Our Week - The One with Puppy Week, High School Parent Night, a Girls Dinner, Poker Night, Jacob’s Retreat, and College Football, Baby!

Last week was a mix of happy and sad – heavy on the happy for us personally, but sad because of the school shooting in Minneapolis – and I’m recapping everything on the blog today!

Monday, August 25

Last week was “Puppy Week” at school where the seniors adopt freshmen, and they dress up together all week.  It’s a great way for the freshmen to get to know other kids outside of their grade and to participate in some fun activities to get more comfortable in high school.  It’s been a tradition since my Momma was there, and the tradition was still going strong when I was there, and I have the fondest memories of Puppy Week when I was a freshman (and a senior for that matter).  I had the most awesome senior, and she and I ended up becoming friends… she would even drive me home after school some days so I wouldn’t have to hang around campus until my mom got done with work. 

Back then, things were much different as all the kids would do stuff off campus, too – like when I was a freshman, my senior had all of her senior friends + all of my freshmen friends spend the night at her parents’ lake house together.  There were, like, 20 of us there and we had THE BEST TIME.  On a school night, too.  Haha. 

But now things are highly regulated, and the kids just have themed dress-up days along with fun events during lunch.  Day one this year was “Dynamic Duos” so Jacob and his senior dressed up like salt and pepper.  Since they aren’t allowed to have cell phones at school, we unfortunately, weren’t able to get any pictures of him and his senior together, but I did take a picture of Jacob every morning before he left.  He’s such a good sport.  Haha.

After I dropped the kids, I had a Home and School open meeting (open to all families at our school so they can learn more about it and have the opportunity to sign up to volunteer), and once that was over, I headed to Publix to grab groceries for the week.  I’m still on my Walmart boycott, but I guess pretty soon I’ll start shopping there again since their prices are lower for some items.  I sure am enjoying every second of doing all of my shopping at Publix right now, though!

The rest of the day was spent finishing my blog post for Tuesday, and I also talked to my littlest brother on the phone for a while because he got a new job and he was telling me all about it.  We are so excited for him!

I picked Olivia up from school when they got out, and we went to Chick-Fil-A to grab milkshakes while Jacob made up a test he’d missed while he was out sick the previous week.  When we picked him up, we had a cookies and cream shake waiting for him and he was excited about that.

There was another countdown on Taylor Swift’s website Monday afternoon, and it ended just as we were pulling in the driveway.  It ended up being another vinyl variant – a “tiny bubbles in champagne” variant, and little did we know, it would pair perfectly with what was to come on Tuesday… her engagement announcement!  EEK!

When we got home, I finished my blog post, and then I made fettucine alfredo with chicken, broccoli, and bread. 

Jacob Facetimed with his friend, WJ, after dinner to study for a history test, and I went out for a walk while Olivia got showered.

While I was on my walk, one of our neighbors one street over walked down his driveway to chat – he’s a HUGE Georgia fan, so we often talk about football and I’d assumed that’s what he was going to mention – but instead, he started the convo by asking me if I pray.  I told him I sure do, and then he proceeded to tell me that he just found out that he has prostate cancer and he wanted me to keep him in his prayers.  He told me his wife had died of breast cancer, and his two kids (who are adults now) are extremely worried about him as they’ve already lost one parent.  He is having his prostate removed in October and praying that will rid him of the cancer altogether.  He lives alone, so I told him I’d pop over and check on him, and I also plan to put together a basket for him before his surgery.  If you’re the praying kind, would you please pray for my neighbor, Joe?  I know he would appreciate as many prayers as he can get.

When I got home, I showered and then helped Jacob make his shirt for the next day, and then we finally finished watching America’s Got Talent from the week.  We had enough time to start a special that we’d recorded on NBC about Epic Universe at Universal Studios.  We’re going for the first time in October, so it was perfect timing for it to air on TV.

After the kids went to bed, Brian and I watched some more of The Leftovers and then we called it a night.

 

Tuesday, August 26

The theme for Puppy Week on Tuesday was “Rhyme Without Reason,” and Jacob and his senior decided to be a kite and Sprite.  Lol.  I had originally bought an actual kite from Amazon that I was going to somehow make him wear, but he decided at the last minute that it would be too bulky, so he just printed a picture of a kite and pinned it to a plain white tee.  Haha.

