Rantings, Ravings, and Lunacy

Here I am at the NSA Fastpitch softball world series - again! The Missouri Outburst is doing fantastic! They have won their first two bracket games and are winning their 3rd right now - the score is 7-0. Her old team the Diamond Chix got put into the loser's bracket yesterday afternoon.

We are really excited that the girls are doing as well as they are - send us good juju for more wins! :)

Go Outburst!

Edit: they won that game - I play again at 3:00 and then at 6:30 - 2 games away from the Championship game!

Today is Bill’s birthday and I got flowers. ::silly grin:: Yes, it’s true, he brought me flowers last night when he got here – red roses and today he brought me another one for my desk at work. ::swoon:: My cubicle is now filled with the smell of fresh flowers – ahhhh.

Ok, I've noticed a lot lately that friends of mine will put an internet link or email address in an email and intentionally put a space in it... why? This makes me have to cut and paste it, taking the space out, if I want to use it. If they don't put the space in then all I have to do is the clicky thing on it and I go right there.

Is there some reason for this that I'm unaware of?

Last night was a HUGE win for the Central Spartan Freshman Legion team. They faced an opponent that had previously been unbeatable – until last night. The Daniel Boone Legion post (Francis Howell High School) Freshman team had met the Spartans 3 times previously and defeated them each time. Last night was a whole different story.

The Spartans took an early lead of 2-0 in the first inning, with good base hits and fast base running. Boone came back with 1 answering run in the bottom of the 1st inning. Central then put 2 more runs up on the board during the top of the 2nd and during the bottom of the inning Erik Hodge threw a rocket down to 2nd base to throw out a Boone runner trying to steal 2nd for the 3rd out of the inning.

Several more action packed innings ensued with the final score being 8 – 4 Central Spartans! Great job boys – they play again on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 against the winner of the loser’s bracket in Washington Mo. If they win on Saturday, the Spartans will advance to the State playoffs on Thursday night at 5:30 in Washington, MO – GO SPARTANS!

Unfortunately, I may not be able to attend on Saturday as Aubri is playing in Fenton. It will be dependant on her games.

Ok, so I dream just like everyone else but I never remember them. When I DO happen to remember a dream I pay attention to it because it usually has some meaning. I’m not sure bits and pieces (especially these bits) are meaningful but here you are.

A few nights ago I dreamed about eyeballs. It must have been in context in the dream as I remember seeing an eyeball lying somewhere – a tray or a dish maybe? Then I tossed another in with it very casually. Ewwww! Ok reannon I must be channeling your dreams now! You can keep them thanks.

I was telling my friend Chris about this at work a bit ago and he suggested that perhaps I’m feeling watched, but by people that I really don’t care if they watch me or not – sort of like a roll of the dice (snake-eyes! Yes, you have to know Chris to get his strange sense of humor – I love it!)

So many things going on right now.

( Cut because it’s really long…. )

Ok, gotta go back to work – more updates hopefully after the weekend.

Had a really tough day at work today. Was about ready to just pull my hair out but I called Bill instead and asked him to meet me in Arnold for dinner. It's about half way between our houses - I met him there about 5:00 having left straight from work. Funny I didn't see any flooding in the usual places along 141 and I44 but then I think most of the flooding is in North St. Charles County.

Anyway, we ate at Ruby Tuesday then went to Mastandon SP for a while just to sit and talk. There was no one around except a few park personel so we had the place to ourselves to sit and enjoy the outdoors. After being at PSG for a week, I had sort of gotten used to being outside all the time and missed it. My feet certainly miss walking on the soft earth instead of hard concrete!

Then we went to Walmart where we picked up a couple more camping fans (can never have too many of those), some cord for tie downs on the EZ-ups (gotta replace the black ones that come on it with something more visable), and some new sunglasses for me. I bought two pair actually since I couldn't make up my mind between the funky glitzy ones or the highly reflective ones that I usually wear - so I got both!

I feel much better - as a matter of fact I just logged off of my computer at work (from home) where I did about 30 minutes of clean up stuff that I just had to walk away from this afternoon or I was going to kill someone! (And that would not have been pretty!)

