Bison Breath and Giraffe Souls

It's a really rare occasion that I'm able to participate in Andrew's school functions. The headache of getting a substitute, making lesson plans, and trying to conserve the coveted "personal" days all play into the fact that it's usually just easier for the hubby to go on field trips or volunteer for things that are during the school day.  Any teacher will tell you, too, that field trips on our end aren't always fun, so I carry that with me as well.  But when this opportunity came up, I grabbed it, and I'm so very glad that I did.

One of the coolest parts of my day had nothing to do with the trip.  I really have enjoyed the few times I've been able to see the boy in his classroom environment.  It's reassuring to see him be so self-assured, so appropriate, and lately, so damn grown up!  So, I was already a little choked up just watching him do his thing.  But when the morning announcements came on, and I heard the echoing voices of every kid in that wing reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, I actually had to step into the hallway to wipe a tear from my face and try to keep my composure and not look crazy. I made it through without a complete meltdown, though, and soon, we were off on our voyage.

Parent chaperones had to drive separately, and I confess that I might have enjoyed the solitude of the 40-minute drive just a little bit.  Oh hell, I loved it!  A beautiful morning, coffee in abundance, and "harmonizing" my ass off with the radio and my favorite Bryan Elijah Smith CD...well, that's a great way to start a day!  

The Virginia Safari Park in Natural Bridge is another one of the very cool treasures we have near us that we rarely think about taking advantage of.  We hadn't been there since Andrew was about eleven months old, so I was very excited.  Acres and acres of exotic creatures running "wild," and us in an open wagon!  Too cool!

We had a fantastic day.  The weather was gorgeous, the kids (and parents) were all really well-behaved and knowledgeable and respectful of the animals they were seeing. Even in the excitement of bucket-eating camels and slobbery, foul-breathed bison, the kids handled it all well.  At times, one could almost be convinced that we were on the savannahs of Africa, and not just a mile from the interstate.  It was impressive.

My personal highlight, other than hanging with my kid?  The giraffes!  I love, love, love giraffes!  From a distance, they were awe-inspiring.  From up close, in the feeding station, just beautiful, and graceful, and so strange-looking.  They have the most beautiful dark eyes that I would challenge anyone to look into and tell me that animals don't have souls.  I wanted to cry again having a moment with this guy right here, and I wanted to hug his neck and rub his mane.  I had to settle for feeding him from my hand, but I could have done that for hours, if I had had more quarters.

At the end of the day, we were all hot, sweaty, and exhausted, and I wondered if I'd be able to walk back up the hill to my car.  We made a last stop at the gift shop, where my son reminded me he is still a little boy by buying a stuffed snake and giraffe (okay, that's mine...I confess). We loaded the kids on the bus, and headed home.  It was a great, great day.

A Road Trip is Good for the Soul

Home is where the heart is.  And the laundry, and the animals, and the scattered toys, and the daily strife and struggles...they're all there too.  And so, sometimes, it's just good to get away and not take those things with me.

I have friends who run marathons, or do tough man competitions, or travel to exotic locations.  I imagine it's for the same reasons, both physical and mental well-being.  But I don't need great adventures!  I don't need to go to places I've never been.  I don't need physical endurance challenges (although I occasionally make exceptions for new things, like paddle boarding). I'm  quite a bit easier to please!  A road trip with one of my "besties," listening to her sometimes questionable music choices, and laughing about the silliest things is a great stress reliever for me.  Add in a little shopping, a LOT of people watching (and wildlife...okay, just frogs named Fred and killer rats, but still), and a little well-timed alcohol, and it's a recipe for good fun.  

It's also of great therapeutic value to me to be able to sleep as much as I want, or as little as I want, to not have to do anything really.  Even at home, under the most relaxing of circumstances, there's always a mountain of laundry looming, or meals to figure out, or the dog to walk...all of which make me feel guilty for taking naps in the middle of the day, reading my book, or just watching bad TV that's not kid-friendly.

