Summer Vacation....

.....comes to an end.

While I come to terms with the end of the summer, Chase, in our typical Griswald fashion, is loading the U-Haul, and preparing to drive back across the desert to home.  In the center of the country.  Gosh, I hope it goes well.

He will be leaving the lush tropical settings of the oceanside community that he has called home for the last three months.  And he will be heading straight back into the stark reality of Oklahoma, where it is about 100 degrees EVERY DAY.  And as a bonus, he will - after only a few days - return to school, where the humidity is 100 percent, most of the time.  Poor guy.  The acclimating will be hard. 

He will have to say goodbye to things like this --

And say hello to scenes like this --

 And this --

 And even this --

And get ready to go back and spend lots of hours here --

I think he is secretly looking forward to it.  Deep down, I think he has learned a lot of cool things that he is going to be able to pull out of his hat when necessary.

Don't Wanna Do It

The time is coming.  It is coming fast.  I don't want to have to say goodbye to the kids for the school year, but ready or not, here it comes.

Chase has been gone the entire summer, so he is just changing locations....

But Gant has been in and out and stayed with us multiple times during the summer, so it is like he has been here.  He is 20, and he is our baby.

This is the same picture I posted a few days ago, but you need to know about this guy.

He is very serious.  He is soft spoken.  He loves to dance.  (okay, maybe I made up the dance part.)

But he is studious, and focused on getting through school.  Can't you see it in his eyes?

Man, I hate the end of summer.......  I just don't wanna say goodbye!

more pics

More pics need to be taken...  Chase and Sheena will be home in about a week or so.  I am emptying the memory cards and charging up the batteries due to the impending arrival.  We have seen him so rarely this summer.  We will have to make up for lost time with lots of pics when they finally get here.

Now here is a perfect example of why we will need to take a lot of pictures.  Sheena = looking good.  Eyes open, perfect smile.  Perfect head tilt.  Chase = eyes almost closed.  Still a cute picture and would probably work for some things, but if we took, say 20 more, we might get a really good one with his eyes open a little more, or something spontaneous, like a funny moment or something.  He will love getting this news.  Shhh..... don't tell him.  We can just surprise him when he gets here.

He loves his mom.  Surely he will indulge her.......

Night on the Porch

These two showed up on my back porch this evening, and were all about showing us their dance moves.  I tried to get them to stop... but they just were so into it.

Gant was all serious and everything.  He told me it was Zumba, but I knew that wasn't right.  Then to distract everyone, he picked up this turtle and started chasing people around with it.

Just a crazy night of randomness on the back porch.  Oh, and there was a pretty sunset......

I love it when the kids are here!

Wild Men

The boys of summer are having a fabulous time in SoCal.  I have gotten a few texts from them, and they seem to definitely be living life on the edge.  They stopped for a snack yesterday at the Heart Attack Cafe at the Orange County Fair.  They told me they had deep fried butter and chocolate covered bacon.  Neither sounds very appetizing to me, but I think they were just trying to get me wound up. 

I know Chase wanted to show Mike his favorite little hole in the wall eating establishment, Chronic Tacos.  No doubt, that is on their list...

Last I knew, today they were having lunch with Chase's boss, Michael, then were off to the X-Games.  Good times.

I remember when the kids were little, and they would watch the X-Games on television... then they would go outside and build ramps to skate off and ride their bikes off of...  It's amazing we didn't have more visits to the emergency room.  We were pretty lucky that way.

Oh, and they also had to send me a text to tell me that it was 75 degrees there.  I responded with a sarcastic two word phrase that isn't fit for publication, and informed them that it was 98 here at home.  And to think, only three days ago, I was saying "Aloha," and "Mahalo," as if they were part of my regular vocabulary... and watching the palm trees sway in the wind. 

Wild July

It has been a wild month at our house...  We have done more than our fair share of traveling, and I am anxious to get back into my own home and bed. 

Mike started out around the 14th, by going to Costa Rica.  He went for a long weekend, and the day he returned home, I left for the islands.  Nice week in paradise.  And the day after I got home, Mike is leaving again.  He is off to the OC to see Chase before his internship ends, and he returns to school.  So I know they will have a fun weekend.  They have planned all sorts of man--fun things.  Hmmm......... 

