19 Years Since 12th Grade

This has been an interesting week... I've reconnected with a friend from high school who moved back home last year (Christa) and also gotten in touch with a few others via e-mail... and even though my husband and I have known each other since sixth grade (yeah, scary I know) and he knows everything about me, it's funny to catch up with people who remember you at the most vunerable and tender stage of life... as a teenager.

(Christa reminded me about "Baby Tide," which was one of those tiny boxes of Tide that I got at a hotel on a band trip (I think) and proceeded to carry around with me at school for at least six months in 10th grade. She even has a picture of the two of us with Baby Tide. THAT would be a good one to post on this blog!)

I'm definitely the same person that I was back then, however, I think that I used to let that goofy side out more frequently, maybe it was those 1980s perms that made me do it... Christa and I are leading the charge to have an awesome 20th Class Reunion next year and I am delighted to be finding old friends as great, or even better than they were so long ago!

The Endorsement - Outside Showers

So, this weekend we did a whole bunch of stuff... went out for pizza with Nana and Papa on Friday night, Jason and Jake went kayaking and found a message in a bottle (total hoax, BTW)on Saturday morning, my Dad and Betty (GrandpaBetty as they kids call them) stayed over Saturday night, we had a late breakfast out Sunday morning with them after Jason's run, I got my pink chairs (yay!) from Michelle and David on Sunday and then they (the Youngs) came over last night for some grilled chicken. See, lots of stuff. But, I am mostly compelled to write about my early Saturday morning shower outside with Bryce. There was no humidity, no hot sun and no bugs, so Bryce and I decided to take our shower on the pool deck instead of in the bathroom. Now, for those of you who have not been to our house, let me preface this by saying our backyard is surrounded by an 8 foot opaque wood fence... the only people that could see us would have to be pretty high up in a ladder (which I would see) or flying overhead in a plane (which does happens frequently, but thankfully didn't happen Saturday morning). We got the soap, shampoo, conditioner and our towels out... turned on the outside shower and took the most relaxing shower E-V-E-R. One of the things I hate about taking a (regular) shower is that little sense of dread you feel when you have to turn off the water -- just before you wrap yourself up in your towel. You know what I'm talking about. It's 74 degrees inside and you get cold... very cold. Goosebumps cold. Well, outside, this is not a problem, as the temperature was a pleasant 78 - 80 degrees. Bryce soaped up the steps to the pool bathroom and played in the water. The birds were chirping. The sky was clear and the air felt clean after a nice rain on Friday evening. This is what life is all about. So there is my endorsement. If you don't have an outdoor shower, get one right away. Just make sure that you have enough privacy.

If I had to predict the future...

based on what my children did this weekend, I would have to tell you that Jake would become an architect (albeit a cross-dressing architect, but an architect none the less) and Bryce would become a mermaid performer at Weeki Wachee. Which, if you know Bryce, is totally right for her. In fact, I'll take it a step further and tell you that if Weeki Wachee branches out into nude mermaid performances Bryce would be the first girl in line to perform.

Yesterday we relaxed around the house recovering from the pool party we had on Saturday. Jake took it upon himself to build a tent-like structure out of twigs on the back patio. He said that it was for our cockatiel, Boo Boo. Here's the mini-movie about the twig tent. Be kind, it's our first attempt at making a movie.






For the record, I am total loser when it comes to technology. Have had my digital camera for more than a year and just figured out it takes short movies. Duh. I hope to share more of these in the future.