Walking in Memphis

Then I'm walking in Memphis
Walking with my feet ten feet off of Beale
Walking in Memphis
But do I really feel the way I feel

...you've got a prayer in Memphis

 

Rollin, rollin, rollin…on out of Arkansas!  We moved on to the east side of Memphis across the Mississippi River!  We have driven, played at Chick-fil-A, and shopped at my favorite..Pottery Barn Outlet!  We got in this afternoon after a lazy morning in the hotel at Little Rock deciding where to go.  We were debating between Memphis, Birmingham, and Atlanta.  We may still drive farther, but Memphis has comfy, warm beds with our names all over them!

So…I disappeared in PB for a few hours..and found bedding and drapes, a shower curtain (for mom!):

it's ivory embroidery on white-isn't it beautiful?  It could be formal or vintage/flea market!

a beautiful lamp base (I got the hammered silver one on the left to go under my kitchen cabinets), but check out the gorgeous mercury glass one on the right!  Only $51.97, and I may have to go back to get it if I can figure out where to put it!!

Oh, and check out what I did. . . while warning my daughter not to break anything in the Glass Section:

Yep, shards everywhere!  (and it was loud!)

Here is it before.  A beautiful martini shaker.

Mary Claire attempts to clean it up..with my new silver toilet brush! (only $14!)

Wanted to buy this super long platter-about 24-30 inches long but couldn't think what I'd put on it.  But I did get some of those tiny bowls to the bottom left!  They are sauce dishes (but my kids will use them for ketchup!).

Then, I went to the William Sonoma outlet next door.  And see these beautiful hand towels?  Just guess how much they were.  Just guess.  I'll tell you later-you'll be in shock!

I also got some very realistic cherry blossom branches (which the woman kept checking with me to see if I really wanted them ? ), a small dish with a bird on the side (like a bird bath with no pedestal), and some pillow covers to monogram for $12 (the same ones I'd paid $27.99 for in the fall!)-if I mess them up, I won't feel so bad!

Then we had a small errand to run-we had to go to Target to get some swimsuits since our hotel had an indoor pool, and the kids were chomping at the bit to get in the water.  We did a quick run around the store, gathering swimsuits and flip flops, then back to the van in the iCY wind!  Since my family was famished, we went to dinner.  Clay was pretty upset with us-he wanted to go straight to the hotel to swim.  He wouldn't eat his salad, but gobbled up his dinner.  While we were waiting, he drew this:

He didn't want to take it with us, so I took a picture.  It's hard to see, but it's two roller coasters! (looks like Hershey Park's wooden coasters to me)

Then, they were in Happy Land.  (I think they were fish in another life!)

Now he loves me again.

She swam, then sat with me while I worked off my dinner on the treadmill!

 

**Oh yeah-those 4-packs of William Sonoma kitchen towels?  I got them for an amazing .99 cents per four-pack!!!  (Of course I went back and bought them all!)**

I have to say, we had our moments today.  The kids were super hyper and impatient when we were trying to decide where to go this morning.  We had to check the weather in different cities, look up their childrens attractions and decide which were worth going to, and debate over the time to drive there vs. the amazing draw (aka their kid-friendliness).  Time was slipping through our fingers, so we just drove to Memphis-only about two hours away.

We are waiting to see what Thursday holds.  Ches may have a meeting that day, if the UA has class.  So we can't get too far away till we know.  If it's canceled, we'll go on to Birmingham to see the McWane Science Center-looks super cool!  We've already done the CMOM (Children's Museum of Memphis), but we may do it again tomorrow.  It is a really good museum, but the kids will go through it super-fast since they've already explored it.  We'll see what Wednesday holds when we get there!

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.  Matthew 6:33-34

Palm Trees, Milk, and Coconut M&M's!

