So proud of my Trinks

Today I took Trinks to the Adirondack Extreme Adventure course. She did some low ropes in Girl Scout camp this summer and asked if she could do the high ropes camp next year. I saw a commercial for this place, decided it looked awesome, so away we went. And by the way, Trinks is terrified of heights.

We bribed S to come with us since my mother wanted to watch Trinks. Note to self - next time, leave her in the cabin so she doesn't stress out. As we approached the Bolton Landing exit, it was raining. Lovely. We arrived at this place and stayed in the car while watching people climb and do the zip line. I am a first class coward, but I was getting pretty excited watching what people were doing. We checked in, grabbed the harness and waited for the training to begin. Then it was time for the demo course. Trinks did GREAT on all the parts leading to the zip line. For some reason, the zip terrified her. A guide jumped up and rescued her.

Then it was time for the real course. Although she was tall enough for the adult course, we kept her on the kids course. The real reason for this is I wasn't about to go up in the trees, and I could watch from the ground if she stayed on the kids' course. Trinks hesitated a few times, but for the most part did great. Then it was time for the short zip line to the ladder down. Ummmm..... didn't quite work out as planned and her knight in shining poncho rescued her again.

So, here are my notes for next year. I need to get in shape to do the adult ropes with her. Or her cousins need to join her. If she had someone in the trees with her, I think she would have felt better. All in all, it was a worthwhile experience. I am so proud of her for stepping out of her comfort level and pushing herself to complete the course. Afterwards, we bought her a patch and took her to the playground. S was all pumped up from watching her that he climbed around like a monkey. He kept saying that the playground equipment was exactly like the high ropes. Not exactly, but there was a lot of climbing stuff. And then we went for ice cream.

Finally good service

S gained enough weight to grow into a real epi pen instead of the epi pen Jr. This was back in May. I justified not filling the prescription because they cost (I thought) $40/pen. And I figured in the event of a real emergency I could just give him 2 shots. I know - not smart. I had a supermom lunch the other day and ran several errands. When I dropped off the prescription at Happy Harry's, I informed the young, uninterested mumbling clerk that if the expiration date was under a year, I didn't want it. I then asked if I could get 2 at the same time. I got blank eyes and a mumbled "depends on your insurance".

Fast forward a few hours. Hubs and I picked S up, hit the drive though at Happy Harry's. We were told to pay $111. As I slowly slid into a panic attack, I opened the bag. The mumbling dude hooked us up! We got 2 epi pen sets with a 15 month expiration. So for as much as I complain about lousy service, I figured I should showcase something good.

Getting ready to miss my Trinks again

Trinks was upset when I picked her up on Friday. Her two best buddies switched to day camp for next week and she wanted to switch as well. I knew this was coming, so I told her we would discuss it later. The whole ride home was a non stop conversation of the cool things she did. I got a few sentences in so I could tell her what I had planned for the weekend. She got excited when I told her we're going out to breakfast (and even more excited when she convince hubs we had to go to IHOP). Then she made a little request - at some time could we get Rita's or ice cream? I think that's fair enough and we'll do that after lunch today. I think she really misses all the family stuff.

As much as Trinks has loved camp, I think I'm doing things a little different next year. Camp Grandma includes parents next year, or so I have been told. We're going to Disney. In the summer. At least for that week Trinks will have us. She can do a few more weeks of kung fu camp with S. She really wants to go to a traveling camp that includes white water rafting and traveling on a zip line. Come February, I may for get these plans as I see the exciting camp brochure. Hopefully Trinks will remember so we get to see a bit more of her next year.

We made sure Trinks had a good time this weekend. All the back to school shopping is done, except Target ran out of composition notebooks and Trinks needs 3 more. Since she FINALLY tie dyed her t-shirt, we went to Joann Fabric to get some patches to iron on. I did that last night as S asked me what that thing was. Yes - it was the iron. He's never seen me use one before. Trinks was so tired she passed out in our bed while watching TV last night. Hopefully she'll sleep late (8AM) today. I want her well rested for her last week of camp!

I really hate other people

I don't think it's a secret that I really hate other people. It's probably the reason I have a job where I don't interact with clients face to face. This afternoon I had two instances of really shitty service. These people should find other jobs.

