Leaving for 9 days

Tomorrow I'll be heading to Orlando (hold your jealousy) for a sorority conference. Luckily the conference doesn't start until Saturday, and only runs through Tuesday. That means I have tomorrow, Friday, Wednesday and Thursday free. Now you can be jealous. I don't think I could handle 9 days of "Oh My Gosh! Chi Omega for Life." No, I know I couldn't. I am excited to go to the resort we're at (because the convention hotel booked up) and to lay out and read. That's all I care about. I heard Disney is there, but fighting the crowds in the heat...Eeek. Oh well, I'll try to rally for one trip (I do have a free pass) but otherwise, I claim my time. There are 3 collegiates going with us; who I think will behave and then one advisor who has poor health and I pray doesn't get very ill. (Why she thinks she needs to go???) So...we'll see how this plays out.

I haven't slept the past few nights. I guess it's anxiety or stress? I'm taking all the pills I have for that! I have loads to pack, to fold, dishwasher to unload, weeds to pull, weeds to spray, flowers to water, notes to leave my husband to water, notes to leave my husband to make sure the dogs have water....See....

Anyhow, we went to Nashville this past weekend for Chad's conference. He had a large night Thursday while on his boys night - and I just beat that by having a LARGE night on Friday...Chad likes to say when I started yelling (he is really being dramatic) at another lady it was time to put me to bed. I'm telling you - free cocktails are dangerous...And so where the two at the bar and so was the one when we got back from the bar. Oh my. Saturday Chad had meetings and I drug myself out of bed around 10:30 to go lay out w/ another wife (who is only weeks away from delivering). I think the sweating and soaking in water from a pool cured me!

We had the "fancy dinner" that night - where I could barely get down 2 glasses of wine (at least I tried).

Here are some pics. We were a Scoobie Doo team for Friday. I don't normally wear the Scoobs out to bars!!



And then a bit more sober and professional looking :)


It's nice to be included in Chad's work conference. They even have a meeting just for spouses, and have the spouses attend the opening session - which is really nice as well.

Today we're tackling May

Oh yes, we are...and then it will be..OMG.. JUNE! (Just in time for July, right?).

I feel like today is the calm before the storm. I know I'm supposed to be catching up on May, but let's just process the next few weeks.

Tomorrow, off work (WHOOHOO!). I'll pick up a wife of one of Chad's co-workers and we'll drive to the Cool Springs, TN area to meet our hubs. It's their work summer conference. Today the men are golfing all day and drinking and then watching basketball tonight. It is bad I'm UBER excited to have a night to myself? A morning to try to sleep in past 6:30??? I can't wait. And, I'll be glad to see Chad, of course. We'll go to a meeting w/ the boys tomorrow afternoon and then to a Cartoon Character Themed Dinner (really. Really?) Saturday I'll have all day free and Chad will get free midday. Unfortunately I won't have a pool to lay out by (BOOO) but Chad has devoted the day to "us" so whatever we do, I guess I should be thankful. There will be a "dress up" dinner that night and then back home on Sunday.

Next week will start another storm. We have our 3 hour Board Planning on Tuesday, haircut and color Tuesday afternoon (which is JUST AS IMPORTANT as Board Planning) and then I leave on Thursday for Orlando. For 9 days. For a sorority convention. It sounded fun months ago but now I'm not sure. I PRAY that the free time we have prior to and after is solely spent by a pool with cocktails. Even if I'm the only one old enough to drink. And no, I'm not confused and thinking I'm still in college, I've just devoted my sanity to being an advisor....again, more cocktails.

So, May...Hi...How are you? Where you been?

Well, according to my planner (because I live by it). This is where we been:

Week of May 3rd - Metings and worked like a dog for our largest fundraiser the Mini Corvette Challenge...a 3 day event. FUN FUN FUN...WORK WORK WORK. A huge success - which we desperately needed for our morale and budget!

Week of May 10th - It's breakfast time - Appreciation Breakfast in Simpson County that I coordinated and conducted. Then - the best part of the month (if not year so far) - OFF TO COLUMBUS to see my best friend KELLEY!!! WHOOHOO! Now, let me just say - COLUMBUS, OH - I LOVE YOU. I love your SHOPPING (OMG). I love your restaurants, I love your bars, I love your shopping, I love you! LOVE YOU!



Chad went with and Kel's boyfriend came up. We went to a fabulous "upscale" Mexican Resty that night...then to one of Kel's favorite dive bars. Saturday she and I shopped in some fabulous area (hello new dress and new shoes), had drinks at lunch (you really can do that) and just enjoyed pure, delightful friendship. Chad golfed and Todd ran errands.

