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!"  

Summer loving

You know things are serious when your daughter e-mails you requesting a family conference call for later in the day!

T called last night to discuss her summer plans.  I've kind of always known in the back of my mind that she probably wouldn't be coming "home" (wherever that is!) for the summer but last night confirmed it.  She's got to stay in Mississippi for her Miss Jackson/ Miss Miss commitments so she might as well take some classes, too!   But even before Miss Miss, I didn't think she'd come home; I knew she'd want to stay in Oxford for the summer.  And I was fine with it.  I really am (the only thing I'm really having a hard time with is the fact that sophomore year is almost over and she'll be a JUNIOR in the fall!!  When did THAT happen???  And, on top of it, KJ will be a high school FRESHMAN!!!  Impossible!).

I'm glad T's flying in for Easter, though!  Cosmo and KJ haven't seen her since Christmas; I at least got to see her end of February/beginning of March when I flew in for orientation.  My parents will be here for Easter and I think Cosmo's niece and husband will be joining us too!

She has to stay to make sure all her residents are out of the dorms after this semester ends and then that Monday she'll start classes.  I think the May session is kind of quick, only two weeks or so and then she might be able to come home for Memorial Day and go right into summer session which will end up around her birthday.  From there she'll be in Vicksburg for the pageant and after that will, hopefully, be able to relax by the pool for a couple of weeks until she has to be back in Oxford for Rush workshop and CA training.  Busy, busy girl and she wouldn't have it any other way!

Some Goodreads, Some Not So Goodreads

Just finished reading "The Silent Wife" by A.S.A. Harrison.  Actually, I read it in one day. It's been compared to "Gone Girl" but I don't think that's very accurate.  The story is written in a similar style (he said / she said) but that's really about it.  The main female character, Jodi, is wound up tighter than a top and it's only a matter of time before she loses it on her cheating husband.

I read "The Fault in Our Stars" a couple of weeks ago and really, really did not enjoy this book.  Maybe I'm just too old??  I had downloaded it on my Nook and was halfway through it when KJ texted me and asked me to buy her a copy (she has a Kindle so we can't really share books).  Anyway, for her to ask me to buy a book is a big deal so when I was visiting T I picked up a copy of the book in one of the airport bookstores.  This YA novel is being made into a movie staring Shailene Woodley of "Divergent" fame.  She's about to become the new "It" girl in Hollywood.  Move over Jennifer Lawrence.  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582846/?ref_=nv_sr_1

I've added a couple of new books to my Nook Wish list:

 "Bread and Butter" by Michelle Widgen (see NY Times review here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/books/review/bread-and-butter-by-michelle-wildgen.html?_r=0)

"The Museum of Extraordinary Things" by Alice Hoffman http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/books/review/alice-hoffmans-museum-of-extraordinary-things.html

Always on the lookout for a great book!  Please share your finds!

I'm So Over It

I am SO over it.  No, not the snow.  I love the snow.  I'm so over people bitching about the weather.  C'mon people.  According to the calendar, it's still technically winter.  This is what happens in winter.  The temperature drops.  It snows.  Bitching and complaining about it won't make the snow melt any faster.  If you don't like it, perhaps you should look into relocating to a more mild locale.  Or consider not leaving your house during the months of November to late April/early May.

Seriously?  Does bitching about the weather on EVERY possible social media outlet change anything?  Did your 5 posts on Facebook and Twitter raise the temps in your area?  Do you have a direct line to Mother Nature?  Yeah.  I thought so.

Just enjoy it.  This is nature at it's best.  It's beautiful, it's white, it's fluffy and most of all, it's peaceful. Get out there and enjoy the snow with your kids.  Throw some snowballs.  Build a snowman.  Make a snow fort.  Go for a long, romantic walk holding hands.  Enjoy a steaming cup of hot chocolate with tons and tons of marshmallows.  If you can, go sledding.  Then, come inside and snuggle by a fire.  Wear warm fuzzy socks. 



And, mark my words, the same people who complain about the snow, will be complaining about the heat and humidity come July and August.
http://sassandbalderdash.com/2014/01/07/an-open-letter-to-people-who-hate-winter/

Weekly Recap

Not much going on this past week. It was busy but nothing out of the ordinary. KJ had her usual vball practice and has a tournament in Northern Virginia tomorrow. I like the one-day tournaments; two-days are rough and that one we did at the Convention Center in DC over President's Weekend was mind-numbing.

