Life lately...

...has been hectic, stressful, exhausting, and all the other emotions and feelings that come along with the ending of my school year and the beginning of another Camp War Eagle season for Mark.

But folks, let me tell you, Life is GOOD.

Last week I got a taste of what it's like to be a single parent as Mark worked an average of 14 hours a day and wasn't home much. I am SO blessed to have such a helpmate that when he's not here, I truly don't function well! We are a team (and a darn good one in my opinion) and I am so grateful for my husband. After years of being a CWE wife (some would say widow) I have learned to be content without him home at times, and Turner and I do a lot of shopping, Chick-Fil-A eating, and having great fun even his absence. Turner said this week, "It's just me and you Mommy."

Here's a pic of what we did on one of our nights this week. I was so nervous on Monday night, but I finally gave it a shot taking Turner with me to the nail salon so I could get a pedicure. I had imagined worst case scenarios of her splashing water, spilling/breaking polish, and ultimately me having to get up and leave...but oh no. Turner was a complete doll the entire time. She ate her dinner (thank you Lord for Chick-Fil-A), watched everything going on, we read a few books, and she pretty much sat in my lap the whole time. She wouldn't allow them to paint her toenails, but all through the evening she kept saying, "Mommy your toenails are so pretty!" The next evening she asked me if I would paint her toenails...and of course I obliged. She was SO proud, she went to bed asking if she could show Daddy her toenails and literally woke up the next morning saying, "I go show Daddy these!"   (Yes, that's dirt on her feet still from her afternoon with Mrs. Rhonda.)

Seeing as how we haven't seen Mark much this week we've really been looking forward to a weekend with him home.  Mark spent countless hours in the yard today and when Turner got up from her nap we all went outside to join him.  We washed cars, worked in the garden, planted flowers, played in sprinklers...and the pic below is what those pretty feet looked like by the end of our day.  Turner said, "Mommy my feet are so dirty.  You'll have to paint my toenails again."  Ha!



Here are a few more pictures from our afternoon in the sun and water - we had a ball! I am including a few pics of our garden - thank you Grandpa for plowing and plowing for us when you were here!  We have some fruits to show for all your labor!  (And yes, we live in a subdivision.  With a Homeowner's Association.  Yes it's visible from the road.No they haven't kicked us out. Don't judge...come summer just come eat!)

These are my sunflowers for this year - they look better than ever and I am hoping for 6 footers this year! :)

Three more days of school - it's a bittersweet time of year for us. Full disclosure: I have had the days counted down on my calendar since January. Not that I don't enjoy my job, but it's stressful, hectic, and frustrating at times.  But at this time of year, all that seems to fade away a little and we tend to get a little nostalgic about our year, our team, our kids, and what we on my team have worked to create for all these years (I am finishing year #9 by the way).  I got an email from a parent today and it really made me smile.  This particular student has struggled mightily this year, but commented to his mom this week that "he can't imagine better teachers in 7th grade and that this is gonna go down in history as the best year ever."  Y'all, that's what we work for every single day.  That's why we do what we do.  So proud.

So...as you see, this is a transition time for my family.  Wednesday will slow down my life significantly as I finish up my year with a teacher workday, yet we'll spend our evening at the first CWE pep rally of the year - marking the start of the busiest season of the year for my better half.

In the midst of the transitions, life is good.