The Clifford's

Today we started a program that says if you follow the program as it is set out you will be able to do 100 consecutive proper form push-ups in six weeks.

We did our initial test to see what our starting points are.

Chris was the big winner at 15 proper form push-ups  followed by Jordan at 2 proper form push-ups (10 that were not proper form as he did not go all the way to the ground) and I brought up the rear by not being able to complete even a single proper form push-up.  So, I switched to one of the alternate forms (on my knees) and was able to do 11 before I could not do another one.

Annie has said that she is joining us.  I didn't get her initial numbers, but I bet she can beat the three of us without even trying hard.

Would anyone like to join us on our journey?  Here is the website http://hundredpushups.com   You can join us or you can do it on your own or with another support group.

Chris is in India with the camera.  He is talking about playing golf this weekend at the Hyderabad Country Club.  His trip to India was relatively uneventful considering his first flight was canceled.  Then because he didn't make his canceled flight Continental canceled the rest of his reservations.  Luckily it was straightened out before it even became an issue.  No lost luggage or overly late planes so far this trip.

 

The house is officially on the market, sign in the front yard and everything.  Our first showing is in the morning.  Unfortunately I will be at the office as my laptop is having software issues and I have to go to the office to get a new anti-virus program installed.  I can't surf the 'net and Google different companies clicking on links to unknown websites w/o the virus protections.  So, I made arrangements with the IT guy to have him call me at the office in the morning.  After I made those arrangements the real estate lady called and said she was going to show the house.  Jordan will be home alone (note to self....make sure Sue knows not to lock the doors behind herself.) and will have to take the dogs for a walk when Sue and the people show up.

 

Tomorrow evening Jordan will be testing for his Yellow Belt in Karate.  (SInce Chris has the camera I won't be able to take pictures---I'm kind of sad about that.)  Saturday morning he will go back to the karate classroom to do some extra training with the competition team.  Maybe he'll want to join the competition team.  That would be really cool.  Sunday will be a nice boring day (yay!).  Monday is Open House at the school and karate.  Tuesday I have to go to T-Town as I need to see the doctor.  (I am having a personal kind of issue and need the doctor to take a look.)  Wednesday school starts and Thursday Chris comes home. 

 

Hopefully there will be people that want to come see the house over the weekend, too.  Maybe it will sell quickly and we can get moved to T-town sooner than later.  Of course this does pose a problem with Jordan and karate....I hope it will be easy to find a karate school in T-town that is as good as this one.  I've already asked Mr. Eaves to recommend a school, and he said professional courtesy prevented him from doing so, but he gave me pointers on how to pick out a good school.  I kind of got the idea that there are a couple of schools down there that he would like us to not use...but he can't tell them by name.

 

Sorry, no new pictures.  Maybe next time.

This morning we are outside wandering around showing off our cool property to Sue, our real estate lady. It is the hottest day of the year and the yard is crunchy it is so dry. I happen to look toward the muscadine vines and I see this HUGE snake skin laying in my yard. I gasp loudly and hide behind Jordan ('cause I'm brave like that.)

Chris is all: Ooohhhh and ahhhh.

Sue is "I'm so glad you saw it, because if I had I would have had a heart attack."

Jordan is laughing at me

I'm standing there like an idiot saying: "But, I declared this a snake free zone!!"

 

Chris picks the skin up and it is really big....then we notice that part of the skin broke off down in the hole the snake went into. Yay. There is a huge @ss damn snake living in the ground between the house and the muscadines and blueberries. I'm freaking out and can not stop myself from scanning the brown crunchy grass for a huge snake.
Chris is all: "It's under ground keeping cool"
I'm all: "It could be hiding in the muscadines keeping cool and looking for something to eat."
Chris is all: "You don't know anything about snakes."
I shut up (Not because he's right, but because I'm not going to argue with him about snakes in front of Sue.)
Jordan is trying to get Baron to sniff the skin, play with the skin, or something....Baron took one whiff and proceeded to tuck tail and try to run. (Smart dog)

After Sue leaves I grab the camera and go to take some pictures....because I really and truly am trying to get over this phobia.
This snake is at least four feet long...I know this because Jordan is almost five feet and there was several inches of skin left down in the hole.

