Our Mission

Saturday Caleb and I went shopping... with the money he got from selling one of his guns (WHOOOO HOOO!!) After buying me a pair of shoes (what a great guy huh?) he wanted to get some golf clubs/essentials (to try to help his game- not sure how it's working out) BUT we ended up talking to one of the sales associates who said they lived on a golf course and his son was given a ball retriever and set up his own business on the course... like a lemonade stand, but selling used golf balls... cha-ching! He became super rich at the age of about 5 I'm sure! Anyways, Caleb and I thought that was a GENIUS idea, so last night, when it was really dark, we headed over to the golf course... only to see that the sprinkler system was on... and directly over our "area" that we had scoped out and thought that we would have the best return... so in between the sprinkler rotation I found myself: A. looking for cars/lights/people and B. holding a pail while telling Caleb he had about .05 seconds to run before the sprinklers got him... between dodging the sprinklers, and running back to the "dry area", then running back to the pond (where all the balls were!), I couldn't stop laughing as Caleb would shine his flashlight around the bottom of the pond to search for balls, nabbing one, then me, trying to take the ball out of the retriever as quick as I could... I was way too nervous about the whole "mission" that after getting back home, and cleaning them, when he asked if I wanted to go back AGAIN I stayed in bed... waiting for a knock on the door with Caleb in cuffs and an MP escorting him... none of which happened, thankfully ;) BUT we had a great time... and may/may not just start a business out of this ;)

Am I Crying? Laughing?

Anyone in my family can attest to the fact that I used to (apparently still do!) start laughing and in a matter of a split second, be BURSTING with tears... anytime that happened, no one knew what to do- it always started out as a joke, so I would be laughing along with everyone else, but then I'd start choking/trying to catch my breath and in an instant be bawling... how would you react? Probably like 99% of my family... they'd immediately stop laughing and just look "bug-eyed" and start apologizing... for nothing. That 1% was my dear sister, who thought it was even more funny to keep laughing to see just how "rial-ed up" I could get with crying...

The last time I remember this happening was in college- Caleb, his friend, Zach, and I were watching tv, then out of no where I became their prey- you see, I HATE to be tickled- Caleb knew this and said something... then it was like they had this lightbulb moment and their eyes were glistening... I started laughing while being tickled but it all changed from full-out laughing to full-out crying... I kept yelling "I hate being tickled, I HATE being tickled!" When the waterworks started coming (yeah, I cry THAT hard) they stopped dead in their tracks and didn't know what to do... "are you laughing? Crying? Are you REALLY CRYING?!"... "Oh my gosh, she really is crying Z..." They obviously stopped tickling me and swore to NEVER do it again... and anytime it gets the "incident" gets brought back up, they chuckle a bit, more like laugh hysterically, and add "she really...really doesn't like to be tickled." No, I don't.

So, that was the last time I started laughing... then crying, that is, until last night. We went to a Haunted Corn-maze, forest, tent, and barn all rolled into one. We didn't go last year with our friends when we found out that it was $20 PER PERSON... no thanks. Well this year is completely different- we're trying to do everything around here that we've never been able to yet... and after BEGGING Caleb to let me go (he didn't want me going)... I found myself, Caleb, and our neighbors-Matt/Michaela, with us- standing amongst a group of KY people (in which Michaela admitted to being TERRIFIED of "hicks"... umm, close your eyes Michaela?) ;) After forking over a night of tutoring-pay, we waited until it was dark to FINALLY get up to the front of the field... the man in charge said it was "about an hour... hour and a half long"... I FREAKED- yeah, that's good b/c I juts spent my entire teaching salary for the WEEK (jk), but being seriously scared for an hour/hour and a half is totally not up my alley for a fun-night out... it honestly wasn't too bad... standing in line that is! The first scene into the field was a black-caped 10plus foot(?) body standing like a statue... until it stood UP and scared us... we even knew it was coming and still got scared... then walking through a house a guy with a chainsaw came up to us- with his chainsaw ON... (obviously due to laws the chain-part wasn't on, but WHO thinks about that when you can SMELL the gas from it!?) I started laughing (for a split second) then basically climbing up Caleb... and that's when it hit... I was laughing... then breathing hard (why is my inhaler NOT with me?!) ;) and crying... when we got underneath a construction light everyone saw my face was streaked with tears... "oh my gosh, are you crying?" Why... yes, I think I was/am... I would like to say that I made it through without having another "attack" but while walking in the field we heard a train-horn... knowing it was coming we walked by a brick wall with a tall arc cut out... then out of NO WHERE a train sounds/light shines/and moves towards us... it happened so fast I was crying/laughing/running at the same time (did I mention that I'm talented?) ;) Well... that was just the cornfield maze... then headed into a forest (where Michaela FREAKED out) because it was as if you landed in the middle of no-where Kentucky... it was a "hick village"... the barn was another event in itself where BOTH of our husbands were freaked- while waiting to enter the barn the guy outside said if you were "prone to panic attacks" not to be 1, 3, 5, or 8 because the walls move and take THOSE PEOPLE... and it you were claustrophobic NOT to go in the "crawl space" and tell the person there that you needed to go outside... when it was our turn to enter the barn he said (to our group of 4) that you didn't want to be the 2nd or 3rd person, JUST in case you were prone to panic attacks... Michaela and I shrieked that we were... and he smiled/pointed to the barn, while Caleb (the fearless leader) led us in... let me add that there was a crawl-space, wall that pushed against BOTH sides of us from air, a bridge that you walked across through a huge hamster cage spinning with colors (which made ALL of us trip out), a grotesque picture of something eating something, and then SPIT water/liquid out, and yet ANOTHER chain-saw person... by the time we entered the tent we were all done... and nothing scared us by that point... an hour/hour and a half later... we were all trying to walk to the car... admitting all of our "scariest" parts... I was still wiping tears from my face/dust/dirt... totally worth the $40 date night ;)

