A Day at Tickfaw with Friends!

Karlie and Zachary, our friends' Melissa and Cary's kids, came over last Friday and they, the kids and I all spent the afternoon at Tickfaw State Park.

Melissa is a teacher, so she had one of her clean-up/inventory/work days Friday since school was out. It worked great for Zachary and Karlie to come play for the day while she tied up loose ends at school.

We picked up Subway sandwiches, got to Tickfaw around 11:00 a.m., and had a picnic lunch. We then took a nature hike on one of the swamp walks, where we saw a family of armadillos up close! The girls took turns reading the kiosks along the trail explaining the wildlife, and Justis, not to be outdone, read the trail marker numbers posted on the boardwalk every several feet. Zachary is a very mature future fifth-grader and was such a huge help. Zachary's sense of humor made the trip so much fun, too! Karlie is one of Madalynn's best friends, so the two of them had a lot of fun just being together.

The water park awaited us when we were all good and sweaty from the humid nature hike. The kids stripped to their swimming suits and got busy getting wet. The "buckets" are so much fun for the kids. They "buckets" are cone shaped buckets that fill and randomly tip and dump their water. The kids spent at least thirty minutes standing around the buckets. The thrill of not knowing when they'd have water dumped on their heads must have been a rush, because they just kept on and on having water dumped on their heads!

We got home at 3:30, only thirty minutes before Melissa picked up the kids. Melissa and I had a great time chatting for a couple of hours when she came to pick up her kids. Talking with her is always a joy and it was a blessing to catch up with one another.

We had a great time having you, Zachary and Karlie. We can't wait for our family's to go camping together!

You Get a Line, I'll Get a Pole

We all went fishing for the first time here on Mother's Day. We didn't catch any fish and the weathern was hot and balmy because we went in the heat of the day.

Travis spent most of his time untangling lines from the tall grasses on the banks of the river. He also handled the bait worms! We all piled back up in the van a short thirty minutes after we started fishing. We decided to come back and fish sometime in the early evening when the sun is not throbbing down on us and when the fish actually bite!

The Bet We BOTH Won!

Serious flooding occurred the few days after the tornadic storm blew through our part of Louisiana bringing lots of rain. Thankfully, our home and yard were not flooded, but homes and yards within a 1/2 mile of us were flooded. We live on a pretty high spot, but we're not taking any chanced. We DO have flood insurance.

Above are some pictures of the flooding. One is of the bridge over Ponchatoula "Creek" (it's big enough to qualify as a river in Kansas) and another is of the house right on the banks of the creek called "Pleasure Island." Look closely. You will see that the water comes within only a few feet of the home, but where you see water is normally a boat ramp, dock and the home owner's private drive and front yard! The swamp that borders the end of our block literally rose into the backyards of the homes and trailer park just south of us. The picture of the truck mostly under water is in the trailer park where at least 6 trailer homes were at least 1/2 under water. The last picture is of a low spot in a road that is covered with water. Now keep that picture in your mind. A different road, but flooded just like the one pictured, is the setting for my story.

I was driving and Travis wanted to take an alternate route to see the flooding we hadn't already seen. We were going along ooohing and aaahing at the flooding the way only Kansans experiencing a flood for the first time do. Twilight turning to dark made it hard to see, but I turned on my brights to see the road completely covered in water.

"We won't be going that way, I guess," I said as I stopped and put the van in reverse.

"At least not in this minivan," Travis said.

"Travis," I replied, "NO VEHICLE SHOULD DRIVE THROUGH THAT!"

"Aaaawww, you could get through that in a truck. It's not that deep."

"Whatever," I said, chalking his comment up to Travis's envisioning himself heroically driving through the water, JUST BECAUSE HE CAN!

"Seriously. I bet that water doesn't even go past my knees," he said, his voice even more confident.

I had turned the van halfway around. I then realized Travis said, "bet." I smiled and turned the car back around and put on the brights.

"Okay, get out there," I said. Travis looked at me and smiled. It was on.

"What's the bet?" I asked.

"Twenty dollars."

"Fine with me. Get going."

I got out of the car with the camera, hoping to snap a picture of Travis wading through the water. Travis EVER SO SLOWLY walked through the water. I confirmed later that his slowness was because the water was so close to his knees that too big of a move would've soaked his jeans to his knees! He! He!

I finally had the revelation that my husband was very likely walking through alligator and snake infested water. I wasn't going to spoil the fun, though. I was laughing and laughing as we saw him walk across the water. He got across and then waved, signaling he was going to walk on home, instead of crossing back over to get in the van. The kids and I turned the van around and took another road home.

