Catching up.....

I have been doing a lot of resting the last few days. The summer heat just drains what little bit of energy I can muster up! It was 106 degrees today and folks, that is HOT!!

We hide away in the house during the day and venture out only after the sun has gone down to do any watering or yard work/maintenance.

I am SO yearning for summer's end!!

Friday I met Amber for lunch! This was a real treat because since the quads arrived, our time together - just one on one - has become extra precious!

We did a little shopping afterwards and I picked up a favorite fragrance to wear as I celebrate the countdown to September 1st! Just 22 days and a wake up!!!

Amber always seems to know the latest about beauty products and she was telling me about this one.

It's a blending sponge for make up and I bought one for myself.

It was nice to spend some time with her and I am ALWAYS grateful when my daughters want to spend time with ME!

I came home and went back to bed!

Like I said, I have been doing some serious resting!

Louis Dean and I timed going outside just right. About 7:30 we went out and stayed until 'Dark Thirty!' I desperately needed to clean my car. When I went to Sam's last Tuesday, the milk spilled in the trunk. I didn't notice it until we were at Burger's Lake the next day and by Friday when I got in the car to meet Amber, I nearly choked and gagged! You can imagine what this 100+ heat does to spilled milk! It had spilled all the way under the trunk area down to where the spare tire is. I bought a bunch of eucalyptus leaves in my shopping with Amber and after cleaning the car as well as I could, I put several branches in the trunk and left a few in the back seat.

While I worked on the car, Louis Dean worked on a garden hose keeper.

The water pressure rolls the hose up with the push of a lever!

And I thought the ones you ROLL up with a handle were clever!!

Speaking of Louis Dean, he and I had a pretty good talk the other day. I'm afraid I have babied him too much and after we did a little research and I thought and prayed about it, we decided he should just get up and ACT like he was okay and see what happens. That was the day he went to his music jam session and it totally wore him out - but it also did him a world of GOOD!

I have been giving him tasks and chores to do everyday and I am happy to say he is working through the aches and is regaining his strength AND energy. It's not all back yet but we ARE making progress. Soon he will simply have his 'Honey Do' lists instead of tasks for 'therapy.'

Either way, it's a Win! WIN!! for me!

I am SO grateful to see him feeling better!

Saturday I woke up not feeling well at all. It's like I am tired to the BONE plus I had a sick headache SO - I stayed in bed until 2:00 in the afternoon!!!

Amazing how much better you can feel if you get to stay in bed all day!

Louis Dean said he was never so surprised in his life as when I waltzed out of the bedroom late Saturday afternoon all dressed and ready to attend the 30 year reunion of The Pirouettes of Texas.

That's the synchronized swim team Amber swam on for 11 years and the coaches and swim mates have continued to be in her life over 10 years after she finished swimming!

They are an amazing group!

Let me introduce you to some of them......

This is Candie, a dear friend and long time synchro coach, judge, official and so much more!

Here is Candie with Sharon, the mother of a beloved synchro swimmer who moved up here from Florida when she was 17 years old to swim with the Pirouettes.

Now here are the daughters of the above friends!

Leeanne is Sharon's daughter and Megan is Candie's and Payton is Megan's daughter - also a synchro swimmer. 

Of course you know MY daughter, Amber!

"Wore my red dress in support of my synchro team's 30 year anniversary party. It was a fantastic night and I'm still so grateful to be a part of my team and my sport of synchronized swimming!!!"

Amber on Facebook

Amber, me and Patti - the coach who started PTX.

Me with Mary - who was one of Amber's very first coaches back when she was a 'baby' only 6 years old - with HER daughter!

We had lots of time to visit, a great dinner and there were some really cool raffle prizes of which Payton won TWO, I think!!

The night just wasn't long enough!

Coach Beth and her daughter, Claire, with Megan and Payton.

Coach Megan in the middle

"Such a wonderful night celebrating 30 years of PTX! Thank you to Patti Barton for starting it all and for making me cry. I hate when I do that. You are a wonderful other mother and I love you tons. As a coach, my very favorite part of my job is getting to see what wonderful adults the little girls I spent so much of my life with have grown up to be. And what a huge honor to be inducted into the PTX hall of fame along with so many ladies I have such repeat for. Always grateful for everything PTX has done for me over the years and it was my honor to hopefully give back some of that to others during my time as a coach.Thank you to Medley, Jill, Laura, Maggiand all the others for all your hard work and for bringing us all together. Such a treat."

Megan on Facebook

Patti, Mary and Carrie

"I started a synchronized swimming team in 1985 and coached for 21 years. We had our 30 year reunion celebration last night and I had such a wonderful time. My swimmers have kept the club going for the past 10 years. I am so proud of all of them and cannot thank them enough for everything they have done. We are a family!!!" 

Patti on Facebook

It was a GREAT night and none of us wanted it to end!

Today many swimmers have been sharing old photos from the swimming past.....

Amy shared a few of my favorites!

I love everything about synchro! The music, the drama, the beauty!

This was the routine where they swam to Phantom of the Opera.

THIS is my all time favorite lift and that is Amber there - upside down and the girls are moving down the pool by doing the egg beater......and no touching the bottom of the pool at all!

That's Amber next to Coach Megan on the left and her duet partner, Jessica, on the right.

This was an award winning 50's routine written by Megan who was just 25 years old at the time!

She is now head coach of synchronized swimming at University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Texas.

Amber is the top one on the left......

what a great group of girls who have turned into awesome young women!!

I wish I could share the 10 minute video Amber made of the past 30 years!

That was a trick!

Perhaps she will share it on her blog soon!

We have stayed inside for the entire day - it was really HOT!!!

"DFW has officially reached 106° today. That makes today not only the hottest day of 2015, but the hottest day in 3 years! In fact the last time we were hotter than today was EXACTLY 3 years ago...August 9, 2012 when we reached 108°."

We waited to the sun went down before we went out in the back yard.

Louis Dean bought a couple of outdoor rugs for the deck to cover some of the rough places in the wood. No one wants to get a splinter when they walk on the deck!

I think it is going to work perfectly!

This fall we plan to spray paint the table and chairs.

I have had them for over 25 years and they have been painted many, many times!

Still really good chairs! AND table!

I added some of the Goodwill finds to the wall out there!

We couldn't stay out long because it was still really hot!

At 11:15 at night it is 91 degrees!

We are back in now and Louis Dean is singing and playing music in his room.

I think I will pour my evening glass of wine and go in there and listen for a few minutes.

I teased him this afternoon because he had promised me he would help me get a few of my sunflower decorations down from the attic. I was ready and when I walked into the music room to tell him, he had just put his head phones on and had started his music and leaned back in his chair.

As I got his attention - you should have SEEN the look that crossed his face!!!!

He had that look of - 'Oh, NO!!! Not YOU again!!!'

I assured him I would get over it - in time.........