For my Sister: Forever Tattoed

Tattoos are very personal, in most cases people give a lot of thought into the art that will permanently be on their bodies.  Such was not the case for her.  Her tattoo directs the path the stream of radiation follows.....each and every day.....in sickness and in health...rain, sleet or snow.....come hell or high water she must keep that daily appointment.

She is reaching the end of her treatment......she is one of the lucky ones.....a survivor.  But she has not been left unscarred.  The image in her mirror will remind her of her story forever more.  Reconstruction?  Though it is an option will she choose it?  Maybe looking in the mirror and seeing a clear picture of God's grace is a better choice, because His story intermingles with hers, so much so there is no doubt that He has had her in the palm of His hand during this trial......perhaps the hardest of all trials she has endured thus far.

From the beginning with an early diagnosis (which literally saved her life) to guiding her through each decision that needed to be made.....and there were many.....He was there.

The burning of her flesh will heal.  She will get through this next and final stage the best that she knows how......hopefully with very few side effects.....all this will one day be over.  But her scars will remain, her tattoo will forever mark the spot where God stepped in and  brought her healing grace.

I love you sister.

A Stranger in my Hometown

A Stranger in my Hometown

 

The storefronts that once enticed and teased, now depress.

Daily schedules of work and school maintain a sense of normalcy,

Our faith is really being put to the test.

Can anyone read the misfortune that is our story?

One less act of kindness would have left us on the streets we use to stroll.

Will the end to this trial bring God the glory?

 How does one get from there to here?

Where there are no more options and had we known, there never were.

Not pleasing God through all this is what I really fear.

What once was taken for granted is now longed for.

Everything reminds us of a time that wasn’t so long ago

Visitors in our hometown, that’s what we are now.

The first week of summer was successful at work.  Our rooms look fun and summerish!  It hasn't been too hot (unfortunate for the lil ones as they are anxious for water play!)...class sizes have been pretty light.  Should I now insert a "knock on wood!"   :)     We have some new friends that are getting along just great with our "old timers".  Some have taken the summer off and we look forward to seeing them again in the Fall.  But one in particular moved across the U.S.  :(

I am missing this lil man!  :(       I just love this picture so much, I'm going to print it and put it in my classroom.  Just a reminder of why I do what I do and am just so blessed!

That's my phone in my hand.....no, I wasn't texting! LOL  I was trying to get a picture of him resting in my lap.   Precious!

A tribute to our heroes!

It is fitting and timely as we approach Veteran's Day and the Marine Corps Birthday to pay tribute to my son, Sgt. Jarrett Furie and my nephew HM2, Donald Koenig.  They have both recently fulfilled their duty to our country, both volunteering and serving during a time of war. I tried to put into words what my sister, Sandy and I have seen through their eyes and felt over the years. They are our heroes!

 

 

Their time of service is over……

They stand taller, they stand prouder, than when they left home many years ago.

Over is the sound of war and the constant struggle distinguishing between friend and foe.

A glimpse of things seen and trials endured are buried in the depths of their soul.

Long deployments, fear, danger and fatigue have taken their toll.

Courage, bravery, honor and faith are what saw them through,       

Many sacrafices were made, birthdays and holidays, the birth of a baby, too.

Faith and the bond between their military brothers runs deep.

Because of heroes like them we can peacefully sleep.

 Yes, their time of service is over……

 Letters and packages were sent, wipes, lip balm, treats and their favorite cookies in a tin.

Tears of joy at their homecoming, tears of sadness when they had to leave again.

Loved ones at home stood vigil……with the fear of missing their call.

Fearing  bad news or no news from dawn to nightfall.

Pride in our boys burst from within us, constant prayers being said on their behalf,

Looking forward to a time when we could sit with them and again laugh.

Calendars were marked, homecomings planned and anticipated.

Looking forward to a time when that vacant seat would be filled and celebrated.

Alas’ their time of service is over……

Their sacrafices have truly made a difference.  Though scars will remain, their time was well spent.

 Civilian life will be an adjustment.

