Congratulating Myself

I have just finished wading through PAGES and PAGES of emails and have finally lowered the 'inbox' to just 2 pages! YAY!

So I'm now celebrating by posting a couple more pictures from that hair-cuttin' day. Oh, and one that Daddy sent me over a month ago that I never posted. It shows Harris Anne posing with a domino house she was VERY proud to have made.

ClubMom

$500 a month to blog. Hmm. Don't know if I'd be interesting enough (probably not) but that SURE WOULD BE COOL!

HEY to all you other Mommy bloggers out there. You should check this out, too!

Please Don't Report Me

What I have done is almost criminal.

I can't believe I let Donnie and the kids talk me into this. David wanted his hair short and I agreed it would be an OK idea since he'll be in a baseball helmet and cap so much the coming months. His long hair would have been a mess throughout ball season.

But what excuse do I have for doing this to Hudson? PEER PRESSURE! Ugh. I hope it grows back fast!

I miss that silky long hair already. Sniff.






And while I'm sharing photos, I might as well show y'all these cute ones.

First, Hudson encourages and cheers for David while he plays Nintendo. Then he consoles him after a loss.

As my Daddy said,

"Big Dog lives on!"

Mom & Dad lost their dalmation to an intestinal problem a few months back. It was right before their move to their new home.

This is a memorial Mom painted for their front porch. I think it looks really nice. Mom used a photo to make the markings as much like Biggon's as possible.

Still Careful When I Get Out Of Bed

Lucy used to sleep by my side of the bed. I always had to be careful not to step on her when I got up.

Shayne said she dreamed Lucy walked into her room.

This weekend was very tiring.

Saturday we buried Lucy at Donna & Nathan's place. She's got a beautiful spot under a canopy of pines. We drove up to P'ville in a hurry after ball practices and barely had enough time to have Lucy's "service" before sunset.

Thanks again, D for letting us have this special spot for her. It really means so much.

In Memory Of Lucy

I know I'm not the only blogger who has a weird sense of urgency in posting important matters.

Less than 1 hour ago, our dear Lucy passed away in my arms. We sat together in the grass near the trampoline.

We knew the day was getting nearer. She hasn't eaten or peed/pooped much in the last few days. When I woke up this morning, she was down in the yard but when we were leaving the house, she was back up on the porch and sleeping by the back door.

I'm so glad I was with her and holding her and comforting her. She definitely knew I was taking care of her.

She's one awesome girl. We will miss her immensely.

Lucy
February 3, 1993 - March 10, 2006

Hope Program

Remember I told y'all some good things were happening regarding glyconutrients?? Well, here's a snippet of one of those good things. This is a recent blog entry from the Mayfield family. I am their "MannaRelief Champion" and helping to provide glyconutrients through the MannaRelief Ministry. Hannah was in a very serious car accident 1 year ago and sufferred traumatic brain injury. She has been through numerous surgeries and rehab. She's home with her family now and after getting started on glyconutrients a couple of months ago, is finally making advances in healing that they were not seeing before. Many prayers are being answered here!

Hannah laughed at I Love Lucy's vitameatavegamin commercial on Monday. She also responded again to Dr. Law yesterday by moving her pinky when he asked her to. She is smiling more and making more sounds in response to questions. We think she is reading things we put in front of her like "Wiggle your pinky." "Make a Sound." "Move your arms." because she will do what it says most of the time. We have just started doing this, so we will get a better idea as we go.

Kent and Debbie are encouraged by Hannah's responses lately and have been a great help, as have all of our therapists and friends.

If you would like to donate money for Hannah's continued use of glyconutrients, you can donate (tax-deductible!!) at www.MannaRelief.org by clicking on the HOPE PROGRAM. Make sure you designate the monies to Hannah Mayfield Hope #5596.

THANK YOU!

(I hope to have permission to share the story of MB who is a 50-year-old lady battling a very serious stage of cancer. Within 24 hours of glyconutrients, her quality of life has increased dramatically. I REALLY want to go into more details right now but I don't want to invade privacy issues. I will be speaking with her and asking to share her story because it is AMAZING AND ENCOURAGING!)

Willena Thanks Ian...

and I thank Willena!

I really don't need to stumble across things like this today.

The Red Block

I lasted 39.87 seconds on my first try.

How many seconds did the rest of you last on your first try?

