Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Million Mile Candle



They say a picture is worth a thousand words.  For the most part, I agree.  A picture captures a single moment, a memory that would have otherwise gone away over time.  When you see it, you're instantly transported to that second.  One can recall the time, the place, the event, the feelings that made it so special.  It's what I do and what I love.  Almost nothing can compare.  But there are always things that you can't capture on film.

So when Mom called yesterday to tell me that she was coming to visit and bringing Michele's now infamous candle with her, I was thrilled.  It was promised to be a scent that could transport me to my childhood. It had been tested and approved by everyone in the family. 

In the simple lift of the lid, I was instantly eight years old, sitting on the brown leather toilet seat lid, watching Grandpa shave.  Or cuddled with him on the den floor, eating ice cream and watching Tiger baseball.  A million memories came rushing back...none of which required a picture.  Black Pepper Bergamot, who knew?

Mom has since gone home (leaving me sad as always) and I called Michele first thing to thank her for such an awesome gift.  Grandpa in a jar was what Mom called it.  To me, it's the million mile candle.  That scent has traveled a long way to make it back to us, to remind us of those that are looking over us and to never let us forget the wonderful moments that couldn't be captured with a camera.  The ones that live in our hearts for a lifetime.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Thanks Zoe!

After our final concession stand shift for the season, sitting down sounded wonderful.  And sitting in front of the fire sounded even better.  But this is what happens when you sit on the floor in our house.  No dogs on the furniture, but the floor is free game!  


Sunday, January 29, 2012

Big Bang Theory



A Big Bang Theory Sunday night marathon.  Life doesn't get much better than this.  It's the one show that Will, Hunter, Jeff and I can't pass up.  So after a long week of homecoming, interviews, banquet work and Texas, we all have settled in to catch up on weeks worth of our favorite show.  Life is good.

Saturday, January 28, 2012

No. Well, maybe.



Will asked me tonight if I was sad today.  When I asked him why I would be sad, he said he thought I would because it was Hunter's last homecoming.  I laughed a little and said no. 

Upon further reflection, I might have to change my answer.  Am I sad it's Hunters last homecoming dance?  No.  But am I a little sad today?  Yes.  It's not just Hunters last homecoming.  It's one of two dances the boys will have attended together.  It's not often that we have the opportunity to see them all dressed up, corsages in hand, anxious to spend the evening with their friends and sweethearts.  And tonight is the last one. 

So if I'm a little sad tonight, it would be because their high school experiences together are coming to an end.  But as I remind myself daily, new experiences are right around the corner.  Each better than the last. 

Friday, January 27, 2012

Almost done.

One more hurdle done.  Today, Hunter finished interviewing for the Lindner program.  It's out of our hands at this point.  The good news?  The notification date is March 1st.   Only 33 more days of waiting.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Just a few things..

What I do when Jeff is out of town....

Race to the court house to get Hunters license back.  Take down the rest of the Christmas decorations (yes, I know it's the end of January).  Have a great dinner out with the boys.  Work on the overload of banquet things to be finished.  Let the dogs out a million times.  Make my own evening cocktail.  And watch the debate.  Heavens knows, I forced him to watch enough!

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

007

My, I am at a loss of things to blog about today.  Thankfully, Hunter came to the rescue.  This is Winter Homecoming week at Little Miami.  The daily themes have been entertaining.  I missed the picture of Will on Monday dressed as a "redneck" (his term, not mine!).  Yesterday was monochromatic day - Will decided it wasn't worth participating in and Hunter was gray from head to toe.  Today was James Bond day.  Here's a taste of what they all looked like...


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

100 Things



Months ago, I ran across a list compiled by Popular Mechanics Magazine that detailed 100 skills that every young man should learn.  We actually tested all three of the boys over dinner and Jeff definitely won out.  That night we vowed to work on the list with Hunter and Will. 

We've touched on it now and then, but tonight was definitely one we can cross of the the list for Hunter.  Jump starting a car is a must know skill...especially when you'll be leaving home soon.

And just in case your interested, here's a link to the list. 

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/skills/4281414

Monday, January 23, 2012

It's Back!

It's back!

The last time a bus stopped our house, I was sure it would be the last.  But you never know how things can change.  You also never know when the boys will think of something that I forgot.  They remembered to commemerate the first day of busing with a picture at the bus stop!  They also made the news upon arriving at school....what a great day!


Sunday, January 22, 2012

Sucess with Honor.



Today, all college football fans are in mourning.

