Today is oldest son's birthday and it was also his first week in a new job. Hooray for both of these milestones! It's definitely time to celebrate!
He had other plans for this evening, but that didn't stop us from enjoying a celebratory meal of Chicken Bryan (just like Carrabba's, but a word to the wise if you try the recipe: ease up on the sun-dried tomatoes and amount of goat cheese, and layer the basil on the chicken instead of sauteing it.) I served it with a side of parmesan-garlic noodles, a fresh garden salad, garlic toast, and a honeybun cake. Even sweeter: we were able to dine on the deck tonight, since it's now finished and sealed for the season. See whatcha missed, birthday boy?
He turns 25 today. Or put another way, he's a quarter of a century old (insert evil chuckling here.) When I was just a few years older than he is now, he made me feel ancient by comparing my age to his freshly minted Kindergarten teacher, Miss Beeson. (He loved Miss Beeson and everything about Miss Beeson was simply amazing.) When she celebrated her 24th birthday that year, he rushed home to tell me all about her party (they had cupcakes), and he asked me my age and then looked up at me with his huge brown eyes and said - with complete sincerity - "Wow, mama. You are REALLY old!" I've fought the urge to park myself in a rocker ever since.
The isolated thunderstorms were isolated to other parts of the midstate; no rain here today. Just sultry. Again. While my better half and the pooch toiled away on the landscape, I escaped to the air-conditioned indoors and made sure all the classrooms are ready for the start of the third lesson (the flood), which begins tomorrow morning. Our Summer Bible Vacation (aka all-summer VBS) is now at the halfway point - just 6 more weeks and we'll be wrapping it up. Wow - it has really flown by quickly! When I got home this afternoon, I ventured out long enough to stain the bench, so it's ready to be parked next to the hot tub and hold our towels once again.
If the weather holds out, tomorrow afternoon will involve another pass through the daylily bed, pulling out the depleted stalks, fertilizing, weeding and mulching as I go. I made a crockpot of brisket this afternoon, so tomorrow's lunch or dinner is "in the bag," so to speak.
Happy birthday to my "Baby Shea" (You'll never be too old for me to still call you that, you know!)
