When I saw the first preview, I believe my thoughts ran along these lines: "What the crap? What a stupid concept for a movie! Have they seriously become THAT desperate for movie topics that they've just started mashing up random genres by drawing them out of a hat?" You know, something like that. Let's just say that "Cowboys and Aliens" was NOT on my list of "must see" Summer films.
As I've watched the previews for this movie over the last few months, I've grown increasingly curious, but still not really all that interested. However, when Ty suggested tonight that we find a babysitter for the kids and go see "Cowboys and Aliens", I jumped at the chance. I didn't object to the idea of seeing that particular movie and come on, one-on-one date nights for Ty and me are few and far between these days.
So we called my mom, who graciously agreed to watch the kids for a couple of hours. I sat down in my seat at the theater with few expectations for this film.
I find that that is the key to enjoying most movies: Don't go in with any expectations whatsoever, good or bad. Just sit in your seat with an open mind, and let yourself be entertained. (Admittedly, there are still going to be some movies that just suck, no matter how open minded you try to be. So take this piece of advice with a grain of salt.)
Anyway...as I watched this movie with my mind wide open and my mouth full of Raisinets, I found myself enjoying it. The plot was interesting, the acting was excellent, and there was enough action to keep the story moving but not so much that I was completely freaked out by it. It was a very good movie.
Overall, I'd say "Cowboys and Aliens" is definitey worth seeing at least once. Ty and I have no plans to rush out and buy the Blu-Ray when it becomes available, but it was enjoyable and entertaining. And, just for the record, I think the ending easily lends itself to being a decent set up for a sequel, so keep your eyes and ears open for "Cowboys and Aliens 2"!
I won't describe the details of the movie to you, for fear of spoilers. However, I will say this for those of you that are curious: Think "Independence Day" with horses and cowboy hats.
And there you have it. If you're looking for an entertaining movie to go and see this week, "Cowboys and Aliens" is a pretty darn good choice.
Happy Friday! :)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
A Mystical Fairytale for You...
Once upon a time, a little family went to a campground for 4 days. It was filled with trees, ninja mosquitos, unstable gravel walkways, rattlesnakes, and mud puddles. After this 4 day period, the 6 year old son and his family went home with nothing worse than a sunburn and a few scrapes on his knees and hands. Very normal for a 6 year old boy.
Then, after driving all night and arriving home at 3 AM, this family slept in a bit. The mother woke up at around 10:30 and went downstairs to a strange sight.
She noticed a partial roll of toilet paper on the kitchen counter that was spotted with blood. Next to that roll of toilet paper was a box of band-aids. She looked up from this odd sight to see the boy's Epi-Pen partially protruding from its protective case. She tried to push it back inside the case and close it up, but it wouldn't budge. She pulled out the Epi-Pen and inspected it, and then she noticed why it couldn't fit back into its case. It had been deployed.
She felt a little chill settle into the pit of her stomach as she started putting the puzzle pieces together: Bloody toilet paper, band-aids, and a clearly deployed Epi-Pen.
She called her son upstairs from the TV room and asked him the obvious question: "CT, did you mess with your Epi-Pen this morning?"
He looked up at her and said: "No."
She then confronted him full-on: "CT, I found a roll of toilet paper with blood on it, a box of band-aids and this [holding up the Epi-Pen] has obviously been set off. What happened?"
CT knew he was caught, and admitted: "Well, the needle sort of went through my nail."
The mother looked at his hand, and sure enough, the Epi-Pen's needle had gone all the way through his thumb and even partially through his forefinger.
Yes, CT had apparently woken up that morning, gotten himself breakfast, gotten a hold of his Epi-Pen, took out the safety peg at the end, placed his hand too near the needle end, and hit the kitchen counter with it, activating the spring-loaded needle and sending it through two of his fingers. Then, instead of coming to his parents for help, he had tried to cover the whole thing up. He mopped up his own blood, wrapped his wounds in band-aids, and tried to put the Epi-Pen back into its case. He even replaced it on the microwave where it had been before the whole incident took place. The mother, though appalled by his attempts at deception, couldn't help but be at least a little impressed by his survivial instincts.
