Welcome to Friday Fragments. What is Friday Fragments? I am so glad you asked. It is the day where we take all of the little bits and pieces and try to assemble them into a one post. Think of a a puzzle where all of the jagged pieces come together to make a picture? Why do we do this? Because Mrs. 4444 tells us too! Make sure you go over and check out and see what all of the other participants are putting together. You will be glad that you did!

When we went on our last cruise, I was impressed by some of the deck furniture. They had round loungers that could be flat, have the head up on either side and were big enough for two people. My husband and I enjoyed sitting on one and reading one afternoon. Since once of my goals this summer is to use my deck more, I came home with a desire to purchase one. I searched online without any luck. Lo and behold, one day when searching for screen houses online, I came around this an ad for the Orbit Double Lounger.. I have one on order for my mother's day gift. Can't you just imagine reading on this? Taking a late afternoon nap? I can't wait!

I am on our small town email list for information on town events. This week, I got an invitation to a Septic Social. Yes, you read that correctly. What is a Septic Social?
Septic Socials are workshops that suggest easy and inexpensive practices you can adopt to keep your system running effectively and to also know when you have a problem. Not only can a failing septic system cost you thousands of dollars and lower your property value, but the pollution from them seeps into our local waterways, closing clam flats and causing swimming bans. Who knew they could make learning about your septic system sound so interesting. I wonder how many names they discussed before settling on Septic Social? Can't you just imagine the suggestions? Poop Party? Sewer Soiree, Elimination Event. Yes, deciding was a shi**y job, but someone had to do it. (Sorry, I just couldn't resist.)

I have a lot more vacation time than my husband so I have come up with an idea for this summer to use up a week. It is a secret right now but it involves, the one, the only, Mary Ellen. I will keep you informed if it all comes together.

That is all I have time for today. Enjoy the weekend!

Thankful Thursday

On Thursdays, I ask everyone to stop and think about all of the good things in their lives that they are thankful for. Some weeks it is harder than other weeks but it is never a bad idea to stop and reflect. I bet you will be surprised about all of the positive things you have going on!

1) I am thankful to have a son to hug and talk to and, yes sometimes, nag.

2) I am thankful that my medical tests came out perfect. I don't even have to have a follow-up. (PS Thanks for the positive thoughts, Claudia!)

3) I am thankful that the weather has been glorious the past few weekends and the forecast is for 80 on Saturday. Yee Haw.

4) I am thankful that my sister and niece want to come visit this summer and take a jaunt into New York City for a show. Since my sister doesn't like traffic, it is a huge deal.

5) I am thankful that my son's trip to Europe got rescheduled and I didn't lose all of the money. I am especially thankful that his buddies are going too. It should be a great trip.

6) I am thankful for my crockpots and getting back on track. This week, I have made pulled chicken, turkey lasagna and roast chicken. Yum.

7) I am thankful for karate. With all of the stress in my life the past several weeks, I have needed it. For an out of shape old lady, you would be impressed at how far I have come!

8) I am thankful for the friends who gave me support while I was waiting for my test results.

9) I am thankful for my husband who fixes everything that I break.

What are you thankful for today?

Here's to appreciation.

More Sadness....

In early February, I became aware of a young man who was missing from his college in Georgia. While it wasn't someone I knew, he did graduate from our local high school a few years ago and I know several people who knew him personally. He was from a military family so they were only here a short time which is why I didn't know him. His younger sister was in my son's grade so he knew her and he knew who the older brother was. This missing person story hit close to home.

Yesterday, they located his vehicle in a creek a short distance from where he had been last seen. That particular creek had searched before but more sophisticated sonar and a dive team made this search successful. There was a body in the cab of the truck. Identification will follow today but most people are assuming that it is the missing boy. While they will probably never know why or how he ended up there, he was returning home from a college party so lack of sleep or alcohol combined with a dark boat ramp is a likely answer. As long as foul play wasn't involved, it doesn't really matter.

Someone put it well on one of the facebook pages in Bryce's honor. "Tomorrow is not promised to anyone. Cherish those you have in your life today."

My sympathy goes out to the Tarter family.

Twofer Tuesday

I recently went to a conference. Before I went, I set up my farm, my country life and my cafe so that nothing would spoil or rot or go to waste. I have been back for well over a week and I haven't logged onto any of the games. I am attempting to quit them all cold turkey. I have given passing thoughts to going in and deleting the games but haven't quite made it. I will say that I am enjoying having more free time. I didn't realize how much time I wasted harvesting, cooking, etc. I still think facebook is a great tool for keeping in touch but it can also be a huge time waster.

