I Got "Carried" Away ...

Last night, my best friend and I joined the thousands of women across America that went to the opening night of "Sex and the City".



We had gone for dinner at The Outback first, each having 3 Sydney Cosmos, then went to the movie theater. The 8 o'clock showing was sold out, so we purchased our tickets for the 10:35 one. (Whomever decided it was a good idea to show the mother of all chick-flicks on only one screen is a total dumbass) We killed a couple of hours at Barnes & Noble, then ventured back to the theater. Despite being almost 30 minutes early, there were no parking spots, and when we finally got inside, the lobby was packed with ladies in pumps and cocktail dresses. We waited in there for about 15 or 20 minutes before they opened the doors and let people in.
About 90% of the seats were full when we got in, so we ended up on the 6th row on the end. It wasn't terrible, but not the optimal viewing area. If you want to see the movie, a few words of warning: it lasts about 2 and a half hours and if you are at all uncomfortable watching graphic sexual scenes with 150 other women, you might wanna wait for the dvd. And men... there is enough of the aforementioned sex to make this a viable option for date night.
I won't give anything away by giving details of the storyline, but I will say that I loved this movie so much that I am going again next weekend!!

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

All the flowers? They are probably in a landfill somewhere, and they aren't coming back, because they weren't composted. And the non-existent compost wasn't used to enrich the soil to grow new flowers.

Call me naive, but if there is a solution to a problem, why not use it? I've been broadening my horizons lately, and learning new things. I've been reading about things that I had never even heard of previously, and realizing things that had never occurred to me before. Case in point:



This man has researched and tested these theories, and he is obviously onto something. If we can efficiently solve some of the world's problems with something so simple as mushrooms, why isn't the government backing his works 100%?

The more I read and hear about things, the more apprehensive I am about placing my life, and the lives of my loved ones, into the hands of the US government. All this time, I thought of the government as a parent: some-one/thing that is watching out for all of us. (there is that naive streak rearing it's head again) The conclusion I am coming to, though, is that the government as a whole is not interested so much in the well-being of the Earth or Her inhabitants so much as they are concerned with bullshit politics and making a quick buck.

And I am referring to all levels of government when I say this.

I have a cousin that is 16 years old. He went to a city meeting to propose a recycling program within his high school. The response he got was negative, because the school district would make no profit from it. WHAT THE HELL??? Never mind that hundreds of aluminum cans are being tossed in the trash every day at this school, along with plastic water bottles, various packaging for food, and all the paper that is thrown into the garbage cans.... Just think about how much garbage a high school generates on a daily basis? Why does the profit have to be monetary? How about the concept that recycling all that trash might buy our planet a longer life?

I am thoroughly disgusted with all the dumbass, non-caring people in this world. I don't really see why it is fair for "those people" to be able to make the decision to destroy MY home. Because that is what it all boils down to. We share the Earth, and we should all willingly take care of it.

I am obviously far too emotional to be blogging right now, so I will walk away from this for the time being. But I still think it would be a good idea to make recycling mandatory and anyone caught "breaking the law" should be punished. *sigh* Another thing to add to the To-Do List for when I am queen of the world, right?

Diary of a Nauseated White Woman

It feels like it's been forever since I blogged. Another week has flown by, and I am trying to figure out where it went! I haven't been feeling too great the past couple of days--horrible headaches and nausea. I probably have some little bug of some sort, but I will be glad when it passes. I feel like shit, to be honest.

I don't feel like I got a whole lot accomplished this week. I reorganized the kitchen pantry and emptied out the junk drawer and put all my spices in it. I hated reaching over my head to dig for things I couldn't see when cooking, so I am hoping this new arrangement will work better for me. I also organized the cabinets that the spices were in previously. That is pretty much all I got done in the kitchen. I also, finally, finished my father's scrapbook that I had been working on for ages. I was driving myself crazy because I thought I had misplaced a bunch of OLD photos, but it turns out that the few I had in my work area were all that were left. I am debating whether or not to do an additional few pages with myself, my brother, my mom, and my kids. As it stands now, the book consists of the photos that my grandmother put together for my dad several years ago in a "magnetic" album. (you know the type... those sticky pages with the plastic sheet that covers the page) This scrapbook was a true labor of love, and I hope I have done the photos justice. I had very little information, and on some I had no info at all.

Michael threatened to not let me go back to Disney World until I have scrapped the photos from last year's trip, so I am trying to get back into the swing of it again. I still have 3 years' worth of vacations to scrapbook, so I should get busy.

