Where to begin . . .

. . . first let me say that there has been some negative publicity about the founder of the event we attended. I knew this before we left but the media focused on some personal issues that were not any of my business. I went with a very open mind and have zero regrets. Mr. Kerr was just one of hundreds of volunteers that made this event happen. The Snowbell Express was his vision and thanks to the Rotary Club and many other amazing organizations it happened. It was a first class weekend from the minute we stepped on the plane until we managed to drag ourselves back at the crack of dawn.

We were in the air for about 30 minutes when Colin so sweetly said, “I wanna go home.” Oh boy, this was going to be a long weekend. He was a real trooper on the flight until we were told to prepare for landing . . . he had issues with his ears but bigger issues with keeping the seat belt on. I managed to struggle for 30 minutes while the flight attendant continued to give ‘advice’ . . . I so wanted to tell her to shut the hell up but just smiled and continued to basically sit on him and strap him in . . . think wrestling. It was a big struggle and I was so tired of fighting with him. The flight attendant managed to go tell my parents that I was having a terrible time with their grandson, thanks! Oh the joy of busy body people. We were met by a volunteer who helped us get our luggage and sent us on our way to the local Westin. There was a hospitality room with snacks for us to eat while we waited on more families to arrive before we were shipped out to our hotel. We finally left for our hotel which was first class . . . I love nice hotels but in the US they are expensive. Sean and I always stayed at very nice hotels . . . we worked hard and liked to treat ourselves . . . in Europe you could stay at 5-star hotels for a good price if you did some research. Everything was so ‘heavenly’ . . . heavenly bed, heavenly showers, heavenly shampoo, and it sure was such a comfortable room. I don't remember the Westin in Malta being like this. Now let me say this, when we left Texas the weather was in the upper 70s and when we got to California it was cold . . . 40s-50s. We made a stop at Target to get some warmer clothing.

Our first stop was at the Crystal Cathedral and were suppose to go to the performance of The Glory of Christmas but Colin was so worn out that we went home early to go to bed. On Saturday we were the guest at the headquarters of Oakley . . .
I never knew they did things other than sunglasses. They do a lot of contracts with the military so only fitting they host the children of the fallen soldiers. As we approached the building there were hundreds of people standing in the rain waving flags for us . . . there wasn't a dry eye on the bus. Some of the ladies on the bus said that it reminded them of the crazy people who protested their husband’s funeral but even in California where they can be crazy they have a heart. It was a very nice gesture and very thoughtful . . .

There was food and fun . . . with some celebrities too . . . Tony Hawk was the only one I knew other than Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sean would have been so excited to see Tony Hawk on his skateboard since he loved that. Unfortunately, I hung out inside with all the inflatable things. . . Colin climbed and ran and played for hours while I dreamed of going to the Outback Steakhouse booth for more food . . . yum, yum.

Our big day was on Sunday so we went to bed early . . . we woke up Sunday and left for Disney Land at 7:45. I had been to Disney Land once before and I was worried it might become an emotion experience, but I was too busy chasing Colin to think about the last time I was there. In the summer of 1995, Sean and I went to San Diego to visit his sister and husband. It was the first time Sean had ever been to a Disney Resort and we were like kids. One of my all time favorite photos of us was this one . . . sorry it is a picture of a picture . . .

. . . don’t we look so young? We were about to start our last semester at Texas A&M so we really enjoyed being ‘kids’ before we had to be adults.

Colin was good . . . I was worried he would not want to stand in line and just cry but he was a real trooper. We spent most of the day in Fantasy Land and the lines for the rides were about 20 minutes. It was so neat to see his eyes get large . . . he was just amazed but probably did not fully understand what was going on.
About 30 minutes before the parade started, he decided to take a nap. I found a lamp post on the parade route and took a break too . . .

It was a long day and we had to catch the airport shuttle at 4:30 am. Oh what fun that was . . . we were so tired but so glad we went. For me I wanted to meet some of the ladies I have been chatting with online for almost 2 years. I feel like I know them even though we have never met. I wanted to meet Colleen. Our lives are connected in a sad way . . . her husband’s helicopter crashed in my hometown (where we live now) the day of Sean’s funeral. She moved from Fort Hood to NC before we could meet. It was like we had known each other our entire lives . . . she is funny and sweet and we also shared a few tears. I hope someday I can meet some of the others that I chat with but there were about 1,000 people at the event. The saddest part was about 650 were kids who lost a mother or father since 9-11 while serving in the military . . . just sad to see all of them together. I wish I would have taken some better pictures but I was told, “no, mommy put camera up!” I guess you can tell who is in charge!

I was so excited when the plane landed in Austin because I knew that the next day (Tuesday) was the big day . . . well about half way home I got a phone call from the builder. There were some plumbing problems that came up on Friday but he did not tell me because he knew it would spoil the trip, wasn't that nice? The move was delayed a few days but that is okay because honestly, I just don’t know where to start . . . so instead of coming up with a plan I am on the internet. Oh well, it will get done!

One parting shot . . .

We are moving! I am so excited . . . can't wait to share that adventure!