Easy Peasy?

I only hit the snooze once this morning but had set it fifteen minutes early so I could. I'm learning tips every day (huge pun). Take a shower at night, have your clothes ironed and ready and load up your Marta card when you leave the airport so you don't have to in the morning rush to work.

Made it in record time, even though I had to wait a few minutes for the shuttle to concourse F, or as I call it "The ends of the earth."

Walked into the atrium of the international terminal after breezing through security thirty minutes before I had to clock in.

Dang, this was a first! I sat at a small table, ate a fruit cup, had a bottle of OJ and still had twenty minutes to spare.

I was the first server there and really didn't know what to do besides clock in so I hit the clock and looked around. I saw the soda machine was still taken apart from last night's close and after over three decades of serving certainly know how to put one together so did. The ice bin had been emptied to clean  so I found the bucket and filled it up. I saw the tea machine and turned the heater on to warm up so we could brew tea.

The only manager there was the executive chef and training new servers how to open probably isn't one of his favorite things to do so just left him alone to do his own thing with the other chefs.

Another server showed up shortly and apologized for running late. Didn't blame her one bit, she worked a long double shift yesterday and had another one today.

She began to show me how to do things in the back kitchen to open. One of the chefs was prepping and pulled an octopus out to prepare for cooking. OH yeah, I took a picture!

It brought back memories of the movie Alien when that thing jumped on that dude's face and it slap kilt 'em!

The last two days have been following this server and has helped me out tremendously. I guess she appreciates senior citizens who can still work!

The management wants me to take a thirty minute break after five hours because they are paying me training wages but keep forgetting to so have adjusted my times to show I took a thirty minute break.


Today I finally remembered to take a thirty minute break at one thirty, must have been the breakfast I ate! I have terrible eating habits and been so worried about learning everything at this new gig I simply forget about time.

I also forgot that when on break can eat free for up to $9.50 at any of the other restaurants operated by the corporation that employs me. So only having thirty minutes had to eat close by. I could eat at The Varsity, The Original El Taco or the Bistro next door to us. I saw one of the cooks from our restaurant meandering around and asked where I should eat? He said he usually just ate at the Bistro so took his advice. I asked him what he ordered and he replied  "Chicken fingers with fries are always a safe bet."

I stepped up to the counter once again unsure of what I was doing because have never used my meal privileges before.

A very young, pretty Asian girl was working the register. She asked what I wanted and told her chicken fingers and fries. Shes asked if I wanted the kid's meal or snack meal?

Heck! I didn't have a clue.

She looked at my tag, letting her know I was using my meal voucher and said "You new? I no see you before! If you get snack there no drink, you go over and have to pay money. You get kid meal you get drink too."

I said give me the kid meal please and handed her my employee card. She pointed to a basket of bananas and said "You want banana too? Get one and you still not pay!"

Heck yeah I said!

I had two pretty nice sized chicken fingers, waffle fries, a drink and a banana to boot for free.

After my deliciously free lunch and clocking back in asked my general manager about picking up my Marta card?

I drive to the Marta station directly across from the airport, park for free and am in the airport in less than three minutes. Parking at the airport is I believe sixteen or seventeen dollars a day, Marta is free parking and five bucks round trip.

The corporation I work for offers unlimited Marta usage for ninety bucks a month and pay half the cost. I've been paying twenty five dollars a week. I signed up for it during orientation. They deduct your part once a month on the first from your paycheck and was scheduled to pick up my card today from HR.

He told me to go get my card and I headed back domestic side. For Pete's sake it's a long way back to domestic but saving forty five bucks a month made it well worth it. My glasses fell out of my pocket going up the escalator and broke in two.

Great! Now I was blind with a full belly of food.

After trying the door we used for training was alerted by a code that I didn't have access and had to go back downstairs and walk five more gates down to take another elevator up to Human Resources.


Over an hour later, had my new Marta card and headed back to the edge of the earth on concourse F.

Lucky for me they let me leave shortly afterward.

I left the airport a little after four and got home around five or so. I stripped out of work clothes and put on my shorts and tank top. I cranked up Johnny Dear and putted up to the front of our subdivision to cut the entrance insuring I would get paid tomorrow for the cut.  That will be sixty more bucks and help pay the Verizon giants who seemingly always be short of my cash to pay their own bills.

I got back to the house after eight and cut our side yard. The rest can wait. My last day off was May 24th and my next day off will most certainly be several months from now.

I don't like change. I don't like having to take a new job but after the past few days of adjusting my timing and having lots of help from new co workers decided it has been a wise decision for not only me but my entire family.

Thank The Lord I don't have to be in tomorrow until one thirty.  I'm crashing on the couch after wiping off all the grass clippings from my legs and face and ruffling them out of my hair.

I have a few more days of training and nervous about every one of them but comfortably feel confident enough to actually say "I THINK I got this!"

Old dogs don't like learning new tricks but if know there's a reward will learn it.

Let's hope it's Easy Peasy!

Who am I kidding? It's gonna be tough but as my daughter always tells me "You got this Momma!"

I talked with her briefly tonight. She's at the camp where she is working this summer. Lucky for me she said she's coming home this weekend. I need my Massey fix.

This is me holding her the day after she was born.

This is her holding me almost eighteen years later.

I love my husband and love my boys too but NOTHING feels better than having some extra estrogen pumped into this house of balls I live in.

Three more days of chaos at the airport and training for a job I feel freaked about. Then two more days of double shifts at the old digs where I feel comfortable.

Then Massey goes back to camp and I move forward.

Easy Peasy? We'll see...

Til next time...COTTON

Well That Shift Wore Me Slap Out!

Just got home from work at  the restaurant. We were down one server so of course we were busy...Murphy's Law. I didn't have a very big section but had a table coming in who requested me and is a forty percent tipper. My little section filled up when then they asked me to pick up another table. Heck yeah! Then they came up and asked me to pick up another table, done! Then one of my tables left and they cleaned it off, immediately resetting it and plopping three more people down. Then they simply said "And go pick up the four top at 604." At one point I had seven tables at once. Did I mention that I am fifty three?

I felt like I was in the Lucy episode where she and Ethyl worked on the candy  assembly line except I didn't have Ethyl to help me. I forgot to put one order in but caught it soon enough to go back and beg the cooks to make it on the fly. (restaurant term for "hurry the hell up")

Working in a restaurant is like working in a divided country. In my opinion servers are South Korea and cooks are North Korea. Of course ask them and they would say the reverse. In down times we all get along, unless you are a crappy server. If you're a crappy server  they are on your butt every minute of every shift and for that I don't blame them. I'm not the best server in the world but I'm no slacker and unlike a lot of the younger servers, know all the Latinos names. The cooks pushed ahead my late ticket and got the food out before the customers walked. They were a really nice couple and it's not like they didn't see me running around like I was in cartoon. I had another couple who while boxing up  their leftovers spilled a tiny drop of sauce on the man's pant leg. He said not to worry but I did. I came back  to the table with a cloth wet with fresh squeezed lemon and soda water on it. Yes I am old but yes I used to read 'Hints From Heloise' in the Sunday paper. I leaned down to dab the spot on his  pant leg around his calf but the minute I touched his pants knew they weren't "Dickies." Crap, they felt like linen pants or maybe even silk. I looked up and said "I'm guessing you didn't get these at  Wal Mart."

