OK, I'll admit it....

RIP, O Fun One

It's been two days since the news broke and I still don't think I can wrap my thoughts (and words) around this tragedy.

Dr. Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture, passed away Friday morning. He was only 47 and leaves behind a beautiful wife and three precious children, all under 10. Randy knew his time was coming, but rather than face it with gloom and doom, he spent every living moment, well, uh, living! He accomplished things he always wanted to do, like have a role in the next Star Trek movie and scrimmage with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He presented his Last Lecture to a group of Carnegie Mellon students and staff. It was so popular on You Tube that it was then turned into a book, which is still on the best seller list. His attitude about his illness (pancreatic cancer) can only be described as positively heroic!

What struck me about Randy was his deep love for his family. When he and his wife were interviewed by Diane Sawyer, the one thing they asked the millions of people watching is that no one tell the children about their daddy's illness. He spent as much time with them as he could. He worked out to stay strong enough to play with them. When the book came out, one of the first things he said was that he only cared about the first three copies. (My hope is that he left each child a little note along with the books.) As late as this past May, we say Randy at the Carnegie Mellon commencement, carrying his wife off the stage after giving his speech.

Randy made millions stop and think: "Am I making the most of everyday?" And more importantly, "Am I making the most of everyday with the people I love?" Will I regret not spending more time with my hubby and boys? Yes. Can I make a conscience effort to fix that? YES!

It is my hope that people will take his message to heart. Now, enough blogging. Time to wrestle with the boys!

Until next time.....

The Miracles Before Us...

The dishes have been put away, the living room cleaned up, the toys put in their new homes and thank you's will be written tomorrow. The celebration was one of family and friends gathered to celebrate the remarkable achievement of a remarkable little boy.

Yesterday, my little SRR turned "5"!

Five is a milestone, especially for little SRR. He was not an easy baby, nor is he an easy child. He has his good days and he has his bad days. However, he is a bright little boy with a vivid imagination, great singing voice and a passion for life!

Everyday is a new beginning for SRR. One day he'll be Indiana Jones, the next day a chef, then Hellboy, then a rock star. Some days, he'll be "Manner Man" with perfect behavior, other days he's "Monster Man", ready to take his parents on at every turn. No matter what the day brings, Monster Man or Manner Man, Indiana or Emeril, he faces it with happiness, energy, love and passion. Can I say the same when I crawl out of bed every morning?

When I watch SRR and JOR play (or fight), I can't help but get teary-eyed. Theses miracles given to us were definitely undeserved, but truly adored. These little "creatures" are growing into fine young boys, who will grow into fine young men, who will find Mom and Dad the best nursing home ever! I only hope and pray that they take their zest for life and keep it inside of them forever!

Tonight, putting SRR to bed, I read him On the Day You Were Born. I was trying to hold back tears (unsuccessfully) as I told of his first birthday celebration. His beautiful response, "Mommy, I want my WALL-E." Ahh, miracles.....

Until next time.....

Day 8: Home, Sweet Home!

Well, we made it! After a rough morning of travel, we are home safe and sound.

I was nervous pulling up to the ranch, as I had heard about rough thunderstorms that cancelled the fireworks Friday. (We live about 2 miles from the fairgrounds.) I was picturing trees and branches down, our usual flood in the front yard, etc. However, the outside looked intact (Whew!)

Inside was another story. I found a small leak in the boys' bathroom. This little drip occurred for the entire week, leaving a stream flowing straight to the non-caulked hole next to the shower. (I knew I should've taken care of the caulking before vacation!). Unfortunately, the leak made it to the kitchen ceiling and the kitchen floor. There are streaks of light brown on the ceiling. This is annoying as we'll have company Friday for SRR's birthday party. I guess my mantra will be "Don't look up!" The plumber is coming Thursday to fix the initial culprit, but more importantly, shed some light on what we need to do with the ceiling! This ought to be interesting....... (If any of you have any ideas, PLEASE share!) Talk about reality slapping you square in the face!

I'm trying not to worry about it, but it's hard! (I learned the fine art of worrying from my dad.) I need to think positive: the leak wasn't bad, it could've been the bathtub, the ceiling could've caved in, it could've caused an electrical issue, etc. We are home, unpacked, relaxed and ready to face the real world again. Life IS good.

Hope this vacation blog was entertaining. I'll be posting sporadically as I try to deal with life as it comes my way. Please contribute thoughts as you see fit.

Until then......

Day 7: The pot of gold.....

We started our last day with a family walk. This did us a lot of good, as we were homebound yesterday. Walking was about the only outdoor activity we could do this morning, as everything was still saturated from yesterday's deluge. We then drove through the valley, exploring and shopping between more thunderstorms and downpours. After a great dinner from Brick Oven Pizza, we went fishing for the last time. (Had to use up those last few worms and the skies were clear.) Half of the family was actually successful!! Our first catch of the evening was accomplished by.....SRR!! Who would've thunk it? MGR followed quickly after, with 3 in a row!! A successful night by our anglers.

The hot tub was our last frivolous event of the day. We then began to pack and clean up.

I think we're about ready to head home....physically and emotionally.

Until next time.....

Day 6: Raindrops Keep Falling on Our Head....

....but we still made the best of it! Went to a flea market, set us back $3 and about 50 years. Next was the Luray Zoo. Fun little place! We got to pet an armadillo, feed yaks, and goats, and watch a group of capuchin monkeys whose mannerisms looked very familiar! The Bengal tiger was very nervous and paced the entire time we were there. It seems that she gets very agitated around males (I know the feeling...). While MGR and the boys kept their distance, she could still sense them. I feel her pain.
After lunch, we celebrated a huge milestone: JOR lost his first tooth!!!! We were thrilled and scared that the tooth fairy wouldn't bring the right currency, so we visited every store in Stanley til we got to one that could help us. Hooray for China Chef!! The boys celebrated the anticipated visit from the tooth fairy by a jaunt in the hot tub. The day took a nosedive from then on: downpours, thunder, lightening and even a brief power outage rounded out our day. Luckily, MGR brought the almighty Heroclix and the boys proceded to play a few tournaments interdispersed by some movies, snack mix and milkshakes. Mommy got some reading / napping time in, so all is well....
Tomorrow is our last full day here....sniff.....let's hope Mother Nature cooperates!
Until then....................

Day 5: Much Ado About Nothing....

Today we found ourselves back in Harrisonburg. We hit some farmers' markets, a comic shop (of course) and the Green Valley Book Fair. Enjoyed watching the locals do their routine shopping amongst us tacky tourists! Mennonites vs. Suburbanites......
Weather still pseudo-yucky. Especially now that we have pool passes!
Returned to the cabin for a jaunt in the hot tub and a futile attempt at a campfire. The boys had a great time with their sparklers and smores. Mom and Dad got flustered trying to keep damp wood burning. Pitiful campers!
Relaxing the rest of the evening.......life is good!
Until tomorrow......