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Five years ago, when we headed overseas to live in Hawaii, our pets did not travel with us.  At the time, the quarantine was long.  Our Siberian Husky, Czar was 12 1/2 and Hawaii would have been a torture for him, so he was given to a friend and ridiculously spoiled for the last year of his life.  Our Ragdoll cat, Magnolia also decided she loved the good life lavished on her by a dear friend.  So, for close to 5 years, we have had no pets.  When you must live as a renter, it is very difficult to keep pets.  It severely limits your choice of places to live.  So, we told the kids that when we returned to the States and owned our home, we would once again get pets.  Dale’s deployment delayed the fulfillment of the promise, but now that I’ve started, there’s no stopping.  Dale went with the children to choose fish.  They happily named them which I discovered was probably not a good idea after some fish died and had to be replaced.  I had somehow missed the time worn advice of “Never Name Fish!”  However, fish were not enough.  On Saturday, we will be bringing home a Golden Retriever puppy.  I have spent the last several months reading dog breed, dog training, dog care, and dog cleanup books.  The kids and I watched multiple episodes of the Dog Whisperer and on Saturday, we wandered lost through the aisles of the pet store choosing brushes, dishes, toys, leashes, etc.  Before Dale brought home Czar, our first dog, there was no preparation, no research, and no plan.  Reading all these books and watching all these shows, I have concluded that we did everything wrong with him.  Czar was never completely housebroken, he chewed up everything, and ran away every chance he got.  We loved him dearly, but here’s hoping I can do it right this time.  For the last month, I have felt like I am preparing for a baby.  Instead of nursing/formula, crib, and diaper brand decisions; I must now decide which dog food, kennel, and brushes are the best.  Dog food is very complicated now.  There is endless research on dog food nutritional value and endless personal reviews that alternate between “this food is excellent” and “this is rubbish, it made my dog sick”.  For now, I am going to feed him the food the breeder uses as well as a dog vitamin.  Yes, a dog vitamin.  In the midst of debating how much I’m willing to pay to ensure my dog has the proper nutrition, I’m feeding my children waffles with peanut butter, chocolate chips, and syrup for dinner.  And no, I didn’t give them a vitamin.

Last Saturday, Josiah was invited to attend a birthday party for a girl in his class.  He would not normally consider such an invitation, but it involved a movie ticket to National Treasure II and free pizza.  He and his buddies (mates) agreed they would all go together thereby making it an acceptable occasion.  The difficult part, of course, was the gift buying.  Abby informed Josiah that the girl liked webkins, and that Josiah could purchase one at Hallmark.  Abby loves Hallmark with all its bric-a brac and girly things.  Josiah was a bit apprehensive when we set out.  We arrived at 0855 and the store opened at 0900.  We sat in the car and began to watch our fellow Hallmark shoppers.  They were all men.  It was the Saturday before Christmas and these men were forced to go out and find a gift for their wives.  My brother-in-law Rich was shopping on Saturday, but had to finish up a few purchases on Christmas Eve.  He didn’t want to break with the tradition of buying the gift and wrapping it on Christmas Eve.  This year, Dale was unable to adhere to this Christmas Eve shopping tradition as a result of his distance away and the speed of the Army postal system.  I received my gift weeks in advance.  I will no longer be able to grumble about him always shopping on Christmas Eve.  Anyway, back to Hallmark…One guy was peering intently in the window with the hopes that he could spot something before hand, so that when the clerk opened the door, he could dash in, purchase it, and make a quick get away.  Another guy, who was clearly military, was walking back and forth not directly in front of the Hallmark as if to fool anyone who happened by that he wasn’t actually waiting to go in.  He threw something away in the rubbish bin down the sidewalk, he wandered around on the street in front, and constantly looked over his shoulder in case a friend happened by to accuse him of Hallmark shopping.  The smart guy stayed in his car and made a quick dash for the door when the clerk finally unlocked it.  Josiah and I went in to join our fellow shoppers.  I began to find various things and hold them up for Josiah to see.  I then noticed a glaze come over his eyes and I thought of Dale.  When in a store like Hallmark, Dale will wander around in a daze.  He can not relate to anything in the store and the choosing becomes a torture to him.  I said to Josiah, “You won’t feel comfortable giving any of these gifts will you?”  He replied, “No.”  To his great relief, I let him escape.  So, down the sidewalk we went to the bookstore where he purchased a day to day calendar and a journal.  He brought the gifts home, wrapped them, and even made a funny card.  When I dropped him off in front of the movie theater, he realized to his dismay that only the birthday girl had arrived.  I left him on the curb and drove away laughing as the dazed look came back over his face.  