Having them safe and home for the holidays is as good as it gets!

We want to share our gratitude for a job well done to our heroes, our two special Vets!

 

Here is a link to a video I made for my Sociology class a couple years ago, please take a look as it shows some of the hardships our military go through and a very real problem, PTSD.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOqCB9R1jw

 

The Ol' Homestead

It's been an interesting two months......especially the past month!  So, how did we get from "there" to "here" you may be wondering...... Well,  in August Kristen began talking about moving into her own apartment which led me to start praying: "Lord, do we stay where we are and rent the apartment to someone?  We really didn't want a stranger living underneath us, was there possibly someone we knew who would like to rent it ?  Do we look for a cheaper place to rent?  We really need to consider moving into an apartment.  But, there aren't any apartments in the Alta  Sierra area, which is where we were trying to stay because of the boys' school.  Do we move to Auburn?  If so, it would be such a long drive to Penn Valley where I work!"    I began journalling my prayers and questions as my mind was just jumbled with the options of what we should do?!    We were already struggling making the $1600/mo rent, with my paycheck and Rob's unemployment check we were barely making ends meet. The first answer to prayer came when Rob agreed to let the boys attend charter school.  It was something I had been praying about but I didn't think Rob would agree......well, he agreed!  I thought this would be a good option for the boys plus, we were not confined to staying in the Alta Sierra area now.   By mid-August, just days before school was to start we got the news that Rob's unemployment had ended!  There would be no check for September...... another decision had been made for us.  We would definitely be moving.  We called the landlady immediately and told her we would be out on the first.  Kristen had already been accepted at an apartment in town and she would also be moving on the first. Prayers were being answered, a path was being laid,  the problem now was, we had no money to move anywhere!   We would be "homeless".  Lord?  Where is this path leading?
We had been packing but were not nearly ready when Friday the 31st. rolled around.  Rob had rented a trailer and we started taking bins and boxes to a storage unit in Alta Sierra. We were out of time and becoming desperate to get things out, the landlady would be coming at 6:00 that evening to do a walk through!   At this point we were going to move in with Steph and her family (hubby and five boys!) in Citrus Heights.  They were prepared to make room for us and we would make the drive to work and school each day.  As I was packing I made piles, "take to storage", "take to Steph's", "dump" and "thrift store".  I hate to say that the "thrift store" pile starting going into the "dump" pile as our time grew shorter and shorter.  I will be sharing with out in another post about the interesting things that were in my pile to take!  Ask yourself, "what would I not want to be without in the next couple months".  Hmmm......everything I couldn't be without fit in the backend of the Caddie.  LOL!  Well, I also had some stuff that was going to go in Rob's truck but when you read the next paragraph you will see how that turned out!
Later that afternoon the trailer was loaded as well as the backend of Rob's truck with Kristen's belongings and they headed to her apartment in Grass Valley.  They hadn't been gone long when I got a phone call from Kristen that went as follows: "Mom!  You better start praying!"  My heart sunk. My mind was racing!  What could have happened?  An accident?  Someone is hurt?  What?    "Dad's transmission just went out in the truck.  He is in the middle of the road.....on Brighton St."  I cannot begin to tell you how I felt.  Thankfully no one was hurt.....no accident.....but this was really high on my "OH NO!!" list.    I was worried for my husband who must be at his wits end......how are we going to move?.......what are we going to do with Kristen's stuff?......how are we going to pay for this?"  Lord, NO!  I had held it together pretty well thus far, but this put me over the edge!    I was praying, praying hard and called my sister.  The minute I heard her voice, I broke down.  I had my  mini-meltdown, and then it was over.  Time to dry it up and figure out what we were going to do.  Soon my sister and I were laughing and joking as we discussed how crazy our luck is!  Laughter is good medicine!  and so is a sister with a listening ear! 
Well, we had an angel in disguise who would end up helping us all weekend....and angel with a truck, no less!  Andrew's good friend Timmy came right over, offloaded everything out of Rob's truck and put it in his and hitched up the trailer and got it all over to Kristen's new apartment.  The truck (which was just a block from her apt.) was nursed along until it got into her apartment complex and safely parked until we could figure out what to do about it!   Thanks Timmy!!!  We couldn't have done it without you! 
Saturday morning we woke with the daunting task of getting the rest of our things moved as quickly as possible.  We still had lots to do!  The landlandy wanted to paint today!  Ugh!  She shows up and my stress level rises and rises.  We are doing the best we can to get out of there, but it's just not going fast enough.  They want to paint....so they are there, they are piddling around making us feel like we are delaying their painting plans.  They decided to start cleaning Kristen's apartment.  It was very awkward to say the least.  Here we are trying to get our stuff out, they are hanging around, we don't even have anywhere to go!  Not a very good feeling! 
That same day a text came from my mom, "you can use the little trailer if you want, until you can find a place."  Ahh!  OK, we discuss the pros and cons of this new development.    We now have only one vehicle, should we be driving our only vehicle (which has problems of its own) to and from  Citrus Heights everyday?   The crowded household didn't bother me, I always enjoy going to visit Steph and the kids.  My boys were looking forward to staying with them!   We decide to take my Mom up on the offer of the trailer.  It's small, just twenty-two feet but, it's temporary...right?!?!   The boys were always in our room every night anyway watching TV with us, we are used to cozy quarters.  Maybe not quite this cozy, though!  :)
But.....where to park it?  That is a whole other story.  Within a couple days we were offered a place to park it.   Everytime I pull into where we are parked I am reminded of the goodness of others and the grace that has been shown to me!  Wow!  God is Good.....all the time!   So, that is how we got to "here" from "there" in just two short months!  Who would have thought?!  You just never know what twists and turns your life can take.  We hang on to the promise from Jeremiah, though and know that this to will end....not sure when or where we will be....but we are trusting God, because He does know!
I have decided to blog about our journey.  Aren't you curious to see where we will end up??!!  I know I am!  LOL!
Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you, "says the LORD.  "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."    Amen!   And so it is, He has a plan and it's gonna be a good one!
Prayer requests:  Rob a job!!  Once he has a job, we need to find a place to live.  In the meantime, patience and tolerance towards one another in our tight living space!    :)
  

