Our Week - The One with Dance Parent Night, a Middle School Dance, and the Georgia vs. Tennessee Game

Last week sucked pretty badly because I had constant dizziness and boat-rocking, debilitating tension in my neck and shoulders, and headaches every single day, but thankfully, we had a GREAT weekend, and that redeemed the week.  :o)  Here’s the recap!

Monday, November 11

Monday, I was ready for the new week!  After a tough week the week before that was filled with not-so-great news, Monday was actually welcomed for once.  I got the kids to school, picked up groceries from Walmart and Publix, and then I headed home to work on the blog all day and knock out a few other things on my to do list. 

It was a productive day, and I was feeling pretty accomplished by the time I had to leave to pick up the kids – that’s better than I can say for the last several Mondays, so it was a big win!  My tension and dizziness was present on Monday, but it wasn’t too bad after mid-afternoon, so it wasn’t terrible on that front.

We had nowhere to be Monday afternoon or evening for the first time in months, so we were all looking forward to a lazy evening at home.  When we got home, I helped Olivia gather some info for an upcoming project, I did my Bible study, and then I got in a walk/jog before dinner since I can no longer go afterward.

When I got home, I got dinner on the table.  I had some leftover vodka sausage pasta sauce that I’d frozen, so I pulled that out, made some fresh noodles, and steamed some broccoli, and we had that along with our favorite Cheesecake Factory brown bread that they sell at Publix.

After dinner, I got showered and ready for bed, I folded the towels and watered all of the plants, and I put up a few more Christmas decorations, and then I sat down on the couch to snuggle with Maui for the rest of the evening.

The kids got showered and then played Jenga forever and Brian worked out, and then after we got the kids in the bed, Brian and I watched another episode of Outer Banks (which is boring me to death again this season) before calling it a night.

Tuesday, November 12

Tuesday morning, I had several errands to run – I had to return an item at Walmart, I had to return a library book, I had a few things to buy at Target, and then I bought chicken at Fresh Market.  I was back home by nine, and then it was time to get to work on the blog.  I was wrapping up all of my holiday gift guides, and those are time consuming, so I’m so relieved to have them out of the way!

It was another day of extreme tension, headache, and dizziness Tuesday and I’m not sure why, but I had to keep taking breaks throughout the day to lay on my acupressure mat, rest my eyes, and keep heat on my neck and shoulders.  I actually had a really bad dizzy spell in the Target parking lot (it wasn’t vertigo, just extreme dizziness) and it made me start veering off to the right when I was walking.  I had that a lot in the first few months after my vertigo initially started, but it’s been months since it’s happened, so that was very disheartening as it feels like I’m regressing.

After school, Jacob had Velocity, so Olivia and I ran to Staples to drop a bunch of Amazon returns, and then we headed back to pick up Jacob.  They were doing some roadwork near our house, so we had to take a weird route home, so Olivia barely had enough time to change into her dance stuff before she and I had to turn around and leave again. 

I calculated how much time I spent in the car on Tuesday, and it was three hours and 45 minutes.  I could have driven all the way to our favorite beach in Florida with all that time.  #MomLife

About an hour before I had to pick up the kids from school, I got a text from Olivia’s dance school with a reminder that it was parent night.  The problem was, I had never seen a notification about it in the first place, so I had no idea it was parent night. 

That meant that I had to pivot for dinner since I couldn’t cook.  Instead, I sat in on her lyrical class – my favorite – where they threw together a dance to Set Fire to the Rain by Adele.  Lyrical is just so dramatic and shows so much emotion and they always dance to the best songs, so it’s always my favorite routine she does every year in the recital. 

On Tuesdays (for now) she only has one class (although, she’s likely about to add two more), so she and I were on our way home by 5:45.  We walked in just after Brian had left to go play tennis.  I made turkey and cheese biscuit sliders and fruit since they’re quick, and the kids and I ate dinner together.

After that, I got in a half-ass stair stepper workout and put out my Christmas mugs, but I stopped after that because all of my tension and dizziness came back, and I felt totally miserable.  I just wish I knew how to get it under control and keep it under control.  It has been so frustrating these last couple of weeks and it’s been hard for me to get anything done.

When Brian got home, he ate dinner while I lay on the couch, and then we got the kids in bed, watched an episode of Shark Tank, and called it a night.

Wednesday, November 13

Wednesday, I had nowhere to be, and I fully intended to get ahead on blog work.  I was able to knock out my post for the next day, get well into my post for Friday, and I knocked out my post for Black Friday, so it was a fairly productive day on that front. 

My tension and dizziness was present yet again, although not quite as bad, so I didn’t have to stop and take as many breaks.

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school and then we came home so they could study.  While they were doing homework, I got a call back from the veterinarian about Maui’s checkup.  The good news is that her bloodwork came back perfect… she’s had some issues with bloodwork at her last couple of checkups and for a while there the doctor was worried she could possibly have cancer as her white blood cell count was crazy low, but this time everything looked great.