I mean think about it: A six year old boy hadn't screamed or cried at all when a huge needle went all the way through his thumb and finger. He had simply pulled out the needle and patched himself up as best he could.
Either way, the mother consulted the boy's father about what had happened, and they agreed that he should be taken to the Instacare to make sure everything was OK. The doctor assured the mother that CT would be fine. She could then relax a little, and give CT a proper chewing out for that morning's events. She can only hope that he has learned an important lesson and WILL NOT be messing with his Epi-Pen again.
The End
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Personally I just can't figure out how that kid made it through four whole days of running around a campground without any major injuries and then, within 7 hours of being home he puts a massive needle all the way through his thumb! Seriously, what the crap?!?!?
Then, after driving all night and arriving home at 3 AM, this family slept in a bit. The mother woke up at around 10:30 and went downstairs to a strange sight.
She noticed a partial roll of toilet paper on the kitchen counter that was spotted with blood. Next to that roll of toilet paper was a box of band-aids. She looked up from this odd sight to see the boy's Epi-Pen partially protruding from its protective case. She tried to push it back inside the case and close it up, but it wouldn't budge. She pulled out the Epi-Pen and inspected it, and then she noticed why it couldn't fit back into its case. It had been deployed.
She felt a little chill settle into the pit of her stomach as she started putting the puzzle pieces together: Bloody toilet paper, band-aids, and a clearly deployed Epi-Pen.
She called her son upstairs from the TV room and asked him the obvious question: "CT, did you mess with your Epi-Pen this morning?"
He looked up at her and said: "No."
She then confronted him full-on: "CT, I found a roll of toilet paper with blood on it, a box of band-aids and this [holding up the Epi-Pen] has obviously been set off. What happened?"
CT knew he was caught, and admitted: "Well, the needle sort of went through my nail."
The mother looked at his hand, and sure enough, the Epi-Pen's needle had gone all the way through his thumb and even partially through his forefinger.
Yes, CT had apparently woken up that morning, gotten himself breakfast, gotten a hold of his Epi-Pen, took out the safety peg at the end, placed his hand too near the needle end, and hit the kitchen counter with it, activating the spring-loaded needle and sending it through two of his fingers. Then, instead of coming to his parents for help, he had tried to cover the whole thing up. He mopped up his own blood, wrapped his wounds in band-aids, and tried to put the Epi-Pen back into its case. He even replaced it on the microwave where it had been before the whole incident took place. The mother, though appalled by his attempts at deception, couldn't help but be at least a little impressed by his survivial instincts.
I mean think about it: A six year old boy hadn't screamed or cried at all when a huge needle went all the way through his thumb and finger. He had simply pulled out the needle and patched himself up as best he could.
Either way, the mother consulted the boy's father about what had happened, and they agreed that he should be taken to the Instacare to make sure everything was OK. The doctor assured the mother that CT would be fine. She could then relax a little, and give CT a proper chewing out for that morning's events. She can only hope that he has learned an important lesson and WILL NOT be messing with his Epi-Pen again.
The End
--------------------------------------------------------
Personally I just can't figure out how that kid made it through four whole days of running around a campground without any major injuries and then, within 7 hours of being home he puts a massive needle all the way through his thumb! Seriously, what the crap?!?!?
Thursday, July 21, 2011
There's No Place Like Home...
Perhaps some of you have noticed that I've been rather...absent over the last few days. Or not. Anyway, I'm back now and I figured I could offer an explanation about where I've been, [whether you want to know or not].
I was in Idaho. Oh yes, you read that right. Mystical, magical, exotic Idaho. Apparently there's a tiny little town called Idaho City, and up in the mountains there is a campground called "Camp Pinetop." It was there, among the trees of Camp Pinetop in Idaho that I spent 4 days in the company of my extended family on my dad's side for our family reunion.
Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles and cousins. I was surrounded by family. No I'm not complaining about that because my family is amazing. My siblings, cousins and I have all grown up spending time together every summer at our Grandparents' house, or at bigger family reunions. Now many of us are fully grown adults, some of us with spouses and children of our own. Our kids now play together at reunions. It's like my Grandma has always told us: Friends come and go, but family is forever.