The kids have been saying the funniest things!!

In my many years of being a pre-school teacher I have heard some pretty hilarious things!  Lately a little girl and I have been having some pretty funny conversations so I decided to start writing these things down.
Here's a sample:

"C":  Are you the mommy to your kids?
Me:  Yes
"C":  Did you use to be a little girl?
Me:  Yes
"C":  Did you want to be a teacher when you were a little girl?

"C":  I'm having chili for dinner!
Me:  I am having chili, too.  My husband is making it because I am at work.
"C": Work?
Me:  Here at work.
"C":  You don't work.  You just get stuff out for us to play with!
I'm not quite sure how to take that remark!  I prefer to assume that I make the day so fun, it couldn't possibly be work!      :)

"L":  I like your shoes.  Where did you get them?
Me:  I got them at the store.
"L":  Oh.  Did you go with your Mom?

"L":  Do you want to come to my house?
Me:  Maybe sometime.  That would be nice.
"L":  Do you have to ask your Mom first?

"I":  Who are you?
Me:  Debbie
"I":  Where's your house?
Me:  It's quite a ways from here.
"I":  Where's your chapstick!
She said this with a straight face, one question after another....it was pretty funny!  Chapstick! 

"C":  Do you want to come to my house and see my new puppy?
Me:  That would be nice.  Do you want to see a picture of my dog?
"C":  Is that your dog?  What is she sitting on?  Why?  Do you have a picture of your bedroom?
I have had many children think that I live at the school!  I've been asked where I sleep, where's my car, and until the children get used to me leaving for the day.......I get the strangest looks when I leave.  Where are you going Teacher Debbie??