Unfortunately, though, her kidney enzymes were higher at this checkup than her last one which is likely indicative that her kidney disease has progressed, and the doctor also said she had protein in her urine which could be a sign of high blood pressure.  Thankfully, Maui is loving her new wet food (it’s a prescription based food specifically to help with her kidney disease) so the doctor said that she’s hoping this will help.  We are taking her back the week after Thanksgiving so they can retest her urine and get her blood pressure, and in the meantime, the doc just told me which signs to look for to make sure that she’s not getting dehydrated as she said that a lot of dogs tend to drink less water once they start a wet food diet.

Then, Olivia and I headed back out to dance.  She ate dinner on the way since it was her long night, and it was parent night again, so I settled in with her. 

First up, was tap, followed by ballet, and then jazz and pre-pointe.  For tap, they did a warmup and then they threw together a quick combo that was so cute.  Her tap class is only 30 minutes since it’s so strenuous – all that cardio! – and her ballet class is one hour.  This is the first year they’ve taken ballet for a full hour.  Now that they’re getting older, the teacher said they are working on building their endurance, so that’s why the class is longer now.  Most of the class ended up being a verrrry long warmup, and it wore me out just watching those girls.  They were stretching those legs and holding them up high in place for so long.  Then they held their position in sous-sus for 45-seconds and then switched to the other side doing it again.  The strength that those girls have is amazing.  Olivia’s little legs are hard as rocks and her calf muscles are #goals. 

After ballet, Brian arrived to watch the jazz portion, and I left since it was getting late and I hadn’t yet had dinner.  I headed home and had a leftover turkey and cheese biscuit slider from the night before along with some leftover steamed broccoli and fruit, and then I got in a mixed cardio workout.  My dizziness was plaguing me terribly, so it was not a fun workout, but I was proud of myself for getting it done anyway.

Brian and Olivia got home around 8:30 and I did my Bible study while she got showered and ready for bed.  Then the rest of the evening was spent laying on the couch with a warm wrap on my neck and shoulders trying to get my tension to release.  We watched some of The Golden Bachelorette, and then we called it a night.

 

Thursday, November 14

Thursday morning, I dropped the kids at school and headed home.  It was another day full of tension and dizziness – sigh – but I was able to knock out a sizeable amount of blog work.  I would have been able to do more had the tension and dizziness not been so bad, but again, I had to stop and take more breaks than usual to lay on my acupressure mat.  Make. It. Stop.  Ugh.

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school, and we headed straight to music lessons.  Jacob worked on a Minecraft song, and then Olivia worked on Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.  She had figured out some of the next chords on her own, so her teacher was really proud of her, and he helped her work on it some more. 

Towards the end of her lesson, her teacher said he was going to play something for me, and he proceeded to play Hard Fought Hallelujah by Brandon Lake!!!!  He and I had both been anticipating that song release for weeks, and he knew how much I loved it, so it was awesome to hear him play it live on his guitar.  These babies of ours are so blessed to have had such talented teachers in their two years at our music school.  I’m so grateful for all of them.

When we got home, I helped Olivia study for her two tests on Friday and then Brian and I made breakfast for dinner.  After dinner, the kids hung out for a bit and then while they showered, I did my Bible study.  I skipped my workout Thursday evening because I was feeling so dizzy and had so much tension.  You know it’s bad when I skip a workout because Lindsay neverrrr skips workouts.

I also sat with Jacob while he played the piano for a bit.  During Olivia’s guitar lesson, Mr. Steve had inspired Jacob to want to learn Hard Fought Hallelujah on the piano, but he couldn’t find the chords anywhere on the internet yet since the song is still so new.  Instead, he decided to learn Way Maker.  He literally watched a YouTube video of the song one time, and after that, he was able to play the song from start to finish with no sheet music whatsoever.  My mind was blown.  That boy was born to play the piano and I’m so grateful every day that he asked to take lessons two years ago.  And thank you for all of your sweet comments on Instagram and Facebook… apparently SO MANY OF YOU love that song as much as we do, and so many of you reached out to tell you how much it meant to you to hear Jacob play it.  <3

After the kids were ready for bed, I helped Jacob submit an essay he wrote for a high school scholarship (HIGH SCHOOL?!), and then we decided to decorate our main tree in the living room.  We’d put it up the previous Sunday, but we only had time to get the garlands on, so we put all of the family ornaments on it Thursday night.  I always love decorating the family tree because it holds all of our ornaments from birth to present, and it’s so much fun taking that walk down memory lane year after year.

After that was done, Olivia played Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas for us on her guitar, and y’all, my heart was just bursting.  Music is my most favorite thing, so to have two babies playing instruments – my two favorite instruments – just makes me the happiest ever.  I think my heart grew three sizes listening to both of them play on Thursday. 

