Water Park

Today I picked up Adelle and went to the new water park. First she came out of the house and said she didn't want to go to the water park, she wanted to go to the fair. I sent her in to get her swimsuit on and I accidentally let the little dog out. Mom and sister went tearing after the dog. Not good. Adelle's mom said her Grandma is very ill and everyone was pretty stressed out. Adelle came out and got in the back seat, as usual, and gave me some quotes from Around the Horn. We talked about her Grandma and she said everyone is pretty upset. We got to the water park and there was a huge line. I was so impressed that this water park is in our little town. It was amazing! There was a pile of floating rings that you can use to float around in the lazy river that actually had a pretty strong current! In the middle was a huge bubble that you could climb and bounce on and jump or slide off. There was a lily pad part you could try to walk across and two cool baby pools with neat built in toys. There were lots of lounge chairs and tables with umbrellas over them. There were two large water slides. Adelle went down one. I watched her smile all the way down but when she came over to me she said, "I'm done with that." There was a wave pool for boarding on and it looked nearly impossible. Adelle wanted to do it but I talked her out of it. There was also a huge pool with diving boards and laps for swimming. It had a shallower end and we got in. Thank God I had the floaty tube with me because it was too deep for Adelle and she would have drowned. I yanked her over to the side and told her to get out. After that I was pretty nervous. She kept getting away from me and I had to look and look to find her. After a snack, she finally played a long time in the lazy river. When we left, we went over to the free water park where the water shoots out of the ground in various, fun ways. I think Adelle enjoyed that more than anything else. Live and learn.

bummer?

I have been sitting around all day bumming and dwelling on how fat and bored I feel because I'm having to miss my favorite exercise classes today to rest my back. So I read my sister in law's blog (raisin a ruckus) and she listed all the things she's happy about. So I did the same thing and it really helps. (I am aware of the power of positive thinking, I only counsel about it all school year and it is Biblical but why I never think of it myself when I'm bumming, is a mystery). I am so happy that Leah is home for the summer! And Joel is too! And they are both watching a movie with me that is pretty fun (Whippit). The sun in shining. I am rested and healthy (other than my back). I have a car and money and I can go do anything I want. I started a new project yesterday called anonymous encouragers (see it, same name, online) and I sent two anonymous letters yesterday and one today to randomly encourage someone. Rex and Professor are happy to have us home. I get to wear my favorite summer uniform--sport shorts and a t shirt--every day! I could probably go on from here but this is enough to make me feel happy again. Gonna make chicken and pasta with spaghetti sauce tonight.

Who reads this?

I just wonder if anyone is reading this blog. If you are, will you let me know? Just wondering.

ouch

My back is hurting! Again! I keep in great shape but my stupid back "went out" when I was shaving my leg in the shower on Wednesday. I didn't think it was as bad as last time so I went to water aerobics on Thursday (actually felt great) and then went to Bible study that night and it started to really hurt. Ibuprofen isn't touching it. I went for a walk that night (separate blog) and by Friday my back was a mess! And I had the reunion this weekend! Saturday my Mom gave me a hydrocodone and it is the only thing that helps. Sitting is BAD! I ice it and rest it and try to not do anything too long--sit, stand, lie down. I broke down and took another pill today. Have gone to the chiropractor twice and will go again tomorrow. I guess my new water class against the current will have to wait. I'll try fit ball and go back to the deep end class but step is out for awhile. I have some prayer partners working on this so I will give it to God and wait. And thank Him for hydrocodone. :)

Reunion

LHS 1980 30 year high school reunion memories.

Ginger looks fabulous, as usual. Her husband is wonderful! He reminded me tons of Lee in looks and gentle spirit. Davi is working full time and lives near. Niki will be a freshman at Shawnee Mission North. Mike's kids live at home and nearby also. Liisa Embree McNeil looked great. She's in KC doing merchandising for a large corporations in carpeting. She is married, no kids. Cara Bray is in Lawrence working for medicaid. She has two teenagers. Jay Slapper is married and has two young kids. Mark Devoe is in KC, hates his job, has been divorced 18 years, should have been a psychologist and smokes pot daily. He has two teens also. Libby Dorsey Zimmerman lives in Bloomfield, Colorado with her husband and she works with computers. Her kids, Zach and Hannah, are about the age of mine. The class has four social workers: Mike Fowler who I didn't get to talk to this time, Michelle Porter who works with Native Americans in California and who is a Christian, Susan Devoe who works with sex offenders in KC but is also going to work for Children's Mercy. Dave Blesch is in San Franscisco and doing very well with his company, not married, no kids. Jerry Ehrens (?), crap his name is escaping me temporarily, lives in CA also and is married and has two young kids. I don't remember him being so incredibly nice in high school! Troy Rea is bald but still good looking and lives in Leavenworth running a car dealership with his brothers. Bob Wrigley is excellent looking and a big flirt. He told me that I'm hot, that he loves my hair and that a woman had to be beautiful and confident to wear their hair like that! Hecter McAnderson and his high school sweetheart and bride were there. He is retired from special ops. Michele Best lives in Heidelberg, Germany with her husband and teenagers and gets to travel around Europe and loves it. Michele told me she remembers me being never judgemental toward anyone in high school! So cool! Karen Johnson DePriest was there along with Karrie Wiley and they organized the whole thing. I thought everyone looked great, the same or even better! We all looked our age but good! I talked with Jeannette Evans about all the Sunday School classes we went to together. Sue Holliman Moore was there with Tim who is handsome! They are very much in love. Sue runs a daycare in their home and is very dedicated to it. Both her parents have passed. Her oldest son is in Florida and younger son just got married. Tim has kids and they have a nine year old daughter together. Jeannette Finnell was there an bubbly as usual along with Deena Roe. People were very huggy and open and kind and genuinely glad to see you. Chris Robinson was there with his wife. Talked to Brenda Boyer and Cathy Cummins. Jim Norwood died in a car accident and apparently their son died recently also so Lori Foster wasn't there. Kyle couldn't come for some reason. Here are a few pics.