So not it's off to bed with me - as soon as I get Aubri off of that damn Xbox - guitar hero!

Thanks vlvtshdow for snagging these from Kupkake.....funny, I don't seem to be in any of these. :grin:




This is Bill and Nona next to her booth at picnic... she kept trying to snag him away all day! (Gotta watch that witch!)





Bill with the tophat and kilt (BTW, this was his tea dance costume at PSG this year. Well, underneath the robe he wore. For some reason he thought it was going to be cold at the tea dance! HA!)

I was there on Sunday only - hung out with lots of folks and had a great time. When I get pictures from PSG (from Bill's camera) I'll post them.

I got home from PSG on Monday afternoon. When I walked into the house, Aubri came and gave me a big hug and Austen who was on the computer upstairs suddenly needed to rush to take a shower. No one else was home yet so I sat down to go through the mound of mail that was waiting for me when my phone rang.

It was Eric my housekeeper/carpenter/yard guy. I told him that I had just walked in the door when he asked if I had noticed that he didn’t get anything done on Austen’s room while I was gone. He then proceeded to talk about nothing in particular and was very odd sounding. So after getting off the phone, Austen came out of the shower and called me upstairs.

“Can’t you come down here?” I inquired. “No, I need to show you something up here.” Ok, I pulled myself up off of the couch and the stack of mail that I was still going through to go see what he needed. To my surprise, when I got up there, he turned on the light in the bathroom and it was dark blue!

Now, my bathroom was still builder white when I left so dark blue was definitely something different. The kids and Eric had re-painted it! They took the color from my shower curtain which has moons and stars on it and painted the ceiling dark blue and graduated the blue down to where you can see some of the white through at the bottom. Then they took the gold from the curtain and splattered it all over the walls and ceiling giving the impression of stars!

Then I noticed that they had replaced the vanity and mirror too. I have drawers now instead of just a big open door and I have a mirrored cabinet above too! Lots of storage space – I love it! Every time I walk in there, I am surprised it is so different. I must have a party when it’s all done so that I can show it off!

Eric isn’t done yet – he still has some trimming to do and tile to put down on the floor but it is such a change now that I am really excited about re-doing the rest of the house now.

WOW! It just keeps getting better every year. This was a year of new experiences at PSG, Several of the usual coordinators were not there, a lot of the usual workshops were not being offered, they put in new roads that really limited the camping up next to the woods, I found the fairy shrine, I was at PSG with someone for the entire week, our usual group was down to just 2 of us and 2 new folks, the coyotes were back – all new, the list just keeps going on and on but despite the changes, I had a blast!

Bill went with me this year – he pulled my new trailer with ALL of my camping gear. It was amazing having everything with me – I never had to say “Oh, I left that at home” or, “I have one of those at home”, I just went into the trailer and got it! We left St. Charles on Friday morning and headed to Indiana to stay the night with my friends Neva and Lawrence in Boonville.

Saturday morning we all got up, showered and headed for Chillicothe where we met up with some friends of Neva and Lawrence then spent the night in a hotel so we could get up bright and early the next morning to head for Wisteria. We hit the front gate just a few minutes after 9 and got right in!

The first hitch was when we found that Wisteria had put a new road in right through where we usually camp! Bummer! We like to camp up next to the woods but there was barely a tent’s width of space available. So, poppeyetagain and
cherittfn who had gotten in early (Poppe was sick as a dog they tell me) and had set up camp on the other side of the road. We were in more sun for longer but it actually worked out ok. We will probably be back there again next year. As long as they let me put my shower house on the wood side of the road, we have no problem.

Side road: The shower house. OMG! It gets better every year too. This year’s was the best yet – it was an EZ-Up with one of those two room shower houses creating one wall with a doorway into the enclosed EZ-up (pictures when I get them) so we had a nice sized changing room too! I got a Zodi this year so we had hot water anytime we needed it! Ahhhh! There will be some refining next year on the shower but it’s almost perfect now. :)

Ok, now where was I – oh yes, we set up camp – Neva and Lawrence camped with us this year and they put a tarp over both theirs and my tent so that we had shade most of the day! The temperature was very pleasant this year making it the first year where a tent nap in the afternoon was possible! The nights were too cool for my taste but at least I had a tent warmer! ;) We also had a tent heater going most every night – nice and cozy.