For today though, I think I will just see if I can find something to take for this headache and try to take it easy.

What weekend?

I am blown away by how fast the weekend flew by. Last night, I was thoroughly convinced that it was Saturday night, so I missed the first half of the Desperate Housewives season finale. I bitched about that for a good hour or so. I can always watch it later online, so it isn't a huge deal.
All in all, I enjoyed my too-short weekend. Friday night, I convinced Michael to make ATCs with me. (that is Artistic Trading Cards, fyi) It didn't take long to see that he is one creative boy, and I was slightly envious that his cards were coming out much better than mine! We had fun though, and I was glad to see that he found something he could do with those thousands of photographs he has laying around. Now, if only I can get him into scrapbooking...

Saturday we went and got Kobey's hair cut. The girl that did it kept commenting on how thick his hair was. The operative word there is "was" because she cut the hell out of it. She then applied some sort of wax and asked me to style it the way he wanted it... which basically amounts to what it would look like if your mother was a porcupine and your father a tornado and you habitually slept *on* your head. Yeah, like that... It was cute though, so afterward we went and bought some hair glue so we could replicate it at home.

I guess we basically shopped all day Saturday, which was why it was pretty much erased from my memory yesterday evening. We did, however, pick up a few plants. We had promised Kobey that he could pick some vegetable plants... anything he wanted... to take care of and grow. Well, he had his heart set on carrots and celery. Yeah. *cough* So, um.. since we couldn't find those, his second choice was corn and cucumbers. Yes, I said corn. I am still trying to figure out where the hell I am going to stick 9 cornstalks. The cucumbers I can deal with. I guess we will see. It will kinda be cool if we actually get ears of corn off of these plants.

And yesterday, we literally spent the day working on that eternal fence. This thing has been 3 years in the making because Michael and I are "on again, off again" kind of people. However, I am pleased to announce that all we have left to do now are the gates. Dare I mention that I am not looking forward to this part? I will be glad to have it all done though, so that both of our dogs can run loose in the yard. Lucy, the older Lab, hasn't had that opportunity since we got her over a month ago. She's a runner, and can't be off the leash outside. So I am looking forward to having the fence finished so that poor girl can run and play with Bella, the puppy.

So, that was basically my weekend in a sad little nutshell. Now I get to go do laundry. Yay...

A Wake-Up Call

Last night, on ABC's Nightline, they featured a family in Pasadena, CA that caught my attention. The actual broadcast is not up on Youtube yet, but several other of the Dervaes' family's videos are. This is my favorite:




This is truly one of the most inspiring videos I have ever seen. I find myself slowly evolving into a more environmentally-conscious person, and I am learning new things every day... things I hope will make a difference. I can't help but be a bit disgusted with myself though, for not realizing all these things sooner. I, like many other people, had literally put my life in the hands of the US Government, big corporations, and many other money-hungry entities that really are not concerned about me or my family. We have to look after ourselves, because no one else will.

The skyrocketing prices of fuel (and thus, everything else) lately has been a real wake up call for some of us, and I sincerely hope the message is getting through to people that we CAN make a difference. We can't leave these issues for future generations to deal with; we have to start today.

I know a lot of people sit and think, "How can some little thing I do make a difference?" Trust me, that crosses my mind too. Sometimes I think, "What harm will it do to go ahead and buy the incandescent bulbs as opposed to the CFLs? They are already there, on the shelf... I am not hurting anything, really..." The answer, of course, is supply and demand. If we don't buy the product, eventually there isn't a need to produce the product. It can be a long process, but every little bit helps.

Preserving our World should be a huge priority for people. If we don't take care of her, she won't take care of us. It just takes baby steps, something we are ALL capable of.

And, besides...

Where else are you going to live?

Welcome to our Hearth!

*originally posted May 13*

My oldest son was in Cub Scouts. My husband was the Cub Master, and I was a Den Leader. We were very involved in the planning and implementation of everything our Pack did. And then it got to be all political, and the bullshit just overtook everything.
I always kind of held a grudge against BSA, Boy Scouts of America, because of their discriminatory ways. They pretty much mandate that you must be Christian and straight to join, whether as a leader or a Scout. As a Pagan-hybrid, I kept a low profile and was careful to adhere to the BSA rules when conducting meetings. In fact, to help maintain my 'pack persona', we even tried attending the church that sponsored our pack a few times.

