February First is Digital Learning Day! And I should tell you blog is short for Web Log.
It was the first Sunday on the second leg, the first time we would go to church. We planned to stick by my 9th new years resolution. I have exercised a lot with the Penny's, which was one of them. I've been a LITTLE nicer to my sister Rebecca, like playing Toyland with her. I haven't written blogs about different ones than our days, and I'll do that. I have called a few people. I haven't put all the movies on the computer. I haven't also played any guitar, but I haven't watched much T.V. either. But I HAVE written a story about our trip, a fiction. Only thirteen pages so far, with three chapters. But anyway, why am I telling you about which ones I've stuck to and which ones I haven't. We need to continue with the blog. I say we, but I mean I need to. Now, we all got dressed in our church clothes, and I wore a red brookfield shirt. Collared. And khakis, a blue soft jacket, nice brown shoes, and my Bible. Rebecca wore a nice cute outfit also. Dad a suit and tie, and Mom a nice sweater thing with makeup. So we got in the jeep, in it's tight form, and I read in Matthew on the way over. There were a lot of small churches we found around the area, a small Methodist with the littlest parking lot you ever saw and it being red bricked. Dad came up to a white church with tall steeple, and parked over in some grass across from it. There were greeters at the door, and an old couple right beside us. This church, would be interesting.
The couple welcomed us, shook hands with us, and the lady said her name was Peggy. She had the regular curly hair for an elderly person. As we went in, people were talking to others and asking about us, and welcoming us like we were the prodigal son. Very, very friendly. Never been so well received at a church as a visitor in all my life. Inside was a small room, pews, a few tables where we were standing, posters saying uplifting things, and at the far end, pew on the right for the choir, a pulpit and on the right a piano and a guy on a system making the sound work. It was all pretty small. As we sat down to the left row I sat down with Mom, but we were constantly up again, people asking where we were from, if we were gonna join the church, saying that it was cool we were at the R.V. park, things like that. One lady with back hair kind of like a mullet told me about her jet skies and that I should come on them one time. I think she was joking. Her name was also Peggy. A blonde haired lady named Catherine confirmed to Dad that no, there was no assigned seats. Dad was ancy on that part. There were a lot of people shaking our hands, friendly beyond friendly, like people we knew for all our lives. I don't know if I've been that well received by my own peers! Seriously!
I couldn't remember all their names, as we met Pastor Syrrett, their pastor, and also the young twenty something year old with black hair named Angie, who talked to us a little. There were many many old people, and on the program I saw a star by the songs, and coming to the bottom of the page, saw it said "Stand if you are able" so you can imagine all the old folks. The twenty year old was the youngest, besides Rebecca and I. I didn't see one kid, not even a toddler, baby, or teen, there. There was a black haired young man who came back from the army, I just now remembered him. We didn't meet him though, in the prayer time she said that she had a thanks that her boy was home. But that was about it. Also in the program was a part telling the population of last Sunday, 34. Wow. That's small. So many people, even a forty year old black haired guy behind us who this was his second time, were kind, considerate, and friendly as much as your friends. Well, we all sat down for good when a large man with white hair went up and started the choir with a song. Then after a few minutes he quit it, and said in a stuttering and bubbling voice, "Um, there are... uh, annouceme-n-ts., and uh well we uh, well, praise God!" In this same form, a little better though, he went through the announcements.
He talked about the old seniors club, and Peggy the jet ski one explained to a lady thinking of joining that they do games, like bingo, and discuss books, and do something different every week. Somebody suggested going down to the river, and they put that in their calendar, thinking about it. Then they talked about a cold going around, as all the people were coughing and then talking to people and shaking our hands! They shook our hands and they're sick! Oh no! I made a mental note not to touch my face when praying. Or at all, for that matter. Well a few more things and then the announcements were over. I hoped this man wasn't the preacher, with all his stopping and stuttering. But I remembered meeting Rev. Syfrett (I'm gonna call him Pastor or Rev. S. from now on, Syrfett is too hard) before church, and so I knew this guy wasn't it. So I was glad when the guy at the organ came up and got on the platform. He started off with some hymns, which were on the program and we read from the books. No one stood. Except us and the choir, which wasn't the best choir. Then after a couple of hymns we knew well. After that he said he had done the sermon about the temptation, and then did a wonderful sermon in which we took the few verses in the Bible about the temptation and made a long sermon about it.
