Coach

This is Jeff's first year to experience the joys and trials of coaching girls' softball. He is Head Coach of the Varsity team and it hasn't been easy. Not only has he never played the game (his expertise is baseball), he grew up without any sisters and is having to learn to deal with the teenage female. I think he eased slowly into this role but now is not cutting the girls any slack. He expects from them what he expects from his baseball players and is gradually weeding out the ones that aren't up for it. This first picture on the Park Hill website is titled "what if I want pepperoni". I think I know my son well enough to guess that what he's actually saying is "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, YOU MORON!?!?"

Full House

Jeremy, Trista and 2-yr. old Jacob are now permanent residents at our house. Despite mis-matched furniture in the livingroom, boxes piled in the garage, a constant array of balls, bats, drums, guitars, guns, etc. strewn throughout the house and the occasional surrender to a Wiggles video in lieu of the evening news, we are adjusting quite nicely. Jacob is in his third week of preschool (3 days a week) and is also adjusting well. It's a Christian school, so it's nice to know that what he's being taught at home is being reinforced at school. He has been under the weather the last few days and visited the doc yesterday. Fluid behind the ear and "sinus infection"? I didn't know toddlers got sinus infections. Anyway, fortunately he's very good at taking medicine. Their house is finally under construction and hopefully framing will begin next week. Trista is already overwhelmed by all the decisions that come with building. Being 8 months pregnant doesn't help. I've always said that pregnant women shouldn't make important decisions, but most of the big ones will come after the baby is born. That's just 3 weeks from today!

I am recovering quickly from my recent surgery. (Bills are already starting to roll in.) I'm having a hard time remembering that I can't (shouldn't) lift Jacob. When his sister gets here, it will be exactly 5 weeks since my surgery and I should be back to regular activity by then. Just in time to help out with the new grandbaby.

Catching Up

Time to update this blog!

After a week in Canada with my niece Chelsea, I made a trip to Kansas City to help my youngest get settled in his new home. Yes, he's a real grownup now with a home of his own. My oldest, on the other hand, is moving home. Actually, he and his wife are building a new home and will temporarily be living here until it's finished. As though there wasn't enough going on in my life with surgery scheduled for Aug. 30, I allowed our youth minister to coerce me into going on a weekend trip with the youth. We left on Friday, Aug. 25 for a weekend at Burnt Cabin. He had mentioned in an email that he assumed I didn't have a problem driving one of the passenger vans, and I half-way thought he was kidding. Wrong. This became the first of many adventures of the weekend. I thought the gas pedal felt wierd and was feeling rather awkward with it, and my foot kept slipping off the break pedal whenever I had to slow down or stop. But we made it there safely, despite some tense muscles in the neck and shoulders. When we left Sunday morning to come back, we found that the gas pedal was laying on the floor board and the rubber cover for the break pedal was under the seat!!

One of the highlights for the kids was Saturday's trip to the cliffs. I'm a little like my dad and am not fond of heights. These cliffs were at the edge of Lake Tenkiller and the objective, it seemed, was to jump off the cliff into the lake. As our YM was giving safety instructions to the kids, I felt compelled to interrupt and make it clear that, as the oldest one there, I must tell them that this was against my better judgement and that I advised against it. Just wanted that on the record. As I look back on this experience I can't help but remember words from my dad as I was growing up and wanting to do something that "everyone else" was doing..."if 'everyone else' jumped off a cliff would you jump too?" Well now I know the answer to that question, "yes, I would." And I have bruises to show for it. Just goes to show, even at 50, peer pressure is still a very strong force.