Made it to Florida, yay!  We have crappy internet, so Ches is really frustrated-he wants to work! (only small giggle, as he's serious!)  We paid for the hotel here in Tampa/Clearwater, so it's hard to leave.  I don't know how it would work...
We have tickets to a Phillies game today at one, and I think they are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates (they are-I checked!).  Ches wants to leave an hour early-you know how traffic is!  The rest of our day is open, so hopefully it'll contain ShOpPiNg!  Little for him, little for me...  He actually needs new dress shoes and a new belt, among other things.  I can shop for anyone, so it's all good for me.
Ok, I went down to the breakfast area and got some cereal to eat in the room (and got Ches some too), and I ate it in front of the computer (as it was dark and Ches was still sleeping!), (yes it's 9:30 and totally daylight, but you-know) and I spilled it on the pants I am wearing today!  Ugh.  We packed all "light" so we wouldn't have to check bags (and we ended up having to since we were on the second row, and maybe there was no more room?), so I have one more "extra" pair of pants (since I had *extra* room in my *carry-on* suitcase after I packed!!).  I guess I'll wear them since the milk stain isn't drying so pretty.  The last time I wore these (umm-over three years ago!), I must have had them dry cleaned or I washed and starched them.  They were all perfect, creased, and smooth.  Now the milk stain screwed up my crease, and it has icky lines around where it meets the clean fabric.  Gross.
It will not get me down.  I have a beautiful pool outside my window, and amazing sunshine streaming in on my desk.  Happy!  Oh, and palm trees..everywhere!
And guess what my wonderful husband found me last night?  Yep, coconut M&M's!  We went by a CVS to get him some snacks/drinks for the room (while I sat in the car, yes by choice, while a strange man loitered by our car and the CVS door creeping me out!!).  He came out with three bags of the coconut kind, peanut, and peanut butter (thanks, Mom-they are on my mind again!).  Ahh, so sweet.  Actually he was sad on the drive yesterday that I didn't have any chocolate for him, so it may not have all been heroics and chivalry.  But I'll take 'em!
Um, do you realize it's been over a year since we've flown out *alone*?  We used to go all the time (a few times a year!), but now we're all Settled Down.  Huh.  Wonder when that happened?

Hamsters on Wheels!

Really quick, as it's already bedtime!  I just don't have time to spare..like Ever!
We are heading to Florida tomorrow, and finalizing everything.  I have the kids food chart done, notes written, lunches made for Mary Claire (Clay's having tray lunches!), got Mom's little bag made with her name (Yes, really!), and I've packed my bag, and put all my liquids into tiny (too-small) bottles so they'd fit into a quart-size Ziploc.  I even had to barge into Ches' bag!  I packed him a tiny travel-size toothpaste, so my nail polish (for touch-ups!) and lotion would fit into his bag!  (He may or may not know this yet..)  I think we are ready.  And I'll have no perfume, and have to use the soap there-ick.  The TSA just doesn't understand women need a gallon-size bag, and men can get by with the scrawny quart-size!  Who do I complain to?
I can now say we are the proud owners of Zhu-Zhu pets!  Ches went out for groceries late last night (after a tip that there were tiny hamsters in stock!), and got one.  After our trip out today, we have two more!  They are precious-and really entertaining.  Clay didn't really want one, but he got a tiny bike you "ride" with your fingers.  Yeah, I don't know either.
Anyway, Ethan had a fit, and wanted a hamster, so he got one too.  We told them these are their "Florida" presents, so they aren't to expect anything when we come back!  I think they understood, and we'll really know when we get back next week with Nothing!
I'm back to taking Protonix.  I keep having acid reflux (you know that nasty throw-up in your throat?), and it's driving me nuts!  I took two last week, then thought I was better (uh..yeah, on the medicine.), but now it's happening again.  I have a regular prescription, but I had weaned myself off when it seemed to be over.  I'm sure my relaxed system doesn't help it any.
Don't forget to set your clocks forward an hour tonight!
  

Diagnosis: Imperfection is Perfect

I love reading a good book-it broadens my horizons, makes me think about things in a new way, entertains me, and changes my writing. : )  Fun!  What more can you ask for?

A couple of things are going on here at my house.  One is laundry (did it ever not go on?), and the other is trip preparations.  How exactly do you prepare to be gone from your home during a horrible winter storm?  Last year, we had a bad ice storm (understatement), and the house had some damage-a branch came through our roof!  I also didn't realize what can happen when we aren't here to take care of it.  The ice in the freezer leaked out the front of the ice dispenser, down the front, and snaked across the floor, leaving dried ick behind.  We lost everything in our refrigerators/freezers, even though it was under 32 the whole time!  I guess the house stayed just warm enough to spoil the food?  Now I realize if I'd been here, I would have set the food outside!


