Welcome...

Vivian and Amadeus...  Our new fishy friends...  They are so funny!  For the first several hours that we had them, they must have still thought they were in the bags from the store, because they wouldn't swim very far.  Thank you Leara, Angel, and Kelsay!  They were the perfect birthday gift for Grace!

L.

Dear Fish...

... I have worked all day to keep you alive.

Please stay that way.

Seth and Grace are really trying to take care of you, but you are super stinky, even though they are following all the directions.  But we do kind of like it when you talk to us.  We might even get Phil to like you if you stick around long enough, although I doubt he'll ever believe that you are talking fish...

Quinton:

 Vivace:

L.

P.S.  After a day like today, I am only a little bit sorry that we ate fish sandwiches in front of you, for dinner...

The Sad Demise...

... Of Bobby The 28 Cent Goldfish... (By the way, I have been referring to Bobby as a 17 cent goldfish for some time now, but I realized, today, that I have been lying. The 28 cents is accurate).

I guess I have a bit of a strange outlook on pets. Seeing as I am allergic to pretty much everything with fur, and most other options (like reptiles) don't really interest me, we are pretty much limited to fish (at least until Miah is old enough for us to qualify for greyhound adoption, since they are hypoallergenic).

Well... back in 2006, Seth decided that he wanted a pet, and he began to save for an aquarium! On January 10, 2007, he finally had enough saved to purchase a tank, some rocks, a plant, a multi-colored fish castle type thing (that never fit in the tank), and 3 goldfish: Bobby, Larry, and Gordon.

I wish I could tell, for sure, which one is Bobby. I think he's the one near the top.

Well... within a month we had said our good-byes to Gordon... and then Larry... and sent them on their way with flushing ceremonies. But Bobby (who seemed very sickly from the beginning, and whom we never expected to outlive the others) held on until April 3, 2010. For anybody who's counting, that's 3 years, 2 months, and 24 days...

Bobby had a very full life for a goldfish.

I found him looking rather sickly on April 2, and to be honest, I thought he was dead already. I was on my way to bed and figured I'd leave him in the tank until morning, because the kids were already asleep. Except, when I went to deal with him in the morning, the poor thing was still breathing (although barely). Now, being the humane (and somewhat delusional) person I am, I decided that I should at least try to save the fish, if at all possible. I moved him to a bowl and made a valiant effort at feeding him little pieces of fish food, but I couldn't get him to actually inhale it. He did make an attempt at one last swim. Eventually, I returned him to his tank, where he continued to breathe until night time, and I felt terrible about it the whole time (and piled things in front of the tank, so the kids wouldn't see him that way), but I couldn't bring myself to just take him out of the water before he was dead.

So, it was actually the next afternoon when we told Seth that Bobby had died, and although he was slightly sad, he was also happy that Bobby had lived such a long life. We decided to bury him in the back yard, rather than flushing him, which I am pretty sure Phil found just a tiny bit humorous. However, Phil did go dig the hole and led a mini eulogy. Among our favorite memories of Bobby were: getting him at the store (Grace, Caleb, and Ian), thinking he was doing exercises when he swam around his plant (Seth), the way he would come to the side of the tank and seemingly ask for food when he was hungry (me... and yes, I still believe that fish can talk), and the various car trips we took with Bobby's tank between my feet with me trying not to get splashed (Phil).

I've always had a soft spot for goldfish, I guess. I thought I was doing pretty good when I brought "Lucky Montana" the free goldfish home from Meijer's kid's week and managed to keep him alive for 2 years, when I was a kid. This was especially notable since I promised my dad I would release Lucky in a pond that night if he let me take him... hehehe... guess dad had a soft spot for goldfish, too...

Already, Grace has asked about getting more fish...

Guess we'll see...

Lisa

Oh, So Random...

... Well, so much for my relaxing summer, so far! We kicked it off with homeschool camp, which was a real adventure. I don't even really know what to say. I certainly didn't expect to walk right into co-ed dorms, and it went downhill from there (at least to an extent)!

The kids had fun and made friends, so it's all good... except they will probably never see their new friends again, because it's not like this is an organization that does things together on a regular basis. I never, ever thought I'd say this about a camp experience, but recreation time was definitely my favorite... Please see video:



Softball season is in full swing... except for those of us who prefer to stand at the plate and hope for balls... Our first double header was a near disaster, redeemed only by the fact that we are doing this for fun! Our next game was better, although we still lost, but at least we were finished in time to get ice cream!

The kids are participating in the public library summer reading program and hoping to earn lots of free kids meals and ice cream! Add that to eating breakfast on the deck and picnics in the park, and they are happy! Now... if we could just get the swingset up and figure out how to make the pool fit...

Grace had her piano awards ceremony and recital. I don't have the video on my camera, and I don't think Phil has captured it yet, but I'll try to remember to put it up when he does. She hit one pretty terrible note, but she kept playing, so it was alright in the end. I am so proud of her... little miss perfection...

Our new "pets" Einey, Meenie, Miney, and Mama Lilly Groundhog are still boycotting the live trap that will lead them to a life of freedom at the resevoir with Papa Bear and Moe... It would be really convenient if they would catch on soon, because I'd like to fill in their home under the garage and pave a nice tricycle riding area in the back...

Grace and I have the coundown goin' on for Orlando! 13 more days to go!

And I guess that about covers it for the first two weeks of vacation!

Lisa

Tomorrow... Tomorrow...

... I Love You, Tomorrow...
But, at this point, You're only about 45 minutes away...
And I need sleep...

The good news is...
My glasses and contacts arrived... after much hassle, but that's life...
Grace and I have awesome... awesome... hair...
We are mostly packed and we might fit everything in the van...
I am only on the verge of failing 1 out of 4 classes...
I remembered I needed to wash the diapers before it was too late... which is why I'm still up...

The bad news is...
I still haven't changed Bobby's water... but I have time to do this tomorrow before we leave...

'Night...

Lisa

The Final Countdown...

Wow... I think it just hit me!!! 3 more days!!! Vacation, here we come!!!

I have just a "few" things to accomplish before we leave...

School (9 assignments, 6 tests or quizzes, 8 discussion boards, and 3 labs) I will never get it all done before we leave, but that's what laptops are for... and... yes... you probably don't even know about Lillian, but she is my new laptop that came at an incredible price... although she was on sale, so her price was not as incredible as it could have been...

Illuminate Tonight (we are having omelets. because let's face it... everyone is on WIC, and we have dozens and dozens of eggs that need to be eaten, since we don't have any friends who need eggs)!

Change Bobby's Water! For crying out loud, the fish is resilient (reminder... 17 cent goldfish here... still swimmin' strong after almost two years in his PH balanced water...), but I don't think he can swim around in that mud much longer! (and, yes, we have a fish sitter... hehehe)

Clean the house! (and especially do the laundry, because you have to have clothes when you go on vacation... you know... not just sweats like we usually wear around here)!

Pack (aforementioned clothes, as well as everything else we own)!

Take Care of Last Minute Church Stuff (like budgets and ordering materials for the children's Christmas program)...

Have Hair Cornrowed by Amazing Friend Who Probably Doesn't Really Have Time to Do it But is Coming Anyway...

Pick Up Trial Contact Lenses (and pray that new glasses and real contact lenses arrive on the front porch by tomorrow)!

Activate Disney Dream Reward Dollars!

Sleep... Eat (but not too much)... Sleep Again...

So, now you have my list of things to do, even though you probably didn't need it!

Starting October 26, I plan to make posts, pics, and videos available for each day of our trip! Please check back frequently... and leave comments, because I like comments, and no one ever leaves comments!!!

Lisa