Write a Pretty Email!

That's what I told him to do~!  Yup!  I said, "Boy, you need to write a pretty email!"  So he did!  He saved me mucho mullah, and I'm proud of him.

When your kids go to college they learn way more than you ever bargain.  For instance, my son knows how to put on the charm, smile, lean over to kiss my cheek, and say, "I love you, mom" in a very special way that gets me to grinning, then I kiss him back and say, "How much is it going to cost me now?"

Sound pretty mushy for a 20 year old, but it certainly catches at my heart strings when he does it, even if I know it means I'll most likely be cracking my wallet open!

My son has also learned how to scream at the top of his lungs, "You IDIOT!  Don't do that!"  Okay, he doesn't scream at me like that, but he's told me that he's had to use this particular tactic on his roommates this semester in the wonderful realm of dorm life!  All the while, he's puffing out his chest like a proud rooster, of course, and trying to make his not quite 5 foot 9 inch frame look more like 6' 10".

But one thing that I'm especially proud of him for is his way of writing what I call a "pretty email."  While fighting off drunken roommates, while knocking out computer hackers, while taking College Biology (with lab class) and College Chemistry (with lab class) all in one semester, while being obnoxious (to I don't know who) while I'm talking to him on the phone this semester - he learned to write a "pretty email."

During the semester he had voiced to me his displeasure at the uncleanliness of his roommates.  This is coming from a boy who showers 2 - 3 times per day at least.  Although he's kind of messy when it comes to clothes, meaning he can be standing 6 inches from the clothes hamper, but somehow his most recent outfit ends up on the floor.  He also spills coffee everywhere he goes.  When I want to know where the boy is, I just follow the spilled coffee trail.

The other day he received a letter from the college that stated he and his roommates were responsible for the damage left in their dorm room.  It didn't sound too good - one stained couch, two torn couches, and a dirty sink.  Sigh!  I figured this was going to cost me a pretty penny, and I wasn't pleased.  He told me that he certainly wasn't responsible for all those damages.

In very tiny writing at the bottom of the letter, it stated if you wanted to dispute the charges that were most likely to be charged, you needed to write an email to a certain lady in residential housing.  After the boy explained how he wasn't responsible for all those damages, I told him to write a pretty email.  So he did!

I'm sure the head of residential housing has heard every excuse in the book through the years, but I told the boy to use his charm!

He received an email about 30 minutes later from the residential housing lady stating that she typically didn't waive housing damages upon the statements made by one single student.  She usually liked to have others in the room back up their statements.  But she said that she was so pleased with his response to her letter that she waived his fees for damages.  She told him to have a great summer too!

How in the world did I know he could write a "pretty email" like that?  Well, truth be told, when I was upset with him this year, I'd email him, and I always received a "pretty email" in reply:)

That education that is putting a hole in my pocket is sure paying off!  

Check Up and Update on College Life!

My mother has been home for three whole weeks tomorrow.  She's been a very good girl, and the respiratory doctor told her that her progress was excellent!  Yippppeee!  God is so faithful! 

She's going to see the rheumatologist on Friday morning due to the fact that the doctor believes her double pneumonia is linked to the Lupus. 

The boy called last night.  He loves his new campus.  He loves the food.  He loves his Chemistry professor.  He told me he's probably the best professor he's ever had. 

He has an extremely tough course load this semester, but he's determined to do his best.

He's taking College Chemistry, College Biology and some level of College Math.  He has two evenings that he has labs (one for Chemistry, one for Biology).  He told me he spent his whole weekend studying.  That's good!

So life is getting back to more 'normal' whatever that might be!

My mom and I have started a bible study together as she hasn't been able to get to church (she's supposed to avoid large crowds), but she's thinking she might go to church this Sunday, but no hugging!  Her and I have become huge germaphobics recently!  We carry antibiotic lotion in our purses, I have it in my desk drawer at work; I even keep it in the car!

Mom and I have also started crocheting shawls for the elderly in nursing homes.  It's a program through church, and we're really enjoying it.  I go over to mom's house every day after work and we sit and crochet and talk for about an hour, then I come home and start dinner. 

My days are long, and I haven't had much time for blogging, but we are all doing well! 

Growing Up Is Hard To Do!

I'm one year shy of hitting the 1/2 century mark, and even I find growing up is hard to do!

But the boy, well, he's just 20 years old - and I admit that growing up is so hard to do at that age.  But they gotta do it!

My son transferred to Brockport State College this January.  It's a whole different world for him.  Buffalo is big - really big.  Buffalo State was okay, but I think he's going to like Brockport, oh so much better.

The first week of attending Brockport had it's touch and go moments.  It's a new campus, new roommates (more about them later), and it's a small town compared to the big city of Buffalo.

