No-ice

We were under some sort of a winter weather advisory or something last night.

It sleeted a little.

And has amouted to nothing.

Yet, that's all the morning news is talking about.   

The bad icy winter weather that DIDN'T happen.

I'm kind of ok with it.

It's hard to balance bad weather and a job and kids home from school.

Shoot - it's just hard to balance a job and kids.

And, suddenly it's already Thursday.

Which means I've got to get my bootie in gear and get ready to head out tomorrow afternoon for yet another weekend volleyball tournament.  Conway, Arkansas - here we come!

Have a happy day, people. Play nice.

Seen 'em all

Tuesday... 77 and sunny.
Beautiful day.
Tuesday night ... stormy
Crazy windy.
Buckets of rain.
Wednesday... cloudy.
Sleeting at 46 degrees.
Thursday... 30 degrees
Freezing cold.

Memphis weather. It's crazy I tell you.
We get all the seasons. 
Sometimes all in a week...

*yawn*

Since we had major windy rainy blowy thundery tornadoy storms that blew through here all night long, I'm moving a little slowly this morning.   Cause there wasn't much sleeping going on.

During the monsoon last night, I found the Captain standing in the kitchen looking out the window eating yogurt.  At 1am.  He said he was "standing vigil".  OK...

So far, I think all we've lost is a patio chair.

Oh, and, I found water all in the kitchen floor this morning. So I'm thinking that can't be good.

My rain gauge shows 3+ inches of water.  

Better go assess the situation.

And drink coffee by the gallon.

*yawn*

Watching.

Woke up to an ice storm warning.
Yeeeeeeee.
Weatherman non committal.
Using words like "interesting" and "possible"
Supposed to hit late morning and then have ice allllllll afternoon.
Schools all around already closed.
Except the school of the two currently sleeping and soon to be disappointed kids back there.
Sorry kids.
You're going to school.
At least for awhile.
I predict a noon closing.
Awesome.
Get to school.
Get to work.
Then cue the ice.
And scramble to get everybody picked up.
In the treachery.
Days like today make me crazy.
Constantly. Looking. Out. The. Window.
Checking. Twitter.
Wouldn't it just be better for all interested parties to stay home and watch movies and read books and play games?
I think so.

Happy Monday

Hooray! Hooray!  It's an extra day at home!!  Let's hear it for Labor Day!

Weekend summary:

One fish casualty.  It was Kane.  RIP Kane.

The other three seem to be doing fine.

And the crazy frog.  Sometimes I think he's dead then other times he is swimming all around.  He's a weirdo.

Remember when I said the Captain and Jordan were on that youth summit and they would be: sleeping in a tent, peeing in a bucket, avoiding snakes, bathing in a pond and probably getting to know Isaac.  
There were no tents. No sleeping bags. No pillows.  No "food".

Ummm, no thanks.

They apparently had to make their own "shelters" from bamboo and tarp.

Fair enough. It was a survival-type weekend.

Until this comes through.

But they survived a rough Friday night.  And an even rougher Saturday night. 

It's never good when the TV weather guy puts a big cone on the exact spot where your people are camped out and talks about 60+ mph winds and rotation and hail and to "take cover immediately"

They got dove and fish. So they ate.  And, hopefully found no snakes.  

Coop and I had a weekend with lots of college football and minimal chores. It was bliss.

RIP Mr. Tree

Bad storm came through last night.

The lightning lightened.

The thunder thundered.

The wind blew.

And, my tree fell.

Timber.

Mr. Tree had been a little sick. 

The Tree Man said he had a root problem.

So he was probably going to tree heaven soon anyway.

But last night at 12:30 am, he went bye bye.

I watched it happen.

It was a sad moment.

I loved that tree.

RIP Mr. Tree.

summa'

It's a pleasant morning...

But it won't last for long....

This is the lamest of lame posts. 

