Hello there!
You may remember me from “grabadrinkandsitwithme”, but I had to start over since I couldn’t get into that site for some reason and had to contact WP support.
If you followed me there – join me here.
Subscribe for updates, or if you use WP – hit that follow button and I’ll follow you right back. 😊
That being said – I’m not happy I lost everything over there but let me catch you up on everything that’s been going on since the last time I wrote on the old blog and now. Also, if you just found me by accident and have no idea who I am, feel free to learn and get to know me.
I promise – I’m awesome and friendly – most of the time. ha. (Usually after Coffee). lol.
Parenting and graduation: 🎓
My youngest daughter is about to graduation high school, and we’ve been so busy doing all of the last-minute things needed before graduation.
She has been amazing at kept her grades up. In fact, she’s been on the honor roll much of the time she’s been in high school, and all of Senior year. She has all of her credits in all of her other classes, and she’s about to get her last one needed – in her English class.
I’m so proud of her and so amazed at the same time – because she could have dropped all of her other classes if she wanted to, and just went to school for 50 minutes a day for her English class she needed this last credit in, but she has still gone to school all day long – for classes she doesn’t even need anymore – including a Psychology class she picked up for fun. She has said she needs something to do during the day or she’ll go crazy, and I giggled at that, but I am so happy that she’s dedicated to her education and wants to stay busy with school.
She graduates this coming Friday and it’s so bitter-sweet.
She has come such a long way, and it’s hard to believe that when we moved to Minnesota in 2020 – she was just starting 7th grade here, and now – she’s a Senior and about to leave the school, her friends she’s made here, and all her favorite teachers, but – we will forever remember all the funny and wild memories, all the people who made her time at this school special, and those who helped her so much. 💕
PROM:
A few weeks ago – she and her friends attended prom.
The very last school dance ever for these Seniors. The very last Prom they will ever go to.
I was a little nervous because she picked out a dress that she loved, and the woman at the shop we got it from – listed the alterations that needed to be made and guaranteed us that it would be ready by 3 PM on the Friday before Prom. Prom was the following day – Saturday, so when my son used my car to run his own errands and I was at work, I asked him to swing by the shop and pick up the dress at 3 – and then come get me from work.
When he came to pick me up, he walked inside and told me, “So, about the dress – it’s not ready, and the lady is working on a blue dress right now. She has other customers in there and one that called while I was there – mad because their dresses aren’t done, either. She said she was going to stay late tonight and finish Kailani’s dress and she would call you when it’s ready”.
I panicked.
I called her and she told me the same thing she told my son. She would stay late and finish it and call me when it’s finished.
We got my daughter’s Winter formal dress a few months ago – from the same lady, and we had no problems with it or her, so I trusted her – but at the same time, if the dress wasn’t ready that same day, I had to work Saturday and I wasn’t sure it would be ready or I could pick it up on time for prom later Saturday evening. So, when I picked up the kids from school on that Friday, I dropped off my oldest and youngest son at home, took my daughter with me and we went to the dress shop to wait for her dress.
When we got there, the lady once again said she would call me when it’s ready, and she said she already called her husband and son and told them not to wait up for her for dinner because she needed to work late to get some dresses ready. I politely told her we’d sit and wait, and there was no rush, but we wanted to make sure it was done that same day.
We were there for twenty minutes sitting by the fitting rooms – when she stopped working on my daughter’s dress and told us she needed to call her husband and son and let them know she was going to be late coming home.
My daughter and I gave each other a:
look…
Didn’t she say she already did that?
We didn’t say anything to her, and she was amazing at getting the dress done quickly while we were there, having my daughter try it on, and we were able to take it home that same night.
The next issue after panicking because the dress wasn’t ready – was my daughter complaining on the way home about finding shapewear. I call her “Mousey” because she’s so little and she has the perfect figure, but she thinks she has a tummy on her. She hates her stomach and she wanted to find something that made her stomach look flatter.