It was hot on Sunday when we got there but cooled down later that evening to a nice 60 degrees. The next day was when Neva, Lawrence and I were presenting our Reiki II workshop at 3:00. We had just gotten all the introductions done with KiriSue came running up the path to tell us that there was a storm coming with 70 MPH winds that we needed to batten down the hatches! We all scrambled back to our campsites. Bill, Cheri and Poppe were all busy tying things down with dog ties. After about 30 minutes we were ready for the storm. We got a little gusting and some rain – nothing close to 70 mph winds! Thankfully since we had had 50 mph gusts at Beltane and that was hard enough to pull down any tarp!

So our work shop got re-scheduled for Wednesday right after morning meeting. It was shorter than we had planned but we got everyone attuned and it went really well! My next workshop was Grounding into the Elements and was on Thursday. That too went really well. Dove Heart did a workshop right in front of mine on shielding so it fit right in with mine.

The Labyrinth was on Wednesday night. It was a completely different experience for me than usual. I usually walk in with the Goddess and out with my spirit guides but this year everyone walked in with me and I walked out with Bill. It was especially difficult for him and I think maybe that is why I was told to wait for him and walk with him. It was very powerful for both of us.

Thursday night was the hunt – I was in the Grotto as usual. Poppe set a net over the hunt, Neva and Lawrence kept an eye on how the energy was coming up the hill and I kept my attention on the reactions around the hunt. Everything was extremely quiet! We do good work together! :)

Friday was the tea dance – leather and lace was the theme this year for our camp. I wore my new black leather corset…. That was soooo much fun! Poppe actually got home from the tea dance before I did! Bill and I left early because we were tired and it just wasn’t that much fun this year. It was ok but GarrenDu was not there and he really makes it special!

Suddenly it was Saturday and we had to start thinking about going home! AGH! Were did the time go? We packed up quite a bit on Saturday night – before the rain hit again. It rained off and on all night so that we had to pack out wet gear. It didn’t rain on Sunday after the sun came up but everything was soaked that had stayed out so we had to set it all back up when we got home to dry it out.

The drive home was good – we stopped at my mom’s in Illinois so we only had to drive about 6 hours on Sunday and then another 4 on Monday. Yesterday was spent setting up tents, pulling the stuff out of the trailer that needed to be washed, then packing the tents back up and loading them back into the trailer. Bill took the trailer home with him so that he can put the shelves up in it and then this weekend I will go down there to help organize it all.

Whew! What a week and it went by so fast! I got to see friends that I only get to see once a year. I got to re-charge my batteries for the rest of the year. I found the fairly shrine this year (that is some walk!) and left my offerings there. We had no trouble with the fey at all – I think I might have brought one home with me – a little trickster that has hidden my stimulus check but I’m hoping it will take pity on me and return it soon.

Well, this post is soooo long now I better wrap it all up but wow, I had such a good time this year – can hardly wait for the 51 week supply run to be over! :)

OMG! What a great time. I'll post about it later as right now I'm stealing a few minutes at work. I have SOOOOOO much work waiting for me here. Hopefully, I can post more tonight.

Good to be home, But I miss Wisteria!

All packed and ready to go... just have to sleep now. Damn, that's the hard part! But in the morning we will officially be on the way to PSG so I'll not see or hear from any of you nor you me till at least the 24th. Be good and play nice while I'm gone! :)

SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! PSG!

It’s almost here, the day I leave. I have all the camping gear packed in the shiny new trailer. I have all the laundry done (but not packed). I have to go grocery shopping tonight. Then the big day – FRIDAY – I leave for PSG!!!

I’m so excited! I texted Mike last night who is already there – I’m so jealous – he says it’s very bare and odd looking right now. Once we all get there though – it will look like PSG.

