JWalking: The Blog

W ater Country USA, that is.... Back in June, CJ celebrated her birthday and received a very special gift--passes to Water Country USA, a dedicated water park (owned by SeaWorld) in Williamsburg. CJ and R went last year and discovered a sweet deal for residents of Virginia who return to the park after a visit: Free entry! (minus parking and any extras). So, they had a second visit, and CJ has talked semi-nonstop about the place ever since. Especially, just before her birthday this year. ( Hint! Hint! ) She counted down the days 'til the opening of the 2011 season, even writing the numbers on our kitchen blackboard and "Opening Day!" when that rolled around. Needless to say, receiving a pass to her favorite summer attraction made her birthday. But it wasn't just a pass for her. It was a pass for all four of us! Wow.... We were all going to the water park this summer. Yeah! Uh-huh. Oh....gee.... Water Country has spectacular features. If you like going down steep hills ...

Artwork by CJ L ast week was so incredibly busy! The whole family was split up!! Even though R traveled more miles by flying, I felt like my east side-west side-all around the town pick-ups and drop-offs surely must have come close. Wow.... Things didn't really come to a pace of relaxation until after Sunday's bell-playing concluded. Enjoyed a very "regular" day today. Whew!.... Amidst the bustle of our busiest week this summer, there was a lot of cooking done last week. The gluten-free pantry was a bit bare. Even though I complained about having so much bread in the fridge, I copped the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" attitude and made some gluten-free bread! Helped to finish off some cold cuts and condiments. (HA!) The best part about this was deciding to try the King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Bread mix--the best gluten-free bread I have had so far. Loved every single slice--especially toasted, but, not necessarily. That's how good it...

O ne of the small nuggets of excitement in this town in the past few years has been the return of minor league baseball to Richmond. The Richmond Flying Squirrels have provided great evenings of fun since making their...um...nest here in central VA. Recall last summer's awesome Fourth of July fireworks night in which we received Chick-fil-A coupons for sandwiches when a Squirrel hit a ball into the "fowl" pole. Sweet! Last Friday night, R and CJ had tickets for the game. They were hopeful to see Bryce Harper, a young phenom who has been playing for the Harrisburg Senators--a farm club of the Washington Nationals, our root-root-root for the home team. The Senators were to play the Squirrels, and Friday night was the start of the home stand. Except for this.... Even though the P.A. announcers were optimistic that baseball would be played, the radar map suggested something quite different. No, there would be no baseball. In fact, many hours later, R would discover that Bryce...

I t was the best of days. It was the worst of days. Dickens knew something of the range of human emotion. But, what did he know about playing cards? At the beach, I was "forced" into a hand of Texas Hold 'em--a kind of straight poker, but the dealer deals the cards to all to consider, not just to you. "Forced" in that someone in the family who was playing had to attend to another matter, and I was a body who walked into the wrong place at the right time. I'm not a good card player. And, those games that I have tried to learn recently have rules that completely conflict with straight poker, which I haven't played since, probably high school. Anyhoo.... In poker, there are very few rounds in which to make decisions. You are dealt a certain hand and have to decide how many rounds you will stay in to make the best hand possible when it's time for the big reveal. As Kenny Rogers sang, "You've got to know when to hold 'em. Know when to fol...

A s much as I try to prepare for going away--lists and multiple errands and such, there are always things I have in mind to do that don't get done. Like, washing the windows or cutting the girls' hair. Really, the haircuts should have been moved up closer to the top of the list, given how much hair you see on the floor! (And that's only RJ2's hair!) By the end of our time at the beach, her hair was almost completely covering her eyes. Yeah, you mean there are eyes under there? Not a fan of the haircut, RJ2 did get to pick which room in the house she wanted her hair cut, and picked the empty dining room. (CJ, on the other hand, always picks a room in which she has access to the TV. "Chopped" during her, um, chop, I guess.) RJ2 definitely does not have my hair, in that hers is super thick. It takes a long time to do it well (that being a subjective term). After I brushed her off, she quickly ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. Then, in her way of styling,...

S ettling back into routine after another amazing family vacation week at the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Ah.... Mounds of dirty laundry folded and put away now affords me a few minutes to sit down and recall yesterday. RJ2 has started summer school, which, after two days--and two alarm clocks that have gone unanswered in the morning--is going as well as can be expected. She starts Parks and Recreation camp next week in addition to school, so she's got lots of fun and busy days in store. CJ and I went to church yesterday to help with the "Mix as Usual" program. "Mix" is a neat thing. Older women in the church mentor younger women in crafty endeavors, like sewing, knitting and card-making. They also enjoy food and fellowship time. During this past year, I was one of their childcare helpers, freeing up the moms to fully participate unencumbered by leg-huggers. The summer "Mix" offering is open to moms and their kids. CJ and I each facilitated a craft ...

Q uick update, since there's not much time left in today.... Fridays are always great. The schedule gets lax, though, as we spend an extra long time with everything--beach time, pool time, meals, family pictures, and the dreaded packing up to go home. So, I have to keep it short and get ready to pack up some food and stuff! RJ2 enjoyed another splendid day at the beach--sitting in a bed of shells (which she really, really likes!) and throwing wet sand into the ocean. CJ was on the board and really didn't want to get off it! That's her with my Dad in the video. (As for me, I have video of my boogie board run on my Facebook page, thanks to a link from my sister.) Like I said, keepin' it simple. I'm beat!! Slow trip home tomorrow.....