Bees were Buzzing

The other day at Disney the entrance of Tomorrowland found us face to face with a swarm of angry bees.  At first, I couldn’t figured out what they were.  They looked like tiny bubbles until I noticed they were dive bombing those oblivious to them.  Will was trying to push me through them and I flipped out.  I think he thought they were just a bit of Disney magic or something.  Regardless, I refused and found an alternate pathway.  At that moment I was thinking with that many bees; I can’t believe I wasn’t stung. That was mistakes #1.  Mistake #2 came yesterday.  We were in the new house and Annie dumps a cup of sand into it.  As I came bounding out of the house…shoeless, my foot met a little bee and the bee would say I won, but not without a latch ditch-effort stinging from the bee.  In my book, he won.

For those of you not aware, I am VERY allergic to bees.  The last stinging resulted in various hallucinations, lethargy, and my tongue swelling.  I do have an epi-pen that expired awhile back and a new one that has been waiting for me in the pharmacy for several months now.   Oops!  I went into quite the panic when I realized I was stung and had found myself in a puddle of my own tears pondering my impending doom.  Do I drive myself and risk choking on my own tongue or maybe puking in the car?  A friend came to the rescue, dropping me off and sweeping my children away.  Long story – short.  I was stung…I got a fabulous cocktail of steroids, antihistamines and an assortment of other things I can’t pronounce IV style, which resulted in a 2 hour peaceful and quiet nap in a hospital bed with a heated blanket.  I got all hooked up to a monitor with various electrodes…I think that was to avoid the impending doom.  And, I didn’t die!  It was a good day.

Side note: Scary experience…blessed to be minimally inconvenienced…thankful for a healthy body…not really a drama queen, it’s just fun to write that way sometimes.

My Imagineer…oh wait Engineer

I never get tired of walking down Mainstreet Disney – all of the shops brimming with trinkets and treasures.  It was more relaxing than normal strolling down the street with nothing and no one to worry about except Will.  I’ve always wanted to stop and look through all of the shops and was finally given my opportunity.  We headed up to Disneyland on a date a couple of days ago.

We enjoyed all of the rides Will and I never get to go on together(i.e.-Indiana Jones, Tower of Terror, California Screamin’, etc).  It’s been awhile since we have had that much fun.  Note my hair in the dinner picture above is post roller coaster.  Will even took me to the Blue Bayou for dinner.  My compliments go to the chef.  I think he can quit his day job.

The ambiance was appreciated.  We didn’t even notice the Pirates of the Caribbean riders passing by.

I never thought I would be tired of coasters, but after 10 hours of them; I was feeling a bit like a wet noodle.  Two a.m. followed us up the driveway to hear my bed’s beckon call.  It was a great day with the person I love the most, but when it was done I was equally appreciative.  Lesson learned:  I am no longer 21 and I can feel it my bones.  Luckily, it took until 2 in the morning to remind me.

At What Cost?

I was pondering the costs of things after Annie’s credit card incident.  I started looking past monetary costs.  I started digging through various aspects of my life trying to decide what I could and couldn’t afford.  For example, reading my scriptures in the morning costs me a little bit of time every morning.  I can afford that.  Besides, the opportunity cost is relatively low.  Spending time cooking with my kids or playing a game – absolutely affordable.

I have come to the conclusion that everything that I need in my life and everything that my Father in Heaven has asked me to do is affordable.  It is easily affordable at that.  The only times it all seems too expensive is when I muddle my life budget up with unnecessary items.  Watching TV has a pretty high opportunity cost and I find myself at the counter, purchasing daily.  I’m embarrassed enough about the amount of time I watch and no, I won’t tell you how much.  It’s just way too much.  UGH, what a vise.  For that reason, I’m dumping the cable for the next house to free me from my figurative, financial burden.  I plan on relying on Hulu to occasionally quench.  Oh the things I could have been doing instead(No, I can’t part with the TV.  I just don’t want to find myself every saying, “Sorry I can’t take you dinner tonight, ___ is on at 7″).

I digress, this brings my budget into two categories…Needs and Wants.  Oh, there’s a shocker!  That sounds like my normal budget.

I find that days where I take care of the Needs category first, there is a huge amount of time for wants.  Yet when the time is budgeted visa versa, it is almost impossible to get those Needs in.

Let me dust my pants and hop off my soap box.  Really, I’m just trying to be better about my time and it’s value.  I want great memories with my children.

Marjorie Pay says it best:

“I don’t want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails.
I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp.
I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbors children.
I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden.
I want to be there with children’s sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder.
I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived.”
This is how I want to spend my budget.  I’m not there yet, but I’m trying.

A Walk on the Beach

We needed a little break from everything so the family headed to the beach for a little meander this past Sunday.  That salty airy and cool beach breeze reminded me quickly why we love living here.  Searching for sea shells and enjoying the view.  The company by far was the best part.  You can’t see him in any of the pictures though.  He is hidden behind the camera.

I quite enjoy the days when we get the beach to ourselves.  The tourist season hasn’t quite made it into full swing yet so the beach is all ours…for the time being.

Anyone need to get away?  Come down for a visit.

Close Encounters of the Car Kind

Hudson has taken to riding his bike.  It just took one time of Will and Hudson in the church parking lot for Hudson to figure his bike out.  He is also finally understanding that as you pedal you need to watch in front of you.  Hudson was so taken a back in the beginning with the speed and the wind in his face that he kept watching everything around him.  He must have a little guardian angel or two out there because he has had way to many close encounters of the car kind.  Rest assured, all body parts do remain intact at the present time.

Annie is headed that direction as well, even if it is an inch at a time.  She got a scooter for her birthday and she is trying her hardest to keep up.  She loves riding.  Days like this are a constant reminder of how much I love being a mom.