Then to top it off when I ran his credit card I  ran it for the table behind them, over charging him by  thirteen dollars. The owner credited back  the thirteen dollars to their card but in my flustered state didn't leave a copy for them to tip on. I saw the wife up front talking to Barb (One of the owners) and just knew she was complaining about my service. Gods be good, she was simply telling Barb I didn't give a slip for  them to leave a tip on so they would just bring back cash. I thought to myself, "I'll never see them again and my husband will never have a pair of pants as fancy  as that guy was wearing."

Whadda ya know? Thirty minutes later the dude walked back in and handed me thirteen bucks. I saw him come in  the  front door talking to the hostess and could tell he was describing me when he made hand gestures like he had short spiky hair.

I goofed up. I am only human. The thing is some people are nice about it and some people act like you  ruined not only their night but their life.

I bounce between my jobs.  At one I sit and wait for people to come to sell to, hoping they will buy. The other job they come in and have already decided to buy and simply want me to make it a pleasant experience.

It's been slow at  the new mattress gig but only the second week we've been open seven days. It wasn't a big week but I doubled my sales from last week. If I can do that every week I'll have something going on  in no time.

Waited on one table tonight who I bonded with and told me she would forward Tim's resume to KIA where she works.

Yee Haw!

It's  gonna happen for us, I have no doubts. (well maybe a few)

Going up Sunday afternoon to visit the little Miss Massey at Georgia State. A dear  friend of mine from work, Crazy Catie is going with me (actually driving  me) and we are taking the girls and their new friend to Lil Five in Atlanta, tooling around and then having a burger at The Vortex.

I've been taking Massey  to Little Five Points since she was fifteen.  We would walk by  The Vortex every  time we went but you  can't get in til you are eighteen and they are firm on it.

My girl is eighteen now, so is her roomie and so is their friend. Neither of them have been to Little Five and can't wait to introduce them to the most eclectic, exciting and unusual part of Atlanta.

Two more shifts  then I'm headed to downtown Atlanta. When I was a teen we spent almost every weekend there. That was when Underground Atlanta was REALLY underground. That was when the legal age was eighteen, and before they  realized  that was a stupid mistake.

Mid town Atlanta is  the most  amazing, growing, eclectic and accepting  part of  the city. It's a place where you  can be who you want to be and not be judged...and if you  are judged, we call those judgers tourists!

Looking forward to The Vortex!

Til next time...COTTON

Wonderful Rainy Day

Sometimes a rainy day is a wonderful thing...especially when you have the day off. I woke up at four thirty this morning and couldn't get back to sleep so I settled in on the sofa in the living room and watched the early morning news til I dozed back off around seven. I woke up again around eight thirty, saw the forecast for rain all day and decided to stay where I was. Massey  ran a few errands for me early before Tim took  her car for job hunting around eleven. I had gotten all  the yards cut, trimmed and walkways and driveways swept yesterday and made a huge pot of stew that will last for days so I had nothing pressing to do. Well, I COULD have cleaned house but that didn't sound like much fun so I opted for a work free day.

Massey and I watched the boob tube for a couple of hours, me on the couch and her on the chaise both wrapped up with a light blanket and a bowl of popcorn. Around three we decided to make an entire day of it and started watching movies. First up was "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." It's one of Massey's favorites and she wanted me  to watch it with her. It was a great little movie. The rain didn't let up so we didn't get up except for bathroom breaks and more comfort food. We ate watermelon, fruit bars and popcorn with cold "Co-Cola's." (as my momma always called them)

You  would think by  this time I would be getting bed sores, but in fact the longer I stayed horizontal, the better I felt!

Next it was  "Pitch Perfect." Definitely a teen chick flick but since I was spending the day with MY teen, watched it with her. Had some cute parts but would have never bought a ticket to see it.

After that movie, Massey went downstairs to the kitchen and heated us up some leftovers and brought them up  to the living room and we continued our marathon. By  this point it was almost seven at night and next up was "Silver Linings Playbook." I had done absolutely nothing all day but watch  TV and stuff my face...literally. Massey waited on me hand and foot and the only time I got up was to use the rest room or let one of the pups out. It was fabulous and I actually think Massey enjoyed it too.

All I can say about "Silver Linings" is WOW! I knew it won some awards but I never go to the movies. I think the last movie I bought a ticket to was "Slum Dog Millionaire." (which  was well worth the price)

"Silver Linings" is my kind of movie. It moves fast, has great characters and excellent actors portraying them. Lots of "F" bombs but Massey worked with me at  the restaurant for a while so it was nothing new to her. Restaurant workers tend to have foul mouths. When you wait on the public for a living sometimes you just have to walk back into the kitchen and verbally unload.

So our marathon didn't end til  after ten o'clock. It was a really pleasant day. Massey and I haven't spent  that much  time together in quite a while. I seem to work all the time and she is always doing  "Teen" things like I used to in the seemingly pre historic seventies.

Reality is setting in, In eight days we'll be moving her into her dorm room. Who will spend my rainy days off with me? Who will keep me abreast of what peeps are posting on FB  or tweeting? Who will fix me leftovers and bring them to me on  the couch much less watch a chick flick with me? Who's gonna tell me when the outfit I'm wearing isn't cute? Who's going to roll their eyes at me when I get the words to a song wrong? Who's going to be my bestie?

I'll be left here in a house with five males, ten balls and sixteen feet. That's a frightening thought.

I'm excited for Massey to be starting her new adventure but feeling a little lost myself.. At least she'll just be thirty minutes away but that's a long way for somebody to just bring me a "Co-Cola."  So I am enjoying  this last week. I should be working a lot more but have to bum rides to and from work without a vehicle. I started thinking tonight, maybe that's why God hasn't given me wheels yet, so I can enjoy  these last few days with my girl.

Today was an excellent day.  I am off again tomorrow and although I need and  wanted to work I think I need to take advantage of this last week. I need to spend all  the time I can with Massey before she leaves, maybe not for her as much as for me.

We've already decided on tomorrow night's movie, "Good Will Hunting."  I can't believe she hasn't seen it but loves Matt Damon and his buddy Ben Affleck so I'm sure it will be a hit with her. Still have plenty of leftovers and cold "Co-Colas" and popcorn.

When I wake up tomorrow I will only have seven days left with her. I'd better make them all count!

Til next  time...a getting near to being a teary eyed missing a daughter  COTTON

Are We Done Yet?

 I'm not really sure how we got from the picture above to the picture below in what seemed no time at all. My oldest is 26 and out making his mark in the world. My younger son turns twenty in the matter of a few short weeks and is busy trying to get his recent marks in the world erased... and doing a pretty good job. I'd rather him be stupid when he was eighteen than when he is married with a wife and kids. Next in line is my last in line. Around this time next year I'll be throwing my last high school graduation party.

Massey has always been more interested in school than either of my boys. They were both just glad to graduate. Massey has savored every minute and each moment.

She (as well as I) enjoyed several seasons  with the Guard, learned some tough lessons about commitment and camaraderie and both made some life long friends. I still miss it.

This past year has been all about her grades (of her own choosing) and for the first time I had a kid in the National Honor Society. I think I was the only parent that cried at the induction ceremony but was so proud I could have popped.

She still remained in women's chorus which doesn't take up as much time, still has some Guard friends in it and is a really talented group of young women.

Tonight was the banquet.

 The teacher is young , excited and most probably a pushover but has produced a very talented ensemble and all the girls  love her to death . This is her presenting Massey with an award.

It was by FAR the largest chorus banquet they have had yet and I've been going to them since she was in middle school. Here's the teacher and three of them doing their "Land shark."