The first night we dropped him off around 5:00 p.m.  He waited until after 9:00 p.m. to unpack, as his roommate (sharing the one very tiny bedroom within the suite of 6 boys), didn't come back to the dorm until then.  Bryce had wanted to unpack before then, but when he opened all the dresser drawers, they were full.  Huh?  Come to find out the student that had been in the room last semester had left mid-semester, so the remaining student had kind of spread out his stuff to encompass the entire room.  Guess he didn't think to prepare for my son's arrival until 9:00 p.m. the night before classes started.

So instead of unpacking, getting dinner, and checking out campus to find out where all his classes were the next day, the boy sat in the room and waited, and waited, and waited for said roommate to return from Band practice.  Yes, ehart, he's a band member.  Apparently Bryce isn't sure what instrument he plays, but he knows that he's in the band.  Can you tell Bryce wasn't much interested in asking him his instrument when he returned at 9:00?

Then Bryce said that 10 minutes after arriving, another suitemate asked him to go and partake in some 'extra-curricular' activity that Bryce wanted no part of.  Can you believe he asked him to go do that  just 10 minutes after he arrived????  I can!  Colleges are full of that kind of thing. 

Another of his suitemates is from the Ukraine.  He has a bad liver.  Bryce told me that "they have no drinking age over there, so he's been drinking since he was 4 years old, and now he has a bad liver."

The first day of classes, I received a few phone calls at work.  Each class the boy went to he reported to me immediately following to let me know the cost of the textbook.  Did you know that the book, workbook, lab book, and internet OWL (something like Angel, but costs $50) for College Chemistry cost almost $500!!!

The College Math book bought 'used' only cost $125!!  He called in a panic and said, "Mom, books for 2 classes already cost me more than a whole semester of books at Buff State!"  He actually shrieked this to me over the phone while I was working.  If you knew my son, you'd know that he typically never shrieks!

I told him to relax, relax, relax, because I could (if I knew the money was going for books) deposit some money into his bank account back here at home.  He's very independent and didn't like the idea (doncha love him?), but I convinced him it would be all right!

Now, I haven't heard from him since last week, so I'm thinking he's getting it all figured out!  Right?!  I hope so!  


Can I just say this:  Growing up is hard to do, AND it's going to be a loooooong semester!

Back to a New School Home!

After church today, we are taking my 20-year old son back to college - well, not the college that he went to for 1 1/2 years, but the 'new' college.

He's transferring to a new school, and I like several things about this 'new' school:

It's closer (by over an hour when traveling both ways).

It's smaller.

It's not in the big, evil, mean city.

It's in a small Podunk town, which is what he's more used to.

He's has two great Christian buddies that go to college there too.

There are 1/2 the students at the 'new' college compared to his 'old' college.

They have many more luxuries on campus that the boy didn't experience at the 'old' college, such as: free laundry (no more quarter collecting), breakfast in the cafeteria, and a free bicycle service for students without cars. 

The only thing that has him a bit apprehensive at this point are the first names of a couple of his roommates.  One is named Yoter, and the other one was blessed with the name of Yvegen.  (How do you pronounce that?  Yvegen?)

His two buddies (which are brothers) have been forewarned: "I might be seeing a lot of you two this semester.  Got an extra bed?"

All in all, the boy is very easy going, so he'll probably be fine.  It's become more of a joke amongst us rather than concern.  Somehow, the boy always manages!

College Football, Cancer Treatments, and Reading List

What an odd title!  But that's what I'm going to be writing about in this post.  I don't often put my life out there on the World Wide Web, but if I don't talk about my life and what's going on in it, well, I don't have much to tak about! Self absorption? Maybe...

Yesterday, hubby and I drove up to Buffalo to watch the boy's last game of the year.  I got a lot of pictures of him on the sidelines, then I got tired of holding the camera, and put it away!  It's hard to sit in a stadium full of spectators trying to get a good shot of your own personal college football player, so forgive me!

There he is - #17, my son!

I'm thrilled that the Mohawk is gone!  Bryce decided that it started to look grossssssss!   I'm thrilled also that one of his suitemates can cut hair - even if he does give a Mohawk or two, the good feature is that he can also shave them off!! 

I don't see that frown very often, but hmmmm, I'm really wondering what he was thinking at that moment??

It was a hot, hot day!  Can you believe it?  It was so hot that hubby and I turned the air on in the car when we got to Buffalo.  Unfortunately, the Buffalo Bengals play on a field that typically has a great deal of wind that sweeps in from Canada, or Lake Erie, or Lake Ontario, or all three.  Usually the temps are very low there this time of year, and typically we shiver throughout most of my son's games.  So being the last game of the season, we figured for sure, it would be unbearably cold.  We both donned our thermal underwear (hey, it was freezing when we left), and we felt like furnaces for most of the game.  Hubby got a sunburn!

