Last we met, I was weekending (not tailgating)

FRIDAY (con't): 

Coach was taking a class in Wisconsin on Saturday, so he grabbed the girls after school Friday.

A usual Friday: A driver picks the girls up from school and takes them to therapy (the driver was paid for by DCFS, but since the adoption was finalized, we pay her). She waits there with them. One goes in, and then the next one. They see the same therapist, which I've learned is not ideal (DCFS organized this), but it does give us a lengthy respite. They're dropped home around 6:40 pm. 

This is the sunset across the golf course
 near our house. Coach and I
spotted it on a walk. 

Capitalizing on TGIF:  I have Fridays off and Coach finishes work early, so we usually go for a walk, or go out for an appetizer and an adult beverage. We talk. Unwind. It's lovely. 

Last Friday, he took the girls to a northern suburb to see his folks and his brother. The girls have a same-age girl cousin, who they are wild about. They slept over at cousin's, and Coach slept at his folks' house and then drove to WI Saturday to take his class. 

Do you know what this means? I had the house to myself. 

Well aside from Curly - but after Friday's volleyball practice, her bestie from travel basketball, who she rarely sees because she lives in the city, came over and they went to a movie. 

Dinner:  I made myself a frozen GF pizza, added extra cheese and fresh red peppers and I ate the entire thing. GF pizza isn't great re-heated the next day, so what's a girl to do? 

This didn't last long. I so
 rarely eat pizza. Delish!

I got caught up on blogs, and organized some of papers in my study. My writing buddies mark up the chapters when I read, and make suggestions. I rarely edit them in real time, so my study is cluttered with chapters. I put my laundry away in my room (this while chatting with a lady about co-op options for Kay to attend for high school. More on this coming Wednesday). I figured I'd go to bed early, but I stayed up stupid late. 

SATURDAY:   

Coach was supposed to pick the girls up on his way home from WI Saturday evening, but cousin had a soccer game south - so we decided it made sense for me to pick them up at soccer around 1:00 pm vs having them make the hike back up to my BIL's house and wait for Coach to drive them home. 

Hey, it was still a  nice break- but for a quick minute, I thought I was flying solo  thru Saturday night. 

Morning:  I woke up early. Womp womp. I convinced myself that I could go back to sleep. No one needed me. Usually I lay there and start thinking of all the things on my list. 

I take a prescription antacid every morning (part of my How to cope with SIBO/gut issues regiment) I don't usually feel the acid that can interfere with my sleep, but I read in my bed after I took that pill and fell back to sleep - till after 10 am.  

Amazing. 

I went for a run, organized a bag of clothes I wanted to give my SIL, and loaded my crockpot for dinner. In my haste to meet the girls at the soccer field almost 30 minutes away, I forgot to drink my protein shake with my Miralax. 

"Wait, how old are you?":  I feel like this post took a turn into 'tell them you're an old lady, without telling them you're an old lady' territory. Between the RX for acid and the Miralax, I sound over the hill. 

Anyway, I sometimes forget what happens without that damn poop powder. Well, I didn't feel great, let me tell you. I survived, but I was like, I'll not be bad-mouthing my saving-grace Miralax anytime soon. 

After I collected the girls on Saturday afternoon, we had an adventure. I've cut that saga from this post in the interest of 'Great Story to share during NaBloPoMo'. Get excited . . . or not. I'm gonna try NaBloPoMo again. What can I say, I like a challenge.

The girls and I went to 4:30 mass. Coach came home. Rae had a school harvest day dance, and Kay earned an early bedtime with her 'guess who was at a sleep over last night' behavior. Coach, Curly, and I watched 'The Gray Man' with Ryan Gosling. It felt like a Borne Identity copycat. Entertaining. 

*****

The recap of the Sunday part of my weekend will drop on Sunday. Please lmk if there's anything I've been promising, but neglected to write about. I'm gonna keep (most of) my posts to under 500 words, or my name isn't Ernie Shenanigan. Well, I mean, that's not my name - but you catch my drift. One storyline I plan to share, in small, bite-size morsels:  our epic anniversary. 

When was the last time you slept till 10 am? Eaten an entire pizza lately? NaBloPoMo requests? Do you take a medicine and feel lousy when you forget? Outline suggestions during NaBloPoMo:  like 5 on Friday, etc?

What's a weekend without tailgating? with bonus consignment shopping pics

It wasn't planned, but I tailgated (and sometimes even attended the football game) at Notre Dame for three consecutive weekends in October. Perhaps this situation alone explains my dizziness. 

Curly serving

Happy to report, I slept more than 8 hours a night over the weekend - and *poof* no dizziness. Well, that's not a sustainable lifestyle, but I feel good for now. 

