I've Been Busy but I am Back

I am back. Okay everyone out there in blog land, straighten up, clear your throats, think Maria in the Sound of Music when it is storming, start humming now, do you have the tune? Okay, now SING!

Walking and running and planting and laundry,
Bball tourneys of Cayden’s and lacrosse games of Carley’s.
School Play for Carley (she did not have to sing)
These are a few of my keep busy things.

Trips here and trips there which of course means more laundry,
A retreat book for Cayden and a first prom for Carley
Track meets for both girls, what a joy watching brings
These are a few of my keep busy things.

When I can’t seem, to get another door opened
In “the box” filled with things to doooo
I simply remember my keep busy things
And then I don’t feeeeeel so bluuuue.

Wow, I could just stop with that, what more could I say. Well, it is me, remember, so probably a lot. Here are a few further details of the above mentioned (don’t worry, I am not going to blog about the laundry):

I have been walking and running a lot. I have been walking because somehow I have miraculously out lasted most of my running buddies, injury wise, and I have to walk with them if I want to stay connected. I ran in the Bentonville’s first official half marathon. We had a great turnout and I was very happy with my time. It hardly matched the experience that I had last year around this time (a very soon future blog) but it was still fun. I have been mixing up my running with various people and also, I have been doing at least one long run a week by myself. I used to hate to run by myself but lately I have grown to like it. I have considered changing my blogging to “things I see when I run”. We’ll see.

The word “exciting” seems to be a little tame to describe my gardening experience this spring. Last year I finally decided to get over my fears of failure and just put things in the ground. As most of you out there know, we have had, over the past few years, an issue of falling trees and so our shade garden has turned into a sun garden. In the past I never planted much because how many more azaleas and hostice does a person need, but since I have a whole new pallet, I am ready to go crazy. I had a friend last year hold my hand and she helped me get started and now I am starting to see the results. Every day I take a little walk around, eyeing what is new and amazed at the fast growth, both encouraging me do more this spring. I am just a little pumped about my garden. Can you tell?

In addition to the plants in the garden, the girl’s athletic skills are growing as well. My sweet Cayden continually shows that yes indeed she knows the meanings of “aggressiveness” and “intensity” on the basketball court, and Carley , in her Lacrosse games, demonstrates that yes indeed she is an athlete. They both had a great track season, too. Finally, both decided to please their mother (although it was really for their pleading coach) and run the mile. Neither one of them broke my time but they are approaching it quickly. Next year, I am sure. Cayden with her first and only mile run attempt (jr. high doesn’t go to state) won Conference, beating out about 20 other runners. Talk about pumped.

I sent some of you pictures of Carley’s prom. She had a blast. My oldest little girl is all grown up, well sort of anyway. Her date was very sweet and polite and other than him telling Kelley a joke, slamming Kelley’s beloved Jayhawks (her date’s dad is a Mizzou grad), things went quite well. No, really the date impressed Kelley with his attempt and success of breaking the ice. Kelley was also quite pleased with his daughter’s rightful confidence with her natural beauty which meant no credit card charges for manicures, pedicures, hairdos and spray tans that most of her peer’s parents endured. Instead she spent pre-prom at the park.

Only two weeks late and 20 hours of work later I finished a book of “love letters” for Cayden’s 8th grade retreat. The deadline that I missed was just a soft date, the book was done in time for the retreat. I must say it turned out creatively successful. (Cayden liked it too). Thank you all that gave her a letter, they mean a lot to her. She loved the retreat experience too.

Then Carley’s play. It was cute. It was a school play. She knew her lines, some did not. I saw it twice. Enough said about that.

The trips here and there have been mainly to K.C. Although Kelley, Cayden and I had a fab time in San Diego on Coronado Island for spring break. One of the highlights-- Cayden and I boogie boarding. The adventure started off a little scary. We selected, at first, an area that had under currents, but after a guy that was giving some other people surfing lessons had to come out and save me from, as he put it “floating out to Hawaii”, we moved to a safer area and had waves of fun. Carley, as I think I had mentioned in a previous blog, vacationed in Italy with a school group. Several of her closest friends went as well so you can only imagine how much fun she had. The pics are priceless.

So this is May. Just thought I would remind you of that. This blog almost sounds like a Christmas letter so I thought you might be confused. But, I know it is May because I have a boat load of plants on my patio that need to and I feel confident will get into my pots before my self-inflicted Mother’s Day deadline. The “box” of things to do may be getting neglected, but some things, my keep busy things, are getting done.