The Chick and South Africa AND Adoption Day

Good Monday evening!

So, first of all, let me just list the blog post things that will just have to wait a few days because I need a little time to work on THAT GIANT POST...

Wardrobe Malfunction Story
Mike's 57th Birthday Get-Together
Just Another Zoo Day
Three New-to-Me Recipes
Some Blog Linkage
And maybe a dozen or so other little things that I feel need to be addressed.

Is it just me or has the month of June become just as busy as May?

Yeah. That's what I thought.

RANDOMNESS #1 - The Chick and South Africa - The first four pictures you are about to see are of The Chick during Service Week. I especially like these pics because there appears to be no imminent threat of danger anywhere near Roxie.

No parachutes...

No sharks...

No bungee cords...

No deep, dark cave exploration...

None of that!

Just beautiful photos of my girl and some of her new friends in a place I like to call "the other side of the universe."








Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Even where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet at the very tip of the beach in Cape Town, South Africa...

The very last stop before heading to Antarctica.

God is with her even when her earthly Mom is in The Dale in the Continental United States of America.

Thank goodness...

And thank the Lord.

Amen.

Okay.

There are a bunch of pics from this particular "activity," but I'm only posting a few for my heart's sake.


She jumped from the highest bridge in Africa OR the world.

At this point, I am not sure which, and I really don't think it matters.


She was extremely far from the ground with two large rubber bands attached to her ankles keeping her "safe."


And I don't know who this guy is, but I plan on hunting him down and having a few words.


I got completely on board with this excursion.

Walking with elephants would have to be an amazing, unforgettable life experience.


And she got to hold hands...

Trunks...

Appendages?

Yeah. That's the word.

She got to hold appendages while she walked with the elephants.

Love this so much.


And then there was this.

Yes.

That is a great white shark.

She got into a cage on the side of a boat, and while the cage stays bolted onto the side of the boat, and you don't even have to put your head underwater unless you want, nine of these guys swam up to the cage (whilst The Chick was inside) and tried to bite her.


I can't even.


If it's okay with you, I don't want to end this portion of the blog with the angry shark picture.

Let's go back and look at the gigantic elephant pic one more time, shall we?

We're picking her up next Monday.

And then she's grounded for six years.

That is all.

RANDOMNESS #2 - Adoption Day - Courtney and I have always talked about Judith and her picture of family. Last year when she was only two, we would go to the Zoo and if there were three giraffes she was happy because there was a Momma, Daddy and Baby.

Three elephants...

Three zebras...

Three (or more) goats.

Momma, Daddy and Baby.

The lions consistently bothered her because there were always just the two...

And don't get me started about the one, lone tiger at the time.

It wasn't just the Zoo either. At a restaurant or shopping, she would see a Momma and a child and want to know the whereabouts of the Daddy.

Anything that deviated from the three bothered her, the "but why" questions came fast and furious and no answer satisfied her.

She is all about family.

Josh adopted Judith last Monday. All of the details fell into place and she became a Faulkner.

However, for Judith it was just a day like any other. She went somewhere with her Mommy and Daddy. They signed some papers, and then everyone went to Cracker Barrel for strawberries and pancakes.

Just your normal kind of Monday.

And that's how it felt to me, too. A part of her name was different, but nothing changed about how she perceived her family...

Momma, Daddy and Baby.

And that was quite possibly the best part, I think.




Aunt Mia, Uncle Austin and RT came to the courthouse, too.








There was a little waiting time, but walking seemed to take the edge off.


And then it was done.




Pancakes for everyone...


And a little extra lovin' from Cousin RT.

It was a very good day.

I hope you and yours have a great beginning of the week. I'll be back soon with either a short, concise post OR the longest post ever written by man!

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

The Chick and South Africa, A Zoo Day with Courtney and Judith, Let's Play with RT AND Let's Play with Judith

Good Sunday morn... and Happy Father's Day!

I'm just going to go ahead and start with a bunch of teaser(s) for my next post.

I had a slight, albeit totally humiliating, wardrobe malfunction Saturday.

And when I say "wardrobe malfunction," I'm talking about one of the ten layers I am wearing at all times.

Yeah. I'll be talking about that next post.

Mike turned 57 this past Wednesday, but his official Birthday/Father's Day Celebration is tonight. I'll be talking about that next post.

I should have another update on The Chick by next post.

I'll give you a hint. It may have something to do with elephants, monkeys and/or sharks. I'm hoping none of that is true, but I also hoped she wouldn't hop out of a moving airplane 8,346 miles away from home, and we all saw how that turned out. (And if you didn't see how that turned out, pics are below!)

Also, I think I might have something very exciting to report next post. No hints, but it's one of those "you'll know it when you see it" kinda things.

And, no.

I'm not getting a tattoo...

And I'm not expecting.

Nor is anyone in my immediate vicinity...

As far as I know.

You'll just have to wait and see!

RANDOMNESS #1 - The Chick and South Africa - Okay. Here goes.

Roxie has wanted to skydive since she was in the ten-to-12-year-old range. Way back then, it didn't worry me too much because I figured she would get over it.

As the years went by, it started to become clear The Chick didn't necessarily "get over" things so much as she just tucked them into the back of her mind for a later time.

That "later time" was last Sunday, June 10, 2018.

