Friday Freebie

Friday, 8 July 2011

- Fill out the form for a free sample of Honey Nut Cheerios.
- Stop by any 7-11 on July 11th and get a free 7.11 oz Slurpee drink.
- Get a free entree, or meal, on Cow Appreciation Day at Chick Fil A, July 8.
- Free admission to participating museums on Museum Day, Sat, Sep 24.
- Sign up for a free sample of Quaker Oatmeal Squares.

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Waterfront Park

Thursday, 7 July 2011

What a busy, exhausting, but fun 4th of July weekend we had! On Sunday we went to Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston. There are 2 fountains that kids enjoy playing in. We met with another family for a day of fountain-splashing fun!

I met Valerie in January at a special-needs support group on base. She and her husband had just adopted a boy and girl from Ukraine. They both have Down syndrome and were both listed on Reece's Rainbow. They're already doing so much since 6 months ago when I first met them! Valerie also has a son who is Kayla's age, so it's been fun getting together with them.

The Pineapple Fountain

 

Flat Stanley came with us, but he wasn't dressed to get wet :)

Lucas and Hunter

Asher

Emma

RUN!

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Dear Kayla ...

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

At the end of the school year Kayla came home with a hand-made booklet from her general ed classroom. On each page there was a drawing and a sentence, or two, about Kayla, from each of her classmates. (Which was very similar to the goodbye book she received in Kindergarten when we moved from NM. These books are such great mementos of her youth!) Oh how I loved reading through the pages and seeing what each child wrote! Each page left me with a smile on my face.

Dear Kayla ... (I left the spelling as it was)

- You are my best friend. -K
- I like you. -D
- You are nice! Your my best friend! - K
- I like how you are nice you are my best friend I ever had in the world. Love you Kayla. Love -S
- Yuo rok! Lvoe -P
-Your nice, your fast, your funny. Your friend, -J (Maybe Kayla is faster than I thought!)
- I have fun times with you Kayla eset the time you hoped on my chest. You are nice to me. And you sweet like pie. Your friend -R
- I will set by you at luch. Love -A
- You are nise. You can dance good. Your heart is all on me. And my heart is on you. Love -L
- I love walking you to class. You rock. Love -H
- Kayla you rock. I like you. Love -S
-You are sooo funny. You need more help but I act like you don't. -L (I wonder if L meant she knew Kayla could do things by herself and didn't really need her help.)
- You are sweet and kind. You are my friend. I like when you play with me. You are so cool with your pink ribing in your hair. I like when you hug me. Your friend, Love, -N
- Kayla the friend to have. Your the best. Love -S
- Four a cool small and fun. -K

I can only wonder what things Kayla came up with to say about each of her classmates!

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"Air Conditioning (Fair Weather)"

Monday, 4 July 2011

"Air Conditioning (Fair Weather)"


It's okay. I get it:
The weather is fair.


Temporary fans and critics are numerous
Like the braids in my hair.
Sometimes, they point and laugh.
Other times, they sit and stare;
But they all hate the fact
That I really don't care.
I may not fuel the fire;
But I'm still very aware.
One can say the right words
And a multitude will follow
Until similar verses are deemed absurd.
That's when the halls become hollow.
I'll spill no skills for you to wallow.
I'm not a pill that you can swallow.
I've been called a class act;
But never asked for you to follow.


It's okay. I get it:
The weather is fair.


Then why do "enlightened fellas"
Fight over the umbrellas?
Why are the "good girls"
Still protecting their curls?
Go ahead. Cover your head.
Don't let it seep through those pores.
The truth is hovering overhead.
That's all that I have in store.
You claim to love that "Real Talk;"
Say that it's needed more
Until it's outlined in chalk;
Killed because you've grown bored.
Noble things that were once admired
You now seem to abhor.
You fashioned and fawned desire;
But now, you just blatantly ignore.


But it's okay. I get it.
The weather is still fair.


Listless knaves of twisted perception;
Enslaved by what you think is free will.
You blindly subscribe to transgression;
Thinking progression yet standing still.
You leeching slew of selective fans
Reaching out for my hands
While pretending to understand
If it will help bolster your plans!
You're full of shit!
You make me sick!
Find some consistency,
You pathetic band of hypocrites!
You're like the preacher in the pulpit
Denouncing divorce among the few:
a congregation of empty minds
Where ex wives line most of the pews.


But it's okay. I get it.
The weather is so very fair.


Unwise to think I'm unaware
Of the not so subtle way
That you will cosign my content
Contingent upon what others say.
All one has to do is comment
On how it made them "feel that way"
And you'll race in hopes to find it
When I posted it a week from yesterday.
No need to repeat
If you saved it.
Too late to retweet.
Can't find it in your favorites.
I likely will never boast.
My confidence need not be spiked
By those who don't read the wall post
But jump at the chance to like.
If it's not something controversial
Or words to make the panties wetter,
You'll adhere to role reversal
And become a skillful forgetter.


But it's okay. I get it.
The weather is ever so fair.


So fair.
This fair weather...
Bathing you in your ignorance
like a pedophile's love letter.
Look at those storm clouds.
Watch them scream loud with thunder
As the lightning smacks the ground;
Leaving aimless minds asunder.
You don't recognize your plight.
You can't identify your blunder.
You just stare up at the light
While your lives are swiftly plundered.
I subscribe to better sight;
But you just say I run and hide
When I don't choose to fight
Instead of staying where I reside.
It's not a matter of pride.
I just stick to what I decide.
I'm too old for ridiculous rides.
I've something much better inside.


It's okay. Go on.
Enjoy that fair weather.


Group hug. Band together.
Get that sporadic clothing wetter.
Only the foolish vacate the shelter
In earnest chase of the trendsetter.
I won't live up to your claims.
I am not in need of fame.
I'm not wild; but can't be tamed.
I will not forsake my name.
I am so much more
Than you could ever proclaim.
We are not one in the same
Because I don't delight in shame;


So I don't want your groundless praise.
Please spare me the accolades.
If your words aren't from the heart,
Then lose yourself in that maze
Of the foolishly unrelenting
Who can strategically remember forgetting
About the message that I'm sending;
Scrambling to start from their ending.
Quite sad that artificial air
Can seamlessly ebb and flow
To serve me beyond compare
That which you should long to know;
But you swear that you were listening.
You tell me that I'm glistening
Only to then say that I'm sickening.
I'll just stick to air conditioning.


It's okay. I get it.
The weather is fair.
That fair weather gets you wetter;
But I believe this air is better.


Written By: Devin Joseph Metz

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Future Firefighters?

Sunday, 3 July 2011

A few months ago we attended the annual Bike Rodeo and Safety Fair sponsored by the North Charleston and American LaFrance Fire Museum.

They gave out free bike helmets to all the kids and there were several other activities and events for the kids to participate in.

We checked out an emergency medical helicopter and saw the firefighters use the jaws of life on a vehicle. Being at the fire museum the kids were also able to participate in a couple fire-related excercises.

 

 

 

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