That night we met up w/ Kel's cousin and her hubs and we went to a Clipper's Game. I actually drank beer (!) and had fun at a game (I'm not your sports gal!). Chad, of course, was a trooper!



We left on Sunday and I loved every minute of being with Kelley and having Chad there too...

Week of 17th - Another breakfast in Logan County...another success!

Week of 24th - Sex and the City movie week! Need I say more?
That weekend, an important little buddy graduated high school. I've kept this family of 3 boys for about 8+ years. They were in my wedding if that tells you how much I love them. The oldest graduated this year. OMG!

Here we are years ago at a soccer game. I was often mistaken as their mom - which is a huge compliment (she ROCKS). When I was in college and would stay w/ them for a week - we'd go to dinner and they would start calling me "MOM" which would mortify me. People gave me "that look" like I was really a 20 year old mother of 3!!!



and at my rehearsal dinner:


and wedding:


Those pics were almost 2 years ago and they are all just as handsome as ever...I am a lucky lady to have been blessed by their family.

Well, I think that's it for May...June...get ready, we're going for July!

Let's get through April

Ok...I noticed I worked up to April 7th...Then I looked at my calendar and it says JUNE now so I figured it was time to haul ass.

ATL was a blast...We shopped, ate, drank, shopped and just had a good time. It was truly Driving Miss Daisy (Me driving my mom and her friend) but it was wonderful, quality time. It was fun to see our friends renewed spirit and it was great to have some time with my mom, away from other distractions.

Back to reality.

That weekend also marked Chad playing in the 2nd Franklin Simpson Alumni HIgh School game...He enjoys it more than he'll ever say! It's fun seeing him cut up and try to be 15 with all these athletes! Some legends never change.

That week of work started chaos. We hosted our Annual Appreciation Breakfast in Warren County with over 100 in attendance. I didn't realize how much my part ended up being the "meat & potatoes" of the event, but I am glad it was. It is really rewarding to put together a "year in review" of all the work we do for students. Well, a power point helps illustrate that but it is remarkable. This was one even that we received some very heartfelt praise and thanks for - but more than that, we received so many feelings of appreciation for what we do - and what most people don't realize we do. I also hosted a AT&T Job Shadow for 40 students from one of our high schools. Despite a rocky start with my organizer at the site - it was a FANTASTIC experience...the site went above and beyond and the students were really engaged, which is hard to do at that age. Even better that we received funding for every student that went through the experience...so...SCORE for the NON PROFIT budget!!

The weekend of April 16th-18th was one of the most trying events of the Spring. We went to a family engagement cookout that Friday which was easy and fine. Saturday started the day from hell. Let me recap:

9:15 - go to a salon to do a trial run of makeup on a bride I have never met. There is a lot going on in that one statement. I hate going into salon's to do make up - it always turns out fine but I feel like they are looking at my hodge podge of make up and wondering "who in the hell" I think I am rolling in there (literally...I roll a scrap booking suitcase in)...The bride turned out to be chill (would you be if you'd been at the salon since 6:45 a.m. getting a color, highlight and style by someone you've never met)? Her mother turned out to be "that mother of the bride." Oh me...I didn't start makeup til about 9:40...They were out the door by 10:15, off to buy an outfit at Macy's for an 11:00 shower that was 20 minutes away.....Can you tell there is SO MUCH MORE to the story?

From there I had about 2 hours to kill, which initially I thought would be spent sitting outside in the sun, but I thought I'd tackle my husbands office room/closet...I made it gleam...until he got home and was NOT appreciative...Eeeeck.

Then to our local university for a 2:00 meeting (which was a weekend of events in itself but of course, none of that worked out for me).

Then home at 3:30 to change to go take candid photos at a small private wedding, then to go get them developed and framed and on a table for reception guests to see.

I'm going to stop there and say the pictures were great, none of the guests cared, I drank wine and danced and then we relived the closet cleaning annoyance at home. Fun times.

April 21st...the project I spent 2 months on. I was working on a job shadow experience for the entire 240 student senior class at one of our high schools. This has been MY BABY...At the end of the day, 172 students went into 70+ different businesses for a job shadow experience. The rest either skipped, didn't turn in a permission slip or didn't care. Yes,I will do it again next year....because my reward was a free ticket to BON JOVI that night(these didn't go hand-in-hand) and a free dinner at Ruth's Chris....I considered it my reward!!

The 23rd we had JA Night at the Hot Rods - our baseball team (I have no idea what division). It's an easy event and great publicity for us!

That was about it for the rest of April...other than chaperoning our second Sorority Formal. We actually drank at this one...and it was much more fun that the last!