This weekend there was no ND game. In anticipation of you wondering: What did you do with yourself?  . . . 

Thursday:  

I scheduled midday fam therapy for Kay and myself to discuss THE SAME DAMN THING. Broken record territory. I can't even. She moaned about how we play favorites to Rae in her bedroom while the baby monitor was still on. Oops. (this was not the basis for the emergent session, but it came in handy)

Best buds with the same name!

We're not playing favorites - we're connected. You want the connection? Swell, start doing the work. Quit sneaking, lying, be genuine, try to gain our trust, etc. 

Fam therapist:  Looks like you're not enjoying life right now, so make better choices. 

The fam therapist suggested we share a note found in Kay's backpack with the principal. Let someone else step in, so it's not just you two. The principal told Kay the same EXACT things we've told her. He rocked her world. Maybe she got the message?

Me:  I don't think you consider what Dad and I say as important. Think again. 

In order for me to leave the tots, I had Becky come over with her own daycare peeps. Curly raced home on her lunch break, and just before she headed back to school, Coach arrived during his lunch break. Becky's daughter attends junior college, so she stopped by after class. 

tan Veronica Beard pants

The fussy baby, who can't relax, gets stiff as a board while eating, refused to take the bottle from them. She's almost 6 mos. She finally took it from Coach. She's a puker to boot - the reason I bought a little green machine a few weeks ago. She drank a bottle, then projectiled said bottle on me and my carpet and my couch. At least she's super cute. 

Curly carried a tot down from her nap at 3:30 pick up time - I was home by now. The tot was notably wet. Um, she had no diaper on. I believe it was a case of too many cooks in the kitchen - someone put her on the potty (we're trying to potty train her) and never put a diaper on her pre-ap. Thankfully the mom is super chill and found the whole thing hilarious. 

Why is my butt
 so square?

With Friday off, this is the start of my weekend. After the tots were picked up, I packed my dinner in a thermos to eat at Curly's game and raced off to a high-end woman's consignment shop that was having a sale. I took photos of the things I've been stalking watching, and sent them to Mini. My plan was to go back Friday morning to buy items Mini liked. 

ND graduation?
 On my last visit
 it wasn't on sale
 - this time 40% off.

Since I was coming from the other direction, I asked Coach to grab Nana, and I met them at the high school. 

It was Curly's volleyball senior night. This was the second game this week Nana attended. She's uncomfortable going to away games, but is happy if I promise her we're heading to a familiar spot. 

Additionally, Becky, my cross-town daycare buddy, showed up to cheer for Curly, and two of my babysitting moms came with their little people in tow to cheer for "BIG CURLY". Curly babysat for little Curly (IRL she and this 16 mo old have the same name) over the summer, and they are besties. Curly was tickled with the turnout. She has open campus for lunch this year and when she pops in - baby Curly makes a bee line for her. Cuteness abounds. 

I bolted from Curly's last home game and drove to my college alumnae book club. It was a great night. We read, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. Ratings ranged from 3 or 3.5 out of 5. Consensus:  too many characters, slow start. I enjoyed the way so much tied together towards the end.

long denim skirt - this was new.
I hadn't seen it at my earlier trip.

Friday:  

I drove Kae and Ray to school, worked out, went to morning mass, baked pumpkin bread, ran back to the consignment shop,  bought the items Mini approved of, and stopped to pick up salads for  my lunch date. All before noon.

My dear friend, who I met when her daughter and Curly Irish danced together, came over for lunch. We try to meet every few months, but rarely in the summer. We had a great time catching up. 

*******

Silly me - summing up a weekend in one post? Thursday I'll fill you in on the rest. Did you read Heaven and Earth Grocery Store? Have you changed up your schedule lately and been surprised at how much time you have? Any guesses on which of the 3 items I bought? Does anyone else bring dinner in a thermos if you have a busy night?

Who is punking me?

Life is a little Extra at the moment (think boy crazy crap and meeting with the principal, & Curly has three games three nights in a row), so I decided to rifle through my drafts and allow myself an early bedtime. I've also been waking up dizzy for about a week. It eventually subsides, but mornings are rough. Dizziness and babies, well, they don't mix well. So, please enjoy this post from the spring about me being punked twice in one week. It made me chuckle when I stumbled on it. 

