When Benadryl Ain't Enough

I would like to blame the cotton in my brain on the barometric pressure from Hurricane Earl.
He's speeding towards NC as I type.

I'm usually like one of those little old men sitting on a bench in front of the gas station in a small town. When bad weather is coming, my body begins to creak and moan. I get a headache and my bursitis acts up. (Don't really know what the heck that means, but it always sounds good.)

Although my head pain is a good indicator of whether or not it's going to rain,
I can't blame this crud on Earl.
I am blaming this one on Dan/Daddy.

He took me away for our anniversary, gave me the new watch I've been needing and wanting...
and a cold.
A doozy of a cold.

All week long, Dan/Daddy has proclaiming the cure-all wonders of "Airborne." He's been chugging it since Monday. (And he's still sick.) He should be the annoying spokesperson in the commercial.
He tells me to take it as soon as I start feeling bad. Which I did. And I immediately felt worse.
Nasty stuff. And it didn't stop the cold from coming.

Last night, I took 2 Benadryl tablets, thinking it would at least knock me out.
Nope.
I tossed and turned and mouth-breathed.
I hate mouth-breathers... especially when I am one of them.

This morning, the boy sneezed about 7 times into his breakfast.

The family that stays congested...
Stays together.

And congested.

Be safe East Coast!

Tuesday's 10

Phew. I am running late today.
Must be the cold that I feel creeping up on me.
Not "cold" like a Fall breeze.
"Cold" like the sore throat crud that Dan/Daddy has passed along to me.

So here's this week's Ten on Tuesday... (Go by and visit Mrs. Chelsea if you can. She's great with child and due at any time!)

1. Pretend it’s Monday morning–take us through a day in the life of you.
Hold on to your horses.
I get up, crawl out of bed, shower (maybe), wake the boy, slap a little makeup on my face so I don't scare the villagers, slap a ham sandwich together for the boy's lunch, muster up some breakfast, and drive the boy to school. All while sipping my coffee. In a non-car-coffee-mug. I like to live on the edge.
Since this is Monday we're talking about, I usually catch up on the mess that took over my house on the weekend.
There may be a PTO meeting, there may be something going on at school, there could be something Army-ish I am required to do.
Then it's time to pick up the boy, get homework done, run any errands that we need to, and figure out what to feed the hungry people who live at my house. Then there's showers, prayers, and bedtimes. And I watch a little Criminal Minds as I doze off.

2. What’s your favorite reality tv show?
I dedicate my answer to my friend Jill. I can always count on Jill to be watching some trash right along with me...
I don't have a favorite; I watch entirely too many. These are the 3 worst...
"Hoarders"
"Toddlers and Tiaras"
"Keeping Up With the Kardashians"
Now I am embarrassed. (A little.)

3. What motto do you live by?
"Watch as Much Bad TV as Possible." Kidding.
I don't think I have a motto.

4. If you knew could you try anything and not fail, what dream would you attempt?
Can I have more than one?
Writing a book.
Becoming a photographer.
Opening a coffee shop/gift shop kind of place.

5. What was your first job?
Unofficially... babysitting. Officially, working at a clothing store.

6. What is your current job?
Mommy and wife. (We all know that makes me a maid, a personal shopper, a laundry expert, a carpool driver, a financial executive, a tutor, a therapist, and about a zillion other things.)

7. What would you call yourself if you could choose your own name (and you cannot pick the one you already have)?
When I was little, I could have answered this in a heartbeat. I didn't like being an "Autumn" because it wasn't common. Now I kinda like being uncommon.
I like the names Lily, Claire, and Eden. But I don't see myself as any of those.

8. What musical instruments can you play?
Piano and flute. But I can't play either one well. Years of not practicing takes a toll.

9. Is it easier to forgive or forget?
Forgiving is WAY easier.

10. What is one food you’d never want to taste again?
Turnips. Oysters. Oops... that's two.

17 Years And Counting

17 years ago today, two people who looked and felt a lot younger than us got married.

This weekend, Dan/Daddy and I escaped to the beach to celebrate our anniversary.

This is what 17 years looks like, folks. Wrinkled and loony, but happy.




My husband has figured out - after all these years - that nothing makes me happier that this...



Except maybe this...



Aren't we romantic?

Want to know why all my pictures are itty bitty?
They were taken from my phone.
Because I forgot my camera.
Because people that are old enough to be married 17 years are O. L. D.
And forgetful.

Next year, I'll probably leave my teeth in a glass by the bathroom sink.
But I will still be able to eat ice cream.

Happy Anniversary Honey!

A Letter to My Favorite 5th Grader

Dear son,

Just because you roll your eyes and moan...
I am not putting away the camera.