Champ got to see one of his former BamaLax players this week at Georgetown. Justin plays at Furman for Coach Meade (Coach Meade was the coach from Navy who recruited Brye and is starting up the new Furman team).  Coincidentally, one of the boys from Damascus is playing with Justin on the Furman team and Champ said he was incredible.  Justin played well, just not enough (according to Champ).  In any event, I love the fact that even though we've moved on, these boys will always be a big part of Champ's life.  He will do anything for his boys and will always stay in touch with them.  And if one of them is playing within driving distance of wherever we are, Champ will be there to cheer them on.  I love when the boys text him to check-in, ask for advice, etc.  Once a Coach, always a Coach.  I know he misses the game and the kids but I always tell him he's definitely made an impact on these kid's lives (he does not miss the parent drama or the other crap that came with coaching, just the game.    He misses being on the field).  KJ is toying with the idea of picking up her stick again.  But she wants her daddy to coach.  Hmmmmmm......not sure how I feel about that.

Found out this week that Champ is flying T-bone home for an Easter surprise.  I was so happy to hear that!   I thought she would stay in MS or go to dinner with friend's but she's definitely coming to DC and I think she's bring a friend with her.  She's had a wonderful Spring Break and is heading back to Oxford today. She went with a really nice group of girls and there was zero to no drama.  She got to see some Hoover friends on the beach / Whale's Tail so she was happy.

Cosmo and KJ haven't seen T since Christmas.  If she doesn't come home for Easter, they won't see her again until May or July (she's got several commitments from now until the Miss Miss pageant and only has a week in May to possibly come home.  So as to maximize our time with her, we're in the beginning stages of planning a family vacay.  Just not sure where we want to go or what we want to do.  I think we may be taking a cruise out of Baltimore.  The only airfare we'd have would be getting T from MS to MD and we all just want to relax and spend time together.  KJ, of course, wants to go to Disney but I think we've talked her into the cruise.  We're probably going to go to the Bahamas and she's looking forward to being at Atlantis and doing the aquatics there -- big water slide, swim with the dolphins, etc.

I Could Really Use That Hour Right About Now

Ugh. I can't stand Daylight Saving time. I hate everything about it. Starting with the name and how many people add an "s" to the end of the word Saving. It's Daylight Saving Time. Not Daylight Savings Time. And while I'm on a tear, who, exactly, is saving time? I'm certainly didn't save anything this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I had an awesome weekend! I didn't want it to end and I certainly could have used an extra couple of extra hours. KJ had a friend sleep-over Friday night. We were going to watch the latest Hunger Games installment but instead Cosmo and I started watching "Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1611224/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 I have to be honest with you. I had heard the book was really good but I wasn't expecting much from the movie. To my great surprise, the movie was quite good. Very well made, not a cheesy vampire at all and it had a great story line. And the actor who portrayed Lincoln did a great job. Saturday we went to the mall to look for a dress for KJ's 8th grade formal. A day I totally dreaded and just wanted to get it over with. We had a little tete-a-tete in the car and told her that ultimately, I'm paying for this dress and will not pay for something that is tacky/trashy/generally inappropriate for an 8th grader. She, in turn, let me know that she was not going to be talked into a dress that she doesn't really love (we have a history of me "gently persuading" her into something I like and then later she claims I "forced" her to buy it and refuses to wear the item. Hence, a closetful of clothes never worn). We actually ended up having a lovely, lovely day and no one cried! She found several dresses she (and I) liked and ended up buying the second dress she tried on. Very age appropriate dress, I love the cut and color and the silohuette is perfect on her. We bought shoes, a handbag and jewelry and she is done!!! We did some more shopping, bought some things at Lululemon and had a delicious lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe. I also got to use a Victoria's Secret gift card from Christmas. Saturday we did finally watch Mockinjay. I had read all 3 books and KJ was so disappointed in the end. She looked at me and said, "Seriously??" Divergent, the hot new YA trilogy will be in the theaters soon. I read all three of those books as well but definately like the Hunger Games books better. My aunt and uncle were visitng my cousin and her husband for the weekend so Sunday we all went out to lunch together. I had never been to the Dogfish but Cosmo and the girls had been a couple of times. http://www.dogfishalehouse.com/ Last night was the finale of True Detectives on HBO. Holy cow. That stuff gave me nightmares last night. So creepy yet so good! Tonight Cosmo and KJ are going to the Caps vs. Penguins game @ the Verizon Center. KJ's 1st NHL game! She is super, duper excited and plans to wear her Sidney Crosby jersey. Cosmo has told her she's on her own if Caps fans boo or hiss at her.

