A First

Tonight Alex will be attending his FIRST rock concert! I'm completely relaxed and calm about this milestone in his life because he is going with....his dad and his uncle!

Niece Holly got A.P. and U.T. tickets for this concert back in the spring. They were gifts for Mothers' Day and Fathers' Day. She also got a ticket for herself. Not too long after getting these tickets she decided that she may not want to go and asked Ted if he wanted to buy her ticket. He, of course, jumped at the chance. Recently A.P. was talking to Alex and commented that she might be interested in selling her ticket to him for the concert. Naturally he said YES!

So Alex will be going to his first concert tonight and I'm really happy for him.

I can remember going to my first concert. It was actually with Ted and happened to be our FIRST date on my 19th birthday, July 22, 1977. Ted had been to concerts before, but I hadn't and was SO naive! We went to the old Coliseum near Cleveland (although it was only a few years old at the time, it's now no longer there and the Cavs moved to downtown Cleveland). While we were waiting for the opening band to come onstage we were talking a little and I was taking it all in.

*Sniff* *Sniff* "What's that smell?" I said to Ted. "It smells like burnt pork chops."

He said, "No, it's not burnt pork chops," as he tried to hide his laughter.

"That's what it smells like," I said.

"It's pot," he whispered.

"What?" I said.

"Marijuana," he said again.

Loudly (naturally) I said, "MARIJUANA??"

He quietly said, "yes."

We've laughed about that SO many times since then.

By the way, we saw Climax Blues Band and Bad Company and I had a great time.

Tonight Alex, Ted, and Tim are going to Blossom Music Center, near Cleveland, to see Rush. I know that they'll have a great time too.

Alex is a big AC/DC fan, but he'll really like Rush tonight.

(But he HAS to go to school tomorrow!)

What a Kid!

The other evening Ted and I went out to our local Chinese restaurant for dinner. They always have flavored ice cream, but that night's flavor was blueberry, and we're NOT blueberry lovers. We decided to go to the park for ice cream...which means...

seeing the "boy" at work! We have NEVER in three summers of his working there, visited him at work. We really weren't sure of the kind of reaction that we would receive, but it was great. He didn't go off and hide. He didn't get all goofy and embarrassed. He just grinned and started talking to us. It was so cool to have your teenage son acknowledge you IN PUBLIC!

It was pretty obvious that the women (not the teenage girls) that work there just love him. One of them asked him if we were his parents, and then said that he should introduce us to her. He simply said, "Parents....Boss. Boss....Parents." Then we all laughed. She said that he invited her to our house to use the pool, but then wouldn't tell her where we lived. It just so happened that that day he didn't have time to eat lunch at school (locker issue during his 25 minute lunch period) and the ladies that work the grill at the park fixed him up. They made him a steak sandwich and he had some other stuff too.

It was nice to see him interacting with his co-workers, and we were thrilled that he didn't seem embarrassed to have his parents visiting him at work.

What a kid!

Names

My parents named me "Cynthia" and I've never liked that name. Fortunately they called me "Cindy" and that was acceptable. At the end of my 8th grade year I went through an identity crisis and decided to change it to "Cindi" and filled out forms for the following school year with the new spelling. Well, quite frankly, I got over the identity thing and sort of forgot about it until I went back to school in the fall and saw things that I had filled out using "Cindi."

Okay, it's a done deal then. I'll be "Cindi" from now on.

In looking for the baby picture that I needed for school today, I found a few in a small brag book type album. When I took out the ones that were marked "2 months old" and turned them over, I was surprised. My name was on the back, BUT it was spelled differently.

Not Cindy.

Not Cindi.

Not Cynthia (thank goodness).

But Cyndie.

Cyndie.

Cyndie.

I like it. I like it a lot. I like it MUCH better than Cynthia. I like it a lot better than Cindy. And I even like it better than Cindi.

I wish I would have known about this spelling as a child....I would have kept it.

I wonder if it's too late to change the spelling of my name again?

What do you think?

Thank You!