Feeling Guilty

I forgot something I was supposed to do at church tonight. Oops.

Skipping church. Not a good idea.

In the meantime, enjoy this picture of Donna's boy :) He looks SO MUCH like Harris
Anne at this age. Bizarre!

Signs, Signs, Everywhere A Sign

We've been driving by this one little old church for years and Donnie and I always roll our eyes or laugh at the sayings posted on the sign by the road. They rarely have anything to do with being a follower of Christ and even when Jesus is mentioned in the saying, it's often not scripturally correct.

Donnie called me on my cell yesterday to tell me the latest one.

A chrysanthemum by any other name
Would be easier to spell.

Sigh...

OK. American Idol. VERY MUCH looking forward to tonight. Have to say that I was kinda disappointed in the ladies last night. Kinda boring. I REALLY HOPE Katharine got some votes. She truly wasn't outstanding and with her song being first, I'm afraid she might not have picked up any new voting fans. I missed Mandisa because of a phone call but Donnie said she did well.

And I'm very disappointed in America's voting audience since Stacy Keibler placed 3rd in Dancing With The Stars! What a ripoff! (not to mention the other voting farces earlier in the season.)

Very excited about some glyconutrient stuff going on. Good things happening my friends...good things. Heading to Birmingham for a glyconutrient presentation at a Catholic church there on Saturday. If anyone wants to meet me there (or meet up for dinner earlier) LET ME KNOW! The presentation is at 7 so I'm thinking dinner around 5. Someone suggested a Mexican restaurant nearby and that's sounding good to me.)

We skipped church tonight to work on homework and because the church supper wasn't all that appealing tonight. Therefore, I'm off to toss together a dinner.

OOH, off-topic question before I close.

When you are dreaming, do you ever talk to yourself reminding yourself that "this is a dream" or can you manipulate your dreams to get the results you want? I'm asking because my parents found it very odd that I told them I woke up during a dream one Saturday morning but went back to sleep so I could finish it before getting up. It would have put me in a funk if I hadn't finished it.

Anyone else understand what I'm talking about?

Taylor Hicks - Good News :)

A guy on Tider Insider had this to say...

"Taylor isn't a barner. Sat with me at the USM game and cheered the Tide on all game (at least until he had to leave to go set up at the Booth). I think he did a semester at Union College or whatever it's called (Auburn's version of Shelton) when he lived down there with a bunch of guys from Hoover, but he's no Auburn fan."

My Problem

I'm sitting here blogging when I have WAY too many other things to do. In fact, I'm talking with Donnie about how he could help me tomorrow because I have SO many things to get done in the morning. So WHY AM I BLOGGING?

Because I am avoiding the important stuff. There is just so much that I would rather sit here and write instead of face that reality.

So, let's talk about American Idol. I'm pretty happy about it. A little surprised at the way it turned out (thought Becky would make it one more week) but I didn't lose any of my faves.

OK, I REALLY AM wasting time here. Why don't I jot down my to-do list for tomorrow since that actually would be a productive thing to do.

Does everyone else make as many lists as I do? I make these EVERY NIGHT!

And yes, some of the 'to-dos' are obvious things that I wouldn't forget but having them on the list helps me know that I will get at least SOME of my list crossed off.

--Wake up early
--Shower
--Make David's lunch
--Pack bags (don't forget cell phone charger, Aunt C's phone number, camera)
--Call A early in day
--Place last minute orders for BP (call W)
--Put bday gifts in car (wrap bday gifts)
--Put girls' bags in car

That doesn't seem like everything. Maybe it's because I have so many other things to do that can't make it on my list for tomorrow. Things like:
--Kids' Carousel (take-in starts this weekend and I'm not even CLOSE to ready and will be out of town so won't be able to work on it until Saturday evening)
--Roger C has requested his website be updated
--I have a meeting with a doctor on Monday about a patient with cancer who wants to use glyconutrients instead of chemo/radiation. I've been asked to consult (yikes! very serious situation that I am taking very seriously. Much information to gather...MUCH praying for wisdom)

All these things looming in my head make my to-do list feel incomplete. I just have no way of doing them by tomorrow so they will have to wait until I get home Saturday evening.

Tomorrow after B's birthday party, Shayne and I will be going to a Manna training weekend in Dothan. We'll be staying with Aunt C, so that will be very nice.

Gotta go now. Seriously, enough is enough.

