Stress Level 100

Have you been to Jerome, AZ?  I have to say I wish I hadn't.  This drive from Sedona to Prescott via Highway 89-A is freaking me out! 

Mr. BlueEye's Got the Blues

Not feeling good for 24 hours now.  Hope today is better for Sammy.  Somebody needs to tell his tummy,  "We're on vacation!"

More Climbing

Caroline and I want our only climbing to be into the hot tub.

Gary's Ensemble for Today

He's already out climbing a mountain.

We're on Our Way

Everyone is happier than they appear here on the airport shuttle.  Well, except Sam, he's happy and he knows/shows it.

MusicMonday—Oh What a Night!

Last Friday was the night!  Big fun, just as I anticipated!

Out of four attempts to see my beloved Chili Peppers, I can now say I have been successful on two. 

• 1992 Lollapalooza, Alpine Valley, Wisconsin

A big, rude boy moshing around stepped on my foot in the grassy parking area before the show even started.  It hurt so bad I had to leave and go to the ER.  It turned out it was broken and I missed the show.  But I still have the t-shirt (although since it’s middle of the night, I’ll use this Internet pic instead of digging it out) and memories of a foot-all-the-way-up-to-the-knee blue cast I had to wear that whole hot summer. 

Thanks, Tim (at the time my boyfriend’s friend) for the broken bone you big lug, and better yet, me missing my first Chilis show.  : (  It’s slightly easier to take knowing John had left the band by this time so I wouldn’t have seen him anyway, but still.

 

• 1995 One Hot Minute Tour, Chicago, United Center

I had tickets for the November show, but the show was cancelled since Chad the drummer had broken his wrist, but that was ok because I was smack dab in the middle of a crazy triangle:  Chicago boyfriend resisting me ending it, me, my back-in-the-picture love Gary Gill.  I thought the show was rescheduled for April 1996 but I don’t even know because by that time I had broken up with Chicago and was engaged to Gary.  But I do have a t-shirt from that tour that Chicago gave to me inside a cooler he returned after the break-up.

My t-shirt is actually cream colored but I didn’t see any images online of it.

And besides, John still was out of the band.

 

 

 

• 2003 By The Way Tour, Savvis Center, St. Louis

SUCCESS #1 

Gary and I, expecting our third baby, went to this show and it was wonderful.  I know I have written about it before, being hugely, 8 months preggers and having bought standing-only floor tickets and being escorted by stadium personnel that “forced” us into comfy seats.  I remember I wore my sexiest maternity jeans and a stretched-tight white maternity top that ended up with rainbow slushie juice down the front, from the cold treat my honey brought me that night.  No t-shirt from that one, but it was an awesome show and I have great memories from just being with Gary (like that that he wouldn’t pay $10 for parking so we had to walk how many blocks-haha) and hearing that great music.  John was back in the band and they were pure musical chemistry peaking.  If you ever want to see them from this era, watch the dvd Live at Slane Castle and you will see exactly what I am talking about. 

 

• 2012 I’m With You Tour, Scottrade Center, St. Louis 

SUCCESS #2

MAY 25, 2012—ONE EXCELLENT NIGHT

 

Gary, Ross, Karen (filling in for Debra that had a work conflict), and I went and from my point of view, had an unbelievably fun night.  The songs were great, old and new (although Anthony’s voice….).  I realized just what incredible performers they are to still be totally rocking out at their (my) age and still so relevant with exciting current music and it was so great.  Josh (John’s replacement) was very cool and the athleticism required to do what these guys do for hours a night day after day is unreal.  Chad hung from a light rig, swinging in his blue jumpsuit and landing smack down on his drumming stool.  His stick tossing was impressive!  Flea did some totally Flea dancing moves and get this, walked on his hands across the whole dang stage.  Anthony wore his ridiculous OFF! hat, but he’s still looking good despite the big 5-0 coming up this year.  The energy, wow!

Sitting there after the opener band, Little Dragon (pretty good!), I was having a private war waging in my mind.  I knew once I saw them and heard them after all these years of wanting to again, it was going to be impossible for me to sit down but I worried about the folks behind me, and who wants to have their view of awesomeness on stage blocked by some wide-behind in mom jeans?  But it turned out to be a non-issue because guess what, no one in that stadium was sitting down!  From the floor up to the ceiling, everyone was on their feet for the full time these guys played.  It was amazing!!

