A Confession...

It's high time you all learned something very important about me. This isn't easy for me to admit, because I've been in denial for years.

I'm a...book pusher. (Covers face with hands, and turns away.)

That's right. If you come to my house asking me to recommend a good book, I will take you into my basement, pull you over to my overflowing book shelves, and immediately start loading your arms with books.

Victorian classics. Alexandre Dumas. Mark Twain. Roald Dahl. Dan Brown. Orson Scott Card. Even a few books that aren't particularly well-written, but are still fun to read. Every book that comes across my hands that I've read and enjoyed, I will gladly shove into your hands and insist that you read them all.

I will always take into account what I know of your personal taste, and use it to guide my selections, but it's pretty much impossible to leave that basement without AT LEAST half a dozen books. And THAT'S only if you stop me before I can push any more on you.

This is something that my sister, MN, has learned in all her years of being related to me (as well as a fellow bookworm.) She knows that if she comes to me and asks to borrow a book, she will NOT be disappointed. She just expects me to get that manic glint in my eye and basically start throwing dozens of books at her. She loves it.

However my youngest sister, Nel, has never experienced this side of me before a few weeks ago. She and MN asked me if they could borrow some books, so I brought them both into my basement. I was in a flurry of excitement, because there are SO MANY wonderful books that Nel has never read before!!! She was new blood!

I think I may have frightened her a bit. I barely noticed how wide her eyes were getting as I kept adding more and more books to her ever-growing pile. MN, being a veteran of my literary lunacy, (and having a large book pile of her own to deal with) finally had to step in and say, "I think she's got enough to keep her busy for a while, Candice." 

I slowed down, hesitantly coming out of my mania. I led my sisters upstairs, wondering if I could just run back down and grab a few more books...but I resisted. I knew that I had done well, though. Both of my sisters were practically stumbling under the weight of the books I had found for them. Yep. I did good.

Ahhhh...the joy of book pushing. It's an addiction, but an oh-so-enjoyable one.

So now you know. You have been warned.

However, if you're in the area, and you're feeling brave enough, feel free to drop by.

Just make sure to return the books once you've finished reading them. :)

I'm Melting!!!...MELTIIINNNG...!!!

So...this Tuesday was Ty's Summer work party at Lagoon. We went last year, and it was super fun, despite the fact that my evil Teva sandals decided to turn on me. They blistered the bottoms of my feet!!! I had to throw them away, banishing them for their disloyalty.

I'll admit I was a bit apprehensive about this year's Lagoon day. The weather here in Utah has been unbearably hot, and Tuesday's weather was only going to be hotter. Ick.

Now, there's something you should know about me if you don't already: I. Do. NOT. Do. Well. In. The Heat.

At all.

Seriously, anything over 85 degrees Fahrenheit will make me feel like that Nazi at the end of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" when he opened the Ark of the Covenant. Not okay. So of course the hottest day of the year thus far is the day I will be outside at an amusement park all day long. Figures.

HOWEVER, I decided ahead of time that I was going to say "Screw you" to Mother Nature and make the most of the day. That's right, I was going to have fun and no amount of crazy heat was going to stop me!!!

As she is too young to go on any of the rides at Lagoon, AJ spent the day at my mom's house. My little sister (henceforth to be known as "Nel"), took AJ's ticket and came with us to the park. When we got to Lagoon, we found the pavilion that Ty's company had reserved for the big party and got some lunch. Then we started the big trek around the park.

CT had the time of his life, as he is now tall enough to go on most of the best rides at Lagoon. We went from one end of the park to the other, taking note of everyone's favorite rides so we could do the whole park and then re-do the best ones later.

I am proud to say that, due to my intense mental preparation, I did very well in spite of the heat. I was cheerful and had a ton of fun. Our group made sure to visit the party pavilion several times. We got water, snow cones, and anything else we needed to get some relief from the heat of the day before going back out to enjoy more of the park.

Once we'd finished our first round of the park, and were starting our second time through our favorite rides when I started to feel...not quite right. My head was feeling heavy, but I ignored it an went on two more rides. This was a mistake. With every upside down turn of the roller coaster, with every sharp turn on the track, I felt even more dizzy and started seeing spots before my eyes.

We were in line for another ride when I kind of hit a wall. I couldn't stand up straight anymore, my head was spinning and aching. I was nauseated, but not with motion sickness. My heart was racing, and I felt completely winded, as though I'd been sprinting across the park, rather than walking.

Ty noticed that I wasn't doing well. "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, "I don't feel very well at all."

Ty was worried now, "Is it heat stroke or something?" (He knows how badly I do in extreme heat.)

I shook my head, "No, I don't think so. I just need to sit down."

Since CT REALLY wanted to go on the ride with his dad, Nel volunteered to stay with me. We found a bench in the shade, and I started to feel a little less terrible. I sat out for the next couple of rides, and then we all headed back to the pavilion for the raffle drawing that Ty's company has every year.

I sat in the shade and sipped Coca Cola. It settled my stomach, cooled me down a bit, and the caffeine helped with my headache. After the drawing started, Nel got a text message from Mom, reminding her about a service project she was supposed to be helping with that night. Mom offered to come and get Nel, since Ty had to stay for the drawing and it was going to take a while.

Ty turned to me, "Do you want to go with her? You can get cooled off and rest, and CT and I can stay and go on a few more rides before we come home."

I liked that idea, so I walked out of the park with Nel, and Mom came and picked us up. I told her about how I hadn't been feeling well and she got worried. "Do you think it was heat stroke? It got up to 103 today!"

Okay, question: Why do people instantly go to heat stroke? I'm pretty sure it was a simple case of heat exhaustion, but that's hardly the same thing, is it?

I gathered up AJ and all of her stuff and Mom took us home. When she dropped us off, Mom kept asking: "Are you sure you're OK? You just call me if you need anything." My mom is so freaking awesome.

I assured her I would be alright, but promised to let her know if I wasn't.

When I walked inside our house, I heaved a sigh of relief. Oh that glorious, GLORIOUS air conditioner!!! I was in heaven!

I took AJ to her crib and gave her some toys and books to keep her busy while I took a shower. When I got out of the shower, Ty called.

"Hey, do you know anyone who needs a 32" flat screen TV?"

Yep, he won the biggest prize in the drawing! He came home just long enough to drop it off, and then he and CT went back to Lagoon to finish out the evening.

I have to give Ty some big Dad Kudos here. When he dropped off that TV, he was clearly, visibly exhausted. But he had promised CT that they would go back to the park, and he kept that promise. Yeah, he's the best.

I had some dinner, put AJ to bed, and tried to wind down from the day. I couldn't sit still, though. I tidied up the house, did the dishes, and waited for my boys to come home. When they did, I immediately got CT into the shower and put him to bed while Ty got all cleaned up.

It was a crazy day, and I'm looking forward to doing it again next year.

But...can someone talk to Mother Nature and somehow convince her to put out a few clouds for the sun to hide behind that day? That would be great, thanks.