Picture of the Week - 5/26/2022

 May-madness is almost over...  the end of the hustle is SOOOO close!

In the past week...

- Zane played in the Black and White game.  He played center for the whole game.  He was consistent and reliable and steady.  He's not flashy, but he is a really good football player.  I really do love watching him play.

- Visited with Sharon and Karen who came down to visit from Ohio for the festivities

- Held Quinn's graduation party where we entertained a LOT of people.  My heart is truly so happy to see all the friends and family who came to wish Quinn well.  He's just such a good, likeable dude.  Celebrating him was fun - and easy! - and also a little exhausting! 

- More dinner party fun with Berber and Pappy and Jess and her family to celebrate the graduates!

- Actual graduation ceremony on Sunday and dinner (out again... who wants to cook in May???)

- Then we found out on Monday that Zane made the football team - woohoo!  I'm so happy for him - and he's SO excited about it!!

- Tuesday happened to be our 25th wedding anniversary - and we used it as an opportunity to visit one of our favorite restaurants with some great friends

- Wednesday we had a football meeting for all the players and families that made the team to pay dues and get fitted for gear and such.  We also found out that Zane will get to continue the tradition of a Bovenizer wearing #59.  The coaches know and remember Spencer - and asked if Zane wanted to be the same number.  I love that so much.

- And then here we are back to Thursday - the last day of the 2021-22 school year.

I would say we are doing a pretty darn good job of filling our days up with fun stuff!  This doesn't mean we aren't simultaneously saddened by the tragedy of the Texas school shooting.  That evil weighs heavy - but is also a good reminder not to take any of these crazy, jam-packed, family-centered days for granted.  You just never know...  

Tomorrow we will try to get through the last workday before heading to the Carolina coast for vacation.  I can't wait!

Picture of the Week - 5/20/2022

 Well, this week nearly did me in.  It wasn't so much that it was all bad (although there were so low, lows) but that it was a ridiculous combo of really good, really busy, really unexpected, and really sad.  I'm really glad that I've got Bob alongside me to get through this crazy rollercoaster life.  He's been there...  forever...  and I don't talk about how blessed I am to have that man as my partner nearly enough.  

Tuesday is our 25th wedding anniversary.  I say that with all the pride and awe and love that I can muster.  It's a big deal.  I don't take it for granted.  I am forever grateful that God brought us together.  I can't imagine a world without "Bob and Kara".  

Where to start...  

I'll knock out the worst first.  We unexpectedly had to put Ozzie to sleep this week.  I still can't believe it.  I still can't think about it without choking up.  He was literally fine a month ago.  The story is so familiar to so many - rapid decline, abdomen full of masses, inoperable, incompatible with life.  And yet, it's so unimaginable that it's hard not to look down and expect him by my feet.  I miss that crazy, neurotic, high-strung dog.  I know that the pain we feel when a pet passes is the payment for all the love and joy they bring while they are here, but I still hate it.  I know I have all the memories of him happy and healthy, but I still think it's unfair he had to go so young.  Ozzie's passing overwhelmed my week - and I hate that it did because there's a lot of other stuff going on and much of it is really good.

Zane's last day of football tryouts is today - and culminates with the spring game.  Zane is feeling confident and strong - or he was until yesterday.  He got to his locker, found his lock was missing along with ONE of his cleats.  I hate middle school.  I hate middle school pranks.  I hate middle school immaturity.  We are all certain someone thought they were being funny and have hidden the (brand new) cleat somewhere.  Maybe it will show up...  but it forced emergency shopping last night to find a replacement pair.  Oh and some hotshot "forgot" they weren't wearing pads during their walk-through last night and rammed his helmet into Zane's shoulder.  It's not broken, but it's going to be an ugly bruise and hurts enough to bring him to tears.  He also managed a bloody nose at practice last night and came home with a blood soaked shirt.  That's kinda how this whole week has gone - overall theme is GOOD and HAPPY but the details and nuisances are painful and ugly.