I thought she was crazy because the dress already looked great on her, but you can’t argue with a teenage girl who has her mind set on something. So, I went to Walmart that Friday night and picked up a shapewear piece that goes over the stomach to make it look flatter, and she tried it on when we got home.
She hated it and said it didn’t fit her right. 🤔 She then said she wasn’t going to prom if she didn’t get some kind of shapewear. She told me to ask the woman upstairs that I’m friends with. I did – and I prayed silently that she saved me from this nightmare of Shapewear for my teenager who didn’t even need it.
I joked with my daughter and told her that the $360 I paid for the dress and all the stress it gave me – says she absolutely was going to prom – with or without the shapewear!
The woman upstairs is a lifesaver! I was not driving 30 minutes and miles and miles back to Walmart, so when the woman upstairs laughed about the dilemma I was in, and told me she has one she a piece she only wore once and didn’t like – that my daughter could have – I was forever grateful when my daughter went upstairs to get it, and she loved the way it fit!
You know what she also did?
She put the shapewear I brought her from Walmart OVER the one the woman upstairs gave her – to flatten her stomach even more.
Make it make sense!!!!!!!
I just looked at her with both shapewears on and said:
Pick and choose your battles, right?!
We went to the lake, so I can grab a few photos of my daughter down there, and then to the school, so I could grab some photos with her and her friends there – the Saturday of prom.
Before prom started, the school had the GRAND MARCH – where parents and people in the community could come see students in their dresses and tuxes, see them walk across a stage, and take photos.
Students who had a date – walked the stage with their dates, and those who didn’t – were able to walk with a friend of their choice.
My daughter walked with her good friend, Pey.
I loved when the announcer shared parents’ names with everyone – who was walking the stage as they walked – and said, “The son of” – “The daughter of” – (parent’s names).
My kiddos dress. ❤️
The Grand March was beautiful, and everyone looked so nice.
The theme was PARIS.
They had the high school gym set up so beautifully.
😊
After the Grand March, I took as many photos as I could – along with all the other parents, etc. and I left once they started setting up for the prom participants to have dinner before prom started.
Prom ended at 11:30 PM that night and the after-prom party started.
The school held the afterparty to keep students safe and off the roads, and I was so happy Kailani decided to attend it as well. She changed out of her dress into regular clothes to be comfortable, and called me to let me know to pick her up at 2:30 AM because she was learning to gamble.
She said she was playing Roulette and wanted to go to a casino now when she turns 18.
I joked and told her, “I think I’ll come get you now. What is the school teaching you guys?!”.
I was so glad she had a great time, and she even won a Legos set that she built as soon as she came home.
Prom went well.
We also had Senior Tea this past week.
The Seniors tried on their caps and gowns, and they were able to invite a (+1) to join them in the high school gym to take photos of them in their caps and gowns with friends, with a 2026 graduation light up sign, have cake and coffee / punch, and just enjoy the last week of our seniors being there.
When I arrived, I didn’t see my daughter or any of her friends, but the principal said they were doing handprints and would be right out. When I finally saw her and her good friend Pey walk out of the office in their caps and gowns, I had to wipe away the tears.
Her friend Pey came running over to me and made me laugh when she reached out her arms and told me, “Nooooooo mom! Don’t cry!”. For the longest – years and years – many of the kids at the high school have called me “MOM”. They’ve all become my adopted children, and I’ve gotten to know them and some of their families as well.
No matter where they go in life, what path they all take – I hope they know I’ll always be “mom” and they can always reach out to me if they need anything. 😔
It’s so hard to believe this will all be over on Friday.
No more late-night studying and homework.
No more dances and pep fests that my daughter loved so much.
No more funny moments with friends and coming out of school telling me anything and everything that happened during the day.
No more field trips.
No more Football games my daughter never missed.
This Friday – it all comes to an end, and she will be heading off to college classes to become an EMT, and start many new friendships, new memories and a new path. I guess there will be College Football games, late night studying and homework, and all the above – huh?!