"Where's my $20?" Travis asked when I got home with the kids. He had already changed to dry pants and taken his soggy boots off.

"Write yourself a check," I said, laughing. "Your money is my money, and my money is yours, Baby."

For twenty dollars (that I really didn't have to pay, since his money is also mine) and "losing" the bet was SO worth it. Travis said he's gonna think about what he bets on in the future. I have to give him one thing. He was right about the water, that came under his knee within 1/2 inch! He made good on his boast. I'd say we both won the bet!

From My "Sons" on Mother's Day

I had a SUPER Mother's Day, and one I'll never forget!

I woke up to Mother's Day cards, of course. I read the first, from Justis and Dawson. Very sweet. Then, I read the next. It said, "Happy Mother's Day from Your Son." I was a bit confused. Not just because I'd already received the card from my boys, but because it was morning and I don't function 100% in the morning.

I burst out laughing. Not just a giggle, a full-out stomach-hurting laugh. I found Jillian and Madalynn's name on the inside of the card. I realized Travis had gone card-shopping with three of the four kids in tow. That explained everything. With three kids talking to him and Travis trying to keep an eye on all three, he had either picked up the wrong card accidentally or got so overloaded with the "action" of taking three kids to Wal Mart that he just picked up the nearest card without looking closely at it and made a run for the checkout!

Just knowing that Travis had a small taste of my hectic (but always fun) life made me smile. Travis said, "What? Crap! I'm sorry. I don't know how that happened." I just reassured him the card from my "sons" is something I'll never forget.

Having a hardy chuckle with my husband and kids is the perfect Mother's Day gift, but Travis and the kids went above and beyond that. Travis allowed me to order coneflowers for my new backyard garden I've been wanting, and Madalynn volunteered to give me a pedicure. I decided I would give she and Jillian one, instead. I got more joy out of watching them get a pedicure than I would have had getting one.

I feel like it's Mother's Day every day at my house. Things aren't always perfect, but I cherish my kids and they continually tell me they love me. My husband encourages me in my mothering and works hard to provide me and the kids the privelege of being together at home every day.

Above are pictures of Jillian and Madalynn getting their pedicures!

Walking ADM Commercials

My boss-man, hard-working hubby has been a walking ADM commercial lately. More and more shirts, hats, pullovers, coats, magnets, pens, etc. are making their place in the Davis household! Travis has over 10 shirts with the ADM logo on them! I told him I'm biased, but I don't think they could've picked a better ADM employee to be their "advertisement."

The kids don't know what ADM stands for, but they know that Daddy is the boss at "ADM-work." Dawson is the quickest to point out ADM logos on trucks, buildings, elevators and rail cars. Finding Travis's PPE (personal protection equipment) is a treat for the kids. Safety glasses, hard hats, ear plugs, gloves, etc. are sometimes right within arms reach for the kids, so they put them on so they can "work" just like Daddy.

Here are some pics of the kids trying to be just like Daddy! Dawson just saw the camera and decided to cheese!

The Davis Family Tornado "Shelter"

A tornado, flash-flood and severe thunderstorm warning were ALL issued for Tangipahoa Parish (our county) at the same time this afternoon.

A tornado/tornadic storm (several rotations at one point) moved so slowly east from Baton Rouge to our area that we had 30 minutes advanced warning of the storm and the tornado warning lasted about 1 1/2 hours. We live in the country, so I went and knocked on my neighbors' doors to alert them. I kept monitoring the weather and as the storm got closer, the more serious the warning.

SO......To the bathtub the kids went. Not having a basement during a tornado is scary! The kids piled in with all their blankets and pillows and stayed in the tub while I watched the non-stop TV coverage and radar of the storm in the next room. I was prepared and expected I would have to take cover. The storm, which caused MAJOR damage just a hair north of us, missed us.

I talked to Mom on the phone during the Tornado warning. She asked me, "If you're in a tornado warning, why are you standing at the window talking to me and everybody sitting at the table eating!?" I told her we were watching the radar closely via TV. She said, "If you hear that noise or your ears start to pop, get moving!"

She's reading one of the books published about the 2006 Greensburg, KS, tornado. Mom grew up in the tiny town of Mullinville, KS, only 10 miles from Greensburg. The 2-mile wide F5 Tornado literally flattened the town. She said, speaking of bathtubs, she had just read a chapter about a woman who survived the Greensburg tornado in her bathtub. The woman got in the tub with her quilt and pillow to ride out the tornado. She knew she was moving during the storm, and when the tornado passed and it got quiet again, she thought she was on her back patio. Turns out she was a block away. The tornado had "scooted" her right down the street in her tub!

