February Breakdown

February Breakdown, not Meltdown.  Breakdown as in "lemme break it on down for ya'"

Here we are mid-February and this family is booked solid through mid-March.  This past weekend we had the big Capital Hill Classic volleyball tournament.  Coach and KJ were at the DC Convention Center Friday night for practice and we all headed down there on Saturday to start the tournament.  I only stayed in DC one night while Coach and KJ stayed two nights since she had games today, too.  Thank God for my awesome hotel discount.  We use it a LOT during volleyball season!  The Westin City Center was nice and super convenient to the Convention Center.    After we checked in Saturday, we had lunch at a cafe before we headed down to the tournament.  Saturday we got some snow (very, very light) and walked back to the hotel in the middle of the storm.  It was only 4 blocks but man was it cold!

Drag Queens are our Friends

Despite being a little gloomy and gray all weekend, we had such a fun time at brunch on Sunday!  The girls and I met my aunt and cousin and took the Metro to the Adams Morgan neighborhood in DC.  It was KJ's first time on the train (she really, really wanted to ride the subway in NYC but we really didn't need to) and, obviously, her first time at a Drag Queen Brunch!  The food was very good, the mimosas were flowing and the entertainment was great!
http://perrysam.com/brunch/sunday/

While we were gone Cosmo packed up the rest of the Christmas decorations, I just have my Christmas china to properly pack up.  It will be nice to have the house back to normal (whatever that is!).  Saturday the girls cleaned their closets and also organized the guest room closet for me.  New Year's was pretty quiet.  KJ had a couple of neighborhood friends over.  Nice group of kids who made a point of coming upstairs and saying hello to us.  Of course, one of KJ's friends told her "your sister's pretty hot" and they're all intimidated by Cosmo.  Which is so funny to all of us.

I Survived!!!

The Annual Cos Fam Jam Christmas Festivities have officially concluded.  Grammie and Pop fly out this afternoon thus ending our lodging responsibilities.  I sure hope we get good reviews on Yelp from all our guests!  All told, it was a GREAT week with our families.  Lots of fun memories, lots of silliness, lots of good food.

Saturday KJ had a volleyball scrimmage in Frederick.  They played well but the coaches are still figuring out who goes where.  And that's what scrimmages are for.  KJ was the setter on her high school team, on the travel team they're trying her out at liberaro.  She's such a good, all-around player.  She'll do fine where they put her.

We left directly from the game and headed to my MIL's.  It was about 7 PM when we got to the home and had a nice visit before heading to Lynn's for pizza with Lisa and the kids.  Poor Kyler was horribly sick but Kayleigh was her usual silly self.  We spent the night at the Sheraton (gotta love being in the hotel business!  We haven't paid full price for a hotel room in years and years!) and headed to NYC after a great breakfast.

We met Joe, Laurie, Paige, Britt and Dan in front of FAO right at 11 AM and had a wonderful, low-key day.  We walked thru FAO, all along 5th Avenue, St. Patrick's Cathedral and had lunch at Rockefeller Center.  We walked around Times Square and headed over to Columbus Circle to see the decorations at the Time Warner building and we walked around the Christmas Mart and found our favorite waffle kiosk.  We walked around Central Park and played for a bit in the playground.  We left the city around 5 PM and were in our house by 8:30 PM.

Monday I had a doctor's appointment and did a few things around the house.  Monday night Cosmo and the girls went to the Caps game while I picked up my parents @ Regan.  I hate driving there and always get lost on my way back.  I wish they would just fly into BWI!  Tuesday I did my grocery shopping while T drove my parents around for last minute errands.  Wednesday the girls baked and wrapped presents all day and KJ went to Christmas Eve mass with my parents after our traditional Christmas Eve dinner.

We probably started opening presents around 8 AM and had our favorite sausage casserole for breakfast.  I don't know why I only make that once a year.  Russ and Barb arrived around 1 PM, Joe and Laurie and Paige arrived around 2 PM.  The ham was HUGE and delicious but, as usual, I burned the crescent rolls.  I was SO mad!!!!