But I bet they won't be doing anything like this --  sitting with friends on the beach, watching the sun go down.

And I bet this won't happen to them...  What are the odds of being 5000 miles from home and running into someone you know...?  Well, I now know that it can happen.  Bon ran into someone she knew from Dallas.  Crazy!

I have said it before, and I will say it again.  It is a small world.

But I know Chase and Mike will do all kinds of sweaty, fun man things.  Eat meals with no vegetables.  Who knows what they will find to get into?  Hopefully, they will take pictures.  I need blog material.  :)

Believe it or not --

I happen to have more photos of the University that might be helpful for Bon as she becomes more familiar with E's new surroundings.

Like, for instance, this could be the view from his dorm room....  it really could!

And here is our basketball coach, his name is Travis Ford.  We think we like him.  We don't agree with all of his antics, but to my knowledge, no chairs have flown. 

And the lesson here, is that you want to be sitting behind this particular goal at the end of the game, because, win or lose, the players come back and jump into the stands with the students, and they all join in singing (and they put arms on shoulders of the strangers and friends all around them) the Alma Mater, which luckily -- E learned at Camp Cowboy.  So he is good to go!

So that is what is going on in that picture.  There are at least 3 players in this picture.  The kids love this!

And then you know, we will always be there for you!  This is only part of our Stillwater contingent.  We have many others and you know many yourself!  I think it is going to be a great fit, E!

Bring your orange!!!  You are going to need it!

Not to be bragging or anything....

One of the most amazing phenomena of having only two adults in the house is the laundry.  Don't jump ahead of me here....  socks still disappear mysteriously, stains don't always get treated as they should, but for the most part, there is less laundry.

Not surprising, I know.  But it was a task that used to take me hours in a week, and it had to be maintained.  Now, a week's laundry can be knocked out in less than two hours.

What do I do with all this spare time, you ask?  I have yet to find the spare time.  I am obviously SAVING it.....  but I don't know where it is! 

My house is empty of everyone except me for the next three days.  So I decided to really get some things done.  You know, those chores you neglect until they become embarrassing...  yep, I was going to mark them off my list.

So I start a couple of small loads of laundry.... thinking, I will be caught back up in NO TIME.  And apparently, laundry is something you have to keep practicing to be good at, because I seem to be losing my touch.  I started with a load of some delicate items like a swimsuit, a new blouse, you know... stuff like that... and I proceeded to fill the detergent dispenser with fabric softener.  Nice.  *$^#@

No turning back.  It had already started dripping into the washer.  I just grabbed the laundry detergent, and I filled up every cup in the dispenser.  And then I just slammed it shut.  Like that is going to help anything.  I will probably have to wash it all again after it finishes, but good grief.

A normal day at my house.  I could probably tell you three or four similar stories about myself -- all from today.  But that is why God lets us all live in different houses......   :)    He takes care of me today and every day.  He gives me ENOUGH time.  He gives me ENOUGH memory.  He gives me every day what is needed for that day.  What a miracle!  He has a plan. 

Big Day

It was a pretty big day.  We knew it was coming, but it still was a really big deal. 

First of all, these two were the people at the center of all the excitement. 

They were in Southern California, making plans for the rest of their lives.  He knew, but she didn't.  I don't know, ... something about the beach, a picnic basket, champagne and a ring.  We really haven't heard all the details yet, but everyone seems really excited.

He said he was super nervous.  They have only been seeing each other for about seven years.  How could he pull off a surprise?

So they go to this quaint little area on the beach where these restored beach houses are located...  I think it is called Crystal Cove Beach Park.  Again, I am speaking out of turn, because I wasn't there, and I don't know how it happened, but our cousin, Katy, was there to take pictures -- so maybe we will have some of those to post later along with more details.

This is Mike and me at the restaurant on this same little beach about two years ago.   So when he told us this was where he was going to take her, we knew exactly where he was talking about!  It is such a unique place.

Everyday is pretty exciting and different in Lily's World... but this one, was really special.