Well, hopefully our tub never flies or scoots as a result of a tornado!

Happy Mothers Day to our Moms!

Mom Marsha and Mom Cheryl, Happy Mother's Day!

Travis and I are VERY blessed to have mothers whom are an irreplaceable, nurturing and whom have always been a positive part of our lives. Although both very different moms, they went above and beyond their basic duties as moms to make our lives rich and to make us never forget they love us no matter what.

My mom was not only mother to my sister and I, but "mother" to THOUSANDS of Jr. High home economics students whom she taught to cook, sew, balance a checkbook and have good hygiene. Mom taught Laci and I all that, but we also learned from her unbending dedication to serving me, my sister, and my dad. A teachers work is never done. Nevertheless, my mom would come home she ALWAYS had a balanced meal on the table, even if it sat there while we slowly trickled in from sports practice or (in my dad's case) coaching to eat it. She always asked us how our day went and sat through HOURS AND HOURS of musicals, ballgames and choir concerts to show her support for us. She was ALWAYS there to watch. I wanted to be home on the weekends as a high-schooler because our home was a fun place to be, thanks to my mom and dad. She was there through the not so glamorous times, too. Sdhe sat in the Principal's office with her straight-A student at the high school one afternoon. I had told my home ec teacher (mom's colleague and my FHA advisor) exactly what I thought about a certain situation in very straightforward words. Unfortunately, I was unremorseful at the time for what I'd done, so mom sat firmly on the edge of her seat beside me in the Principal's office to make sure I was respectful and kind to the principal and willing to make apologies to he and my teacher. She was willing to make sure I did right in a very uncomfortable situation for her, which is a truly dedicated mother!

Cheryl survived Travis's antics as a young child and that proves enough that she was a good mother. Oh! The stories Travis tells me about how he would be ornery at home, church and school! Did I mention she delivered Travis at over 10 lbs.?! Cheryl was bookkeeper for the family swimming pool business, Penguin Pools, from home, as she raised Travis, Rebecca and Holly. She encouraged all three kids in 4-H and is still involved in a local 4-H chapter, even though her kids are adults now. Travis's mom sewed many-a-clothing item for Travis, including a vest for one of his prom tuxes. She even defended the kids' 4-H rabbits from a pack of hungry dogs with a 44 Mag round. She sported a black eye afterward, because when she shot the gun, it kicked back and hit her in the eye. Now that's a dedicated mom! You go, Cheryl!

We love you, Moms!

Beach Babies

The kids and I spent a fun and fast weekend with Travis in Galveston last weekend.

The four of us packed into the car and made the five-hour drive to Galveston Friday afternoon. Most of the drive was Interstate, but once we got off of the Interstate, the road got interesting.

A New Orleans local told us a shortcut that included a free ferry ride from the Texas mainland shore to Galveston Island. We drove south on this two-lane highway along the ocean until the highway "stopped" at the edge of the ocean. We drove our van onto the ferry, got out of the van, and went up to the second level to sit on one of the benches provided so first-timers like us can enjoy the experience. The kids were in awe, and so was I. I'm a Kansas gal, therefore I have never been on a ferry. Dawson was a little nervous about the whole idea of cars (and him) floating across the ocean on a boat! The ferry ride was about ten minutes long, then "Highway 87" picked right up where it left off on the Galveston Island shore!

ADM had put Travis and the other executives up in the posh "Hotel Galvez" in a room with a king bed. I brought the sleeping bags for the kids and we all made do in his little but FANCY hotel room. The hotel was FANCY. We walked in, harried and restless from our five-hour trip and the kids itching to see daddy, to the sound of live piano music and glasses tinkling as people sat around the front lobby having drinks and enjoying the music. Let me tell you. The kids were behaving perfectly, but I felt a little odd dragging sleeping bags and four kids through that lobby. The people enjoyed the kids, however, and the people at the tables smiled and welcomed us kindly.

Saturday the kids had their first beach experience! Actually, it was only my second visit to a beach, too. We built sandcastles, ate a picnic lunch, swam (of course), played with clams and collected shells.

Jillian did not like the beach much. She was scared to death of the vast expanse of water, the waves, and especially the noise the waves made. She didn't even want to stand on the sand at first, because she was afraid the water was going to come get her. She finally got brave enough to stand out on the very edge of the water, but would start panicking when the whopping 1" of water came and tickled her toes! Too cute.

