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My son, Briar, officially became a teenager on Aug. 24. I no longer see a baby when I look at him. I see a clever young man full of laughter and mischief trying to find his way in this world.

I realized this week exactly how much of a teenager he has become when I asked if he needed me to go over his algebra homework and he replied, “No, I don’t think you’ll know how to do it anyway.”

I was also told that I wasn’t the computer whiz he thought I was, while he was doing his computer technology homework. This one really hit home. While I don’t claim to be a computer whiz, I definitely know my way around a computer. After all … it’s my job.

Although I have seen some changes in his attitude, and he now thinks he is smarter than I am, one thing remains constant… his kindness and compassion for others. He is an exceptional young man and I’m very proud of him.

I know that he will continue to spread his wings. I hope that I have and continue to set a good example for him.

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On Aug. 31 Hoxie and Walnut Ridge will face off for the last time on the football field. I will admit that I have mixed feelings about it. This unique cross-town rivalry, that you have to be a part of to understand, got way out of hand, at times. It has also provided MANY amazing memories.

My family moved to Hoxie from Walnut Ridge when I was in the sixth grade. The adjustment from Bobcat to Mustang wasn’t an easy one; however, it was absolute. I bleed green!

Both of my brothers played football for Hoxie. A lot of talk and a lot of pranks led up to a huge battle that played out before our eyes. It didn’t matter how the rest of our season went… whether we lost every other game or went to state… we wanted to be able to say we beat the Bobcats!

Since most of my cousins were Bobcats, the stakes were a little bit higher. We wanted to be the ones with the bragging rights.

So… as the battle unfolds for the last time, I’ll have only one thing to say…

Go, Mustangs!!!

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I, like most people, hate to go to the doctor. I don’t go for routine checkups, but if I’m sick, I will go. During a recent visit, my doctor read me the riot act for not taking better care of myself and scheduled me for all the routine exams I’d been neglecting.

I was relieved that I had five more years to wait before I had to start routine mammograms. Relief was short-lived when a lump was found during my exam. I went today and had my first mammogram. It wasn’t as bad as I believed it would be. Yes, it was uncomfortable, but not painful.

Since I had a problem, there was a doctor on hand waiting to read my results so that I could have further testing if need be. I had to have an ultrasound done of the “suspicious area.”

The doctor talked to me and assured me that he doesn’t think I have cancer, but the area is solid and I should have a biopsy to be on the safe side.

I’m sure this scare will turn out to be nothing, but it did serve as a wake-up call. I will no longer neglect checkups or routine exams. I hope you don’t either.

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Like so many other parents, I’m trying to get my kids ready to go back to school. Tuesday night, Brad, Drake (my nephew) and I went to open house. Brad will be in the new building at Hoxie this year and is excited about that.

The classrooms are really nice and seem to be somewhat bigger than what he has had before. There is also a science lab in the building. Brad loves experimenting, so I hope they are able to use it often throughout the year.

Briar had football practice and wasn’t able to attend with us. Brad, Drake and I visited his classes without him.

Although they both say they aren’t ready for school to start, they seem excited about it. I’m not sure I’m ready for the hectic schedule that the school year will bring. Not only will they start back to school on Monday, Briar has his first football game that night.

Ready or not…

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Saturday my family and my brothers’ families took a trip to the Wild River Country Water Park in Little Rock.

When we first arrived, Briar, Brad, Tim, Rodney, Blake, Drake and I went down what we called the “toilet bowl.” I don’t know what the real name is, but you go down a long tube into a bowl type portion where you are swished around before being shot out the bottom into the pool. It was everyone’s favorite slide.

While we were doing that, Georgetta, Jarah, Grace and Kylie rode a four person raft slide that sends you through the dark around lots of curves and then sprays you with water before the ride ends. I enjoyed this ride with Blake, Jarah and Grace before I got a little bit sick.

I spent some time with Kylie in the pool. Then we all went to the wave pool before having a picnic lunch in the shade outside the park.

We spent a lot of the afternoon in the wave pool. Tim and I floated around the “lazy river” in tubes while the others went down slides or played in the wave pool.

We had a great time! I hope to make the trip again next year.

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Briar and Brad spend a lot of time on either my mom’s computer or our computer at home. I have Brad set up as a separate user because he likes to change the background and put shortcuts on the desktop. Briar likes to browse the Internet, but doesn’t care what kind of wallpaper, etc. he has.

Briar does however, like to try and figure out Brad’s password. He doesn’t really want to login as Brad and use the computer, he just wants to make him mad. I just changed the password Monday, but Briar is getting close again and by the end of the week, I’ll be doing it again.

Brad also wanted to have his own webpage. I had told him that I’d sit down with him on a Saturday when we had some time and work on one with him. He has very little patience, though, and had to have something right then.

I have a Yahoo account, so I set him up a Geocities site. Right now it isn’t much, but on Saturday we are going to add more things to it. As of now, he has had 64 visitors and his guestbook is on the second page of entries.

If anyone is interested in visiting it, go to www.geocities.com/skimahorn_99 and leave us a message!

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