So, the kids alternate spending their birthday each year between their Mom and me. This year they spent with her. I am sure they had a fun day with their Mom on Thursday and then I celebrated with them on Friday. While I am sure it can be hard, the most important thing is that they know that both of their parents love them very much. Their birthday party with their friends is going to be this coming Saturday because of scheduling conflicts this weekend. So, on Friday night, I really wanted to take them to a place that they had never been before, but that would also be really fun. I still love a place in Colorado called "Casa Bonita." We ate there every time we visited Colorado when I was a kid. It featured great food and cliff divers and everything. So, as I was thinking of a place Wednesday night, a radio ad came on. It was not only helpful, but hilarious. It said something to the effect of: "hey we all know that the Mayan is a great place to go. It has great atmosphere, is centrally located, yada yada yada....., but let's be honest; THE FOOD STINKS!" They then went on to say that they have changed their menus, and done all of this stuff so that the Mayan is the best place in the whole world, and your family should never go to Disneyland again......yada, yada, yada (maybe a slight exaggeration on my part). While their food WAS terrible before, I figured if they were willing to make an ad like that, I would give them a second chance. So, I took the kids there for their birthday Friday night. The food was not the most amazing food I have ever eaten, but it was good, and a huge improvement. The entertainment was really great too. Because it was their birthday, they sat us in the center, front row table of the whole place. The kids had a great time, and want to know when we can go there again. They really loved it, and I was so excited that they were happy with my choice. To make our experience that much better, it was so foggy outside going to and from the Mayan, that it was like we had to drive through the jungle or rain forest just to get there! Here are some pictures below of the kids eating while enjoying the show.
T was loving the show. It seemed like he really liked the Indiana Jones type theme of it too.
Here he is in a state of awe!
"Don't bother me I'm eating!" Not so much. More like, "don't bother we I'm watching!"
This picture only builds the suspense for the next one.
I LOVE this picture! I took this just as the girl diver took a leap off of the highest point of the cliffs. It is priceless! BLESSINGS
I try really hard to recognize and express my appreciation for blessings in my life. I don't know that I necessarily do a great job, but I try. Obviously my biggest blessings revolve around my kids, a good family, friends, the gospel, health, etc. I also try to look for the little blessings each day though as well. I am grateful to make it home safely each night. I am grateful when things unexpectedly work out just right. I even try really hard to be grateful for trials, for what I learn from them, and how they can bless me to grow and be better. As I previously wrote I was having some car problems. As often as possible I do all my own car repairs. My car was leaking anti-freeze all over the place. I could not detect where it was coming from. I feared it was a head-gasket or a manifold gasket. Both of these would require the engine to be torn apart and would be very expensive (even if my mechanic friends did the work). The question would then be to spend the hundreds or even over a thousand dollars on a vehicle with a lot of miles, or re-enter the world of car payments. It was not that either of these things would hurt, kill, or break me, but they just are not in my plans right now. I ended up being so blessed not to have to make either choice. The repair was fairly minor and ended up costing $150 (including labor for my friend to make the repair). Had I run it through a regular shop, it would have been more, but even still it was not huge. Certainly this was a blessing.
When the kids and I went to the car show, somehow I lost my camera. I normally place the camera on the seat next to me when I take the kids somewhere. I think since I was sitting in cars all night, this is what I must have done. I went back to look for it and it was gone. This happened at the beginning of the night. I checked with security at the expo center and they did not have it. We walked all through the show for a couple of hours with me taking pictures with my camera phone. Just before going home, I checked back with security and it still had not been turned in. I assumed the worst. The bigger problem in my mind was not the price of a new camera, but rather that someone has a bunch of pictures of my kids. A few days later I was in the area for work. On a whim I decided to stop by and check with security once more. Someone turned in my camera, and I got it back! Not only was it a great blessing, but events like that renew my faith in everyday people.
Both of these things may seem minor. Some would describe it as chance, luck, coincidence, fortunate, whatever. I figured out a long time ago that all good things come from a loving Heavenly Father. While both of these events may seem minor, I know that they are two more blessings which have been bestowed upon me. Below are a couple of recovered pictures.
Here is T driving his new Corvette. I think he is offering you single ladies (3-6 years old) a ride.
Apparently A not only does not get to drive, but she also does not get to decide what music they listen to either. :)- Before being seated at the Mayan, we had to wait while they found our reservations and prepared our table. A began to tell me how hungry she was. I told her it would only be a minute or two. She said, "Dad, we never have to wait for our food at McDonald's!" As we were leaving the restaurant after eating, she told me, "that place was WAY better than McDonald's, my favorite part was the girl who jumped in the water all the time!"
- On the same night we were walking to our car. A van drove by and it made a terrible grinding noise. T said, "WHOA! If that Daddy can't fix his van soon, he needs to take his car to the dealership too!"