LORD, make me mindful...
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Galatians 6:9 NLT

American Idol Is So Much Fun!

We thoroughly enjoyed tonight's show, probably even more so than last night. Not sure what the difference was except that maybe the guys were just having more fun. The girls (as a whole) seemed a little more tense and stuffy or something.

I picked 6 guys for which I will be rooting:
Will - SO cute
Chris - He should have done the INXS competition but I'll support him on AI.
Kevin - He won't make it all the way but I'm going to pull for him to go into the top 6.
Elliott - So happy for this guy. I REALLY love his voice.
Ace - again, Hubba Hubba. LOVED his song tonight. Excellent.
Taylor - REALLY impressed. I'm proud of him for toning down the Stevie Wonder/Joe Cocker dance routine. I think that will annoy people if it's done too much. I was already getting a little annoyed with it since he did it during conversations. But after tonight's "Levon" I have decided that I REALLY like him. He's got the coolest voice. I'm very excited that AL will have another STAR and not an embarrassment. I just wish he wasn't an Awb :)

American Idol Female Top 5 Picks

I don't think it was too difficult to draw the dividing line tonight. There were just a few who SHINED! I think everyone will agree that these were the best 5, without a doubt.

Wouldn't it be more fun to vote for a castoff, like in Survivor?

The best, by far are:
Mandisa - Rocked the house!
Ayla
Paris - So glad that weave is only on the website! Her hair was REALLY cute tonight.
Lisa
Katharine - We can't help but calling her "Nanny." Anyone else doing that? :)

Are My Issues THAT Obvious?

Here's two of the M A N Y signs the children posted around the house for my birthday yesterday. Makes me think I might not be doing a very good job in the "prevent the children from knowing my own self-esteem issues"....although I might be doing an OK job in the "how to encourage someone" department.

Sign one (direct quotes):
Oh, Hi Mom. I just wanted to tell you HAPPY Birthday! It's the best one! Because you'll be 20!!!!!!! With Wots and Wots of Wove! That's BABY talk! With Lots and Lots of LOVE! Love ya! Harris

Sign two:
I know how old you are going to be. You'll be 13. You look 13 because you are SO SKINNY! Jesus loves you VERY MUCH and I love you and NOTHING can stop me!! I love you! H.A.W.

"Down By The Creek Bank"

"By the ol' hollo' log."
The song "Puzzles" featured the singing talents of Harris Anne and the dramatic narrating talents of Shayne.

Lisa Was Robbed!

I cried.

I think even Jerry cried.

I actually voted for the first time this week because tonight's scene was exactly what I wanted to avoid.

Poor Lisa.

What happened? Are the intelligent Americans who are watching this show (assuming there ARE some!) just not wasting their time with votes? Or is it that Jerry (and Master Peeps or whatever his name was) have a huge amount of supporters out there voting for them regardless of their lack of talent.

Don't get me wrong, Jerry has worked his tail off. But anyone with half a brain can tell that he does not deserve to be in the semis.

Anyone else even watch this show?

Business Week Publishes Homeschool Article

Interesting that BW picked up on this trend and recognized the number of educated, even "affluent" people who are choosing this route.

Maybe they will do a future, "Welcome To My Birthplace: My Home" article soon :)

Meet My Teachers: Mom and Dad

American Idol Contestants

I'd be tickled to see this local feller win but I don't know if he's got the American Idol stamina. It will be fun watching and pulling for him, though!


I think God has big plans for her.





Would like to see him go far but I don't think he'll make it too far past the top 10 (but would be happy if I'm wrong.)



Stunningly Beautiful.





Would love to see her get voted out before anyone else, but I bet I have to put up with her 'tude for a while.



Hubba Hubba Gorgeous.





Isn't everyone hoping she rocks the house?




I don't think I like the weave but I think she has a GREAT chance to win (down from my original prediction that she had it in the bag.)

She's Got Style

"Momma, do we have anywhere to go today?"

"No, we're home for the rest of the day."

"Good!"

Off she runs to take off her school uniform.

And this is what she chooses to wear around the house.

I just love her sense of style!


Red tee by Old Navy, Flower Power Flare Pants by Children's Place, Pink Workout Pants by Hand-Me-Down.

Not David's Namesake

The Germans really love him, eh?

He must have a great sense of humor and he MUST be making money from this kind of stuff. Why else would he do it?

