Baby Mommas

This one goes out to the baby mammas.  And daddys.  Lots went on this weekend, but today I shall start with the babies.  This weekend was Mandy Brantley's dirty 30 bday weekend.  It was great.  Let me take you back a ways.  To what I like to call my glory days.  When I was in high school I got the chance to spend time with a very special group of people.  This is like 2001- barely made it past the millennium... When I began going to Young Life @ Adam and Dana's my life changed almost immediately.  I met Tradd, McCarthy, Mandy, Thad, Lara, John Moye, Chris Simon and Hinson.  A few years later came some other great ones.  Plus I met Adam and Dana (Stinks for you if you don't know them).  These people loved me, encouraged me and spent time with me.  They don't even know of half of the impact they had on me.  I thought they were the coolest people that I would ever meet.  Then I got to college and got to become a leader with them.  I had a group my own age, but they welcomed me like I was part of the group.  It felt so good and affirming to get to hang with them.  I have always been so thankful for them.  Here is the cool part.  They are all still so awesome. Even the people that they married are awesome.  Now they have not one, but multiple babies.  It is one of the most surreal, but incredible things to watch. I was dying laughing seeing them pile onto the beach with ginormous strollers, baby tents, baby sunscreen and kids in wet diapers. They are awesome moms and dads, but they still have that fun and hilarious spark to them.  They still invent beach games, they still say inappropriate things and they still love the Lord and are still and example to me.  I am so lucky to call them friends.  I was sad for Mandy's day at the beach to be over, because I think I could hang out with them and their ninos all day long.  I hope that I can be half the parents that they are.  Icing on the cake was seeing Adam and Dana there.  They were the spark that for real lit the flame (cheesy I know).  They gave their lives to a ministry and helped shape some awesome friendships.  Every time I see them out in public, I either want to cry or tell every single person how cool they are.  They are some special people. In all seriousness- seeing these people grow up into adults has encouraged me in so many ways.  So here's to you and your babies.  I love y'all.  I should also mention that all of their babies are BEAUTIFUL.  Figures.

Love,
Auntie Sass

See below.  I could squeeze them all dang day.

Off the Reservation

I'm going to lay down a situation.  It happened to me on the job last week.  I will try and be as vague as possible so that this said person hopefully never comes across this.  I'm also going to tell it directly from my perspective.  Which was very dramatic in this "said" situation.  Here goes.

Monday afternoon, I absolutely dread going to my next inspection. Why?  Because its in damn Monk's Corner.  The country part.  Most of you are probably lucky to never visit these yonder parts.  I pull down the drive in search of the correct gates. I pass beautiful entrances. I come to the end of the road.  To a nasty pair of gates with rusty chains.  I got a bad feeling.  Deep down in my inner princess, I knew the were the gates that would lead me to my next hour's destiny.  I wasn't ready to concede just yet.  I went up and down the road a few times. Called the owner.  He is running 30 minutes late.  Oh joy.  He declares the nasty gates are indeed his.  Great.  Can't wait.  So I sit on the side of the dirt road and call Momma Steph Bosch. I give her my whereabouts and tell her to call the cops if she doesn't hear from me in an hour or so.  I called her bc she is the only person that would most likely remember me and the fact I was about to enter the woods to an unknown house with an unknown man.  Doesn't that sound like so much fun??  Finally this truck comes flying around the corner and slams on brakes right in front of the gates.  Good Lord. Almost died before I have even gone into the woods... Things are looking great.

