Random Pictures from My Phone...

-I love Merchant's in Nashville. I took Hadley to eat there before the Miley Cyrus concert. She enjoyed it as well. Must. Go. Back. Soon.

-The courthouse is under renovation. It makes me a little sad though. This is my favorite lawn on which to sit and eat lunch. :( Maybe if I buy a hard hat, I can still eat lunch there. Do you think anyone would notice? Yeah, it's probably a bad idea. I never claimed to be intelligent.

-I read a status update on Facebook that said something to the effect of: you have never really lived until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. Hold up. This is a warm and fuzzy theory; however, if you are an enabler, chances are strong you have given to someone who can never repay you.....and have suffered sleepless nights and bleeding ulcers because of it.

-I have these two pictures of art on my phone. Hadley drew them. Sometimes, when I am feeling down, I look at these drawings - they make me smile.

-I am super ready for the weekend. :)

A Serious Chat amongst Digital Friends....

-Why is it that whenever Zulily has Spanx or Miraclebody for sale, all of the models are in serious need of a bowl of gravy? Am I supposed to believe that these size 0 looking women are actually size 12 women who look fabulous in swimwear because of spanx? For example, here is a picture from today. 

Spanx did all of that - not the rigorous diet and exercise this woman follows in order to keep a job in the modeling industry. Did I just commit copyright infringement? I need a lawyer. On speed dial. Snark-asm ensuing. 

-Open letters. Enough already. Writing an open letter was a clever idea - the first 7,894 times I saw one on facebook or a blog.

-Hadley's phone is named the Titanic. When she syncs with itunes, the screen says...Syncing the Titanic.  Too soon? I have a point. I feel like the Titanic right now. I am sinking. I cannot get anything finished. My calendar is a mess. I haven't bought any school supplies. My brows need waxing. There are appointments all over my calendar that I need to move and groove and handle. I have no less than 30 emails to which I need to reply. I am sinking. If you happen to see me out and about, just give me a smile and tell me it will all be okay.

-How overwhelmed am I? I forgot to send out invitations for Ella's birthday. I kept thinking I had more time. One day I realized that her birthday was a week away. I created a facebook event and texted people. I was mortified. I am the mom who forgot to invite people to an event for which the venue had been booked eight months. If I failed to invite your child, so sorry. I failed to even do invitations. My bad. Also, I had no control over those kids while we were there. I was treading water by that point in the day. Treading water - unsuccessfully might I add. {Enter the oddly lit photograph so that no one's likeness is flagrantly posted without their permission.}

-And now, I have to continue my streak of bad parenting by taking the oldest to the Miley Cyrus concert tomorrow night. I am on a roll. 

It was Fun, Friends...

School starts next week. I am definitely ready for the routine of the school year; however, I am kind of sad about Summer being over this year. We have had a lot of fun. Busy. Lots of fun.

We have played at the river.

We have splashed at the water park.

We slid down the slides.

We dug in the sand.

We stayed cautious about sun exposure.

We looked out at a beautiful gulf from a beautiful house.

We failed to follow all the rules. 

We caught our dinner.

We gazed at sunsets.

We partied a time. Or twelve.

We laughed.

We loved. And wore it.

We looked for adventure.

We traveled over bridges.

We took in history.

Yes, it has been a busy and lovely Summer. What ever will we get into this Fall?

Random Thoughts and Observations...

-Every time I see a friend post something about being on vacation on facebook, I have the urge to comment, "Thanks so much for telling me your house is empty. I'm going to go rob you of all your good stuff now." It's rude and tacky, but I still think it every single time. I don't post my vacations on the web until after I have come home. Try explaining to teenage girls why you don't want them to instagram all of their beach pictures until the vacation is over - always goes over well. For someone who posts strangely intimate things about herself on a blog, it's ironic that I am overly protective about my whereabouts not being on social media.

-Current obsessions? My Old Try hat. Love it. Love their prints. Love their socks.