A little something about me and church.... I like the singing. It moves me! I am often brought to tears hearing the voices of so many people coming together to sing in praise. However... I am also brought to tears when I hear "Goodbye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks. (a song about knocking off an abusive ex-husband) So maybe it is just music in general that moves me. I do NOT like having to dress up on Sunday morning to go and be judged by my peers. And let's face it, that is what happens. It seems to me that going to church has become something of a fashion show for some people, and if you show up in your Wal-Mart finery, well... Heaven help you. No one is outwardly mean about it, but you can sense their disgust in the sticky sweetness of their voices. But, I digress...

We decided we wanted to do scouting with Kobey, and even CJ, if he is willing; but without all the religious mumbo-jumbo. I came across something a few years ago and it has been in the back of my mind since then. Something that would have to be done on a small scale for us, because, quite frankly, I am afraid of the redneck idiots that live here. It is called Spiral Scouts, and it is based on Pagan beliefs, but is open to ALL religions, even anti-religions; all races, creeds, sexual orientations, etc. Spiral Scouts teaches the equality of both genders, respect for all living things, respect for Earth, and so much more. I registered yesterday to become a Hearth, a single-family unit involved in scouting. The kids earn badges and awards, as with the other scouting programs.

I am so very excited about this. I was kind of hoping to be able to find a larger group here, but there isn't one within 250 miles, so we are going to be self-contained for now. I will keep you informed of our status, as we are waiting to get our registration information!

AWOL: Code Green

*posted May 13*

So, I haven't blogged in awhile. I swear I have a good excuse: Life got in the way.

The birthday party went well, despite being up until 2 a.m. the morning of; painting the bathroom. Ah, isn't it nice how you can accomplish so much under pressure?

Let me backtrack just a bit... Friday night, May 2, we went to Lowe's to get the remainder of the supplies needed to finish the privacy fence around the backyard. We found two stacks of fence panels, and Michael asked an employee, who was a mere 5 feet from us, something about the fence. And in true Lowe's fashion, he answered with as few words as possibly, which was vaguely an answer at all, which led us to believe that Lowe's will hire half-wits without a second thought. So we made the decision of which type of fence to get on our own, and walked across the aisle to the gate kits.

A little something about these kits... the box weighs about 40 pounds, and, wouldn't you know; every one of the boxes was split or busted open at the end that was on the ground. In other words, you try to lift a box, and the contents spill onto the ground. Aforementioned employee, as well as a SECOND EMPLOYEE, were less than 20 feet from us as we very clearly struggled to load these boxes onto our cart. Did they offer assistance? Hell no. God forbid they should do anything outside of the most basic of their job descriptions. We finally got three of the boxes loaded up and went inside to look at lawnmowers.

Now THIS is something I am excited about. First of all, huge KUDOS to the guy that came up immediately to assist us once inside the store. (even though he was misinformed about the product we were looking at) We were looking for an electric lawnmower. It's no secret that I have opened up to my inner green-ness, and since our old lawnmower bit the dust, I figured this would be a fantastic time to implement some of what I have learned! (and just as an FYI: A well-maintained gasoline powered lawnmower emits as much carbon into the atmosphere as 11 automobiles. A mower that is not well-maintained is equivalent to the emissions of 30 cars.) So anyway, we were looking at the only electric mower they had in stock, and asked the guy if it used a cord or had a rechargeable battery. He told us it had a battery. (if we had any sense, we would have looked at the opposite side of the box which clearly stated that it used a cord)

So, we get up to the register to check-out, spend 15 minutes trying to explain the size of fence panels we wanted to the cashier. (Because, of course, there were no tags on anything outside, and I'd rather have an appendectomy without anesthesia than try to get help out there!) She finally figured it out, and told us they would be delivered Tuesday. That kind of pissed us off because they had what we wanted in stock, and we were hoping to have the fence done before the party. Just goes to show you that you can't always get what you want.

We managed to get home with everything... the lawnmower box was crammed into the trunk, and I had the pleasure of having all 3 gate assembly sets on me the whole way home. We arrived home, unpacked everything from the car, and Michael took the mower out of the box. That's when we discovered that it has to be plugged in... which was actually great, because that is the type I wanted to have anyway. (Two extension cords can reach in to the depths of my backyard.)

