Today has been cold and rainy. What a strange winter this has been! For the most part, it's been much warmer than normal, hot and muggy like summer. But then along comes a cold front and we're back to winter for a day or two.

Mama came late last night and borrowed our couch to crash. She had brought donuts, and the kids, especially the little girls were thrilled to see her when they came down this morning. She didn't stay long this morning, but we did get a little time to talk over coffee and donuts.
I went running with Brian today, five miles. I'm going to start doing that again. I've become such a lazy runner! I'm not fit to be called a runner anymore. But I do walk, walk like crazy. So there's that.

I had an Area of Study meeting to attend at ACC this afternoon. It was informative and it helped me warm the cold feet I had last night. I'm excited about starting summer school! Margaret might start also, so we could be in the same class. How fun would that be!

Margaret decided to join track, even though it's already three weeks into the season. She went to Coach Sully yesterday and asked if she could, and he was thrilled to have her back. I'm so happy for her! I know she'll love being with her friends and competing one last season. She's such a jewel of a girl! I'm so glad she won't be leaving home right away. I think Samuel (as well as the rest of us) would be half dead with sorrow if she did. She got Samuel a job at the restaurant she works at, Napa Flats. He's a bus boy, and she's a server. Once she turns 18 next month she'll be able to wait tables. I'm so proud of her and what a hard worker she's been from such a young age! She has never shied away from hard work. She began babysitting when she was eleven, and has done that and nannying off and on since. She's worked at two different restaurants, and has also done art commissions. I'm so impressed with her maturity, even if she's my daughter.

Samuel has grown up quite a bit this year. He's blossomed socially and has scads of friends. He's no longer the shy, awkward child he was when he was in elementary and middle school. He even has a girlfriend. At least I think that's what they call each other. She's a doll, too, with long blonde hair. He's had a thing for silky blonde hair since first grade when he'd talk about the girl that sat near him with the "golden hair".  And of course she's a runner, too. We've taken to calling him Sam when we talk to him, when we remember it. That's what all his friends call him. Speaking of his friends, he had about eight or ten of them show up at our house on his birthday when we were having a family birthday for him and Olive. They snuck in the back door, aided and abetted by Margaret, and popped out singing Happy Birthday at just the right time. I think it meant a lot to him. He's enjoying his job and the opportunity to meet new people. He's always been a hard worker, and has already received good reviews from his employer. Sam's running career is coming along. He has high hopes of getting a running scholarship. He is one of the top 800m runners in the district as well as one of the top milers. He had been trainer with a personal running coach for a few months, but we had to drop that as it was getting too expensive. The same coach, an elite level runner that competes all over the world, also coaches several of Sam's Vandegrift buddies, and comes to the track meets to cheer them on. At the last meet he offered to continue to give Sam instruction free of charge, a $125/value. How nice!

As I mentioned in my last post, William is also running track. He runs the sprint distances, and does well. He wants to do well, but he's definitely not as committed to it as his older brother is. It's strange to think of William at the high school next year, even though he'd already be there if we hadn't held him back three and half years ago. I suppose all parents get a little shock to their systems when their child heads off to high school. I hope he does well. He seems to have a lot of friends. He's not the same kid who wouldn't speak at all when he was in elementary. He seems comfortable talking to young and old now. This year of middle school has gone well for him, but the previous two were rough. He's a sweet boy, and I think I often misjudge him. He came home last week upset because some "rich boys" on the 4x100 relay team he's on were bullying him. It's not like him to complain about that kind of thing because, for one, he's a little older than most boys in his grade, and two, because he usually takes it on his chin and deals. But for some reason this really bothered him. If I think too long about the hurts and fears my kids face each day I get a little weepy. I hope and pray it turns them to Jesus.

John is John. He goes to school every day on time and comes home at the same time every day. He gets his snack and then spends the rest of the afternoon and evening until dinner reading in his bed. He never deviates from this. He's pleasant and talkative, but a loner. He's a handsome boy, thin and tall for his age, probably 5 ft. 5 inches, with dark hair that he likes to wear a little long. He has dark blue eyes and the longest, darkest lashes you've ever seen. And yet he's an outcast. He has no friends in school, at least none that I'm aware of, and his only real friend outside of school is his cousin, Tommy. He's intelligent, and though he tested into the gifted program at the middle school, he's always barely passing his classes. I think he'll be a successful architect or some kinds of designer when he grows up. He has such an interest in it. It's just hard to see him friendless. It doesn't seem to bother him, just me.