So, we’ve been going crazy getting ready for the end of high school, and graduation and trying to figure out where she goes from here.
Our schedule has absolutely been crazy busy lately, but I wouldn’t change it for the world because I know when it’s all over in a few days, I’m going to miss it!
This coming Saturday – We’ll be leaving to Chicago pretty early in the morning because a month ago – I surprised her with tickets to see Romeo Santos and Prince Royce. (Two of her favorite Spanish singers).
I planned to use that money to allow myself to see Cardi B. when she was on her (Am I the drama) tour – but instead, decided to skip that and use the money on my daughter as an early graduation gift – when I found out she wanted to see them.
She was so excited, and I can’t wait to head home for a few days – for this event and just to get away from Minnesota for a bit.
BASEBALL:
On top of running around for everything related to prom weeks ago, Senior tea last week and now graduation – I’ve also been running around for Baseball.
My little dude loves Baseball, and while we’ve only played for fun, and I’ve taught him a thing or two about the game – he’s never played on a professional or school team, so when he said he wanted to join school baseball this summer – I was all for it.
The principal was amazing at making sure he was able to get onto the team.
The crossing guard / Librarian stopped me a few weeks ago and asked if I was able to have J – add me too the group text for baseball families. I said I had no idea there was one, and she said she would talk to him to get me added.
He’s not only the Police chief in our small town, but he’s also the Baseball coach, so I was grateful she made sure she got me added to the group text chat.
He added me and messaged me separately from the group chat – telling me what the schedules were looking like for practices and games, and what Elijah would need for practices. He was also awesome enough to ask if Elijah needed cleats.
I planned to buy him some, but if Elijah went to his first and second practices and decided he didn’t like it and didn’t want to play on the team – then we would have brand new cleats he was never going to use again, so I took the coach up on the offer to grab a pair he had – that didn’t fit his son – who is also on the team.
I was grateful for that, and now that Elijah gets excited for practices and loves them, and I know he loves Baseball for sure – I can eventually go grab him a brand-new pair of cleats.
I also have to thank Chase and Jen at Dunham sports – because they were so awesome helping me pick out the protective cups for down below, Elijah’s baseball pants that fit him well, and a belt that goes with it. Chase grabbed some and told me he’d have them ready for me when we got there, and Jen was the one who ran back and forth to find other things we needed, so I’m grateful for everyone who made this all possible for Elijah to get started.
He loves it!
It also takes him off his video games for a while and gets him outdoors, so I’m happy with it.
I joked that this means I’m going to have to actually socialize in this small town, and I made a funny “ewww” comment as I talked to another mom who volunteers with practices. She laughed and promised me all the parents with kids in baseball – are usually normal and nice.
So, when I moved out here in 2020, I learned fast that gossip spreads like wildfires in this little town, everyone knows everyone and everyone is in each other’s business, so I kept to myself – except for interacting with those I worked with, and a few good friends I have made out here that I’ve grown to love and trust dearly. Other than that – I really have tried to make more friends here, but every time I think I’ve made some great new friends, I’ve been dragged into drama, or I’ve found out that they were crazy, so again – I’ve kept to myself for the most part.
The first mother I talked to that was at the first baseball practice we attended last week – absolutely agreed with me that it’s hard to trust anyone in this little town, but again – she said those moms and dads with kids on the team – are great! 😊 I have to thank her as well because she was amazing with helping out and teaching Elijah the ropes – along with the coach – who taught him a lot – at the first practice.
What I love – is that the coach guaranteed me that there will be NO bullying or boys putting each other down on his team, and he believes in uplifting each other, supporting each other and being there for one another. He made sure all the boys on his team know that they WILL be nice and help each other.
I think Elijah will do just fine, and I’m happy he has this opportunity to play on a team.
