The first of our semester parent/teacher conferences went really well.  The two teens are thriving and keeping their grades way up.  Their teachers all love them and claim they're active, bright students.  Which has saddened me a great deal.  Why?  Because if my son is still the straight A, bright, respectful student he has always been, why is he suddenly being singled out while walking down the hall from class to class?  Why did his second period teacher have him called into the office on suspicion of skipping his class?

Maybe because he no longer wears Abercrombie but has opted for band t-shirts and a lip ring?  Possibly because his second period teacher is his disgruntled former football coach who is still pissed he's not playing this year?  I  know I warned him this might happen, but to be honest with you, I never really expected it to go this way.  I honestly thought we've progressed more than this.

Nothing he  wears is offensive, his jeans fit him properly, he ties his shoes.  He showers daily.  So what is the freaking problem?  They made him go into the bathroom and wash his hair because they said it was spiked, and spiked hair isn't allowed.  It appears gang oriented.  First, there are no gangs in that small school, and second, he has a flipping military haircut.  Those spikes were all of about half an inch high.

All accounts are that my man child was very respectful during the confrontation and did what he was told without question or attitude.  The accusation of skipping class?  During first period, the senior superlatives were called out for a meeting and yearbook photos, so he did arrive late to second period.  However, after being questioned, the coach had to admit that he suddenly did remember seeing him come into the room shortly after the bell because the kid asked him a question on his way to his seat!

Yes, I warned him he might be treated differently once  he started down this "punk" road, but you know what, that just isn't good enough for me.  My claws are sharpened, and I'm more than ready to take on the entire district if he's singled out one more time without proper cause.  I've agreed to let it ride for now only because nothing has happened.  He hasn't been written up or had any sort of punishments unfairly handed to him.  I'm studying up on the student handbook.  So far, I can't find a single rule he's broken.  Several other really minor things have happened, but they're all adding up to one big thing.

He doesn't want me stepping in just yet, but I can tell he's about to lose his temper with the situation.  His tone carried a definite bite when he told me if he wore a baseball cap backwards and had a Skoal ring on his jean pocket, this stuff wouldn't be happening.  Before I let close minded rednecks ruin his senior year of high school, I will bare my teeth and make a complete fool of myself.

I don't think our children are perfect, but as I said, no one complained during the conferences.  He even has a couple teachers that he had last year.  According to them, he's still the same sweet guy he has always been. 

Apparently this is mostly coming from this new female vice-principal.  I've been in a bad mood for about a month now.  She really doesn't want to take me down this road.  One of us won't be walking back.

Last weekend flew by because of the good times we were having with our friends, but the rest of this week has slowed to a crawl.  You'd think I'd be happy for the slow down considering how busy everything always is around here, but it feels like more of a dragging things out than slowing them down.

So last weekend we took our city slicker friends to the World Chicken Festival where they "oohed" and "aahed" over the world's largest skillet and getting to meet Colonel Sanders.  We sat up late drinking coffee and laughing our asses off at the absurdities of the world.  We made major decisions about how we want to be honored when we leave this world, and G and I have decided we may be with the two weirdest men on earth.

We took them to see the Cumberland Falls where we climbed rocks with the kids and avoided snakes and spiders and tried our best not to fall and bust our asses.  We moaned about our ages when the kids made fun of us for not being able to keep up.  The kids had as much fun as we did.

We gave David a birthday party on Monday in our own special way.  Translation:  We got him a giant Spongebob cake, fed him ice cream, made him beat a pinata, and kicked his butt in a silly string fight.

Screw had to work on Monday and G was sweet enough to give David and me some time to ourselves.  We chased a blue heron for about an hour just to get the perfect picture,  We drove around and talked about the good old times and promised it wouldn't be another four years before seeing one another again.

The time with them was just what Screw and I needed.  We rarely get to hang out with grown up friends.  We miss them already.

I could provide links to the things I mentioned above, but the only real link I need to give you is to David's Flickr account.  He has a gift with that camera of his.  I grew up here, and I have never seen this area captured with more beauty and character than what he caught this  past week.  As of last night, he had only just gotten started wading through the hundreds of pictures he took, but the few he had up were amazing.  I want him to come back during the first full moon he can so he can capture the moonbow* on film.  I just know it will be breathtaking.

*We are now the proud owners of the world's only moonbow.  Formally we were the site of one of two, but due to cutting down forests surrounding the other one in Africa, it has since disappeared.*

Oh I can't believe it's Monday already.  I'm totally feeling it, but the weekend went by so fast.  I think we're having a great visit.  I haven't laughed this much in a long time.

David has taken some amazing pictures of the Cumberland Falls area, and he's caught the kids in some of the funniest and sweetest poses.  We're talking hundreds of pictures, and I can't wait to see them weeded out and uploaded to his Flickr account.  I'm not going to put any of them here just yet or even blog too many details because I'm hoping he'll finally update his own blog.  Chances are, I'll get to do all the story telling, though.  He's busy.  And lazy.

And officially older than me TODAY!  I'll spend the next three months letting him know it, too!  Then my number catches up with his, and I have to be quiet again for nine more months.

Having him around has reminded me of why he's one of the best friends I've ever had.  You'd never know the kind of man he truly is by only reading his blog.  Like so many people on here, he usually only posts when something has him all riled up.  You probably wouldn't be able to tell how sweet he is or the neverending depths of his kindness and heart.  There is nothing he wouldn't do for the people he cares about.

Well, except maybe for babysitting!  B has kept them both laughing since they pulled into our driveway, but I'm not sure he'd be quick to take her on alone for a day.  He's a smart man.  He knows she can kick his ass.

I have no idea when he'll get around to reading this, but when he does, I just wanted to say:

Happy Birthday, David!  I love you!  I had a wonderful time during your visit. 

And I promise if I have any say in it whatsoever, you will be white space trash someday.