Happy Anniversary!

Today in History . . .

On this day, 2007, "Make Mine A Cosmo" was originally introduced as www.cos4.blogspot.com! 

The blog was similar to the Seinfeld show.  It was basically a blog about nothing.  With a little focus and the addition of a professional blog design, the little blog about nothing eventually evolved to the blog it is today:  www.makemineacosmo.com

Make Mine a Cosmo is still basically a blog about nothing.  Nothing specific, sometimes the blog is about travel, about make-up and skin care, new products, the weather.  Sometimes the blog is about sports.  Sometimes the blog is political, sometimes it's raw emotion.  Very rarely is the blog about food or recipes, however the posts are often about family.  Make Mine a Cosmo also reviews books and movies. 

Blog Statistics . . .
Since starting Make Mine a Cosmo, the author has:

• lived in three different states (Alabama, Maryland and Texas)
• has traveled to the following countries:  Italy (Rome twice, Florence twice, Pisa, Assisi, Pompei), Spain (Barcelona and Mallorca), England (London), France (Paris and Marseille), Mexico (Cabo and Playa del Carmen), Caymans, Jamaica
• viewed the Sistine Chapel twice
• climbed a Mayan ruin
• swam in a crystal clear cenote
• learned how to paddle board
• climbed Dunn's River Falls
• sipped champagne at the top of the Eiffel Tower
• gazed upon the Mona Lisa
• climbed all 284 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe
• has had both daughters graduate high school
• has had one daughter graduate college
• has lost a gall bladder
• successfully recouperated from a hysterectomy
• celebrated her parent's 50th wedding anniversary
• celebrated her 25th wedding anniversary to her high school sweetheart
• celebrated her (and her husband's!) 50th birthday
• uncovered some interesting facts about her ancestry

If you've been reading Make Mine a Cosmo regularly, thank you!  Looking forward to another 11 years of blogging!

7 Days!

We are officially at the 1 week mark!  Seven (7) days until KJ walks across that stage, grabs her diploma and takes off running!  I'm so excited and proud of her!  It wasn't easy to move 756 miles in 8th grade to Maryland and then move 1,361 miles to Dallas in 10th grade!  She's made some great friends along the way and has learned a lot about herself which is most important!  She's had to put herself out there out of necessity and that is not always easy for a teenage girl. 

 

I'm looking forward to family coming in for the festivities.  My parents should arrive sometime Friday, T-bone and Pony Boy should get in very very late Friday night, my bro arrives Saturday, Sunday is her grad party with friends and Monday is the actual ceremony!  I'm not sure of the exact number of graduates walking but it should be close to 1,000. 

Back-to-School

Today was KJ's "last first day of high school!" Can not believe that little nugget is a high school senior!  She's excited to finally be a big bad senior.  Despite moving once in middle school and once in high school, she actually has enough credits to graduate in December.  She thought about starting some college classes in the spring but we told her not to rush, she has plenty of time for "adulting".

Operation Recuperation is going incredibly well. Excellent in fact. I had my hysterectomy on Friday, July 21 and by Sunday I was 100% back to normal. I was very lucky my doctor was able to get everything via laparoscopic and all those fibroids were in my uterus which made removal easier.  I'm not going to lie, Friday night was kinda rough (because I hate being on pain meds, I don't take advantage of the drip) and I laid in bed trying to sleep but kept thinking "oh snap!! Are the next 4-6 weeks going to be this awful??"  Thankfully, no. I didn't sleep at all Friday night and was up early Saturday walking around. I was released Saturday afternoon and took it easy when I got home.  I am so incredibly blessed to have an amazing husband who takes exceptional care of me!!  Poor thing has had to take care of me after 2 c-sections, gallbladder surgery, etc.  He's really wonderful. 

