Archive for June 2010
Mad, sad & …
Posted on: June 29, 2010
I was going through my email & came across this spiritual thought from one of my church leaders. This totally fits the situation & my reaction to it so I thought I’d share it.
“If you feel you have been wronged—by anyone . . . or by anything—deal with the matter directly and with all the strength you have. . . . And, without delay, turn to the Lord. Exercise all of the faith you have in Him. Let Him share your burden.”
Donald L. Hallstrom, “Turn to the Lord,” Ensign, May 2010, 80
and now back to the post. I’m off to take his advice!
…still kinda upset. Last week while my friends were here, I invited my neighbor’s daughter & her friend to come swimming w/ us. My neighbor vouched that her daughter’s friend could “swim really well under water”. For some reason I felt concerned about this friend of a friend & kept asking my neighbor about the girl. My neighbor finally told me to give her some kind of test if I was so worried (she actually put it like that).
I didn’t think any more about it since I was getting into the pool for a few minutes (it’s been 100F or close to lately). I was just getting back out of the pool when the two girls arrived. I sat on the deck w/ my friend (visitor from back east) & visited while watching the kids. I needed to go get dinner started & since my friend was sitting there & I had the reassurance that every one could swim I started in the house. All of a sudden, an overwhelming desire to ensure that this young girl could swim came over me. I turned to the girl, who was about mid point along the wall @ the narrowest point but in the deep water (pool depth @ deepest is 9 feet) & told the girl to swim across. She looked up @ me & gave me a look that I couldn’t decipher, took a deep breath & went under. I assumed that she was pushing off under the water but no, she was drowning. I dropped my towel, kicked off my flip flops & went in. (All seriousness aside, it was a text book life guard entry. My old instructors would have been so proud!) I swam over to her & then down. I pushed her up & then towed her to the side where my friend waited to help. There is a big ledge on both sides of my pool @ this point & we had her sitting there before she even realized that she was okay. And she was okay. She hadn’t swallowed any water & while she was scared she wasn’t too upset.
Let’s step back for a moment & let me tell you how freaking mad I was. Both of these girls knew the one girl couldn’t swim but they had wanted to get into my pool so badly that they lied. I scolded the one girl but wish I’d scolded my neighbor’s daughter as well. I ended up letting the girls stay however I wouldn’t let them out of the shallow end & when my neighbor came over I told her what had happened. She too, turned & scolded the girl. Lately though, all I can think of is that my neighbor’s daughter knew her friend couldn’t swim (she was totally unconcerned about her friend when this happened & yes, I understand that as a 10 yr old child her brain is irresponsible & immature but it still really upsets me) & that her mom hasn’t said anything to her about it. (I feel this way because of things that have happened when we’ve been together.) This is the same neighbor w/ the wild child dog, who has since been fixed & is no longer as wild (the dog), & she always seems to have the attitude of “oh, well”. sigh… I’m working through my anger.
Okay, the moral of the story is, never turn your back on anyone in your pool & don’t let unknown friends swim. And maybe even known friends. I haven’t finished deciding yet although I’m sure I’ll invite my neighbors back just no friend of friends!
Um, you’re right, I DO have a blog!
Posted on: June 26, 2010
Yeah, guess I forgot for a minute there. We had a blast w/ my friend & her two kids. Even though it was pretty warm (100F+) we still went to Tombstone (we took refuge in a silver mine to escape the heat!), The Tucson Sonora Desert Museum & then I bailed on Sunday & let Hubby go w/ our teens & my friend while I stayed w/ the younger ones. See, they went to the Copper Queen Mine to do a tour & my friend’s youngest & the Princess both were a little anxious @ the silver mine so I opted to stay home.
On Monday @ 6:30 am we left & headed up to Phoenix to take them to the airport. Luckily Hubby decided to join us for this trip since I was pretty tired. And even better my friend wants to come back & visit but this time she’ll fly into Tucson (2 hrs closer to my home!). Phew! It was a great time but since she doesn’t post photos of her kiddos online I can’t show some of the photos I took. so…
And in other news, Hubby finally likes our pool. That’s part of why I haven’t been around. Hubby is starting a new job & took a few days in between starting the new & finishing the old, to be w/ us! That means that since it’s been over a 100F here we’ve been living in the pool. It’s been great & we’ve been having a wonderful time although I think the sun is starting to get to the kids since they are both starting to act out. Sheesh, I though summer was supposed to be fun. Oh, well.