I always give a five minute warning before I want the kids to start cleaning up.  "Five minutes"  You should see how excited they get!  Five more minutes!  Yeah!  It reminds me of the scene in Toy Story when the Mom tells Andy they are leaving in five minutes and he comes up with all kinds of scenarios he plays out in the five minutes he's given.

The magical wet paper towel.....it serves many purposes.  Not only does it clean messy faces but it heals all sorts of scrapes, bumps, and bruises.  It's one of my most said phrases, "Do you need a wet paper towel?"

We say a prayer before we eat our snack and lunch.  We thank God for the day, our food, friends and family.  The children have started adding things one by one to thank God for.  The beautiful ocean, my mommy, my daddy, sisters and brothers, coming back to school after being gone on vacation  Precious!

Ah!  They are so funny....truly a joy!

Lessons Learned on Highway 20

Lessons Learned on Hwy. 20

The drive up Highway 20 takes approximately 10 minutes from where I get on in Grass Valley to where I get off in Penn Valley. Lately it has taken a bit longer as they are doing major road construction, sometimes resulting in lanes being closed.

In these instances a PILOT CAR leads the line of vehicles up the highway until we are safely through the construction zone. These encounters with the PILOT CAR paint a spiritual picture for me.

Jesus is our PILOT CAR, he leads us through the Highway of Life and we can have faith in his directions.

One morning there wasn't a PILOT CAR to lead us, but the lanes were marked with cones and there was a lot of construction activity going on. The line of vehicles travelling up 20 found themselves following the car in the lead, assuming he knew where he was going. It became apparent that we had no idea where we were supposed to be when a flagman began waving frantically for us to "move over! move over!". Obviously we were not where we were supposed to be!

At times we can find ourselves "not where we're supposed to be". Thankfully we have a faithful Savior who will get our attention and tell us to "move over" and lead us back to the path that He wants us on. That's the path I want to travel on......the one He has already paved for me.

When I follow the PILOT CAR I travel at a safe, consistent speed. As my walk with the Lord should be, a steady, slow pace. Not so slow that I'm not moving forward.....I am moving forward, but at a consistent rate, not haphazardly, but with a goal, a purpose.

The way may not always be smooth, it can even be bumpy at times, and I might find myself dodging obstacles along the way. I can rest assured though, if I am following my PILOT CAR, I will reach my destination safely, and know that I have travelled the path He prepared for me.

Why I love my job!

I love the kiddos in my class! They make me smile,laugh and remind me why I love what I do!

~~~~~

Circle time a little boy notices the bandaid on my finger. He looks at me with a very concerned face and says, "Oh, Teacher Debbie has a bandaid!"

~~~~~

He looks up at me and leans his head close to mine and tell me he is tired. I tell him I'm tired, too. He looks around and asks, "Where's your bed?"

~~~~~

I hear a little voice from the bathroom call out "Oh no!" Now, that's never a good thing to hear! I go to the bathroom door and he looks over at me with a disappointed face, "I peed on the seat!"

~~~~~

At art time I am standing next to a littl

e girl who has noticed she got paint on my paints. She looks at her paint brush, back at my pants, looks up at me and says, "You have paint on your paints." She looks at her paintbrush again and says, "I'm sorry".

~~~~~

I am told that the little boy in the bathroom is sitting on the seat backwards. I look in the door and he is indeed sitting on the seat backwards and tells me, "this is how big boys do it". He then gets up and switches positions to go #2. He looks down in the toilet bowl and says, "Look at my poop!" The smell then drifts through the bathroom. He reaches to turn the fan on and announces, "I need some air in here!" LOL!

~~~~~

Dance class takes place on Fridays. All those who are signed up get a stamp on their hand at the end of class. One little guy who is not in dance class is very disappointed he did not get a stamp. He is preoccupied with his lack of a stamp all through lunch. I get out an apple stamp and give him his own stamp. He is very pleased. During nap, right before he drifts off to sleep, I see him pull his hand out from under his blanket and look at the stamp on his hand, gives it a little rub and settles in to sleep. Awwww!

~~~~~

She notices I got a new pair of tennis shoes! "You got a new pair of shoes! Where did you get them?" I tell her I got them at the store. "Did your mommy go with you, she asks." I tell her no. She says, "Don't you have a mommy and daddy?" Oh my!

