List Hijacked

I left one of my fazillion lists on the counter the other night, and discovered a few changes had been made to it in the morning. Question:
Could this be considered hand written permission to get rid of the current boat?

Busted

The garage door made a loud POP! last night when I pushed the button to close the door.
The chain to the opener was hanging in pieces from the mechanism and the result was a loud clanking from the motor and the garage door stuck open, leaving our belongings exposed to the night.

What an unfortunate series of events...or is it? (cue evil eyes and sinister laugh: muahahaha...)

You see, we store the boat in the garage.
Yes. Instead of our 2nd car.
Yes. This arrangement makes me crazy.

Should a prime opportunity such as this ever occur, I knew I would take action.

Much to my chagrin, the husband grew wise to my pre-meditated plan to put a giant "Steal me! I'm FREE!" sign on the boat, with hope that it would mysteriously disappear in the night.

Aaron got up on a ladder and managed to get the door closed manually and my evil scheme was thwarted. Shame.

Any of my local friends have a recommendation for a good fix-it guy? Or a not-so-good fix-it guy? I mean, it wouldn't be the worst thing to have another opportunity to execute my plan.

Knowing my luck, Hoarder Henry would pick it up and I'd still have to stare at it every day, parked in the pile of crap across the street.

Ten on Tuesday...it is Tuesday, right?

no time for pictures today, but here's an update on our lives:

1) My preschool started back up again today. I don't have words to express my excitement over it. I really really REALLY love teaching. A lot.


2) Soccer season has begun! We went to the kickoff party and there were fun inflatable slides and obstacle courses, etc. The girls are both on "pink" teams, and they love it! Reese had her first little scrimmage at practice and she scored her first goal of the season. She came home on cloud nine. The girls practice at different times, which means we are in Bentonville 3 days a week. By the end of soccer season, Corbin will be an all-star from all the time he gets to spend cheering for his sisters.

3) Run for a Child was this weekend. Since I am totally out of shape and only ran a handful of times this summer, I opted to do the 5K instead of the 10K this year. I am so glad I did. I got a crappy time for the 5K (32:30) and STILL felt like garbage when I finished! It was fun, though, and it supports the local NWA Children's Shelter, so at least I am sore today for a wonderful cause! The friends of mine that ran the 10K did really well. I'm so proud of them!


4) We're now getting 3 or 4 eggs every day. It is wonderful. Just when we use them all up for a big breakfast-for-dinner, 3 days go by, and we have almost a full dozen again! Do you know how awesome it is to be able to put off going to the grocery store for one more day? I can do that now, 'cuz we can always just have eggs. Last week, I had a horrible sinus cold and Aaron offered to make lunch. He set a plate of scrambled cheese eggs in front of me. I was suddenly back in Gilroy in the house I grew up in, with my blankie in my lap. My mom always made me cheese eggs when I stayed home sick from school. I've never really realized eggs are a comfort food for me until they were prepared for me. Love.


5) The other fab thing that we did on Labor Day weekend was go to my friend, Jocelyn's house. She has an incredible home on Windsor lake, and every labor day and memorial day they invite like 50-100 people over for hot dogs and potluck sides and we all swim and play in the lake. A few people always bring their boats and take groups out tubing and wake boarding. I took each of my kids out on a kayak. Corbin lasted the longest. He loved every minute as long as I let him hold onto the paddle.


6) Overnight, the temps have dripped like 25 degrees and there is a cool crisp breeze. It is absolutely beautiful outside. Arkansas, I forgive you for this summer. But don't think I have forgotten. I'll threaten to move if you ever pull that kind of crap on me again.
I'm ready to decorate for fall,wear jeans, bake bread, and eat soup and bread every day for the rest of my life.


7) We took the boat out again on Saturday night, and this time, brought the kids.
I won't be getting on our boat again. ever.


8) I'm so grateful for Primary teachers who are dedicated to their calling. Reese loves going to primary. Her teacher is always happy to see the kids, prepares good lessons, and genuinely looks like she is pleased to see the kids. This makes such a difference in the tiny world of a child. Can you imagine going to a job where your boss acted like he hated his job, was irritated by you, couldn't wait to get the heck out of there at the end of the day, and checked out mentally as soon as he arrived because he still can't believe his boss would have the audacity to put him in charge of you? Now imagine sending your child into that kind of environment. It makes me sad anf frustrated to see this happen occasionally at school and church. Luckily, all three of my children are very blessed to have teachers that take their callings seriously, prepare creative lessons, and teach them with love and affection. Ifeel happy knowing that my children are given the opportunity to feel and recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit outside of our home, every week, when they go to primary.


