Time With Bekah - Days 1 and 2

It is a new day ---- wait -- it is almost noon.  Everyone slept in.  I think Miss Bekah likes her own place out back.  Not a sign or sound from her until now.  After breakfast Mister brings out a jewelry kit he has been hiding and she sets about making a necklace.  Her first attempt fails, or at least we think so until we actually read the directions.  Dang -- now she is remaking it.  The second attempt is successful and she has 3 perfect little tiles to work with.  Next step is to add the rings and string it.  I think it turned out quite nice.

After lunch, Bekah and I decide to run to the movie theater and see The Lone Ranger.  After the movie, the race is on.  We have to get back to the house to pick up Mister and head the opposite direction out to Mesquite for our night's event.

We are going to the Roller Derby and the league championship is at stake.  Since neither Mister or I have been before, we are not sure what to expect.
We arrive early as directed and get our tickets and then grab a spot in line.  Seating is first come, first served and even at that we had to bring our own chairs.  It is hot, hot, hot waiting.

The best part about waiting is watching the girls come out in their various attire.  I gotta hand it to the derby girls -- they know how to dress.  Is this required?  All part of the act like in WWF wrestling?  I just don't know but it sure seems to be across the board with all teams and all teammates.  Once we are allowed in the building, we find a spot to call our own and do a dang good job of it.  We are in a little taped off area that will only hold a few chairs and we are right up to the line.  Yes!  I am happy.

The teams warm up for about 15 minutes each and then line up for introductions.  One team is directly behind us as it lines up, leaving us very little room to move around.



 The bout gets under way and we are definitely on a learning curve.  It takes quite awhile to get the jist of the rules and strategies.  Perhaps it would have been a good idea to do some research ahead of time, but I pretty much dropped the ball there.

There is a snack bar and the nachos are calling our name.  I have not had these in years and Bekah and I dig in and enjoy them along with a soda while we talk about and try to figure out what is going on.  After the first bout, we ask Bekah if she is ready to go and she vehemently replies, "No."  Well, alrighty then, apparently we are staying for the championship bout as well.

It has been such a fun night and we stand up to smack hands with the players after the bout.  I love the awards they give to each other and we pretty much saw it all.  Best comment all night came from Bekah after one girl landed on another and made a fairly interesting move.  She said, "I wish life had a rewind button sometimes."  Not a bad thought there -- I would have liked to watch the fight again -- yep the one that ended with the girls hugging and giving each other a kiss.  These girls really all are friends.  I would definitely go to the derby again.  Time to go home.

Another day -- another sleep in.  I don't let it go as long though because we want to take Bekah rock climbing before it gets too hot in the towers.  When we arrive, both she and Mister are given a 20 minute mini-lesson on knots and how to operate the belay rope.

He then has them practice on a short wall in the main lobby where Bekah is at the top in a matter of minutes.  The look she gives is, "I got this."  Mister then gets to practice bringing her back down and soon we are off to the silos.  We find the easiest course and get Bekah started.  It is a long way up there.

She gets about half way up and starts to get nervous and wants to come down.  I think she is more nervous about how to get down but they work together and she is soon back on the ground looking up to see how much further she had to go.  The flat panel is the top of her course.

Soon, she is climbing again.  This is not going to beat her and she makes it easily this time.  She then moves over to the next course - one degree of difficulty higher.  By now, her hands and arms are getting tired -- this is not a sport for wimps -- and after several attempts, she calls it a day.

We head back to the house and Mister makes us shrimp cocktails and drinks.  What a nice treat and we sit down and visit while enjoying it.  Bekah is wiped out though and doesn't even want any other food for dinner.  It is not long before we all call it a night.

Another fun day in the books.

Jon and Jake - Days 3,4,5 - Bekah Arrives

Yesterday I was able to check the Discovery Gardens Butterfly House off my list and today we are hitting another one.  We are off to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Fort Worth.  It is one of only two locations in the United States where the currency is printed.  It is an amazing 750,000 sq. ft. facility with a great self-guided tour in addition to a wonderful visitor center with hands on activities.  We are able to watch the staff and machines work and follow the process from start to finish.  Cameras are forbidden - we can't even take our cell phones in -- so we have no pictures, but we were able to see the brand new, first run 100 dollar bills that are coming out and learn about the increased security measures in them to help prevent forgery.  The entire process is fascinating and the boys get the chance to try and make their own money by drawing their design and then printing it.  They also each receive a packet containing $150 in shredded money.  I am so glad we did this -- I learned so very much.

Since we are in Fort Worth, a stop at the Science and Nature Museum seems a good idea.  It is only 2 hours before closing, but the boys are able to check out quite a few things and find a few that they love.

The bed of nails is always a big hit.  I didn't get a picture of Mister trying it, but he did it laying on his side and asked me to quickly put the nails back down.  Apparently it really hurts that way.