It's also sort of decadent, and necessary, to sometimes just have myself to worry about.  Don't misread me here, I'm NOT complaining about wifehood or motherdom.  Quite the opposite, I think.  All the moms I know will tell you...it's our first role, our primary reason for existence, all other roles be damned.  It's who we are!  Underneath all that, though, I'm still me, even though there are times when it's necessary to put that to the side to focus on everyone else.  Again, not a complaint.  It just is.  Like when I try to change into comfy clothes after work and can't even go upstairs without feeling like the Pied Piper, as the kid, the dog, and the cat all follow me every step of the way--our daily parade, only nobody's throwing candy.

Ahh, this went from fun to philosophical in the blink of an eye...the story of my life.   I guess my point is, that, someday, and probably sooner than I realize, I just won't be as necessary as I am now.  Kids grow up, start their own activities, and need their poor moms less and less. Suffice it to say that it's in everyone's best interests if I've retained my sanity and my sense of who I am, so that I'm not thrown completely for a loop when that happens.  Get a hobby, you say?  What, like writing a blog in my spare time?  I'll do that, too...but every now and then, a little inspiration is a good thing.

Big Time Experience

The boy turns eight in a couple of weeks, and as an early present, we decided, sort of last minute, to get tickets to see Big Time Rush with Victoria Justice.  If you have kids under the age of 15, you probably know who they are.  If you don't, you probably aren't missing anything. (Although I confess to enjoying the bubble gum tunes of BTR myself, and acknowledging the swoon factor of the guys in the group, even if they are technically young enough to be my sons.  Ugh.)

Just as we bought the tickets, though, Andrew came down with a random case of strep throat.  I mean, why not?  Even after spending a gajillion dollars on tickets, fees, taxes, and surcharges, there was some doubt about making the trip.  None of us were sure that a three hour one way trip, untold walking and crowds, and the rigor of the show itself, would go well under the circumstances...fever, nausea, occasional vomiting, etc., but I was hoping that he'd have had enough meds by that point to start feeling better.  We quickly nixed the idea of staying over, and of trying to add other attractions like the Aquarium, both for cost and time reasons.  I was glad of both, even when we got home at 3:30 the next morning.

I'm not a fan of getting into big cities.  The traffic wigs me out, I panic on highway bridges that are curvy and high in the air...so that deters me somewhat from going to Baltimore more frequently. But I like the Inner Harbor, a lot.  I need to remind myself of that and go back soon.  

Pier 6 Pavilion is a great place to see a show.  There's not a bad seat in the place, the breeze from the water is lovely,  and you can't beat the scenery.  Nothing will ever, ever beat seeing Rick Springfield there, but any moderately entertaining group would be worth it.

Overall, the trip was great, if quick.  Andrew held it together, and while he wasn't the party animal he might have been under normal circumstances, he enjoyed himself.  As always, though, I have some random thoughts about the experience to share.

•$30.00 to park a car for a couple of hours is ridiculous.  For that much, they should wash the car and clean out the McDonald's trash from the trip.

•Buy t-shirts from the shady guy in the parking lot instead of from inside the venue.  And haggle with him!  I don't care what truck they fell off of, or if there's a spelling error I haven't seen yet, $15.00 is waaaaay better than $35.00, and that guy needs the money more than Kendall and Carlos do.  

•I'm a purse-stuffing pro.  I realize that this means I'm well-prepared to be the old lady wrapping rolls up and putting them in her purse, but I can live with it.  Here's the trick:  small bags of Goldfish, or little cookies, and some Capri Suns in the bottom of the bag, and placed carefully under brightly wrapped feminine hygiene products...then find a line with a male security guy.  Works every time.  They won't dig, I promise you.  And they're lucky I wasn't there with nefarious plans, because I also had multiple pill bottles full of such hard-core OTC drugs as chewable kids' Tylenol and Pepto-Bismol.  They easily could have been quaaludes! (I just aged myself again, I am aware.)