At school we have three BIG committees, and each of us is on one. Each committee has a variety of responsibilities, and one of the responsibilities for one of the committees (I'll call it Kelly's committee since she is the one who is taking charge of this project) is staff "stuff." Since school began last Monday, it has been announced that we had ONE WEEK to bring in a baby picture of ourselves and turn it in to her. Yes, we will get the picture back. It's due by TOMORROW.

Procrastinator that I am, this morning, I finally went looking for the picture. At our old house I would have known exactly where to go. Top drawer of my nightstand in a little small photo album that I snitched from somewhere YEARS ago. Sounds like a good place to start, doesn't it? So I went there...and couldn't see it anywhere. Okay, it had to be in there SOMEWHERE.

I took the drawer out and put it on the bed. I started looking all through the drawer and eventually took everything out of the drawer and.....CLEANED IT OUT! Unfortunately the album wasn't in there though. HOWEVER, I had cleaned out a drawer in my nightstand, hallelujah!

After I put that drawer away, I pulled out the second drawer and laid it on the bed and did the same thing. There was stuff in there that didn't belong in there, so I put that stuff where it belonged. Heck the drawer is only about a third full now...because I CLEANED IT OUT TOO! But still, no photo album.

Okay, let's try the THIRD drawer, sigh. I've only been in that drawer twice in the last year and a half, so I knew it wasn't messy, and didn't pull it all the way out. I did, however, move a couple of things and YES!!!!! saw the photo album!

As I looked through it, it made me smile. I was cute when I was a baby, hahaha....and I had a LOT of dark hair. Even my younger brother was cute as a newborn. Two of my cousins were in there too, and although they were cute, they weren't as cute as I was! Because my cousins were in there, I'm wondering if my Grandma had given me the photo album at some point in time.

Anyway, I have a picture and I want to thank KELLY and her committee for the OPPORTUNITY to clean out my nightstand drawers! What a feeling of accomplishment!

Now I'm just anxious to see what they'll do with the pictures....it will probably be one of those things where you match up a baby picture with an adult picture. Guess we'll find out soon!

College Books

Joey is starting his third year of college on Monday. He bought his books yesterday, mostly used books. He paid almost $500 (of my money) for these books. The sad part is that most of his instructors will rarely use the books.

FIVE HUNDRED FREAKING DOLLARS. FOR BOOKS.

I can remember my junior year in college and buying books for the spring quarter. It was the first time that I'd ever spent $100 on books. I was beside myself the whole way home for spring break. I tried to tell myself that it was "okay" because after all they were education books and I would be using them for reference once I got a teaching job. Yeah, right.

Those books were never opened after that quarter and are somewhere in my parents' basement collecting dead spiders, dust, and grime.This precious little boy (with his dad hiding behind him) is spending his inheritance...at the college bookstore. Maybe it's time to have that little talk with him where I tell him that his goal in life is to support his parents in their old age.

Nah, I'll let him enjoy life a little longer.

Working

Well, I'm trying to get back into the groove and it's not real easy. I wouldn't mind working the 10:00 am to 6:00 pm shift, in case anybody's asking.

Mornings are sort of rough. I'm handling it okay, but it's still a challenge. I don't like going to bed at 10 pm, but I know that I need to at least try so that I can function in the morning.

Once I'm at school, it's not all that bad. It's almost kind of nice to be back with other people. During the summer I tend to be a real "homebody" and don't interact with many people besides my immediate family. At school we tend to take a few days to get all caught up with each other and that's always fun.

We have a new superintendent this year. Most people from our building know him, as he did a few inservices for us several years ago. He's FULL of energy and vitality and is just what we need. At our opening breakfast on Monday morning, he had us all laughing, and that was so very nice. He also did a great job of motivating us for the upcoming school year. He's been extremely visible throughout the district too. And of course, one of the most IMPORTANT things he did for the teachers was to say that we can wear JEANS on paydays as long as we wear a shirt with the district colors! I'll have to get a few brown and orange shirts, but I definitely don't mind! Wearing jeans can bring up morale more than anything, except a raise of course!

