Riding in Cars with Teenagers...

Finally the market has come to an end. For months my life seemed to revolve around the market, and it was a bittersweet ending..  I will certainly miss visiting with my friends..new and old,  and spending my Saturday's with Lynn, but I am ready to move on to my next project, to sleep past 4:50 a.m and to not bake one single loaf of bread again.  Ever...well, at least until Thanksgiving.

My harvest season ended along with the market season.  With my last harvest I had one lonely, late blooming watermelon, and a basket full of beautiful peppers.  I'm thankful that it was plentiful and that I will get many cans of pickled peppers from this bunch.

One of my next projects is my holiday wreaths.  In a week or so Kayla and I will begin taking orders for these beautiful natural wreaths that will be ready for delivery or pick up the week after Thanksgiving.  We have been gathering supplies and making bows for the last few weeks, and are so ready to dive right into it.  This is my most favorite decoration to enjoy during the Christmas season.

My other project is sort of a pretty big project.  This has probably been this most difficult year I've had in my adult life, to say the least..At one point it felt like a woe is me sort of time, which is totally unlike me and I couldn't stand it to be honest.  As I was sobbing a few months ago during a vent session with my "tell you what you don't want to hear, but what you need to hear, Dad" he basically told me that I need to stop feeling sorry for myself, and make some changes in my life that will make me happy..then he asked.  "what is one thing that will make you happy..?"  and without any hesitation I said I want to go back to school.  So, he was like there ya go.. and that very same day I applied, and that week I received my acceptance letter.  Soo..it's official, and that burden of knowing what I want, but being afraid to go for it feels wonderful to no longer be weighing heavily on my shoulders!!  I'm loving it and actually enjoying spending my nights and weekends reading and doing assignments.  I don't know how long that love will last, but so far it's great..and it makes me happy!

Brodie likes to sit in the chair next to me while I'm working on my school stuff.  I think he likes to think he is going to college too..  He's probably the cutest study partner I've ever had.

and this guy wishes he could sit in the chair next to me..Knowing him he probably wishes he could sit in my lap instead of beside me..he is unbelievably jelly and crawls under the table to lay right under my feet.  I guess he's a pretty cute study partner too, I'm just a little biased to my Westie boys.

Last weekend we spent our Saturday night at the farm.  My cousin's wife has been wanting to have a party and burn this ever growing wood pile for several years now.. It was most definitely the largest bonfire I've ever been to for sure..I have to say that my family knows how to throw a good party, and I'm glad they are planning to make it an annual thing. 

It was also the weekend we kicked off celebrations for Trey's 15th birthday...He's a hot mess most of the time, but he's also one of my most favorite people in the world and I love celebrating him!!

Scuba was my little helper that supervised while I wrapped his birthday gifts..

Trey came home from school with a bouquet of balloons filling the foyer..we invited my Mom over had his favorite dinner with cake and ice cream.  My favorite dinner would have been cake and ice cream, but it wasn't my birthday...

How did my little infant baby child turn into this big, handsome young man so fast??  

Friday night I took Trey and his friends to dinner at an old diner for cheeseburgers and fries, then dropped them off at the football game.  It was the perfect ending to his Birthday week! 

Next up...the driving test.  It's funny how living through our children's teen years so vividly reminds us of our own teen years..I remember the day that I got my permit my Mom was like "here's the keys, you're driving home.."  "Whaaat??  Driving on the rooaaad??!! But..but.. there's people!!"  I was terrified.  I'm pretty sure my Mom was too because she kept kindly, yet nervously leaning towards me and asking me to please stop hugging the shoulder of the road.

Ummm... I'm not sure I'm ready for all that!!

I have a feeling there will be some very animated blog posting in my future...The blogging of riding in cars with teenagers..on the rooaaad..with people!

xo

Carrie