I've come to a conclusion...

I do believe that I'm dehydrated. My husband diagnosed it last night, and I feel confident that he's correct. I've been sick with allergies, and according to Phillip, the medicines that I was taking can cause dehydration. It makes perfect sense. Yesterday afternoon, I suffered through the most God-awful migraine I've had in years, and at Kroger, I really thought I might puke right there in the first frozen food aisle if I didn't get out of there ASAP. I didn't process my ailment as a lack of hydration until he mentioned it...but all signs point to a positive on this. UGH. I really don't feel like drowning in Gatorade.

Sorry!

Sorry for the delay in a new post. I am feeling very unmotivated...suffering from a bit of blogger's block. HA! Maybe I've coined a new term!

Our first time to host a sleepover

I said it before but I'll say it again. Memorial Day weekend has been fantastic this year!

Tonight we're hosting out first sleepover ever. Miles and Lola's cousin Josh is in town from another state, and we bargained with the girls that if they got *their room cleaned up, they could invite him to spend the night. Luckily for them, their momma (aka me) really loves them and really despises the mess that they'd made, so they had some help. Okay, a lot of help. Then again, they are 5 and 3! They did chip in! In the end, his mom (aka my sister) said yes and he accepted our invitation.

Josh and Miles

First on the agenda was playing some Wii with a little snack of popcorn! Josh really showed us his skill when he jumped right into Uncle Phil's (aka my husband's) Star Wars Lego game. Later, they played Connect Four, Bingo AND Operation. Now they are watching Wally. Bless Lola's heart, she fell asleep on the couch and missed the later festivities.

Miles is really grown up, too! She is quite the hostess. Right now she is arranging for them to sleep in sleeping bags but on her bed. I just had to run up and help her get her mouthwash open! That child has the best dental hygiene this side of the Mississippi. I think I may have a future dentist on my hands, though she has narrowed her ambitions down to the following possibilities, in all seriousness:

• Scientist
• Veterinarian
• Magician
• Doctor
• Artist
• Trapeze artist
• Astronaut

Earlier, Josh very sweetly told Phillip that he'd probably stay up until 1 or so, which made Uncle Phillip smile. I know Phil enjoyed showing Josh how to play a particular Wii racing game, too. We only see him once or twice a year, so that's pretty priceless. Josh is polite and agreeable. He calls me Aunt Dusty even though I would respond to just Dusty. He worried that he forgot his toothbrush until I assured him that skipping just one night would be okay considering the circumstances. It is an absolute pleasure to have him over for the night.

Blog highpoints

I certainly plan on blogging this week but since I might have a few new readers, I want to share some of my personal favorites in the history of my blog. Feel free to read back as far as you'd like, but if you don't have time for that, you might learn more about me and my blog through these specific posts, ranging from very recent to the very beginning...

• TG&Y was the bomb...OR...how I spent part of my childhood flying to Denham Springs in a Bonneville
• Wartrace, really?
• Blue eyes in an elevator
• RIP Denzel
• Who took a picture of Little Richard's shoes?!?!?!?!
• The virtually unknown story of the American airmen who, in 1945, marched 600 miles in 86 days during one of the cruelist winters on record
• WDW report!
• So I guess a little history is a good start.

The Podium

If you happen to have ended up on my blog due to my apoointment to The Podium over at Confessions of a Blogaholoic this week, thanks for reading. I'm a stay-at-home mom to two girls, Miles and Lola, an artist and a wife. I blog because I don't have the patience or the time to scrapbook, but I'm a freak when it comes to preserving memories. Welcome to this wildly fantastic life of mine. I hope you enjoy the blog.

It must be a mystery! OR how we celebrated Lola this year....

How can it be that over three whole years has passed since I held my baby, Lola, for the first time? Was it really just more than three years ago that I sat in Outback, trying to eat a good dinner before a c-section scheduled for the next day, and tried to ignore my contractions? That just blows my mind. Lately, Lola likes to walk around the house and announce that certain things just must be a mystery. I'm so glad my baby likes Scooby Doo just as much as I did.

That precious, cheeky baby came into our world on May 18, 2006. We are so proud of our big girl these days, but it sure is bittersweet to see another year pass. Of course I am happy to be done with Pull Ups. But Lola is a big girl now, and she doesn't need my snuggling as much.

This weekend, we celebrated Lola's third birthday with a party at her Mawmaw and PopPop's house. Her best buddies came out to the country for a day of celebrating. They swung, they ran, they drove the Barbie jeep...

It was such a phenomenal day. Oddly, I felt like it was the best kid's party I've ever thrown. I loved the relaxed atmosphere that my parents' house allowed. We were way out in the country, surrounded by tall trees and green grass. Everyone was very comfortable and we laughed around the dinner table. I just realized that I forgot to tell my friends that the table we gathered around was the same antique wooden table that I grew up eating dinner at everyday.

