Thirteen Things I Loved About Our Trip to Glen Rose!

First off----My Papa goes home tomorrow!! To think, a week ago, we weren't sure if was going to make it through the day! Praise God!!

Now for my list:
1. Getting to be with my 2 most favorite people in the whole world!!
2. Getting to stay in a fun cabin/bed and breakfast with them!
3. Getting to go to Fossil Rim Wildlife with them! This was such an amazing experience!! I HIGHLY recommend this for your family! It is pricey but SOOOO worth it!

As you can see the animals get right into your car with you:) Malaya thinks these pics of me are so funny! David and Malaya were much more "friendly" on their side. I was a little more apprehensive especially when the animals are so close to your face they could kiss you!

4.Going hiking and biking in Dinosaur Valley. We had so much fun! We have determined we want to try to more of a nature family:) We loved it!

5. In the back yard of our cabin we had a 1/4 mile walking trail with dinosaur replicas everywhere. We walked this at least a hundred times. Here are some pics--

6. A Christian couple owns this set of cabins and she makes breakfast for all the guests each morning. First morning we had quiche and fresh fruit and fresh orange juice. The second morning we had a breakfast cinnamon cake and a breakfast casserole. It was so yummy. She also had gifts each morning for Malaya. One was the mask you can see in the above pics, which we all enjoyed:)

7. We enjoyed so much just getting away and relaxing.

Not quite sure who needed to relax most:)

8. Malaya and David wrote out a worship service for us to do Sunday morning. Malaya designated herself as the worship leader (don't worry, we won't let her do it any more after she is 10:). David was the preacher and I filled in when needed with prayers and communion thoughts and family announcements. We worshipped in the garden behind our cabin.

Here is Malaya leading us in worship!

We used crackers left from dinner the night before and purple Gatorade represented Jesus' blood. Hey, it's the thought, right:)

9. It was so amazing getting to see hundreds of REAL dinosaur tracks in the river bed. The water was very low so God gave us a great gift and we were able to walk and follow the paths of several dinosaurs. We followed their dragged tail tracks. It was just so amazing to imagine ourselves walking RIGHT WHERE DINOSAURS walked! This was really cool!

10. Watching Malaya and David climb some really steep walls of some of the hills! It freaked me out but they had a blast, the little dare devils!

11. Getting to snuggle as a family at night!

12. Not watching any tv. We played gamed and worked puzzles. Our cabin had an old record player with records. So at night we played those and danced. Malaya is a really good dancer in case you didn't know:)

13. MY FAV thing of the whole trip was on Sunday afternoon! We decided to go hike the biggest mountain. 3 miles!! We talked, sang songs, encouraged each other to keep going, helped each other up and down tough parts! It was great! And the best part was when we got to the very top of this hill it started to POUR rain. I don't just mean sprinkle. I mean POUR!! It was beautiful. I had never experienced something so wonderful but it did make things extra slippery! We tried to pick up the speed a bit b/c of the rain. We got to a cliff that was a straight drop down that we had to climb down. David got Malaya down safely and he was telling me step by step where to put my feet, my hands, my rear, etc. I missed one of the footings and slipped and fell quite a ways onto my rear and scraped up my back and rear. I only stopped b/c David caught me. I was scared at first and then started dying laughing as the rain poured over us. I really don't know why I found such joy in that fall. Maybe b/c I have painful reminders of our great time. But it was so great. To hear Malaya's sweet giggle as the rain just drenched down her face. Or seeing David look so hot and sexy all soaked :). I don't know, it was just fun!! We did make it down after a couple of hours and we were soaked!!

We got back to the truck. Put on dry clothes in the truck. Drove out of the park. And drove straight to the best place you can after a good hard day of hiking--Subway. And then got home right in time for bed!

It was a weekend I will never forget! I feel like I have left out so many great details! Oh well! It was refreshing in many ways and such a blessing for all 3 of us!! Maybe there will be more Bizaillion hiking stories to come!!

Update on Papa

Thanks again blogfriends for your prayers for Papa! What a miracle in him this weekend! On Friday, we were told at one point that he had kidney failure,was in ICU with cong. heart failure and a few other "not so hopeful" things. Today he is off his ventilator, kidneys are fine, no fever and in a normal room!! I am so grateful that he is doing well! The docs do think he had a slight heart attack and we are waiting for results about that. I can't wait to give him a huge hug myself!! Thanks so much for lifting him up to the Lord!!

On a much lighter note--we just had the greatest weekend EVER!! We have never been on a trip (vacation that is, okay maybe mini vacation) just the three of us! We had such a fabulous time!!!!!! We went to Glen Rose for the weekend. We had such a great time just being together in nature and enjoying creation/rain:) We were relaxed and revived in many ways. I feel like I am thanking David with every breath! I can not wait to give details and show pics but that will have to come tomorrow!! I can not wait to share our trip with you!
Hope your weekend was good!

My Papa

Will you please lift some prayers up for my Papa today? I got a call from my Mom about 8:30 this morning that they were calling an ambulance to come get him. About an hour after that, they lifeflighted him to Tyler where he would have better care. They have determined that he has pnemonia (sp?) and he is running a temperature. His blood pressure is 80/50! (Which he always has bad blood pressure.)
He is coherent now and is joking with the doctors and nurses. I am sure he has found someone to talk politics with:)
Please pray that he will be stabalized.
My Papa is a very special man. Us kids spent most of our summers at B and Papa's house. The majority of our childhood memories have them in it. He is a man full of wit and a devoted love for God.
Just please pray for him.

Thirteen things that make me laugh!

