5:20 am

It is 5:20 am on our first day of vacation in Orlando.

I can't sleep.

We rolled into town about midnight, got everyone snug in bed around 12:30    and guess who was wide awake at 3:55...Eve.  It took us 45 minutes to get her back to sleep, and by that time I was awake...and it looks like I am not going back to sleep.  At home we run a cd player with a classical cd on repeat - someone failed to pack both the cd player and cd.  So hubby just turns on the radio station - and they play some pretty rousing music @ 4am v all of that PLUS of course we are just a few miles from DISNEY v so who could sleep anyway.  So here I am - awake - and ready to start the day a few hours before the rest of my crew...stay tuned for more ...

posting from the road

This is the first time I have posted from my Droid - and I am not sure it is the easiest thing my keyboard is tiny, and I have found that using it while Mike is driving is proving to be harder than I originally thought it would be.  So bare with me :)

We aare on the road...again - this time to Charlotte - we bought Mike tickets to see his team "Tampa Bay" play the Panthers.  We decided to make it a family outing, so we are driving out tonight aaaand are staying at a hotel for the night - then tomorrow we will watch the game from the nosebleed seats.   Originally it was supposed to be around 85 tomorrow - but yesterday they had changed it to the mid 90's - can you say sweat box!

So wish us luck tomorrow - look for 4 people in Panther gear and 1 lone soul in Tampa gear.

Closer and closer....

This time next week we will be on our way to Orlando.  The thought makes me happy, but I am also really anxious.  By this time when we went last time I was packed - seriously bags were packed and ready to go. This time I have nothing packed - nothing - not one single thing.  The suitcases are still put up - I have started a packing list - but I haven't packed one thing.

I have however finished tye-dying the shirts - in fact the last set are in the washer now as we speak - now I need to get the black fabric to add to the front of the shirts for the Mickey Mouse head.  I plan on taking this craft project (as well as the ribbon to make bows) with us to Charlotte - oh yeah - that's right...instead of spending the weekend packing and getting crap done around here we are going to watch the Panthers play Tampa Bay.

Oh and top of it all I have a ton of homework I need to do - but have no desire to do - but will have to do...on top of packing, and cleaning, and practices...etc

I am SOOOOO going to need this vacation!

Soccer mom

Growing up I played sports - Cheerleading (yes it's a sport), basketball, softball/baseball, and there was the occasional flag-ish football game here and there.  I never played soccer though - not once - in fact I"m not sure if I have ever played a game yet.  Yet here I am taking my kid to soccer - this is his 4th season, and I can honestly say I can see some improvement - the first season he didn't stay on the field much - usually ran off crying.  Second season he was more interested in tackling the other players (I think he may have watched a little football or something)... Last Spring he wasn't crying or tackling, but he was more interested in picking up grass and dancing around (about that time I started thinking it might be better to enroll him in dance)

SO today was the first practice. Mike is the coach, but he is currently playing in the woods, so he isn't able to do these first practice or the first game (he is going to miss the first game by a few hours).  We originally asked a father from last season if he could do it - he of course waits till the day of the first practice to tell us uhm no I am too busy.  SO we had to cancel practice.

Let me back up by saying that in order to hold practice or work with the kids you have to have a background check...

So dude 1 didn't do the background check - and since DH was gone we had no one to do practice.  Then last week hurricane Earl KO'd the practice.  SO I had time to find a replacement for the replacement.  SO mom & dad #2 said they would do it - I stressed to them they had to do the risk assessment etc - and of course I find out yesterday they hadn't done it - and more importantly they weren't returning my calls.

Just so happens though I did the risk assessment just in case - so today I coached soccer - We had a pretty good time - the kids listened - and I ran them enough that I think they will sleep well tonight.   I will now apparently be coaching them on Saturday.  I much prefer to be taking pictures, but right now I'm all they got.

Wish me luck!

T - 17 days and counting

ARGHTHTHTHTHTHEHDHD

We have 17 days till we leave to go on our vacation (much needed) at WDW.  I feel so unprepared - really - I mean last time at this point the suitcases were pretty much packed and I was so prepared.  This time??? Oh no, I don't have a thing packed - my "to buy" list is long and I still have 3 sets of tye dye shirts to make.  WHEN will it get done?  I have no idea - hubby is gone - every day this week we have an appt or practice of some sort - I have 2 (or is it 3) assignments due - plus I need to pick up something for hub's birthday.   I know - I know - it will all get done - sooner or later - right?

I think tonight I am going to start some packing just to make myself feel better - plus I can do a little shopping while Iz in practice tonight (thank goodness k-mart is right next to the dance studio)

What I really need is a massage and pedicure...or just a nap!

OK so this post is a little scatterbrained- but right now that is just the way it is :)

Goodbye Earl

4:37pm

I'd like to thank (aka smack upside the head) the person who added "Earl" to the list of Hurricane Names.  All day long the Dixie Chicks song "Earl" has been playing through my head.

So this morning I got up and the sky was mostly clear - but I was able to get a photo of a few of the clouds.

I woke up the kids, and got them off to school.  Eve and I stopped by the grocery for the obligatory hurricane supplies.  These weren't your run of the mill milk, bread, water....oh no instead my list consisted of chips, dip, milk (really though ours expired 2 days ago ), bananas, and bacon (ok so bacon wasn't on the list, but was on sale)

So the day went on and I have felt more and more at ease with not evacuating.  The weather people have said that we aren't expected to get more and 50mph wind here (hey they're the experts - not me) and some rain.  I had reserved a room in Raleigh just in case we needed to leave, and I still might have even considered it now if Andrew didn't have school tomorrow, but he is just under a 2 hour delay, and I am not going to drive back from Raleigh so he makes it to school on time.

I have however bungeed the trash cans and grill to the privacy fence just in case.   I have plenty of flashlights, batteries, candles, food, water, and I am charging the cell phone and laptop - so I am covered there.

I am saving this here so I can update it later

10:21pm

I have waited around to see what's going to happen - but I am exhausted - the kids don't have to go to school till 9, but that doesn't mean Eve will sleep in.  I have been up late the last few nights doing homework - so I fully intend to drift off to sleep as soon as the 11pm update is over.

I just looked outside and the wind was barely blowing - there was a light rain - but overall I feel this is going to be a pretty non-event - which it's funny but when Ophelia came through it was much worse than this, and I don't remember feeling this worried about her.

So unless I can't sleep (which as tired as I am I find that doubtful) I am closing out this blog entry and will start a new one tomorrow - I also have some cloud photos to post on here...and I have to remember hot to do that first :)