Miss Miss

Still recovering from my trip to Mississippi.  I flew out a week ago and landed in Memphis with no problems.  T picked me up right on time and we went and had spray tans.  I was a spray tan virgin and only agreed to it because I needed to wear dresses over the weekend and my legs were Casper-the-Friendly-Ghost white.  Like, glow in the dark white.  It was interesting to say the least.





After our spray tans we went out to dinner at our favorite restaurant in the Square, Boure`.  http://citygroceryonline.com/restaurant.php?boure  T's friend Tana joined us as well as T's new friend, J.  After dinner J's friends were playing at the local dive bar, Frank & Marlees http://www.frankandmarlees.com/.  The band was really, really good and we had a fun time.  Tana picked me up on her way home from the library and I spent the night on her futon.  And I am way too old to be sleeping on a futon.  T picked me up in the morning and we had breakfast at our favorite breakfast spot, http://citygroceryonline.com/restaurant.php?bbb  After breakfast we had to pick up a few items on the square and then we headed to Vicksburg for Miss Mississippi orientation.






Friday night was a meet & greet and all of the local contestants had photos taken (they also took photos by college -- there were a TON of Mississippi State girls and 9 or 10 Ole Miss girls), were interviewed by the local radio station and received all of their costumes for the July event.  I also got to meet T's  directors and several of the other girls and their mom's.  Afterward we all went out for dinner at a Mexican place and had a lot of fun. 








Saturday morning the girls had to be at the local YMCA for rehearsals.  I went back to the hotel for a little nap and then had an amazing massage and pedicure at a cute little salon in Vicksburg.  The tech who did my pedicure also does the hair for the pageant MC's and had some funny stories to tell!


After my spa day I had to stop at the local mall and buy a short sleeve shirt.  It was almost 80 degrees in Vicksburg and although I had packed capri pants and my cute new sandals, I didn't have the right shirt to wear.  T had to be back at the mall that evening for the little princess crowning.  It was very cute and I got to meet T's "teen" (she's Miss Metro Jackson Teen and works with T's director as well).  It was also the first time I got to see T in her crown and sash. 






Sunday morning we had to be back in the auditorium for a long, long day of meetings and information.  I also like to refer to Sunday as "Miss Miss Boot Camp."  Holy cow.  There was a lot of information.  It's all good though.  They talked to the contestants and parents about expectations, social media, judging, etc.  There was a lot of great information but I think it was a wake-up call for some of these girls. 






That night we drove back to Oxford and had dinner at http://www.oldvenice.com/.  I had never been there but T loves the artichoke dip and the lobster ravioli.  It was delicious.  I spent the night in T's dorm on a futon cushion from one of the girls down the hall.  T has her own room and a loveseat that would have been horribly uncomfortable for even someone only 5 ft. tall.  When we woke up to go to the radio station for T's show, it was snowing like crazy!  And it snowed all day.  I walked across campus to get T's car in front of her dorm while she went to class and had to stop at the campus bookstore to buy some gloves.  It was 18 degrees in Oxford.  It was 21 in DC.  It was actually warmer in MD than in MS.  We had lunch at the AOPi house and I finally got to meet T's big, Anna.  When I was in Oxford in November, Anna was terribly sick with the flu.  I also met a couple of the girls T is going on Spring Break with.  Very nice group of girls. 






T's friend drove up to Memphis with us so T wouldn't have to drive home from the airport alone.  I sat on the runway for a along time for de-icing and barely made my connection in Cincinnati.  And by barely I mean they were paging my name for final boarding.  My flight from Memphis arrived at Gate 3.  My connection was at Gate 32.  I was walking briskly and when they paged me, I started to run.  In heels.  A sweet little old man driving a golf cart saw me hustling and told me to hop on!  If it wasn't for him, I probably would have had to spend the night in Cincy.






It had snowed here all day Monday so rather than drive all the way home from the airport, I just spent the night at my hotel.  I had a hard time falling asleep but when I did, I slept great!  It was weird getting ready in the morning and just walking downstairs to my office!