The Swampy O'Neals: July 2009

July 4th weekend! Yea! This year the 4th fell on a Saturday, so everyone and their brother had plans, including us. We had a full weekend planned. Leave on Thursday to the Gulf Coast, Donny had golf on Friday. My sister was to leave that morning from Ohio to meet with us on the beach the next day. We planned to all meet up at my aunts condo on Saturday, enjoy the beach and make the DesiDog trade. Desi the Dog was going to come live with us for a few weeks while my sister taught Field Training in Birmingham. Well, that's not exactly how it turned out. We did leave on Thursday. That morning Justin was rolling around on the floor while I sat next to the bed packing and such. He rolled back and forth in front of the TV, then rolled over to me. I figured he would stop when he got to me, but still did not think anything of it as he rolled past me and THWACK! right into the end of the metal bed frame. He immediately started screaming and when I flipped him over, there was blood running down the side of his face. Poor thing got a nasty cut over his right eye, right through his little eyebrow. Now he is going to have a Luke Perry scar. The injury was cleaned, dressed, and the recipient was soothed with a Sponge bob band aid and a Popsicle. Donny came home early and we left around four. We decided to drive around the lake instead of through the city. I like that drive, its nice with all the water and swamps. We met up with the Turcottes at Osaka in Slidell, which was a lot of fun. A little pricey but worth it. Next time we will know not to order so much! Justin loved the flames and when the chef tried to flip egg in his mouth. We all went on to Diamondhead, but only after we got gas in Slidell during one of the scariest lightning storms I have seen in a while. The next morning my phone rang at six in the morning. I could tell it was my mom from the ring tone and it stopped in mid-ring. I figured she was trying to call my sister (who was probably on the road by that point) and dialed me by mistake. I did not think anything of it. About an hour later she called again, this time with the news-my sisters jeep had been stolen. Right out of the parking lot of her apartment. It was found about six days later in Kentucky, wrecked. So she was out for the weekend. :( That kind of put a damper on the day, but there was really nothing that could be done. I spent the day with Caroline and her girls. We made a trip to town and had lunch. That night we all went to the Crabfest in Bay St. Louis, which was super hot but we had a good time anyway. Justin rode some rides and Donny bought a dozen and a half crabs to bring home. He and Jeremy had a good time tearing into those later. The next day we packed up and went to Long Beach to spend the day with the family on the beach. It was super windy and we ended up getting rained out. We left the tent out on the beach while we ate when suddenly my cousins sister-in-law, Janet said something about a tent flying across the beach. We looked up and it was my uncles tent, out tent! The wind ended up breaking the frame; the tent was ruined. He had just bought it that day too! After dinner Donny and I packed back up and hit the road for Houma. We had originally planned to go back to Hattiesburg to spend time with my sister, but scratched that idea. Guess we will have to do that some other time. Her friend in Ohio will be taking care of the dog, since she was not able to make it down. She will probably not be able to get a new car until after her teaching is over, which is, like, six weeks from now.

Cut from the bed