Little Family Road-Trip

So my sister and her family were in town over the weekend. .

they are on fall break from school. .

so we enjoyed them for a nice, long visit!!

Friday we took them down to Alabaster Caverns. .

which their 3 boys  had never seen.

It was cold and windy outside. .

so we were all glad to be in the shelter of the cool cave. .

The caves are an incredible wonder. .

made even cooler this time. .

by these guys and girls!!

It's bat season in the caves. .

and I must say, that made it feel a bit more like Halloween!

I've never been there in the fall, which is prime bat season. .

We saw a lot of bats. .some even close enough to touch. .

and a few times, we had to duck in a reflex maneuver to avoid their little flying selves!!

I won't lie. .

they totally creeped me out. .

but I enjoyed seeing their nasty little rodent-like bodies all the same!

The kids, as you  might imagine. .

loved them!! Even Cami!

After our cave tour, we enjoyed a sort of chilly picnic. .

and then some hiking! Gorgeous, isn't it??

It was a good place to run off their over-abundant energy!

Anytime that we have ever been to the caves it has been really hot. .

so we had never explored any of the trails. .

There were several to choose from. .

but we really only had time to do one.

We found ginormous boulders to climb. .

A little stream with a small wooden bridge to cross. .

and lots of trees. .coupled with some really wide open spaces.

On the way home. .

my brother in law pulled over so they could take a picture with the state sign. .

And every time I see the photo now. .

I can't help but sing the lyrics to Carrie Underwood's song. .

Not enough wind in Oklahoma. .

to rip the nails out of this house. .

Now that  you are singin' it too. .

I'll leave you for today!

I have some of their family photos that I took as well as our annual Halloween bash that will be up a little later this week!

Have a great day. .

and thanks for stopping by!!

Tomorrow's Halloween. .

do you have your Tums purchased yet??

Hello??

Hey. .

Remember me??

We've been here. .

I've not been running ALL the time. .

In addition to kids, 4-H, and Christ centered things. .

I've taken time to do a lot of cooking. .cleaning. .

steaming carpets. .packing for a garage sale. .

I even spent a few hours on Pinterest last weekend instead of blogging!

But here I am. .

back again this week. .

with some photos of our lives. .

to share with our family and friends!!

The first exciting thing that I did was attend the Lion King Broadway production when it was in Wichita! Unfortunately, they are quite strict with cameras being used. .so the photos I am sharing were all taken, courtesy of the broadway publicity photos they share online!

Rafiki. .This girl can SING!! I mean. .belt it out. .cut glass with her crystal clear voice. .WOW!! She was my favorite part! God blessed her with a MIGHTY voice!

I have been waiting for the last SIXTEEN years to see this production!! The production started on Broadway shortly before Tristan was born. I remember VIVIDLY, nursing Tristan on the couch, watching Regis and Kathie Lee. .and seeing them interview the cast. .in costume. Someday, I thought. .someday!!

The costumes were incredible!! The cast wore helmets depicting their character's face. .Their moves were so graceful. .and in stances like this standoff between Simba (or Mufasa) and Scar totally captured the effect!

So a few years back, I worked with a single female doctor from India who loved to travel. .we came up with the idea that we would take a weekend trip to New York City. .because, at that time, Jeremy had NO desire to see the city, and he knew it could be my one and only chance to see NYC. .he graciously offered to stay home with the THREE boys so we could go. On the agenda. .a Broadway musical. .on BROADWAY. .

Zazu the bird was a puppet, run by this guy. .His voice was so similar to the cartoon movie. .and most of the lines were similar to the cartoon. .

I was SOOO disappointed that the Lion King was sold out. .

 several months in advance of our trip!!

We saw Beauty and the Beast. .

which was great fun anyway. .

And I vowed at that show, that I would see as many Broadway productions as I could in my lifetime!

Scar, the evil lion. .was definitely freaky looking. .Notice the details on his outfit. .We were far enough away that many of those little details weren't evident to me at the production. .I enjoyed looking at all the online images. .I noticed that many of the photos included the same cast from the production we saw.

Wichita has a Broadway circuit, that brings 4 or so productions each year. I have seen Mama Mia and Wicked there. When Mama Mia came to town several years ago, I asked Jeremy if he would mind if I called a couple of my girlfriends to go with me. .

He responded that he didn't care WHO I called. .

as long as it wouldn't be HIM!!

 My friends agreed to go. .but unbeknownst to me, they thought I was crazy. They were going for the shopping and eating. .and were willing to sacrifice a couple hours to some musical if they had to!

Five minutes into the show, Kayla leaned over and yelled (over the music). .

"OK. .you were right!! I'm hooked!!"

I knew!!

It's a great friend that goes with you in faith, despite what they really think :-)

These guys were so cool. .look closely. .there are only four cast members there. .each has a gazelle on his head, and one on each arm. As they danced across the stage, they would move their arms to create the effect of an entire herd of gazelles. .A-W-E-S-O-M-E!

So, when I saw the LION KING was coming to town. .for a WHOLE MONTH. .

I knew I would be there. .This time, though. .instead of 3 tickets. .

