Pool @ MindSay

Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped-turned upside down
And I liked to take a minute
Just sit right there
I'll tell you how I became the drama queen of a town called New Braunfels

In south-central Texas born and raised
In the subdivision pool was where I spent most of my days
Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool
And taking my grandkids to and from the pool
When a couple of guys
Who were up to no good
Started posting signs in my neighborhood
I saw one of these signs that said "Pool's Closed"
And said 'These are homophobic, racist, and offensive. This pool ain't closed!'

I called up the media and when they came near
The trucks said "NEWS" and there were cameras in the rear
If anything I can say this whole thing was dumb
But I thought 'Now forget it, I've got the sign here!'

I went back to the house about 9 or 10
And turned on the TV to see the evening news
I watched my interview
I was finally there
To settle my throne as the drama queen of New Braunfels

            Ok.  Yesterday.  We were all anticipating the arrival, at 5:00, of my son, Casey, his wife, Holly, and their two boys.  Laurie had agreed to babysit while they celebrated their wedding anniversary.  One of the things my daughter, Molly, and her husband, Ben, decided to do in the (hot!) afternoon preceding their arrival was to put up a couple of canvas awnings on the west side of the house. 

 

            A little background.  In March, Ben and Molly bought this really nice house in which we all live—there are nine of us.  The home is large—around 8,000 square feet—but it had sat uncared for—we’re not sure for how long—at least a year.  We’ve dug out and hauled away 2.5 tons of overgrown shrubs and landscaping.  Several things have needed repair, including the pool in the backyard.  Until a little over a week ago, it was a green, murky, swampish thing.  Until the raccoons, we assume, got them, there were frogs in it.  Now, it’s clear blue water, and happy kids splash around.

 

            Well, Molly and I were finishing the last stages of the awning installation.  Ben was down skimming the pool, taking out pine needles and leaves.  Laurie was watching the kids.  The fourth youngest girl had gone inside to go use the bathroom.  When she returned, she forgot to put on her life vest and just started wading out into the water.  Laurie had her back turned but heard some splashing.  When she wheeled around, Laurie saw a girl splashing but thought it was one of the older girls playing.  Then she realized it was the younger sister and that she was in trouble.  Laurie quickly grabbed her and removed her from the pool.  Thankfully, although she was shaken and needed comfort from her dad, the only harm done was a little water that had gone in the wrong places.

 

            About three hours later, Casey and Holly had dropped off their sons, and all the kids were in the pool.  Laurie and I were watching them.  The oldest son, who is a little over three years old, had been in the pool with his life vest, dogpaddling around, saying, “I’m swimming.  I’m swimming.”   The youngest boy, about eighteen months, was wearing a vest, too, but hadn’t ventured into the water.  He was standing by the edge of the pool when his older brother pushed him in.  Laurie immediately rose from her chair and jumped into the pool.  The youngster had landed on his back, and the vest had kept him afloat, although, of course, he was upset and had gotten some water in his mouth and nose.  I held him for awhile—after I had yelled a little at his elder brother.

 

            Then, about 8:00, for some reason the drains backed up in the basement and the sump pump failed to come on.  Thankfully, we figured out how to manually turn the thing on. 

 

            We’re all sorta spent today.

 

           

 

           

 so today was my first day as a camp counsler at this camp tht i cant spell the name rite now but it was fun we went to the pool and we made root beer floats it was pretty fun. Tomorrow we are going to the bank. EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!    NOT!!!! lol We have to walk there too!  uughh this is not going to be fun tomorrow. I have to keep track of 9 little kids that are 1st grade and under and i dont even know there names id tht bad? lol well yeah so I will keep you posted on that one! lol

 

ttfn

Randi xoxo

The first of the summer fantasies...

 

So I've had this thing for Daniel Dietz for the longest time. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't? He'd always been there at youth group, for all of the year I've been going to it, as the extremely cute but quiet guy. Scratch that, the hot silent guy. He was always there' and the fact that he was so quiet made you wonder about what kind of deep thoughts muct he be thinking to keep them shut in all the while? Mystery does add a lot of sexiness. That and his pool skills. He was a total pool shark. You don't even know how long I'd just sit and watch him play pool from across the room, not just because of the sexiness factor, but I also learned a lot about the game. I was way shy when I first started going to youth group, but I always wanted to play pool and eventually I got up the guts to sign up. I got my butt kicked over and over, but eventually I got better. Nowhere near as crazy good as him, though. I swore to myself one day I was going to challenge him to a game of pool and win.

 

Then there was Joshua Fest. I went out on a limb and went, even though I barely knew anyone besides Andy, and she was going to spend the whole time oggling Daniel. Yes... I did just use the word oggle. Because she oggled shamelessly, but that's who she is. To be honest, I'm jealous of the confidence these girls have that can so actively persue a guy, especially one as high up on the social chain as him, while she was just a freshman, like me. She was with him on the ride up, actually all three of us were in Mary's car. It was awkward for me, at first, because I didn't hardly know Mary, was barely friends with Andy, and knew nothing about Daniel except that I had an extreme physical attraction to him. I saw the other side of him, for just a second, as I was talking to Mary, commenting on some jazz playing on the radio, and since there was a lull in the conversation between him and Andy, he started talking about music. Not only music, but the saxophone! Apparently he used to play when he was younger, tenor, and he was really good, or at least he went to a school with a great music program. He actually thought it was cool I played the sax!