It is looking like the neighbor's are going to buy the house if the financing comes through. 

Chris and I have been pre-qualified for much more than we were anticipating getting.  We will be in T-Town this weekend looking at houses and making plans.

 

School starts in just over two weeks.  I have to decide what to buy and what not to buy for Jordan as the dress code between the two school districts are vastly different.  Here there is no shorts and hair can not touch the collar.  There he will be able to wear shorts and have his hair long.  Also, here there are three different teachers/classes that need crayons or colored pencils--some to stay in the class and some to stay in the binders.  I have no idea what will be needed in the new school and I certainly don't want to waste money by buying stuff for here that he won't need there.

 

 

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Houston for a friends wedding. My plan was to leave the hotel on Sunday morning, go to the cemetery, and then back to my BFF's house for the rest of my visit.  I was flexible and nothing was written in stone, so when the opportunity arose for me to take two of my newly met in person friends to the airport for their flight home I was more than happy to volunteer for the task.  The airport is on the way, just a couple of miles off the freeway and back, no big deal. 

Kelly, Tiffany and I went to California Pizza Kitchen for lunch.  I had a very yummy Waldorf Chicken Salad that I'm going to have to try and duplicate here at the house.  Then it was off to find Kelly a souvenir or two for her children and finally to the airport.  At first I was not at all concerned about getting around the airport.  Sure, it's been seven years since I was there but it all looked the same and getting them to the drop-off point was no big deal.  Hugs and farewells were exchanged and off I took.  I wanted I45, not I59, so I started following signs---I must have missed one because suddenly I had no idea where I was (although I knew if I turned around I could find the airport again.)  Then my BFF called to see where I was and how long it would be before I showed up at her house.  I explained where I was and she told me how to find my way to the freeway.  I missed another sign, or turn, or something because I found myself going the exact opposite way from where I wanted to be going.  I was getting more and more frustrated (do you know how much gas is?  Here I was wasting it on just driving around---I had things to do and people to see!).  Eventually I found myself on I59, so I knew where I was and how to get to the cemetery.  I was lost and driving extra places for over an hour.

I finally got on the road that the cemetery was on.  It has grown up so much!  Not at all the 'quiet' road that it was seven years ago.  New subdivision, gas stations, a Wal~Mart SuperCenter and dozens of fast food chains have sprouted up in the area.  I remembered the cemetery being hard to spot if you were going the speed limit and I remembered the landmark that was the sign to start slowing down.  Luckily that hasn't changed and I did not miss the entrance to the cemetery nor did I have to slam on my brakes in order to make the turn.  I drove around to the back where the Garden of the Innocence is, parked the car, got out, and immediately started bawling my eyes out.  I was not prepared for that.  I didn't expect to cry.  I'd been so matter of fact about the whole 'seeing Samuel's Spot' that the emotions that go along with it surprised me.  It had been seven years since I'd been there and I had forgotten that it wasn't easy.  So many new gravestones have been added, so many new broken hearts and life changing events.  I took a  couple of pictures before I walked up to try to find Samuel's Spot.

When Samuel was first buried here the grave markers did not extend to or beyond the statue of the little girl.

I  sobbed and cried for a few minutes.  Sat down beside his marker (making sure not to sit on anyone else's Angle).  I replaced his worn faded flowers that the cemetery workers put into vases when the old stuff starts looking too bad, with fresh fake flowers.  I took a picture.

Then I wandered the cemetery looking at the new markers and at some of the old ones that I remembered, like the triplet babies and the sisters buried side by side.  I mourned for all the old and new angels alike.  I ached for all of the parents, grandparents, and other loved ones left behind.  I spotted two markers side by side that are sunken into the ground.  I can only hope that the cemetery workers see it and get them leveled out before the parents come by for a visit and have their hearts torn up because their angel isn't getting good care.  The breeze was blowing making the wind chimes sing and dance, but there aren't as many as there used to be.  Samuel's wind chime is gone and the cemetery has a new rule saying that safety regulations keep them from putting up new chimes.  Soon, the Angel children that I have always envisioned running and playing making the wind chimes play will be silent forever.

Just like Samuel.