He hops out.  Tall, pony tail.  Indian.  Alright, cool.  Looks like a cool dude.  Says follow him to the house. The driveway went on for miles....  He was hauling butt.  I lost him a few times.  We pull up.  Awesome.  Not- a ginormous, elevated log cabin.  Sweet, I will find exactly 0 comparable log cabin sales in the area. Whoopppy.  I hop out. Introduce myself.  I get to work.  He stays beside me.  Pet peeve- when people stalk me as I measure. Gah, I need some space people.  He talked my ear off. Told me he was secluded and lonely. His wife left him. I was his social event of the week.  Great. he is going to kidnap me.  Or kill me. No biggie.  We go into the garage.  Full of cats.  Like minimum of 23 cats and kittens.  Oh Gosh.  What are these for I ask.  "I talk to them and use them."  Oh gosh.  Help.  Would you like to see some other animals?  Not so much...  We turn the corner.  Goats.  More friends...
After forever we go inside.  I am hauling butt.  Never has anyone measured a log cabin like this chica... 
Then my heart plunges as I realize I must go down to the enclosed garage.  It was pretty much like a scene of some horrific 70's scary movie that I will never watch.  It's dark.  he is following me down. I am imagining what will happen and searching for any methods of escape.  He flips on the lights. Black lights. Everywhere. Here it comes. I love you mom and dad.  It's been a great 26 years.  Don't pay the ransom.  Just live free.  He comments on how cool the black lights are.  He leads me into the hang out room.  I look for ropes and weapons... He starts talking to me about the black lights and murals and drums.. I begin to slowly back up.  Forget to breathe.  All of a sudden something touches my back.  I literally screamed bloody murder and he jumped back about 10 feet. I whip around in my ninja Betty position. Damn beaded doorway!!!  I have lost all amounts of composure by this point.  I get my measurements and tell him that I have to go.  I also lied and told him that our office tracks our iPhone.  Isn't that cool?  Geez.  Once outside he shows me one more thing.  nooooooo.  I round the corner through the woods. 2 flipping legit tee pees.  I begin to realize that I am indeed in the twilight zone and my job is ridonculous. I also realize that he possibly uses the animals in the teepees.  Animal ritual stuff...he shared some indian stuff while measuring.  Panic sets in.  I have just about lost it and tell him that I must go to another appointment and that my dad was calling.... I broke the new Volvo in and hauled some sass right off the reservation.

i dont even know.

From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2.

Praying hard as ever right now.

Fish on

I have lots of things to post, but today I shall keep it short.  Friday night, one of my favorite people graduated high school.  Not only did she graduate, she was Valedictorian.  Yeah.  You heard right.  Caroline rocked it.  So happy to get to see it!  Plus, the Senf fan threw a stellar graduation party.  I am still sore form dancing... I've just now realized that I am actually no longer in high school.  I cried at Caroline's graduation... I don't even now how I will get through all of the other ones...

Man am I going to be missing those girls next year.  They are the best and they have been such a blessing.  To combat the graduation depression- I went fishing with dad.  It was cold, windy, nasty and awesome.  It was fun to get on the water with Herb.  He hasn't gotten to fish in a very long time.  Look at this guy's smile after he landed his first redfish of the day:

ThenI tied it up with one

We had a great time.  More to come later:)  Off to senior night at church.  I'm predicting more tears..

A Class Act

I love Ronald Reagan.  It is genetic. My dad and Uncle adore him.  I spent many nights on Edisto Island being forced to listen to audible tapes of Ronald Reagan (thanks uncle Doug..)  He really was a great leader.  I came across this letter that he wrote his son right before his son got married.  Enjoy.

 

Wednesday, 16 May 2012

Love, Dad

In June of 1971, just days before his 26-year-old son, Michael, got married, future-U.S. President Ronald Reagan sent him the following letter of advice. It really is quite stunning.

(Source: Reagan: A Life In Letters; Image: Ronald Reagan, via.)

Michael Reagan
Manhattan Beach, California
June 1971

Dear Mike:

Enclosed is the item I mentioned (with which goes a torn up IOU). I could stop here but I won't.

You've heard all the jokes that have been rousted around by all the "unhappy marrieds" and cynics. Now, in case no one has suggested it, there is another viewpoint. You have entered into the most meaningful relationship there is in all human life. It can be whatever you decide to make it.

