So many stories, so little time, soooo far behind...Summer 2010

*O.k, bet you're wondering why in the world I would make this so small. Especially being that it's the Intro to the post! Well, just imagine my mortification when I opened this post to FINALLY FINISH it, and the last edited date was 6-24-10!!!!!!

I know, "For shame!"

 Now maybe you can better understand the eensy-weensy print?

 WARNING

You are about to enter a "catchup" zone. (No. Not the condiment! That's spelled. "c-a-t-s-u-p". ) This is an attempt to bring myself up-to-date in my journaling. Some will have pictures accompanying the story. Some will have many pictures. Few others will not. Some will be short. Others a fragment. None lengthy due to the sheer number of stories. A dose of Wemmick History to follow...

Not every day can one claim to buy a gun. Next to never can one claim to have bought it from their Pastor!

June 22, 2010 deal sealed on this 380 Kel Tec that will accompany me everywhere.

Some form of illness hit every one of us this past summer.

 I was under the obvious mistaken impression that viruses hibernated, for the most part, during the summer months. Sugar ended up with Swimmers Ear after a botched dive off our diving board. Poor fella. Woke for a midnight snack and discovered him sitting in the office with his head in his hands. One of the kids came into contact with a virus some child left in a public place their irresponsible mother took them to! picked up a virus that cut a slow path through our entire family. Started with Miss Grace, then Punk, mySamuelson, myself (over our long weekend at the Lake, to boot!), and ending with Sugar. It was a nasty, packing with it a fever, chills, muscle aches, sore throat and explosive headache.
Ugh.
And that's all I have to say about that!

Have made all the talk, "should's" and "could of's", a reality and ironed-out a bi-weekly budget.

Although going to be a bit challenging, have already encountered my reward in seeing a good deal of stress slide off the shoulders of my Sugar. A little bit of sacrifice for providing the continued blessing of one of us remaining "at-home", eliminating debt, ensuring our children benefit from a private christian education, and overall "breathing room".

Miss Grace finished up her first Summer Art Camp. She's our "artsy-fartsy" one. ;) Painting is her current passion. One of the absolute joys of parenting is watching to see if that "current" sticks around and flourishes from an interest to a full-blown hobby, or can be chalked up to a passing fancy.

*She's in the black top.*

Spent the day (June 25, 2010) at Discovery Island Waterpark: just me and my boy.
It made my heart sing with zeal!
 I must be getting old, however, because four hours in blazing 102 degree sun had my lids drooping at 8 p.m. on that Friday night!

Enjoying a cherry Icee!

Sam hanging on for dear life!

VBS June 27-July 1, 2010

The motley crew who ran Preschool Recreation (Me in the pink shorts in the middle.)

Chickens have dearly departed.

And I must admit to my mourning phase lasting all of about 2 minutes (maybe). Sold a handful to mySamuelson's Science teacher, Mrs. Kahue. The remaining 8 or so went to a man she recommended: the head maintenance man at mySamuelson's school. Was an interesting ride, as usual, Sugar led us through in another of his short-lived interests! Wouldn't trade the experience, or Sugar for that matter, for anything in the world though!

Ariel Star...

turned out to be an "Aaron Seth"!

Rick got a call from the vet a few hours after he dropped her it him off for spaying and front paws declawed. We had decided to make her a strictly indoor cat. The vet was calling to ask permission to, "... neuter, ummm, Ariel." We haven't broke the news to Mad. And have no plans to.

Mad adores dotes on loves that cat.

And as any "girly-girl would, unsurprisingly, she loves that he's a girl. I know, I know. That just didn't sound right at all! Have no doubt though. Aaron Ariel would be cast aside amidst heartbreak and tears were his her real gender exposed. I told Sugar we had a drag queen cat now: can't get a much better stage name then "Ariel Star"! LMBO! :) Yes, am aware that was a bit crass, but still absolutely hilarious!

A magical number for a little guy.

We celebrated mySamuelson's 6th birthday two different times: a tradition we started years back. On the actual day (March 4th), we had a private, family-only party at our home.

The "Scavenger Hunt for the presents" tradition we started when he was 5, once again was an H-I-T!

Two peas in a pod...

It's amazing to see how far the Technical Age has brought us.

From this...

which is what I played with when I was mySamuelson's age,

to this...

in 30 years.
 Sorta gives me the heebie-jeebies to think what another 30 will bring...

What we dub the "Friend Birthday Party" was thrown at a local bowling alley (mySamuelson's favorite pasttimes) with a number of friends invited.

A friend-of-a-friend did the cake.

 I know, too cool.

Checking out the score.
"Competitive" his middle name.

The cake and ice cream room.

Miss Grace and Punk

The presents remain the most exciting part of the event.

I asked mySamuelson recently to please quit growing so fast. He matter-of-factly answered a question with a question (which is his Daddy through-and-through!) "Don't you want to meet your grandkids, Mom?" Jeeze Louise...what was I thinking??? ;)

A sweet age for a Wemmick Princess.

In honor of the extra-special ocassion, we celebrated extravagantly.