Joe Paterno was the winningest coach in college football.  His teams won 409 football games, attended 37 bowl games and two national championships.  According to ESPN, more than 250 of his players went on to play in the NFL.  I haven't known a football season in my lifetime that didn't include JoePa.  Nor has anyone who has watched the game for the last 46 seasons. 

Unfortunately, his legacy will most likely be the scandal that was unveiled during his last 10 weeks of life.  Do I agree with the choices he made?  No.  But any man that can coach, develop and mentor teenage boys for 46 years can't be half bad (maybe half crazy, though!).  My heart is heavy tonight for a university that has already been through so much. 

Rest in Peace, Joe.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Unexpected

The first real storm of the year.  Not the day I was hoping for it, but isn't that always the case.  So instead of enjoying the opera with Bev, Jeff and I stayed in and worked around the house.  Since the dishwasher is now fixed, I won't complain about the weather!

Fortunately, it's going to be 50 degrees tomorrow so the ice is short lived.  And since it arrived on a Friday night, no snow days yet.  We may actually get out of school on time this year!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Shh...it's quiet!

The week is done.  The boys aren't home.  The ice storm is setting in.  Sounds like the perfect night cuddle up in front of the fire with a little Northern Exposure.  Stay warm everyone!

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Almost done...

It's done!  It's finished! 

Well, it's almost done but I couldn't wait any longer to share it.  Too bad pictures don't do it as much justice.  Hunter and I have been planning it for months.  Jeff worked all weekend on it.  So without further ado...here is Hunter's almost complete, not quite finished but really awesome looking room!


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Second Base

When you live in a house of boys, some things are normal conversation.  Male body parts, inappropriate sounds...well, you get the point.  And while I am the lucky one that gets treated like a princess every day, girly things are pretty much a taboo subject.  There is no talk of PMS or girly parts.  We would never discuss the ever embarrassing tampon either.  So tonight, this isn't for the boys.  It's for every girl I know.

Just before Christmas, I was feeling pretty crumby.  I chalked it up to the "faux" PMS feelings (that's what you get after a hysterectomy).  When the pain started, I did what every girl has been taught to do but sometimes forgets - a self breast exam.  That's when I found the lump.  And in true girl form, I didn't want to worry any of the boys so I said nothing to them. 

I did tell our family doctor and today was the day to have it checked out.  Accompanied by the best friend a girl could ask for, I spent the afternoon at the Center for Breast Care at Bethesda North.  I'm still processing the few hours I spent in that waiting room filled with pink shirts.  So many women, all ages, all races, all religions...all with one thing in common.  I tried to be positive, but you know that not everyone in that room was getting great news.  So for two hours, I hoped and prayed it was me. 
After two mammograms and two separate ultrasounds, I was blessed enough to be one of the girls that left with great news.  A cyst (actually, four of them) but nothing more serious.  I'm still hoping the woman that was there for cancer treatment follow up got the same good news.

So here's my public service announcement.  CHECK yourself every month.  You don't have to talk about it, you just have to do it.  As the boys would say, do everything you can to save second base.  

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Another Yes!



The race continues to tighten!  Today, Hunter was accepted into the Business Scholars Program at Ohio State.  Only one more unknown out there, and it'll be a while until we hear.  But fortunately, his second choice looks to be as good as his first choice!  Congrats Hunter! 

Monday, January 16, 2012

This is a test...



It's awfully quiet in the Thomas house tonight.  Why, you ask yourself?  It's Exam Eve.  The night before all of the test taking starts.  Since Hunter has AP Government and Will has World History tomorrow, I'm guessing this is how we may find them in the morning.  I'm hoping they're actually up there studying...and not doing the mathematical calculations of what it takes to get a mom approved grade.  Oh wait, they did that over the weekend.  So they're probably only studying ever other chapter :)

Sunday, January 15, 2012

Will's Birthday 2.0



Since Will's birthday fell on a weekday, we postponed the festivities until today.  As you know, the birthday cake contest gets a little harder each year and I need a weekend to get it accomplished.  First, let me thank Will for not choosing the Eiffel Tower or a Porsche.  Sonic wasn't too bad (except black frosting always drives me crazy!).

So after Will's exciting day of shooting a 20 gauge with Daniel, we nestled in for a wonderful dinner, movies, cake and presents.  All in all, I think he had a great day!

Once again, Happy Birthday Will!  I love you bunches!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Fry Guy

Today was the day that Hunter, Will and Jeff have been waiting for for years.  As we all know, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.  In our house, that must include fried chicken.  Wings were the preference, but those with braces can no longer have food with bones, so chicken fingers won out.  And let me tell you...I forgot just how awesome fried chicken can be!  Remind me why I waited so long to give in on buying a fryer?