So basically I've just been chilling the last couple of weeks. Its been both very hot and very rainy so I do try to get out of the house when I can now that I have to okay to drive.  A couple of weekends ago we went to the Perot Museum to escape the heat and saw an awesome 3-D movie about dinosaurs.  Afterward we had a wonderful lunch at the Rustic (which was also seen on the most recent episode of #RHOD). Last weekend was the annual hot air balloon festival in the park by our house. We walked over Friday night to watch the "glow up" and went back early Saturday morning for a pancake breakfast and watch the balloons take off. Yesterday Cosmo and I walked around Grapevine Mills and did a little shopping.  He's had to travel a bit the last two weeks so he's glad to be home and just relax.  We also went to the Star in Frisco to watch the MLL championship game. Holy cow.  Jerry Jones doesn't do anything half-assed. The facility is gorgeous and we had a nice dinner at one of the restaurants in the new complex.

Between fall lax, our birthdays, our anniversary, our cruise and some other plans, we're going to have a very busy Fall.  I think we're planning a trip in November to meet up with friends for an Ole Miss game so that will be fun.  I don't think we have any major plans for Thanksgiving and we're toying with the idea of having Christmas in Birmingham with T. She has some tentative plans to go to Europe for New Year's so it doesn't make sense for her to drive here. The girl does not sit still. I swear she has ants in her pants. They drove up to Kentucky for a long weekend of hiking and to view the eclipse in its totality. She said it was the most amazing thing she had ever seen. This weekend she's flying to NYC to spend Labor Day weekend with friends.

FriDay = FriYay!!!

So happy it's the weekend!  Had such a busy day today, it's nice to relax tonight.  KJ is at her first official football game as a Damascus Swarming Hornet.  It's a gorgeous night for a game and she looked so cute in her cute pink camouflage t-shirt!

She had a pediatrician appointment today and afterward we ran a couple of errands before I dropped her back off at the high school for volleyball practice.  Although I think we've transitioned exceptionally well, there are some things that really trip me up sometimes.  For example, I didn't know I had to write a note for KJ to check her out early.  The attendance office told me if she has a note, she can check herself out and wait at the front door for me.  I don't even have to walk in the door.  Very cool.  Especially since my Alabama license doesn't work in the security reader at the front office!

I luv, luv, luv her new pediatrician.  She was super cool, treated KJ like an adult and everyone at the practice seemed very nice.  We then went across the hall in the professional building and made appointments for October with our new dentist.  Kind of weird to have to find all new doctors again.  Our pediatrician in Alabama was the only pediatrician KJ had ever known.  And the OB/GYN I saw for 15 years was the same doctor who delivered KJ.

T is so super excited -- her new gown came in the mail today so . . . on to a few more Miss America photos!

Had to include the following photo of Miss Maryland 2013 -- Miss Christina Denny.  We met her a couple of weeks ago, she was super sweet and this is the custom gown T tried on.  The gown was absolutely gorgeous, a big statement gown, and fit T perfectly!!!  

Our Little Froshie

So our sweet girl made the JV volleyball team!  I couldn't be prouder and I taught her everything I know!  (Yeah, this 5 ft. tall mama taught her girl a lot about volleyball!).  But seriously, she did work very hard and I did practice with her a lot. There were over 40 girls trying out for JV and they only took 14.  She had a little bit of a come apart on the last day of try-outs . . . she accidentally left her bag in Cosmo's car.  We didn't realizxe it until a few minutes before try-outs.  Cosmo was waaaaaay down in DC when she hysterically called him.  He drove like a maniac and was able to get her bag to her just a few minutes after try-outs started.  She did have an extra pair of sneakers and an extra set of knee pads at the house but she was VERY, VERY upset that the coaches would think she was irresponsible.  I had to give her a tough pep talk in the car.  Basically I told her to buck up and kick butt!  Try-outs ended at 5:30 and at 6:30 PM they posted the results on the gym door.  KJ and her friend Maddie both made the team so all four of us girls celebrated at Jimmie Cone!  The girls had their first practice Wednesday, Wednesday night we had a parent meeting, they have practice Thursday and Friday, Friday they're going to a rope course for team building and they have a scrimmage on Monday...the first day of school!  Yikes!  KJ's going to be in for a rude awakening next week . . . her bus comes at 6:28 AM and she'll have volleyball practice until 5:30 PM each day. 

