"Chris, you've just finished your Masters degree, what are you going to do next?"

"We're going to Disney World!"

 

 

 

And that (plus the other story that will be posted in a bit) was how we wound up in Orlando yet again this year. 

 

Yes, Disney World. Twice in one year.  But we had some days left on the passes we bought back in February and is there any better place on Earth to celebrate?  Especially when you have two little girls who miss their daddy something fierce and WDW is smack dab in your home state? 

 

We took off for Florida last Wednesday for a five day trip.  When we landed and got settled in our hotel, though tired, we put the jet lag to good use!  The girls and I headed for Downtown Disney and to one of their handpicked activities - Disney Quest!!!

 

 Holly was tall enough to ride Cyber Space Mountain, so off she went to design her own roller coaster.  Sarah sat on the sidelines and a Cast Member kept a good eye on her while I rode with Holly (seriously, how good is Disney?).  We then spent some time running around.  We pretty much had the whole place to ourselves.  No lines, no waiting to play games, and a whole BUNCH of fun!  We stayed and played until they kicked us out at closing time. 

Early Thursday morning, we headed for the Magic Kingdom.  It was POURING down rain because of a tropical depression that had popped up -- yes, Holly's in town so there has to be some sort of tropical disturbance. But, with coffee in hand and ponchos on, we made our way through the park.  And straight for Space Mountain! 

Now, Sarah has a love hate relationship with Space Mountain.  But we had such a great time on Big Thunder Mountain railroad in February that she wanted to give it another try.  And she went "Weeeeeeeee" the whole way!!!!  As soon as we got off, she wanted to go again-Again-AGAIN!  Oh, my heart was so glad -- we are a roller coaster family now! 

After we had our third ride on the roller coaster, I dragged the girls to the new Fantasyland so we could get to Belle's Enchanted Tales.  What a great attraction!  Perfect for kids who love to reenact their favorite stories.  And guess who got to be IN the show?  That would be me...  Somehow my volunteering my girls grabbed Belle's attention, who pulled me up there to be a dish for the Be Our Guest number.  Too funny!  We spent the rest of the morning bumming around the Magic Kingdom and hitting the highlights.

Once we grabbed lunch, we headed for Hollywood Studios to ride the Tower of Terror. While we were in line it absolutely POURED down rain.  If you've ever been in Florida in the summer, you know the kind of rain I'm talking about.  I seriously was standing in puddles that reached my ankles.  I could only be thankful that the girls listened to me and wore their Crocs.  Once off the ride, my sister called and said they were there!!!   We met up with them and went to Star Tours and the Beauty and the Beast show.  Then it was time for cousin camp with Auntie.  We headed back to the hotel and swam in the Mickey pool, got some ice cream, and watched a movie.   

Again, early the next morning, we got up and headed for Epcot!  If I've learned anything, it's to get up and go so you can get Fast Passes for your favorite attractions.  This time we were going for Soarin' and Test Track.  But the girls were so good getting up and out of the room -- of course, the promise of doughnuts may have had something to do with it. 

 

 

We got to ride the two big rides at Epcot and got out of there before lunch to meet up with Erica and Laurelei at Animal Kingdom.  We also got the call that Grammy and Papa had finally made it to Orlando -- we made plans to meet up with them at Epcot for dinner.  We spent the rest of the afternoon at Animal Kingdom and watched the Finding Nemo stage show.  Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to the girls and Erica. 

 

Before we headed to Epcot for the night, we stopped in at the Magic Kingdom.  Word on the street was that Marie from Aristocats had been hanging out there.  Unfortunately, we missed her for the day.  But the outcome, well that's also another story.... 

 

The girls and I cleaned up and headed to Epcot for our evening with the Olivers.  We had a lovely dinner at the Seasons -- if you've never eaten there, it's a real treat!  They use fresh vegetables that are grown in the garden out back.  Then we strolled around until the fireworks.  It was just a real nice night altogether. 

 

Saturday morning was my graduation and a nice lunch with my parents and the Olivers. But we had to hustle to get to the park.  We had one more park pass to use and had a date with destiny!!!! 

 

 

Yes, that is Marie!!!  We got one more day so we could see her.  The back story on this is coming soon..... It is so good that it deserves its own post.   

 

After we all loved on Marie, talked with our friend, Matthew, we headed to ride some rides as a last hurrah.  We got my parents on Space Mountain with us a few times, rode the teacups, and generally just had a great time.  And that's even with the torrential downpours (and tornado warnings) that the tropical storm brought.  Before we knew it, it was time to head back to our hotel and get packed up to go home. 

 

 

 

 

 



Going to the Lodge, Again!

The end of school has come, meaning the end of the Girl Scout year.  Sarah has officially finished her first year of Daisies and Holly is bridging to Juniors.  To celebrate, and to spend up the cookie money, both of their troops decided to head for Great Wolf Lodge.  Oh man, was it a good time! 

