too much good stuff....(and some not so good stuff)

Ok, I'm finally blogging. Not blogging these events in order so forgive me. My mind has been a jumbled mess lately. KK and I went to see No Doubt play at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal City Walk. I love No Doubt and jump at the chance to see them live. I've been a huge fan since I first saw them live in 1997 when I was living in Las Vegas. The SD (sperm donor) got me tickets for my birthday that year and I was like, WTF is No Doubt?? I was disappointed that I got concert tickets for a band I didn't even know. All that changed when I saw them play. They were so full of energy and I immediately got their CD after the show. I can thank the SD for 3 things-Drew, Kaelyn and introducing me to No Doubt. Hah! Anywho, after that little walk down memory lane, again No Doubt didn't disappoint. She had a blast at the show! She stood on her seat the whole time and danced and sang along like her mama (well I didn't stand on my seat...should have though, the guy in front of me was the Jolly Green Giant.) KK and I got some food at Tommy's before the show and got ice cream after. A weird side note was we sat next to a blogger I stalk. It was very strange seeing someone I read about on the internet in person. I didn't say hello because I thought it was stalkerish and creepy since I don't comment on her blog at all. I kind of wish I had but since she hates kids I was a little afraid she would give KK the evil eye.

Drew went to Florida for 10 days to visit his aunt, uncle and cousins. He said he had a good time but looking at the pictures tells a different story. He's not smiling in most of them and he does a lot of texting. I asked him about it and he said it's because he's a teenager. More on teenagers later.

Drew turned 17 the day before his senior year started. He had a party at home with his friends. There were a lot of teenagers stuffed into his room waiting for pizza and cake. Think we got 6 pizzas from Costco and it was plenty. We ate pizza for days. I can't believe he's 17. I don't feel that much older but I guess I am.

yummy chocolate cake from Costco...looks just like mine from this year but I had pink candles

lighting all 17 candles

yes, we sang Happy Birthday

make a wish!

The hubby's kids started football and cheer again. Brandon is a lot better than last year. Last year he did a lot of standing in the back and not really "getting in there." I think the coaches realize he's getting better because he's in more plays than he was last year. They don't start playing actual games until next month. Right now they are just practicing. Hayley is cheering for Brandon's games this year. Last year she was cheering through the community. She's moved up to the big time. I haven't seen her cheer yet since I've had to work. She usually seems embarrassed and doesn't get into it like the other girls. Hopefully she gets over some of that shyness.

Hay at cheer practice

Brandon at football practice...he's number 70

Hay had a cheer clinic one Saturday...hubby had to drop her off in Yucaipa for a few hours then drive back to watch them perform a cheer that they learned. He said it was kinda disorganized and hot.

Kids started school early this year. They went back August 10! I guess the thinking is that the schools want to come back from Christmas break and begin a new semester instead of reviewing before testing. It makes sense but their summer was cut way short and it's still so damn hot to be in school. At least they get out in May. Brandon and Hayley started 2 weeks after KK and Drew did. Drew is a senior, KK and Brandon are in 6th grade and Hayley is in 3rd grade. Drew only has 2 core classes and the rest are electives. I don't remember getting to take such cool classes as electives. He's taking graphic design, photography, digital videography and drama. Core classes are AP English and Government. He doesn't seem to have much homework (from what he tells me-he could be bullshitting me again). I just want to get through this last year without pulling all my hair out or choking him. Kaelyn was supposed to get her same teacher from last year but she decided to retire and move to Oregon (the teacher, not Kaelyn). Her real teacher is on maternity leave so she has a sub for the next several weeks. Brandon's teacher doesn't give out homework. I'm picturing some older hippie with long hair behind the teacher's desk. Hay's teacher broke her leg, has something wrong with her arm and had heart surgery. This is coming from a kid so who knows what's really going on with her teacher. I just hope the kids have a good year.

The hubby and I went to see Depeche Mode with one of my buddies from work and her husband. We had such a good time!! We saw them at the Hollywood Bowl. One of the best concerts I've been to. I've been a fan of theirs since 6th grade when my neighbor (who I had a huge crush on) introduced me to their music. We stopped and grabbed dinner and drinks in Pasadena and made our way to the Bowl. Traffic was a nightmare, as usual, but we made it just in time. The parking sucks at the Bowl. You park in one giant line of cars and pray that at the end of the night all the cars in front of you want to leave at the same time. I think we're done with concerts for awhile. They get pretty pricey.


Onto the not so good stuff. Drew has had his driver's license since March of this year. He totaled my brand new Toyota Corolla last week. I knew that him driving was risky since teenage males have the highest rate of accidents. I was starting to get more comfortable with him driving and it was nice having him drive to and from school and run errands. Basically what happened was, he was going north on Archibald Ave. from the 210 freeway and ran a red light. He hit another car going West and hit a light pole. There are two signals back to back at that intersection. He saw the first light, which was green but the second light was red. Thank God for the airbags because he could have been killed. Thankfully, the other driver was ok too. I'm so glad he's ok. I go back and forth between thinking, "it could have been worse and we'll deal with it" to "goddamn it what are we going to do now??" Raising a teenager is the most stressful, heartbreaking thing to deal with as a parent. As much as this kid gives me gray hair and says/does hurtful things, he's still my son. I'm just waiting for the day I get to hear, "you were right Mom."