Saturday, Michael woke up anxious to use the new toy... I mean, lawnmower. Of course, I had to disappoint him by saying he had to wait til the dew evaporated. Something about electricity and water... *shrug* When it was finally dry enough, we went out and he plugged it in. All I can say is, "OMG." You start it by pushing a lever and holding it to the handle. No more pulled shoulders from those damned pull-string mowers. When running, it is only a little louder than a vacuum cleaner! And it is lightweight enough that Michael mowed the ditch one-handed! The only thing is, you can't run over the cord. So it takes a little bit of maneuvering to keep that sucker out of the way, but otherwise... whoa... we were literally fighting over who got to mow! It was actually fun! So we spent the rest of the day (and until about 8:30 p.m.) working in the yard. Afterward, we went inside and started on the bathroom.

So party day arrived, and it was hot as hell out there. We brought out fans to help alleviate the heat some, but it was still pretty toasty. Everyone seemed to have a good time though. I was thrilled that Kobey took the time to read each and every one of his birthday cards. It irritates me to see a kid toss a card aside without more than a glance to see if there is money inside.

We survived the day, and then I had to start thinking about our upcoming camping trip. As the week progressed, I had pretty much decided we should just go to Schlitterbahn instead, but Wednesday night Michael told me we were camping. Soooo, I started working on it again. Thursday night we went shopping for camping gear and groceries, and Friday morning I picked CJ up from school and we got packed up and headed to Martin Dies Jr State Park. It was a one-and-a-half hour drive there, with no AC in the car, and the dogs in the back seat with the kids. Everyone was bitching and complaining... not unlike any other excursion we embark on as a family unit. We arrived at the park a little after 2 p.m., sign in, pay, and find our site. The area we were in was empty except for the park host, so it was nice and serene. We were at the edge of a slough, so there was no shortage of nature sounds. It made a gorgeous backdrop to our site. We set up the tent and got the dogs tied down (they have to remain on a leash at all times in a State Park). The kids and Michael wandered around a bit, then Michael started a campfire, which I would be cooking on. We planned on having bratwurst, German potato salad, and corn on the cob. I got everything prepped and put on the fire and was in the middle of moving things around on the grill when I hear an awful scream.
Kobey had tripped and hit his face on the concrete picnic bench. I ran over to him and got him up on the table. His nose was covered in blood and he was crying so hard and shaking... scary stuff there. Michael was tripping out because he just knew Kobey's nose was split in two (it looked like it at first). I cleaned up the wounds, which turned out to be mostly scrapes and scratches, but the bridge of his nose was grossly swollen and turning bluer by the second. We put an ice pack on his nose and got him to calm down enough for me to make sure that he didn't have a nosebleed or any blood in his saliva. I gave him a few Children's Tylenol, and he settled down a bit. He decided he wanted to go home, so we packed up everything, ate our half-cooked dinner, and headed home. He slept a little on the way home, and I kept a close eye on him.
Any time we mentioned the word "hospital" he would burst into tears, so we monitored him and decided that his nose wasn't broken or anything. He was very emotional all night though, and I was worried that he would be in a lot of pain on Saturday, so I gave him a half-dose of Children's Motrin before putting him to bed. He slept with me so I could keep an eye on him. Poor dear had nightmares all night, but he woke up Saturday morning in no pain at all. He said it only hurt if he touched the bruised part of his nose. He spent Saturday playing as though nothing had happened.
By Sunday, which was Mother's Day, his bruising has spread to his left eye a little, but he still wasn't hurting. It was still blue and purple, but, thanks to some prescription antibiotic creme from my mom, his scratches were healing quickly. Then yesterday, his bruising was already turning yellow and beginning to fade!

So, our weekend was interesting, to say the least. I wonder if we can claim credit for history's shortest camping trip?

Procrastination Is My Specialty

*originally posted April 30*

I woke up late Tuesday morning, turned on the computer, and did my daily rituals. One of these is to glance at the calendar. Imagine my shock to realize that I had TWO DAYS until my younger son's birthday. When did this month slip past me???

I went to The Weather Channel website and checked out the forecast for this weekend, and decided we would have his birthday party on Sunday. (Saturday was out because Michael needs to mow the lawn) I called Kobey into the room and asked him what kind of party he wants, and he decided on "Dinosaurs". So I googled dinosaur birthday parties and started making lists. I sent out invitations via email, texts on my phone, and snail-mail to the Great-grandparents that don't have access to the aforementioned. I quickly decided on a menu, looked up and had Kobey approve a birthday cake design, and am now working on the "To Do List" of things that need to be done around the house before we have company. (Time to finish painting the bathroom, I guess!)