I’ll try to be better @ posting but as long as we can swim we will since it’s very good for my waistline!
Yep, had a skunk in my backyard this am. Still not certain how he got there but he not only nailed the house, he nailed the dog & the gate. The smell is so thick you can pretty much taste it. (I’m sitting here feeling more & more nauseous by the moment!)
You would’ve been laughing your head off to see me in my nightie running for the gate & swinging it open, then running for the house! Apparently the little critter took off after for me a minute & I really started running (not a pretty site! lol). That didn’t completely work so Hubby & the Prince resorted to a bb gun*. That of course made him spray some more but he eventually left.
It’s 6:30 am darn it & I want to go back to bed but my HOUSE REEKS! UGH!!!!!!
* no skunks were harmed during the making of this blog although I’d like to hurt it now that my house & dog stink so bad!
Going, going, but not forever…
Posted on: June 16, 2010
Some friends from back East are coming out to visit us & the kids & I are heading up to the really big city today so that we can get them from the airport bright & early in the am. So I probably won’t be around until next Tues. See, we haven’t seen each other in over 3 yrs so we have tons of irl stuff to catch up on. Plus she’s bringing her kids along & our kiddos were the best of buddies so… tons of catching up to do. In addition my pool is 93F (crazy hot, eh?) so I’m sure that we’ll be hanging out & having a great time!
I WILL be back though! Don’t give up on me. I still have the rest of our little vacation & the Princess’s big day to blog about. So see ya soon!
We interrupt this blog…
Posted on: June 15, 2010
only because I’ve been telling my family & friends (who I actually know irl) about my new driveway. We went away & there it was! Ta-da!! Not really, but it sure sounds awesome, eh? Just wish I’d thought to take before pix.
If I mention that the culvert @ the front of the drive was three (3) inches higher would that help? How about if I tell you that I’ve now had 4 people tell me that they had wondered if they should park out on the street instead of coming into my driveway because they were afraid that their vehicles wouldn’t clear the bump? That gives quite the visual image doesn’t it?
Okay, I’ll quit. So w/o further adieu… Or in other words…Really, I’ll stop!
So, we really aren’t a redneck house even if this picture totally looks like it! Plus, look @ the truck. It doesn’t look like the leaning tower of Pisa anymore!!! *wink*
Bonus! When the contractor brought in all of the dirt he loaded it onto this front part of the yard. As he was scrapping it off, he actually cleared this section & & made it much more smooth & level. Mom? Dad? You can bring your trailer down & not be on such an incline anymore. Plus our weather is a trifle warmer than yours. Just a little helpful hint!
And this? This is the piece de resistance. This is actually going to be GREEN! We’re either planting grass seed, sod or fake grass (kinda my personal choice). I will have GREEN to look @ & enjoy & love. But not until after next month when we have built back up our cash reserves. Vacations & this driveway re-do are expensive!
ps – the pix are totally distorted because I wanted to show how beautiful my driveway is now.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging…
See? We went…
Posted on: June 12, 2010
to the Grand Canyon! And we did it on a train. Talk about F. U. N.! We started out from Williams, Az to the Grand Canyon & then came back. If you’re planning a trip there I highly recommend the train. It was great! (we in no way were compensated for the train ride although because Hubby is a Vet, his ride was free)
This picture turned out only through sheer luck. I was staring into the sun as these four Condors flew towards us so I just pointed my camera @ the sky & clicked. Amazingly enough, it worked!
I have some more photos but I think I’ll leave it @ this for now. We had an amazing time & can’t hardly wait to go back. We felt like it was one of those places that we could go over & over again. Even the kids loved it. The Princess kept telling us over the next few days that she’d loved it & it was so amazing. The Prince grunted his enthusiasm & told us that he’d be willing to go back too. All in all it was a truly wonderful time.
Next up? The Princess’s day.