One of the people who came to this reunion is my cousin JK. I haven't seen her in about 5 years, so I was really happy to see her there. When we were younger, JK and I were the best of friends. Every summer, from the time we were in elementary school through high school graduation, we were practically joined at the hip. We did everything together, from the moment my family arrived at Grandma's house until the moment we went home. And then, between reunions, we wrote letters (yes, letters, you know, those things with the paper, pens, envelopes and stamps?) on a weekly basis. I've actually kept all of her letters from those years, and while catching up this past weekend, I found out that she's kept all of my letters too.
It was interesting, seeing JK after all this time. We have both changed in many ways, but mostly we're very much the same as we were as kids. I loved seeing her there, and I really hope it won't be another 5 years before we meet again.
Camp Pinetop was a bit...well...rustic for my tastes. There were individual cabins with bunk beds that we slept in. There was no heat, A/C, or electricity in these little cabins. It was hard for me to get used to sleeping in a little cabin that had only screens in the windows and on the door. The first night we were there, I jumped at every rustle of the leaves, and every buzzing of bugs outside. I slept terribly.
Waking up the next morning, I felt the same way I always felt after a sleepover when I was a teenager. You know, that groggy, fluttery, exhausted feeling that can only come from getting less than 4 hours of sleep? Meeting up with everyone at breakfast though, I actually found that most of my fellow adult family members had slept as terribly as I had. Fortunately, it got better after that first night, and I was able to sleep reasonably well.
Our son, CT had the time of his life up at that campground. He was surrounded by kids who were his age, or one or two years younger. He spent nearly every moment of every day there running outside in the sun, hiking, swimming, and just being free. (As free as his paranoid mother would allow him to be, anyway. I'm actually pretty proud of how reasonable I was about letting him play. Ty and I barely saw him for more than a couple of hours per day--and that's including the time he spent asleep.) Of course, he found a way to slip and fall in the mud several times, dangerously depleting his already limited supply of clothes that I'd packed for the trip, but we managed because I'm an awesome paranoid mom that packed extra clothes. Ha! Take THAT mud puddles!
Our daughter spent the entire trip surrounded by admirers. She was practically the belle of the ball. Everyone adored her. There wasn't a single person--adult, teenager, or child--that wasn't immediately taken in by her charms. She spent almost every moment toddling around the air-conditioned lodge, gibbering in her 19-month-old way, or carried in the arms of some adoring aunt, uncle, grandparent, parent, or cousin. All in all, she was a hit [which, frankly, came as no surprise to her parents].
Ty and I spent much of our time talking to relatives, playing card games, chasing our daughter around, and being bitten by mutant, ninja mosquitos. I'm not kidding, these critters were vicious, evil spawns of the Devil! It seemed like no matter where I was or what I was doing, I was being drained of blood by one of those little vampire bugs! In fact, one of the most prominent souveniers I brought home with me were about 15 painfully itchy mosquito bites. On my neck, arms, legs, feet, back, AND...the ones I'm most confused about: ABOUT 7 FREAKING MOSQUITO BITES ON MY BUTT!!! How in the ever-loving HECK did that happen? You know what...don't answer that...
We were all scheduled to clean up and leave on Wednesday morning, but on Tuesday after dinner and the main family activity Ty and I decided that it would work out best for us and our kids to just leave that night. We talked to my Mom, letting her know our plans, and then we packed up, cleaned out our cabin and the pool house (our share of the overall campground clean up), and drove away just before 10 PM. (Ty had taken a nap that afternoon, so he felt equal to the task of driving the 5 hours to get home.)
Anyway, we figured that driving at night would be perfect because the kids could just fall asleep in the van and wake up at home. Our daughter dozed off within 20 minutes, and CT was asleep another ten minutes after that. Our diabolical plan was coming together beautifully! And then, after an hour or so, the baby woke up. She was desperately trying to wriggle free of her car seat, and in her sleepy state, she didn't understand why she couldn't move. So she expressed her frustration with the usual screeching. I climbed into the back seat and did by best to help her, but all I could do was get her to doze off for a few minutes before she would wake up crying again.
