GHOULIES moving towards the islands. (Page 8)

I sure hope you had a margarita for us, too! Have we told you about the Ghoulie alcohol tax?

Here's the tale of my weekend

Saturday...

My daughter's softball picnic was on Saturday at a pool, surrounded by a lake about 35 minutes from here. There is a girl on the team whose mom has a driver's license, but they only have 1 vehicle, the dad's big farm truck that he takes to work 6 days a week. My cousin and I split the duties of picking the kid up and taking her to all the practices and games. I don't mind helping, but this isn't the first sports season that we have been taxi drivers. The girl called 5:30 Friday night and asked if we could take them to the picnic. I said yes. Saturday morning we picked them up and headed toward the picnic. We were 5ish minutes from our destination and the woman said she had to go home, she thought she left the iron turned on and lying on the bed. Who lays an iron on the bed? We turn around and go back, she gets out of the truck and casually walks into the house. When she comes back out she stands outside of the truck and tells us that it was turned off and put away, then she stands there and recounts how nervous she was blah blah blah. My husband and I both loudly say "get in the truck"! 

We get to the pool, the coach paid for all the girls to swim. It was $7 for PA residents, $12 for out of state residents. So you had to show your ID to get into the pool. This was kind of a PITA. The girls were in swimming, my husband and son, and 1 other dad went into the pool, I stayed out at our picnic area. The coach was out at our picnic area, and his wife, and the girls from the team came out and asked him to come swimming (they really like tricking him, and dumping ice water on him after games, he's a good sport and puts up with it). He said he couldn't swim, he had to do the grilling. I told him to go swim and I'd take care of the food, so him and his wife went swimming. That left me and the woman we drove to the picnic to  take care of everything.

I started grilling the burgers and dogs. About 15 minutes before the food was ready Donnie sent me a text that the water slide was really cool and I should try it after lunch. I replied back that the food was almost ready and asked him to round up everyone. Then I started getting all the food on the tables, opening stuff, setting up the plates, napkins, all the stuff you need to picnic. The other woman grabbed herself a hamburg and sat down and ate. She didn't help at all. When everyone came out to eat the adults were thanking her for getting everything ready for them and she was all "you're welcome, it wasn't a problem" of course it wasn't a problem for you, YOU DIDN'T DO IT!

It was less than 10 minutes after our group came out to eat that it started thundering and they had to clear the pool for 30 minutes. So everyone ate, it was 28 minutes into the 30 minute wait and it started thundering again. A mom that wasn't there sent T-shirts for all the girls, and spray tie dye, so the girls decorated shirts. They also played kickball. We waited over 2 hours and it thundered and rained on and off the whole time. We finally packed up and headed home. We had taken the kayaks, but I would have had to drive a few minutes up the road to a boat launch, and with the weather bad I wasn't going to do it.

That was my Saturday.

Sunday

After texting Kim several times, and watching the women's marathon I went for an 18 mile bike ride. I was slow. I was very very slow, but I was on my bike.

Got home, had lunch, when the husband and kiddos got home I told them I was going kayaking. My son was tired and didn't want to go, so I said I'd go myself. My husband said he'd go. He's not much of a water person so I was surprised. We dropped the kiddos off at his parents and headed to the lake. Instead of paddling around the lake we headed up a channel that we weren't sure headed into our out of the lake. We got stuck at one point, there was a tree that looked like it was freshly knocked down. the one end looked shallow, like we might be able to go over, but there was a hornet's nest hanging above and a few feet to the side. We went to the other side, but we couldn't go the whole way through, so ended up dragging our kayaks across a little island and getting back in them in water that was up to the bottom of my shorts. We headed this direction for 35 minutes, finally finding out that the water was running into the stream. We could have gone a little farther, but there was a fisherman blocking our way and we didn't want to disturb him. It was a pretty cool trip. Some parts there was brushing almost completely overhead. We got as far as we were going and we heard thunder. We started heading back out. When we got to a more open area we saw the the dark clouds were still a little ways off, so we did some more exploring. We finally decided it was time to head out. We loaded up the truck, started driving, and it was less than 2 minutes and it started pouring. We drove home in rain. We both showered with lightning all around us. I was pretty muddy and I didn't want to put on clean dry clothes when I was filthy. I also didn't want to sit in the house in wet clothes.

After the storm passed it was significantly cooler, so I ran 3 miles. I slept like a log last night, too. I normally wake up between 3:00 and 4:30 on my own. I didn't set an alarm because I'm working from home today. I woke up at 6:27, and I think that was only because I heard my husband up making noise.

Good thing I slept last night, because there will be no nap today. Back to the run run run of my normal life.