Vacation

Went to Table Rock Lake and Branson, Missouri this weekend with Leah, Joel, my brother David and his wife Ronnie, his sons Jon, Ryan and Tim, Tim's wife, Hannah, and my Mom. We left Manhattan Friday morning and drove the two hours to Leavenworth to meet up with Mom, David and Ronnie and then followed them--they rode in the Lexus and we took our white car. The rest of the kids met us there later that night. I hade such a crazy headache driving! We stayed at Rock Lane Marina which is really a resort set up for people who have a boat. But they had a pool and we made good use of it! I stayed in a condo with Leah. We just took it easy and sat by the pool and tanned and chatted. Very enjoyable. Leah and I took a paddle boat out across the cove to an island and got out and swam in the lake one afternoon. The next afternoon we rented a boat but Leah and Mom and I only lasted an hour on the boat. Joel stayed and tried the wake board and got fried. Each night we showered up and went out the eat--the whole group at an italian restaurant the first night (yummy) and mom and Leah and I the second night (not so yummy food). We went to see the Beatles act the first night and the Chinese acrobats the scond night. Very enjoyable. All this on my generous mom's tab! Then yesterday we drove home--I drove all the way myself--6 1/2 hours! A very good, relaxing vacation. But its good to be home.

Adelle second outing

Last week Adelle was ready and came right out to the car when I pulled up. She rode in back again and started giving sports info, her fall back conversation when she doesn't know what else to say. We went to the house and made cookies together-oatmeal chocolate chip raisin. She started being silly but then settled down and really worked hard and concentrated and seemed to enjoy it. We just made two sheets because we needed more oatmeal and to keep her attention. We did make a mess. She ate sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon sugar, dough and several cookies. We got sugar all over the floor! Then she got on the computer as we were waiting for Leah to come home to say hi. Adelle kept trying to look up some score or something from March 30 that she has talked about for two visits now. Then we went to the fire station to take Scott some cookies and for Adelle to meet him for the first time. I told her she could ask him about scores from March 30. Adelle needed to use the restroom badly--she kept crossing her legs. She went in to look at ours but wouldn't go in it. I went and flushed but apparently the toilet paper didn't go all the way down and that bothered Adelle. She kept saying, "Why is your toilet broken?" So the first thing she did at the fire station was use the restroom. Then she shook hands with Scott and asked him her questions about March 30. He knew what she was talking about and got on the computer. Apparently, she is really into a sports radio show called "Around the Horn" which is a sports debate. She wanted to know which of the commentators won the debate that day! So Adelle sat at Scott's desk and listened to several Around the Horn shows on the computer. She laughed and tried to recite the words along with it and rocked and thoroughly enjoyed herself. When we got back in the car, she kept reciting what she had heard. She was soooo happy about it! Then we went to the grocery store for more oatmeal and also got some mustard. Earlier Adelle wanted a cheese sandwich and I only had spicy brown mustard. I'm not sure how I ever thought I could be Adelle's Big Sister without mustard in the house! We bought mustard and oatmeal and headed to the city park to swing. While swinging, we saw Leah and her friends and they were slack lining and kicking around a soccer ball. We went over. Adelle shook everyone's hands and then kicked the soccer ball (hard) several times. Allison asked Adelle if she wanted to try slack lining. With Allison's help, she jumped right up and walked down and back both lines without much difficulty! Everyone was impressed! Then she was ready to go home. I am going to get Adelle tonight and are plans are to make hamburgers and hot dogs. She has been talking about this both times we've been together--she's going to have two hamburgers and two hot dogs! Can't wait!