Well, I'm just feeling kinda like it's the night before Christmas.  After 5 1/2 grueling months of suffocating humidity, mosquito slapping, and heat that would drain anyone's will to live, there's finally going to be a cool down tomorrow. 

Yeah, I know. The first day of fall came and went, a while back, for most of y'all but, in the South, fall is just a fancy name for Summer, Part 2.  Sure, we've had a cool day, here and there, and a handful of pleasant mornings but this week promises to finally break the back of those dang upper 80's and lower 90's, once and for all. 

Let me put it to you like this.....for over 165 straight days, we've been sweating our patooties off down here and, for those of us who have little desire to attend the dress rehearsal for Hell, well, we grew tired of it about 164 days ago.  I promise you if 99.9% of the people that I love didn't live down here in this steam bath, I'd set out in search of a cooler climate. 
So, I have some new cosmetics that I haven't told you all about yet. I must preface that with a little bit about my background. I'm pretty sure I've told you that I grew up with two brothers. The one on the right tormented me and I, in turn, tormented the one on the left. The circle of life. Yeah, I grew up between these two. Whatever they played, I played. Wherever they went on their bikes, I went, too. (These pictures were taken at the wedding in an unusual sighting of them in suits. They generally don't look this fancy.)
So, needless to say, there wasn't a whole lot in the way of girly at our house unless you want to count bottles of Doe in Heat. As a result of growing up betwixt these two, cavemen, I've never been one to care to study makeup application and such as that.  Not that I don't like to look nice but I don't get too bogged down in the techniques and specifics of it. I don't watch YouTube makeup tutorials or read reviews about hair products. I mean, I want to look presentable but, please. (You can imagine my shock when I gave birth to the mother of all things girly.) 

Anyway, when we got to New Orleans before the wedding, I realized I had never gotten my wedding lipstick, so Blair was more than happy to go along with me to Dillard's to find what I needed.  A perky lady in a white coat seemed all too anxious to help me as she instructed me to sit in her chair near the illuminated mirrors. You know those ladies in the white coats whose faces are made up to perfection, who want to sell you all the little brushes and creams and foundations to make you look just like them? Well, Blair explained what I needed and the color of my dress and they began to talk between themselves like I wasn't even there. I felt like a kid being taken to the doctor....."this is what's wrong with her, what can you do for us" kind of thing.

They began throwing around words like matte, gloss, liner, and skin tone as they looked me over intently. The lady bounced over to the samples and then came back to apply a shade to my lips.  Of course, while she applied it, she commented on the dryness of my lips and that I might want to try one of their moisturizing products. I'm sure for another $65, she could've hooked me up with some of that, but we were on the eve of funding a wedding and so the $1 Chapstick near the Wal-Mart register would have to suffice. 

Anyway, she applied the first color and she and Blair both stepped back and cocked their heads to the side to analyze the lip color.  It was like they were looking at a painting at an art gallery as they discussed its warmness and its faintest hint of purple and how it really made my eyes pop.  To be sure, they cocked their heads the other way and both made approving noises.  After a little while of trying different shades and discussing the pros and cons of each, they decided that Pink Chocolate was definitely what I needed.  I was all ready to check out until Blair opened her mouth and told her I never wear lip liner despite her repeated efforts to convince me.  Well, that was like calling the lioness over to enjoy some fresh antelope. "You don't wear lip liner?" the white coat lady asked with a puzzled look.

Never in my life have I worn a lip liner.  What is the purpose of that anyway?  I wasn't sure, but they both seemed so adamant about the need for it in my life that I added it to my purchase.  I gave it all to the lady who did our makeup for the wedding, the next day, and it did look lovely with my dress, I must say.  But, now, I'm back home in the humble, little world in which I live which does not include a personal makeup artist and now I have this brand new lip liner, that cost me no telling what, which I have no idea how to apply. And I'd imagine it's something you don't want to get wrong.    

So, now that the wedding preparation frenzy is over, Davis and I can concentrate solely on Carson, our high school senior. You remember how it was when something big was going on in your sibling's life that consumed the family's time and attention and you were just sitting over there like, "um, hello, I'm still here....your other kid."  Well, that's what I've felt poor Carson has been like.....except that he's a boy and boys seem to prefer it that way. But, now, like it or not, we're all his and just look how excited he is about it.  Basketball season will start soon and other senior activities are cranking up and I'm sure he's praying another project or two will come along to give us other hobbies besides him.  He's not going to get rid of us that easy, though.