Meheeco

We are back to reality now. Had a grand time in hot, sunny Cancun. We sweat and relaxed and got waited on and walked and experienced and had a very enjoyable time. Some of the times--not so good. Like, you get accosted by shop owners and salesmen trying to bribe you to go to timeshare presentations, which are supposed to be "90 minutes," but are more like 4 hours. And they don't want you to leave. That was a nightmare. But we went to a gorgeous eco-adventure park called Xcaret (esh-caret) right after that. It was expensive to get into, and that was their bribe that got us into the ruddy timeshare presentation in the first place. One of the highlights of Xcaret was swimming, with life jacket, fins, face mask, and snorkel, this underground river they carved out of lime stone. It wasn't 100% enclosed and not too deep. We saw fish and crabs there. We also sailed on a sailboat in the Gulf of Mexico. Weather here is gray and cool. I will post more pictures on Facebook. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa for watching the kiddos for a whole week!

I bought this beautiful painting at GOOD WILL for 15.00!!! It was done in the sixties, and I am SO THRILLED AND PROUD of it. I have never seen that kind of thing there. ")
So, last weekend was Zach's 14th birthday party, and yesterday was Jessie's 12th birthday party. They had a great time. The weather was good for both, and on both days, we had lots of water balloons. We got Zach a bb gun and Jessie a new bike, which she badly needed. There are more pictures on Facebook.
This Saturday, Chris and I are going to Mexico, Lord willing. To Cancun. Unbelievable. For our 15th anniversary.

Random funny pics

"It was more fun than all the toys that I want!"--William, speaking of the wedding

I updated my Facebook "situation" a little and put my pitiful few photos on of this recent weekend. I wish I had taken more, but I wanted to be more of a participator, not a spectator. The wedding went great, and I loved visiting with friends and loved ones from far away! I miss you already!

I have a bunch of blogs saved in favorites, a lot of which I don't read. But I read Carrie Fulton's this morning, (fultons.blogspot.com), and her Sept. 07 post was 100 things about me. At first, that sounds narcissistic, but she was honest about good and bad things, and it was endearing, so I thought I'd give it a shot. But it took me awhile to come up with 30.
1. I loathe mornings, but love late, late nights.
2. My 2 oldest do most of their homeschooling on their own. And I don't give letter grades. Am I a bad Mom?
3. I asked this man who came to church to talk about the power believers have to heal... to heal my herniated disc....and he prayed 3 times, and nothing happened. So now I'm gonna get a cortisone shot Tuesday, Lord willing. I'm not really too bitter. Sick of the discomfort, though.
4. If I make to do lists, I rebel against them and do all sorts of dawdling things to avoid them, just because I "can't be told," even by the "good voices" in my head. This is consternating, but believe me, can't be helped.
5. It's ridiculous how cheerful I am when I have sweets around.
6. Some people can run themselves ragged all the time, but I can't do it like when I was younger. If I try to get up after 6 or 7 hours of sleep, I might as well have slept 8 because of how useless and sluggish and grumpy I am for 2 hours. So, I get enough sleep...it's a priority...but I still feel guilty...
7. I was anti-Harry Potter for quite a long time, but I have changed my mind, and now I am a big fan, and wish I had written the books myself.
8. It's hard for me to get excited about much, although I do pine for Latin dancing, even though I am pretty inhibited.
9. I'm a child-like sucker for simple pleasures, like a beautiful day, a simple walk, God's critters.
10. I may seem dignified or aloof or mature on the outside, but I love doing voices and imitations and goofy sounds and moves...but only around my family. Otherwise, I am extremely inhibited/dignified and few would guess what lurks beneath.
11. A huge percentage of mine and the children's clothes are purchased secondhand.
12. I think about and obsess about money all the time.
13. Money problems are a pain in the keister, but if we're eating decently, I can handle it a lot better.
14. I have dreams of adventure and places like Fairwood and convention-like settings ALL THE TIME. They're my most recurring dreams.
15. One of my biggest regrets was not lasting at Fairwood.
16. I wish all the time I could visit old friends and places in California.
17. I am pretty inept at the friendship thing.
18. I feel badly that the kids are not getting ANY LESSONS or activities because of time and energy and money restraints. I mean, I feel REALLY BAD.
19. I love the ghost hunting shows on TV. And the makeover shows. A lot.
20. It's gratifying how much I am brushing up on things secondhand in the process of helping my 6th and 7th grader with their schooling.
21. I take great pride in the variety, health, tastiness, and economy of the meals I provide the fam.
22. I feel like a leggy, awkward, nerdy, backwards person a great deal of the time.
23. I don't let my minivan get too dirty or cluttery...on the inside anyway. But some rooms in my house are not company worthy!!
24. I wish I could write a novel.
25. I wish I had a bikini ready body, but I just couldn't force myself to expose myself that much even if I did.
26. I don't secretly wish for any tattoos.
27. I had a great childhood.
28. I wish I had been a lot smarter about some things.
29. I have a very tender heart, but don't like to show emotion much, but can't always help it.
30. I have really great kids!!

News: We just celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary, and it is the biggest accomplishment ever, if only you knew. Last night, we had dinner at Toscano's Seafood and Steak restaurant. It was intimate, Italian, small, cozy, and good...it seemed to foster/encourage conversation. Our first time there. A good thing to do on a Sunday night when one often gets SUNDAY NIGHT FUNKY CHANGE GEARS MOOD. :) I had a prawn gorgonzola ravioli with hazelnut thing, and Chris had some pasta with kalamata olives and sun dried tomatoes, and onion soup. Good times! We're also in the process of planning a trip to Mexico, in May or early June. We have never gone anywhere amazing together, not even for our honeymoon. So this is a big deal! Thinking Cozumel....

Anyone ever had a herniated disc? This is my reality right now, and it's a real pain in the keister, literally. I am going to have a cortisone shot on the 15th, and I can't wait!! I hope it does wonders.

Latest wildlife rescue: injured broken-legged blue jay currently in cat carrier, with food, possibly recovering, and still alive, since Friday...wow!