It occurs to me that I might have a fetish for working under pressure. It seems that every time we are going to have people over, I am scrambling madly at the last minute to get things done. I even do this with vacation planning. I could touch on the idea 11 months in advance (as I did with Disney World), but I won't get much accomplished until the last moments.
And this isn't something that happened recently. I was always the person in school that did their research paper the night before it was due. I did the same in college. I would be busting my ass the night before it was due (nevermind that it was assigned over a month ago!). I even was so bold as to write my midterm paper for an English Composition class THE DAY IT WAS DUE. The universe was against me that day, because the computer I was using crashed three times during the writing session, and, silly me, I had not saved my progress. I got an extension and turned it in the following day. Oh yes, and I got an A. Along with a note that I should major in English, as I did such a fantastic job. Amazing.

Oh, did I mention that I am also planning a camping trip for NEXT weekend? I'll let you know how that goes, as we have NO camping equipment anymore. It will be interesting to see if I can pull it off!

Of all the things I've lost...

*original post: April 26*


I clearly have a bit of a problem.

I am constantly losing things. Hand me something, anything, and within a few minutes I am scrambling to find where I put it. I can effectively lose any object smaller than a young child (and I am not completely discounting my ability to lose one of those yet).
In a world obsessed with small things, I am slowly going insane. Tiny is better, right? WRONG! Sure, I lose normal sized things too. Shoes? Yup. Books? Check. (and checkbooks, on that note) My husband recently took over the paying of the bills, because, honestly, I kept losing them and forgetting to pay them. Out of sight, out of mind. So he told me to get him the checkbook. I did him one better... I found seven. Yes, seven checkbooks that had two or three checks written from each one, spanning the course of a year or so. It seems that when I am heading out the door to the store, or the pizzaman is knocking on the door, I can never find my checkbook. The solution? Grab a new one out of the box. So much easier than investing time in actually looking for the current one.
But I digress... my most recent loss is a teeny-tiny memory card for my digital camera. The one I recently found after misplacing it when we arrived home from Disney World (yes, that was last year. shut up.) I literally had it within less than a foot of me only moments ago, but I moved it because I was hooking up the new printer. I completely blame the printer company for this, because had the damned thing come with the USB cable, I wouldn't have had to wait two weeks to hook it up. Meaning I would have known where the memory card is... meaning I would already have those hundreds of photos uploaded to my computer.
Losing things on such a regular basis has an interesting side effect. It makes me talk to myself. I can be heard muttering the phrase, "Where the hell did it go?" repeatedly on my recovery missions. I also toss in an occasional "Goddamnit" for good measure.
Oddly enough, the missing memory card was sitting BESIDE the camera case for a few weeks. It would make sense to put it INSIDE the case, but oooh nooo! That is far too simple. No Sir, I would much rather put myself through the agony of searching for my lost treasures. At least... one would think so since I didn't take the half second it would have required to put the card in the bag.
So anyway, I have succeeded in going off on a major tangent and blogged about my plight. Now I need to get off my ass and look for that elusive card again.

Wish me luck.

Post-consumer waste, anyone?

*originally posted April 26, 2008* There comes a time in any relationship where you feel the need to strangle the life out of your significant other. The longer the relationship, the more often this occurs. Lately I have been researching ways that my little family can "go green" and help reduce our impact on the earth. Every time I come across an idea that we can use, I gleefully share it with my husband. He, in turn, either nods in agreement (which means jack shit because 97% of the time he isn't listening) or thinks to himself, "Oh God, she's doing it again." The latter would occur the remaining 3% of the time, for those of you that don't hold any type of degree in the mathematics field. Well, apparently some of what I have been spouting has made it into that 3%, because he came home from work last week and said that one of his coworkers said that if we were really going to commit to a green lifestyle, we should bring our own reusable bags with us when we grocery shop. This is something that I have actually given thought to, and the only thing holding me back is that we do our shopping every other week, and purchase two weeks worth of groceries at a time. And frankly, I don't have enough bags, yet. So, I was proud that Michael had actually listened for once, and was basking in that when he hit me with this brick... "Some of these things are just too much work to actually do." WHAT? His thinking is that it is really too bothersome to bring your own bags to the grocery store, or to bring your own containers to get take-out. I just don't understand it. I, personally, get ecstatic when I can do something for the earth! The top thing on my wishlist right now is a curbside recycling program in our little city. And that is quite another situation. Austin, Texas is one of the most eco-conscious cities in the country, but here in our little podunk neck of the woods, we don't have access to recycling facilities outside of metal. I literally cringe every time I throw out a milk jug or cardboard packaging. But what am I supposed to do? I took it upon myself to email Recyclebank asking for advice on getting a program started in this area. Imagine my surprise when they didn't respond. Any sort of response would have been nice, but noooo, mine was just another unanswered email from some half-hearted tree hugger. I am thoroughly convinced that THIS is the very reason some people think it is "too much work" to recycle. The programs aren't widely available. If I had my way, recycling would be MANDATORY, and upon random inspection of your outgoing trash, if a recyclable item is found, you would be fined. Why not? The EPA forces corporations to comply, why not share the love with the consumers? I can tell you, everyone's life would be so simple if I ruled the world.