Okay, so I took most of the pictures before the game started, so Bryce has his helmet off in all the pictures that I took, except this one:

Ooops!  I cut his head off!  That probably happened as I was trying to balance the camera with one hand and my other hand was high in the air waving to him and his teammate.  He had turned around and was pointing out his floozy of a mother, standing there in all her Bengal gear, and sweating!  I guess I should be grateful that he's not too embarrassed to say, "See that lady standing there with the Bengal shirt, Bengal hat, jumping up and down with the camera screaming 'Bryce, Bryce, over here, honey'.....well that's my mom."

The Bengals lost, but we all enjoyed going out to dinner with an old classmate of Bryce's and his family after the game.  Bryce and the old classmate played high school football together and were (and still are) pretty good buddies.  The old classmate played for the winning team, not the Bengals!  It always feels so strange sitting in the crowd watching two boys who played together in high school, play against each other in college.  They actually are pretty comical!  They pat each other on the butts (what's that all about anyway?), they slap each other on the backs, they smile and laugh!  Whatever!!!!!!!!!

We had a safe ride home without incident, and we were tired, but happy that we spent time with our son!

On a not so happy note, my father has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  If you are a praying person, and feel so led, please pray for him.  He has a lot of health issues (although to look at him you'd never know).  He has a super great attitude, and we're all rooting for him.  He actually laughed when he told us how he left the doctor's office the other day and overheard the nurse say, "That poor man has so much wrong with him!  But such a nice man!"  Yupper, that's my dad!

He starts his intensive radiation treatments at the end of the month.  He has a few other health issues that they want to get under control before they start.

Now on to my reading list:

  

I finished Reading Lolita in Tehran.  I enjoyed reading the book, but it was an eye-opener to me also.  It shows the terrible oppression that so many on the other side of the world live with every single day of their lives. 

Hubby and I had a wonderfully, rich conversation on the ride to Buffalo about the mentality, and most of the time, ignorance, that plagues these poor people.  Many have very little in regards to worldly goods.  They grow up feeding and nurturing themselves from their family's political and moral values.  Many don't have the luxury of having much of an education.  We, as Americans, often feel that it is our right to an education, but in other parts of the world, it's not even considered nor is it a priority.  Their 'education' stems from watching censored political agendas that the main message is: "Hate Americans!  Kill Americans!  They are of the devil!"  It's easy to understand the methods of their government (brainwashing, in my opinion), but it's also easier to understand the 'why' of the hatred they feel towards the western world.

The author, Azar Nafisi, lived in the United States for over a decade while obtaining her education, having been born and raised in Tehran.  She had always loved her country of Iran, but when The Ayatollah Khomeini usurped power of her country, she started to see the ripping seams of what her country had been built upon, which was basically a hatred that was so consuming that many were willing to sacrifice themselves for a cause that they had been totally misinformed about.  Or perhaps their views were so skewed that they couldn't grasp the reality of what their country was submitting them to. Many ideals taught within the 'home and hearth' atmosphere, obviously, will shape that person's reality.

Once per week, Azar meets with a few select students that she had previously taught at the University of Tehran.  Although she is not a professor at the University of Tehran while meeting with these young ladies, she realizes how much influence she had upon her students while teaching them Western Literature.  Many of those who had appeared withdrawn or perhaps, disagreeable during her years of teaching, were actually staunch supporters of her ideology.  It wasn't until the girls were in the privacy of Azar's home that they would admit to their allegiance.  Surprisingly, she invited women to partake in their literature meeting, when she hadn't seen their support of her beforehand.   Personally, I think that was pretty brave of her!  

All in all, it is a book that I would recommend.  It's not a 'sit back and let things happen' kind of book. It's of the genre that make the mind work.  It also stayed with me long after I read the last page.

Another book that I'm in the process of reading is The Red Tent by Anita Diamanti. 

It's a little different than what I thought it would be.  It's the story of Dinah, Jacob's daughter.  It's not to be confused as Biblical, as Anita Diamanti has made it clear that she is writing in the novel format.

I'll review the book properly once I've finished reading. 

The Fish Story!

My son came home last weekend, and brought one of his suitemates with him.  It was a wonderful visit.  The boy's friend, M, is such a great kid!  I can see why they are such great friends:)  He's from downstate, and he had never been to this area before.  So, of course, the boy became 'tourist guide' over the weekend, and showed him the sights.

They visited our local BassPro Shop.  If you've never been to a BassPro shop and get the opportunity to, don't miss out.  They are an awesome store.  We are fortunate that we have one about 10 miles from the house.  It's my hubby and son's favorite store.

They came home all excited and M was telling me all about the big fish tank and all the huge fish in it!  His eyes were lit up, and he was so enthused.  He was reminding me of a 10 year old, not a 20 year old! 

Then the boys went to cheer on our local high school football team at the Syracuse Dome, where they were playing the Sectional Final game.  They lost, but they can be proud of their season, and the way they played.  Go Warriors!

Next morning, two very tired young men dragged their sleepy heads out of bed, and went fishing.  They got skunked.  (In case you're not familiar with fishing verbiage, 'skunked' means they didn't catch a thing).  In fact, they didn't even get a bite!  They were discouraged, but had decided to give themselves another go of it the next day.