Sunday night, before going back on Monday morning, was very typical for me. I couldn't sleep. At 11:20 pm, I got up, went to the den and got online to check out the state teachers retirement website. I want to know exactly how many years I have in and when I will be able to retire. I also need to find out about the possibility of buying some years back.

Because I taught for a while, then quit and took my money out of the retirement system, then decided to go back to teaching, I no longer have some years of credit. From what I understand, I can buy them back, but I need to find out a few things, like how much it will cost me! If it's worth it, then it's something I may consider. My biggest concern is insurance after I retire. I need to know how expensive that will be. After I got home on Monday, I called the retirement system to change my address and then asked about buying back years. The woman said that she would send me forms to fill out. They came in the mail yesterday but I haven't gotten into them yet. Filling out the forms is just the first of several steps in finding out how much it will cost to buy those years back. It's just a thought for now, but we'll see how it goes.

Okay, enough of this school stuff for now...it's the WEEKEND!!

Back to Work

Yep...life has come to a screeching halt. I went back to work yesterday, and my time is no longer my own. We had meetings all day yesterday, and a work day today. Open House is tonight, then tomorrow is professional development. On Thursday, the kids show up.

I'm not a morning person, and it can take me a while to roll out of bed. There are many mornings that I'm awake by 8:00 or so, but just can't seem to get out of bed until 11. And then there are the days that I can't even seem to get out of the bedroom until noon.

For the past two mornings, I've been out on the road by 7:40. And I even get the bed made before I leave. I usually wake up to the radio instead of the alarm, because it's a lot smoother to hear music or talk in the morning than a sudden BLARE of an ANNOYING BUZZ. However our local radio station doesn't come in too well these days, so I found a different nearby station that plays country music.

Yesterday I awoke with Kenny Chesney, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..... can life get any better? He was gently singing in my ear... then I heard the famous words, "She thinks my tractor's sexy" and Ted made a comment. It was something to do with Kenny's sexual preferences. That made me mad. Why is it that so many males think he is gay? And as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't make any difference if he is. He's still easy on the eyes. That smile, the voice, that Tennessee accent, those rippling muscles, the attitude that he projects...oh yeah, I'm a Kenny Chesney fan alright.

After his song was over, I just hit the snooze button. I didn't need to hear anything else for the next 9 minutes...just let me lie and dream about Kenny.

That's enough for today...I need to go listen to one of my Kenny Chesney CDs...ahhhhhhhh....

One of My Many Issues

I'm a procrastinator.

There. I've said it. And it's SO true.

I think my worst problem with this issue is sending out cards on time. It's nothing for someone to get a card from us for a birthday, anniversary, or some other important thing a month after the fact. And that's totally my fault. I'm taking ownership of the problem. (Can you tell I watched "Dr. Phil" a few times this summer?)

Believe me, it's not that I don't think about the person or care about them. It's not that at all. I just keep putting it off. And off. And off. Heck, I usually even have the cards right here at home, and some are even addressed and stamped and all ready to go. But that final step of actually mailing them seems to elude me.

We have some very good friends (with three children) and during the summer they have 2 birthdays and an anniversary. I was SO proud of myself when I sent the first birthday card so it would arrive on time! Their anniversary came and I think I actually mailed the card ON their anniversary, so they would have gotten it a day late. The next birthday was 4 weeks ago. Okay, so I'm hanging my head in shame here...the card is on a table in our bedroom and hasn't been mailed yet. Sigh.

It's not that I don't care...I really do. I'm just a procrastinator. I've tried everything. I've gotten cards months in advance, gotten them ready to go, and where the stamp goes, I've lightly penciled the date that I have to send the card, planning to put the stamp on and send it on that date. The date comes....and goes...and no card has been sent. I've even got a box with all kinds of cards in it, for every possible occasion, so that I'm ready for anything. I have stamps. I have return address labels. I have pens. What's the problem???

Okay, time to go on to another area where I procrastinate. Summer. I had a few things I planned on doing this summer. Just a few...I was being realistic here. One thing was to clean out one of the closets in the den. Another was to clean out the closet in the living room, and then the "stuff" closet in our bedroom. I also wanted to organize my recipes a little better and read the foot and a half stack of magazines that I have accumulated.