 

That just blew me away, and moved him from a pretty decoration in the background to someone who I could actually hold a conversation with. Joshua Fest was fun, I didn't spend much time with him because Andy was there and they were, according to her, "almost dating." I made other friends and there were plenty of hot guys to go around, so I was happy. But that time in the car is honestly what sparked my attention towards him. To think- a hot band geek. Not only that but I remember talking about cross country or something and he mentioned that he used to be a lot fatter when he was younger but it made him a better person today, another thing in common!

 

Daniel was also in Leadership first semester, ASB treasurer. He didn't do much, but he planned good assemblies and the fact was he was trying. It was funny because he liked to abstain for no reason, and it became a big class joke especially after he left at semester. Being ASB meant he was at the front of the class though, and that I had no choice but to look at him, which I certainly wasn't going to argue about. He has this very slow way of speaking,, like he really thinks about everything he says, and is quiet, and really, someone like that can drive me crazy just by not talking.

 

Blah blah blah Youth Group gets the Extreme Makeover thing, annoying little kids show up, regulars don't go, including Daniel, I still go, play some pool every time, get better, sometimes get my butt kicked but not nearly as often, still get a little better, eventually on a serious game can beat our 2nd best pool shark on his off days. Summer comes around, little newbie fame-seeking kids stop going, regulars slowly trickle in, and then. dun dun dunnnnnn.... Daniel's back! Yay!

 

That brings us to my most recent round of pool. It was the end of the night, Chynna was home, lots of the original people are around a table playing Uno, and Daniel and his little brother Richard are playing pool which there's only me and Andy really left, besides all the older kids. I ask to play winner, Daniel teases me a little, "I dunno..." and that slow smile that just makes my blood boil, and it's on. "Just look at him slowly every now and them, and smile as if to say you like what you're seeing." Chynna's words echo in my mind, while I'm trying to nudge the 15 into the pocket. "Don't think about what you're going to say." I ask if I'm better than his brother, he says I'm getting pretty good. Lots of little compliments on good shots, teasing laughter at bad ones, mostly laughter at myself, and then game one is done.

 

He won, and I of course request a rematch. He teases that another loss might make me cry, and I just laugh and start to rack. The second game I'm doing much better, that or he's doing worse, probably a little of both. The awkwardness of at least making an attempt at flirting is starting to fade, so I'm playing a little more comfortably. Unfortunately for him, he keeps screwing up in all the smallest (cutest) ways. This pool shark, the guy that can make combo and bank shots no sweat, who could jump them on the old table, was scratching like crazy. Of course, even I noticed how he'd take the hardest, most impressive looking shot, even if he had an easy, wide open one. I put that and all the silly little errors together, and by my logic the only thing that comes to mind is that he's either going easy on me, or is actually a little nervous. And... I win the second game! Barely, but a win is a win, and for me to beat him was a pretty big personal victory.

 

I almost feel bad asking for a 3rd game, but I'm on a roll. I ask if he wants to play, and he says sure if I want to, and of course I want to a a part of me is like "if there's ever going to be a relationship, ever, it has to be based on honesty and trust and to say you don't want to play another game would be a lie, and I like this guy a lot and the last thing I'd want to do is lie to him." That took about a split second, and then I tell him how I'm in no hurry to get home and we start again. It's still in the first half of the game when I get a call, my ride's just pulling up. So I tell him I have to go and thanks, and I get one of those slow smiles, and there's a pause that normally wouldn't be awkward but I made it awkward, because that's how I am around guys of such a high caliber, but I can tell from his posture that he's kind of expecting it and I'm wanting it more than just about anything at that time, so we hug ("Omg I just hugged possibly the hottest guy at our school and a senior and I beat him at pool and omg don't let go don't let go") and then we let go, it was just a friendly hug anyway, and I'm off.

~~~~~~~~~~

See, and where this is where I usually make up what happens next, what I want to happen next. But, for some reason, I'm hesitant. I want to see what's really going to happen, because this is all 100% true. Do I go on, or do I let the story remain unwritten? Hmmm.....

For some odd reason the camara that all these pictures were taken off of seems to order them in any way it wants.  So we have some summer pictures intermixed with all the fall and birthday pictures!  Sorry!

 

1.  The Men in my life!  We hit the Olive Garden on our way doing some shopping for the house sometime this past summer!  As you can see Randy, is like me and hates his picture being taken.  But since I run the camara I get more pictures of him!

 

2.  I thought this was a cool picture!  We were on our way to Coltin's Birthday party at the ice rink.  That is Randy's truck shadow in a field on the way up.

 

3.  This is one of my favorite pictures from Coltin's Bday party!  That is DeLaney hanging on to the rink wall with dear life!  I just love how she has her lil tushy is in the air!

 

4.  I am in the yellow sweater and behind me is one of the party goers!  I had just hit the ice and I wasn't about to let myself away from the edge until I got use to it again!  I really never got away from the edge even when I got use to it at Coltin's Bday party, I was helping the kids out a lot!  And I am stickign with that excuse!

 

5.  This is of DeLaney and Coltin down at Grandpa and Grandma's pool on Fourth of July!

 

6.  This picture is of my dad, mom, and Randy on Fourth of July.  Randy was tired as hell and rubbing his eyes.  My mom with her shit eating grin, and my dad hurrying to put a cig up to his mouth so I wouldn't get his face!