Meltdown

A few anxious moments today. During a thunderstorm around noon, I heard a "pop" but really couldn't determine where it came from. Neal is always chiding me for hearing little noises and thinks I'm paranoid, so I bravely went on with my day with no worries. Around 2:30, I noticed that it was getting quite warm in the house. (We like to call it a house...we're in our own little fantasy world.) It's very unusual for me to get too warm during the day, but I've been a little under the weather. I had been blaming a gas leak at the plant for Neal's congestion, coughing, sneezing, etc., but apparently I was mistaken and now have his cooties. Anyway, back to the "pop"....it didn't take this detective long to realize that the air conditioner was not coming on! Yikes! That's not good! So begins the adventure of looking for a breaker switch. Now, believe it or not, after more than 3 weeks living here, I'm still nervous about all the switches. I just know that I will inadvertantly flip a switch that will initiate the sliding in of our three "slide-outs" and I'll be trapped between the couch and the TV. Of course, nothing in the manual addresses the location of a fuse box or breakers. That would be WAYYYYYY too easy. I'm looking in closets, cabinets, bathroom, reading all the verbiage on each little switchplate. Finally, I look at this little odd coverplate just inside the door and it occurs to me that I've always wondered what that was. I take the cover off and there are all the breaker switches!!!! Hooray! One is even labeled A/C. How nice of them. It is now cooling off in our "house" and the crisis is over. For today.

Great Strides in RVing

First it was emptying the "Black Tank." For those of you who are RV-illiterate, that's the tank that holds...well...human waste. See, I was under the impression that if you were in a full hook-up park, you just kept that valve open and it automatically went into the sewer every time you flushed. Lesson number one--the instructions say that it's better to keep it closed and empty when full. Don't ask me why. I think it's a cruel joke the writer of the manual is playing on all of us city folks who are playing like we're camping. What was even more baffling to me was that Neal had actually READ the instructions, so knew about this little tidbit. The first time that there was an indication that the tank was full, Neal was at work. So I called him. He said "empty it." I said, "I'm scared." He said, "there's nothing to it just turn the handle and pull it out....but not too fast." "Not too fast?" "Or the hose will pop off and you'll have 'you know what' everywhere." Now I'm really scared. I wait for him to come home from work and I use the park's public bathrooms the rest of the day. I can now proudly say that I've emptied the Black Tank twice, with no unpleasant accidents. (I'm a pro.)

Next it was the oven. I've been doing quite a bit of cooking, believe it or not, but all on top of the stove or in the microwave or on the grill. See, the oven requires manual pilot lighting. Another scary prospect for me. Neal had explained in detail how to do it, but I asked my friend, KK (Killer Karrie) to give me more detailed instructions. Yesterday I bought a frozen pizza for dinner. No--I really have been cooking meals, but had a couple of dinner-time calls to make so I needed something quick and easy. After the third attempt the pilot was lit and voila! pizza for dinner.

Marble Slab

One thing that Oklahoma has that South Texas doesn't--Braum's Ice Cream. Anyone who knows me well, knows that ice cream is my biggest weakness. And Braum's knows how to do ice cream. So after almost three weeks in Texas, I was going through a bit of a withdrawal. Until......Killer Karrie introduced me to the Marble Slab Creamery. This place puts Braum's to shame. They make all their ice cream fresh daily in the store! Their waffle cones are also homemade and fresh, dipped in your choice of a variety of coatings. If that's not enough, you can choose any flavor of ice cream, then have them blend in any of your favorite goodies, from cookies, to cake to candy to fruit. After dipping your choice of ice cream, they use these paddles to fold in chunks of your favorite goodies. Last night, I had sweet cream ice cream with real pound cake and strawberries folded in, then topped with whipped cream. YUMMMMM!! I am now an official member of "The Slab Club" and after five purchases, I get a free ice cream!! How great is that?!

This morning Karrie and I had a good workout. I've gained 1.5 pounds since my arrival. I'm hoping it's muscle, but I have serious doubts after my visit to the Marble Slab last night.

Quiet

It's really quiet around here since the kids have gone home. This RV seems really big until there are five people occupying it. I cleaned the closet mirrors today, erasing the last traces of evidence of Jacob's visit. He spent cherished moments singing into the hose of Neal's C-Pap in front of those mirrors. We already miss the little guy.