9) We started reading our Dave Ramsey book again. I love the motivation it gives us to stick to our budget and save more. I don't love re-training my brain to spend less. One problem that I have with this book is that it focuses heavily on saving money specifically to get out of debt. But our only debt is our home mortgage, so I feel like we need a book that begins on the next step: building better savings, retirement, and paying off our home quickly. The book is the right style of writing to inspire me, which is why I go back to it when I need a reminder, but I feel like it needs a sequel. Anyone have book suggestions? I want something that speaks real English, not a book written for finance and accounting scholars. (duh, have we met?) Don't recommend something that is going to talk about stock market trends or give doomsday predictions. I like reading success stories, and enjoy reminders that small sacrifices now produce great rewards later.


10) Our babysitter called the other night with an interesting request. Her bff is a finalist in the upcoming Miss BHS Pageant. (Yup. We are definitely in the south! They have high school pageants here and they. are. a. big. deal. Qualifying rounds, preliminary rounds, and finally the actual pageant, which is attended by the masses.) Anyway, the pageant is sponsored by the school district for a scholarship, so rather than the girls have a male be their pageant escort, they are encouraged to find a little girl to participate in the pageant by their side.

Enter my adorable daughter and a request for Reese to be Hannah's "Little Miss" partner.


We've decided to let her do it. I didn't think she would be into it, but Reese is really excited to participate. (which basically involves getting dressed up in a pretty dress, having her little bio read to the audience, and holding Hannah's hand when she is on stage, oh and wearing lipgloss---that was Reese's one and only request, for now anyway.) So yeah, stay tuned for tales of our little "Future Miss Bentonville High School". Oh the hilarity. No need for Toddlers and Tiaras, we have our very own little southern debutante right here in the Willy house.

Only Because I Love You.

Did I mention I got on the boat?

It was...
...I um....
let's just say the evening met every expectation I had for the evening.

I expected to freak out when I had to actually step into the boat.

(ps kasey, I heart your phone pics---look how tan my legs look when they're all pixelated at sunset! Smokin! No wait...the smoke is coming from the boat....who cares. I like cell phone meg.)

I expected the boat to not start once I finally did get the courage to get in it.

I expected to do a lot of nervous binge eating while the guys "fixed the boat".

I expected "fixing the boat" to include a "brilliant" idea by the guys.

Like running 30ft jumper cables from the boat motor, into the lake, and up into the jeep.
See? Brilliant, right?

Ok,

we have a boat, jumper cables, and a lake.
aaaaanyone who knows me at all knows that I was freaking out at this point.
When she saw how much I was sweating, Kasey volunteered to hold the cables up out of the water while the guys jumped the battery.
Oh hey look, there I am, pounding redvines and not helping.

Notice the cloud of smoke from the boat motor in the background.

I expected to wear two life jackets.
I expected to panic every time we turned and the boat did that tilty thing that boats do when they turn.

That's why I don't trust them, you know. The boats. It's like they're trying to throw me overboard.



Oh, and the fact that the fugly boat is clearly not on my team, since it showed up unannounced on my front lawn 2 years ago, making my yard even more WT than it already was. (milk can mailbox anyone?)



I expected an awesome picnic dinner with my husband and our best friends.

And,
as I expected,
the boat. died.
leaving us stranded in the middle of Lake Ann.



Maybe it was the perfect sunset and meteor shower.
Maybe it was the power of the Lakers pride life jacket.
Or Kasey's contagious laugh and never ending jokes.
Or the radioactive waves coming from Jimmie's dayglow shirt.
Maybe it was my uncontainable anxiety and nervous giggles.
Or that Aaron was more upset that we'd brought cold cuts for dinner than he was about his boat not starting.


Whatever it was, we could. not. stop. laughing.




Aaron and Jimmie paddled the boat (yes. paddled. with crappy little canoe oars) back to shore.
Kasey and I swam.

We laughed our faces off.




Boat Day shows no mercy, and when we reached the shore, my number was up.



Not wanting to wade through the nasty murky lakebottom goo to get out of the water, I thought it would be smart to just climb up the ladder into the boat (now tied to the dock) and just exit the furry lake water onto the dock via the boat.


You know the boat tippy thing I told you I don't like?


Well, turns out, when you hang a ladder over the side of a boat with no one in it, and then attempt to climb it, the boat tips a lot.



And the ladder that's supposed to help you get out of the lake? It takes sides with the boat and turns on you. Literally! Rather than hanging vertically, the ladder clung to the curve of the boat's belly like a wet tshirt. And then the boat tipped 45*. So here I am, exhausted from swimming, attempting to climb the underside of a boat. Upside down. I couldn't get past the 2nd rung before my muscles would give up and gravity would pull me back into the water.



