Anticipation

I remember when my dad's little blue Gremlin hit the 100,000 mile mark circa 1977. It was an exciting day.

This was exciting and sad day for me. This van that I was surprised to get (it was a conspiracy between Todd and my parents). This van that I didn't want in the beginning. This van has grown on me. I love this van more than I loved my last van, and I never would have thought that would be possible.

The best day EVER...

Emma is going to the YMCA for camp this week. On Monday afternoon, I picked her up and received the announcement above. "How fun will that be?!" I asked myself. We ran to the store and bought some water shoes that were on clearance. She dug up an old zoo camp t-shirt and old shorts to get trashed in the mud. We got her extra outfit, swimsuit, and towel all ready to go. At 8:30 on Monday night, Emma was set for camp on Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning the above note was taped to the bathroom mirror. Todd must have taped it there on Monday night when he got home from work. He obviously picked it up on Monday morning when he dropped her off at camp. "Sweetheart, really?" I wonder what would have happened if I did not know about this before Tusday morning. Regardless... I did know about it and Emma was set to go for a great day.

When I picked her up from camp on Tuesday afternoon, she exclaimed that this was the best day of her life.

Water shoes on clearance... $5
Camp fee.. $125
Happy memories for a lifetime... PRICELESS!

Weekend of tears and smiles

Friday June 16th Pher left for Zeke's house. Early morning on Saturday the 17th they were heading to the northern side of Michigan's upper peninsula. They will be with Zeke's family for the week of the 17th through the 25th. After the 25th, I don't know what is happening. Zeke's uncle wanted to send the boys to the woods to begin their self-sustaining experience. This plan would enable them to return to the cabin in time to catch a ride home if they choose. If they do not come home with Zeke's family, they will be gone until the end of September. I do not have a way of contacting my son, and it is scary.

On a very happy note, Faith turned 4 on the 17th. We made a super-fast birthday run to Avon, IN (just west of Indy) for a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party. This is just what I needed. I needed to be with my family. I needed to hear my sister laugh and tell me that everything with Christopher will be OK. I needed to hear my brother tell me that the "Black flies are bad this time of year. He may be home sooner than you want him."

Graduation party

Christopher and Zeke expressed an interest in having a graduation party to Zeke's mom. She agreed to allowing them have a party in the barn... If and only if they cleaned the barn.

They were given a little over two weeks to accomplish this task. They did it. The party was on Saturday the 10th. It was a joint party since they have mostly mutual friends. We invited some friends and family. Zeke's parents invited some friends and family.

The boys belong to a band. They plugged in and started playing. It appeared as though a good time was had by all.

Zeke's dad on guitar and Todd on drums. The old guys had fun playing music together.Christopher on guitar and Zeke on drums.Pher and Zeke's dad.

Kids say the darndest things...

Emma is going to camp at the YMCA this week. She came home yesterday and told me this...

"Mom, I saw grandma age ladies changing their swimsuits today. Their boobs were saggy. Sorry, but it's gonna happen to you. Soon, it's gonna happen. Sorry to tell you this, but you're 44 now you know."

Why, why, why does she have to state things so matter-of-factly?

Pittsburgh on the Fourth

When Todd got home from work on the morning of July 3, we hit the road for Pittsburgh. More specifically, we made a visit to Brentwood, a borough of Pittsburgh. Todd's Aunt Johnni and Uncle Eugene live there. It is a quaint neighborhood town. Their daughter Nicole summed it up best. "I love it here. I can walk anywhere I want."
No matter where we are, no matter what we are doing, I always keep my eyes open for one of our mixers!Almost every house (and I do mean almost EVERY house) has a porch... This is where I fell in love with them. Aunt Johnnie's beautiful house...
The Oldest house in Brentwood...So, we walked past all of these beautiful homes, and many, many tents set up in front yards. We stopped at a tent where Todd's cousins were hanging out with their friends from high school who were home on college summer break. More on this later...

Aunt Johnni is crazy and interrupted the parade several times in order to say 'hello' to people.We ended up at her friend's house. We ate and had a soda or two while the parade went by. Then we headed back down the street the way we came. We stopped back at the tent with the cousins. It was here that Emma learned the art of bartending. She watched intently as the college guys pumped the keg and drew their buddies beer. She politely asked for a turn. After 10 minutes of pumping and flirting, our daughter had $26 in tips.

I Went to the Crossroads...

and fell down on my knees... literally.

We arrived at our hotel with ample time to eat a wonderful dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. After a great night sleeping, we got to Toyota Park at 9:45 am on the 26th. The line was long. The gates opened at 10. A very nice English gentleman at the Embassy Suites in Lombard told us what to do IMMEDIATELY when we entered the gates. If you want the advice for the next Crossroads Festival, e-mail or call me... I will not share it openly.

We entered the gates, followed his advice, Cameron and his buddy Nate went directly to the stage. They stayed there until the Finale at 11 pm. Yuppers. They manned their post for close to 12 hours. Cameron's second time seeing Eric Clapton and his third 'real' concert. Nate's first 'real' concert. What memories they created for themselves. They did rotate out for bathroom and food breaks.

... and thank God for texting (Oh my goodness. Did I just type that?!"). Texting is how we kept in touch with the boys. This is how we learned that at one point they "were not leaving their spots." The temp was a good 90 and the humidity level was over 90%. Todd bought water. He took it to a security guard. He told the guard, "Look, I've got two 15-year-old boys on the rail. They need water. Please find them." Todd got a text shortly thereafter... "Got the water. Thank you."

The day was full of blues music. It was mesmerizing. It was phenomenal. It was a wonderful fundraiser of 30,000 who paid $100 each for Eric Clapton's Crossroads Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center. The performers played for free, and they enjoyed every minute of it. We were close enough to see their expressions. They were friends supporting friends.

For me if was kind of like the AFC Championship game where the Colts beat the Patriots to go to the 2007 Superbowl. I was there. I can die a happy woman knowing that no other football game will ever surpass that game in emotion... for me. That was my pinnacle of football, and I have not had a desire to attend another football game since. I feel the same way about this concert. It was the pinnacle of music... unless I am fortunate enough to be able to attend another Crossroads Festival. At that time we will talk again and reassess the situation...Me and Todd at the CrossroadsEric Clapton. Guitar phenemon since the early 70's. He's in his mid-60's now. We saw him on the side of the stage with his daughter. We have several pictures of them. Touching doesn't begin to explain the love he showed for her while enjoying his friend's performances. Oh, and his little girl was holding an American Girl doll. He's sucked into that too!I will post more pictures in the near future.