Astro's Game

Monday night we had great seats at Minute Maid Park to watch the Rocket win a game for the Astros. Jacob was not impressed. We took turns wrestling with him, feeding him popcorn and Papa even took him to shop for his own bat, ball and cap. He finally konked out in the 8th inning, and slept through the grand fireworks display following the game. Tuesday it rained again and after a late, big breakfast at IHOP it seemed like a good day for naps. A brief break in the weather allowed us to grill some steaks and brats for dinner, then we drove the kids to the airport to catch their 8:15 flight home. Wrong! Even though we checked the flight status before leaving, they were informed that it was delayed until 10:30. They called us and of course we turned around and went back to pick them up. Thank goodness for McDonald's that still have indoor play areas. Being a holiday evening, there was only one other child there when we arrived and a short time later we were the only ones in the restaurant. Jacob loves climbing, so he was thrilled. Hopefully he wore himself out enough to sleep on the way home. All in all, it was a good weekend because we were able to spend quality time with them, and they got some much needed rest.

Raining on our Parade

It's a pity you have to make plane reservations at least 14 days in advance to get a good price, yet you can't get a 14 day forecast from the weather service. I have been in Kemah for over a week without a drop of rain, but it has rained almost non-stop since Jeremy and his family have been here. We've spent a lot of time in the trailer, watching sports and comedies and letting Jacob entertain us. Trista, Jacob and I took advantage of a short break in the weather to get in the pool yesterday, while Neal and Jeremy got out the poles and caught a few fish in the pond. While Jacob took his nap yesterday, Trista and I went to some open houses in a new development near here to get some ideas for their new house. Of course some of the things we liked in the $1 million plus houses were a little beyond what they can incorporate into their house. But it was fun to look. Last night we ate dinner at the Aquarium on the Kemah Boardwalk. Jacob liked all the fish, especially the Nemo & Dora tank, and he wanted to get in the water with the sting rays. Thankfully, the rest of the evening was dry, and we were able to walk around and ride some of the rides. While waiting for the merry-go-round to start up, Jacob kept eyeing the "Pharoah's Fury" ride, which I wouldn't even dare get on. The child who screams in the shower (no bathtubs at this trailer park), wants to be a daredevil at the amusement park! Today we woke up to...guess what...pouring rain. We have a trip to the mall planned and the Astro game tonight--thank goodness for the roof at Minute Maid Park!

Cranky in Kemah

This morning I stayed home, waiting for the Cable Guy. We haven't had good cable reception since Neal got here in January. Since the majority of his time in the trailer is spent sleeping, it didn't seem to be a huge dilema. According to the Cable Guy, our problem is internal. Apparently the cable that threads "somewhere" through the wall of the trailer is defective, probably damaged by a staple or nail. No simple solution. I really haven't been much of a TV person the last couple of years, but all of a sudden it is imperative that I have a crystal clear picture on the tube. Now, we could take the 5th Wheel in to a service center and they might possibly be able to fix it. But with Neal's work schedule that is next to impossible, unless we trade vehicles and I hitch up the old wagon and take it in myself. Can you imagine me wheeling through Houston traffic with this 34' trailer behind me? Not a pretty picture. Why this makes me so irritable is a mystery. The "cable channels" including HGTV, ESPN, AMC, TNT, etc. are all watchable. The "local channels," though they are snowier, are still watchable if we use the antenna. And it's summer, for cryin' out loud, anything I did enjoy watching is now in reruns. I think it's just the idea of something not working the way it's supposed to. Obviously this is why the original owners traded it in! Maybe I'm just cranky because of the sore on my tongue from wearing that blasted retainer that I should have been rid of months ago! Any remedy for that, Dr. Torture...I mean Dr. Torchia???

