Gabe is a Parrothead

Gabe broke out in spontaneous Jimmy Buffett tonight and I had to share.  Enjoy!!!

Who am I to Deserve This?

It's official - softball season has begun. [Thank goodness Molly made the team this year.  My favorite coach was going to have a long, cold season sleeping in the building from now until May if she got cut....]  Saturday was the official Kings Mountain Scrimmage [or, as we like to call it, Bring on the Cold as Crap Weather Scrimmage].  My goodness gracious it was cold !  Two days before it was 75 degrees but Saturday?  30 with a -25 wind.  There was no escaping the it either.  And, since my favorite coach runs the whole sh'bang the ENTIRE Shortie clan was there ~ one coach, one player, one concession stand worker, one gate keeper, and two goats asking for more stuff from the concession stand. Good times....good times :) I am excited about this softball season - I've got a really good feeling that it's going to be super fun!

Craig and I are so very blessed.  I look around at all of the things we have but that's not what makes us blessed.  We have these four amazing children that continue to make us laugh [and cry] and fill our lives with joy.  How could we ask for anything more?  Why would we ask for anything more?  We've spent the entire weekend together and it has been glorious.  I love just talking to them and giving them hugs.  I never imagined that being a parent could be such a fulfilling and worthwhile "job."  We have struggled since we've been married [not us as in struggled to be married but struggled financially].  We sort of put the "cart before the horse" so to speak.  Actually, we put the cart then the horse then the wheels on the cart.  I never would have imagined, in 16 years, we'd be where we are today.  It is not us that put us here but He who deserves the glory.  He blessed us with wonderful families that helped us out [and still do] along the way so that we never, ever went without the things we needed.  He kept us going through good times and bad and helped us through MANY mistakes [of course more mistakes by Craig than me but who's keeping tabs?].  

This begs the question, "Who am I?"  I am not deserving of anything God has done in my life - not one single thing.  Yet, His grace and mercy have sustained me, encouraged me, inspired me, and beckoned me to come a little farther still.  He has provided when we could not.  Breathtaking. Amazing. Love.  My heart is overjoyed and I wanted to share :)     

Short and I have decided to pack up the Shorties and take Washington by storm [I am quite certain the Secret Service just increased exponentially at the thought that Emma and Gabe would be in DC at the same time].  We are uber excited!!!!!  The last time we took our kids on vacation was almost 4 years ago [vacations cost money and we are just now learning to use ours to our benefit...never too late I suppose] and we just went to the beach.  Now, don't me wrong [Chrissy Hynde and the Pretenders just went singing through my head...hello 1986] being the good rednecks that we are we love us some Myrtle Beach [I know that rednecks aren't the only ones that go to Myrtle Beach but the people that aren't redneck stay in them fancy places 'cause the rental spots I'm always in are full of rednecks] but we would also like for our kids to see some other places on vacation.  We felt like DC would be a good choice for several reasons:
1. Alot of things to do are absolutely free [and when you are taking 6 people on vacation then free = good].
2. We relish blazing hot weather and kids on vacation ~ we love a challenge!
3. Emma and Gabe are so into Abraham Lincolnton and dinosaurs right now and the Molly and Cooper are history nerds buffs [smh] so DC seemed like the perfect place.
4. We can spend as much to go there and do 100% more as we can at Myrtle Beach.
5. Disney World was not an option this year.
I will be sure to keep you posted [as if you care] because I have HUGE plans.  I'm planning this vacation for maximum overload ~ we are going to see it all!  The hotel is booked already so we are well on our way :)

