Good morning class...

Well today, August 27, 2008 is the official starting date for school around these here parts. YIIIPPPPPEEEE!!! What a GREAT day here in Texas. I will say even though I was very happy to have everyone back at school, it was a bit sad. Amber has started her last year of high school. I recently came across a picture of her on her first day of kindergarten, August 27, 1996, so it is fitting that she should start her last year on the same date. The kids all had a good day and I think they secretly were happy to have something different going on and to see all their friends they didn't see thru the summer. Jake is at the new jr. high which is down the street and so he is able to ride his bike. Of course I took pictures, I could have taken more, but the kids were ready for me to leave so I will have to be happy with the few I took.
Here's to a GREAT year!

Dave was able to score free zoo tickets from his work and so we took the kids on Friday. It's definitely NOT the San Diego Zoo, but it is a nice zoo. They are doing some reconstruction on some of the exhibits so we weren't able to see the Lions and a few other animals. And of course because of the EXTREME heat and humidity some of the animals did not feel the need to come out and people watch. One of our first stops was at Sting Ray bay so the kids could touch a sting ray. The sting rays were very friendly and one in particular liked to show off by jumping up out of the water. It of course scared me to death and I would jump. The kids thought that was pretty funny. Because of Dave's work he gets to go the zoo often to inspect, he knew one of the workers there and they gave the kids some fish to feed the Sting Rays. It was pretty cool the way they took the food from your hand. Their mouths are underneath and they are like a vacuum, sucking the fish from your hands. Jake and Hunter wanted to go and see the snake exhibits. The only reason I went in was because it was an air conditioned building. I'm not a big snake fan. As we were looking at them all we came upon a HUGE Python who was just having lunch, a full grown rabbit! It was truly AMAZING!! I was totally grossed out and in awe at the same time. You know one of those things where you don't want to watch, but can't help yourself. Anyway, I thought the little kids would be freaked out, but they were just as amazed as I was. It was incredible. Glad I'm not a rabbit!
All in all it was a great day at the zoo.

So I can't get my slideshow to work on here...UGH! I will just have to post a couple of pictures from our day at the zoo till I can get Carlie over here to help me.

AAAHHHH!! Spider!!!

Yesterday as I was on one of many trips to taxi the kids around I saw all these bales of hay. Actually, we see them everywhere around here. I find them so interesting. As funny as it may sound but I guess I find them beautiful against the green (well now it's kinda brown, lack of rain) and the blue and sometimes cloudy skies. You will just be driving around and sometimes in the middle of a neighborhood there will just be all these round bales of hay. Well, yesterday I brought my camera with me and stopped to take a picture of them. It was on the side of the road where I thought I could get fairly close and get a good picture. Well....as I trudged thru all the knee or higher grass/weeds I stepped in an ant hill and was soon the tasty treat of many ants. So once I recovered from that I was trying to get closer and ignoring the "please do not tresspass" sign, when...AAAAAHHHHHH the BIGGEST spider I think I've ever seen, I think it could have eaten me, really! Ok that MIGHT be a tad bit dramatic, but really it scared the crap out of me. After the intial shock I took a few pictures of it to show the kids.

Humidity....ugh!

We lived in the desert before we came here and I thought it was hot there. 110plus is HOT!! But like my dad is fond of saying, it's not that bad it's a DRY heat. Ok what the heck did that mean?? I would politely smile at my aging father, surely the heat had gotten to him. He has no idea what he is saying! It is hotter than heck here. I think we really could have fried an egg on the sidewalk. I'm telling you it was HOT!

WELL!.....I now know what my dad meant. This humidity is UNBELIEVABLE! I haven't had a decent hair day since we moved here! I'm convinced that we have 99% humidity EVERYDAY! I no longer glisten I full on SWEAT! So dad I guess you really did know what you were talking about.....

I'm not sure, but I think this might be a side effect of all the humidity we had today....

The most incredible rainbow I've ever see. What an amazing site.