This is not Lily, it's Curly.
Curly needed baby
 pics for senior night. Well, she might
 be the most photographed baby in the
 universe, so that was a rabbit hole I fell
 into this afternoon. Grainy
 pic because I took a pic
 of my computer screen

1.  I was putting Lily down for a nap. (she's the baby I had last year who fell asleep standing up, remember? Because she learned to stand in her pack and play, but wasn't sure how to get back down). Did the pacifier drop on the floor when I pulled her sleep sack out of her bed? I put the best 14 month old in the universe in her bed while I searched the floor. I was looking everywhere. I keep a bin of stuff to donate in my room near her portable crib. Did it flip in there? After a few minutes, I looked up. There was Lily. Standing up, holding onto the edge of her bed. Looking down at me, as if to say. 

SO WHAT 'CHA LOOKING FOR? 

Her pacifier was in her mouth. 

Maybe you had to be there, but it was a hoot. 

Dizzy or not, I walked today and it was
 COLD and crazy windy, but it wasn't
 raining and I only had three littles.

2.  Wednesday night, the cake I was making for book club was sitting in the pans on the stovetop, cooling. I came out of my study. Reg was leaning against the counter eating chocolate cake from a bowl. I FROZE. What? NOOOO! 

Then I realized that he was NOT eating the cake I'd just baked. He was eating the last piece of the Easter bunny cake, leftover from Easter.

Reg (while eating) watched me double over laughing for a few minutes. People, I cackled so much that Curly called from the other room, "What? WHAT?!" 

I felt like Johnny Carson when he has the guest show up with a special collection of potato chips. Johnny takes a chip from under his desk and takes a bite of it, and she thinks he's eaten part of her collection. 

Reg:  Mom! You didn't think . . . I would never! 

Me (wiping my tears from laughing):  Yes, yes you sure would. But I'm glad you didn't. 

****

How about you - feeling punked lately? Is life in your world a little extra at the moment? I'm NOT tailgating this weekend, so there's a chance to get caught up on other stuff. 

Starting point, speechify talking crazy to me, another ND game, & Why a 1 scissors family?

START FROM THE MIDDLE

I'm walking . . . when I can - 
CBWC Coach
and I walked for
 30 min Sunday . . .
after I napped for
2 hrs. Um, someone
 tailgated (not hosting)
 and attended the ND
vs USC game with Lad,
 Reg, and Tank and of
course Mini. Super fun
 day, but I was wiped. Night
 games in the rain are
not for the weak.

 I'm trying to find a good starting point (I've not wrapped up the project yet, but the 'where should I start?' thing is bugging me) for my Coming of Age (maybe?) book. I wanna give a glimpse of my early days through stories:  showing not telling, yadda yadda. 

Currently my story starts with how my folks couldn't agree on a name for me. Dad wanted Bernadette and Mom won, insisting on my current name. They tried to leave the hospital without signing the papers. (My mom is VERY stubborn). In other words, my nickname was almost Bernie, instead of Ernie. 

I'm leaning towards choosing my 8th grade dance as the starting point. Parents attended (not just chaperone, but they were all there), which - WHAT? I was NOT a cool kid. Remember how I recently shared how my mom ripped off the alligator from my sisters' shirts when gifted by my aunt? I attended a Catholic school in an affluent area. We weren't affluent people, so the preppies, as we called them, had no time for me. 

To top if off, I had a hairdo at the hands of Edward Scissorhands Mom. Her haircuts helped us keep to the budget. As a result, I looked just like my brothers. 

Once at a boys' 8th grade basketball game, a junior high boy from the competitor's school asked me, "Um, what gender are you?" (that kid would be cancelled today, right?) His friends were all standing behind him laughing. I know he knew I was a girl, but he was poking fun of me and his friends were in on it.

What did I do? I punched his shoulder - HARD, as one does when trying to appear . . . ladylike? Whatever. I'm pretty sure I added fuel to his fire. 

This clip and the below one is me listening to my chapter on my speechify app while waiting at B-ball for the little girls. Listening helps me hear parts that suck, etc. But this app saw things on the page that weren't there and it's fairly entertaining. Clips are both under 10 seconds.

Do you (and by 'you' I mean - you decide) wanna dance? This is hilarious bit that I might use as the launching pad for my Coming of Age story . . . I spotted one of the 8th grade teachers at the dance beckon one of the naughty boys. After he made his way over, she whispered to him. He had no idea what it meant to be discreet, so he rotated and stared directly at myself and my wallflower friends who were stranding on the sidelines. He nodded to the teacher in a 'I will but only because you're asking and I'm assuming I won't get an F in English after this stunt' way, and then he sauntered over.

He stood two feet away, and said "Uh, do you wanna dance?" 

To who exactly was he directing this question? No clue. He looked between myself and my friend (she and I were standing in the center of our four friends in a line on the sidelines, right where we belonged). 

I did a double take to see if there was a cute, short girl (to me all the short girls were cute. I towered over everybody and felt clumsy and out of place and so wished I was short) standing behind us. Nope. 

