OEYEO 2015

I am not sure if you know, but we have been on an almost 5 year long EYE journey with Anderson. It  is called a "pediatric cataract." Oh, have you hear me talk about this? Maybe just once?

Seriously, the EYE has shaped our world far more than any other aspect of parenting. We were unprepared, scared, uninformed and, honestly, alone. The odds of having a baby with a pediatric cataract are 1 in 10,000. With the benefit of hindsight, a few years of parenting and many, many meetings at work, I realize how lucky we are that this is our statistic. But, when we were in the early stages of patching, "luck" was not something that we felt was in our lives. 

We are so fortunate because we have amazing and supportive grandparents very close by and just as supportive family a little farther away. We have friends and coworkers who would help us in any way. But, we didn't have anyone in the same boat as us. Patching a toddler is a nightmare-the HARDEST thing we have had to do as parents and, even though people meant well, nobody really understood. 

And then...this. 

#imoms

We became blogger friends and followed each other's lives, commenting in words what we wanted to say in hugs. After every doctor visit, patching struggle, new worry, surgery or frustration, we stuck together. We bonded over shared journeys and said to each other what we knew we needed to hear at similar times. And, it worked. Without their support through cyberspace, I honestly doubt how successful our journey would have been to this point. 

Now...4 years later, we actually managed to meet and hang out in person! We met in Columbus, Ohio, so Amanda coined our trip OEYEO, which might be the greatest name ever. 

Also, this was our THIRD attempt at meeting. We had to reschedule twice due to sicknesses. We were determined that the third time would be the charm and it was!

They were a little shy at first, but then quickly decided that this was a pretty fun group to be a part of-ikids & siblings. 

Also, they loved the hot tub. I mean, loved it to the point where we had to put time limits on them. 

LOOK AT OUR KIDS-just together. I cannot get over it. 

We quickly claimed "Our Corner" in the hotel and proceeded to terrify anyone who walked anywhere near us with plastic balls, balloons and lots of screaming. 

Amanda! 

I cannot even believe that I met her in person. Did you see the above comment from "Easton's Mom"? That was where it all began-4 years ago!

Amanda has such a giving heart, which has always been evident in her posts and comments and this trait was even more obvious when I got to actually hang out with her. 

She brought construction equipment for Max. If that is not some kind of genuine friendship, I don't know what is!

These boys had SO much fun together-playing with the rocket balloons that Amanda brought monopolized quite a bit of time. 

True to her giving nature, Amanda brought wine for the imom time. And, check out the bracelet on Laura-she gave us those, too! You can't see it closely, but they have the Eye of Horus on them, which wards off evil...like and news at eye doctor visits or broken glasses. 

We, of course, brought Noni with us for the fun! 

One of the best parts was the hotel because just the idea of a hotel is fun for kids. I have so many memories of random hotel trips with my family-the pool, jumping on the beds, getting ice from the ice machine. I have so many memories of getting ice. What on earth did we do with all of the ice?

From left-Easton, Julia, Azalea, Max, Anderson, Jed

I have literally watched these kids grow up on social media and I cannot believe that I got to spend time with them and see who absolutely amazing they are in real life!

Amanda, the giver, brought them each a goody bag with all kinds of fun treats! She found a "Ferg" book for Max! How amazing is that?

A lot of work from these 6 people over the last few years has definitely earned a trip! I kept reminding these ikids that all of their patch wearing is why we got to have so much fun. 

Max was there, just being calm. 

He also found a pinecone on an early morning walk. 

I was pretty impressed that he was able to do that, actually. 

Notice Easton & Azalea? They went on a short walk with us and I loved it because we just all trusted each other with our kids at various points. It was like we really were related. 

Sidenote-Amanda trusted us with her kids and we let one of them jump in a giant puddle, which required new shoes, so maybe she shouldn't have been quite so trusting!

Hotel time. 

We spent most of one day at a HUGE Science museum called COSI. 

At the "Eye Doctor" station! It was like the place was made for us!

You know Max is going to find a water area if there is one anywhere. 

SO grateful that Noni is willing to spend her weekends with us! 

Also, please notice the poster behind Anderson-it is all about eye protection! Everywhere we went, we kept seeing eye information & decided we should have been admitted free since we were clearly some form of mascot. 

You know that we made them pose by the giant eye. 

I am so proud of these kids because I know what their journeys have been like so far and I know how they are going continue to dominate! 

Julia! Anderson! Easton! All in the same picture!!

Laura explained to Anderson about the location of his cataract! 

Laura is so much fun to be around because she is so funny and has a great sense of humor. She went through such a rough time with Julia's eye and has handled everything with so much resilience. I think that is one of the reasons that I have loved getting to know both Laura & Amanda-through their lives, they always remind me to stay strong and it will be ok. 

 Jed & Anderson just living it up in a tornado!

