Promotion Picnic on the Redneck Riviera

OK... so I might be a little closer to the country than I'd like to admit, BUT I can walk to a super WalMart if I wanted to too!



Today was the long awaited, and much anticipated Sidekicks TaekwonDo Promotion Picnic at Lithia Springs Park in lovely Lithia, Florida.

Sometimes referred to as 'The Redneck Riviera' (rednecks have to swim somewhere too!), Lithia Springs is a county run park with a camping area, pavilions with grills, walking trails flanked with gorgeous cypress trees, and the main attraction... the spring itself.


Click on the pic above if you want to see some spring facts...

Speaking of facts...


Here's proof that wildlife is pretty abundant Florida... and it's not all alligators! *wink*
This lovely crane was only about 10 feet away from us in the water.


Fact: not everyone in Florida is tan and a ten! ha!


Fact: a spring, a cup, and a five year old = HOURS of playtime (yes, that is a tadpole... no, it didn't come home with us.)


Promoted!


Promoted!


As we watched our children having an absolute blast, I asked my friend Nicole why we don't come out here more often since it's so close. She agreed that it would be a perfect escape... and it's right down the road!

Days like today are what make great childhood memories.

The apple doesn't fall far from the tree

Today a most bizarre thing happened.

My 5 year old daughter came to me with her after-school snack of goldfish crackers and said, "These are cat treats, Momma."
Then she got on her hands and knees at my feet and proceeded to meow repeatedly.

I smiled as I handed her "treats" one by one. She's even more of a 'mini-me' than I realized.
You see in my dance, monkeys, dance post just 2 days ago, I revealed a childhood desire to go feline.

That little dose of nostalgia was just what I needed this afternoon.

May I take your order?

With my son in 3rd grade, science fair projects will now become an annual spring event in our house. After his teacher described the project parameters and ideas to her class, Austin rushed home to get approval on his project idea. (Given the nature of the project, his teacher insisted he get permission. Smart lady!)

So being the sometimes manipulative child (not nearly as much as his sister!!), Austin posed the project idea to me gingerly.

"Mommy, I've always wondered which is faster... the drive through or walking into McDonald's. Don't you wonder that?"

Umhm...

"We aren't going to McDonald's tonight, Austin."

"No... I know, but I was just wondering. Which do you think is faster?"

"Hmm... I don't know. I think maybe the drive through... what do you think?"

"I think walking in would be faster. Wouldn't this make a great experiment?"

He's slick... no question about it.

So after he explained how he would go about doing the experiment, I gave my consent to fund this 8th wonder of the world.
That was a month ago.

We spaced out the 3 visits to McD's over 2 weeks to give our arteries a break. Most of the work and writing was done in class and the completed project is due tomorrow.

The display board was finished last night (read mommy stayed up until 2am), and brought to school this morning.

Maybe not as 'scientific' as it could have been, but fun nonetheless.



OH!
Mommy's are always right! *wink*

Dance, monkeys, dance

When I was about the same age as my daughter (5), I used to wish really, really hard that God would turn me into a cat. I even went so far as to place my popcorn bowl on the floor next to my cat, Harvey, and eat from it like he did - thinking that would somehow convince God I'd make a good 'cat candidate.'

I think I just liked the idea of having someone love and take care of me. (Not to mention that I wouldn't have to go to school, do chores or be nice to my little brother.)

The idea still appeals to me. (The 'being loved and taken care of' part... not necessarily the 'becoming a cat' part.)

I've never wanted to be a monkey, that's for sure.

Today... life goes on

Today...
I received a text from a friend. He and his wife had their 4th child this morning. Mom and baby girl are doing fine... dad needs sleep. Nothing like a brand new baby to remind you how precious life is.

Today...
a gunman entered a dorm at Virginia Tech killing 2... then he went on the college campus and open fired in classrooms killing 30 more and injuring about 20 others. I'm in tears writing this... and my heart goes out to the families and friends of the victims. This life can be so cruel and sad.