The boy's face spoke volumes:  I don't care who I dance with, but I've been ordered so one of you pick. I think I deferred to my friend. He, like all the boys, was too short for me anyway. 

ERNIE, WHERE'S MY SCISSORS?

Another funny memory that I just shared with Delilah that made her bust out laughing:  We were a one scissors family. Like, I was ALWAYS in trouble, because Mom's scissors would go missing from the kitchen. 99.9% of the time, they were in my room. I made things out of paper and cardboard boxes, like little homes for stuffed animals, or little organizational systems for my closet. People, I was crafting long before there was HGTV. 

My question is:  Why, for the love of everything, could we not have purchased a second pair of scissors? We weren't preppy, but we weren't destitute. There was a Kmart nearby. 

Do you look back and wonder why your family didn't have more of something that now seems so simple? (Another example:  my two sisters and I shared one slip and we were required to wear a slip whenever we wore a dress or a skirt. We didn't have any purchasing power, so what the what?) Did parents attend your dances in junior high?

any takers on a music trivia challenge: early '80's ca-caw & ripped shirt performance

In the early 80's, my folks got a colored tv for their room, so they took their old black and white tv and put it in my younger brothers' room. I was furious. Knowing it bugged me, my brother egged me on. The more I complained about how things weren't fair, the more my mom shrugged and told me 'life isn't fair'. Well, yeah, but the things you're doing to make life unfair, are avoidable.😡

Middle children out there? Tell me you get this.  

Anyway, one night my mom was prepping to entertain. She was racing around the house cleaning this and ordering us to pitch in. Trust me, the house was in perfect order. Always. Maybe that's why my house is messy, and I'm fine with it. Let's live here and relax, or live here and be busy. (don't get me wrong, I enjoy an ordered space). 

So, my brothers and I slunk off and decided to watch tv in their room. They didn't always invite me. At times they said, "We have a TV and you don't." ~ because brothers.

Totally unrelated:  this is the governor of
 Pennsylvania and his wife. They were on the
 news this morning, and I feel
 like they look like twins. Is it me?

We had some music award show on. I don't think we were terribly interested, but we didn't get many channels. Limited options. Prince was performing. Maybe When Doves Cry? Not sure. If memory serves, he was wearing a ruffled shirt and he was at the piano. 

Mom burst into the room - just as Prince started like, I don't know, making love to his piano? Or something. He ripped open his shirt and started making bird calls, and a dove flew across the stage.

Add glasses to her face and
 they look SO much alike. This pic is
 from People.com, because
 my pic was fuzzy. They do say
 the longer you're married,
the more you look alike, right?

*I swear it was an owl, but AI tells me I'm misremembering, and that it was a dove. Hey AI, I recently wrote down the first and last names of 85 grade school classmates from class of 1985 without cheating. I'd like to tell AI to get wrecked, because I DON'T MISREMEMBER SHIT. 

At that exact moment, Mom walked in.

Mom:  WHAT? WHAT ARE YOU WAAATCHCHCHING? TURN THIS CRAP OFF! 

There was no explaining that he was just performing a song, and that it had JUST gotten weird the second she walked in. Plus we looked like ass holes, because we'd sort of ditched the clean-the-house efforts she'd been roping everyone into all night. 

Anyway, I've gone down a rabbit hole more than once, and I cannot figure out what performance that was. It was live television. I'm banking on someone else remembering it. I know from the house that we lived in that it was before Aug. 1985 - but I feel like it was winter, probably '84 or '85. Maybe it wasn't even Prince (Shh, don't tell AI that I admitted to possibly forgetting). I've googled other artists whose hits included bird-like ca-cawing. Um, the internet is fun. 

I watched this performance, and that's not it. If you know me, then you know that I'm not exactly well-versed in music trivia. I swear this event happened. I can see it like it was yesterday. I feel like there's got to be a record of it. Anyone have any clue?

Obie Wan,  Readers, you're my only hope. 

*****

Were there TV shows you weren't allowed to watch as a kid? We couldn't watch Three's Company. My college roomie's mom called it a 'Boob Jiggle Show' so she wasn't allowed either. Did you sneak TV? Or hide during chores?

hard news, losing a connection to the past

View of the city, I snapped this while driving
 to pick up the girls after their camp.

I heard last week that Mrs. Margaret, the neighbor I lived next to in Davenport, Iowa, fell and hit her head. She suffered a brain bleed, had surgery, etc. We went to visit Margaret and her son, my childhood friend over spring break of '24. They didn't think she'd be able to live on her own again, but she was making progress. 