He told about how we are tempted, how we overcome it, about trying to stay on that small pinnacle with God, and how people around the world were thinking primarily about the Tim Tebow game that happened. Well, he also told about resisting temptation, how Jesus knew he could turn stone into bread but he didn't want to do Satan's will, for it to give The Devil the satisfaction that he had caused and had encouraged Jesus to do it. Then about the angels how it's not good to test God, or to bow down to the Devil. It was a good sermon. He talked well, made good points, and had analogies with plants. I liked it. After the sermon everybody left, all as one, and coughing was still done. I liked that ole' Baptist church with old people. It had a lot of old people, sure, and it was small and kind of back to back, congregation to preacher, and it was a lot different than my church with all the music, lights, sounds, and big movie screens. But it was an honest rural south church. And I'm glad we went. Only downside was I had no breakfast! Throughout the whole church service my stomach was growling. So we drove around the area, and found a small seafood restaurant by the water called Nicks. We parked on the right side. There was a shabby sign and a statue of an old man with glasses, Nick who sadly passed away. Inside were fish on the walls, sketches and drawings, and many pictures of fisherman, newspapers, things like that. Immediately Mom said, "OKAY EVERYBODY WASH THEIR HANDS!"
Dad went into the restroom, on the right side by the entrance. I waited as the girls went by the tables on the left right by the bar, in the woman's restroom. When Dad was done I went into a very small restroom, with a small sink and urnel. After going, I came out to the table right by a window, watching fishermen on a small boat. A waiter came out after a long time of waiting, and looking around and talking, and got us some drinks. Mom wanted to try out the fried green tomatoes, an appetizer, as her meal. They came out, brown, with a circular shape. I tried a few, and oh was it bad, fried, and just too burpy and filling. I didn't like it's flavor much, or the Mc. Donald's like feel. I got a grilled chicken sandwich, as we talked about past times we'd spent in Destin with Jeff's family at their beach house, and going to Watercolor with Greg's clan. I remember being on bikes, going to a wedding, finding a plastic thing and having Olivia say I needed to bury it in the sand, to pass it on, and all the things I've done and played with in the past. Destin is awesome. We also talked about the church, how nice people were, and about a guy who Mom and Rebecca saw sleeping and another lady proclaiming it out loud a lot. It was fun, although the food took a long time to get.
Rebecca also had an appetizer, mozzarella cheese sticks. Dad ate a few of those. When they were done with their stuff, they actually got out of the dingy bad seafood Nick's, that had a bad smell, and left to go to the car. Dad and I talked, waiting a long time for our food to come. Dad got a burger. He liked his when it came out, as we watched fishermen get on the shore, and then come inside. We watched police men who were at a table and discussed the stereotype of them eating doughnuts, and also saw a family. Florida has a lot of interesting and kind people. From surfing beach boys to hillbilly rednecks, there are a lot of people in FL, different people. The grilled was all right, had a little too much manias on it. Although at Nick's it wasn't the best food, it was sure packed all right. There wasn't much other restaurants in the area, so maybe people had no place to go but Nick's. After eating Dad and I went to the bar counter, paid, and then left in the car to see roosters pecking food off the ground and Mom and Rebecca in the car, Mom leaning back, sleeping steadily. We said hello as we drove back to the R.V. park, Live Oak Landing. That's a pretty good name for an R.V. Park, actually it's an R.V. resort. They have a small chain of them.
We hadn't seen the Penny family that day yet. I took off my shoes and khakis, and came into jeans and tennis shoes, still keeping on the brookfield shirt and jacket. Rebecca and I went to their R.V., and knocked on the door. The mom answered, and called for the kids when we told her we wanted to play. They got ready, and the boys came first. Then the girls. They said that earlier they had knocked on the door and nobody had answered. We told them about the church experience. And Jonathan told me about how they went to church, and that his older sister, who's in her 20's, doesn't go to church because she's agnostic. Christopher elaborated on that, saying that her grandma was really mean to her....
"Christopher shut up! Mom and Dad told us not to tell people..."
"And that she cried out to God and it didn't get any be..."
