For Halloween, we went to the ABQ Biopark’s Zoo Boo. There were tables set up throughout the zoo with businesses handing out candy and other goodies. There were games, hula hoops and crafts. It was a beautiful day and the boys had a good time.
On Monday we woke up to a dusting of snow. I was told by a local that you know Halloween is coming when it snows so I guess it holds true because we woke up this morning to more than a dusting. It is suppose to snow some more tonight. We probably won’t get much, but it sure is pretty.
When Bill and I were dating he had a motorcycle. We went on a few rides around the Oklahoma countryside. It was a 1993 KLR650. It was a nice motorcycle. Then we got married and he sold it. We used the money to buy furniture. That was fifteen years ago. He has always talked about getting another motorcycle, but we lived on the east coast and he didn’t want to drive on one out there. Then he got orders to New Mexico and thoughts of a KLR650 were dancing in his head. Now he has it back. Well it’s a 2009 KLR650. It’s blue and I have to say pretty cool. Baden loves it and didn’t want to get off after the short ride around the neighborhood. Billy thinks it’s pretty neat too, but declined a ride. Not sure about that one. The furniture we bought when we were newlyweds is all gone. We got a new dining room table a couple of weeks ago, so I guess it’s full circle. He got rid of the motorcycle to get furniture. We got rid of the last of our newlywed furniture, the dining room table, and now he has his KLR650 back. Full circle, indeed.
When Billy started school, we decided that he should eat school lunch. He is a picky eater and we hoped that by eating lunch at school he would try new things. He was excited about eating lunch at school and did so for the first month and half. He did really well with eating different things and even learned that he liked things that he thought he didn’t. Last week, he begged to bring his lunch to school. So we picked a day that we knew he wouldn’t eat the main course at school and would get pb&j. Well he’s been taking his lunch for a week now. I think it’s the novelty of the lunch box. I asked him who brought their lunch to school and of course he named his best friend. Bill told him that he was going to start eating school lunch again and of course there were protests. I asked him why he wanted to bring his lunch in the first place and he said that one day he had to get chocolate milk instead of white because they ran out. This apparently put him over the edge. He said I don’t like chocolate milk so I decided right then and there, I was bringing my lunch! Well, my boy, I hope they have enough white milk to go around tomorrow because it’s back to the lunch line.
One of the things Albuquerque is famous for is the Balloon Fiesta. It is in its 38th year and it is a sight to behold. This morning we headed out to Balloon Fiesta Park and watched the mass ascension. We stood in the launch field with hot air balloons all around us. It was so cool to see the balloons fill up with air and then sail off into the sky. The boys oohed and aahed as we saw the balloons flying overhead. It was the one of the coolest things ever. I am already looking forward to next year.
Monday we took advantage of the warmer weather and headed down the mountain to the Albuquerque BioPark. The BioPark is a zoo, botanical gardens and aquarium. We hit the zoo today and got to see some really neat animals. The Rio Grande Zoo is really nice. I was really impressed. We have been going to the National Zoo in DC for the last few years and it’s shame that it’s not as nice. Of course, the National Zoo is free so that makes a big difference. We decided to go ahead and a get a family pass since I know we will be going down frequently. I think our favorites were the gorillas, a baby chimp that wanted to play with Baden and kept leaping at the glass to get Baden to play. We also enjoyed the zebras, giraffes and the newest addition to the zoo, Daizy, the baby elephant born on September 2nd. Billy and Baden really loved the huge jungle gym. They had a blast climbing, jumping and sliding.
Before we even moved to our new house, we saw a picture of the backyard and thought what a perfect spot for a trampoline. Last week, Bill went out and bought one. With the help of my dad, they got it put together. Billy was so surprised when he got home from school. Baden is enjoying it, too. The boys love to jump to their hearts content.
Anyone that knows Bill knows that he is a big fan of Boy Scouts. He is proud of his Eagle Scout status and he even named our second son after the founder of the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scouts of America will be celebrating 100 years next year. A coin from the US Mint will be issued and a huge Jamboree at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia will be held. How else can one commerate the 100th Anniversary of Boy Scouts? A gun, of course. To commemorate this occasion, Henry Repeating Arms has released its Henry Golden Boy “Boy Scouts of America® Centennial Edition” licensed rifle. To mark this milestone, this special rifle features the Scouts Oath, Scouts Law, scrollwork and traditional Boy Scouts of America logo embellishing the receiver, as well as a 100 Years of Scouting logo and Centennial Edition gold filled etchings in the buttstock and forearm. This is a no brainer. Bill had to get this gun. It’s a beauty.
Before Billy started school, I told him that he was going to have to try really hard to listen. He has some trouble with this concept. I even went as far as telling him he may end up in the principal’s office if he doesn’t listen. The first week of school he was up and ready for school, but lately he says he doesn’t want to go school. First it was because a boy in his class bothers him and apparently smiles at him. The nerve. Then he said a girl in his class that also rides his bus likes him and he doesn’t like her. So sad to be liked. I told him well you have to go to school. He said well I don’t want to go because the lady that takes us to recess makes us sit on a bench for so many minutes. I asked why and he said because I wasn’t listening. He went on to say I don’t listen in school or primary. I just don’t listen. Finally, the truth comes out.
A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.
On Friday, we sold our house in Maryland. We are happy and relieved especially in today’s market. It got me to thinking about the house on Hummingbird Drive. This was the first home we had ever bought. When we drove up, I fell in love with the porch and decided this is the one. Of course being homeowners can be fun and exhausting. We had some surprises along the way in our homeownership. We had to fix things. Bill is handyman extraordinaire. He amazes me with his talents. But beyond the things that had to be repaired, the house on Hummingbird Drive became our home. It was where we brought Billy and Baden home for the first time. It was a place of comfort after a long day at work. It was a refuge. It was a healing place. I spent my recovery from kidney surgery, two c-sections and ankle surgery in that house. It was a house of laughter and sometimes sadness. It was our home. Now another young family is starting their lives in that house. It’s their first house, too. I hope they find comfort and joy in their new home on Hummingbird Drive.