When we left for school, it was a blessed 63 degrees out (unheard of for August in Georgia), and it felt ahhhhmazing. 

I got the kids to school and then I headed home to work for a bit before visiting with my therapist at 9:15 AM. 

When I got back home, I finished my blog post for Wednesday, I reveled in the glory of my almost-finished yearly-things-to-clean-out list, and then I saw the announcement on Instagram that Taylor and Travis had gotten engaged, and after that, all productivity went out the window for the rest of the day.  I.  Was.  ELATED. 

My phone started blowing up within minutes of the news being posted by Tay and Trav’s accounts, and I started texting everyone I know (who actually cares), too.  And that was the rest of my day.  Hahahaha.  I.  Was.  Giddy.

I was so desperate to let Olivia know about it that I emailed her at school.  I wasn’t even sure if she’d see it, but she sure did, and her response was the cutest.  She told me later that she told all of her friends and they were so excited. 

I also saw in my Facebook memories that we had announced our pregnancy with Olivia on that same day 12 years ago… so Olivia was, of course, elated that her pregnancy announcement shares the same date as Taylor and Trav’s engagement announcement.

After school, the kids did their homework, and I was literally on social media all afternoon just scrolling through all of the engagement announcements, memes, and fun stuff.  I just love it when social media is a happy place!  It has been so draining this year with everything going on in the world and in our country, so I love it when we have fun stuff to look at!

I got Olivia to dance after that, and we blasted TS all the way there and back with the sunroof open.  I love sharing a love for Taylor Swift with her.  <3

When I got home, it was a whole Taylor Swift listening party while I did the dishes, cleaned up, and watered the plants, and then I got in a walk while listening to, you guessed it… more Taylor Swift.  ;o)  I had the whole house to myself because Brian and Jacob had gone to play golf.

It was also only 83 degrees with very low humidity, so it was just a great day all around.

Brian dropped Jacob off at home and then headed to pick up Olivia shortly after I got home from my walk, and I got showered and started dinner – Taco Pasta with tortilla chips and fruit.

I also baked a batch of cinnamon muffins to have for breakfast and snacks for the rest of the week… you know, just over here doing the most after getting no work done all day.  ;o)

When Brian and Olivia got home, we all sat down to eat, and Brian and I indulged in a glass of wine to celebrate the engagement of two people who we don’t even know personally (you know, like perfectly normal people do – haha), and then we got the kitchen cleaned while Olivia showered.

By the time she was ready for bed, it was time for the kids to go to bed, and then B and I watched The Leftovers.

 

Wednesday, August 27

Wednesday, the theme was “Babies and Seniors,” so Jacob wore a diaper over his outfit (not pictured because the school provided the diapers) and his senior dressed up like a senior citizen.  Lol.

I dropped the kids at school and then headed home to work.  It was 59 degrees on Wednesday morning, and I couldn’t believe it.  It was GLORIOUS.  I had to throw on my grandma sweater!

When I got home, I finished most of Friday’s blog post, and then all happiness went out the window when I checked Instagram and saw that there was an active shooter at a Catholic school in Minneapolis.  I ended up being glued to the news after that, and I was just heartbroken to see all of the information coming out of there. 

Every single time a school shooting happens, all I want to do is go straight to school and pick up my babies and bring them home where I know, without a doubt, that I don’t have to worry about a crazy person busting in and doing something tragic.  I spent many moments Wednesday in prayer, many moments crying, and many moments being SO ANGRY for the rest of the day.  Angry that this continues to happen time and time again.  Angry that kids are being sacrificed because our administration refuses to admit that guns ARE part of the problem.  Angry that my kids have to live in a world where they have to have steel bolts on their classroom doors and lockdown drills.  And angry that they have to know at such a young age that there is always the potential for someone to come in their school – a place that should be completely safe – and start shooting. 

I cannot for the life of me wrap my mind around the mentality of those who think it’s not necessary to do anything about the guns.  Yes, mental illness plays a huge role, too, but there are mentally ill people all over the world and other countries do not have these same mass shootings that we do.  Why?  Because they have stricter gun laws. 

