Such Great Heights, part 2.

After his spectacular fall off the high dive a month ago, Dylan finally slayed the high dive dragon. I'm proud of him. Here's how it went:

He had decided to do it on the drive over to the pool. I told him that they had created a new rule at the pool (this is true, by the way, not my attempt at manipulating him) that you can't climb back down the ladder once you've climbed up. You go up, you have to jump. We arrive, and Dylan heads over to the high dive with his 2 friends and his sister. He is the last one in the line.

His sister, knowing what is about to happen, decides that this will be HER first time off the high dive as well. She goes first, flinging herself off the high dive with reckless abandon.

Friend 1 jumps off. Friend 2 jumps off. Dylan begins his slow climb to the top of the ladder. He hesitates around the area he fell from before, but continues to climb the rest of the way.

Once on the board, he moves to the end of the railing. I'm thinking, "Wow, he really is going to do this!"

SCRRREECCH! He comes to a halt at the end of the railing and begins to cry. CRAP! So I started out empathizing with him, using all my best therapy techniques. Didn't work. 15 minutes have passed and there is a line of kids waiting for their turn. I tried making him feel guilty... didn't work.

At this point, all the kids are cheering for him and telling him he could do it. The lifeguards were cheering for him. He still wouldn't jump. I tried getting mad at him and telling him he couldn't play Rock Band if he didn't jump. Didn't work. He said, "I DON'T CARE!!!"

So I bribed him. I bribed him with $30 and 3 hours of Wii time.

He jumped.

We caved.

We bought "Rock Band" for the Wii. We are working on mastering "Wanted Dead or Alive" and "Roxanne."

Somehow, I have the feeling that we will never be the same.

I'm closer to fine

I finished school on Thursday. The past two years were amazing and amazingly difficult. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Thank you, Cohort 32!

I got home around 11:00 on Thursday night, and the next morning we woke up at 4:30 to drive to Cape Girardeau for Joe's cousin Beth's wedding. Dylan and Lauren were the Ring Bearer and Flower Girl. They both looked gorgeous! Dylan was really excited about his tux. When he opened the bag and saw it he said, "I AM GOING TO LOOK STUNNING IN THIS!" He did.

In addition to school ending and the wedding, we have had a good summer. The kids are taking Karate and Dylan is taking tennis. We are also having fun going to the pool. Life is good.

But the suburbs have no charms to soothe the restless dreams of youth...

Dylan got to see his first concert last week with Joe. Can you guess what it was?

Rush. What else? Dylan, Joe, Uncle Rob and Uncle Bill all went together to see the show. It was Dylan's first Rush show and Joe's TWELFTH. Yes, Joe has gone twelve times to see the little tiny man they call Geddy Lee. Dylan loved it and, like anyone would do after they saw an awesome concert, wore his concert t-shirt to summer camp the next day.

We are having a good summer. Dylan and Lauren are taking Tae Kwon Do, Dylan is playing tennis and baseball and Lauren is considering gymnastics. This week the kids got to go to St. Louis to visit their grandparents, which is always a treat. For everyone involved.

Joe and I barely saw each other this week, because we're both working hard. We did manage to go see "The Happening" last night and went to dinner.

Which brings me to my next topic. We went to this restaurant by our house that has been around since 1978. It's in a charming, little old house with a great stone patio out back. It's small and rustic and it reminds me of being in Vermont. We moved here in 1978, right around the time it opened, and we've been going there ever since. It was always the place we took my grandfather when he visited us. They have always been a bit of a hole in the wall, but it's still good. Anyway, we get there last night and there must be some new management. The service was bad, the food was bad, the wait staff was fighting in front of everyone, and to my horror, they had removed the Filet Mignon and baked potato from the menu along with several other items that had been on there forever. Even though things had drastically changed, everyone was wearing shirts that said the name of the restaurant and "Since 1978."

I was irritated, and Joe stopped me from having a talk with the manager, which I imagine would have gone something like this, probably with even more profanity than I used in this example.

ME: Yes, manager person, I see that your shirt is now advertising that this restaurant has been here since 1978. Were you even BORN in 1978? Do you know that I have been taking my family here since 1978, and we usually order the filet mignon and baked potato????? If you are going to SAY you have been around since 1978, which you clearly haven't, you might want to carry that g*dd*mn filet mignon and baked potato!!!! Do you know that my grandfather ordered the filet mignon and baked potato when we brought him here in 1978? Do you know that almost every time I've been here in the last THIRTY years I have ordered the filet mignon and baked potato?