Well, in the past two weeks (like how I wait until the last minute here?) I have taken care of the closets...with help from Ted. I haven't done anything with the recipes. And I think I read about an inch worth of magazines.

Yep, I'm a procrastinator through and through.

In two weeks Ted and Alex are going on a Labor Day weekend jaunt to Gettysburg, PA. They've done this a couple of times before and they have a wonderful time. Joey is always invited, but prefers not to go. I'm not even invited anymore. I've been to Gettysburg twice in my life and both times there were car problems, so I don't even want to go again. It's okay...I'm perfectly content to stay home.

My plan is to clean out my bedroom closet and organize my clothes, and to clean our bedroom really well. That's the plan, anyway.

Unless it's really hot, then I'll go swimming all weekend.

Or I might actually start to watch my Miami Vice DVDs. Or my Dallas DVDs. Or my Grey's Anatomy DVDs.

Or maybe not.

My "Must Have" Item

Avon Dew Kiss Lip Dew.

AKA Lip Dew.

I'd be lost without it.

I've been addicted to it for decades now.

Anyone who knows me knows that I go nowhere without it. I have it stashed throughout the house. It must always, and I do mean always, be within steps of wherever I am.

Of course I keep one in my purse. I have one in my nightstand. There is one in the drawer of the round table next to the recliner in our bedroom. There's also one in the vanity of our bathroom. I have two of them in different endtables in the living room. I have one right next to the computer in the den. I have one in my desk drawer at work. There is at least one in my school bag. There is also one in the cosmetic case that is always packed and ready to go for whenever we go on a trip.

I've wanted to keep one in the car, but because it gets so hot in the summer inside the car, it will melt and make a huge mess, so I haven't put one there yet.

I've tried other types of lip balm, but none of them are quite like my lip dew. It's the only thing I order from Avon. I order them online now and don't even care about the shipping charge. Just as long as I get my Lip Dews, I'll pay the shipping.

I order them 10 at a time.

Don't make me go without my lip dew...it wouldn't be pretty.

Bath Time

Alex is off work today, so he and I just gave the girls a bath. Saying that they didn't like it is an understatement.

We opted to bathe Marina first, since she was the smaller one and we were hoping that she would be a little weaker and therefore, a little easier to handle.

It didn't take long for Mimi (as I call her at times) to let us know without a doubt, that she was NOT in favor of the morning activities. She had that pathetic "meow" going on, and that look that said, "what are you DOING to me?!?!" We finally got her in the sink with the warm water and got started on her. Things were going....okay...not great, but okay. Then Alex said he was going to get the towel out of the dryer. (Yes, we warm up the towels for them so that they don't freeze when they're out of the water.)

As soon as that extra pair of hands was gone, BAM! She sprang out of the kitchen sink, over the bar, onto the chair in the living room, then OFF! Alex was laughing so hard he could hardly go get her, but he finally got her. She started in again with her pathetic "meow" and I just held on to her as tightly as I could considering she was soapy and slippery. After Alex got the towel and laid it out, we rinsed her off and got her out of the water. She was all wrapped up like a newborn baby and Alex held her for a little while in the chair. She didn't move a muscle then.

About 10 minutes later, she escaped the towel hold and went off to groom herself (in layman's terms, she was licking herself to beat the band). Pepina must have felt sorry for her because she showed up and was also licking Marina.

Pepina is very smart. Not only is she bilingual (English AND Spanish), but she can also tell time (at 4:45 each day she will come around and start "hinting" that it's just about chow time). She is also smart enough to realize that if Marina just had a bath and we still had the bath things out....then SHE would be next!

BINGO.

Pepina's "meow" is even more pathetic sounding. Of course she's had more opportunities to perfect the exact sound that will tug on our heart strings. I think she needs to be nominated for an Academy Award.