I also took a picture of the Christmas tree that the kids made out of our Jenga blocks.  And I'm purposefully posting the one with Jacob's ghost foot in it because the kids thought it was the funniest thing ever that his leg looks like it's only half there like a ghost.  Hahahaha.

After they went to bed, Brian and I watched the finale of The Golden Bachelorette, and then we headed to bed.

 

Friday, November 15

Friday morning, I dropped the kids at school and then I headed home to work all day.  I also started packing for Athens since we were heading to the game on Saturday, and we were staying the night.  I had HORRIBLE dizziness and tension all day yet again – it wasn’t actual vertigo – just a feeling of general dizziness and major boat rocking, and it was awfuuuul.

At 3, I grabbed the kids from school, and then we headed home.  I spent the next hour doing my Bible study, packing some more for Athens, and then eating a very early dinner because Jacob had a middle school dance at 6 that I was helping out with and chaperoning.  I was really worried at that point that I wasn’t going to function well at the dance because of my tension and dizziness, but by the grace of God, and with a little help from Ibuprofen and a long session on my acupressure mat + some heat on my neck and shoulders from my heating pad, I ended up feeling great all night!  It was such a relief.

Jacob and I headed out a little after 5 so we could help out with the setup, but when we arrived, everything was done.  So, Jacob and I ended up chatting with the DJ, who is one of my old friends, while we waited for everyone to start arriving.

We ended up having a packed house – so many kids came! – and it was a loud, eventful next couple of hours.  Those kids partied hard.  The kids always love to request songs, but our DJ is always on a stage with a bunch of equipment, and he wears headphones, so it’s hard for him to take the requests, so I sat on the stage at his feet and took all of the requests and texted them to him all night.  That worked beautifully – it was much better than the kids having to come find me somewhere else in the room like during the previous dances – or jumping on stage and tripping over his equipment – so I’ll be doing that at all of the dances going forward. 

With about 30 minutes left in the dance, I was getting tired of sitting next to the speaker – it was LOUD – and we had a backlog of requests that would definitely cover the last 30 minutes, so I cut off the requests and I stood with Shaun on the stage… that way the kids couldn’t reach me to request any more songs.  Haha.  I don’t think we’ve ever had that many requests in all of the dances I’ve chaperoned!  I was taking requests nonstop all.night.long. 

The kids were so sweet, though, and at one point, one of the students who looked to be in eighth grade maybe? came up just to tell me she thought I was pretty.  It was so loud in there that I misunderstood her, and I thought she was requesting a song called “Pretty” – LOL – so I asked her who the song was by and she said, “No, I just wanted to tell you that you’re so pretty.” 

Y’all.  I almost teared up because it was so sweet.  It just made my day.  And that sweet girl has inspired me to start going out of my way more often to compliment others because we need more of that in the world.  After a reeeeally crappy week, she really did make my day.  It was the sweetest.

The last 30 minutes of the dance felt like for-eh-verrrr – if you’ve never chaperoned a two-hour dance, just so you know, it feels like FOUR hours, haha – so I was getting delirious.  Shaun showed me how some of the parts of the DJ board work and he even let me push the “pew pew pew” button… y’all know the one that they play at bars and clubs at the beginning of songs to get everybody hyped up?  I was way too excited about that.  Haha. 

We tried to take a selfie and, for the life of us, we could not get one because we were laughing too hard, so all I have is a series of blurry pictures that I was taking during a video of us trying to convince each other to get on the mic and sing along to Shaboozey.  Haha. 

Can you tell I was delirious and so ready to go home at this point?!  Haha.  To all of you who teach and/or work with middle schoolers every day, I salute you… they may be more exhausting than toddlers.  But they are SO MUCH FUN.  I’m so grateful that Jacob still doesn’t mind having his mom around so I can tag along and help out at these things.  :o)

We had to clean up after the dance was over, and then we had to wait for Shaun to get all of his equipment broken down and loaded into his trailer, so we didn’t leave until close to nine, I think?  By the time we got home, I was hungry and exhausted, so after the kids went to bed, I got on my PJs, warmed up some Kraft mac n cheese that was leftover from earlier in the week, and I made a hot toddy… I swear by those as prevention for getting sick as well as healing when I do get sick.  I’m convinced that there’s nothing whiskey, honey, lemon, and herbal tea can’t cure.  ;o)

Brian and Olivia also filled us in on their evening… Brian took her to Culver’s per her request and then they played a bunch of board games while they watched Christmas Chronicals 2.  Sounds like a cozy night to me!

Brian and I watched something… I can’t even remember… Outer Banks, maybe??  And then we realized at 11 PM that the Mike Tyson fight was on.  We ended up staying up until 1 AM watching it (even though I couldn’t care less about any of that) and it was a snooze fest.  Haha.

Saturday, November 16

Saturday morning, we were up and out the door to get to Athens for the Georgia game.  The game didn’t start until 7:50 PM, but ESPN College GameDay and SEC Nation were both there, so we knew it was going to be a madhouse… that, and the fact that it was a HUGE game for both teams. 