Friday, January 13, 2012

Brrrr!

Winter has officially arrived!  How long until Spring?  Please ignore the crumby picture, it was 6:45am and all I had was my phone.  Also, please ignore the "phone" sticker on my phone.  Jeff was playing with the label maker again.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Thanks for the Memories

A few weeks ago, I signed up to participate in a 52 week photography challenge.  Not unlike the blog, it's designed to keep you working, thinking and creating.  So when this weeks theme was announced, I knew that it would be something that I had to share with the boys.  The theme was Childhood Memories. 

Memories are funny.  Or maybe it's just my memory.  I don't remember many big events, parties, holidays or celebrations.  I do remember moments, faces, a few song lyrics (I think Hello Dolly is permanently ingrained in my mind!) and odd little bits and pieces here and there.  I try to share all of them with the boys, but time gets away from us all.  We spend more time making new memories than sitting and going over old ones. 

So first, I'll show you my picture...then I'll fill you in on the memory.


This is my grandfathers camera.  While I really don't remember the camera, the strap has been burned into my memory for as long a I can remember.  It was rare to see him without a camera, whether it was vacation, Christmas or just a visit.  He took pictures of everyone and everything.  There are pictures of us opening presents and playing in the sand.  He took all of our family pictures.  He was standing on the beach in Florida taking pictures of what would be the most famous and tragic event in NASA history - the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger.  He always had his camera.  And while I can't remember the brand of camera or the type of film it took, I will always remember that strap hanging from his neck.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  Grandpa may have left us early, but he left us with hundreds and thousands of his words that I will cherish forever. 

The boys make fun of me on a regular basis for having a camera in my hand at all times.  But if I leave them with half of the memories that Grandpa left us with, I'll consider my life a success. 

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

1.11.12


Every year on the boys birthdays, I'm a little more taken aback by the wonderful young men they've become.  When Will was a toddler, I wasn't sure if he would ever let go of my pant leg.  He'd sit there quietly, holding on and observing the world.  He grew older and ventured out of his hiding spot a little more often.  He started school, made friends but always remained my quiet and reserved one.  If he didn't have anything to say, he could probably goes days without speaking.  It wasn't until 4th grade that I found out that Will not only spoke in school, but laughed and goofed around!  Unfortunately, Mr. Showers didn't find it as exciting as I did. 

So when Will walked down the stairs this morning, all ready to face his birthday day at school, I wasn't the least bit surprised at his choice of outfits.  Definitely something to capture though (and probably show at his wedding!).

Happy Birthday Will!  I love you with all my heart and can't wait until the weekend when we can officially celebrate!


Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Confused?

The forecast for Thursday includes an inch of snow.  The boys are hoping the forecasters are wrong and that we'll get a foot.  Jeff and I are hoping their wrong too..and that it'll just rain.  The snow was my first thought today when Jeff sent me the following picture that he took at work today.



The poor tulips are confused!  With all of the warm weather, they're already coming up!  The snow this week should put an end to that.  Unfortunately, spring won't look the same without them. 

Monday, January 9, 2012

The Post Christmas Crud



With temperatures nearing 60 for the last week or two, it's hard to believe that it's January.  I don't think Will's even broke out his winter coat yet.  The good news?  That means that spring is a little closer and winter still hasn't reared it's ugly head.  The bad news?  The winter illnesses have still found their way into the Thomas house and no one has been left unaffected (or uninfected!).  Fortunately for Will and Jeff, a short cold with a stuffy nose was all they ended up with.  Hunter and I are a different story.   Bronchitis with a side of a horrible cough is what we ended up with.  We've never been so thankful for antibiotics and cough syrup!  Let's all hope this is the illness of the season and we have a healthy household for what's left of the winter.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Operation Organization

Operation Organization is under way.  With the chaos that is our lives, I've come to the conclusion that organization is the key.  It started with reboxing every label and bow in my Christmas stash so it would be much easier come holiday time.  So this weekend I decided to move into the craft room.  Heavens knows that it's the room that needs the organizational fairy the most.  I worked for two days.  Sorted every piece of paper, every stamp, every punch.  It was slow going, but I was making progress.  Then Jeff came home with a present and it all changed.  Meet my new best friend...a label maker!  Anything that stands still in the craft room has a label on it.  Dad's voice was ringing in my ear as I blissfully labeled everything with "A place for everything and everything in it's place."  the boys are going to be so excited tomorrow...not!