-And anything Trask - especially the Madison Boot. Maybe if I am super good this year, Santa will make a pair of those boots appear under the tree. 

-Layton never wants to leave the house. He is the biggest home body I have ever met. I ask him if he wants to go out to eat. No, he wants to stay home. Does he want to go for a ride in the Jeep? No, he wants to stay home. Does he want to go to the grocery store? No, he wants to stay home. Did he want to go on vacation? No, he wants to stay home. He is fine once I get him out and over the pouting, but he literally wants to stay home at all times.

-I don't understand marriage. Believe me; I have been trying to understand it for a long time. The older I get and the more life experiences I have, the more I reflect on what marriage really is - and the only thing I can come up with is that no one ever really knows their spouse. The only layers one can ever know are the ones that can be seen. The dark inside - no one can ever know that.

-I am wearing my favorite pants today. I got them at j.crew. I should not wear them in public though. These pants are too small and too thin. I wear them anyway because they are comfy. If you happen to see all of my dimples and jiggles, I am truly sorry.

-This book (Gone Girl) is an excellent read. I recommend it. Highly. It's not a difficult read either; it only took a day or two to get through while on vacation.

-I'm fried. This has been a long week. I have been on the go a lot and haven't had near enough down time. I look ragged. Bad.

-Hadley comes home from band camp on Friday. I am excited about that. She has been gone too long. Ok, it has only been since Sunday, but still, we have missed her around Casa de Enabler.

-Take it easy, friends. Life won't get any easier. Just remember that it takes the same amount of effort to achieve misery as it takes to achieve joy. Happy Weekend.

It was Gritty...

So, we decided to go on vacation. It was spur of the moment. It was without a reservation. It was without a definite plan in place. We just got in the car and started to head South. We knew of some friends on St. George Island; we crashed their vacation. It was very Vince Vaughn/Owen Wilson. What can I say? Our Summer has been busy, and this was our one shot at some time away. If you ever need tips on how to vacation without a plan, give me a call. I even forced J to go out of the way to let me eat at Saw's Juke Joint.  I have a lot of twitter friends who have been there, and I wanted to try it out myself. It was exactly like I had pictured it in my mind - only with better food and more attractive servers.

I haven't made the time to upload quality images, so these grainy shots will have to do. :)

The obligatory burying of a child...

The (deteriorating) float on her croakie...

The one picture where the two littles both smiled...

And then they immediately started jumping around...

And Hadley was lurking somewhere on the island... :)

Color me relaxed! I did not want to come home and go back to reality!!!

Stale...Like Me...

Yowza! I have got to dust the cobwebs off the ole blog. I have been on vacation. Delicious. I did not want to come back to the real world. We'll talk more about my vacation and how we left town without a plan another day. Trust me; it is the exact kind of thing my family does.

We'll get caught up after I get rid of the webs...

Straight Chilling...

This is how we roll...

Straight chilling with the littles...

Who Needs Independence When I Offer Codependents?...

The holiday weekend was glorious. I was looking forward to the long weekend in a major way and was expecting it to be fabulous. It was.

Speaking of expectations....I saw this on failblog....

I laughed so hard. I cannot tell you the number of times I have said, "We'll just go for a couple of beers." And then.....You get the idea.

Believe it or not, I didn't take a single picture with my camera over the holiday weekend. I think I might have taken a couple on my phone, but seriously, I didn't even break out the Canon. What is up with that?

Have a great day!

Archimedes and Children...

I think children are awesome. I especially think my children are awesome, but all children get a solid thumbs up from me.

How can anyone not be smitten with a sight like this? 

She is so petite and displaces such a small amount of water, but the force she has on me far exceeds gravity.

This little, green kayak has been the main source of fun for Ella and Layton lately. The littles love to paddle around, and I love to watch them paddle around. 

The codependents are also very into swimming in the river here lately.

Oh, to jump from a pier with this much gumption!

To feel the water with such delight!

