Sometimes I do more than wonder

This morning I went to the gym. I'm maintaining a good regiment during the summer in spite of a different schedule. This mainly being that Amanda is not in school. She has been cooperating a lot better this summer as compared to the past few years and it has made a difference.

This morning she was to get her shower and get dressed while I was at the gym. I took a $1.50 with me to buy a Powerade from the vending machine and planned on doing my 40 minutes of cardio on the AMT. Well the machine was empty of both flavors of Powerade, vitamin waters and Smart Water and it gave me back my money. I was pretty put out because I am what can be called a "sweater." After 20 minutes it just pours from me. I tanked up like a small camel at the water fountain and then did my work out. Afterwards I headed home, very very thirsty.

When I arrived Amanda was having a fit about "NO SHOWER!" Tina said she couldn't get her to calm down and the two just agreed to disagree until I got home.
I tried to reason with Amanda at first. I explained that yesterday she went swimming and helped wash the cars and she was pretty stinky. She didn't want to hear it. So I stood her up off the couch and walked her down the hallway, the whole time she was pleading, "NO SHOWER!" Then I reached in my pocket and pulled out the six quarters that came back from the machine. I said, "Look at this, somebody drank the last drink at the gym and the machine kept my dollar bill and gave me all these quarters."

Well, that did it. She yelled out, "CALL COP!" Cop is the husband of her best friend and sitter who Amanda has a crush on. He is a cop and she thinks that is so cool. I said I would when we got to work but first we both needed to get our showers because we stink. She took a shower without difficulty after that and in fact she didn't even want to get out but I told her, "NO SHOWER!" and she just laughed.

Now, typically the machines are full at the gym, but this time everything was empty and I just have a hard time beilieving in coincidences.

While this was going one Tina made me a GREAT breakfast and I do love breakfast, it is one of my five favorite meals of the day.

It was nice while it lasted

Amanda had been released from all clinics at Arkansas Children's Hospital for an entire year. This was the first time in ten years we had such a break. But alas, we found a new little situation that has us in yet another clinic. Without going into too much detail, Amanda now has a nephrologist, yes it is a real word in spite of what spell check says, and it is a kidney specialist. Her condition is none threatening but needs to be monitored so once again we are back under the umberella of ACH. It was so nice not having to see: endichronolgy, dermatology, orthopedics, growth and development, dental, GI or vision any more. We were either released or found closer specialists, all of which has made our lives easier. But Amanda travels better than ever and we just do what we have to do.

fun through superior fire power

We're in the pool last evening and Amanda had her new squirt gun. This purple blaster known as the Helix Supersoaker turned out to be a piece of firefighting equipment and Amanda quickly turned it on me. This souped up piece of plastic shoots a double stream of water in an ever twisting and widening cone and simply blows the sunglasses off of an unsuspecting father's face. The most disturbing part is how much Amanda enjoys dishing out the pain, much like Tom Cruise's character in Taps when he is firing the .50 Caliber machine gun and screaming "It's beautiful man!" The only difference is when Amanda's gun runs dry she sweetly says, "Help me." So like a sucker I fill it up and she blasts me again.

These guns have come a long, long, long way from when I was a kid and it didn't matter how big it was, it shot the same weak stream about 10 feet.

Cargo shorts and civil responsibilty

I have a strong belief that people who don't iron their cargo shorts' pockets do not contribute to society on a regular basis.  Maybe if they are an organ donor or buy lottery tickets, but that is about it.  

I ironed five pair this morning, it took about 15 minutes and now I don't look like I have been camping for the past two weeks in the high back country.  It really isn't that hard, and it says, "Hey, I don't sleep in my clothes and I have at least some sense of  hygiene  and pride."

Not ready for normal

School is out and Amanda is loving it. The stress of not attending school every day is really allowing her to relax and thrive. She is speaking more clearly all the time and what she has to say makes so much sense that I'm not always prepared for it.

The best example is from last weekend. Tina and I were working in the backyard pruning, raking, moving large rocks (she would point and I would lift), cleaning the pool, patio, and staining the deck. Now, seventeen plus years of marriage has taught the two of us one thing, we don't work well together in the yard. The reason for this is simple. In the house Tina is in charge and I help by doing whatever she asks because she is the expert and I am clueless. In the yard we both assume we are in charge and neither will do what the other person asks without at least a debate. Christmas lights being the worst because she won't climb a ladder and I am a visionary.

But this weekend was different and we hope a start of new trend. We worked like a well oiled machine for two days and brought the backyard under control. Late on the second day is when Amanda popped off this little gem, "Amazing, no fight."

Can't say that I was ready for that one and it made us both feel a little guilty.