So, we were out the door by 9:30 AM to get to Athens as soon as possible to ensure that we got a parking spot.  My Aunt Joy called me about halfway through our drive to let me know that the parking lot that we usually park in next to theirs was almost full, so Brian and I started thinking of a plan B just in case.  Normally, I would have been freaking out, but just in the last couple of months after all of the crap that has happened, I have decided that “It is what it is” is going to be my mantra going forward.  I actually used to kind of hate that expression because it seems so… indifferent, I guess? 

But when you really think about it, it makes a lot of sense… you can’t change outcomes for things beyond your control and you can’t change the past, so… it is what it is!

And two artists that I listen to both released songs with that title this year, so I found it only fitting, especially with this vertigo/dizziness crap that I’ve been going through for a year and a half now.  These lyrics to the version by Judah & the Lion are what really made me start loving that expression:

It is what it is, wasn't meant to happen any other way

'Cause it did, doesn't really matter what you wanted in the end

When it is what it is, what it is, what it is, what it is, what it is, love

It’s so true, right?

This is my it is what it is face that I shared with y'all in my Instagram stories on Friday.  Haha.

Anyway, when we arrived in Athens, we got the second to last parking spot in the whole lot – praise! – and we walked over to my Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg’s tailgate to hang out all day.  They always do a massive setup with a ton of food, tents for shade, and a TV so we can watch all of the other games all day, and it’s always a good time.  We even got to see my cousin, Wil, this time since he didn’t have to report to work as early.  He’s the assistant director of equipment for the UGA football team, so he obviously has to work on game days, but since we’d arrived so early, we were able to spend some time with him for a bit.

We had lots of people come to the tailgate throughout the day, and we ate a ton of yummy food, and then around 6, we packed it all up and headed to the stadium.  The game was a HUGE one for us as we’d already lost two games, which put us on the bubble for the playoffs.  If we lost to Tennessee Saturday night we would’ve been out for good, so we had a lot on the line.  Tennessee also has a way of ruining our good seasons – I have memories from two games in the past – one in 2007 and one in 2015 (I think?) where they messed up our season, so we were all nervous.

Since there was so much on the line, the university had pulled out all the stops for the night and the stadium was just ELECTRIC from start to finish.  The first half was a little rocky as it was close, but the second half was AMAZING.  The school had also installed pyrotechnics all around the stadium which just took the game up to a whole new level, and it was just a fantastic evening steeped in tradition, and also the start for new traditions (fireworks after every touchdown).  The music in between plays and on commercial breaks was also off the chain, so we were singing and dancing all night long and it was just one big party with 92,000 of our friends. 

We’ve been sitting next to the same seat neighbors for years (we all have season tickets, so our seats never change from year to year), and they are THE BEST, so we had so much fun together all night, too.  The kids had a BLAST, the weather was perfect (chilly and dark since it was a night game) and the whole experience was just 10/10 aside from parts of the first half that were a little nerve-racking.  We got the big win that we needed – 31-17 – and just like that, we’re back in the running for the playoff!  (That last picture was posted by the University of Georgia football account, but I wanted to share it because... STUNNING.  It captured the feel of the whole night!)

I did have some dizziness and pretty bad boat-rocking during the game, but I refused to let it ruin my night.  I did have to dial back the jumping up and down and some of the yelling to help our defense, but I still went home hoarse the next day.  Haha.

The game wasn’t over until 11:30 maybe??  And then we had the long walk back to the car + a 45-minute drive to our hotel, so we ended up getting in bed around 1:30 AM and we were all just exhausted.  The kids passed out in the car on the way to the hotel and that never happens.   

Sunday, November 17

Sunday morning, we slept in, and then we got showered and ready and made our way down to have free breakfast at the hotel.  They have everything you can think of, so everyone was able to get what they wanted… and we all went for the Belgian waffles.  They have two waffle irons out so you can make your own, so they were fresh and warm and delicious.  We had a beautiful view of the vineyard at Chateau Elan from our hotel window, too!

 

After breakfast, we packed up and hit the road.  We arrived home a little after noon, and then I spent the next couple of hours unpacking, doing laundry, and getting everything put away.  The kids showered and tidied the whole house, and we had a light lunch since everyone was still full from breakfast. 

Once everything was put away from the trip, I retreated to my office while the kids played video games.  We were all so exhausted, so we were lazy for the rest of the day.  I worked on getting pictures transferred from my phone to my computer and I worked on blog stuff for a bit.  I also got caught up on my Bible study and devotional + my Sunday sermon online, I got my planner ready for the week ahead, and I watched Serendipity while I edited pictures. 

My parents had just gotten back in town after 10 days away since they were watching my niece and nephew while my brother and sister-in-law attended a wedding in Ireland for my brother’s best friend, so they didn’t do Sunday dinner either.  Much as I hated not seeing them, it was nice to be lazy and have an evening at home.  We got Carrabba’s takeout, watched Home Alone with the kids, and then Brian and I watched an episode of Outer Banks before heading to bed because we were EXHAUSTED.