After about an hour of this, she woke up her brother, and he couldn't get back to sleep. So finally, Ty and I decided that it would just be best if I got back into the front seat and let the baby cry herself to sleep. It was one of the saddest things in the world, listening to her cry like that for an hour, but finally, finally she fell asleep and CT was able to go to sleep again too.
We got home just after 3 AM, and I was thrilled and relieved to be there. I revelled in the luxury of being in my own house, free of mosquitos and other such pests. I loved being back in my own soft bed, and knowing that my kids were in their own beds, safe and sound. It was just good to be home again.
I've basically decided that I'm a fuddy-duddy though. I mean, I like going on trips and taking some time away, but in the end, home is by far my favorite place to be.
All in all, I enjoyed the family reunion (as always) and I look forward to the next one. It's just good to be home again.
I was in Idaho. Oh yes, you read that right. Mystical, magical, exotic Idaho. Apparently there's a tiny little town called Idaho City, and up in the mountains there is a campground called "Camp Pinetop." It was there, among the trees of Camp Pinetop in Idaho that I spent 4 days in the company of my extended family on my dad's side for our family reunion.
Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles and cousins. I was surrounded by family. No I'm not complaining about that because my family is amazing. My siblings, cousins and I have all grown up spending time together every summer at our Grandparents' house, or at bigger family reunions. Now many of us are fully grown adults, some of us with spouses and children of our own. Our kids now play together at reunions. It's like my Grandma has always told us: Friends come and go, but family is forever.
One of the people who came to this reunion is my cousin JK. I haven't seen her in about 5 years, so I was really happy to see her there. When we were younger, JK and I were the best of friends. Every summer, from the time we were in elementary school through high school graduation, we were practically joined at the hip. We did everything together, from the moment my family arrived at Grandma's house until the moment we went home. And then, between reunions, we wrote letters (yes, letters, you know, those things with the paper, pens, envelopes and stamps?) on a weekly basis. I've actually kept all of her letters from those years, and while catching up this past weekend, I found out that she's kept all of my letters too.
It was interesting, seeing JK after all this time. We have both changed in many ways, but mostly we're very much the same as we were as kids. I loved seeing her there, and I really hope it won't be another 5 years before we meet again.
Camp Pinetop was a bit...well...rustic for my tastes. There were individual cabins with bunk beds that we slept in. There was no heat, A/C, or electricity in these little cabins. It was hard for me to get used to sleeping in a little cabin that had only screens in the windows and on the door. The first night we were there, I jumped at every rustle of the leaves, and every buzzing of bugs outside. I slept terribly.
Waking up the next morning, I felt the same way I always felt after a sleepover when I was a teenager. You know, that groggy, fluttery, exhausted feeling that can only come from getting less than 4 hours of sleep? Meeting up with everyone at breakfast though, I actually found that most of my fellow adult family members had slept as terribly as I had. Fortunately, it got better after that first night, and I was able to sleep reasonably well.
Our son, CT had the time of his life up at that campground. He was surrounded by kids who were his age, or one or two years younger. He spent nearly every moment of every day there running outside in the sun, hiking, swimming, and just being free. (As free as his paranoid mother would allow him to be, anyway. I'm actually pretty proud of how reasonable I was about letting him play. Ty and I barely saw him for more than a couple of hours per day--and that's including the time he spent asleep.) Of course, he found a way to slip and fall in the mud several times, dangerously depleting his already limited supply of clothes that I'd packed for the trip, but we managed because I'm an awesome paranoid mom that packed extra clothes. Ha! Take THAT mud puddles!
Our daughter spent the entire trip surrounded by admirers. She was practically the belle of the ball. Everyone adored her. There wasn't a single person--adult, teenager, or child--that wasn't immediately taken in by her charms. She spent almost every moment toddling around the air-conditioned lodge, gibbering in her 19-month-old way, or carried in the arms of some adoring aunt, uncle, grandparent, parent, or cousin. All in all, she was a hit [which, frankly, came as no surprise to her parents].
