Healing and Birthday Fun

Amanda’s tonsillectomy went extremely well.  We are so thankful for the many people who prayed her through this.  She woke up fast from the anesthesia, and I happily took her home about an hour before we expected to leave.  She has been mostly healthy all of her life, so it almost felt odd to take care of Amanda.  At the same time, I was glad to be able to "baby" her just a bit as we nursed her back to health.  She seemed to stay comfortable through the days following the surgery.  That was truly an answer to my prayers.  She told us after everything was all over that this did not hurt as bad as when she was away at college with strep and tonsillitis.      I am glad this experience was better for her, but it makes me sad to know that she was so uncomfortable before.  

Amanda celebrated her 19th birthday 10 days after her surgery.  David, (son) worked at Sea World during his summer break, and was given some tickets to use at any of the Busch parks as part of his Seasonal Employee package - so being the nice child that he is, he took us to Busch Gardens for Amanda's birthday.

 

I spy a cute little baby that I "hatched" 19 years ago...

My family (2nd & 4th rows) enjoying a loop on a roller coaster.

Not the best picture, but one with the 3 sibling together...

Dad and his girls on the Skyride

This is supposed to be the fastest wooden roller coaster in the world.  Without any of us thinking about it being too rickety for Amanda - just 10 short days after her tonsillectomy, letting her ride it probably wasn't the brightest thing we've ever done...  Her throat and neck hurt afterwards, giving us a good scare.  Thankfully, all is well.

Photos from Busch Gardens

This photo - and the next 2 are of birds building their nest.

One of the couple would gather from the ground as the other positioned their nesting material just so.

Then they would switch places.  This one is now adding their material while the other goes to gather.

It was a great day for a Safari ride.  A tropical storm was heading up the Gulf Coast, making the weather bearable.  We experienced 1 downpour, but it was worth putting up with, knowing that the temperatures we had were about 15 degrees lower than normal for mid August.

A hungry elephant!

Zebra #1

Zebra #2

After the Safari, we walked around to see more animals.  A busy orangutang slowed down just long enough to let me take this picture.

Not my favorite animals, but this is a good photo of a couple of the hyenas.

Cute little things...  I wish I could remember what they are!

Beautiful lioness

We enjoyed celebrating Amanda's birthday with her at Busch Gardens.  I am thankful for the Lord allowing us to be her parents for 19 amazing years.  She is a loving daughter - with a generous heart.  Amanda has a great sense of humor, and has a desire for fun and adventure.  Her eyes sparkle when she talks about new experiences and/or accomplishments.  She is extremely smart - with just a slight competitive streak.  She is a people person, and a hard worker.  She loves being around children, and works comfortably with them.  I could go on for hours telling of Amanda's wonderful qualities, but I will wrap it up by saying that the most precious thing about Amanda, far above all, is her love for the Lord.