Well... Where Have I Been?

Here, there, and everywhere I guess. Isn't it funny how each season of the year brings about it's own sort of busyness. The spring brings outside busyness. The summer brings traveling and vacations for most. The fall brings about the start of all things schedule related and the winter brings the holidays.... that must be why the years seem to go by so quickly.

Just today I had to sign Isaiah in for Sunday school class and I had to stop and think what grade he's in! (not a good commentary on our homeschooling process I should think...) And I can't even fathom that the boy will be in the 3rd grade in a month or two. It almost makes me go into a crises. It's just not right. I can barely remember him as a baby anymore.... ok, now I'm getting depressed, so we're going to talk about something completely different. Like:

Branson, MO

What is the draw to Branson, MO?? Hillbilly lifestyles? Plastic faced people singing campy songs? Bad comedy routines? It is definitely an old people paradise. We just got back from a little jaunt down there - our destination of choice is always Silver Dollar City, cuz it's awesome. But as you get past Springfield MO the billboards definitely start to change... you see Yakov Smirnoff, you see Andy Williams, you see some family singing group (they're all the same ya know...) and of course there's Shoji. I actually saw a billboard advertising the new Titanic exhibit down there, but it said, "Come and experience the dogs of the Titanic" and below the caption was a picture of some poor soul in a maid's costume holding a dog. Seriously? Do people spend their hard earned dollars to experience the dogs of the Titanic? (Let me spoil it for you... the dogs died too...)

Maybe that's the problem... maybe the money they throw to these events is not "hard earned" - or maybe once you get into the hills of the Ozarks your mind just goes a little screwy. Who knows what causes this phenomenon.

Anyway, we spent three nights and a little over 2 days there and we did have fun (because we stuck to Silver Dollar City). We did go to the IMAX theater and watched some fish documentary one night that ended up being a warning about how we are destroying our planet (thank you for the political propaganda hidden within the family show Mr. IMAX).

While we were at Silver Dollar City we, ok I, was very excited to see that it was their Bluegrass Festival and Ms. Rhonda Vincent was there preforming. I love Rhonda Vincent. I secretly (ok so much for secrecy now) wished that I could sing and play the mandolin like she does cuz it's just. so. cool. We saw her preform and that made me happy - and the kids enjoyed it too even though they try to pretend that they didn't.

We also got all of the kids to ride some sort of ride, which is huge, especially for my oldest boys. Isaiah still refuses to ride the coin operated machines that you find outside grocery stores. Silly boy. But I got him to fall in love with a kiddy roller coaster that was there and in the end he said it was his favorite thing at Silver Dollar City. Avery and Lillie were ready to hop on anything and everything but their size restricted them greatly. I'm sure it won't be long before they can do more than just the handful that they qualified for... cuz like I was saying before the days of our lives are like sands through the hour glass... or something like that.

And now I'm going to end this because as I sit here, I have 3 boys hovering around me begging to be fed and watered. They're so demanding. But I promise I will get back to this sooner than later... unless I get busy.