In front of us, there were young kids and people from our generation that have been fans too since the 80’s-early 90’s.  I just loved it!  Our t-shirts might have been Target-bought, but they were styled with love and enthusiasm.  And pinking shears. 

 

 

My beloved Red Hot Chili Peppers [past and present], Gary, Mom and Dad Gill who came to stay with the kids, Ross, Karen, and Debra who had to miss : (  , I love you!!

Caroline said to me yesterday, “Mom you’ve been so happy lately.”  I know!!!! 

Gotta tell ya this part:  Karen, who isn’t even a huge RHCP fan, is now my concert idol since she maneuvered her way to the security-blocked, forbidden floor and to the stage after the show amongst all the roadies intent on hurriedly packing up equipment and huge, huge speakers that could’ve flattened her in a second, and got me the setlist in AK’s own handwriting.  SO COOL! 

 

(For the encore, they actually substituted Sir Psycho and They’re Red Hot for Suck My Kiss, just for you fan-nuts that might care.  Like me!!)

Catch ya next time, my Chilis, and there will be a next time!

Fresh New Summer 'Do

Caroline, hair cut, getting ready for vacay!

Bedtime Muscle Check

You Know We're on Summer Schedule...

When Grant had worn the same clothes for, I don't know, three or four days?  I think he and I realized it at about the same time. 

The up-side:  my laundry job has definitely lightened up. 

Hot Tub as Swimming Pool

Grant, with the man voice now, at our neighbors' house

The Worst Smell on Earth...

has permeated our microwave, our kitchen, our lives.  Stink-oh!

Somehow I think this is probably just the beginning of kid mayhem and chaos lasting the duration of summer break.  

Where's my Calgon?  : )  And Lysol spray.  And aromatic candles.  And most importantly, the kitchen exhaust fan that I don't have now, but darn tootin will in the new addition.  Btw, where is that new addition?

THAT’s What I’m Talking About

Look at my calendar today: 

Gary and the boys have Scouts tonight and that’s it.  For all day. 

So today, I’m up, doing what I want to do.  Cooked my favorite breakfast for myself.  Gonna decide what to do next.  All day long.  Nothing’s telling me what to do.

Well, until the kids get up.  haha

And I have friends coming over tomorrow so somebody better tell me I should clean the floor.  But besides that,

This is exactly what I was waiting for.

Four days of nothing on the schedule.

   

Until Friday and then I’ll have to get myself in gear to go on my most anticipated day of forever where I can see my very favorite musicians live, in person, with some of my very favorite people.  I haven’t done that since 2003.  So you could say it’s been nine years coming.  I’m slightly excited. 

[!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

And then after that night, we have a three-day weekend of nothing on the schedule.  Well, except Zumba and that’s a-ok with me since that’s one of my very favorite things, too. 

 

  

And then following that, it’s family vacation time.  Yeehaw! 

Let me tell ya, the last two weeks of May are a world apart from the first three. 

And not that all that busy-ness was bad, but this is ….

Exhaling’s on the Schedule for Tomorrow

(Written last night)

Yesss!  Today was the kids’ last day of school.  My last day at the school’s libraries.  My last day to drive in with the tuba in the back of the van.  My last day packing all those lunches.  My last day gambling—do I take a minute to go to the bathroom and risk missing getting the kids to the bus in time or just be miserable until I get back home? 

And on and on. 

It just feels like starting tomorrow, my life will slow down and it’s a darn good thing.

The past three hours:  I bought groceries and got the pleasure of putting all those away.  I walked Scooter to the bus stop as a last-day-of-school-treat for the youngest kids and he proceeded to drag me down the road thanks to that thin coating of tiny gravel and the 100+ pound of craziness he turned loose when another dog came up.  He lunged for the other dog in an aggressive way and that will be the last time ever I take him out, period.  I am so mad at him.

And then I got Sam and Caroline up to the Y lickety-split in time for a swim test so we would know where they need to be placed for swimming lessons which then I booked. 

Then back home and I had supper cooking when our little kindergarten-age neighbor boy sauntered up our drive—alone.  He lives more than a third of a mile past our house on the hilly, curvy road.  He came in the house and walked up to me silently (and he is normally a loud kid) and gave me a hug.  ??  I asked where his mom was and did she know he was here and he pretty much headed for the door to escape the questioning, so I knew he was a runaway.  She was out looking for him so she didn’t answer her phone but as I had him in our van to drive him home, she drove by and, boy, was he in trouble.  And should have been.  I don’t know, but the whole thing was kinda upsetting.