Happy Tuesday, y’all!

Our Week - The One with Pumpkins at Callaway and the Georgia vs. Auburn Game

Last week was a busy one, but SUCH a fun one, filled with lots of fall fun!

Monday, September 30

Monday morning was fall decorating day at the kids’ school, so I met with three other ladies from the Home and School Advisory Board right after dropoff.  We pulled all of the décor out of the shed and then got everything decorated and looking all festive.  I love working with these ladies so much!  We make such a great team!

After we were done there, I headed to Walmart and Publix to buy groceries, and then I went home for the rest of the morning/early afternoon to work until it was time to pick up the kids.

At 3, I grabbed the kids, and we headed home quickly so Brian could get Jacob to his golf match.  While the boys were gone, Olivia did homework, and then she and I spent some time shopping for Halloween clothes on Target.com because she has outgrown everything from previous years and wanted something festive to wear to Pumpkins at Callaway on Friday.

Since I’d not gotten nearly enough work done, I worked on the blog some more after that while Olivia had some screen time.  I then got my Bible study done, and then she showered while I assembled turkey and cheese biscuit sliders for dinner.

When the boys got home, Jacob told us about his match.  He’d shot a 42, which wasn’t his best score, but he walked away with one birdie, four bogeys, and four double bogeys. 

After dinner, I got in a stair stepper workout while Jacob got showered and ready for bed, and then we had just enough time to squeeze in a few more minutes of AGT before sending the kids to bed.  Brian and I finished Saturday Night Live that we’d started Sunday evening, and then we headed to bed, too.

Tuesday, October 1

Tuesday, I had a couple of errands to run – Target to do some returns and pick up a few things, and Fresh Market to grab chicken while it was on sale.  The rest of the day was spent working on the blog and getting things done around the house.

After school, we all came home, and I did my Bible study while the kids did homework, and then Olivia and I headed back out to go to dance.  The weather was beautiful again Tuesday, so it was a sunroof open and windows down kind of afternoon!

When I got home, I started on dinner – fettuccine alfredo with chicken, steamed broccoli, and garlic cheese bread – and we all sat down to eat together when Brian and Olivia got home from dance.

After dinner and kitchen cleaning, I got out for a walk/jog, and it was just beautiful out.  I went ahead and did an arms workout when I got back home because I wasn’t ready to go inside.  After that, it was shower time, and then we finally, FINALLY finished America’s Got Talent.  The kids were disappointed with the winner because they wanted the runner up to win.

After they went to bed, B and I watched the Vice Presidential debate, and then we went to bed… late since it went until 11.

 

Wednesday, October 2

Wednesday morning, I woke up tired from going to bed later than usual… that extra 30 minutes of sleep that I usually get makes a big difference for me!  I had nowhere to be while the kids were at school, so I dropped them and headed home to work all day.  But first – TEDDY SWIMS TICKETS!!!!  They went on sale at 8 AM EST, so I was ready to roll, and we ended up getting great seats for the show in Atlanta.  It’s not until August next year, but I already can’t wait!  I’ve loved him since before he went mainstream, and I’m excited to finally check this one off of the bucket list!

Amazon Prime Day was this week (it’s over by the time you’re reading this), and as an Amazon Creator, I’m able to preview the deals early, so I spent the rest of the day looking at those and getting my blog post ready for the sale.

I swung by the library to pick up a new AR book for Jacob on the way to pick up the kids from school, and then I got some work done (and talked to y'all!) in the car line.  After school, the kids and I headed home to get homework done before dance, and on the way, Jacob’s old music teacher pulled up next to us on the exit on the way home.  Since traffic was backed up and stopped, we rolled down the windows and he pulled off his helmet to say hi.  The kids were both super excited to see him… I think Olivia even more so than Jacob. Haha.  They’d both been asking when we could see him, so they were excited to say hi even though it was brief.

When we got home, Olivia did homework and studied while Jacob started his new book, and I worked on my Bible study for the day, got the kitchen cleaned and tidied, and tidied a few other random things around the house.  We’ve had quite a few packages coming in lately, so I also got those opened and got everything put away.

Olivia and I headed to dance after that, and then I went to Old Navy and Party City to return a couple of things before stopping by the gas station to get gas and then head home for the evening.

I started cooking right when I walked in the door, and Brian and Jacob and I all had chicken and pineapple stir fry with veggies for dinner.  It’s always weird not having Olivia home for dinner on Wednesdays now.  I always miss her when she’s not there.  It’s too quiet.  Hahahaha.  I also made some three-ingredient chocolate chip pumpkin muffins to have on hand for the rest of the week.

After dinner was done and the kitchen was clean, I headed out for a walk/jog, and it was nearly dark by the time I got home.  I also chatted with one of our neighbors for a bit before heading inside.  He has a corgi who is the sweetest little thing, and he was out for a walk and started following me home.  So sweet!