Maui Has Gone to Hell in a Handbasket

*The previous blog was originally posted on Mar 23, this one was posted Apr 25*

So, obviously, by noting the huge gap in time since my last post, I have had some issues and couldn't log on. Thank God my darling brother came to my rescue (yet again). And now that I am able to log back in... I can't remember a damned thing about the mini-faux Maui getaway, so that ship has sailed and it is on to bigger and better things. Or, at least, on to other things...

The weather has been gorgeous the past few weeks here, and we have been working outside a lot. We grilled burgers one day, and I cut the top off of a tomato and tossed it to the dogs. Bella, the puppy, chewed on it a bit then dropped it. The next day we were all outside again, and Kobey gasps in this horrified voice, "MOM!! Bella is eating a brain!" He looked like he was going to puke his guts up. In fact, she just grabbed the previously discarded tomato top to play with. Poor kid. He clearly has a zombie complex.

It wasn't exactly Maui... Day 3

Oh look, I have a trilogy!

Day 3 of my pseudo-Hawaiian vacation began with breakfast at the aforementioned Golden Corral, which isn't nearly so impressive in the morning hours. It wasn't horrid though, so we ate then headed back to the hotel room to get changed for the day's excursion to Schlitterbahn. Yes, here it was, the beginning of March and about 60 degrees outside, and we were hauling ass to a water park. The interesting thing about this water park, though, is that one section of it is covered and open year-round. The air inside is heated, as is the water. It was near sweltering when we first went into the covered area... 98 degrees according to a thermometer in the children's area. The water was lukewarm, and it was nice.

It wasn't exactly Maui... Day 2

Saturday morning came early, but it wasn't too difficult to get everyone up and going. We went and had breakfast, then headed to Galveston's historic Strand District. Our first stop was the Railroad Museum. Kobey wasn't terribly impressed with the displays inside the main building, so we made our way to the model railroad building. This was a bit more exciting--the display takes up most of a small room. At first glance, it doesn't seem like much. I was thinking "oh wow... two trains", but when you look closer and see all the detail, it is quite interesting. There were buildings and landscapes, and it was detailed right down to the garbage cans behind the shops. There were deer in the foothills of the mountains, rivers, lakes, a farm, many businesses, a car accident scene-complete with flashing lights on the police car. It was really neat!
Afterward, we walked through a few rail cars on the first track that housed memorabilia and facts of the history of the railroad. Again, Kobey wasn't really into it. The next track proved a little more exciting as it was actual train cars as you would have found them through the years. Kobey's favorite was the sleeping cars. We had to persuade him to come down off the bunk so we could continue on. We looked at a variety of different styles of train cars before coming to the last track... Track 5. There were only 3 or 4 cars on the last track, and a large group of people milling around.
I had, without Kobey's knowledge, purchased tickets for a train ride. We pointed to the shiny engine and caboose and told him that it was a special train that everyone really wanted to see. So as it pulled into place, we stepped on and kept him distracted for a short time until we started moving. His eyes were HUGE! The attendant told us to wave at anyone we passed, and Michael and I were kind of tickled that so many people waved back. We traveled past the cruise ship terminal and the original depot for Galveston Island. We then proceeded to go back to the museum in reverse! It was a short trip, but well worth Kobey's excitement.
After leaving the museum, we headed up The Strand to explore the shops. We stopped by my personal favorite business there, the candy factory. Kobey got 2 chocolate-dipped strawberries (each was bigger than his palm!), Michael got Tiger Butter and a chocolate soda, and I chose some assorted truffles. We sat at a small table and enjoyed our treats before heading back out. About another block down, we saw the horse-drawn carriages. We stopped to look at the prices and were offered a discount for the hour-long tour. Neither Michael nor myself had ever done it, so we agreed. (and trusting souls they are, you pay AFTER the tour) Our horse was named Doc and we learned he has an affinity for red wine. The driver was a friendly woman that was, in my opinion, a little too interested in sharing the details of Galveston's Red Light District with us. She brought us through neighborhoods that I had never seen before. The streets were lined with gorgeous Victorian homes and she told us a little bit about most of them. She also showed us one of the gorgeous historic churches, which received chuckles from Michael and I when she pointed out that the round window at the top of the face of the building was, in fact, a pentagram. She told us that it was intended to be the star of Texas, but that the contractor had gotten irritated with his client about something and purposely installed the stained glass window in a way that the five-pointed star was inverted! I couldn't help but laugh about it. Our driver also gave us some history about the hurricane of 1900 that all but destroyed the island. She pointed out a clock on the corner of one of the streets, which is still set to the time that it was when the storm hit the island and the clock stopped working. That kind of gives me goosebumps. We also were shown the building where a member of Hillary Clinton's campaign team would be later that day to help rally support for her candidacy.
Apparently the hypnotic sounds of horseshoes on the paved roads proved a bit much for Kobey, because when we finished up the tour, Kobey was unusually cranky. So we ended up having to cut our activities short and went back to the hotel for a nap.
We had to go to Wal-Mart that evening for me to get a swimsuit and Kobey got a couple of puzzles to keep him occupied in the hotel room. We ate at Golden Corral, and I immediately got hooked on it again. (I hadn't been in years!) Then we headed back to the hotel room to just hang out and watch TV.