Friday we headed into DC and went to both the National Archives and the Museum of American History.  I hadn't been to either museum since the first time we lived here.  The Archives were amazing and I loved the First Ladies exhibit at the American History museum (I especially loved the china patterns!).  The weather was spectacular and we ate lunch outside at the cafe at the National Gallery of Art overlooking the Sculpture Gardens and the Ice Skating rink.
http://www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/visit/ice-rink.html?from=home-page
We met Matt and Kristin at Carmine's for dinner and had a wonderful time catching up.

Joe and Laurie were walking out the front door Saturday morning when my bro and his fam pulled up in the driveway.  The timing was perfect.  And thus, Round 2 began!

My mom made her famous broccoli pasta for dinner and we just relaxed all day.  I never got out of my pajamas.  I was very, very tired and took a quick nap after lunch.  My brother brought his dog Toby and Trixie wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.  I mean, she actually sat on the couch and turned her back on him.  She wouldn't even acknowledge his presence.  In all fairness, he's still a puppy and she had never had another pet in the house before.  She was just like, "My house, my humans.  Be gone."

O's and Cards

Last week we started watching House of Cards on Netflix.  I am totally hooked!  It's so, so good!  House of Cards is everything I love about living in DC!  The power struggles, the intrigue.  I think Kevin Spacey is one of the greatest actors of our generation and his on-screen wife, Claire, is portrayed by Robin Wright who was in two of my most favorite movies ever -- The Princess Bride and Forest Gump (aka Princess Butter Cup, aka Jenny).  Robin Wright was also married to the other actor I consider one of the greatest of our generation . . . Mr. Sean Penn.  I couldn't sleep one night and kind of went on a marathon and finished Season 1.  Champ is only on episode 5 or 6 but that's the beauty of Netflix . . . you can watch at your own pace.  T and The Dew are watching it also so that's been kind of fun.

Friday KJ had her 8th grade formal.  Sniff, Sniff.  Can't believe she's graduating from 8th grade in a few days and will be a high school freshman in the fall!  She had a couple of girls come over for photos beforehand and said she had a really good time at the dance.  Today they cleaned out their lockers, tomorrow she has her 8th grade field trip to Mountainside for zip lining, swimming, rope course and lunch.  Friday morning is the graduation ceremony and she's done!  Next week she's going to volleyball camp with her friend Corrine and next weekend we have two sets of friends coming to town!

This past weekend Champ surprised us with tickets to the O's home game vs. the A's and he made hotel arrangements in the Inner Harbor so we didn't have to drive home late at night.  The weather was incredibly perfect, mid-80's, and we had a wonderful late lunch before heading to the game.  I had never been to Camden Yards and it was quite an experience!  The O's have a HUGE fan base.  EVERY person in that stadium was wearing orange.  It was a great game and we had an easy walk back to our hotel.

I thought we had a graduation party on Sunday but totally read the invitation wrong and missed the party!  It was on Saturday, not Sunday.  I swear, sometimes I think I'm dyslexic!

Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine

Interesting post title, huh?  Answer will be revealed at the end!

The weather has been absolutely positively fabulous the last couple of days!  The service opened our pool on Wednesday and we had a ton of rain basically all day Thursday and Friday morning.  Cosmo put the pool heater on and by 12 noon on Saturday KJ was swimming (it wouldn't matter if the heater was on or not; she'll swim in anything!  If there is a body of water nearby, that kid will be in it).  And she had the dog in the pool with her.  It's so funny to watch!  Trixie jumps in and can swim from one end of the pool to the other.  Her little legs go a mile a minute and she looks like a little wind-up bath toy.

First weekend we didn't have volleyball and we were able to get so much done around the house.  We cleaned all the patio furniture, Cosmo put some mulch down around the pool and the patio and surprised me with several hibiscus potted plants and gerbera daisy pots to put around the pool deck.  We're having company Memorial Day weekend so I got all of my pretty plastic plates and serving pieces out of storage and washed them to get ready for some al fresco dining!  I also put away my "Spring Shabby Chic Parisian Flea Market" tablescape and my dining room and entrance way are full-on "Summer Beach House" mode.