Gabe decided this morning that he no longer likes nursery.  When I asked him why, in his tiny voice he answered, "It's just too hard to be good all day!" All you Kindergarten teachers might want to consider an alternative assignment for this next school year, a new profession, or some serioius drugs if his name shows up on your roll. [Don't say you weren't warned - I have proof.]  Then, you can have a conversation like the following and you are thinking, "Wow!"
Gabe: Mommy, I like cemetaries. 
 Me: Me too! When we go to Washington we'll get to visit a huge cemetary.
Gabe: Is that where Martin Luther King is buried. 
Me [sad but I wasn't sure or not]: I don't think so.  But there are some really neat graves there like JFK's [as if he was going to know who JFK was]. 
Gabe: What happened to him?
Me:  A mean man named Lee Harvey Oswald shot him and he died.
Gabe: Did he shoot him because he didn't like him? 
Me: Yes that is right.
Gabe: Like when Plane [aka Pontius Pilot] let Jesus die because he didn't like what Jesus was telling about God?
Me:That is right.
Gabe might be a stinker but he listens when it is important :)

As always, life as a Short is awesome!!

So This is How the Other Side Lives

I ain't from a round here - I hail from [that is the appropriate spelling - I Googled it] Lincoln County.  Its not that one place is better than the other - they are about the same in  my opinion [that and $.25 will get you  nowhere] - but today I got a glimpse at how the "other side" does their grocery shopping. And, based on the odd stares I got as I pilfered through my coupons, I was the outsider in their grocery store.  What they don't know is that:
1. I work hard for my money [so hard for my money so you better treat me right] and the last time I looked, shopping at the HT in Shelby was not just for the privileged.
2. If I want to use a coupon for EVERYTHING I buy then you can take your cart full of tofu, pomegranate juice, and fresh fish to the next line.
3. Feeding six people [one being a 13 year old boy and another being a 16 year old fastpitch softball player...and of course, the two goats named Emma and Gabe] is expensive so when super double coupons is going on I'm all over that one.
4. Your complaints about "all the extra people in here just because it's super double coupons" makes me want to come back and take up more of your space.
Yeah....the "other side" doesn't live any better than I do - they just think they do. 

On my way home [as I was contemplating why Mr. State Trooper was riding  my fanny when I was clearly doing the speed limit of 65 in a 65] I heard an oldie but goodie....Stone in Love by Journey.

I was rockin'....air guitar and all.  Love me some classic rock [and when state troopers go around me to catch someone else].

As always, life as a Short is awesome :)

I am the Mother of an Albino

Bless her heart but Molly has my very pale skin. [And, as you know, my brains and intellect.]  Several weeks ago, Craig was picking on her [imagine that] and said, "I am the father of an albino."  He can't just use his own voice but has to create one that that sounds monotone and nasally.  Of course, when there are not one but THREE human tape recorders in the house [Coop, Emma, and the Gabester] then you know that little sentence caught on like wildfire.  Tonight I was helping Gabe by spelling words for him to write [which was hilarious since I had to keep showing him how to make the letters...which means I was also writing the words.   He knows his letters but he found it funny to keep asking me then writing it on his paper before I could write it on mine] when he broke out, "I am the brother of an albino."  He giggled like it was the funniest thing he'd ever said - ever.  [If I can manage it I am going to record Craig saying this and share it...]

I just have to go down this road a minute [still time to google albino if you need some help] and I mean no disprespect in saying this but is it necessary to continue to discuss the Whitney Houston thing as the first news story, on Facebook, in the newspaper, etc.?  Don't get me wrong - I've got her greatest hits album [some of you gonna need to google record album] and she had a phenomenol voice that will probably never be topped - I understand that part.  But must we keep hearing the details and her history and then see that same spot of Jennifer Hudson singing a tribute to her over and over and over again?   People die, EVERY DAY, defending our country and fighting for freedom yet we never seem to hear enough about these people.  Countless people die, way too young, from awful diseases EVERY DAY but we don't sensationalize their deaths.  Correct me if I'm wrong [which would only be the second recorded time in my life...in the last two minutes....] but didn't she have a history of alcohol and drug abuse and the toxicology screen will take several weeks?  I am 100% certain there is some really good stuff going on the world that should be first story, front page news besides the death of a pop sensation from the 80s. [I hope I didn't overstep the "my opinions" bounds tonight...er, this morning.]