So today I shopped for groceries.  Ches asked me to buy stuff for the road (although I don't want to eat in the new van!), and I bought some crackers and lots of fruit.  Don't you think you don't eat enough fruit when you are traveling?  I still can't believe it's coming, so I'm only halfway preparing.  Ches reserved a room in Lewisville, Texas for Thursday through Sunday, so he's a little more earnest.  I washed the car (so we could travel in a Shiny Car), and filled it with gas, so we make it.  I'm making an effort.  I'm also checking out the food in the cold storage and trying to decide what to eat first.  Does that count?


We had Clay's conference yesterday morning.  It went well, and I was happy to get some answers.  I'm hoping it'll help us move forward and help us have reasonable expectations for him.  He was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), combined with mathematics disorder.  I'm not disappointed, nor do I think it's a personal defect.  Nothing is wrong with him, he just needs to learn in a different way.  What I found most amazing (or not..as he's my child), is his IQ!  It was so high in reading, language, comprehension, and the highest in perceptual/spatial understanding (which should help in math, no?).  I was glad to see the high scores, and know we didn't "mess up".  He just needs to focus to continue to learn.  I was so excited to know how to help him, I feel like campaigning for ALL kids to get such extensive testing!  They are all individuals, and we should cater education to them.  Imagine if our kids learned in their best way-we could maximize potential, minimize bad self-worth when they think they aren't measuring up.  Ahh, it's eye-opening, and I am glad.  We set off on a new road, and we are our children's best advocates.


I had my progesterone tested today, so I'm waiting to hear how it is.  I got my test results back from a couple weeks ago (the Panel of Tests), and they were normal.  (Is that Good or Bad?)  My doctor's office is so patient, or at least his nurse.  She's very sweet, and still has the patience of Job, even when confronted with Me.  I try to keep the paranoia and nervousness to myself, but I'm sure she can hear it in my voice as I apologize for being the high-maintenance patient.  I've never been on this side, the needy side. It's always been so easy for me.  I'm learning how to see from other people's shoes, and it's not bad.  I will never sit in a waiting room, calling all my friends to tell them what I'm having (as I Just Found Out!), knowing that someone in the huge waiting area may Not be pregnant, but was last week.  I won't complain about the pain/early contractions/exhaustion (ok, so don't mark my words), or the heartburn, knowing someone else might like to enjoy those things for once.  We all pray for wisdom, but say no thanks to the lessons.  I'll take lessons and find something redeeming in them.


** Update:  Doctor's office called at 3:30: My progesterone is 13.3, so it's fine this month.  We just wait a week, and see what happens. : )  **



So, I find myself even more thankful for my imperfect kids, just because they are here.  They are healthy, smiling, full of energy, eat my cooking, stay up late at night to read by flashlight, and have an almost limitless number of hugs to give out.  They are great because they are mine!

Could words really fail me?

I’ve finally gotten a few minutes (or 3 hours, whichever you look at it) to write a little. We are headed to DC now. We are getting ready to cross the Delaware state line on Hwy 295 (if you are mapping out little tour…).

Thursday, Ocean City, NJ
It rained on the drive to Ocean City, and Clay whined most of the way to the beach. He was so upset that the weather would ruin our trip. When we were stopped in traffic on the Expressway (ironic, huh?), we got to see the wildflowers growing in the medians and shoulders. They value flowers more than we do in Arkansas. Anyway, we prayed to be optimistic (and the kids prayed for the rain to stop). We drove to Ches’ Aunt Rita’s beach house (on Asbury and 14th, two blocks from the beach-just perfect). We had some lunch (Taylor Pork sandwiches), and hung out on the porch. Karen’s husband, Joe, played the guitar for us and we sang along. He plays by ear, so if we told him a song, he played along with our singing. He taught us some songs (he’s from the Philippines, and knows tons of Elvis!) and some of the old hymns and songs (like 16 tons and Michael, Row the Boat Ashore), and even humored me with Takin’ It Easy by the Eagles, one of my favorites.

I also went up Asbury with Karen and Suzanne (Ches’ Aunts) to some of the cute shops. There were 3 Ta-Da!s (resort clothing, jewelry, shoes, etc.), a chocolate shop, a jewelry shop, doll shop, decorating shop (this and the jewelry shop were my favorite!)… There were more, but we headed back to help with dinner. Clay was too busy having so much fun with his cousins-running from room to room playing chase, computers, videos, etc. He stayed behind, but Mary Claire went with me. Ches and Ethan hung out and went for a walk.