•Be prepared to move away from THIS to salvage your concert experience.

And ladies, if you should ever be inclined to wear this, please make sure that a) your belly isn't as big as your butt b) it's long enough that you won't give a decidedly unwelcome peep show to my husband and kid, and c) that you keep your ass on the ground with all of the other adults instead of standing on a chair with your makeup-wearing seven year-old who will likely bless you with a grandbaby in about seven years.   

This view was better, in spite of the trash can, and Andrew could actually see something other than...well, what he could see before.

•I found it odd that Victoria Justice would  spend fair amounts of her set preaching about opportunities for girls and setting sights high, then cover that "I crashed my car into a bridge, I put your sh*t into a bag, I don't care!" song.  It disturbed me to hear thousands of preteen kids singing along with it, and we wonder WHY we have issues in our society?  

•Nobody, and I mean, NOBODY else but yours truly could get trampled by Carlos Pena (of BTR) and not realize it until afterward.  I was so focused on trying to get this picture that I didn't see all of the band members leave the stage, and thus, was nearly knocked down by a large, burly man leading the way as Carlos made his way around the pavilion.  At least Andrew will have a story to tell!

Overall, great experience for Andrew, and on the heels of him receiving a response from his very first fan letter earlier in the week, hopefully something he will remember.  And while it's a "boy band" enjoying fifteen minutes of manufactured fame and not "real" music, they're good role models, and I'll encourage that as long as I can.  Thanks, BTR, and especially Kendall!  Not Carlos, though, because if you're going to knock me down, you should at least realize it.

Paddle Into the Wind

I just returned from a quick girls' getaway to North Carolina to visit a friend and former colleague and deliver a dog...in a transportation kind of way, not the birthin' kind.  Said friend is a paddle boarding guru and fitness fanatic who was kind enough to humor me in my clumsy and decidedly non-athletic attempts to master the art, and while I wasn't completely successful, I...

a) didn't drown

b) made no trip to the emergency room

c) escaped with no injuries, other than a paddle handle-shaped bruise across my hip (see below), and...

d) most likely provided lots of free giggles and guffaws to her neighbors...and the world, if the video gets out. 

Anyway, I have a lot of respect for this sport now.  Anybody can run around on flat ground and kick a soccer ball on the first try, but I bet there are very few who can just jump on the board and go.  It was a good learning experience, I'm proud of myself for even trying, and I want to try again soon.  

Here's what I learned...tips for paddle-boarding, which maybe, just maybe, can also be applied to life.

Paddle into the wind.  If you don't, you'll run aground. A little resistance is a good thing; don't go with the flow.

Plant your feet firmly and squarely.  Be certain of where you are on the board, and don't step too far in any direction.

Stay centered.  Don't let one side be dominant.  Put as much emphasis on one area as another.

Relax!  Don't rush through it. Take a deep breath, and don't expect immediate results.

Don't overcompensate.   Waves are going to come, the board is going to wiggle, and your response is critical.  If you react too much, you're going to fall.

Lean on your friends for support.  There is strength in numbers! They can help you up, give you balance when you're unsteady, and help to break your fall.

Don't worry about who's watching.  You'll have more fun, be more successful, and chances are, no one is watching anyway.

Fun can be costly.  You may get to try it out for free, or for a while, but you'll end up paying for it eventually.

Don't fall on the pole.  (See "c" above.)  It's never a good thing, in any context. (I could elaborate, but it's probably not necessary.)

If all else fails, sit down and drink a beer.  

