Blissfully Unaware of the Chaos the Surrounds Me

More from the Coast . . .

this time with no dire warnings of "back up!  Back up!"

Although you can imagine it, I'm sure.  Right along with the warnings of "do not get wet, Dylan!"  I do have more video that showcases that particular warning as well. 

For now, however, I am off to meet Monday head-on.  Doctor's appointments (but no biopsy appointment yet - arghhh!), work, parents' meeting at school, kids to drive around and Lord knows what else.  But it's all good stuff.  Or something like that :)

Tsunami Warning . . .

Tsunami from Amy Beadle on Vimeo.

So Glad We Skedaddled . . .

I was really, really wavering on Wednesday morning.  The weather report (rain) wasn't making me long for a safari Jeep ride!  It was going to be a hassle to re-schedule though, so we went for it.  And we were so glad!

The weather ended up being perfect.  We were running tight on time and so I got a little crabby at one point (sorry, honey!) because I HATE to be late.  John got us there, however, with plenty of time to spare.

The Safari West experience starts with a short walking tour of some of the smaller enclosures.  We saw some cool birds, tiny baby antelopes, two monkeys and a few cheetahs.  Our guide, Steven, was very knowledgeable and it was a very approachable setting, with just ten in our group. 

After we did the walking enclosures, we loaded onto our safari vehicle.  Dylan was disappointed to learn that we all couldn't ride on top since Halle was too little, but we arranged for he and John to rotate a turn up there while I stayed with sis. The ride was fairly bumpy, with plenty of twists and turns, so I think it was actually good that we (at least myself) were seated on the lower level!

They have over 400 acres, with all sorts of African animals . . . giraffes, watusi, rhino, antelope, wilde-beasts and more . . . and we saw them all, up close and personal.  We talked about poop - scat, feces and dung - do you know the difference? We almost got attacked by a pissy ostrich.  Halle stood her ground and pointed to the huge ostrich and yelled, "no, no!  Stay out my jeep!"  While she did that, I squealed for the guide who was opening a gate to get us between enclosures . . . "hurry, Steven!"  I think John might have been a wee bit embarrassed by me at that point.  Of course, that was also after I dropped not one, but two things out of the jeep, which was a big no-no.  Whoops!

Halle was a champ.  She could have been done halfway through, but she just snuggled into my down vest and I covered her with her cozy blanket and gave her a binky.  She was pretty content like that for the remainder of the ride.  Dylan really enjoyed it, as did both John and I.  I would highly recommend taking a trip over there, especially if your kids are over five or six.  Seems like they get a lot out of it, but it's expensive enough that a trip to the zoo might be a better option for the younger crowd.

It was getting dark as we finished up, so we high-tailed it out of Santa Rosa and headed a few miles north to Windsor.  I re-joined Resortime, which I had been a member of in the past.  It gives you great access to timeshare rentals.  In this case, we stayed at the Sonoma County Resort, which was a Worldmark by Wyndham resort.  We had a beautiful three bedroom condo, which gave us plenty of room to spread out.  I was a little gun shy after our San Francisco trip last summer.  Two double beds and about 200 square feet just didn't cut it!  This ended up being a great place to stay.  Great location - just off 101 - but far enough off that it was rural and not highway frontage.  John and I decided that it would be a great place to land with another couple if we wanted to stay somewhere between wine country and the coast. 

Anyway, we grabbed dinner at Mary's Pizza Shack and had an early night.  We tried to watch The Ugly Truth after the kiddos were asleep/occupied - maybe John stayed awake until the end - but I was hopeless.  Too tired to keep my eyes open!

On Thursday, we headed over the coast.  We hit a couple of beaches near Bodega Bay and had a great time being chased by the waves.  It was freezing cold, but Dylan is always up for some beach time.  He, of course, managed to get wet, despite our 99,000 warnings about it.  He was smart enough, however, to not complain about how cold his feet really were for the rest of the day :)  Halle also though it was a hysterical game, so we had a ball watching her.  I'll upload some video that John shot that sounds like we're about to be swept away by a tsunami!  It's pretty funny, really.

Anyway, I had yummy crab sandwich overlooking the water and we headed back inland.  Some pool and spa time, followed by ping-pong and the on-site arcade.  We had a blast.  Really, we did.  John had to depart late Thursday evening, but the kids and I lazed around until almost noon on Friday.  In fact, John was all the way to Florida with his Air Force crew before we were even halfway home!

Long story short?  These quick little trips do our family good.  This was a good reminder that although I am longing for a fabulous trip to Hawaii?  These little getaways are nothing to sneeze at.  We are really blessed to have these little bits of time together.  So I am very tired.  But I am more grateful than tired.

Pictures and video from the coast leg of our trip tomorrow, I promise!

Quick Glance . . .

into our Safari West adventure . . .

It was a great time!  I'll post details about our trip tomorrow.  As for now, I am too tired to remain upright :)

(Seriously, when will I adjust to this silly time change?)

Looking Good . . .

in the lipstick.

Note to self: invest in some cheap lipstick so Halle doesn't regularly play with Bare Minerals makeup!

Veteran's Day

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” –John Fitzgerald Kennedy

 
Today is a day of honor and gratitude.  As much as I struggle sometimes with John's call to serve in the military, I am so very grateful to him, and to those like him.  Who are called to serve and serve without question.

Thank you, babe.  Thank you, David.  Thank you, Dad.  Thank you to all who have served our country so well and so dligently.  May today be about much more than closed banks and no mail service.  May we truly express to you our gratitude and debt for your service.

