"Gee, the productivity in your husband's business has really gone to pot!"
"Tomorrow, I think your husband should fire his colleague and go out and find someone who can really do the job!!!"
"It's going to be a really hard year for you and your husband! His effectiveness has taken a major turn for the worse."
"The employees of your husband's business are rude!"
Or my favorite-
"I really hope that the competitors beat the heck out of your husband's business tonight!!!!!"
Of course not! No! People don't do that kind of thing. Unless they are a social moron OR your husband happens to be a coach.
You'd think after 10+ years in the business, I'd get used to it. But maybe I never will.
Since my husband makes his living coaching a GAME that people are able to watch, I guess that people think it's just fine to make whatever stupid comment comes into their minds.
You know, I've heard that if you can't take the heat, then stay out of the kitchen.
And I have 2 problems with that.
#1 - I had no choice in this. God gave me this man, and He gave Tom this job, and I am here faithfully believing that He is going to bless us. Even when the point guard screws up. Even when we didn't land that top recruit. Even when we have a 5 game losing streak. He is with us, and He has a purpose for us. And YES, He cares about basketball games, even though people tell me He does not.
#2 - There is something called politeness. Your husband's job is very important to you. My husband's job is very important to me. I won't make dire predictions about what is going to happen to your husband's job and you don't do the same to me. I will sincerely wish you and your husband the best when it comes to his job. I'm hoping for a promotion for you, not that he gets beat out by the others (even if I happen to know the others and like them very well.)
You know, I try to tread lightly. I try not to be easily offended because in my heart, I think people just really don't get it. They have an opinion on every other game on TV, so why not have an opinion on my husband's game? And for the most part, I move on through life thankful for where God has put us and thankful for the friends (they are precious to me!) He has put in our lives who do understand and are sensitive to our situation. Some friends even put away their colors and wear ours for a game! Wow!
But at the most recent game pictured above (THAT WE LOST, by the way,) I had one "friend" walk up to me wearing opposing colors and begin complaining about the 30 person cheering section for our team: "They are so loud and rude!" And then another one, who at half time, thought he would come tell me how bad our team looked: "You guys are looking pretty terrible so far."
Maybe it's just that I'm approaching 40 or something, but it didn't slide off my back this time.
What about common courtesy?
That felt good. Thanks for letting me vent. It's been comin' on for oh, about 10 years. :)
...not just any, ordinary girls' weekend! Oh no! Instead it was a week-long, 40th birthday blowout cruise for a near and dear friend, whom I've happened to know since, oh... 1985. 
Here she is, and the shirt fits, if you know what I mean! Doesn't she look amazing? We found that hilarious shirt in a vintage store in Tampa the night before we left on the cruise. It's going to become the traveling shirt, as we each hit the fabulous age over the next couple of years! 
The three of us were LAK growing up... Linda, Anne, Kim... we were inseparable, forging our way through high school and college ... the time we spent together molded me in ways that I am still discovering. God gave me a gift of lifelong friendship when he gave me these girls! We haven't seen nearly as much of each other since starting our families a decade ago, so there was years of catching up to do. 
We added a new friend in college, named Chrissy (in purple.) She is darling and fun and a blast to go cruisin' with! I have not seen or even talked to her in over TEN(!) years, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her and learning about her life as a mom of three and ER nurse! We definitely rekindled an old friendship! Then there is Rhonda (in pink), the spunky little sister (also mom of three) of the birthday girl... she kept us going... laughing... and smiling. Sweet, funny and thoughtful, so thoughtful that she brought us all matching, pink, embroidered robes! 
Grand Cayman was our first stop after a couple days at sea. Amazingly, hurricane Paloma had passed over the area just two calendar days earlier. But the day was sunny and pleasant! We went snorkeling and got to gaze through our masks at the swimming jewels of the sea, flitting around the ocean floor.
Then... we had the unusual opportunity to hang out with the Stingrays. So the story goes that years ago, on this particular sandbar, a fisherman began feeding the stingrays his leftover fish pieces. They became rather tame stingrays, unafraid of human contact. Yes, I know that Steve Irvin was killed by a stingray, and believe me, that did race through my mind at the time,
especially given the huge size of these things. But we decided they were quite like puppies as they rubbed up against our legs and let us hold them. I know it sounds crazy, but the stingrays were lovable creatures. Never thought I'd use that word in the same sentence as stingray.
