Hulk Has Left the Building

What an extremely busy week we had last week. [Oh bless our hearts for having to go back to the real world. Shut it. It's been rough.] We had two fabulous days of school on Thursday and Friday. And, of course, our week ended with football Friday night!! [I would have added "Fabulous Football Friday Night" but we lost miserably so it was more like "Frightful Football Friday Night". It was one of those nights that I was trying to pawn that coach I love so much off on others for fear he was going to be down in the dumps. He was cool so I let him come home.]

Then early Saturday morning we wrangled the entire Short clan into the Short Mobile and headed to the mountains to see my sweet Molly run. Of course, just past Tryon, NC [a quaint little town off of I-26] the smallest Shortie says, "Daddy I have to pee."
"Ok buddy. I will stop in a minute."
[Exactly 10.45 seconds later....]
"Daddy, I really have to pee."
"Gabe there isn't anywhere to stop."
[Exactly 1.67 seconds later....] "DADDY, I have to PEE!"
[Mom intervenes...] "Just pull the car over and let him go."
"But there isn't a place near the woods."
[Exactly .83 seconds later....] "I HAVE TO PEE BAD!!!"
"Woods are not necessary Craig and if you don't pull over soon he's not going to have to pee any longer."
[Exactly .009 of a second later....] "Ahhhh....now the snakes will have disgusting pee grass to crawl through. They like disgusting things."
We did make it to Hendersonville to see Molly's race. She finished beautifully and we celebrated by eating too much at Cracker Barrel on the way home.

We were hoping to catch a late afternoon nap but the smallest Shorties had different plans. I took Gabe into the bedroom to see if he would sleep on the bed but that didn't happen. I did doze off for a half a second only to wake up to Craig shouting something about a hotel. [What?] It was one of those moments where I sat straight up on the bed and tried to be a part of the conversation but only ended up looking like an idiot. "What? You have to go to a hotel? Right now? Why? What happened? Who is there?" What Craig really said was that in order to get any rest he should go to a hotel. By then we were all awake [well Gabe and Emma had never really been asleep], Craig was really ill, and I figured rolling over to sleep [because I could sleep through an atomic bomb] would not be kosher with the Short so we all got up. [Yeah...one big happy family....]

Emma decided Sunday afternoon that she was going to change the water in the fish bowl [well not really a bowl but more like a fish rectangle]. She and Gabe both have beta fish - hers is named Slicky Ricky and Gabe's is named Hulk. She started off well by putting the new water in the cups then putting the fish in the cups to change the water and clean the rocks then it happened: She put Gabe's fish back into the rocks without enough water to cover him completely. [Now I'm no fish doctor but I am to assume that the water deprivation, if only for a few (30 or so) seconds, might not be good for Mr. Beta Fish.] Later that night we had a fish catastrophe...Hulk departed this life for a nice aquarium in the sky [via the KM sewage system] but we didn't tell Gabe. [Not sure why but we're new at this hey-Gabe-your-pet-fish-died kind of thing. Remember - we don't do pets.] I had to tell him today when he wanted to know what happened to Hulk. He just assumed that a sharp rock stabbed him and went on about his business. Call it loneliness or the mourning of Hulk's sudden passing, but Slicky Ricky's looking a little sad tonight....I guess we'll be heading to the pet store for replacement fish [that would be TWO] very soon.

I am asking for some prayers for a few foks tonight. One is for an old friend, recently diagnosed with cancer, who is facing chemo treatments in the coming weeks. Another is for a new friend from church who will be going to the doctor tomorrow with both reservation and anticipation. [I know that seems sort of opposite but it makes perfect sense in my head.] I know that my God is holding both of these situations in His mighty hands. One of my favorite songs by Finding Favour says it best:

I am the comfort when you are afraid
I am the refuge when you call my name
I was, I’ll be, I am
I am the future, I am the past
I am the first, and I am the last

I was, I'll be, I am.

As always, life as a Short couldn't get any better :)