Spencer has been home and is working - except the whole office he works in got sick this week, so his schedule has been all over the place, which is difficult for week 2 on a new job.  I'm hoping next week will bring some stability for him.

Quinn graduates on Sunday.  His grad party is tomorrow.  We have events planned - and he has even more parties to attend - and fun stuff planned.  I really can't believe he's done with high school.  And I can't imagine this house without him in it.  Sigh...

And Beck is just chugging along.  No graduations.  No tryouts.  No work.  Nothing particularly new happening...  so he decided to contract a case of lice to keep things interesting.  (Never fear, I've, sadly, been through this before and we are on top of it and it's behind us, but I wanna tell you, in the midst of having discussions about the imminent demise of a pet, nit-picking is not what you want to be doing...)

This weekend will be fun.  Next week can NOT be as "eventful".  And at the end of next week, we have our annual beach trip to look forward to!  We can do it.  We HAVE done it.  We will always continue to do it.  

PS - Quinn also bought a new car (can't remember if I mentioned this already) and stay tuned to learn about our new dog, Gable.  He's NOT a replacement dog, but we are all excited about having a new puppy in the house and the timing is certainly a Godwink.  More on Gable soon - we don't have him yet, so we are all being patient!!

Enjoy some pictures of Quinn and Jess in their cap and gowns.  Those two are so cute and so good for each other.  I love them and am so excited to get to celebrate their graduations this weekend!

Picture of the Week - 5/12/2022

 Swoooooooooosh - did you feel the first half of May, FLY by???  Good grief!  I feel like I blinked in March and here we are mid-May.

We continue the month of (almost) all Quinn.  Last weekend was his second prom - which started with some awkwardly windy pictures and ended in a super fun (per Quinn and Jess) event in downtown Atlanta - like literally across the street from the capital.  They went with a charcoal grey and pink color scheme for this one and looked gorgeous.  I can't decide which one I liked better - and also couldn't pick just one picture to share.

Then Spencer came home on Saturday.  He's home until mid-August and working as a Project Engineer for Hawk Construction.  He's only worked for 3 days and has already learned so much!  This is going to be a really excellent internship for him.  He's also been busy connecting with some of his friends as they return back for the summer and spent Sunday helping Quinn buy a new car.

Yes...  Quinn has purchased a new (used) car in preparation for driving back and forth to Statesboro this fall.  He got a Hyundai Veloster.  It's cute and suits him well.  He got a (for today's weird economy) ridiculously good deal on it because it's been modified a bit (Spencer could tell you all the things they have added - custom this and that and the other - I can tell you they replaced the Hyundai symbol on the back with a velociraptor plaque.  LOL  

This week Bob has been in California for work and gets to come home tonight.  This weekend, as strange as it sounds, we are going to spend prepping for vacation and Beckett's first week at camp.  We head to the beach on the 28th and Beck goes to camp the day after we get home.  My goal is to be mostly packed for both of these things before we get into GRADUATION activities next weekend.  I can't even believe graduation is here.  Quick topic change or I'll get sad again...  how bout the weather this week!  Gorgeous!!

Have a great week everyone and enjoy the prom/car pictures!

Picture of the Week - 5/5/2022

 So you know how May, the last month of the school year, is always SO busy?  

Yeah, well, we decided it was the best time to tackle the kitchen renovation.  LOL  We thrive on chaos here!

Here are a couple of pictures from the last 2 days.  I'm currently hiding out in our bedroom with the dogs while the countertop guys are finishing up.  We are getting backsplash at some point in the next couple of weeks... then sometime in June (I hope) we will get the cabinets painted white and then our attention will turn to the floors.  It's a little hard to tell what this is all going to turn into.  Use your imagination!  And stay tuned for more updates as things progress.

Quinn took his last AP test today and has one more test next week and then he's DONE with high school.  Zane tackles football tryout week 1 this week.  And Spencer comes home on Saturday, just in time for Mother's Day.  :)  (Didn't forget about Beck - he's good too!)

Happy May!  Happy Chaos!