This year, I bunked with one of the other moms.  We had a great time just chatting the night away while our girls hung out with the troop (read not in our room -- a rarity for a single mom and a military spouse).  The next morning, I retrieved Sarah from her troop and met up with Holly's troop for lunch.  After lunch, the girls and I decided we were going to stay as long as they wanted!  We played and went down the slides.  We even got to enjoy the outdoor splash area -- a rarity for the first weekend in June in the PNW!!!

Finally, the girls were getting whiny and it was supper time.  We decided to head for the house and get in our jammies for the night.  

Kicking Off Summer

Usually, people count down the days until summer starts.  It means no school, warm days, and family time.  Well, we're those weird people who are counting down to the end of summer...  But instead of wallowing, we decided to celebrate Day 200. 

First up, air out the pop-up camper!  After all, it needed to be ready to go for when Ronnie got home.  We spent the night in it, jumping on the trampoline, and watching movies.  It was a lot of fun (and making a mental note that we need some sort of egg crate/padding for the bed). 

The next morning, we took off for our day in Tacoma.  I had checked out the Art Pass from the base library.  Basically, it's an annual pass that allows you to have admission into local museums.  After some research, I settled on the Tacoma Art Museum, as they were having an Eric Carle exhibit.  Brown Bear, Brown Bear was one of the girls' favorite books when they were little and how can you resist his beautiful art?  We strolled through the galleries and then headed up to the art room for a little hands on time with collage. 

After the museum, we grabbed some lunch and headed for the zoo.  Had to check on that baby tiger and all...   it was such a beautiful day.  We were lucky and got a spot relatively close to the front.  Of course, Mr. Peacock was showing off again....   And Kali, the baby tiger, was sleeping. 

So we headed for the aquarium and sea lions areas. The walrus was just swimming circles and would swim right up the glass.  The kids were so cute -- the would go WOW and clap anytime he did it.  Too fun!  Of course, we had to go over and see if the lemurs were out.  Last time it was still a bit too chilly. This time we found them napping in the sun. 

 

Before we left, we went back over and checked in with Kali.  We couldn't believe how big she's gotten.  It's just been two weeks since we saw her!  

 

 

 

On the way out, Holly started giggling to herself.  When I asked what was up, she said it's another Holly.  I said what?  And then she brought me over to the sign.  It's a False Holly with a True Holly.  Funny huh????  Silly girl! 



Capital City Five Miler

Another one in the books!  This time, it was the Capital City 5-Miler.  Again, Em was a lifesaver and came up to watch the girls for me while I went off and did my thing. 

Seriously, I may have a problem.  It took everything I had to not sign up for the Half Marathon -- especially when I realized I wasn't going to get a medal for this one.  Just call me "Will run for medals."

Ronnie ran the half last year and I've enjoyed a few runs around downtown Olympia, so I already knew what to expect: a HUGE hill or two, but mostly flat in between.  What I didn't bet on was how pretty the run would be.  Spring is definitely here!  Flowers are blooming; trees are budding a beautiful spring green; and the birds are chirping. 

After they let the marathoners and half marathoners start, it was time for us five milers to run!  Of course, the first mile was all uphill.  If you've ever driven around downtown Olympia, we ran up the hill on Capital Way.  OUCH!  I had already decided to walk up that bad boy -- no need in fighting and my "run" wouldn't be more than a walk anyhow.  Before I knew it, I was passing mile 1 and the course had leveled out and it was time to run!  

Most of the course was through the historic district and neighborhoods around the capital.  It reminded me of running the River Run in Jacksonville -- there were so many people out and cheering. 

As I neared the mile 3 marker, I looked up and saw this...  Galloway street. I ♥ Jeff Galloway!  I only hope the man know how much of an inspiration he is to so many. 

 





At mile four, I saw these ladies standing on the corner.  They were cheering and saying, only a mile left and it's all downhill from here!  I laughed and laughed -- unfortunately my picture with them didn't turn out.  But the camera guy on the course caught one of me and the capital building. 

After the capital building I faced that hill again...  this time I ran down the thing.  Running downhill definitely hurts and jars the joints a little more, but the finish line was so close so I did it anyway.  And cruised to a 1:02:31 finish!

Touristy Type Stuff

A few weeks ago, when we visited Texas, I talked with a friend of mine from Coke.  He mentioned that he was going to take an Alaskan cruise and would be porting out of Seattle.  I made him pinky promise that we would get together when he got to town. 

Well, this weekend was the weekend he came to town!!!  His plane didn't land until later in the afternoon, so I needed something to pass the time with the girls.  Well, wouldn't you know that the Point Defiance Zoo would come up with something...  A brand new baby tiger cub! 

