Hey y'all!!

I'm so sorry for my unexpected hiatus these past few weeks! Things have been CRAZY here...really, they have.

As of three weeks ago, I've been employed full time at a conventional dairy farm about 30 minutes from my house. It's a far cry from the living history career that I've been pursuing for the last three years, make no mistake. But, it's money in the bank and not a moment too soon, for the federal government is now demanding it's money back...

I'll be totally honest in that I definitely jumped off the deep end when taking this job. I'm working about 50-55 hours a week, 5 1/2 "days" (I get three half-days, and they are staggered), and 6 hours of sleep is now a good night for me.

And let me tell you guys, being sleep deprived and running around the house prepping for a trip is a bad combination.

This past weekend, I was getting ready to go out to Ohio for my dear friends Lia and MK's graduation at the same time my family is prepping to go on a trip in the opposite direction. My brothers were changing the water from our fish tank and they were taking a lot out.

So in my big sister admonishing voice, I told them....


"Don't take too much water out, you'll drown the fish!!"


You can imagine the response THAT got from my family.

About 9 hours later, I told Lia about that...and she laughed a lot. Little did I know the repercussions that little decision would cause.....

So day of the graduation arrives with the usual craziness of creating food trays, fighting corset strings (a friend's dress, not mine!), doing each other's makeup and hair, and enthusiastically greeting old friends. It literally felt like I had never left a year ago....

The exercises start - and so do the tears. In my defense, the drops started when one of the speakers' broke and he winked at his graduate daughter...and then continued during the presentation of gifts to moms ("I Hope You Dance" didn't help matters)....and what finished them was when the last graduate hugged his mother (who had barely survived 2 form of leukemia) after the ceremony. *still crying*

Afterwards, we had a nice brunch and hours of dancing, which included a free lesson! I leaned how to rumba and waltz a little (and want more....). 

My favorite memory from that day...will probably be Lia's graduation speech.

Her speech was sentimental and sarcastic. And you know what she ended the speech with?

"The biggest lesson that I learned is "Don't take too much water out of the fish tank or the fish will drown.""

Wise words, Lia.

Old-fashionably yours,

Catherine