And while, yes, prayers are SO important – I truly believe in the power of prayer – but – ACTION is important, too.  If my house is on fire, I’m not just going to sit inside while it burns down around me and pray that the fire goes away.  I’m going to pray AND I’m going to try to save my children, AND get out of there, AND call 911 so the fire department can come and put it out.  I’m not just going to pray and expect God to stop the fire and leave me and my family unharmed.

Our government needs to take action – and NOW – before this happens again.  And no, I am not saying that everyone needs to have their guns taken away.  I live in the south – half of my family and friends own guns – but I firmly believe that common sense gun laws need to be put in place.  We need better background checks.  And assault rifles need to be banned.  PERIOD.  Because there is absolutely no reason why anyone should need to own a gun that can fire hundreds of rounds per minute.  NO REASON.

After taking a mental break for a bit, I did get a couple of things done – I caught up on my emails, and then I created a Sign-Up Genius for our school tailgate.  I also sent my welcome email along with the sign-up to all of my sixth-grade parents since I’m Olivia’s room mom again this year.  And I also prepped everything for Wednesday afternoon/evening since it was going to be a busy one.

I could not get to school fast enough to pick up my babies, though!  And we had an extra one to pick up, too – Jacob’s friend, WJ, came with us.

Right after school, we dropped WJ off with his mom, and then the kids and I went through the Burger King drive-through to grab soft serve ice creams.  They both wanted to talk about the school shooting, and it breaks my heart a little every single time we have to have that conversation.  They told me that the whole school prayed a decade of the rosary at the end of the day for all of the victims and families. 

Olivia had her semi-annual checkup at the ENT doctor for her thyroid nodule after school, so we headed there next.  Those appointments are always long because her doctor is so sought out that he stays very busy, so Olivia was able to finish all of her homework and change into her dance clothes while we waited. 

Her checkup went well.  Her nodule grew the tiniest bit since her last visit, but the doctor said that it’s proportionate with her growth, so it was expected.  As she grows, so does the nodule.  He said that the matter inside still feels the same, and it looks the same on the ultrasound, so there’s no reason to do another biopsy at this time. 

He did say that he thinks she has now reached the size where it is safe to operate to remove the nodule once and for all, and he suggested that we start thinking about removing it next summer, so it won’t interfere with school.  I have been dreading this for seven years, but I know it’s necessary to have it removed, and I’ll be happy to have it all behind us.  We have one more checkup in February, and then we’ll likely get the surgery scheduled for June.  In the meantime, we are praying that the surgery goes well, that the doctor does not end up having to remove her thyroid (there is a risk that she could lose part of it or even the whole thing during the surgery), and that she recovers fully and quickly.

Brian came to pick Jacob up before her appointment was done so he wouldn’t have to wait the whole time, and then after the appointment was over, Olivia ate dinner in the car while we drove to dance.  She ended up being two minutes late for dance, which was a win, because I was worried she would be much later.

After I dropped her off, I flew home to eat a sandwich, and then I turned right back around and headed to the kids’ school for high school parent night.  The next hour and a half was spent walking Jacob’s schedule and sitting in on all his classes to hear what his teachers had to say about the upcoming year.  One of my old teachers is still there at the school and Jacob has him this year, so walking into his room and sitting down to hear him talk was surreal… I felt like I was 16 again.  Haha.

I got done there a little before 8 PM which was perfect timing as Olivia gets out of dance shortly after that on Wednesdays.  I headed straight there to pick her up, and then she and I got home a little after 8:30.  She jumped in the shower, and I got in my pajamas.  I had wanted to do a workout, but I was just exhausted, mentally and physically, and my neck had been hurting all evening, most likely from the anxiety that came on after the school shooting.  While my neck issues have improved tremendously, I am still having issues occasionally, as I’m laying on that neck pillow every night, so my spine is still moving and adjusting to said movement. 

We got the kids in bed, Brian and I watched 20 minutes of The Summer I Turned Pretty, and then we went to bed.  Yes, I was so exhausted that I didn’t even finish it.

 

Thursday, August 28

Thursday was “In the Wild” themed for Puppy Week, so Jacob printed a picture of a lion and pinned it to his shirt.  We definitely phoned that one in.  Haha.