We got her in the water, with the continual "meows" and she was clearly not happy. I was holding her while Alex was trying to wash her. Suddenly she LEAPED out of the sink, over the bar, onto the floor, behind the couch, through the living room, and into our bedroom. And this all took place in the span of exactly 2.2 seconds. Again, Alex was laughing so hard he could hardly go after her. I just looked at all the water over the bar and all over yesterday's mail that was still there, along with a catalog I had been looking at and just wondered why I hadn't moved any of that stuff, since "P" has a HISTORY of jumping out of the sink and over the bar.

Alex retrieved Pepina and back in the water she went. Mr. Giggles was laughing so hard he could hardly do his part, which by this time was just holding her while I washed her. We finally got her done and Alex held her up while I wrapped her in another warm towel and sat with her for a little bit and dried her off. She eventually had had enough and planned her escape. By this time, I was ready to let her go, so she was down on the floor, doing her little "Hokey Pokey" dance.

Whew.

Many people wonder why we bathe our cats. Pepina had to have many baths when she was young because she had ringworm. After that we realized that the baths helped reduce her shedding somewhat, so every once in a while, we would bathe her and Marina just joined in the mix. Bathing them also helps when they start to have a certain...how can I say this delicately... a certain....aroma. Yeah, that's it, it's an aroma.

I wanted to take a few pictures of today's bath experience, but it just wasn't possible. So I've gone through my files and found a few from earlier this year.

Work

Joey and Alex are good kids, they really are. Neither one of them have ever been in trouble with the law, they don't drink, they don't do drugs, they aren't involved with "slutty" women. They also both have another very good quality too...

They both have a very good work ethic.

They have summer jobs again this year. Joey is working for the county road and bridge department for the second summer in a row. He works 4 ten hour days a week (6:30 am to 4:30 pm) and in the heat and humidity, he really suffers at times. They shoot tar and weed eat a lot. The trucks are not air conditioned, or if they originally HAD air conditioning, it's broken now. They have a lot to do and just get really hot and tired. Joey has never complained about anything at work while at work...of course what he says here at home is a little different though. He has never missed a day of work and has even gone in when the college kids were told that they could take a day off. We've talked to a few people who work there full time, people that we know, and they've all said that Joey is quiet and never complains and just does his job. They have said that most of the college kids try to get by doing as little as possible, but not Joey. He does all that is expected of him and more. He's not just there to get a paycheck...he wants the other employees and the supervisors to think that he is a hard worker. It's a hard, sweaty, tiring job...and he puts forth the best effort to do it right. We are SO proud of him for that.

And then there's Alex...he likes his job and is good at it too. He shows up when he is scheduled to show up and does all that is expected of him and more. He has never asked someone to trade him shifts because he wants a day or evening off. He usually will trade if someone asks him too, but some of these kids have the lousiest excuses. But if Alex has nothing else going on, he'll trade to help them out. He's real good about that. He likes to leave here half an hour before his shift starts so he can get there in plenty of time...I think he likes to just see what's going on though! Of course, it could just happen to be that he likes to see the girls in their bathing suits at the park...hmmm...I wonder.

When you spend any amount of time with other kids the ages of ours, you find out that most of them are lazy...thank goodness our two aren't, at least at their jobs! We've always tried to instill a good work ethic in them, and it seems to have worked.

We're so lucky to have such good kids!

Lunch Date

Ted and I went out to lunch today...but it wasn't just the two of us!

A while ago I mentioned that I had been able to re-connect with a friend I met at Buckeye Girls State back in 1975. It was an unfortunate and sad tragedy that actually made the reconnection possible...her oldest daughter is a student at Virginia Tech, where the horrific massacre took place this past spring. A reporter from our local newspaper knows Terre, and that her daughter goes to school at VT, so he contacted Terre for a story. I spent a couple days, in my free time, trying to track her down with the information that I got from the article, and was successful!

A couple of weeks ago she sent me an email saying that she would be coming to Ohio for a "whirlwind trip" (her term, not mine, and it was DEFINITELY whirlwind!) and was hoping we could get together for lunch.

Today was the day!

Terre came, and brought her oldest daughter Alexa (the VT student), her youngest son Trevyn, and Alexa's boyfriend, Aaron. Ted and I met them all at a near-by Amish type restaurant for lunch.

