Bits of randomness-essence

So, where was I?

I have an awesome husband. Well, duh. Yes.
Also, bras fit a little differently over undergarments. Just saying. Maybe it's because my garments don't fit quite all that well. Ugh.
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Friday morning, there were some folks working on something across the street. I was being nosy and I opened my door to spy on them. When I closed the door, part of it caught my heel and ripped a slice/chunk of skin off.

It hurts. And is taking a while to heal.
I wish my heel would heal. ... Way to use homophones, right? Yeah.
Okaaaaaaaay ...
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Saturday, we went to Mariner's Square in Newport. We opted for the tickets to go see all the exhibits: Ripley's Believe It or Not, the Undersea Garden, and The Wax Works.

Also, for an additional cost, during the summer months, they have a butterfly garden upstairs. We opted to do that, too. Make a real day of it. ^_^

(If you buy the tickets to do all three, they'll throw in either a free guidebook for wherever you're buying the tickets [Ripley's, in our case. These guidebooks are kinda nice. I think they usually cost $2.00] or a tote bag ... like the reusable ones you get at the grocery store. ]The bags have the names of all the exhibits on them. Just so you know.])

(If you want to do at least two of the exhibits, go for the tickets to do all three. It's worth it ... if you have the time. ... Seriously, the tickets for all three exhibits are just $2 more than buying tickets for just two of the places. And, if I recall correctly -- since I was taking the kids to the bathroom while Michael bought the tickets -- the butterfly garden [which is SMALL ... but it was kinda cool] was just another $3 per ticket.
And, since our littles are 4 -- and kids ages 0-4 are FREE -- it worked out VERY well for us. ^_^)

We did the Undersea Garden first, which was good for the kiddos.

It's a 30-minute presentation of a diver interacting with sea creatures while another employee tells you about what the diver is doing and what s/he is interacting with -- the different fish, sea stars, eels, crabs, and an octopus.

The show went well. Bruise and I sat together while Bucket and Michael sat a little ways away. The downstairs is all contained inside a metal cabin 50 feet x 150 feet. There's a stage inside where you can watch the show ... and you can look at the tank as you walk around. There's even a little tide pool set up at the other end.

Bruise enjoyed watching the diver pick up crabs and let them swim ... or toss them around (and one of the crabs was hitching a ride on his back). Bruise ESPECIALLY enjoyed when the diver was holding up a few sea stars and he put the sunflower sea star on his head like a hat.
"HE wooks wike he has GURL HAIR!!!" was Bruise's summation.
Unfortunately, the octopus was hiding ... since I remember (when I went here when I was ... five? six? seven?) the octopus being the REALLY COOL part. Oh well.

Then we went to Ripley's. I remember, when I was a little girl and my folks and I went here, getting VERY AFRAID and RUNNING OUT TO THE LOBBY. And I WOULDN'T GO BACK IN.

So my parents were RATHER upset, since I don't think they were able to get a refund. Oops.

I had warned the kiddos before we went that, if they got scared, I would hold them; that there wouldn't be anything in there that could hurt them. (I knew this for a fact since Michael and I went to Ripley's on our honeymoon. ... And, yes, I did feel pretty dumb in retrospect.)
Bucket did need to be held a couple of times. (The mummy was one. And walking in the emptiness of space was a CLOSE call.) Bruise, however, took it all in stride and was having a great time.

Then we went through the Wax Works. Michael auditioned for American Idol (complete with Simon Cowell with a permascowl and facepalm). We didn't receive any feedback from the judges.
I declined from draping myself over Johnny Depp. But we did snap a picture of him by himself. Bucket and Michael pulled a handle on a box in a pirate's ship which emitted a scream. The box, not the ship.

