Friday Family Night at Blank Park Zoo

For our 11th anniversary we headed to Des Moines. We did some back to school shopping, enjoying the sales and tax free weekend. We did a little swimming in the hotel pool; and then headed over to Blank Park Zoo! Apparently, in the summer time, you can go to Blank Park Zoo on Friday evenings. They are open until 8 PM and they offer a little music and demonstrations with the animals. The night we were there happened to be the bat education night, which is sort of ironic as we absolutely HATE bats!! The weather was nice and cool and the animals were SO active! I have been to the zoo many times and have never actually seen the animals move so much! The giraffes were eating, and the lions were playing with a huge ball! Will loved it and so did we! I highly recommend Family Friday nights at Blank Park Zoo! We invested in a family pass for the Science center and zoo for the next year. They have several hundred zoos and museums that recongize the pass, so we will be heading to Omaha soon! Pictures to come!

Celebration of Life

My papa really wanted this last week to be a "celebration of life". But no matter how you slice it; it is a hard and difficult time. It is never good to say goodbye. I personally, am not good with change. I have shown my ass several times in the past seven days at times acting selfishly, at times sulking and pouting, at times irrationally angry, and always exhausted. I am tired, very tired. It is the first time that I have had to do sad without my papa. I am confident that we will move ahead and create a new normal; but for now I am just letting myself be tired. Please take a look at the video tribute shown at my papa's memorial. A labor of love my husband and I made, a tribute to a good man, a good husband, a good papa.

Team O'Neill

My papa repeatedly said that he owed my mother everything; that without her his life would have been nothing. He frequently worried about things being good enough for her. That she deserved the sun and the moon which he attempted to give her figuratively; and literally in jewelry that has the sun and the moon on it. My papa said that my mom taught him how to have fun; I think my papa taught my mom to believe in her own ability to do anything she wants. He may have regretted the amount of self confidence she eventually had; because he liked taking care of her and he liked that she used to need him to do that. I'm not sure at the end who was taking care of who.

My parents liked to dance. And my papa was a good dancer. He enjoyed the music and the drama of a ballroom; the beauty of the experience, while my mom took care of counting and knowing how to help move around the floor; all while making it seem that he was leading. It is an analogy for their marriage really. The waltz is hard but their foxtrot together was perfect. My parents song was Moon River.

My mom and papa met the first time in a parking lot. He was the counselor. She a brand new teacher. She was not sure where she was supposed to go; he was running late. Later that year she lost her temper with a student and she got really worried that she shouldn't have. She went to talk to the principal who was out. My dad the counselor reassured her that she shouldn't worry; he would take care of it. And he did, he always did.

My mom and papa were a good team. And I know that she's not sure how to be just one person on what has been Team O'Neill. But I know that she can do it; and I am confident that my papa is waiting. He always waited for her. While she was on the phone with me; while she was trying on clothes; while she made dinner...on and on. And he never minded. He is waiting patiently then and now.

I think what sticks out to me most is that he loved her so. And while her room mate Linda said, "What does he want with you?" when Linda answered the door for their first date. My papa to the very end knew that quite possibly, he was the lucky one.

My papa passed away Saturday July 25. He will be missed every single day.

A symbol of independence

"Mickey Mouse is, to me, a symbol of independence. He was a means to an end. He popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad twenty years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at lowest ebb and disaster seemed right around the corner. Born of necessity, the little fellow literally freed us of immediate worry." - Walt Disney

I have been thinking a lot about how it is that I have found our adventures in Disney World a healing process. I think that it has something to do with being a family, and having something to look forward to. I think it has something to do with going to a place where it is expected that you will smile. But when I read the previous quote, I thought maybe Walt Disney said it best. Perhaps it is about freeing yourself from worry. Allowing the worry and the fear and the sorrow to fade away. Whether it the Mickey flag outside our house, the sticker on my car, a photo on my desk, or this blog. Mickey has become a reminder to be happy. A "symbol of independence" Today I head to Iowa City to talk to our doctors about adding to our family. It is exciting and scary. They will advise us about the best route to take and whether or not it is wise; we trust them. Mostly I find myself grateful that we are feeling independent enough from our tragedies to move ahead in whatever direction life takes us.

