Snapshots of Chaos

Ophelia by Odilion Redon

Hanging on a thin cusp of exhaustion

I stand in the middle of Epcot

waiting for the show’s next act-

my skin baking in the summer sun,

lips drier than a shriveled grape.

I dare not move or else I’ll touch

the other sweaty bodies surrounding me

crammed in tighter than college students

on a wild Spring Break beach.

And suddenly I’m sitting on a sandy towel

waiting for another beer I sent that jerk to find,

the bass beats blaring BA-Bum, BA-Bum

so loud I feel them in my heart-

snapshots of utter chaos I’d rather not relive,

the hopeless years wasted searching for myself

in a frothy mug of oblivion, self-centered fear.

I turn my head to Mickey Mouse and smile-

the crowd and heat a sober treat.

©laurie kolp

Prompt inspirations:

The Sunday Whirl, wordle 63- skin, lips, thin, snapshots, touch, other, act, hanging, gesture, stand, sent, utter

Poetic Bloomings- Get Some Rest, prompt 62

Photo prompt- The Mag 124

Also shared at Real Toads Open Link Monday

Debby Does Disney

Debby does Disney
in a rainbow of ponchos
that if you didn’t bring your own
cost eight times more.

Debby does Disney
in wet t-shirts and braided hair
running through puddles
like Bo Derek.

Debby does Disney-
drops temperatures, shades bodies
from an ungodly heat
beguiling flames ignite.

Debby does Disney
only the Brave endure her wrath
with a smug satisfaction
of Princess Merida.




©laurie kolp

Thoughts...on love

When two people love each other deeply...they share countless private memories unknown to the rest of the world.
~Dr. James Dobson, "Love For A Lifetime"

Pete and I keep God in the center of our marriage. We do this for several reasons. First, we know that God put us together. If we had not straightened out our lives and turned our wills over to God, we probably would not have even met. Second, with God in the center of our union, we are constantly reminded that WE are not in charge of our relationship; rather, God is. We are not in charge of our lives; He is. Every morning and every night, Pete and I pray together. This allows us to remember daily the vows we took eleven years ago.

Life has not always been easy since we married. We have had our ups and downs. Pete's car wreck and the four years that followed wrapped up in pain, agony, loss of work, litigation and surgeries were not easy by any means. Yet, we continued to keep God in the center, and we prevailed (there is justice done when a distracted teenager is changing his radio station and barrels into the back of Pete's car when he had our three children with him). I have had my difficulties, too, with depression following childbirth, and the loss of a dear friend by suicide. Plus, I have had a few other setbacks. But Pete and God, stuck by me, and we made it through the darkness.

Of course, we have had a lot of good times, too. The births of our three children and raising them stand out as some of the best. And, yes, we put God in the center of their lives, too. There have been fun times at the beach, our vacation to Disney World, special holiday events, school activities and programs, and sporting activities that have been truly memorable; and there will be many more! As long as God is driving "our car of life," what can go wrong? Not a thing, for absolutely nothing happen's in God's world by mistake.

Your love is more delightful than wine...Your name is like perfume poured out.
~Song of Songs 1:2,3

Missing Mickey Mouse

...and a few more pictures I simply could not resist sharing with you. Although we are all sick now, the trip was such a memorable experience. We are saving to go back- we did not have enough time to do it all. Disney World is the best family vacation and good for all ages. I miss Mickey Mouse already!

The Kid's Favorites

As promised, I will highlight what each of the kids liked most at Disney World. Pete and I loved everything- we truly can't say what was the best. Just watching our children have so much fun and seeing the looks on their faces as they explored each park was priceless.

Katie said she liked the "Festival of the Lion King" show at Animal Kingdom. Thanks to a friend, I had heard that this was a must see. The show was spectacular. Sorry the pictures didn't turn out too good, but I am getting a better camera soon.

Andrew liked the "Tom Sawyer Island" we rafted out to. We could have spent a whole day there, exploring all the amazing trails, tree-houses and kiddie play area. There even was a place to play Checkers. I was a little nervous as we walked over a rickety bridge because Drew had fallen on one in preschool (as stated in a previous post), but we ventured well.

Can you believe that out of all the parks, scary roller-coaster rides, spectacular firework shows and parades, Nicholas still liked swimming at the hotel the best? This really does not surprise me because when I was a kid the swimming pool was always my favorite part of our vacation!

P.S. Don't worry. Drew and I went to the coolest video arcade while they went swimming.

We're Back!

We had the most magical, fun, exciting, yet exhausting time at Disney World. Here are a few of the more than 250 pictures I took. I was just so excited to update you I could not wait another minute. So, when I get a chance to go through the photos, I will post more on the blog.
I don't even know where to begin, the trip was so awesome. Despite Drew's broken arm and Nick's cold (which we all have now), we managed to visit four theme parks and experience most of the highlights at each one (and nobody got lost- YAHOO). I have not walked that much in a very long time! We rode some of the best rides, saw some wonderful shows, and the fireworks at night- well those were beautiful and breathtaking.
Since it is the middle of the night (I was woken up by Katie who is coughing), I will stop for now and say, "Good night- I'm glad to be back." But tomorrow I will let you know what the highlights were, post more pictures and share with you what the kids loved most. How have you been?

Off to Disney World

I feel like I am in the process of moving. You know, the adrenaline rush from the chaos of all that has to be done. Only we are not moving, simply getting ready for our trip to Disney World. To make matters worse, Pete had a manager's meeting that required him to be out of town for two days. So I had to play single parent while packing a family of five, getting two dogs to the vet for boarding and having a piano recital in the midst of it all. But I survived, Pete got home earlier than expected and now we are packed and ready to head out at 4:00 AM. The hardest part of all of this was leaving Jake and Snowy at the vet (as you can tell by the picture). We usually only go out of town for one or two nights, so our neighbors and my parents help take care of them here at home. But since our fence is still not fixed after Ike and we will be gone a little longer, we felt it would be best to board our sweet pups. You should have seen the kids and I trying to get them into the van and through the vet's front door. The overly excited canines were yanking me this way and that as I tried to hold onto both of their leashes with all my might. At one point, they had me trapped inside their complex maze of intertwined dog leashes. To the outsider, I probably looked hilarious, but I was actually very stressed. I could just imagine them pulling too hard and getting loose. That would have been a nightmare. Luckily Jake and Snowie made it into the hands of their caretaker for the next several days. Hopefully they won't be too mad when we pick them up. In the meantime, we're off to Disney World. Can't wait to share everything when we get back. I hope the next few days treat you well, too!