Have Dog, Will Travel

 One would imagine that the joys of traveling with an infant/toddler/small child/smartass big kid would be preparation enough for the challenges of traveling with a dog.  We took our first four-hour road trip with the boy when he was only about four weeks old, after all.  Surely, if I could handle "emergency" stops to nurse in fast food parking lots, those runny poops that squeeze out the leg holes of the diapers, sullying the baby seat and endless onesies, and the imagined horrors of riding in the front seat while the backward-facing infant was left to fend for himself in the back, then taking the dog back and forth to the lake would be CAKE, right?  Unfortunately, the last few years have lulled me into thinking that travel is easy.  Andrew sleeps, occasionally bitches about the music choice, but otherwise amuses himself pretty well in the car.  Even the "I have to pee right NOW!" in the middle of nowhere announcements  have stopped.  It is was nice!

We really thought we were doing things right.  The first trip with Baxter a couple of weeks ago involved a little dog barf on both ends of the trip, but it was his first time.  So this time, we chose a less curvy, less puke-inspiring route to the lake, even though it involved dealing with trucks on interstate.  We even bought a nifty little harness to buckle him in safely to the back seat, mostly to prevent his desire to scale over the top of the passenger seat to sit in my lap or to change the radio stations.  We put a towel on the seat, gave him toys to amuse himself, and thought we were good to go.  Key word, thought. 

Baxter doesn't like the car, it turns out.  He tries to move around constantly.  He whines incessantly.  He stubbornly refuses to face forward, so of course he feels sick (I imagine).  He just doesn't dig it, for whatever reason.  The afore-mentioned safety harness turns into a torture device as he twists 'round and 'round in it, wrapping his legs like a mummy and causing yet another stop on some backwoods road to try to free him.  And he's dumb enough to think he can jump out of the car while he's bound up like that, all eighty pounds of him.  And we just don't know him well enough yet to read his signals.  I'm not sure if he's being a brat or really is carsick, if he's scared, or just wants to chase after everything he sees out the windows.  He needs to explain. 

The whining on the trip to the lake this weekend was enough to push me over the edge.  I have this mild severe case of self-diagnosed misophonia, you see, and the smallest noises, if they're misplaced or repetitive, can cause me to twitch and shudder.  (Look it up, it's a real thing!) And bassett hounds have these very high-pitched, fingernails-on-a chalkboard, wet-sneakers-on-the-hallway-floor kind of whine.  It's terrible.  The latter part of the trip involved me digging in my Sprite for ice to feed to the dog just to shut him up.  I was determined that none of us were suffering again on the way home, so we opted for a low dose of Dramamine for the dog, hoping to cure the wonky stomach issues and leave all of us to ride in peace.

It really didn't work.  Maybe I was too cautious and didn't give him enough.  Maybe the dog is just a pain in the ass.  I'm not sure.  What I do know is that we were forced to stop twenty minutes into the journey to untangle the dog from his harness and the seat belt, at which time, Baxter refused to get back into the car.  So I hoisted him up, all eighty pounds of awkwardly-shaped anvil, we got back on the road, only to make it another ten miles or so before Andrew went to sleep and the dog was trying desperately to get into the front seat, harness be damned.  I was on edge already, so we stopped again...this time putting the dog into the passenger seat--MY seat, while I was relegated to the back (which I was happy to do to stop the whining, mind you!).  All was well...for about five minutes...until Baxter realized that the hubby couldn't pet him or play with him while he was driving.  Then I'm faced with this, and even more whining, and Baxter trying to climb into the BACK seat.  Andrew heard some interesting vocabulary yesterday, suffice it to say.

So guess what?  We stopped AGAIN.  The solution?  Andrew, the dog AND me in the back seat...my reasoning?  At least there I could control him without my seatbelt locking every time I reached forward, and if he sat in between us, it wouldn't be so bad.  Baxter had other ideas--he sat ON me, looking out the window, but thankfully not whining much, as long as I was petting him constantly.  At risk of being crude, though...bassett hounds don't just have long, droopy ears, and I was wearing shorts...catch my drift? 

I was grossed out for the the entire last hour of the trip and spent most of it trying to cover my leg and control my heebie-jeebies.  Blech.