Saturday night we decided to drive to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis to see the Bayhawks play the new Florida Launch.  We got to see Coach's buddy PT play.  They met at a lax camp they did together and have been friends ever since.  Always great to see great players such as Queener, Kevin Crowley, Polanco, and Mikey Powell.  The weather was perfect, we had great seats and KJ had a lot of fun.  She forgot to bring a ball with her so she didn't get any autographs this time.  MLL games are so fun because the players are so accessible.  No egos.  Most, if not all, of the guys also have regular day jobs and several of them also coach youth leagues.

Looks like we're going to have a busy, fun summer!  My bro and his fam will be here for Memorial Day as well as some friends from Alabama.  June 6 is KJ's 8th grade formal and apparently everyone's coming to our house for photos.  June 13 is 8th grade graduation and there's a weekend at the end of June that we will get to see our friends from Cincy as well as some Bama friends.  My cousin's wedding reception is mid-June, too.  After that we transition to full-on pageant mode and will have some free time mid-July to mid-August.

Post Translation:  

(Manly Deeds, Womanly Words)

http://www.netstate.com/states/mottoes/md_motto.htm

My Peeps

So nice to have all of my peeps home for Easter!  And, oddly enough, I didn't have any of my favorite Easter candy.  So not like me!!!

T flew in late Thursday night and Friday Cosmo and the girls spent the day at Kings Dominion.  Saturday we had a nice, leisurely day walking around DC and Georgetown.  It was such a beautiful day we decided not to waste the sunshine by going to an indoor museum.  We just strolled and people watched and walked and talked.  We love to park at the Capital and walk down one side of the Mall and back up the other.  T said the pea gravel and wide Mall reminded her of our trip to Paris with it's wide boulevards and le Jardin des Tuileries.  Made my heart so happy to hear that!  Lots of families picnicking on the mall, lots of kite flying, some flag football games going on and even some adult kickball games.  We had a fun, late lunch at Thunder Burger in Georgetown:  http://www.thunderburger.com/index1.html and did some shopping.  Georgetown was hopping and I always love the vibe.  Saturday night T finally got to taste the wonderful goodness that is Jimmie Cone.

T had to fly out super early Sunday morning but on her way back to Oxford from Memphis she had a nice little visit with her cousin and his family.  They are military and are in the process of transitioning from New Orleans to Memphis.  T is SO excited to have some family nearby!

Sunday Cosmo's niece and her husband joined us for Easter Dinner.  I had only met Matt once and hadn't see Kristen since another niece's wedding in 2009!  We had a nice time catching up and hope to see more of them!

My folks arrive tomorrow and will be here through the weekend.  My mom wants to go to the Franciscan Monastery http://www.myfranciscan.org/ while they're here and my dad wants to go to the Air and Space Museum http://airandspace.si.edu/  My parents are used to high 80's coming from Florida and my mom wanted to know if we had opened our pool yet.  Ummmmm......

Spring???

What a nice, lazy weekend!  We had originally hoped to go into DC and see if the cherry blossoms were in bloom but it rained all day Saturday and Sunday, today, it turned to snow!  We did a few things around the house, made cupcakes today and watched a Harry Potter marathon.  Even though I read the books, I hadn't seen the last three Harry Potter movies.  My life is now complete.  

Friday, Cosmo and KJ were planning to go to the high school lax game but the weather wasn't great and the game ended up being cancelled.  I asked Cosmo if he was going to wear the high school colors, green and yellow.  And of course, his response was "hell no!  Red and White or Orange and Black or nothing at all!"  

A Little Snow and the Power of the Internet

We woke up Thursday to an absolutely beautiful winter wonderland.  I know most people hate the snow, but honestly, I love it.  I love the snow as much as I love the rain.  Anyone can love a perfect, blue sky, cloudless day.  I think it takes something special to appreciate the subtle nuances of an inclement weather day. I love how weather can stop us in our tracks and make us slow down and enjoy  the day.

