A week ago my Mom turned 70. She and Dad came down from NC for a visit and to celebrate.

They made it down in time for lunch, so I made chicken salad with all the fixings, chips and sweet tea. Mom didn't want any fuss, but who am I to listen to my mother? Matching plates, napkins and party hats!!

Ah, she's not gonna be happy about this pic, but oh well!

After lunch Mom and I headed out for some shopping at Publix. There are no Publix stores in NC, so whenever they come to visit, or even if I am headed up there, a stop is a necessity. We did make a detour by the new Babyland General Hospital where I got her a birthday sticker. Yep, I made her walk around wearing it, too! It was quickly peeled off as soon as we got into the car. There was a bit of a minor protest, but I think she had a good time. Publix is exhausting when you are with someone who doesn't get to go often! While we didn't hit every aisle we spent time in a good many of them!

We came home and Paula's mom, Chris, stopped by with our order from the organic foods vendor. Great box of goodies, we ordered again this week! Paula came by for dinner and more festivities. Justin had to work.

See the pretty flowers? They were from Justin and Paula for Mom. They rode home to NC strapped in a seatbelt on the back seat. Last I heard they are still fresh and beautiful.


We had supper, taco salad per Mom's request, then a gluten free cake and lemon and raspberry sorbet. We didn't sing, we are so bad we make dogs in the neighborhood howl, but I did get party blower thingies. Dad and Paula had a great time annoying Mom with them!

We went outside and waited for the super-moon rise. It was overcast, so only a few glimpses were to be had. Oh well, lively conversation and general merriment was better than any moon!

We got up early on Sunday morning for computer lessons. Mom is new to the computer world, and I've been trying to help her learn via the telephone. It was so much easier in person!

It was a great weekend and I hope Mom had a memorable 70th.

How does time fly!

A while back I wrote of my zinnias, and how a cute little guy sat down right in the middle of the flower bed. I can't look at zinnias without thinking of my buddy Andrew. Time has flown!

How did we go from this cute little guy winning the Peanut King crown...

To this?

I'm not old enough for this to have happened! Learner's permit will become a driver's license. Oh my!

He's one smart kid. He was skipped a grade and is now a sophomore at 15. I found out today he was accepted into dual enrollment at a local college. He plays guitar at weddings, and is the most humble polite kid I know. His Mom and Dad did a great job. Congratulations to all of you!

I started this one a week ago!

Whew! Yep, I've been gone 2 weeks - ish. Sorry about that.

Ok, so I've had homework, mid terms and now final exams. I've discovered in one of my classes that my type-A, perfectionist tendencies don't mean a thing. Spelling and the fact that some people use words they can't read, nor do they know the meaning of, gets the same grade. Grrr As for math, I'm finally re-grasping all that stuff we learned in middle and high school. There have been moments where the light bulb has flashed on because I recognized a problem, but just as quickly the light was extinguished as I had no clue what I was doing to solve it. I took half of that final last week and have the 2nd half tomorrow. Whew!