I ordered EIGHT!!!

Three of my friends had never been to a production. .and they loved the whole experience as much as I did!! There is even some talk about attending the next really good show. .Jersey boys. .which will be there for 2 weeks in January!!

The other really amazing animal, in my opinion were the giraffes. The back legs were human legs on stilts. The giraffe head was worn on their heads, and the front legs were their arms working extra stilts. .Talk about coordination!!

As for me. .

I have a ticket to see Les Miserables in Oklahoma City with some of my coworkers next month. .and hopefully another spot in their car in April when West Side Story is there. .

though. .from the sounds of some of the girls last weekend. .

we may be taking our OWN carload of Kansans to see the production!!

Simply incredible!

Life with the family is still full. .

Extended family as well as immediate family. .

There will be updates one of these days. .

But For now. .

Hakuna Matata. .

Or. .No Worries. .

Or as I prefer to reflect on. .

1 Peter 5:7

Give all your anxieties and worries to the Lord. .for He cares about you

OR

Psalm 55:22

Give your burdens to the Lord and He will take care of you, for He will not let the godly slip and fall!!  

Hakuna Matata??

That's just for imaginary folk!!

For the rest of us. .

There's a GOD!!

Look for Him today!!

Oh, to be a Kid Again!

Saturday will go down in my memory as one of our best family days EVER. .

courtesy of being on hold to argue about a 6 cent bill.

You see, I never open my internet/cell phone bill in a timely manner. .because it gets auto-debited from my bank. However, for the 4th month in a row. .I was sent a second bill from a $2 amount (that had been paid) that resulted after we switched our accounts around in July. I waited on hold until I could politely tell them that I have called to take care of this matter 4 months in a row. .and that now they are just throwing away their money while sending me aggravating bills that will make them less money than it cost them to stamp their envelope. .Oh yeah, sorry. I waited on hold and glanced down at a coupon stuck in the envelope with my SIX CENT bill. It was for money off tickets to THE greatest show on earth. .which was slated to be in Dodge City that same day running through the weekend.

As I pondered my plans for the weekend. .Hmmm. .nope. .nothing. .

I decided that since some of the males in my house would be gone to the races, that I would take myself and Cami. .and any leftover males to the circus Saturday. .and a trip to Hobby Lobby that I was DESPERATELY needing anyway!

But. .great praises to God. .we found ourselves in the middle of a two day rainstorm. .

so the races were cancelled. .

and I had my whole family to myself. .

And. .to the circus we went!

Although, grudgingly by the older boys.

Devin and Cami didn't know we were going to a circus until we got into the parking lot. .when Devin read it on the sign.

Initially, I was put out because they said no flash photography. .and I get their safety points. .but it took me about 15 minutes to remember that I didn't NEED to use a flash anyway. .probably. .because the stage was so bright. And all was right in my world again. .

So, we enjoyed tight-rope walkers. .

 that guy actually JUMPED on to this dude's shoulders as he was squatted down on that miniscule little rope. .then his conditioned thighs lifted both his weight. .and the guy on his shoulders to an upright position. .while still standing on that miniscule little rope! Amazing!

The look on Cami's face when she saw these huge elephants was priceless!! They also had an act with camels, horses, and miniature ponies. Additionally, they had trained cats and dogs for different acts too!

This beautiful, glittery girl had a cable in her ponytail. .

which was used to hook this beautiful, glittery girl with a cable in HER pony tail together.

There was a lot of discussion in our car regarding how much hair these girls have. .and why they weren't crying and/or bald when they were done spinning circles and doing gymnastics in the air. .held up by their ponies!

Intermission was the perfect time for snacks. Cami had been dying to have a sno-cone from the beginning. .and it came in a take home plastic clown mug. .The sno-cone tasted terrible, and luckily. . she spilled the remaining 3/4 onto the floor. .so we wouldn't have to worry about not spilling it on ourselves when we were clapping and cheering. Smart girl!!

Bambi and Dale. .see if you can see who is sitting in the row in front of us. .We ran into Jason in the parking lot. .and then he gave us an extra ticket that they had and didn't need! Yeah!

The look on her face as she found out there was MORE show to come!!

The second half proved to be as entertaining as the first. .Two little dancing China guys lit this ring of swords on fire. .

And then kamakazied right on through it. .with a bags over their heads.

Creepy!

More elephant tricks. .

. .how would you like to chase elephants wearing these suckers all day?? Ours was the first performance of three on Saturday. .Don't get me wrong. .I think these boots ROCK. .I'd wear 'em if they were mine. .but I'm pretty sure that I would be crying after about 3 hours!

Now, have you ever seen the likes of THAT?? It's certainly not a view you would get at the zoo!

This guy stood on the end of that teeter totter while another guy jumped on the "up" end, causing him to fly and sommersault backward into that seat in the sky. CRAZY! These were some exceptional athletes!! I know it is common to joke about running off to the circus or even about "circus freaks." But these people were incredible, INCREDIBLE athlete/performers!! They fascinated us with their acrobatics, gymnastics, and dancing, and wowed the crowd with their feats and illusions!