Sunday afternoon the boys were prepared to get skunked again, but alas, their fortune was a complete turn around from the day before.

M caught this beauty of a large mouth bass.  He was 5.7 pounds, and 20 1/2 inches long!  What a beauty!  He posed for me to get a picture for my blog.  He was quite touched that I wanted to post it on my blog.  He must not totally understand the low readership of my blog, because he said he felt like a celebrity!  Sorry, M, not to trounce on your beloved dreams, but my readership isn't quite the celebrity status....yet!

Oh, yeah, the picture!

Ain't it a beauty?

Oh, please don't mind my totally un-remodeled kitchen! It's just one of those things that we've never quite gotten to, since I always seem to be using it!

 

Speaking of cooking - M is such a nice kid, that he not only thanked me once, nor twice, but something close to 3 or 4 times for the dinners that I cooked while he was here.  I laughed and told the boys that the college food must be pretty bad!  They enthusiastically agreed!

All in all it was a beautiful weekend.  And M, come back and see us any time!  We loved having you! 

My Blog and 150 Hits!

That's right, good ol' Laurie somehow got 150 hits to her blog in the last couple of weeks!  How?  Well, seems that the "Funny Halloween Stories" was a big hit.  Who'd 've thunk?  I can't believe how many people have been googling those very words, then visiting my blog.  Apparently, I show up on the first page of links, so I guess it goes to show how a simple title can get your blog a ton of traffic.

Life on the home front has been quiet, for the most part.  My son has been calling regularly from college.  It's a big change from last year when he hardly called at all.  He's facing some major decisions in his college career, and he's struggling.  If you feel inclined, please pray for him.  He's having a rough time of it.

We have several kids out sick with flu-like symptoms.  I saw on the news the other day that if you have flu-like symptoms, to just assume you have H1N1.  Okay.........So Lysol wipes, Purell, and Lysol spray have been getting a lot of use in the office by yours truly.  A few teachers have fallen victim to the bug, so it's really making the rounds.

A bit of good news is that I got on the scales the other day, and found that I have lost 17 pounds in little less than a year.  That may not sound like much, but I didn't think I was carrying too much extra weight, but 17 pounds sounds like a lot.  How did I do it?  I cut portion sizes down to something more normal, and I quit putting sugar in my coffee!  That's it!  Well, I've also been trying to avoid sugary snacks and baked goods.  I still eat them, I just cut back.

 

I've just finished reading a wonderful book.  

Greg Mortenson has become my hero!

He climbed the mountain K2 in Pakistan, the second highest mountain in the world.  He didn't quite make it to the peak.  Upon coming off the mountain, he recuperated in a small Pakistani village where he witnessed the village children traipsing off to 'school' with sticks in their hands.  Their 'school' was a pile of dirt that they sat upon with sticks in hand, writing their letters and sums.  Their 'school' had no walls, no bathrooms, and no cafeteria.  This view into their poverty-stricken life compelled Mortenson to make a promise that was difficult in the keeping, but he did, indeed, keep his promise.  His promise to these school-aged children and their families was to build them a school.  It was the beginning of the organization known as Central Asia Institute.  Greg has gone on to build numerous schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan throughout the years as the director of the organization.

If you're looking for something to read that might inspire you or lift you out of a bad mood, read it!  Yes, read it!  I enjoyed it so much.  It brought home to me that with all our worries and anxieties, we don't have it quite as bad as we think we do.

My reading has taken on a few too many books at once, but I'm enjoying the opportunity to stretch myself through my reading list.  Well, okay, that Barbra Streisand biography might not be stretching me much, but it's an interesting read.

I'm also reading a book called Reading Lolita in Tehran.  For some reason, I have been gravitating toward that portion of the world where turmoil is a way of life.  Reading Lolita in Tehran is written by Azar Nafisi. 

Now, personally, I think that Nafisi is a bit full of her self, mainly because she tries really hard to prove that she's academial, but once you get past that point, it's a pretty good read.  Nafisi was once a Western Literature professor at the University of Tehran.  Born in Iran, she was educated in the United States, but returned to Tehran to teach.  The memoir she presents takes place before, during, and after the revolution that kicked the Shah out, and planted the Ayatollah Khomeini in his place.  (You know, I personally remember all those news stories way back then).

Being a Supreme Ruler - which basically means he was the highest ranking political and religious leader of Iran - he pronounced severe changes to society as a whole, mainly towards women.  Nafisi would gather together weekly with a small number of her former students.  They would read and discuss Western Literature within the realm of Fitzgerald (Gatsby), Austen (Pride and Prejudice), James, and Nabokov.  All this literature had been banned by the Ayatollah, so it was during these covert meetings that the women got to know each other, and the trials they faced as women living in Iran.  I'm not finished reading it yet, so I'll let you know what I think when I'm finished.  So far, I like it!  It brings to forefront the struggles that women in that kind of society face.

