Eight days until....

Oh my goodness, oh my goodness...I can picture the dark theater and hear the opening music in my head...

hehehe

Six Flags or Bust...(errr...maybe bust...)

Well, I don't think I've ever had an experience that will compare to this - let alone a summer where it rained so gosh darn much. The other night my Dad called and said "are you under water yet?" I laughed and said of course not. He said that all he saw on the news was headlines saying that Texas was rained out and under water and flooded, etc. I said "yes Dad, that's true - but we're in a nitch and it's not flooded here". Ohhhh, he said. Ok, well I'm just making sure you're ok.

And we are!

Meanwhile, we're sooooo ok that last Tuesday, we decided to use our season passes and head to Six Fl*gs with our friends E and L. We loaded up and it rained the whole way there. We thought, "big deal - this will keep the summer crowds at bay and it will burn off by the time we get in and get settled giving us the whole day to enjoy without the heat and all the people!" To our utter delight, when we got there, the parking lot was a veritable cavern of empty spots and the few people that were there, were dodging through puddles and ducking under hoodies to make it to the front gate. This tickled our greedy little hearts. We made our way in immediately (with no wait) and put on our well-thought-out parkas. Wait though - quick stop at the front gate for a charming picture in our "gear".

We laughed all the way to the Spong* B*B ride and out we came and behold! - SUNLIGHT! Hahahaha, we thought - here we are and no one has come today and we have the park to ourselves and shall stand in line for NO MAN! We practically ran to the thrill rides and roller-coasters - sailed on and off and laughed our merry little laughs. We stopped for lunch and a slight drizzle began. EVEN BETTER! - we reasoned. This will keep the afternoon crowds from coming too! Voila! We ate happily and sucked down our super size drinks in the "refillable" cups you purchase for some ungodly amount of money. The sweetest victory of theme-parking is finding the one day a year when no one comes, and no one was coming!

We made our way to the next ride and as we stood in a small and painless line, the loudspeaker cut through our delierium and someone said "we're gonna have to ask that you exit the ride and take cover - we're being told that a lightening and thunder storm is heading this way". Well, with a little grumbling and peaking up at an overcast sky (but not a drop heading down) we stepped out of line and wandered to a Cold Stone Cream*ry for cover (and ice-cream. What?) When 20 minutes had passed and nary a drop of water had fallen, we started laughing. What fortune! What good luck this day and our ponchos had brought! Then a small sprinkle appeared and still, we reveled in our luck.

We made our way to the log ride and couldn't resist "hamming" it up for our photo-op. However, when the time came to beautify the picture and give it a "false" blue sky background, we opted for the true background, which as you can see is foreboding at best.


It's too bad we didn't look a little longer at that picture and think on what was behind us in that picture for two seconds. That's the actual storm - heading in...towards us...right at us. IDIOTS!

After the Log Ride, I remember heading to a couple rides that we got on and off way too quickly. We timed one and it was literally a 30 second ride. Ridiculous. So AB busted out the flirty arsenal and we ended up getting a couple rides extended and a couple that we just stayed on for the next round.

I was (forced) coerced into riding a wooden coaster (see "TITAN") after having sworn off the things when I darn near lost both breasts to reckless abandon on another wooden coaster a few years back. If you haven't noticed, these wooden coasters issue what I refer to as "shaken adult syndrome" and stimulate what I label as "near death muscle atrophy". Every bone in my body was wracked with pain. Every muscle tense, tight, and throbbing. Every rib bruised. Every nerve ending - dead. My boobs were so sore I could hardly stand to have them attached to my body afterward. I had a splitting headache, and every fiber of my being cried out the entire 3 minutes of the ride that I was going to die and that it sucked to go out this way. Even the picture they take of you on these coasters as you head down some death spiral was very telling. There was my husband smiling like a crazed maniac - and then there was me, his wife - eyes shut tightly. Hands pushed in front of my body to try and stop the continual beating my bosom was taking and thus my chin and eyes also. (Have I mentioned I'm top heavy?) My head is turned downward and I think I spotted drool on my chin. That would have been from the momentary full-mind shut-down going on as my brain matter sloshed from one side of my head to the other. I recall losing feeling in my legs, and also that I could no longer remember my name or the alphabet. I also recall a seething anger at hearing AB squeal in delight each time we took a sharp corner or made yet another death defying plunge. All the while I was losing urine and excreting the "death" scent of riggamortus.