The various rooms work with light, energy, and building in addition to many others.  The Keva planks impress me so much that I think they would make great gifts.  There are even adults sitting and playing with them and some of the structures are incredible.  From planks that are perfect to plastic cups that are far from it, the boys built and built.



Watching the boys work with the cups reminded us of Zyra up at the reunion.  They are equally as proud of their structure as she was of hers.
 Unfortunately, the two hours passed very rapidly and we were soon just about the only people left in the building.  Time to go.

Since it is a weekday, we are now in prime traffic time so opt to make a stop for dinner before starting the drive home.  Zekes Fish and Chips it is.  Jacob is not thrilled, but is able to find something he likes as well and we are soon on our way with full bellies and much lighter traffic.

Once we are back at the house, it is time for our nightly dessert creation.  Tonight we are doing Hot Chocolate Trifle Cups and the chores are quickly split up to get them done as soon as possible.

These are oh so quick to make and very, very yummy.  I think the whole process took us less than a half an hour -- and that is with wandering minds and bodies.  A sweet treat and then bed.  I'm beat again.

After a couple of very busy days, we having a quieter day at the house lounging around reading books and playing games.  We have done very well at minimizing technology but I do allow them a little bit of each day to play Farmville.  It has been quite awhile since I played and am amazed at all the new changes.  They each work in their own way, with Jacob wanting to farm and Jon wanting to organize.  I find it interesting to see their personalities shine through.  (Oh, and Mom -- I did NOT bring up the game -- they did.)  Netflix comes to the rescue with the new Hobbit movie and we settle in for the afternoon to watch it.  As Mister starts to get dinner ready -- it is cocktail hour.  The boys are treated to Shirley Temples (yep that is definitely a blast to my past) and love every bit of them.  After dinner -- showers are taken, jammies on and then back to the kitchen.

Tonight's dessert is a puff pastry napoleon - simple and yet elegant while able to be customized to each person's tastes.

They turn out beautiful, don't you think?  Some have bananas, some peaches, some strawberries.  It is perfect and everyone walks away happy.  Bed time.

It is our last day together and are meeting in Hillsboro for the halfway switch later this afternoon.  I ask the boys for a little bit of their time to take pictures and they agree.  It starts to pour rain as we are on our way to the Arboretum.  Dang.  It is time to punt so we rearrange the day and go down to Farmer's Market which Jacob has requested.  Mister works with them for a few pictures in the sheds before we wander and taste.  Some turn out quite good --- here ya go.

Now it is time to snack.  The best part of Farmer's Market is the samples and checking out the artwork on the various shops.

From here, we decide to make a quick detour down to Deep Ellum and see if we can get some other pictures.  The rain has let up a little and we can get out from under cover.  The light is still not the best, but let's see what we can get.

Love this impish look.

It's not complete without a picture of me trying to give directions.  Would any scene be imaginable otherwise?  Gotta use each moment as a teaching one --- usually against their will.  Here we are talking about the mosaic and the glass panels that are built in.  What we are supposed to be doing is figuring out a pose while Mister waits with the camera.  Oh well.

We need to get on the road so home for lunch and to finish laundry and pack up.  I have loved having them both this week and cannot wait to do it again.  They have had the back house all to themselves and loved the privacy and little bit of freedom that it allowed.  It had the added bonus of being quiet and allowing for sleeping in when desired -- and apparently it was very desirable.

Let's get this show on the road.  Within moments of hitting the interstate -- this is what I see in the back seat.  Perhaps we wore them out more than I thought.  Also, the blankets fascinate me -- I am dying and have the a/c blasting.  Hmmm -- perhaps that is why the blankets.  I guess not everyone is 55 and hot all the time.

We arrive at the outlets a little before Jen and after roaming through the stores a little, find some benches to crash on until she arrives.

It doesn't take long and we have returned them to their mother and stolen another grand.  We now have Bekah for a few days.  It has been a couple of years since we have had her stay at the house with us and I am looking forward to it.

Time to turn this car around and get back to Dallas.  As we get close to town, I am starving and we decide to make a dinner stop at my favorite taco stop -- Velvet Taco.

Everything they have is wonderful and even Bekah declares the corn to be the best she has ever had.

Once home, we get her settled into the back house and then sit back and I watch the Hobbit with Bekah before we have to return it.  (I only got to see 1/2 of it with the boys, so this time I saw the whole thing -- yay.)  Let's call it a day.

Our Fruit is Almost Ready -- So Excited!

We have cared for this little tree for 5 years now and although it has blossomed on several occassions, it set fruit for the first time last year and then it all vanished.  Literally.  We had no idea what happened.  This year our tree was full of blooms and set a lot of fruit.  It stayed -- yay.

Now we are waiting patiently for these beauties to finish up -- the colors change daily and we are anxiously watching from the office window.  Hurry up - I can taste them already.