When I got home, I spent some time with Jacob while he played the piano, and then he got showered, and I eventually did, too.  Once we were both in PJs and ready for bed, we pulled out the fall puzzle that we’d started back in 2022, and it was still 1/3 put together just frozen in time.  We never finished it that year, and I’d wanted to finish it last year, but then I got vertigo and couldn’t spend any time doing anything like that as it was a trigger for me.  It still makes me a little dizzy to work on stuff like that, but it wasn’t nearly as bad, so I’m hoping to finish it soon.  It’s a tough one, though, with all of those leaves!

Brian and Olivia got home even later than usual Wednesday night – around 8:45 because dance ran late – so she headed off to shower and then she joined us downstairs to work on the puzzle for a bit.  We ended up getting them in the bed later than usual, and then Brian and I toggled back and forth between the Braves game and The Golden Bachelorette before going to bed. 

Thursday, October 3

Thursday morning, I headed home after dropping the kids at school, I grabbed a couple of chocolate chip pumpkin muffins + my cinnamon tea, and then I headed to my office to work for a couple of hours.  I finished all blog posts through the following week (the ones you’re reading now except for this one since I have to do these in real-time), and then my hair guy came over to trim and highlight my hair.  I wanted to have it freshened up before our trip to Chicago.

After he left, I let the color set, and then I pulled out the foils, showered, dried, and curled my hair.  By the time all that was done, it was time for lunch, and then I worked some more before it was time to pick up the kids from school.

On the way home from school, the kids were delighted to see Jacob’s old piano teacher pull up next to us again on the way home from school.  This time we saw him coming up behind us, so we had the windows down and the kids were ready for him.  He takes the same route to work that we take home, so our paths cross every now and then, but it’s rare to see him back-to-back.

Both kids had music lessons right after school, so we headed there first.  Jacob worked some more on Clair de Lune after taking a break for a few weeks to work on some songs from Minecraft.  Clair de Lune is a very long song, and he knows about 80% of it perfectly now, so he’s trying to learn the middle, which is the hardest part so he can put it all together.

After this lesson was done, Brian picked him up for golf.  Their practice had been canceled, but Brian and Jacob just decided to go shoot nine holes on their own for some extra practice, and I joined Olivia in her guitar lesson.  She worked some more on Red from Rise of Red, and Mr. Steve helped her hone her picking skills by holding the pick slightly differently and steadying her hand on the guitar.

After her lesson, she and I headed home, and she did some homework and studying while I did my Bible study.  All of her Halloween stuff arrived in the mail – the wig and gloves for her costume as well as a couple of cute Halloween dresses from Target – so she tried all of that on while I started getting dinner ready.

When Brian and Jacob got home, Brian helped me get dinner ready – we had breakfast, and he always does the eggs since his are the best!  ;o)  Then, they told us about their golf game… for the very first time ever, Jacob tied with Brian!  He’s usually a few strokes behind him, but this time he was actually ahead for most of the game, and then Brian ended up tying him on the last hole.  It won’t be long before Jacob is leaving Brian in the dust.  Haha.

After dinner, I got in a strength workout while the kids both got showered and ready for bed, and then we all sat down at the kitchen table to work on our fall puzzle some more while Brian watched the Falcons game. 

We got the kids in the bed around 9 and then Brian and I watched the game for a bit longer.  I tackled some things that I needed to do on my phone while B watched, and then I ended up going to sleep around 11 (which is later than normal for me) and Brian stayed up watching the game.  It ended up going into overtime and the Falcons won!

Friday, October 4

Friday, I had no place to be while the kids were at school, but I had a VERY long to do list awaiting me.  I grabbed a chocolate chip pumpkin muffin and some hot cinnamon tea for fuel, and then I headed to my office to get to work.

First up, was some blog work, and then I got a few other things done that I’d been needing to do – I purchased our tickets for Pumpkins at Callaway that evening, I caught up on blog reading, I caught up on emails, I organized my List Master app that’s my catch-all for tasks, and I started planning for Amazon Prime Day for myself. 

After all that was done, it was out of my office and on to all of the other things – laundry, deep cleaning the countertops, deep cleaning the floors, tidying up the kitchen while eating lunch (it was one of those days), packing for Athens, changing over to my clear stadium bag, painting my toenails, starting my packing for Chicago, etc. 

It was SUCH a productive day, and I continued the productivity in the car line, knocking out my gratitude journal, prayer journal, devotional, and Bible study, and also painting my fingernails.  Haha.

After school, Olivia had a makeup guitar lesson, so we headed to music next, and everything went well.  Olivia worked some more on the song Red from the movie The Rise of Red, and then we headed home.

We had about 15 minutes at home, so it was just enough time to change into something festive and freshen up, and then we hit the road for Pine Mountain, Georgia to meet our friends for Pumpkins at Callaway.  This is the third year we’ve gone to it, and it’s quickly become one of my favorite traditions. 