But I know you don't really want to hear me talk about how my job is going well even though I haven't mastered how to get in the back door of the building.

It's also stupid to admit that I'm excited to watch Dallas tonight.  Yeah....

Weatha'

Yep, volleyball this weekend.

In Nashville.

(Hey Busy Mom!)

Anyhoo, they are predicting some Auntie Em type weather for middle Tennessee during the exact time we'll be pushing through there. Awesome.

March. He's coming in like a lion.

Guess the good news is we won't knock ourselves out to get out the door this afternoon. Will probably try to get behind the bad stuff. Maybe we can ride the tailwind. And get there in less than two hours. Yes.

Right now, it's 5am and I'm making pasta salad. Don't ask...

I'm also trying to figure out how to get back over to a "not near my house or office" Target to get a bag of items that I apparently left at the checkout. It's got important stuff in it... like hair spray, deoderant and eye cream.

Shoot. My mayo is in that bag too.

{pressing pause on the pasta salad}

Gotta' go rouse the masses. Y'all have a good day. See you Monday!!

Hot. Cool.

It's hot, y'all.

And by hot, I mean 100+ degrees.

Factor in the humidity and the heat index is somewhere near 483.

Ridiculous.

The only thing cool is this picture of Cooper at his golf clinic yesterday.



Coolio.

And speaking of volleyball, it started back yesterday. Nothing like a 4-hour volleyball practice to put a screeching halt to Jordan's wild summer activities.

Alright, people.

Hydrate or die.

Hot.

So says the Weatherman:

"98...98...98...98...98..."

Blah...blah...blah...blah...blah...

In search of balance

I really have nothing to say today.

Other than it's pretty hot.

And it's way too early in the not even officially summer yet to be this hot. We are already knocking on the door of 100 degree highs. No likey.

And I'm still seeking balance in my Mom-life and my work-life. And I know you are all sick of hearing about that. So I'm not going to even go into it.

But I'll just say it's very hard to keep all that rolling right now.

And it's day four of summer.

And I'm already worn out from trying to make it work.

And I drove 470 miles roundtrip yesterday. To go see Bingmama. In Illinois. She buries her dad today. Which is not related to any of this. And I'm not real excited about driving anywhere this morning because I'm slightly wearly.... But I love Bingmama. And my heart hurts for her.

Work is so.....work. It's hard right now. It's different. And frustrating. And very challenging mentally and emotionally. Plus the biggest bummer to that work thing is they want me to actually BE there. Which is somewhat conflicting with the two smaller humans who want me to be home. And who need me to drive them to practice, dental appointments, camp, parties, and other various and sundry social events. But I am making it work. Killing myself trying to do it, but am making it work. Maybe it's always like this at the beginning of the summer - trying to settle into a "not" routine. I can't remember.

Oh wait - I wasn't going to go into all this. Sorry. What a buzz kill this blog has been lately. And did I actually put a picture of a pork roast on here yesterday? Seriously..... I'm sorry people. I promise I'm climbing out of this whatever I've been in. Life Pit. Whatever... It's just real life for me right now. Parenting. Death of several friends. Working. Emotions. Lots of emotions. Throw some hormones in there for good measure too - that's always fun. It's just life. LIFE.

In other news, did I tell you it's hot?

Oh, and Cooper is on episode 83 of Mindfreak. And he just chopped some guy's head off. And made an elephant disappear. Impressive.

Peace out people. Stay cool.

Pullin' the ol' cop card

OK, the storms were bad yesterday. And we hunkered down once again mid-day as the sirens cranked up yet one.more.time.

Being the good wife, I texted the Captain:

"Sirens. Torn warning."

"I set them off."

Show off.

Stormy weatha'

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down.

And it brought winds, and lightning, and thunda'.

And tornadoes.

The weather has been nuts.

And there's more to come.

The sirens went off yesterday afternoon. I was able to run home real quick -- there was no school yesterday, so my kids were home.