Ty and I spent much of our time talking to relatives, playing card games, chasing our daughter around, and being bitten by mutant, ninja mosquitos. I'm not kidding, these critters were vicious, evil spawns of the Devil! It seemed like no matter where I was or what I was doing, I was being drained of blood by one of those little vampire bugs! In fact, one of the most prominent souveniers I brought home with me were about 15 painfully itchy mosquito bites. On my neck, arms, legs, feet, back, AND...the ones I'm most confused about: ABOUT 7 FREAKING MOSQUITO BITES ON MY BUTT!!! How in the ever-loving HECK did that happen? You know what...don't answer that...
We were all scheduled to clean up and leave on Wednesday morning, but on Tuesday after dinner and the main family activity Ty and I decided that it would work out best for us and our kids to just leave that night. We talked to my Mom, letting her know our plans, and then we packed up, cleaned out our cabin and the pool house (our share of the overall campground clean up), and drove away just before 10 PM. (Ty had taken a nap that afternoon, so he felt equal to the task of driving the 5 hours to get home.)
Anyway, we figured that driving at night would be perfect because the kids could just fall asleep in the van and wake up at home. Our daughter dozed off within 20 minutes, and CT was asleep another ten minutes after that. Our diabolical plan was coming together beautifully! And then, after an hour or so, the baby woke up. She was desperately trying to wriggle free of her car seat, and in her sleepy state, she didn't understand why she couldn't move. So she expressed her frustration with the usual screeching. I climbed into the back seat and did by best to help her, but all I could do was get her to doze off for a few minutes before she would wake up crying again.
After about an hour of this, she woke up her brother, and he couldn't get back to sleep. So finally, Ty and I decided that it would just be best if I got back into the front seat and let the baby cry herself to sleep. It was one of the saddest things in the world, listening to her cry like that for an hour, but finally, finally she fell asleep and CT was able to go to sleep again too.
We got home just after 3 AM, and I was thrilled and relieved to be there. I revelled in the luxury of being in my own house, free of mosquitos and other such pests. I loved being back in my own soft bed, and knowing that my kids were in their own beds, safe and sound. It was just good to be home again.
I've basically decided that I'm a fuddy-duddy though. I mean, I like going on trips and taking some time away, but in the end, home is by far my favorite place to be.
All in all, I enjoyed the family reunion (as always) and I look forward to the next one. It's just good to be home again.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Merciful Redemption from Me to the Ad Industry...
Okay, in my last post I said some scathing (though in my opinion well-deserved) comments about the television commercials that I've been seeing lately. However, there are a few that help me feel encouraged that not all people that enter the field of advertising are idiots. There are actually a few commercials that make me laugh. However, I can't describe them in a manner which would do them justice, so I'll just show them to you:
This is my current favorite
This is one that made me laugh my head off, and then I actually recorded it on the DVR so I could show it to Ty (Although he didn't find it as funny as I did. Probably because he identifies with the guy here...)
This one makes Ty and me giggle too.
See? I can be nice and give credit where it's due. :)
This is my current favorite
This is one that made me laugh my head off, and then I actually recorded it on the DVR so I could show it to Ty (Although he didn't find it as funny as I did. Probably because he identifies with the guy here...)
This one makes Ty and me giggle too.
See? I can be nice and give credit where it's due. :)
Monday, July 11, 2011
Brace Yourself!!! [Again]...
I posted this rant before most of you read my blog. Now you all get to endure its awesomeness again, because I'm still pissed off at the morons in Kit Kat's advertising department. Pull it together Kit Kat!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, I started a little rant about this on facebook, but that tiny status update wasn't very satisfying so...here we go.
I am sick and tired of commercials where I am forced to listen to the nauseating sounds of people eating. The most prominent culprits on the radar right now: Kit Kat, Light & Fit, and Dairy Queen.
I remember Kit Kat's commercials from the 90's. Happy people running around, singing that "Gimme a break" song. That wasn't annoying, in fact it's one of the most memorable candy bar jingles ever. Now, some schmuck at their advertising firm thought: "Hey I know what we can do, let's take our famous jingle and use the sounds of people chewing and smacking their lips as instruments." Morons! All this commercial makes me want to do is change the channel, hit the fast forward button on the DVR, or mute the sound altogether. Because of this stupid commercial, I cringe every time I look at a Kit Kat bar. Gimme a break, people! Seriously!