"Christopher!" Jonathan took him aside, and tried to get in front of him or block the sound. "I'LL TELL MOM!" He shushed up, and retreated from the conversation. Sure, I was curious to know more, but it was not my place, and, respecting Jonathan's wishes of no more conversation on the subject, I let the talk in mid space float. Jonathan did tell me that he sent her a book called Hell is 4Real, kind of like it's sister Heaven is 4Real, about a four year old who goes to Heaven and sees family members and things he had never heard about before, like his miscarried sister and his great grandpa. You should really read the book, it's life changing for some people. MBT was reading it and passed it on to me, and then I gave it back to her. Christopher read it and Jonathan the other one, and they'll probably switch. The Penny family is very pious indeed, seeing the Passion of the Christ, going to church frequently, reading the Left Behind's and the books I prior mentioned, and knowing the Bible stories like the palm of their hand. You know, I don't really know the palm of my hand well, with all it's overlapping of lines and all the many skin tone lines. So why do people say that? So weird. Okay, I know my Mom well. As much as the Bible stories? You know what, I'm dropping this subject NOW.
It turned like 2:00, as the boys played with their guns and ran around the lounge, inside, tiring out and thinking to talk. We entered through the side entrance on the left, a move that we never should of done. We saw a little bench looking thing with two floors, one holding puzzles and such for kids, the top one blank. It had breaks in the wood, little air holes vertically, and long. I sat down on the right side, not really thinking about anything, not being careful or anything, just sitting down after a lot of exercise, taking a rest. Christopher sat down on the left side, a move that NEVER should of happened. The smart reader or one of experience knows already or is guessing what happens next.
CREAK! SPLIT! KAAKKAKA! CRACK!
I looked to Christopher, my face showing surprise, and it all happened so fast! The whole top floor of the "bench" as we thought it was came down, and Christopher was sitting on those puzzles. He wasn't hurt, which was a good thing, but the part that it broke was the the bad part. Jonathan was up against the wall. He said we had to report this to the people in the office, if we didn't tell it would be less. I told them to put the guns in their pockets, to not show them, and to act normal, and kind of young. Which we were. But around the age of 12 teachers, parents, and just regular adults think you are lying or guilty a lot. I am a truthful boy. It is put into writing. I try to do nothing wrong and then if I do I turn myself in. Which was what we were doing right then. There were video cameras all around, those black round things that spin around and go around 360 degrees around, so we were already caught dead in the act. There was nothing to hide, as we went up the ramp to the office, opening the door to a blonde haired middle aged on the younger side lady, who was sitting behind a counter with computer and desk. She said hello, and we didn't butter her up or anything, we came right out with it. We started with, "Hello Ma'am," very solemnly.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Um, well (I did most of the talking) we were tired from playing around and saw a bench and sat on it, not thinking or anything, and he and I (I motioned to Christopher; earlier he had asked me not to put it all on him) sat on it, and his side broke."
"Well let's take a look at it," she said, getting out of her chair. We went first, and for some reason Jonathan got out his gun and bammed bammed with Christopher. He might of thought that it would put on a "I'm an innocent kid" thing. With guns? Maybe playful was what he was going for. But the lady looked at the bench, and she said that it was a very expensive wood, and that it would take a lot of money to fix it, and asked that we were on a certain sight, "The Penny family, right?" Well, they said that I wasn't with them, I was at another site. I am so glad that my actual site wasn't named. She asked if we knew what a coffee table was, that you shouldn't sit on one. We were all ignorant of what one was. She said, "Oh, I know you know," and Christopher admitted he knew a little about it. She said thank you for telling her, she would tell the manager, Neil. We went outside and sat by a picnic table. Jonathan said he wasn't a part of the mess, Christopher said he only sat down by me because he wanted to sit by me, and that maybe I could be kind and pay for it. We only sat and waited, making our defenses that we didn't think about it, that it looked like a bench, and that there were no signs posted for anything, in the past the Penny family had told us what we could and couldn't do, the R.V. park only had an unwritten law.
