Renaissance Festival

We went on Saturday to the Hoggetowne Renaissance Festival. I really love Renaissance Festivals. Like a LOT. Like to a nerdy level. Although I did witness nerdiness at levels I've not seen before. Like lives in his mother's basement at age 40 and plays computer games and takes the purchase of a staff VERY seriously, so seriously that the mother also takes it seriously... Just sayin'.

So we get there and they have a lady out front. If you give blood you get in free. Of course I love to give blood and free stuff so I do. (Brian cannot give blood because he lived in England during Mad Cow.) I felt fine. I'm sure you can see where this is going.

So I give blood, get my free T-Shrit and gatoraid and we go on in. We meet the King and Queen. The Kind dubs Ethan "Ethan the slightly reluctant" because Ethan didn't really want to meet him. I can't remember what cute thing he said to Stephen. I felt a little distracted and tired. The boys got necklaces. Here is Stephen admireing his necklace. It's actually pretty cool. Then we walked a bit and wandered over to Human Chess. Which was really cool. If I ever work in the Ren Fair I want to do the Human Chess. Nice combat with sticks and acting hurt and all. But I felt really weird. Maybe I needed a potty break? *you are now entering a totally dramatic telling of what happened next*

So over to the row of porta potties for me. I get in mine. Totally black out. TOTALLY. Come to with my head on the porta potty. Yes, I know. WRETCH. So I take every last bit of strength to pull up my pants and get out of there. I make it just outside the privacy wall. Still in the dirt, pretty much in the path to the potties when I fall. I sit first then BAM, I'm out cold. Like I've never been out before. I have time to hope someone finds me then black.

Feels like hours later, but really minutes I'm surrounded by cops and paramedics. They are freaking out a bit. Just a bit, very professional. They are all, "mam, can you sit up?" "Are you alright" For some reason I can't respond, I can hear them, but that's all. I can feel darkness again. I want the darkness. My head and chest are screaming in pain. I finally say, "No" and they pick me up. Out again.

On a golf cart now. sitting up. I can't sit up, don't they know that? I find energy to say, "Can I lay down?" then I do. On a paramedic. He slides out from under me. They ask me stuff. I can only answer sometimes. The paramedic with the lap asks if I want a pillow. I say no. They put an IV bag of fluids in me. But I slide when they go to put the needle in, I feel my blood roll down my arm. I stay really still for them, in it goes. I've had IV fluids before, they usually work. I can see again, a little girl is stareing at my arm. I look down, it's a mess. I tell her I'm fine. She smiles. Blackness again

Now someone is taking my blood pressure. They are talking about telling the ambulance to turn off the sirens because it will scare the horses. I can't go in an ambulance, I don't know where Brian is. Blood pressure is 89 over 16. That sounds low. I say, "I won't go in an ambulance" they say, "If you can't sit up and answer questions you WILL go sweetie" At some point I think the one medic fell in love with me. He's petting my hair, he's calling me sweetie, he's promiseing me I will live if I just talk to him. I wonder if he falls in love with every dame who tires to die on his watch. He tells me we should just watch the joust together, says we have great seats, the golf cart is right up front. He's holding the bag up and making sure it goes into my arm.

A cop asks where my party is, how can he find them. I tell him the boys have on capes.

I start to feel better. It seems really important to be sitting up when the boys get to me. I can't be passed out and pale. So I tell my new boyfriend I need to sit up. He helps me. I feel tons better. He asks for them to take my blood pressure again. They do, it's "low normal". The blood pressure guy is happy, he tells me he was very worried. I wasn't worried, it seemed ok to just let go. But I'm happy now because not letting go is way better.

Ambulance is there. I tell them no. They make me sign paperwork saying no. I can talk and all now so people take me seriously. Brian is there now with the boys. Bag is done. I'm better. I promise to go straight to get food and drinks. I do.

Stephen wanted to ride this elephant. So he did.