And then there's Hadley who barely smiles without a prompt from me. 

Oh, to be a sullen teenager!

She practically commandeered my kayak. 

Note to self: Buy another kayak, so Hadley will quit stealing mine.

Extra note to self: force Hadley to get in the sun; she is straight up white.

P.S. She had on a swimsuit under that Pink Floyd shirt. She was not running around pantless.

I don't actually think that youth are supposed to stand up on this kayak, but Layton and Ella take turns standing up while the other one paddles.

I don't think that kayaks are meant for naps either, but that didn't stop Ella from taking a rest break. Thank goodness she didn't fall asleep (just a rest) and also that she had a life vest on. Keep in mind that she is the child who took a nap on top of J's Jeep. DHR is going to come get me any minute.

Yeah, children might just be the best thing ever.

You Tricked Me...

Labels. Those gosh darn food labels. I'm not talking about the ingredients lists. I am talking about the front side labels. Looky here! Log Cabin doesn't have high fructose corn syrup. On the front side of the label it looks like something Layton might be able to have.

Turn the bottle around, and it still has corn syrup just not high fructose corn syrup. I have been giving Log Cabin the stink eye for nearly 5 years because of this. 

Random Dinner in Cell Phone Pictures...

Keep in mind that I started laughing so hard at him that these pictures are blurry and ridiculous.

He was in full on silly mode. 

A Few Random Thoughts with Friends...

-I am guilty of poor accessorizing. I have never gotten the hang of what jewelry goes with what outfit. I try, but I always seem to wind up with too much or too little or things that don't go together at all. Jewelry. Gets me every time. 

I have a friend who just got engaged. I went to see her and ohhh and ahhhh over her ring. It is a beautiful ring. That got me thinking. When was the last time I wore my engagement ring and wedding band? I have absolutely no idea. I know I wore each during tax season some. Have I worn either since then? J hasn't worn a ring in years - as in so many years that I don't remember the last time he did wear one. I only wear mine every now and then except for during tax season. Hey, it's my version of dressing up.

Let's take a poll. Do you wear your wedding/engagement bling everyday? Do you think it is important to wear a ring? Does it bother you if your spouse doesn't wear a wedding band? 

-Let's get lighthearted.

-Swimming is hard work, yo. One must relax while floating and kicking in the Elk River. He's always in entertainment mode. 

-If you leave your phone unattended for any length of time, Ella will take 964 selfies for your viewing pleasure. This is a screenshot of a few. She seems to think it is funny to take a bunch and then let you find them later. Ok, it actually is kind of funny.

-I have a Pinterest account. I don't use it though. All the pretty pictures make me feel inadequate as a human being. People, I cannot make cute snacks. A sock bun ain't gonna happen in my house because I would get it so tangled that a 911 to Dantera would have to be placed. Pinterest is clearly Satan's website.

-There are so many random pictures on my SD card. I think I took a few, and I know Ella has taken a lot. This one, though, Layton took. I was kicking the soccer ball with him in the front yard and had snapped a few pictures of him. He was giving me a hug, and the camera was dangling around my neck. Little man pushed the button and started giggling like crazy. He really thought he had pulled a seriously funny stunt. :) All he got was - more adorable and a blurry picture of my shoes. 

-Have you been to YellowHammer Brewery? J and I have gone a few times. It is a really neat place with a biergarten that makes me want to open my own taproom. The last time we went was a couple of weeks ago. Skinny Lister played a set in the biergarten on their way to Bonnaroo. Ignore the poor quality of this picture. I had already had a beer or two and didn't turn the flash on. Ha! Speaking of beer...

-This is my favorite beer. I have been on a Heineken kick since last Fall. I hardly ever drink wine these days, and wine used to be my go to beverage. If you happen to visit YellowHammer, I recommend the Rebellion. 

-Should I include an actual hyperlink? Yes, I think I should.

-Rickrolling. Never gets old. Dang, my car is dusty. Note to self: Clean that thing!