Plebe Parents' Weekend

Plebe Parents' Weekend was three weeks ago and I just realized that I haven't shared any photos yet. The weekend was busy, fun, and wonderful. We got rained on several times so my camera didn't come out very often. But I did get a few nice shots.

The most amazing part of the weekend was seeing how much Mr. A matured during Plebe Summer. His girlfriend, Miss K also matured quite a bit. It was remarkable to see our son a Midshipman, a grown man, and in an adult relationship.

The statue of the USS Delaware figurehead (nicknamed Tecumseh) got a makeover for Parents' Weekend. I think he looks a little bit like Gandhi with the BCG's in the top photo.

We went to Washington DC one day and saw the Washington Monument (pre-earthquake crack).

Aren't they cute? Miss K and some other girls had "Navy Girlfriend" t-shirts made up. A dozen people must have asked her where she got her shirt.

Miss K with Bill the Goat. Go Navy!

Life with Boys: Six-Pack Abs

By the time I got home from work last night, the TV was on and my Sweetie’s channel surfing landed on one of the Transporter movies.

My Sweetie inclined his head towards Jason Statham and said,

I thought you might appreciate seeing his six-pack abs.

I kissed my Sweetie and said,

I like your six-pack abs.

He protested with,

I don’t have six-pack abs.

I grinned, patted his tummy, and replied,

Yes, you do. They just happen to be in an insulated cooler.

Demons Out!

This song has been stuck in my head for days. The singer has a beautiful voice and overall the song is haunting. But if you listen to the lyrics… it’s a bit creepy and stalker-ish. I’d really like to get it out of my head.




What are your thoughts on this song? Have you listened to the lyrics?

Bumber Stickers Revisited

Reading bumper stickers is part of my entertainment on my daily commute to and from work. There are 19 traffic lights each way so I have plenty of time to read the other drivers’ thoughts, opinions, rants, claims, and boasts.

As much as I like bumper stickers, I don’t have any on my car. It’s the whole “sticker” thing. Eldest son did put this sticker on a magnet for me. But alas, I took it off after a few weeks because condensation kept accumulating under it and I was nervous what it would to the paint finish.

I’m okay with window decals but those usually don’t show up with tinted windows. However, I do have a Go Navy license plate surround.

Anyway, my favorite kind of car sticker/magnet is the oval European-style sticker. They are usually some sort of an abbreviation so you have to be “in the know” to understand them.

Apparently, marathon running is extremely popular in Florida because a day doesn’t go by when I don't see a car with one of these:

I'd love to buy one of these stickers and put it on my car just to mess with people. Just because you have the sticker, doesn’t mean you actually ran the race. I’d like to see a certificate of authenticity or something. You know, third-party verification.

One day I saw this sticker and I was stumped for a little while:

Then it finally dawned on me! The Appalachian Trail! Well, if I ever hiked all 2,175 miles of the Trail, I hope I’d get something more than just a sticker. At least a hearty handshake and a pat on the back.

So I’ve been wondering. What sort of cool, oval sticker would I put on my car? That is, if I weren’t sticker-phobic.

Perhaps this one:

But then again, why would I go around advertising my age?

Hmm. I’m a swimmer so how about this?

How many non-swimmers would know about a 1650? The 1,650-yard swim is the longest race in collegiate swimming. That’s 66 lengths of a short-course pool. I wonder how many marathoners or tri-athletes could swim that. (In the Olympics, 1,500-meter long course is swum instead.)

But I think my favorite oval sticker would be this one:

Plebe Summer – Class of 2015

Look familiar?

TGIF

Friday is my favorite day of the week. It’s kinda like Christmas Eve on a much, much smaller scale. It’s a day full of possibilities.

As much as I enjoy Fridays, I don’t wish my week away. To me, that’s the same as wishing my life away.

But this week was a little different. I have been looking forward to the weekend ALL WEEK for the following reasons:

Work has been hellacious this week. My workload has become scattered and hectic. I don’t enjoy it but I’m afraid it’s the new norm and here to stay.

Today marks the end of the first week of school. Why is the first week of school so brutal? Ugh. If you count the four years I put in, this is my 9th year of high school. I may regret saying this at a later date but… I can’t wait for high school to be over.