After I dropped the kids, I went home TO GET STUFF DONE.  After two days of not accomplishing much, it was much needed.  I ended up doing the following and I felt so much better by the time I picked up the kids from school:

 

-       Finished my blog post for Friday

-       Cleaned off my computer desktop

-       Caught up my planner

-       Cleaned out my List Master app… it’s a catchall for tasks

-       Tidied my office because it was a disaster

-       Amended my editorial calendar for my blog

-       Downloaded a few new songs

-       Caught up on blog reading (I was waaaay behind)

-       Deep cleaned all countertops

-       Wiped down all mirrors

-       Folded all towels and sheets that had been sitting there all week

 

After I was done with all of that, I changed into real clothes and then headed to school to pick up the kids.  Both kids had music lessons, and it was my turn to sit in with Jacob since I’d sat in Olivia’s lesson the previous week.  Jacob is still making his way through all of the books that they use, and he’s also still spending a portion of his time working on music he wants to learn – mostly Minecraft music.

Steve wrote the music for another huge chunk of Olivia’s song from Interstellar, so she was able to make some more progress on that, and boy, did she practice a lot.  She played for me when we got home, and she sounded so good!

I cleaned the kitchen when we got home, the kids tidied the house, and Olivia read for a bit.  I also did my Bible study before heading to dinner with my girlfriends.

We met up at a local restaurant downtown that we love, and we all had a round of drinks followed by entrees.  They have an excellent Caesar salad with chicken, so I had that, and I had a New Fashioned (a twist on the Old Fashioned).

Two of our friends weren’t able to make it, so there were just five of us, but we had the best conversations while we were there, and we lingered longer than usual.  It did take a long time to get our food and checks, too, so that also played a role.  Haha.  But all of us talked again about how much we love our group because everyone is so different, so everyone brings something unique to the table, yet we’re all open and loving and it’s always a safe space.  We all lift each other up, we all celebrate each other’s wins, and I’m so grateful for all of them and our group.

I ended up getting home a little later than I’d anticipated, so it was getting dark, but I went out for a quick one-mile walk (in the rain) because I was adamant about getting it done.  When I got home, I did 20 more minutes on the stair stepper while we finished watching that special on Universal.  I also caught this sweet moment when Jacob and Olivia were talking about him being gone all weekend.  He was like, “Aren’t you going to miss me, Oliviaaaa?”  Haha.

We got the kids in the bed after that, and then Brian and I celebrated 22 years of dating with Manhattans, and we finished The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Friday, August 29

Friday morning, I dropped the kids off at school – Jacob in his I Love My Senior shirt – and then I headed straight to Starbucks to grab my first pumpkin spice latte of the season for our drive to my upper cervical chiropractor. 

It had been three weeks since my last appointment, and it had been even longer since my atlas needed to be adjusted, but sadly, my atlas had shifted out of place at some point.  The doctor said it was barely out of place, though, so it wasn’t a big deal.  He did five small taps behind my right ear to get it back in, and he also adjusted my right SI joint along with a spot behind my left shoulder.  My left shoulder had been feeling a little wonky for a few weeks, and I was going to ask him about it, but funnily enough, he found the issue all on his own without me even having to tell him.  It’s just crazy how well he knows what’s going on in my body.

He told me that my adjustment was so minor that I should only expect mild side effects – and only on Friday – so that was good to know.  And he also told me that I don’t have to come back to see him for an entire month!!!!  My next appointment isn’t until October, and I’m so grateful for that.  PROGRESS.

Sure enough, on the way home, I started having that weird vision sensation that I get after an adjustment, and I started feeling sleepy like I always do.

When we got home, I had things to do, so I worked through them carefully.  I had expected to not have to be adjusted, so I had already planned to deep clean the floors, and I decided to go ahead and roll with it, but I had to be extra careful so as not to mess up the adjustment. 

I got some of the house vacuumed and then I took a break and washed the rugs from our primary bathroom.  One of them had some kind of black gummy stuff stuck in them (and they are white so it stood out terribly), and I have NO clue where it came from, but a few drops of lemon oil took it right out, and then I just sprayed it down with Shout, washed it in the washing machine, and it looks good as new!

Brian and I ate lunch after that, and then I mopped all of the hard floors.  I was exhausted after that, so I lay down and took a nap for an hour before I had to pick up the kids. The exhaustion after my adjustments is truly wild, y’all.