As we exited the ride I remember feeling such anger that I dared not to look at the offender who had "convinced" me that it was "fine!" even though I did not want to go on this coaster to begin with. Not only did I say "never again" as the green color of my skin pitched, but I think I also mumbled something about strapping him to the front of the car on the way home. I'm not bitter though.

After that - it was a blur. The heavens literally opened up and the largest torrential downpour I have ever seen was upon us. The thunder bellowed and our little ponchos could only do so much to keep us dry. Water jumped up from the two inches of water that had quickly collected on the ground, and as it did, it soaked us all from the ground up. Having worn thongs for comfort, my feet were immersed to the ankle as we sloshed our way from one side of the park to the other looking not only for shelter, but perhaps for a show that we could just sit in and wait for the storm to pass. After learning that all shows had been canceled, standing in the downpour for over an hour, getting soaked to the bone, and having completely lost sight of my legs from the ankle down, we conceded. The white flag was raised and our surrender was all that was left to do. We made our way slowly to the front of the park and had to stop and take shelter from the raging sheets of water that came down and literally flooded the ground floor of the park. While trying to walk uphill in one section, water literally showered down the path, making it rediculous to try and go uphill. Water slapped at you from above and below and now my legs literally disappeared under the onslaught of water. When we finally reached the gate and made our tentative trek across the parking lot (empty, I might add) we did hear that the park was closing. Hmph! You think?

All was not lost though. We had lasted well until the evening (6pm) and had time to salvage a nice dinner before heading home to rest. All in all, we all agreed it was the most fun we'd had at a park in a long time, and that it was certainly entertaining and interesting. If not, wet and crazy.

Certainly not an adventure we'll forget. Especially in the dead of summer in Texas.

What is up with Mother Nature?

Pet Children and sorrow

I've been down in the dumps. This adoption process keeps stretching beyond anything I could have ever imagined. I just feel down. It's making me restless, tired, agitated, and sad. I've never felt so strung along by a process in my life. (at least not one that mattered to me so very much). I know everyone gets it who's in it too. I know we've all been through the valleys and then you hit the hills and these are the types of posts we crank out.

So in the middle of feeling terribly sorry for myself, my kitty Chloe had a crisis. Yesterday she laid down in the middle of the hallway and just started wailing. At the top of her kitty lungs. This continued for THREE and a HALF HOURS. You see, she has bone mice in her knee, which are particles of bone fragment that chip off and float in the kneecap. Because she is old (and a little bit hefty) she has experienced painful "mini-injuries" jumping from the bed, or a chair, or even just walking. Then she lays in agony for hours crying - while Mommy and Daddy sit next to her helpless and trying to comfort her. This happens about three times a year. Otherwise she is happy and carefree. This causes me to cry, because I can't stand to see her hurting or in pain. We give her the recommended dose of pain meds and hope to God they kick in sooner rather than later.

After trying everything to make her comfortable, brushing her, whispering to her that she would be ok, rubbing her chin and ears, and exhausting myself by crying right along with her - she found a comfortable spot underneath the bedroom side table, and as her pain meds started kicking in, she finally found rest. Later she even hobbled out and came looking for me to give her attention. (Which I promptly did) and she's been fine ever since. A minor jolt on the radar of life with pets, but...

But no rest for the weary Momma. I cried and cried later that night. A couple blogger friends recently lost their sweet boys Zeus and Copper to cancer. I can't even tell you how much I cried for each of them when I read those posts. It was crushing to me. And lately, I've been looking at my little children, furry and four-legged though they may be, and just trying to breathe them in and savor their little nuances. Trying to just love them, and give them the extra pat or gentle rub under the ears. Trying to throw them the extra little "treat" and praise them for no reason.