I won't go on to talk about Hazel and Olive at this time. They're dear little angels and I want them to stay that way forever.

One more week of school left until spring break. We're doing a staycation. It'll be nice to have my babes home with me. Brian intends to take all or some of the week off, and we have several fun things planned.

I'm trying to read 52 books this year. I'm on book 11, which puts me a week ahead of schedule. I'm rereading the L.M. Montgomery Emily series. Well, I'm actually not reading it, but listening to it. I've discovered audio books and oh the joy! I can now combine two of my loves: walking and reading into one! I've made my way through some good ones and not so good ones. Sometimes the reader really ruins it for me. But oh, how happy I am to have discovered that I cam listen. I have to move, and it's hard for me to sit and read for long periods of time. But if I can walk and enjoy God's beautiful creation while making my way through books, well, that's pretty much the guiltiest of all guilty pleasures for me. Yesterday Brian worked from home, and in the afternoon I got out to walk five miles. I decided to take the trails instead of the sidewalk. How pleasant it was to walk along those well worn paths with the wildflowers just starting to make their presence known on either side, while listening to someone read to me from a beautifully written book!

Sam is at work tonight, and William is upstairs socializing with the friends that live in his phone, but the rest our watching a John Wayne movie with Brian in the den. It's nice to have almost all my people home tonight.

I'm off to climb under the covers and catch up on my Bible study lesson.

I'm escaping to my blog because I've had more whining than I can handle.😳

Hazel is supposed to be working on math and writing, but she and Olive are throwing pencils and crayons at each other. Hazel has done well in the sporadic lessons we've done together. She's reading and writing, even if much of her spelling is difficult to decifer. She enjoys math best, and has progressed quickly through new concepts. I had hoped to make it through all the curriculum (we're using Horizons)  before summer, but that just won't be possible. Even with us working through the summer she won't complete all four phonics books and the two math workbooks before she starts real kindergarten. The days are flying by, and not a day goes by that I don't think about how sad it will be when she and Olive don't have all day to play together. They are such good friends to each other!

Track season has begun. Sam - we call him that now since that's what all his friends know him by - is running middle and long distance events for Vandegrift, and William is sprinting at Canyon Ridge. Sam has his third track meet tomorrow night and William his first. Somehow Brian and I will have to work magic and be in Steiner and Hutto at the same time. I like track season. It's a lot of driving and alot of sitting in the cold between events, but it means hours of conversation and making out under the bleachers with my love.

Brian and I ran two marathons in the last two months. I trained minimally for the first, Houston, and not at all for the second - Austin. I've been walking like a crazed woman though, shooting for 16 - 17 miles a day out here in the hills, and that really paid off. I didn't run terribly fast overall, but the hills of Austin felt like nothing. I'm going to try to continue shooting for 30K steps a day on my fitbit. I get out every morning and walk 5 miles, and then walk another 5 in the afternoon. Sometimes more if Brian and I get out to walk. I usually get another five to seven just from my daily activities. It doesn't do the same thing for my heart as running, but I'm lifting weights in addition, so hopefully that helps.

I'm embarking on a new adventure: I'm going to college. I took my TSI assessment last Saturday, and attend an Area of Study session this Saturday. I intend to be a teacher. I initially thought I wanted to go into elementary education, but I am now thinking I'd prefer to be a history teacher. I'm hoping to begin classes in the summer. I need to get a headstart on Margaret who is also planning to start on her education degree in the fall. Brian teases that she and I will be sorority sisters and eventual dorm mates at UT or Texas State. We'll both be starting out at ACC. I am going to try to finish as quickly as possible. Olive starts school in two and a half years. Once she's in, I'll be able to tackle school head on. I'm excited!

Just for fun...a couple's survey!

What are your middle names? 
Lee and Ann

How long have you been together?
we started dating 20 years ago, married 19 years ago. we met 23 years ago.