Just because I try to act all cool and calm...
Does not mean I don't have first day butterflies as I drive away.

Just because I say I'll miss you...
Don't think I didn't do a happy dance in my empty quiet house.

Just because you are almost as tall as me...
Don't forget that you will always be my baby.

My food-inhaling, game-playing, milk-guzzling, freckled-faced, lanky baby giraffe.



Love,
Mommy

Snooping Blog Style

This week's Ten on Tuesday was an interesting one to me... more like an "assignment."
And I think the nosey old lady in me is excited to see the insides of somebody else's fridge. Don't worry... if you invite me to your house, I will not poke around in the medicine cabinet. I have standards.


For each of the following, take a picture. This is a chance for us to get a literal glimpse into each other’s lives. Feel free to skip a question if it doesn’t apply to you or it’s too personal. You can include explanations if necessary.


1. Your house.
I didn't take a closer picture because then you would see all the dead plants.




2. Your shower.
Not a very exciting pic, I know. I had to stand in the bedroom to even get close to getting a picture of the shower. And I am not about to open up that curtain. You might see what kind of shampoo I use.




3. The inside of your refrigerator.
Don't criticize the lack of nutrition, ok. There is some lettuce down there.




4. Your pet.
These two crack me up. It's like they're thinking, "What in the heck is our momma doing now? Get out the food, woman."





5. Your favorite pair of shoes.
This one changes from time to time, but flip flops in some form is a safe bet. And no. These are not the death flops.




6. The most comfortable seat in your house.




7. Your favorite cup or coffee mug.




8. Your laundry room.
I had to move a small mountain to take the picture. You couldn't even see the washer. And I think I need some more hangers.




9. The view from your office chair.
Again, I had to move a small mountain. Of papers and stuff. And I do not work in a cave... my desk is in a black armoire; it just looks cave-ish in the picture. And I didn't even realize it at the time, but there's fav coffee mug right there on the desk. I like to pour liquid into my keyboard on occasion.




10. Your spouse/significant other/roommate.
This is a fairly recent picture of Dan/Daddy. He wasn't here while I was running around taking pictures of my mug and the inside of the fridge. He was off doing Army stuff. Work.




We are ending about a week and a half of house guests, and school starts back for the boy tomorrow....
This girl is needing a nap and asking for your prayers for a good first day.

Happy Tuesday!

And The Countdown Begins

Summer is slipping away like it does every year.
Actually it's zooming away, and it can take the gosh darn 110 degree weather with it.

Heat makes me grouchy, and my grouchy self cannot take it anymore.

So as the sleeping in and days by the pool waste away, we made a quick trip to the beach to see Daniel, April, and Noah. (Bro, Sis-in-Law, and Most Adorable Nephew.)

They were spending a week relaxing at the ocean, and we came in for the weekend and crashed their party. Well... they DID invite us.

Prepare yourselves for maximum cuteness...





We had some serious "beach-work" going on...











Most adorable nephew has developed an obsession for the game of golf. I think my brother and sis-in-law spent half their vacation budget on mini-golf.









As kids, my little brother and I got along great. (Just don't ask him about the unfortunate bean-bag incident.) As grown-ups(?), we get along even better. I consider him one of my best friends, and I'm thankful he tolerates me.




I'm even more thankful that our boys are turning into best friends as well...

All Good Things Must Come To An End in My Laundry Room

All my fun times seem to end with me standing in front of my washer and dryer.
We have taken two quick trips in the last 2 weeks, and I have washed enough clothes to dress the East Coast.
We are a small family, and we aren't "clothes hogs" by any means. But we sure can dirty up what we do have.

Our first little trip was to the mountains with some of our oldest friends. Again, they are not old. We've known them for 16 years. Wowza.
We all used to go to church together, eat out, go to movies, and sip coffees at the bookstore.
Then we all had kids.
They felt the need to have 3.

They are like part of our family. The boy calls them Aunt Shan and Uncle Matt. And we are Aunt Autumn and Uncle Dan to their crew.
Since we live in different parts of the country now, we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. So when we do get together... it's a blast.

Here's the whole lot of us...


And just our kiddos...


We rented a cabin in the mountains so our boys could run around in the woods while us grown-ups visited. This was the view from our porch...


The boys (big and small)played...




And we had the typical mountain tradition of a HUGE breakfast...


There was swimming in ice-cold river water...




Even underwater swimming in the icey-cold...


Mostly we spent time catching up on our busy lives and reminiscing about the 16 years we've shared...




Good times.
And we came home with gobs of dirty clothes, more good memories, and a case of poison ivy. (I'll give you one guess who that was. He's starting 5th Grade soon.)
It's interesting to us how we all just pick up right where we left off. Really like family. Everyone should have friends like these.