I woke up just in time to leave for the car line, and then when we got home, I finished vacuuming the house.  Brian did the stairs and the shag rug in the living room for me since I wasn’t supposed to over exert myself after my adjustment.

Olivia read for a while (voluntarily – on a Friday afternoon – because she’s loving her book), and Jacob did his laundry and started packing for his retreat on Saturday.

I hadn’t set foot in my office all day at that point, so I sat down at my computer for a few minutes to look at a few things, and then I folded all of the towels that I’d washed earlier in the day. 

Brian had gone to get a haircut and pick up a few things from Walmart while we were gone, so I helped him put away the Walmart haul when he got home and then it was Bible study time for me. 

We had poker night at Khristina and Ian’s house Friday evening, so we headed there at 6 PM.  Ian had made ziti, salad, and bread, and we all sat down to eat first.  After that, the adults all played poker for the rest of the night while the kids ran around outside, traded Pokemon cards, and hung out.

We had the best time, as always, doing just as much chatting as playing, and I ended up winning a ton of hands after a very bad streak of barely winning any during our last few poker nights.  Brian lost every hand except for one, so his money was almost gone by the end of the night.  It was okay, though, because I’d probably doubled mine.  ;o)

We left sometime after 9 PM, and when we got home, the kids got in bed, and Brian and I watched football for the rest of the night.

 

Saturday, August 30

Saturday morning, we were up at 8:30 AM and I made pumpkin shaped waffles per Olivia’s request.  We now have a high schooler and a middle schooler, and they still love the festive waffles… I hope that never changes. 

After breakfast, we watched ESPN College GameDay, week one, and I was just thrilled to have football back on my TV!!  It was also Lee Corso’s very last episode as he’s retiring at the age of 90, so it was bittersweet.  They did a few tributes to him throughout the show, and I teared up several times.  We’re surely going to miss those headgear picks every Saturday morning!  And I just can't with his tux!  So sweet!

I was also a little misty-eyed because I kept thinking about Maui.  She always snuggled in my lap every Saturday morning (well, every time I was on the couch) while we watched GameDay, and it’s just not the same without her.  I have finally started to adapt to not having her in my lap every evening after six months of her being gone, but this was the first college football Saturday morning that we had to be without her.  :o(

Mid-morning, I had to leave my post on the couch to help Jacob pack for his retreat.  The retreat was at a Christian camp a couple of hours from here, so he had to bring bed linens, toiletries, a bath towel, and all kinds of other random things that aren’t on his packing list on his phone, so I wanted to make sure he had it all.

While Jacob packed, Olivia did her laundry, and then Jacob had an early lunch as they were supposed to eat before they got on the buses to leave.

I got dressed, I hugged Jacob MASSIVELY before we left our house (and again at the church), and we headed to the church from where they were departing, and we met up with Jacob’s best friend and his mom.  We got the boys all squared away dropping off the snacks that we had to provide, tagging and putting their luggage in the luggage drop, and signing them in and getting their nametags, and then we stayed while they prayed together, got on the buses, and pulled out of the parking lot. 

This was the first time that Jacob has ever spent the night away from us in another city (aside from when Brian and I traveled to NYC and he stayed home with my parents), and it was also the first time that he was spending the night away with chaperones that we didn’t know.  He has spent the night out numerous times with friends and more times than I can count with the grandparents, but this was totally different.

I was confident he was in good hands, but boy, did I tear up when those buses pulled away.  It’s so hard letting go.

When we got home, Brian, Olivia, and I had lunch together, and I stalked Jacob on Life 360 to make sure they arrived at their destination safely.  ;o)

I got showered, and then we watched the Texas vs. Ohio State game while we decorated for fall.  Olivia helped me and she also decorated her own room, and it was just the best day – all the fall things! 

By the time the Georgia vs. Marshall game started, we were done decorating for fall.  I deep cleaned the coffee table while we watched… our coffee table has glass inserts that come out, so there’s always dust trapped around the edges under the glass that I rarely take the time to clean out.  The table hadn’t been deep cleaned like that in months, and it looked like a whole new table. 

After that, I also deep cleaned the kitchen sink and all around it.  My soap stand was gross from months of drippage from wet hands reaching for the soap, so I washed it, and I washed the stand next to the sink that holds a vase of flowers. 