One of my walks in the
bloggers walking
 club. I can walk Mon
and Wed while I'm
 babysitting, because I
have three tots. I'll be
 outnumbered once 
 the newborn twins
start in Feb. 

Her son, John, was my first best friend. We met when I was about four years old. He suffered a TBI when he was ten after crashing his bike during a competitive bike race in Peoria around 1980. He'd looked to see how much of a lead he had. After turning back around, he hit a truck that had 2 by 4's hanging off the end of it. The truck wasn't supposed to be parked there. 

His older brother, Joe, was like a brother to me. We'd kept in touch. He lived in MN. He was always in my corner, and supportive of me. Joe, the healthiest guy on the planet, died of a heart attack days before Christmas in '21. His first grandchild was born days after Christmas. He was so looking forward to that. He was about 58  years old.

Saturday, I learned that Margaret, who's in her upper 80's, fell again - broke her hip and is in hospice. I've told Coach at least once every few weeks for the past several months that I want to get back to Florida to visit her again. I kept thinking I'd find  time soon. And now? They're saying she might only live days or a week. 

I almost forgot. Coach and I went to
 dinner Friday night at a Mexican
 place. There was a special:  chicken
 fajitas for two for $25.
I had a strawberry
 basial margarita.
 They put sugar on
 the rim. They didn't ask
 me - I prefer salt. You?

Sunday afternoon, I looked into buying a flight Sunday night and returning Monday, but it's complicated. I don't want to infringe on family time. I'd land at midnight, need to rent a car, need to find a hotel, and communication isn't the greatest. 

There were 5 brothers. I lived two doors down from them from age 4-7. Some of my happiest days were spent in Davenport. Our families were both transplants and we did everything together. My friend, John, was the youngest of the five brothers, and he was a year older than me. The brother in Florida doesn't communicate with some of his other brothers, so Joe's widow is out of the loop.

Marge was a gem. She cared for her son after his accident until they moved to Florida a few years ago. Now John lives with the brother there, and Margaret lives around the corner, but on her own. She has a devout faith, always did whatever she could for others, and never complained. She's a fiercely strong woman, and a gifted artist. She raised  5 boys, and I was the spunky neighbor girl who hung around their house all the time. 

It feels like the end of an era. With the estranged brother caring for John now, I don't know how much contact I'll have with John. Losing Marge reminds me how much I miss Joe. It's one more connection to days gone by that are slipping away. 

*****

Other things:  Coach and I drove to South Bend and tailgated on Saturday and came home when the game started. The little girls were away at camp, and it was a delightful day - relaxing, as I wasn't in charge of a tailgate. We had a few friends there we enjoyed meeting up with. College essay writing and basketball recruiting are overwhelming us Shenanigans (the basketball part is the tough bit). Reg is home for the week, and happily caddying and raking in a ton of money in this beautiful, mild, fall weather. 

Did you have an amazing neighbor that you remember fondly from your youth? I feel like families aren't transplanted as often anymore with telecommuting, etc. Did anyone else experience moving as a result of a parent's job as a kid? 

Lad news: ch-ch-changes

Backstory:  Lad panicked when he graduated during the pandemic. It wasn't the pandemic's fault. He was spread thin playing a D1 sport and trying to stay afloat academically. He has ADD and I don't know that he was taking medication. He failed to get a grasp on what sort of career path he might follow. 

hello darkness:  He started selling cars in Aug of 2020. My family friends own car dealerships. I didn't like the idea, but Lad struggled so much during the pandemic that we walked on egg shells at home. Understatement. Long time readers might remember how difficult that time was. In a nutshell:  dark days. 

Cars:  He's made huge strides and claims that he takes meds (not sure if he does and he's an adult but we tried to give him feedback and make him accountable for his behavior), but dang - selling cars is not sustainable. Every Saturday. Most nights. Cut throat atmosphere. They made it hard to take a Sat off, even if a person accumulated vacation days. A few weeks ago, they paid him in $800 of Amazon gift cards as his bonus for being the top salesman for warranties (or something).

He's interviewed on and off for a few years. 

Network:  A few months ago, I told him he needed to network more, connect with people who we know/who know him. We started a list. He's learned so much selling cars. He's a closer. He's engaging and personable. He started taking the networking path seriously and he was a finalist for a job with Abbott Labs in June, but they chose someone internally. 

He reached out to a twins who played water polo in college. They're older than him, and both work in marketing. They went to high school and college with my godson, who is part of the car sales family. Lad explained his wanting to find a job and would appreciate their help, but hoped they'd keep his search on the down low with the car sales family. 

They connected him to a headhunter who works with D1 athletes. Lad interviewed for a job selling fire safety equipment to businesses. He moved further along in the process - liked everyone he met at the company.

