Jam Packed

This is the start of Day 4 in Mesa, Arizona, and it feels like we've been here for weeks.  Even though there have been days when I didn't get dressed until well after dinner, it seems like we've just packed so much into our trip.  Still, most of it isn't story-worth; most of my stories would end with, "I guess you just had to be there."

Even these two clips will probably mean a lot more to me than they will to anyone else, and after watching them, you may be inclined to turn your head to the right and think, "huh?"

So I'll offer a little back story.

My grandparents moved into a new house this year, and we've never visited them in their new home.  So it came as a surprise that they have a swimming pool.  Had we come in summer, I'd have been thrilled, but in December all I saw was, "Great, now we can't let the kids play unsupervised in the backyard."  That was soon followed by Alex's constant desire to go swimming.  "Fine," I finally said.  "Dip that kid in the pool and let him see how cold it is so I don't have to hear about it anymore."  Done and done.

Until the next day.  Sunny day.  Warm day.

"Fine, go put shorts on and dip your toes in the pool."

"Okay, take your shirts off so you can reach your arms down in, too."

"Fine, this offer is for today only.  You can pretend your shorts are swimming trunks and get as wet as you want..."

And then I heard Adam as he ran past me, "Watch out, Mom, I'm jumping in."

Adam doesn't do that kind of stuff.  I didn't know spontaneity was anywhere in his personality, and he has traditionally had very few showings of dare devilishness.  He came out sputtering and cold, but I was proud of him.

"Go dare Uncle Jack to jump in the pool," I suggested.  He disappeared to the front yard where a basketball game was in progress.  He soon reappeared, Uncle Jack behind him, and he excitedly told me, "Uncle Jack said he'll jump in if you'll stay in for 10 seconds."

"Well, I bet you can do 10 seconds.  You'd better get back in."

Jack looked up.  "Not if he'll do 10 seconds.  If you'll do 10 seconds.  I heard tell him to dare me.  I think you have to earn it."

I thought for a bit, deciding if it was worth it.  Not wanting to get my hair wet, I offered 10 seconds up to my shoulders in exchange for his jumping in, completely submerged.  In retrospect, he got the better end of the deal.

Dylan didn't need to be dared.  He enjoyed this cold pool far more than he enjoyed the comfortably warm ones this summer.  His little feet were red from the cold, but he still just kept squealing in delight and begging me to take him further in the water.

Adam tried to dare Brett.  It didn't take.  And then, knowing that Brett hates the idea that he's older than me (and we both turned 30 this year), I decided to motivate him with, "What?  Did Brett get old and boring while he's been in Georgia?"  It didn't take long for him to jump in.

There's no thermometer, so we don't know how cold it actually was, but we're estimating probably mid 40's.  Cold.  We were unsuccessful in tempting anyone else, but for those of us who jumped in, that bitter cold will be an Arizona memory we won't soon forget!



And just for fun, a video of a little trained monkey named Dylan, trained to set up the targets and retrieve arrows so Uncle Jack and Grandpa can just sit back and shoot their handcrafted crossbows which Grandma purchased at the Dickens Festival.



We've got 3 whole days left here, and I can't wait to see what else we'll do!