Love is in the Air

In Texas we are being inundated with a swarm of these "love bugs" that are driven to reproduce. In case you've never had the pleasure of encountering these insects, you aren't missing anything. It was so bad the other day here that they were splatting against my windshield like it was raining. The worst part about the horrible things is that they are filled with some sort of glue-like substance that takes the paint off of your car if you don't clean them off quickly after they splat. My car currently looks like it has a black peppered mustache. I have no love for these nasty little things, whose name I say with disdain for our culture's confusion between sex and love which gave these evil little bugs their name!

He Jumped Me

This post is not as interesting as it may first appear. Yesterday I was carting a immigrant truckload mini-van full of kids to meet up with a friend to see Spiderman 3. Yes, yes, I already saw it at midnight on opening night with a group of teenagers, but Kullen wanted to go and see it with some monkeys of his friends. So yesterday afternoon, we head out to the movie theater. My evil nemesis friend Tina and I were supposed to meet up there. She called and said she was stopping at the Goodwill store. I stopped to meet her there and had my car turned off for no longer than 5 minutes, but when I tried to crank it, it clicked like my battery was dead. I have AAA, but we had a movie to make, so I pulled out the rusty jumper cables hubby put in the back of my car because he didn't bother to get me a new battery before my long trip to WV in case of an emergency. My cables didn't work - we figured either they were too rusty or my battery terminals were to corroded. Tina was no help at all as she freaked at the sight of the cables and stood eight feet away at all times hollering "be careful" a great help as she tried to "make eye contact" with any men passing by. The two hoods up should have been a great clue that we were two white trash women with 42 kids between us trying to use battery cables because we didn't expect anyone to come and rescue us damsels in distress. Eventually what always happens in West Virginia did - a redneck pulled up, and couldn't resist the opportunity to be our hero! I thought Tina was going to die laughing when he walked up and I asked him if he could "jump me". Just about that time the hood of her car came slamming down!
Yes, this true and funny story really happened! See why I miss these dysfunctional people so much! Eventually AAA had to come and rescue me, and I went to Auto Zone and bought a new battery. The hubby informed me that what I paid $60 he could've gotten me for $39 in Texas. I just smiled thinking of what I might use those rusted up jumper cables for when I get home!!!!!!

Two Pots of Coffee and Four Boxes of Captain Crunch

My girls wanted to have a small group of their homeschooling friends over for a late night of playing cards, watching movies, etc. the way we used on occasion when we lived here. "Homeschooling" being the operative word which means that the late night part could be flexible. After talking to some of the parents, we determined it would be best if instead of having to be picked up at midnight, that everybody just stay overnight. Being able to stay in this lovely house that belongs to my friends provided this opportunity. The boys slept in the basement and the girls slept upstairs near me - although sleep seems the wrong word - we were talking and playing games until 3 am.
When I got up the next morning, Kameron was the first one awake, and he had made a pot of coffee. (Evidently he drew the short straw and got the floor or the chair to sleep on and didn't sleep all that much!) The weather was nice so we sat on the screened in porch in the back and drank coffee and talked for about an hour and a half before anyone else made an appearance. Kameron is like me, he needs other people and relationships to thrive. I get him.
It is an amazing thing to me to be in the lives of young people that I knew when they were small and see them grow up into these incredible young adults. I grew up moving around so much, and was always in so much chaos that I was in junior high school before I developed any long term relationships - and that was only because I had a friend that held on to me no matter where I moved. That morning, Kameron and I talked about all kinds of things. It wasn't what we talked about that meant so much, but that he is a 15 year old that values a relationship with me - and I with him. Somewhere along the road my lives intertwined with these kids - and they are almost like my own in my heart.
When everybody got up they started in on the four boxes of Captain Crunch cereal that I got for a quick and easy breakfast. Tayva asked if I'd ever move back to West Virginia, and I told her I'd only be back if Travis died. (off the cuff - which by the way was just a joke!) Just for a moment I thought I saw an evil glint flash through several sets of eyes!