We knew in advance that KJ's school was closed, Cosmo closed his office and we all had a wonderfully relaxing day at home in the snow.  We shoveled the driveway, played with the dog in the snow and met several neighbors.  KJ walked over to her friend Connor's house and a bunch of the neighborhood kids walked over to the park to go snowboarding.  The plow hadn't been down our street yet and the snow was up over our knees.  Cosmo had to make a path for her so she could get to Connor's.  On the way, they met the new neighbors on the corner.  KJ said they just moved here from North?  South?  Carolina (she couldn't remember) and they had a little girl.  KJ thought the little girl was about 2 and said she was having so much fun in the snow.  Cosmo uncovered our sidewalk and cleared it over to the neighbor's on our left.  He finally got to meet Mr. W who graduated from Alabama, went on to TN for his Master's and New Mexico for his PhD.  Naturally, the conversation turned to Alabama football and the SEC.  Since the plow still hadn't come through, we didn't bother shoveling the end of the driveway.  Once the plow finally came down our street, it made a huge mountain of snow near the mailbox.  So in the late afternoon Cosmo went out to tackle the glacier.  By this time the snow had gotten quite heavy and wet so another neighbor came over to help him out with a small plow on the end of his lawn mower.  And then it snowed again overnight.  So, Friday morning Cosmo was shoveling out again.  The Pastor from next door came over and gave him a hand.  See!  Snow days can be fun!!!

This weekend is the Capital Hill Classic volleyball tournament at the DC Convention center.  Holy moly.  The largest tournament I had attended was the Regional's in Atlanta.  This is probably 5 times that.  Almost 900 volleyball teams from all over the country (girls from ages 12 to 18).  Our friend from Hoover, Amanda, had mentioned several times that she'd like to see KJ play so when she saw my post on FB about the tournament, she texted me and said she was on her way.  She got to the convention center in time to watch KJ's 7 and 8 PM games.  Amanda played volleyball in youth leagues like KJ and also played in high school.  I think she'd be a good coach!  After the games we all grabbed a bite to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe and had a good time catching up!  KJ played well but they lost a couple of games they shouldn't have.  She's an incredibly consistent server and is enjoying her first season as setter.  Unfortunately, we don't have much of a defense.

KJ's team was in the afternoon wave today and has some very late games so I did not go to the tournament today (we got home last night around 1 AM, of course I was wired and couldn't settled down.  I finally fell asleep around 5 AM but woke up at 9 AM.  So yeah, I'm operating on less than 4 hours of sleep).  I was on FB and noticed a friend of our's from high school posted about watching his daughter play at a tournament in DC!  So, I quick wrote on Zap's wall (his nickname in high school), texted Cosmo and voila!  The two of them met up and got to visit for a while.  I think they saw each other last year at the alumni lax game but still!  I love the power of the Internet!

Snow, Snow and More Snow!

Really enjoying today's snow!  It's been snowing since about 9 AM and hasn't let up at all.  It's really accumulating quite fast and is very light and fluffy.  I took the dog for a walk this morning and you can't even see where our foot steps were.  KJ had off from school yesterday and today so this does not count as a snow day for her.

Cosmo closed his office early and stopped for lunch and Starbucks on the way home.  KJ likes some white mocha something or other but since I don't do coffee he bought me a peppermint hot chocolate.  The two of them shoveled the driveway a bit and did some sledding down the hill in our backyard.  We had the dog all bundled up in her coat and KJ took her down the hill a couple of times.

KJ's volleyball practice has been cancelled, I'm burning some Delicious smelling Red Velvet candles and we're all nice and cozy, snuggled up on the couch and about to watch a movie (options are:  The Butler, Rush, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, or Jack Reacher).