Jonathan assured me Neil was a fair man, not like the man at the Detroit R.V. park, who's name was Mike and blamed a lot on Jonathan, and banned him from some parts of the park. Which is NOT fair, at all really. We stayed around, awaiting the shoe to fall, the ball to drop, the wood to crack, the camera to show, the bill to be paid, and the scar impressed. As Christopher went to tell his dad, I went to tell Mom, because Dad was talking to a fisherman outside of the R.V. I went inside, and came to her, who was on her computer in her bed. I told her slowly, my side, but the truth though. And I didn't butter her up either. That is not the way, young boy who did a bad thing, it will only bring you more trouble. Only make the adult think something is in trouble before you even say the magic word. Unless you do it on a regular basis, and you're a good boy. Most aren't. Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, and some other boys. But she asked me if I told Dad yet, and said that she would not sit on a coffee table, and that I had learned a lesson not to. "Sit in chairs for the rest of your days," she told me, kissing me lightly. I went back to the boys, and told them Mom wasn't too mad, and they had the equal report to give me of their father, although he was a LITTLE bit madder, well, more than a little, actually.
Rebecca asked if we wanted to play a game together, a thing we hadn't done too much throughout the fun visit we had stayed there. They looked into the lounge, peering. I didn't enter it again during our whole stay. Thought I might break something. Jonathan didn't want to play sardines again, thought it was boring. And it would be if you were the last person looking for everybody else. I felt for him. But Rebecca was all for that. We eventually decided to play Jaws, or Zombies, with everyone on one side and Rebecca on the other, and we would pass and run over and get to the bathrooms before getting caught. If we did, then we would join Rebecca 'til the last person. The first person tagged, would be it. The boys were only playing, Christopher and Jonathan being those boys, if they could shoot with their guns. We chose Zombies, not the pool sister of it Jaws, where surfers and sharks are in it. This would have police men or army officials against the zombie, and would be escorting some civilians, the girls, to the safety shelter. Originally the plan was for the whole park to be in use, splitting the field down vertically. But the boys didn't like that, one shark couldn't guard that much space. By way of eani meanie mini Moe Rebecca was already chosen to be it.
Rebecca was arguing again! We just wanted to play the stupid game! It was really between Jonathan and Rebecca, the girls and Christopher twiddling their thumbs, trying to get the game on, up against a tree. I was the Negotiator or Moderator, trying to find common ground. "Perhaps we could make it in the middle, not the whole park and not just the field. Say half the park?" This was not respected. Eventually though we persuaded Rebecca she couldn't be alone as the shark in a place as the park, abduction or kidnapping were reasonable possibilities. So we did the field. Rebecca said it wasn't fair we had guns, we could just keep shooting her throughout the whole time. Everybody just wanted to get on with the game, so we gave into the demanding little girl. She said only three bullets spread among the three of us. We made it three each. I had such a headache, yelling, interrupting, making points, oh it was so bad. I do not want to be a lawyer. Too much yelling at my fellow man, it gets boring at points, and there is so much stress. I couldn't see anyone I defended or prosecuted go to jail or get the death penalty. I also can't be a doctor. Too much grossness, and seeing people's body parts and stuff, ooh is it gruesome. I don't like shots, or blood, and get queasy a lot. Couldn't deal with crying babies. That's why to be an actor, movie maker, writer, is the way I'm aiming for. Unless I get hooked up in an office. I'll break the walls and do some real work!
She said we had to wait ten seconds before shooting again after we did once and only three seconds for her to be knocked out and the people to go. No! We said three for us too. She brought it to 9. Then to 8. We brought ours to 5. We went in the middle, 6. Rebecca moved up to 7. That's where it left. But we brought seconds of her staying down up to five. And that's where IT stayed. We were ready to play. Boundaries were to be set up. We said the oak tree on the left hillside was to be split in the middle, which was close to fair. But Rebecca stretched it all the way back to the back hill side(as I said it's a bowl formation) and where the bushes are. We wanted to get on with the game! So we did. And she got the oak, a big field, and the bathrooms, the picnic table and the trees that had Spanish moss. I was SO irritated. We then started the game, and I backed up by the bushes to give everyone around, Melanie, Amy, Christopher, and Jonathan the plan. We had wasted enough time already so I had to make this quick. The gun guys would all stand and shoot her while to the left the girls would creep along the trees, and I told them to be quiet and try to run over. Christopher would be their guard. So then after that we set up formation, Jonathan and I barely behind our line, into the open. Rebecca said, "You know that you're in my territory, right?" Oh, we knew. That was a part of the plan.