I miss…
Posted on: June 10, 2010
I really, really, really miss my old blog. The one where I was comfortable w/ where everything was @ & how it all worked. This one? Still not so much. I’m trying but… sigh… This one is like the horrible neighbor child that you can’t stand to not let play w/ the other kids because you’d hate for your child to be excluded but really, you don’t want your kids to be like. (Wow! I think I’ve written the worst sentence ever! lol) I’m searching for a different blog look but I haven’t found one I like. OH & tomorrow one of my goals is to download the pix from our trip & post some. I think that will be cheer me up, right?
Shingles update. Hubby is embarrassed to have me tell someone I have shingles. Not certain why though. You actually get shingle pretty much when you’re stressed (that’s me! grin) but they are going away & I’m not contagious. I also haven’t had to really use my pain meds as the pain comes & goes quickly although right now I’m not in any pain just itchy. I want to type all of this out because I need the “written” reference. I don’t do a journal except for this so no need to get all mushy or anything. I do find that I have much more empathy for anyone that I hear is in pain. That’s a pretty good thing though. And I’m amazed when I’ve told someone I have shingles how many (as in every single person) people know someone who’s younger than me who has had shingles. My neighbor first got them when she was 29! Glad to have made it to the ripe old age of 42!
Oh, my…
Posted on: June 10, 2010
I was just sitting watching Kate + 8 when the Princess just came out & walked around the kitchen island. I asked her what was wrong & she said “I don’t know”. I followed her back to her room & told her to go to the bathroom. She just laid down & closed her eyes. Pretty sure she wasn’t awake. About 10 min later she does it again only this time I cornered her & took her to the bathroom. Yep, my daughter still can’t make it through the night! Poor kid. She couldn’t ever make it as a baby & I’m pretty sure that she’ll never make it all night as an adult. Yeah, never thought I’d write about my kids bathroom habits but there you go.
Our Vacation was…
Posted on: June 9, 2010
Wonderful! We went to the Grand Canyon on a train, Twin Falls, Idaho for my mil’s stupid rocks, Utah for my daughter’s baptism (& my nephew’s too!), the Petrified Forest, an extremely scary & yet amazingly beautiful mountain drive & finally home. Think that sounds like a lot? It was & yet there’s so much more too. I couldn’t remember my password & so nothing got updated but, we survived. We had tons of problems for a bit & then after a very heartfelt prayer, peace.
I have to mention this & then it’s off to bed. We were driving north from Flagstaff, Arizona, on Memorial Day. Hubby was driving & had to pass one of those monster, big, Oldmobiles. The kind that older people drive (if you’re young & have one, well, um, sorry?) Anyway, as we’re getting ready to pass I notice that the driver must be pretty old because I can’t really see him/her through the back window. As we drive up I notice something hanging in the rear/side window behind the driver. It was a military (probably Army but possibly Marine) uniform. There were several medals & ribbons on it & everything including the buttons was polished to a very high sheen. As we continued past the car I could see that yes, the man was quite old, as was his wife, but he was proudly wearing a baseball cap that proclaimed what unit he’d been in. As sudden, & highly unexpected, tears welled up in my eyes all I could think of was the pain & joy that couple had lived through. How many of his friends/family members died in the war he’d served in? Was he injured? Was he married or did he have a girlfriend @ the time? Was it the woman w/ him? And what about the woman? How many of her friends/family members had died for us? What had she been doing during the war he’d served in. Had she been part of the Red Cross? They looked old enough to have lived through World War II.
I will never know if they did but either way this couple had surely lived through things that I never have. I’ve mentioned before that Hubby is retired AF & all I could think of after we’d left this couple behind us is how grateful I was for both of their (she served too even if it was from the home front, trust me on this one!) service & for the loved ones who won’t ever come back from various wars & what nots (I can’t think of the political term right now) all over the world. When we lived in Md, we took the opportunity & went to Arlington National Cemetery. There is an almost sacred feeling there as you look @ the many lives that have been laid down while fighting for our country.
To those who’ve come before me, those serving now & those who will serve in the future. Thank you for your many sacrifices. To the families who’ve lost loved ones. I can never thank you enough for the sacrifices you’ve endured, but please know that I’m proud to be an American & I Thank you w/ all of my heart for your selfless devotion to family, friends & country.