We had a GREAT time and it was as though all those years in between our time at Girls State and now just melted away! It was so nice catching up on things and meeting some of Terre's family.

Terre brought something for me too...through another girl that went to Girls State, she got a copy of the "city" photo they took of us and made a copy for me. It was amazing to me that I remembered so much about so many different people. After we got home, I went through it person by person and recalled a lot about many of the girls. The very first thing I noticed was that we were all in dresses! Not only did we not wear jeans, but no one wore pants! And we looked SOOOOOOOOOO young!!

We had a great time today and I'm so glad that Terre and I were able to get back in contact with each other. Yes, it's unfortunate that a massacre had to occur to bring us back in touch, but thankfully Alexa and her boyfriend Aaron, were not injured.

And yes, she said I could put her picture here!

Happy Anniversary Cindi!

Yesterday was my 2 year anniversary of being diagnosed with cancer and getting rid of Lucifer the tumor. YAH!!! Only 3 more years to go and I'll be considered "cured" and I can't wait!

Even though my oncologist is very comfortable with seeing me every 4 months now, instead of every 3, I'll be continuing with occasional colonoscopies and CT scans. I also had the mammogram from h*ll last week, but that's a subject for another entry.

When you're young, you just never think that something like cancer will come out of NOWHERE and invade your life. Unfortunately, though, it happens. Things like this happen for a reason and I think I know what the reason is for ME getting CANCER....

I have sent a bunch of people to Dr. P (my surgeon) and other doctors for colonoscopies. I know for a fact that many of those people would not have gone through the procedure if I hadn't pressed the issue. I guess I've found my "purpose" in life now.

So....if you haven't had your colonoscopy yet, (and I don't care if you're under 50...I was diagnosed at 47!) PLEASE SCHEDULE IT!!!

P.S. to Cancer....I KICKED YOUR BUTT!! And you are NO LONGER WELCOME in my body!

You Can Never Have Too Many...

When Ted and I first started dating, I knew he enjoyed playing bass guitar. In fact, he was actually in a band for a while. Although they didn't play that many "gigs" they loved to practice. If you were to ask him about those few years of playing, he would get embarrassed and not want to talk about it, but I enjoyed it.

After we got married, he would occasionally take out his bass and play a little, just for fun. At our old house, he had a section of the basement for his guitar and amp, and eventually adorned the area even more with a variety of tools. That's what happens when you become a home owner! The table saw, drills, clamps, router, etc. all took over the space.

And then...somehow he rediscovered the bass. After playing it continually for several months, he mentioned that he might like to get a regular guitar. Okay, no big deal, get a guitar.

Little did I know what was really happening. He bought a guitar. Apparently there's a big difference between a guitar and a bass. I didn't realize that, but that's the case. After getting this guitar, he discovered that you can get guitar tabs on the internet. For those of you who are not guitar savvy, a tab is almost like written music, showing which chords are played when. They usually have the lyrics to the songs written also. Some tabs just have the lyrics and the chords written over the words.

What I enjoyed about this was that once in a great while, Ted would play and I would get to sing along. Usually whenever I sing around the house, they all tell me to be quiet, but on rare occasions I would actually be encouraged to sing, hahaha!

After a few months of really practicing the various chords and playing the tabs he had printed, he told me that different guitars had different sounds. Yeah, right. Sounded like a set-up to me. And then he told me that he was thinking about getting another guitar...a different type. That's when I first became familiar with the terms "whammy bar" and "pick-ups" and "humbuckers" and other things that I can't remember. Different guitars have different tones and different "things."

Yeah, whatever.

Next thing I knew, he came home one day and told me that he had been at the local music shop and played a terrific guitar that he just had to have. Okay, here we go...

Over the next few years, several guitars entered our family. At one time we had at least one guitar on every floor.

Ted's mantra....You can never have too many guitars.