~~~~~

I am invited to go over to a little girls house after school. I tell her that maybe someday I can do that. She says, "Do you have to ask your mom first?" LOL!

~~~~~

He has learned to say my name very well, and loves to say it! "Debbie, Debbie, Debbie", he says it over and over, for no reason really, just gives me a big smile. About the time I'm thinking maybe I will change my name, he turns my face to towards his and gives me a big bear hug! Precious!

~~~~~

The children like to hand me plastic envelopes that come with the Fisher Price Mailbox. I pretend I am reading them a letter from me. I read to one little boy, "Dear Michael, I think you are awesome! Love, Teacher Debbie". Later in the day, I praise him for the painting he had done. He looked at me and said, "That's because I am awesome!" So Sweet!

~~~~~

We are out on the play yard. She is riding a car around the track and notices a dandelion growing in the grass. She looks over at me, rushes over to the dandelion and yanks it out of the ground. She runs to me and shoves it in my hand and hurries off to her car getting back to it before another child had taken her place! It was important to give me that flower, though!

~~~~~

At the end of my day, I have a bouqet! One dandelion at a time!

Craziest of Mornings!

I don't want to brag, but we've been having some pretty SMOOTH mornings. Everything running as SMOOTH as can be....until today.....and when it rains, it POURS.

In order for Josh to get to Magnolia for band practice by 8, and me to work by 8:30, we need to leave the house on time............which we did. Then why did Josh not make it to band practice today? That would be because I decided to wear my yummy SMOOTHIE instead of drinking it. It was carefully nestled in the cup holder but the strap to Josh's backpack caught hold of it and it tipped..........covering my lap and backside with a milky white substance!

Needless to say we turned around and headed back home, no band practice today.....I hope Mr. Richardson will understand our SMOOTH MOVE!

Clothe yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ

Romans 13:14 "Clothe yourselves in the Lord Jesus Christ." I wish I could wear Jesus like a piece of clothing. I would put Him on as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning. Wearing Him all day and not removing Him until I went to bed in the evening would make for a productive day, one spent accomplishing God's will for me and my life. How super fantastic that sounds! If only it could be that easy, but life isn't that easy. Moment by moment there are decisions to be made, problems to handle and circumstances to react to.

Being clothed in Christ means having the same characteristics as Him, reacting to things the way He would. Clothing ourselves in Christ is something we cannot do ourselves. Galatians says that for us that were baptized in Christ have been clothed in Christ! That is good news!

Abiding in Christ, trusting and believing in Him, clothes us in righteousness, His righteousness. God declares righteous those who believe in the Lord Jesus.

I can put on Christ in the morning, I can go throughtmy day wearing His characteristics like a piece of clothing, one that fits me perfectly, one made fore me before the beginning of time.

I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me! Praise God!

Manna in the Morning

I love the term "manna" and the story of how God fed the Israelites manna each morning. During their trek through the wilderness God showered them with manna each and every morning, delicious, sweet wafers of nutrition. They could eat all they wanted but they could not save any of it for the next day. Trusting that God would feed them again the next morning, they took just what they needed for the day. Any manna that was kept turned rancid.

The sweet bread the Isrealites gathered each morning is a picture of the bread that is available to me each morning. The bread, God's Word is the nutrition I need, to insure I am spiritually healthy and ready for my day.

Unprepared and thankful it's Friday!

We survived the first two days of school with flying colors! Kids were up on time, clothes had been picked out the night before, lunches were packed the night before, everything was ready, organized and running smooth. Did you catch the word was!