Today...
was my Oma's birthday. (My dad's mom.)
She died almost 10 years ago but I still 'feel' her presence around me sometimes. She was a strong and smart lady with a great sense of humour. She endured many hardships in her lifetime, and it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized how much she gave up for her family to have a better life in this country.
I miss her.



Today...
I visited a lawyer to begin the ending of my marriage.


... and life goes on.

Red belts and Little Dragons

Spent most of the day at TaekwonDo today... it was belt testing day.
My ass is sore from sitting in a metal folding chair for 4 hours... 2.5 hours for Austin, and 1.5 for Savannah.

The verbal test... Austin is second from the left. Notice how big the kid next to him is...


They were paired up for grappling...


Austin ended up tickling him to get out from under him!


Hey... whatever works!


Little Dragon Senior Student...


I didn't think when I taped this, so pretend you are doing a sidekick whilst watching it... *wink*


Austin always says that watching a Little Dragon class is better than watching Cartoon Network... he's right!

'4am Forever'

a lostprophets song from the Liberation Transmission album...


...but this morning 4am was what my alarm clock said when my eyes popped open and I couldn't fall back to sleep... pending divorces will do that to you apparently.

Speaking of divorces...

I was chatting with a girlfriend online last night. She was watching tv and they announced that Neil Diamond had the second most expensive divorce on record - 150million to his 2nd wife.
!!
then she said "sweet fucking caroline, that's a lot of money"
(She's cracks me up!) And after I finished laughing, I started thinking about it. That *IS* a lot of money! I can't even wrap my mind around that amount and what someone would do with that kind of money.

I just want enough for my kids and me to be able to live comfortably... and maybe buy a cabin in the North Carolina mountains... and my own airline.
... dreams are free.

I'm starting to feel sleepy again... just in time for my little girl to bounce into my bed and announce her breakfast order. *sigh

A Tale Of Two Houses

My aunt loves to send me emails... sensationalized pieces that once researched are proven easily to be nothing more that urban legends or spam.

It was always a race between me and my cousin (her son) to see who could de-bunk her 'urgent' emails the fastest.
I would usually use www.scambusters.org, www.darwinawards.com, or my favourite www.snopes.com.

She has started researching them herself now before sending them to her entire address book. Maybe she got tired of sending a 'nevermind... delete my last email' email.
I am thrilled, but whatever will I do with all my spare time now?

Here was the latest which happens to be TRUE! (Go figure!)

www.snopes.com/politics/bush/house.asp

Now if we could just get 'W' to promote 60mpg cars!!

My son can beat up your son!

Ok... not really.
But he can snap a pine board like a saltine cracker!



He tests on Saturday for his red belt, then he'll be only one belt away from his goal of black belt.

He doesn't scare me... I can still take him down and he knows it. *wink*

Fate

I believe in fate... not everyone does.

I don't question it a lot, but I have today. I mean, if an event or chance meeting is inevitably predetermined... why question it.

So after fate has done it's part... then what? I believe what we do in the situation afterwards is up to us. It's where we have control to change our destiny. But that means there are consequences to deal with, obstacles to overcome, possibly even heartache to endure. Or maybe, for some, fate smiles and everyone involved stays trouble free.

I'm not that lucky...

'Begin The Begin'

... to quote REM...

How do you start a blog anyway? I mean, where to begin?
If you look at when I joined Blogger and the date of my first entry here, you'll notice quite the gap. I never intended to have a blog, but I frequent a few and enjoy them a lot. Actually, I only opened an account to help someone (who DID intend to have a blog and does have a very good one) figure out how to insert a picture into their profile. (The serious face of media commentary.) hee

So... why bother now?
I don't really know... bordom perhaps.
Being a conversationalist (not a writer) by nature, I was spending the evening chatting in IM. All of the sudden it started pouring outside and within a minute the power was out and I was sitting in the dark with only the bright glow of my laptop for light. When the lights finally did come back on, my chat partner had retired for the night and I was left to... well... start this blog.

Tomorrow is another day... 'Lets begin again'