In fact, when we were designing our new home, we actually put in....Ted's Guitar Room. And that's what we call it...the Guitar Room. There are more than guitars in it, however. He has a couple of amps in there, along with some other music paraphernalia. This is also where he works on his models and has some furniture in there along with a television. When I suggested some kind of an intercom system, he just laughed in my face. When he goes down there, nothing will interrupt him and he will only come out when he is good and ready.

Oh no...Alex is following in his footsteps and has just recently purchased a bass.

Friends

Saturday night, some friends came over. We ate dinner, got in the pool, then ate dessert. It was a simple evening...but it was very nice.

True friends are people that you don't need to dress up for.

True friends are people that you don't need to try to impress.

True friends are people who you can basically say anything to, and they can say anything to you.

True friends are people that you can just look at and break into fits of laughter for one reason or another.

Years and years ago I often wondered if we'd ever get to the point in our lives where we could spend an evening with friends and have it be just an "adults only" type of night. Well, now that time is here and I wonder...where did the time go???

We had a great time Saturday night...it's so nice to just spend the time not doing anything special, but just sort of hanging out.

There's a lot to be said for friendship.

Rumors

For a while now, I have been told by my "better half" that I am high maintenance. I have no idea what he is talking about...absolutely NO IDEA.

Just as recently as yesterday afternoon, I heard him once again utter those words..."yep, you're definitely high maintenance."

I was in the pool yesterday afternoon, hosing off the concrete deck, using the net to remove the little debris that had found it's way into the water, and then I was getting ready to hook up the Shark sweeper to the what-cha-ma-call-it where the water gets sucked into the filter system.

I noticed something in the what-cha-ma-call-it, that vaguely looked like it might have been a living creature at one time or another and I did what ANY WOMAN WOULD HAVE DONE.

I called for my husband.

He was in the house.

With all the doors and windows closed because the air conditioning was on.

No response.

I whistled. (When my kids were young and would be playing in the neighborhood at our old house, I taught them that hearing me whistle meant that you needed to check in with me immediately.)

No response.

I yelled for Ted again.

Still no response.

I whistled again.

Still no response.

I pondered my options...I really didn't want to get out because I had more to do in the pool and didn't want to go through the hassle of getting out, drying off, going in the house, finding Ted, etc.

While I was pondering, I heard the door open and out he came, saying, "What do you want now?"

I said, as I pointed, "There's something in there."

He went over and looked and started to laugh and pulled out a wee little toad. Unfortunately it was no longer alive. But he got it out of the pool thingy...and as he walked away, he was heard muttering, "yep, you're definitely high maintenance."

Thank you very much dear...gotta keep my reputation in tact.

Perks

Alex is 16. He has his drivers license. He has a summer job. He works at our local park in the concession stand.

Our local park is extremely nice. We have not only a huge swimming pool, but a kiddie pool, and a diving pool. They are all kept in tip-top condition. We are so fortunate that we also have rides at our park. There is a wooden carousel, several other small rides for the children that just go around in circles and up and down a little, like boats and airplanes. We also have a small roller coaster and a train that goes around the ride section of the park. There is also a small miniature golf course there, along with a ferris wheel, and a swing ride. It really is an ideal family place. The rides usually last about 5 minutes each and they cost 50 cents. The park also has a pavilion that can be rented year round for all types of gatherings, and a very nice teen center funded by a local family.

People from all over the county spend a lot of time there, and we also seem to attract many people from surrounding counties. It's also not uncommon for family reunions to be booked in the park all summer long. We are just very fortunate to have such a wonderful facility.

Before we moved to our new home, we lived a block from the "back door" of the park. That was SO convenient for Alex to walk over there to work. His first year he was in the "catering" division, which meant that he was one of the servers whenever there were events in the pavilion. Occasionally some picnic shelters would be rented by various corporations for their summer picnics and they would hire the park to provide the food. The catering kids would serve at those events also.

Last summer and this summer he is strictly working concessions. How much better can it get? He can see his friends. He's around a bunch of girls in bathing suits. He can get away with wearing his new hat that says "Bikini Patrol". And most importantly of all....

he can bring Laffy Taffy home for his dad and cotton candy home for his mom.

Talk about perks.