the one about our Lagoon trip

A few years ago, Brett and I decided to take Quayd on a vacation. I know I have talked about this before, sorry, but we went to South Dakota. It was great and wonderful and we still talk about it today. After that vacation, we decided we would take a family vacation every year. No matter what. Brett's family always traveled when he was growing up and they still talk about all of the fun things they have done. My family didn't travel much, but when we did, it was awesome. Quayd is such a good traveler, and Brett and I both love to travel, so we have made it a priority. We went pretty extravagant last year when we cruised the Caribbean. This year, we knew we needed to tone it down a bit, but we still wanted a special vacation where we could make lots of memories. We decided to combine our love of camping and amusement parks and spend a week at Lagoon! They have a really nice campground right next to the park. It has full hook-ups so we had unlimited water and power. And with temperatures being in the high 90's the whole week, we loved the electricity hook-up! We ran the air conditioner at full blast all week! My sweet little nephew, Brayden, joined us as well as Gary and Tara's family, Grandma and Grandpa Galley, Braden and Mya, Gleneita and Talia and the Montgomery's. It was actually supposed to be a two day Galley family reunion, but not many people were able to make it. Gary and Tara and Brett and I decided to make our trips longer. Not everyone was there as long as us. Most of them came on Friday and Saturday. We went Tuesday to Sunday. Anyway, onto the fun stuff! We left Tuesday morning and we were SO excited to get there. Pulling the trailer made it a long drive. We were the first ones to arrive. We set up camp and went straight to the park. For most of the big rides, you have to be 46" tall to ride. With his shoes on, Quayd is about 45 1/2" tall. Seriously, he is that close. Some of the ride attendants would let him ride, some wouldn't. The first few days that we were there, they were much more relaxed about it, but on Friday and Saturday, it was tough. He was getting so upset. I know, I know. The rule is 46". But how do I explain to a 5 year old that sometimes he can ride and sometimes he can't. He did get to ride Wicked once though, and he was so excited about it! He also rode the Colossus, the white roller coaster, Spider, the Bat, Tidal Wave, as well as every other kiddie or family ride. He was hard core! It was awesome. Brett and I both love to ride ANYTHING! So we refused to have a wimpy child. We decided that one day when we strike it rich, we will buy a big fat motor home or a private jet (depending on HOW rich we get) and just travel the world riding roller coasters. Wouldn't that be cool? It was crazy though, we had been on the Colossus 4 times in a row, and the 5th time the lady questioned his height. Stupid. But Talia got in her face and told her that he was fine and he could ride. Same thing happened with the white roller coaster. He actually got so mad at that lady! He ran to his dad and called the lady a terrible name. It's not very blog-friendly, so I won't type it. ;) They never would let him back on Wicked, and he was MAD! I am proud of him for being so brave though. He was so cool. I loved watching his face! It was cute though, he would be on these hard core crazy rides, then he would turn around and go to the kiddie rides and have a blast. Brett and I had to keep reminding ourselves that he is only five. Brayden was pretty nervous to ride some of the big rides, but he finally rode most of them. He never would go on the Rocket. On Thursday, Grandpa Galley came with us to ride rides. He is so stinking funny! He is just as crazy as all of the kids. He didn't even flinch to get on these big crazy rides. The very first one we took him to was Wicked.

Shae and Grandpa waiting in line for Wicked

We also took him to the Rocket. Brett rode with him the first time on the "Launch" side of the ride.

Tara and Grandpa on the Re-Entry

Brett, Braden S., Eli and Shae

We also went to the Lady Bug Bop and Dinosaur Drop. It was so funny! One time, Garrison was taking Mya on the Lady Bug Bop. Quayd decided to go at the last second. Mya was excited for Quayd to go, so they decided to ride together. Garrison didn't really know what to do, so he just sat down. They buckled him in and off they went. It was so funny to see Garrison riding this little kid ride all alone!