I am doing a Bible study on the life of David and it is terribly fascinating and reassuring.  We are currently in week 4 of an 11 week study and I have learned a tremendous amount about what I should be doing to seek God's heart.  And it seems like every week a personal struggle or a family issue or other people's burdens will come to mind as I am studying and [as sweet Mickey Heyward would say] God gives me a word, a passage of scripture, some insight, and peace.  Not to mention that the fabulous group of women that are on this journey with me have so much wisdom and insight ~ I learn so much from talking with them each week.  Thank you God for placing me in the midst of such Godly women :)

As always, life as a Short is really good :)

I Wanted to Be an Undesirable

Gabe's newest "excuse" is that his brain "told him to." Just thinking about him saying that makes me giggle [well that and the fact that it is 12:37am and I feel like I've been up for 97 straight hours].  He has been WiLd here lately and yes, he blames it on his brain.  Of course, there was that "kissing" incident this week when instead of his brain telling him to do something it was the brains of his friends telling him what to do.  "Well my friends told me to kiss her so I did!"  [At this point, in the explanation of the sad face at nursery that day, I was fully engulfed in laughter and got the you-shouldn't-be-laughing look by Craig.  All I saw, through my tears, was blah, blah, blah.]  Is kissing really that bad?  She kissed him back [and got a sad face too] so apparently it was agreed upon.  Who knows....we just told him to save his kissing for us.
He also got in trouble for putting water in his hair in the bathroom.  It's not a secret that the boy loves to watch TV.  Honestly, you do not need to watch commericals - Gabe can receit them for you.  One of his faves is the DirectTV commercial.

So he gets in trouble at nursery for wetting his hair and the story went like this:
Craig: Why did you put water in your hair?
Gabe: So I could do this [putting his hands through the mini fro he has].
Craig: What is that?
Gabe [Saying this as if we should know]: I wanted to be an undesirable.
There you go folks...he's learned a valuable lesson somewhere in here....I'm still looking....wait...
[Is this where I immediately regret the decision to allow TV to raise my children?]

This has been an incredibly lllloooooonnnnnnngggggg week.  Not necessarily in a bad way but just in a very exhausting way.  [Yes, I should be asleep right now but I'm not....could explain that exhausting week I've had....]  Craig and I have had a gift certificate to Battleground Steakhouse here in the KM for almost a year and we decided tonight was a good night for a date night.  Little did we know that our quality time would be spent waiting two hours to eat. [Here is where some of you are asking why did we wait two hours to eat instead of just leaving....follow me.]  We only waited about 25 minutes on our table - then the two hour clock started. Forty-five minutes AFTER getting our drinks the potato skins arrived [and I am fairly certain that Short inhaled two of them right off the plate...through his nose].  Another HOUR later we got our food.  Apparently, there was a party of 30 people that held up the entire kitchen.  Several things we can gleen from this experience:
1. Waiting to eat can make people sorta snippy.  [Pointing in Craig's direction]
2. If you have a party of 30 people then you really shouldn't take orders from the other tables until you've at least half way cooked that food.  Or get a bigger kitchen.  Or both.
3. You parties of 30 need to get a banquet hall or go to Ryan's [if it was good enough for the Short family reunion then...yeah, you might want to upgrade to Golden Corral] because the tiny steakhouse in KM had great difficulty accomodating your party.
4. The party of 30 was apparently from out of town - those of us that are going to continue to frequent the establishment are not going to do so after waiting two hours to eat. 
5. We should have cut our loses after the 45 minute wait on apps and rode through Japanese [that would be Yamato's but the rest of us good rednecks just call it Japanese].
I still enjoyed the evening with my favorite coach ♥

Softball season cranks up on Monday.  In my starvation at dinner I accidentally volunteered to be the team mom this year.  Did someone slip a delusional drug into my 18th cup of coffee tonight?  I guess being married to the head coach does have its drawbacks perks.  Right now I am thinking I really need a calendar [or personal secretary] so that I can organize this stuff.  [I know what some of you are thinking, "Sister, you're gonna need more than a calendar!"]  Here's to a good year of KMHS softball :)

As always, life as a Short is undeniably awesome.

