Thankful Thursday...

I am Thankful this week for:

- my wonderful husband who just gets me
- my daughter's excitement about her new school
- my son's maturity with his first job this summer
- family that accepts you as you are
- parents that never give up
- my Starbucks light vanilla frappe on Monday mornings
- a job i love and have fun at
- neighbors that look out for each other and care about my kids
- friends that don't need to talk every day to know they are there for each other, whenever, wherever
- 18yr old nephews who aren't too old to come spend the night, days before they move away for college, so we can have one last night of bonding and time with him.
- Lifetime movie channel and Hallmark movies
- my puppy dog who is always happy to see me when I walk in the door
- Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream
- my plants and garden i love to tend too

What are you Thankful for?

XOXO

Monday Humor...or thought...

XOXO

School has started...

Yep, I have been in complete denial all summer. Refused to listen. Even put the school envelope up high and out of sight. But the darn date kept coming closer, and Emily wouldn't let me hide under my covers any longer. I had to face the facts!
Emily is now in Middle School!

SOB! ACK! WAHHHHH.....

I still don't know how my baby girl got old enough for middle school. But I was forced to take her to pick up her Student ID card, school pictures, get her schedule, PE clothes, Yearbooks, Lunch cards, and the whole time i dragged my feet with Emily pulling my arm everywhere telling me to hurry up.

And this is what I got:

Someone please tell me how my baby, my youngest, my sweet lil' girl grew up????

SIGH.

Now...I'd like to digress from here a moment. What did they call your school? Mine was called a Jr. High. NOT a Middle School. Do you know how many times I have said Jr. High??? And everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. "What's she talking about?" "What's this Jr. High she keeps talking about?"

OK, back to Emily. Her first day was last week and she was so excited she woke up at 6:30 am and was dressed and ready when i got out of the shower. Wha-What??? This is the first year she is riding a bus, changing classes for 6 periods, dressing down for PE, and she is LOVING it! And i get peace of mind by knowing an aide is following silently behind her.
So far she has come home every day very talkative, happy, eating all her lunch, and loving life.

But I know all that will change.
Soon.
When homework is assigned.
And PE actually starts.
And friends move on.
And...and...
But for now...Momma's a happy girl! :)

XOXO

Fish, More Fish and Even More Fish

On our road trip to the Ocean, Austin and I spent a day at one of the largest Aquariums ever, and they have a multi-billion dollar research facility next door with scientist that are continually entering the ocean at the spot where we were. Did you know that in Monterrey Bay, there is a Canyon under the Ocean that is Bigger, and Deeper and Wider then the Grand Canyon?? I had no idea. It was huge, and after a few hundred feet off the shore, it immediately drops into a vast openness. It is the deepest part of the Ocean and they have never actually made it all the way down. They send a robotic vessel with cameras, arms to gather samples and video.
We saw many cute and adorable sea creatures at the aquarium, as well as some scary, weird looking and down right UGLY creatures.

We saw the famous Jelly Fish exhibit and never knew there were so many varieties of Jelly fish. And I learned they are not all poisonous or sting you. There are actually only a few out of the 100 or so varieties that will harm you.

Some are really tiny.

Some are bigger then me.

We then checked out the Seahorses exhibit. I swear I never know sticks were sea horses. Really. Floating sticks (they looked like it anyways) were actual varieties of sea horses.

And then there was this tiny miniature version. So cute!

And then there was this!

And the side view where it was suctioned on the window:

I don't wanna run into that guy!

Although there was so much to see, and after awhile, one jelly fish started looking like the other, we did learn allot! It was well worth the money.

XOXO