The last blog was a fluke!

Well, all the niceness of the last blog must have been a fluke, because today I am "mean momma!" This week is spring break and I was honestly looking forward to having our mornings be "adventures"! So, today we went to the zoo (and it is a GEEEE-ORGEOUS spring day-- perfect!) I think the whole valley decided to go to the zoo...it was even crazier than the snow day in July! (They bring in truck loads of snow to the zoo, along with large waterslides; it is a huge event.) Needless to say, parking and just walking to the front lines was an adventure in itself! Quickly we meet up with our friends and start navigating through the masses to visit the animals. Soon, everybody is hungry and we find a nice pavilion area where we can eat. We were fortunate enough to get there just as another family was leaving the picnic tables and so we were able to sit and enjoy our picnic lunch, but then the kids started wandering over to the other side of the pavillion where there was a stream to play in. It made me nervous to have the kids by the water when I couldn't always see them, so we picked up our things and moved over to the other side. Once again, we were fortunate enough to get there just as a family was leaving, so we sat down, just my friend and I, while the kids were playing. A couple of young girls, came and sat down on the other side of us, but I wasn't really paying attention to them because Walker was being a little onery and I was trying to help him out. All of a sudden, a woman standing to my right, starts yelling at me, "Excuse me!" (in a very sharp, abrasive tone, "These girls were saving this table for a reason--so we can sit down and eat!" I quickly look over at the girls, who are looking kind of embarrased, and for once in my life, I actually remember the lesson learned the last time a stranger was unkind. So this time I say, "I'm sorry! I had no idea they were trying to save this table."

Then, the screamer sarcastically replies, "Yeah, and we STILL can't sit down!" AT this point, I had the thought, "I am SO GLAD that I have sunglasses on right now! (I knew my eyes were flashing angrily!) And then, I stoop to her level (once again) and sarcastically replied, "Since you asked so nice--SURE!"

At that instant, Indi comes over and says something unkind about Remington in a really grouchy voice, and since I can never leave well enough alone, I tell her, "Indi, please use a nice voice. There are FAR too many RUDE people in this world."

Why am I so dumb? AND, why am I so easily offended? I was thinking about it on my way home and I never want to be the person who takes overything as a personal offense. And, I feel as if I have been that way lately--either that, or I have just been really unlucky to have run into so many rude, grumpy people! Maybe this is Heavenly Father's kinder version of humbling me. I'll try to take the hint.

I forgot to mention stroller safety: Rule #1) Only one kid per seat; Rule #2)No falling out of stroller permited! (Walker fell out today!)

Well, our adventures were not quite over. After crossing the expansive parking lot, we are searching for our car (I forgot to pay attention to where we parked--oops!) when one of the many cars circling the lot looking for a spot pulls up beside us. Two older men are in the car and they ask if we are leaving. I reply, "Yes, if we can find our car!" I spot the car and start to quickly walk towards it, Walker waves and shouts good-bye to the men, and then the one on our side says to Walker, "You have such a pretty mom." AHHHH!!!! These men are in the parking lot looking for helpless moms with lots of kids to prey on!!! (Don't ask me why I took this very nice compliment as a threat, but I honestly just freaked!) I look around and see a car pulling out of a spot nearby and I think, "Oh gosh, I've got to get everyone in the car and locked up before our only witnesses drive away!" I throw Walker in the carseat (he's kicking and screaming), then I throw the stroller in the back, all the while shouting, "Get those seatbelts on please!" In record breaking time, I have everyone and everything loaded up and doors locked, only to discover I have lost the keys! I know that they are near, since I unlocked the van with them, but where? By now, I have realized that my fear of the two men is highly unsubstantiated, but I still need to hurry because the men are waiting to pull into my spot. I search my purse, search my pockets, jump out and search around Walker's car seat and on the floor. Finally I run to the back of the van--maybe they are in the stroller. As I lift the back door, I see the keys sitting on my bumper!



Ahh. Spring break adventures to the zoo.