Next stop was Cozumel, Mexico, where we basically rented a little slice of our own beach for the day. We just did nothing but listen to the beat of the waves on the sand, beachcomb for shells, read our novels, talk and laugh ourselves silly and tell Carlos what next fabulous food or drink we would like to have delivered, beachside!
Wow! What a trip! We talked a wild streak, laughed till our ribs felt sore, danced like no one was watching, and sang as loud as we possibly could. We shed some tears while talking, stirred up old memories from the dead, and made plans for the future! We sang and danced some more, freaking out every time we heard one of our favorite songs, such as "Push It" or "Jessie' s Girl." 
We went to a comedy show and dressed up like the 80's. Big hair and bright colors. Did I mention we ate and ate? We had to take advantage of the free buffets! Right, Chrissy? We celebrated a very special person in our friend Linda. And we took zillions of pictures of it all. Truly, through it all, we felt the very strong hand of God on all we did. It is no coincidence that everything went so smoothly. Yes, we believe that He cares even about 40th birthday parties, and especially His birthday girl... Linda Ruth! We give Him praise for the ways He watched over us, big and little. Everything good and perfect is from above.
In the end, leaving was mostly sweet. The vacation was more than I could have expected and the time with friends was irreplaceable. However, I missed my family so much that I could barely sleep our last night on the boat. I was so thrilled to finally be back at home with my loved ones, but......
I am very glad I went on that trip.
Maybe
you are pleased at yesterday's election,
but maybe
you feel awful rejection.
Maybe
you feel exhilarated! Vindicated!
Maybe
you just feel things are complicated.
Maybe
you partied late into the night -
and Maybe
you are sick with fright.
But there are no
maybes,
baby...
when it comes to this:
God, and God alone, fashions the tapestry of human history.
He rules from the heavens and determines the next part of our earthly story.
He is bigger than votes and scams; he is smarter than Democrats and Republicans.
HE.... The mighty one... is control of this election.
No doubt about it; it's divine selection
Maybe NOT - should we worry and scurry
Maybe NOT - should we judge
Maybe NOT - should we doubt that our God has made a mistake.
I determine to look forward with peace and expectation, without reservation....
believing that HE is on the throne.
He will never leave us alone...
He is using our President elect...
in ways we may never expect.
Let's pray God's blessing upon him
and this great country we live in.
No MAYBE about it!
POST NOTE:
Lest you think that I posted my previous post to let the world know my daughter's amazingly high IQ, I must add that is not at all the case. While I do, of course, think she is a bright, little girl, (what parent doesn't!) this is more a tribute to her uncanny knack at picking up things in pop culture and using them correctly in conversation. Since the day she was 2 and she busted out "That's Smoking HOT!" we just have to laugh at the things she says. I would venture to say she has little to no grasp of the policies of our two candidates or even exactly who Honest Abe is. But when she said that, it just sounded right. We seem to need someone who really IS going to cut through all the CRUD out there and be a true American leader. In one of the classes I teach, one of my students did an excellent presentation about Booker T. Washington. I knew who Booker T. was before that presentation, but not of his character. He was an incredible leader. That presentation made me truly LONG for someone in this day and age who will lead fearlessly, fight vigorously, and guide our country in a way we sorely need. That's the kind of man I wish for and pray for to be president of this amazing country. I'm not sure we will get that with either candidate tomorrow; however, I believe that God's mighty hand is in charge and will lead us through. For a great post on the spiritual perspective for tomorrow's election, look at my friend Katie's post here!
Post Post Note: I used Scrapblog for the first time today (THANKS DAWN!) and I am in blogging heaven! It is so easy and cute and fun!!! I highly recommend it.
I try to keep my mouth shut when it comes to politics, but THIS I could not pass up.
Car talk today....
Ellie: Mom, is it true that McCain will just give us more of the same?
Mom: (after I recover from my surprise)
Not exactly Ellie... followed up by the best explanation I can give to 8 year old ears.
Ellie: Mom, is it true that Obama wants to take away our freedoms?
Mom: (after I again recover from my surprise)
Well, babe, not exactly... followed up by the best explanation I can possibly give her.
After a pause....and with a wistful inflection...
Ellie: I sure wish Honest Abe was still around.
It's a tradition!
Granny with some of her great grandkids....
Granny drawing a name to give away her Halloween quilt. Remember, Kami won it last year! The guy in the top right hand corner was the big winner this year..... 
Indiana Jones and the Pumpkin Princess on Granny's swing...