On a side note?  That picture was just about two years ago.  Can you believe that little peanut baby of ours?  Man it's gone by (too) quickly!

Wavering . . .

remember that 100% assurance that I had about getting-us-the-heck-out-of-dodge? 

I'm wavering.

Wanna know why?

Because I have to do laundry/pack/clean-up, and in general?  Pull myself together.

Or do I?

After a lifetime of packing lists and type-A weekend getaways, could I become (gasp!) flexible and easy-going about family travel?  Could I throw a couple of things into a duffel and go?  Oh how good that sounds.

The reality is?  Not gonna happen.  I'm going to pull it together.  It's really the only way to travel.  Or at least for me and mine.

OK.  Forcing self to laundry room.  Must wash.  Then languish.  In that order and that order alone.

Join Me in the Confessional . . .

I don't know why.  Maybe because my mother is a catholic (non-practicing, but still . . . ), but I have intermittent urges to confess.  So here goes it:

1.  Halle kicks up such a fuss about washing her hair?  I only do it every three nights.  I realize that probably "rewards" her for her freak-outs, but hey, if I make it to bathtime without losing my mind?  I gotta do what I can to stay there!

2.  I have actually told Dylan to "just put down that book and DO something!"  Which is ridiculous for several reasons, the least of not being that he got that reader's gene directly from me.

3.  I think that an Oatmeal cookie is close enough to oatmeal that I'd give it to my kids for breakfast - if they would eat one.  But they don't, so we're safe there :)

4.  Behind the long couch in the living room?  The one that backs up into the wall?  Are probably 15-20 frames and assorted old pieces of "art" that we've either taken down from our walls or never put up.  I shoved them back there before we had a party a couple of years ago and have never bothered to pull them all back out!

5.  I only file paperwork approximately one time per year.  I just shove it all into the file drawer and dig through it when I need to find something.  I cross my fingers and pray while digging through it too!

6. Sometimes, when I'm home working by myself, and all the neighborhood dogs start their incessant barking?  I scream, "Shut the F*** up!" at the top of my lungs.  It doesn't help the barking much, but it sure makes me feel better.

7.  On medical questionnaires, where it asks for how much you drink, I always say 3-4 drinks per week, even though it is always at least 7!  That nightly glass of wine shouldn't be so much to 'fess up to, but when you have a strong alcoholic history in your family?  Apparently, the denial runs deep!

8.  I regret ever telling my husband that I didn't like flowers.  I wish instead that I had clearly explained that (1) roses don't float my boat, (2) nor do "expected" flowers, i.e., Valentine's Day, (3) but unexpected (just because) and simple flowers can really make my day every so often!  Even the Trader Jo's mixed bunches or a handful of daisies or a perfect bloom stolen from the neighbor's plant can be great things.  Sigh.  I talked too much at the beginning of our relationship and didn't know how many of those things would come back to haunt me :)

9.  I can't even see commercials for scary movies any more.  That's how much of a wimp I've become.  And, here goes . . . I'm afraid to start reading Twilight because the whole vampire thing really creeps me out.  So the entire idea of Vampire (blood-sucking) love kind of scares me!

There you have it!  Nine random confessions for a Monday morning.  Now I'm off to (really) start my day!

Lazy Sunday Afternoon . . .

Halle woke up in a mood.  One of those moods that makes me constantly check her forehead for a temperature and then, when it's cool? Realize that she's TWO, not sick.  Fortunately, Dylan was working in the church nursery this morning, so she was happy to play in there for the entirely of the service, thereby giving me a break! 

Now she's napping.  I should be getting so much done at the moment.  But I'd rather piddle away the afternoon by watching mindless TV or blog-hopping.

Remind me of the time I've wasted when I realize that John is on is way home from the Base tonight and I should pull it together.  Or tell me that we've been married long enough for me to let go the ridiculous idea that everything should be pulled together when he comes home after his frequent absences.

I'm trying to let go of that need to prove that I can do it.  I really, really am.  But I still struggle with it.  Far beyond the surface.  I question who I am if I can't be the one who holds it together.  And that is way too deep for me to get into when I just am looking to waste an afternoon.  So I'll go watch some mindless TV now.  And maybe clean up the kitchen.  Maybe.

Booked a Safari . . .

in Santa Rosa.  Yes, Santa Rosa, CALIFORNIA.  We're going to take a quick trip over to Safari West next week and just get away for a couple of days.  We had talked about it, but then schedules shifted a bit, so we were on the fence.  Then yesterday, I just felt 100% assured that we needed to get out of here for a couple of days.  Dylan has a few days off from school and we're just going to do it.

Instead of the four of us sharing a tiny little hotel room (like our SF trip this summer), I booked a condo at a Worldmark timeshare in Windsor, which is just about 15 minutes from Santa Rosa.  It's actually a three bedroom, so if you want to come along . . . there's more than enough room!  And if you've stayed there and it's a total dive?  Could you kindly let me know ASAP so I can still change it?

Between the Safari West adventure, the outdoor heated pool, the large quantities of wine that I'll be bringing and a jaunt over to the chilly coast?  We'll be busy enough.  I just need out of here, just for a couple of days to re-set.  I'm hoping for a biopsy before we go, but if not, I'll do it when we return.  And I'm pledging to just leave it all behind me while we're gone, too.

Now, I must get back to the huge mess that I've made/I'm making.  Just picture a 3'x3' square of primed plywood, a stack of paper, hundreds of bits of torn and cut scraps, paint and large jars of Modge Podge.  I have a vision.  Whether or not my vision will translate into some form of art?  Remains to be seen. 

Happy Saturday!