Save the Drama for Yo Momma

We got new furniture! [If I were Cooper, I would insert a leg kick here. Don't ask.] Every lick of furniture that we've EVER had was given to us by a family member. Thank God for family or we would've been sitting on the floor ALOT!  The couch we had had just begin to fall apart and the lopsided ottoman [that Gabe broke jumping on it and Craig has fixed three times] was not very attractive so we decided it was time.  We got an awesome deal at Laughlin's Furniture in Shelby.  Now there is tons of space for everyone. 

Sectional that EVERYONE can sit on at the same time!

Craig and I bought $20 worth of fabric and I recovered the glider rocker cushions.  I am fairly certain Craig doubted me but I was confident [so I bought twice the amount of fabric needed just to assure that any screw ups would be covered].  There was enough left over [because I plan ahead....for sure mistakes] that I made two pillows.  My next project is the Craigslist desk. [I think it still scares Craig to think about the evil plan he cooked up in his mind when we went to buy it] but I am having a time finding the Bahama blue paint I want.  Besides, with this crazy weather, I probably should wait. 

Check it out!  And Craig doubted my ability....

I could not post about this without giving my thanks to God for His many blessings.  I look around and yes, this furniture is awesome but what matters most are the ones sitting on it ~ my family.  We would still be completely in love if we were sitting on rocks in the living room [and the kids wouldn't fight with Craig over who gets to sit in the recliner].  None of this stuff makes us who we are - not one single stitch of it.  I am thankful most of all for the Shorties :)

The Gabester

On a different note, some might be thinking this blog was going to be about them considering the title.  Sorry to disappoint.

Tonight, in my Bible study about David, we looked at Psalm 62.  I wrote some notes, from Beth Moore, and one of them hit me like bricks: Your enemy is not going to take a rest so you must learn to give it all to God.  You must surrender yourself to him.  The Psalmist says, in verses 5 and 6, "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken."  How truly awesome is it when God speaks to you in such a powerful way that the things you were going to do to "fix" the situation fade and you are left with this amazing peace?  I needed to hear that tonight....I needed to read those words in my Bible.  Beth Moore said it so powerfully: God does not defend our honor.  He defines it.


As always, life as a Short could not be better :)

Super Bowl Party...but not on the new furniture!!

Abraham Lincolnton and the Italian Texans

Gabe is a mess - straight up. [As if I needed to proclaim that from the rooftop.]  Yesterday was Groundhog Day [if I didn't know that already he has given me daily reminders...he's like an elephant] so when I picked him up at preschool he says, "Guess what mommy? That groundhog saw his shadow and now we're going to have six more weeks of Christmas!"  I didn't have the heart to tell him it was simply winter - why dash his dreams?

He has also been learning about President's Day.  He came home one night and told us all about George Washington and that whole cherry tree thing. [I just wonder if that is true.  No, I really don't care but it sounded good.] He is our conversation:
Gabe: Abraham Lincolnton was our a president.  He got shot at a show by a man named Patty.  Patty shot him 'cause he didn't like him. Patty was mean. 
Me: I am pretty sure the man's name that shot him was John. 
Gabe: Nope.  It was Patty.
So there you go my friends....that is the story of Abraham Lincolnton...our 16th president.

This past Wednesday, when I picked him up from mission friends, he was choking another little boy.  You know it isn't a good sign when you open the door and see your son wrestling another child.  [Well that and that fact that his teacher said, "He has been wild tonight."]  He gets it from his daddy...I promise.  He and the other kid just hee-hawed and gave each other a high five as they left.  I learned later, from his teacher, that they were discussing missionaries from Houston, Texas. Gabe's spin on it?  "Texas? Hmmm...I wonder if she was Italian?"  [Exactly what I would have asked.] Bless his teachers hearts....they deserve a medal and cheesecake [just don't get those two confused] for putting up with him.  You just never, ever know what he's going to do or say.

As always, life as a CRAZY Short is awesome!