I'm also reading A.W. Pink's An Exposition of the Sermon on the Mount.  I've read Pink before, so I'm sure that I'll like this one too.  If you are interested in checking out some of his books, they are online for your reading pleasure here.   I happened upon this site a few years back while visiting Theology from a Bunch of Dead Guys which is part of the Spurgeon archives.

Well, I certainly have a lot of reading on my list, but once your house becomes the 'empty nest' you find you have a lot more time for all those things you've wanted to do for years.  I'm also working to complete an afghan that I put on my knitting machine around 2 months ago.  I'm getting there, and when I'm finished I'll post a picture.  

I guess we've caught up by now!  As you can see, I've been pretty busy!

Can You Pick Out The Boy?

Hubby and I think he's the one in the 4th row, all the way over in the last seat on the right-hand side.  You can click the picture to slightly enlarge it.  What do you think?

Clueless and Blogless!

It's been a long time since I've posted anything new!  I am just clueless as to what to blog about.  Maybe someone can give me some suggestions!?!

Anyway, another Monday Night Football game.  No, not the one on television, but the one in Buffalo.

Hubby and I drove to Buffalo to watch the boy play.

They won!  The score was 21 - 13.  Go Bengals!

I took lots of pics!

Here's one right before the team took the field.  The boy is #17!!!

Here's another one after taking the field, but right before the kickoff!

During the game, the boy did very well....Here's a picture of him jumping really, really high.  I'm not sure if he tapped that ball or not!  If he didn't, it was close!

Then, he almost had an interceptions.  By the way, the opponent didn't complete the pass.

Since the boy only plays defense (which is odd, because he didn't play a lot of defense in high school) when the offense is on the field, he's doing this.

Then, here's after the game.

Yes, Amy, I did the 'good mother' thing and fixed dinner for his entire suite, all six of them, with paper plates and plastic silverware included.  He couldn't wait to get up to his room with THAT package.

It was great to see him, and even better to see his team win!

Game Day!

Monday evening my hubby and I drove almost 2 1/2 hours to go watch my son play in a college football game.

How does the team travel, you ask?

I know, it's not the greatest of pictures, but it was the best one I got.  That smoke is the exhaust that was coming out of the back end of that monster.  Yeah, a lot of smoke!

So as I was about to faint from the diesel fumes, I decided to walk around to the side of the bus and got a picture of where they put all the football gear.

A lot of smelly, dirty football gear could fit down there.  As you might be able to tell there wasn't too much in there when I snapped the picture, but there was all the team gear and the individual gear of about 40 - 50 boys in the storage area.  Not all of the boys had come out of the locker room yet, so that was only part of the team's gear.

Wanna see what a smelly, Mohawk-cut, football player looks like coming off the field at the end of the game?

No, that's not hubby and I!  That's friends of ours from our little Po'dunkville who have a son who played on the opposing team.

See those football pants?

That's medical tape wrapped around the knees.  They were too big and baggy to stay up, so the boy just taped them up in place.  Comical!

Hubby said, "Bryce, tell your coach I pay way too much money for you to attend Buff State and be given those raggy pants."  Of course, we all laughed!

Anyway, the boy played the entire game.  He played well, but they lost.

Right as he was getting ready to jump on the bus back to Buffalo, I gave him a bagged lunch.   He hugged me and said, "Mom, you always think of everything.  I'm starved!"

I guess he had to fight off all his teammates as they were starved, but he was a rather selfish boy, and didn't share!

I Wanted a Picture!

The boy came home on Friday afternoon and we just returned him back to college this evening.

Can I say I miss him very much???

Okay, I miss him very much!

Hubby and I were going to go get him at college after work on Friday evening.  I totally dislike driving to Buffalo after a day of work, but oh, well, I wanted to see my boy!

Ten minutes after I walked in the door on Friday after a rough and tough week at the elementary school (and a full week it was as it was the first week of having the kiddos back in the building), I got a phone call.

It was a great phone call.  I had just put on a pot of coffee and figured that DH and I would share that pot of coffee before making the 4 hour round trip.  But, alas, the phone rang and it was the boy saying, "You don't need to come pick me up."

What?  Am I dreaming?

Apparently, the boy's best friend, J, drove to Buffalo and was at the dorm to bring him home as we were speaking.

When they got home, I had J's favorite meal prepared.  I figured he really earned it.  But before the boys got into the house, I got staring at my son's hair and thinking, "What did he do?  His hair looks different!"

He spoke up and said, "How do you like my Mohawk?"

I almost fell down in the driveway (I was in the driveway, because I always run out and kiss and hug and kiss and hug him, until he says, "Aw, mom!"). 

This is the boy that when the entire high school basketball team got a Mohawk, he wouldn't.  This is the boy that when almost all the boys in his class got Mohawks just a few weeks shy of graduation, he wouldn't.