The Light & Fit commercial is just as bad, and less clever. It shows two women sitting in a room. Apparently, they're strangers to each other. One of them is humming and slurping on a cup of prominently displayed Light & Fit yogurt, like a freaking toddler--no, toddlers are more sophisticated--it's more like a St. Bernard. The other woman looks over and expresses her surprise at the number of calories in the yogurt. I don't care that that cup of yogurt supposedly has less calories than any other, all I can think about is how annoying that woman/St. Bernard is. No thanks, Light & Fit.
Dairy Queen is also doing something stupid with their advertising these days. Now, I've enjoyed a Blizzard or two in my lifetime, but these commercials have ruined them for me. There's some crazy family that's driving around, tailgating a Blizzard truck. Most of the commercials haven't been too bad, until now. In these commercials, this family has parked their van to sleep for the night. For whatever reason, their teenage kids are able to fall asleep with frozen dairy treats in their hands, so the parents lean their seats back and start eating their kids' Blizzards. Not only am I forced to listen to them smacking and slurping on the ice cream, they're also talking with their mouths full. Really? This is supposed to make me want to go out and buy a Blizzard? What are these people on, anyway?
What can I say? I am appalled. Am I the only one, though? Is it just me that gets so annoyed by these commercials that I refuse to even entertain the idea of wasting money on the products they advertise? Maybe I'm just stubborn, but I've got to stick it to the man somehow, right?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay, I started a little rant about this on facebook, but that tiny status update wasn't very satisfying so...here we go.
I am sick and tired of commercials where I am forced to listen to the nauseating sounds of people eating. The most prominent culprits on the radar right now: Kit Kat, Light & Fit, and Dairy Queen.
I remember Kit Kat's commercials from the 90's. Happy people running around, singing that "Gimme a break" song. That wasn't annoying, in fact it's one of the most memorable candy bar jingles ever. Now, some schmuck at their advertising firm thought: "Hey I know what we can do, let's take our famous jingle and use the sounds of people chewing and smacking their lips as instruments." Morons! All this commercial makes me want to do is change the channel, hit the fast forward button on the DVR, or mute the sound altogether. Because of this stupid commercial, I cringe every time I look at a Kit Kat bar. Gimme a break, people! Seriously!
The Light & Fit commercial is just as bad, and less clever. It shows two women sitting in a room. Apparently, they're strangers to each other. One of them is humming and slurping on a cup of prominently displayed Light & Fit yogurt, like a freaking toddler--no, toddlers are more sophisticated--it's more like a St. Bernard. The other woman looks over and expresses her surprise at the number of calories in the yogurt. I don't care that that cup of yogurt supposedly has less calories than any other, all I can think about is how annoying that woman/St. Bernard is. No thanks, Light & Fit.
Dairy Queen is also doing something stupid with their advertising these days. Now, I've enjoyed a Blizzard or two in my lifetime, but these commercials have ruined them for me. There's some crazy family that's driving around, tailgating a Blizzard truck. Most of the commercials haven't been too bad, until now. In these commercials, this family has parked their van to sleep for the night. For whatever reason, their teenage kids are able to fall asleep with frozen dairy treats in their hands, so the parents lean their seats back and start eating their kids' Blizzards. Not only am I forced to listen to them smacking and slurping on the ice cream, they're also talking with their mouths full. Really? This is supposed to make me want to go out and buy a Blizzard? What are these people on, anyway?
What can I say? I am appalled. Am I the only one, though? Is it just me that gets so annoyed by these commercials that I refuse to even entertain the idea of wasting money on the products they advertise? Maybe I'm just stubborn, but I've got to stick it to the man somehow, right?
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Rollercoasters, Sunshine, and the Most Evil Shoes on the Planet!!!
Ty and I took our son and my little sister NE to Lagoon yesterday. We had a blast, and I think our son officially had the time of his life. He's never been on a rollercoaster before, and he LOVED every single one them, (the ones he was tall enough to ride, anyway).
