Yiiippeee!

It was quite the exciting day for all! 

These two got to hang out for the day.  Shopping, family lunch, the Crew game and a movie.  I'm tired just thinking about it!

As these two got to go out and celebrate!  Nothing says "We've accepted an offer on the house!" like a steak dinner.  Now, just keep your fingers crossed for the next 58 days.

Hope everyone else had an exciting day too!

Love the one your with :)

If you can't be with the ones you love...

Yep, admit it.  I just made you sing along.  And yes, I know that I added "s" but work with me.  Anyway, if I can't be with the boys this weekend (and believe me when I say that I'd give my right arm to have them around) at least they're together!

It's Sibling weekend at Ohio State and these two wanted to spend it hanging out together.  They've got some great plans and I can't wait to see all the pictures.

Unfortunately, it's like 30 degrees (on the first day of Spring Break) so I'm hoping those plans are indoors.

Love you both!  Hope you have a wonderful time!

Yep, I just posted that.

Want to see what a warm, sunny day looks like for me?  I took the puppy for a walk and tried extra hard to get a "selfie" of us both.  I've been working on getting one for a while.  All I can say is...Epic FAIL.

By the end of the summer, I will get one.  She just doesn't know that yet.  Can you tell that I've been cooped up for too long?

I'm in LOVE!

I was tired of cutting tags.  I was bored with designing.  I spent the morning sewing and it didn't give me the break I needed.  I gabbed with Hunter, bothered Jeff and was waiting for Will to come home.  That's when I figured out that I needed a break.  Someone or something to entertain me.  So I headed out for Starbucks.  And Hobby Lobby.  And Walmart.

And I met the greatest guy!  It was love at first sight.  I tried to get Jeff's approval before I ran off with him but when he didn't answer, I decided it was time to just just scoop him up and drive off into the sunset.  You should have seen all the looks I got.  But his smile made my day so to heck with what everyone else thinks!

Meet my new man...

Happy Sunday.

Sorry I missed last night!  One long day and I was falling down tired by 10 pm!

So the short of it....Will loved his night alone.  Hunter got home from New Orleans safe and sound (although he appears to be a little grumpy that he had to come back!).  Jeff and I are recuperating from a long day.  Don't get me wrong, it was a great day.  Actually, it was a great weekend although it just wasn't the same without the boys.

But times change and we're all changing with it!

Banquet Eve!

It's banquet eve!  I can't even begin to thank all of the people that helped this year and let me rest and heal.  I'm pretty sure I did less for the banquet than I do for Sunday dinner.  While I've missed all of the "hands on" work, it was a welcome change.

But some things are just tradition.  Banquet eve ALWAYS consists of family dinner at El Picante.  Unfortunately, Will's working and Hunter is boarding his bus to head home from New Orleans.  Neither will be attending the banquet.  My, how time changes things.  We still managed to fit in dinner and a quarter of March Madness.  And while I missed the boys and it just wasn't the same...he always manages to make it awesome.

Aloha!

Yes, I'm willing to admit I'm related to him.  But I refuse to believe that he got his fashion sense from me!  Just kidding.  It was senior prank day (although the weather played a prank on them!).  Seeing as it was OGT week and they didn't have class this morning, they decided to hold a luau in the school parking lot.  Unfortunately, it was a little chilly for a luau but rumor has it they had a great time!  I'm so glad they're enjoying their last weeks.  Although I wish the last weeks would slow down just a bit!

OGT Week

It's OGT week at Little Miami.  OGTs (Ohio Graduation Test) will soon be a thing of the past, but for one final year, Will got to enjoy a full week of sleeping in.  Since he passed his years ago, school doesn't start for him until after 9am.

So for one week, I get the joy of seeing this face in the morning!  I'm sure his teachers are appreciating the smile too.  I don't know that anyone gets to see that before 9am on any day!

It's a date!!

Finally, a date!!!

Thirty six days and counting...water turn on!  I'll be there with bells on!

Who's game?  Anyone want to go with me?

When the boys are away....

One thing I've noticed (and I'm sure you have too) ....

The older the boys get, the harder it gets to blog.  When I don't see them for days, it's impossible to fill you in on their lives.  In fairness, Will was working and Hunter is building houses so I can't be critical.  I can only fill you in our lives...with and without the boys.

So while the boys were busy, we decided to make the most of a beautiful day!

Errands.  With the windows down and the radio blaring.  And where did our errands end?  At the newest dining establishment in the area.  I mean really, Jeff's mouth was watering for a Longhorn burger.  And me?  Well, I never turn down a steak.

And as you can tell, it was awesome.  The lighting, not so great.  I look like a ghost )or Jeff's picture taking skills leave a lot to be desired).  But I'm a very full ghost that could have licked my plate clean...as well as the plates of those at the tables around us.  

I wish it was a family dinner...maybe in May?  Until then, I'll just fill the boys in on what we do when we're missing them.

Happy Pi Day!

What a nice day!  In fact, it was so much fun that I forgot to take a single picture.  Not one.  Jeff, Will and I had lunch with Michele and Ben and yep, no picture.  Michele and I shopped for a banquet outfit and yep, no picture.  Costco with Ben and Michele to find coffee and cookies and yep, still no picture.  And then we spend hours at the house, just shooting the "stuff" and yep, forgot pictures then too.

Fortunately, Will and Hunter saved the day.  Well, almost.

Here's the picture Hunter provided!  An evening on Bourbon Street and a neck full of beads!

Unfortunately, Will's picture wasn't as cool.  He ran over a nail and that's his spare tire.  But this mom is incredibly proud that he changed it himself without calling anyone.

All in all, it was a great day.  Flat tire and all!

BuckiServ

Well, he's on his way!