I’ve finally recovered from my bronchitis that I acquired in Annapolis. Too much expectorant and lots of caffeine from hot tea equals three nights of NO SLEEP. I’m really looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning.

The number one reason I’m ecstatic that it’s Friday?

Today is my Sweetie’s birthday. I think toasting the man who loves me just the way I am is an excellent reason to celebrate.

Oh yea, and it’s Date Night.

See ya!

****
UPDATE
Well, the week isn't over yet. My Sweetie and I out went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner. He ordered sushi and I ordered my usual (and safe) shrimp tempura. I was BOLD and had a bite of his seaweed salad. I'll never do that again!

Now I'm covered head-to-toe in hives. Huge, red, itchy, swollen welts. I've taken a benadryl and a shower. My Sweetie slathered me in topical benadryl. Not exactly what he had in mind when he said that he wanted to get his hands on me tonight. At least I'm no longer trying to scratch my freckles off.

Time to go lay under the ceiling fan.

Good night!

The R Word

When raising and teaching my children who to be respectful, I taught them that certain words were not used in our house. The list contained the obvious swear words. But also other words that were derogatory or hurtful.

On that list was retard (and retarded).

Granted, I’ll admit that when I was growing up my classmates and I casually threw those words around without even thinking. In an exasperated tone we would declare something (or someone) to be,

Soooo retarded!!!!

Eventually, I matured and eliminated that phrase from my speech.

Just now I passed two co-workers in the hallway. These adult women walked out of a meeting and one said to the other,

We work with retards!

The second woman instantly erupted into a fit of cackling. I turned around and without thinking called after them,

You know, you really shouldn’t use that word.

The words flew out of my mouth just as if I were reprimanding my children.

With nary a glance backwards, the first woman said,

Excuse me, we work with special needs people.

Let me clarify that this woman used special needs as a derogatory term and none of co-workers would be classified as special needs.


****

First of all, I’m stunned that two grown women (both of them liberals) would talk like that and find humor in it.

Second, I’m kinda surprised at myself for chastising them the way I did.

Did I overreact? What would you have done?

Well Trained?

This afternoon I got back to my desk after a rather lengthy meeting to discover that I had three missed calls on my cell phone from Mr. A.

Hmmm, that’s odd. It’s the middle of the day.

I started to wonder and maybe, just maybe worry a little bit.

I tried calling him back but his phone went straight to voicemail.

I suddenly had a lump in my throat and that gnawing feeling in my stomach.

I sent Mr. A a text message, Is everything ok?

I called my Sweetie. Voicemail.

I sent S a text message, Have you talked to A? I had 3 missed calls from him.

I tried not to panic.

Then I saw a post online about the earthquake on the East Coast and all of the buildings at USNA were evacuated.

Whew! That’s why he called!

Moments later my Sweetie called. He and Mr. A had been on the phone for the past hour talking Navy stuff.

Apparently, after Bancroft Hall stopped shaking, all of the Midshipmen were told to evacuate the building. Mr. A and his roommate squared away their room real quick just in case of a Bravo inspection later. Once outside, they realized what they had done.

My Sweetie’s advice to our eldest son,

That’s great. Just don’t do that in the event of a fire.

It's amazing how well the Navy has trained Mr. A in the past 8 weeks. Now only if I can better train my reaction to missed calls.


****
Your Turn
Did you feel the Earth move under your feet?
Who would have thought that I'd be relieved that my son called to tell me he was in an earthquake?

First Day of Weird

Today is the first day of school in the PLRH family. Nothing odd about that. Plenty of kids are going back to classes today.

Except G-Man headed out the door for school this morning without his brother for the first time EVER. And Mr. A is up at USNA starting classes. I guess that officially, officially makes him a college student (and me old).

G-Man started the 10th grade today. His only hint of excitement came in the form of the comment, I’m glad I’m not a freshman anymore. It was also accompanied by a sly grin.

Preparing for school this year seemed a bit half-assed. It didn’t seem like we did nearly enough back-to-school shopping or buy enough snacks at the grocery store yesterday.