Well, I really got a good laugh, because DS keeps his hair so extremely short (think buzz cut) that there was a hardly discernible tuff of hair on the tippy top of his head.

I really wanted a picture, but every time I got the camera out this weekend, he ran, he ducked, he covered the lens.

I wanted a picture, but instead I got pictures of the walls of my living room, the clear blue sky, and the palm of his hand.

I really wanted that picture!

Opportunities

 

My son had become a bit discouraged when he was 3 1/2 days 'benched' during Football camp this year, basically due to a clerical error by the college.  They forgot to get 'written' permission from the doctor for him to practice due to his newly acquired heart murmur.  

      

   

Anyway, we're all really grateful that he's healthy, strong and able to play this year.

  

     

One of my son's goals this year was to make the varsity team.  My boy is a kid who could play on the JV team and play a lot, but nope, he wants in on the varsity team as a sophomore.  

   

   

During the 3 1/2 days that Bryce was donning his yellow jersey (benched), the coaching staff looked at all the eligible and practicing players for the position of Free Safety.  Now the boy had his eye on that position of Free Safety, but unfortunately he was benched, so he was overlooked.  

     

He was a bit discouraged and said, "Well, it might take me a few more weeks into the season to make the varsity bus and actually make the varsity team."  

   

I told him that considering what had happened that was to be expected. 

      
He told me that he just wished in practice he was given more opportunities to prove himself.  He said if coach didn't pick him for the varsity roster, but he had been given opportunities, then he'd know he had more work to do.  But unfortunately, he wasn't given many opportunities, so he didn't really know where he stood in his chances of moving up.

    

Today his opportunity arose!

     

    

Bryce told me that a couple of players had been benched for drinking.  A few more had been benched for attending a party off campus (during Football Camp they are not allowed off campus at all).  

   

     

During team meetings there are tables for Defensive Backs (where only Defensive Backs are allowed to sit), a table for the Free Safeties, a table for Quarterbacks, etc.  

   

So, while they were having a team meeting, the coach looked at the 2nd string Free Safety on Varsity and said, "You're not paying attention to me."  

  

Bryce said the kid rolled his eyes and gave Coach some gruff.  Coach said, "Out, you're out!"

  

Mr. Talk Back to Coach vacated the chair.

   

Coach then said, "Now, I need a Free Safety to come sit at this table with the others."  

   

Bryce said he didn't wait for coach to appoint someone to come sit there......instead Bryce dived head first over the table and landed in the chair.  He said everyone laughed and expected coach to tell him to get out of the chair. 

    

    

But, nope, Bryce said by the time he had gotten himself sitting upright in the chair, and was able to see coach's reaction, he realized that coach had just continued on with his discussion.  

    

      

I asked him if Coach was going to let him stay at 2nd string Free Safety on the Varsity.  Bryce said the official roster was written up and there was his name as big as life as 2nd string Free Safety.  

    

          

Then the boy laughed and said, "Well, I got my opportunity!" 

He's Back in the Saddle Again!

My son called this morning.

He went to the Health Center at the college and haunted them until they got the echo-cardiogram results! In fact, I think the receptionist was so tired of seeing his sorry face, that Bryce said she called the cardiologist twice while he was waiting!

Then, finally, he got the written papers to play!

I want to thank everyone for their prayers!

When he called, he sounded so cute! He was running to the football field on the other side of campus and talking a mile a minute!

I know when he arrived at the field, because I had just said, "Go get 'em, Bryce. Be a bear out there today."

And he laughed and said, "Awwww, Mom, I will and I love you!"

Melted my heart, it did!

Pray for My Boy!

My son arrived on campus for his new year of Football Camp on Friday. All athletes must have a physical for the upcoming sporting season by the campus doctor.

Unfortunately, the doctor heard a slight heart murmur. She told my son that it would be a good idea to have it 'checked out.' We've been down this road before, and the pediatric heart specialist could never 'find' the murmur. Hmmmm!

The physician told the boy that he could practice. He asked! I know, he asked, because he wanted to be absolutely sure that there was no problem with him practicing. After all that's why he had to return 2 weeks before all the other students need to for classes....it's football time.

The doctor told him that it could be as simple as he's in great shape, etc., etc., yadda, yadda! She just wants to be sure. I agree!

Well, apparently it's not football time *yet* for my son. Even though the doctor told him that he could practice, she made the big, huge mistake of not putting it in writing. She 'verbally' told him that he could practice unless a doctor told him that he couldn't.

The doctor set up an appointment for him with a local doctor that is 20 minutes away from campus. Unfortunately, sophomores cannot have vehicles, so my son has no idea how he's supposed to get there with no car and no familiarity with the area that they have made the appointment.

So, after 3 days of strenuous testing and practicing, the football trainer decided to contact the health center at the college and see if there was anything in writing saying that my son could practice. You got it! There was nothing in writing. Hence, he's been benched until they have something in writing. Nothing in writing = no practice!