Kinda like my dream from this morning when I backed the  van off into a flooded ditch and it started to go down Titanic-style and I was frantically trying to gather up the loose change from the cup holder when I realized the water was up to my legs and I should instead be thinking about how to get out before all those doors were pressurized and I was trapped.  How’s that for symbolism?  So anyway, it felt like my day started stressy-stressed from the get-go.

So now I have a huge supper mess (spaghetti sauce, the worst) to clean up and Gary’s not even home yet to eat and I need so badly to take my scratchy contacts out but tomorrow, <breathe> it will all be better. 

Ghost Shots

 

 

Diane “Crunch” Gill

Surprisingly, it’s not because of my 6-pack tight abs.

Or because I’m the world’s biggest fan of a certain candy bar.

Nope, but I did manage to crunch my van into a parked Buick LeSabre today.

Not my best moment for sure.  Right outside the school as school was letting out, police cars came with flashing lights and all, my van sitting hooked onto the Buick’s bumper at my back tire, me blocking the street, calling for a tow truck. 

But I am fine.  The other car is ok and the owner lady wasn’t angry in the least.  My van doesn’t have major damage, just a couple sets of long scrapes and a rippled back fender.

I don’t know how I pulled such a stunt.  I’ve driven this same vehicle for five years.  I know how long it is.  How did I even hit this other car, while it was sitting still, parked alongside the street?  I was trying to park, but it wasn’t even a parallel job. 

I don’t even know, but I guess now you can call me Crunch. 

So Here’s More to Catch Up

On our last trip to Clay County, Easter weekend…

Rex almost drove Grandpa’s four wheeler into the pond!

We had a great time as usual.

 

Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa Harrell’s. 

Rex would not leave Sam’s side the whole weekend.

After he was nearly run over flat by the Big Wheel, Sam decided to put him in a safe spot.  I think you can guess where. 

Not sure I’d consider that safe. 

Sneaky mama finally got a picture!

 

This is right before Grant flipped out of the swing onto his bottom. 

  

Miss Girl couldn’t smile because she had a canker sore.

  

Glad to see Rex got released! 

Jack This Morning on Fancy Day

Tonight is his 8th grade celebration.  He's still wearing the suit.  That'll be for 15 hours straight and he hasn't even loosened the necktie.

A Boy Making Mask

Killing Time, Or Else Kill the Computer

Here I am at the computer trying to get our Phoenix vacation planned out and our Internet is not connecting.  So while I am waiting, and even better, to distract myself from wanting to launch the keyboard, monitor, and air card off the roof of this house, I decided to do something fun as I sit here and that involves looking through more recent camera shots that I just haven’t had a chance to post. 

Here’s our guard cats.

These shots were taken the weekend the boys worked on their Paul Bunyan certification for Scouts.  They had to cut down a tree themselves with an ax, and chop, split, and stack the wood. 

 

Here you can see the stump of one they fell and this picture was right before Gary swung on the grapevine into the briars wrapping around the standing tree and I laughed my head off.  I really did.  I don’t think that made him feel better about it.  Now I am sorry I laughed so hard but it was so worth it for me for him to get tangled up in those stickers.

Sam wanted to get in on the action.  He’s holding the grape vine.  It was huge!  Even though the boys got through the base of the tree, it was being held up by this grape vine wrapping to another big tree.  That made it a little, where little means lots, scary getting their tree free and down, but it all worked out.

Then we took a walk to the creek and of course having boots on means he absolutely has to walk in the ditch.

I love going to the creek as much as the kids.  This is with the water down.

----------------------------------------------------

Our Spring Break earlier this month was pretty uneventful, but the three of us did go to the zoo one day.  It was very chilly (guess who didn’t bring a jacket and ended up with a new zoo hoodie?), and it was perfect for seeing lots of active animals. 

The elephants are Sam’s favorite.

  

Caroline’s favorites are the zebras.  They were fighting which made it even more exciting.  But what poor manners.

I’m not sure whose camera these kids were looking into, but apparently it wasn’t mine. 

Now I’m gonna check on the dang Internet.