At Girl Scout camp, I waited in line to sign Trinks out. I don't mind waiting. As soon as I got up, some bitch interrupts the line to ask a question. I'm sorry, I waited to get uniterrupted time in checking out. Now the counselor lost her focus and didn't end up giving me the proper paperwork. Why do people think they are above the rules? Then I picked S up and took the kids to the grocery store. The stupid cashier had a private conversation going as she checked out the woman in front of me. She never asked the woman if she wanted cash back because she wasn't paying attention. The woman was annoyed. At my turn, there was an error message on the screen that she ignored for 5 minutes while she was carrying on with her friend. I then went on to have a very civil discussion with the kids as to why this behavior was unacceptable. In front of the woman. Don't worry - she was so wrapped up in her personal conversation she didn't know.

I understand this is the world we live in. It's related to rude cell phone use. I understand that people are going to play with their phones during dinner - I see that all the time. Hubs and I went out to dinner one night and noticed a couple seated almost across from us. After they ordered, she got on the phone and proceeded to TALK through the whole meal. She ate and talked and ignored her husband. And it wasn't an emergency. It was plain old gossip. I'm sorry - this is so unacceptable. Why did she bother going out to dinner? She could have had shit on a shingle for all she tasted the meal. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I ignore my phone at a restaurant or with friends. Obviously there are exceptions for when I am expecting a call, but I put more importance on the person in front of me. Anything else is uncivilized.

Trinks melts down

Trinks was in NYC all week last week. We got her back Friday night and I spent most of the day at the 3 Day Expo on Saturday. On Sunday we had to take her to camp for the week. We did the usual lines of check in (lice and fungus check is my favorite) and ended up in the meadow. Once in the meadow, the girls meet their counselors and sing all the crazy Girl Scout songs. This is where we give Trinks hugs and kisses and go back home. We were almost halfway to the car when I heard thundering footsteps behind me. I turned and Trinks grabbed me and she was barely breathing. She was so upset she was in the middle of a panic attack.

Trinks doesn't get panic attacks much, but they scare the shit out of me. She just can't breathe. I feel like smacking her just to reset the cycle. I got her back breathing and then she told me she missed me so much. My heart melted a bit because my child has never really missed me in her entire life. I know she's going to have a blast learning how to play guitar, so I felt confident with my pep talk of "suck it up and put a smile on your face. Fake it until you make it and have some fun. If you really like the guitar, you can ask for one for Christmas." Yup - that's me. All the warm fuzzies a girl can want. Now I'm sure I have to make good on my promise about a guitar. Thankfully I came home and Amazon has some nice ones that won't break the bank.

But, to make up for lost time, Trinks and I are going back to school shopping this weekend. Normally we do this when we go to Galway, but I think we need a girls day before her final week of camp. I may even drive an hour to go to Target. I may even buy the Pottery Barn backpack she wants. I am a sucker to see my kid happy. If anyone wants to help make her final week fabulous, let me know and I'll send you her camp address.

Kitty is not dying

So at the beginning of the summer, we believed that Kitty was dying. She's 14 years old and looked really bad. She dropped to around 6 pounds from a high of 11. We could easily see her ribs. We fully expected to come home to a dead cat after our Rhode Island trip. She wasn't dead, but she wasn't healthy either. We decided to try something to help ease her last days. We gave her canned fish - salmon and tuna. By giving her and Forrest the fish a couple times a week, both have had improved health.

While I'm not sure Kitty has that much longer with us, it's nice to see the old girl with a spark in her eyes again. She's put on a pound or two, and looks pretty good.

Last Friday was a day for miracles

At an undisclosed location, deep in the heart of an unnamed state, Ivy had angioplasy. Why is this such a secret operation??? It's because she has MS. Angioplasty is not an approved treatment for MS. Big Pharm is discouraging studies because it may mean people may stop needing the drugs. The horror! But politics aside, Ivy is seeing dramatic improvement with her fatigue. Read all about it here for the surgery and here for recovery. I don't know much, but I believe patients have the right to make well informed decisions about their health.

Later that night, dear friends had a baby a few weeks early. He's had some lung problems, but he looks adorable and he keeps getting stronger everyday. I can't wait to meet the little guy!