Jumping Over The Hurdles

I just told Donnie, "if I don't post tonight, it will be old news by tomorrow."

So, I'm just jumping over one of the biggest hurdles I have. It's late.

But we had such a great day that I really want to share it here. I also have some cute photos from last weekend that I need to get up here.

Today was just a great day.

First, took my Daddy with me to get a HUGE 3x6 mirror from a Freecycle offer. It's going to be perfect behind Granny's two green chairs. In her (and PaPaul's) home, she had a mirror of similar size directly behind these chairs. It's going to be cool having a similar arrangement in my home.

I also enjoyed the ride to and from the pickup with my Daddy :)

The kids have been quite entertaining lately. Not only is Hudson REALLY REALLY into being Buzz Lightyear and/or Superman (the red cape has been daily attire this week -- even if he's wearing his Buzz shirt. I dread not letting him wear it to church tomorrow) we also have the 3 big kids really into making up and performing plays. Shayne is the writer, director, and star while Harris Anne and David love being the whatever role Shayne writes for them. The play today was called "Knights In The Night." I didn't quite follow the entire plot but it had something to do with helping a poor person quit stinking! That is SO un-PC. I really don't know where they get it from!

The most impressive and hilarious thing about today's performance was the background music. Shayne would exit from a scene so that she could go to the CD player and push play. She selected AWESOME choices that went perfectly with the scene. Mostly it was horse-riding music and H.A. and David would gallop around the room until the music faded out. Donnie and I thought it was pretty smart.

When the curtain fell, we loaded up for a ride to Prattville. We bribed the kids into being on perfect behavior during lunch so that we could take them to a surprise location. They huddled in the parking lot and did their famous, "1, 2, 3...SUPER WALKER KIDS!" cheer before entering Wendy's restaurant for some Value Menu Crispy Chicken Nuggets.

I had talked Donnie into driving over to P for some mini golf and go carts. We hadn't visited EF in years and had a few coupons that were getting close to expiring. We were able to get a really great price and had a wonderful time. The weather was gorgeous and the young'uns thoroughly enjoyed the friendly competition. And of course, go carts are always a blast.

Lastly, we picked up a few groceries on the way home and enjoyed an AFV episode while eating "Survivor Nachos" that Shayne had cooked for us (she did everything but drain the meat -- it's ground turkey, salsa, black beans, mexicorn, chili pepper, cayenne, paprika -- YUM YUM!)

When the kids were in bed, I worked on uploading a few pictures from the camera then played a game of Scene It and Phase 10 with Donnie while eating a bowl of ice cream.

It was the loveliest of days.

Hope yours was good, too!

Shayne watching Miss America contestant, Miss Alabama, last weekend. While Harris Anne says she'd like to be in a pageant some day, Shayne shows us how little she desires that froo froo stuff.

One spoiled-rotten baby brother.

Good Advice...

(but I still want an iPod)

Found this when blog-surfing led me to Joe's.

DON'T waste money on expensive iPods. Simply think of your favorite tune and hum it. If you want to "switch tracks", simply think of another song you like and hum that instead.

Almost Felt Like A Teacher

I had a first-time experience tonight. Weird one, too.

We were at C, the local deli, when a waitress asked me, "Were you a student teacher for Mrs. J?"

As soon as she said, "student teacher" I knew EXACTLY who she was...well, except for her name, which really frustrated me.

She was one of my favorite students when I was interning in a 3rd grade class. Her Mom was the room mother and they lived a few blocks away from my grandparents. They were one of my favorite families!

We chatted for a few minutes and I told her that I still had the Christmas ornament she gave me and that it still hung on my tree every year.

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this experience, I'm not sad that I'm likely not to ever experience one like it again. I am SO glad God didn't call me into full-time school teaching! THANK YOU, LORD :) I'll leave that job to gals like Jen, who is awesome at it!

I woulda stunk.

Friend's Daughter on American Idol

My friend Greg (Skye's brother-in-law) has a daughter who made it to Hollywood from the NC auditions. Here's a link to her picture.

Eden

Time to go watch tonight's episode.

Boy how I wish I had Tivo!! Our VCR makes some pretty crummy footage these days.

My Prediction

Paris will be the next American Idol.

Party Planning

Was doing a little research today. Some birthday party ideas have been floating around in my head and I'm thinking it might be good to get started on some plans.

One idea for Hudson - Buzz Lightyear theme...

