Hawks win!

The usual suspects were over for the Blackhawks game tonight. It was fun. Burgers on the grill for the fam and a few of the kid's friends before the game, and then the die-hards for the second game of the Stanley Cup finals. It was a very special moment for Jean and I to sit in the back yard and listen to the horns, yells, cheers and what-have-you when the BH scored back to back goals. That, in itself, was quite entertaining. Oh, only to have the audio!

But more than that, the "old man" turns 50 tomorrow. Wow. So the guys maybe celebrated a little too much in his honor, with top tier Jameson shots for everyone (except me - eww!). Nothing like good friends. When we were 23 years old and cuddling in his parent's basement, I never imagined him being 50. Or me being 49 for that matter. What a long, strange trip it's been - and I mean that in a good way. Happy Birthday Eve, Sweetie. Love you now more than ever.

So sue me

The dogs woke me up before 6:00 this morning. Darn you pugs and your internal alarm clock. On the upside, I've already watered the flowers, planted some herbs, read the paper and paid some bills.

But I also started thinking about what I posted last night. How ironic that I'm broadcasting my disenchantment with my kids' broadcasting!? Hello kettle? This is the pot. You're black. Oh well. Like so many other things, do as I say and not as I do.

Oh Friday! How I love you so

Is this normal? I doubt it - even for our household.

The beloved van died and horrible transmission death in Iowa, so John finished up a very long work week by making his way over and picking Jim up from college. After getting my hair cut (please see next paragraph) I saw Jim for a total of 10 minutes and he was off to see friends. Understandable. His school is on semesters, but has May term, so he finishes much later than everyone else. All of his friends are home and ready to "summer."

I got my hair cut after work and opted for a new style - going shorter again. I walked in the house, Hannah saw it, and announced that I looked like Kate Gosslin. SHOOT - ME - NOW. The woman makes my skin crawl and THAT is who I now look like???!!! You might as well tell me I'm related to Rush Limbaugh (which is, by the way a reason to disinherit anyone).

Hannah is aware of the fact that I have banned her and Kyle from the basement. It's not what you think. They are banned because I firmly believe that 'people like Hannah' (and I use the term in the most nice and loving way) don't communicate effectively. They spew stuff all day long on facebook, twitter, tumbler and any other outlet you can imagine - but that's just broadcasting. They don't TALK. So, I banned them from the basement and from in front of any screen so they could actually - talk. So far, my ban is unsuccessful. Hannah has a way of weaseling her way into what she wants. Hannah and Kyle are currently in the basement, and I'm sure they are firmly planted in front of the TV screen. So much for my "ban." TALK TO EACH OTHER!!! YOU MIGHT FIND OUT SOMETHING AWESOME ABOUT ONE ANOTHER!!!

And John. He was out of town for the series finale of "24," so at this very moment, I am

1) sitting in the kitchen

2)listening to the series finale of "24" and may I say it is VERY intense

3)reminded of the fact that Hannah doesn't give a crap about what I have to say about anything

4)Jim is here, but not

5)and the dogs are still driving my crazy.

sigh.

Tuesday

My kid went to Six Flags today with some friends. She informed me of this little jaunt at 9:00 last night. After she left at 6:45 this morning it occurred to me that I didn't even know which Six Flags she was going to! We live an equal distance between two of them!! Even though I told her to "check in with me" during the day, she apparently left her phone in the car and didn't call or text. We were slow at work today, so all I had to do was sit around and worry. 99% of me knew she was fine and having a great time; but that 1% that can really nag at a mother. I transfered $50 to her debit card this morning before she left and I even checked on line to see if she had used it - just to get any confirmation that she made it to one of the two parks in one piece. Psycho? You bet. I'm a mom. Can't help it.

The nest

So like I said, we're going to be empty nesters soon. Unlike many folks taveling through this period in their lives, I think we'll be ok with it. Don't get me wrong - we love our kids and will miss them terribly - but it feels pretty darn good that with our myriad of flaws, we managed to produce two nice, intelligent, faithful people. Our goal, and I think this is what some parents forget, is to kick them out of the nest and be elated at their ability to fly. It helps that John and I sort of like spending time alone together too. And then there are the dogs.

My kids have amazed me all their lives. How they grow, learn to walk and talk is nothing short of a miracle. But to watch their personalities develop and genuinly enjoy their company as adults is a wonderful thing. I hope to enjoy that for a lot of years to come. And it's going to be fun to watch how far they can fly and where they land.

So Jim is applying for internships and jobs in Iowa, 4 hours away from home. I hope and pray he gets one, while wanting him back home for the summer at the same time. Hannah will be a camp councelor and will be away from home most of the summer before heading off to her freshman year of college. This may be our summer 'trial run' empty nest. Kids will leave. Dogs are in it for the long haul.

TMI

I seriously don't know why I am doing this blog. I'm sure nobody in their right mind really cares what I think about anything and now that we're about to be empty nesters, we'll be even more boring than we are now. But I guess it's a way for me to "journal" on line. You can read about my pugs. Anywho, away we go.