Could this be more unrelated? I found these at
 Costco business center, which isn't convenient
to shop, but these were so yummy and
 healthy. No added sugar (I think).

Coach and I had never heard of this company, but one of Coach's patients is an entrepreneur and he told Coach "It's a national company and it's a great company plus businesses need the stuff they're selling, etc." 

An offer! They offered him the job a few weeks ago, saying they'd put a letter together. Lad told the headhunter he'd like 30 days to decide - he had some bonus money coming his way at the dealership. The headhunter was like, You cannot take 30 days to decide.

The letter didn't happen for over a week, and Coach and I began to get nervous that Lad had blown it. (because he also told the hiring guy at the place that he would need time).

Meanwhile Lad started interviewing with Big Company and he told the fire supply place that he was considering all of his options. Fire equip. sweetened the deal. He got the offer letter the end of last week. 

Living it up on a Saturday:  He and a buddy came to ND and had a great time last weekend. It was so nice to see him enjoying a weekend. Ya know? 

He had another interview with Big Company Tuesday. He was upfront with them, saying he had another offer on the table and Big Company said they had to interview the other candidates - that he was one of 20 applicants they'd narrowed it down to. 

The fire equipment place called him Tuesday morning and asked if he was ready to sign the letter, and what was holding him back. They asked what it would take to get him to sign. He gave them a number, and they met it. He signed. 

I was sort of hoping for Big Company, because I wonder if there is more social options - like more team type structure, but he's excited and fire equip is excited to have him. 

 Good-bye after FIVE years:  Last week, he let the dealership know he was leaving. The managers won't send deals to someone who has one foot out the door, so he has a few weeks off and he is delighted. 

Baby, we want you back: The car boss called him Wednesday. Told him that he and his brothers were talking and that they hoped to keep him with the company, and Lad said no thanks. They offered to pay him an additional % of sales. Lad said, It means a lot that you are offering that, but I'm not interested. 

In July of '24, the brother he was selling cars for not too far from our house sent him packing. Told him to go work for one of his brothers. The other dealership was farther away. Lad was upset, insisting that they brought in a new manager and he didn't like Lad. I tend to see things clearly and we urged Lad to be on time to the dealership, and stop going home at lunch to see his dogs, etc. 

Then - in the spring, the original brother called Lad and asked him if he would come back (the brother Lad was working for was fine with the switch, like the two brothers had agreed). Lad said, No thanks. I like it here. I work well with this manager, etc. (he also knew he was hoping to have a new job soon-ish.)

Timing is everything:  A few weeks ago, a cousin to the brothers who has the same last name posted some horrible politically charged sick sentiments on social media. A woman I haven't seen in a few years was so outraged by it, she called me to ask what connection this woman had to the car family, because she knew I knew them.

Customers were upset and people were tagging her post all over the place, urging no one to buy cars from the car family. Lad said No one is coming in here to buy cars. Great time to be in the process of getting out of the biz. 

*****

All that to say, I've prayed about this for years. I've really wanted my son to get his life back - to go out and enjoy what's left of his 20's. Right now he feels confident. He feels wanted by the fire equipment company (and wanted in the 11th hour by the car place). He feels like he clicks with them. Fingers crossed that he is happy with the move. 

Laptop - womp womp.
See the lower
right side? I think that
 part got pinched
 when I folded it. Not sure
you can tell but the
screen is all lines.

the future looks bright:  I know he wants to date and to spend time with friends, and I so hope that he has time for all of that now. In the meantime, he's available till Oct. 20th and he's agreed to take my dad to PT and he's driving Kay to school tomorrow, because we're in a bind. He's also planning to go with me to buy a new laptop. 

That's the thing I keep forgetting to tell you:  remember my laptop with the screen that was held together by a command strip, a safety pin, and a strip of fabric? I brought it along to Creighton a few weeks ago, and when I folded it - something went wrong - the screen is no longer functioning. It was time (even though I bought it less than 5 years ago). 

Anyone have a laptop recommendation? I don't need fancy. I use it for internet and for google docs, so I don't even need a ton of memory. 

Sleepless in South Bend with no apparent off-switch

I began drafting this on tailgate day in my car on my ipad . . . Here I sit, questioning my life choices. I arrived in the line at Notre Dame to park in the lot at 5:07 am. I already have a ticket for the lot, so I'm guaranteed a spot - but guess who likes a Prime SPOT? 

Are you surprised?

The view from across the lake on
 campus - during my Sunday morning run.
It's October - who else is joining in
Elisabeth's cool bloggers walk adventure?