My HS Sweetheart

Last night we went to the Fort Knox Varsity football game... we never went last year- (they MAY have won one..two(?) games the entire season... getting absolutely slaughtered each game...) or for the fact that Caleb was gone in the field a lot last year around this time, and I wasn't going to go by myself. I LOVE watching football, but would so much rather be at the game- watching it... (maybe that's why I wasn't that good of a cheerleader- I was too focused on the actual game!) JK. We hadn't been to a game since Western, where we went to just about every game AND for 3 games sat in the Walmart Winners Section- I won 4 tickets like 3 weeks in a row for games... it was pretty cool ;) I didn't realize how much I missed being at a football games until last night... but what I really realized was how much of a memory it brought back... we totally saw ourselves in the students... and it brought us back to that "Parchment-small-town" feel, as I knew many of the students, and Caleb was pointing out people in the stands, most of them being Generals or Commanders, so I tried to keep my cheering to a minimum ;) ... I kept smiling because I was sitting at a high school football game with MY high school sweetheart... for those that know us, we obviously didn't start out that way- Caleb admitted to liking me after my freshman year, but I was so adament about not wanting a boyfriend at the time, and would constantly say that you couldn't find your "soul mate" in high school *boy was I wrong!*... after a year or so of being completely friends and Caleb still liking me (so glad he is such a determined kid!), and our best friends dating, we decided we could TRY dating, but I was still a little hesitant- Caleb and his friend Jake saw this, and decided to come up with a scheme- Caleb would "like" another girl and if I got mad, then we would probably start dating,.. well, we all know where that led... Caleb's "eye candy" for the day put me over the edge, and I ASKED HIM OUT... what a smart kid... anyways, after we started dating, we were inseparable... I remember cheerleading and WANTING to just sit with him and watch the game with him... then throughout college we went to the games with a bunch of our friends, in which I would mostly talk to the girlfriend/fiance/wife, or my girlfriends at the game... and I still never really got to sit next to Caleb and really watch the game with him... until last night- it was so fun- watching the game, looking at the students/parents, and trying to figure out who seemed like who at Parchment- some of the parents were VERY outgoing/yelling/"getting into the game"... it was a lot of fun, but definitely felt a bit weird thinking how far we've come in the past few years since high school!

Man's Best Friend

I apologize in advance for not keeping so "up-to-date" as I used to with our blog... my only excuse is that I am savoring every possible moment with my best friend that I can before December... so, I'd say that's a pretty good excuse. If it helps, I'm sure I'll be blogging so much that you'll get tired of me come January!

Over the past few weeks I have been completely lacking of any schedule... I have been sleeping during the day (when I don't teach) and staying up all night... or, staying up during the day, and late into the night (to stay up with Caleb/spend time with him)- only to once again wake up late (for me that is)... I will admit that some of the problem is due to medication that I am currently taking- with the list of side effects I'm amazed that I'm not more "under the weather"... this past week I have felt like I haven't accomplished anything (what's a "to-do" list?)... maybe that's why we're drying off with my hairdryer- all of our towels are in the laundry, that has YET to be done (TOTALLY KIDDING)... but really, I haven't been able to do much of anything, and I get upset if Caleb does anything- he shouldn't be doing the laundry while he can be hanging out with his friends/myself (I know- crazy right? Well, in the whole scheme of things I'm being a little "easy going" I guess on him- whatever- call me out on it, I don't care) ;)