We had margaritas, more singing, chips and salsa, and then people started arriving. I didn’t know that there’d be so many! A lot of Ches’ family goes to the beach on the same week or two, and they are together on the beach, then together every night for dinner. They take turns at different beach houses, which is just genius. So, we had a great Mexican dinner, then we walked down to the beach as the sky finally cleared up. They just HAD to see the sand and beach! I got a few good pictures of the sunset and the kids playing in the sand. Ethan wouldn’t leave!! : ( We promised to come back the next day.

When we got back, there was a great game of Scrabble going on the porch, and of course, I went around to each player to help. And I did! It was great. Around 10 or 10:30, we gathered up the playing (but tired;) kids, and headed back to our hotel. It was about an hour’s drive, so the kids passed out in the car! We carried them in, and put them straight to bed.

Friday, Ocean Citiy, NJ
Again, we bathed everyone, packed swimsuits, picture clothes, and back to the shore! It was finally a beautiful, sunny day, and because of yesterday, the kids knew to appreciate today!! They were finally thankful. : )

We had lunch then changed into picture clothes. I knew there’d be no time in the evening to take pictures, and by then we’d be all dirty and not so cute. We met some more family at the beach, took our pictures (they helped!), and went back to change. I don’t even think we were there 20 minutes! The kids just wanted to swim and play in the sand, so it was heading south quickly.

Beach Time!
We played all afternoon in the waves (the tide was high!), the sand (and sand puddles), under the pier, and Ethan ran all over (big surprise!). He ran to other people’s sand castles/piles/holes, ran across other people’s territory, chased the seagulls, tried out other shovels, ran into the waves-scary, and only ran off once. Ches was gone to take Clay to the bathroom, and I was trying to get Mary Claire’s pump plugged back in (there was sand in it!). We were all busy trying to rinse out the site, and Ethan ran off-even with about 8-10 people around. Danger Boy we still call him. A stranger came up and asked us if he was ours. He’d ran off with a bucket in each hand, headed south on the beach! I ran after him, and carried him back. Thank God for other moms at the beach.

One heart attack later (and one coming on), we left. If I couldn’t get her pump to plug back in, we were quickly heading back to our hotel to change her site!! : O After the outdoor showers for everyone (and an intense headache), I got her pump in. It wasn’t tight, but it’d work. Next was medicating me, and feeding the ravenous lions. They ate everything in sight! Ches went to get more food and drinks, and they kept eating! Dinner was later tonight-around 6:30 or 7 (you lose time at the beach). We had spaghetti, salad, tons of parmesan (especially for our little cheese lover!), and French bread-just what we needed. Everyone else was planning to head down to the Boardwalk for a night out. We knew we were headed to DC in the am, so we left early-by 8:30.

Wednesday, Washington, D.C.
Here we are. Today. Currently chaos. We are traveling to DC. We’ve already been through Delaware and now Maryland. The kids are going crazy in a vehicle with no tv/video. Or should I say I’m going crazy? We pulled over for a Performance bike store and Ches got a new helmet. We stopped to eat at Olive Garden when no one was very hungry, and it took way too long. Now the kids are fighting, jealous, noisy, etc. Mary Claire is jealous that Clay’s seat will lean back, and that he got to play with games on Ches’ iPhone (even though she was busy coloring). Ethan has a broken pacifier that he chewed a hole in, and we had to pull over to get his blanket from a suitcase (I washed it yesterday and was trying to preserve the Clean Moment).
I’ve now (thank God for me) found a Christian radio station (the first), and yelled at the kids to be quiet/time out for 10 minutes (but not exactly in that order). I must get at least 10 minutes to restore my sanity!

Words are beginning to fail me. (Yes, surprising.) We are now navigating through lots of 95’s looking for 295 towards Baltimore. Confusing, and requiring my brain power, as I am our GPS (almost as good).

Prayers Needed:

Patient kids (and heck, patient parents too!)
Safe passage
Enriching museums
Words to Come (especially the right verses at the right times so as to soothe me)

From Cows to Tides

We’re on our way now. We are driving to Branson. Not only did I not make it to Bible study, we barely made it out of the house by 11! We rushed around doing all the last minute things that come with travel. It’s interesting that the minute you are driving away from the house, your mind begins a mental checklist that somehow doesn’t work while you are scatterbrained and rushing. It’s an odd process. I wish we could “practice” driving away the day before, just to get it right.