We settled in to an uneasy peace for the last piece of the trip.  It started raining, of course, and I was worrying that our chauffeur was getting drowsy, so I nagged, and we squabbled.   The three of us played word games about packing for trips to climb a mountain in Australia, and the dog finally settled down and fell sound asleep...four miles from home.  I'm not anxious to do it again.  That is, not without horse tranquilizers, ear plugs, and long pants.  Or maybe I'll just drive. 

Florida Recap, Finally

I need a laptop.  I really do.  I could get so much accomplished if I just post about things AS they happen.  But lately, things are happening away from home so much, I just don't have the capability until after the fact, and then I don't feel like writing about them because something else is already on the table.  So, here it is, July somethingth...yes, I have lost track of days already...and we've been back from Florida for...a while.  Maybe a week?  At any rate, I will try to rewind the events, start from the beginning, and remember all the glorious moments of what turned out to be a fantastic trip.

3 Days Prior to Trip:

We discover that the air conditioner on our little Kia is broken.  Not only was I dreading the thought of a gozillion hours in the tinymobile, but no way in hell was I doing it without air conditioning.  After much stress and panic on my part, we decide to rent a car.  Speaking of which, go Budget if you're in the rental car market.  Unlimited mileage, even out of the region...they were the only one.  And google coupons--I saved almost a hundred dollars with a little research and a handy coupon code.  I am now IN LOVE with the Chevy Impala, and I really want Santa Claus to bring me a gently used one.

Departure:

We left mid-day, knowing already that we planned to stop over somewhere midway.  That somewhere turned out to be Pooler, Georgia, just outside of Savannah.  It is on my to-do list to return to the Best Western Suites hotel that we stayed in.  Fabulous breakfast bar included the room rate, which makes it worth it.  I MUST have a motel/hotel with inside hallways when I'm in strange places these days--part of the anxiety that gradually increases as I age, but the $79 was well worth it considering breakfast for three was included.  I've been through/around Savannah, but have never really DONE Savannah, and I'd like to.  Turns out there's a shuttle bus that runs back and forth from this tiny exit off the interstate to historic Savannah, and that sounds like a great deal to me, too.  Tybee Beach is also on my list, but that might be another post.  We got up the next morning, refreshed and ready for the next, smaller portion of the trip.

Arrival/Day 1:

We arrived in Florida on Tuesday and were greeted by refreshing and free orange juice at the state line welcome center. 

We stopped and had lunch at Goombay's restaurant in Satellite Beach.  The name attracted us, being the same name as one of our favorite funky restaurants in the Outer Banks.  It did not disappoint.  The crab cake and shrimp po'boy sandwiches were fantastic.  The only problem I had at this point was adjusting to life outside the fantastically-cooled Impala.  There was no AC in this joint, and even with the doors open and several fans blowing, it was suffocatingly hot.  James would like me to point out that it was all about the ATMOSPHERE, which I get, I really do, but I'm not a big fan of being sweaty while I eat.  Or while I do anything, for that matter.

A quick stop by the beach for what would be our only view of the beach for days.  Andrew was so hot from lunch that he didn't even want to get out of the car, so James took this picture alone. 

On to my father-in-law's workplace for a quick arrival visit, then to the house to settle in, where we were enthusiastically greeted by Leon, the ferocious and tiny dog of my father-in-law's girlfriend, Brenda.  Cute dog, but he was a little psychotic for a while.

Doesn't he just LOOK like a Leon?

Day 2/ Disney

The Magic Kingdom deserves a post of its own.  For now, I'll just say that it was fantastic day.  Hot, but fantastic.

Day 3

The Camp Holly airboat ride and alligator "tour."  Turns out the biggest alligator we saw on the tour was from land, out in the water just beyond this sign.  But we enjoyed the ride tremendously and spotted other wildlife, although our camera wasn't usually fast enough to capture the various birds and smaller gators.

This cute little guy landed on the bow of the boat after we sailed through some marshy areas.