Anyways... I was getting really tired (literally) of not being able to do much, so, this morning, I set my alarm and woke up early to get things done- JUST after 7:00 and I'm feeling great... and have already accomplished just about everything on my "to do" list for the entire week! The laundry is in, (already switched a load), dishwasher emptied, went for a walk/run, and am blogging... I went back into our bedroom to get something when I remembered my favorite site in the morning... no, it's not looking out our front window/door to see the sunrise over the golf course that has a dewy glow, and cloud of fog, AND the Gold Vault to the right... yes, that's a site to see that most people don't get to see everyday, but my favorite site is my husband sleeping in our bed... and Daisy and Panzer curled right up next to him... it's absolutely adorable... again, call me out on it for having our animals sleep with us- I'm sure there's a slue of "why we shouldn't have them sleep with us" but, my "list" is a whole lot longer as to why it's ok... one being that one of my favorite things is to look in our room, only to find that "my spot" on the bed is taken up by Daisy (yes, she even uses the pillows like a human) and Panzer is somewhere by Caleb's legs... I'm not sure why I love seeing this, but I do... Panzer and Daisy adore Caleb... (me too), but they have a special love for him... when he leaves in the morning for PT, Daisy can be found sitting at the door, or window, staring out, and waiting for him to come home... then goes back to either of our "spots" (probably because it's still warm)... and the first HINT of a car pulling into the neighborhood-regardless if it's him or not, she's right there, waiting for him... as for Panzer- he's not much of a sociable cat (probably because he's not really a cat...) but when it comes to Caleb, he makes an exception.

It's amazing to me to realize just how much a night/day can change things... I may be laying in our bed, trying to get to sleep, while Daisy is breathing heavily in my face, or in the middle of the night, when I'm curled up in a fetal position to make sure Daisy has enough room, or, my favorite is when Daisy is sleeping in between my legs, and when I have to get up in the middle of the night, only to find myself trying to get out of bed so carefully- moving one leg up to my chest, trying to get it around her, getting tangled up in the blanket, trying to remove that, all while trying to keep Daisy, Panzer, and more importantly, Caleb, asleep- it's quite a feat, but with my talent, and many nights of doing this, I'm just now starting to get the hang of it... getting back into bed is a completely different story, and I am thinking to myself how much I'm going to regret her sleeping in our bed each night, as I'm covered in her hair, my pillow is sometimes moist from her breathing so heavily, and our queen-sized bed seems like a twin at times... PRAISE THE LORD she never grew, otherwise I'm sure I'd be sleeping on the floor! But somehow, I wake up in the morning, like today, only to remember WHY I LOVE her sleeping with us... one, being the scene that unfolds in our bedroom each and every day...
1. Daisy-taking up the entire middle of the bed, while Panzer just curls up SOMEWHERE on it.
2. Daisy- making a flying jump/leap from our door to our bed (sometimes making it, sometimes not)- this may not seem like a big deal, but when I tell you the distance is around 4-5 feet, it's something...
3. Caleb and Daisy wrestling in bed (trying to get her to sleep), which sometimes backfires on us... while Panzer and I are just trying NOT to get involved in it...
4. When I'm sick, Daisy NEVER leaves my side... the other night was really rough and I was crying- Caleb was obviously hugging me/talking to me, but Daisy was found ON TOP of me trying to figure out what was wrong/how she could fix it... and started licking my face... how can one NOT start laughing? Problem solved- great job Dais!
5. We just put a tv in our room- only so that Caleb could watch it, and be with me at the same time while I slept (it was MY idea)... and Daisy is at the foot of the bed watching it with him...
6. NOT having to hear her whine while we TRY to sleep...
7. NOT having to clean up a mess as she does each time she doesn't sleep with us
8. Being that 8 is my favorite number, I'll stop here.. the #1 reason why I love it, is because I get to wake up every morning to her (and Panzer) scrunched up as close as can be to Caleb... and when he's gone, I know they both lay in his spot (missing him) and trying to make our bed seem like a twin, so it doesn't seem so big without him... anyways... I guess I'll let them sleep in our bedroom for a bit... I don't think I can pry them off of Caleb now! ;)

Hey Neighbor!

You know those mornings where you're running around and trying to do 15 things at once and nothing is getting done? Those are "my mornings" 80% of the time... I am a multi-tasker at heart. I have read countless articles that state if you focus on one thing at a time you can actually focus on the task at hand and finish your entire to do list... but you can't multi-task... do I listen? No way... I can't even try to do one thing at time- it's almost as if I like having 5 things going on at once... Agh. Yesterday morning I was going about my "to do" list while Caleb was at PT. I had already made cookies for my neighbor, worked out, started the 2nd load of laundry, vaccummed, let the dogs out, and put on a face mask-checked the time to see it was only 7:30am... Nice... as I was letting the dogs out while taking the trash/recycling out AND carrying the cookies for my neighbor (multi-tasking at it's finest!) ;) I saw our new neighbors (that I have NEVER met before)... I usually make muffins for the "newbies" but hadnt gotten around to it (too busy with all of my multi-tasking/never getting things completely done)... I dropped the garbage off at the curb, checked the dogs- who were a little bit farther down the street than they usually go... and gave my neighbor the cookies... called for the dogs who didn't listen and decided to walk further away from me... turned around to greet my neighbors and realized that... I STILL had my lime-green facemask on! In all honesty I was wondering why they were looking at me funny-"have you never seen a woman calling for her dogs and them NOT listening? Geeez..." Wow- talk about leaving a good first impression- did I mention I had never met these people yet?! That's when I heard Caleb pull in... I ran inside and told him to get the dogs... and since I didn't have to work until later that day, I decided to go back to bed and try to start my day over... ;)