The crazy life I have been living the last few days

Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious.

This last week has been crazy.

Let me start with the basics. First of all, my friend Ben has been staying with us for the last 3 weeks. Why? Because he worked on a cruise ship and decided that he was ready for land. He would have moved back in with his parents, but since he decided to write them an email admitting that he is gay two weeks before he came home, they aren't "ready" for that. How they didn't know I have no idea. I mean, he walks around Target belting showtunes or lady gaga WHILE doing the choreography. But anyway, that's beside the point. So, as much as I love Ben (which I really, REALLY do), living with anyone for three weeks can put a strain on your relationship. Especially when I am only gone 3 days a week and he is still unemployed and car-less. And when you are getting just a little sick of lady gaga and her "poker face" choreography. Basically we have just spent WAYYYYY too much time together and I have been needing a break big time, but since I love him, and he has no where else to go, and he starts a new job this week, I'm sure we will overcome this obstacle.

Secondly, my youngest brother-in-law is in town. Since Dan, the middle brother, was gone for Marine Officer Candidate School for most of the summer, their mom thought the three brother's needed some quality time together and flew Jake out here. The last few days have been boy overload. Mike, his brother Dan, his brother Jake, Jake's best friend Mitch, and Ben. Not to mention that my mom's significant other was over last night to help with the sprinkles and have pizza and beer. That makes 6 boys and one me. Ejtrvu6rvkuyg.

To make things even better, Mitch's parents found out last night that Ben was staying with us and freaked out. I mean FREAKED OUT!!! They told Mitch that he isn't allowed to use the same bathroom as Ben, ride in the same car with Ben...you get the picture. Do people think homosexuality is contagious!?!? Do they think it's gonna rub off on their son or something???? That situation added to my stress level just a bit. I pretty much wanted to reach through the phone and smack that dad in the face.

Thankfully, all of these nice boys have helped us finish our landscaping. We now have sod, and trees, and sprinklers, and all sorts of other pretty yard things.

At least that's one thing to check off my list.

Oh and remember how I was scared I was going to fail my classes? Well one of my teachers gave me a D despite the fact that all of my work is turned in and refuses to raise my grade because she doesn't think I deserve it. She wouldn't grade two of my papers because then I would have a C. Great. Perfect. Thanks for being so understanding. You would think a female teacher would understand. I guess not.

My male teacher graded all of my assignments and didn't even deduct any points for turning them in late. I have an 86%!!!! Hooray!! I guess a B and a D equal two Cs, right?

So since I have had such a stress free week and all, I decided that I couldn't live if I didn't go to the farmer's market today and embark on another canning adventure! I bought an entire box of tomatoes, 8 onions, a bunch of basil, several heads of garlic, and a bottle of wine. With Ben's help I ended up making two HUGE pots of tomato sauce which translated into 18 pint-sized jars. They are all sealed and hot, resting on my counter-top. There is some serious satisfaction in hearing that popping sound as they seal up and get ready for their home in the cabinet. There was even enough sauce leftover after I filled all the jars to go with a pound of whole wheat pasta which is now warm and waiting for me to finish typing this so I can topa bowl of it with Romano cheese and dig in.

After all of that canning business the boys decided that they were going to go back up to school with Dan, and Mike headed out to watch the UFC game with the guys. Dan is going to drop Ben off at his friend Becca's so that he can have some time out of the house, and Dan, Jake, and Mitch are going to do manly things like shoot guns and go to the mall to look at girls.

I am home. ALONE. And its quiet. Unbelievably quiet. And my house smells like garlic. I'm going to crack open a bottle of wine, serve up a bowl of carbs with cheese, and enjoy the silence.