We ended up beating everyone else there, so we got a few family photos knocked out, and then when everyone arrived, we all grabbed some food from the food trucks and had dinner.  There was a juggling/contortion act in the pavilion at 6, so we headed in there after dinner and watched that.  Olivia was so excited to see a contortionist because that’s the kind of stuff she’s been working on in dance.  She’s so flexible, and she loves to see how flexible others are.  Our sweet Buckley got to go on stage and help the juggler, too!

The show lasted about 15 minutes and then we headed outside.  My friend, Jeannine, had run to the car to grab a special surprise – champagne glasses and sparkling cider – because her son, Mack, had won treasurer for student council at his school, and she wanted them to all celebrate together.  When she announced the news to Mack, his little face was the sweetest thing!  He was so excited.  And he should be so proud of himself because he KILLED it with his speech.  Jeannine had shown us all the video and he had the whole school chanting for him at the end!

After the champagne toast, we took a quick group selfie and boarded the trolley to the corn maze and sunflower patch.  On the way, Jeannine’s husband, James, gave me the friendship bracelet he’d made for me.  I always wear various bracelets on my left wrist (one that I never take off and always one that Olivia has made for me), so he made me a pink, white, and lavender one for me to add to my collection.  The bracelet is one of the “Chinese Staircase” bracelets exactly like the ones I used to make when I was a kid, and I love the throwback vibe that it has!

I asked B to put it on me, but he was struggling (hahahaha), so James ended up putting it on for me and Jeannine snapped a pic of me and my new friendship bracelet buddy.  We’re BFFs for life now.  Haha.

When we arrived at the corn maze, the kids took off into the easy corn maze first and we all followed.  It was the quickest one, and we were done in, like, eight minutes, so then we moved onto the big, hard corn maze.  The kids asked if they could do it by themselves, so we told them it was fine as long as they all stuck together.  They ended up doing it in record time, so we let them do it a second time.  Olivia Cate LOVES a corn maze, y’all.  It is her favorite thing.  Haha.

While they were in the maze, the adults all chatted, and we also used the opportunity to take some couple photos… Brian’s Beetlejuice shirt, y’all.  OMG.  Haha.

After that, we milled around for a bit, looking at the giant pumpkins, roaming around the gift shop, and looking at all of the other beautiful things around, and then on the way back to the trolley, we stopped by the sunflower patch.  Tons of them were completely blown over (we think because of Hurricane Helene the week before), but the ones that were still standing were gorgeous, and the sunset behind them was breathtakingly beautiful.  It was all perfection.  Minus the Beetlejuice shirt.  Hahahaha.

After that, we loaded back up on the trolley and we were treated to the most gorgeous sunset over the lake… it was just the most picturesque evening, and it was CHILLY, y’all.  Fall perfection.  Finally. 

Job one when we got back to the main part of the event was to find some treats for the kids, and they all opted for ice cream.  While everyone ate, we watched the pumpkin tower sing, and the kids even got out there and danced around for a bit.  Beetlejuice Brian even made an appearance when they started playing Day-O from the Beetlejuice movie.  Classic.

After that, it was time for the main event – walking through the haunted forest and “Foggy Hollow,” everyone’s favorite part!  At the end of Foggy Hollow, they have bubble blowers, but they’re not just any ordinary bubble blowers, they blow bubbles that turn to fog when you pop them.  They are SO COOL.  If you missed it and want to see, you can check out the “Fall 2024” highlight in my Instagram bio for some videos.

By the end of our walk through the forest (and going through Foggy Hollow twice) we were all ready to call it quits for the night.  Our family had an early morning the next day, so we wanted to get in bed at a decent hour.

We made the long drive back home, the kids both got showers, and then after they went to bed, Brian and I watched some college football and then headed to bed.

Saturday, October 5

Saturday, we were up at seven and out the door by eight to go to the Georgia vs. Auburn game in Athens.  Fun fact, Brian and I have attended every single Georgia vs. Auburn game in Athens since 2003 (except for 2020 – Covid year) + we’ve attended a couple in Auburn.  We never miss that game at home.  It’s one of the oldest rivalries in all of college football going all the way back to 1892!!!!

On the way up, we watched College GameDay (although for some reason our internet feed kept skipping most of the way up, which was really frustrating), and they did the saddest (and also most heartwarming) story about a family of Georgia fans who paint bulldogs on their heads.  They’ve had a member of their family doing that since the 1990’s – first the grandfather, then the dad after the grandfather passed, and then the son after the dad passed.  Well, the son, who is only 45 years old recently passed away unexpectedly, and his brother had to take over, and the story was just heartbreaking.  I was crying like a baby throughout the whole thing.  Brian and I were lucky enough to meet Big Dawg Mike (the dad) back in 2012 before he passed away, and he was just the sweetest guy!  May he and his dad and his son all rest in peace together.