But this was probably the craziest thing that happened. .There is a woman at the top of that closed cage. .can you see her? Around the midsection of the globe are THREE big dudes on their motorcycles. .wearing helmets. She hung up there on a rope (with no leathers and helmet-less) while they rode their bikes all over the inside of that globe!! And it didn't take 'em very long to make a trip around.  I kept imagining that sickening crashing sound in my head, as I TOTALLY waited for them to collide.

They didn't of course. .but I still had to wonder how many times they had during practice!! It's a wonder that any of them survive to old age! Really!!

When the party was over. .

. .Cami was ready to stay for the next performance. .

She's still talking about the girls in their beautiful outfits. .

"you know mom, the one with the sparkling shirt and pink pants!"

And when Jeremy complained about the price of the snacks. .I reminded him that the kids got FREE souveneirs to take home. .

He just doesn't get it!!

Thanks for taking time out of your day to see what this crazy family has been up to.

Only a few days until the weekend!

Enjoy 'em!!

Crystal Digging

My mother was wondering if we had done anything this week since I hadn't blogged!! I just giggled! We have been up to lots. . . food driving, swim lessons, wheat harvest, and a lot of work. . but today we joined up with our rock hunting buddies and took a drive to the Salt Plains by Jet, Oklahoma to dig crystals that can be found no where else in the world. (That is kind of exciting in and of itself!) We picked a warmish day to go, but we found that there were plenty of people as crazy as we were--out digging too. When we drove up, we were sure that we were on another planet. It honestly looked like there was snow covering everything. The thought made us at least 30 degrees cooler. . . till we got out! The salt is also very reflective, so it is incredibly bright! And easy to sunburn--we slathered ourselves up before we started!

The Salt Plains are a flat expanse of mud, completely devoid of vegetation, located in north central Oklahoma. (We thought it looked a little like the scenery from Ice Road Truckers--you know the show on discovery channel) The name, Salt Plains, is derived from the thin layer of salt that covers the flats. This salt was used by Native American tribes and early pioneers who first settled the area. The plains are 7 miles in length and approximately 3 miles wide and lie within the boundaries of the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge.

The crystals are a type called selenite--we found some of this on our hunt a few weeks ago--those minerals looked a lot like plate glass--very flat and clear. It was interesting to note the different formation and appearance of both selenite types! These crystals take on the characteristics of their environment; the finer the soil, the more clear the crystals. Iron oxide in the soil gives the crystals their chocolate brown color. Because these crystals form in wet soil, sand and clay particles are included within the crystal. These particles often form an "hourglass" shape, found only in this area. Other foreign objects in the soil, such as sticks, rocks, bones, and even cockleburs, are sometimes included as the crystal forms.

The procedure goes a little bit like this.

First you dig a hole. The sites I looked at said 2 feet by 2 feet, but we found that smaller ones worked fine. And we even used leftover holes that had been used by prior diggers.

Next you splash some water down the sides of the hole. We filled the bottom of the hole with a couple of inches of water then kept sloshing it around in the hole, agitating the sand off the crystals. We took 4 5-gallon jugs of water, and I had a couple gallon milk jugs that we emptied them into to make handling them easier.

The crystals are easy to break when they are wet, so we had to be careful. We found lots of flatter crystals and even some crystal clusters, that were shaped like an X or had several crystals going different directions. When you find them, you can clean them with a little water to see the sand inclusions in them. We didn't have enough water to clean them off, so we did it when we got home. It was fun to check them out.

The site has been closed for the last year or so because some boy scouts found leftover mustard gas there from WW2. It reopened in April. I don't know if the crystals were so easy to find because not many people had been there for a while, or if they are always that easy to find. The crystals can get up to 7 inches long and some formations can weigh up to 35 pounds. They let you dig 10 pounds of crystals per person. We were a long way off from the 90 pounds we could have dug today! We did dig for about 2 hours before we couldn't stand the heat anymore!

The babies slept in their car seats for a little while before coming out to play.

We went through another 5 gallon jug of ice water and who knows how many gatorades and capri sun drinks! When we finished digging, we toured around and went to the lake not far from the salt plains. We were just going to let them dip their feet in to cool off a minute!!

We snacked on chips and salsa while we watched them swim. Wow, was it hot and muggy at the lake!! We were glad to get back on the road. They also have a big natural habitat for multiple species of birds. We took the car tour through there. We sighted a big, beautiful pure white bird, which I tried to photography twice and couldn't get him to sit still. I plan to see if they have any official birding tours or watches in the fall or spring when migration happens. I would love to try that out! (By myself, or with any adult that I might be able to entice to come. . . NO KIDS!)

The crystal on the left has the classic hour glass inclusion of sand and debris in it. The one on the right is a small crystal cluster. Pretty cool??

The kids enjoyed cleaning them off and checking them out. This was Tristan's work for the day--Grant had a pile of about the same amount. . .Devin? Not so many--Oh well--All in a good day's work! So anyway, it was a fun day. Everyone is in bed now, and I am headed there myself quickly! The chairs will get painted tomorrow, J helped Dev paint his chair this morning. Can't wait to post pictures of those! Hope you all are having a great weekend!