Me & My Little Buddy

So I've been in Maryland since Labor Day weekend.  I guess that's what?  Like 9 weeks already?  We've assimilated well and have a nice little routine going.  KJ makes her lunch the night before (she hasn't bought school lunch once this year and doesn't even have a dime in her lunch account).  She gets up great every morning, hops on the bus, I do my thing during the day, she hops off the bus in the afternoon and we have a little snack together and relax for a bit before she does her homework.  She gets off the bus around 2:50 PM and the last couple of weeks we've been watching Ellen in the afternoon.  We absolutely love her show and have added "dance with Ellen" to our Bucket Lists.  Please enjoy the following photo galleries compliments of The Ellen Show: 

http://photos.ellen.warnerbros.com/galleries/bad_sports_photos 

http://photos.ellen.warnerbros.com/galleries/bad_wedding_photos

http://photos.ellen.warnerbros.com/galleries/bad_school_photos

A Quickie

Had a nice quick visit w/ my parents this weekend.  They got here around 7 PM Saturday after going to Mr. B's football game and lunch.  After church Sunday we originally set our sights on Annapolis but detoured and made a stop in DC. 

 

It was an absolutely gorgeous day, unseasonably warm.  For obvious reasons, DC was not crowded and we had no problem driving around or finding parking.  We went to the WWII Memorial and wish we could have spent more time.  It was kind of a weird situation...it was barricaded but yet the park rangers were not stopping anyone from crossing the barricade.  As a matter of fact, they offered to help me climb over the fence and opened the barricades to help many of the veterans.  

 

How about these photos, huh??  Dang!  My camera takes amazing pictures!  Looks like a bunch of postcards!  

Just a Bill

Ed & Gins are coming for a quick visit this weekend.  The weather is supposed to be pretty good (unseasonable warm, in the high 80's) and I would have loved to go into DC but with the shut down and now with today's incident on Capital Hill (I always think of "I'm Just a Bill" from Schoolhouse Rock every time someone says "Capital Hill), that's not going to happen.  Maybe we'll go into Baltimore or Annapolis (I haven't been back to Annapolis since we left the first time!). 

There is a local Octoberfest on Saturday so we might be able to hit that depending on what time they get here.  I haven't done any of my Fall / Halloween decorating yet so maybe my mom can help me with that.  There's also a nice orchard nearby that is supposed to have a great pumpkin festival (as opposed to a Great Pumpkin festival a la The Peanuts).   http://www.butlersorchard.com/

I've had a touch of insomnia the last couple of days and end up watching mindless garbage on TV.  If I read, I can read all night and that's worse.  Mindless TV makes me drowsy and I end up falling asleep on the couch.  The last couple of nights I've watched a show called Life Below Zero on the National Geographic channel.  http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/life-below-zero/  This show is CRAZY!  I totally get folks wanting to living off the grid, etc. but I'm not a big red meat eater and don't think that I could survive.  Instead of seal meat or bear meat, I'd be craving a salad. 

Settling In Nicely

Still have a ton of boxes to go thru but for the most part we're settled in nicely.  I do have to open every box and look thru the contents in case anything is broken and need to place a claim w/ in 60 days of delivery so that's taking a while.  I did come across a box of Thanksgiving table décor which had a couple of broken items (which upset me greatly because it's my favorite holiday!) and my chocolate fondue ceramic pot was also broken.  :-( 

The weather has been wonderful.  It's nice to have some cooler days on tap.  The A/C has been off and the windows have been open for several days now.  KJ, of course, is loving the pool and goes swimming every chance she can.  God only knows what my electric bill is going to be like heating the pool!  She likes her volleyball team very much, likes her school, likes her teachers so that aspect is going great.  I attended a meeting on Ed-line (similar to the STI program we had in Alabama but a little more user friendly and ALL of KJ's teachers use the program).  After the Ed-line meeting was a PTA meeting and from there we walked our child's schedule and met w/ each teacher.  All of KJ's teachers were great and each and everyone of them asked how we were handling the move, how was KJ adjusting at home, etc.  One of her math teachers (her algebra class is co-taught which I totally love!) gave me #RollTide as well as one of KJ's PE teachers!  Pretty funny! 

Had such a fun, relaxing weekend with my family.  We drove up to my bro's Saturday morning and met everyone at Mr. B's football game.  So exciting to watch him play.  It was only their second game of the season and unfortunately they lost but it was still fun.  After the game the "girls" went shopping (I promised Sassypants I'd buy her some new earrings for her b-day) and the "guys" went home to watch more football (Alabama vs. Texas A&M, Penn State and then the Ole Miss vs. Texas game). 

