It's Friday!

Friday is here, the kids are at Motion (BIG Church youth conference in Birmingham) and I am in a quiet house. I'm not quite sure what to do with myself...I started making some cards and was derailed by a text from a friend to meet her for lunch...I did. I went to check out a boutique I was told had a great sale going...it didn't. It was cute so I picked up a cute shirt for Hannah for the new school year...School starts in a few days on August 3. Boy, do we have a lot to do before then...school shopping, Open House, some hockey, etc.

Let me illuminate the Church Conference. It is called Motion. Tim Tebow is one of the featured speakers along with some fantastic Christian Music. Honestly, I am envious of those 14,000 young people learning to become leaders and walking with God instead of being like everyone else. I have some pictures of the kids getting ready to leave, a few I stole off of Social Media and some hockey pictures from last week's camp. I'll have camp video tomorrow. The time is flying and the cards are telling me either to finish them up or clean up the mess. (I am relishing a clean tidy house with no kids for the next 24 hours so I need to get cards made and mess put away).

So So Hot

Summer has turned into a blistering heat, drought abounds, and I am ready for Fall. School starts in two weeks and it is excruciatingly hot. I can't even wrap my head around school clothes, supplies, fees, etc.

The kids are finishing up their last camp this week and fortunately, it is at the ice rink. I cannot fathom the discomfort all those soccer kids are going through right now. Blech.  Matthew is still at an age where he wants me around so I have been spending hours and hours at the rink. I am exhausted. Sitting around for 8-9 hours can be very tiring. Camp is about 7 hours but the kids have other obligations afterwards. Both help with the Learn to Play Hockey Camp and Hannah is a Teacher Assistant on the figure skating side...today, H has lessons and M wants to stay for the Stick and Puck Session. It's going to be another long long day.

I think we are all a bit worn down with all the go go of this Summer. It was impossible to get them out the door on time. I looked at my watch and realized it was 8 minutes until my workout class so I didn't make that...I took the hour that would have consumed to do little things around the house that have been neglected...like shredding, laundry, cleaning the kitchen, writing letters. I am really behind in my chores. I kind of feel guilty making the kids do their chores before leaving the house...kind of.

I should have some pictures and videos tomorrow. There is a game today and I will try and get some visual documentation of camp then! Until tomorrow...xoxo

Camp Time

It's another week and more hockey to share. M is at Camp this week improving his mad dog skills. They were doing some timed drills so I recorded a few (I really need a new phone with a LOT more memory, however with braces, hockey, and figure skating I will be sporting my out of date iPhone into the next decade).

Hannah has been doing her share as a good sister/fellow hockey player...I have a couple of pictures of her helping with the scoreboard. One of Matthew's teammates from last year had his leg broken at the Nashville AA Prospects Tournament. His little brother is at Camp this week and Poor Joe is itching to get on the ice. Hannah has been keeping him company after helping with the figure skating camp. We arranged for Joe to do the scoreboard because it is as close to the ice he can get without actually being on the ice. Joe has moved up from the wheelchair to a walker and received quite the conquering hero reception when he came in the Rink on Sunday. Poor kid, he tried out for AAA hockey, made the team, and then broke his femur along with part of the growth plate...he plans to be on the ice in January...that's a hockey player for you.

Pretty sky coming out of the Rink last night

Join Me

Our nation has had a bad week...join me in praying...The link from the prayer service I attend on Saturday mornings is available for the next 24 hours...if you have an hour...click on the link and participate in prayer for our nation. I am so blessed with such a wonderful pastor, I think you will like him too.

https://www.churchofthehighlands.com/prayer/service

Dog Days of Summer

This Mama Dog has been busy getting her pups from place to place...mostly the Rink and the Gym.  M has started training with the AAA hockey team (that team is way out of our budget unless we want to live in a cardboard box under the I565) but he can train with them...which is a good thing. There were not enough players for the 12U team to have a AA team...barely enough for one team to play U12.  Most of the players on his team are upcoming U10 players so...they will be playing A tournaments. The extra ice and off ice time will (hopefully) keep his skills from regressing. He loves playing with the older boys so it's a win/win.

H and I are still doing our workout at the local gym. It isn't quite as entertaining as when M was doing it with us...He would lap me and mock me...all I can say is he better lap me...I'm 42 years older than him.

Roo had a birthday. She chose a Japanese Steak House and M liked it so much, he has requested to go there for his birthday. I gained 2 1/2 pounds from this fete of fat and flames so I will have to workout harder now to be ready for his birthday next Winter.

M earned a Lego set and put his mad engineering skills to use immediately upon arriving home.

The Fourth of July has become a holiday that I prefer staying home for...heat, humidity, and port-potties are just not that appealing to me now that I am the downhill side of life...the kids still love it and fortunately for them, they have a big sister that can drive them to the celebration.They had a delightful time. There are days when I miss life in the desert...like on the 4th...in the desert, you can sit outside and not sweat to death and be eaten alive by mosquitoes.

This week M has hockey camp and H is a teacher assistant for the figure skating school's camp. Soooo....more Rink time for me...which is good because it is hot and I am already eagerly anticipating Fall...not a big fan of Summer...

I have pictures but my phone and computer are not talking. I'll try again later.

M at UAH working out with the AAA team

This is the workout H and me did on Tuesday at our gym

The H take on red, white, and blue...red lips, blue eyeliner, white shirt

Birthday Celebration

Wake up! Wake up!

My brain is still in a sleep fog, my teacup is still nearly full. I have a few minutes while Matthew makes Roo her birthday pancakes...I have lots of pictures from my phone to upload and a few to add here.

Time is flying by at a pace unimaginable when I was a young person. Today is Lauren's 27th birthday! Holy Guacamole! I was 27 when I had her. I am so blessed. Words fall short of trying to convey my gratefulness for such a blessing.

The week has been busy shuffling the kids to their activities. Matthew is taking a class on Greek and Roman Mythology. The kids and I had our workout class and Hannah had her figure skating lessons.

I found a treat at the Ice Rink yesterday (the Rink is like a box of chocolates and you just never know what you are going to find) and am posting some video of the sweet treat.

The Troupe performed this routine once more and the male doing the backflip fell and hit his head on the ice...if you watch carefully, you can see he is fatigued, they had been on the ice about 6 hours when I recorded this...I'm not sure how he is doing...they elected not to take him to the hospital but to press ahead and return to Birmingham.