Disney Scrapbook

I finally finished my Disney scrapbook!! Take a look if you like:

http://www.disneyphotopass.com/virtualviewer.aspx?id=d3b37033-fefb-4956-8b1f-ec75751f62a7

To Nook or not to Nook

The Nook is an e-reader made available at Barnes and Noble for between 149.00 and 199.00 (depending on whether you chose Wi-Fi connectivity or 3G connectivity. I have had my Nook since Christmas and while it has steadily decreased in price since that time, I am not a bit sorry that I have had it for the last 6 months! Next to the GPS I think it is my favorite piece of technology in the Rich household. Top 10 reasons I love my Nook:

1. When I'm done with a book; it doesn't take up space or gather dust!
2. When I feel like reading a book is immediately at my finger tips!
3. Books are cheaper! New releases still in hard book are about 9.99 when downloaded to my Nook. Older paper backs are about 4 or 5 dollars.
4. I can keep the Nook in my purse and it holds on it thousands of books. So I can easily take 10 books with me on vacation and it just takes up that little space in my purse, and its less than a lb!
5. It makes reading a one handed job. I can hold Will on my lap with my right arm around him, hold the Nook in my left hand and turn the page by clicking a button on the Nook with that same left hand. Therefore never even making Will aware of the fact that I am not ACTUALLY watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
6. The Nook keeps my place..now while an old fashioned book mark does too; I just never used a book mark very well.
7. Did I mention that it doesn't take up space or gather dust?
8. The text can be made smaller or bigger.
9. Its adorable, and so is my pretty cover.
10. For whatever reason I just read more. Perhaps its because the books costs less, perhaps its because I feel less guilty if I buy a book and don't like it, I move onto another book? Whatever the reason, I have read about a dozen books in the last six months, and before I had my Nook I read maybe just one or two in the past two year!.

Frequently asked questions:

Do I miss the feel and smell of paper and the actual book? No, never. I thought I might but I don't.

Can you lend books on the Nook to other people? In theory yes, but so far none of the books that I have purchased on technically lendable.

Is the Nook lighted? No. While it is very easy on the eyes, and reads quite nicely in the sun, if you are in the dark you can not see it without a light.

Is there an audio component with the Nook? No there is no voice that reads the book to you, though you can download MP3 files to it.

Does the battery last? Yes, the battery lasts quite well, and charges quickly!!

What about the Kindle? What about it? I think its probably awesome too, but I don't know nearly as much about it, and my husband bought me the Nook.


To Nook or not to Nook? I say most definitely Nook!

New Feature at Walt Disney World!

I am so excited about the new internet feature that Walt Disney World put on their web site some time in the last day or so!! Anyone who has internet access (and it works nicely on my Blackberry) can access information about the park at their fingertips!! By using the website you simply click on a theme park. For example, lets say that I choose Disney's Hollywood Studios. It then asks me if I want info about attractions, characters, dining, shopping or transportation. If i click attractions it than allows me to browse the attractions based on wait time, and Fast Pass availability! If I click on characters it tells me where and when I might see Handy Manny, Mater, Mickey, Mike, Power Rangers, Sully, The Incredibles, and The Toy Story Friends!! The dining option tells me what restaurants are availble by location or cuisine. While the application might take the "hunt" out of finding some of the characters; it would also take some of the anxiety away from missing an attraction or character that is really a must for your family! For instance I really really wanted to see Sully. I checked back for him three times, and with the new feature it indicates what blocks of time you can expect him to be there! I wouldn't want to spend my whole day with my nose in my Blackberry, but it certainly provides a handy option!!!