Update: If my life wasn't so dang AWESOME I wouldn't be constantly updating my blog! (I just realized this is my 200th post.)

But it is, so here I am again! (Not in chronological order...this is going to be another long one people!)

1. Don't let the date and time fool you. I started this post at 10:30 something Saturday night and then remembered I had only gotten 3 hours of sleep the night before and should be in bed...So, I am back to finish it today. And the reason for my staying up so late was the John Mayer concert! It was soooooo great. I can officially say my list of favorite musicians (living at least. Elvis is on my list to listen to in heaven. Also the Beetles when they are all together again.) is checked off and completed. It was a short list. Dave Matthews Band(can't even count how many times I have seen them...13 or 14 at least), Matchbox Twenty (seen them 2 times), Vertical Horizon (seen them a bunch...5 or 6. Aaron thinks more), Harry Connick Jr. (saw him in college. Nobody wanted to go so I talked my parents into going with me), New Kids on the Block (5 times-3 the first time around and 2 for the reunion), and the last of my favorites list was John Mayer. He is a very close 2nd to my favorite music of all time. DMB is number one. So, it is surprising that I have just now seen him in concert. But it was worth the wait and I would totally go again. The guy is an amazing musician. Aaron (who plays the guitar) said he was "ridiculous". In a good way. The best guitarist we have EVER seen in person and probably ever will. My only negative is that it could have been longer. He only played for maybe an hour and a half with the encore. It rocked. He only said one potty word (you may remember my letter to John in a post several months ago asking why he has to cuss in some of his songs), and in one of the songs that has a potty word he actually replaced it with another non-potty word. Maybe someone slipped him my letter and told him that I would eventually like to be able to have Jake go see him some day. Jake's favorite song is "No Such Thing". Jake would have LOVED this concert. But it will be years before that happens... (you will see why in a later picture..). Train (2nd time seeing them) opened up for him and they were awesome too. Before the concert started we were talking about who we have seen in concert. I kicked everyone's butt in that category. I am really going to have to make a list because it is pretty amusing the length of the list and who is on it....I will save that for another day. Here are a couple of pictures. We didn't have the greatest seats ever but we all were just happy to be there and the jumbo screen always helps.

Aaron, Me, Ranee (Happy Birthday! Going to the concert was both of our b-day gifts. But her b-day was just the day before it), and Jeremy.

John is really a big dork. He had on pants rolled up to show off his Carolina blue Chuck Taylor's and a bandanna head band on.
Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if you choose a different path? This my friends is what the world looks like to those who make poor choices...
This poor women was so drunk she couldn't even hold her head up. To see an adult like this was pretty pitiful. She was not a dumb kid making dumb decisions. She was probably close to our age!..Glad I am where I am in my life! I hope she figures it all out some day poor women.

2. And on a totally different subject. We have been doing some yard work. Mom and Dad we did some major trimming to the front yard bushes...
We did this at our house in Spartanburg and had wonderful results. Aaron tested it before he chopped them all. It opens it up SO much. There is beautiful stonework I didn't even realize was there!

Aaron cut a few back and gave it a couple of weeks before cutting the rest. See it is already growing back!
Jake moving some bricks. Hope you don't mind Mom.... Aaron has big plans. Don't worry we won't do anything major until we talk to you. This little project seemed like a no-brainer so we just went for it! Those flower beds on either side of the front path only had one flower on each side that came back. We figured we are on a budget and so are you guys and flowers can get expensive. Especially to replant every year! So, it was either have one lone flower come up and the rest emptiness...or let those small spaces go back to being grass and make it easier to mow. We choose going back to grass...Sound good to you guys, right?...
Jake carrying the bushes to the curb. The funny part is about 20 minutes after we got done we heard the guys from the city out picking them up! Perfect timing!
The sweaty, dirty face of a boy who worked hard.



3. Just a random picture I love. Nothing says summer like Jake with an ice cream cone.


4. Aaron refers to bacon as "meat candy". Yep. That's my man! A bacon loving fool! I figure I document Jake's comments, so why not Aaron's? Especially when he comes up with a genius thing as "meat candy"! And that in a nut shell sums up a lot about Aaron. That makes him sound like he should be a 300 pound guy...Not what I meant because he isn't even close. I'm just pointing out that is the simple things that make his life good...He also made the comment he would love a bacon scented candle, after I said I wish they made Arm and Hammer plus Oxi-clean laundry detergent scented candles.

5. Getting ready for our trip! Aaron is starting his training which means I won't be able to work at Bi-Lo for about a month. (He will be at school or training from about 8 in the morning until around 10 at night. So, Jake and I get to take a trip North. We are going to spend not quite a week between Aaron's brother, Mike's home in Buena (sp?) Vista, VA and DC with my sister and family. Then we will be in Vermont at Camp for almost 2 weeks. Money is tight so we talked about it and Jake agreed it was worth it to go to Vermont to cash in our "Disney World Fund". We have been collecting change for years in hopes of making a trip there. This is what it looks like in the jar:

I have rolled $209 so far and have a BUNCH left still to count. So, it looks like the trip is going to be paid for with change! We don't have to pay for places to stay-just gas and food. The gross part is this:
This is what your hands look like after rolling coins...Yuck!

6. It is funny that one of my favorite things to do in the summer, leads to one of my least favorite times. I love school supply shopping! I don't however like summer coming to an end and actually sending Jake back to school...It will work out at some point to home school him. But now isn't the time...So, we had fun shopping for all the stuff he needs! And he needs A LOT!

Jake was thrilled that he needed a "Case It" (basically a kid brief case) For his AIG math. (he didn't get high enough on the reading...bummer. He wasn't challenged in that area last year at all...Crossing my fingers for a better teacher this year in that department! But it was a 5th grade test and the fact that he got close is pretty amazing!) This is a Case It:

And something that I didn't have to have EVER in school: A USB drive (is that what you call it? I have used one...I just can't remember the name.)
This is all the stuff he needed and this only includes one thing from the optional list-tissues for the classroom.
8. And last but not least. Jake and I spent a couple of hours building with Legos the other morning. I started out making a robot and ended up making a flat and funny version of our family:

Aaron is the little guy...We ran out of bigger flat pieces. I also had a purse but it broke.

Jake made an awesome tank. He let me pick out one of the people. That would be me on top and him driving. We are awesome builders Don't you think?