The doctor will be on campus again on Thursday afternoon. Once they have something from her in writing, he can practice. He begged someone to possibly call the doctor at home, but no, they won't do that!

So, he's been donning a yellow jersey (benched) and will be sitting on the sidelines until at least Thursday. He's so disappointed as he had a position secured so far on the team, and he's so afraid that he might lose it since he can't practice for 2 1/2 - 3 days.

Also, he knows that on late Thursday he may get permission to practice, but Friday is the day that they scheduled the doctor's appointment in Tinbucktoo. So, he knows he'll miss that day of practice also!

I know that he isn't at college to just play football, but football is his passion. Believe me, he's a much better baseball player than he ever was a football player, but football is his passion!!! He also works out and trains 12 months per year...... because well, he loves it!

If you feel inclined, please pray that my son can endure this waiting period, and that he gets a clean bill of health.

Pigpen 101

I'm starting to believe that one mandatory class for college freshmen must be Pigpen 101.

My son was not a messy kid before he went to college. He was, well, just average to slightly below average in the 'clean' department.

Before college, he actually used to put his clothes in the dirty clothes basket without missing.

After one year of college, he just throws his clothes on the floor of his bedroom.



Before college, he never used to track through the house with his shoes on; he used to take his shoes off before entering the house.

After one year of college, he not only doesn't take his shoes off, but he goes hunting, walks through a mountain of mud, THEN walks through my house.



Before college, he never used to spill coffee while walking across the room with a full cup.

After one year of college, if I come home and I'm not too sure where he is....I follow the spilled coffee trail (or even the mud trail). Yup, it leads right to him.



Before college, he used to keep his car immaculate.

After one year of college, I ask him where such and such is. His reply is, 'Oh, I left it in my car.' Recently, so many things have been 'left in the car,' I wonder if there's any room left in his car for him to sit and drive OR take friends along?!?

Before college, he never lost or mislaid things around the house.

After one year of college, I think if his head wasn't attached he'd lose that.

I told him the other day that I thought he must have gotten an A+ in Pigpen 101! He replied, "Don't worry, Mom, when you're a senior, they have a class called, Felix Unger(ness) 101!"

Today is the Day!

Today we bring my son home from college. I hope he's been packing!





He called me on Mother's Day! Awwwww! and told me he had 3 more tests, a couple of Football meetings, then jiggety jog, he would be ready for us to pick him up.

Hubby and I are taking the day off so we can leave early and get home early. It's going to take a while to pack up the van for the ride home. If we went after getting off work, it be really, really late.

He also snagged a free television for his dorm suite next year. Apparently his next year roommate (he actually gets to pick his roommate next year) has a television. But my son was just outside the dorm, and someone was leaving a television out by the trash. The boy, being of frugal mind like his mother, asked if it worked. The young man told him that it worked fine, but he didn't have room in his vehicle to take it home with him. So, he snagged a free television.

I asked if he needed two televisions in his room next year. He said he planned on putting it in the lounge area as it was free, and if it got trashed; he wouldn't feel so bad.

I'm so grateful that next year he gets to choose his roommates (he'll be in a suite with 5 other boys). This year, he had a couple of hoodlums as roommates, and it was an adjustment for him. My son is easy going, so he made due for the year, but next year should be better.

It will be so good to get him home! I can't wait!

College Woes!

Back in August when we dropped my son off at college, I had about 1001 worries, 1001 assurances, 1001 doubts, 1001 reasons that I knew he'd be fine, and 1001 other reasons that I wanted to put him back into the car and take him home with us.

As his first collegiate, academic and athletic year come to a close, I look back and realize just how naive I was. I mean, I thought maybe he'd call us and ask for help on his homework (which he did at first). I thought maybe he'd call us and ask for money (he actually didn't do that). I thought maybe he'd call us and ask for advice with how do deal with wacko professors (he did that, too).

But looking back, his first year of college had a lot of things that I didn't expect or prepare for.

I didn't expect his roommate to hack into his computer and shut it down for 2 whole days.

I didn't expect he'd have food poisoning from eating in the college sandwich shop.

I didn't expect he'd have an infected cyst that would burst.

I didn't expect he'd have his cell phone stolen practically out of his pocket.

I didn't expect him to drop his new cell phone into the toilet.

I didn't expect his grandfather to pass away the week he had mid-terms.

I didn't expect him to get the flu and take one month to re-cooperate.

I didn't expect any of those things to happen to him, but they did.

I guess you could say that it's been a rough road traveled, but we're getting real close to the finish line. He comes home for the summer the first week in May.

I can't wait!

All in all, it's been a real learning experience...for him and for his father and I.

You Have the Flu? Stay Home!

Fair warning....this post is a rant.

I have to admit this rant, I'm about to embark upon, is probably more upsetting to me right now for one particular reason.