If you want to giggle – with the coach also being the Police chief out here – he stopped me a few weeks ago for turning into the wrong lane because I was so tired, and not paying attention, but all my stuff was legit – so he just warned me and we had a good laugh about it. When he asked what I was doing and I innocently said, “I haven’t had my coffee yet” – I think he knew it was an honest mistake – as I did switch over to the correct lane before he stopped me. So, the first day of baseball practice – I walked up to him to get the cleats and properly introduce myself, but I stopped mid-sentence and told him, “Never mind! You know who I am”. 🤣
Anyway –
I’m excited to travel to different areas for games, and to watch my kiddo play other teams from different areas.
My car is about to be loaded with snacks, drinks, baseball stuff, etc. My schedules are about to be so full – of work, games, practices, college stuff my daughter, and many other things, but again – I wouldn’t have it any other way. My schedule is usually always busy anyway, but it’s just about to get a little shake-up with many different and new things.
It keeps me busy and keeps my mind off other things I’d rather not think about.
WORK:
I’m still at the same place I’ve been at for many months now and I absolutely love my people.
Is my job dangerous and wild? It can be on some days.
Do I get paid a lot? Hell no.
Still, it’s so worth it and the tenants in the facility I work in – make it worth it.
I have days where I’m stressed out and there’s tenants arguing on one side, or a fight breaking out on another side that we have to run and stop – or – some of my tenants are dragging themselves in drunk off their asses and we have to assist them. There are some who have mental issues and we have to deal with mental breakdowns or trying to calm someone down when they’re highly agitated and pissed off, but I think every day being different – also makes it fun and interesting.
I’ve picked up extra shifts lately, and plan to slow down for the summer.
I want to live life and not just work all of the time.
I want to spend much of the summer with my kids and not at work.
I plan to create a schedule that allows me to work early mornings or late nights – maybe both – so I can spend summer days doing fun things with the kiddos.
And in the meantime – I love and enjoy my job.
While the pay could be better – while the leadership could be better – I don’t mind my co-workers. My job is crazy – wild – busy – and keeps me on my toes. I need that.
Our tenants in the facility are funny, fun, wild, crazy, silly, playful, and even when they’re angry, and have us running around dealing with all of their (sometimes) nonsense – I love them all dearly and I’ve grown close to many of them. 😊
MOVING:
Eventually, we’d like to move to a suburb of IL. or close to the border of IL / WI.
We want to move closer to family and friends again. Places we’re familiar with and we know.
Where we don’t have to travel miles and miles or hours and hours to have fun or go to stores that we love. Where we don’t have to wait months to get into the doctors or dentists.
I do not miss the traffic in a big city, and our country roads here are amazing, but other than that – there’s nothing for us here in Minnesota.
We’ve lived here for so long – because I wanted my daughter to finish school here and now that she’s done soon, we’re ready to go.
So, I’m trying to possibly get out of here before the summer is over, but we’ll see what happens.
I’ve already started packing things we don’t use or need out right now, and I’ll continue with the hopes that I can save enough to get the hell gone. I have a love / hate relationship with this state, and whenever I’m in IL. I don’t think about Minnesota at all.
Not to mention that there’s better career opportunities back home, and I’m ready to go somewhere – where I can actually use my college degrees with many options.
LIFE:
I don’t have much of a life these days.
I’m always working, or running around for one of the kids and their events, sports, etc. or I’m just at home enjoying a nice quiet evening with movies whenever I get the chance.
I promised myself that this year – I’d meet new people, make new friends, and go out more.
It’s almost June and all I’ve done is run errands constantly and work as much as I can.
I do need to enjoy summer and sneak some kind of fun in there or have some kind of life here. I know. I know!
I wish I had other updates for you, but right now – this is all that’s going on.
My life isn’t even close to being “together”, but each day brings something new, crazy, interesting or fun – so I can’t complain.
Again, hit that follow and I’ll follow you right back, or subscribe by email for updates. ❤️
I hope all of you continue to follow me here and have the best summer possible!
My little dude is bugging me to set the pool up outside, so he can enjoy the warm weather for a while before I have to get ready for work later tonight.
❤️Shel❤️
Xoxo...I love you! 