Speaking of big people on little rides... I have to tell you this story. Unfortunately, though, I don't have a picture. We had a camera tragedy right before this. Anyway, on Saturday night, Quayd was upset that they wouldn't let him on the big rides. So some of us were trying to be nice to him and offered to go on Puff the Little Fire Dragon. (It's just a mini-coaster.) The riders were Brett, Talia, Brayden and Shae. The ride attendant was making the seating assignments and it was just weird. Quayd and Brayden were going to go in the back, but he said Quayd needed an adult with him to sit in the back. So they were assuming that Shae was his mom I guess because the guy told Shae to sit with her kid in the back. Then they put Brayden alone. And here is where it gets really weird... they put Brett and Talia in a car together. They were crammed in this little tiny car! It was so funny! Well I was sitting on a bench with Gleneita, Gary, Tara and Amelia. When we noticed how they were seated, we were cracking up. Then Brett starts yelling, "Mommy!!! Look at us! We are on Puff!!!" Then he started cheering and screaming at everyone. "Look at me Aunt Tara! I'm riding Puff!" It was so funny. And strange. Lagoon has a new ride this year. The OdySea. It is a fun family type ride. The kids loved it. I rode it a few times with Quayd. But when he knew Grandpa was going, Quayd couldn't wait to ride with him.

(I am so glad I got this picture! Isn't it cute? I felt so bad that I didn't get a picture of these two on Father's Day. I got Quayd with his other Great-Grandpa's, but not Grandpa Galley.) We did a lot of waiting in line. I mean... ALOT! And holy cow... was it ever HOT!!

Brett, Brayden and Quayd waiting to get on the Bat.

Braden S., Shae, Garrison, Brayden, Amelia, Me and Grandpa waiting to get on the Spider

Waiting for the train to start

We went to Lagoon-A-Beach on Friday. Quayd was thinking he was Mr. Brave so he did the lazy river alone with out a life jacket. He was actually mad because they wouldn't let him sit in the hot tub. So he decided he was gonna show everyone and he hopped in the river. Thank goodness Garrison was there! He jumped in right behind Quayd and went with him a few times around. Thanks Garrison! You rock!

We rode a ton of other rides, practically every ride in the park. We did go carts and Brett, Talia and Gleneita did a drag racing thing. You have to pay extra for it and the three of them were super excited to do it. They have 3 drag racing cars, so they were able to race each other. They got three runs. It was actually pretty cool. Brett won once, and Talia won twice. I know this entry is getting really long, but I have to share just a few more pictures. We went to Pioneer Village and had pictures taken. We were able to buy the CD and have the copyright, so I will post a few poses. We ended up buying the one of Brett and Quayd, and the funny one of the family. The funny one was just so... US! We love it. Look at Brayden's funny hat. It has a face and evrything. I saw it and begged him to wear it because it was so funny. He is so awesome!

And here are the last few pictures.

It's always fun to go, but it sure is nice to be back home.

the one about things consuming me

Honest to blog, I have been so crazy busy lately, I haven't had a second to blog. I am so sorry to disappoint my faithful readers, so I am forcing myself to stay awake and dedicate some of my precious beauty rest to my poor blog. (he he, I totally took a nap today, so even though I need the beauty rest more than you will even know, I can't sleep!)

The big thing that has consumed my life lately is my upcoming yard sale. It is going to be this Saturday at Janice's. I like to do a yard sale every couple of years. It is just a good way to de-clutter and make room for more junk. I am such a "throw-it-away" girl, it is sorta sad. I can't stand little messes and clutter, although you would never guess it if you came to my house. Unfortunately, I fell in love with the king of clutter and little messes. Errrrrrrrrr. It is so annoying. And bless his sweet heart, (isn't it true that if you are going to say something mean about someone, as long as you throw "bless their heart" in there somewhere it takes out the evil? I hope so!) he doesn't see the many messes that consume my life, so he leaves them. His son is following in his footsteps a bit, but at least I can tell him to clean up after himself. Not Brett. If I tell him to clean up after himself, I become the NAGGING WIFE! (Bless his heart, bless his heart, bless his heart.) Anyway, a yard sale should not consume one person so much, but I am a perfectionist with this stuff. I can't just make a yard sale pile. It has to be a neat and tidy yard sale pile with everything organized in boxes and pre-priced. (Kandice is SO proud of me right now!) So I have really been working hard, from room to room to get rid of as much as I can with out super-saver Brett seeing and pulling things out of my boxes.

Throughout this organizing/spring cleaning project, I have also been working on reorganizing my basement. As most of you know, I am a scrapbooker. Well I have collected SO MUCH STUFF over the years and so much of it is never going to get used. My scrapbook room is insane. Plus, I have taken the plunge. Believe it or not, my scrapbooking has gone (drum roll please.................) DIGITAL! gasp! Yes, it's true. I am going green. (Now Stephanie is proud!) I have started doing some of my stuff on Heritage Makers, but I have also been doing a lot with my Adobe Photoshop Elements 6. It is the greatest program known to man for Digi-Scrappin'. So after many lessons from Steph, many spent dollars at the scrapbook stores and many hours spent researching free downloads, I have made the change. Anyway, I will be selling a ton of scrapbook supplies at our yard sale. (So please come buy it all before I change my mind! I have already turned my scrapbook room into Quayd play room!)