They are not scared of storms.

But what with the sirens going off and all.

I wondered if they might be a bit unnerved.

Ummmmm, no. Apparently not.

When I got home, they just hanging out watching TV.

Me: HELLLLLOOOO?!?!?!? Do you hear the sirens?!!??

Jordan: Yes ma'am.

Me: Ummmmmmm. It's a tornado warning.

Jordan: Oh, I thought it was just a test.

Yes, the sky is black as night and there is patio furniture blowing by the window and girl thinks it's just a test.

So I told them to get their shoes on and get in the closet.

And here comes Jordan....

With her shoes,

her cell phone,

and her Easter basket.

Priorities, people. Priorities.

The weather got nuts again last night. And it's still nasty right now. And Mr. Weatherman just said worse stuff coming through tonight.

Awesome.

Auntie Em

So a little storm blew through here yesterday.

The kids took their "duck and cover" positions at school.

We called the ol' "Code Black" at work. That was right about the time I got a text from the Captain: "Seek cover". (He talks all policey to me sometimes.)

After I got home, I told the Captain we were lucky because it appeared we only lost one shingle.

Apparently I missed this....

Yeah, somehow I didn't notice that OUR FENCE WAS LAYING IN THE YARD.

Oh well, minor details... Check out this wood. Those were some strong winds....

I see no "duck and cover" in my future today.

Hope you don't either.

Unanimous Hubba

So the rain came to town.

And so did Jim Cantore. (See also Hubba Hubba)

Annnnnnnd, he tweeted me yesterday morning.

He put a tornado possibility map on his Twitter and I said, "Looks like Memphis is in the bullseye. Are you still coming to town?"

And then he said (Are you ready for this!!?!??!?), "Yup."

Which, as you know, means, "Hey I'm gonna' be busy chasing tornadoes and I know you've got that big meeting, so we can't have dinner tonight. But we'll get together next time I'm in town."

From his tweets, it looked like he spent most of the day down at the river. If he had not been way down there and we didn't have that big meeting we were getting ready for, Bingmama and I would have stalked him all day long like obsessive fans gone down there to meet him. And we would have shouted Hey Jim! Will you marry me?!? Even though we are both already married which is slightly problematic asked for an autograph and a photo op.

But we didn't get to. Which is very disappointing. So, I guess there's always next time.

And, lest you stayed up all night worrying about my presentation, it went great and my project was approved unanimously. Yahooie! And I need to give a special shout out to Bingmama who told me before I got up there that I had a big ol' piece of pepper in my teeth. Because that's what friends are for and all...

OK people. If you need me this weekend, I'll be in Huntsville at a you know what.

So have a good weekend. Hope you get all your laundry done.

I am...

I am....

EXCITED that Jordan was cleared yesterday to play volleyball now. She'll be hitting the court this weekend in Huntsville. Wahooie!!

NERVOUS about making a presentation tonight to our shareholders. Yeah, I like to talk. But not in front of 50 people. With powerpoint mixed in.

DIGGING my new car. I kind of feel like a grown up.

ANXIOUS about the big storms rolling in today. Especially since they are heavy tonight while Jordan will be at the volleyball gym and I will be making my presentation. And I'm pretty sure giving my presentation while in the "duck and cover" position under the table probably wouldn't be to my benefit. Anyway, bad weather must be a sure thing here since I saw where Jim Cantore is headed to town. You know he tweeted me once. So yeah, we're tight.

HAPPY that I have friends who love me in spite of me. You know who you are.

OBSESSED with oatmeal these days. Seriously, I can't get enough of it.

FINISHED with this post.

The post with no title

The sunshine did a big number on the ice and snow yesterday. So it's back to work and school today.

Then Connie, Niece M, Jordan and I will head on down to Jackson, Mississippi for a volleyball tournament.

I'm looking for an extension cord so I can take my delicious heated throw with me to the tourny. Surely those convention centers have outlets. Bring on the mamaw.

