A Saturday to Remember

First of Congrats to the Newton Marching Eagles. 1st in EVERYTHING in their class at the Effingham competition. They brought home five trophys; music, color guard, percussion, drum major, and first overall. Newton is back and that honestly makes me tear up for more reasons than just my kid being in the band!

Robert gave everyone a scare while they were warming up, apparently he passed out and Mr. Ridlen was sure we was having a seizure. When he came out of it, he doesn't remember what happened. I am pretty sure he was dehydrated. In our family, of course we always worry about sugar but he came out of it without eating anything and when I asked him how much he had drank compared to normal, we realized it probably wasn't nearly enough.

We tanked him up on water and he was able to do his solo and march the show without any problems. His and Logan's solos were both AWESOME last night!

This was all after a week of the band director having surgery to remove kidney stones on Thursday. His first year of being the band director will be one to remember too! I was so proud of his dedication to the kids though part of me really hopes he didn't push it too far yesterday and I am hoping and praying he is RESTING today. I didn't get the Newton Exhibition packet to him yesterday from our own competition so he can't worry about that one until Monday.

1st competition of his senior year: competing with the Blue Angels. 2nd competition, he passes out. He definately is making this a year to remember.

I think he has learned his lesson though and hopefully will pay more attention to the amount of fluids he is taking in.

I don't have pictures of the competition. I am waiting on my sister to make it down and get some really good ones.

I got another "last" over with, it is one I will miss but I am REALLY glad it's done. Our own band classic is in the books, and I have served my last year helping with the tabulation. In fact, Glenna, the one taking over for me, put all the scores in yesterday, I just double checked them....which means I slept last night. I normally don't sleep from the time those scores go in until Monday afternoon when I know nobody has called and thrown a fit over the results. We actually had one judge that added wrong on two of his score sheets yesterday, so if we hadn't done our jobs correctly, there could have been some unhappy people.

So today I am truly planning a day of rest and this week as well.

If you get a chance, we go to Robinson next weekend. I personally believe we will do well there. If you haven't had a chance to hear the Newton Marching Eagles, you should make a date to come and see. Our performance time is 7:30, we are the last band to march!

3 Things About Me!

Please don't break the cycle... it is fun to learn different things about our friends!

1. Three names I go by: Mindy, Mom, Sweetheart

2. Three places I've lived: Newton, Hidalgo, Altamont

3. Three places I've worked: Hardee's, Wal-Mart, ERBA (yes, my friend Amber actually typed the first two, but I worked there too)

4. Three places I have been on vacation: Florida, Michigan, Ohio

5. Three people that email me regularly: Nila, Amy, Vaneta

6. Three things I love to eat: chocolate, alfredo, ice cream

7. Three people I think will repost: not sure, but I want everyone to

8. Three things I am looking forward to: Saturday, looking forward to it getting here, and then looking forward to getting through it! (does that count as two?) 12 days from now, when my right hand gets back from maternity leave, October 11th--Covered Bridge!

What September Brings

I intended to post this yesterday, day late and a dollar short, what's new? Here we go.....the wild and crazy thing we call life at the Browning house. September started out with a bang, went to work at a quarter til 7, stopped what I was doing to go to the church business meeting last night and finally made it back home around 8:45. Today, I am leaving the house again at 6:45, yesterday was the first day of LIHEAP and honestly that wasn't what was crazy; computers; 'nuff said. I very rarely honestly feel like shooting one, but yesterday it was just a really good thing I didn't have a gun and the worst part was it was a laptop and so it wouldn't have been hard to "accidentally" drop-kick it across the parking lot. Anyway.....I am going to try a different approach today and then forget it. I ordered a new one because no matter what, I will never trust this one again, and in all fairness, it had been acting up since May, I just apparently delivered the final blow Tuesday then had to try to resuscitate the stupid thing. Oh well......

Fun news in my job though, I got to order our agency's first Smartboard this week. We are building a new training room in our Weatherization building at Greenup. Last Thursday ( the 26th) our WX Coordinator asked me to get him set up with the technology for his training room......which they would use for the first time on Sept 21st, no pressure there....but it all came together and we are getting exactly what we wanted. I can't wait!!! On top of everything else, I believe I will be allowed to teach computer classes there and it is bigger than our board room, good things.

Of course, September brings a lot on for Robert also, first band competition is a week from Saturday, Robert gets to play the baritone solo, he has worked really hard for this so I am excited that it is finally decided. He has all day practice on the 4th, Ofallon on the 11th, our own Fall Festival on the 18th and then our own Newton Classic and the Effingham competition on the 25th. There are 12 bands coming to our competition. Mark the 25th on the calendar and come to the classic, it is a morning competition and will be great!!

Robert also has Pop's concert tryouts next week. Pop's is scheduled for November 18th and 19th. This is also an awesome show....a show that rivals Branson in Newton Illinois put on by a bunch of really, really talented teens. One year some of my friends from work came, one of them asked if these kids were really all from Jasper county. They are an awesome group and I am looking just as forward to all the chorus activities as I am the band. He should be in for a SUPER senior year.

Andrew is still going strong on the bathroom remodel. It has had a lot of setbacks with finding mold and rot but he is almost ready to start tiling the shower and I think once he gets this project done, the rest will be faster. What he has done in the shower looks amazing, we have picked out all the tile now and I am just excited to see it happening. He gets vacation starting Saturday so I think by next week at this time we will see some change.

