Donkey Bite Picture

I finally got to download some of Ashley's donkey-bite pictues. These were taken about 3 days after the crazy-donkey attack. Let me say, first, that Ashley's doing fine. There is definitely going to be some scarring, but Ashley's bite will almost be a "Badge of Honor" that she will be able to carry with her. After all, how many of us can say that we have donkey-bite scars to show off?





Well, I'm not sure if Blogger is having problems or if I'm having problems, but I can only get one picture to upload right now. Perhaps it's the me/blogger combination, but I'm giving up. One picture will have to suffice for now.

EDIT: Finally able to add a close-up.

Goodbye 2007

Well, 2007 has now come and gone. I wish everyone a great 2008! Be happy!

This year's memories almost gone

I hope everyone had a great Christmas with those you love. Gina, Ashley, Kalli, and I went down to Marti's Christmas afternoon and spent a couple of days with her and the kids. I really missed Darrell and family this year, but it was good to be with "most" of the grandkids anyway. I've been sitting here this afternoon listening to the rain. Boy, did we get it last night! The dogs woke me up about 2:30 whimpering because of all the lightning and thunder. That Ranger is a mess. He cannot stand bad weather. So, I spent the rest of the night with him trying his best to lay right on my face. Kind of hard to sleep that way, if you know what I mean. Dang, my TVs are messed up again. I can only pick up a few channels and cannot get FOX News at all. I'm about to go through Fox DTs. I went in a while ago and fixed Ash and I a hot dog and came back to the computer and she had been on YouTube. I found a video that I have been sitting here for about 30 minutes watching over and over. It is a hoot and thought I'd share it with you. Brings back lots of memories. Hope you enjoy it as much as I have. One more day and 2007 will be gone. Gosh, where does time go to these days?



And, for those who can't relate to the video, there is THIS:



When I saw the first video, I was sure that I had dated him at one point in my life, but after seeing the second, I realized that I dated the second guy and we just watched the first.

A Trip to the Coex Aquarium

I got some pictures yesterday from Darrell. They had made a trip to the Coex Aquarium with the boys. And, of course, I had to do some searching and see what was said about the aquarium. A couple of sites I looked at made reference to the extrememly high cost of admission. For the 5 of them, the admission was 57,500 Won. Of course, I had to find a money conversion table to see how much that was in US dollars. I was expecting something outrageous, but the conversion said that 57,500 Won was equivalent to $61.14. Dang, one person can't go anywhere around here for that amount. Here's what I found about Coex Aquarium.

Regarded as the greatest theme aquarium in South Korea, Coex Aquarium is a massive facility with more than 2500 tons of water. With a variety of 650 species, the aquarium houses over 40,000 marine animals. If this seems impressive already, wait, there is much more to disclose. The theme exhibition at this aquarium is the "Journey of Water". The journey of water begins from mountain tops as snow and glaciers melt; then passing through the deep and inaccessible curvatures of rain forests, the journey ultimately ends in the deep blue sea. This theme is a great way to know the lifecycle of water.

After you acquire knowledge of the lifecycle of water, it is time to know more about spectacular marine life. There is an undersea tunnel at Coex Aquarium that passes through 2000 tons of water. Enveloped by durable Optical fiber glass wall, walking through this tunnel you would discover and be amazed by spectacular looking marine animals including fearsome sharks.

The Coex Aquarium is unique in another respect. Blending pleasure with learning, the section called "Lectures at Sea" provides a holistic knowledge to the visitors about spectacular marine life. Commonly regarded as ruthless predators, this park aims to eradicate misconceptions about sharks.

Coex Aquarium has a sea food restaurant too. So after getting a lot of knowledge about different marine species, enjoy some great tasting sea fish and squid at "Deep Blue". To add more to your pleasurable eating experience, the restaurant has one of its walls shared with the main aquarium. So enjoy seeing marine animals elegantly swimming by as you eat.

An adult ticket at Coex Aquarium, Seoul costs around 14,500 Won but a children ticket can be purchased at 9,500 Won only. There is also discount available for a group of over 20 people.

From Darrell -- "Today we took our first family subway trip (about 10 miles from post) to the COEX Aquarium. (That 10 miles on subway took about 30 minutes, where if we would have driven, it would have taken probably an hour - and we would have probably gotten lost)... Pretty neat aquarium and mall complex. After about 3 hours, the boys were falling apart and it was time to come home."

