Summer Fun

What did I sign up for here???  Most of you know that D#4 made the Color Guard Team for her high school.  What you don't know is that our summer has been shot to hell and back again.  While I couldn't be more proud of her, my body is aching for her.  It started in July with a week long camp to learn flag throws.  9am - 5pm---not so bad.  She was excited every day and came home afterwards to practice.

Last week was a toughie.  Again 9am-5pm but they had to now put their moves to music.  The day started with an extremely rough workout.  Outside, in the heat (and here the heat is unbearable) for 2 hours!  A mile run, push-ups, crunches--you name it, the drill instructor had them dropping like flies.  I know this because like a good loving mom, I volunteered for the week.  Thank goodness I did!!  Mine was one of the ones that dropped!!  I administered the water and gator-aid to the victims and escorted them into the gym where they could re-coup in time to start the aerobics session of the day.

All in all the week didn't go so bad.  A few kids dehydrating, some puking and a sprained ankle (again--mine) caught some very demanding instructions to make sure they eat fruit and drink plenty water before returning to camp.  These next two weeks are the worst of the worst!!  We start at 8am and don't finish until 8pm!!  Yes, that's right a whopping 12 hour day.

I decided, since I was there the entire week last week, that I would take a couple of days off this week.  I will be right back there again tomorrow morning watching these kids put all of their hard work together for their performance at the end of next week.  They are a very hard working group and intend to win a competition held in Lafayette, LA at the end of October.  Though they return to their homes every day exhausted, smelly and looking like wet mops, their efforts will be paid off in the end.

Of course, I am especially proud of D#4 for sticking this through and can't wait to be sitting in the stands watching the football team lose (hate to say it but they are not one of the best football teams in the area.) and waiting like everyone else in the stands for the half-time performance.  Even the opposing teams' band comes over to our side of the stands to watch a trophy winning Band & Color Guard perform!!!  Will definitely try to post some video when they perform---although my footage may be bias!!  I will be focusing on my baby girl for the whole thing!!  Wish us luck!!                   See ya soon!!

Monthly Writer Moment

So June seemed to slip by without me noticing.  Too much of the drama interferes with my commitment to my blog.  For this session of writing I have chosen to pose a question.  If you have read any of my blogs, you may have noticed that I love exclamation points!!!  Here's the question:  What is your favorite punctuation mark?

I actually have two and love to use them expressively!  The first, of course, is the exclamation.  It says so much, don't you think.  I use it for surprise, shock, happiness and mostly to express that particular sentence with a did-you-catch-that kinda punch.  Ex:  My daughter made Color-guard at her school!!!  I'm excited, thrilled, happy, proud and boasting all in one sentence using exclamations to shout about her achievement.  I luvs being expressive!!

My second favorite is the ... (dot-dot-dot)  Why?  I'm not really sure.  I think it's because it kinda leaves ya hangin.  It's open to leave you to decide what your thoughts are after the ...   I like the wondering, the what was he/she gonna say?  The where did he/she mean to say?  Is this gonna end good or bad?  Does it do that for you?  I like that it leaves you, the reader, to guessing and prompts you to read on.  Recently, (and I'm a sucker for reality TV) the ... was used to end a relationship on the Bachlorette.  The lying shithead left the show telling her let's not end this with a period, let's see how things go with you and the rest of the guys and we'll keep our relationship open with a dot-dot-dot.  Naturally, she had fallen for the guy and continued to believe that there may be more to them because of his comment; leaving the rest of the guys hangin.  What a douch!!! (notice exclamations)  You get the idea of what a ... can do!  What else was she suppose to think!

So there it is.  My two favorite punctuation marks!  I sometimes have to contain myself while writing, of course, but in my e-mails, blogs or chats, you will very often find my !!!!  and ...  appearing everywhere.  Favorites anyone???  (Question mark coming in close third)                       See ya soon!