Embarrassing Parents

Why is it so fun to embarrass your teenager? Last night Nick came in the front door after the football game to find me in my jammies, big fluffy robe and slippers getting comfey on the couch as Will and I prepared to watch a movie. Nick's overnight guest Derek was due to arrive any minute. After questioning us about what we were doing, Nick graciously offered to hook up a Dvd player in our bedroom so we could watch the movie there. We took him up on the offer so he quickly installed one there. He came back downstairs announcing we could go on up. Sadly for him, we were quite comfortable and decided to stay downstairs to watch the movie. "But you don't want Derek to see you like that do you?" Just tell him to look the other way when he passes through!

Then today they were playing video games when I came downstairs after making an exciting discovery. While trying to find some pants to wear, I found a neatly folded a pair of jeans that I didn't recall ever seeing before. Obviously used jeans, but quite nice. And believe it or not, they fit me. They even fit me quite well. I was somewhat pleased when I looked in the mirror. That doesn't happen very often.

So I came downstairs and asked Will if he recalled putting any jeans on my shelf, like perhaps he had actually folded some laundry once and this pair of jeans was in there? He said no, they probably belonged to his girlfriend. Except his girlfriend is quite a bit heavier than I am. "Quite a bit uglier too, I assume?" I asked. Oh yes, he assured me. "Is she also a lot dumber than I am?" That gave him pause. He looked to Nick and Derek for help. "Boys, what do I say now?" Derek advised him it was time to eat a Twix bar. Nick urged us to make a house rule that mom and dad are not allowed to talk when he has friends over.

So it was fun embarrassing him, but I was quite mystified about the jeans. Had I accidentally packed a pair that belonged to one of my roommates from women's retreat two weeks ago? How does a pair of jeans just show up in your closet, under all your other jeans?

After a few hours of reflection, I believe I recall that there was a pair of jeans in a bag of clothes that my sister-in-law Carol gave me last spring. They were a little tight at the time. I thought I gave them back, but apparently I kept them.

It's a great day!

It really is a shame that I would enjoy embarrassing a nice boy like Nick. Especially after he gave me a proud parent moment last week. He was standing at the front counter at our school office one day when an assistant doing bus duty came in. "Nick, I'm so glad to see you! There's a dead bird outside. Could you please find a broom and dust pan and pick it up for me?" Nick did not grimace, didn't groan, or in any way display how he truly felt. He cheerfully asked where he could find a broom. I directed him, he picked up the disgusting carcass and disposed of it. Way to be a hero Nick! That is true school service!

The Last Kid is Licensed to Drive!

Over the past six years, I have made many trips to the Department of Motor Vehicles with an anxious boy, starting the process with the learner's permit and finishing a year later with the driver's test. I learned to go a few doors down to the Christian bookstore, Rainbow West, instead of sitting nervously in the DMV office waiting for the minutes to slowly pass as my boy took a test.

The two older boys were blessed with excessive confidence that didn't translate into instant success. One boy passed the driving test the first time (and enjoyed the company of his tester so much that he wanted to invite her home for dinner) but took several tries to pass the written; another boy passed the written easily but made a dumb mistake and flunked the driving test the first time. Nick passed the test for the permit the first try, but was understandably nervous about the license tests. He wisely asked his dad to go driving with him the day before and critique him.

For the first time, Will was the accompanying parent on the driver's license quest as they headed to the DMV first thing Monday morning. As the time passed, I figured no news was good news. Eventually Will called and told me to get out the tissues. My heart sank, until Will continued talking about how Nick had mowed down a couple of pedestrians and so on. I requested he put Nick on the phone for a true report. Nick was thrilled to confirm that he had passed both tests with flying colors.

So here he is after they returned home, ready to hop into the old Corolla instead of his bike and head down the road to the gas station and then to his job at the seed warehouse. After paying nearly $40 to fill the tank that Eric drained every drop out of before parking the car a few months ago, Nick appreciates the boring job even more!
Will and I went down the road a little later and saw the Corolla carefully backed into the parking lot. Nick gets off work a 8:00 PM, and for the last three evenings since he got that license, he has had places to go and people to see when work is over.

Along with the satisfaction that my son growing up, becoming responsible and independent, is a twinge of sadness. I will especially miss the opportunities to talk to him that happened as I was driving him around to activities. That driver's license is a huge step in the process of becoming independent.