Another biggie consuming me lately is the movie Juno. I didn't get to see it in the theater, and I couldn't wait for it to be released. I still didn't get to see it right away, so last Friday night, Brett was gone and Shae needed a ride home from work. When I got there to pick her up, she suggested we go rent it. She had seen it and knew I would love it. I told her to hook us up with the popcorn and I would hook us up with the show. OH MY HECK!!! I LOVE IT! I have really had to make valuable time to watch it as much as possible. We actually watched it again this Friday night. It might just have to be our Friday night thing. We started watching another movie (Garrison came too) but we couldn't get into it, so we turned on Juno. A few of my favorite lines from this show are...

"This is one doodle that can't be undid, home skillet."
"Honest to Blog!"
"Pork swords."
"Bleeker is really great..... in.. chair."
"You can never have too many of your one calorie breath mints."
"This is the most magnificent discarded living room set I have ever seen."
"I'm gonna punch that Bleeker kid in the wiener next time I see him."
"Your Ego is Prego."
"All babies want to get borned!"
Anyway, there are many other funny things, but what it all boils down to is this... I totally love this show.


K, onto more things consuming me.... Brett's Birthday. I am a sucky wife and I didn't post one single thing about him or his Birthday. I don't know what happens to him on his birthday, but he totally acts like a 12 year old girl. He doesn't want a big deal made of his Birthday, but then he pouts if nobody makes a big deal of his Birthday. Sweet little Shae made this cake for him though, and he loved it. Thank goodness for Shae, because Heaven knows, I couldn't do anything right on that day. (bless his heart, bless his heart, bless his heart!) We actually had a couple of nice dinners and he got money and an Ipod, which is what he asked for. So I think it turned out to be a nice day for him. He turned 28 on April 28th. Happy Birthday Bretty!

Onto more things... I am having a ModBe party on May 15th. So tell all of your friends. I am sending out invites, e-vites and I am shouting it out to the world on my blog, so if you are reading this, consider yourself invited, and your presence is mandatory! This is great stuff, by the way. They have the under shirts we all love, like layers, but they are SO much better than layers. They also have AWESOME swimwear. It is very modest, and cover-ey. Nothing hangs out, and everything is hidden well. It is a great cure for "back fat" and it hides "R.T." well. It is very slimming and they have CUTE styles to chose from. Kandice is selling this great stuff and she has a website. I also have some catalogs at my house. But the greatest part of all... She actually has the swim wear (and other stuff too) that you can try on. My house will become the hangout for all of the peeping toms in town, because we don't believe in curtains. NOT!!! That is just a dumb joke. A bad joke actually.... But here is a picture of the suit I ordered form the party Kandice had at her house last weekend. Remember how I told you that this stuff is slimming... well the lady that posed for this picture is actually a size 20/22. Amazing huh. Just kidding again, another bad joke.

So I have also been consumed with Soccer. Not just Quayd playing, but I volunteered to paint the stripes on the soccer field once a week. I am not very good at it and my lines aren't very straight, but I kind of enjoy it.

The thoughts of my boyfriend in his latest movie have REALLY been consuming me. I knew he really wanted me to see him this weekend, so I had to make time for him. He is SO DEMANDING that way. But that's OK. I still love him. (he he he) Made of Honor was super cute, by the way. I loved it. I was insistent on going Friday. I couldn't miss it, even if I had to go alone. Thank goodness Tara called, so I didn't have to go alone, but we also met up with Jamie, Brandi, and Annette.

Well, I guess I will call it an "entry." Megan told me the other day that my blog posts have been pretty wordy lately, so I better stop. I don't want to lose my fans!

the one about my fun afternoon/evening and getting the crap scared out of me

I had such a FUN day and evening! But it ended with a terrible scare and a near BM in my pants.

I have to tell you all about it. Besides, I feel like I need to break up the "birth story" thing. It is getting a little depressing! And obviously you know the outcome because here I am and I have a great kid to show for it! Anyway, onto my afternoon/evening...

