Sewing Practice

I bought a sewing machine off Craigslist a few months ago, mainly to sew patches on things. Well, I learned through trial and error how to thread the needle and bobbin, and so, to practice, I sewed all the leftover patches on Regan's Junior Girl Scout vest. She's not a Junior anymore, and all I had at the time was olive green thread for Riley's Sea Cadet uniform. So, I practiced and got all the patches on, then went and bought clear thread. Then I sewed all her patches on her NEW Cadette vest. I can't believe she's a Cadette! She found her old Daisy and Brownie vests and tried them on, and it was too funny, they are so tiny now!

Anyway, here's the front, I need to get a picture of the back now with all our Arkansas trip patches on, it's already getting full!

Schlitterbahn

Regan won 2 free Schlitterbahn tickets for selling so many Girl Scout cookies earlier this year. Well, it's been so crazy this summer, we never had a chance to use them! Riley got to go twice this summer, and Regan hadn't been able to go, so I promised her a girl's day where we would just take off and go the last weekend they were open. Riley and David were supposed to go to Brady Lake for a Sea Cadets/Young Marine's joint training campout weekend thing, and there was NO WAY on earth we were going to be able to drag Regan out there after we were so bored last year! So, it was going to be a great weekend to go.

Well, it rained a lot, so much so that Riley's event was canceled at the last minute, which worked out well for me so I didn't have to worry about what to do with Hunter. And then, come to find out, Regan's friend Marillah, who also sold more than 1000 cookies and won the Schlitterbahn tickets too, also planned on going to Schlitterbahn the same day! So we met up with them, and Amie and I got to chill a little and hang out in the wave pool while the girls got to ride every little thing they wanted to ride! It was the perfect day to go, there were not many people there and the lines were very short.

After we left, we went to dinner in New Braunfels, and got home late, and very worn out. But Regan enjoyed her girls day and loved Schlitterbahn. It had been so long since we had been, she didn't even remember ever going there!

My First Ink

And my last! I've always heard tattoos are addictive but nope, they're just painful! Well, I've always wanted a tattoo but I couldn't decide what exactly I wanted. I mean, I haven't even painted my bedroom because I can't settle on a paint color! How will I live with something forever!

Well, today is mine and David's 20th anniversary, and what better way to commemorate it than with a tattoo? David was surprised, he didn't think I would really do it. I met him for lunch at Mandola's Italian Deli and it was really good, and then I went to the tattoo place. Talk about out of my element! But they were super nice and it was pretty easy. I was surprised that it hurt as bad as it did, I'm Ms. Natural Childbirth and all, but wow, ouch! The outlining was bad, the filling in wasn't too bad, or I was just numb by then!

So, what do you think? I told David he's been a figurative pain in the neck for the last 20 years, now he's literally a pain in my neck! But, no matter what, he's stuck with me now. I figure if we can make it for the first 20 years, the rest of our lives will be easy!

I like it, the kids were shocked, Riley thinks it's cool, Regan wasn't too happy, but glad my hair covers it. 

Now it's David's turn. Maybe my name in big fancy letters across his chest?

HHS MCJROTC

That's a lot of initials! Hendrickson High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps. (I think).

Anyway, this was Riley's first day to wear his "uniform" to school. They wear the full gear one day a week, and have PT one day a week. He looked so handsome in his uniform! He did get a bigger hat though, because this one was a little small.

US Naval Academy

I know I'm late posting about the boys trip, but David just gave me the pictures to post! David took Riley over Labor Day weekend to Baltimore/Annapolis/DC for a boy's weekend.  Riley has always wanted to go to the Naval Academy, so we figured letting him go see the place right as he's starting off his high school "career" might light a fire under him to do well in school.

They left on Friday afternoon, flew to Baltimore, I think that's where their hotel was. They went on Saturday morning to Annapolis and met up with one of Riley's old motocross buddies who goes to the Naval Academy now.  Jordan gave them a tour of the place, and it was nice because they got to go a lot of places that aren't open for "public". They got to see the dorms, meet Jordan's roommate as he was preparing to go run with a 40 pound weighted vest, and just got a really personalized behind the scenes look at things. I asked David to take a lot of pictures, but I meant with Riley in them, and I got a LOT of pictures of buildings and cannons. Lots of cannons.

They went to DC the next day, spent most of the day at the Air and Space Museum, and then went to see the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (he didn't take ANY pictures there, GRR!) And all the pictures at the Air and Space Museum are of planes. (Boring)

Anyway, they went  back to the Academy on Monday, I think to take more pictures. They ate some crabs, and came home super late on Monday night. Here are the best pictures, the ones with people in them :)

Naval Academy Trip