13 on Thursday

1) I have finally recovered from my long weekend at the lake. The preparation was tiring in itself, being that I was at the Confirmation service the night before I left, thus lessening the time I had to pack (and I procrastinated a bit). Tevis also joined us, which made it lots of fun for me, and my nephews for that matter. (Yes, we had separate sleeping accommodations the entire time.) On our way to Stillwater, Wyatt informed Tevis that they are now best friends. Yes, it was a good weekend.


2) One downside to being gone for three days is the amount of laundry that there is to be done after returning. Maybe by the end of tonight I will be considerably caught up on my laundry!

3) The other downside of spending three days at the lake, or really just outside, is the fact that I have a fair complexion, and almost no amount of sunscreen really keeps me from getting burnt. I incurred a few minor sunburns that are now turning into a darker shade of pale. (I do not tan, I only become slightly less pale.)

4) Gina (and her crew), Tevis, & I planned to leave the lake sometime on Monday morning. Right as we had mentioned that we were ready to leave, Gina and I got a call from our dad telling us that Mimi was going into the hospital because her heart rate was very sporadic, at one point reaching as low as the mid-30s. Upon hearing this, we left so that we could get home, and get cleaned up so that we could go see her. Since at least Friday night at the Confirmation service, Mimi had been having this problem. She would be sitting down, and suddenly she would almost pass out and become extremely shaky. After drinking some cool liquids and eating a little bit, she would come back just fine. On Monday morning, my parents were going over there, but called beforehand and she sounded a little bit iffy, so my dad had Scotty (who is an EMT) go over to check on her. She agreed to go to the hospital to be checked out, and after their examination, the doctor decided to put her on a Holter monitor for 24 hours so that she could receive the most accurate treatment. I know that she had at least three more episodes during that time, but she won’t know anything else about it until sometime next week, more than likely.

5) Yesterday afternoon, my parents, Cody, Kyle, and I went out to do my least favorite job—digging potatoes from our garden. I absolutely HATE digging potatoes, because it is always 90+ degrees outside, with an uncomfortable humidity level, and it is just exhausting in every aspect. However, tonight, my family enjoyed the fruits of our labor, and ate some of our new potatoes…nothing compares to the taste of them!

6) In other news from yesterday, my dad is finished cutting wheat for yet another year. He finished in record time-2 days! Also, this year he cut the least amount of wheat that he has cut in a long time. He decided to cut the majority of our larger field into hay. It is always such a gamble in deciding how much of the field should be cut for hay, because it’s either not enough, or there isn’t enough grain left over. Hopefully, all will work out.

7) Last Friday, I did something with my mom that I haven’t done in quite a while. We made cookies. Not the pre-made, pull-out-of-the-freezer type that we usually make (since Cody sells that kind for school every year). We made homemade cookies. We started by making two batches of Carrot Cookies (my personal favorite), and a new recipe my mom found, Treasure Cookies. I will post both recipes in separate posts, because I think they are both awesome! (Note: The carrot cookies take much longer than the Treasure cookies, but are worth the time)

8) I am now in my second week of babysitting Cody & Kyle. It has proved to be lots of fun for me, and hopefully, the boys. I really enjoy their company, and I think that it will be a good thing for me to spend some time with them before I go to college. Not that I’ll be far, or that I’ll be gone for a long time, but just that I probably won’t see them as much as I’m used to.

9) In being with Cody & Kyle, I have come across what has to be the coolest toy ever. Crayola has developed a nifty toy called a Color Explosion Glow Board. I have never seen exactly how one works until yesterday, but I am hooked! It has two clear plastic drawing boards, one sets about half an inch behind the other, and a set of eight neon markers made specifically for the board. Once you make your designs on the boards, here’s where the fun begins! There are two sets of black lights in the unit (one for each board) that can be turned on independently, together, or that can flash back and forth. I can sum this toy up in one word: AWESOME!!!!! For whatever reason, I am strongly considering buying one for myself…My inner child is alive and well!

10) Another fun thing from my time with the boys is the fact that they have cable TV, unlike me. (No, we don’t watch TV all day, because the boys need their outdoor time more than anything) Upon searching through the Guide, I found out that there are reruns of the TV Show “Full House” on at 10 & 10:30 each morning. It used to be on in reruns when I was younger, and I loved it then. It is still one of my favorites, and I think that it is becoming one of the boys’ favorites, as well!

11) This Sunday is Tevis’s birthday! Yes, I am older than him (barely, though). He hasn’t yet decided what we will do for his birthday (he is as indecisive as I am), but I know that we probably won’t do much to celebrate on his actual birthday, because he has to work. However, it is also his last day at his job, so I guess it isn’t as bad. He is excited about leaving his job (he works at Braum’s) because he has worked there for at least the past two, maybe three, years, and he hasn’t liked it very well. In much of that time, he was a dependable worker who, in my opinion, got taken advantage of on many occasions. However, he will be getting a new job (albeit temporary), in the next few weeks. I am not so excited about this, because it is in Colorado, which is where his dad lives. He will be spending the better part of the remainder of the summer with his dad, where he will get a job working in the mailroom at his dad’s company for 40 hours/week. (For some reason, I keep thinking of the movie “Elf”, when Buddy goes to work in the mailroom…) This job has a much better wage, which will help for paying for his college. I understand and respect this, but that won’t keep me from missing him!!!

12) In keeping the boys for only two weeks, the reality of me being an adult has hit me. I am beginning have a better understanding of what parenthood is like. I also am getting a small taste of what it is like to be employed. I have spent much time thinking about the future, like after I’m done with college, and what will happen then. I have begun thinking about the reality of being married, having a family, and a home of my own. All of the thoughts boggle my mind. They seem so scary, but also exciting. The little fantasy world of thinking that marriage is all roses and love and rainbows is turning into the reality of thinking that, while all of that may be true, it will not always be like that. Having children isn’t going to be like babysitting, because the children are yours for keeps, not just for a few hours, through sickness, health, good times and not-so-good times…kinda like marriage. My job has given me some much-needed perspective. Also, I have decided that, if it works out that way, that I would rather wait a short while after getting married to have children, just to give a better transition into married life. (Famous last words, right? I can already hear God laughing at me!)

13) While on the topic of parenthood, I have come to a grim realization. It obviously wasn’t a mother who invented the bicycle. A mother may have invented training wheels, but not the bicycle itself, and ESPECIALLY not the unicycle. In riding them, bicycles are a great form of exercise, transportation, and recreation, not to mention that they are great for the environment. They are not, however, good for my blood pressure while watching Cody & Kyle ride around on theirs. I finally realized why my mom made my dad teach me how to ride without training wheels, because she probably would’ve had a coronary before I learned how to ride. Cody is pretty adept on two wheels, and Kyle still has his training wheels, but they still managed to scare the bejeezus out of me! Cody loves to make sharp turns that I swear can only lead to scabbed knees or a crushed skull, and Kyle is intent on colliding with Cody or riding with no hands. After a few spills, and me almost getting ran over, we decided to put the bikes away for a while. Maybe I’m overprotective or a pansy or both, but if I have children, I will leave the task of teaching them to ride a bicycle to their dad, just saying.