A while back Massey mentioned  they should get the restaurant we both work for to cater the end of year banquet. The teacher called my boss and as a favor to me, he gave them a dirt cheap price for some of the best food on the south side of Atlanta. Spaghetti with marinara or meat sauce, rolls with butter pats, fresh salad and home made salad dressing, iced tea and home made cookies and brownies.

I was in the office talking with the owner the other day when he told me Massey had told the teacher that she and I would be glad to pick up and deliver the food to the banquet.

WHAT?????????

Len said "I gave them a deal on the food but the teacher knew it didn't include delivery."

So I was looking forward to enjoying a nice relaxing evening off and now it seems I am  catering for 160 people....in a dress!

Here's the thing. I love doing catering jobs for the restaurant and we do quite a bit of it and he pays me really well for it...but HE is always there with me. He has done this for almost thirty years and knows the business forwards and backwards. I just listen to him and do what he says. I didn't mind not being paid, I'd do anything to help out with my kids and their functions, but now it seemed "I" was in charge and if something went wrong it would be MY fault. Like the great boss he is he finally said he would load everything up in his catering van and have two cooks deliver it to the venue, then I was on my own. He said he would have a couple of guys come back and pick up all the equipment. This is something he normally charges fifty dollars for but what can I say? They love me!

I was already nervous and got downright terrified as people got there thirty minutes early and just kept coming. There were over 200 people there. Another chorus mom I have known since the early eighties when I was slinging pizza at Johnny's and she was a regular was there to help me. Several of the chorus girls were there early to help and we kicked into action.

We were originally going to let them serve themselves but I got nervous at  the size of the group and would be mortified if we ran out of food.  We decided to serve them their spaghetti and then let them help themselves to salad, rolls and dessert.

The line got backed up once or twice, but being the genius chef he is, my boss sent an abundance of pasta and sauce so we let people come back for seconds. We should have had someone guarding the dessert table...the brownies and cookies were gone first. For Pete's sake...do people not have the common sense to just take one? Then again, it was mostly teens there and I can't much blame them. My boss is an excellent baker as well and makes all my kid's birthday cakes for me.

When the line begin to dwindle I felt a huge sigh of relief...we had plenty of pasta left over, the salad bowl had a bit left in it and we ended up with two rolls left.

One woman who came through the line asked if I was with Mama Lucia's? I said I was and she said "My son had a sports banquet catered and the food was terrible." My heart sank and I wanted to ask her to speak more softly. She said quickly..."No you misunderstood me. This was GREAT, do you happen to have a business card, we would like to have your restaurant cater our next one. The food is amazing and I love the way  you have it all set up."

Dang...maybe I should have more faith in myself as a caterer after all!

Only when I sat down with my own plate to eat did my nerves calm down. The woman was right...it was "Delicious!"

When  the the van came back to pick me up...it was the owner who walked in. I had every thing pretty much ready  to go back to the restaurant and when I walked out with the last couple of bowls following him to the van, he said "Looks like I delivered and picked up anyway."

He's a good man. He's a crazy, CRAZY Italian but I work hard for him and he returns the favor in kind time and time again. He had another catering job  tonight for the new hospital, an important and lucrative one but treated our banquet with  the same professionalism.

I don't want to jinx myself but I think my bad luck has run its course. We still struggle but who doesn't?  I have a leg up. God loves me, my family loves me and I have so many friends that I can't count them all. I have  bosses that recognize and appreciate my hard work.
I have a husband that hasn't killed me in my sleep yet (most probs because he works the night shift) and three kids that can make me mad but more often make me smile. Throw in two dogs who think I am the bomb.com and there you have it...Urban Utopia!

One more year of high school left for Massey and one year left for me to be a high school mom. You know what? I think I'm gonna miss it.

Including a short video of this amazing group of young women. This was a casual concert..no uniforms just a group of young women loving what they do....Making  this momma's heart sing!

Til next  time..."Catering COTTON"

On the Road Again

Massey is headed to Destin for a week with one of her BFF's. They are staying with my high school friend who has a castle a couple of blocks from the beach. They were going to fly down.  Her friend's dad works for Delta so she can fly free and my sister was getting Massey a buddy pass. Seems everyone else had the same idea. I got off work tonight and called my sister...all flights over sold, even into Mobile.

Massey,  was to say at the very least extremely disappointed when I got home from work (my eighth day straight of working.)

Massey has been planning this trip since last June when she spent a month in Destin with my dear friends who spoil my girl rotten.

I can remember being a kid (believe it or not) and when something is planned it is a MAJOR bummer when things go awry.
I remember when we went to Panama City every year with our family for vacation when I was a kid. If they didn't take us to the "Miracle Strip" the very first night we (I, my sister and brother) all got worked up.

I contemplated driving the girls down in the morning...didn't want to but would.

I was sitting at  the computer when my friend from Destin called. She said Sunday was supposed to be great at the beach and she was off work on Saturday so how about if I just drove the girls to Montgomery (the halfway mark) and she would meet us there?

How I have such awesome friends is sometimes...no ALWAYS a mystery to me. I bumble my way through life, make mistakes on a hourly basis yet always seem to pull a proverbial rabbit out of my hat. Most magicians have ONE "lovely assistant." I have tons!

I was actually dreading having to drive to Destin and back on my only day off...now I am excited about the much shorter road trip...even more excited that the second half I will be alone. I love my little car! It's older but there's nothing like flying along in a convertible Beemer with sun on your face and wind in your hair.

So my friend will meet us halfway, take the girls back to her castle and they  will fly back next weekend. The only loser in this is my friend... but she acts likes it is no big deal (one of the many reasons I love her dearly.)

You know what? I think it is a win/win. The girls get to the beach on time. I have a nice little road trip with some alone time that I NEVER have to myself and can still be home in time to pick up an extra dinner shift at work!

Things happen for a reason...I am a firm believer in that as well as Karma. Heading to bed and packing  the car when I wake up.

Road Trip..."Here I come!"

Til next  time...COTTON

The Three Stooges...

I worked the day shift today with my buddies "Hoke" and "Panic." Hoke is always fun to work with...we pick on him relentlessly and he takes it so well that we do it constantly, non stop. He has been having heartburn problems... either because of us or because of the fact that he eats like a machine at work. I nicknamed him "TW" (Tape Worm.) One of the servers had a part of a sub sandwich left and asked him if he wanted it to which he obviously replied "Yes" so she left it on our little counter in the alley where we all grub down. She didn't tell him, but told me that she had taken all the meat out of the sub as a joke. When he left the kitchen I  put four Rolaids in his sandwich from the bottle he has been keeping at work to help with his most probably ulcer that is most probably caused by working with us tormenting him on a daily basis. He finally got around to taking a bite of his sub and pulled a Rolaids out of his mouth and said to the new girl "Who put a Rolaids in my sub?" to which  she replied "Who do you THINK?"

When a prank is pulled I am always the first suspect and most always guilty...it's part of my charm!

The other stooge I worked with today is "Panic." She is a doll and I love her to death. She is an actress and has been in many movies, small parts sometimes an extra but with the booming movie industry in Atlanta works several days a week on various shows and movies being filmed around the city. Barb makes her a nervous wreck and we all kid her about it. Sometimes we'll just say "Barb is looking for you" to see the look of sheer terror on her face. I had  regular at my table today who works for the local Chamber of Commerce and Panic was talking to her about her latest acting job. The woman asked her if she could cry on cue and I spoke up and said "She cries every time she works...she's cried twice since she clocked in." I love working with Panic and Hoke...they are both just "Good" people and tons of fun to be around.

