To Go or Not To Go?

To go or not to go?
That is todays question.
Go where?
Why Harry Potter of course!
We have annual passes to Universal.
As we have for the last 3 years.
We rarely go in the summer time when its full of tourists. I mean why stand in a line in the heat and humidity to ride a ride that any other time of the year we can just walk right on to?
But this is HARRY POTTER we are talking about!!
If we hadn't of been out of town and busy the last 2 weeks we would of gone. They had soft openings so we had a good chance of being able to go in.
Tomorrow they are opening the parking lot at 5:30am. I suppose we could get near there about 4am. We have a good chance of being one of the first several thousand.
But do we want to??
Or should we wait until Oct when all the tourists are gone and we wont have to fight the throngs of people.
But its HARRY POTTER!!!!
Ugh! What to do?

Summer Vacation! Yay!

I survived! We all did!
Actually it went really well. Everyone got along, we laughed, giggled, reminisced, and talked about the future.

My daughter was so beautiful in her cap and gown. I felt like I was glowing right along with her.
To see your child accomplish her high school years with relatively little scratches, is such a great feeling. She never got involved in drugs, or lost friends. Had one breakup that was painful for her, but not so much that she couldn't deal with it. She got good grades, made lots of friends, grew into a bright, responsible, and beautiful woman.
I am proud to call her my daughter!

My gramma took my 3 year old niece with her to AZ. My niece will get to see her parents, my parents, her gramma, great grandparents, godparents, cousins, and family friends.
I am sure she is going to have the time of her life.
I am a little afraid of how spoiled she will be when she comes back home. I can't imagine that with all those grandparents that she won't be spoiled. In fact, since I know every single grandparent, I am positively confidant that she will be spoiled rotten.
It may be a culture shock for her when she comes back here.
For now, for us, its a culture shock not having her here! Its soooo quiet... No Dora on, or Diego. No Sesame Street muppets singing ABC's.
Weird.
By the time its no longer wierd, she will be home.

Today is the last day of school for my boys! Yay!!!
Now we get to travel with hubby to all kinds of fun places.
This weekend we are going tubing. I saw the pictures in our local newspaper and it looks beautiful. I am very excited.
We couldn't do it before since my niece can't swim yet. But my boys can, and I will be buying them lifejackets today, because even good swimmers can have issues in unfamiliar places, like a fast moving creek.
My daughter and her BF may even drive up and go with us.

I can remember my mom dreading summer vacation. "you kids home all day, underfoot, arguing who gets what toy, I can't stand it. Give me year round school!"
Maybe I shouldn't 'quote' that, but its phrases I heard all my school years mixed into one sentence.
Then on the first day of school she would be doing Happy Dances.
I'm sure of it.
Not me.
I love it when my kids are home. They really don't argue about things. I love hanging with them, and playing with them. Or just simply listening to them and being fascinated by their imaginations at work.
They get to stay up late, and sleep in.
Yes, they do sleep in. I am lucky in that way.
No more struggling with homework times.
Although I do have a huge book of school work for each of them that they have to complete by the end of summer.
I do not want them to fall behind because their heads will be filled with all the fun we will have.

Summer Vacation.... Here we come!!!!! Yay!!!

I'm nervous.
My X inlaws are coming.
Oh, and my X.
And my gramma.
They are coming for my daughters graduation from high school.
I can't believe she is graduating. The time just doesn't seem like its possible that she is already that age.
Anyway,
her dad and his mom, brother, brothers girlfriend, and my gramma are coming.
Nobody is staying with us. Which is good, because we really don't have the room.
I mean we do... But it would require shuffling around. I'm sure they all much prefer to have a hotel room anyway. In fact, my gramma, xMIL, xspouse are sharing a suite.
Thank God we they all get along!

We they really do!
Do you get along with your X?
Now if we did not have kids, I would have no care either way about remaining friendly. It would be on a individual base.
But when you have kids, you want your kids to grow up in the best enviroment possible. And if that marriage does not have that kind of enviroment, a div0rce is often the healthiest choice.
Thats how it was with my X.
We married young and quickly. I was barely 18, he 21. We got pregnant almost immediately. We pretty much knew at that time that we could be great friends, but we were just not compatible as husband and wife. Something we would of discovered had we of taken our time.
I don't regret that at all. I never would of gotten pregnant with our daughter if we would not of married.
When we decided that we were better off apart, we approached it with a realistic idea of how to best raise a child despite not living together.
Rule 1. NEVER EVER EVER talk bad about your X. At least where the child can hear, or to someone that can/will repeat it to your child. Your child is Half You, and Half the X. Everything you say about the X, the child will see it as a reflection on themself.
Rule 2. Realize how you conduct yourself around the X. Be friendly, if even business like. Treat the x respectifully. You don't have to act like best buddies. But by making the drop offs with as little to no stress as possible, the child doesn't feel in the middle of a battle.
If both parents followed these two very basic rules, a divorce would be a new beginning for all involved rather than an emotional baggage to be carried for years.

Alrighty then,
off my soap box!
So, yes I'm a bit nervous. So is hubby. We've had them over in the past, years ago when we lived near them. But there was usually lots of other family around.
I'm sure it will be fine. My xmil is one of the sweetest people you'd ever know. I truly adore her.
My bil is a nice guy, although I do have to admit that I never got to know him. He is my age, but we never had much in common, and never hung out other than family functions.
My x is an all american nice guy. He has had some health issues to overcome the last few years, but he seems to be well.

It will be a fun weekend. I'm sure of it.
Right?!