Silverwood

Silverwood Theme Park is a nice little park located in North Idaho complete with roller coasters and classic rides like the Tilt a Whirl, Scrambler, and the famous log flume ride. It's great family fun! Ever since we have gone to Silverwood, they have a "Community Appreciation" month in September where people who live locally (or not) can help the communities food banks by donating cans of food for a half price ticket into the park! Combine that with my son's free ticket from the reading program, and a family of three can have fun for less than $50!

Yesterday we went to Silverwood. You could not ask for a more perfect day! Sunny - very sunny as in NO clouds sunny, warm temps - about 83, and a nice breeze to keep you cool. And I can't forget to mention that there weren't very many people there. Lines for rides were not long. YAY!

Last year my husband convinced me to try a roller coaster.


Since I have been 4 years old, I have been scared of roller coasters. But I went...reluctantly. It was awesome! I rode it again and again and again. This year I wanted to go, and my son was scared to go on it! And that was AFTER he said he wanted to go on Aftershock.


I don't need to tell you that my son decided NOT to ride Aftershock. After going on the Corkscrew roller coaster, he wanted to ride one of the big wooden coasters. I did NOT go on those however. I'm still too chicken to face their height! LOL

*BTW, sorry about the cloudy pictures of the coasters, they are from last year. I didn't get any new pictures of the coasters this year... too busy having fun! :D

Leap of Faith

I don't know how many times I've taken a "Leap of Faith". I think the biggest leap of faith for me was moving from California to Seattle with a newborn in 1999. We had NO job prospects lines up, NO housing lined up, nothing.

I don't like the idea of not knowing what lies ahead of me - it stresses me out because I always think the worst of things just so I can be prepared for it. Then I came across this article at DailyOM. Reading it helped remind me that I shouldn't stress out about the unknown because it would just hinder me from making that leap of faith. Then I thought I should share it with others that might not be getting Daily OM in their email. :)

Have a great weekend!

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Many people, in heeding the guidance of their souls, find themselves contemplating goals that seem outrageous or unattainable. In the mind’s eye, these individuals stand at the edge of a precipice and look out over the abyss at the fruit of their ambition. Some resist the urge to jump, paralyzed by the gap between their current circumstances and the life of their dreams. Others make a leap of faith into the unknown, unsure of what they will encounter but certain that they will gain more in their attempts than they would bowing to self-protective instincts. This leap can be exceedingly difficult for individuals with control issues because the act of embracing uncertainty requires them to trust that surrender will net them the rewards they seek. Yet when you make a leap of faith, believing without a doubt that you will land safely on the other side, you can accomplish almost anything you set out to do.

There have no doubt been times in your life when you chose to go where the universal flow took you. Yet you may encounter instances in which your objectives require you to step outside of the boundaries of your established comfort zone so that you may freely and actively jettison yourself into a new phase of your life. While you may fear what seems to be the inevitable fall, consider that in all likelihood you will find yourself flying. A successful leap of faith requires your attention, as it is the quiet and often indistinct voice of your inner self that will point you toward your ultimate destination. Understand that the leap across the chasm of ambiguity may challenge you in unforeseen ways but you will make it across if you trust yourself.

If your mind and heart resist, you can dampen this resistance by building a bridge of knowledge. The more you know about the leap you are poised to take, the smaller the gap between "here" and "there" will appear to be. Your courageous leap of faith can lead you into uncharted territory, enabling you to build a new, more adventurous life. Though you may anticipate that fear will be your guide on your journey across the abyss, you will likely discover that exhilaration is your constant companion.

http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2009/20395.html

A Squash Isn't Always A Squash

but a pumpkin... or is it a gourd?

This is a follow up on my post, Name That Squash.

My strange squash plant produced three more of these "squashes" and I kept flip flopping back and forth thinking it was a gourd or a honey dew melon. I left it on the vine until last week, so a good 2 1/2 months. Then I noticed that this plant was producing about4 more of these strange things, so I decided to pick one and open it up and see what it was.

I kid you not when I say I had to take a chain saw to open up this thing!! When I did though, it had huge pumpkin seeds inside and it smelled strongly of pumpkin! As I researched, I found there *is* a white pumpkin called a lumina pumpkin. But it wasn't as big as they described it.

I still have no idea what it is, but one thing is for sure... it isn't a yellow crookneck squash!

My Little Genius

My son took one of those tests that school's make your children take that determine if they are getting the education they are supposed to be getting and they determine where your child is.

I have to take a moment to brag about my son. My 10 year old has scored in the 10th and 11th grade levels! He is in the top 1% of students in the entire NATION! I am SO proud of him!!!

A Boy and His Dog

I seem to be blogging about Poppy a lot lately. That's okay, she's a great companion and funny blogging material. lol

Poppy has taken to my son so well - they are the best of friends and now I only wish that I had gotten a puppy sooner! Every morning Poppy launches herself on his bed and licks my son in the ear to say "Good morning!!!" Then the giggling and playing starts. It's great to wake him up in such a good mood.

Later in the day, my son and Poppy go outside and run - and I mean run! My son is fast, but Poppy is faster! They chase each other around the house for several minutes, then my son gets tired!! HAHA! I never thought he would be tired! LOL

In the evening Poppy will follow him around all over the house while he plays, does chores, or watches a movie. Sometimes she will sit next to him and watch the movie too. When it is time for bed, Poppy gets ready for bed herself and crashes, just like my son.

Ahhh, a full day of energy spent playing and adoring each other! It's so great to have a puppy for my little boy, they are so happy and having so much fun together that it makes me smile and feel warm and fuzzy. :D
Got a boy? Get a puppy! LOL

Super Star!

Someone once accused me of being a super model. Someone once asked if I had ever thought of modeling.

Wow.

I am flattered. By both. Though I know the first person did not intend it to do so. And no, the second was not a friend or family member - they were a complete stranger! I never really thought of myself as a model. A ROLE model sure. But a model? How hard can it be?

If it is anything like photo shoots with my husband, it is more difficult than just standing there looking pretty. Lean this way, turn a little to the left, don't move! DON'T MOVE! Sometimes it is very difficult to keep a pose and when asked to move your left shoulder just a hair without moving anything else... sheesh! Good thing I have worked on shoulder isolation when belly dancing! LOL

Maybe I should start a portfolio and see if I can get some modeling gigs, sure sounds fun.