Blame it on being over-confident that we had this "morning routine" down to a science? Blame it on the fact that I worked a double shift on Thursday and came home too tired to get everything ready? Or blame it on "Somebody"..............?? "Somebody" left the coffee pot on causing a rough build-up on the bottom which cuts my finger as I try to get it quickly washed out since I hadn't gotten the coffee ready the night before. "Somebody" ate the french toast I had saved for Sean to have for breakfast (the boys don't like cornflakes which is all we have right now) "That's OK", I said to myself...........I'll whip up some bacon and eggs really quick! "Somebody" has misplaced my good frying pan! No problem, I'll use the electric skillet with the plug that doesn't stay in and the missing handle on one side.............let's keep piling up these petty annoyances! Hmmm.....seems Sean is having trouble deciding what to wear and I will have to intervene...."Somebody" has failed to get the laundry done and Sean has alread worn his two new pair of shorts............ AND we are out of lunch items! No problem, I'll give each boy $5.00 (lunches are expensive at middle and high school). I try to deal with this morning with a pounding headache and extreme gastrial issues (could it be the pizza I gobbled down the night before)? I get Sean to the bus on time, now to move on to Josh. Walking in the front door I am told "I didn't see the bacon and eggs", as Josh puts the last piece of pop tart in his mouth. OK..... He is also having trouble finding something to wear "Somebody" has misplaced several of his new school shirts." At this point, I have to get myself ready as well, so after helping Josh find something to wear, he is on his own. 30 minutes later we are walking out the front door, Josh runs back inside to get something. He returns with his toothbrush and a water bottle. He proceeds to brush his teeth as he walks to the car, rinses his mouth and his toothbrush off with the water bottle! I wonder what he had been doing for that 1/2 hour? Arriving to the bus stop I hear these unwelcome words "do you have $5.00?" "I gave you $5.00". "It's not in my shorts" he says as he is searching his pockets. I visualize Josh putting the $5.00 in his shorts pocket, but not the shorts he is wearing now, a pair he had tried on and discarded on the floor. I turn the car around and head back home, Josh runs in and gets $10.00 from Dad (I wonder if this was his plan to begin with) and I successfully get him back to the bus stop before the bus arrives.

I travel the 23 minutes to work listening to the ding...ding...ding...of my low fuel gauge. I'm running late now, I don't have time to stop for gas, surely I will not run out of gas..........that would just be the straw that broke the camel's back, the last straw, unacceptable and totally not an option..............

Dandelion Bouquets

There is nothing more precious than receiving a handful of danelions from a little child. I would rather receive dandelions than a dozen roses! A bouquet of dandelions represent the special, little moments in life that sometimes go unnoticed or unappreciated. Gather and savor those moments and make yourself a dandelion bouquet.

Good-bye to Summer!

I can't believe that summer vacation will be over on Tuesday! School starts on Wednesday. We are ready, we've got the new lunch boxes, haircuts, notebooks and various school supplies. We've got new school clothes, including new shoes. We're ready "physicially"..........but now to mentally prepare ouselves. With just really one night to go, that would be Monday night, we need to figure out bedtime/wake-up schedules and bus schedules. Wednesday morning there will be a mixture of excitment, apprehenison and disappointment.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOqCB9R1jw A slide show for my Sociology class. Lots of love went into this!

Can't wait for Sheryl to post the pics of Jack and I at the Oscars! ;)

It's been awhile!

Oh my, I have really been lacking in the blogging dept. I missed blogging about my favorite holiday, Christmas! And I will have to blog about my annual list of lifestyle changes I hope to make this year. (more popularly known as "New Year's Resolutions) But it will have to wait. I am sitting in bed, with not quite a day of antibiotics in my system for the strept throat I have. Not too happy about the pounding headache either. :( So, I will have to continue this later. I was just anxious to get something new posted.

Little ditty about Jack & Diane & ......Deb!

Anxious for Fall!