T had a good weekend, too!  She and a bunch of friends drove out to Austin to attend the Ole Miss game.  She said it was hot and flat but they had a good time.  They spent the first half of the game at one of the Texas fraternity tents and then one of the dad's handling the smoker in the tent gave her and her friend Josh his two tickets so they went into the game for the second half.  They made a slight detour on the way home and stopped at LSU and had dinner.  She said LSU was not a pretty campus at all but Mike the Tiger being right on campus was pretty cool! 

Move it Along Folks

So crazy to think that at this time next week I'll be both homeless and unemployed! We've had a super busy week with parties, dinners and get-togethers saying good-by to friends. Cosmo came home last weekend and we had a huge blowout at the house. It was so good to see everyone -- neighborhood friends, lax friends, Hoover friends, volleyball friends, work friends, even friends from Cincinnati! All I wanted to do was clean-out the bar and get rid of our liquor. Somehow, I'm +6 bottles of wine which is amazing considering we threw away 4 huge trashbags of nothing but beer, wine, rum and tequila bottles. Say what you want about the Cos family but man! We can throw a party! Lots of toasts, lots of shots.

I had all the chicks in the nest last week which may not happen for a long time. T drove in Saturday morning and of course her daddy had to make her favorite macaroni for dinner and I had to make her favorite chilli cheese dip for the party. She had to be back in Oxford early Sunday morning so it was a quick, emotional trip for her. It hit her hard that she will never come home to this house ever again. We had a long talk Saturday night (morning???) and I told her it's just a house. It's just four walls. Memories are made any where and every where. It's what's you keep in your heart.

KJ had a ton of kids over Saturday night, too. Naturally it ended in a cake fight. Sunday she spent the day w/ her sweet friend Mo shopping and doing fun girly stuff (I think strawberry shortcake was dessert of the day). Monday KJ got her eyebrows waxed and we did some last minute stuff (shoe shopping), Tuesday we had a relaxing evening getting pedicures (hey! a girl's gotta look good for her first day of school!). Wednesday we met Jo and GW for dinner at the Mexican place and Thursday we had dinner w/ The W Women. Tonight KJ has a b-day party to go to, she'll probably have some friends sleep over and tomorrow she heads to BWI so she can start 8th grade on Monday! Whoop! Whoop!

When we lived in Madrid there was a group of gypsies that lived near our apartment complex.  I am too young to remember this of course but my mom and dad said they roamed across Europe.  I may have been secretly switched at birth and swear I have some gypsy blood in me.  I like to keep moving, I don't like to be stagnant or complacent.  I like to try new things.  I like to read about new places, different people.  I like a little chaos in my life.  It's fun to mix things up a bit. 

I am so absolutely awful at good-byes and totally dreaded my last day at the hotel.  I work(ed) with an amazing group of people and we always had fun no matter what.  Lots of laughs and a lot of silliness.  The girls and I had a nice quiet lunch, no fuss and I tried to sneak out as best as I could.  One of the ladies I work with said, "You and you're family always go on the best adventures!" and I kept that with me all day today.  This next chapter in our lives is definitely going to be an adventure and I'm really looking forward to it! 

"It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure." == Ernie Harwell

MD

Totally forgot to blog about my quick trip to MD last month!  I flew in to BWI Thursday evening and Coach and I had a great dinner at Uncle Julio's at the Washingtonian.  Friday I did a few things while Coach was at work and that night we had a wonderful time walking around Mount Airy and had an alfresco dinner at the Laurienzo Brick Oven Café.  I had the lobster and shrimp ravioli and it was to die for!  I totally lucked out and had the most amazing weather while I was in MD and it was so nice to sit outside and enjoy my husband's company! 

Saturday evening we had dinner at a sports bar so we could watch the lacrosse game and then we went to see Despicable Me 2.  Sunday morning we drove into Georgetown for brunch at Martin's Tavern.  We sat in the Madeline Albright booth and had mimosas.  http://www.martins-tavern.com/index.cfm 

We walked over to Georgetown Cupcakes but didn't go in.  It hadn't opened yet for the day and the line was about 50 deep already.  Next trip I'd like to go to http://www.macaronbee.com/

After brunch we headed to DC and went to the Marine Corps War Memorial just outside Arlington.  From there we headed over to Jefferson Memorial.  We found a great parking spot and walked around the Tidal Basin.  After a quick little nap we headed to the airport and I had a great flight home!  Quick weekend but just what I needed!