We had everything planned out. I made sure our daughter was up early, and fed her an early lunch so I could get her down for her nap in time for us to leave just after noon. Mom came over to sit with the baby, bringing NE with her. We headed over to the park and the first thing we did was get some lunch. After that, we headed over to Pioneer Village for one of those old-timey photos. The boys got to dress up like bandits and NE and I dressed up as dance hall girls. It was awesome.
Now that the picture was out of the way, we headed into the park. In the spirit of tradition, I insisted that CT's first amusement park roller coaster experience be "Puff the Little Fire Dragon." It was one of my favorites as a kid, and my son WOULD NOT miss out on it.
From there, we made our way around the park. I could feel myself baking in the sun--despite the sunscreen I'd applied--and I was sweating like crazy for pretty much the entire day. In spite of all of this, I am happy to say that I had an absolute blast. It's been YEARS since I've been to Lagoon, and it brings back fond memories of childhood for me every time I go back.
HOWEVER...
Even with all of the sweating and sunburn, I only had ONE thing to complain about. And I knew I could only blame myself.
Rewind to earlier in the day:
As I was choosing what I wanted to wear to Lagoon, I knew I would need clothing that was loose, comfortable, and above all: COOL. I chose a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt. Then it came time to choose the right shoes. I didn't want to wear a pair of closed-toed shoes, because I didn't have any that would have gone with my chosen outfit, and I thought they would make my feet too warm. I also didn't want to wear my favorite pair of Merrel sandals, because they are basically fancy flip-flops and would surely fall to their doom on the rides. So, in order to keep my feet cool but secure, I decided to wear my Teva's.
I've had these shoes for 10 years. Yes, that's right. Ty's aunt actually bought them for me as a gift before our wedding so I could wear them during our honeymoon in Mexico. I have to admit that I've rarely worn them since. However, I thought I'd give them a chance to prove themselves and dusted them off for our day at Lagoon. It seemed to me to be the perfect plan: Cool feet, Secure shoes. HA! SOOOO not true!
By the time we'd been at the park for 2 hours, I was already starting to desperately regret my choice of footwear. The straps dug into my feet, pinching them horribly. The parts that didn't dig into my feet chaffed. I actually lost at least 2 layers of skin on my right big toe when a blister developed and popped before I could do anything to interfere. AND I could feel the soles of my feet getting blisters as I walked around.
In short, those shoes are officially dead to me now. They are on The List. I can now see why I didn't wear them after our time in Mexico. They suck. I thought those shoes were supposed to be MADE for hiking and walking around. What in the ever-loving CRAP happened to these ones to make them become so...so...EVIL? Maybe they have some depressing sob story about how they went from being perfectly nice little sandals to being the worst shoes in existence.
Well...I guess I'll never know, because they're in the trash, and will soon be taking up room in a landfill. I can't donate them, because I like most people, and I don't believe in torture.
[See? Don't they just LOOK evil?]
Either way, after we had enjoyed as much of Lagoon as we possibly could, we trudged our way back to the van and drove to Mom's house to pick up AJ and drop off my sister. We stayed for a while, talking, and got home around 11:00 pm. I got the baby to bed, and then I took a nice hot shower. It was pure heaven. Then, after I'd scrubbed all the sweat, dirt, and sunscreen off of myself, I put on a pair of clean sweats and a loose t-shirt. Then I patched up my blistered toe with a bandage, and Ty and I watched some TV while we wound down from our big day.
So anyway...today I'm a little sore from walking around so much, my legs are a bit bruised from being knocked around on some of the rides, and for some reason I am only sunburned on the left side of my face and neck. But my feet aren't as bad today as I thought they would be. I can see on the soles some red, angry spots where those blisters were starting to develop, and I have that one painful blister that was torn open while I was still at the park yesterday, and my left big toe has gone oddly numb--as though from some kind of nerve damage--but overall it wasn't too bad. (I'm still disposing of those sandals though. As I said before, they're dead to me now.)
In the end, I can only say that Lagoon was a lot of fun, and I'll be glad to go back again...in a year or two. :)
We had everything planned out. I made sure our daughter was up early, and fed her an early lunch so I could get her down for her nap in time for us to leave just after noon. Mom came over to sit with the baby, bringing NE with her. We headed over to the park and the first thing we did was get some lunch. After that, we headed over to Pioneer Village for one of those old-timey photos. The boys got to dress up like bandits and NE and I dressed up as dance hall girls. It was awesome.