So early Saturday morning, the girls and I got up and headed straight for the zoo.  We go there as soon as they opened the gates -- I know better than to wait around for the zoo on a pretty spring day as there would be no parking spots available.  As soon as we got through the gates, we made a beeline for the nursery.  And boy were we in for a surprise -- it was feeding time.  A sleepy baby tiger getting bottle fed?  The gushing over the cuteness could not be contained.

We also spent time feeding the Budgies, petting the sting rays, and watching the sharks get fed.

  Best of all, we got our own personal show from the peacock...  Talk about a showoff!!!!

Finally, I got the phone call I had been waiting for and we were on our way to pick up Jim and his friend.  We quickly decided to head down to the waterfront and stroll around there for a bit and get some supper.  We took him to Ivar's (of course), walked around the market, and browsed through Ye' Olde Curiosity Shop.  Unfortunately, the time to say goodbye came too quick and we were back on our way home. 

How Does Your Garden Grow (v.2)?

It's time, it's time!!!!   The sun is warm and bright.  And the garden is calling my name!

Planting got underway a few weeks earlier than last year. We've planted sugar snap peas, broccoli, bell peppers, and squash starts and tomatillo, cucumber, green beans, carrots, and lettuce seeds.  Of course, we also celebrated with a run through the sprinklers.  Em even joined in on the fun!!! 

 

All in all, we had a great weekend!  We helped a friend, saw Em, played outside, had fellowship with the women from church, and ate dinner on the patio.  Aaaaaahhh! Spring in the PNW -- more than makes up for the grey winter.

The Talk

This morning started as just about any other weekend morning does.  The girls let me sleep in a bit.  Eventually, I got up, got a cup of coffee, and checked the news while cuddled up with Holly on the couch. 

Sarah made her way downstairs about 10 minutes after me and needed some encouragement to not kill anyone because we did not have her favorite cereal in the pantry.  She's about the same type of morning person as I am in the morning.  Poor thing. 

Finally, it was time to start getting ready for church, so I sent the girls upstairs as I straightened the kitchen.  After I got done, I headed up the stairs and checked up on where they were at in the getting ready process.  Sarah came skipping out in a skirt and top on her way to the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth.  Holly had picked a new skirt to wear, so I helped her adjust the waistband. 

Then just as easy as the morning had been going so much, and with as much effort as asking where the bathroom was...  it happened. 

"Momma, what is puberty?"

Unfazed, I answered Holly just as easily as giving directions to the bathroom.  See, we've been talking about this stuff for awhile, so a lot of if was review of previous conversations.  But I had a feeling about this...  I told her that I was going to get ready but to come into my bathroom when she got done. 

A few minutes later, and as I was applying my makeup, she made her way into my bathroom.  We continued talking about the stages of female puberty, the changes, yada yada yada.  I wrapped it up by telling her it was no different than the seeds we just planted in our vegetable garden that would one day bear food for us. 

Yeah, that analogy was the one...  that right there.  Because she said, yeah, because it means I can have babies, right? 

**GULP!

Yes, baby it does.  (Come on Chris, keep the eyeliner straight -- don't let her see your hand trembling). 

But, how momma?  How do girls get pregnant? 

** DOUBLE GULP!!! 

Well, remember we had that talk about your body and your body parts and boy's bodies and their body parts.  Remember, mommy's have the seeds, daddy's have the water.  That's how.  (PLEASE, LORD, LET THIS BE ALL) 

Yes, but how? 

You want to know the mechanics of it? 

Yes, how do a boy and a girl have a baby?  How does the boy get the girl pregnant?


There it is.  That is the question I've been waiting for and dreading.   She's asking and is looking to me for the answer -- her momma who knows a lot of answers on Jeopardy and who's had two babies.  Certainly mommy knows this answer.  And looking at me with those crystal blue innocent eyes that just pierce my soul and make me wish that she isn't growing up so quickly.  It's time to tell her, right?

I swallowed hard.  And said, okay, let's talk.  I took her by the hand and led her to my bed and we sat. 

And that's when we had the talk.  You know THE TALK. 

I don't know how well or poor I did.  I do know that she thinks boys are gross (YES!!!!).  But I know I told her that this would be the start of many conversations we would have about her body as it changes over the next few years.  I also hugged her and told her that I loved her and thanked her for asking me. 

Here's the thing I just want her to know, I'm here to talk with her about this and anything else on her mind.  I hope she knows how much I love her and that I am trying my best.  I hope she reads this as a twenty-something and invites me over for dinner, or out to drinks, or calls me on the phone and tells me that it was the most AWKWARD talk ever -- that way she and I can have the drink I've been craving since 9 am this morning. 

One down and one to go -- so far, Sarah seems to be the most likely to beat up the boys she likes.