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So very tired...but it was so very worth it!

For the past few months I have been MIA. I have taken on the job as treasurer of the band boosters...not realizing it was the equivalent of a second AND third full time job. I have spent hours dealing with our accounts - making deposits after football games, dealing with fundraiser after fundraiser for our trip, planning this, doing that. It all makes for a very tired me. I now get to take a small break in the fundraising.

Last week we took our trip to Disney. The kids marched in a parade at the Magic Kingdom. It was amazing. They were (of course) the best band. They played Evil Ways and Eye of the Tiger. They marched all the way up Mainstreet, in front of Cinderella's castle and back into Frontier Land. They got to see what few people see - Backstage Disney. There were about 5 of us crazy moms that watched them come up Mainstreet and (as soon as they passed) went running through the crowd to catch them again in Frontier Land. Yes, running. Me. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't run. Ever. But I did - to see my babies a second time. Yes...all 94 kids are my babies. That night (Friday) we didn't get back to the hotel until after 1 AM...then we had a room full of hungry kids. Yes, at 2 AM we were cooking Ramen Noodles.

We had a blast - we had a group of anywhere from 5 to 7 kids hanging with us at all times. And ALL were shocked that Linda (my parter in SO many crimes...) and I were willing to ride ANYTHING. Tower of Terror? Rode it 3 times. Tried for 4, but it had technical issues. Aerosmith Rock and Roller Coaster? Rode it twice. Keeping up with the kids was work - over 20,000 steps a day, 4 days in a row. I'm still sore. I have blisters on my pinkie toes. Worth it? Yes.

We spent Thursday at Hollywood Studios, Friday at Magic Kingdom, Saturday at Epcot and Sunday at Animal Kingdom. We left Animal Kingdom Sunday afternoon and drove all night, arriving home Monday morning around 4. It was a long drive - not a lot of sleep. We had a stomach bug going around one of the busses...glad it wasn't mine. I had my own issues - a kidney stone hit me Sunday morning. That doesn't exactly make for a pleasant day at the park. It passed on the bus trip home.

We had 94 kids and 57 chaperones. You would think that with that many chaperones we could maybe take turns doing bed checks. Apparently, the other chaperones thought Linda and I could handle it. Oh well. We only had problems with 2 kids, and those were nipped in the bud. Over all, it was a successful trip. Several kids took advantage of all the fundraising opportunities and didn't have to pay a dime out of pocket for the trip. That makes all the pre-work worth while.

As soon as I can figure out what's going on with Blogger, I'll post some pictures. Right now it just won't.

I'm a happy nerd!

Saw this Saturday at the bookstore - Evan and I were thrilled!

Thank God for Grandparents!

Yesterday I got a call that every parent dreads. I knew when I saw the phone number it wouldn't be good. Evan's principal. Apparently, he tripped over his own over-grown feet and fell FACE FIRST into some asphalt at PE.

Of course, I carpooled yesterday. My parents are out of town, so I called my Mother In Law. She was a nervous wreck, but she picked him up and met me at the ER (a friend from work took me). Nothing is broken, CT was fine. However, he did get 4 stitches in his eyebrow.  This was our first trip to the ER with Evan and he handled it like a champ. His Uncle Chris is a teacher @ his school and heard the gossip from some of his ball players. The told him that Evan got 'mad man points' because he didn't even start to tear up...if this had been me, I would have been ALL tears!

 

Since I had to wake him every 2 hrs (checking for head injury), he's still in bed and I'm working from home. I'm so grateful to have help when I need it! Without my MIL, I would have been lost yesterday!

Update

Wow. It has been a while since I posted. It has been crazy busy around our house and I have just let this slide. Football season was a seemingly unending adventure. We had something every single Friday night as well as several Saturdays. And let me tell you - working a consession stand on Friday nights will wear you out for the rest of the weekend. But, I'll do it all again next season because all that work translates into money for the band. And as wonderful as the band has been for Evan, I'll do whatever they need. Which brings me to this weekend. This weekend we have a Queen of Hearts pageant for the middle school girls. 34 girls - grades 6 thru 8. It's a pretty good fundraiser for us, but man, is it work. Last weekend I spent all day Saturday making sure the band room was clean because that is the staging area for the girls. This weekend, I'll spend Friday night cleaning the classroom we will use for a hospitality room for the parents/kids that will be working the pageant. Saturday, I'll be running the hospitality room. Mom and I are cooking so the workers will actually have some protien and not be running on a cookie/cake/chip high.

What shocked me about this pageant is Evan. Yeah, I'm requiring him to work it. But he's doing it with a smile. Last weekend he helped with the stage artwork. I've scratched out a face and a shirt... I don't know those people that well, so I don't want to put anything identifiable... anyway... Evan helped sketch the poster and even directed the older kids on how to draw what they wanted. He spent his whole Saturday working on this and went back after school Monday to help finish.

But for the night of the pageant he is going to usher - get the ticket holders to their seats. And this is how he MAY look...with an adjustment to the tie. And possibly a smile.  He has another suit and I picked up a bow tie today (black with red guitars) so he may wear that... but I'm not sure. I'll leave it up to him. I'm just glad he's vountarily dressing in a suit.

PS - today is our 20 year anniversary. And we are still alive. And not in jail.

Oh, you stupid, stupid human

This is Daphne. This is my favorite sewing machine. At least, it used to be my sewing machine. Daphne has decided that it is now her throne. Woe be unto the stupid human that tries to remove her.  I think I'll blame my lack of sewing on her decision to take over this space. At least for now. Brat.

Summer!

Well, Summer is officially here. How do I know? It's the beginning of The Messy Game Extravaganza!

Wednesday nights before Youth the kids get together and play games that involve horrible messes and gross requirements. The first picture is Evan playing the game "how long can I hold Alka Seltzer in my mouth before it spews out" game. Once they start adding water? Not long! In the second picture you see his "big sister"* holding him for revenge. See, they played a game where he had to shoot water into her mouth, she had to spit it into a cup. First team to fill the cup wins. Well, let's just say Evan could work on his aim! She held him tight while someone else soaked him down. He came home wet with streaks of chocolate syrup on his shirt. I didn't even ask about the chocolate!

*Big sis - this amazing young lady was 4 years old when we moved into the neighborhood. She is graduating high school this year and we are going to miss her so much next year!