Last evening, my son and I had a rare evening of both being home without anything we "had" to do. I suggested that we go for a drive. No place special but just out and about. He will be going for his license in a few months so extra practice time is never a bad idea. What is it about the confines of a car that causes kids to talk? In the car, he shares his concerns about work (will the hiring of two additional people really hurt his hours this summer?), his thought processes about why he didn't sign up for a college visit (it is held on his hard day of classes and he doesn't want to miss Physics a few days before the AP exam) and how he is looking forward to the Magic tournament this weekend. Of course, when we got back home, he quickly returned to the monosyllabic answers that parents are familiar with around the world.

Have a great Tuesday!

Monday Morning Musings

Late Friday, we got an email from the high school secretary and chaperone of the trip-that-the-volcano-ruined. They have rescheduled the trip for June! Yeah. I was a little concerned that the two senior boys that my son is friends with might opt out because of summer jobs but they are both planning on going. It should be a fun trip for my son... and, yes, I plan on purchasing the insurance for this trip. We do have to pay some more $$ since we didn't get a full refund but I am relieved we didn't lose all of the money.

Saturday evening, I hopped on a limo bus and ended to Boston with some of my co-workers and a few people from other insurance agencies. We headed to Boston's famed and beloved ballpark, Fenway, to see a baseball game in style. No nosebleed seats for us in the outfield. Nope, we were in a luxury box with free food, booze and private restroom facilities. The bathroom even had a flat screen TV so you didn't miss any of the game while taking care of "business". Yes, for a few hours, I experienced life as one of the rich and (maybe) famous. The best news is that the Red Sox, who have been struggling this year, won! It was a late night but definitely worth it.

My nephew works for a company that services oil rigs. The company he works for does work on the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico BUT he wasn't on that one. Phew.

So after a couple of weeks of worse news after bad news, things are starting to look up. I am expecting some medical test results back in the next few days so I am really hoping that the good news trend continues. Please send positive thoughts my way.

Here's to an upward trend!

Twofer Tuesday

Welcome to Twofer Tuesday where I post two short things.

We are still waiting to see what will happen with regards to my son's trip overseas. The email we received from the tour company said that they will be in touch later this week to share options. I really hope they get to go sometime this summer. If not, it looks like they will apply our payment to next year. Luckily, all of the seniors bought trip cancellation coverage. Yup, you guessed it - the insurance agent (that's me!) didn't buy the insurance. It looks like it will all work out but I am a wee bit stressed over the thought of losing all of our money. Note to self, next time BUY THE INSURANCE!!!

The good news is that my son has been able to pick up a couple of shifts at work this vacation week. They found out they weren't going to go about 3:00 Friday and he - and one of his friends - were able to work on Saturday. When Evan was in 7th grade, I fought with the school about what he should do about math the next year. I started in February and we didn't come to a resolution that our family found acceptable until June. Anyway, it turned about to be the perfect choice for him academically. What my biggest concern - and the concern of some at the school - was how Evan would do socially by being mixed in with students two years older. Well, one of the students that Evan met that year is the kid who got him this job. They have become very good friends. He already knew some of the other kids in the class and they have also become good friends in the years since then. Phew. Score one for following my mom intuition!

Here's to intuituion and short posts.

Friday Fragments - back from the missing

Sorry I just dropped off the face of the earth like that. For some reason, life just got the better of me the past few weeks. It is the perfect time for a Friday Fragments post because my mind is totally on overload. Thank goodness for Mrs. 4444 - she gives us the approval we need for all this confusion!

Two very sad events have really affected me these past few days. I was at a conference last week and got a message that a friend and former co-worker had been killed in a car accident. I had just sent her a message suggesting that we get together for dinner some evening and now we can't. What a wake up call to live every moment to the fullest and to make time for those things that are important. Time with friends and family is precious and should be at the top of the "To do" list.

I got a call on Wednesday evening from Mary Ellen that Hallie's son, CJ, had passed away. I simply cannot fathom the pain the family must be experiencing. Parents are not supposed to bury their kids. I have not met Hallie in person (yet) but I enjoy her blog and know that she has to be a special person because of her friendship with Mary Ellen.

My heart goes out to both families.

My son was supposed to leave on a trip to Germany/Austria/Switzerland/France today. They have been planning it for over a year. He was excited about it - especially since two of his friends were going. They are seniors and Evan realizes that this is the last chance for them all to go. Who would have thought that a volcano in Iceland would cause all this chaos? They actually told the students they were going, put them on a bus and took them to the airport. On the way, they got contacted that their flight to Paris was cancelled and they, of course, had to return home. The trip is cancelled for this week and may or may not be rescheduled. If they don't reschedule, it is possible that the seniors will get their money back and the underclassmen will get a credit towards another trip. How frustrating!

That's all for today. Don't forget to go over to Mrs. 4444 and see what everyone else is up to.