“Mom, I want to be a Tiger for Halloween, but I DO NOT want face paint, and I want stripes in my hair.  Real ones.”

…is not the hardest day of a mommy’s life.  I didn’t cry or get weepy at all when mine took off for their first days of school.

Do you want to know what the hardest day really is?  The first middle school dance, when your beautiful little 6th grade blondie comes in and gleefully  announces she was asked to SLOW DANCE 3 times.   Then, she spins around in your desk chair mooning over it for a half-hour.   That’s cause for tissues.

So, if you will excuse me, I’m off to a hot bath and some weeping into my pillows.

… when this is the battery that runs it.

I saw this photograph over at a new Saints’ blog written by Peter Falconer.  (I’ll wait; go take a wee peek…)

It’s the rear view shot of the image that graces the Sports Illustrated cover I posted the other day.  As I examine this photograph, trying to determine the angle at which it was taken, I find myself sitting here thinking, “Dayum, that is some lens.”  Lens envy; it ain’t pretty folks.

The photo does two things for me.   One, it reminds me of the  flying Ascending Jesus statue at the front of our church.  I am sure He weirds out the occasional visitor.   Two, every time I look at the image, Bette Midler singing the fly, fly, fly away part of Wind Beneath My Wings  gets stuck in my head.

Speaking of lenses, my husband’s is 8 inches.  He points it at Jupiter.

All last week, I was filled with a vague anxiety about the Saints / Dolphins game.   Let’s face it; the Saints have never been strong on the follow-through and have often succumbed to the let-down loss.  Think back to that homecoming night in 2006 when the Saints rocked the Falcons at the dome-reopening.   Everyone said that win was emotion-driven; sure enough, the Saints lost their next game.   It happens to even the best of teams.

Like Michelle at Saints Rants explains, though, she didn’t feel that we would lose due to coming off the big win at the Giants.    It was just a loss she felt we would have.

I could not watch the Saints / Miami game because the market we are in televises the Falcons.   As I kept tabs on the first half, I felt dismay.   Inside my head I was thinking, “this is the same-old, same-old.  We are going to roll over and lose to someone we should beat, and the rest of the season is going to be mediocre at best.  Just like always.”

I worked on a project for a while, checked the score once more at the half, and thought about washing my hands of the day and simply giving up care.  But, a teeny little voice inside ventured forth, “this offense CAN catch up.  We have the talent.  The talent has the desire and the know-how.  Just wait and see what happens.”

This past Sunday is one day that I would have LOVED to have heard what was said in the locker room to motivate that team to come back.  Because, dayum, Sean, Drew and the rest, it worked like gangbusters.

So, my dear Saints, please forgive me for doubting you.  You proved to have the mettle it takes not to roll over, give up and wait for next week to start over.

Awesome!

They knew Auntie Susan was serious about remaining on her winner’s pedestal, until that ominous day when the family was left wondering how far she might go to stay there.

That.

Was.

WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICKED!

Now, I am going to go extract my heart from my throat and take a baff.

Then, I’m buying a lottery ticket.