I have to stop and remind myself that one kid is “out of the house” and the other really doesn’t need a double dose of motherly attention all the time. Being Mom is so ingrained in me. I need to learn to step back a little bit. G-Man is 15 years old, a sophomore in high school and on his way to becoming an adult.

I know some of my reminders/questions this morning drove him a bit insane:

Did you take your vitamin?

Where’s your water bottle?

Do you have your schedule?

By the time we left the house he was annoyed with me, as you can see in the photo I insisted on taking.

Sorry Kid, we all have some adjusting to do. But you should know by now that I won't stop taking photos. :)

****UPDATED****

Here's Mr. A's first day of school photo.

I'm glad to report that both boys had a good first day.

Gosh, I love my kids.

I think I'm being followed

Truth be told, I don’t often think about how information regarding my interests and habits are recorded on a daily basis. If I did think about traffic cameras, internet searches, debit card purchases, phone records, and whatnot, I’d be paranoid and probably never leave the house again after unplugging every electronic item.

So, rather than make myself insane, I happily go through life knowing that I’m not breaking any laws.

I felt perfectly comfortable with this course of action… until today.

This morning I saw this ad on two separate blogs that I read. TWO! Making the situation additionally creepy, the ads appeared on the Google Reader version of the blogs not on the actual blogs themselves.

Looks like Big Brother has figured out that my eldest attends the US Naval Academy and thinks that I might be in the market for some gifts.

Life with Boys: Hungry Teenager

Methinks G-Man is about to hit a growth spurt. Why do I think this? Because food is disappearing from our house at an astonishing rate.

Last night I pulled the gallon container of milk from the frig while making dinner. The gallon of milk I had purchased only the day before. There was approximately one quart of milk remaining.

I also cut up a lovely cantaloupe last night and put it in a bowl. The few bites of melon I had were delicious and I knew I wanted to take some to work today for a snack. This is what remained in the frig this morning…

Each morning before I leave for work, I wake up G-Man, chat with him for a few minutes, and then kiss him goodbye. This is what I spied on the floor next to his bed this morning…

For those of you who can’t tell what it is… It is all that remains of the package of Newman’s O’s that I bought on Monday. I ate two cookies Monday night and two cookies last night for dessert. Guess who ate the rest?

All of that on top of G-Man’s regular breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Plus, I know he ate TWO Clif Builder’s bars that contain 20g of protein EACH!

I really don’t think G-Man is aware of how much he’s eating. Which is fine. It’s all part of being a growing teenage boy. But I do find it humorous and I wonder if perhaps he’s trying to make up for his brother’s missing portion of the grocery bill.

****
Your Turn
Do you have growing boys at home? Did you have a brother that ate everything in sight?

Catching Up

The weather held long enough last Thursday for G-Man to play in the second round of golf tryouts. He played great! But alas, he didn’t make the team.

After the first round cut, G-Man was one of 12 boys vying for 8 slots on the team. Six of the golfers were on the team last year. One of the boys was the #1 high school player in the state last year.

Two years ago, a score of 45 for 9 holes shot from the Blue tees would have been enough to make the team. This year the golfers teed off from the “tips” (the tee boxes the professionals use) and had to shoot under 40 for 9 holes. That is a significant increase in skill level.

G-Man was frustrated with himself for not making the team. He finally realized just how good of a job he did when my Sweetie pointed out to him that he survived the first cut of the #2 golf team in the state. G-Man also shot par on three of the holes… FROM THE TIPS and he bogeyed another hole that he always used to have trouble with.

Later the coach said he was sad to cut kids that are really good golfers and great kids.

****

G-Man quickly recovered from his disappointment when he received an invitation to go to Orlando with a friend and his family for the weekend. There was a mix up with the family’s hotel reservation and they got upgraded to the PENTHOUSE! That’s just G-Man’s luck. The first time he ever flew, he was 5 years old and traveling with my brother. They got upgraded to first class. After that he thought all airplanes were that luxurious.

****

This past weekend was Plebe Parents’ Weekend at USNA. My Sweetie, Miss K (Mr. A’s girlfriend), and I flew up to Maryland to see our Midshipman. It was a non-stop, busy, energetic, and emotional weekend.

