San Antonio

Adam, Abby, Josh and I all went down to San Antonio this week. After learning that the printed mapquest directions underestimated our drive by 100 miles and getting tangled up in San Antonio's web of highways we finally met up with our good friends Aaron, Katherine, and Julianna. It was excellent to see them and enjoy their company. This was by far the best part of our trip, the company that is.
We checked into the hotel, just a few rooms away from the Tilley's and settled in for the night. The next morning we packed up and headed out for Sea World. A few things that I wish we had packed were a GPS unit and towels. Once again we tangled ourselves up and spent precious Sea World time navigating our way through a signless and confusing web of streets. After about an hour we made it to Sea World. The lines we short, which was great. We got right in and began orienting ourselves.
The famous Shamu show started just 30 minutes after we arrived. We headed down the lane and looked at the flamingo's and snapped some shots. Actually we took quite a few pictures. Then we left our strollers and headed into the stadium. Now it seemed to me that every seat was marked "Splash Zone". We picked a seat probably 1/3 of the way up. Reasonable right? So Aaron, Katherine, Julianna, Adam, Abby, Josh and I all scooted in and began watching the show. It starts off on a huge screen with a bio of the trainers and a preview of the show. Then it began. The trainers dropped into the water and played with these huge orka's with seemingly no sense of danger. It appeared to me as if the orka simply had to open thier mouths and the trainers would be gone. They did all the fancy tricks you see on tv. Then it happened. A row of 8 year old girls in swimsuits dove to the front of the stadium and the announcer said something about get ready to be doused. Really I was totally unprepared for what occured next. It was not the gentle sea spray I expected. It was as if someone was pouring an ENDLESS bucket of water right on top of me and my screaming kids. I grabbed Josh at the first sign that this tsunami was letting up and headed out. He was MAD. Josh is very fair tempered but he was MAD and wanted all of this nonsense to stop. I dashed outside and used the one extra pair of clothes that I had to get him dry using a blanket to dry him off. Everyone else stayed to finish the show. It was awesome inspite of the soaking. I would do it again in a heartbeat but I would bring towels to shield Josh and dry off afterwards. We took a video of all of Abby's reactions. Her jaw was dropped and there was a lot of wide-eyed oohhing and ahhhing. Ofcourse we went and got a stuffed Orka afterwards and some lunch. After riding some rides we decided to rest next to a bathroom and ofcourse gift shop.
This is the moment where in the treachery occured. At some point after changing Josh's diaper our camera left us. My wonderful pink Nikkon left our possession with all of the cute pictures we had taken. This was a huge loss. We spent time looking for our camera with no assistance from the Sea World staff inspite of our efforts.
After a while we decided to try and salvage what we could of the day. We caught half of the Sea Lion caper. Another show that Abby and Josh really got into. Then we headed over to my favorite part, the dolphin tank. There were several dolphins in a deep tank that was open to the public. You could purchase fish to feed to the dolphins and lure them in close enough to touch them. I took the bait twice and purchased the fish. And yes I touched the dolphin. It was amazing. Abby also tossed a fish into the tank towards a dolphin. It was so fun. I could have stayed with the dolphins for half the day.
Eventually we moved on to the manta rays and sharks. Sharks always creep me out. They are true predators and I always feel a little uneasy watching them. As we left the park we went through the stable which housed big mustang horses. Abby loved this part, although she was exhausted. Adam and I decided that we would check at the Lost and Found once more before leaving. This is where I get really really mad at Sea World. I stood in line, the next to be helped for about 15 minutes. Then I got up to the counter and explained my perdicament twice. The helper went and got her manager and then rifled through a few drawers and tinkered on their computer. Then a man approached at another window accessed from outside the park. First the lady that was supposed to be helping me and then the manager went over and helped him. Then they had a staff meeting or something. Meanwhile a different CSR summoned the lady in line behind me and started helping her, trying to shove me out of line. I stood my ground. After 20 minutes (I