Barb was on her perch at the bar going through tickets and invoices and had two new bottles of wine a distributor had brought her to sample. She poured the three stooges a taste and asked what we thought? She remarked that it was best to take a second sip and we all said "Of course!" After two samples of the first we all said we were ready to try the second! We were playing her and  she knew it but being the wine snob she is, gave us all a couple of snorts of the second bottle. She quickly cut us all off when none of us had read the literature she had left on the bar describing each wine and the region they were from..."BUSTED" but "BUZZED!"

When we like to REALLY get to Barb we call her "Babs." She absolutely detests the nickname (Which encourages us to use it as frequently as we can.)

I am totally bummed that Tim's promotion fell through but thrilled that I get to stay on a while longer with my Mama Lucia's family. We are a totally dysfunctional family of misfits but a family none the less. I have never loved a job more and had never had a job love me back so fiercely.

Panic and I had a party of seven women today celebrating a birthday. They came in early and decorated the table with Halloween treats and all showed up wearing witch hats, cat whiskers etc...

They were older women most in their sixties. One woman had a face that was flawless (and totally wrinkle free.) Panic commented "I wonder how much her husband paid for THAT face?" Granted it looked good but when she spoke it was like she was  a ventriloquist. Her lips didn't move much and it was hard to see if she was smiling or making a grimace. I told Panic we might have to shovel her lunch through that small slot she was trying to talk through. We had a good chuckle over THAT one and were immediately reprimanded by Babs.

Left work in time to pick up Massey from school and run a few errands before heading home for her to get ready for her first Chorus concert. They did an outstanding job and I took her out to eat pizza afterwards.

Headed back to work tomorrow for two shows...Lunch and Dinner. Tim may have been put on hold with his promotion but I get to hang around this crazy family at Mama's a bit longer and LOVE IT!

Til Next time..."Moe"

"Going To See About A Girl"

Destin, Florida, highway to heaven : vintage photography by Arturo Mennillo

That was the last line in "Good Will Hunting" one of my favorite movies.
It's midnight and I just got home from an exhausting shift. Not so much because of work but because I cut grass for three hours before I went straight in. At least I took a shower! I clocked in and one of the taller servers started picking grass out of my hair. Guess I should have spent more time on the shampoo portion of my shower.

Headed to Florida in five hours to 'go see about a girl.' She sent me the picture that I used above. She went on a dolphin tour last night and took this pic of a mama and her calf. I've missed my calf...

Leaving a house full of testosterone and headed to a beach house full of estrogen. Well, Massey is full of estrogen but the rest of us probably need shots for it, but it will be a Girls Gone Mild three day vacation that I am in desperate need of.

Is it sad when I am more concerned about leaving my pups than the three human males that live here? I mean at least the humans can fix a meal or grab a drink....what about my pups?

I am leaving all males home so at least I know the pups will always have water...all three toilet lids will be up at all times. You know, men act stupid but when left on their own somehow survive.

I haven't packed the first thing but have crossed many things off my mental list. They got all the essentials because they live there and have been taking care of my girl as well for weeks. Packing my deodorant and tooth brush and a couple of changes of clothes...that oughta do me.

I saw an article in a magazine recently. It said the big No No was a woman over fifty wearing a bikini. Guess I am headed to the beach with with a tiny No No  a tooth brush and deodorant.

I've talked to Massey every day and texts even more. I just want to see her face and feel my arms around her. I am thrilled that she has had the opportunity to have this extended  vacation but will be thrilled to have her back  home with me so I can have someone to roll my eyes at besides the dogs when the guys do something stupid.

The dryer just buzzed which means I can go start packing. I am starting to get pumped, I'm not used to having more than one day off in a row.

Will update from the beach!!!

Til next time...COTTON

Long Day, Hot Day...Good Day

Massey started guard camp today...12 gruelling hours.
It starts at nine in the morning and ends at nine at night. They start with a mile run and move on to drill on the asphalt parking lot of the school and practice in the gym that has NO air conditioning...I would almost rather be outside where you could catch a possible breeze.

I took a case of water to the school and came home after going to the bank...going back to the John Deere store to find out the idiot who I thought had given me the wrong blade was right ...guess I'M the doofus. MY BAD, but I actually got the blade on all by myself.

Once I had it on I didn't have a socket wrench so my sweet next door husband did it for me. Actually I called him first just to ask to borrow a socket wrench and he said to bring the bolt over and he would give me the right size socket.

I did that, and gently led him out of his garage carrying his socket wrench in my hand chatting him up the entire time and eventually ended my intense conversation with him as we walked into my garage where Johnny sat propped up on one side waiting for my next door husband to "Do his thing."

God bless him ...he never even mentioned he had been duped but laid on his back and tightened my new blade onto Johnny (after treating the thread to the bolt with some kind of magic goop.)

The instructions I had read mentioned something about that "goop" but I felt like it was more a suggestion than an instruction and had already decided I would skip that step.

God bless a "next door husband."

Luckily (for him) it didn't take three minutes to put the blade on and at least I knew it was on RIGHT.

After he left (and probably blocked my cell # from his) I cranked ole Johnny up and heard the horrific sound of my brand new blade hitting the decking...shooting sparks out. I quickly turned it off and went inside disheartened.

I went back into my garage ten minutes later and tried one more time..."DING DING DING DING." It was excruciating to hear and after turning the mower off again I went into the kitchen where MY husband sat paying bills.

He said "Did you think it was going to magically fix itself?"

HURUMPHH!!!

I went to plan #2. Called my brother in law and asked if he would do a drive by on his way home from the airport and fix the "Dinging."

God bless him too (I may be on three '"God bless" by this point) he came by after I had already left for work and worked (or banged) out all the kinks. Seems I bent the decking when I was plowing through Mr. "Slow"Lee's yard .

Johnny's fixed and I couldn't be happier.

Working at the "SWEAT FEST" tomorrow at the school during guard practice. Then coming home to jump on Johnny like stink on poop.

Gotta get me one of those Coal Miner's hats and I can cut grass at night too.

It sounds crazy (unless you're me) but having my JD running great is one of the things that makes me the happiest.

"GO Johnny GO."

"TILL" no more or should I say "Till -No" mower next time...COTTON

Earned My Title of "Camp Fire Girl" Again

When I was in first grade I was a "Blue Bird." That is the equivalent of a "Brownie."

After a couple of years I 'flew up' to the status of Camp Fire Girl and stayed in until seventh grade. I am still friends with several of the girls that were in my Troop.

Last night my "Camp Fire" training came in handy (NOT.)

Massey had a sleep over with several other girls. The plan was to camp out in the back yard in a big tent and roast hot dogs and make Smores over the fire pit.

My two sons dug a huge fire pit several years ago in the middle of our back yard during an industrious spurt of unasked for hard work. It is at least six feet across and outlined with bricks and large stones found back in the woods behind our house.

I came home from work one night last year to find Zach and the next door neighbor's son burning some old broken down bed room furniture of Massey's that had just been taking up space in the garage. The flames were well over twenty feet high and I immediately pulled the hose into the back yard when I saw my son and the neighbor tossing over a huge chest of drawers over the fence from my neighbor's yard into ours.

It was more a "Bon" fire pit and made me EXTREMELY nervous when they chunked the huge dresser onto the already twenty five foot high inferno.

Zach has recently cut down a small tree in the woods behind our house (I'm not sure WHY he did but I didn't bother to question him when he chose physical activity over video or computer activity.) When you have teens... I have learned it is best to never look a gift horse in the mouth.

I asked Zach if he would drag the tree into the back yard so his Dad could chop it up for the fire pit? I think adding the part about Tim doing the chopping made the deal sweeter and Zach lugged the tree into the yard.