It wasn't exactly Maui... Day 1

*Note* The next 9 blogs are from my previous site.

After much discussion and a reality check or two, Michael and I determined that we just could not afford a trip to Maui this October for his sister's wedding. With a quick "maybe next year" to appease ourselves, I immediately immersed myself into planning a mini-vacation for us. Kobey was set on going to the beach and having a picnic (not necessarily at the same time), so we planned around that. I checked around, did some research, spending hours on the web daydreaming about the perfect no-fuss vacation, I decided to stay close to home and visit Galveston Island. I figured since we knew how to get there and how to navigate the island, it would be easy. (no printing out several pages of driving directions only to find out, in the middle of a town where you have never been, that the mileage is 13 miles off! Don't ask...)
I made reservation for The Commodore on the seawall in Galveston, and we left before noon on Friday, February 29. Our first stop was Wal-Mart in Bridge City for sand toys, a kite, and batteries for the digital camera. Our first adventure came about upon exiting Wal-Mart. At this particular store, they have a corn dog stand outside. The aroma reminds you of a fair or carnival, and Kobey let us know quickly that he was hungry. There is a lone picnic table beside the stand, and it turned out to be the site of our first Wal-Mart picnic. Kobey was ecstatic! He shared his nachos with a flock of eerily brave grackle.
We finally set off on our way. Despite the lack of toys or other entertainment, Kobey managed to keep himself occupied with reading signs along the road. As we waited in line for the ferry at Bolivar Peninsula, we laughed at the seagulls and listened to Michael read from his Drizzt book. Once aboard the ferry, Kobey couldn't get out of his seat fast enough. We stood outside the car and watched the pelicans and seagulls.
We went to the hotel straight away to check in and unload the car. Then we walked across the street to the beach to play in the sand. I will tell you right now that despite the firm warning "Stay out of the water", we all ended up drenched. It is impossible to walk along the water's edge and not get soaked to at least your knees. Kobey's pants were holding so much water that he couldn't keep them up and flashed all the passersby with his spiderman underwear. I took some photos of the surfers, Michael and Kobey, the water and the beach. I sat where I felt was a safe distance from the water to show Kobey how to build a sandcastle.
First of all... I suck at making sandcastles. Somewhere deep in the back of my mind, I had myself believing that I was a true architect of sand. I packed the bucket with not-too-wet sand and patted it firmly down, then flipped it over and onto the beach. I tapped the bottom of the bucket to release the sand and lifted it away slowly, expecting perfection. I watched in disappointment as the sides of my castle began to crumble. Luckily, Kobey was too busy splashing along with Michael in the water to notice my failure. I patted the sides of my sand hill and watched them play in the water. I might mention that my shoes were beside me, with my camera inside one, a safe 12 - 15 feet from the incoming waves. The next thing I know, my shoes are floating away from me and my butt is soaked because a rogue wave came crashing all the way up to where I was sitting. Kobey ran up to me screaming and complaining that his sandcastle was getting wet as I scrambled to grab my shoes and check my camera. Luckily, they survived. We walked along the beach a little more, then made our way back to the hotel where we cleaned up and changed clothes.
We decided to go to The Rainforest Cafe for dinner. I have to say that after having experienced Disney World, this place just didn't appeal to me as much as it used to. Kobey liked it though (and who doesn't love glasses with flashing LED lights in the bottom?) We ordered a Volcano for dessert, which is accompanied by waitstaff and patrons alike yelling "VOLCANO" as they bring it to your table. For those of you that don't know, the Volcano is their signature dessert. Vanilla ice cream surrounded by rich chocolate brownies, hot fudge, and caramel; and is topped with whipped cream and a sparkler. The three of us split one and left a bit overly full. (though Michael's wallet was $95 lighter-ouch!)
Outside the entrance to the cafe is a store with touristy stuff, and now, a build-a-bear workshop. Kobey is a fanatic about stuffed animals, or as he calls them, friends. We were in the spirit of vacationing, so promised him something. He was hovering over a basket of toy alligators when he spied the furry friends out of the corner of his eye. We were led over to the build-a-bear area, where he pored over the selection of friends for several minutes before choosing a giraffe. We complimented him on his choice only to be informed that he needed one more. I looked at Michael and he nodded, so we waited while Kobey picked out a leopard also. He got in line, picked out hearts for each friend, made wishes, and had them stuffed. When they were filled to his liking, they were sewed up and we went to "groom" them. Thankfully, Kobey decided to bypass the clothing/accessories. But as we got up to the cashier, he told us that they needed babies. And, as luck would have it, they just happened to have miniatures for sale. So we ended up with four friends when we walked out of the store.
We went back to the hotel and took showers/baths, then called it a night. (after all, shopping is exhausting if you do it right!)
Stay tuned for Day 2!!

