Fun Run Date

Good Thursday morning! It's the BEST day of the week!

The Gallery Pics are of nature today... glorious autumn! I know it will get hot again, but today... Well, today is perfection!

RANDOMNESS #1 - Last night while I was sitting in church worshipping, meditating, praying and holding hands with Mikie, I received a text.

DISCLAIMER #1 - Mikie and I do not want the kids to hold hands with the opposite sex during church. It distracts from worshipping, meditating and praying. That being said, Mikie and I learned a long time ago church is sometimes the only place we get to sit side-by-side for any length of time. I think it is okay for 40-somethings (and now 50-somethings) to hold hands in church. We don't smooch or anything like that. We save that for the movies! (This is where Roxie would say, "Yuck! Old people love." She's rude that way.)

DISCLAIMER #2 - I also do not advocate answering text messages in a church service. However, with one man-child living in another city and two teenagers in different parts of the church, I will check to see if a text is "emergency-related."

Okay. All that being said, I received a text! I checked it and saw it was from a friend, so I glanced at the message. "Did u know that they have our fav drink for $1 right now at mcdonalds??"

Oh... my... goodness! "Mikie. We have to go NOW," I whispered loudly.

"Why? What's wrong?" he whispered back.

I showed him the urgent text. "What drink? Diet Dr. Pepper? They are always $1," he responded.

I rolled my eyes WAY back in my head (very Roxie-like) and said, "No... although I would love one right now. It's the Caramel Frappe. It's only $1. We have to leave."

"No. We need to stay until church is over." And since he is the spiritual leader of our family and all, I stayed... but I was not there in spirit, let me tell you.

As soon as we were dismissed, I found Roxie and we headed to one of the many vehicles we drive to church on any given Sunday or Wednesday. I texted my friend a response, "I am on my way!" and Mikie started driving.

My friend texted back. She did not go to the McDonald's closest to our church. She went to the McDonald's four miles down the road. No matter. If one McDonald's had the deal, I was sure ALL McDonald's had the deal. Wrong.

I looked at Mikie, and since he had not had dinner yet and Roxie had a ton of homework, I dropped them off at the house, and drove to the other McDonald's. I looked for a "special" sign. I looked for a "special" banner. I looked for a change on the drive-thru menu itself. Nothing. Nada.

I didn't have a coupon.

I didn't have a codeword.

So I just took a chance. "Are you having a special on Caramel Frappes?" I meekly asked. At this point, let it be known I would have bought a Caramel Frappe for $6... no questions asked. I had reached Caramel Frappe frenzy.

"Yes, we do."

I literally squealed. "I want one!" And they gave me one. It was lovely.

But I got so excited I didn't ask them the pertinent questions. Why? When (will the special be over)? And I apologize. I'm not that selfish on a regular day. Especially on a church day. (I find I try harder on church days.) Usually, I would have all the facts so you could have a $1 Caramel Frappe, too.

If you are near a McDonald's, I suggest you take a few minutes to go through the drive-thru and ask. The worse thing they can say is, "No. But we have them for $6!"

If that is the case, call me. Since I've failed to provide accurate Frappe Information, I'll send you the extra $5.

RANDOMNESS #2 - A Roxie Story - Roxie will be 15 in a few days. Fifteen. That is a HUGE number. It is a learning-to-drive number. It is an I-can-group-date number. It is a too-big-to-wrap-my-head-around number.

Instead of telling Roxie's Birth Story (again), I decided to do something a little different this year on A Simple Life. I am going to share a story a day for SEVEN blog days about Roxie. That's right. (If you are standing near Roxie right now, look to see if she is rolling her eyes into the back of her head. She is, isn't she? I thought so.)

When Roxie was a lap baby (between three and six months old), she went for a period of time without crying.

I mean NEVER crying. NEVER whimpering. NEVER whining. NOTHING.

She had always been a good baby, but after three or four days, I noticed the lack of crying in our home, and I mentioned it to Mikie. "Four days is a long time to go without crying for a baby. I mean, it's the only way they have to communicate."

"Well, you have her on a schedule. She doesn't have to cry for a bottle or a diaper change. She gets those things before she has to ask," Mike reasoned.

That was true. However, the boys were on schedules when they were babies, too, and they still cried from time to time.

"Hmmm. Oh, well. I'll just enjoy it while it lasts."

