First and Last

After 17 years with a child in Warren County Public Schools, the chapter closed completely Monday.  Miles went to SWHS for the last time and had graduation practice with his classmates.  I'm so fortunate having Matt there at South to capture these moments for me as a mom.  

After practice, the students leave for the middle school for a graduation walk.  

 

From there, they go to their respective elementary schools which is always a highlight!

 

 

No Plano visit is complete without a game of dodgeball!

Love all my fellow Panther parents who sent me pictures!

 

We've been enjoying multiple graduation parties with friends.  

 

Sad we can't make them all, but all of these storms have wreaked havoc on our property.  

Friday's storm brought down one of our giant trees in the front yard along with NO power.

I was an absolute mess mainly because Miles was at work Friday night and hadn't made it home yet.  Our power went off around 10:20PM and he didn't make it back until closer to 11PM.  We had flashlights, LED candles and real candles burning.

The morning brought this disaster!

 

Super thankful this limb didn't land on our neighbors home or any of their vehicles.  It did trap them in their driveway.  Matt whipped out his Poulan saw and got to work.  We have the best neighbors - the owners of this house came out and worked to remove all the limbs and our neighbor up the street assisted too.  It made the job a little less dangerous as three minds were assessing the best way and angles to cut safely.

It was also the day of multiple community yard sales so there was traffic everywhere along with tree limbs down.  The scene was pure chaos!  I woke up super early - probably getting about 3-4 hours of sleep.  Since the power had been off overnight, I immediately thought about how I needed to try and save our groceries if possible.  I called IGA to see if they had power and ice (they did).  I headed there to get two big bags and got our cold stuff in coolers to salvage what I could.  On the way to IGA, I saw what I believe to be our subdivision's pole, and it looked bad.  Fortunately, power came back on later that afternoon at 4:20.  It could've been worse, and we are super grateful to all the crews out there working hard.

Sadly, the decision was made to remove our tree.  Our tree guy came and took it out yesterday along with trimming the adjacent tree that hangs over onto our neighbors property as well.  While we were at it, we took out a dead tree on the opposing side and also had some overhanging branches trimmed in our backyard.  

 

I have a feeling with all these storms, there is a good chance we might lose our other large tree.  It looks so lonely in the front yard now.

The bonus is we will have A LOT less raking to do this fall, and once the tree stump has been grinded down, our yard will look much nicer.

May is the NEW December - Schedule is BLOWN Up

May sneaks up on you.  It seems like January and February last forever, and the out of nowhere, it's May.  The calendar is crowded.  My tank is empty before the month even starts, motivation gone.  Isn't this the time of year where things should be winding down?  Instead, they are ramping up.  Every Saturday and Sunday is packed with events.  The weather is warmer.  I want to get in shape, walk a lot, and unearth this winter body but am terrified to pull out those shorts and sleeveless tops.  And, NOW rain every single day for eternity!

Anywho...let's get into it!  The beginning of May brought on the DERBY!

We had the opportunity to attend this year-first time ever!  How is it possible that we have lived in Kentucky our entire lives and never been?!?!  When I found out we were going, I reached out to my Derby-going friends to see if someone had a hat or fascinator I might borrow.  A shopper/fancy dresser, I am not - the only small collection of hats I own are for golf and beach!

  Karson and I did some shopping in Nashville the weekend prior.  I thought I would never find a dress, mainly because I was looking for a specific color.  The cuts, looks, and fits were not flattering at all.  I had pretty much given up when we found the store Versona in Opry Mills Mall.  I'd never heard of it, but the window display drew me in.  Score, I found a few to try on and left with an affordable dress that I liked and looked good on me (not necessarily my colorless style - however, it worked).  Will I ever wear again?  Not likely.

  

We're so fancy on Millionaire's Row - yes, we totally belong here.  Is this not the best fascinator ever?  I got SO many compliments on it - thanks Stacie!!!  So BRIGHT and FUN!

 

My sister and brother in law always host a big gathering as well!  The weather wasn't super cooperative, but we still had a great day!

 

Had to share this pic of Karson and Elizabeth rocking their scrubs and looking adorable! 
Karson is officially off the orientation clock and on her own as a nurse. 

I miss Isaac so much it honestly hurts. He’s moving back on Friday, and I’m going to soak up every minute with him this summer—might be the last one he spends at home!  He wanted us to come to Richmond last Saturday to help pack up things.  His last day of school is Thursday, and his internship in Bowling Green starts next week.

While we were there, we went to the Pinnacles in Berea.  I knew we were out of our element when the 0.8 up hill trek in no way felt like a "quick" hike as his friends described - HAH.

Confession:  I am VERY out of shape.  This isn't news, and I felt it more than ever at Red River Gorge two months ago.  A half mile on a trail feels way longer than it does on a road.  I can easily walk 3-4 miles in our neighborhood ~ not so much with hiking!  Also, since practically losing my entire right calf muscle and achilles to pickleball years ago nothing arduous seems easy.

At the .2 marker, I immediately flashed back to my kids watching Good Burger when Ed and Dexter were trying to break into Mondo Burger.

You just jump on the burger, jump on the fries, then you hop on the cup, and shimmy up the straw!

We were climbing through rocks and shimmying up pathways.  I had to stop knowing I could get up further but coming down would be pure trouble.  Matt was able to get up a little higher than me and snagged the picture with Isaac and his in shape crew!