After begging Tim to chop the tree up saying I wouldn't ask him for anything else (with my fingers crossed behind my back) he went and halfway chopped the tree. It was pretty dry so I could snap most of the smaller branches myself and the pit was pretty full of dead limbs and ready to go.

The girls hadn't pitched the tent yet...for Pete's sake it was still 90 degrees at 8:00 and I told them they'd die of heat stroke if they all squeezed into a tent before the sun went down. Instead I suggested we light the fire and do a little "Smoring."

I didn't have any kindling and Tim already had the fire pit full with the tree so I tried a piece of newspaper stuck in the middle. The dry leaves burned up quickly but the fire didn't catch.

The girls were sitting on the back deck at the patio table by the kitchen door unwinding coat hangers in anticipation of their "Smoresfest."

I went into the garage to see if I had any lighter fluid left (of course not) so chose instead about a cup of gasoline.

I guess by now you can see where this story is headed...

The girls were all far away from the fire pit...I was out in the middle of our huge back yard and kind of spread the gasoline around pretty evenly for an even burn.

I lit a piece of paper and stepped back as I tossed it into the middle of my fire pit.

The atom bomb that went off would have been impressive if it hadn't scared the living poop out of me and even made my hair blow back from my astonished face.

After checking to make sure I still had eye brows I turned to the girls who were all, for once quiet and speechless and said "I guess we have ignition."

I made a mental note to buy more lighter fluid and dragged the hose into the back yard.

I looked at the back kitchen door and saw my husband standing behind the glass shaking his head back and forth slowly as if to say "And you call ME stupid."

Once the fire died down the girls all came out into the yard with their marsh mellows on wires and I told them "They may taste a little unleaded but I don't think they will kill you."

When I went inside to change my underwear I asked my husband if he heard me light the fire pit... he said he not only heard it but it shook the house.

I guess I know now why gas is almost $3.00 a gallon. That's some powerful crap!

The girls all had a ball and enjoyed seeing me set off an atomic bomb they could admire from afar and I learned why I always kept kids FAR away from me while trying to light a fire.

The girls never even set foot in the tent...they would have died from heat exhaustion it was was so hot last night but opted for Rock Band in the living room til well after 2 in the morning after sending me on a midnight run to the convenience store for more Cokes, Skittles and Almond Joys.

So I AM a little stupid...but at least I know enough to keep every one else out of harm's way while I attempt to make my children Motherless.

Guess I didn't shine as a Camp Fire Girl last night but I was a hit as the entertainment and as a bonus discovered I may have Bladder control problems.

All's well that ends well...and the sleepover didn't end til 4:30 this afternoon.

How funny can things be to a group of 14 and 15 year old girls? By the sounds I heard until well after 3 in the morning...they must be pretty hilarious.

They all had fun and I dodged death.

I'd call that a successful evening.

Til next time..."The Flame Thrower."

Back Home, Snug in Her Bed

My girl is back home, snug in her bed, visions of World Championships dancing in her head.

Back from Ohio, worn out but ecstatic...bubbling when she got into my car and didn't stop talking until she crashed into her bed.

Thanks to another guard mom for all these pictures...they tell the story of a long road for these young adults and what it means to have perseverance and dedication.

The competition was in Dayton, Ohio and was the World Championships. There were teams from Australia and even Japan.

Our team came in 20th...a pretty remarkable feat for this group of kids. Led by their fearless leader who pushed them long and hard all season, it paid off. Just to look at these pictures and see the smiles on their faces and looks of determination warms my heart.

I love the picture of the saber being spun high in the air and the ending of their show with the guard in a close circle with the confetti being thrown into the air.

Massey was talking 90 MPH to Tim and me in the kitchen as he got ready for work and I packed his lunch. She said "I even got Aunt Cindy something for her birthday." She pulled out a round yellow pin that says "GUARD AUNT."

I thought that was so sweet and was thrilled she didn't pull out another one that said "GUARD MOM GONE WILD."

After having two boys that just wanted to 'Get out of school' as quickly as possible, it is nice to have a kid that is taking advantage of every opportunity she has to savor and enjoy her time there, and make the most of just being a teenager.

I absolutely hated missing this trip, but it just wasn't possible to go. Instead I stayed here and worked...made great money and still got texting from her on an almost hourly basis and spoke with her every night when I got home from work.

The picture of them all dressed up is from the luncheon banquet. Massey said she didn't expect to... but cried at the banquet. This team is a tight one and the love running between them all is even tighter.

They all had matching practice suits (with their names on the back) compliments of two of the guard parents, matching bandannas they all wore and just had an all round wonderful experience and created memories that these kids will think about years from now.

The last picture is of the guard in their circle before warm up (I think)...Massey is the one shoving food in her mouth, but the way they huddle together and they way they bond not only makes me proud but makes me smile .

My girl is home again.

She had many 'Guardian Angels' (BIG pun intended) watching out for her on this trip, that it made the separation so much easier and I have several Thank You notes to write.

So her season is over...I can honestly say I am sad to see it end. What a great organization and great school...but HEY at least she is just a Freshman!!

The picture above is the saber spin and one of my faves. The guy to the left is the hard nosed leader that makes them the champs they are.

This picture is the finsh of their program and brought tears to my eyes...they just LOOK like they are celebrating, don't they?

Yes, I guess I am "GUARD MOM GONE WILD."

As always, click on the pics...

Missing My Girl

I just got home from work (Gee that sounds so GOOD to me.)

Tim has left for work, Zach is upstairs in his own little world and I sit here with three dogs wrapped around my feet already missing my girl who has only been gone nine hours. I miss my boys when they are gone but most of my spare time is spent with Massey right by my side if she is home. I've been lucky that Massey has always felt close to me and there aren't many things she doesn't share with me.

I try to remember if I was close to my mother when I was 14 but having to think hard about it lets me know I was not. Had I known when I was 14 that I only had 3 years left with her I would have stuck to her like glue but when you are 14 you don't think about death too much and it seemed to me being popular with my peers was much more important than being popular with my mother.

I think that losing my mother at such an early age is what makes me feel such a close bond with Massey. She is named after my mother, was born eighteen years to the day my mother died and is such a big part of me that if I didn't have her I would truly feel incomplete. Paraphrasing Jerry Maquire... "She completes me."

Don't get me wrong. I can get mad as a hatter with her...especially when I walk by her bedroom, which I call "Ground Zero." She is the biggest slob I have ever seen when it comes to her bedroom but when she walks out of it she is dressed and accessorized like she has a personal designer hidden in her closet. I don't know how she finds any thing in that room...sometimes you can't even tell if she has carpeting. She could go in there and rip the carpet up and it would never be noticed since you rarely ever see the actual floor. Her closet is worse...it makes "Ross Dress For Less" look meticulously organized.

She is like a female "Pig Pen" walking through the house, dropping bobby pins and leaving empty glasses , back packs notebooks or just wadded up pieces of paper in her wake. It's always easy to track her down...just follow the trail.

My boys say I spoil her and they are probably right. But after marrying a man, having two sons and a male dog I was READY to spoil by the time Massey made her early arrival into this world . Boys don't want to be spoiled, they want to be left alone.

She has been dramatic since she ruptured my placenta almost eight weeks early and came into my life weighing barely 4 pounds and causing me to lose almost 5 pints of blood...Talk about an entrance!

I love my boys...boys are so low maintenance, give them Pokemon cards and Legos when they are really young, rent them videos games when they reach the age of 8 and leave them alone after they hit 13.

