I Almost Forgot!

I was thinking the other day about something I forgot to share with you that happened on our Orlando trip. Well, we were all standing in line one morning to enter the gates to the parks. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a man walking up on the left side of us with his family. He looked like he was trying to break in line. There was a lady in front of us with a baby stroller and she was talking to another woman, which left an opening. Well, as soon as she passed through the turnstile, the man made his move and stepped right in front of us! I couldn't resist saying something to him. He had his back turned, so I tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. I said, "Excuse me, sir, but we were in line before you." He immediately countered, "Oh, no...I was here before you!" Chris and I both chimed in and informed him that we had seen him walk up with his family while we were waiting in line. We went back and forth several times, then he conceded and got in line behind us. He said, "Sorry 'bout that...I don't want to hold you up." I gave him a curt, "We appreciate it", then we went on in. Oh, did that ever get my goat! I can't stand for someone to try and break in line! I might be little, but I'm not easily intimidated! :)

Now, on to other news. Bet you'll never guess who's taking Brittany to the prom. C'mon now...who do you think it is? OK...time's running out! It's...drum roll...PATRICK??? Yep, you got it! At the end of last week, she went out to her car to head on to school only to find that he'd written, "Brittany + Pat+ Prom=?" all over her windshield. He even left her a single red rose, a note, and a bag of her favorite candy tucked under her windshield wipers. She sent me a text soon as she got to school and wrote, "You have to admit, Mom, that was pretty sweet!" She tells me that they're going as "just friends", but I'm not 100% convinced. She tells me all the time about how sorry he is for the way he treated her and that he makes her very happy and is so kind to her. So, I ask...what do you do when your daughter is 18 years old and is old enough to make her own decisions? Sometimes, you just have to bite your tongue and go with the flow. I don't think I'll ever have warm fuzzies toward Patrick, but I will do my best to tolerate him. It's situations like this that make me long to move away...far, far away...QUICKLY!

I'm off in a bit to pick up a locker strip to decorate Brittany's locker on Saturday afternoon. It's a tradition for all the seniors at her school and something all the kids look forward to seeing on Monday morning! So, I have to get a bunch of photos together and get to work. I'll try to remember to post a picture of it once I'm done. For someone who's "craft challenged" like myself, this could be quite an undertaking! :) Wish me luck!

Orlando Highlights...To Sum It All Up

Well, I think I just might be able to wrap up the last bits and pieces of our Orlando trip. Hope I haven't bored you too much! Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Our last day at the parks was another memorable one, though we were all beginning to feel the effects of sore feet from all the walking we'd done! Nevertheless, that didn't seem to stop us or slow us down...off we went!

We, of course, couldn't resist having our picture made with the famous "Jaws"...it's been our tradition for years! In fact...look at this picture I found when the girls were little. I think it was our first time to visit Universal. Seems like it was just yesterday!

The girls convinced us that this would make the perfect photo, so we couldn't resist.

Thought I'd throw in another picture of Hogwart's Castle!

Before we left the parks, the girls and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to have Donkey harass us and Shrek make us laugh. Oh, and they did just that! Shrek's big ol' hand weighed a ton!
On our way out, Abby had to "ride the waves" one more time! Hang ten!
We decided to hop on a ferry and go to some of the swanky hotels nearby. This one was out of this world! It's the Portofino Bay Resort and it looked like a little Italian village. Absolutely gorgeous!Their flower arrangements were breathtaking!We, also, checked out the Hard Rock Hotel, which was quite impressive, too! The walls were lined with rock~n~roll memorabilia. Here's Elton John's boots. I think I need a pair of shoes like that in my wardrobe!Here's a neat sculpture outside of the hotel...

So, all in all, it was another great vacation that we'll tuck away in our memory banks forever! Hope you have a bright, warm weekend! Enjoy it to the max!