Ann, Both days of your weekend sound fun fun fun! Good for Donnie for going with you kayaking (you know that going by yourself is silly, right?). Saturday sounds good, except for being the kitchen wench at the picnic.

Glad you biked and ran, but I am still wagging my finger and telling you not to do too much, too fast. Injuries hurt.

You wanna explain about the alcohol tax?

I kayaking by myself is not the smartest thing to do, but if I wait for someone to do with me all the things I want to do I'll be doing more waiting than doing. 

I know, not too much too fast, but I want to move. I do a little and then I always think to myself "I could have done more".

Of all the taxes in the world, the Alcohol Tax is the only one I really like.

New guy. Hi. Welcome to The Village. As a newcomer here you will have to pay the alcohol tax. Please ship large amounts of alcohol to either myself, or Robin. Thanks.

lol..well see FL has this thing about shipping out of state but aif ya'll will come visit, I'll buy ya'll a drink or 2 or 3..lol 

I told ya'll to be gentle... and ya'll were ROUGH!

Excuses have a 0 meter maximum effective range.

Normally when I WFH the kiddos will still go down to grandma's. The in-laws have appointments today and Keri didn't want to go along while Caleb was at football camp. So far she has cleaned the kitchen, started the dish washer, cleaned up their bathroom, now she is washing off the front of the refrigerator, then she is going to rearrange the pictures and magnets that we have covering it. 

1) I don't think I have ever been bored enough to do house work

2) Keri ROCKS!

She said she was cleaning up so when I was done working I could play with them because the housework would be done.

 I agree with both 1 and 2! She can come stay here anytime she wants! (p.s. tell her there are no ghosts!)

Just got home with Caleb after his first day of football camp. He was really nervous this morning when I dropped him off. Keri and I got there a little early so we could watch. He's a natural. On defense he was playing End, he knocked down 2 passes from the quarterback and had an interception. He also knocked down a pass in the end zone after the other team scored and was going for 2. 

When he got in the car I asked him what he thought, he said it was pretty cool, he really liked it.

Congrats

Thanks. He has always played soccer, but he loves to watch football, and talk about football, and play football in the yard so we pushed him to try playing it. He will be in 7th grade this year so it's a good time to start. He's athletic, but he's not real big on trying new things. We signed him up for basketball last winter and he played and he really liked it, and he was good. He just needs a little push sometimes.

cucumbers? pickles? sweet pepper relish??? mmmm hope you are sharing! I am grilling salmon tonight...can you special express some??? sux about the car. but like us we need to keep maintained or we fall apart! haha

yardwork is calling my name too! I think I will change my name! will that work??

thanks for your votes ~ the site changed and now it is MUCH faster! just wish I could see the total numbers....but I was told that we would be updated in coming days so I am VERY hopeful I can still win!?! 

now go shower and start the weekend! and change your name so you can skip the yardwork!

sounds like I need to get to know his neighbors and we need to have a ghoulish meetup in Maui!?! I LIKEY!!!

such a caring and good mama!!! sure he is nervous if he is not knowing many of the other attendees but sure he will make many good buddies today and be all keyed up to go tomorrow! I miss being taxi mom!! am I crazy for missing it???

one only, Robin?!? or is that because we dont want occupy Beginner Triathlete to protest our having more!?!?? or is it the exorbitant taxes!??! 

I don't think you're crazy for missing it. I couldn't wait until they got to this point. Sure, sometimes it's crazy, there's barely time for dinner, and each kid needs to go a different direction, but I love seeing them both do something they love AND excelling at it. 

you have to tell that lady "NO" next time she asks you for a ride! or call me I will tell her NO for you and give her a number for the local cab company ~ and really who irons now a days? and on a bed???? I have an ironing board that I have not used in CENTURIES! she want it? I could mail it to her and she would have no idea it was tied to you!?!!?! and finally this slacker gal will be found out...wont be long for others to figure her out! hang in there super mom! you are always doing such nice things for your kids and others and if noone else notices it will be the ones who count...your family (husband and kids) and your ghoulie brothers n sisters!!! the rest can go jump in the lake! specially slacker users!!!

Thanks Jules. I told her 3 or 4 times on Saturday that she needs to tell her husband she needs her own car.

you are one adventursome gal! sounded fun til you said hornets, shrubs all around you and thunder while on the water! other then that it sounds really fun and I look forward to you getting your new boats so we or I can join you!

 Saturday night at a wedding I was at outside i got stung by a bumble bee or spider...had a long dress on and it must have been in the grass and worked its way up the dress...and of all places for it to sting me....right under my booby! REALLY! It is a huge red blotch today...still and itches like crazy! I can see where I was bitten or stung but still have no idea what it was!? but I am still breathing so I guess I will live!