had my watch out now) my original CSR told me to go and wait in the lost kids room. She said that although they have walkie talkies and computers that interface with all of the computers in the park that someone had to physically walk down to Shamu and check that lost and found. I was told that this would take 10 minutes. And then I was told again and again that it would take 10 mintues. It was as is they didn't know that I had been in the park. I nearly asked them if the guy they sent had legs or if he was army crawling his way down there. Then the manager had a stroke of genius and radio'd the guy to tell him once he got there (because after 20 minutes the parapalegic had not yet arrived) to radio him back to tell him wether or not my camera had been turned in. I think he expected me to clap my hands and shout for joy instead of glaring at him as if his incompetence could actually kill me. I was waiting at the lost kids windows after receiving the call that Josh was hungry and Adam was coming to take my place when the manager 55 minutes after my initial inquiry let me know that my camera had not been turned in. I was upset that my camera was gone but I was also so frusterated that the customer service people were soooo horrible. I am writing a letter to Sea World.
After Sea World we decided to head out to the River Walk. The river walk is an excellent attraction of San Antonio. It is very fun to walk up and down the sidewalks all lit up. We decided to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe since Katherine and Aaron collect Hard Rock shirts. I believe that their collection is international. Anyway we knew that Josh was getting fussy. However, after running out of diapers at Sea World (we keep an extra package in the van for these just in case situations) we thought the worst was over. Not so my friends. Adam was holding Josh while I ate my dinner and then we were going to trade. Adam suddenly started freaking out and out of the corner of my eye I saw Josh's dirty diaper drop a dallup right onto the crotch of Adam's pants. This is a two man diaper change I knew immediately. He jerkily headed toward the bathrooms but settled for some abandoned chairs outside the bathrooms. His diaper was full to capacity. There was nothing more it could have done. Josh's bowels simply overwhelmed the capactiy of the diaper. Luckily his clothes had dried since the Orka's had soaked us and we changed him. Tired and pooped, literally, we headed home. It was fun and hard. I'll admit that I cried a little about my camera.
We got to the hotel. We got clean. We got sleep.
Day #2
We planned on going to the missions and back to the river walk since that particular experience had been cut short the night before. Since it was a fairly light day we slept in some and took our time. We had brunch at Chili's. And yes there is more poop here. Abby came down with stress or whatever Josh had. So we headed back to the hotel. This set us back considerably on our time. We had also stopped at WalMart to purchase a disposable camera. Still we got to see the San Jose and San Juan missions. It was very cool. We got some good pictures, I hope.
Next we went to the river walk. We commissioned a boat tour and had a grand time. We ate at the popular Cafe Rio, which had metal folding chairs. Next time I will simply take a picture (if I have a camera) of the famous umbrellas at the Cafe Rio. Then we walked around and got some chocolates for dessert. It was a nice day. I think even Abby and Josh enjoyed it once they were sufficiently medicated.
Day#3
We got up early and made sure everyone was clean and packed. We had arranged to go to the Alamo but it was very very cold. And windy. We pressed on anyway. I think that it would have spent more time there if it had not been so cold and windy. We took some time finding David Crockett (yes the Davy Crockett) stuff. Adam is related to David Crockett through his mother Maurina Lois Crockett Brown. So ofcourse our children are as well. We saw a painting of David Crockett and decided that Maurina had some family resemblance to him. I think we decided that she has his eyes. It was very cool to visit the Alamo as a descendant of Davy Crockett.
After the very cold passing through the Alamo we headed back for one more jaunt at the river walk. We decided to eat at the Rainforest Cafe. Everyone and especially Abby seemed to enjoy the atmosphere. It was nice to be in out of the cold wind. The food was pricey but good. It was three levels and had fake panda bears that the staff were quite proud of. We said our goodbye's and headed home. It was a lot of fun to spend time with the Tilley's and we hope that they had a good time inspite of all our gaffs. We want to do it again.