Look where the search led me. I found this site by searching "rocket cakes."

This is my favorite! I'm thinking I might attempt it with a few alterations...

Those are doughnuts on a plunger! How easy is that!? I LOVE IT!

My Biggest Hindrances

I have this problem all the time: What to blog?

Even though time restraints are a big factor in why I don't update daily, the biggest hindrance is my inability to focus on one topic. Every day brings numerous possibilities and my little mind can't settle on just one. I don't know if I should stick with my past routine of cute pictures and daily play-by-play or if I should dig deeper and talk about issues with deeper relevance. In my old "Elephants and Kangaroos" days (would link but the site is gone...ugh) I would tackle deeper issues of my thoughts and feelings and would most often close with scripture. These days, I don't know whether or not to share my views of the latest headline news or share the comments heard during the pre-bedtime Uno game. Should I be a resource linking readers to interesting sites I have looked at throughout the day or should I get back to scripture and document some of the serious life issues I am discussing with my daughters?

I started making a list of possible topics yesterday. I have no idea if any of these will ever make it to post:

*Hudson moving from our bed to his bed and weaning.

*Threats of terror and hostage situations.

*Our friend Ronnie D who is sharing ideas about his funeral as he continues to work as a cop in Baghdad.

*Pillar of EHBC and SS teacher who died unexpectedly. If we were still there, she probably would have been the Hudman's teacher. She leaves her husband of 54 years.

*The kids and their TV restriction (guidelines and mercies.)

*Lucy's transition to being an outside dog.

*My motion sickness at the IMAX theater.

*Miss America.

Parts of me wish I had a completely anonymous blog while other parts of me think that I'd never have any consistent readers if only strangers were stumbling across my stuff. I think the only reason I have any readers now is because there are a few who are curious to see my kids and what we've been doing.

Well, I guess I should just continue with this mediocre blog until I'm inspired to do something bigger and better.

Thanks for supporting my mediocrity :)

Day 4 - Epcot

LOVED THIS DAY! We parked in a front parking space, right next to the handicapped parking! We were at the beginning of the line and ready to go! We started asking for help with our map while standing at the ropes (because I was TOTALLY out of my bearings and the map is not even close to being to-scale.) As soon as the ropes fell, we joined several other very excited tourists as we were escorted by cast members to Test Track "We" actually did not include Donna because she volunteered to get the FPs for Soarin. She had said this was not her favorite ride and was easily skippable by her standards. Therefore, we assumed it would be a one-time deal for us, too. W-R-O-N-G-O! We loved it! We had to tweak our plans to add in a few more trips around the track because it was sooo fun! We also learned the BEAUTY of the "single rider" lane. We noticed it when Donnie was serving as volunteer stroller/baby-sitter. Instead of sending him back up with a Parent Swap (and a couple of kids) we decided to hurry him through by sending him to the single rider line. WAAAAAAAAAAY faster than even the FP/PS deal. Amazing. I don't know why more people didn't take advantage of it. ESPECIALLY teenagers... There is zero wait there.

After TT, we had a little time before Soarin so we went to The Living Seas attraction. Really neat. Of course there was the GIGANTIC aquarium where we saw stingrays and sharks (couldn't find the dolphins and were told they sometimes would hide when it wasn't show time. Hmm.) But the really cool thing was something I didn't really expect to be all that great. The Turtle Talk With Crush was a showcase of AMAZING interactive technology. I was pretty impressed. And I'm SO thankful we followed TGM's advice for this show (see the 1st or 2nd show only) because as cool as it was, I would NOT want to wait an hour or more to see it.

Next we made our way over (after my almost leading everyone astray. It took me a LONG time to get my bearings of this huge place) to Soarin. I want to link it again because it was TRULY astonishing. I was a little nervous about it because it's a virtual reality ride. I have a history of being car-sick with some VR rides but NOT with this one. It was breathtaking. I swear it felt like flying over California in a hang-glider. The real thing could not have been too different. And the technology is so advanced that motion-sickness wasn't even close to being an issue. We rode it numerous times.

AND we found a Hidden Mickey there!

After these thrillers we started the first half of our "World Showcase" tour. First stop. Norway. Nice little viking ride there that actually DID catch us off guard for a second. Next was the extremely...uh...GENTLE (yes, that's a polite word) boat ride in Mexico. Our lunch also came from Meh-hee-ko and it was yummmmmm yum. At the table I was able to layout our schedule for the rest of the afternoon. We would be hopping from one country to another but if we followed the Times Guide just right, we'd be able to see everything we wanted.