Who asked who out? 
he did. completely out of the blue for me, but he'd been thinking about it for a long time

Do you have any children together? 
yes, six amazing kids

What about pets?
no

Did you go to the same school?
no. i was homeschooled and he attended a small rural public school.

Who is the most sensitive?
him

Where do you eat out most as a couple?

El Chile or Trudy's

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?

NYC

Who has the worse temper? 
him, but he keeps it contained most of the time. 

Who does the cooking?
me. always.

Who is more social? 
me

Who is the neat freak? 
we're both neat freaks in different ways. he's very tidy. i'm a cleaner.

Who is the most stubborn?
me

Who hogs the bed?
neither. we sleep in each other's arms every night. no joke. this is why we only need a full size bed. 

Who wakes up earlier? 
i naturally do, but he's been waking up earlier out of necessity lately.

Where was your first date?
this is embarrassing - cracker barrel. 

Who has the bigger family?
me, by one sibling

Do you get flowers often?
maybe every other month. but ALWAYS when he's done something to upset me. he's been bringing me plants lately because he knows i prefer them

How long did it take to get serious? 
less than a month. we were talking about getting married about three weeks after our first date

Who eats more?
on a regular basis, probably me as i'm usually a lot more active. 

Who does the laundry? 
me, but he does all the ironing

Who’s better with the computer?
neither

Who drives when you are together?
he does. my driving makes him nervous. my driving makes me nervous.

Who picks where you go to eat? 
we usually decide together, but he defers to me if we have different thoughts.

Who is the first one to admit when they're wrong? 
he is.

Who wears the pants in the relationship? 
so this is an interesting question. neither of us "rules the roost". i think i have a more domineering personality, but i consciously defer to him. we both contribute different strengths to the relationship. i tend to be a lot more pushy, but have learned to reign it in because i don't want to be that way. he's so laid back and easy going and doesn't feel the need to have things his way. he's definitely the provider in the family, but he's not the decision maker. 

Who has more tattoos? 
neither. we're both being counter culture by our absence of tattoos

Who eats more sweets?
it varies

Who cries more?
me, but he's not afraid to cry.

I took a nap this afternoon. I've never been a napper. Partly because I just never stop long enough, and partly because my life just doesn't allow for those little luxuries. But lately I've just had to. I can run on five hours of sleep for only so long. Maybe I'm irresponsible, but I just tell my two and four year old to play on the ipad and stay out of trouble and I go crash for awhile.

Last night William had a football game on  the far other side of the district. I met Brian part way there and we rode the rest of the way together. Those are our little dates these days - going to kids' sporting events. We joke that we're gonna get in trouble for canoodling so much in the stands. We're going through a phase where we can' seem to keep our hands off each other. There could be worse problems, I suppose. William had several carries on offense, a few tackles on defense, and Canyon Ridge dominated Leander. I don't think they were allowed even one first down the entire game.

Brian and I didn't get out to run until 8:30. Both of us were struggling to drag our tired bones up and down those hills. It's the last week of the six week's grading period which always means much weeping and grinding of teeth. We both looked over txconnect at each of the kids' accounts to see what assignments are still missing, which tests can still be retaken, and then crossed our fingers hoping for passing grades for all. Brian stayed up late helping Margaret with her pre-AP calculus and waiting for William to ride the bus home from the football. Football nights for away games can be very long as the A & B teams both play, and then ride back to Canyon Ridge together. William usually doesn't get home until nearly 10. I have dinner waiting for him and then he's wound up and wants to talk about all the plays.

I got up at 5 this morning and made lunches and then got out for my five mile walk. I was miserably exhausted, but I'd feel more miserable if I skipped it. My mom to Mom class meets on Tuesdays, so we hurried to get ready for that after I got home from walking. This was my third week to go to Mom to Mom, and I'm so much enjoying the chance to meet with other mommies and older women for mutual encouragement.

And then I napped.

