Monday, September 29, 2008

Homecoming Weekend Finale




Friday was the day for the Homecoming Pep Rally and Bonfire but both were cancelled due to the torrential downpours. The Homecoming Football game was to have been played on Saturday but was changed to Friday night as by Saturday the field would have been very muddy and more likely injuries could occur. So Ashton piled on a sweatshirt, windbreaker and her cheering wind jacket, pants and cupcake boots and along with the other cheerleaders gamely cheered through the rain and wind. I was a wimp and after the first wet, soggy quarter escaped to the car and watched the next quarter with Robyn. Mark was more dedicated and stood on the sidelines until half-time. There was to be no half-time dance performed by the cheerleaders so we left. Ashton was drenched when she arrived home, literally had to peel the clothes off her. She wanted to run out onto the football field and slide on the mud as football players sometimes do, but no one wanted to accompany her! She figured it was her last year as a cheerleader, however common sense prevailed. I probably would have been appalled if she came home with filthy clothes but secretly would have chuckled if she had done so!




Saturday night was the night of the Homecoming Dance. Ashton and Robyn went together. By all accounts they had a great time. Margaret got some great shots of the girls together before the dance, and I must give her the credit for the above photos. Ashton got ready at Robyn's so I didn't see the end result until I checked Margaret's blog later that night! Thanks for the photos Margaret! They both look sooo grown-up and pretty. I particularly like the photo of Robyn, Elizabeth and Ashton. Ashton was home soon after the dance ended and she took her "date" home as she had to work at 7 a.m. the next day at the nursing home. I am so proud of her dedication to her job but hope she is not missing out on fun times. I guess I should be lucky that she is very mature and makes good choices!

Sunday, September 28, 2008

A "Mommy and Me Day"








This is what I found when Ashton called me to "come here quick"! She managed to fit herself into Buddy's crate. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME! She still has that little kid inside her which I love. This is one of the many things I will miss next fall when she leaves for college. She did change back into her princess mode and we had a "Mommy and Me Day". Ben, Ashton and I began these special days years ago when it was just the three of us. We would go to Denny's on Tuesday nights when kids ate free and then go to Wal-Mart and just browse. We loved to go bowling. Sometimes when Ashton was with a friend, Ben and I would have a special day. We might just go to a fast-food place and window-shop, but it was "our time". Ashton and I might spend our time together looking at books at the bookstore and stopping to have an ice cream on the way home. Both kids loved spending a day at Ocean Point, we would take a picnic lunch (usually with a special treat-a sub from a local market!) and sit on the rocks. Ben would run all over the rocks exploring and Ashton would look for sea glass and shells. We all looked for heart-shaped rocks. We have filled a big jar full of the rocks we found in our travels. This was our special time together. Nothing fancy, expensive or planned out, just the "being together" time. Those days are becoming farther and farther apart as they have grown up and moved on but I will treasure the memories forever and hope they do too. As to Ashton's and my "Mommy and Me Day" today we were off to Augusta to do an errand and had fun looking through the I-Party store, checking out the Halloween costumes, decorations, trinkets, etc. And of course a stop at Wal-Mart "just for a minute". It was a wonderful day. P.S. Just as when Ashton was younger, she had to have a nap when she got home!



Thursday, September 25, 2008

Homecoming Week... Day Number Four!


Two words... Twin Day! I honestly think we were the best looking twins around! Many thanks to Auntie for finding and buying the Thing 1 and Thing 2 shirts! Sadly, no one really commented on how cute and alike we were. I thought we looked GREAT! Of course, the snooty girls wore matching tank tops... can you believe it! Robyn and I went full out. Pigtails, Thing 1 & Thing 2 shirts, dark jeans, and navy blue LL Bean clogs. We even have matching blood for God's sake. :-) Today, we were informed that, due to the bad rainstorms predicted, the Pep Rally and Bon Fire have been postponed until Thursday, October 9th. The Homecoming football game has been moved to Friday night. Also tomorrow, the cheerleaders are going to cheer at the soccer and field hockey games. Since both games are at 4, the team was divided in 2 and unfortunately, my name was chosen to go to soccer. That means that I won't get to see Robyn play. Sorry Robyn! :-( Anywhooo... at cheerleading practice today we placed a special treat in each athlete's locker and do you think we'll get a thank you. Nahhh. It's too bad that the cheerleaders don't even get a poster on our lockers. Whatever, I guess it's all a part of being a cheerleader. One day left... School Spirit Day! And of course... the Homecoming dance Saturday night! It'll be Robyn's first and my last. :-( Yesterday, I signed up for my diploma and it's slowly starting to kick in that this is it. I chose what I want written on my diploma (Ashton Anne Nickerson, of course) and I thought it was the most exciting thing to come along yet. Only 8 more months to go!

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Homecoming Week... Day Number Three!