There’s so much to tell and photos to share. But it all will have to wait because I feel crummy right now. On Saturday, there was a forest fire near Annapolis and I had a difficult time breathing with the smoke. I’ve been coughing ever since. This morning I started coughing up yucky stuff. So I’m not sure if it’s still from the smoke or if I actually caught The Crud on the airplane.

In the meantime, here's a photo of USNA Class of 2015...

Blame my husband for the rain

It started raining Saturday and had pretty much continued since. Why is it currently raining monsoon-style outside my window? Because my Sweetie had our irrigation system fixed. That’s right, we’re blaming him.

For two months we dragged the hose around from the side of the house to water our new plantings in the front flower beds because not a single drop of rain fell from the sky. We even experienced the Hose Incident and survived.

But now that our irrigation system has been fixed the heavens have opened up… and stayed open.

Normally, that would be fantastic! The plants are getting watered. Everything is green. The lakes and aquifers are refilling.

However, this particular week LRHS golf tryouts were scheduled.

G-Man tried out for the team last year. While his score (43 for 9 holes) was good enough to make the team any other year, the two vacant spots on the team were taken by two phenom golfers (35 for 9 holes) who moved to the area specifically to play for LRHS.

Yes, golf is a big sport in Florida and parents will move their families to different school districts to play for specific teams.

The weather held long enough on Monday for the first round of tryouts. G-Man survived the first cut. Woo Hoo!

He went back on Tuesday for round two and they were rained out. Round two was rescheduled for today. But from the looks of things at the moment… It’s not going to happen.

G-Man has worked hard at his golf game this summer and really wants to make the team. He’s got to be frustrated will all the delays. I know I’m frustrated at my inability to control the weather. As a Mom, I want to be able to smooth the way for my son and make this easier. But that isn’t always possible!

Please keep your fingers crossed that the weather clears eventually and G-Man can show them what he’s made of on the golf course!

The Care of Plebes

This morning I was rather emotional while driving to work.

Heck, I’m still emotional.

Yesterday Mr. A met his USNA Sponsor Family.

A Sponsor Family provides support to a 4th Class Midshipman (Plebe) throughout the academic year. They give the young Mid a home-away-from-home. A quiet place off the Yard where they can relax, regroup, and recharge. Often the Sponsor-Mid relationship continues through all four years at the Academy.

Not just anyone can become a Sponsor. There is an application process and required training. Then the Academy matches the Sponsor Family and the Mid.

Mr. A’s Sponsor Parents called us at home last night to introduce themselves. They sound like wonderful people. We have plans to meet when we’re in Annapolis this weekend for Plebe Parents’ Weekend.

Anyway, back to my drive to work this morning…

Mentally, I reviewed all of the photos USNA has shared on Facebook this summer. I thought about all the people who are there to support the Plebes. Everyone. Staff, faculty, Detailers, upper classmen, Officers, Enlisted service members, and now Sponsor Families. All of these people want our Plebes to succeed.

It truly warms my heart to know that all of these people are caring for my son. I can't put into words how happy I feel that people I've never met care about my son and want him to succeed.

That’s why I started crying on my drive into the office.

I composed myself by singing along to the radio. I was still emotional when I got to my desk but I wasn’t weepy. Well, that’s until I opened my email and saw this photo sent by Mr. A’s Sponsor Mom...

Mr. A with his new “sisters.”

Here’s a slideshow highlighting a few of those special people in the lives of the Class of 2015.

All photos in the slideshow are courtesy of USNA.

I can't quit because I'm too lazy to do the paperwork

I have blogger’s block.

Say THAT ten times fast.

THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT

I know, I’m a smart-ass.

Better than a dumb-ass.

Anyway, I have not been inspired lately to write any riveting blog posts. I feel like Elvis has left the building and taken my Muse with him.

For a while I thought the crazy, hectic PLRH Family schedule from Easter to July 4th kept me from having the time or the energy to write fun and exciting blog posts.

Then I began to wonder if my unscheduled, boring life of the past month prevented me from being witty and interesting. I simply haven’t done anything blogworthy in AGES!