But being a "schedule" person, I knew I couldn't enjoy it unless I marked it on the Official Baby's First Year Calendar. So I did... in ink. Days seven, eight and nine... still no cry. Roxie cooed, giggled and smiled, but she did not cry.

As we entered into the double digits, the "goal-oriented nut" in me started to come out. "I wonder how long she can go without crying." I imagined me, Mikie and Roxie sitting on the Oprah Winfrey Show with our "no-cry" baby.

"Yes. It has been two years since she shed a tear," I would proudly say.

"Well, you must be a magnificent mother for her to be such a happy baby," Oprah would respond. And then there would be clapping. And perhaps a standing ovation. Yes. That would definitely be a good day.

I moved from being a "schedule" person to a "goal-oriented nut" to a "something-is-wrong-with-this-kid" idiot somewhere around Day 30. (That's right. Thirty days with no crying. I wouldn't even go on a date with Mikie, because I didn't want the adult watching Roxie to do something wrong... and perhaps break the record. I know. I'm not right.)

The night of Day 31, I told Mikie, "Maybe she has a hearing problem. Maybe it is so quiet and peaceful in her head... and her needs are met every hour on the hour... she doesn't know she is supposed to cry. Maybe we need to sneak up on her for a few days and see if she is responsive."

Mikie just shook his head, but the boys were all over this idea. They would belly crawl to her baby bed, jump up and say, "Boo!" She would jump and giggle. We did this so many times Days 31 through 37 I was able to write on the Official Baby's First Year Calendar, "Roxie's first word... BOO!"

On Day 38, I took Roxie to our pediatrician. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked.

"She doesn't cry. It's been 38 days and she has not cried. Not one time. Not even the seven days we tried scaring her to check her hearing. Nothing. Nada. Something must be wrong."

Thankfully, the doctor didn't address the Seven Days of Terror we had inflicted on Baby Roxie to scientifically test her hearing. But after a brief examination, he turned to me and said, "Do you know how many mothers would do anything to have a non-crying baby? I cannot believe you are complaining about this?"

"I am not complaining. I just know it isn't normal, and I want to make sure everything is okay."

"If you have a baby that hasn't cried in 38 days, I'm thinking everything is MORE than okay." He handed a smiling, cooing Roxie back to me.

"Boo!" she said.

"The kid even talks. I'll see you at her regular check-up in two months." And with that he left me with my content lap baby in Exam Room #3.

"All righty then," I said to Roxie. "Let's see if Oprah is interested in interviewing a non-crying baby!"

However, before I could contact the Oprah Winfrey Show, on Day 43, Roxie cried. It wasn't a deafening cry. Just an I-need-my-diaper-changed-now-instead-of-in-six-minutes cry.

And the record was broken.

And she never tried to set a new record.

And the pediatrician never spoke of our visit again...

And neither did I.

Blog Linkage - I have a new website for you to visit today. Plus, a couple of posts on my new favorite site. All three contain excellent, doable ideas.

1. Go to www.asouthernfairytale.com. Usually at this point I tell you to "scroll down" to a certain post. You don't have to today. Read everything. And I mean EVERYTHING. This website may be showing up under My Blog List in a few days.

2. Click on the Dating Divas under My Blog List. Scroll down to "7 Days of Love" dated September 14, and when you finish reading that post, scroll a little further to "A Creative Gift" dated September 13. (Actually, you can read everything this blog has to offer, too. I haven't seen a "bad" idea.)

Fun Run Date

I've mentioned this idea before, but if you have some free time this fall, check out these local "runs" for a cause.

On Saturday, September 17, 2011, Hoover is hosting a Head Over Teal 5K Run, 5K Walk and a 1M Fun Run. This event earns money for Ovarian Cancer Research.

On Saturday, September 24, 2011, there will be a 5K Run and a 1M Walk benefiting Great Prostate Cancer Challenge in Birmingham.

On Saturday, October 8, 2011, join the Saturday Step Out Walk/Run to STOP Diabetes 3M Run, 3M Walk and 1M Walk in Homewood, Alabama.

Google any of the above races for more specific times and details.

For a list of 67 more races scheduled between now and November 13 in Alabama (or any other state), go to www.runningintheusa.com.

Make it a very worthwhile date with matching t-shirts, pictures and a special meal after the race. You'll be spending time with your child, and teaching a valuable lesson at the same time.

Have a wonderful Thursday. I'll be back in the morning with Weekend Happenings, another Roxie Story and some more pics.

Take care, and I'll talk to you on Friday.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda