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Hurricane Harbor

For starters, I will tell everyone this blog will more than likely be kind of long. But it's good. I don't normally write really long blogs, but I feel like I have some things to say!

First and foremost, I am no longer at the University of Phoenix. Things haven't been going so great there for a few weeks and I have been getting this feeling that God wanted me to move elsewhere. I am not going to put all of my opinions about this situation on my blog, however, I will say that I left on my own accord, but I wasn't very happy about it. I really liked working there, but it just wasn't the job for me. I actually got a job with Jason's company at the corporate office, which starts August 2. UOP went ahead and made my last day Thursday of last week, so I got a little vacation, which I think is much earned. On Friday, I called up my old friend Kate and we took the kids to the park and to her pool. They had fun, but when we were leaving, we look at the bottom of Sophia's feet and were taken aback to see blood. Alot of it actually. Sophia was playing in the shallow pool and had ripped the bottom of her toes up so badly but didn't even realize it until we are leaving. She looks at the bottom of her feet and said with horror, "What's wrong with my feet?" and then started crying, which she should have because it was alot of blood. We doctored her up and decided to get her a pair of water shoes. I remember being a kid and seeing all of that blood, it freaks you out for sure!Here are some pictures of the kids swimming, and one of me jumping off the side with them. I can't believe I am putting a picture of me on here in my bathing suit, but who cares, right?







With all of this budgeting going on, apparently I got a little ahead of myself and had budgeted for alot of extra bills. Nice little suprise, but we both decided there were many things we needed to do with that money, namely, save it! But we decided also that we were going to take the kids to Hurrican Harbor because of the kids' price ticket special they had going on. We got to Walmart, get our snacks packed and our cooler ready to go, and set off for a day of fun. We got there and saw a sign: NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK ALLOWED. What??? We could always take it when we were younger, but apparently Hurricane Harbor decided they weren't making enough money off of us so changed their rules. UGGGHH. So we finally parked, after an hour of waiting, and ate our lunch in the car before we went in. We went into the park and just started taking the kids around the water park. Now is a good time to tell you that this whole morning, Jordan did not want to do this. As I have mentioned before, he has this fear of anything he's never done before, and will say "no" before even knowing what it is we are taking him to. When we told him Hurricane Harbor, he said "I don't want to go." Jason has come to the point where he is tired of listening to Jordan whine and say no before he even knows what it is he is saying no to, so we were already getting annoyed with it. When we found a spot, Jordan said he really wanted to take his goggles, the big eye and nose goggles that cover half of your face. We weren't going swimming right then, so we told him he didn't need them right now, we would come back later. We took them through the shallow wading pool, with him asking about the goggles. We took them in the wave pool, which he wouldn't get in because he didn't have his goggles. Then we took him to the kids area and he wouldn't do anything because he didn't have his goggles. Finally, we said, fine, we can get your goggles. But not after alot of whining, backtalk, and disrespect on the way there.

We got up to the table and looked - in the midst of changing bags to make sure no food was being brought in, we realized we didn't bring the goggles. He started to cry and throw a fit. Enough was enough, so we told him we will think about getting goggles if he could stop with the whining and be happy. We were there to have fun and wanted him to have fun too! If he could make it for a while with no tears and no whining, we would THINK about getting him goggles.

Jason also decided that all of us were going to ride rides as a family, together. At Hawaiian Falls last year, Jordan refused to go on any rides, and one of us would stay behind and the other would have to take Sophie on the rides. Not this time, we spent too much money and we were ALL going to enjoy it, whether he liked it or not! Our first ride was the Bubba Tub. This line was an hour and a half long, no joke. Totally not worth it, but we waited anyway. We started to get to the top and Jordan starts to freak out. Tears start pouring down his face. "Please dad, don't make me go!" "I don't want to go!" "Please!" It really was heartbreaking. But what we've learned about Jordan is that he won't try anything unless you make him, and every time we've made him try something, he loves it afterwards. We knew he would love this, he just needed to get past his fear. We finally got in the raft and he had a nervous breakdown. So much so that they lifeguard almost didn't send us down. It was really embarrassing and I am sure everyone in line was looking at us saying, "Those horrible parents are torturing him!" We go down the first hill and I look at Jordan who is screaming bloody murder. Then, his terror turns to a smile, then laughter. By the end, he is laughing and jumping up and down about how much fun it was. GLORY GLORY HALLELUJAH!! Well, he wanted goggles and we said, no, you complained the whole way through that ride, let's do one more and see how you act. We went on the Raging Rapids, and he kind of cried a little at the top, but when he goes down, laughter.

The third ride we rode was called the Blue Raider and the opening of the ride is this blue tube with lots of water you have to go through. Jordan freaked out even more than the Bubba Tub! It was a ride you go on in pairs and the guys went after me and Sophia. When Jason got to the bottom, he told me that Jordan was so upset at the top before they went he actually said, "Please dad, have mercy on me!" and Jason almost pulled him off the ride, but instead, just told the lifeguard to push the tube, NOW. And they went down, with Jordan smiling at the bottom.

Then came the last ride of the day. This ride was the tallest one yet. We got up to the top of this ride, no tears. We get to the front of the line, no tears. Not one complaint, not one whine. He finishes that ride and loved it so much that he wanted to go on it again! Is this the same kid we brought? That was too scared of the unknown? You could tell he was so proud of himself too and kept saying he was happy he'd done something he had never done before. I looked at him and said, "Jordan, why don't you trust your dad and me? We would never put you in a situation that would bring you harm, but you will never know how much fun it is unless you try!"

When I got home, I started thinking about the day, and I couldn't help but think about God. With all of this job stuff going on, I can honestly say I have gotten better about trusting God's plan for my life. It's not always easy, and I feel like there are situations I am in that I wish I wasn't, but God has always taken care of me and will always take care of me. I couldn't help but think about Jordan, pleading with his father to not make him go down the ride, please dad have mercy on me! How many times in our lives have we pled with God, "Please God, I don't want to do this, have mercy on me!" When faced with a hard situation or one we just don't want to do, we cry and beg and plead and say "no!" But after God has pushed us and sent us down to the unknown end of our ride, we realize how much better our life is now that we've done it. What would Hurricane Harbor be with no rides? Just a bunch of wading pools, which are safe, but certainly not exciting. Well, the same as life with no twists and turns. Jason's heart was breaking sending Jordan down a ride where he was scared to death, but he knew the end, and that Jordan would be ok, even if Jordan didn't. And Jason rode with him, holding him the whole time. God is the same. He doesn't send us down the hard path to be mean. But He knows the end and will be there with you the whole way. We just need to trust that He knows what's best and stop kicking and screaming, just trust and enjoy the ride.

I will add, this whole day, Sophia was an absolute angel. That kid will do anything, anytime, anywhere. She just played and didn't complain the whole day, well except for her normal montra, I am hungry! :-) After the Sea Wolf, Sophia told us she wanted to ride this yellow ride they have there. I thought that was too much for a pregnant lady and Jordan really didn't want to ride it, so Sophia and Jason went. This ride was scary. I mean, it went straight down, and she was just barely big enough to ride. And she did it like a champ! She would have done it with her dad or not. How is it that two kids can be so different, yet from the same family? I don't get it. Makes me wonder which way our kid will end up!

Hope everyone has had a great weekend!

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