Knowing that Nick would be my last baby, I have especially treasured every milestone, from pregnancy on. When he was a baby, I spent as much time holding him as I could, knowing how quickly that baby time passes. Now here we are, with the empty nest around the corner in just a few more years. I will try to enjoy his teenage years as much as possible. The messes are annoying, waiting to hear the car return by curfew can produce some anxiety...but my years of putting up with it are blessedly short!

Fortunately, there are plenty of little guys around to renew the joys of childhood. Here's my nephew Cody at his Uncle Galen's house last week. Cody's approach to pools reminds me of my boys at that age - pools are not for wading in, they are for jumping into!

Cars, cars, cars....

Great excitement for our boys this week. Eric bought a car, which I will post about after he's home in the daylight long enough for me to take a picture of him with it. That means the 93 Toyota Corolla, a bit worse for wear after being driven hard by Nick's two older brothers, is parked on the driveway, waiting for him to turn 16 in two short months.

Unlike those two older brothers, Nick feels great distress at the thought of driving a car with a damaged left front quarter panel for the next couple of years. (Craig came in close contact with a pole while backing up in a hurry.) Nick is busy trying to work out a deal with his parents to eventually obtain ownership of the car if he were to pay for repairs and improvements.

The first thing he did was replace a burnt out light bulb that lights up the gearshift. This project involved removing the whole center consul. During this procedure, he found two spoons, one cereal bowl, a buffalo nickel, two pennies and a small toy. The toy could either be a Mcdonald's Happy Meal toy or something left there when we purchased the vehicle from my neice Dawn four or five years ago! It's an ugly small plastic green critter.


Here's Nick with his tools, happy with the successful completion of his first Corolla project.

I took another picture from the front of the car when he was washing it but was too ashamed to post it. It showed five cars in our driveway/street. We didn't have company, and Eric wasn't even home. The Corolla, Will's pickup, Will's work car, my car, and a wonderful 1999 Durango that's for sale. Anybody want to buy a nice used Durango? We really don't have room for it here!

An Exciting Game

After losing all four of their games so far, last night Nick's team came from behind (1-7) to lead 8-7. Last inning, the other team is batting. There are two outs and the bases are loaded. Nick is catching. If one wild pitch gets past the catcher, we lose again. Fortunately, the batter eventually hit a fly ball that our team caught. A mother feels a little stress in situations like this.

As Will and I were sitting there, I pointed out a girl that just arrived and told Will that she and Nick have become good friends. Will said, "You mean she's not here just because she likes baseball?" I'm sure she likes baseball just as much as all the other girls in the row!

He says there should be a test people have to take before they let them in to watch a baseball game, and mentioned several things they ought to know. I told him they should also know the official signs the umpires are supposed to make so they can be suitable annoyed when they do it wrong. It took Will half the game to quit shaking his head and muttering about the odd way the umpire called strikes and a few other things! But it didn't bother me at all! Hopefully they will continue to let just anybody in to these games because I sure don't want to have to pass any test!

Nick's Website

Hey everybody hows it going? This is Nick again with another blog. I have recently been working on a website to promote my business. I have spent hours and hours working on my website. I primarily used Frontpage to edit the html code. If you would like to view my website please click this link.

>Please take a moment to browse my website.

Thank You.

If you would like me to do a job for you feel free to fill out the online email form, or call me.

Whatever Works

Do you know how to have fun when you have to clean the bathroom? When Nick looked for a cleaning rag in the hall closet, he came upon some interesting items. The umbrella was a pinochle prize from several years ago and who knows why the snow goggles are in there. He kept them on the entire time he cleaned the bathroom! I guess fun is where you find it!

First Basketball Win

Going in to last night's game, Nick's team had lost 4 and almost won one that never got finished due to the power outage. As we were getting out of the car, I told him we were going out to dinner with Galen and Carol after the game. His face lit up. "Can we go to Applebees?" Well, son maybe that depends on you! I want to see you play aggressively! Get those rebounds and put them in the basket! I had forgotten what a motivator food is for that boy. In the past, the suggestion of eating wherever he chose after a game would light the fire in him, but Subway or Taco Bell were his dream destinations. He must be growing up.

His coach has the team divided into two separate teams, and each team alternates playing a full quarter. They don't practice much, being a Boys & Girls club team, and many of the players tend to run down court and shoot from outside instead of passing the ball much. Nick, of course, is not one of them, he knows his only sweet zone is within two feet of the basket! But last night they did a little better at working the ball in.

Galen and Will were leaning towards Pings, but at the beginning of the fourth quarter Galen said, "Well, if Nick makes 20 points this quarter, we'll take him to Applebees!" Sadly for Nick, he only had 9 points that quarter. The game had been quite close all the way through but the last quarter Nick's team forged ahead and won by 12. And Nick seemed to quite enjoy his dinner at Pings.

