Tuesday, May 29, 2007

The Trinity of Blogs: All separate, yet all the same

So I have three things to blog about and I'll just go in the order they happened. But please read to the end.

1. Reflections on children after the Andy's Club field trip to the Exploreum Science Museum in Mobile, AL.

Things I like about children:

How they smell like sunscreen upon arriving for a field trip
When they grab your hand unexpectedly
When they ask the tour guide smart questions that stump her
Seeing their faces when they're learning something
How they bring their friends to the program
Watching them make connections and "put the pieces together"
When they get excited about something new, like an IMAX movie
How they can be unexpectedly kind to one another
When they say thank you
When we sing and dance together in the car

Things I do not like about children:

Asking repeatedly for the same thing I have already said no to
Mystery rashes
When they shoplift
When they push each other
When they change their order at the last minute and refuse to drink what you got them
When they are mean to each other

For now, the good still outweighs the bad.

2. Who sings that song? I think it's the Bee Gees. No, it's AirSupply. (actually it's Chicago)

Erin and I took a road trip this weekend to her sister Carrie's house in Westminster, South Carolina. There was pool time, boating, laking, hiking, and eating. I also met Erin's nieces and nephews and had some great talks about things like pirates. This was a much needed break from work and time to relax.

On the way home we took our time hitting Atlanta and Montgomery on the way. In Atlanta, we saw the Margaret Mitchell Museum (she wrote Gone with the Wind). There was a lot about the book and a lot of movie memorabilia, including the original Tara doorway. For me, it was like a pilgrimage to Mecca. Probably not so much for Erin so I was glad she humored me and came. Everything was closed but we did get to see the outside of the Civil Rights Monument (recommended to anyone in the area), the State House, the first white house of the Confederacy, and the church where Dr. King preached and planned the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Then as we were leaving Montgomery, I learned about this...

3. Seriously?

My Dad had a major heart attack on Sunday night. He is fine and is home already, but it was really scary. He was in a lot of pain for a while and had to have a blockage cleared in his heart. The worst part is that we don't really know what caused it since he has fine blood pressure and cholesterol and hadn't really been stressed out that day.

I'm bouncing between being relieved that things weren't worse, wondering why all this stuff with my Dad is happening at the same time, and just wanting to go home. The wanting to go home is probably winning over at this point.

Coming up this week:

Another Andy's Club Field Trip (Will I or won't I have transportation? Oh the suspense)

I leave for Montreat, a national youth conference. I'm pumped and fully anticipate it being the time of my life.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

1. I don't like 'mystery rashes' on ANYONE!

2. Sounds like a nice tour of the South - glad you got some relaxation time in.

3. So glad to hear your Dad is OK - As someone who went through a similiar scare (and oddly, during the Memorial Day weekend 2 years ago), it's amazing how much the timing of things comes into play - how, if the problem had happened while they were sleeping, or at work, the outcome might have been sadly different.