Orlando Highlights Pt. 2

As the school year begins to wind down, I'm finding it's becoming increasingly more difficult to find the time to sit down and compose a post. Today, I have to pick up Brittany's graduation announcements, get some pictures developed for a scrapbook she has to make for school, write several Senior Letters to some of her classmates, and attend her track meet at 5 PM. Oh, and I'm still in the midst of attempting to write Brittany a Senior Letter...talk about hard! There's so much I want to say to her. I'm already up to page 6! So, that's why I've not been very consistent about blogging lately. I suppose you might say there's bigger fish to fry. :) Thank you for your continued support and understanding!

Now, let's see...I can hardly remember where I left off! I know I mentioned how on Monday of our trip, we decided to sleep in and enjoy a little pool time. Well, that afternoon, we went back to the parks and rode nearly every ride there, time and time, again. Here's some more pictures for you to enjoy.

Here's a shot of Brittany and Chris I took when they were riding the Incredible Hulk Coaster. They're on the front row...AGAIN!

Here's a picture of Dudley Do-Right's Ripsaw Falls. I tell you, when you come out of that hole at the very top...it's straight DOWN! It really takes your breath away, but it was a BLAST!!!

The three of us girls wandering through the streets of Universal Studios trying to figure out what kind of trouble we're going to get into next! :)

Brittany and Abby decided to try on various hats/headgear in one store we went in. Pretty snazzy, wouldn't you say?


Here's the first glimpse of Hogwart's Castle at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter which is due to open in June. We will definitely have to go back next year to see it!

This is one of our favorite shows to see...Beetlejuice's Graveyard Revue! Those folks can SING!!!
Here's Chris and the girls after another long day of fun in the sun! When we came back to the parks later in the evening, we were greeted by a teenage boy who gave us 4 "Fast Pass" tickets. They allow you to go to the front of the lines without having to wait for 30 mins. to an hour to get on a ride. We had the best time running around and hopping on every ride we could in 2 hours! That kid made our day!
Well, I really thought I was going to be able to wrap everything up today, but I still have some things I'd like to share. So, stayed tuned for the final chapter! :)

Checking In...And Checking Out

I'm BAAACK, but only for a little while. Things just keep getting crazier all the time! Here's a quick wrap-up of the past several days.

Brittany did well in the County Track and Field Championships. She was awarded medals in two events, placing in the top 8 in the 4 x 800 and the 3200m. We were so proud of what she accomplished, especially in that cold, blustery weather! I don't know how she does it!

Here she is after the start of the 4 x 800...

She was on a mission to bring home some more hardware!

Three days ago, Chris had an upper GI endoscopy. We got so aggravated because they told us to be there at 10 AM. Well, he didn't get called back until almost 11 AM. Thankfully, his procedure took less than an hour. He was so funny when I went back to see him in recovery. He kept saying over and over, again..."Those are some GOOD drugs." I think he meant every word of it, too! :) Why didn't I think to make a video of him with my cell phone? Talk about some good blackmail material! His doctor told us that he has a moderate to severe case of acid reflux and that the lining of his esophagus and stomach were severely inflamed. He thinks it might be due to the H-Pylori bacteria, so he took a biopsy to find out. We should get the results in about a week. Apparently, it's the main cause of stomach and esophageal cancer. My understanding is that if he tests positive for the bacteria, I will need to be tested, too. A round of antibiotics over a two-week period is the usual course of treatment.

On Tues., our realtor held a luncheon at our house for local realtors. We had to be gone for 3 hours. She had about a dozen realtors stop by and they all gave positive feedback about our house. They said the only downfall is the road we live on, which can be quite busy. We're just trying to stay positive and trust that the right folks will come along soon.

Tomorrow is Chris' birthday, as well as Good Friday. The girls are on Spring Break all next week, so we're jumping in the car and heading down to Orlando for some fun at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. We wanted to do something special for the girls since the school year is rapidly coming to a close. Abby is mega-excited! That's all she's been talking about for the last week or so! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures to share with all of you! Let's just hope that I live to tell about it! As you may recall, I am not a big fan of roller coasters, by my family INSISTS that I ride them! Oh, no...I'm in BIG TROUBLE! :) Sorry to say...but this one will most likely be a NO-GO!

