Suzanne at Blessed Among Men has a picture on her blog that brings tears to my eyes. It’s heartbreaking. Grab a tissue before you click. Then pray for this young man.
recent posts
about
-
One of Brother’s various sensory issues involves his inability to feel a lot of pain. He can feel pain, he just feels it when it’s really cranked up. He’s been feeling a bit out of sorts for a few days. Overnight, he had a fever. I didn’t check it with a thermometer, but as his mother, I can tell when he’s overly warm and if it’s really bad. It was pretty bad, but it broke by the morning. When I woke up, he told me his ear didn’t hurt anymore. Then he proceeded to tell me that it had been hurting for 12 days. That stopped me in my tracks. Twelve days!! Later in the morning, he confessed that it still hurt. I was able to make an appointment (boy, we were lucky) and I took him in. The doctor confirmed he had an ear infection.
Sometimes I am bowled away by the things I have to teach him. I didn’t think I would have to teach him to tell me when he was hurting. The poor thing has been suffering from an earache since we returned from vacation. After much gnashing of teeth (me) and crying big crocodile (him), he took the antibiotic (3 times for 10 days–can’t it be any shorter?). Then he crashed. It’s so odd to have him fall asleep at such an odd time of the day (7pm). It usually takes him 30 minutes, at least, to fall asleep at night.
I’m leaving you with a picture from our trip. I figure if I can get a picture a day out there, I’ll eventually be able to share my entire trip with y’all.
-
Brother said to me on our first day at the beach after he rolled around on the sand:
"Look, I’m a chicken drumstick!"
-
I have the surefire trick to making sure it rains for days on end. Turn your sprinkler system on automatic for the two weeks you are gone for vacation.
-
Our condo was located in the North Shore. It’s so different from the Honolulu area. You drive away from the city into the "country" and it’s fabulous. As you pass the Dole Plantation, you ride up and down these hills and as you crest one of them you see something out there. For a bit you can’t really say for sure if it’s what you’re looking for. Then you get closer. Yes, there it is–the ocean. So beautiful. The light reflecting off the water is glorious. The road passes Haleiwa (Halley-eva) on the left. This is where you start curving around to the shore. There are what seems like miles and miles of beaches on your left. Of course, traveling at 35 mph, a couple of miles seem like 10 (especially if you’re usually fond of traveling at speeds twice that). Here are some pictures of the beaches.
If you’re facing the ocean this beach is to the right of the tidal pool to the right of Turtle Bay Resort.
Here’s the tide pool. This was the first beach we went to because I misunderstood the directions Ben had given me. It was fine because I didn’t have to worry about the surf at all. My lack of impulse control son was kept in check by the nature of this particular beach.
There’s Turtle Bay Resort (just for you, Margaret) in the background.
This is at Malaekahana State Recreation Area. The surf was a little rougher but the beach was fabulous. We were the only ones here.
Forgive those pesky spots in the clouds. My camera needs thorough cleaning by professionals. These spots are on the inside sensor–I’m too chicken to get them cleaned by myself. Still, it didn’t stop me from taking over 1,000 pictures. But, I digress.
Shoreline Beach, which is that little cove next to Turtle Bay Resort. This is where my husband had originally directed me to.
This picture was taken from the reef/jetty.
This was taken from Waimea Bay Beach. This calm placid water is, during the winter months, the absolute opposite. This is the beach the surfers clamor to for the monstrous waves. Isn’t it amazing?
The surf is deceiving though because it sucks you down into the water. It’s great for bodysurfing a short distance. The children were quite sandy by the time we left. I didn’t let them stay for long because I was too freaked out about the strength of the waves. To placate the older two, I told them we could come back with Daddy in tow on the weekend.
This is Turtle Beach. It’s named so because the green sea turtles (Honus) come here to bask in the sunshine. On this particular day, the turtles did not come ashore, but you can see them in the water. This next picture has one in the water. Can you find it?
Here’s one more shot of Turtle Beach.
Anyway, these are the beaches we visited. We drove along and viewed many others since the roads we took were along the shore.
-
We’re back from vacation. We took the redeye from Honolulu to Texas and arrived back in Austin at 10:40 am on Thursday. We’re tired, tanned, and very happy. There’s a lot to tell you but I’m busy unpacking, cleaning, and getting back into the swing of things. Stay tuned in.
For now, here’s a picture to savor.
-
It’s Memorial Day weekend. It’s the weekend we should take the time to remember those who gave all for our wonderful country. I never thought I’d know personally any people killed in action. I remember my dear friends, Major Edward J Murphy and Major David G. Taylor, Jr. Thoughts of them bring tears and sadness. The ache I feel for Dave’s death is fresher.
The St. Petersburg Times has put out an article about Dave. It’s a long one, but it honors his memory. Please read it and honor him. Thank you.
-
HT: Dawn
Her favorite color is yellow which is also one mine. The other is purple.
What Your Favorite Color Purple Says About You: 
Intuitive — Seeking — Creative
Kind — Self-Sacrificing — Growth Oriented
Strong — Very Wise — Rare -
No, really, she played a star with her ballet class. She is in a class with other 5 and 6 year olds. This particular class is very talented (the teacher’s words not mine). Her ankle was still hurting quite a bit on Saturday. She did perform but limited the leaps and jumps. She did wonderfully. I did have a Mama Bear moment when the audience was laughing because she walked on stage instead of doing arabesque jumps. They thought she didn’t know her steps. Anyway, it didn’t ruin the moment. I was so proud of her. She rested for two and half days. She danced so very well. I could tell her ankle was bothering her, but she did a fabulous job. I couldn’t take pictures of the actual dance (copyright issues) but I did take before and after pictures.
Showing me she could stand on her right ankle.
There’s my nephew!!!
Pumpkin, after that full day of birthday fun, decided she’d had enough and fell asleep towards the end of the first act. She slept through the entire all the applause. She slept until we arrived home only to wake and not want to sleep.
The ballet school is a classical ballet school. They only teach ballet and it’s a very good school. I appreciate what they do for these girls (and one boy). The recital is an actual ballet that the girls from the youngest to oldest perform–it was written by a local person (well, she lives in the state) for the school. The teacher coordinates and works with the author to choreograph a wonderful show. This year it was "A Princess Tale: Lesedi’s Ribbon". It was magical.
Here’s one more shot of my little star.
-
Embarrassed at all the attention when we sang "Happy Birthday".
Site Title 