Yay! Today was clash day! It was SO easy to do. I have soooo many clothes so all I had to do was mix 'n match. I was pretty comfy too I must say except for the flats that were a few sizes too small. I laughed when one of my friends said she had to change 6 times because she kept matching too much. It was a good day but I was sad to see people wearing regular clothes with say, a pair of shorts over their jeans. Hello, that's not exactly clashing... but that's okay... they'll go on to winning Homecoming Queen. (If you participate in everyday's theme you are put on the ballot for Homecoming King/Queen. Also today, I had to run around getting locker numbers, finding the lockers, and hanging posters on EVERY person's locker that plays a sport this fall. I had to have hung AT LEAST 75 posters. Grrrr! Not one person helped me and of course... no posters for the cheerleaders. What can I expect?

Beautiful Day


This morning Buddy and I set out on a hike on the Zak Preserve. http://bbrlt.org/ Mark and I are stewards for the Boothbay Region Land Trust and the Zak Preserve is ours to "care for". We do clearing of brush, pick up downed branches and move trees that have fallen after storms and just keep an eye on the trail. We enjoy this and its our way of giving back to such a wonderful organization. The dog and I each had a picnic lunch, he had special doggie treats and I a sandwich! We hiked over 40 minutes into the woods and found a spot near a little stream. It was so peaceful sitting there. How fortunate we are to live in an area that has preserved many properties for all to enjoy and ensuring that future generations can have the opportunity to hike and have a picnic on a beautiful fall day!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Homecoming Week... Day Number Two!

Today was theme day! This year, the senior's theme is Beach Vacation because Sprink Break Gone Wild just wouldn't fly with our advisors. Hm, I wonder why. Anyways... I got all decked out in my bikini top (with a shirt underneath obviously), lei, sunglasses, and towel. I thought I was pretty spirited compared to a bikini top underneath your clothes that you couldn't even see. One "popular" senior had the nerve to say "Ashton, people don't wear pants to the beach" in a nasty, bitchy way. But there she was in her short shorts and sweater. I was about to say "Hunny, people don't wear sweaters to the beach either." But I didn't. I bit my tongue. But that was about all for events of theme day! More to come from clash day tomorrow...

Monday, September 22, 2008

Homecoming Week... Day Number One!


Here are the lovely posters made by Ashton, co-captain of the cheerleading squad. Each year, we make posters for the football player's lockers and put "goodies" (AKA junk food/candy) in their lockers. And we do this all with the money out of our almost-empty teenage pockets. The thing that upsets me most though is the fact that these boys have to nerve to complain about not getting enough candy or the candy they wanted. I don't see them doing ANYTHING for the cheerleaders. This year, we're also making posters and treats for soccer, cross country, and field hockey teams. And, sadly, I'm sure none of them will show their thankfulness. Grrrrrrrrr...

Enough venting... today was PJ day! Hooray! Here I am with my jammies, slippers, bathrobe and all! I had to laugh when all of the popular girls and wannabes wore their pajamas (basically, short short boxers) with their Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts, with their hair done and makeup absolutely perfect. C'mon people it's pajama day! I didn't care what people thought... that's what I wear to bed God dang it. Basically, Robyn and I were the only ones who wore our jammies not really caring what people thought. More pictures/stories to come as tomorrow is theme day (seniors is beach vacation!), Wednesday is clash day, Thursday is twin day (look out for me and Robyn... we're double trouble) and lastly Friday is school spirit day! Yipee! And then of course there's the homecoming game and dance Saturday which I'll be accompanied by my beautiful date... ROBYN! Yay! :-)


Sunday, September 14, 2008

Parents Day Out

Yesterday was one of those days that just begged to be used to its fullest. Like going to Augusta to get a new digital camera. I dropped my beloved Kodak with the lens out and broke it a week or so ago. I have borrowed Ashton's Samsung and was impressed with it. So off to Circuit City where I found a Samsung. I must say the shopping was o.k. BUT when I thanked the young man for his help and he replied "Its o.k., I go shopping with my mother sometimes"-WHAT??? I know he meant well but have I been put in the category of "one of those customers"? So, after I got over that, we went to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch and for the first time ever I had a martini at lunch, yes indeed. It was a "special white grape "one to boot. I felt it was a very grown-up thing to do, with my husband, all by ourselves. Maybe we were practicing for "life after the baby bird leaves the nest", getting out and having a drink in the middle of the day! Normally this type of behavior applies when we are on a Caribbean island or on a weekend get-away. I usually have in my mind that we have to get home soon as Ashton will be back from wherever, whatever, etc., etc. We did grocery shopping after lunch so that put me right back into the dutiful mother category!

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Up and Going/ Ashton's 17th Birthday!







Seventeen years ago my life was changed forever. My third child and first daughter was born. She decided to come two weeks early and arrived five minutes into my dear sister Margaret's wedding day, and also on her great-grandmother's wedding anniversary. Here begins the chronicaling of our journey into Ashton's final year of high school...