I do it every year! I am ready for Fall NOW! It's not time yet, I know. But you know I am ready because today I wore pants, socks and tennis shoes. Yes, I realize it was 92 degrees out today, I don't care.............I am ready for Fall! I'm going to get out my Fall box of decorations, my favorite Fall scented candles and ready or not..........it's going to be Fall at my house! I am tired of hearing a fan blowing 24/7.............I have started unplugging it in the morning, irritated by its constant hum. I am tired of trying to keep the house cool, tired of sweating, I'm even tired of wearing my flip-flops! (This annoyance will pass, as I do wear flip-flops all year round) I am ready for those crisp, Fall mornings, turning on some livingroom lights in the evening, new Party-lite candles burning some pumpkin spice scent, and eventually a fire in the woodburner. I love the colors of Fall! The whole town has a golden hue! Oranges, yellows, magentas.........absolutely breath-taking!! I love the cozy, warm feeling of Fall. I want to hide my arms in a longer sleeved blouse, I want to wear a sweatshirt, I want to look out my window and see some green grass and brilliant colored trees! Little minor problem, using our headlights at 5:30 at night, I do not see well driving at night! I drove home from Steph's the other night after shopping for school clothes and I was truly having difficulty seeing. I think I even mentioned "I'm never driving at night again!" Maybe I will need a chaueffer! Kristen? Are you available? Oh, and the baking! Banana bread, zucinni bread, pumpkin bread, potato soup! Those of you who know me very well are thinking, "I didn't know Debbie baked..........she barely cooks!" I plan on baking this year, some yummy Fall recipes! Can't wait! Anybody else share my enthusiasm for Fall?!

Fun at the Fair!

Saturday the boys and I headed to the Fair. We were volunteering at the Friends of Nevada County Military booth from 10-1, a Scouting service project. We dropped Rob at work with the plan of meeting up with him at some point during the day. He didn't know when he would be getting off work, so the "plan" was not really one at all.....
We hit our first snag when re realized we had left our backpack at home. We had some snacks, a book for me to read if I found myself waiting for them while they were on rides, camera and we were going to put their scout uniforms in there when they were done at the booth. Nope, forgot the backpack. Bummer was, I wanted to take a picture of my nephew Donnie who had two pictures hanging in the FNCM booth. We were done with our shift, boys took off their uniforms and put them in a Farmer's Insurance plastic bag and headed out to enjoy the fair.
We headed immediately to the ...............Midway (of course)! I quickly realized my energy was depleting............fast! I watched them go on a couple rides then came up with the idea: go on two rides then come to me............I'll be sitting on this bench over there, in the shade! Yep, that was me sitting on the bench along with some other elderly people. Sitting there people watching.........felt like my Grandaddy who always found a comfy place to sit and people watch as
me, Sandy and Nannie would shop! From time to time, I'd walk around with them until I found a new place to sit, bale of hay, foot massage chair, whatever I could find.
The boys were having a great time going on rides, their favorite was the Viper. They loved it so much that they decided to get right back on it. Mistake! Here's where we hit our second snag of the day. Sean got off the ride and within a few minutes his face was white as chalk. He was weak, his eyes were rolling around and he looked like he might pass out. This began our mission "trying to get Sean out of the Fair and to the car before he barfs"! It probably took us an hour, walking.....sitting.....Sean making a "run, or fast walk" for a bathroom....walking....sitting.....bathroom.....made it out the gate....more sitting.....walk a little more......oh-ow............that Farmer's Insurance bag came in mighty handy! There was Sean throwing up in the bag (I took out the boys uniforms first). We made it to the car and I got him home but not before he had to use that bag again! Poor guy! Got him cozy and was ready to hit the third snag of the day. Rob had already been dropped off at the fair, thinking he was going to meet up with us! How? We have no cell phone, we didn't have a plan! So, Rob was walking around for a couple hours looking for us, we weren't there! So, Josh and I had to head back to the Fair, pay for parking............and start looking for Rob. After an hour or so, we met up with him. Miracle! Josh went on a couple more rides and I got my funnel cake! Yum!
All in all it was a pretty good day..............Josh had fun............Sean had fun (until he got sick).........I had a good time............got to see Donnie's pics on the wall at FNCM booth, saw Jarrett's pics on a slide show that was being shown......spent time with nice people there at the booth.... ate funnel cake, ran into some friends and saw some kids I know ............ Can't wait for next year!