Seeing Chloe lie helpless and crying conjured up so much emotion in me of having to part with her that I can't tell you how overwhelmed I became. She's been a part of my life since I was 19 - and considering I'm treading a path into my thirties - we can safely say that I can't imagine my life without her. Meanwhile, Anabelle came home with AB and I as a puppy only two short months after we said "I DO". We don't know married life without her. Kaleigh on the other hand, came one year after Anabelle and truly was the champion of my heart. She was the sickly, unwanted, and battered pit-bull mix of a family that left her at the pound. She became the celebrated and adored punky brewster of our family who never misses an occasion to make us laugh out loud and lifts our spirits with her silly antics. People who come in our home quickly learn that Kaleigh is a heart breaker and can melt you with one glance into her big pathetic pleading brown eyes.

So tonight we were laying on the bed, loving on the babies (like we do every night) and I thought it wise to grab the camera and capture both my mood and theirs on film. So that I'll always be able to have that memory long after their gone and life has moved forward. I know their stay here with us is so brief and it just breaks my heart. I have to say, there are so many people in this world who can't hold a candle to the grace and gentle spirit of my animals. Perhaps that's why we find it so hard to part with them when it's time. I for one, loathe time. It steals away the good, and prolongs and drags out the bad.

I'm so busy waiting for my "people" babies to get here, that I get caught up and forget to adore my "fur" babies. A mistake I daresay I will someday regret...

So, for the kids I have and love forever - who see me through the hard times, and love me in spite of me, and forgive me eagerly, and are always happy to see me, and bring me joy everyday of their lives...

Have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you theres no one else above you

You fill my heart with gladness

Take away all my sadness

Ease my troubles thats what you do

For the morning sun in all its glory
Greets the day with hope and comfort too

You fill my life with laughter
And somehow you make it better
Ease my troubles thats what you do

And have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you theres no one else above you
You fill my heart with gladness
Take away my sadness
Ease my troubles thats what you do

And have I told you lately that I love you
Have I told you theres no one else above you

Take away all my sadness
Fill my life with gladness
Ease my troubles thats what you do

Acorns to Oaks

Last week I participated in a Children's Musical Camp from Monday - Friday, that was held at our church. (Partly why I've been so quiet on blog-world) I can't tell you what a great time I had! These kids ranged from 2nd - 6th grade and were truly amazing! We only had FIVE DAYS to put this show on. I thought there was no way we could do it, but in the end, it was AWESOME! We played to a nice full crowd (mostly parents and family, of course) on Friday night. The kids pulled it out of the bag! They didn't miss ONE SINGLE line. I played Mrs. McDonald and had two solos I had to sing with the kids, and some lines, as well as all the other songs of course. My dear friend and Worship pastor, Scott played Mr. McDonald. We had such a fun time, I was sad it was over. Boo hoo! Here are some pictures from the final performance - it was such a hoot! We got a nice big standing "O" (but with parents in the audience, I guess that was inevitable!?!?)

Story was about a farming family / friends who also learn that our lives are like trees planted in God's goodness and how we can "cultivate" our hearts to grow in God's love. It was so cute, made me weepy!

Here is the whole cast - about 20 of us altogether, but some of the kids had run off before we could take a whole shot. I'm right in the middle of these cuties.

Here is my own special cutie, Miss E. Her mommy Kelley is my dear sweet M3 pal and graciously dropped in to catch the performance. I was so glad to see them both, I could hardly stand it!

During the performance - Oh yes I do have on overalls and braids in my hair - yee haw!

Nice big stage "action" shot! Hahaha

Go on girl! Sing it!

And now you know what I did with my last week. I was at practice Wed, Thurs, and Friday. I wish there was more I could say to convey how cute these kiddies were, but since most of you have kids, you probably already know! My gosh, I wanted to take so many of them home with me! Such a good experience for me and I know for the kids.

My gawd...am I mother yet, already??? Jeesh! What's a girl gotta do to get some children around here?

p-o (that's my shortie lingo for peace out! - ha! I crack myself up!)