The post where I ramble on forever....

Am I the only one having a problem with consistently posting during the summer? This is the first summer that I've been a frequent blogger, and I am really finding it hard to sit down and write. I have some amazing thoughts for blog posts, but by the time I get to the computer, they've vanished like the morning mist in the sun. (Mr. Daddy, there's NO need for any comments from you about the state of the elderly mind, OK?) I'm at least trying to journal the things that happen here by the creek, since that WAS the original intent of my blog.
I had my 49th birthday last Monday, and I've officially decided to count backwards from this point on. So next year? I will be 48, just in case you want to send a card or something. Speaking of Mr. Daddy, he did a touching, amazing birthday tribute to me on my big day. It warmed the very cockles of my heart; go here to read it. But make sure you have Kleenex nearby; it just might make you cry.
I had a lovely birthday, with phonecalls and about 30 or 48 Facebook wishes. Handsome Hubby and Bug Hunter took me out to eat at Trackside Grille and then to Brusters for dessert. I ordered a nifty new lens for my camera, and the girls next door picked out a pair of sandals that were EXACTLY what I'd been needing (I love when that happens!). My brother sent a couple of great books for me to read. And my friend Cile sent a birthday package that arrived ON MY BIRTHDAY, filled with some really neat things she picked out for me in Israel. Seriously, I may not get out much, but as long as I can live vicariously through Cile, I'm OK with that. Coasters, Dead Sea salt bath soak, olive oil soap, an olive wood plaque (and a cute olive wood box with Israeli coins in it for the Bug), a notepad with an intricate art cover, and my favorite thing, a really cute embroidered silk bag that I'll just wear out because it's so handy. Here's a picture of everything:



And Bug Hunter came up with a new recipe for me. He got some pizza rolls from the girls next door that were the little fried pillows with a little sauce and cheese in them. He told me that he thought pizza rolls would be like cinnamon rolls; then he asked if we could make some like that. So, we did; refrigerated pizza dough, tomato paste, mozzarella cheese, and chopped pepperoni, rolled, cut, and baked. They were VERY good; I love that my boy is a cross between Emeril and Jeff Corwin!


As if all of that wasn't enough to make a great birthday, ChAce the wonder gecko decided to shed ON MY BIRTHDAY! Is that a gift or what? A nice, shiny new skin; he's so handsome right after he sheds. Thanks, ChAce.. that was special.


Bug also caught a very handsome little snake for me; a little research turned up the fact that he is a red-bellied snake. Even though he was a looker, we had to let him go late Monday, because we were going out of town Tuesday and wanted him to survive and thrive. But what a nice gift, eh?


Out of town was fun; we went to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, up in the mountains. None of us had ever been before, even though hubby and I had both been to Gatlinburg when we were much younger. We only went for 2 days, but we really could have stayed longer. We stayed at a hotel that had an indoor "water park" (2 big water slides, a splash pad, a big hot tub, and a pool with basketball net, volleyball net, etc.). Outside, it had a pool and hot tub AND a lazy river to tube around. It gave us something to do when we weren't at Dollywood. I think the Bug Hunter liked it a lot!



On Tuesday night, we went to the Comedy Barn. This video is the reason why:



Even without "Dad" and his laugh, Eric Lambert was a hoot, as was the rest of the cast. It must've been good; we got the tshirt AND the video!

Wednesday was spent at Dollywood theme park, and I give it two thumbs up. I worked at Opryland in Nashville back in the late 70's, and I've been to Six Flags and several other parks. Dollywood gets high ratings because of all of the natural shade, combined with man-made shade and water features. From the huge misting fans to all of the rides that cooled you off, there was never a real chance to get overheated (did you just notice that my rating has everything to do with comfort and NOTHING to do with exciting rides or awesome shows? Once again, Mr. Daddy, no comment needed). Bug Hunter rode his very first BIG roller coasters while we were there, too. The first one was the Thunderhead, a wooden coaster that was pretty darn impressive:


He and his dad enjoyed racing the clock in the Lumberjack Lift, too:



I thought this water area was going to be his favorite part of the park; he stayed there for about an hour blasting the other kids with the machine gun water blasters. Oh, and dad.. he and dad DID get in a pretty heated battle. Bug is in the upper right of this picture, in the red shirt, and dad is, of course, the man in blue:


But at the end of the day (literally), Bug Hunter fell in love with Daredevil Falls, the log flume. He rode it seven times in a row and would have gone for more if it hadn't been raining and thundering. Call me a killjoy, but I just did NOT want to make the front page of the local paper (and maybe even national news) for being electrocuted while zooming down the falls. Here's the Bug and his dad; I promise that they're somewhere in the middle of that splash!


I know I'm leaving something out, but if you've made it this far with me, I'm sure you're glad that my memory isn't what it used to be. I don't even have a really good ending for this, so I guess I'll just say goodnight, and thank you for flying CreekAir.