My apologies for the lack of blogging lately. I know you are all on the edge of your seat wondering what we've been up to. Ha! I actually really enjoy writing blog posts and working with pictures, but sometimes I just can't find the energy to get on my laptop at home since I'm on a computer for 8 hours everyday at work. But here's a shot at an update.
The big news around our house is that we got new toilets. Yes, our life is really that boring. But it was our first do-it-yourself project that went smoothly, so we're pretty happy about it. Our old toilets were from the 1950s and used 3.5 gallons per flush. The new ones use 1.6 gallons. Just doing our part to save the planet. My favorite quote from Kolby about the project: "Say what you want about America, but 200 bucks sure buys you a heck of a lot of toilets." It was so refreshing to go to the plumbing aisle at Home Depot and find that a perfectly good toilet costs $98. That was after buying a new front door knob for $120. Someone please explain how that is possible.
We have officially launched the summer of home improvement projects. Next on the list--- our office. We're reorganizing, painting, and we ordered a 10' wide by 7' tall corner bookcase for Kolby. He's finally getting his dream of having a library. He already has all the books, but the bookcases we have now aren't big enough so we have boxes of books stored in closets. Just ask anyone who helped us move--- I swear every other box weighed 50 pounds and had BOOKS written across the top. I'm excited for how that room will look once we're finished!
I met an old friend last Saturday. His name is Summer Kolby. Summer Kolby has all of the wonderful attributes of Kolby, but with no stress at all plus an extra dose of helpfulness. Summer Kolby also cooks a big breakfast for himself every morning, stays in his pajamas until lunch, does whatever he wants whenever he wants to do it, and goes to A LOT of Rangers games. After working really hard during the school year, he deserves the break!
Kolby's students graduated last Friday. This is his first year to teach seniors, and it was really bittersweet. I read several of the letters and cards that his students wrote to him, and it is just completely amazing the things they said. He has had such an extraordinary impact on their lives. I'm very proud :)
Backing up a little, we moved our annual gathering with my mom's side of the family from July 4th to Memorial Day this year because Remy is due on July 1 and my cousin is getting married on July 15th. One family wasn't able to make it (we missed you, Dunns!), but we still had 20 people under 1 roof for 4 days. As always, it was a blast. Here is a peek at what a big family gathering at the ranch looks like.
We like being where the food is. Hence, there are always several people gathered in the kitchen. Sometimes we invite more extended family to join us for a meal or two, like my great aunt and uncle.
We BBQ.
We play games. A lot of games.
We fish, now that the tiny bass and catfish we stocked the pond with a year ago are big enough to make it worth it.
We play washers.
What is "washers"? It's a game much like horseshoes except instead of stakes, you bury two empty bean cans in the ground to make holes, and rather than throwing horseshoes you throw 1" washers (as in the things that go along with nuts and bolts), which are about the diameter of a coke can.
Back to what we do at these family gatherings. We play with the new water toys on the pond.
And finally, we play whilffleball. Even the 40+ mph wind doesn't stop us. Just wrap some duct tape around the plastic balls and learn to play the breaks.
Basically, there is a lot do do, a lot of fun people to do it with, and a lot of food. What more do you need? Also, there is never an agenda and we never go anywhere (there's nowhere to go) so no need to keep track of time or pack anything but play clothes.
Here's a great example of why I love family gatherings at the ranch. On Saturday night we all got sucked into an episode of
Swamp People and stayed up really late waiting to see if the croc appropriately but not creatively named "Tree-Shaker" would be brought to justice. We slept in on Sunday morning and my family was in charge of a pancake breakfast. A belly full of blueberry pancakes prompted me to take a mid-morning nap on the couch. When I woke up an hour later it was unusually quiet in the house and I stepped out on the back patio to find that most people were gathered down at the washers course. Maybe it was the euphoria from actually getting the chance to take a nap, but it was just a really happy moment to look out and see everyone down there just having fun and carrying on a very long family tradition.
Changing gears, here is a baby update! Alayne had her precious son, Collin, on May 13. I took a half day off work to be at the hospital, and I'm really glad I was able to make it. Alayne has been a best friend of mine for about 12 years, and it was important to me to be there if at all possible. If nothing else, I want to be able to say at Collin's 5th birthday party or high school graduation or whatever else that I was there the day he was born, and then follow that up with some sappy statement about how time flies, how much he's grown up, or what an amazing young man he turned into. Alayne and Collin are both doing really great; he's super cute and she is already an amazing mom. :)
Remy isn't due until July 1, but the doctor thinks Tucker will be here within the next couple weeks. I got a call from Remy a few weekends ago that started with, "Hey Ems, I have a favor to ask but feel free to say no." and then she proceeded to say that she's headed to the hospital because she was having contractions but that Brad was out of town and she could use some company. "Oh, man I wish I could, Remy, but I just sat down to watch a rerun of Friends, and it's the one where Ross finally finds out that Chandler and Monica are dating, so..." I had to laugh at her; I mean, who phrases a question like that under those circumstances? I flew to the hospital and even beat her there. Turns out, it was false labor like she had thought and everything (baby's heart rate, Remy's blood pressure, etc.) looked just fine. It did land her on modified bed rest, though. That means she's allowed to go to work but she has to sit the whole time, and when she's home she has to lay on the couch with her feet elevated. She's doing great, and we're all just really ready to meet little Tuck!
Well, I think that about sums everything up around here. We're going on vacation with Kolby's family soon and we can't wait!!
