Pseudo-Monday

So, it’s not officially Monday, but we’re pretending like it is! It’s recovery day, anyway! And yesterday, the real Monday, was a great one, so that makes 4 in a row!

Friday, we drove up to Stephenville for the 83rd, I believe, annual Poynor reunion. I’d never been to Stephenville, and was surprised to find it a bigger town than I had thought. They had all the necessities… HEB, Wal-Mart, Starbucks (though we rarely go there anymore), and Hampton Inn. They were also building an awesome city pool with waterslides! It also has Tarleton State University, which I know very little about, but gives the town a little more opportunity than some in the area. This was the first time that I know of, that we’ve had our reunion there, and I really liked it. Of course, I would choose the Hampton, our favorite, over the hotel we had, but it can’t accommodate the 159 people we had for dinner! Isn’t that incredible? That’s a lot of people to show up for a family reunion! But, you have to know, OUR reunion is fun. It’s a big to-do, and most of us actually like each other… I think. So, we spent Friday night there, and came home Saturday night so we’d be home to get ready for Sunday morning services. We were definitely tired on Sunday morning, but we had a great time and enjoyed seeing cousins that we only get to see once a year! The kids really have fun, because they get to swim, play, eat sweets, and stay up late. What’s NOT to like? As a kid, the ‘reunion’ was the highlight of our year. We couldn’t WAIT for July, so we could do all those things that now excite my kids.

After a good Lord’s Day, we headed home and TRIED to get to bed early. That never really works out for us, though. Actually, we were IN bed before it was completely dark. GASP! THAT never happens! We watched a movie, though, and it turned out to be a long one, but pretty good. Deception was about a family of 4 Jewish brothers in Germany that hid out in the forest and saved over 1200 Jews during World War 2. It was a little bloody, but a true story, and quite interesting. I had to catch up on five Scrabble games during the movie, too, so I was busy. If you’re on Facebook and like Scrabble, you should try it out. One of my games has been going for over a month, so you have plenty of time to play!

Yesterday, we spent the ENTIRE day at Fiesta Texas, on one of our other once-a-year excursions. Each January, the kids log 6 hours of reading time to earn a free pass to Fiesta. This year, since Luke is in school now, we got three free passes, plus a free teacher (me), so all we had to cover was Craig, for a CHEAP trip to the park. Well, once you pay for parking and drinks, you’re still out $50! And we packed sandwiches and ate at the car! It really was fun, though. Even with the heat, it was manageable, since you could go into the water park and get nice and wet, then head back into the heat. The lines were fairly short (unless the ride stopped while you were IN line, which happened to us twice!) and we got to ride everything we really wanted to. I only ride the water rides, and the “mild” ones, as any coasters or twisty things make me sick, but Craig and Levi rode some coasters. Levi finally made the height requirement for a couple big things this year, so he got to ride the Rattler! He was terribly excited, and he loved it. Jake doesn’t like roller coasters, or anything involving terror, so Craig has been without a riding partner until now. Levi has a couple more years until he’ll be tall enough for the loopty ones, but he is definitely a thrill-seeker like his Daddy. The faster and scarier, the better, as far as he’s concerned! I’m not sure how Luke will like that kind of thing, but so far, we have one of each. It surprises me that Levi likes them so much, just because he is the one to get car-sick most often, besides me, but the rides don’t seem to bother him. I can’t even WATCH the carousel go around without feeling woozy, and he rode the swings, which, in my opinion, is the pukiest of ALL the rides! I rode it once and that was enough for a lifetime!
On the way home last night, we got burgers and shakes, then showered and went straight to bed! I warned Craig ahead of time that I would NOT be getting up with him this morning, but I did manage to tell him goodbye. That’s good enough. And I’ve kept my word by doing nothing this morning but sitting on the couch! I have put in a couple loads of laundry, but the house is still a mess, suitcases are unpacked, etc. Of course, the bed is made, as I can’t really leave the bedroom before that’s done. The boys are being lazy with me, playing Wii or playing in their rooms, and we’ve even shared a bag of chips on the couch BEFORE lunch! I guess it’s not lazy, though, just resting. I can only sit for so long, and it’s not my turn in any of my games, so I’ll be up cleaning before long.

I have about 20 auctions going on ebay that end today, so I will be busy tomorrow. I cleaned out the bookshelf and made a pile of books to sell. I do that every year, but usually just drop them off at Goodwill, or donate them elsewhere. I decided to try selling them this year, though, and I think they are ALL going to sell! Maybe one or two won’t, but that’s pretty good! By the time I pack and ship them all, though, I may be wishing I had just donated them! Why is it you always have to WORK to earn money? Such a bad rule. Oops, I think I’m betraying my own political views talking like that. I think the better statement would be... It’s all in a day’s work!

On a sad note, we lost a good friend last night. Our dear brother in Christ, Jack, with whom we’ve attended services for many years, passed away. We are praying for his family, and awaiting the details of his memorial services this week. Another great loss for the brotherhood.