Our son is graduating from college this week which brings back memories of his school years, especially being in band. He was in band from sixth grade through his second year in college and then for two years in a percussion ensemble. I remember all the football games with the band playing at half time and the color guard flags decorating the field. Then there were all the many band competitions and a parade or two every year. We have so many wonderful memories!
So much to do and so little time! Have you ever felt that way? I have several lists going right now. One for school, one for errands, one for day-to-day stuff, one for our son’s graduation party, one for our son’s wedding, one for the rehearsal dinner, etc. Another list is a shopping list for everything else (not literally everything – I don’t have ceramic rods on my list). My husband would tell me that I’m not listless. Haha! Hope you got the humor!
Time passes so fast, and things that are regular events suddenly become memories. I was just thinking about all the many times we went to high school football games, mainly to watch our son play with the band at half time. We would sit on aluminum benches and would enjoy the half time show every time. We went to many band competitions, band meetings, SOS meetings (Save Our Seniors) graduation night planning meetings, etc. Such a busy time, those four years! Lots of wonderful memories!
Love this cooler weather we’re having. It reminds me of being in the Rocky Mountains (wish I was there right now). I just checked the temperature at Estes Park, Colorado, and right now it’s 26 degrees. Brrr!!! That means a warm jacket like the kind they have at north face womens and other places would feel good. Add a cup of some really good hot chocolate and a warm, cozy campfire with family and friends , and that’s my kind of day.
I am so excited about having another grandchild to love! For those of you who don’t know, our daughter and son-in-law have two precious little boys, J who just turned five and C who is three and a half. Now, baby sister is soon to arrive. Maternity Pants won’t be needed much longer for Christi, and I’m so glad.
For those of you who already know the joys of being a “grandma,” you totally understand the excitement. I cannot wait to hold that precious little baby in my arms. Babies are such a blessing!
Hope all of our family and friends have a wonderful 4th of July! How do you like our centerpiece? Thanks to our son’s girlfriend who brought us the candles and flags when they visited us on Saturday to attend Celebrate Freedom at South Fork Ranch (yes, that’s the ranch where the popular TV show “Dallas” was filmed back in the 80’s).
I used a small frog (the kind for flowers) inside a small stemmed glass to hold the flags, and I found one small flag that we already had which I added to the arrangement. Looks very patriotic!
Our son has been in band since sixth grade, and now he’s going to be a senior in college. For many years, we heard things like our son saying, “I need new drumsticks” or another band member might say, “I need Vandoren Reeds.” The high school years were so busy with before school practices, after school practices, football games, parades, and many competitions in the fall. Once our son was in college, though, things came to a stop. We got to see a college football game (and enjoyed half time immensely), and now that he’s in a percussion group we’ve gotten to see two or three of his programs. Great band memories!
My mother-in-law’s birthday is this summer, and I’ve been thinking about what she would like and really enjoy. I looked at Gift baskets here and thought about flowers, too. As far as gift items, it’s really hard to think of anything else that we haven’t already given her. Maybe my husband can think of something that she actually needs, and I know she would like that. If he doesn’t know of anything then I’ll have to put on my thinking cap and so some more thinking!
There’s just something about the sound of guitar music that’s so appealing. That’s one thing that attracted me to my husband when we first met. He is very talented on the acoustic guitar plus he has a beautiful singing voice. As of now, he has two guitars, but did have one more which he gave away years ago to someone who needed one. He’s never had electric guitars such as dean guitars, only acoustic. There’s something about the sound of his Alvarez acoustic guitar that I really like. I guess it’s my favorite guitar of all that he’s had.
My in-laws had a beautiful backyard where they used to live. Their house was situated on a half-acre, and so their backyard was large. They had beautiful trees, lush green grass, and pretty flowers planted in different spots. The focal point in the center of the yard was a bird bath that added a nice touch to their park-like backyard. This was a place where family could retreat after a busy day at work and reconnect.
Have you noticed how water fountains add a nice touch to just about any setting? Something about the gentle flow of water is relaxing and enjoyable to watch.
I clearly remember a tornado 30 years ago when our daughter (Christi @ Frugal Novice) was a baby and we lived out in west Texas. My husband was at work, and a bad storm came in June. Christi had just learned to crawl and was on the floor playing. I was doing things around the house and listening to the radio on a pretty sunny afternoon. All of a sudden, the DJ on the radio said to take cover under heavy furniture because a tornado was five miles north of town headed our way!
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I called our next-door-neighbors, who knew nothing about the tornado, to go to the storm shelter with me. I then grabbed Christi and the diaper bag. My two neighbors (husband thought we were being a sissy when I first called but was thankful afterwards) went with me to a shelter. As we headed toward the shelter and looked north of town, the sky was black and very scary.
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The storm hit a couple of minutes after we got down in the below-ground shelter. It sounded like the tornado touched down to the ground, but it didn’t. However, when we came out of the shelter, there were 10 inches of hail on the ground, eerie-looking steam coming up because of the hot summer day and cold hail, plus not one leaf was left on any of the abundant trees in our little area. When we got home, two sides of our place had the windows blown out. There was glass all over our living room rug where our baby had just been playing, and it was all over the kitchen too. I thank God that I was listening to the radio and heard the warning!
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There have been already been 653 reported tornadoes in 2012. If you don’t have a plan in place, now is the time to do it. Being proactive about tornado safety means having a plan in place and following the tips below. The first one is mine, and the rest are from tornado safety sites:
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Tornado Safety from the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma
Before, During, & After a Tornado from Ready.gov