Shock and Awe. Absolute SHOCK and AWE!

OH wow. Lets see, Friday was a blast. I got a call from Brett at 8 am He wanted to make sure I was coming to his school for his carnival. I assured him I was and he asked if I would bring them some water. I told him I would. THen I asked if he needed snacks too. So he told me to hold on and he went and asked. He came back and said Please. So Rayley, Bow and I had to run to Walmart before we went to his school. When we got there I had to push in a stroller, and tote in a cooler with 24 20oz waters, and a 10 lb bag of ice all the way in. Then the secretary called Bretts teacher and asked her where she wanted the snacks. she was unaware I was bringing any. How in the hell was my son allowed to use the phone in the classroom to call me to bring snacks if she has no clue?

I told her just to save the drinks and crackers for the field trip on Tuesday.

Then we went outside. There were kids everywhere. I walked around with Brett for a few minutes. They have all kinds of 'carnival' games and you are given tickets so you can use a ticket for each game. YOu also get a ticket for a soda, cotten candy, popcorn and a pickle. I went to work the concession stand for a little while and someone came and got Bow. I told BRett to go and enjoy his carnival. He asked if he could take Rayley. I was impressed. I told him that yes, he could go and take Rayley to do all the activities. They are really great at the school and let her enjoy everything. I also wasnt worried about her getting lost, as all the teachers know her and she could find a familier face where ever she went. All 3 came back with tattoos and BRett and Rayley had gotten their face painted.

They had a blast. And Bow LOVES cotten candy. He likes pickle too, but not near as much as he likes cotten candy!

But Brett really shocked me. He is good with the younger kids, but he really took her around and showed her off. It was so nice and loving. and I got lots of compliments on him. Teachers came up and where telling me how great he was being with her.

Once we left there we had to go and get my hair cut, pay a few bills and then go to the ballpark. The coach was short handed so I tried to help get the boys a little practice time in before their game. By the time the game started I could have wrung about 7 little necks. They are the rudest bunch of kids you have ever seen. And mostly I worked with them at the batting cage. I decided to check the bats. I promise you, if there is more than 3 kids on this team with the correct size bat then I missed it. a kid that is right at 4 foot tall maybe weighs 40 pounds is using a 28 inch 21 oz bat. That is too big for even me to use. Of course, being as how I am a woman I am ignored when I tell them those bats are too big. Some of our STATE CHAMPION High School boys dont use bats as big as these kids are attempting to swing. And these are 6 and 7 year olds with a few 8 year olds. And every practice and before every game I have to put my foot down and MAKE the boys warm up. They have no concept of warming up. I will just be glad when this season is over. Honestly I will.

After they lost 5-2 we came home.

Yesterdaywe got up and pretty much did nothing. I did ask the boys to PLEASE get all their clothes and hangers out of their room. I needed them in the laundry room. ANd I folded up all of Their jeans. I told them to hang them up for me. I got up and shaved BR's head (he has a head full of hair, but wants it SHORT, so we have went to a clean shave with a little on top) and recleaned the kitchen. One time while I was feeding Bow I had heard him ask BRett to empty the dishwasher and then fill it back up.I thought that was SOOO nice) So once I put up all the dishes that Brett forgot, and put in all the dishes that he didnt see, and moved around those that he did, I came back in the living room. There sat BRett and Matt, on top of the jeans I had folded in anticipation of having them hung up. I asked BR to pause the TV. Matt jumped up like he was going to leave. BR told him to hold on.

"Where are you going?"
"huh?"
"Here is what I think"
blank stare from Matt
"You saw your mom walk back in, a light bulb went off in your head and you are jumping up to go and do what you were supposed to be doing for the last hour"
I said "nononono, let me try! You were sitting there, saw me walk in here, a light bulb started to glow a little and then dimmed quickly, but you realized you had forgotten you were supposed to be doing something. YOu just cant remember what it is. So you jumped up to run and hide and pretend you were doing something"

I told them I was going to get ready and wanted that done in the next 5 minutes. I went and got in the shower. And realized I had bought 2 conditioners. And no shampoo.

Very seldom do we ever go 'out' but twice a year we do. The NRA banquet and the National Wild Turkey Federation Banquet. You dont dress fancy for these, but I try to wear a decent shirt and jeans. Wear makeup, fix my hair and put on perfume.

Once I got out I put on my make up and tried to get dressed. There is very seldom that I go anywhere I worry about dressing decent. But twice a year I try to look nice. And I had planned to wear my lime green and perriwinkle Fat Babies tonight. Its the only shoes I have that are not crocs. I got into my cruel girl jeans. Not easy, but I was in them. ANd started trying to find a shirt to match my cowboy boots. Now up to 4 years ago all I owned was wranglers and boots. But I didnt even try to replace them. But BR did buy me those Fat Babies that yearfor Christmas. and I try to wear them twice a year. ANyway, I have 6 shirts at least that match them. And thats not easy to do. BUT all these shirts were bought after I had Rayley. So they dont fit now. I did finally manage to find one that I could wear. After trying on EVERYONE of them! while I was trying on the 4th shirt. Brett walked through. "Those jeans make your butt look big mom" This is NOT what I wanted to hear. Yes, they are the largest jeans I own, but in all honesty, I get compliments all the time on having lost my baby weight. I just dont have the shape I used to. But I am working on it. 200 sit ups at a time.

We rounded up the kids and took them to my mother in laws. The boys bailed out and she went around to hug and talk to BR, Rayley was on that side, When she got out she ended up standing right there, and Martha didnt see her when she shut the door. She slammed the backdoor with her little hand in it. OH LORDY. There was no blood, but I know it hurt. She screamed and hollered and we were finally able to get her to make a fist. She was still screaming when I was kissing it better and BR told Martha to take her in the house and put ice on it. Then my sister in law drove up on the 4 wheeler. Martha took her over there and she showed Suzie her hand, then off she went, no more tears, as long as she could ride.