Bill is going with me this year – driving his new truck pulling my new trailer – we’ll look like the new kids on the block! He came into town last night – met me at the discussion group at Pathways. Today is organizing everything and making sure we haven’t forgotten anything.

We will be staying with my friends Neva and Lawrence in Indiana Friday night then they will be caravanning with us on Saturday to Chillicothe for an overnight in a hotel then in line bright and early Sunday morning (they won’t let us in before 9:00) at Wisteria.

I always get excited the closer we get to the campgrounds. You can feel the energy in the air before you get there! And I’ve been going for …oh 7 years I think so I know the way in pretty well by now. Can’t wait!!!

Is it Friday yet?

Ok, I have to admit (and I can see all my friends leaning closer to their respective computer screens to make sure they are reading this correctly), I’m getting tired of baseball. Sigh

I’ve spent so much time at Erik’s games this year that I’m actually getting tired of going. I have not on the other hand spent nearly enough time at Aubri’s games – that is the ones that have not been rained out! I know that she has been rained out of 3 tournaments (unfortunately, the boy was not) and several Monday and Tuesday night leagues – again, the boy was not. So there just has not been the opportunity to go to her games that there has been to his.

That being said, I traveled to Moscoe Mills, Washington, Farmington and Hermann Missouri (a total of over 500 miles for the round trips) this past week for baseball games. I traveled to O’Fallon, Missouri (total miles about 20) for softball. (Oh, make that about 40 miles – she forgot her cleats on Monday and I had to go back home to get them, so I made that trip twice in one evening!) Sigh.

So, Saturday was Austen’s Graduation – YEAH the boy made it! But last night we were looking at the video and at one point I showed the diploma to the camera (having not read it that day) and it’s not his! We went and found it in his room and sure enough – it’s not his! Sigh. Ok, so the school messed up – I wonder how many diplomas they gave to the wrong kid? Now we’ll have to return it and hope that who ever has his will bring it in as well.

After Graduation, I drove to Hermann to be just 5 miles from the park when the coach calls to say he doesn’t really need to come – they are playing the first game and winning 14 to 0. Yeah, if he had only called me an hour ago! I wasn’t going to drive all the way back at that point so I sat at his second game which they also won by a huge margin.

I managed to catch the last game Aubri played on Saturday evening in Ferguson (Bill actually drove so I didn’t count those miles) and then she went with me to Pagan Picnic on Sunday. (We told the coach it was a church picnic… hey it was!) Her team took 2nd place in the tournament without her. She was happy to see friends at the picnic and I was happy to see friends and not watch another ballgame!

Erik got a ride with one of his teammates to his game on Sunday afternoon – I felt a bit guilty for not taking him but really – I’ve spent so much time with him at his games, I needed a break!

I get a huge break the end of this week – will be going to PSG (YEAH!!!) on Friday by way of some friends in Indiana’s house. I won’t be back till Monday the 23rd. Aubri is going to stay the week with one of her teammates (no worries about getting her to games) and Erik will be in charge of getting his rides to games too. Of course, I’ll be checking in on them every day but – ahhhhh vacation!

Is it Friday yet?

Who are You? Hit forward and place an X by all the things you've done and
remove the X from the ones you have not. Answer the 30 questions at the end
and send it to your friends (including me).
This is for your entire life!

( The meme.... )

I ran away this weekend to the country. Erik had a tournament in Ballwin this weekend and I went to both his Friday night game and his Saturday morning games. Since this tournament was scheduled just a few weeks ago I had already made plans for this weekend and while I altered them a bit for the games on Friday and Saturday, I really needed the break on Sunday and Monday so I got him a ride to his Sunday game and took off.

Seems that the weather Gods worked in my favor – the tournament was washed out on Sunday and Monday so I didn’t miss anything! I was able to go to the country and relax and come back home ready to face 3 games tonight in two counties. (Yes, Warrington at 5:30 then Chesterfield at 7:00 and 9:00.)

Edit: Erik's game in Warrenton has been canceled do to the rain we are currently having in St. Chuck. It's not looking good for Chesterfield either - I may actually get some more time off. Wheee!