Since Bible study and Mom to Mom started I have had trouble finding time to do school with Hazel. I have got to figure out how to get it in amidst all the other things.

doing my weekly update. i had intended to blog more frequently, but life hasn't slowed down enough to allow me to do so.

margaret and samuel had an out of town meet in College Station on saturday. it was at the Texas A&M Dale Watts Equestrian Center. if it had been twenty degrees cooler, the meet would've been the best one that they've run this year, or maybe ever. but it was sweltering hot, and eve the beautiful scenery couldn't make up for that. margaret ran in the varsity girls race and did very well, though not a PR. the judging is based on the top five finishing times for each team. because Vandegrift and Kingwood were tied for first after five runners, the time went down to Margaret, the Vipers 6th runner. she ended up being the tie breaker that earner the Vipers another win. they've dominated every XC meet they've participated in this season and are marching on to state. samuel ran well, though he was disappointed with his time. he was Vandegrift's fastest runner of the day, but as a team, the Viper men finished 15th out of 31 teams. this coming weekend they have a meet at Old Settler's Park in Round Rock, a course they're very familiar with, having both practiced on it and raced on it many times in the past. it also happens to be where both the district meet and the state meet are held. 

yesterday morning Brian and i and samuel went down to town lake to run. Brian and i did the ten mile loop, although his garmin said it was more like 12.5. we'll say it was somewhere inbetween. it was rough as we had stayed up late the night before and every night before that for oh so long, but we somehow soldiered on through it. our downstairs a/c went out yesterday so brian stayed home from church while the repair man was there to fix it. the rest of us went on over to church. i am growing more and more comfortable at our new church. i miss the weekly communion and the liturgy, but worshipping together with our neighbors and not driving across town just feels right. we've always felt a conviction about passing up twenty churches to attend a church the "suits us", we just kinda ignored that conviction for many years. 

brian and i napped in the afternoon, something we used to do every sunday but haven't in years. it was delicious. a cold front came in later in the afternoon and brought torrential rain. the house was so dark even without our minimal window coverings and lights on. 

in the evening brian and i were out luifting weights together in the garage when we got a call from his dad saying theyd been in an accident and totaled their suv. miraculously they weren't injured, but needed us to come pick them up in Columbus, about two hours away. i didn't want brian to have to drive to columbus, then new braunfels, then back to austin alone, so i decided to go along. we gave instruction for margaret and samuel to make sure everyone got to bed on time and then we dashed out the door. we grabbed coffee and headed out of town. as improbable as it my seem, i still look for every opportunity to spend with brian, even if it means missing some precious hours of sleep. he's my dearest friend, my confidant, my biggest crush. we listened to 90s alternative rock all the way to Columbus, and relived where we were and what we were doing when we heard those songs first time around. 

thankfully Ben and Linda weren't injured in the wreck. the car looked pretty bad, but the "what ifs" were even worse. they narrowly missed going over a concrete barrier and dropping thirty feet. we were all praising God for their safety and deliverance. we loaded up everything from their car and drove them home to new braunfels, and then we came on back to austin. 

Tuesday, September 20

sitting here in the office eating an early dinner (or maybe it's a snack?) of spring green salad, spagheti squash, homemade hummus courtesy of margaret, and a bit of hatch green chile guacamole, listening to the girls acting out some sort of drama that involves a race a la Cars. i'll be walking over to watch william's first football game of the season in just a bit. waiting on my sitter - John - to get home from school to take over for me.

Brian and i had a fabulous time away thursday through sunday. linda came thursday morning so we'd have plenty of time to get to Jefferson in time for dinner. the six hour drive was so pleasant. we put on some john mayer and didnt think to change the station the whole way. didnt think it was possible to listen to him straight for six or so hours, but we did and didnt seem to mind. i read to Brian from my old journals just for fun. there were lots of things we'd forgotten about and we had some good laughs. it was surreal seeing life from my twenty five year old perspective now that i'm 15 years down the road. 

we had dinner at the Stillwater Inn, one of our special places. we've been celebrating things there for nearly twenty years. mama and mike had given us a gift certificate last year for our anniversary and we never got around to using it then. we stayed at the Excelsior Hotel, the place we stayed on our second night as a married couple. it's a quaint, spooky place that has been in continuous operation since 1850. 

friday night we went to the sabine high school homecoming football game. sabine is the high school brian went to, and about 45 minutes to an hour from Jefferson. we saw a few familiar faces : mont and suzanne roper, mike simpson, a few of brian's old teachers. after the game, we drove back to Jefferson and had a couple of drinks at Auntie Skinner's while we watched a little football and listened to karaoke. 