Can't wait for her to get home sin a few minutes o I can hear all about today's Freshman Orientation!  Damascus does things a little differently that what we were used to with Hoover.  There is no "registration day" where we have to write a massive check to cover items such as activity cards, yearbooks, agenda, locker fees, mailing costs, PTO, extra curricular fees (T's Buccanette's just about killed us every year!).  At Hoover T's registration usually cost us a couple hundred dollars.  So far, the only bill I've been hit with at Damascus High School has been a $30 extra curricular activity.  I think Cosmo & I are going to join the booster club so we can get into football games, basketball and, of course, KJ's vball games!  

Freshman Orientation sounds pretty cool.  It's only a half day but the kids are encouraged to get on their bus like they will on Monday and today they'll get their lockers, walk their schedule, etc.  And then tonight, we have a Freshman Parent Picnic.  We'll meet the teachers and also attend a meeting with the Athletic Department.  Concussions and cardiac disease are a hot button this year and KJ had to take a baseline concussion test before she could even try-out.  

Two Days

Kind of hit the blogging wall for a while there but now I'm back and have blogged Two-Days-In-A-Row!!!  Go Me!


KJ goes back to school in 3 weeks and volleyball try-outs are the week before that.  She's been complaining for a couple of days about an ear ache so yesterday we killed two birds with one stone and had her ear checked out and did her sports physical.  She didn't have an infection, just a little fluid in her ear and she is just shy of 5 ft., 5 inches (a good 5 to 6 inches over me).


We had a nice weekend in PA.  We drove up late Friday afternoon and stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Gettysburg that had a nice patio area since we had the dog with us.  Saturday Coach helped out with Mr. B's lax clinic and my mom picked up C and brought her back to the house.  She brushed mine and KJ's hair, we had lunch on the front porch and KJ drove her around the property on the four-wheeler.  Let's just say that girl is busy, busy, busy!  Later that afternoon several girls from down the road came to the house and took KJ out on some of the back trails.  She got the four-wheeler stuck and had to call Pop to come and get her out of the ditch!  Coach brought Mr. B back to the house and we watched a bunch of videos from when KJ was a baby.  That night we also had s'mores by the camp fire.  Sunday all of us ladies (me, KJ, my mom, my SIL and Aunt Linda) went to Stephanie's shower at the cabin.  Unfortunately it rained the entire time but we still managed to have fun and she received some beautiful gifts! 

Swarming Hornets

So glad it's Friday!  What a crazy week!  We woke up Wednesday morning to a beautiful ice storm.  It looked like a winter wonderland!  Everything was white and icy and it was so pretty!  Unfortunately, it was also a little dangerous and some of the power lines were down as well as several trees and branches.  We were fine but the school KJ's volleyball team practices at hasn't had power since then and last night's practice was cancelled.  KJ's school was cancelled Wednesday and, of course, she was thrilled.  I don't think she realizes that she'll have to make up days over the allotted amount.  At this rate, she may be going to school until July!

Tuesday night was Parent Night at the high school for rising 9th graders.  Eek!!!  Let's just say one parental unit is excited for KJ, the other parental unit is not ready for his little girl to be in high school.  He was not a happy camper and just kept saying, "I don't want to talk about this!  I'm not ready for this!"  I was very impressed with the principal and the counselors at the high school and am pretty confident they will help get KJ to where she needs to be.  One of the things I love about this school district in the tech ed program.  I've always said "not every student is college material" and think it's important for students to be introduced to HVAC repair, automotive technology, cosmetology, plumbing/electrical, etc.  Our high school in NY participated in a program called "BOCES" (Board of Cooperative Education Services or something like that).  Junior and senior year of high school you attended classes for half a day and then the other half you went to BOCES and took introductory nursing classes, cosmetology, auto tech, etc.  Unfortunately, the girls school in Alabama did not offer such a program and it's unfortunate.  I can think of several kids that would have benefited from it.

What Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

Having some problems uploading photos to my blog the last couple of days.  Yesterday I had a great post about the Golden Globes Red Carpet Fashion but without pictures, it's kind of pointless.


KJ has just started her last semester of middle school.  That just kind of hit me.  I rec'd an e-mail about an open house for rising 9th graders.  The end of January she meets w/ guidance counselors to choose her high school curriculum and the parent's meeting is early February.  Wow.  Let that sink in for a minute.  My baby girl is on her way to becoming a high schooler.  A freshman. 


We met Champ out for dinner last night and had a really nice chat w/ KJ about what she wants to study, how important high school grades are, etc.  T was easy.  She always knew what she wanted to do.  She was on the broadcast team in elementary school, middle school and high school.  She only visited colleges with a broadcast journalism program.  KJ just isn't sure.  And let's be real here.  She's 14.  I'm "40-something" and still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. 


She'd like to do something sports-related but has decided she does not want to be a sportscaster.  She said she would be too nervous on the air.  She'd like to work for a professional sports team but she's not sure in what capacity.  She loves to travel so we talked about pursuing a career in hospitality.  She also asked a lot of questions about Human Resources and we talked about a career in Marketing or Sales and how she could use a degree like that.  She said she "wants a fun job" where she can make "lots of money."  Don't we all???

Transition

My poor baby.  She's having a rough week.  Her gang is breaking up / breaking off / growing up / growing apart.  Everyone is starting to head off to college / or the military so they all got together Thursday night for one last time.  Her friend K has to leave early for soccer.  She absolutely adores him and we are going to miss him hanging around the house.  He likes to make eggs in my kitchen for some reason.  Makes me feel good that her friends are comfortable in our home.  J usually walks in our garage and yells, "Miss Val!  I'm here!" and watches TV in the men den.  So, K is the first to go and it really, really upset her.  And as we all know, T doesn't "do" upset.  So if she has a breakdown, it's huge.
And then on top of everything else, she went to visit an former boyfriend Friday night who was in a horrifying car accident a couple of weeks ago.  They dated for a little bit but decided they would be much, much better off as friends and they still have a wonderful relationship. He has a girlfriend now who's a little immature, a little petty and absolutely hates the fact that he is still friends with T.  As a matter of fact, T woke up on her b-day morning and said, "That's weird.  He's usually the first one to wish me a happy b-day.  He always texts me at 12:01 so he could be the first."  She actually thought the girlfriend was busting his balls and wouldn't let him text T (the girlfriend made him "unfriend" all of us on FB, etc.).  Little did we know, he was fighting for his life in critical condition. 
Miraculously, he's home now so T stopped by the house to visit.  Miss Gayle luvs, luvs, luvs some T-bone and T still has a wonderful friendship with the sister, Ash.  The girlfriend is out of town so Miss Gayle called T and suggested it would be a good time to visit.  He was the passenger in the backseat, the driver lost control and hit the median.  The car flipped several times and he was pinned in the car.  Jaws of life had to be used to get him out of the car and he was airlifted to UAB.  Swelling on the brain, broken ribs, broken wrist.  You name it, he broke it.  T got home last night from their house and was absolutely hysterical.  She said she didn't want to cry in front of him but bawled the entire drive home.  It just brought back a lot of bad memories for T.  She had lost a good dance friend in a terrible accident and all these emotions just came flooding back. 

We had such a wonderful talk last night about how people change, relationships change, priorities change.  She's upset because the dynamic of their group will change.  It's all part of growing up.  I told T that the friends she thought would be there for her won't and it will disappoint the hell out of her.  And the person she also thought of as a so-so friend will step up when it matters and it will surprise the hell out of her.  I also told her that once a lot of these kids get out of their high school cliques and their comfort zones, they will be totally different.

Friends since Kindergarten

The ZachPack

These 2 knuckleheads have been friends for ever.  He raids my fridge often.