I even managed to get to the Ren Fair on Sunday right after the rain. Fortunately, the fair grounds were pretty dry to start with so the rain soaked in quickly and we had very little mud to deal with. I think the crowds were down because of the rain, I’ve been there before on Memorial Day weekend – it usually ain't pretty!

Edit: Apparently I made it just in time! Good for me cause that's the only day had available to go this year and last year I didn't get to go at all. :(

I friend of mine here at work sent this to me this afternoon - I thought it was funny. It's a good thing the guy in the original post doesn't know me and some of my friends! :)

"I thought of you recently when I was reading some forum (I don’t remember where) and some parent had really gone off the deep-end about children being exposed to top-free (or clothing optional) beaches. He stated that he would be horribly embarrassed if he were on a beach with his 14 year old son, and there was a topless woman there. He further said that ALL parents would feel this way, and anyone who didn’t agree either wasn’t a parent, or was lying. He got several responses to the contrary, but my favorite was one where the respondent wrote new lyrics to John Lennon’s “Imagine”."

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

imagine there's no nipples
it's easy if you try
no awkward sweater features
that poke us in the eye

imagine proper women... dressing properly...

i...
imagine no more sex drive
i wonder if you can
no need for procreation
or using just one hand

imagine all the people, keeping it in their pants

you...
you may say i'm a dreamer
but i'm not the only one
i hope someday you'll join us
it's so high-minded, but it's no fun

imagine no more women
it isn't hard to do
no one to cuddle or win over
and no distractions too

imagine all the people, getting back to work

you... you may say i'm a dreamer
but i'm not completely gone
i just don't like the human body
and i was born with clothing on

One of my co-workers has a Darth Tater on her desk which my kids and I have conveted for quite some time. She apparently collects them and was looking out on Amazon today - Look what she found!

My favorite is Indiana Jones and the Tators of the Lost Ark! The Star Wars taters are very funny too. So we were looking on the Hasbro site and this made us both bust out laughing.

I feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water here at work these past few weeks. I have so much support work to do that I can’t get anything done on my conversion programs. I have no extra time to just come in on the weekend or stay late and finish something since I have all this running to do for softball/baseball. And I DO have a life outside of work and sports damn it! I want to spend time with Bill – just down time that I don’t have to run kids to an event, or go grocery shopping or whatever the emergency of the moment is currently. Sigh.

I never realized just how much running Randy did. I know he took both Aubri and Erik to practices most of the time and he went one way on the weekend with one of them while I went the other and it seems that they neither one are having that many practices and I coordinate them rides when I can’t take them both but geeeez, I’m running ragged these days!

Maybe I just want to spend time doing something other than sports too… you think? :) This weekend I’m going to try to get away for a few days. I will take Erik to his game on Friday night and on Saturday morning then I’m going to run away to Bill’s house for a few days. We may even manage to make it to the ren faire this year – shhhh don’t tell the kids! I am feeling guilty already that I don’t have anything at all done for Erik’s costume that I promised to make him this year. Well, I have the fabric and that’s about it. But I want to go to the fair without them for a change. I always have them tagging along wanting this or that. I would like to go and just enjoy the fair and if I see something that I think they’ll like, I’ll buy it but not because I’m being asked but because I want to.

I love my kids but I need a break. I’ve always gotten one before because Randy would take them so that I could go do things with my friends. But now, they go with me everywhere and while I love having them with me, I need some adult time without them. I hope that doesn’t make me a bad mom – I think it actually makes me a better mom cause I get my batteries re-charged and have more energy to spend with them. I could tell I had had just a bit too much bonding time with them this weekend when Sunday night on the way home I turned off the radio (hip hop that Aubri loves) and said we needed to just be quiet on the way home. When Aubri complained, I didn’t exactly yell at her but I was abrupt in telling her NO. I needed some space.

So, this weekend after I take care of more than half the obligation I have to Erik and his legion team, I’ll be taking some time for myself. Much needed time… is it Saturday yet?

Just realized that I never posted about Beltane. I guess I was so busy catching up from that weekend and then getting ready for this weekend that I never got it done. (  Ok, so here’s another long one….. )