We arrived at the banquet 20 minutes late. It took us 30 minutes just to make it 10 feet in. And most of the people we look forward to seeing were not even there. But we did see quite a bit of family and a few friends. The ones we love and enjoy being with, but only manage to see at the banquet or funerals.

They all asked where I was putting my tickets, cause they remembered the year I had won quite a bit of stuff. I just laughed and told them they were safe, we wernt spending any money this year.

After looking around we pretty much decided that there wasnt much to buy raffle tickets for, so we really wernt going to spend any money. (WHEW!) We were just going to eat and enjoy the evening. Then right before they did the drawings I decided that I would buy a 100.00 package of tickets. It really is a good cause, and I had saved that and a little more just for this event. They had a real cute .22 cricket that I wouldnt mind winning for Rayley. We already know it will be the first gun we buy her. But we planned on buying it in a few years. She turns 4 next month. Not quite big enough to hold up a gun and shoot it.

With the 100.00 package you get 50 tickets for the 30 or so raffle prizes and one ticket for the 'red' table with 3 guns. The 300.00 package comes with 200 raffle tickets and 2 'red' tickets and a 'blue' ticket for the bigger gun table.

BR and I put in the tickets for the prizes we wanted (some were NOT something we really were interested in) and dropped in the 'red' ticket with a little sigh, and then went to eat and watch the auction. There was some nice stuff and we would have bid on some things in years past, but diesel is just eating us alive this year. We have 2 beautiful prints that we have gotten, and I have quite a few prizes, such as a clock, knicknacks, T shirts, (one says "vegetarian: old indian word for bad hunter") and one year we won a .45 pistol. BR did bid 40.00 on a cap signed by Ted Nugent on the silent auction. We got outbid early.

Everyone that came by talked to the baby and lots of folks held him. He ate up all the attention and played on the floor for a while. He was a great kid. He wanted to stay busy though. I think I flipped him 873 times. and he would squeal and laugh.

Once everyone ate, all the auction items had been bought for outragous sums of money, they started on the raffle. I didnt get the windchimes. They were cute. But I think BR only put in one ticket. THen they called my number!! I had won 2 shooting sets! its a set with shooting glasses, ear plugs, targets and a metal frame. One for each boy. Not bad! Not worth 100.00 bucks, but heck, a win is a win. :)

As they went down the line I didnt get anything else. oh well. It was a fun night and I did enjoy it. And the boys will love these sets. I think I will save them for when we have Rayley's party. Baseball will be over and they will have more time for shooting. PLus, next year they will be old enough to get into 4H for the shooting and archery division. I dont want to raise Cows or Pigs. I just am not up to it and I think they are too young. And since a part of the money raised at the NRA banquet goes to our 4H shooting sports it will be a way to be more involved in both (BR decided last night that I needed to be involved in the Friends of the NRA, There were not alot of people there, its not well advertised and he knows how much I love volenteering for things like the PTA and such).

When they got to the 'red' table they called out the number. They always do it so slow. Cause its a really big thing, our ticket was 617488. They called out 6, everyone had a 6, same with 1 and 7. Then they called out 4, lots of folks moaned. then they said 8. There was more moans and a few waiting with baited breath. It was a full 6 seconds before he said "61748..." , yeah, yeah, I have those numbers.. come on, I am ready to go. These boots have worn a blister on my heel. Like BR pointed out earlier, the sole doesnt even look like I have ever worn them and he bought them for Christmas of 05. When we first got there and were talking to an old friend and a cousin one of them mentioned the color of the boots. Like I said, they are lime green bottoms with periwinkle tops. well Steve said why do you have one pants leg tucked in and one out?" I told him "As we were walking in I realized they were both tucked in," this happens when you just pull on boots with out pulling the pants down over them, " and once I got that one out I realized I was just too fat to get the other one out." They just laughed, then BR said "seriously, thats exactly what happened. I asked her at the time. And we all know I am too fat to bend down and fix it for her!" But they were really starting to hurt. And all I could think was "PLEASE call the number, I want to load up adn go home!"

"...8..."

Well I was holding Bow, and screamed "YES!!"
Noone heard me cause everyone was groaning. And they have a rule, they call out the number, then if noone screams they pick a new one. I was getting up, grabbing the ticket and asking BR which gun (I knew which one I wanted, but Lord knows it wouldnt be the one he wanted) and trying to get up there when the announcer said "I am fixing to drop the ticket"
"I GOT IT!! I GOT IT!!"
Then a roar went up, all our family and friends on the other side started hollering
and clapping cause they recognized who had gotten it. There I ran, poor Bow just a bouncin and went up for him to verify my number. THis is always the hardest part. Incase you are wrong you dont want to be embarresed in front of everyone. BUT it was MY number!! I had won!!

I knew which one I wanted, then I hear "dont let her pick it out! He's comin to make sure she gets it right!!" And laughter. BR was coming to make sure I got the right gun. But got stopped on the way about 8 times by people telling him which gun to pick.

There was a Remington .22, an Escort 20 gauge, and a S & W .22 pistol. I didnt want the pistol, nor the shotgun, but BR was there so I had to discuss it with him.
We picked the Remington Model 5 .22 magnum. It has a NRA medalian in it.

BR was on the same page as me. But he told everyone I picked it cause it had Gold on it! LOL

I couldnt belive I had won a gun! I was so happy. I gave them my name and have to go and pick it up on Monday.

After all the congrats and kiss my asses from family and friends we were leaving and a guy told us that they way I was running up there with the baby they thought I was gona trade him in on the gun! I told them I didnt know that was an option.