I Love Power!

Last night was the long anticipated matchup between Nick's basketball team and the team on which my fellow secretary Helen's grandson plays. Nick nearly gave her and our assistant principal a heart attack in our office at the end of the day when he stood in the middle of the office, undid his belt, and removed his jeans. After a few shocked gasps from the onlookers, it was quickly apparent that he was already wearing his basketball shorts under his jeans.

Nick's team was slightly ahead the whole way through the game. Helen's grandson, who is nearly as tall but more heavily muscled than Nick (who calls him a "beast"), politely reached down and gave Nick a hand up when he landed on the floor, but he nearly launched him to the other side of the gym! We were six points ahead with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter, enjoying the game with our youth pastor, when the lights went out. The auxilary lights remained on, but far too dim to continue playing. They gave it 15 minutes, then said the game would need to be finished at another time since the power was still down. We barely got out the gym doors when the power came back, but it was too late. There's a schedule to stick to.

The wind was gusting and the rain pouring in heavy waves on the way home. We were still around the dinner table when our power went out. I already had candles lined up, and Nick got busy lighting them. He lit over 30 wicks, and still wasn't satisfied! Aren't there more candles we can light?! A little later, I heard Will complaining about all the different scents - vanilla, pumpkin, apple pie, cranberry, honeydew (to name just a few) combined for an interesting sensory experience!

Those three wick candles are definitely worth their weight under those conditions! Will did his Soduku puzzles by the light of one of them. I finished my Christmas cards and gifts for my coworkers at the table by candlelight. Nick went to bed early, hoping for no school the next day! Eric made it safely home, then his cat tried to burn the house down by jumping on the dining room table with many burning candles while our backs were turned. I love cats. Although it was pretty entertaining watching it chase the flashlight beams Eric provided for it's recreation.

We woke to a chilly dark house this morning. I called the YMCA and asked if they had power. Yes, so I packed my bag by candlelight and headed there to shower and get ready for work! Tangent Elementary school was without power all day, and I didn't know if we'd have any when we returned this afternoon. What a joy to drive up to the house and see it brightly lit, including the Christmas tree! Of course, we didn't turn off any lights after the power went off!

Power is good. Heat and light are fabulous. I am very thankful! But one cozy candlelit evening was enjoyable.

A New Nick Name?

We were blessed to have Jody's children Brenden and Jenna in our home this evening. It was entertaining as always. While Brenden was holding onto Nick's head, getting a wild ride on Nick's shoulders, Brenden told him, "You have a furry fart head!" Jody and Kevin are so proud! Ready for a haircut yet, Nick?

It's Basketball Season Again!

Nick's team had their first game tonight. He plays on a Boys & Girls Club team, and freshman and sophomores are in this league. They played a good sophomore team tonight. I don't think we'll be playing for first place this year. But the good news is after having only 10 points at half time, we ended with 42, and a less than 30 point difference from the winner! But the important thing is, the kids had fun. It's always fun to sit by Will and hear his remarks. When a kid ran down the court, leaving one shoe behind him, Will says, "You won't see that in the NBA!" We were proud of Nick but we had to chide him gently while we were driving out of the parking lot. Same problem he had at the beginning of the season last year, playing too politely. He only had one foul! Get aggressive, Buddy!

The Destruction of Sweatshirt #2

Nick has already destroyed the new sweatshirt that replaced the bleach damaged one last month. It wasn't his fault of course. He was helping at an elementary-age event at church tonight. Apparently he was rough housing with another helper supposedly at the end of this event. One side of the zipper is ripped completely off, the pocket is dangling - it has turned into a rag. As you can see, he is appropriately ashamed. I told him I guess we'll have to run into Goodwill and see what kind of cheap sweatshirts they have. I was shocked to hear him grumble that he hates clothes from Goodwill. (He certainly likes computer junk from there.) I never thought I'd hear that a McAnulty kid didn't like anything about Goodwill.

Failure to Bleach

I was hoping to have interesting before and after pictures to post today. Last night Eric wanted to bleach his goatee white, wear it for a day, then shave it off. He figured Clorox would do the trick. I urged him to wait and buy real hair bleach, because Clorox can be a little irritating to the skin. (Besides that, the sight of a bottle of bleach in my boys hands is very stressful to me.) But he wanted to try Clorox. His end result was a slightly more golden colored goatee and a red, irritated chin. The before and after picture look the same. We'll see if he follows through or if it was a passing whim!