List of things we went back for (and set off the alarm in the process):
Ethan’s blankie (Kiki) and pillow
Ethan back-up pacifiers (Didi)
New crayons (3 boxes)
More baby wipes
Pull-ups for nights/naps
Mary Claire’s bow for today
Ches and Ethan’s bike helmets (for riding at the beach)

Our current list of forgotten items:
Sippy cup for Ethan
The monogrammed cup I was making for Rita! (Arghhh! at myself, Ches politely *zipped* his lips and refrained from judgment, as I do enough to myself for both of us)

I grabbed all the stuff to take, and was busy packing my (mighty cute floral/green gingham with leather handles that my mom got me a few birthdays ago) behemoth carry-on for the first 30 minutes of our car ride. We just ran out of time. I bought fun snacks for the plane, brought the kids’ new toys, crayons, coloring books, play-doh, new card games, and now there isn’t much room in there for good stuff like my cutesy iPod, my backup sunglasses and watch, and new summery Southern Living!

We’re getting closer to the new airport we are trying out-Branson, Missouri. I’ll let you know how it ranks. I’m hoping well. We are really counting on a good lunch there before we take off. There’s a Dave’s BBQ there, and it’s our plan. Ches is still on edge (as usual on any trip). He obsesses about the car ride (#1 reason I’m really glad we are flying-44 hours of driving within 2.5 weeks is not my idea of vacation), about making it to the airport, about the weather for flying, about making it to our gate, whether the flight will leave on time, about us making our connection, about us getting our luggage, and the traffic when we get there. I think he must’ve missed a few too many planes in his lifetime (although I do remember the time our flight got cancelled from LA to Atlanta, the time we got returned to Atlanta when Clay was a baby and the runway lights at XNA weren’t working, the time his flight from Atlanta to XNA was cancelled due to ice…) I guess I’ll zip my lips on this one.

Too Much Info About My Tanning Philosophy:
I have a theory. When you are tanning, are you going for an awesome no-lines tan, or do you want a realistic tan? I go for realistic. I wear a swimsuit, and vary them each time. If I wear one swimsuit to tan, and then another to swim, I’ll have really bad tan lines, and get a burn on my unexposed flesh (geez, what I’m trying to prevent!). So, I rotate. It might mean there are light areas, strap marks, but I like it. When you can see the light spots, you can tell I have a tan.

Other bit of info: It totally dries your skin out!! Don’t forget to moisturize! : )

I’m SO sad about the sippy cup. I’ll have to get a new one, and it won’t be all cute and monogrammed. Sadness at uncuteness. : ( But you’d be proud of my growth: his paci clips totally won’t match his clothes! I was in a hurry!

Ok, more TMI:
We turned left onto Hwy. 65 (behind a cow trailer), and then the road narrowed (due to lovely construction), and we were trapped behind him, and the cows were literally scared shitless. The back one got squished to the back rail by all the other cows, and he started pottying (try to spell that one) all out the back, and it was dripping/splashing onto the front of my van! There can’t be a grosser thing to be behind! I was waving and yelling for Ches to get over, and there was nowhere to go, so then I had to yell to back up! He continued the pee/poop repeatedly every time the driver gassed it. All I can say is Watch Out for Cow Trailers. Can you even imagine what the front of my car will be like after a week of baking in the sun? (Since Of Course we can’t go by the carwash on the way to the airport.)

An Update! ...
We are here now! We flew into ACY (Atlantic City, NJ). We've ordered pizza, eaten, and we are now trying to get the kids to go to sleep. We know (due to too much experience) that it's always hard the first night. We'll make it. We've talked to Rita, and we are meeting them at Ocean City tomorrow for a day of swimming (weather permitting!) and dinner at her beach house at 6. A great day ahead! Say a prayer for weather, safety (as tides are high, :but I'm holding on, I wanna be your number one: ... entire lyrics here to drive you crazy for the next two days!), and that Ethan will either get a nap, or be okay without one.

ps-I've seen no cow trailers in New Jersey.

We miss you already! : ) Behave yourselves.