However, that was IF everything ran on schedule. Unfortunately, it did not. The comedy troupe in England was very funny (kids were spellbound) but very late. I wasn't sure how to arrange around this hiccup because we really wanted to see it and thought we could just skip an act or two and get back on schedule. Well...the juggler from Italy decided to take the day off but didn't realize it until he never showed up. We had asked two separate cast members where he would perform and they didn't say, "He's not here today." Oh well.

In an effort to regain scheduling plans, we walked over to the United States. There we were able to be involved in a very patriotic moment, including saying the Pledge of Allegiance with our children leading the way. Very cool.

The U.S. also has an American Showcase show that I found very moving and uplifting. It was very patriotic and educational and not at all boring. I don't think everyone in the party found it as entertaining as me (and Shayne) though.

We ended up having to scrap all other World Showcase performances for time constraints. I was a little bummed by that and wished we had scheduled an extra day here. Live and learn.

Another really neat highlight to our day was Shayne being chosen as a volunteer for the Kodak (ultra-commercial) scientist of the year award. This was in the Imagination attraction. Isn't she adorable?

We had dinner reservations at the Garden Grill as part of our Candlelight Processional Reservations Package. This experience was one of the biggest highlights of our entire trip! We ate at this ultra-cool restaurant that revolves through The Land. Therefore our scenery was great.

And the food...ohmy...

We ate and we ate and we ate and we ate. The restaurant doesn't take your orders, they just bring the menu to your table and serve you 'family style.' That means they bring MOUNDS of food and you serve yourself. We had steak, turkey (YUM), catfish, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, and corn. The kids had chicken fingers and macaroni-n-cheese. And if the bottomless platters weren't enough, they loaded us up with desserts richer than your wildest imaginations. The kids were able to decorate their own cupcakes (and with the cutest little Mickey sprinkles!) We needed a wheelbarrow to get us out of there!

And that's only PART of our enjoyment. This restaurant was more than just good food. It was a spectacular meeting place for Characters. Chip and Dale and Mickey and Pluto walked from table to table and spent a lonnnng time with each family posing for pictures and hugging the kids. It was priceless. We give uber thumbs up to Pluto. He spent a LOT of time with us.

After dinner, we took a leisurely walk back towards the World Showcase for our Candlelight Processional. We needed the walk for sure!

The Candlelight Processional is the only Disney event I know about (and I'll be the first to admit I don't know everything) that has an openly Christian theme. Church choirs from around the country are invited to perform during this program and all of the music was deeply spiritual and religious (save a Frosty the Snowman or similar during the orchestra's pre-show concert.) Disney's upper crust singers are in this program, too (supposedly the Liberty Singers are the most sought-after positions in the entire resort) and BOY CAN THEY SING! The music was just incredibly powerful and inspirational. And to top THAT off, Steven Curtis-Chapman read the bible story to us, STRAIGHT FROM THE BIBLE! It was really awesome. A must-see.

Lastly, we did some scrambling from the World Showcase back to Test Track for one more ride and then a mad dash back to China where we met up with Donna and Nathan for Epcot's famous fireworks and laser show. It was impressive but I do have to question why Epcot loves their TV globe so much. I didn't think it was all that great. I guess Sylvania is paying for the advertisement or something.

The worst part of the day came at the end. The traffic. Ohmygosh...

The park closes at 9. We took TGM's advice to hang back and not get in the mad dash for the door. I don't know if that was the best plan or not. With our front parking spot, being the last out of the park LITERALLY MEANT BEING LAST OUT OF THE PARK! By the time we were in our van (maybe at 9:30??) we realized we had made a huge mistake. How the heck to get out of that park?

We got desperate after seeing ZERO MOVEMENT for 30 minutes and made a mad dash for a non-exit. We got yelled at by a cast member but avoided him (and thankfully, a police chase) and melted into the bumper-to-bumper. It was after 11 when we got back to the condo (a drive that should have taken no more than 10 minutes!)

The kids were zonked in the car, of course. We had to lug them upstairs one at a time. David was the first one in. He didn't even make it to the bedroom.

Only 2 more days of our trip. Hope you're not bored to tears yet! To be continued...