~loyal Miami Heat fan~

It's been five years since we took Austin to Indianapolis to see  the Miami Heat play at the Conseco Fieldhouse against the Indiana Pacers. My husband has been a loyal fan since 1988 when the team was formed.  Needless to say, we are all Heat fans to this day. 

Tonight we will be watching and cheering on our team to a victory against the Oklahoma City Thunder.  I'd typically pick thunder over heat any day. Especially with the hot temperatures we've been having... a nice rain with a storm would surely be welcome. 

But not tonight. 

Not on the court.

I'll take the heat.

Go Miami!!

~what do you call...~

... a man who gets twirled around and around

and up and down 

on roller-coaster rides at the fair with his boys,

even though he can't stand them?

 

The. Best. Dad. Ever. 

Thank you for who you are and what you are helping our boys become.

I can only hope that when our boys are dads someday that they are as loving, caring, and encouraging as their daddy was. 

Sending love and wishes across the miles and around the block:

to my Dad, Ken

to my mother's husband, Chuck

to my husband's Dad, Rick

to all Dads...

enjoy today,

enjoy the ride every day to come,

enjoy your children,

enjoy their children

Happy Father's Day!!

~just grandma.... and one hot date~

"Chef Derek" with "Just Grandma"

When the kids were old enough to talk, we had a huge decision to make.  This decision would last a lifetime, so it had to be made with great care and lots of thought. 

What are the kids going to call our parents? 

Was it going to be Grandma and Grandpa? Mamaw and Papaw? Nana and Papa? Nanna, mimi, granna, pa-pa, paw-paw, granny, grandad...

We settled on "Just Grandma" and "Grandpa".  I always called both sets of my grandparents Grandma and Grandpa and my husband did as well.  If the children started calling them something on their own, we would have gladly allowed whatever term they came up with.  But, they did not and we have always just used these simple traditional names. 

My mom had joked once that she didn't want a slang nickname, she wanted to be called "Just Grandma."  So, every now and then we'll sign a card or address a letter to, "Just Grandma."

Thank you, "Just Grandma", for taking the boys home to stay with you and Grandpa for a couple of days of fun.  It's a much needed little vacation for them (and us) and I know you'll have a blast together.

And the best part of this little stay:
Guess what the hubby and I just did for an exciting date without the kids??  This is big time.... fun stuff, I tell ya!

You ready???
  
We headed to the library and turned in our Adult Summer Reading Forms. We filled out some trivia papers and author searches to try to win a Kindle. Then we looked at newspapers and browsed the shelves, kid free.  Ten years ago this might not have sufficed as a good date in my book.

But guess what?

IT...... WAS....... AWESOME!! 

Alrighty. Time for you to share.

What do your children call your parents??

~this moment~

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment.

A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by SouleMama

~fishing~

4 poles
2 licenses
2 eager boys
2 patient parents
beautiful weather
new pond
5 hours fishing
23 fish later (catch & release)

We had a blast fishing yesterday!!
The boys already want to know when we can go again.
Derek enjoyed casting more than anything.
Austin was able to bait his own hook by the time we left.
Mom, on the other hand... not so much.
Dad caught the least fish.
This was due to the fact that he baited and unhooked for us all.
He is awesome.
Mom came home with racoon eyes from wearing sunglasses all day.
And a headache, too.
Derek thought the huge toad that came up out of the water was cool.
We all enjoyed a day of being unplugged and electronic and cell phone free.
Austin has always been the comptetive one...
fishing is no exception.
We all thought the "Crappie Bait" smelled... um...like crap!

Now, if you'll excuse me...
I have some boys anxiously awaiting a game of H-O-R-S-E in our driveway.

Happy Tuesday!

~this moment~

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Inspired by Soule Mama

Not sure what this is?  Look here for a clue.

~these boots were made for working~

You can tell a lot about a person by looking at their boots.

These are just one pair of my husband's boots.  One of many. 

And they all look (and smell) identical.

I appreciate these boots and everything they represent. 

My husband is a hard worker.

(Here's a little story.. bear with me for some background info and I'll get to my point in a few!!)

Before we were married, my husband and I lived together, went to college together, and worked together.  I think this says a lot about our relationship and how we are now with our family.  While one might think this is too much time together (and trust me, sometimes we BOTH felt that!) it worked for us and an added bonus was being able to ride together, too.

Anyway, we worked at a golf course together.... he was on the grounds crew and I was the Horticulturist. Our boss at the time would always come into work wearing his Carhart jacket, jeans, and Dickies work boots.  Mr. Boss-man would have his hands in his pockets telling us plans for the day and such.  For an entire year, I would watch this man give direction to his employees and occasionally he would go out on the course and help. 
But he would never, EVER work up a sweat or get dirty. 
And we all noticed this.
And I remember this about him to this day.

Now, I know some people are naturally cleaner than others and some people really make it a point to have their appearance in tip-top shape at all costs.  And that is OK. 
There are even hard working people out there who have clean boots, and some 'not hard working' people with dirty boots. 
While I have no statistics to prove my thoughts, I am still a firm believer that you can tell a lot about a person and their work ethic by looking at their boots.

My husbands boots are proof of the man that he is. 
He is a worker.  He gets the job done, no matter what. 
Anyone can pick them up and see he has had a full day of work.  He knows they can easily be knocked together, wiped off, or poked at with a stick to get the mud out.  He doesn't care what they look like, how muddy they get, if they are spray painted while striping a football field..... they serve a purpose. 
And I've stopped complaining about him taking them off all the time, even when he tracks the mud in.
Why?  Because I appreciate him and all he does.      

His boots were made for working.... 
not for looking handsome in.
P.S.  Although, I must admit he is really good at doing both at the same time! :) 

~THE RIGHT words~

His ultimate goal is to write a novel.

He has works that have been published, but nothing this long.

He sets goals, deadlines, and masters his craft daily.

I haven't seen him this passionate about something in a long time. 

This is something that even those close to him know nothing about.
Wonder what they'll think when he hands them over a copy?

Today was a milestone.... 40,000 words.

What made it even more special was that he included his boys.

Austin and Derek had the honor of typing one word each

in "daddy's book".

This was a big deal in our house!

the... by Austin

right... by Derek

That's just the kind of dad he is.

And one of the many reasons I love him.

I've come accustomed to the sound of him clicking away at his keyboard each night, knowing that someday soon I will be reading this piece of work.

Anticipation, anxiousness, excitement... all growing.

Is it wrong of me to wonder if I'll make the dedication page?!?!

I'm sure I'm not the first wife to have this cross her mind.

Or am I?