100th Post.

So this is my 100th post on biffybrownsblog. Pretty cool eh? I intend for this post to be a catch up post of sorts. But I really feel like writing somethings that are fairly intimate that have been on my mind. This will probably become a series of posts that I hope someday my children can benefit from.

Through a series of situations through the past month or so I have thought a lot about chastity and what it means and its incredible importance. It seems like we teach our kids that chastity is important because you don't want to have kids before you are married. While that is a very excellent reason to remain chaste there are so many more. I think that chastity allows you a sort of freedom, which may seem ironic. But being a chaste person allows you to focus on a world outside of romantic interests. It doesn't mean that you totally ignore or shun that aspect of your life but it is far easier to cultivate other interests while being chaste.

I had an experience that is so cliche but really hit home today. I was making rice Krispy squares with Abby and we were melting the butter and marshmallows on the burner together. I kept telling her to not touch the burner because it was hot and it would hurt her. She kept getting really close but never touched it. When it was time to take it off the burner I placed the hot pot on the "off" burner. I picked up the pot and Abby touched the "off" burner that the pot had just been on. She jerked her hand away and told me that it was hot. I was glad that she touched the more cool burner but a little upset that I had failed to impress upon her the importance of not touching the hot burner.

I began thinking about heat and how heat is so wonderful in the right context and so destructive in the wrong context. I think that chastity keeps us in the right context, where we can build ourselves and others up. It helps us to have positive experiences that help us gain self confidence and reach higher goals. It helps us maintain friendships and healthy family relationships. Without chastity we can be and feel degraded. It is easier and inevitable that we will have negative experiences that cause us to feel badly about ourselves and others. It also causes us to become isolated and starved for appropriate and fulfilling relationships. Unfortunately it can lead to a cycle where we seek less and less chaste relationships and acts to try and fulfill that which only chastity can give.

One of the most maginficent things about chastity is that it is a decision that we can make at any point. We can become chaste where we were not before. I believe that this is made possible through Jesus Christ and his Atonement. Through Him we can be forgiven of prior offenses and choose to live a better life. He is always inviting us to choose the better way. Chastity is the better way. It feels better to do what is right. Confusion and hard feelings can be resolved. It can fulfill us and make us a more whole person than any unchaste choice can. I know that this is true. I believe and testify that chastity is a Godly characteristic. A desirable characteristic. One that I intend on pursuing and advocating through out my life. I am so glad to enjoy a chaste relationship with my husband and to reap the benefits of chastity with him. I invite those around me, whom I love dearly, especially my sweet children, to join me. Come and enjoy the sweetness and security of a chaste life.

Congratulations BECCA!!!

Whoohoooo! You did it! You finished a marathon! You officially joined 1% of the population (or something like that). All of your hard work for the LAST YEAR has paid off. You couldn't be a better example. Now I need to tell you how incredibly sorry I am that I was not there at the finish line to greet you. Just like last night at UNO's Josh screamed and screamed this morning. I'm not sure exactly what is causing him such intense and prolonged pain. I even got him into the car seat but if you could have heard his intense wails of protest your will would have faltered too. Abby says congratulations too. And trust me she is highly disappointed about not being there too. We were there in spirit for what it is worth. Congratulations sister, you did awesome!

White Bread

Lately I have had an intense desire to eat white bread. For a few nights I have been having white bread for dessert. I remember in High School when I thought that white bread was just bread. No color. Just bread. And that bread was good for you. It was one of life's simple pleasures. A food that tasted good that was good for you. Even though I have been eating ONLY wheat bread for atleast one year, possibly longer, I still want white bread. I have tried to become a die hard fanatic of wheat bread. I have tried all the wheat breads and tried really really hard to prefer them. But in the end my taste buds revert and long for the days when bread was just bread. And bread, just bread, was good for you.
I have found that going to all wheat bread that I simply consume less bread. A sandwich is no longer as appealing. I would rather cook pasta than have a quick sandwich. And I do not cook with all wheat pasta. So then by eating the white pasta instead of the wheat sandwich I am losing the point. Anyway I guess that this post is here for those of you who have a strong conviction about wheat bread to voice it. Please convince me not to go to the store and soil my innards with white bread from here on out. Please tantalize my taste buds with thoughts of delicious wheat bread. I want to be healthy. But I also want to eat white bread.