MANAGER: Well, I suppose we could consider adding it to the menu. We had no idea people would be so emotional about it.

ME: DON'T EVEN BOTHER!!! YOU PROBABLY COULDN'T COOK IT RIGHT ANYWAY!! THANKS FOR TAKING A GREAT RESTAURANT AND PUTTING IT IN THE SH*TTER!

I'm a little worked up about this. Joe has told me that when the restaurant goes belly up I am not allowed to buy it. Would someone out there please buy it with me? I could only contribute about $25.oo, so you'd have to come up with most of the money. We could advertise it as a "totally local" restaurant with only local meats and produce. I think it's brilliant and I'll do therapy in the kitchen.

Just make sure to put a filet mignon and baked potato on the menu.

Such great heights.

Dylan fell off the ladder for the high diving board today. It was scary, we called 911, went in the ambulance, the whole shebang. He is FINE - he will be sore and have a headache tomorrow, but it was still scary. Some highlights for you:

* He asked the EMT to tell him all about Tasers while strapped to the backboard.

* On the drive to the hospital, he and the EMT spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to spell "consciousness." If Dylan, strapped to the board with a possible head injury, had figured it out before the EMT, I would have been frightened.

* Our ambulance got honked at by someone who was irritated that we cut in front of them. WHO DOES THAT??? Our EMT simply remarked, "People are stupid." Sadly, I agree.

* The ER doctor who initially examined him said, "He must have a really hard head." I said, "You have no idea."

* Dylan told the nurse when she asked him if she could cut off his hospital wrist band, "No, I'd rather just rip it off." 2 hours later, he ripped that sucker right off.

* Dylan was very careful to point out which injuries came from his diving board fall and which injuries came from a run-in with the tree in our front yard.

* Dylan wanted to make SURE that he got to choose the movie for movie night. He chose "Transformers." MMMM, I needed some Shia tonight!

* We got to witness true positive sibling attachment tonight. When we got home and we were eating our pizza, Lauren said, "Dylan, maybe you should get up on the couch." He said, "Why?" She replied, "Because you were at the hospital."

* He was mad at me that I didn't remember to bring his shirt and shoes with us in the ambulance. Sorry honey, I thought your brain was going to swell and make you a vegetable, so making sure you had your clothing with you was not a priority!!!

* Advice: Make sure you always carry your wallet with you, no matter how short the trip. I do not recommend going in an ambulance or to the hospital without a wallet. Forget the clean underpants, bring the wallet. Thankfully Joe met us at the hospital so I ended up getting what we needed.

Let me repeat... forget the underpants, bring the wallet.

Always look eye.....

We have pizza and a movie every Friday night at our house. It's become a great ritual and we all look forward to it. Sometimes the kids pick the movie, which can result in "Zoom," starring Tim Allen. Yeah. No need to follow through on that one.

But then there are the nights when WE get to pick. Tonight, we chose "The Karate Kid." For those of you who remember the magic, you KNOW you cried when DanielSan threw The Crane. In honor of tonight's Thompson Movie Night, please allow me to give you the gift of the best movie music montage EVER.



Dylan is totally mesmerized by this movie and we could not be happier!

GET HIM A BODY BAG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The humans are dead...but I may have a future.

We have "Flight of the Conchords" fever here. The only song that has the least amount of dirty words in it is "Robots - The Humans are Dead." Here it is for your viewing pleasure. There are a few times where I cough at *just* the right moment.

Lauren lost her first tooth 2 weeks ago and then lost her second tooth two days later. It was so exciting!

Dylan received his Bear Badge at a Scout Ceremony. He worked hard for it and was very proud of himself.

Gran and Poppy came to see the big event!

They also came to see my big event - I graduated from my Master's program. Don't be too excited. They had us graduate but we still had 2 months left. I had a great time, but driving in to work on Monday morning as if nothing had happened was SUCH a downer! Amongst a group of incredible people in my cohort, I was fortunate enough to win the "Sheldon Louthan Outstanding Graduate Student" Award of my class, and I am graduating with a 4.0 in the program. Those of you who know me from my early academic days, please feel free to roll on the floor with laughter. I sure am!

I have 5 classes left. I can't believe it! Here is a pic of me and Joe celebrating. I'm not sure who is more excited. I think he's more excited. I'm more scared!

So much has changed over the past 2 years. I'm learning how to live by this quote by Carl Jung,

"As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being."

Thanks for helping me with my light.

Speaking of light, here is beautiful daughter volunteering to help peel cucumbers.