Jen, Mandy and Shea all made the trek out to good ol' Unionville. Phillip was excited that their husbands came, as well. When it came time for Coen to leave, he cried. It only took a second to come up with a win/win solution. I told Shea and Denton that we'd just bring Coen home in about two hours. They were really worried that he'd have a meltdown, but we insisted and they let him stay. He was perfectly precious...not a problem in the least. In fact, after he took Lola muddin' in the Barbie Jeep, they swung together and then we all gathered around that same old wooden table and shared a perfectly ripened watermelon. Oh, Lord, what a cliche this must sound like!

By the way, when I say Coen took Lola muddin' in the Barbie Jeep, I really just mean he drove her through a mud puddle! Furthermore, those two were a hoot, riding around the yard like two teenagers! I had to yell to Lola to sit down, as she stood up and egged Coen on. Some memories are absolutely made to be remembered until the end of time.

Today was one of those memories. You know, it is funny, but it felt really nice to have those particular people together in one place. We might just have to make a habit of this.

Papaw Joe's not sick anymore

Last week, Phillip's Papaw Joe passed away. It was an expected passing, but it was still his grandpa. We loaded up and headed to Shreveport, Louisiana, for the services. We got a chance to see his family on both sides, which was nice, and he served as a pall bearer.

At the visitation, Papaw Joe was wearing a pin on his suit that said "Official Hug Inspector". He was a greeter at his church and he was so loved that they gave him this pin sometime ago. At the funeral, several men spoke about his strong faith and his positive attitude towards life in general. Everyone seemed to speak so highly of his character. The truth of the matter is that Papaw Joe was very sick, so I'm pretty sure he's happy to be dancing with Jesus right now.

Papaw Joe was born in 1928. He served his country proudly, retiring from the US Air force, though he did not want a military burial. He was funny and loving though I've been told that he could be stern when discipline was needed. He was a daddy and a pawpaw and a great grandpa, too. He was a good person, and he will be missed. His wife, Phillip's grandmother, Mamaw Bobbie, passed away in 2006.

The last time I talked to Papaw Joe, he could not hear me worth a dang. Finally, he nicely but abruptly told me that his ride was there for Wednesday night church and he had to go.

I'm still glad I called.

Announcing...

If you're a regular reader of my blog, or if I'm linked to your blog, well...take notice! You might want to snazz up your bloggie-blog a little in the next week or so. I will be on the podium over at Confessions of a Blogaholic for the week of the 25th!!

Funkin' out in every way

I like a plethora of old tunes. I even enjoy a good punk show in person, though I prefer something that makes you want to dance or some classic country. Give me some Vern Gosdin, some Alabama, some George Jones. Give me some Red Hot Chili Peppers, some Phish, some Police, some Conway Twitty. Of course, Casey would shoot me if I forgot to include Lorettie. Give me some classic Dolly, some Duran Duran, even give me some Metallica. Hit me up with some Jay-Z, some Dr. Dre, some Ice Cube, some Tupac. Just make sure there's some funk in there somewhere.

I don't know when my adoration of funk music began. Based on what I see in my children, perhaps I've always liked that deep-down desire to move my booty to the beats, horns and percussion of funk. Miles and Lola both openly 'wiggle' to the beat. Maybe I was the same way. I don't recall.

I do clearly remember just how much I loved "Fantastic Voyage" by Coolio in the spring of 1994. I've always loved Atomic Dog by George Clinton and Fame by David Bowie. I just love the funk. Phillip and I saw Parliament at 328 in 1999 and it was a phenomenal show, as expected. (Phillip has seen them five times.)

Now I wouldn't classify funk as my favorite genre...more like my favorite genre to funk out to, which seems pretty redundant. On the flip side, there is virtually nothing that can beat a live band with horns playing classic 60's hits like Mustang Sally and Stand by Me. Then again, most of these bands play a fair amount of funk in their setlists. Generally speaking, I'd have a hard time declaring a particular genre as my favorite.

I count Fleetwood Mac as part of my short list for the very best bands of all time. How could you ignore Gypsy, Landslide, Don't Stop, Silver Springs...just to name four hits for the band? Stevie Nicks even inspired the bridesmaids dresses for my wedding.

Furthermore, I do believe that Dan Fogelberg's Same Old Lang Syne is one of the greatest musical compositions in history. Go ahead. Laugh. That song gets to me. Every. Single. Time.

In regards to music and memories, well classic country wins that category, hands down. Nothing can take me straight back to childhood quicker than some of the country music that my mom or dad loved. Granted, certain songs from 80's pop and rock can do the trick, but 'This ain't my first rodeo' by the late, great Vern Gosdin, is pretty hard to beat.