My girl came into this world in a dramatic fashion and immediately found her niche.

I think that losing my own mother so young has drawn me to Massey in a way that makes me want to hold her as close as I can for as long as I can.

I miss her tonight, I started a new job and wanted to give her all the latest news...but she is in Macon at a competition. I usually never miss a competition but work had to come first and missing my girl fell into second place.

Last year at this time I was preparing to drive to Macon in the biggest torrent of rain I have ever been witness to (see previous post.)

Luckily she gets home tomorrow night...actually after midnight but I will be the first one in the parking lot of the school.

I will clean her room tomorrow before I go to work (already rented the back hoe) and will be so excited to just see her face looking at me as she walks to my car in the parking lot of the school.

My boys need me but act like they don't. My girl needs me and would be devastated if I wasn't there for every moment of her life.

I wouldn't have it any other way.

Boys are boys and girls are girls...but being a Mom RULES!

Till next time COTTON

The Day the Music Died...But The Guard Survived !

It was the last day of competition...our Guard had won 1st place on Saturday and was back on Sunday to try and repeat. I was crouched in my filming position ready to go. The judges were ready, the Guard was ready and "East Coweta Varsity" took the floor for competition.

Before our girls went on I was sitting up in the stands by the mother of a girl on another guard team. She asked me what team I was there to see and when I told her, she rolled her eyes and gave a slight shake of her head. EVERYBODY knows our team! She said it was always a great show when our team performed. I puffed up with pride and told her the team put in long and hard hours to do as well as they do...she said politely "It really shows."

Sitting crossed legged on the floor of the balcony in the gym like the graceful lady I am I turned on the camera and blew my daughter a kiss for luck.

Great start...great spinning and every one was in sync. I have finally mastered how to operate my cam corder (with many tutorials from my kids) and things were looking good for our team through my viewfinder.

A little over halfway through the program I began to relax a little...it seemed the Guard did too and they all looked like they were having the time of their life.

I thought the music seemed to be dragging a bit, but attributed it to that major stroke I have felt coming on for about a year now.

NO...it was DEFINITELY dragging and sounding worse every second. It began to not even sound like a song but background music for a haunted house. The team kept right on.

Right before the music stopped completely the team began counting time out loud. First one person, then another joined and before three more seconds passed the entire Guard was counting off the routine with no music whatsoever. They never paused, hesitated or let the smiles fade from their faces. They ended the routine just as they had time after time before. The entire gym stood and gave them a standing ovation.

As the Guard exited the tarp they all gathered in one corner of the gym.

One of the Guard, a petite and absolutely beautiful girl inside and out has a heart condition and has had a few episodes as of late. Thank goodness her mom is a nurse...that's what I have always admired about nurses, they are the most calm and reassuring people you could ever want in a crisis. Her dad and mom led her out of the gym and you could tell from the young girl's face she was most definitely in distress and was having a hard time even breathing.

Right after this happened it was determined the Guard would have a second chance to perform once the music track was fixed.

By this point all the Guard was frantic about their friend and worried about marching right back in front of the crowd...without their team mate to do another performance. I think their motto is most certainly "All for one and one for all."

The young girl was being taken care of by her mother (luckily also a nurse) and as they say in show business "The show must go on."

I scrambled back up the steps to resume my lady like position on the floor and once again heard "Are the judges ready? Is the Guard ready? East Coweta Varsity you may take the floor for competition."

So they're off again...rattled and worried about a team mate and more determined than ever to make it a tribute to their friend. (At least that's the way I saw it.)

They pulled it off...they squeezed together a little and spread out a little and to the amateur's eye you didn't notice the missing Guard...she was only missing in the Guard team's own minds and thoughts.

Luckily the girl recovered...since I'm a bit touchy about getting things right I got the scoop from her mom/nurse.

"It was not a heart attack but sinus arrythimia, exacerbated with increased heart rate that wouldn't drop with rest. She also had chest pains with shortness of breath."

That, my friends...is not a hang nail but a serious situation.

Praise the Lord she is oaky.

Praise the Lord our Guard won another first place.

Praise the Guard they presented this girl with their first place trophy to take home as her own.

The above video is the now wildy popular video of "The Day the Music Died." Enjoy...

LOVE YOU RACHEL !

Love That ECHS Guard...It's Worth Every Penny I Owe

I think that this is the sweetest picture I have ever seen. This is my girl and her guard reciting the Lords prayer.

As crusty as I act and as butch as I look I am really just a softy when it comes to things like this. No wonder this team has gone as far as it has.

I just can't say enough good things about this money pit my daughter has sucked me into. When she first started Guard and I found out how much it cost I thought maybe Massey was kidding. I thought to myself that it was a total waste of money (and that was back when we HAD money.)

It has opened my old eyes in so many ways that I have a hard time thinking where to start.

Number one I had my reservations when Massey started high school. Thousands of kids going to ONE school couldn't POSSIBLY be a GOOD thing...not in the eyes of a mother of a 14 year old daughter.

Fortunately she fell right into the RIGHT crowd. A great band program with a great band director and assistant and a guard coach that my husband has labeled "Napoleon."

He's a bit taller than me but give him a double breasted gold buttoned jacket and stuff one of his hands inside the coat and there you have him.

He's eight feet tall to these kids, they hate him sometimes and they respect him all the time. In teenage speak, that means he's doing his job. He pushes them like I wish I could and get the same results.

He doesn't pick favorites...he picks on them all.

When they don't do well he is the first one to tell them and the only person they hear at that given moment in time.

When they do well he praises them (with comments about how they can do even better.)

The parents in this organization are amazing...I really mean that.

I try to help, I really do. I have so much on my plate that it is overwhelming at most every moment of every day but I think they have come to like me...at least I hope they have.

So many guard moms have done so much for my daughter, picking her up for practice when I am at work and bringing her home again before I get off.

I have come to realize that this is one of the greatest things that has ever happened in my girl's short life. She is part of a group that supports their own...and promotes not only camaraderie but commitment and dedication. She is a part of a group that has parents ranging from hippies to preppies. (I think I fall more into the hippie group.)

The thing is they are all there to support their kid and every other kid that is on that guard.

Massey seems concerned of late as to how much this is costing me.

To see your kid succeeding...to see them a part of a wonderful network of teachers, parents and volunteers and to see them win first place time after time is one of the few highlights I have left. I don't care how long it takes me to pay off dues, I don't care how many more days in a row I have to work.

All I care about is having her have this awesome opportunity to be in one of the greatest programs I have ever seen for a kid. A world filled with care, concern and the motivation to be better.

I know she is a better person for being a part of this group. I know that I am a better parent for letting her join this wonderful group of uplifting...sometimes demanding and always rewarding team of young humans that have actually given me some of the biggest smiles of my recent life.

A group that loves, sometimes regrets and sometimes fights but ALWAYS comes together for the common goal.

Isn't that what life is really ABOUT?

The Untrained Eye of An Adoring Mom

Just rolled in from work, threw some more unending laundry in the washer and ironed a work shirt for in the morning.



With all my rituals out of the way I am once again free to type me little heart away.



I went to see Massey in her competition today in North Dakota. Maybe it was just Canton but it felt like I was on a major road trip with Atlanta traffic. My google directions were great...didn't make one wrong turn and I didn't even have a co pilot to read the exits off to me. Am I a multi tasker or what? Besides that, Massey was sending me texts every ten minutes to be updated on my where abouts.