Bruise, oddly enough, was the one who nearly made a run for it. He was VERY worried by the Indiana Jones-style exhibit (where there were some spiked walls that closed in a little around you -- and Michael made sure he didn't get a glimpse of the one spiked wall with a [fake] body impaled in it). He nearly went running from a rock that rolled away to show a dragon/sea serpent that rolled toward you (with bars separating it from you) and a mermaid a little ways behind it. (Gotta LOVE those 80s bangs. I used to HAVE those 80s bangs ... Wow.)
But after those, there was the Star Wars exhibit (after a rather poorly-done Lord of the Rings set ... none of the was figures really resembled the actors they were supposed to portray. Probably because, as Michael and I both recall [since we haven't been to the Wax Works for ... um ... around 15-20 years?], that scene USED to be the sermon on the mount. Ha!). Bruise and Bucket enjoyed the Star Wars stuff -- Princess Leia, Luke, Yoda, Darth Vader, Darth Maul ... and E.T.? ... Well, he was in the room, but set off from the others.

Then we made our way upstairs to the butterflies. ... The area (more than one room) is filled with flowers for Painted Lady and Monarch butterflies. Some landed on Bucket and me. We got to see butterfly eggs and caterpillars. I showed the kids the butterflies' proboscis-es/probosckes (what's the plural of "proboscis?" I didn't take Latin in school! Argh!) as they ate.
The kids weren't all that keen about butterflies landing on them ... but, for a total of around six dollars, it wasn't too bad, really.

Then we let the kids choose what we should eat. It was VERY close to having a trip to McDonald's ... but, rather remarkably, we ended up going out for pizza.

Then we went out to Otter Rock to walk on the beach.
(And I had to keep my shoes and socks on since I'm an eedjit with a huge scratch on the back of my heel. Bucket was very disappointed that I wasn't able to go walk in the tide with her. Oh well!)
The kids were ready to stay out there all day ... but we grown-ups were TIRED from waking up early ... and we headed home.

And I took a nap. Then got up, talked with my mom on the phone, and walked down the road a bit to drop a note off (to finish my Visiting Teaching. YAY!!!!! I got it done for JULY!!! Just in the nick of time!!! -- Now I have a new route. Which is cool. I think it'll be really fun. I'm sad to lose some of the sisters from my route last month ... but this will be new and exciting).

Yesterday, Sunday, was pretty normal ...

Except for the fact that our whole YW presidency was rearranged.
(For those of you who don't know what the dickens I'm talking about, we have a lay clergy in our church. It's all volunteer work ... but we're actually issued these opportunities. It sounds crazy to sum it up, I know. But just smile and nod your head. And if you have questions/whatever, comment and I'll do my best to clear it up. ^_^)
So, our YW President was released. With her being released, her two counselors would have been released, too ... Except that we haven't had any counselors for a while (it's been a few months since we've had a Beehives [the 12-13 year-old girls] counselor ... And the Mia Maids [the 14-15 year-old girls] leader moved last month).
The Advisor (teacher for the Beehive class) is our new YW president. She has two counselors who are really fun. We're keeping the advisors (teachers) for the Laurel (16-18 year-old girls) and the Mia Maid classes. We have a new advisor for the Beehives. ... And I get to stay in my calling as YW Secretary.

So, I've been updating rosters and emailing tons of things to new counselors/advisors ... It's been a little busy, but it's a good thing. I am going to miss our old YW President (she is a great lady and a wonderful friend), but I'm trying to be welcoming to this change, too.

Okay ... my kids have woken up from naptime ... and I still have been LAZY and haven't finished doing the housework or getting a shower or anything. *sigh*

Does it count that I went out early in the morning to mail off the mortgage check and to retrieve the garbage can? That counts for something, right?

And I finished up some binder covers for YW, right????

But, yeah, a good deal of the day has been on Facebook and chatting with a few friends online.

So, now to finish the dishes, fold some laundry, vacuum the house, tidy up the bathrooms, and ... oh, that's right! Make some more things for YW binders for the class presidencies. And fix up the rolls. I can do this. ... Right?

And what should I make for dinner? Choices, choices.

And we're getting groceries tonight. That'll be nice ... and will REQUIRE that I get a shower. *sigh*