They've landed safely in New Orleans and I don't expect to hear much from him until he gets home.

But at least I got this :)  Think he was a little excited?

Born to be a Buckeye!

It was college visit day.  Long awaited, long overdue.

Up at the crack of dawn and out the door to Newark.  Funny enough, we'd already paid Will's "commitment" fee and he was locked in at OSU - Newark .... and we'd never set foot on the campus.

So with today being Buckeye visit day, Jeff, Will and I made the 2+ hour trek to see what we'd committed Will to.  It was so worth it.  Even the weather cooperated!  Walking around campus in 60 degree weather sure beats a few weeks ago in the snow.

I have to say, we loved it.  Will felt right at home.  I pretty positive that he was grinning at a few points throughout the tour.  The buildings were gorgeous, the lawn was huge and welcoming to all of the students lounging in the sun.  The dorms were far better than we all expected.  Hunter would be jealous!  But keep your fingers crossed...there's only a 50% chance of Will winning the lottery to get into campus housing.

And he couldn't have been more thrilled to come home and share it with Hunter who happened to make it home for a quick visit.  He's leaving for New Orleans on Friday and all of his summer clothes were here!  So that family dinner that I didn't think would happen until May?  Yep, it was today.

I'm completely not prepared for Will to leave.  I'm not prepared to be an empty nester.  I will worry every minute of every day for a while.  But seeing him on campus today made me a he was born to be a Buckeye.  He's ready.  I'm not.

Seven Swans a Swimming.

Really, no more words are necessary.  

Unless someone can explain to us how this keeps happening.  For the third morning in a row, this has been the sight on the lake.  Seven perfect swans.  One that we know.  Six that we don't.  

And by lunch time each day, only one remains.  And he looks so sad.  Or maybe that's me, assuming that he's been alone for so long that the company must be so nice.

Then Jeff reminds me that they're birds.  Don't tell him, but I still feel bad.

So each morning I rush out, count them and snap a few shots.   I spend the rest of the day hoping they grow to love it here and stay a bit longer.   I'm sure Michael does too.  

Spring Ahead!!

That was our mantra today!  I'm mean really, you have to make the best of the least favorite day of the year.  

So we sprang out of bed with a full day of plans.  

It started at Bobby Flays...where I FINALLY got the hamburger I'd been dreaming of.  Thankfully, the bland diet left town today with my extra hour in tow.  And for now, my burger craving is quenched.

Then it was off the the Home and Garden show.  That was an experience.  After navigating oversized strollers (seriously, they're the size of an SUV anymore), small children with large balloons and overzealous window salesmen, we got to see some beautiful bathroom and kitchen designs.  I'm still not sure who can afford those hot tubs, but they were cool too.

But I think the best part of the came right after we found Starbucks.  We sat on the tailgate, parked on the top floor of the parking garage, soaking up the 55 degree weather.  Sunshine on your face is a game changer.  And definitely something we haven't enjoyed in a while.  

Tomorrow is back to work and we've got a long week ahead of us.  School, work, home showings, college visits and a BuckiServ trip.  Hopefully, we'll managed to squeeze in a meal or two together, but I'm not optimistic.  

So we'll all spring ahead....just nine more weeks until we get a few days all together.  I'm counting them down!

Life is Good.

Will, Jeff and I got to spend an entire afternoon together.  We ate.  We shopped.  We found a Starbucks.  We laughed. 

It may not sound like much, but this Momma has been waiting for months for an afternoon such as this.  Finding a Bd's Mongolian BBQ was just an added bonus since ours closed (thank you, Jeff!).

And while we were having a great afternoon, Hunter was preparing for his last on call shift EVER.  I'm sure he didn't have as much fun, but I'm positive he's just as excited.

It was a normal day.  I couldn't have asked for more.  It's been a long time.  Life is good.

Boys.

I totally forgot to post this yesterday!!!   It made me cringe and laugh at the same time, so I wanted to make sure I shared it.  And recorded it in history.  One day, Will will have kids....and he'll be cringing too!

So it was a snow day, right?  I caught up with Will right after he got finished sledding.  Yep, 18 going on 8.  Can't miss a good hill when it snows.  But anyway, he forgot to take pictures of that.  So to make up for it, he sent me this...

Yep, he's doing donuts in the snow...in the subdivision.

And that picture got him a stern "are you serious" response from Mom.

And this was his response to that.

Boys.  That's all I can say.

A bit better.

Seriously, let me tell you how much better I'm feeling.  Each day gets a little better and at this rate, I'll be running a marathon any day.  Ok, stop laughing.  Maybe not a marathon. 

But I'm certainly ready to strap by camera pack to my back and get out and take some pictures.  The weather looks promising but I couldn't really wait.  So I started to find things around the house to shoot.  Yep, I'm feeling better.  Just wait until the weekend...Will's going to be tired of me.

Really? Are you kidding again?

Seriously, I need a job as a meteorologist.  Everyone jokes about them getting it wrong, but seriously, this is crazy!  They forecast one inch and we get five.  They issue warnings, calling for 7-9 inches of snow today and we get a dusting (and half of that has melted!!).  Good thing we let school out early, worked from home and stocked up on bread and milk.

It was a great day none the less but I was hoping that tomorrow would be a repeat.  That one big snowfall that kept us all in for an extra day.  Although, since we have another showing tomorrow, I shouldn't complain.  No driveway snow blowing necessary.

At least I got a great cup of coffee and a little time to work in my art journal.  What more can a girl ask for?

Ohio grey please go away!

Can I just tell you how tired I am of this view?  I love the lake, but seriously, I'd like to see the whole thing.   The rain tomorrow should help....but the 3-5 inches of snow they're forecasting on Wednesday will bring it right back.  Does Mother Nature know it's March?