Kami as a football player, Luke as IJ, and Ellie as a Pirate who lost her pants. We never found em and had to go back home before trick or treating and find some different pants. Also, the hat was so rumpled! The costume I actually paid big bucks for at Target was, sadly, the least cute.
Sibling love?
The boy is on a roll.
Remember in August when he stepped on a red ant hill on our trip to the bat cave? The ants crawled up his legs and bit him a couple times?
Then a couple weeks later, he was stung 5 times on the 2nd day of school by yellow jackets?
There seems to be something about the stinging, biting, sticking thing that has a strange attraction to him.... (but things happen in threes, they say, so this pattern is OVER!)
....we couldn't escape October without another incident. Tonight at soccer practice, he fell down (he does a lot of flipping and rolling on the ground) and he fell directly into a thick sticker burr patch. Luckily, Tom was at practice and ran right over to him where he was wailing on the ground. There were more than 15 sticker burrs jabbed into one hand and 5-7 on the other, (according to Tom who seriously NEVER exaggerates) and his shorts and socks were totally covered. Tom just stripped him out of his clothes right there while he cried pitifully. The sticker burrs were stuck in his skin all over, and when he pulled them out, many of the stickers just broke off and left a sticker in his skin that we had to extract later. Talk about miserable. Those things hurt and toughness was not exactly his theme tonight. He reeled over the disturbing incident for several hours. It even wore Tom out -he went to bed early.... and here I am blogging about it! I guess sleep is his therapy, while blogging is mine!
The poor kid ranked the pain of his 3 incidents for us. In order from least painful to most painful...
1) ant bites
2) sticker burrs
3) YELLOW JACKET STINGS!!!
One more Luke note:
On Tuesday, he came home and said he'd had a "rough day" at school. Only one 
out of five on his behavior chart, and by the way, Mom, I got one 
for pushing a friend out of line "because he was cutting in front of Ethan. I just had to make it right." Ok, pushing is not good, but at least it was not hitting or biting, and like a tiny superhero, he was righting the wrongs of the world.
So, on Wednesday, I picked him up from school and asked the teacher if today was a better day, since Luke had told me himself (so proud of him) about the day before and how it was not his best day ever.
Completely serious, she reported, "Oh yes, it was a much better day today. Luke did not body slam anyone today." So, I guess he didn't exactly tell me the entire truth about his little heroic episode yesterday. Apparently, he was the villain!
You moms of boys have to forgive me... I'm sure this stuff is old news to you.... but with my 2 oldest being girls, every day is a shocking and thrilling adventure. However, I wouldn't have it any other way!!! We are blessed beyond measure with this rough and tumble little boy.
FABULOUS!!! Thanks to a great Papa who bought us all tickets, we got to go see Carrie Underwood on Wednesday night. It could have been a disaster... it was a school night, Kami had a 102 fever, Ellie fell asleep and then had a nosebleed, my head was hurting.... but Carrie Underwood was so very talented and just... well... comfortable! It was honestly a really pleasant experience, like it was your best friend up there performing. Even though we had lots of obstacles to overcome (including the fact that I had no kleenex to clean up Ellie's nosebleed, only a *clean* pair of underwear in my purse - that's all I'll say about that), the night was well worth it. 
Ok, Ok, I know you're probably still caught up on that "Kami had a 102 fever" part. I will confess.... I poured some Ibuprofen down her and drug her (willingly!) to the concert. The medicine kicked in and she felt ok the entire time.
It seems appropriate, with all of my recent posts about Luke. This was taken in January of 2006, one day when my niece Lauren was spending some time at our house. Luke found a marker, I think it was called "Radical Red," and proceeded to change little, precious, dainty, Lauren into Spider Man. This was his explanation, at least.
The play is finally over.
But I don't say that in a thank-God-we-are-done-with-that-miserable-activity kind of way.....more of a it-was-a-fantastic-experience-but-I'm-ready-for-a-little-break kind of way.
Here is a nice shot of the girls before their final performance.... 
and for those of you who are horrified that we would allow our precious, innocent daughter to be painted up like a scary ghost with (gasp!) blood dripping out the side of her mouth and down her neck, I must tell you ....
she made new friends, and she developed confidence in getting up with those new friends in front of an audience. 
she spent LOTS of time with Mom and sis... it was fun to do something with both the girls together... because they are usually going their separate ways....