We have to throw AWANA in the mix for good measure, we start back on the 15th, I am HOPING to have 4 senior boys and 3 freshman girls to start. The guys are wanting to do a commercial for youtube and fb to get some more involved, first project of the year!

AND we start choir back the 19th, I almost have everything ready for that too.

That's the majors for September, geesh, what will I do with myself next year? Not going to think about it, just gonna take all of it in this year and enjoy.

Oh yes, one more thing, I went to the doctor Friday, I am doing FANTASTIC with the UC, in fact he took me off of the medicine, if I have a flare, I have to go back, but right now, doing great and feeling better than I have since before Christmas. I can actually feel myself getting stronger, of course, my blood counts had been so low there was a good excuse for the tiredness and weakness. I know it was my own fault it got so bad, I should have went to the doctor last February but just had too many irons in the fire, or so I thought, it would have prevented a lot of problems and heartache in my life though if I would have felt like I do now back then. I knew I was overwhelmed, I knew I had a problem, I just didn't realize how bad it was affecting me. Anyway......that's that and life is better.

Happy Thursday!

What a great weekend! Only two things could have made it better--if Andrew would have gotten to go and if Richard wouldn't have had to work part of it.

Robert and I got to Lincoln around 7 Friday evening, just in time to see Friday nights glow. Saturday morning, Sis and I went to the airport for the fly-in. The balloonists drop a bag on a target on the airfield. It was just perfect weather this year.

Meanwhile, Robert went with his Uncle Richard to sell produce at the Farmer's Market uptown. Richard raises unbelievable tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. Found out last night that a lady that had been in Lincoln a couple years ago had them ship her tomatoes in California!

We also took in the Art fair Saturday at one of the parks, then went back out to the Airport Saturday evening. The wind conditions weren't perfect so there weren't many balloons actually take off but there was another glow. After the glow, because of our VIP passes, we had a catered dinner. It was wonderful! We ate dinner with the mayor and some of the coordinators of the festival, thought that was neat too. Yesterday, we took in the flea market and craft fair, and the car show before starting home. What a perfect weekend, we rested when we wanted to, and ran when we wanted to. For some really great pictures of the festival, check out www.lincolndailynews.com This is the paper Sis works for and a LOT of the pictures and articles on there are hers.

Happy 18th!!!!!

It's hard to believe that 18 years ago today, our little man was born:

Of course, when life revolves around three things : Band, Chorus and Cars, you have to adjust. Since Band is tonight, we celebrated his birthday last night.

I think the greatest thing is I got to make him treats for school ONE LAST TIME. He has early bird shop class so he is taking cupcakes and milk for everyone for breakfast this morning.

After the celebration, Dad "Tom Sawyered" him into sealing the seams in the new shower. I think he had fun the entire time.

Hope your day is fantastic. I don't think you will ever realize how much joy you have brought to our lives. Thanks for being such a great kid, we are really proud of the young man you have grown to be and look forward to seeing what you accomplish with the rest of your life.

Love you forever. Like you for always, as long as I'm living, my baby you'll be,

Mom.

First of the Last

August 20th, 2010
Last "First Day of School"



And Media Night:
Robert, front row, to the far right.

Robert is standing on the 50, playing what will eventually be the baritone solo. He and Emmitt Bartons are both playing it here, the decisions still haven't been made as to who will be playing it or if they will take turns at competitions. Logan Andrews, one of Robert's long-time friends, is playing the trumpet solo, on Robert's right.

The New Truck

When "gardening" season came this last spring, my 70-year-old mother and 84-year-old uncle put out a garden, 5 acres of it to be exact. I was a little afraid they were in over their heads this year so when musical was over and Robert wanted to look for a job, I told him I would pay him NOT to get a job so when Mom and Uncle Junie needed him, he would be available. Well, he has helped out some with the garden, but they neither one would let him help like I thought they would. Don't get me wrong, in the last 3 weeks he has carried 2100 lbs of potatoes into my uncles root cellar, 40 lb buckets at a time, and that was after helping pick them all up. When he helps, it's hard work and they depend on him to do it. I was expecting him to be up there 3 or 4 times a week and he has probably been there 2 or 3 times in 2 weeks.


My thing is, there have been a couple of weeks this summer that I think he resented me for not letting him get a job because he believed Mom and Uncle Junior would have worked around his schedule (which they did last week when the El Camino was broke down again).


ANYWAY, Mom called me Saturday morning and said Uncle Junie wanted to GIVE Robert his old farm truck. I was like, "does it run?" which honestly wouldn't matter to a kid who lives, breathes, eat and sleeps working on vehicles. But the answer, was yes, it ran well, Uncle Junie had seen a chance to get a newer truck a few months ago and took it. He didn't get rid of this truck because it was in too good of shape and has a brand new transmission in it.


So, yesterday afternoon we went to talk to Uncle Junie about the truck, I thought it was a bit much and Uncle Junie informed me that he had done what he wanted to most of his life and he wasn't about to stop now and what he wanted to do was to give Robert that truck for helping them and helping him when he needs hogs loaded or pigs cut (which Robert is becoming pretty good at and will need to do again in the next couple of weeks).


So.......I think a truck is a pretty good wage for a summer job. Robert is so excited, there are some things that need a little work but they are minor and it runs! and runs well! And minor work just equals a lot of good times to Robert. He has already ordered a catalog that specializes in parts for this truck--which is a 88 Chevy 1500 Silverado.


We will make everything legal tomorrow, how lucky can one person get? Not even 18 years old and OWNS not one but two trucks, straight out. I think he leads a charmed life!