This Rainy Weekend

The Veteran's Day Parade yesterday started out very promising, with the sun peeking through the clouds. However, it soon started sprinkling, and soon the down pour began. Will and I were there together for the first time in our 23 years of marriage. Will, of course, was wearing Proper Rain Gear. I had a warm coat, a blanket, and umbrella. By the time the Search and Rescue group marched in front of us, they were thoroughly soaked. By the time I got done chasing them down the street to get pictures, I was also soaked. Will remained dry and comfortable on his chair in his Proper Rain Gear. The kids chose not to wear their Goretex jackets. I'm so glad I starched and ironed Nick's shirt and pants, it makes such a difference when they're soaked through! Surprisingly, he said it was a lot of fun. That's wouldn't be how I would describe this picture.

Today Will took off to go have some adventure after church. I took Nick, Eric and Nick's friend Jake down the road to A&W for lunch. The line was long. I hate long lines. But I patiently waited. Some friends from church were there in line ahead of us. When I finally got second in line, I noticed a sign that said their debit/credit machine wasn't working. I asked if they take checks. No. I hadn't enough cash to feed this mob. I asked Eric to place to order while I ran over to an ATM on the other side of the store to get cash. I looked for my debit card. Not there. Then I remembered I had put it and my license in a fanny pack with my camera to go to the parade. It was at my house. I ran back over to the line where Eric had started to place our order and apologetically canceled it. I explained my predicament to my children and we got in the car to go home. As I was backing up, my friend came running out of the restaurant, ordering me back in because she had money to lend! (Thank you, Cindy!) I got back at the end of the long line, got her cash, wrote her a check, and patiently waited my turn. So God was watching out for me once again.

And I'm a little jealous of the power of a teenage girl. A cold wind is blowing and the rain is pouring down again this afternoon. Nick would probably balk at going outside to empty the garbage or get the paper for me. But he and his friend are begging to walk a mile to go over to a teenage girl's house. What is the deal with that?

A Day Off

What a luxury, a day off. As usual, things didn't go quite as I planned. I visualized many hours of scrapbooking time. I got none. A few household tasks in the morning, then I had lunch with Craig, Molly and Eric at Izzy's. Craig and I went to the post office, and as I pulled out of the parking lot, I made a right turn. A pedestrian on the sidewalk started waving and shouting at me, and I caught on right away. I was going the wrong way on a one way street. (Well, I usually go to the Tangent Post Office.) It's only one-way for a block so I sped up and turned off quickly. Craig was sputtering a bit and said, "Mom, I don't know how you survive." I said, "It's only because God watches over me."

So I got rid of Craig and went to Fred Meyer. Sadly, I couldn't find my shopping list. I called Nick at home to see if it was on the kitchen counter. No. Fortunately, in my coat pocket I found the list I made earlier this week and couldn't find on that trip, so I still needed many of the things on that list. Things just work out for me that way sometimes. I had a few phone calls while in the store, so I wasn't as focused on shopping as I could have been. This became apparent after I got home and was putting away groceries. I realized I bought things to make two desserts for my guests tomorrow night. A little scary. Now I have to decide which one.

My friend RuthAnn wanted to meet for coffee and the timing was perfect. On the way there, I picked up Nick's Search and Rescue uniform pants at the dry cleaners for the parade tomorrow. They had a big ink spot and lots of ink scribbles on the rear end. It ended up being just one medium size ink spot. Fortunately it will be raining and he will wear a Goretex jacket so no one will see his rear end. Anyway, that made me realize I had forgotten the main thing I went to the store for, spray starch for ironing his uniform. I haven't starched anything in years. They still sell several varieties though. So after coffee, I had to journey to the other side of town again through the pouring rain, driving around the Fred Meyer parking lot several times to try to get a spot within a mile of the door.

By the time I finally got home, it was time to make dinner. The day off was over! Will was looking over Nick's pants, and he said, "What's this bag?" Patiently and kindly, I said, "It's a dry cleaning bag." Offended, he said, "I know what a dry cleaning bag is. What is this bag?" There was a small white paper bag attached. I hadn't noticed it. He opened the bag. Inside was an ink pen from Sportsman's Warehouse that had apparently been in Nick's pants pocket. It was covered in ink and obviously unusable. But how kind of them to return it to us.

Which reminds me, I need to get his uniform shirt starched and ironed, but I won't have to worry about getting it just perfect since it will most likely be pouring rain the whole time. I'll try to get a picture!