Did I mention this "path" we were on wasn't easily identified so when Isaac's buddies chose to head over to the East Trailhead, we casually bowed out.  We still had the 45 minute hike back to the car, 20 minute drive to Richmond from Berea, getting Isaac packed up, driving back to BG which is a haul - it was time for us to go.  Little did we know the Blair Witch Project was heading our way.  I think we got turned around 2-3 times trying to find the right "trail" and parking lot.  Thankfully, I had left my phone in the car so that was our North Guiding Star.  Whew.  It was a day!

Mother's Day was perfect start to finish!  Our kids spoiled me with gifts.  Miles was off work, which is rare, and I got to spend the entire day with him!

I wanted Drake's, and it did not disappoint.  Matt and I celebrated my motherhood with Mimosas and the waitress even brought me the cutest little wine tumbler.  Sweet.  I had my favorite - the crispy orange shrimp bowl while Matt and Miles got BLT sandwiches.  They both said it was the BEST EVER.  Pro tip:  go to the brunch only served on Saturday and Sunday - you won't be disappointed. 

We decided to try out the new mini-golf course, The Shack, on our way back home.  The day was gorgeous, and we had some fierce competition.  Miles came away with the win, finishing #18 with a hole in one.  We celebrated with some soft serve - which is by far the best in town!

We went and visited with my mom that afternoon before heading over to Pap and Nana's for a pizza party birthday celebration!

Matt enjoying flying Andrew's drone and spying on the neighbors.

This weekend all the graduation parties begin!  Two weeks left before the BIG day for Miles.

June is coming friends.  It'll be summer soon.  Let's turn the power on and get through the crazy!

Almost There

The school year is winding down, and for Miles, the end is near.  While he was an early graduate at South Warren back in December, we still wanted him to participate in the May ceremony.  His cap and gown arrived yesterday, and we are making preparations for his grad party.  

Not sure how we are already here, but all of our little hens are grown and almost flown.

(Cue the song:  Running Against the Wind) It seems like yesterday but it was long ago!

The final Deaton and the final event at WCPS.

Miles has never been a jacket kind of guy.  In fact, once in second grade, I received a referral to Family Resource because he consistently showed up to Plano without a jacket (which he did not, there was usually an emergency one in his backpack).  When I got the call as to whether or not we needed assistance for outerwear, I explained to them that Miles has PLENTY of jackets - getting him to wear one is the biggest challenge.  Not much has changed since then!  As you can see from the letter above, Miles never wanted a letterman jacket.  I couldn't  make myself spend that kind of money knowing he would never wear it.  However, I did want to highlight his athletic achievements though because they are special to us.  I took his letter to Franklin Sporting Goods and had all his patches sewn on.  Sidenote:  if you are a person that has a neat and tidy personality, aka TJ Maxx makes you super uncomfortable, be prepared if you ever go to Franklin Sporting Goods.  It's complete inventory mayhem and reminds me of most of the local Dollar General stores - shimmying through the aisles around product carts and hopeful things don't spill over on top of you.

When you are no longer enrolled in school, you are not allowed to participate in any school events. For Miles, not a problem.  Outside of golf, he wasn't what I would call a very "social" student.  About a week or two before South's prom, he mentioned that his friend Thomas was wanting him to go with him.  These two have had such a special friendship since the early Plano days.  I love that they still hang out and have fun memories together.

The admin pre-prom gathering at our house to all ride over together since parking is limited at the facility they use.  South has the BEST team on the planet.  Thank goodness Ms. Cooper keeps these three goofballs in line!

Three studs at Prom!

I spy our rock star Miles Deaton on the Distinguished/Proficient KSA Wall of Fame!

 

One of my favorite things to do this time of the year is visit South's greenhouse and pick out annuals for my flower pots.  They have such a great, affordable collection, all grown by students.  Flowers make everything feel cheerful and are a reminder that warm weather is coming!

We sure did miss Isaac this Easter but were happy he and McKayla came in for a quick visit the weekend before. 

Of course I had to get them both some Easter treats!

 Here are some pics we got before worshipping at Hillvue last Sunday.  Boy oh boy if you were at that Easter service, the music/praise and worship was FIRE.  Wow.

We ate lunch at my parents house and then headed over to Matt's parents for dinner.

Easter egg excitement with the younger cousins!

Pap and Nana and ALL their boys!

 

Have I mentioned lately that I love my job?  I do.  I get to work with some of the best people on the planet.  Adult Education is such rewarding work, and I am thankful for my new home and friendships.

Spring events and sports at South monopolize a lot of Matt's time after school.  I love tagging along with him to all the things he's covering.  It makes me feel young, and getting to support others kids (who they are super proud of) is also a highlight.  From lacrosse, boys volleyball, baseball, softball, and tons of other things, we covered some serious ground last week.

One of the exciting events last week was the FFA Banquet on Friday night.  This is second year we've been able to attend.  It's incredible how many students are involved in this program.  Matt was inducted as an honorary member by President Carver Woosley.  

On Saturday morning, Matt asked me if I wanted to ride with him to the Bass Fishing regional tournament at Lake Barkley.  The weather was gorgeous, and I couldn't think of a better way to spend a Saturday.  We took off around noon and spent the day at the lake.  The Spartan Anglers caught a bunch of fish but few that qualified.  They sure do look sharp though!

You can't go to Lake Barkley and not eat at Patti's.  Be warned though, it's heavily visited and you might not get a seat as quickly as we did without a reservation.  We managed to snag a 20 minute wait time, even with a local prom happening.

We both had the catfish which was the best I've ever eaten and treated ourselves to the Peanut Butter Chess Sinker pie dessert.  After time, we walked around the settlement and browsed some of the gift shops before heading back.  It was the perfect Saturday night!