Okay, so my creative brain is dead so here goes...
Thirteen things that make me laugh: (in a very random order!!)

1) Malaya's giggle (It is just so cute! I love her belly laugh!)
2) David's silly jokes (you just got to laugh sometimes)
3) A good Wayan brothers interview or acting.
4) The movies Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers (I roll everytime I see these movies!)
5) When my grand mother clips my grandfathers toe nails and Malaya gets so giggled as the nails fly threw the air.
6) A baby giggling!
7) My brother Josh! He just cracks me up with his impressions, his humor, his "Amy" role, and so many other things. He is just a funny guy!
8) My brother Jonathan! He has the funniest wit. He cracks me up even though I am the front of most of his jokes. He just cracks me up!!
9) When people get hurt. Okay, I inherited this from my mother. Serious injuries are NOT funny!! But.... every once in a while a good fall or slip or bumping into things is just funny. I can share a million family and friends stories here but I will refrain:)
10) Hearing stories about funny things kids do! They just make me giggle!
11) Morning talk radio can get a pretty good belly roll out of me:)
12) Listening to family and friends laugh. Sometimes you have no choice but just to join in.
And lastly...13) the person I laugh at the most is myself!! Sometimes I will think a thought or do something really stupid and just die laughing at myself!! I just amaze myself at the silly things I think, say, and do.
Sometimes you just got to laugh. Now, finish reading your other blogs that will have much more meaningful content:)

Thursday Thirteen and a Fun Surprise!

First thing's first!!! We have another cousin on the way!! My middle bro and sister in law are expecting their first baby in May!! They will be such great parents!! I can not wait to share some more auntie love!! Congrats to Josh and Kayci and little baby "Boss"!! Love you already!

My 13 most favorite tv shows/movies when I was growing up:
1. Reading Rainbow - It was really good when it first came out.

2. Little House on the Prairie

3. Jem - I know there are other fans out there for this one!

4. Dukes of Hazzard - Friday nights spending the night at my great-g-parents we would watch Dukes, then Falcon Crest, then 20/20 (and sometimes Dallas).

5. Saved by the Bell - Yes, I was one of the millions of little girls that was going to marry Zack. I did cry though when Zack and Kelly broke up.

6. Happy Days and later Joni Loves Chachi

7. Speed Racer

8. The Cosby Show (I think we have seen every episode. Every Thursday night after brothers baseball we would go to Mr. Gatti's with friends and watch it on the big screen.)

Movies I liked to watch with Mom

9. Kramer vs. Kramer

10. Rock in Roll Mom (We watched this so many times!!)

11. All the Beach Party movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette ??? (don't know how to spell her last name)

12. Adam ( when our country went on high alert about kidnappings this movie was very popular)

13. Jaws ( I know a little rough, but I was very fascinated with sharks for a stage of my life. After I watched the movies though I was terrified to take a bath, thinking that a great white would somehow squeeze it's huge body through the pipes and into my bath water. So weird!! :)

That just made me want to look up the Beach Party movies on Netflix and make David watch them with me. Please, do not warn him, I will surprise him!! :)

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen jobs/careers I have had or dreamed of having:

Had:

1) Secretary at corporate office of Action Rent to Own. LOVED this job. I saved up my money to buy my first car, a white Chevy Cavalier. I made tons of great friends and those women shared in a very important part of my life! Due to desiring to murder one of my brothers ex-girlfriends who worked there I chose to quit this job. I should probably repent of this...;)

2) Worked in the library of Amberton University for 2 summers. A little boring but it was good.

3) Worked in the ACU library. Greatest job ever. Those people walked with me as I got engaged, married and found out I was having Malaya!! They will always be special people in my life. I loved the late night shifts working with a great lifetime friend. I loved getting to see everybody. My fav was when my cutie husband would come in and bring me a snack or dinner. I was really obsessive about shelving books. In fact, one summer I volunteered to reshelf the whole library and loved every minute of it!! :)

4) Worked at Mesquite dayschool as nursery person, PE teacher (I know my family is cracking up right now! Stop it!! ) and the coordinators assistant! Great job and Malaya loved it.

5)Southlake preschool as nursery teacher!! Oh, how I loved those babies and watching them grow throughout those 2 years.

Jobs I have dreamed of having:

6)Being a mom was always first and foremost. On all my elementary school papers they would ask "What do you want to be when you grow up." I always put, "A Mom, just like my Mom." This dream came true on April 10, 2000.

7) I then always dreamed of being a teacher but my plan was to do that after my kids were in school. Well, obviously I didn't finish college (I know some of you are cringing...) and really don't desire to go back to school at this time so I don't see this one happening any time soon. I was a few hours away from having my degree in Elem. Ed.

8) I also dreamed of being a marine biologist. I LOVE ocean animals. One of my fav places is Sea World!! But I realized that I probably needed to be able to swim without holding my nose so this was put on the back burner:) (My brothers are so laughing at me right now!)

9) I dreamed of being a child's psychologist but WAY too much school for this one!

10) I would love to go back to working in a library some day! I love shelving books, checking in and books, etc. I also love the quiet, I know I am weird!

11) I would LOVE to work in a post office sorting mail or having a route. I know this is weird too! But to me this would be so much fun! Sorting and throwing that mail into piles of zip codes is heaven to me!

12) I have considered working at a grocery store but I am not so good with technology and I think I would panic if I messed up while checking someone out. Same with a bank, considered it but something about dealing with people's money freaks me out!

13) I also had dreams of being a Children's Minister but due to almost everyone in my life working for churches, I think I will steer away from this challenge:)