Battle of the Cardboard Swords

After wrapping presents, the cardboard "swords" always tempt the boys to play.  As they have gotten older, nothing has changed.

Two cardboard rolls awaited them.

Cameron and Nick picked them up and dueled in the unspoken challenge.

They took turns charging, hitting, and retreating.  Then Nick took a swing.  Cam lost most of his sword.  In utter disbelief, Cam tried to piece it back together.  Nick smiled victoriously.  Cam acknowledged his defeat.

Sometimes the silliest thing are the best!

Expectations, Interpretations,and Assumptions

As we prepared for Christmas, I asked my youngest, 15 year old Cameron, to help me wrap presents.  I asked him to get the tape.  He came back with duct tape.  He then proceeded to "wrap" presents with the duct tape.  He even put a bow on one.  He thoughtfully marked who the presents were for with a permanent marker.  Very efficient and expedient.

Living with all males in the house, I forget that their interpretations of words might be different than mine.  Through my experience, whenever tape was mentioned, I didn't hesitate to get the scotch tape, so why would my son's be any different?  I assumed he would know.  However, his experience with tape has been duct tape, because duct tape fixes EVERYTHING.  His dad has taught him well.

Although my expectation was not met with what I assumed Cameron would get, I was happy.  He interpreted my words and did as I asked.  His version of wrapping resulted in a much different look than my version.  That's ok.  He helped, and we had fun wrapping in our own style.

As we gave family members their presents, they got a good laugh.  It all added to the celebration of Christmas.

Water Rafting in Alaska

While we were in Alaska, we actually did activities together.  One was water rafting.  Water was a balmy 37 degrees (F).  As the ice glaciers melt, the water gets COLDER during the summer.  No, Mike did not consult me on the water temperature.  I've always liked water rafting during the summer, so why should this be different?  Ahh, maybe the water would be cold??  It was!!  However, it was worth it.  The scenery was breathtaking.  Beautiful sunshine.  (Some) snow on the mountains.  Crystal clear rivers.

We also got a professional portrait of ourselves done on board the ship.  Mike said we should do things that we don't normally do.  So, here is our official 25th anniversary photo together!

25th Anniversary Get Away

For the first time since the boys were diagnosed with autism, Mike and I took an extended vacation. Fourteen days of just us!

Mike did all the planning.  He attended to all the details, even flowers, chocolates, and champagne.  We cruised the Alaskan shores and partook in many inland excursions.

Scenery, adventure, and wild life abounded around us. We even got to trap crab. Yum! We ate a ton of crab for lunch. 

Mike even participated in one of the cruise shows- a cooking contest.  He took second place!  I just had to show up.  The cruise truly celebrated 25 wonderful years of marriage!