Heck, whatever the reason I’ve contemplated throwing in the proverbial blogging towel during these past few weeks. I even have the PERFECT farewell post composed.

But then I remembered the BlogHer ads in my sidebar. I signed an agreement with BlogHer. If I decide to quit this blogging gig, I need to provide notice to BlogHer. I forget how long. Probably 30 or 60 days. Either way, I’d have to go dig out the paperwork and read it. Then I’d have to notify them IN WRITING.

Yea, sounds like a hassle to me too.

So the bottom line is that you, darling readers (all nine of you) are stuck with me and my ramblings because I’m too darn lazy for paperwork.

Do you have your Exit Buddy?

Lately, I’ve reconnected with some friends from high school on Facebook. Sadly, I’ve learned that several of my former classmates have lost either one or both of their parents. I suppose we’ve reached that stage in our lives in which the older generation passes away.

It’s also a poignant reminder that I’m extremely fortunate that my parents are in excellent health.

I’m very close with my parents both geographically and emotionally. Our houses are two miles apart and we’ve been living the extended-family lifestyle for the past 14 years. It works for us. We support each other. The boys are close to their grandparents. And I truly believe that the boys have kept my parents “young” all these years.

Yes, my parents drive me nuts at times because… well, it’s in their job description. However, I can’t imagine life without them. Even worse… I can’t imagine life with one and not the other! Seriously, they have been married for so long that I’m not sure if one would know what to do with the other.

One day when they were making me particularly insane, I told them that they had to be Exit Buddies because I wasn’t going to put up with one without the other. Ever.

They stared at me confused. So I referred them to Finding Nemo.

A few weeks after that, I walked in my parents’ house to find them wearing matching t-shirts that read “Exit Buddy.”

That’s my parents.

They are now officially Exit Buddies.

Book Review: The Beach Trees

Click on over to the BlogHer Book Club to read my review of The Beach Trees by Karen White.

21 Years

Today is August 2nd. Only two things stuck in my mind about today's date. First, it's my nephew's 18th birthday (I still can't believe it). And second, I had a dentist appointment today because I cracked a molar.

When I got home from my exciting two hours at the dentist I checked Facebook. Because really, what else do you do when you have a raging headache and half your face is numb?

That's when I saw my husband's wall post:

Twenty-one years ago today I was sitting at the Air Track Radar Console on the USS Barbery (FF-1088) at General Quarters. All of us were sweating our tails off while steaming in the Persian Gulf and listening to the radio traffic coming in as Iraq invaded Kuwait. I cannot help but think if we had done things a bit more thoroughly then we might not be there now.

I forgot the date.

My husband and his shipmates were already sitting in the Persian Gulf when Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990. That was the day when most Americans said, Where the heck is Kuwait?

Twenty-one years. That's how old my husband was on that day in the Persian Gulf.

I forgot to kiss my husband this morning and thank him for his service. Don't worry. I will be sure to rectifiy that as soon as he walks in the door this evening.

To all of our country's veterans and those still serving:

THANK YOU.

Welcome to August

It’s August again.

Funny, I remember it being August at exactly this time last year.

Every August I seem to pause and wonder,

Where has the year gone?

I suppose that’s because for the past 12 or so years, August has meant change.

In Florida, school starts in August.

The Southern School Schedule took some getting used to for this Yankee girl. Growing up in Pines Lake, nothing school related happened until AFTER the Labor Day picnic at The Lake.

For years, August has meant dragging the boys back-to-school shopping during the tax-free holiday. Bigger shoes. Longer jeans. New lunch boxes. In the early years, August meant new Crayons, and then years later graphing calculators.

August has meant that the boys were academically one year older. Some years it meant new schools and riding The Bus. Last year it meant the boys were together again in the same school for the first time in six years.

August also brings my Sweetie’s birthday… just about time school starts. My birthday is right around the corner in September. So not only are the boys advancing a grade, S and I are another year older as well.

This year brings even more change. G-Man will experience the First Day of School without his big brother for the first time ever and Mr. A will officially be a college student. Times are changing and the changes are good.