What am I doing??

I have been quite the busy little bee these past few days. I have no clue what has gotten into me, but I decided to break away from my previous blog home, which my brother so graciously allowed me to use, to try doing something on my own. I'll be transplanting my past blogs here, because I am sure you are just bursting at the seams to read all about my fantastic life. *cough*

So, yeah, I have been so motivated today... I think it is the vitamins. I have been taking them for 3 whole days, and today I actually got some things accomplished. Like printing out this cute abstract design on cardstock so that I can color it with gel pens. OMG, you just don't even know. Gel pens are the best inventions ever! It's like when you are a little kid, and you have this coloring book, and you get told not to color in it with markers, but you are thinking you can somehow get away with doing it and that it somehow won't bleed through and ruin the whole damned book... but the markers are so much more bold and way more fun to use than crayons. And it was always okay for YOU to ruin your own coloring book with markers, but all hell broke loose if one of your friends did it. That kind of thing really screws you up, and it stays with you throughout your life. Kinda like that damned kid in Kindergarten who borrowed your brown crayon after you tried and tried to deny his request because you didn't want your colors broken. So, you cave, and what does the little bastard do right off the bat? Yes Chris... wherever you are: I am still pissed off!

Umm.. anyway. That was so much cheaper than therapy. And I just realized that I went off on a total tangent and didn't even get in my point about the gel pens. Geez. They are great, mmkay? That's all I am saying.

Seriously now... what have I been up to today? Well, I paid for the charter information for my Spiral Scouts Hearth! Oh, I am sooo excited! If you don't know what I am talking about, check out their site. It is like a non-discriminatory version of Boy/Girl Scouts. Now, before you go jumping all in my ass about that remark, let me say this: My husband and I were involved in our local Pack for several years, both on a pack and district level. We are well aware of the goings-on of the BSA, and we made the informed decision to no longer be a part of the mudslinging and slander that was happening on the Council level. As a dear friend of mine has quoted: "I don't discuss religion or politics with people that I enjoy", and I did enjoy the presence of my fellow pack members at the time.

I also dealt with six loads of laundry today. Don't faint just yet... they were all clean clothes. They just kind of got pushed aside and ignored for awhile. But I decided that today I would conquer that little mountain, and I did it!! Well, most of it, anyway. I cannot begin to describe how much I LOATHE matching up socks. I did, however, throw all of hubby's socks in one basket, all of mine in another basket, and fold and put away all of kidlet's socks. So it wasn't a total bomb. The real test, though, is to see how long those two baskets of socks sit there untouched.

I'll keep you posted, maybe.