She told me where they were staying at the high school and like the great sneak I am I parked by the buses in the "No Spectators" parking lot and walked right into the school to find them in their "Dorm room" for the weekend. They were pumped! An awesome first performance and these kids were on top of the world. I snapped this picture of them before I went to buy my ticket to join the other people that obeyed all the rules and parked correctly.



I stood in the video taping area so I could tape the performance. The thing about taping is that you are so concentrated on holding the camera steady and including the wide shot of the whole group that you actually don't "SEE" the performance.



The tarp was pulled out...ECHS took the floor.



Yes I did hear a couple of drops and saw some flags that weren't in EXACT sync...but I thought it was beautiful and pretty spectacular in some spots...with my skewed view.



Obviously LITTLE do I know about guard competitions.



When I wormed my way back down to their "Dorm" in the cafeteria the mood was at MOST very bleak. They all said "We sucked. " "It was horrible."



I told one of the girls it may not have been as good as their first performance but it certainly didn't suck and on top of that...sometimes you can't win them all.



It's a fierce competition in the world of Guard. Sometimes you "Stick It" and sometimes you don't.



I was unaware that Massey had started out with the wrong flag...she was no where to be found in the "Dorm" and after talking to some of the chaperones for about five minutes she appeared from the rest room with puffy and bleary eyes.



She was devastated...all her eye make up was gone and she fell into my arms sobbing.



At that precise moment... I was so glad that I had made that long trek for a five minute performance.



That is my job as a mother...to be there when my girl needs arms to collapse into .

After a long talk and wiping away many tears I assured her that if THIS was the worst thing that happened in her life she would be a lucky young woman.

I can guarantee that she will NEVER start a performance again without checking, rechecking and checking again that her flags are in correct order.

It is life...

It's mistakes made along the way and lessoned learned.

By the time I had to leave for work she seemed a lot better and more in control of those ALWAYS high emotions that come so easily to fourteen year old girls.

Her coach was extremely nice about her mistake...Kudos to him.

Webster's defines 'mistake' as "An error or fault resulting from defective judgement, deficient knowledge, or carelessness."

If I know my girl...and I think I do, she will learn from her mistake and never make this one again.

You live and you learn.

That is life...sometimes it's rough and tumble and some times it's smooth sailing.

It's how you handle the bad times and how much you appreciate the good times.

I'm just glad I was there when she had a rough and tumble day.

I'm including the video I shot...YOU be the judge!

Til next time...A "Glad I was there for my girl" COTTON

PS Be sure to click on the pic I took of the group...a great bunch of kids with a LOT of support from a great bunch of parents.

Dog Tired...

Just got in from work...feeling like Charlie LOOKS in the above picture!

Some good friends of mine came in just as I was getting off of work. A great couple of folks that I have come to be good friends with through waiting on them at work. I absolutely LOVE picking on the husband "Gomer" as I fondly call him. His wife is kinda crazy like me...I mean a "Good" crazy and they are both wonderful people. I was telling them I needed to replace the weather stripping on my doors and have all the materials but it has been so cold I have put off taking the doors off in case I got in over my head and ended up letting all the warm air out of the house by the time I figured it all out.

Gomer told me how easy it was to pull off the old stripping and just push in the new.

Whadda ya know? Gomer was right! I did the worst door in under two minutes. The cold air that use to flow through like an air conditioner on high totally vanished and I was so excited I decided to do all three exterior doors tonight. I'll have to call Wally at the gas station in Mayberry and tell him to give Gomer a raise!

I have the new weather stripping for the bottom of the doors but have opted to wait til tomorrow since I have to take the door off to nail on the new strip to the bottom of the door.


Dang! I'm a handy dandy ole woman! (with advice from Gomer)

I replaced my pipes and kitchen faucet a couple of years ago. That was a bit tougher job and required a heavy duty wrench and a bottle of wine. At least I finally got it done and felt proud of my handiwork. It is amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it.

Tomorrow I will tackle taking the doors off and putting the new sweeps on the bottom of the doors before the next Arctic wave comes blowing through our normally warm southern region.

I am a tired old woman...but a focused one. If I can make it through the last year...I can make it through any thing. With the prayers and help from so many people...we are on our way back. It is a feeling of relief and a feeling of being loved.

I am so pumped up I feel like waking Zach up to help me knock the pins out of the doors and put the sweeps on the doors tonight...but I'll let it slide til tomorrow.

I can't wait to see how much the power bill goes down now that we aren't paying to heat the outside anymore!

NOW for that caulking task I have been meaning to get to around the tubs and showers !

Only nine more days til I get a day off!! My last day off was January 16 and my next day off is February 13. I prefer it this way. If I have two days off I absolutely DREAD going back. If I have to go every day it just gets to be something I get used to doing every day like taking a bath and brushing my teeth. So for nine more days I will think of it as hygiene.

On my day off Massey is performing in a competition in Nashville and I can think of no better way to spend that one day off than a nice road trip by myself going to see my girl perform and having ten hours of doing nothing but seeing the roadside, listening to music that I like and watching my daughter smile when she sees me arrive. Well worth it !

Til next time...COTTON

Parent Paranoia Will Destroy Ya...

Massey's friend is coming tonight to join our crazy family for a week while her parents go to Michigan to find a house for their transfer of employment for the dad.

Thank goodness they have no clue about my blog or they would have the plane turned around on the tarmac.

I got home from work just in time to take Massey to guard practice. It was all worked out...I would let Tim sleep til time to go pick Massey up @ nine and they would swing by and pick up her friend, and bring her home to stay with us for a week.

I went to the store after taking Massey to practice and bought some junk food, nutritious food and some water bottles that were on sale.

I came back home and began to tackle Massey's room that ALWAYS looks like Katrina has just roared through .

It took two hours just to go through her dresser and sort the clothes...putting the summer clothes she had sworn she had put in the garage actually IN the garage... and throwing away so much "crap" off the floor I knew she would never miss.

In the last drawer of her dresser I found a VCR tape labeled "Paradise in Paris." My heart fell to my feet. It wasn't in a box and I couldn't see a rating on the tape. It was buried beneath what was her underwear drawer ... visions of when TJ turned sixteen and I found his printed off(color) copy of Pamela Lee Anderson totally nude that had used half of my color ink cartridge from my printer came to mind...that was the day the computer was moved into the dining room.

I asked my husband if he had seen the "PARIS" tape before and he said no. I couldn't read the side of the VCR tape because it was old and so are my eyes.

I took it downstairs with a heart so heavy ... wondering which friends were fixing to be banned not only from her phone but from her Facebook.

I got into my kitchen... with that horrible florescent lighting and put on my granny glasses.

The side of the tape read "Mary Kate and Ashley Go to Paris."

It was one of her old Olsen twins movies that she was so hooked on in elementary school.

She wasn't going to the kinky side...she is just extremely lazy on cleaning out her dresser.

I didn't even tell her what had happened...I make myself look stupid enough on my own without admitting to mistakes she doesn't know about!

I was truly relieved... and my husband is still laughing at me.

HEY!! With teens you have to be on top of them before they snow you under.

Luckily my girl gets away this time with just being a slob...a mess and a terrible cleaner.

On top of that...her friend had a lot of homework tonight and won't be coming to our house til tomorrow after school... by THAT time Massey's room will be a wreck again...minus one "Paradise in Paris" video.

God bless Massey...her mom is a KOOK!

Guard Season Crankin' Up Again

Just got home from Massey's first Winter Guard competition. My sister went with me and we left for Harrison High School with about "NO" minutes to spare. The school is 60 miles away and Massey's performance was at 6:34. We left Newnan at 5:20 and screeched onto the Interstate praying that traffic was light and the directions were right!