Now that the picture was out of the way, we headed into the park. In the spirit of tradition, I insisted that CT's first amusement park roller coaster experience be "Puff the Little Fire Dragon." It was one of my favorites as a kid, and my son WOULD NOT miss out on it.
From there, we made our way around the park. I could feel myself baking in the sun--despite the sunscreen I'd applied--and I was sweating like crazy for pretty much the entire day. In spite of all of this, I am happy to say that I had an absolute blast. It's been YEARS since I've been to Lagoon, and it brings back fond memories of childhood for me every time I go back.
HOWEVER...
Even with all of the sweating and sunburn, I only had ONE thing to complain about. And I knew I could only blame myself.
Rewind to earlier in the day:
As I was choosing what I wanted to wear to Lagoon, I knew I would need clothing that was loose, comfortable, and above all: COOL. I chose a pair of cotton shorts and a t-shirt. Then it came time to choose the right shoes. I didn't want to wear a pair of closed-toed shoes, because I didn't have any that would have gone with my chosen outfit, and I thought they would make my feet too warm. I also didn't want to wear my favorite pair of Merrel sandals, because they are basically fancy flip-flops and would surely fall to their doom on the rides. So, in order to keep my feet cool but secure, I decided to wear my Teva's.
I've had these shoes for 10 years. Yes, that's right. Ty's aunt actually bought them for me as a gift before our wedding so I could wear them during our honeymoon in Mexico. I have to admit that I've rarely worn them since. However, I thought I'd give them a chance to prove themselves and dusted them off for our day at Lagoon. It seemed to me to be the perfect plan: Cool feet, Secure shoes. HA! SOOOO not true!
By the time we'd been at the park for 2 hours, I was already starting to desperately regret my choice of footwear. The straps dug into my feet, pinching them horribly. The parts that didn't dig into my feet chaffed. I actually lost at least 2 layers of skin on my right big toe when a blister developed and popped before I could do anything to interfere. AND I could feel the soles of my feet getting blisters as I walked around.
In short, those shoes are officially dead to me now. They are on The List. I can now see why I didn't wear them after our time in Mexico. They suck. I thought those shoes were supposed to be MADE for hiking and walking around. What in the ever-loving CRAP happened to these ones to make them become so...so...EVIL? Maybe they have some depressing sob story about how they went from being perfectly nice little sandals to being the worst shoes in existence.
Well...I guess I'll never know, because they're in the trash, and will soon be taking up room in a landfill. I can't donate them, because I like most people, and I don't believe in torture.
[See? Don't they just LOOK evil?]
Either way, after we had enjoyed as much of Lagoon as we possibly could, we trudged our way back to the van and drove to Mom's house to pick up AJ and drop off my sister. We stayed for a while, talking, and got home around 11:00 pm. I got the baby to bed, and then I took a nice hot shower. It was pure heaven. Then, after I'd scrubbed all the sweat, dirt, and sunscreen off of myself, I put on a pair of clean sweats and a loose t-shirt. Then I patched up my blistered toe with a bandage, and Ty and I watched some TV while we wound down from our big day.
So anyway...today I'm a little sore from walking around so much, my legs are a bit bruised from being knocked around on some of the rides, and for some reason I am only sunburned on the left side of my face and neck. But my feet aren't as bad today as I thought they would be. I can see on the soles some red, angry spots where those blisters were starting to develop, and I have that one painful blister that was torn open while I was still at the park yesterday, and my left big toe has gone oddly numb--as though from some kind of nerve damage--but overall it wasn't too bad. (I'm still disposing of those sandals though. As I said before, they're dead to me now.)
In the end, I can only say that Lagoon was a lot of fun, and I'll be glad to go back again...in a year or two. :)
Monday, July 4, 2011
A Simple Equation...
Question: What does my little brother and his friend, PLUS a road trip to Wyoming for illegal fireworks, PLUS a match equal?
Answer:
The poor girl never had a chance. Hope you all had a great holiday! :)
Answer:
The poor girl never had a chance. Hope you all had a great holiday! :)
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