Some men feel their masculinity can only be proven if they play out in their own life all the locker-room stories, smugly confident that what a wife doesn't know won't hurt her. The truth is, somehow, way down inside, without her ever finding lipstick on the collar or catching a man in the flimsy excuse of where he was till three A.M., a wife does know, and with that knowing, some of the magic of this relationship disappears. There are more men griping about marriage who kicked the whole thing away themselves than there can ever be wives deserving of blame. There is an old law of physics that you can only get out of a thing as much as you put in it. The man who puts into the marriage only half of what he owns will get that out. Sure, there will be moments when you will see someone or think back to an earlier time and you will be challenged to see if you can still make the grade, but let me tell you how really great is the challenge of proving your masculinity and charm with one woman for the rest of your life. Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn't take all that much manhood. It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music. If you truly love a girl, you shouldn't ever want her to feel, when she sees you greet a secretary or a girl you both know, that humiliation of wondering if she was someone who caused you to be late coming home, nor should you want any other woman to be able to meet your wife and know she was smiling behind her eyes as she looked at her, the woman you love, remembering this was the woman you rejected even momentarily for her favors.

Mike, you know better than many what an unhappy home is and what it can do to others. Now you have a chance to make it come out the way it should. There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.

Love,

Dad

P.S. You'll never get in trouble if you say "I love you" at least once a day.

Letters to this editor

Sorry for the delay.  Usually, I can sit down at the computer and spout out some blogs left and write.  I don't know what's happened to me.  I'm not sure what's going on, but thinkgs have been crazier than normal.   So I need to articulate some things to myself.  Yes, that is correct. I'm now going to attempt to write a small little letter to myself... (Just stop reading if you already think I am cray cray- below will not change your opinion..)

Dear ridiculously cool, smart, responsible and genious self (had to be funny at least once... my only defense mechanism here),

Well it's been a while.  I've have been very distracted.  I sold my beloved tahoe, optimus prime.  Maybe I cried a little when he drove away... Now I drive the coolest mom car on the road.  A volvo wagon...   Swaggin or white lightening.  Almost as cool.  The car search consumed me.  Craigslist continues to waste loads of my time at work.  I should probably nip that one in the bud.  I've been a little behind at work and it has been a real you know what to try and catch up.  I have 14 more hours of continuing ed to get in before June and then 75 more hours until I can graduate this dang apprenticeship.  I absolutely hate spending money to go sit in class for 8 hours.  Geesh.  Work was going pretty well, but now I feel like I have hit a little bit of a stagnant place.  Actually- the stagnant bit is not limited to work.  It has slithered its way into several areas... It's decided to play house spiritually...  One week I'm doing good and then the next I'm back in the rut.  I have been making a nice home in the spiritual rut lately.  Decided to occupy.  I don't know if it's just because I'm worn out and the year is ending or what.  I have been lacking major motivation.  I get to be a part of all of this cool stuff.  In more of a team/community setting and then I basically am doing jack on my own.  Seriously.  I just opened Jesus Calling and the last day I read it was March 2nd.  I've learned about having a full cup about 39471,04385879 times.  Guess what?  I think the cup has a hole in it the size of Texas.  Gah.  Worst part is- I don't know how to fix it.  I hate repeating the same ol same ol.  It's not like I don't have awesome people walking along side me, but something's up.  It's weird, some days I feel like I have a zillion best friends and then some days I'm a lone ranger. Sorry- I'm not trying to be depressing...  Plus I'm getting a little sad bc some of my favorite high school friends are getting ready to graduate.  Man what I wouldn't give to get to have college again.  They have no idea what they are in for.  Okay, that's enough for today...

Regards,
SRS

PS- news just said Mitchell from swamp people died.  Sad.

Distraction

I am distracted.  I can't blog.  So, I'm sorry. Hopefully, I will get my mojo back shortly.  I didn't realize how consumed I get.  You see, I am selling my beloved tahoe, Optimus Prime, tomorrow morning.  I'm rather sad just because I love the car like it is a person.  Sad, I know.  But its true.  I have been consumed searching for a new car. So consumed that I have procrastinated work way too much, I have not had time to see friends and I have just been all discombobulated all over the place.  I have nnot been able to think of anything good to blog also.  So I don't know what's up.

Last night, I did happen to catch the super moon and all of its glory with my friend Lisa.  It was BEAUTIFUL!!

My favorite part was when we spotted Sophia and Dorothy(Hahah a lil Golden Girls reference...)