Of course Massey had called me about thirty minutes before making sure I had left in plenty of time to get there (Yeah...RIGHT)

I'll have to hand it to Google..the directions were perfect (sometimes they are WAY off the mark.)

As we approached the last mile of the journey we had ten minutes til she took the floor in competition. As I shot my car into the parking lot of the school it was was packed so I jumped out at the front door and left my sister to park the car and meet me inside.

I got into the gym as the girls were rolling out their tarp to perform on...no sign of my sister yet and scrambled to the far end of the packed gym to get a seat.

When a group performs the doors are shut to the gym and no one can enter or leave til the performance is over. As the gym doors were swinging shut my sister slid through sideways and made it in!

The above picture is of them right before they started their performance (one minute after I ran through the gym doors.)

Two tickets for a four minute performance $16.... Gas for the ride there and back $15....Smile on my daughter's face when she knew not only her Mom but her Aunt were there to see her..PRICELESS.

I seem to have God in my corner every time I race to one of these events. Like an idiot I never leave with any time to spare and told my sister I haven't seen Massey perform once without still sweating from the race from my car to the arena and haven't caught my breath until her performance is over.

After they performed I met back up with my sister who had slipped in under the wire at the other end of the gym and we went to wait on Massey to change and come back .

We stayed to watch about about six or seven other groups perform surrounded by Massey and her guard team on the less crowded visitors side of the gym. When the first group started to perform my sister was whispering something in my ear and Massey immediately said "Mama...shh."

There is a strict unwritten rule that you give every guard team the respect and attention you would give your own (Guess I missed that one in the handbook.)

After that my sister and I behaved properly and had a really good time sitting with Massey's team in the stands watching the others perform.

It is a great group she is a part of and the friendship and camaraderie always makes me smile. To see teens having not only a good time together but respecting other teams and bonding with other guards as well makes me happy that she has chosen this group to join.

On the way home...thank goodness we weren't under 'time' pressure...a girl in the car in front of us on Cobb Parkway (a really busy highway) not only had her interior light on but was applying mascara as she drove in the fog and drizzle. She probably had a blue tooth too and was chatting as she drove and applied her make up on a busy road in the dark and the rain.

She obviously was more of a professional driver than me...she made the turn onto the highway and I missed it..stinkin young kids think they are SO smart...hey... maybe they are!

Next competition is in two weeks in Tennessee. I had better leave REALLY early for that one!!

Til next time Cruising COTTON

A Happy Halloween!

What a day! Had to have Massey at the school by 7:30 AM and then had to be at work for a meeting at 8:45.

With all the stupid questions that people always ask it didn't end til almost 10. Came home and changed and headed for the city to watch Massey in her first Bands of America competition. I decided to try the Marta route.

Parked as close as I could to the station, locked everything in the trunk and went in. I didn't even know how to buy a ticket!! A young guy led me through the steps I needed and told me which pass to buy. Then after the machine gave me the ticket I didn't even know where to go or how to even get through the gate. Another nice man told me how to scan my card and then a policeman (a comforting sight) told me where to board the train. I found a group of women and sat close to them waiting on the next train. It really wasn't so bad and I began to feel better about my decision. All went well through East Point and Lakewood. When we hit Oakland City things kind of changed with the new arrivals . When we hit the Garnet station a crazy looking man (sorry buddy) sat down next to me muttering to himself (I hope) and a few more unruly teens jumped on board. By the time we got to Five Points I felt like I was joined by "Thirty Deep" the minute they got on board they were cursing and almost defying anyone to look at them. I am sure they were all talk but I gave them no reason for worry, just kept staring at the map on the train wall and continued to hang by my women folk.

Had I had time to log onto Facebook this morning I would have seen all the tips my friends had left me...telling me to sit near the first car etc...

But I was almost at my transfer point and I felt like I could make it one more stop. I hated that NONE of my women folk got off with me and feeling kind of panicky (I guess I had the Halloween jitters) I scrambled up the steps just like my grill guys had told me and searched for my westbound connection. I went to the wrong side first and another nice guy (looked like Snoop Dog's twin brother) told me I was on the wrong side to go to the Dome. With time getting closer to Massey's first performance I RAN to the escalator and climbed the steps two at a time as they rose not waiting for them to get me there on their own.

Like a gift from God I spotted a young girl with an ECHS sweat shirt on clinging to her father and fell right into step beside them having to stop the urge to grab his arm as if he was my husband. You know I don't mind talking to people and I quickly introduced myself into their lives for the next part of my journey. He was super nice and let me hang right by them for every step of our way to the Dome. I bet I thanked him ten times as we all sprinted toward our final destination. We made the connection and arrived at the Dome with ten minutes to spare. Had to walk all the way around the Dome to the gate only to be told we had to go to another gate on the OTHER side to purchase our tickets.

By this time I had used my fake husband for all I had needed and took off at a full run to go back and get my ticket and be inside in time for the performance.

I got to the window and they wouldn't take my debit card because I didn't have my driver's license (DUH...I rode Marta.)

Had to use the twenty I was going to give Massey to eat with to get my ticket...sprinted back to the gate (getting winded by now) and raced into the Dome to hear the announcer introducing East Coweta's band. I got to watch the entire performance and they were GREAT! Not one flag dropped not one step missed and it was so thrilling to see my girl on the field at the Georgia Dome!

The minute they marched off the field I found out how to get downstairs to see Massey and let her know I had made it. (I'm good at sneaking into places I shouldn't be.) I found them on the ground floor and didn't leave the band for the rest of the day. Massey immediately told me she wanted me to stay for the rest of the day (Til midnight) and knew from the train ride down on Marta at 11 in the morning on a full moon Halloween that I certainly didn't want to try my luck on a ride back after midnight.

When the band had their picture made they went back to their buses to change and I followed right along. Once again I chatted up the bus driver (more women folk) and told her I had ridden the train to the Dome. She said she wished I hadn't left my car at the College Park station or she would just turn a blind eye and let me ride back to the high school with her.

GREEN LIGHT GO!

I whipped out my cell and called Tim to see if he could ride to the College Park station with our oldest son who was headed to work downtown and go drive my car back home. Of course he said sure and suddenly I was safe to stay the entire competition with my girl.

Massey was thrilled. I have been working so much lately and she has been at practice so much lately that I never seem to see her. We watched the rest of the preliminaries and went to have lunch together. Nine bucks for a coke and one order of fries that we split.

Good luck strikes again.

Another parent said that her husband had bought a ticket for the finals that evening (you have to buy a ticket for prelims and another for finals) and didn't know they were leaving early. He had bought the ticket with his military discount and they sold me the ticket for nine bucks. A ticket for the finals would have cost me another $19.

BINGO...I was in for the whole show and never left Massey's side. I sat with the band and had a ball. Being around a great group of teens is so refreshing and invigorating.

We all walked to the CNN center for dinner and found very reasonable prices in the food court. Surrounded by literally thousands of teens from all across the country there for the competition was just what this ole tired body needed and just what my daughter has been wanting. We spent the most amazing 12 hours together, laughed and had the best time we have in years.

On top of that I got to hitch a ride back to the school with the guard girls and didn't leave Massey's side for twelve hours. What a wonderful day!

They missed being in the finals by a mere point but made me and themselves proud. Coming in 25th out of over 50 bands from all over the country isn't too bad in my book and the experience was great for them.

And you know what is even better is that the experience was great for me as well.

I need MORE days like these...I really do!

Til next time...Lucky Cotton