Amanda brought all kinds of fun paint supplies to make tshirts-she is an art teacher in her real life!

More hotel fun...Max had the time of his life during the weekend. Truly, he loved everything about the hotel-the elevator, the stairs, the food, the pool, the playing, the big kids. He kept asking me "Mama, what is this place?" talking about the hotel. Such sweetness. 

Pizza dinner with the group! The grandmas were such an added bonus (necessity) on the trip. For they also now the intensity of an ijourney, always traveling right there next to us!

Max's face. I am telling you, he thought the trip was for him. 

More time in "Our Corner" where these kids acted like they've been bestie for life. 

We ate ice cream at this awesome place that had a huge indoor playground!

 It was genius and delicious. 

Also, Max was not originally at the table, but insisted on sitting with "the kids", so he had to move. 

I got zero good pics of the playground, but here is a little one of the seesaw. Again, thanks for Noni for being there!

#camopatchkids!

It was really sad when it was time to leave-we have to do this again!

Anderson found a pretty cool picture opportunity on the way home. 

I cannot wait until next year; I love these families!

That time Nicole & I hung out with Garth

*There is a lot of capitalization in this post. Get ready.

Once upon a time, there were these girls who loved Garth Brooks; they knew the words to every single song-oldest stuff, oldish stuff, new stuff, all of it. One of their earliest memories was talking to her 4th grade music teacher about "Friends in Low Places." When they were in middle school, they sang "Unanswered Prayers" while eating powdered donuts at one friend's house and "Shameless" in the bathroom at another friend's.  They listened to him while they cleaned and organized their rooms (this hobby started early with them), while they drove around in their "new" car and, basically, all of the time.  They really didn't like music too much, so the fact that Garth consumed so much of their interest made him even more remarkable.

Their mom saves everything and found this from their middle school days. 

Those girls became high schoolers and, because they still loved him, their mom was the first in line to buy his boxed CD set when it came out. Then, of course, they went to see him in concert in Memphis where they sang and danced and generally considered it one of the greatest nights of their lives. 

Those girls became adults and when Garth came out of retirement, one of them told her husband, "I will never ask for anything ever again if you take me to see Garth Brooks." So, of course, he took her,  driving to Lexington for the show. 

When it was announced that Garth was coming to Knoxville, the girls freaked out and immediately planned to get tickets. It didn't matter where the seats were, just being in the same area with him would be amazing! Garth! In Knoxville! 

One girl (no names mentioned) said, "I am not sure this will even be worth it," as she was packing her bags (and 3 small kids) to drive in for the concert. The other one said, "It will be, I promise! It's Garth!"

Their seats were in Section 325 Row 11 and it absolutely was going to be worth it. 

And, then....the FRONT ROW happened and maybe, just maybe, they were not even that surprised. Because, somehow, it always keeps getting more free. 

WE SAT jumped around/danced/ belted out songs from the FRONT ROW AT GARTH!

It still doesn't seem real. 

 Nicole's post does a better job telling the story. I had already started mine when she posted hers or I would have just copied & pasted hers.

Posing before the concert-we had no idea what was about to happen. Except we knew we were going to see Garth, so we were pumped. 

Cowboy boots were out in full force!

The view from our original seats. We never even made it up there, but Chelsea sent me this pic. 

My brain cannot even process. 

The story of the front row is a classic "Melissa & Nicole" story, i.e.: Nicole is trusting and I am sort of a b. 

Nicole was buying us shirts (I just realized I never paid her for mine-I will send you a check), when some guy walked up and asked to see our tickets. 

Me: No. Thank you, though. (I said thank you! I am not entirely mean.)

Nicole: Is everything ok? Do you need to see them?

Me: We are fine. 

Nicole: If I show you my tickets, are you going to take them?

Me: If you have to ask that, then you don't show him. 

Nicole showed him our seats, despite my arguing, and he said, "Those are terrible."

I responded, "They are fine, thank you."

It went on like this for a few minutes until the guy gave me a guitar pick that had a G on it and then, in the tiniest way possible, we started to listen to him. 

Random Guy: Garth never sells the first 4 rows, we always give them out. Your seats are terrible. I have 2 on the front row. 

Honestly, I cannot even explain what happened next because somehow, some way, we were handed FRONT ROW TICKETS. 

We kept replaying the scene over and over for the next week ( maybe longer)...what if we hadn't stopped at that bathroom, what if she wasn't buying shirts, what if Nicole hadn't been nice.... 

Backtrack a little...Chelsea & I have always said if Garth came to Knoxville, we would go together and she was actually the one who got our original tickets. So, when the guy said that he had 2, my reply (after freaking out) was that we couldn't take them because I was with my friend (and her husband and 2 of their friends) and I couldn't leave her.* So, he gave them 2nd row tickets!!

