Back to the Past - Part 3 or are we ever going to catch up to real time and does anyone really care?

The kids all settled in school, John hard at work and I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off.  Somehow I find myself still volunteering up at the High School with the booster club even though I DON'T HAVE A CHILD AT THE HIGH SCHOOL.  I had all sorts of grand plans to take a year off and relax, sub more, make more money...blah, blah, blah.   But when no one steps up to take your place, I just can't walk away, especially since I know Zack will be up there next year and I will feel compelled to help again, might as well just stay and keep the continuity.  Or at least that's my story and I'm sticking with it!
I also agreed to be the Secretary for the Crew Boosters even though I DON'T HAVE A CHILD THAT ROWS.  But I will next year, so continuity blah, blah, blah!
So, I've been running around like crazy working on Spiritwear, Concessions, Athletic Hall of Fame and Fall Crew Camp.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy it and think it was important, but it just boggles my mind how many people there are that DON'T HELP.  That decided someone else will do it.  They want all the benefits, but don't want to put any of the time or effort in and it's starting to wear me down.  But I made my bed and now I have to lay in it and I'm trying to do it without too much complaining.  Someday, the kids will all be gone and I will be missing these busy days.

I love me my Diet Dew!

The other thing that is not making me happy although I have to trust that in the long run it will... I have given up caffeine and soda!  I know it's freaking crazy, but I've done it.  I have been worried off and on for years about the amount of artificial sweetener I consume.  Generally a cup of coffee a day, with 3 spoons of Splenda, and then 4-5 diet sodas a day.  That's a lot, can't be healthy... blah, blah, blah.
A few weeks ago our coffee maker broke and it took me about 3 days to get a replacement, so that was 3 days without coffee and I figured if I could go 3 days, why not keep going.  And if I'm giving up artificial sweetener, then I'm giving up soda, because I could never drink a REAL soda! :o)  So, as of right now I am caffeine free and soda free.  But I am not happy about it!  I don't feel any better, don't have any more energy and don't seem to notice anything different than an increase in my longing for a Diet Coke.  I do think that maybe the number of headaches I get has decreased a little bit, but it's hard to tell.  The official count is last caffeine - August 18th,  last soda - Sept 11th.  I think I might let myself have an occasionally caffeine free Diet Coke - once in a while, but I realize that's a slippery slope....  More than anything I miss my Diet Mountain Dew!

Back to the Past - Part 2 or college memories I probably don't want to know about

Going on 6 weeks at college and it all seems to be going fine, or at least as fine as one will let on to their mother.  Only a couple bumps in the road... 48 on the first Chemistry test and a speeding ticket that was high enough to count as reckless driving, but other than that....:o)

College might make you crazy

The girl seems to be settling in just fine.  No roommate issues so far, although her roommate goes home almost every weekend, so that may make her the perfect roommate.  We'll see. Still going strong with the boyfriend. She dropped her history class because we were afraid that 17 credit hours, which included both Chemistry and Biology might be too much and I think that was a good decision.  Our girl is very good about texting and calling.  She texts all the time and calls pretty regularly and with the Mac's we can FaceTime which is just like Skype.  It's always good to see her and talk to her.  It appears she's keeping herself very organized and trying to study.  We have Family Weekend, next weekend so we can actually go down and verify with our own eyes.  

I can only hope that this is the college version of WATER PONG and not the more traditional BEER PONG!  Some things are better left not known.  I trust my girl and am hoping that she is better and smarter than either her father or her mother were!
She is also very excited because she is applying for a study tour over Spring Break to the Virgin Islands!  Sounds awfully cool to me, Mama better get a better job thats for sure.  Study Tours, care packages... this college stuff is not cheap!

Back to the past - or here are the most exciting parts of our life, because I'm sure you've been laying awake at night wondering.

This is what I imagine him to be

 It's October already and I don't know what's become of my time.  It's gone by in a blur of school starting, volunteering more than I should, subbing, and life in general.  There in lies my dilemma... do I go back and recap all that has happened over the last couple of weeks or do I just move on?  Does anyone care?  Does anyone even read this besides me?  Probably not, so I guess I can do whatever I want.  Since I am planning on printing off each year's blog and using it as a companion to my scrapbooks, I guess it would behoove me to recap life in general.  Someday maybe future generations will care about the minutiae of our lives.

Sadly, this is what he generally does!

Big exciting first day of school - 8th grade no less!  Hard to believe that our sweet baby boy is in his last year of Middle school.  How does that happen, when does it happen?  I suffered through all the first day jitters, who would he eat with, who would he sit with on the bus, would he know anyone in his classes?  Did the Zackman worry about any of these things?  Of course not, he just coasts through school with nary a worry.  I guess I should have had a hint, when we went to pick up his schedule and the squeals from all the girls who saw him were deafening!  It was like the Beatles were in town.  And then the squeals of excitement when some of them were in the same class!  O.M.G!

