Time to Breathe

Wow, we have been so incredibly busy lately. I don't know how it happens but after it's over, you sit back and go "I don't remember volunteering for this busy, non stop life". But it happens and you push through knowing that there is, somewhere out there, a light at the end of the tunnel. This weekend was no different, but it was so much fun also. As some of you know my Facebook has been really busy also. I created it maybe a year ago but never really did anything with it, then Melissa got one, and another friend got one and it has grown from there. The great part about it, I have reconnected with some wonderful childhood friends. Now, I'm talking about friends that I have known all my life, not since school, but actually my whole life. When I was little, among many other places, we lived in Woodbridge, VA. We were 2 doors up from my Grandparents which was also pretty incredible. In between our houses was my friend Sandy. My Mom and her Mom had gone to school together, from elementary school all the way up. Sandy and I are about 5 months apart and we have known each other really since birth. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of times with her. A couple houses up from us was Barbara. I can't remember not knowing her. She was the "older" friend, 3 years, and I always wanted to be like her. When we moved away from there to Aquia Harbour in Stafford, VA they still came to spend the night and do things with me. Of course we always went to see my Grandparents so I got to see them at those time also. Barbara graduated from high school and went away to VCU and MCV to study nursing and we kind of lost touch. I got married and moved and things just happen like that in life. Sandy is a year older than me and we saw more of each other after school. (Yes, I'm the baby, girls if you are reading this remember I'm the baby of the 3 lol) But as things happen we lost touch also. I always wondered what happened to them and where they had ended up but life happens and time moves on before you realize it is happening. Well, thank you Facebook, Sandy found me. I was thrilled. She still lives in the general area and has 2 daughters. We were talking and I asked her about Barbara. She knew a little but not much more than I did. She started searched and even though Barbara didn't have her maiden name on her account Sandy was able to track her down. We have all been talking away on Facebook and Friday we met for lunch. I was so excited!! We spend 4 hours in TGI Friday's and it was like we hadn't ever been apart. It's been probably 25 years since I've seen Barbara and 20 with Sandy. I was like finding a piece of myself that I never realized I had lost.

This is Barbara.

This is Sandy.

Well, I guess you know who this is with Barbara.

I can't wait to see them again!!!

Saturday our midget football league had a dinner and silent auction to raise money for the league. Oh, that was completely exhausting!! We started at 6:15 in the morning when we got up and didn't stop until almost 10:00 that night. Rusty's friend Jimbo picked him up to pick up the chicken and then they headed over to Jimbo's pits to start the cooking. If you have never had Jimbo's chicken you haven't lived. There is just something about it. I met Sharon at 9:00 at the church where we were doing the dinner and we got started setting everything up. It was a success but we were all completely worn out by the end of the evening.

This is my best friend Sharon, we had a longggg day.

This is another friend of ours, Cindy. If it hadn't been for her and another friend Heather, Sharon and I wouldn't have gotten a break in the kitchen. Thanks ladies!

Sharon again, the end of the evening. We were exhausted and she hates for me to take her picture.

This is Rusty's best friend, Jimbo. They are worse than girls, they talk on the phone all the time and they are thicker than thieves. You just can't find a better person.

Blake and 2 of his friends, the one in the middle is Sharon's youngest son Josh.

Doesn't Rusty look happy?
2 other friends of ours, Beth and Becki. Their husbands are on the football board with Sharon, Rusty and Jimbo. They don't see their husbands very often either unless they help our with football.
Cindy and Rusty at the end of the night. Cindy said to Rusty "No offense but you smell like smoke (from cooking the chicken) and yesterday's beer." You just can't cook chicken without a little beer.

Yesterday Rusty and I took the day off and spend it together. We weren't sure what we were going to do and where we were going to go and we ended up in old town Fredericksburg. I love going there and walking through the antique stores. We had a great time and I took my camera but the only picture I took was:

I love Goolricks's Drug Store. They have an old fashioned lunch counter. It's like stepping into yester year. When I was in school at Faith Baptist School my Mom worked at the bank on Princess Anne St. and we would get dropped off there after school. My brother and I would walk the old streets and stop at the drug store to get a BLT or grilled cheese while we waited for Mom to get off work.

I carried my camera around all day and took 2 pictures, but they were of one of my favorite places. Oh, and I was very upset that we were 11 days too early for Carl's Ice Cream. Darn.

THEY DID IT!!!

