SSSSSPPPRRRIIINNNGGGGG BBRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!!!

This week, the kids are both on spring break. Yes, a bit earlier than other districts, but we did start school in the beginning of August. So, Friday after we got home, we had to make our annual call to Dawnie and brag how we were on break. Basically, ever since Russell started school and was talking well, we'd call Dawn and yell into her answering machine "SPRING BREAK!! WOOOO HOOOO! SPRING BREAK!" Well, you get the picture! This year, Russ reminded me we needed to call and brag!

We've been keeping busy this week. SLEEPING IN past 6am, running some errands, going to speech (of course!), playing in our little pools outside (it's been nearly 80 every day), building cornice boards for the kids' windows, I made an upholstered bulletin board for Rachel's room, a check up on an ear infection for Russell, spring cleaning, and watching Rachel's spring cold - will it get better? (The answer seems to be yes!) Tomorrow the beach is on our agenda.

Next week we'll be back to our regular schedule, but with a whirlwind of activity. Easter, then Adam's birthday, (his mom is coming to visit), the PTO fundraiser carnival at Russell's school that I have been involved with, t-ball gets back into full swing, dental cleanings, and, oh, did I ever mention we decided to take a trip top Disney at the end of April?

Watch out, Orlando, here comes the Bright family!! Adam and I have been deciding when to make the big trip. We knew we had to at some point while we lived here. We definitely wanted to go before Rachel turned three and we could save on her ticket costs! Will she remember? Probably not, but we wonder how much she'd remember when she was three anyway... So, then the decision came down to crowds (don't like the huge ones), the heat factor (needs to be hot enough for water rides and to wear shorts at night, but not oppressive heat), and availability of the $300/week condos available to military members (that's right, a 2 bedroom condo - $300 for the week). Yes, Russ will miss a week of school. But since he is doing so well this year, we thought it would be better to miss it now rather than the beginning of first grade. (Go ahead, Aim, rationalize all you want!!!!) Anyway, we are looking forward to it - it will be our first true family vacation (not counting trips to CA to visit family).

And, last but not least... Adam's grandmother passed away this week. I know, that's two in less than a week for us. Sad. Delcie Vuncannon. Her health had been poor for some time now, but to lose her so quickly was a bit shocking. We all seem to agree that her body had taken all it could take. Adam spent a lot of time with her while growing up. A couple of his favorite memories are of when she would take him on archaeological digs and when they would sit on her porch drinking lemonade just talking. He also remembers she and her friends discussing what they would do for New Year's Eve in 1999. Adam thinks he was maybe 7 years old at the time and although he didn't quite get the importance of the year 2000, he did understand that he wanted to go to that party!! So, he asked Delcie if he could go to the party and she did the math of what his age would be and she said that that would work out great, he would be a good age to come to the party! Like she would have told him no : )

Today a small group will spread Delcie's ashes in the Pacific Ocean. She loved to travel, she had seen so many places that most of us will never see, let's hope the water takes her to new places and back to some favorites.

Sad News

We received some bad news yesterday. My friend from high school, LaDean, and her family were in a car accident earlier this week and her husband, Jay, died. They were near Ely, Nevada when Jay swerved to miss hitting an elk, their car rolled and tragically Jay didn't survive. They have four children ranging in ages 11 - 4. They were all in the car and had very minor injuries. LaDean had some minor injuries - cuts on her face. They were all wearing seatbelts.

It is just heartbreaking to think and imagne what happened. Jay was such a good person. He really was someone you couldn't say anything bad about. He was a devoted father and husband. I remember talking with LaDean in high school and after about the type of man she wanted to marry - she knew exactly what she wanted. She wanted someone that was of her same faith, (Mormon), smart, caring, same family values, handsome (of course!) and someone that was taller than her - no easy feat as LaDean is probably 6ft. tall! I think that she had found everything in Jay and more. My heart just aches for her during this unfair twist of life.

I Miss California

When you live in places like Oklahoma City and southern Alabama, no wait, make that the Florida panhandle, you have to accept that it is a lot more conservative and everyone except you and a few others regularly attends church. And of course, once they figure out you don't go, they are always trying to invite you. We always politely decline. It's not that we have a thing against going to church, but I can't be a part of a group that discriminates against gay people. (Which most churches do around here) End of story. You can't really say that to your dentist as he holds the big needle in one hand and a drill in the other!!! So, my standard leave me alone line is something to the effect of we have been thinking about going to the church where Rachel's nursery school is. Apparently it's a fine church and everyone backs off and you don't have to get into the big, big gay discussion.

Anyway, our itty bitty local library has an 'Inspirational' sticker that it will put on the binding of the book to put it in yet another category. It's a pink sticker with an angel or something and about the size of a thumbail. Great, good, thanks for the warning. So, I checked out a few books one day while at the library with the kids. Basically I don't have much time to look for books for myself because Russell is trying to find books for me - Hey Mom, how about this book with this rocket, fire, beautiful woman, whatever on the cover? (He's is in the paperback racks) And then there is Rachel who looooooooooooooooooves to run thru the aisles and gleefully exclaim "Whoooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa". I try read about books online before we go to the library and then try to find them quickly. So, I saw one book by Dee Henderson. The name sounded familiar, the back said it was about a US Marshall and a forensic pathologist and there was no pink sticker. Worth a try!

I get it home and start reading. A mystery, not the greatest writing, but not bad either. Interesting enough to continue reading and then about halfway thru it hits. It's a total holy roller book. And not that the characters are just religious, they are on a mission to get all the other characters to church. And it isn't in the friendly way that people try to get you to church, it's the harassing, manipulating way and then that US Marshall turns into a pseudo-preacher. Ugh, what happened to the mystery? The new mystery is why this book is missing its little pink sticker! And, I am not against religion, but if I wanted it shoved in my face, I'd go talk to one of the neighbors or my dentist!

My new strategy when going to the library is to make a quick list ON PAPER. A quick funny about our library... I was trying to find the book "The Devil Wears Prada" before Christmas. When I asked the librarian for help, she said and I quote "Oh, I don't think we have THAT book". I miss California.