RVing

RVing, I've discovered, is somewhere between camping and being trailer trash. I arrived at the world renowned Kemah RV Resort Thursday evening. Friday was spent unpacking and rearranging "our home" to make room for some of MY things, and of course, there was much cleaning to do, though Neal insisted he had cleaned in preparation for my arrival. Pooped from unpacking, cleaning and the daily trip to Wal-Mart, dinner "out" was in order. Later I watched a little TV while listening to Neal slam doors and complain that he couldn't find anything. Sorry honey, there's two of us here now. Saturday I called my friend, Karrie, to see if she wanted to go to the gym with me. I'm used to working out with my partner, Janet, and I dreaded going it alone. Karrie agreed to meet me there, and I have to say, it was a humbling experience. I really thought I was in good shape--not just good shape for my age--but GOOD SHAPE. Talk about bursting my bubble! Now, arguably, Karrie is the age of my youngest son, but PLEASE! The rest of the day was spent soaking my sore muscles in the pool. No, it was not refreshing! This is South Texas in the summer! I've suggested to the Park Manager that a truckload of ice each day for the pool would be a nice amenity. She just laughed. I wasn't joking. Since my ego had taken a bashing at the gym, we opted for dinner out again. (This part I could get used to.) Sunday was Neal's day off, woo hoo! We usually go to League City Church of Christ, but I had done some internet surfing and wanted to try Clear Lake. Wow! What a wonderful congregation. Good cooks too! We stayed for the Visitor's Lunch (why start cooking yet?). They have a different group each week prepare a pot luck, and this group was referred to by one man as the "Old Folks". Sadly, we fit right in. We went to Lowe's Sunday afternoon and bought a charcoal grill. I guess Neal thinks it's time I start cooking. Today I went to the gym by myself. I'll have to work up my courage to go with Karrie again. Took care of some business--like scheduling the cable guy to come see why we're not getting good reception--that's the trailer trash part, not the camping part. Made yet another trip to Wal-Mart...good thing it's only a mile or so down the road. Have some steaks marinating to grill tonight and yes, took another dip in the oversized bathtub they call a pool. And did I mention it's really hot and humid here? The smart "snowbirds" have gone back up north for the summer, but we are spending the summer on the Gulf Coast!

At the Park

School is out, so Jeff was home for the week last week. Friday we took Jacob to the park. The last time I had taken him, he was dying to get wet in the water play area, but we weren't prepared with swim suit or swimmie diaper. So I made sure to have everything we needed for him to run and play in the water this time. Wouldn't you know, he didn't want to have ANYTHING to do with getting wet this time, even though the temperature was in the 90's. Here are some pics of the the "wild man" playing on the equipment and sulking by the water.

Bathtime

Yesterday morning, Jacob was unhappy with his mommy cause she wouldn't let him take a bath. After arriving at Nana's house, he wasn't having any better luck. So he used his stool to climb up into the bathroom sink to take matters into his own hands.

After an hour at the park, Nana finally did give him a long, relaxing bath--in the tub.

Rainy Days

The last 2 days have been dismal and rainy and Jacob misses getting to play outside. Yesterday we decided to try finger painting. Knowing that he would probably want to taste the "paint" I made vanilla pudding and added blue food coloring. Somehow, Jacob managed to stay clean, while I, the slob that I am, got blue food coloring on my good polo shirt! The rolling pins were meant to hold down the paper, but Jacob decided to put them to better use. He's so creative!!

He is finally calling me Nana instead of "Diyah". Don't know where that came from. And every day he seems to have a new word or phrase. Today he's been saying, "I hold you." when he wants me to hold him. Sooooo precious.

Coach Blevins

Jeff finished out his first year of coaching Park Hill High School Freshmen with a 14-1 record. He was really blessed with a talented team and I'm sure their success can also be attributed to his knowledge of the game and ability to motivate. Only 2 runs kept them from having a perfect record. Great start to a promising career!

Sandbox

Just a few pics of Jacob at serious play in his new sandbox. Notice the fancy sandbox toys that Nana splurged on. Nothing's too good for the grandson! The challenge is keeping the sand IN the sandbox.