The Cos Fam is On the Move !!!

This family doesn't sit still, I swear!  KJ barely unpacked from Cincinnati and turned around and flew out to Baltimore last night, hit DC running this morning and tomorrow she'll be nestled in Happy Valley at volleyball camp. 

She had a fairly non-eventful flight last night.  It was delayed about 20 minutes but no big deal. We sat at the gate and laughed because she said she felt like one of those kids from a divorced family who is visiting her dad for two weeks in the summer.  So weird to put watch her board the plane by herself.  She and Cosmo went to Annapolis last night for dinner at Buddy's.  We used to go there ALL the time with T-bone when she was little.  It's located right on Ego Alley and we used to watch the boats come in.  Today they went into DC and toured some monuments, went to the Museum of Natural History, had lunch in Georgetown and went to Georgetown Cupcake for dessert.  She can now cross it off her bucket list.  Cosmo said the line wasn't too bad, about 45 minutes. 

Tuesday already?

Tomorrow's Hump Day.  Where has this week gone???

I braved the bitter cold Saturday and sat through most of the JV game and all of the Varsity game.  JV lost by 1 and Varsity won (can't remember the final score).  After the game we grabbed a bite to eat and the assistant coaches and a couple of the kids ended up sitting at the table next to us.  We got home in time to see most of the high school's Beauty Walk on iHigh.  I missed all of the girls walking out at the beginning but caught the top 30, the top 10 and the finale.  Luv, luv, luv seeing the girls all dressed up and grown up! 

Sunday morning were two more games but I didn't go.  It was nice  to relax and sleep in a little and get a some laundry done.  Last night Coach and I went out to dinner before getting KJ from the airport.  She had a wonderful, wonderful time in DC and took some amazing pictures.  They were on the go the entire trip and she's exhausted and slightly cranky. 

Getting ready for the lacrosse team's arrival this weekend -- been buying snacks, bought some extra pillows in case someone forgot theirs and bought some fresh guest towels.  Hopefully most of the girls remember to bring their air mattresses.  The girls will get here late Friday night and will go out to dinner after the games Saturday so I just need to feed them breakfast Saturday and Sunday morning.  And hopefully it doesn't rain so I don't have 30 girls covered in muddy tromping thru the house! 

No Kids Allowed

Whoop!  Whoop!
Totally enjoying our "kid-free" weekend so far!

KJ is having a blast in DC!  She's been sending us photos and it doesn't appear to be too terribly cold.  She's not wearing a jacket or snow boots in any of the photos.  They were at the Ford Theater earlier today as well as the National Cathedral. 

T is having a bit of a rough day in Nashville.  They are played Vandy earlier today (and lost) and are about to play Clemson.  It's cold, the team isn't playing well and she's not a happy camper.  I think the girls are having a hard time bonding since their goalie passed away in the fall.  I think the older girls have lost their spark and the younger girls are looking to them for leadership.  They'll turn it around. 

Last night we had our annual lacrosse fundraiser and had a GREAT time!  I don't know a lot of these younger kids coming up or their parents but we had a lot of great food, great adult bevvies and some great items were auctioned off!  I bought a basket full of wine and two autographed books (my friend G's brother is an author and has written a book about their father's experience in WWII and his newest book is about William Faulkner).  I've had both of his books on my Nook Wish List and now I actually own signed copies.  I'm very excited to start reading!  http://www.jacksacco.com/

Today the sun is shining but I can hear the wind and it's supposed to be very cold out.  Coach (yup!  the lax season has officially started so he's back to being "Coach").  I plan to support Coach and the team but am kind of dragging my feet.  I really don't want to sit on the cold metal bleachers in the wind for two games.  Guess I need to make a to-go cup of hot chocolate, pack a seat cushion and a blankie and just suck it up!