We shot at her as they ran. Rebecca counted, disappointed. Then she ran after them. Melanie was tagged and Amy just made it, and Christopher shot Rebecca and got over. Next was our turn, the fast guys. We sprinted over by the trees, weaving in and out of the hills, coming to our place of refuge. It was smooth sailing. I told the people who survived good work, now half would go on one side and half on the other. Amy didn't want to go with me, and so Christopher and Amy took one way and Jonathan and I the others. We should of balanced it out for the fast people split up, but oh well. We all went at one time. Melanie didn't try much, she gets tired easily. Jonathan and I made it across, as Rebecca came up on us. Christopher survived that one, but Amy was caught. She slipped. Then so now the three boys were left. But Amy said she fell and so she came back in the game. Then we played until Jonathan and I remained, and Jonathan was then ambushed by all and got it. I was the next to go. Melanie was it next round. We played this for a long time, and it was a really fun playing time. Running, tagging, dodging, it was great exercise. I loved it. We had a lot of good adventures. I got my jeans D-I-R-T-Y- dirty though! That was the only downside.
After an hour or two, we saw young kids who were on bikes with their family. Rebecca told the Penny's to not have potty mouths, the parents would not want their kids to be with those kind of people. After the ride they were going to play with us. Rebecca really wanted them too. For the mean time we biked, talked, and Jonathan and I had a conversation about girls and growing, that we would beat this adolensce and puberty, that childhood would still be in our hearts and souls, that we didn't want to be mean to our parents and become teenagers. I will win over this thing, it will not win over me. The day I turn 13 is the day that the days of pocketknives, forts, climbing trees, cap guns, cooties of girls (that's already vanishing!) and action figures go away. And I loved those days! And still love them!
Those kids came back, and we played with them 'til they had to go to dinner and such. They came back after. A short kid I supposed was 9 with blonde shaggy hair and basketball shorts came and parked his bike. This was Ashton, Jonathan's friend I had heard about. I introduced myself to him. Jonathan asked where his game was, the modern warfare thing. He said it was broke. Jonathan said why so. Ashton said that his brother got mad and broke it. Jonathan asked about the other ones he was supposed to bring. But those had supposedly been broke also. Hmmm... A lot of broke games. Jonathan said, "You're lying." And Ashton confessed, saying he liked to exercise and not play video games all the time. "YEAH, WHOHOO! EXERCISE!" I responded to it. I gave him a high five. I later met him, and he looked at my cross and said, "You a christian?" and when I said yes said, "Good boy, good boy." I laughed. For the rest of the time he said funny stuff, about having girlfriends, and showed us a few tricks, like saying you had a spot on your shirt, the person looking down, and you putting the finger up. Classic. And a game called TableTop, someone on all fours, another one being pushed down, and one person pushing the person down onto the tabletop. Their Dad, the Penny's one, told us to stop though. It was dangerous.
He was an interesting kid, 11, with a phone, to be coming back at 5. I told him a prank about leaving a letter saying to a principal in your classroom that your a new kid, you'll try to be better and not hurt all the people like the last time. Then leave it in the classroom. No one will mess with you. He laughed. We had after that a hidden respect for one another, him being strong and fast and funny, I being wise and kind of nice. We played freeze tag with the Zach kid and his sister, and then Ashton had to go. I gave him my number, but didn't receive his because I didn't have mine. He hasn't texted me yet. Oh well. He said he had had a lot of girfriends, as the Penny's went in their truck to take their Mom to the airport. He biked off, and was a cool little kid. Maybe fate will intertwine us once more. Perhaps.
We stayed around, I blogged, Rebecca and Dad watched T.V., Mom did facebook and read. Then we went to bed early. It was a long and fun day, and I was glad we went to church, although the people were old and coughed a lot. Pro's: church, and playing with the Penny's a lot. Con's: breaking the "coffee table" and the bad food at Nick's. It was to be the last time with our friends the Penny's. They may be annoying, and sometimes mean, and say potty mouth language, but it you get to know them, then they're nice, fun, and good to talk to. Melanie is a little loud and mean, Amy the same, but funny and good if you get to know them. Jonathan is nice and good to talk to, Christopher is kind of quitty and stops things if they take a lot of effort, but he's alright. The night took us, the sun came down, and another day of Bourne's Big Trip ended.
Here's a little advice for the boy who wants to grow up, and do adult things: Cherish this moment and use it to the best of your ability. Love the days of childhood. Hold them tight, into the night, and don't fright, if you might. And remember, girls will always give you twists and turns, races and churns, and if you can, go into NeverLand!,
Andrew.
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