Humbled

I am feeling very humbled and thankful today for our heroes who fought, and in many cases- died, for our country to make us free.

My grandpa was one of those brave heroes. He was a sharp-shooter in New Guinea in WWII. On a very dangerous mission, he had to act as a decoy to a Japanese army troop. He made them chase him through the jungle until he reached the edge of a high cliff where he jumped off, plunging into the choppy ocean below where a boat awaited him. He hurt his knees very badly when he landed in the water, and could very easily have been killed by the Japanese.

I am grateful to my grandpa for being so brave in the face of almost certain death. He was always a very jolly and happy kind of guy and I loved him very much!

I once had the opportunity to walk the grounds of a famous battle in the Revolutionary war in Cow Pens, South Carolina. It was a spot where the story could have turned out very differently for our soldiers. The British soldiers were well fed, well dressed, well armed. The American soldiers were tired, starved, and ill-prepared to go up against the British. That day the fog was heavy at times and cold and damp. When the order was shouted to charge,they got mixed up and only some groups began to charge, some waited back- not having heard the message. Suddenly, a heavy fog rolled in as the British troops advanced to fight the charging soldiers. Things were in commotion as people tried to see. Finally, the other groups got the message to charge and closed in, only to find the British soldiers had advanced further than they had thought. Because of this "mistake" the British were now surrounded on all sides by the American soldiers.

Many men died that day, but due to a strange and obviously Heavenly guiding hand, this battle became the turning point for the colonists on the American continent. As I walked those grounds I was placing my feet on the very soil where brave men gave their lives for our freedom. It was very humbling to know that men so long ago died so I could be standing there, a free American.

Thank you to all the brave souls who have fought for my freedoms. I will endeavor to deserve what you have done for me!

When 9 year olds plan the parties...

As I'm pulling into the parking lot of the swimming pool for a birthday party my son was invited to:

"So, I'll just pick you up here after the party, then?"

"No, the party isn't going to be here the whole time."

"Uh... it was MY understanding that the whole party was here. I asked your friend and she said it was."

"Well I talked to her too, and she said we are going to her house after we swim and you can pick me up there."

"Well, is the party starting here or at her house?"

"I think it's starting at her house be we can just wait here until they get here."

me... getting very exasperated... "But she told ME to bring you to the pool! Is the party here or not???"

"I don't know, mom. You should have talked to a grown-up about all this. We're just kids, you know."

Ya... thanks for pointing out the OBVIOUS!!!!

(luckily, the party WAS at the pool, and there WAS a grown-up there who confirmed that the party WAS in fact going to be there the entire time!)

It's my birfday!!!!

This morning I woke up with a start. I am a light sleeper and suddenly I sensed I was being watched as I was dreaming about my neighbors making me a cake for singing at their funeral...(yes, they were still alive.... no, I have no idea what the dream meant!) I opened my eyes to two dark figures hovering over me. Luckily, rather than whip out my ultra ninja moves on them as I normally would in such a circumstance, I realized it was my hubby and son.

As soon as they saw I was awake, they began singing "Happy Birthday" to me. A darling homemade card was thrust into my hands and I switched on my bedside lamp to read it. It took a minute for my eyes to adjust, but the card was... well.... moving... to say the least.

It read: Happy commemoration of being forced from a gelatinous sack of fluid through a tiny tube by horrendous muscular contractions.... where you were cut, poked, stabbed, and slapped until you cried, and then paraded naked before strangers! Boy... what a great day! You sure ar elucky! :) Let's celebrate! To honor this momentous day I hereby bequeath to you a gift.... 1 billion dollars!!!! (fine print: minus $999,999,900 for taxes and fees) Happy Birthday! (Well, I do have a husband after my own heart! He completes me!)

My son's (much more sweetly) said: (in his very best cursive handwriting which is actually legible, as opposed to his regular handwriting which is absolutely NOT legible) Happy Birthday Mommy. I love you very much mommy and you are so nice to me. And now it's my turn to be nice to you by saying Happy Birthday.

I got a fresh, still-warm-from-the-bakery glazed donut and cold milk for breakfast, and I got to watch cartoons in bed with my son!