We watched a few shows. They were all funny. Here we all are watching a dragon show. (see my color is fine, I'm all better now, I had even washed the blood off my arm, and my hair doesn't LOOK like I've been laying around in porta potties and dirt)

Stephen did not want his pic taken here. Oh look, in the background my awesome purse! I love that purse.

Then we went home. I was so tired still. I drank tons of water. I am always dehydrated. I suck at drinking enough. I skipped church Sunday, I was just still really tired. But by Sunday evening I felt totally fine.

And that's what I did Saturday.

Visit to Papa with Uncle Bob

Brian's Uncle Bob was in town so we went to St. Augustine to visit Papa and see Bob. The boys totally love visiting Papa in the nursing home. And I think it really makes Papa's day. This time Papa had a late Christmas gift for them. Lincoln Logs. And here is Ethan meeting up with Uncle Bob. Bob is a character. Ethan took to him right away of course.

Orlando.

We went to Orlando last weekend. We took our time getting there, stopping at stores, lunch and what not. That was a mistake. When we got there around 1pm it was "closed, overcapacity, come back at 5pm". I've never even considered that it would fill up!

So we went to a mall. It was ok, we just walked around. I found a store with a ton of Chococat stuff and stocked up. TONS of it. :) There was a little kid playground we let the kids play in, as they had been stuck in the car for some time. It had the most adorable rocket ship thing you could play in. Oh and the mall was MOBBED. Insane crazy mobbed!

It was dark when we got into Sea World. Thank heavens we have passes, so no big deal.

Stephen was tall enough to ride Atlantas, which he calls. "The Witch Ride". He LOVED it. :) I went with him as it's one of my own favorite rides too.

Ethan was not tall enough to ride the Shamu Coaster, so here he is with me in line for this lame rocking boat one.

Yeah, I let him swing on that bar. *my gosh is he not the cutest kid ever?* On your way to the polar bears there is an ice wall. Real ice. Stephen thinks it's the coolest thing EVER.
That's all the photos we got. We are TICKED at the new camera. It's eating batteries WAY too fast. Like within a few hours of Sea World it died. We don't just leave it on all the time or anything. Kodak makes a special battery for it with a special charger and I guess we will have to get it. Freaking costs $50, which makes our camera less of a great deal, but what are you gonna do.

I'm still sewing. I bought stuff online just now for Christmas 2009 presents. I'm going to try to do at least one present a month all year. I only give about 12 presents so that should work out.

I have a new calling at church. I'm one of the people over the Primary (kids program). It is cool because I love the people I work with and it's so fun to see the kids learning about Jesus. It stinks because now I'm not in adult Sunday School. I LOVE adult Sunday School. It's worth it though. Stephen is now in regular primary too, so I get to see him for half the time when all the kids come together for "Sharing Time" with music and a lesson. He was really into it, paying attention and all. I was very proud of him. OH the music! I don't know ANY of these songs. Amber, a girl I serve with got me a music book to borrow. Like long term borrow. Because I am a mess. Cute thing on music, they sang us some "hello" song because we were new in there, me and the other leaders who are new. Anyhow I sit down next to this girl Ryan and she says, "Why did we sing hello to you?" I say, "Because I'm new in here and you wanted to welcome me" She says, "I know but why did we have to SING it?" She's my new best friend in there, with her not understanding all the singing! haha. She's 5.

Still working out in the mornings. We have finally found our timing. I was having to get up earlier and earlier to beat Stephen's getting up. When I got to 6am I said NO MORE. So now I get up with Brian at 8 and run out the door right away. Brian is home, so the kids are supervised. I get back just before he goes to work. I actually liked 7:45 better, but if I leave while Stephen is up he tries to follow me. That's not good. So I get up at 8 with Brian. It's great, for a week I was doing 6ish and getting so tired. I've lost 12 lbs. I feel great. I look better, but not GREAT yet, but I really feel fantastic. I feel taller too. I think holding correct posture during the walk is helping my posture in general. Maybe. I dunno.