... and she enjoyed the satisfaction of bringing a story to life for friends, family and even strangers. She told me that when she came out to do her curtain call, (a simple bow at the center of the stage), that her "heart springs up with joy." - her exact words (A BIG THANK YOU for those who were able to come out to the play - it meant A LOT to have you there!!!!)
Kami made friends too. She has more of a quiet personality than Elle Belle, but made a good friend in Maggie, pictured above. She also enjoyed all of the above benefits.
One more cool thing... when we were reading Caddie Woodlawn last night before bed, they were both making all these connections to The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Never did I think that being in this play would be an educational experience!!
Am I crazy enough to let them try out for another play???? More on that later.
In other news.....
Granny got a new dog. Remember, she's 97. And she adopted a new puppy. She named him Freddy Ray because he was born on Uncle Fred's birthday. Yes, the whole family had to remind me that even the DOG is named Ray and I am not. Kami has her children's named planned out already: Hallie Rae, Hank Ray and Hope Rae. She said that every one of them will have Rae/Ray in their names. She sees the importance of it. She doesn't want her children to endure the pain I have endured. ;-) Anyhoo, this is a picture of Kami Rae and Freddy Rae, both smiling (and I see a little smirk of satisfaction in there too.... all the Rays have it!)
Finally, I have to share with you more about Luke. I could blog about the kid day in and day out, but I'm sure that would be a little too much about poop and toots and such for you.
He is going to be Indiana Jones for Halloween, but he's started early. He pretty much IS already Indiana Jones. In fact, Tom and I went in to check on him a couple nights ago... and found him sound asleep ... looking like THIS. My heart melteth. 
I have all these profound things I've been wanting to blog about, but today it comes down to this: The Question of the Day.
As we were driving someplace this afternoon, Luke asked me this question:
"Mom, did you know if you toot way down into the leather seat, it kind of burns?"
"No Luke... I didn't know that," I answered, truthfully.
"I know because I just did it," he replied matter-of-factly.
These boys. Gotta love 'em.
A few weeks ago, the girls both auditioned for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow at a local theater... it wasn't a story we knew much about, just that it was a little spooky and perfect for the Fall Season. Well, we were all jumping up and down when the director called and offered them parts in the play! So for the last 6 weeks, we have LIVED down at the theater in rehearsals.... but have truly enjoyed every minute of it. Ellie was cast as a phantom and Kami a schoolgirl. Their parts fit their personalities really well. Last weekend was "opening weekend" and this weekend is "closing weekend," but they will have a total of 8 performances. The crowds last weekend were GREAT! More than scary, it is a funny play, with lots of comic moments from Brom Bones, my personal favorite character. Kami gets to scream "Beehive!!!!" in Home Alone style and do the Virgina Reel on stage. Ellie gets to be very spooky and chant things like "Beware of the galloping hooves/ Beware of the cries in the night. When the Headless Horseman rides/ You'll probably die of fright!!!"
Here, in a super duper abbreviated version, is the story of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving :
There once was a town named Sleepy Hollow, a town that seemed to thrive on superstition and ghost stories.
They had a town prankster named Brom Bones, a ruffian who every one loved to hate. He was brash and bold... 
... and was in love with a local girl named Katrina. He tried to win her over with pure persuasion and crude gifts like an old coin. 
One day a funny looking man named Ichabod Crane, a lanky yet educated individual, came to town to be the new school master.
He was a very strict schoolmaster, his favorite saying being "spare the rod and spoil the child."
He, of course, quickly fell for the beautiful (and rich!) Katrina, but this didn't set well with the rough and tumble Brom Bones.
Bones quickly came up with a plan to chase Ichabod Crane out of town, like he had done to other schoolmasters before.
He and the Sleepy Hollow Boys threw a bee hive into Ichabod's classroom. That prank didn't scare Ichabod away.
They tried other pranks that weren't successful either, but when they started scaring him with stories of ghosts from the town graveyard, Ichabod began to become uneasy. One night, after a party at the Van Tassell home...
...Brom Bones told an elaborate story of the Headless Horseman. (this by the way is a GREAT scene!)
Ichabod Crane, who had eaten far too much that evening, began hearing funny sounds as he made his way home through the forest. 
He thought he encountered the ghost of an old pirate, the spirit of the Woman and White and other cute (mine especially!) phantoms. 
Ichabod's final encounter was with none other than the Headless Horseman himself!!!! (This chase scene gets EVERYONE roaring!)
After that night, Ichabod Crane was never seen again. What do you think may have happened to him?