December 3rd was my 41st birthday.  A year ago, I was at the Botanic Gardens in Canberra with our Aussie friends celebrating my 40th.  Most of the time was spent watching all of our children attempt to fall into the pond nearby.  Raffe was the only one who succeeded.  It was a beautiful day and a fun time and I even spotted a fairy wren flying in the bushes.  This year, I had my cake a week early when my family was here for Thanksgiving.  Abby made me eggs for breakfast and I opened my gifts in the morning.  Dale wasn’t here to take the kids shopping at Walmart for my gifts.  Dale believes all good things come from Walmart.  I, however, do not believe in that mantra when it comes to my birthday presents.  Not wanting to veer too far from their pattern of gift shopping, the kids shopped for my birthday gifts at the home improvement store.  Last week, we had to stop there to get rakes and gloves for Abby and Josiah’s rake-a-thon and it seemed as good a place as any.  When we walked in, they were caught up momentarily in the over the top Holly Jolly Winter Wonderland.  Eventually, after pushing the buttons of every obnoxious Christmas decoration in the store, they chose my gifts.  They kept them hidden from me and paid for them with their allowance (pocket money).  We made it out of the store and into the car without my seeing the gifts.  However, Gabe made the mistake of placing his gift next to Zeke.  While we were loading up I heard Zeke say, “What’s this?  Oh a pretty plant!  Nice and green leaves!”  Keeping gifts a secret is near impossible in this family.  Dale sent me a lovely silver necklace with matching earrings from Iraq.  He told me that the cost of it was determined by the shop owner weighing the jewelry on a scale and calculating the cost based on the current price of silver.  The shop owner used a calculator to show the price of the jewelry just like they do in Korea.  Here’s hoping my necklace is actually silver, just like I hope my bracelets really are jade.  I spent part of my birthday at the bookstore with Zeke.  The entire time there, he tried to convice me that it was not about me.  “Not your books, Mommy.  Zeke’s books!”  Then off he’d walk towards the children’s section.  For dinner,  the kids and I went out to a Japanese steakhouse.  I figured that flames and knives would keep Zeke occupied long enough for me to eat a hot meal.  I had forgotten to warn the kids that the hostess would seat strangers at our table.  Five guys who looked like they had just gotten off the job site came and joined us.  What do you do in that situation?  Other than a polite hello and goodbye, are you supposed to talk to the other people at the table?  With Dale deployed and me alone with four kids, it didn’t seem like a good group to chit chat with.  Every time I go into one of those restarants, I don’t know what to do.  When the waitress came out banging a drum and carrying a small cake, we were all forced to interact.  The construction crew got to sing Happy Birthday to me.  After dinner, the kids and I had planned to stop at a good dessert place, but were sad to discover that it was not open on Mondays.  Gabe was extremely disappointed, so I agreed to try and find somewhere else to go.  I made the decision to go to Bob Evans.  This was a bad decision.  The only good thing to say about the place was that the kids got cool bendy straws with their water.  Dale claims he’ll be here for my next birthday.  I hope he is.  It will make me thankful for gifts from Walmart and dessert at Bob Evans.  Well, maybe not the dessert at Bob Evans.