So I came home from work and I just wanted to relax. I put on some ugly cut off sweats and left my lunch lady scrub top on. My hair, for some reason, had totally fallen flat today, so I was just uglier than a big wet dog. And I didn't really care! I called Janice to see how the big marathon went and I got a update from her. It was nice to visit with her for a second so she could tell me all about her Boston experience. They were flying home and they had a layover in Cincinnati so we only got to chat for a second. But still nice!

So I worked on my blog, worked on a digi-scrappin' project that Kandice needed some help with. (Looks great, btw, K). As I was finishing up with that, Jamie gave me such a pleasant surprise by stopping by to visit. She had some time to kill so we just sat on my couch and laughed about our crazy boss at work, Emily. We LOVE to tease her and it is so easy to get her. I have pulled two GOOD pranks on her in the last couple of days, and I am getting nervous thinking about the possible repercussions. Anyway, it was fun visiting with Jamie. (And even funner to watch her try to start her scooter in my driveway!)

Then Quayd and I ran over to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Lane. Brett met up with us there. They are doing some remodeling and we looked through books of doors to try to help Grandma choose one.

As we were driving home, we stopped at Quayd's friends house, Randon. He stayed there and played with Randon and their other buddy Peyton. As soon as I got home, Gibler called me and asked me to meet her at Maurice's to pick out some pants. She was worried that the girls that work there were just trying to make a sale and not being honest if her butt looked big. (Gag me!) So we stayed there awhile and tried on tons of clothes. We both left with a treasure! (wink, wink)

Then I came home and my sweet husband had made dinner. Kraft macaroni and cheese. I was off playing so he had to fend for himself. Sorry babe! Quayd came home and immediately went over to Brennen's. He is suddenly Mr. Social and doesn't think he needs to hang out with mom and dad.

Kimmie stopped by again and she asked me to go with her to run a few errands. And get a Diet Pepsi. (That was the most important errand!) We also had to go into the grocery store to get some Gatorade for Kayle. We were both a site, by the way. We were pretty embarrassed to even go into a store. Well our checker-boy was this high school looking kid. He was cute and just trying to be nice and do his job. So he says to us, "You just getting off work?" We just looked at him, then each other and giggled. Kim politely said, "Yep. Just gettin' off work." We got outside and cracked up. We were like, "What in the heck did that mean?" It was so weird. I know he was just trying to make conversation, but what a weird thing to say to two homely women in a grocery store buying Gatorade at 9:00 pm on a Tuesday. Yah. That is the only weird thing about that trip!

When I came home, Shae (my new BF) was here helping Brett do Ipod stuff. (These pictures were actually taken last night when she was here helping Brett with Ipod stuff. She is a genius, by the way! We had gone swimming with Shae and Amelia for Family Home Evening and Shae really wanted me to stress that. She didn't want anyone to judge her appearance from these pictures. I thought it was a good idea since I have so many teenage boys checking out my blog in search of a date! Goofy girl!) She was stumped with a silly questions so she called her big brother Garrison to come and help. In the mean time, Shae and I decided to run to the movie theater for popcorn. (This story is about to get really scary...... be prepared.......) I told Shae to tell Garrison that we would stop by and pick him up, but unbeknownst to me, he had already walked down. Shae and I are just chatting away and get in my car. Thanks to road construction, our driveway is a mess and very narrow, so I back in to my brother's driveway and turn around when I am leaving, then I can see where I am going better. First of all, as I flipped my car around, there stood Garrison, looking all creepy-like and I almost ran him over. Like, he wasn't scared for nearly losing his life by my careless driving, he wasn't waving, moving or even smiling. Just standing there. Well it freaked me out and I let out the most horrifying scream. It was so awful! Well we laughed and laughed about it, then Tara came down. we were telling her all about it and we decided to do a re-enactment so I could share it on my blog. Honestly, the pictures are pretty accurate!! Serious!

K, so wouldn't this scare you if you saw it in the dark after you nearly ran it over?

This was my reaction...

All of that, for this. Yummmmmmmyyyy. It was worth the scare!

Isn't that crazy? I was so scared. I don't know why. Garrison is harmless. But after we all had a big laugh, he ever-so-calmly said, "Maybe you should look behind you better when you are backing up." Oh. Yah. I guess I should. His dad is a Drivers Ed instructor, after all.

Crazy. Anyway, I had such a fun afternoon/evening. It was so nice to visit and hang with some of my awesome friends and family. Thanks to all of you for making my day so fun.