Who could ask for a better birthday than that??? I think I'll go buy myself a birthday cake and celebrate!

Taken by the mother ship...

Yes, it has been 12 days since my last post.

I had good reason... sort of. I went to Disneyland last week, which I couldn't really blog about beforehand because we're always told by "them" (you know... "them"... the people that always tell you things?)that you should never put on a public forum when you are leaving town because people can take advantage of you and rob you blind while you're happily enjoying Goofy and corn dogs in the Magical Kingdom. Although, my husband stayed behind at home because of work ick and all that fun stuff. However, I would still have hated to be robbed blind while he was sitting on the bed drowning his lonely sorrows in Diet Mtn. Dew and Fritos.

So, the trip to Disneyland:
Lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of driving.
Lots of junk food and eating at restaurants.(which can actually get pretty tiresome!)
More fun riding rides than I've had since I was 15!!! (yes, it's been that long since I was last at Disneyland.So what? like 7 years? hee hee)

I even dared to go on Space Mountain, which I used to love but have since become a total wimp. I couldn't let my son think his mom was a wimp, though. I smiled bravely... and then screamed the ENTIRE ride!!! I actually loved it, though. I went on it again the next day and was totally (almost) not freaked out at all!

I climbed Tarzan's Tree House as well. Now, I am DEATHLY afraid of heights. Had I known what I was doing before I wouldn't have gone up the stairs to the treehouse, but it all happened so fast. Before I knew it I was on a suspension bridge and my knees were knocking together, a giant pit in my stomach, and my son laughing and saying "keep going, Mom! Don't be a wimp!" Well, I couldn't very well turn around and go back so I pressed on, gulping down my tepid nausea. I climbed higher and higher and resigned myself to the fact that I would probably die right there in Disneyland. But then the stairs took us down, and down, and I was ok! I did it! I promptly called my husband like the 5 year old I actually am, and exclaimed "I did it!!!" He was duely impressed!

3 trips on the Pirate ride, 2 trips on Splash Mountain (fast pass ROCKS!!!), skipping ahead in some lines because my dad was in a wheelchair... it all rocked! And of course, lots and lots and lots of eating: churros, corn dogs, ice cream, the best clam chowder in the world, pineapple whip at the Tiki Room, fried fritters in New Orleans, frozen bananas.... it was a good thing we were walking A LOT!!!!

I forgot how magical Disneyland really is! I want to go EVERY year now!!!!

Our hotel was pretty decent too, for a motel 6. And there was only one incident of a bust-up of a prostitution ring, so it wasn't too bad!

So, I am back home, safe and sound...(I wasn't involved in the prostitution ring, by the way... in case you were wondering, although, if I'd kept spending money on all that crap I might... well, let's not go there!) I'm a little more tan, a little more rested, and a little more Disneyfied!

Hard times require lots of ....uh.... Ben and Jerry's?

This week has not been on my top ten list.

1) Dentist.... (bottom 1 billionth on the list, right above burning in H-E- double hockey sticks.)

2) Hubby's work ick... (right above the Dentist, but eerily resembles H-E-double hockey sticks right now)

3) Unmentionable ick.... (makes ME resemble H-E-double hockey sticks!)

So I will write what IS on my top 10 list of favorite things right now: (beware, it varies from day to day, but this is as it stands as of today at 4:27 pm)

1- Ben and Jerry's peanut butter cup ice cream. (Used to be "everything but the..." but they don't make that flavor anymore!!!! That is NOT on my top 10 list... grrrrrrr...) Oh, and I just ate half a pint. Ya... I know.
2- Diet Dr. Pepper (this is always on my list!)
3- New shoes
4- Herbal Essences shampoo- (reminds me of my trip to Hawaii)
5- Foot massages
6- ibuprofin
7- having nowhere to go today
8- sound of my hubby's voice
9- chick flicks
10- weather warm enough I can leave the back door open so my dog can come and go as he pleases without staring at me with that blank look that I'm supposed to just "know" what he means.

Here's hoping the week ends on a good note. And that I get another pint of B and J's ice cream really soon!