*In hindsight, I am happy to know that, in a moment of surprise/panic/adrenaline/craziness, I stayed a good friend. I feel like maybe that was the Karma test that allowed us to get the tickets? I don't even know. My mind is still not clear when I think about the whole thing. 

Then. GARTH!!!!!

These pictures are not on zoom. 

(Man Against Machine was his opening song, which some people around us didn't even know! Don't be a Garth front row poser if you haven't memorized his new stuff, too! But, don't worry, I sang loud enough for everyone.)

Anyone who has ever met us knows that subtlety, calmness and rational behavior are synonymous with our actions when we are together. 

But, seriously, we LIVED IT UP more than anything we have ever lived up before-and that is saying something. 

NICOLE WITH GARTH!!!!!!

Sidenote-she was in countless other people's pics that they posted on social media because we kept seeing her face in the corner. Hilarious. Also, I had so many people tell me that they saw us "singing our hearts out" and "jumping around" all over the big screen all night. I was at a  birthday party a week later and a mom that I have never met asked me, "Were you at Garth last week? Your face looks familiar; I think you were really excited." Someone messaged me a video of myself on the GIANT screen singing, "If Tomorrow Never Comes."

Seriously, if it wasn't so awesome, I would be embarrassed. 

THIS.right.here. 

Later, someone asked me, why are you standing like that, holding your phone sort of awkwardly, and my response was, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME? That is Garth Brooks IN MY PERSONAL SPACE!" Maybe I was in his, but whatever. 

Y'all. He talked to Nicole when he took this. TALKED TO HER. He also sort of chuckled at one point as he walked away from our general direction. I am not sure if it was our franticness over touching his hand (and pants, we also touched his pants), our trying to selfie with him or what, but it was real. 

Our cousin was there and she took this of me (in the white shorts in the corner of the stage). The caption was, "I was laughing at this crazy woman until I realized it was you." 

So many attempts at capturing the moments. 

Eye selfie with Garth's crotch. 

We just could not even believe it. 

Except we could, just a little. I can't explain why we believed it unless you have about 33 years and some chex mix. 

A video that Nicole made. It gets real. 

Garth. That is all. 

Friends & Family

Aunt Manda sent this awesome digger thing to Max for his birthday and the entire family has been able to use it. 

A few weeks ago we hit up a pet festival with the Brimers and the Futchers and I got this super cute picture of a deep conversation between these Converse wearing cuties. 

I will always get pics like these from the grandparents-picnics, 

and new sand piles in the backyard

A Biology teacher brought this to school one day. I had to hold him (her?) There was a lot of pressure from the students to do it and who am I if I don't model giving in to peer pressure for the teenagers that I work with?

Poor GG has to live outside with Anderson when he is over there. That boy LOVES being outside, bugs, pond life and anything related to nature. 

Ran into Elizabeth at Sam's last week!!!! I miss her and all of Yellow Wing so much!! There had to be a selfie to capture the moment!

I really do love my job, but I miss teaching so much that I "adopted" a US History class from one of my friends. I would randomly barge in and talk about Teddy and always bought them clearance holiday candy like I used to do with my actual kids. So, they surprised me and decorated my office one day. Just another reason why teenagers are awesome. 

Max was so proud of himself for holding baby Levi and did not even notice that the feeling was not exactly mutual. He LOVES Baby Levi and always talks about him. He even named his little toe, "Baby Levi." It's Mama Toe, Daddy Toe, Anderson Toe, Max toe and then the baby.

 So weird, but also adorable. 

I work a lot with these people. If I am documenting life, this needs to be captured. 

GRADUATION! I feel so so lucky that I get to work in a career where I interact with the next generation every single day. As a educator, making it to the end and being overwhelmed with pride and purpose and happiness and hope and so many wonderful feelings, gives you reason to keep on trucking for the next year. I will never cease to be amazed that I get to stand on the stage and shake hands/hug every kid who graduates. I know so many of their stories and the resiliency of teenagers continues to amaze and inspire me. I tend to forget it during the long months (you know August-May), but, in the end, I am a lucky person to have this job. 

Speaking of lucky, I am so grateful that we have these Brimers to close by! As if our friendship wasn't solid enough after over a decade, weddings, babies, moves, etc., we now can officially never break up because going to (i.e.: crashing) this super weird event at a park totally bonded us. There are friends and then there are friends that you can do stiff like that with-we are lucky to have the latter!

I love that Max is the "little" brother. 

Tess Waibel visited me at work and nothing is a better way to start your day than that!

On Memorial Day  we hit up McDonald's for breakfast and we were the only people there, so I crashed the play place with them-ecoli for everyone!!!

Because she is AWESOME, Clare (& Baby #3) came to visit me at PHS WITH doughnuts and coffee!! She was such a sport and let me show her around the entire school and listened to all of my stories. It was so nice to be able to share a little bit of my home with her.