We arrived in Athens around 11 as there was some heavy traffic once we got in town, and we parked in the lot next to the Catholic Center where my Aunt Joy and Uncle Greg always do their tailgate.  The next few hours were spent hanging with lots of family and friends, eating yummy food, drinking beer, and watching football.

My cousin, Shelby’s, best friend brought her son who is two, and he and Jacob and Olivia played together for nearly the whole time, and it was the sweetest thing.  I put a heart over his face because I didn’t ask her permission to share his picture on the blog, but he is the cutest little thing!

Around 2, we started cleaning up the tailgate, and then we made the walk over to the stadium around 2:45.  We were so excited to see our buddies who sit next to us since we hadn’t seen them this year yet.  Their season tickets are right next to ours, so we’ve been sitting with them for, like, 10 years, and they’re the kindest people!  It was nice to catch up with them before the game and hear all about their past year.

It was 82 degrees Saturday, which really isn’t that hot, but in the stadium when the sun is blazing down on you and there is no breeze, that might as well feel like 100.  It was M-I-S-E-R-Y.

The kids and I ducked down to grab waters at the end of the first quarter because we were all dying, and by the end of the second quarter, I was struggling with dizziness from my stupid vertigo.  The heat is a trigger, and it definitely got me Saturday. 

During halftime, we took an extended break down in the tunnel, sitting in the shade for a nice, long while, and eating dinner, and then we all rallied and finished out the second half strong.

We ended up winning 31-13, so I had the spread exactly right.  I had called 28-10, so I was close!  And at the end of the game, of course, we had to play Soulja Boy in the stadium to troll AU because it’s our “we beat Auburn” theme song ever since the great Georgia Blackout Game of 2007 AKA the best game Brian and I have ever been to.  IYKYK.

After the game, we made the long drive home (stuck in traffic for a bit at first, of course) and we watched Alabama lose to VANDY AT VANDY?!?!  What in the world, Bama?!  If you’re not a college football fan, Alabama has been one of the best teams in all of college football for years, and it’s well known that Vanderbilt is one of the easiest SEC teams to beat.  Most of the time, there are more fans for the opponent at Vanderbilt home games (LOL), so there’s a running joke that when your team plays Vandy on the road, it’s basically a home game.  Brian and I went to the Georgia vs. Vanderbilt game in Nashville back in 2018 and we can TOTALLY verify that this is 100% true as there were probably 70% Georgia fans there and only about 30% Vandy fans there.  Haha.

So, for Bama to lose to them there is just SHOCKING.  I’m still shocked and it’s been days.  Haha.  We had been seeing clips and scores all throughout our game because they kept showing the live feed of the game on our jumbotron during timeouts at our game, and we thought for sure Bama would get it together and come back at the end, but they, in fact, did not.  I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy (and shocked) to watch the end of a game of two teams who we do not pull for.  Hahahaha.

Vandy, of course, stormed the field afterward and their QB dropped the F-bomb and S-bomb on live TV because he was so pumped (LOL) and then their fans tore down the goal posts, walked them three full miles through Nashville (right down Broadway) and tossed them in the Cumberland River.  LOL.  Y’all, they will still be talking about this win 20 years from now, I guarantee it.

There were actually a TON of upsets in college football last weekend!

After that game, we watched the Florida vs. UCF game on the way home and both kids fell asleep in the back, which is a rarity.

We finally got home sometime before 11, and then the kids headed straight to bed, sweaty and all, and Brian and I grabbed showers and then sat with Maui for an hour while we watched more college football. 

 

Sunday, October 6

Sunday morning, we all slept in… I didn’t get up until just after nine which is SO LATE for me.  Olivia was already awake, and Jacob was awake but hadn’t yet emerged from his room, but he came down as soon as he heard me in the kitchen making homemade waffles.

After breakfast, I headed to my office to do my Sunday things – plan the week ahead, watch my Sunday sermon, do my weekly yoga workout, and do my Bible study.  After my yoga workout, I totally forgot to the turn off the workout on my Apple Watch, so what was, in fact, just a 30-minute workout, ended up looking like a 90-minute workout.  Oops.

While I did that, the kids got showered, and then Brian took Jacob to get a haircut.  Once I was done with my usual things, I tidied up from our trip to Athens, I started gathering dirty towels to put in the wash, and I knocked out a couple of other chores.

When the boys got home, we had lunch, and then I got showered, and then I did aaaallll the things – the kids and I picked out all of their clothes for our Chicago trip, I removed all of the pictures from my phone and got them organized, I worked on a blog post, I planned some things for Chicago, I started doing some packing, I sorted all of the dirty laundry, I worked some more on Amazon Prime Day deals, I got the towels washed, and I prepped for Monday. 

We went to my parents’ house for Sunday dinner, and Momma made her famous spaghetti which is always a favorite.  We shared a couple of bottles of wine, and then we had pumpkin spice dump cake topped with vanilla ice cream for dessert.  Always the best way to end the weekend!

Happy Thursday, y’all!