But then he looks like this and I wonder... I just wonder...
All his teachers seem fine, except for one (Civics) that appears to have some "issues" and an English teacher that appears to have a reputation slightly worse than the Nazi's!  Oh Yeah!  Just what I need.  Please Lord,  just let me get through middle school without harming myself or anyone else!

10 years....

Seems hard to believe that it's been 10 years since the Towers were hit.    I remember watching it all unfold on TV.  B was at school and I was a getting ready to take Z to preschool and I just stood there in stunned horror.  John was TDY in Georgia and I wondered how and when he would get home.

I remember thinking what a horrible accident until the 2 plane hit and then I remember thinking who? how? why?  Could this really be happening?  Wondering what should I do?  Who should I call and then pretty much spending the day trapped in front of the television, riveted by the horror, heartbreak and stories of amazing heroism.  To this day, the idea of those men and women running into those buildings as they fell to try and rescue people amazes me.

John made it home 3-4 days later after finding the last rental car in GA and driving back to Wichita Falls with coworkers.  We tried to keep as much as we could from the kids.  When they are 8 and 3 you have to protect them as much as possible.

So while today I will remember and be thankful for all that I have in my life.  I don't think I'm going to be watching too much TV.  It's too painful and heart-wrenching.  On the other hand, it would be nice if some of our political leaders would sit down and watch and remember that we can come together as a country, we can all get along and we can work toward what works best for the nation and not ourselves.

8th grade??? Say what???

Tomorrow is the first day of school for the Zack-man.  8th grade no less... how can that be.  I still remember the dread and terror I felt when I contemplated sending him off to Kindergarten.  I wondered what I would do with myself without him home every day and how I would keep myself busy.  Was I really ever that naive?
Now he's starting his final year of middle school and then high school and I'll be facing sending him off to college just like my baby girl.  How does this happen so fast?
I must confess he surprised me tonight, got his clothes laid out.  Texted a picture to his sister for confirmation of a choice well made and put himself to bed at 9:00pm.   I couldn't believe it.  This is the kid who all summer made it his personal mission to be the last to bed and the last to rise.  Actually sleeping until 4:00pm one day!
He actually went to bed at 9 and when I just peeked in at him was asleep at 9:30pm?  Do you think he's sick?  Should I worry?  The poor kid can't win.  If he stays up too late I worry, if he goes to bed too early, I worry.  I told him to be prepared that with his sister gone, I only had him to focus on!
For now I'll just assume that even though it doesn't look like it, maybe he is actually listening to some of the  things we say and maybe he won't be too cranky when 6am rolls around tomorrow morning.
Good Luck Zack, I know you are going to knock 'em dead in 8th grade!

We're off to see the dentist...

I took The Boy to the dentist today to get 3 teeth pulled.  Not because of poor hygiene, although that's a whole other "boy story."  I mean The Boy will literally shower or bathe 2-3 times a day, has numerous "manly" haircare and body care products, but I can't get him to brush his teeth to save his life.  Unless you specifically tell him to brush them and then follow up by threatening to touch his toothbrush he won't do it.  He "forgets" on a daily basis.  I just don't get it.  But I digress.... he had to go to the dentist to have 3 baby teeth pulled.  Hyzy/Hall children seem to value their baby teeth above all things and those damn teeth won't fall out.  He's 13 years old now and I think he's lost 8 baby teeth naturally.  The rest have been pulled or are still hanging around in his mouth.

Had the 3 teeth pulled with very little fanfare.  He was nervous, but came through like a champ - bravery and all that jazz.  So off we (Zack, the tooth fairy and I) went to the magical place of tooth fairy prizes.... Target.  I told The Boy I would get him whatever he wanted, Xbox game, Wii game, Nerf gun... whatever.  I mean even though it's not my fault he had to have 3 teeth pulled it still sort of sucked so I was in major "guilt make it all better" mode.  At one point when it looked like he couldn't find anything he really wanted, I even offered to buy a new DS for him, but he declined.
What did we end up with... Cheese-Its, Pop-tarts, Gobstoppers and Junior mints.  Nothing but sugar, preservatives and processed food product.  It seems like there is something fundamentally wrong with rewarding good dentist behavior with nothing but sugar, sugar and more sugar, but did that stop me?  Nope, that's what the boy wanted, that's what the boy got!

I'm surviving...

It's the first day of September and I am still surviving.... no caffeine, no Brenna and an incredibly tall, handsome, funny, but totally obnoxious teenage boy in the house.  Why o' why can't they go off to college when they are in the 8th grade???  I'm just saying....