"Are you kidding me, Meg?" Aaron fell over with laughter, not willing to believe that I couldn't climb a simple ladder.



"Hey man! It's harder than it looks!" and I'd fall back into the water, sending everyone into fits of hysterical laughter.

"Move over, let me try" and Kasey gave an encore of the comedy act.

"See?! I told you!"

"This is like an episode of WIPEOUT!"


"I don't know if I can laugh at those idiots on the foam carousels anymore."


"You can do it! You ran a freaking marathon 3 months ago! You are better than this ladder!"


"This is hard!"


"That's what she said!"

We lost it.

The combination of swimming for an eternity, laughing until our sides ached, and the ladder of death Double Dare Wipeout Challenge, there was NO way either of us had any muscle strength to get ourselves out of the water.

We totally gave up and walked up the moss covered cement loading ramp.

We dropped the boat off at the house and went to Mellow Mushroom for dessert.

I still do not love the boat, but I love my Aaron and he loves that fugly boat. I'm so glad we went, and that our besties were there to share the adventure.

It doesn't matter where we go or what we do, Date Night is always a fun time.

Just as expected.

Daybreak

Aaron and Grandpa Rob took Reese and Quincy canoeing around the little community lake near Rob and Lynda's house in Daybreak. Their neighborhood is super cute, immaculate and manicured in a sort of Pleasantville meets the Truman Show sort of way...except everything is already in color. It's the perfect community for them to retire in and a really fun place for little grandkids to visit.

Corbin and I walked around on the shore at the dock and then walked up to Soda Row (the little shopping strip down the street).These two would have been happy to stay at the train table in the children's boutique all day. Seriously, I don't think either of them would have noticed if Janae and I had just left them there in the store! I meant to take the girls back there to play with the kitchen and the calico critters (remember those?!) table. I left with an itch for a new diaper bag. I've been using the same one since Quincy was born (thanks, Melinda, I love it!), and it is looking pretty dilapidated. And now, after our other trip, it is full of sand. But I LOVE the pattern and haven't found a bag anywhere to match it's superior functionality. It's a shame lands end discontinued it, because it is the best bag ever! I tried a couple times to get a different bag, but nothing compares, they are too flimsy and loose, too roomy, don't have a shoulder strap, or they are missing the pocket in the back that is the perfect size for my scriptures, dayplanner, kindle, diaper changing pad, or a little receiving blanket. Or they don't have those deep pockets hidden under the straps that hold a bottle, sippy cup, water bottle, sunglasses, dr pepper, etc. Or the elastic pockets inside the large compartment, or the vinyley lining so I can clean it out because kids are gross, or the front zipper pocket for my wallet, phone, keys, etc, which is great because then my stuff is separate from kid stuff and more accessible. And it is the perfect size and it is sturdy enough to stand up on it's own.

But who can resist the cute patterns on those petunia pickle bottom bags? I felt so ordinary and un-hip in Utah with my 5 yr old plain black canvas bag with the holes in it. And, I'm willing to bet those cute fancy bags are are not full of sand. I might have to just take my bag to a professional and (Ahem, Hillary-want a sewing project?) have it recreated with some cute new fabric.

Wow. I just wrote a huge paragraph about my diaper bag. It's time for a replacement.

Back to the vacation, the girls loved canoeing and Corbin and I both found items to drool over in the shops on soda row. Later in the week, Aaron and the girls trekked back up there for gelato. Yum. Can you imagine having a cupcakery and a gelato shop within walking distance of your house? Heaven.

"So I'd like to know where you got the notion. Said I'd like to know where you got the notion..."

In all her glory.
Yep. That's the view from my office (aka the window above the kitchen sink).
15 ft of boat on our lawn.
But he loves it.
And I love him.

"I feel the earth move under my feet. I feel the sky tumbling down, tumbling down..."

"Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea.
Joy to you and me..."

"Country Roads, take me home
to the plaaaaace, I belooooooong..."

"Wake up Maggie, I think I got something to say to you.
It's late September and I really should be back at school..."

"I am I said. To no one there.
And no one heard at all not even the chair.
I am I cried. I am, said I
And I am lost and I can't even say why..."

"It was just my imagination, running away with me..."

1971.
a GREAT year for music.

I mean, really. "She's A Lady"? You can't compete with that kind of goodness.

Now that we've covered most of the good things that happened in 1971, let's move on to some of the more tragic events:

A big ugly boat was built.

38 years (and who knows how many divorces) later,
it sits in front of my house.
Perhaps it has come here to die.