WELL WHERE DO I BEGIN?????
I HAD SPENT MANY HOURS PLANNING A TRIP TO THE QUEEN MARY TO CELEBRATE MY MOMS BIRTHDAY--ORIGINALLY THE PLAN WAS FOR HER TO SPEND A COUPLE OF DAYS WITHOUT "THE AUTISM"-- I TRIED TO ARRANGE FOR A LIFELONG FRIEND TO ACCOMPANY HER TO THE SHIP WHILE --DAKOTA AND I STAYED BACK AT THE "HOMESTEAD" YEAHHHHHH RIGHTTTTT-
SO WHEN THAT PLAN FELL THRU HER FRIEND WAS UNABLE TO COME WE MADE THE BEST OF IT---ALTERNATE PLANS HAD Been MADE AND EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE ON TARGET--ANOTHER CLOSE FRIEND OF OURS WENT WITH US FOR THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIP WHICH WAS VERY LOVELY BUT ALSO SHORT LIVED! WE FOUND A WONDERFUL RESTAURANT WHICH TURNED OUT TO BE A GREAT SURPRIZE. IT IS CALLED PARKERS LIGHTHOUSE ON SHORELINE DRIVE IN LONG BEACH .I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE OVER PRICED AND THE FOOD NOT VERY GOOD BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION I THOUGHT THEY WOULD RELY ON BUSINESS GENERATED BY THE TOURISTS;AS IT TURNED OUT THE FOOD WAS GREAT AND REASONABLY PRICED AND PREPARED QUITE WELL. IT WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF OUR WHOLE TRIP.
MONDAY AFTERNOON FOUND US RETURNING HOME TO GET DAKOTA WHO HAD DECIDED TO STAY TILL TUESDAY MORNING BECAUSE THERE IS A PARADE ON EUCLID EARLY ON THE FOURTH AND THEN WE WOULD RETURN TO THE SHIP 5AM FOUND DAKOTA AWAKE AND BY 5:45 HE WAS PUKING----YEP WHAT WAY WAY TO START THE DAY.THIS KID WAS SO SICK AND HE HATES TO THROW UP SO EVERYTIME THE URGE CAME HE FOUGHT IT AND WAS REFUSING TO USE THE TOILET.NEEDLESS TO SAY IT WAS A VERY TRYING DAY--I FINALLY FIGURED OUT THAT THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO PUT HIM IN THE SHOWER THAT WY WE HAD A WAY TO "CONFINE" THE "OUT POURING OF MATTER"! BEFORE IT WAS ALL OVER IT WAS COMING OUT THE OTHER END TOO. OK TRYING NOT TO GET TOO GRAPHIC WHAT A MESS! MOM AND I DID LAUNDRY FOR ALMOSGHT HOURS STRAIGHT AS EVERYTIME THE "URGE "CAME WE "PAID HELL"TRYING TO GET DAKOTA INTO A PLACE WHERE THER WOULDNT BE TOO MUCH MESS-- SHEETS TOWELS BLANKETS COMFORTERS .I GUESS THATS ONE WAY TO GET ME TO WASH ALL MY BEDDING 2 ,3, OR 4 TIMES IN ONE DAY! BY ABOUT 3PM THINGS CALMED DOWN BUT WERE NOT OVER ABOUT 5 I STARTED TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO WITH THE ROOM AT THE QUEEN MARY . WE WERE STUCK WITH THE RESERVATION ,NO REFUNDS , SO SHOULD WE DO??? AROUND THE TIME FOR FIREWORKS WE DECIDED WE MIGHT AS WELL BE MISERABLE ON THE QUEEN MARY AS TO BE MISERABLE AT HOME SO WE WENT BACK,THINGS WERE OK TILL ABOUT 2:30 IN THE MORNING WHEN DAKOTA HAD A PROBLEM IN THE BED---YEP WE HAD TO CALL THE FRONT DESK AND HAVE THE BED RE-DONE JUST A LOVELY THING TO DO AT 2:30 IN THE MORNING--- LATER DAKOTA GOT UP AND SAID HE WAS OK BUT STILL WEEK AND NOT EATING RIGHT BY AFTERNOON WE STROLLED AROUND THE SHIP GOT BACK TO OUR ROOM AND I GOT SICK ALMOST IMMEDIATELY OH MY GOD WHAT A TRIP I WAS SO SICK I WASNT SURE I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE HOME THE NEXT DAY---I COULDNT EVEN TAKE A TEASPOON OF WATER ;I WAS MISERABLE. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO HIRE SOMEONE TO DRIVE HOME WHAT A WAY TO CELEBRATE YOUR MOTHERS BIRTHDAY!
TO THINK I HAD BEEN PLANNING FOR MONTHS DOING EVERYTHING I COULD TO MAKE A NICE EVENT FOR HER 80TH BIRTHDAY AND WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? WHAT IT TELLS ME IS THAT I AM RIGHT; THAT YOUCAN PLAN AND PLAN AND SAVE AND PLOT OUT YOUR FUTURE BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN YOU HAVE TO LIVE EACH DAY TO THE FULLEST AND SEI THE DAY BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOUR LAST MOMENT WILL BE ON THIS EARTH-- BEING PRUDENT AND SAVING CAN BE WISE BUT THERES ALWAYS THE POSSIBILITY THAT YOU WILL DO IT IN VEIN. YOU HAVE TO LIVE LIFE ON THE EDGE TAKE EVERY DAY FOR WHAT IT PRESENTS TO YOU AND DO NOT LOOK BACK WITH REGRET--THE SAYING THAT IS MY FAVORITE RIGHT NOW IS YOU WILL NEVER REGRET THE THINGS YOU DO :YOU WILL ONLY REGRET THE THINGS THAT YOU DONT DO!
I THINK THIS APPLIES DIRECTLY TO OUR KIDS TOO-- WE HAVE TO SEI THE OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES AND NEVER REGRET TRYING OR EXPERIMENTING -- IT MAY TURN OUT TO THE ANSWER TO YOUR PRAYERS!