Saturday, January 7, 2012

Heat Wave

Here's a few tidbits about fish that we have learned over the last few months.  Fish sleep with their eyes open, so too much light will stress them out.  When a fish is stressed out, they lose their coloring.  Some fish (namely, our shark) has no scales.  The perfect water temperature for them is between 74 and 78 degrees.  Let me reiterate that last one....the perfect water temperature for them is between 74 and 78 degrees.  That ones REALLY important.  If it's too cold, they get stressed.  If it's too warm..well, if it's too warm, they could be the main course on a surf and turf plate.

Unfortunately, we learned this from experience!  Yesterday, our water heater in the tank malfunctioned.  Imagine my surprise when I went in to look at the fish and the water temperature was well over 90 degrees!  As the woman at PetSmart explained to us, sometimes a heater will get stuck on...and it's not our fault. 

Explain that to the five little fished that passed on during the heat wave.   


Friday, January 6, 2012

What an Honor!



This may go down as the worst picture I've ever included on the blog.  I took a picture of my computer screen with my cell phone....definitely not the work of a pro!  But it's not the picture that's important, it's what the picture is of that is.  After weeks waiting, Hunter received his invitation today to interview for the Lindner Honors Program at UC.  He's been hoping to get an interview for the program for the better part of three years.  Way to go, Hunter!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

MyTunes


So much music, so little time.  We all have the same addiction to it.  There is never a time that you find any of us without our Ipod, Ipad, Droid or radio (as a last resort) playing tunes of some sort.  It's a rare occasion you'll find Hunter without ear buds in his ears.  Will plugs his Ipod in the car before he buckles his seat belt.  Jeff and I both have docking stations on our desks.  Who can work without some sort of background music?  Anyway, my favorite way to get new music is from the boys.  While we don't all have an appreciation for rap or heavy metal...we have lots of likes in common.  Will gave my new songs just before the holiday and Hunter provided his today.  So if you call over the next few days and I don't answer, it's likely the new music is blaring throughout the house and I can't hear my phone!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Fit for a Queen (or King!)

The craziness of the holidays had finally passed and that means two things. One, the banquet is right around the corner and the next two months will be full of preparations, breakdowns and chaos.  Two, it also means that the studio has reached the "quiet time" of the year so I'll be able to get a little DIY done for upcoming sessions and holidays.  I'd like to paint, create some new areas and build a couple of new props.  Today, I finished my first one.  A crown, fit for a very little king or queen.  Let's hope I can do the others as easily - so Hunter, Will and Jeff don't have to help!


Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Long Day



Sunrise.  The time of day when I'm crawling out of bed, searching for a hot cup of coffee and my laptop, half an hour before I find my way to the shower and emerge cleaner and a little more pleasant.    Unfortunately, today I watched the sunrise through the drivers side window of the truck as I drove home from dropping the kids off at school.  I certainly have a new appreciate for Hunters license - and can't wait until he gets it back.  Ok, so I actually like getting to see the boys in the morning before school...but the drive is a little much. 

Come to think of it, I spent most of the day in the car.  After my sunrise trek, I made it home in time to shower and take of to Dayton to get Austin to the airport.  I tried everything to make him late for his flight...construction, traffic, snow showers and some fire wood in the road but we made it on time anyway.  What a long drive home that was.

As Jeff and I drove down Zoar tonight, the sun was setting out the passenger window.  On the same road, eleven hours, 100+ miles and a few tears after I watched it rise this morning.  What a long day.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Family Game Night


Our week with Austin has flown by.  It had to be just yesterday that Jeff picked him up from the airport.  But the calender says it's time for him to go home tomorrow so we decided family night was the way to go.  Austin picked "game night" so we broke out Ticket to Ride and spent the evening on the living room floor, laughing and playing.  I can't remember the last time the five of us had a relaxing night all together.  It was the perfect end to the perfect week.  How long until April?

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Back by Popular Demand



Here we are, January 1, 2012.  I can't believe we're starting a new year.  It's sure to be a year of change and as we know, I love change (insert sarcastic eye roll here).  So in an effort to participate in the change...I've decided to publish our list of goals for the year.  Ok, so not all of them, but at least one from each of us.  I'm hoping that if I jot them down on the blog, we'll be more likely to see them through!  So here we go..

I'm gong to fit into a itsy, bitsy, teenie, weenie yellow polka dot one piece bathing suit by Blue Ridge.  Jeff is going to make sure we have the best behaved dogs on the planet - or at least see to it that they can walk on leashes.  Will's goal is to pass his boating and drivers test (on the first try!).  Hunter is going to keep his newly remodeled room clean (oh, I hope so) and Austin vows to be able to bench 225 by the end of the year...and to stay safe.

Happy 2012 everyone!  Hopefully, the year will include good health, happiness, love and a winning lottery ticket for all!