Queen Anne's Lace and Lilacs

First Day of School - the Other Side

Today was Evan's first day of school, only from the teacher's side.  Riverwood Middle School is the name of this new school (the Longhorns?  Really, Evan?).  Evan has the orchestra website set up, which you can check out here. 

I wonder if he was as excited as he was on his first ever day of school many moons ago (see photo - and click for a larger view).  I remember this first day, my mom in Houston for the big event, and Evan with his Ninja Turtle backpack.  Brett was lost those first few mornings and would sit at the front door and wait for Evan to come home. 

It seems crazy to me that so many years have happened and that they have flown by so quickly.  It doesn't even seem right!  Oh, well.  I'm sure I'll get over it.  Just in time for Bethany to graduate from high school and really mess me up. 

Just kidding.  No, seriously.  Yeah.

Evan, I hope you had a wonderful day and that it's the beginning of a fantastic year!  (Yo!  Remember how I asked for pictures?  Courtney?  Are you reading this?  Please remind Evan.) 

Daylight Savings Time is Awesome

Yesterday was "my most favorite day of the year."  I nearly forgot!  Tim kept talking about how late it was.  I was thinking, "What!  Is it 4:00 even?!"  Finally, I looked at the clock.  7:00!  P.M.!  Still sunny!  Oh, yeah -   my favorite day of the year!  Well, shoot.  (Or "shoot fire!", an old Texas friend of mine would have said)  I could have been happy the whole day.  Oh, well.  I squeezed in a couple hours of happiness.

Summer's Officially Over

Major changes the last few days.  I've decided it's time to quit sitting around, crying and depressed. Well, it's not been that extreme, but it could have easily been!  It's so quiet around here, now, I hardly know what to do. 

Thursday night, we learned that Brett would be skipping off to Atlanta early Friday morning.  Evan left Saturday morning.  He was here the entire summer, which hasn't happened very often.  I was so happy when I made the plane reservations in early May.  Two and a half months!!!!  Yea!!!  Well, it all went by so fast, it could have been two days.   I hate that!  It truly makes me sick to my stomach when he leaves.  This year is a bit different from the other years.  He will be graduating, getting a job, and so his free summers are probably over - and that makes me feel even sicker.

        

On top of all that, Bethany began her sophomore year today.  How did that girl get to be a sophomore so fast?!  She was just starting kindergarten last week, for crying out loud!  It was upsetting for me as Evan and Brett advanced rapidly through high school, but at least I always had Bethany in elementary school to keep me from totally losing it.  And now, it's her racing by.  I knew I should have had more kids!

I've got photos to add to this, probably sometime this evening.  I still am having some uploading problems with Typepad.  And, I still have a lot of catching up from last week to do, blog-wise.  I will, therefore, be doing things out of order, which drives me crazy, as some of you might know.   

Daylight Savings Time

I completely forgot to say something the other day about Daylight Savings Time.  The spring time change day has always been my favorite day of the year.  When I was a kid, I loved the day that we changed the clocks, and it stayed lighter longer in the evenings.  This always happened shortly before the end of the school year - and, of course, it meant summer.  Oh, and I don't even get into why we have DST - it's confusing to me:  Is it lighter or darker in the morning.  Mornings are all the same to me.  It's just a fun day that results in fun evenings! 

This year, with it occurring at the beginning of March (what's up with that!), it didn't seem as thrilling.  Yet, I can still say that Sunday, March 9, was my favorite day of the year.  This means that the "fall back" day in October, November - or whenever we change back - is my least favorite day of the year.  It depresses me when it starts getting dark at 4 p.m. 

I do not understand the rabid comments against Daylight Savings Time.  I can only assume that those making these ridiculously negative statements have serious issues.  It's only an hour, people.  Unless you're old, going to bed at 7 o'clock, what's bad about having an extra hour of daylight in the evening when you get home from work??!!  It's the only thing the government does that I like.

Time Flies Even When You're Not Doing Anything

I was sitting here thinking about the fact that it is now March.  I realized that it will be time to get out the Christmas decorations in a little over eight months (we decorate in November).  I don't know when it happened that I started dreading the decorating ritual, but it occurred simultaneously with the realization that time apparently does fly.  It must have, because I noticed that every couple of months I was getting out the Christmas decorations.  So, now, whenever I stop and think about what month we're in, my first thought is, "Jeez, in no time, we'll be decorating again." 

The only thing that may slow things down a bit this year is the election.  With election and campaign issues constantly bombarding me, I can't wait for November.  Yet, it all drags on seemingly forever.

Actually, I think the time flying thing began for me when my first baby turned one.  That happened shortly after his birth - just a few days later, in fact.  Since then - and two more babies - the years have zipped by at such great speed, I've barely caught my breath.