Madalynn and Justis would come out and stand and sit in the deeper water with me, letting the waves carry them. We were "belly surfing"

Madalynn got her first jellyfish sting. She was out with me rolling with the waves when she suddenly stood up and grabbed her armpit. "OUCH! I think a bee stung me!" I asked her to raise her arm and could see some streaks, but I don't know anything about the ocean. So...we just went to the shore, showed Travis, and Madalynn shook it off. She kept saying she saw something fall when she stood up. We realized later, after asking a few Galvestonites and showing them the marks, that she was stung by a jellyfish. She went right back out to the waves with me, undaunted by the jellyfish sting!

Dawson liked the sand and braved the water up to his knees. He, as usual, just really enjoyed the time playing with Travis and Jillian on the shore. His activity of interest was decorating the sandcastle with shells.

Justis finally got brave enough to get out in the water. Once he did get out in the water, he didn't want to come back in! He kept begging me to take him out where the waves would come washing just over his soldiers.

All of us, sun kissed and sand-covered, went back to the hotel at about 4:30 that afternoon. We took showers and napped before supper.

The kids and I had a "local" experience Sunday afternoon. We just hung out at the hotel in the morning, then gathered all of Travis's dirty clothes and took them to a local laundromat, so he'd have clean clothes for his last couple of days of meetings.

You can learn quite a bit about a community by going to a laundromat. I changed cash for coins next door to the laundromat at a convenience/liquor store with bars on the windows. The guy said, "Sure, I've got coins. I own the laundromat, too!" Thank goodness, because he knew just what to jiggle when one of the machines blinked the message "unbalanced." The kids didn't mind the bars on the windows or the run-down laundromat. They always see the positive. We met some really kind locals and the kids and I chatted with them as the clothes washed and dried. The kids had a blast pushing the laundry basket buggies 'round and 'round the machines, having a "buggy parade," as they called it.

Sunday night Travis treated us to a meal at the Rainforest Cafe, a fun, family-friendly eatery decorated to the hilt like a rainforest. Dawson was scared of the mechanical monkeys that would dance occasionally and the "thunderstorms" when the lights would flicker and thunder would sound. Justis was terrified of the...wait for it...MASCOT! He hid his face in Travis's lap most of the last half of the meal. Did I say this place is family friendly? We had fun, once we got over the animated animals, thunderstorms and the mascot.

We got up Monday, had donuts in the hotel and said teary goodbyes to daddy and headed back to Ponchatoula. A fun weekend we'll never forget!

Travis' High Sea Adventures

Travis had some story-worthy adventures last weekend worth blogging about.

Let me set the stage.

Travis went to Galveston (Island), Texas for this year's ADM grain division annual meetings. Travis is the Center Gulf Regional Safety Manager for ADM, one of the five U.S. Regional Safety executives within the grain division. The Regional Safety Managers play an big part in each pair of annual meetings ADM holds. He and his colleagues are responsible for making presentations at the meeting about topics they are assigned, for making people feel welcome (aka hobnobbing), and making sure the meeting run smoothly. Only upper management (from each facility and region) attend the meetings, but there are still too many within the grain division to accommodate at one location.

Travis's first meeting was from Monday to Wednesday. He then had a meeting with only the other four regional safety managers and regional superintendents Thursday. That left Friday, Saturday and Sunday before the next meeting started on Monday. The kids and I came down for the weekend and Travis participated in two "team building" exercises with his colleagues.

Jeff, Travis's boss is a man who likes to have fun. So, he scheduled some "Team-Building" exercises for the executives to do between meetings.

Friday was the first "team building" exercise, deep sea fishing. Travis and the guys arrived at the dock at 7:00 a.m., with their guides nowhere to be found. The first guide showed up and explained it was too windy to go out into the Gulf and fish that day, so they'd be staying between Texas and Galveston Island. He took a group of guys out on his boat. Travis waited with a few other guys for the second sailor to show.

The sailor showed up in a much smaller boat a couple hours later. Travis and his friends questioned whether this was going to be a good day, but got on the boat, anyway.

Much to the despair of the first group that went out in the fancy boat with the first captain, Travis's crew reeled in about 50 fish that day! Travis said his guide said, "I know where the fish will bite." and took them straight to the best spot. Other guides would call their wise captain during the day, but the captain would tell the other guides they were only catching a few and downplay the success so others would not come crowd the good fishing waters!

