Mindy's Non-Adventures

       We just got back from spending most of last week in Greenville with friends. The official reason for the trip was a homeschooling conference. Of course, you know I don't need much of a reason to make the trip to Greenville. Homeschool conference? Let's go! Extended family issues? Let's go! Rain? Let's go! =)         The conference was great! I was surrounded by people that share my love of books. I was reminded of things I knew but had forgotten.  I got a much need refresher course on how I'd like school to go as opposed to how it has (hasn't) gone. Overall, the weekend was fantastic, but the most profound moment for me almost didn't happen at all.         Our plan for Sunday was supposed to be: get the kids ready, pack up everybody's stuff, find a way to fit everything in the van and Mr. Inc's car (We were in 2 cards because he drove up separately, but we also had to bring ...

    This week has been busy.  Busy with good things, but exhausting just the same. Monday we got to spend the entire day with friends we usually see about once a year! We were forced to look at Charleston through the eyes of a tourist, and I was actually surprised at how many opportunities we have here that I forget about. Since I think of these friends as our vacation buddies (we usually do a vacation with them, obviously!), we treated Monday like a vacation in our own hometown. Of course this means calories and budgets don't count...very much.  First, we went to the Charleston Tea Plantation. I loved it, my friend loved it, the guys didn't love it so much. It was educational so I can even count the day as a school day! We saw our first gator of the year so fun times all around. Here are some pics if you're interested... These are little, baby tea plants in the green house!  This is a field of tea. I love tea. =)  If you look closely, there's the ...

     Today will be mishmash of updates and just one small rant. First off, I'm a runner now. At least I have been for 2.5 weeks, but I think I'm almost to the point of enjoying the torture...I mean exercise. I'm following the Couch to 5k plan, and the little app on my Ipod tells me when to run or walk and it plays my music for me. =) It makes the experience about as enjoyable as it's going to be for a beginner. Up to now, I wouldn't call myself a runner because I wasn't sure I would stick to it, but after tonight, I know my feelings have changed.       You see, today I developed one my BAD headaches. It's the kind that has me just on this side of functional. It started to go away but came back with a vengeance this evening. Now you might not believe what I'm about to tell you, but it's true. When I get one of these headaches, the most reliable cure I've found is McDonald's. Really. I don't know why. I don't really want to know why, b...

     I'm going to tell you something that husbands have always been suspicious of, but would never dare accuse their wives of. At least my husband is smart enough to never call me out on it. Here it is... Women manipulate in the guise of helpfulness.       I know. It sounds awful. It is awful. But we do it, and since we're being nice, the poor husbands can't say much.  I'll give you an example so you can see what I mean. I don't have to search hard, I did it just today!     The family and I went out to Zaxby's for lunch (yes, I know...eating out FAIL). The food was ordered, and we were waiting for it to be ready. The kids were antsy and being somewhat loud. They were like the sun with a bout of solar flares:  BIG BALLS OF ENERGY with occasional flares of chaos that shoot out in a random direction. A straw wrapper flew across the table. They "discussed" whether said straw wrapper actually hit the intended target or swerved ...

   Two posts in a row? What is the world coming to??? Well, yesterday's post was just a snapshot of what we're up to these days, while today's is what really has been weighing on my mind.  Here it goes...  RECONCILIATION WHEN FRIENDSHIPS GO WRONG.      A little heavier than a road trip with kids, I know.  Anyway, let's dive in, shall we?  I have one friendship in my past that ended abruptly and on less than happy terms. It was years ago now, but I still think about it fairly often because this person truly was one of my closest friends. It was one of those few friendships that I really thought would last. I get that relationships run their course. Lives turn in different directions, people drift apart, and that's normal. Most people that enter our lives are only going to be there for a limited amount of time. However, a very few people have stuck around in my life no matter how our lives have twisted and turned. I've kept up friendships ac...