Andrew thought it was pretty cool that we just drove over much of the plant life.

After the tour, we split from the rest of James' family and went on a manatee quest at Goode Park in Palm Bay, thanks to a tourism map we had picked up at Camp Holly.

And, success!  They are odd-looking, but beautiful creatures, and I couldn't resist the urge to pet one.  Andrew's thoughts?  "They're really fat." 

I had worked up a thirst, so we went in search of the Florida Beer Company, which advertises a Tasting Room in the same little tourist map that we found so helpful earlier in the day.  I'm all about free samples, so we stopped by and enjoyed three or four half-glass tastes before each selecting a six-pack to take home and enjoy.  I liked all of them, with the exception of a Raspberry Wheat beer, which just tasted to me like Robitussin mixed with beer.  In all fairness, I do not like MOST things that are raspberry flavored for this exact reason.  Buying the six-packs directly from the brewery meant that we paid less than I'm used to paying for my eclectic tastes in craft beers, and you can't beat FREE samples!  I forgot to take pictures there, but Andrew was entertained for the few minutes we were there by watching the brewery workers, who amused him by "throwing Bat-a-rangs" back at him.

Day 4

We visited the Brevard Zoo on what must have been the hottest day in the history of the world.  Andrew was not interested in the animals for the most part, because he had seen this little wading pool kids' area at the beginning of the visit.  It's all he cared about for the rest of the time, and he enjoyed cooling off here on the way out.  It's a beautiful zoo, with shaded boardwalks that take you through the different regions, but quite honestly, it was so flipping hot that day that I had trouble focusing and don't really even want to write about it.  We took lots of pictures of animals, your typical zoo-type inhabitants, including "big" things like rhinos and giraffes, but I was dying.  You can see me in the background of this picture, just as I got third-degree burns on my ass from the hot bench I sat down on.

Aunt Lynn was nice enough to keep Andrew supplied with animal pellets and Dippin' Dots.

The coolest part of the visit was the alligator and crocodile feeding.  I was so hot by this point, I was jealous of the dead chickens they were dropping in the water.

Later that night, roller skating.  Turns out I can't do that anymore either.  Andrew tried his first-time best, but then was more interested in the arcade games and racking up points to spend on junk toys he hasn't looked at since.  Aunt Katie and Danny helped him around the rink many times, after it became  clear that I would be no help at all.  Those pictures aren't getting posted, although I made it around the rink two times, with the help of the wall.

Andrew was pretty successful on the carpet, although he wiped out spectacularly one time.

Day 5

Sebastian Inlet State Park--the beach, finally!  Although not your typical Florida beach, PopPop thought this would be good for Andrew, and he was right.  Located at the mouth of the Indian River, the ocean is just past the bridge and the point in the picture.  A roped-off swimming area provided just the right amount of wave action from passing boats, without having to worry too much about undertow and rough surf.  That's Andrew and me on the right.

A picnic area is located at the top of the beach.  From here, you can see the wide expanse of hard-packed sand.  The area fills as the tide comes in, and we spent quite a bit of time playing in the tide pool and wet sand around it.  The sand here was interesting--when it was wet, it was what I imagine a spa treatment mud bath is like--a smooth, pasty consistency.  I would have liked to have had at least one day on a "regular" beach, but this was very enjoyable and easy to manage with a small child.

Day 6/Homebound

There are plenty of details about the trip that I'm leaving out for the sake of brevity, but I'll revisit those later--especially Disney!  We weren't in a big hurry to leave in the morning, as we knew already that we'd split the trip again.  This time we stopped in Columbia, South Carolina.  The hotel was fantastic (have I mentioned that I love staying in hotels, no matter where they are?).  I wished we had another day to spend there, because there was a pool, a hot tub, free breakfast, and a luxurious room.  I typically like to have decompression days at the end of vacations--time for just our little family with no pressure or committments (or other family members), but sadly, we didn't have time to stay, and it was home to return the rental car the next day.