Big Day! New Beth Moore Study, Thrift Store Shopping, and a Ballgame!

Y'all, I only have a minute here. My giddiness at this day will tell you what a sad, sad state my life has become. But I am SO! EXCITED! for today!! Truly, it's a big day (for me -- no one else in this house has any idea how excited I am).

First, I signed up for our new church's fall Beth Moore study. They will be studying, "David: Seeking a Heart Like His." Of course, I'm totally pumped to dive into a new study of the word. But... honestly... for THIS day the big news is that I will be putting on ACTUAL clothes (not exercise) AND make-up, hair not ponytailed -- a look previously reserved for Sundays only.

Plus -- and this is HUGE -- there will be PEOPLE. People that might (I don't want to put too much pressure on my new sisters, now) actually speak to me. Say "hello" even. Actually, I had lunch with two of the women two weeks ago and they are quite lovely and I feel certain at least those two ladies will say hello. Generally my days are limited to my children, my dog, and, if I'm really blessed and social, the cashier at Kroger or Walgreen's. Seriously. I'm gonna be on people overload.

THEN while I am out and all dressed and everything I'm going to Goodwill! Yes, go ahead and laugh, but, again, I'm excited. For those of you in my former town, Goodwill is now as far as "all the way across town" is there -- about 10 miles. I have an awesome one about 10 miles north of me and there's one 8 miles south of me that I've never been to. I don't go often, keeping in my little Kroger and Walgreen's circle.

Yes, I will be steps from amazing outlet stores, but I am headed to Goodwill. A) My family is on a Goodwill budget. B) I have some projects I would like to do for the house that Pinterest has me thinking about. I am going to troll for old frames and cookie sheets, but I'll be honest: I'll be scoping out clothes while I'm there, too! Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam has truly shown me the light about thrift store shopping.

Then, as if actually getting dressed, actual people, and an actual thrift store aren't enough?? There is a football game!! (Remember? These people don't get excited about football, but I do because my Sporty Girl is marching in that band!) The temperature is the absolute perfect football watching weather that Texas doesn't usually get until well into October. Honestly, I just don't know what ever I did to deserve this day!

Giddy!

Soooooo... TOP THAT! What do YOU have going on today? HAPPY FRIDAY!

It's Friday! It's Friday! Gotta Write A Blog On Friday!

Everyone read the title -- and sing along. And let it get stuck in YOUR head, too! Since I have teenagers, SOMEONE has to sing it every week. Now they're gone and it's stuck in my head. I may have to turn on The Wiggles or something just to cleanse my head!

So, football discussion about why there was no "WooHoo": a)this was our only Thursday night game. Probably because we have to share a stadium -- but there are two stadiums in town (but 7 high schools!) b)we were a home game, but still no pep rally. Maybe for district games?

Someone commented on Facebook that she had always suspected that football was a "small town" thing -- because big city had so many other things to do. That's a possibility, of course -- and this city, as mentioned, has too many schools for all of us to throw our allegiance behind one school, so it's less of a big deal that way.

Something else I considered as I sat there last night -- other than noticing that red face paint is a REALLY bad idea if you want it to come off before graduation -- is that this high school is only 7 years old. Everywhere else I've lived in Texas the football program has been legendary. None of these high school kids grew up with a little cheerleader uniform or football jersey or tiny football from this school because this school didn't exist until they were in elementary school. They didn't grow up looking at annuals of their parents at this high school, or go trick or treating in their parents sports uniforms.

However, I will say that the stands were relatively full last night for a Thursday night game, it was pretty fun, our little team did okay, the band did great, and a grand time was had by all.

Oh! This is a hoot! So on Facebook I put up this pic. My caption was:"Can you pick out Ashley? She's wearing black. And khaki shorts. And her clarinet (NO LIE) is held together with super glue and duct tape."

(She's 3rd from the front on the 45, FYI).

Um, yeah. We got that clarinet for free when she was going into 6th grade. She wasn't planning on playing in high school, so it was a win. She literally decided the last week of 8th grade to play in high school. Two days later, Troy lost his job. So we really weren't into clarinet shopping. And her band director at the time said, "Oh, let her keep this one for marching, anyway -- she'll drop it, etc."

Now, it's still not a great time for us to be clarinet shopping, but when your clarinet is held together with super glue and duct tape -- you've pretty much taken it as far as you can go. Grateful for the Lord's provision at the time, trusting in the Lord's provision now. C'mon, Craigslist!

Okay, I have spoken enough nothingness today. Thanks to Donna's comment yesterday for the reminder. She didn't say it as a reminder, but it was: to look for what God is doing/ teaching daily. Hmmmm... lack of football fever and a broken clarinet? God is in it! If nothing else, I am trusting that God will provide a clarinet -- and I think God would rather us have a passion for him than for football, anyway. How's that? :-) Thanks, Donna, for the reminder to look for our Father/ Creator in the little and mundane.

Until tomorrow!

Rainy Wednesday

Hurricane Hermine (does ANYONE really know how to pronounce that??? I have heard it 3 different ways...) has brought some rain all the way out here to our desert and it has been nice, though I understand that some of my Central Texas friends got way too much rain. Hate that, 'cause I don't like the whole flooding stuff. Been there, done that, still have mud on some of my furniture to prove it.

The rain has made it be a great inside day. This week Troy and I have formed "Team Stirman" for job searching and that has been a blessing. I do some of the tedious -- and I mean horrifically tedious -- job searching of the online search engines. Since Troy's previous job was helping students locate jobs, he's pretty good at knowing where to look and where to go, but you still have to wade through every posting to see requirements, skills, experience, etc. That stuff I can do to weed out what he's qualified for, send those on to him, then he can apply or not, make contacts, etc. It's great to work together to tackle the tough stuff.

Obviously, I've been major AWOL from blogland -- but love having a daughter in high school. Except the homework! Wow. She and I are really slogging our way through biology and I am REACHING for my geometry knowledge (little known fact about me: I was a math major for 4 semesters). But she is having so much fun in marching band, and finding out just what 5A athletics is like (ouch, by the way).

I wasn't able to see her march in her first ever game (still grieving.... long story... still bitter) but did see her this weekend at an 11 a.m. game that I am now peeling off large portions of my epidermis from viewing. But she is the cutest marcher out of all 200 of them, even though I could barely pick her out, she's adorable. I love it so much. And, I did learn... if the sun, your allergies, your hormones, and weather are all threatening to give you a migraine... do NOT, under any circumstances, go wait on her with the band. They play the fight song several times there at the end. Ouch again. Love watching my kids do stuff! Ooooh... this Saturday? A PARADE!! She's marching in a PARADE!! I love a parade!! Don't you?? I think it will even be less than a zillion degrees, which is so rare! (West Texas Fair and Rodeo Parade)

Then, that afternoon, the Riley-man plays some soccer (I think he's also thinking about running cross country that morning just for grins. Gah!). And Monday will be his first football game as a 7th grader! I am IN my element when I am watching my kids have their fun on fields and such. (And for the record, I didn't make my kids do all of those activities -- they know how I feel about spreading too thin. This is our time to see "what fits" and what doesn't. We are busy -- but truly having some good times along the way.)

Just wanted to do a fast check-in. I've got to get dinner on the table. I miss this ol' blog. I keep wanting to resurrect it. But all of that life keeps edging it out of the way.