Embarkation

Sometimes life is like a log flume ride... feels like you are cruising along, slick and quick, but knowing the whole time a great big drop is coming up on you ~ fast. You know that many, many people have easily survived what you are about to do. You know the worst thing is the fear as the bottom drops out from under you for just that little bit. Like as not, you'll be fine at the end, just a little bit showered by the experience.. and yet... and yet...

That analogy came to me last week as we continued our peregrinations around Busch Gardens (havent worked in Water Country, USA yet). We're greatly enjoying ourselves over there, taking our time and doing things as we always wanted to do them. Current policy is to ride anything we really like several times before we move on, then concentrate on a new section. We finally finished the France/ New France section (NOW I remember why I grew up with such a rosy view of our Northern neighbors.) Currently we are concentrating on the German-themed sections of the park: Rhine, Germany, & Oktoberfest. We spent a good chunk of one afternoon riding the 'Rhine' riverboats up and down area waterways. Becka got some great pictures that day. Since I last posted we've seen street performers, a circus show, the Oktoberfest scene, a fairy tale skit, enjoyed some excellent treats, and realized we're gaining endurance & dramatically improving our physical conditioning with every day spent like this. Can't help but be happy about that, but then we come home and deal with the upcoming changes a bit more. We talk over plans yet again, pray, and try not to worry too much.

Tom's surgery date is now quite solid. No more last minute paper surprises or cold bugs are likely to intervene. Tom is definitely holding better again because he's been put on mondo antibiotics. He's been able to do most of the little maintenance jobs & bigger yardwork concerns here that were bugging him.

Once again I am expecting to be gone entirely for at least a few days after the 29th. The hospital's "Hospitality House" is making room for me to remain near Tom for a week, with reservations for more. Tom, however, doesn't think I'll need to stay that long this time. He felt for me spending the week in that chair in Williamsburg. Here I would get a whole room nearby for free, but that's at least partially because I'd be so much further away from home. Mom will be here, of course, and we have plenty of backup, but I will most likely at least make trips home to make sure everyone is ok. You can't do everything on the phone.

The latest good news is that we've also been cleared to be covered financially for the whole procedure & stay. This help has considerable eased Tom's mind & mine. All he has to do is concentrate on getting better. Praise God!

so... I may be gone the whole week and too busy afterwards for awhile to say much or I may be available in a few days with happy news about how well he's doing. We'll see how things go.

Please remember us in your prayers, those who pray.



Here's hoping for a nice, relaxed river cruise after the flume drop in real life.

Fun!

We went to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg this week & confirmed that we do indeed have season tickets, which they call 'passports.' The prize was even better than we imagined! It covers not only free admission, but free parking, free events, MUCH reduced costs for drinks, mild discounts on all other purchases & the option (which we accepted) to add the Water Country USA park next door all season for only 30 bucks! WOW! Even the distance/gas/traffic isnt too bad for us. (I worried needlessly, as it turned out, that this that might have changed since the last time we were able to visit.)

My kids had a great time taking in the rides & shows we managed to see the first day. Since we are to be there often we decided to concentrate on one or two areas a day & on getting our 'walkies.' So we mostly stayed in England/Scotland. We hung out with the Clydesdales, checked the shops, & rode the train. England's 'Haunted Lighthouse' was rather fun & made me think of the Darkfall adventures. (The actors, which included Christopher Lloyd, were American, so I wondered if Boakes' games accounted for their current location.) We did dash over at the end of the day to France so William could ride the Le Mans cars, as he has heard about them for years, but had never been able to ride them before. I am happy to report the reality lived up to his expectations. He went through the lines several times to get more turns.

Everyone was very tired the next day, and since we have plans this weekend relating to Father's Day, we won't be back until next week, most likely. Can't make our plans too solidly as the hospital may call Tom in anytime now. I keep an overnight bag ready.

Tom makes out he's not too curious about what we got him, but Mom thinks she caught him weighing the bag. lol Hope he likes what we chose for him. I think he will, especially the shirts: William found a 'wolf' shirt that looks like Pepper pouting & we also got a lion one (Says "Lion of Judah" on it). We also chose a video game & some movies for his recuperation period. (I thought he'd be through surgery by now, so I set them aside in layaway.)

so..Tom is still hurting & but also still able to putter around the house. We're enjoying time with each other this Father's Day. (Getting ready to take some fresh pictures of the kids for my Father-in-law. We'll see him tomorrow.) The weather has cooled just enough that we are totally looking forward to our next day out.

We are still in heavy prayer about some needed changes & for Tom's healing, but these have been good days this last week. May there be many more.

The calm before the...?

Tom still hasn't had his major surgery yet, though we've seen plenty of that hospital. By now I am learning my way around Richmond's downtown again. Last hold up was a surprisingly rough cold bug that has slowed up the whole family for the last couple of weeks. They put Tom on *very* strong antibiotics & gave it "a few days" ..so now we wait to be called again. Should be anytime. For awhile we we've been feeling the strain of these medical adventures but, now, somehow, the depression is lifting. We feel...comforted, cheered even. This is going to be over soon.

We have some good stuff to look forward on the side as well. My Mom won tickets to the closest amusement park so we'll definitely be taking the kids over one of these days. It says 'season tickets,' but we haven't been there yet to have this verified by the park. Soon!

Tom has used the extra time to take care of some maintenance issues in my car & his so we'll be able to do the local park & museum thing again. We live within an hour of colonial Williamsburg, revolutionery Yorktown, & Jamestown as well as a number of museums. Every park here has some history attached to it. Here fun & education are always hand in hand. I really like that about Virginia. 'Tis cool.

Not doing as much for Mysterium as I have some years ~ but what I have got is coming out wonderfully well. Hope they like it.

As for me..well, I finished Grim Fandango with my family a week or so ago (wonderful game!) Finally finished Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door too & decided to put Myst IV away. No time for it. Instead I've moved on game-wise to two GBA titles I never got around to finishing before ~ Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. They travel well, obviously, which is a big plus. Even better, I am already past where I was stuck in the first one. Yay!

& I'm reading David Copperfield because I couldn't properly appreciate Rebecca's book report on what I remembered of the story. Its rather good, even by modern standards. Now I am not sure I ever read this particular novel before. I read Bleak House in high school & became acquainted with Nicholas Nickleby not much later. All of Dickens' titles are so famous, they all sound familiar.

We've now seen Star Wars 3 & pretty much agreed with Rand's assessment of it. Obi Wan & Yoda were even more wonderful than before. Anakin's acting skills improved a lot & Padme's a little. Felt sorry for both characters, but even more sorry for Jedi Mace Windu & the kids. As theatricals go, it was done well, but the story was so very sad.

Madasgascar I saw only yesterday, when everybody finally felt well enough to sit in a movie theater. It was cute but the frenetic motion of the characters detracted from the overall charm. All the animals seemed to be on fast-forward. But, hey, I'd have gone just to see the penguins. Becka started a story with me on the way home about how the evil Emporer penguins elite troops came to be ncarcerated in the New York zoo in the first place. :D

So, anyway, we've necessarily been taking it easy & waiting for developments. I still don't have time to play online, so my other drafts for this blog etc, will just have to wait until later.