This was not my planned arrival time, but Friday I had some weird gut issue. It felt as though someone had jammed a knife into my side. For hours. No amount of gas would alleviate it, and trust me - there was gas. Sorry for over-sharing.

Why the pain? The only thing I could think of was that I bought a quart of Fairlife milk last week. I don’t drink a ton of milk, so could the little bit that I ingest in my oatmeal (a half cup) or in my protein shake (a cup?) really mess with my insides THAT much? I usually buy SILK high protein milk. 

Friday I slaved away loading the coolers with drinks and food and 7 twenty pound bags of ice. Coach cut up lettuce, in case you were wondering. Mini had a job interview downtown Chicago Friday, and came in Thursday night for a pre-interview dinner. Fingers crossed. Knowing I was driving to South Bend on Friday evening (Coach waited till Saturday at 7:30 am to drive in with Curly and Ed), Mini asked me on Thursday:  

If I uber home Friday afternoon will you be ready to go at like 2 pm?

Um, that's tough to commit to. It all depends on how long it takes me to load my big ass van and finish food prep and decide what I'm gonna wear/pack. I asked Coach to take seats out of the van Thursday evening so we could get started early. I told Mini to come home after the interview and I'd do my best. (this was before I knew I would be in such horrible pain). My kid had a social life to return to in South Bend. Nothing like a little pressure (added to the stabbing pressure in my side).

the side view of the car - note Gumby
 poking out, anxious to hop on the car.

She said the interview went well. She came home. I was dripping in sweat, but we left a little after 3:00. Traffic was terrible and it took us 2.5 hours vs an hour 45 min. 

After we ate a quick dinner (she suggested Chiplote for speed and I asked her to consider my horrible side pain, also known as TERRIBLE, INEXPLAINABLE GAS, so we ate at BruBurger). Next I drove her to grab her hair product she left at a friend's townhouse. On to her dorm room for her to change. Then we went to an orchestra that her friend was performing in. So impressive. I dropped her off at the birthday party at her friends' house and I drove to where I was staying.

I slept in the bedroom of a house a little less than 2 miles from campus. A friend of a friend owns this house, and while it may be the house that time forgot - it’s perfectly comfortable and clean and the price is RIGHT - free. He doesn't rent rooms out, he just lets friends stay. That's crazy generous, because he could charge a ton. This is his second home, and he uses it when he comes in for games. He's a season ticket holder. I gifted him a $100 Visa gift card and a loaf of pumpkin bread as a thank you. 

Unrelated awesome news:  he's letting Coach and I and the fam stay there for graduation. Plenty of room for all of us. Savings:  thousands of dollars. 

Curly and I stayed at his house last year for a tailgate. When we pulled up, Curly called it ‘horror movie base’. She was like, "What? We're staying in a couple of bedrooms in a house with other people staying there, people who we have never met? Mom, this is how every horror movie starts." It didn't help that we arrived at 10 pm and the place had a creepy vibe with one working street light swaying in the breeze. Her:  "we are asking to be axe murdered."

Hey, we survived. Let's not revisit the Airbnb nightmare of the computer glitch that happened and my reservation wasn't cancelled even though my computer said IT WAS. That cost me big bucks. OK, moving on.

My fridge Thursday before
packing it all in the car.

Where were we:  I was beyond tired when I went to bed, because the last few nights of sleep were far from ideal (I  wonder - had the pain issue maybe been low level festering for a few days before and just ramped up to unbearable status on the DAY BEFORE TAILGATE DAY, which is a busy day - but I'll take doubled over pain on the Friday of car loading day over feeling lousy on the tailgate day itself). After all that work, I want to ENJOY. 

OK, we've established that I was tired. I'd been making food all week, and even made an unprecedented three Costco runs. 

One dad asked during the tailgate:  IS ALL THIS FOOD HOMEMADE? 

Yes, yes it is. (aside from the container of guac and chip dip, but that was obvious).  

The dome during my
Sunday morning run.
Cool bloggers walk and run,
don't you know?

I fell a sleep a few minutes after 10 pm Friday and woke up at 2:15 am to pee. Then I realized - I’d forgotten to take my nightly meds to calm my gut (it's technically an antidepressant, but it helps with gut stuff). I literally have never forgotten to take it. Maybe it was because I was out of my routine - but even when I’m in a hotel - I take it. Of all the damn days. Earlier in the day, I'd even thought - can't wait to take my night time med, because that ought to settle this pain down. (insert image of me banging my head on the wall)

So now my gut was not happy and I was sleepless in South Bend. I feared my sleep deficit would make for a long tailgate. 

But - I'm here to tell you. It was really the best day. It was crazy hot - 87 degrees, but we had so many people show up and it was a blast. I felt great. 

