Why am I even posting these pictures?

I'm sure all of you were at Six Flags today to see these scenes for yourself! I have no doubt that the entire Metroplex was at the park for this gorgeous first day of spring. Fortunately, the SFOT folks knew the crowd was beyond large, so they let us enter the parking lot at one of the gates near the Ballpark—and it was FREE! They also had an entrance set up by the bobsleds for people with passes or preprinted tickets. Handy! After those two shortcuts, though, we found nothing but people, people, PEOPLE everywhere, including church friends, neighbors, my students. You were there, too, weren't you?

A good majority of you had the sense to know that if you're going to wait 1 1/2 hours for a ride, you'd better make it a good one. Everybody, ourselves included, knew that you just have to start the Six Flags 2008 season at the Titan, my all-time favorite roller coaster (until I make it to Cedar Point, at least! Right, Cara?).

What everybody didn't know was that there's a new "no loose articles" policy for the Titan and the other big rides. That means you're no longer allowed to have anything that won't fit in your pockets on the ride platform. No more storage bins! Instead, you're supposed to (a) leave those items with a non-rider or (b) stow them in a locker (for the low, low fee of $1 US—for 120 minutes only). Mock the fanny pack no longer, my friends! My trusty "mom-belt" saved us a buck and a heap o' trouble!

ANYWAY, we waited an hour and a half for a three-minute ride. TOTALLY worth it! We love that Titan!

Next we tried out the new 3-D motion movie that took Spongebob's place. We were so excited to see something different, and it was, um, different. Some of the weightless parts were pretty cool, but the little spacebugs were definitely odd. Made me miss the Krusty Crab.

We enjoyed our photo op with Sylvester. We're partial to black and white cats!

I tried to get a good crowd shot but couldn't because most of the walkways were too crowded to even pause long enough to take a picture! The lines extending past the entrances of every single ride were pretty good signs that we would not be riding much today. Even the lines for concessions were 20-30 people deep. We were waiting in one of those lines to get some lunch when the three of us decided to ditch the food line, ride one more ride and then hit the road. Our choice?

No, not the Giant! The tower! Usually we don't even think of the Oil Derrick as a "ride," but it was one attraction that didn't have an hour-long wait.

Maybe next time we'll get to ride the Superman Tower of Power or the Gotham City rides.

It's so cool to see the progress on Jerry World. What an amazing structure!


We're so happy we have passes so we don't feel so bad about riding three rides and leaving! We will enjoy plenty of other days at Six Flags this year.

From Six Flags we headed for a late, late, late lunch at Razzoo's there in Arlington.

Of course, we ordered Rat Toes!

Ryan even tried one this time! (In spite of the face, he liked it! I think he was just a bit suspicious of the name. I had to convince him that no rats were harmed in the making of this appetizer.)

Then we shared our chicken, catfish, shrimp, crawfish and fries. Mmm, mmm, mmm... SO full.

We ate so much, it was scary!

Fortunately, we still had leftovers to take home to Dad.

We made the most of our outing, thankful for the weather, season passes, great food and the chance just to be together!

The smiles we left behind.

So I pick up the latest Texas Monthly* from our bar (where all of our mail piles up—please tell me we're not the only ones who throw our mail in a pile!). When I plop the magazine down on my lap, I feel something...furry. EW!

I throw the magazine on the floor, and when I pick it up again, THIS is what's left on the floor:

Ah, memories. Misty water-colored memories of the way we were! (The story behind the 'stache can be found here, here or here.)

*I recommend this issue—April—because it has a list of "68 Awesome Things to Do with Your Kids." We've managed to do quite of few of those 68 and can vouch for the fact that yes, they're awesome!

Kinetic sculpture.

I saw this on Mighty Girl and just had to share:

An e-card for you.

Happy Easter!

Hangin' with Harold.

I'm stealing a page from Brett's blog to mention the gems he's found at our local library. So far he's checked out three sets of Harold Lloyd DVDs, and we've all had so much fun watching them!

Harold Lloyd's image, especially the one above, is probably more recognizable than his name, which is a shame since his silent movies are laugh-out-loud funny. His physical comedy, combined with his daredevil stunts, have led to many "Rewind! Rewind!" cries from the kids. Besides the famous clock-dangling scene from "Safety Last," we've seen him almost fall off countless ledges and watched him balance precariously on skyscraper beams. We've also howled at all kinds of little moments, like the jigging grandma or a hair-raising surprise. The last few times we've all crammed ourselves on the couch to watch "just one," we've ended up watching three or four of the short films from the DVD.

While looking for a Harold Lloyd image, I found out that he lost his right thumb and forefinger in an on-set accident while filming "Haunted Spooks" in 1919. That's really amazing because most of his films that we've seen were filmed AFTER that accident. That means he performed all of those crazy stunts while wearing a prosthesis covered by a glove. Unbelievable!

So Harold Lloyd? The Dubs give him thumbs up—especially now that we know he was missing one!

Let's dance.

It's FINALLY time for the Big Dance: March Madness! The Horns are #2 in the south region, which means we play in Little Rock for round 1 and (if we win, I hope, I hope) round 2. Then if we make it to the Sweet 16, we get to play in Houston for a trip to the Final Four—which just happens to be in San Antonio this year!

But that's not the only "dancing" I'll be watching this week. Dancing with the Stars returns tomorrow night, and among this year's stars is one of my '80s faves: Steve Guttenberg! (No, really! It's become a joke between me and Brett that Steve Guttenberg was the object of my affection back when all my friends were gaga over Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze or Lou Diamond Phillips.)

So put on your red shoes! Let's dance!

Sure plays a mean pinball.

Thanks to Brett's friend Rick, I can share these great photos from Brett, Ryan and Katie's second day at the Texas Pinball Festival!

One highlight: the book signing. Brett said people went NUTS over the Atari they had set up to draw attention to his book, Classic Home Video Games (still available on Amazon!). He sold some books, handed out a lot of fliers, and met plenty of classic gamers.

Aside from the time spent signing books or eating, Brett, Ryan and Katie played pinball from 10 a.m. to 11:20 p.m.!


(Brett would like to point out that his shirt is making him look fat, but he, in fact, is not that big!)

Brett's account of their long but entertaining day can be found on his blog.

Crazy flipper fingers.

For weeks, Brett and the kids have been looking forward to the Texas Pinball Festival. Last year, I was working the Saturday they headed to Grapevine for this convention, so I was excited to see it all for myself this time around.

It really is amazing to be in this huge room with all of those pinball machines, arcade cabinets and other attractions. (This is a view of about 1/3 of the convention floor.) The games were all set to "free play," so you can just wander from game to game and try them all out!

Ryan and Brett played a bunch of games on this machine. They're true Super Mario Bros. fans!


Katie had some amazing runs on the No Fear machine and this one, Lethal Weapon. She and I also had a blast playing some two-player Galaga on an old table cabinet. Katie also got the DJ to play the Thriller video, so we had fun watching those old dance moves!

Brett has several favorites, including this Twilight Zone machine.

We were both impressed with this Flash Gordon one because it has been so beautifully restored.

Apparently I do NOT have supple wrists because I really, really, really stink at pinball! I did get a kick out of playing some of the older games, though, like this Captain Fantastic (Elton John) wooden machine. The old ones aren't as tricked up as the newer models, and to me, they just play "cleaner."

Among the four of us, the Universal Monsters' Monster Bash would probably be our favorite. If I needed to find one of them, I'd usually run into them here!

Brett, Ryan and Katie were headed back to the festival to spend all day Saturday playing even more pinball (well, except for the two hours that Brett would be signing copies of his book!). I opted out of the day-long marathon, but I'm so glad I could go on Friday night! It was an awesome way to start our...

And then there was none.

Wednesday morning: The pile is now a tidbit.

By the time we returned home Wednesday afternoon from our procedure, the snow was all gone. But hey, it lasted 5 1/2 days!

P.S. Thanks for the prayers! Everything went well, and we'll all be at work and school by Friday morning!

Never can say goodbye.

Brett and the kids take pride in having the last snow on the block! Last Friday afternoon, the day after we got all that snow, the three of them dismantled our snowmen and piled all the snow they could scavenge into a pile. Shaded from the sun, this spot near our giant bushes stood the best chance of keeping our snow frozen. The pile was about three feet tall on Friday, and today, this little mound is all that's left. But does anyone else around here still have snow in their yard?

'Round and 'round we go.

Today I have been pushed and shoved and tossed around, and I'm tired. The virus that's had a hold on me since Saturday night is lingering, and I've now missed two school days in a row. I'm vertical but still weak, and I'm the type who gets depressed when I'm sick. Bummer.

To top that off, a "procedure" we've had on our calendar for a while was rightattheverylastminute rescheduled, and EVERY! LITTLE! DETAIL! HAD! TO! CHANGE! This afternoon's been a crazy train of frustrated outbursts, followed by frantic phone calls, followed by one resolution, only to be followed by yet another resolution... Unbelievable!

(I promised I'd keep this minor, low-risk procedure "private," so let me just say that we'll take any and all prayers we can get around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday!)

And let me also say that I thank God that He never lets go of me, even when I feel like I'm spinning out of control in the ol' amusement park of life. On the phone this afternoon, I kept forgetting that He's got me! I'm stressing out, thinking I can't handle all this, and after way too much anguish, I remember: All I have to do is say, "WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

All we're missing is the gold bikini...

Jabba the Snowman

These Star Wars fans decided we needed a snowman fashioned after this guy:
Maybe next time we can conserve snow and build a Snobi-Wan Kenobi!

Snow, Yo!

Katie's Rappin' Snowman

Jack Frost was chillin',
Katie was illin',
The mom who was rappin'
Would be way better at nappin'!

Work and play.

What's better than a snowball fight?

A fight with GINORMOUS snowballs!

One snowball left snow in Ryan's ear...

...so he got his revenge.

Katie ended up with snow in her hair!

Katie worked really hard on her snowman...

...and came up with some creative clothes for him!

Ryan went with a Star Wars theme.

Brett ended up doing the bulk of the work...

...rolling up some pretty big snowballs!

We were all frozen and exhausted by the time we headed inside. Sometimes it's hard work to play!

Yes and no.

Yes, it was neat to see snow on campus this afternoon. The students had a good time making snowballs (and then throwing them!), and one group of guys built a little snowman outside the band hall.

But no, I'm not a fan of snowy slush when I have to drive home in it!

Proud to be an American, part 2.

Tuesday night I joined hundreds of my neighbors at our precinct convention. Our local library actually hosted five conventions in one place, which means there were long lines and much chaos as everyone had to wait
(a) for the long line of voters to finish placing their ballots (which went way past 7 p.m.),
(b) to verify that people had voted if they didn't have stamped registration cards,
(c) to be sent to their precinct's gathering,
(d) to sign in, and
(e) for everyone who had been waiting outside the library to make their way inside.

In many ways the caucus was an exercise in frustration, but it was phenomenal to see so many people wanting to take part in the democratic process. I also enjoyed getting to know so many of my neighbors! I met a woman who was in Dallas the day Kennedy was killed. (She still remembers looking up just as Air Force One was heading home with the president's body.) I talked with an aeronautic consultant. He said English teachers are needed to train air traffic controllers to speak the universal language in the control tower. (He said he might have a job for me if I ever leave teaching!) There was the lady with a walker who is recovering from double knee-replacement surgery. (She can barely walk right now, but she waited—standing, mostly—in the 40-degree weather for two hours because it was just that important to her to cast her vote.)

It was exhausting, but it was exciting, too. I'm glad I got to attend—and I'm glad that night was snow-free!