But before I go, I'm going to be checking this out. My bloggy friend Busy Mom assured me I wasn't a weirdo when I said I was obsessed with faces. Seriously people. I can't stop looking at those things.

I leave you with more proof that Memphis weather is crazy. It's 12 degrees right now. And Sunday hits 60. Seriously. Crazy.

Over and out.

Treachery

So yeah. We got some snow. Probably about 4".

And my 4 mile drive home from work that usually takes 15 minutes took me an hour and 20 minutes.

I was a total wreck.

And off the charts on the anxiety meter.

In fact, I thought I might have a heart attack or something. But I thought a dead body in the black SUV might snarl traffic even more so I held it together.

The traffic was so bad and gridlocked that I saw a man three cars in front of me jump out and run in the nearby restaurant. I guess he went to the potty. Because he wasn't in there long and he didn't come out with coffee and danish for all of us. Rude.

I wasn't totally by myself. Because I had Bingmama on speaker phone and we talked each other through it. She was a bit ahead of me in traffic and gave me the low down on what was ahead for me. "There's a stalled car in front of the car dealership. Get over in the middle lane." "Watch out for that hill right after you go under the overpass." She was a good scout!

So, here we are in the great white north south. And all that fluffy white snow has turned into smooth, slick ice. The current temperature is 15. Humph. Looks like this stuff isn't going anywhere for awhile.

Have a good, warm day today.

Winter Death 2011

Forecast for today: SNOW

When and how much?

WHEN AND HOW MUCH??

The forecast has been all over the place. And that makes me crazy.

I've heard everything from 1" to 7". That's quite a range there.

And Memphis is notorious for having a forecast of 2-4" and then getting nothing.

I've also seen 3" of "no accumulations expected".

It's madness.

I get all wigged out during days like this. Getting kids to school, getting to work, getting kids picked up from school once they cancel three hours later, getting home from work when the snow starts piling up even though we won't close our office and everybody will just keep working like nothing is happening. Blah blah blah. I can really work myself up about all this. Stupid. Why do I get this way? Makes me nuts. Stu. Pid.

Plus, Jordan has a PT appointment at 4:30 today. That coincides nicely with the timing of the blizzard.

And by blizzard I mean we should have 3" on the ground by then.

Yes, people, that's a blizzard if you live south of the Mason Dixon.

And no, we know nothing of your snow plow and snow blower ways.

Don't judge.

Speaking of Jordan, the tournament is out for her this weekend. Well, we will still be traveling. But she won't be playing. And that is just a big ol' blah. She's pretty down about it. But is still working hard and getting better every day. She's phasing out of the boot and just wearing a brace most of the time. And in case you were wondering, the brace doesn't fit well in the school uniform saddle oxford cause it gets all bunched up in the shoe and makes it FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELS FUNNYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY and causes all kinds of teenage girl moody nuttiness when we are trying to get out the door for school. I love my life.

I'm outta' here.

And I'm wearing my polka dot snow boots to work.

So there.

I'm going to Alabama with a banjo on my knee.

OK maybe not with a banjo on my knee.

But I am going to Alabama. For a volleyballus tournamentus.

Connie and Niece M and Jordan and I are road tripping together. Good times.

If we can get out of this ice covered city.

It's not that bad. Well, parts of it are bad.

This southern born and bred gal doesn't do well driving on ice covered roads. In fact, I fishtailed going home last night and may or may not have cried the rest of the way. Just like the little pig. But it was wah wah wah all the way home rather than weee weee weee.

I was actually overdue for a breakdown. So the fishtail just kind of pushed me over the edge.

Been a rough week at work. But the ridiculousness of it all comes to an end today.

The Captain and Cooper will be batch-in' it this weekend during my absence. I'm sure chicken nuggets and the Three Stooges will abound.

Happy weekend people. May you conquer all your laundry.