One dad asked Coach:  Your wife has so much energy. Does she have an off-switch?

I cackled. Um, yeah - so I planned to sleep from 10 pm - 5:15 am and then drive over to get my spot. Instead, my body allowed me to sleep from 10 pm - 2:15 am. I tried a million things, reading, drinking water, etc. 

Finally I decided:  I can be awake here, or I can be awake in line in my car, waiting for a great spot. So, I rolled with it. 7th car in line. Who even am I? (a crazed lunatic)

********

I've got more tailgate stories to share, I had my MRI on Fri, and good Lad news coming, and a funny (now) botched carpool situation, and yet ANOTHER scam story - I've been had AGAIN. Deets to follow. 

Tailgate over, check. Now to proof-read Curly's college essays. Oh, Reg flies home Thursday night and will be home for over a week. 

What have you got going on? Does Fairlife mess with your gut? I must admit that I spilled my protein shake on the counter Fri morning, and I scooped it up. Did I ingest a bread crumb that irritated my celiac? Hmm.

I've been writing really short posts with similar comments, so here's a long one. Let me know your preference.

Chow time with Nana, the big tipper - who once took care of a few alligators with her ripper

Dad eating in his recliner. For a guy
with no appetite, he managed to eat
 leftovers from my pasta party -
followed by a piece of bread
 and a piece of Costco sheet cake. 

 Chow time:  My folks have a caregiver who comes twice week, but she's there 11 -3:00, I think. We suspect Nana (my mom) might be snacking a lot, and then skipping dinner - maybe she thinks she's eaten - ? I run over there with meals a few times a week, but not during meal time. 

New plan:  After tots/babies leave whenever possible, I go over there and heat up a few plates around 4ish. Then I race off to watch one of the three girls play volleyball. The girls attend three different schools, because otherwise life would be boring.

Once last week, I handed my dad his plate while he was in his recliner. 

*****

Nana eating with her view
of the golf course. 

Aside/bad news:  He's been taking a chemo pill as a follow up to the colon cancer surgery, but he's having side effect diarrhea and loss of appetite. He's decided not to take it anymore. 

I've decided to live in la-la land and hope that the colon cancer stays away. I'll keep you posted on how that pans out.

*****

Anyway, Nana saw a little girl on the golf course, so she hopped up from the table, raced over to her purse (to get cash), unbolted the slider, and was out the back door. I followed her. A guy was about to hit off the tee right behind their house.

Big tipper meets tiny golfer.

Me:  Hold on, Mom. He's hitting . . . 

Guy:  No prob. I'm not in a hurry. You're fine.

(the little girl and the men she was playing with were moving to the next hole on the back 9 or whatever - they were beyond the hole right behind my folks' house. I tried to persuade Nana to give up on her chase. No siree.

Nana (to the guy who paused his game so she could march by on the cart path):  Hi, how're you hitting 'em today?

Guy:  Pretty good. Such a nice night. Hey, someone in one of these houses used to come out and give me cookies.

Me:  Yeah, that was her (pointing at Nana). (Nana pumped her fist in the air like she won something).

Nana and I arrived at the hole where the little girl was with three guys - older brothers or a really young uncle? 

Nana:  Hi. What grade are you in? (3rd) Oh, I taught 4th grade. I saw you golfing and I think you're doing a great job. I want to give you this. (presents her with $10). You won't lose it now?

Girl:  Wow, thanks. No, I won't lose it. 

Nana stopped at the golf cart and chatted with each of the guys. They looked confused, but they were very nice and they thanked her. 

Coach says he's gonna start sending little kids over to play golf behind their house. Then he's gonna ask them to split the profits they make off of Nana. 

Did you read my recent post about me remembering as many kids as possible from my 1985 8th grade class and uppity girls in my grade school back in the early 80's? 

I have to share this Nana story. (I mentioned it in the comments, but in case you didn't hop back and read my replies). My wealthy aunt in Texas sent each of my two sisters an Izod shirt for their birthdays (their b-days were a few days apart, of course they were) when I was in like 6th grade. We went bananas. "AN ALLIGATOR SHIRT?!" Mom asked Ann to fetch her ripper from her sewing basket. Then she ripped the alligator emblem off each of the brand new shirts. 

Nana said something to the turn of:  If they won't be your friend without an alligator shirt, then you don't want them to be your friend just because you have an alligator shirt. 

********

Wise words or do you think that was harsh? I was at the age when I thought everything my parents said was Correct, and I don't think any of us ever questioned her response to the Izod shirts. Anyone want Nana's address so you can hang out in the yard and hope for a tip?