It's OK Thursday (Valentine's Day Edition)

...It's OK that KJ opened her Valentine's Day Gifts last night.  She needed to pack some of them for her DC trip. 
...It's OK that I received a Justin Beiber Valentine's Day card from a co-worker.  It has a cool "I Heart Justin" tattoo! 
...It's OK that I forgot to mail my niece and nephew's cards (I'm lying.  It's really not OK).

...It's OK that Cosmo's and KJ's cards are sitting on the counter.  Not filled out yet. 

...It's OK that I obviously have become really bad and giving cards.  I buy them, just forget to mail them or give them. 
...It's OK I had to text T and ask her what the heck was a Harlem Shake. 
...It's OK that I bought the Alabama Shakes CD and the Florence + the Machine CD.  More than OK.  Both are great albums!
...It's OK to still use the word "album" isn't it???
...It's OK that I am now officially hooked on Duck Dynasty.
...It's OK that I've lived in the South for 14 years and am slooooowwwwllllly beginning to accept some things Southern -- I find myself using the phrase "Bless her Heart" more and more, I like Duck Dynasty, the show "Nashville" (and the soundtrack!) and the other night I had a dream that Blake Shelton (no Miranda in sight) was sitting across the table from me at a friends wedding. 
...It's OK that I will never like Sweet Tea.  I just can't.  When I drink it, I can just feel my teeth rotting out of my head. 


Busier than a . . .

take your pick:

1.a one-armed paperhanger with a case of the hives.
2.a one-eyed cat watching nine rat holes.
3.a one-legged man in a butt kickin’ contest.
4.a one-toothed man in a corn-on-the-cob eating contest.
5.a mosquito at a nudist colony.
6.a one-armed paper hanger.
7.a cross-eyed air traffic controller.
8.a set of jumper cables at a country funeral.
9.a cat with puppies.
10.a weatherman in a tornado (made me think of James Spann!!)
11.a desert cobra at a mongoose convention.
12.a termite in a saw mill.
13.a dog scratching fleas.
14.a one-armed-pimp in a bitch-slapping contest
15.a one-armed trombone player.
16.a rooster in a henhouse.

Some of these are pretty funny.  My dad always said he was "busier than a one-armed paperhanger."  I've never heard the "with a case of hives" part before. 

Got a lot going on . . .
-- really like my new job so far.  It's keeping me busy. 
-- trying to get KJ packed and ready for DC. 
-- she's had a lot of vball; weekly practices / weekend tournaments.  I feel like all I do is wash uniforms and vball socks. 
-- we've had a lot of lax (Ole Miss and Hoover) and the Hoover season doesn't officially start until Saturday; got our annual auction this weekend which is always fun!  Made up a tailgate basket (it's actually a cooler, not a basket but I guess it could also be used for a picnic) to auction off (a variety of gourmet beers, fun bottle-opener, blue corn chips, mango salsa, some kind of beer potato chips, crackers, sausage, cheeses, etc.).
-- getting ready for the Ole Miss to stay with us when they play Bama.  Not sure yet if the ENTIRE team (approx. 30 girls) or HALF the team (approx. 15 girls) are staying with us but that weekend couldn't be any crazier . . . they'll play 2 games on Saturday and 1 on Sunday so that means they'll be with us 2 nights (which means the woman who HATES to cook will be cooking for a small army).  Cosmo has Hoover lax games that weekend and KJ is supposed to be in Nashville for a vball tournament.
-- then we head into Spring Break.  T and the girls will be stopping here on their way to SB'13 to pick-up a friend from Auburn who will be joining them.  Not sure of the number but it could be anywhere from 5 to 10 girls.  I volunteered to make a lasagna and salad for them for that first night in the condo so they don't have to cook.  Who am I kidding?  I'll get Cosmo to make the lasagna.  KJ has SB'13 the week after T and was invited to the beach with friends.  I will probably end up cancelling the condo I had for the week and Cosmo and I are thinking of taking a quick, romantic, child-less trip for a couple of days.  I don't care where we go.  I just want to sit at a pool and/or get lots of spa treatments.