I knew it was happening on that specific day, but I did not know the exact time. When Mike and I received the text which simply said, "I SURVIVED!" I breathed a huge sigh of relief, gleefully went to church and promptly took a nap when I returned home.

Worrying is exhausting work, isn't it?

I talk a good bit about JOY on the blog, I think. I like when I see physical glimpses of it in pictures I have taken or stories I have heard.

I think I may have a few more images of it below.






In her own words (more or less), "I asked the instructor if we could do a flip out of the plane, and he said, 'Yes.'

"And we did!

"I asked him if I could steer the parachute some on the way down, and he said, 'Yes.'

"And I did!

"I started laughing, and I couldn't stop, and it made the instructor laugh, too...

"All the way down."

By the way...

The Chick's grounded.

I'm not sure how that works at this moment in time, but do not doubt for one minute...

I'm going to figure it out!

RANDOMNESS #2 - A Zoo Day with Courtney and Judith - I think the pics are self-explanatory.






It occurred to me, I may have a picture of Roxie wrestling or riding or chasing one of these before her trip ends.

I would ask her, but I haven't been particularly happy with a lot of her answers lately.

I'll just wait and see.

Heavy, heavy sigh.











RANDOMNESS #3 - Let's Play with RT - I absolutely loved this place...

And so did RT.

Ball pits, toddler carousel, little trampolines, slides, giant Legos, age appropriate climbing walls, etc., etc., etc.

And there was stuff for older kids, too.














And for only $2.95, I got this groovy pair of socks. (Everyone is required to wear socks. Even Nanas and Pops.)

NOTE - Call before going to make sure there aren't a lot of groups coming in when you are there. It's a big place, but three, four or five buses filled with kids would be a lot of children running around if you're taking smaller tots.

ANOTHER NOTE - It costs $8 per child on weekdays, and two adults get in free with a paid child. It's a little more on weekends.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Let's Play with Judith - The day after Melia and I took RT, I took Judith.

It's official.

Three year-olds love it, too.








And I'm supposed to be the dramatic one in the family.

I think not.




Did I mention the giant two-tiered ropes course?


Sorry. Must have slipped my mind.

Have a marvelous Sunday. I'll be back soon with many, if not all, of the "teased-about" items mentioned above.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda

The Chick and South Africa AND Blog Linkage

Good Sunday morn!

The above picture was taken before Roxie left for South Africa...

Which is what we're going to be talking about today!

RANDOMNESS - The Chick and South Africa - As I mentioned in my last post, Roxie is in Cape Town, South Africa for five weeks this summer. When you add it all up, it is 35 days and nights. Today is number 14 of 35. You don't have to be great at math to realize from a mama's perspective the trip isn't even half over.

Roxie's perspective is different, of course, but I'm not here to talk about how she feels about it.

Not even a little bit.

I'm a little miffed, and I don't care who knows it!







So far, The Chick has gone on some crazy, beautiful hikes (see above), snorkeled with seals, surfed in the Atlantic/Indian Oceans, driven four-wheelers up and down a South African beach, toured the prison where Nelson Mandela was held...

And here is the tricky part.

Today she is sky diving..

Out of a moving airplane.

Have no fear. Whilst she is throwing herself out of a plane (with a tandem instructor), I will be on my knees (quite literally).

She does not get any of her reckless abandon from me.

Nope. My idea of adventure USED TO BE holding both of my hands up during a roller coaster ride.

I would have been deliriously happy if the seal adventure had been the most dangerous activity she participated in while 8,346 miles away from home, but I am guessing being that happy isn't in the cards for The Enchanting Belinda.

For your reading pleasure, below is the text Roxie sent me about her seal adventure...

"For the first ten minutes, I didn't see a single seal, but the rocks were absolutely covered with them. They said there are about 15,000 seals on that island, so I got nervous.

"After the first ten minutes though, a pup came right up to me. They say the pups will do that because they are super curious, and after that I don't think there was a single time for the rest of the hour that I wasn't in the middle of at least eight to 12 seals. It was INCREDIBLE! And surprisingly peaceful.

"It wasn't like an adrenaline rush. Just really beautiful and something I will cherish forever.

"At one point they were getting so close to me and swimming up against my body. If you tried to touch them they would swim away, but come right back. One came up under me and rolled over and let me RUB HIS BELLY like a puppy. It was incredible.

"When we got out of the water, they poured hot water into our wet suits which was my favorite part. Then they gave us hot chocolate and lollipops for the ride back. It was so wonderful.

"It was a workout because it required a lot of swimming against the current, but I have never experienced anything like that in my life. It was so cool and sweet."

For any of you wondering about the hot water in the wet suit, it is winter in Cape Town. The highs are in the 60s and the lows are in the 40s...

And the ocean is really, really cold!

Except for the "8,000 miles away" part, it sounds like somewhere I would like to spend my summer!

Why couldn't she just be happy with scratching a seal's belly?

WHY, I ask?

Blog Linkage - Go to www.kellehampton.com and read Wednesday's post entitled, "Summer S’more Wars Night." I think this would be a unique, fun and NEW tradition to try with your family and friends.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful Sabbath day. I'll be back sooner than later because I have a lot of other stuff to post from the last week or so...

And I just ran out of time what with all the extra praying I've been doing the past 14 days!

Talk to you soon!

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda