What better way to kick this blog back from the land of no return than with the arrival of the parents back from China. All hail the surviving hero's. Don't they look spry after traveling on a plane for many an hour. This shot is mid morning, after a nights rest in a hotel somewhere in the Midwest after missing their connecting flight from Shanghai the night before. Ben, Mary and I drove up from Phoenix the night before to pick them up. The picture I should have taken next was of the baggage after we loaded it onto two of those carts. Two bags each with assorted carry on. It was an adventure trying to load all those bags into the Buick. Good thing for bucket seats in front and back. We made it home and that is what counts. Now the parents are only a phone call away. Next time they go off gallivanting, skype needs to work a whole lot better. We are all excited that they will be sticking around this country for a while.
... at least that is what handsome told his bestest friend Toad as they were sitting along side the pond slurping up flies and enjoying the cool breeze.
"Handsome, I don't like adventures they are scary. Besides I'll miss my favorite show Bones."
"Come on Toad, together we can hop to new ponds and explore new valleys" exclaimed handsome.
"Besides Charlie has ti-vo so you can watch all the episodes we miss when you get back."
Toad thought long and hard about that, it would be nice to stretch his legs and a new adventure did sound nice but it was still scary.
"Handsome, I've never ventured far from our pond, this is my comfort bubble. Besides you've seen how the other toads and frogs laugh at my hump and your wig - and they know us."
"Toad, I need to get away, I'm not happy and I just know if I find myself a new wig I will be happy. Please, please come with me. Together we can handle anything that comes our way, even stupid dye-keen-ees. I've got a whole bag of freeze dried flies and a cooler full of fresh maggots"
Toad decided that he could use a vacation and wanted to help out his friend. So together they put their heads together and planned out their trip. They planned to be gone for 2 weeks, as the crow flies. They decided that since the sun rises in the East and always looks so happy coming up over the meadow that they would head east. The more the plans started taking shape the more and more Toad got excited for the trip.
'I love it when a plan comes together' yawned Toad the night before they were to leave.
"Me too, Toad" replied handsome.
The next morning bright and early as the sun cast a golden haze across the meadow, toad and handsome set off on their adventure. The meadow looked a little like a ‘yellow brick road’, handsome thought this was a good omen. He started humming to himself, ‘follow follow, follow follow, follow the yellow brick road. The daring duo was having an adventure. Handsome had not really been on an adventure before and as much as he was scared, he was also excited.
Mid morning the duo stopped by a large rock for a snack and rest. They listened to the crickets chirp as they sat along side the road. Suddenly there was a loud BURRRRRRP.
Toad rolled over and handsome woke with a large hop. The nearby bush was now shaking. Handsome was getting nervous.... what could it be? He tried to wake toad, he grumbled and sat up still a bit sleepy. Another loud BURRRRP woke toad completely.
Handsome had trouble watching, he was nervous and when he was nervous he would hide his eyes with his long tongue and hum to himself. Toad tried to hide under a leaf that had fallen from a near by tree. Both were shaking as much as the bush. Just when handsome could not stand the suspense any longer, the bush stopped shaking...
"Let the wig adventure begin!" said handsome. "But first every new adventure needs to be planned out in advance."
The first thing that handsome planned was the different places he thought he could find a wig. The next thing he plan was how long it would take him. The last thing he planned was what to take.
At the top of handsome's list was a friend. Handsome had a best friend and one thing you need on your trip is a best friend. Good friends like handsome's Toad are hard to come by. They enjoy spending their days together. They'd fly kites, celebrated Toad's birthday, and shared the shivers when handsome told a scary story. Most of all, they have fun together-every day of the year. Without his best friend the trip would be no good. The only problem was convincing Toad to go. Toad wasn't very adventurous and he never left the pond....so how to get Toad to go.
"Oh, the water is fine," said "handsome" morosely. Charlie, being a friendly neighbor, noticed the tone and asked "handsome" what was wrong. "I don't like my blue hair anymore, I want to change it to something more expressive," complained "handsome." Charlie thought about this for a bit and pointed out to "handsome" that he was going to have to leave his pond to find another wig--if he wanted to change his hair color. "handsome" thought this a good idea as he always wanted to go on an adventure.
I love to listen to our children, and now our wonderful grandchildren, make up their own stories in a sort of progressive dinner way.
So I'll start a story here and then we'll wait for one of our family to join in and continue the story to the end. Let's see - once upon a time there was a bald frog with a blue wig. This frog was a special frog in so many ways, but he had forgotten how special he was and at the time of our story beginning, he was muttering tos himself because he wanted different color hair. He was soooo tired of blue. Our disgruntled, special frong had a name, Two-Step, but he didn't like to think of himself as "two-step", so he preferred to be called "handsome". That's why his hair color was the issue of this particular morning in March while "handsome" sat under the tall tree shading the lilipads and cool water of the small brook that meandered through the meadow where "handsome" lived.
While "handsome" was contemplating how to change his hair color from blue to something more expressive, like red or fushia, a friendly woodcutter named Charlie, who lived close by the meadow and who often spotted "handsome" along his daily route, stopped to say hello. Good morning "two-step", how's the water today?
{so what happens next is up to you - jump in and continue our story please}
I just finished jotting down a few thoughts about mom to celebrate her 65th birthday while giving a few parched spots on the lawn a much needed drink. The weather is toying with my emotions right now and dangling the proverbial 'precipitation carrot' in front of my face. I see the clouds, I hear the wind but I feel no rain. :(
I'm a bit tired of the triple digit weather we have been having and want to punch the weather dudes in the face when they say in the nightly news that more triples are in our future. Kind of makes me wonder why I moved down to this desert. Oh yes now I remember - family. I moved down for family. And they are worth every dry desert drop.
Speaking of family I want to introduce everyone to the newest member of our family - Eric Scott Roberts. By now you all should have received pictures of this precious arrival. If you haven't seen the pictures please let me know and I'll send them post haste. This picture was taking when little baby E was just 15 hours old.
I now must go turn off the water, change clothes and go watch BYU play football. Must support my cougars of course. Jake and I were singing the fight song to baby Eric the other day. So far Eric hasn't caught the cougar spirit, but with Matt and Julie as his parents I have no doubt that it will come. If you plant and nourish it - it will grow. :)
I also enjoyed our family reunion. I look forward to hearing about possibilities for next year. School starts back up in a couple weeks so I better read a little faster in order to finish my book.
What better way to kick this blog back from the land of no return than with the arrival of the parents back from China.