At the end of the day it amounts to stress management

I'm starting to really feel it now. Ironically this picture shows a lot of it. I noticed that I have an urgent and insatiable desire for chocolate. And ofcourse like all unnecessary things it fails to satisfy. And like all people when you aren't satisfied then you think that you need more. So the chocolate cycle goes.
Abby has been on some sort of incredible good behavior strike. If I thought motherhood was hard before I was wrong. The last few days I could swear that Abby has, at points, stripped off her angelic face to rear her true demon head. I've tried to look for rational explanations but none seemed to fit. Then last night the culprit came to view. At 11 pm she woke up crying with a fever. She said her throat hurt and upon closer examination today her throat was quite swollen. I thought strep throat but it turned out to be a nasty ear infection. And it looked as though our doctor had had quite a day and in the nicest way he could he said that we should be looking for signs of the flu as well. Apparently our area is hit really bad this year. Bad year to skip the flu shot.
The car situation is taking its toll as well. It seems as though everyday brings on a new crisis. Yesterday Enterprise called to inform me that we were $250 over our $750 max with Geico. I was shocked since I had only been in the car for a few hours. After about 1 1/2 hours of telephone tag I finally figured out that Enterprise had made a clerical mistake. But everyday there seems to be some sort of occurance. We decided to go ahead and file through Geico, our insurance. USAA drastically underestimated the value of our car. They offered us nearly $1000 less than the KBB price. On top of that I have found their adjustors to be rude and try to blame their lack of organization on me. I got really fed up with the lectures and being put off. Geico came within $200 of our KBB and coincidentally the amount of the loan we have left to pay off. And for the most part, so far, they have been really on the ball. Now I just have to wait for the medical bills to come piling in.
Finding a new van has been an extremely loathesome process. There are no dealerships close by with either a Toyota or a Honda. Or really any van. They can only try to sell me vans that are more than $5,000 over my price limit. So I am having to drive out to Irving, Arlington, and Fort Worth. So far all of my trips have been in vain. One van had a broken A/C unit- a no sell in Texas. Another one was filthy and had the interior ripped up and had a VCR unit built in. I don't necessarilly look for any kind of built in entertainment center but I certainly don't want a huge useless (to me) VCR taking up precious space. Adam went to try and see one today on his lunch break and was led on a wild goose hunt around Arlington to figure out where the owner's wife had driven it too. I still haven't found out how that went, or ended. I have 3 appointments set up for tomorrow to see some vans. I hope that one of them will be a good deal. I hope that we will be able to buy a van this week.
Another really stressful point of this week is that Adam was released as the Executive Secretary and put in as the Young Men's president. The forboding omen? He went to a meeting on Sunday that was supposed to last for about 45 minutes. It lasted for 3 hours. This also means that he has been and will be gone every night this week. I am holding out hope for Thursday night.
Maybe incidental to all that is going on I have this draining sense of doom. I keep waiting for something totally catastrophic to happen. It just feels like all of this is leading up to something...

My Functional Body

Lately I have had to remind myself a lot that it is not how I look that matters to me as much as what my body can do. Thinking about my body that way is a lot better than thinking about it in terms of numbers. I find myself thinking things like "I will be happy when I am a single digit size" or "I will be happy when there are no (put a number here) in my weight". I also catch myself looking in the mirror and contemplating where things are and where they ought to be. But when I look at other people I tend to consider more about what their bodies can do than what they look like. At the gym I noticed that I didn't tell myself I wanted to look like the rail thin chemical blonde girl, I wanted to be like the girl that was kicking butt on the treadmill or intimidating the male loungers with her weight lifting skills. That is what is more important.
When I look at old people and what makes aging better it becomes all about function. I hear a lot of older people talking in the terms of what they used to do and how they can no longer do it. Then there is a whole different class of old people who defy odds and are still doing it. The key I think is to never stop. Another key is to focus more on function than looks. Which is where I struggle somewhat. Like I said at the beginning I feel myself gravitating more towards numbers and looks than function. If I keep my physical goals about function than I have a true goal. An achievable goal, whereas my weight naturally shifts and alters throughout the day, week, month and even year despite what I may be doing. My genetics control a lot of what clothes I can and cannot wear. But I can control what my body can and cannot do. I just need to remember that the gravitational pull on my body is not my problem. My problem is increasing the function of my body.

Lots of stuff

Lots of stuff has happened to us in the last week and a half since I last posted. We got sick which prompted a doctor's visit. Abby was up for 2 nights in a row coughing and coughing and coughing. Then she would cough until she barfed. Which is gross. So I finally took her to the doctor for her nagging cough that she has had on and off for the last year. I was fairly certain the doctor was going to say "Gee, that's too bad. Go home". Luckily Abby was coughing and hacking and carrying on for the doctor. Turned out to be asthma. Learned that it is not cool to give Albuterol at 4:30 am unless you plan on staying up. Got another cold. All of us. Gave Abby Advil at 4:30 am. Learned that she will barf that up too if you don't give her something to eat with it.
Learned that I cannot keep up with laundry on weeks like these.
Learned that when an insurance agent says "tomorrow" it actually means "in a week". Translate this conversation. "The total loss insurance adjuster will call you tomorrow. In another day or two after that he will issue you a check and you will have to give up the rental car. So you should probably purchase a car this weekend." So if I buy a car this weekend I will own it and have a rental for about three weeks right? I think I will wait until I hear that the check is in the mail.