Just like Princesses should!

The morning dtarted off with a brand new helmet and...

bike waiting for her in the Office!

After a few spins on the bike, we toook off for an afternoon of "pampering".

Although a bit unsure at first...

 

those feelings soon faded with the distraction of a Princess cupcake.

The beautiful up-do.

A bit of glitter.

A tad of lipgloss.

(No other make-up until an adolescent!

Yep, Sugar and I are quite traditional!)

And a starlet is born!

Of course a mani...

and pedi.



Introducing,

Princess Madalyn

Princesses have to eat too, so we swung by "Stevie B's" for that awesome staple, pizza!

Neat thing about "Stevie's" is they'll make you just about any type of pizza you can dream up!

One of my faves,

Mac N' Cheese pizza!

I promise it tastes alot better than it looks!

Although a mac n' cheese lover, guess the sight deterred Miss Grace who stuck with the traditional, and safe cheese pizza.

Played a few games in the Game Room,

and won BIG!

(Of course we expected no less given the specialty of the day.)



Yes, princesses are known to enjoy an occasional sport.

We wrapped-up the "day out" with a trip to "The Glazing Pot" where Miss Grace chose a cat treat jar to paint.

While I painted a coffee mug, with her handprint on it, to memorialize the blessed day.



The surprise that awaited her at home.



Her friends

celebrated with her a week later at McDonald's.

Care Bear cake



Hello Kitty paraphernalia

and good food

made for a great party!







"Daniel and The Lion's Den"

mySamuelson found a black widow and scorpion, within 24 hours of one another to boot, on our back porch! They have been frozen alive (yes, my conscious still twinges a bit at that), thawed, sprayed with hairspray (to immobilize) and pinned to a display case hung in his room.

New camera.

Takes great pictures. "Great", that is, when we occasionally hit the mark and manage to maximize its potential. Those who write manuals for electronics, whoever they are, hang steadily in the top 5 of my TP List. We have no idea very little idea how to use it.

Army National Guard plaque

I surrounded the plaque with pictures of my little sister in varying military scenes; among them, building bridges on the Euphrates in the Iraqi Freedom War and learning how to use chemical warfare gear in a training session back in the States.  She surprised me with this gift, which contains an American Flag patch and reads:
"Presented to an American Patriot for support of National Guard Soldiers who are Defending Freedom at Home and Around the World. The American Flag in this Case is a Replica of Those Worn by National Guard Soldiers.
The Flag Insignia is Reversed to Suggest the Flag is Flying in the Breeze as the Soldiers Move Forward."

Honor, Pride, Love, Self-Sacrifice, and Patriotism are but a few words that come to mind when I think about this sister, this extraordinary soldier, this amazing young woman.

She is MY hero.


For the past three weeks, Sugar has been calling from work inquiring if the mail had run. "Was there a letter from the DNR?" A few months back he registered to win a tag to go alligator hunting in the lowcountry of our great state (South Carolina).
Yep, I said "ALLIGATOR HUNTING".

 Nope, you're eyes aren't deceiving you. It's so crazy its earned a repeat:
"ALLIGATOR HUNTING".

Point blank, he's nuts.

Told me he'll be able to scratch this off of his Bucket List.

Only if he's still got an arm and hand left to hold the pen to scratch it off!

N-U-T-S if you ask me! I'll stick with getting my "high" from running!

Speaking of "running", completed 2 more races since the last one I posted. On May 29, 2010, Memorial Day Weekend, I competed in Freedom Weekend Aloft's Freedom 5k.

I ran it all!

First race I didn’t take a walk break!

HOOAH!

And I couldn’t think of a better race to accomplish this. With family members having, and currently serving in the military, as well as a love for my America, this race held special meaning that reached a peak the final fifty yards to the finish line. American flags lined the course, leaving us running in between the glory of the stars and stripes. Most humbling. Most proud.

I finished 101 out of 155 participants, with a chip time of 28:49. Due to an ominous-looking sky, officials shortened the race to 2.8ish miles.

The Go Drive Run 5k was...

HOT!

And I'm not talking about "uncomfortably" hot.

I'm talking a heat index of 103 degrees!

Most miserable run, race or otherwise, I've ever ran.

Pre-race

 looking fresh.

Post-race

anything but "fresh"!

I did manage a 33:57 chip time, landing me 124th out of 212 and 6th out of 11 in my age group.

Given the weather, I'll take it!

I do have to share the humor Sugar wrung from something only the likes of him would pick up on!

Pay special attention to the black gentleman in the next three pictures.

Sugar teases me he crossed the finish line before me!

We don't know where he came from or what he was doing.  What's not pictured is how he walked off the course immediately following crossing the finish line!

Maybe he just wants to be able to say he "finished" a 5k!! 

Part of the reason for running this particular race was the perks.

The "Greenville Drive", for which the race is named for, is our town's Minor League Baseball team.

Runners were granted free admission to the game, free food and beverages and a special VIP lounge area at the stadium.

Enjoyed a rare date with the hubs!