Once that was done, I threw in a load of towels and then I settled in at the kitchen table with my planner and a cup of hot tea to finish watching the game while getting my planner ready for September.  Georgia won massively (expected since we played a smaller team), and we looked pretty good.  It’s still too early to know if we looked good because we are actually good, or if it was just because we were playing a smaller team… hopefully the former.  Haha. 

Brian Door Dashed pizza from one of our favorite local places for dinner since the game ran into dinner time, and at the end of our game, we kept flipping over to the Bama vs. Florida State game because Bama was losing.

After the Georgia game was over (and we got a win!), we turned on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 to finally get it finished.  About 15 minutes into it, Olivia’s friend, Maren’s, mom texted me to ask if Olivia could spend the night.  She said she knew it was last-minute and that we were probably already in the middle of something, but I told her we’d literally done nothing all day and that Olivia was free (and bored since Jacob had been gone). 

Olivia was so excited that she flew up the stairs and was packed and waiting by the door within minutes.  Haha.  They came to pick her up about 15 minutes later, and then I headed out for a very late walk… it was dark by the time I made it home. 

Brian and I didn’t know what to do with ourselves being empty nesters unexpectedly, so we just kept on watching football… LSU vs. Clemson was on our TV for the rest of the night.  The house was also completely clean and tidy from top to bottom, so there wasn’t even anything that I needed to do… that alone is always enough to make me SO happy. 

We also heard from Jacob late Saturday night.  I texted him to tell him goodnight and he told me that they were having donuts at 11 o’clock at night… he was just living his best life.  Haha.

 

Sunday, August 31

Sunday morning, Brian went out and grabbed pumpkin donuts for the two of us, and he and I ate breakfast together.  I headed to my office to watch my Sunday morning sermon, get my planner ready for the week ahead, and do my blog post for Monday. 

We’d originally thought to go to 10:30 AM Mass since we didn’t go Saturday evening, but Olivia was supposed to come home a little after 10, so we just decided to skip church altogether.  When she got home, we watched about 30 more minutes of the New Heights podcast with Taylor and Trav since she still hadn’t finished it, and then I went back to my office to work a little bit more.  I started my blog post for Tuesday and did my Bible study, and Olivia watched K Pop Demon Hunters for the fourth time.  Haha.

Late in the morning, I got showered and ready, and then we all headed to my mother-in-law’s and step-father-in-law’s house for Sunday lunch… but not before Olivia rescued a fuzzy little caterpillar from our garage.  They’d made enchiladas with rice and corn and some other sides, and it was all delicious as always.  The adults chatted around the table forever and then we helped clean a bit before we left.

When we got home, I headed to my office to hole up for a couple of hours to work and watch How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.  I always love our lazy Sunday afternoons… we all split off in different parts of the house and each take a couple of hours to do whatever we want.  Jacob usually plays video games (but, of course, he wasn’t home Sunday), Olivia usually does crafts or watches craft videos, and Brian usually watches stuff on TV that he knows I won’t like. 

While I love my Sunday afternoons, the Sunday Scaries do tend to settle in a bit knowing that we have to get up early and go back to the grind on Monday, so it was extra nice this past Sunday knowing that we had Monday off.

I got all of my photos transferred from my phone to my computer, I got them all organized, and I finished my blog post for Tuesday.  We also got a picture from the boys on their retreat.

We had Sunday dinner with my parents that evening, and we had a very small crowd – Jacob was at his retreat, my brother and his roommate were out of town, and my uncle’s girlfriend was sick, so there were just seven of us.  My mom made some kind of new pasta with chicken and sundried tomatoes that was SO good, and we had salad and broccoli and bread with it + a delicious new brownie dessert. 

I was stuffed by the time we were done eating.  We helped clean up, and then we headed home a little after 8.  Since Olivia didn’t have school on Monday, we finally finished the entire Harry Potter movie series!!!!  Thank goodness.  I was bored to tears the entire time.  Haha.  And Jacob was, too, so he told us to please finish it while he was gone.  Hahahaha. 

Olivia went to bed after that, and Brian and I watched – you guessed it – more college football as it was on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday since it was opening weekend.

We were off Monday, and it was a GREAT day, but I’ll save it for next week’s recap since this post is crazy long already!    

Happy Wednesday, y’all!