Yes, Blake's midget football team beat their biggest rival yesterday.....in overtime. It was the most nail biting game I think I have ever seen in midget football. We have 1 more game, next Saturday, and if we beat them Rusty will soon after the game being getting a VERY CLOSE HAIR CUT. The kids are very exciting about it. The chances of us winning that game are very good, we played them 1 other time already and we beat them 50-0. Rusty hates to have a score like that, he is all about the kids and doesn't want to humiliate them. After our score had gotten up pretty high he was putting kids in positions they had never played before, had offense playing defense and vice versa. He did everything but make our kids stand on the field and not move and we still continued to score. They are going to add the "red flag" to the rules next year just for games like that. It's like a slauder rule in baseball. I think it's a really good idea. The kids are supposed to be having fun and losing like that doesn't do anything but cause bad feelings. But on the upside we are now the champions no matter what happens next week, but Rusty and the kids really want an undefeated season. It will be the first time in Strasburg Midget Football history that a junior team has been undefeated and they are very excited about that. Rusty has a great group of coaches with him and they are just seem to click together. It has been really exciting to watch it all come together this year. Rusty is my husband but he really is an incredible coach and a wonderful person with the kids. While they are warming up (both junior teams warm up together) he goes down each line and shakes the hand of each kid and calls them by name. We have a little boy on Rusty's team who's Dad has a brain tumor. The Dad came to Rusty at practice one night and told him his son was going to be going through some hard times and asked Rusty if he could be there for him when the times were tough. Rusty had a hard time not crying. That's an important thing to ask someone to do for you and Rusty was very honored that they would think of him. But that is how the parents feels about him. He treats their children with respect and cares about each one them. He wants to teach them about football but he wants them to enjoy it and love the game also.

Way to go team, 1 more to win!

Ghosts, ghouls and Happy Halloween

We had a fun time trick or treating this year. My friend Sharon brought 2 of her boys over and went with me and Blake. Rusty stayed back at the house making his world famous chili and Wayne handed out candy to the 1000's of kids that came by the house. It seems like there were alot of kids out tonight but not alot of people giving out candy. I think this was the worse year for candy. Blake had a good time though and that is all that matters. He was a zombie this year and it was pretty scary. Wayne went outside to get set up for the trick or treaters and all of a sudden he came flying back in the house yelling for me to come outside, the headless horseman was riding up our road on a coal black horse. Of course I ran outside without my camera. It was the neatest thing I have seen in a long time. He had a pumpkin tucked under his arm and the horse wasn't at a full out gallop but a pretty good trot.

Ashleigh has come home for the weekend, I think she is a little homesick. It is really good to see her. She will be going to Blake's football game with us tomorrow. He only has 2 left and they are undefeated. Tomorrow's game is a tough one. We have already played Luray once and beat them but they are a tough team. Rusty has a ritual he does before every game (well other than wearing the same clothes every game down to his underwear), he prays with the kids.

They don't have to participate in the prayer but he hasn't had anyone tell him they didn't want to be included. He prays for both teams to do well, for no injuries and to have a good clean game. He ends it with the Lord's prayer. I think it is really neat that he does that.

Rusty has coached for a while but this is the first year that he's been a head coach. He was so nervous the first game, he wanted to do good and he wanted the team to do good. He had gotten himself so worked up before the game that one of his assistant coaches told him he thought that Rusty needed him to pray with him. They walked away from everyone and Tim prayed with him. That has also now become a ritual before every game. Tim is one of those people with a very calming nature about him. He always seems to be able to calm Rusty down, well as much as Rusty can be calmed before a game. It's nice to have a friend like that, with the same Christian faith who feels confident enough in himself to pray with you in public.

On Tuesday at practice Rusty told the kids if they win the next 2 games and go undefeated he will let them shave his head on the field after the last game. He wanted to give them something to pump them up and get excited about. Oh, let me tell you, they are very excited. Tim told Rusty he would fix his hair in a high and tight after the kids get done with him. He's a retired Marine so he's had alot of experience with that hair cut. ha ha Wish us luck tomorrow, it is going to be a hard game but I know the kids are up for it and are ready to play.

Happy Halloween and good night.

WAY TO GO!!

Just a short note:

Blake's football team won today 42-6, it was a great game! They are now 5-0.

I will try to get back and post the rest of the wedding pictures, maybe tomorrow, if we don't get back too late from the Redskins game.

Way to go Strasburg White Juniors!!!