Anne died. I thought about how grateful I was to have three healthy children, and I had a good cry. I got up and I was feeling better - sort of refreshed - from just letting it all out. And then I walked into the kitchen and found a message on my phone from one of my very favorite people in the world - my sister-in-law-bestest-friend, Tracy. Now if that’s not God and Grandma reaching down from Heaven to hug me, pat me on the back, and tell me ‘everything is gonna be alright’, I don’t know what is!
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