Rodeos, Pajamas and Ballroom Dancing?

Friday ended up being one of those days where there's not a definite plan, but it ends up being a big day.

SEARS REPAIR GUY
First, the refrigerator repair guy was scheduled to show up in the window from 8 am -noon. This is Part 2 of Monday's appointment. Our refrigerator has stopped cooling several times since January. Suddenly, we open the fridge and the ice cold Shiner just doesn't feel as cold as it should. According to our internet research [enter pocket protector & glasses], the refrigerator is cooled by your freezer. There are vents that funnel the ice cold air--this airflow is controlled by timers and thermostats. Apparently ice can form in the vents. We looked, thought we saw ice, unplugged the fridge and defrosted it (after unloading all the contents to a cooler and the deep-freeze in the garage). When we were certain the ice was gone (after a full day or so) and we saw a nice puddle of water on the floor, we plugged her back in. Sure enough the fridge worked! We've done this 3 times now since early January with a shorter grace period in-between , so we decided to bite the bullet and call mx.

To make a short story long, Monday's appointment was a 5-day wait (the refrigerator went out Wednesday night), so we consciously made the decision to unplug & defrost and just tell him what the problem was. Wrong decision. The repair folks need to be "eyeballs on the problem" to diagnose. So "Lennie" couldn't do anything. But, what he could do, since he was looking at a perfectly good unit and I was sure this was going to happen again, he sold me a one-year mx agreement with Sears. All house-calls, repairs, parts, labor and 1 free cleaning are covered under this warranty. So I gambled and bought the policy for $80 (in addition to the $70 he had to charge me for telling me the fridge was working). Thank goodness the gamble paid off! ;) This time he was able to make the appointment the next day. For you curious types, the problem was a timer for the defrost unit. We're awaiting parts.

The Culprit (I mean the refrigerator in the background, this time Nate's innocent!)

SAN ANTONIO STOCK SHOW & RODEO
Since the repair guy actually showed up at 8:45 (early in the 8-12 window), we were able to pack up the kids and head out to the rodeo. Today was dollar days, but when we got to the gate we discovered it was also military appreciation day; so we got in for free. (And free is almost always good in my book!) We didn't get tickets to the actually bronco ridin', bull-bustin' rodeo this year, but we took in the walk-around events and free entertainment--petting zoo, commercial exhibits, livestock barns, Animal Adventures, The Texas Experience, HEBuddy Kid's Corral (complete with shark jumpy) and AT&T Chute where Nate got to practice lassoing a steer. It was a BEAUTIFUL day to be outside--electric blue sky, about 73 degrees and a slight breeze.

The animals were pretty aggressive at the Petting Zoo this year.

I'm surprised Amelia kept her hat as long as she did!

The Shark Jumpy! (a big hit)

Nate, learning about cotton at The Texas Experience

Animal Adventures

(Nate's favorite attraction are the baby chicks, but I didn't get a good shot this year.)

Bo the Pig in the Livestock barns

Of course, we test drove some tractors this year, too!

The good news is, Amelia passed out in her stroller from exhaustion (head collapsed forward in her tray) and Nate fell asleep in the car. They both got naps! This was important because our day wasn't done...

PAJAMA PARTY

The kiddos had a pajama party for the Kids Night Out theme at church this evening. Nate wore his Harley-Davidson jammies and Lightning McQueen slippers. They were told to bring their teddy bear, but Nate couldn't decide on just one lovey. We limited it to three stuffed animals. After a tough elimination round, he chose his big SeaWorld dolphin, his sloth and "Doggy." It was a Lions & Tigers & Bears theme. Nate's class had a hotdog party, read stories, did lion crafts & activities, etc.

It's Pajama Time! (Nate & Amelia ready to pajama-de-bop!)

BALLROOM DANCING
While the kids were entertained 20 minutes away, our Sunday School class met at Studio One Ballroom. Yes, we took ballroom dance lessons!

1. Waltz--simple box step
2. Rumba--our favorite, simple box step with different timing
3. Salsa--arghhhh! The one we practice the most at home b/c it was our most difficult! (But it is fun to say!)
4. Merengue--actually one of the simplest--especially for the guys (but difficult to do well), you just sort of march in place for 7 counts, swinging each other around or twisting into a pretzel

We had loads of fun--the key is to practice, practice, practice! Our instructor Carlos said as we left, "use it or you lose it!"

We're naturals! :)

(And, yes, sure I planned to coordinate with the studio colors!)

Afterwards, we all met at Fudruckers (we hadn't been there in probably over a decade!). I had the buffalo burger, sweet potato fries and root beer. Yum! OK and we (er, Jason) succumbed to the cookies & cream shake after we'd cleaned our plates!