Unfortunately, I probably won't be posting, again, until my girls go back to school after Spring Break ends. I know I haven't been too good about visiting all of you lately, but I hope you understand that this is a very busy time for me. I'm trying to juggle everything at once! Please don't forget about me while I'm away...I, for sure, won't forget about you! Have a BLESSED Easter!

Does The Cowardly Lion Ring A Bell?

Do you remember awhile back when I made mention that I own a box of thought-provoking questions and how I planned to use some of them for my blog posts? Well, I did it one time...then, I forgot all about them! I am completely losin' it! Anyhow, I'm going to use another one of the questions for today's post, so here goes..."What is one of your greatest acts of courage?"

Alright, let me set the stage here by saying that I love it when my daughters tell me that I am one cool mom. I get all mushy when I hear them bragging to their friends about me...wouldn't any mom? Now, this often causes me to do things that go against my better judgement. Here's a case in point...

We took a family vacation to a favorite place of ours, Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. Well, Chris had mentioned to me before we left that he wanted us to have lots of fun together as a family by riding all sorts of rides. Don't get me wrong...I LOVE rides, I really do! I love water rides, carousels, motion simulators....you get the picture! What I DO NOT like are roller coasters or anything that involves a lot of height! What's really strange is that it doesn't bother me to fly, and I'm not scared to climb mountains or ride ski lifts or gondolas. I just don't like that helpless feeling of falling...way down!

Well, Chris has this way of talking me into "broadening my horizons", so to speak. So, when we were at Universal Studios, he managed to convince me into getting on the Dueling Dragons roller coaster...ALONE!!! Abby wasn't tall enough to ride it and Brittany wasn't quite old enough yet to watch Abby for the time it would take Chris to ride it with me. Now, I had been on Space Mountain at Disney several times and I loved it...wanna know why? It's in the dark, people, and I couldn't see where I was going! It was SO much fun...not scary, in the slightest!

After much hem-hawing around, I made the executive decision to hop on Dueling Dragons because I wanted to impress my family by staring fear dead in the face!!! I am woman, hear me roar!!! I sat down and harnessed myself in nice and tight...my heart was pounding! For a moment, I thought about jumping off and proclaiming, "I'm a chicken and proud of it!" A young couple sat right next to me. Then, the moment came all too soon when the ride began to move and we started chug-a-chugging almost straight up. I knew I was in trouble, but, I plastered a big, happy grin on my face as I waved goodbye! We got to the very top...and that's all I remember! I clamped my eyes shut as tightly as I could and screamed my ever-loving head off! I didn't take a peek one single time, and I think that made the ride even more terrifying. The poor kids sitting next to me were probably deaf by the time all was said and done! I'm pretty sure I even threw in a "Help me, Jesus!" here and there...I was scared out of my mind! When my feet finally touched land, again, I didn't utter a word to Chris for a good while...it was all HIS fault, you know! Of course, he and the girls thought it was hilarious!!! Here's a video I found on You Tube that gives you a small glimpse of what I went through...

Oh, and it didn't end there! Chris talked me into going on Dr. Doom's Fearfall. It's no walk in the park, either! It catapults you up 10 stories in the air. I, literally, thought I was going to fly right out of my seat! I was shaking like a leaf when I got off that thing! I told Chris, "Never, again!"...but, all he did was laugh! Shameful, isn't it??? :)

So, I guess I conquered my fear of roller coasters and heights...at least, temporarily! Without a doubt, those experiences took more courage than I ever thought I could muster. Cool mom or not...I'm just glad I lived to tell about it!

"If God wanted us to be brave, why did He give us legs?"~Marvin Kitman