Apprentice

As some of my close friends and family are aware, The Apprentice is just about my favorite TV program. While on a trip to New York City, one of the highlights for me was seeing Donald Trump on the street and going to Trump Tower. Last night's episode was pre-empted by our local weather...we had to rounds of thunderstorms/tornadoes throughout the evening. I felt a little guilty for my frustration at not being able to watch my show, when lives were in danger. Then I got a phone call from my sister that further added to my frustration. It seems that the task of the teams on this particular day was to create brochures of Ellis Island and see who could sell the most. Egads! The day we toured Ellis Island in September we were approached to buy brochures and were being filmed during the process. I actually bought 2 brochures, one for myself and one for my mother-in-law. We both had to sign releases to allow our faces to be shown on this video. We were a part of The Apprentice!!!!!!!!! To my dismay, the team we bought from lost the task...I shouldn't have been so cheap and talked her into a lower price! I'm sure they lost because of ME! Fortunately, the episode will be rebroadcast tomorrow evening and I'll be sure to tape it and watch for mine and my families beautiful faces on Ellis Island.

Sesame Street

I am a brave grandmother! Today Jacob and I went to the Mabee Center to see all his favorite characters in Sesame Street Live. Thankfully, we brought Grandma Blevins along to help us out. Jacob was enthralled by the bright lights and music when we entered the theater. All the way to our seat he kept repeating, "Whoa! Whoa!" We had great seats on the floor next to the stage and Jacob took turns sitting in his own seat ($22) and sitting on the laps of Grandma and Nana. Before the show began, he was captivated by all the kids surrounding him. This particular showing (10:30 a.m.) was the most popular for schools and daycares. I was pleasantly surprised that the show held his interest for the entire time. Of course, towards the end, I'm sure those around us were getting a little annoyed that he kept batting around his balloon that Grandma Blevins bought for him during intermission. :) As we were climbing the stairs after the show, I allowed him to hold my hand and walk up the stairs by himself, not realizing that he would want to pick up every piece of popcorn that had spilled in the aisle! And there was PLENTY of that.

Sleepless in Tulsa

When was the last time I had a good night's sleep? Who knows, since I also suffer from memory loss. But seriously, I can't remember what it's like to sleep all night, to be awakened by the alarm, or to enjoy dreamless, deep sleep and wake up refreshed. I finally resorted to a prescription about a month ago--Lunesta. You know the ads--butterfly gently coming to rest on the peaceful sleeping woman. Lies, I tell you, all lies! I have to admit I slept "better" with the Lunesta, just not "good." But the adverse side affects were too much to bear, so the doc prescribed Sonata. First night with this "wonder drug" and I had a worse night of tossing & turning than without the medication. Time to take matters in my own hands. I have resolved to become caffeine-free. Didn't really think I ingested a great amount of caffeine anyway--2 cups of coffee in the morning, the occasional soda, iced tea and of course a treat of chocolate now and then. But I'm at the end of my rope, so to speak, and am willing to try anything. Knowing first hand about the "caffeine headache" I started yesterday by making my coffee with 1/2 regular and 1/2 decaf. Then no more caffeine the rest of the day. Yeah, I had a headache. And no, I didn't sleep well last night, but maybe slightly better than usual. Decided to go the same route today with the 1/2 and 1/2. Guess what? No headache today. Amazing. Maybe I'll cut back even more tomorrow. If anyone has any tried and true home remedies for insomnia, I welcome the feedback. Here's to a good night's sleep!

The Sweet Life

What could be sweeter than eating Nana's bran blueberry muffins while watching Finding Nemo on my own personal dvd player? I couldn't possibly be spoiled, could I? Simply by coincidence, the t-shirt I brought to wear today says, "It's All About Me!" - Jacob

Jacob decided to take it upon himself to climb up into his high chair, retrieve his favorite collapsable tin cup and, appropriately for this little monkey, a delicious banana.