Josiah turned 13 on November 1st and wanted to go to the Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate his birthday. Thinking how much less work it would be for me compared to hosting a party for his friends, I readily agreed. Then, I looked at the cost of the place and was reminded that it is always beneficial to have all the information prior to committing to something. You would think I would learn that eventually. After coming to grips with the price, Grandma, Grandpa, and Zeke’s participation in the event was eliminated in cost cutting efforts. They stayed home and had an exciting water adventure of their own. Mom dropped the phone in the pond. Zeke was thrilled with that turn of events, and told me about it in great detail when I arrived home. Grandma wanted it hushed up because of concern for my Dad’s blood pressure. One of the problems with having me, my Mom, and Abby in the same house is that nothing stays hushed up for long. Anyway, Josiah, Abby, Gabe, and I set off for the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. It is located approximately 2 hours away. Halfway there, we stopped at the Barnes and Noble in Richmond, and they were finally able to get the books they wanted with their gift card. I guess it’s true that the third time’s the charm. When we arrived, we stared in utter amazement at the place. It is a giant hotel with a giant indoor waterpark. After four years in Hawaii and Australia, supersized America still occasionally shocks me. Upon arrival, we received an unexpected blessing. We were given a free upgrade on our room. We stayed in a loft suite which was huge. I had to change our initial reservations when my Dad was ill and the woman was very understanding. I’m not sure if she put us in for the free upgrade, but it was very appreciated. We then went into the waterpark and the fun began. I am quite certain that Gabe would have been content to play the entire time in the massive climbing tree fort: dumping buckets of water on people’s heads, turning on water funnels, and pulling chains that squirted water at people. He really loved the gigantic bucket on top which was filled with thousands of gallons of water and would drench everyone every five minutes. If you needed to get down in a hurry, you could ride a water slide down. My favorite rides were the tube slides that were a bit like the bobsled track in Australia without the danger of flying off and breaking your leg. Josiah had the most fun at night, when the tube slide was competely dark. He thought it most enjoyable to ride the tube backwards on that occasion. We were all quite challenged on the boogie board wave. It was a rush of water soaring upward at a 45 degree angle. You stood at the top, holding a boogie board and jumped down onto the wave. You would ride down the wave and then push back up and ride down and push back up for as long as you could control your board. There were teenagers releasing and catching their boards, performing rolls, and going from laying down to kneeling on their boards. Josiah did finally accomplish kneeling on his board, but one time he decided to land on the wave with his knees already on the board. The wave rolled him and his board up and out the top. It was a spectacular wipeout. I congratualted him and said, “if your going to wipe out, you might as well wipe out with style.” Soon after, I didn’t follow that advice, I wiped out without any style at all. I lost my board and almost lost my swim top. The guy had to cut the power on the wave so I could stagger out. The next day, when I was standing in line to give it another go, the woman behind me was asking if I had done it before, so I told her about my less than stellar performance. She said that she couldn’t believe I was taking it so well. I told her it gave the kids a good laugh and a knock to my pride is occasionally needed. Thankfully, I had a successful run that go and so did she. As we stood in line watching everyone’s attempt, I was thinking that Martyn and Alex should build one of these things in their back yard. We also spent some time in the giant wave pool catching the waves with our tubes and in the lazy river where you just float along on your tube. The two biggest rides were a river rapids ride and one called the tornado. You sat in 4 person rafts and really got a thrill. Gabe went on both once. Josiah and Abby went several times. When you start on the tornado, your raft drops over the edge into a giant funnel and then your raft goes back and forth across the sides until you finally drop through to the slide. When we all rode together, Abby was facing backwards when we went over the drop. She was holding on for dear life. It was quite a ride. She and Josiah rode it again, but because they were so light, they didn’t achieve the break neck speed that you get from a weighted raft. Josiah and I got to experience that break neck speed to a level of fright quite unexpected. Abby and Gabe were back in the tree fort and Josiah and I decided to ride the tornado one more time. When we got to the front of the line, there was a big fat guy who was trying to convince the lifeguard to let him go down alone. The lifeguard told him that you had to have at least 2 people on the raft. So, Josiah and I got on the raft with him. Here is where my knowledge of balanced weight loads went out the window. Thinking that Josiah wouldn’t want to sit next to the guy, I told Josiah to sit opposite the guy. Josiah went over the edge and my knowledge of balanced weight loads returned to me. He was as light as a feather and with the weight load coming behind, I though for sure we were going to flip that raft. The next several moments were sheer terror and hilarity as we barrelled back and forth across that funnel on the edge of disaster. We were flying. When we landed in the pool at the end, the guy looked completely dazed and Josiah and I were laughing so hard we couldn’t stop. So, if ever you’re inside the tornado, take the fat guy with you.

When my friends visited awhile back, they gave a much appreciated gift card to a bookstore for the children to use. All members of the Manry family love books and upon receiving a bookstore gift card, we all cheer. (If the bookstore happens to have a coffee shop in it, Dale cheers louder.) I was in Borders with just Josiah and Abby and remembered about the gift card and told them they could pick out a book. After they had chosen, I realized the gift card wasn’t in my purse. They were disappointed, but I promised them we would return with Gabe and Zeke the next week to use the gift card for the books. I went home and put the gift card in my purse and the next week brought all four of them to Borders. We were there for an hour, they each picked out the book they wanted, and I went up to pay. I handed the cashier the books and the gift card. “I can’t take this,” she said. “We don’t accept our competitors gift cards!” I looked at the card and for the first time noticed that it was a gift card to Barnes and Noble.