Here's a picture of the Subway system and the main station. (And I thought that Marta in Atlanta was confusing! HaHa!)



And, now, some pictures from the aquarium. Looks like there is some pretty neat stuff to see.

Beware of Donkeys

You know, sometimes I wonder. I wonder about so-o-o-o-o many things but, mostly I wonder about why bad things happen to good people. A couple of weeks ago, my granddaughter, Ashley was attacked by a donkey. Now, I am sure you are sitting there waiting for the punch line, right? Well, there is none. This is no joke. Ashley, who is in the 4th grade gets picked up after school by a neighbor, Cassy. Cassy helps Ashley with her homework and they hang out till Gina gets off work. Sometimes Ashley and Cassy run errands or they go out to Cassy's sister's. That's exactly what they did on this particular day. Picture this. It's a nice day in Georgia. Two good kids decide to go out and visit. While they are at the sister's house, they decide to go out to the pasture to see the horse. Cassy is quite a horsewoman and has been very good in teaching Ashley to ride. They weren't bothering anyone. They just wanted to see the horse. No big deal, right? Wrong. They had been petting the horse when they looked across the pasture and see the donkey coming toward them. The grandfather who was with them said not to worry. The donkey wouldn't bother anyone. Was he wrong! When the donkey came up, he headbutted Ashley, knocking her to the ground. While he had her on the ground, he reached down and bit her in the stomach area. Cassyi and the grandfather began beating and kicking the donkey trying to get him off Ashley. They drug her out from under the donkey and got her away from the pasture. They jumped in the car and took off for home. Ashley has about a six-inch bite on her stomach. The donkey broke the skin in about 5 or 6 places. You can count 17 individual teeth marks. Ashley was a wreck; Cassy was a wreck and Gina became a wreck. She immediately called the "Call a Nurse" for her insurance company. Gina kept telling them that Ashley had been bitten by a donkey. Not understanding what she was saying, the nurse kept asking, "Mam, what did you say bit her?" After several times of saying, "A donkey, a donkey, a donkey", the nurse said, "Mam, are you trying to tell me that a Jack Ass bit your daughter?" "Yes, that's exactly what I am telling you -- a jack ass bit my daughter", exclaimed Gina. She was told that since a donkey is considered to be livestock and because livestock bites can cause such problems, she should immediately call Ashley's pediatrician. The doctor finally returned Gina's call and it was determined that since Ashley was up-to-date on all her shots, and because it was now after hours, they should just clean the bite very well and apply some anti-bacterial ointment to it. She was told to contact them again the next day if the bite looked bad. Well, Ashley didn't end up having to go to the emergency room and she is OK, but she'll definitely have quite a scar that is sure to be the topic of conversation as she grows up. Can you imagine the horror of laying on the ground with a crazy donkey biting you? I would absolutely lose it! We have pictures, but I haven't gotten Gina to download them yet. I will try my best to get that done tomorrow and post them so that those of you who still believe this is a joke can see -- my sweet granddaughter has already had to suffer because of a stupid jack ass. Bless her heart; she should be a LOT older before this happens to her. Don't you agree?

The Man Cold

During this Thanksgiving season, I am trying to forget about all the things in my life (my house) that don't work. I am trying to forget about the fact that I must go back to work tomorrow. I am trying to be thankful for the good things and dwell less on the problems that people in my life are suffering from. I am trying to be thankful for all that I have -- wonderful children, three great sisters (one who watches over me from heaven), wonderful friends, two great brothers-in-law, wonderful nieces and nephews and of course, my precious grandchildren. I am thankful that my children are healthy. I am thankful that my foot is better (I hope I'm not jinxing it by saying that). I am thankful that Bella's hair seems to be regrowing a little around her ears. I am thankful for the fact that Michael brought me a TV yesterday to replace the one in the den -- I sure was tired of watching Dr. Phil on a 3 x 19" stip. But, I just found one more thing to be thankful for -- I must stop and say "Thanks!" that I no longer have to deal with the Man Cold. This is just too funny.

Any Mom's "William Tell Overture"

OMG, I had no idea that someone had been writing down all the little things I'd been saying to my children as they grew up! This is just too dang funny! I hope this lady has gone back to her hotel room to rest. She deserves it! Enjoy!