our main reason for going up to north east texas was for the Sabine Class of 1991 reunion. there were two events on saturday, a picnic at the park in Liberty City, the town where the school is, and a dinner that night in Longview. for a class of only 61 graduates, i guess the events were fairly well attended. the last reunion i attended with Brian, his 10 year, he was voted Graduate Who Has Changed the Least, and if they had given awards this year, i'd say he would have got it again. i guess the only difference is that he has a little less hair, and he's smaller than he was in high school. i enjoyed meeting his old friends, most of whom still live in the area. he's in the minority of students who moved away after graduation. 

we went back to Auntie Skinner's after the dinner in Longview and watched most of the Longhorn vs. Cal game. we gave up and went back to the hotel around 1 am. we just arent night owls.

sunday was my birthday morning. brian gave me a small purse from Anthropologie and a bottle of Dulce + Gobanna (sp?) perfume. he gives the best gifts!

we enjoyed a leisurely drive back to austin and came home to a clean house full of the lively products of our love. Margaret made a delicious indian fusion meal and the kids gave me some thoughtful gifts - a Herschel backpack that i've been dreaming about for awhile, lots and lots of chocolate, and a large cosmetic bag. i could tell that margaret was the ring leader in picking out the gifts. she knows what i like. what wonderful people those kids are!

Tuesday, September 13

Sitting here in the office helping Hazel work through her phonics school work. It's sometimes painfully slow, but she's making progress and loves "doing school".

After sixteen and a half years at the same church i think we've made the switch to another church body. It has been a gradual change. We kind of eased into it. We have struggled with the 40 minute drive to RPC each week since we moved out to this neighborhood. We aren't able to connect with people very well because we're so spread out over all parts of central Texas. We've found a sweet church that meets nearby, one we can walk to. It's quite different from what we've grown used to, but I kinda think that's a good thing. I've joined a ladies Bible study as well as a Mom to Mom group. It is so nice to be going to church with the same people that I see at my kids' schools and HEB and when I'm out walking! Brian also joined a men's Bible study. We've both desperately needed fellowship and accountability and it seems the Lord is answering our prayers. 

Sunday night we made brownies and dropped them off at the fire station in the neighborhood. It was just a little way to honor those who have served and those who have lost there lives serving. It being 9/11, I expected the firemen to be a little tired of receiving gifts since we came by at the end of the day. Instead they seemed genuinely grateful that we had come by to thank them.

Brian and I are ramping up our marathon training. We did an 8 or so mile run to Lake Travis and back Sunday evening. We were just in time to see the sunset. We hadn't done that run together in a long time, probably nine months. It's one of my favorites! This is my eleventh year running marathons. I have this little goal to be a runner the rest of my life but try not to look too much like a runner. 



Mama came yesterday and took me and the little girls to lunch at Kerbey Lane Cafe and then shopping. She bought me a couple of large Yankee Candles and a pair of Chuck Taylor converse. She hung around a little while after we got home so she could see some of the kids when they got home from school, and then she took Margaret to work so I wouldn't have to. Margaret wont get her license until next month. We got her a car for her birthday in April (a cute little black Beetle with a sun roof - so HER!), but she's technically still taking driver's ed. While she was nannying this summer and living with friends we let her drive around their small part of town as it's pretty much closed in and safe. She's been such a good driver that we let her drive short distances without us even though she only had her permit. Once cross country practice started at the beginning of August, Brian let her start driving her and Samuel to their 6 am practices every morning. Well, once morning in early August she was heading to practice with Samuel and the boy from down the street that is also on the cross country team. She was on 2222 and failed to yield when making a left turn and hit another car. Thankfully no one was injured and the airbags didn't even deploy. I think the body of the car wasn't even damaged, just one of the bubble like front fenders. She's been without her car for a month and a half now. We're hoping to get it back this week. She won't be punished for driving without a valid license other than the fine and will still get to take her test in October as planned.

 Brian and I are going to NE Texas to his 25th high school reunion this weekend. Twenty five years! He went to a small school with barely 60 kids in his graduating class. He's pretty excited about seeing them, and I'm excited about getting some time away with him. And it's my 41st birthday this weekend. I don't feel like I've been around for 41 years, but I'm so grateful I have.