Three weeks ago my son came in contact with the dreaded flu virus. This is the flu virus that causes high fever, chills, cough, stuffy head, achy all over, exhaustion and a few other unsavory symptoms.

Three weeks after getting the flu, he still has a cough that won't quit, on and off fever, achy all over feeling and stuffed head. This virus is horrible.

We just brought him home for his spring break and I'm sure he's going to spend much of it getting well. He's sleeping round the clock, drinking a river of fluids and just starting to feel a bit better. He has a doctor appointment tomorrow, which he suggested, which if you've read prior posts, is saying something. The boy doesn't like visiting the doctor and he avoids it at all costs.

Now here's the rant piece of my post:

I went to the dollar store to pick up a few things. A lady standing next to me in the aisle was holding a bottle of cold/flu over-the-counter medicine and said to her son, "Relieves fever, achy all over feeling, cough, runny nose, stuffy nose, runny eyes, and flu-like symptoms."

The boy with her nods his head in agreement. She says, "That's what you're feeling like, right?" He rolls his head to the side in exhaustion, his face is pale as a white sheet and he says, "Yes."

I try to be generous at this point and I think that maybe this mama had to bring this extremely ill child out with her, because he looks at the borderline age for staying home alone and definitely not well enough to be home alone in his present condition.

But, alas, around the corner comes a very distinguishable teenage boy that walks up to the lady and says, "Mom, come on, can we go home yet?"

Then, I'm really upset thinking, Why does she have this poor ailing boy out and about anyway, and pleeez, stay home with your germs already.

I wanted to say, "I think the teenage boy could be watching this sick lad while you ran to the store to get this over-the-counter medicine. Better for the sick boy, better for you, and better for everyone else in the store."

I know there may have been any number of reasons why she didn't leave this sick little guy home, but really, it upset me.

It kind of reminds me of the school that I work at. Usually somewhere during the school year, a staff member will pop into the office 5 minutes after staff arrives and says, "I'm very sick. I can't work today. I need to go home. Please call a sub for me"

Okay, thanks! You've just spread your yucky germs around, you've just drove yourself in here for 5 minutes total, and now I'm going to worry that I catch this wretched bug too.

When you work within a school district, you become a bit of a germophobic, but I haven't resorted to wearing white gloves while I eat....yet! (Ehart, I couldn't resist adding that little white glove comment.)

I understand some people work jobs that don't allow them to receive pay if they are off sick, I realize that sometimes you can't leave your sick child home, I realize all of that....

I'm just a bit sensitive right now about the flu season, and people running around infecting others and then wondering why it's suddenly an epidemic!

Rant over!

Thanks for listening! I feel much better:)

This Should Keep Us All Thinking!

Here's a link to a 'YouTube' video that is posted on my son's SuperWall of Facebook for all to see! He didn't write it, he just posted it! It's the lone posting on his SuperWall.

I was so pleased with him when I found out that he did this! I didn't view it myself on his wall, as I don't have a facebook account, but a relative linked me to the video and said, "Wow, he's proclaiming his faith to all those college kiddos."

Yup! That's my boy!

This Should Keep Us All Thinking!

Enjoy! I sure did!

Prize of $1000 Dollars

Tuesday we drove the 2 hour drive to campus to drop off my son. He had a long weekend of four whole days, so he opted to come home. After dropping him off at campus, he called us. He was at the Varsity Basketball game. All the athletes are required to go to other sporting events on campus and support all the Bengals. It's called Bengals supporting Bengals.


He had participated in the half-time contest and he called to tell me how he had done! Apparently the winner of the contest would take home $1000!! Oooh, how excited I was as he was telling me all this, as a college student can go through money like water and well, $1000 could come in real handy!


The participants had 30 seconds to make 1 lay-up shot, one foul shot, one 3-point shot, and one half court shot. Okay, now I'm getting to the point where I'm pleading with him, "Tell me, tell me, already!"


You see, DS played basketball in high school. He NEVER missed a lay-up (well, almost never). He had the highest foul shot percentage during his senior year. He also had the most 3-point shots made on his high school team.


Of course, DS kept the suspense going as he described how he had taken 2 lay-up shot before he made one. (What???) Then he made his first foul shot (okay, that's better), then he made his second 3-pointer shot(atta, boy!).



Now, I'm really getting excited, and naturally, DS is really dragging this whole thing out to the point where I'm jumping out of my seat! He's telling me that his fellow football teammates are cheering him on. He said they play a lot of basketball during the off-season of football and they all know he's a good shot. They kept reassuring him that he could do it, he could do it!





But, alas, he didn't have time to take the half-court shot. His 30 seconds had expired! Okay, son, you really know how to get your mama all worked up!

Oh, well, I have a feeling that if they do this kind of event at every home basketball game, they've just acquired a brand new fan from the football squad. He'll be buying up all those raffle tickets every game........hence, he'll spend more money, I'll hear more stories......