The Visit and the rest of it......

We had a wonderful visit with my parents over the past week

and a half.

We loved having them stay us. 

As you can see by the pictures we stayed pretty busy.

It was really great timing for mom and dad to road trip out from Utah.

Kev was still away on an extended trip out of the country, 

stuck between Columbia and Peru for days on end.

So this was a sweet diversion for us at home.....

sorry for Kev though : (

One of the things I love about dad, and that I can always count on 

is his busy "go get em" attitude.

He is not afraid to take on a project.

In fact he plans on it (or is it just me that plans on it??)

Either way, mom and dad helped me out a TON!

It was raining solid for the first two days of their visit,

so we were forced into putting off yard work for a time,

 and instead

recovered the kitchen chairs!!!

Wow!!

This would have taken me no less than a solid week.

It is sooooo tedious and laborious and boringous.  

I really dislike doing it...

alone!

My dad and I knocked these suckers out in under 2 days!

They look so, so beautiful.

Plus we added new padding so they are ultra wonderful to sit on as well.

Yeah!!

THANK YOU!

 Dad worked his keester off in the yard.

My mom to....she mowed her brains out!

Dad convinced me to remove a few overgrown trees.

I was apprehensive at first, but am so glad he took them out.

Looks sooooooo much better.

(what was I thinking before??)

We trimmed and cut and raked.

  I sooooooo relieved not to be overwhelmed by that
job prospect any longer.

THANK YOU!

Dad and mom assisted the kids with their dish duties (spoiled),

helped with History projects, gave out mounds of birthday dollars to 

McCauley and Lawson.

Memorized scripture mastery with us, and sang
"The Books of the New Testament"
song with us a dozen times.

Mom was a delight in the kitchen, 

I got her mounds of .25 magazines from the library, 

which we all happily perused for hours on end. 

We watched loads of 

political convention coverage....stayed up as late as I could with them 

every night.

We listened to Glen Beck in the day.

Went on a long Sunday drive taking in the homes and beauty of 

our beach.

We drank Choffy and ate a ton of Choffy cake.

Dad played tennis with our friend Nate a few times,

 I am happy to say he held his own.

He played several time with Ryker and the boys as well.

The day before they left we hit the beach,

mom opted out of this venture....

but it was great fun.

Dad is never one to miss out on the action.

He was in the water with the kids and even tried his hand at surfing....

apparently his shoulder is still reminding him of that.

 We were sad to see them leave.

Please don't wait so long to come again!!

The good news....
 is that the same day my parents drove off....

 Kev finally drove in!!!

Apparently he wanted to make this kid's day, 

he hand picked this 

"Bad Boy" 

Charger to make the drive from Miami,

and so E could take us for a few spins around town.

 I had to take numerous photos for E until I got just the right shot for him.

I didn't mind, 

I definitely know it takes time and effort to get just the right pic.

So, as they say life goes on....

and that is no joke.

My parents drove away and life got right back to normal.

I went to the library yesterday and as I walked up to the front doors

I was greeted by a pretty good sized turtle trying to get in.

I went to the desk and told them about it, and suggested maybe they could move the 

little guy to the nearby woods.

I picked up a few Friday night movies and visited with V and the boys,

and then headed out to leave.

I reversed the van and started rolling back when I heard a horribly

loud grating crunch sound.

My heart dropped.

I pulled forward.

I knew what I was going to see.

That poor turtle was trying to scramble away with a split and 

cracked shell, and blood trailing behind him.

I could not believe that is was ME who ran him over!!!

I felt soooooo bad.

I went back into the library and told them I ran over the turtle and now

what could we do?

He is in bad shape.

One of the employees came out with a box and we had to rassle 

it out from under another vehicle.

Geeeeeeezzzz. 

(I didn't want to be too morbid or have anyone see me taking photos of 

this poor little guy....this is all I dared get.)

you don't even know.

: (

Later on in the evening, the day K got home, 

he came to me 

shocked and surprised and asked who broke the semi-truck key.

I looked at him.... thinking, for real??

Who would do that and just hang it back up?

I suggested that maybe that was the way the key had always been.

Not the right comment.

But it didn't make any sense.

Who is even powerful enough to break a big key like that?

We went to the kids.

The other boys quickly turned on Lawson.

They were trying to force out a confession.

K was not giving up or dropping it....

I am sitting there mystified thinking it is not even true.

Next thing I know K and M are having a heart to heart.

She had thought it was maybe the key to the sports car in the drive way and

wanted to open the door.

She admitted to breaking the tip of the key off in the door,

and then seeing it fall out, but she saw where it landed.

They went out and picked up the key piece.

I was in a dumb stuppor. 

K was the most patient and loving parent I have ever seen.

M learned a lesson in honesty.

Hopefully the older boys won't be so quick to pounce on their younger brother 

in the future.

And we have two new keys ordered (you have to order two)

at the bargain price of $639.

What can you do.

Life goes on....

and hey, you can't take it with you, right? 

Last night was movie night as usual here at our place....

when it is Friday movie night, it is also PIZZA time.

There was copious amounts of feasting going on.

For once I opted out because K and I had eaten out for lunch and I was

still paying the piper for stuffing myself to the brim.

Luckily I listened to my body for once.

K on the other hand made the choice to feast....

he knows he will pay the price, but I guess with him being away so long

he was excited to dig in...who wouldn't be??

Anyway, his night was wrought with heart burn and late night visitors.

I got involved around 6:00am this morning with his activities.

(no idea how I slept through the rest of it)

I felt him get up and then come back and make some exasperated sounds.

I said something like... can't sleep?

No, there is some lizard running around in our bed.

Excuse me?!

I pounce out like a spring and flip the lamp on.

We throw the covers back and I will tell you....

It was NO Lizard, but this rabid creature!!

I do some gagging reflexes, because it is on my side of the bed where I was 

just slumbering.

Kev goes to retrieve a killing weapon.

I told K - as he came to collect his kill.....I don't think so,

it is time for me to write.....first things first.

I got my shot 

(pathetic and blurry as it is, plus this roach was huge!! and you can't even tell),

 and then he took it away.

My sleep was over....but it was like sleeping in anyway,

6:00 is pretty decent.

K went back to bed.

Later after getting home from teaching Pilates at Our Club...

such a fun class....mostly because V, Sonia, Christi, and T came!!

It was a good crowd besides them which is so AWESOME!

Thank you for coming!

So anyway, around 9:30 I go in and K is up,

I said, now tell me how things went down last night.

How did you know there was a "lizard" in our bed?

He said, well I felt something run onto my neck and stay there.

?

My hands and were trapped in the covers and I couldn't get them out,

when I finally got loose, I hit it off and heard it hit the wall.

This was around 2:00am.

?

But I woke up with it in our bed at 6:00am.

Well, that was the second time it woke me up.

?

After the first time I sat on the couch for a while, because my 

heartburn was raging so hard,

I finally came back and tried to sleep.

Not long after I felt something running up and down my arm.

This time my hands were free, but when I got it off it went into our bed.

That is when I got up.

I see.

Yes, things are definitely back to normal.

We had a good laugh....

a really good laugh.

Heck, what are the alternatives?