By the way, did anyone try to call Travis's cell number Friday-Wednesday? I called a couple of times Friday, as the kids and I were driving to Galveston, but his voice mail picked up immediately every time. I figured he didn't have coverage out in the boat. Turns out, Travis took a little swim with his Blackberry. His Blackberry held all of his phone numbers, addresses, connected to the Internet, served as his work phone and he could do business with it by sending and receiving e-mails. A HUGE loss. He tripped on a part of the side of the boat he was standing on on and dropped one of the guide's fishing poles into the water so he could use his other hand to keep from falling in. Then he saw the pole in the water and his knee-jerk reaction sent him diving for the expensive, sinking fishing pole. Travis climbed back into the boat, only THEN realizing what he had done. He got a newer, fancier Blackberry to replace the old one and Travis was blessed to have saved all of his phone information onto the hard drive of his computer. He just uploaded his old phone info. to his new phone. He even has the same phone number now!

We got to Galveston at about 7:30 that night and the maintenance man on Travis's hotel floor had to let us in the room. Tired fisherman Travis was sound asleep on the bed and didn't hear us knock! He proudly showed his pictures to me and the kids and we enjoyed listening as he told us every last detail.

I could have done without every last detail about his second "team building" exercise on Sunday, but it's still hilarious.

Travis and the guys met the same sailors at the same dock Sunday, this day hoping to make it out to deep sea fish. The guides told them they would take one boat deep-sea fishing and keep two boats in the bay since the waves were still pretty high due to wind. The guide taking the boat to the deep sea warned the guys (and gals) that the waves were high and for them not to go if they had weak stomachs.

Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Is this not a direct challenge to a first-time deep sea fisher?! Travis saw it as a challenge. "I guess I'll go," he said confidently. Another two guys volunteered. The other crew, including Travis's boss, Jeff, whom had been deep sea fishing before, stayed in the bay to fish. For good reason.

Travis said he was on a 18-footer (boat) and huge waves were hitting the boat about every six feet apart. Do you see where this is going? Travis was okay at first. The captain then noticed Travis looking a little pale. He asked Travis if he was okay, and when he said yes, the captain encouraged him to eat some potato chips and take a drink to prevent heaving his breakfast. This captain's stomach has apparently been steeled by the sea so much he has forgotten that food and water on an upset stomach only come out one way, the way they came in! Travis had to hang his head over and evacuate his stomach a couple of times and was miserable most of the day. To boot, they only caught two six-pound catfish and a small shark! The guide told them to come back in the summer for a better experience, when the spring winds aren't tearing up the water.

"Hey, Ralph!" Jeff (Travis's boss) hollered as we came out of the hotel elevator Sunday evening on our way to supper. As Jeff was poking fun at Travis (Travis gives as much as he takes, trust me), he said with a smile, "I knew that at least one of you would end up losing it (throwing up) before the day was over. This boss knows his employees! He! He! I have to mention. The other two guys on the boat with Travis weren't laughing much. Although they didn't toss their breakfast overboard, they felt queasy, too!

A Day at the Goat Farm

Goats are hard to catch. Have you ever tried to catch one? If you haven't and want a big laugh, you should.

When we were in Ulysses (it was over a month ago, now, but I'm just now getting time to finish blogging on the trip), Grandpa Chadd, Travis and I took all of the grandkids to the farm to see goats!

My dad's long-time hunting buddy, the husband of my preschool teacher and the father of one of my cheerleading teammates from high school (small town, huh?) owns and breeds goats. My mom and dad "adopted" one of his goats for a period when the goat was small and needed bottle feeding and extra care. "Jo-Jo," as the goat was fondly called, was nursed and pampered into adulthood by my parents. Jo-Jo stayed in the laundry room in my parents house and slept in a blanket-lined laundry basket. All of the grandkids, therefore, remember Jo-Jo and ask about him/her?? every time they're at grandma and grandpas.

Grandpa Chadd is a softie (love you, Dad), and ALWAYS takes the kids to see the goats. The kids love it!

Madalynn was the first to wrestle a goat to the ground and pick it up. Cole followed suit, but was more interested in standing on the fence watching a skid-steer (which was cleaning some kind of animal poop out of the barn). Justis is fast enough to catch a goat, for sure, but couldn't muster up enough nerve to reach out and touch one. Dawson didn't care weather he caught a goat or not. He was just happy to be living life, as usual. Chadd caught a goat all by himself! I watched him sneak up on one and nab him. Very cute AND impressive. Jillian was content hanging with Daddy and petting a few goats.

I was the silly goose that ran around goats for the kids to catch. Justis was a huge help in helping me "herd" the goats and single out the weak, slower ones to catch. He was thrilled when I caught one just for him to hold.

Jo-Jo, by the way, is still doing well and loving his new home at the farm!