Caught In The Act

Sunrise at Daytona Beach

We spent the last several days in Daytona Beach for the FL/GA President's Convocation 2011. It has been three years since we attended. In 2009 Gene's grandmother passed away and in 2010 we were in Miami Children's Hospital with Tristan. Gene was able to attend some wonderful break-out sessions, see old Sem. classmates and even caught up with President Emeritus Kieschnick long enough to plan a possible golf game when we are in Texas next month. Ann was able to spend time with several pastor wives and their children, walk on the boardwalk with Tristan and enjoy a couple of days off of work. Tristan was introduced to several people that had spent much of 2010 praying for him. It was nice to be able to report all positive things regarding Tristan's health.


While we were staying at the Hilton, Tristan was limited to our hotel room with a handful of his favorite toys. Despite that, he found several ways to entertain himself. Anytime our attention was turned away and the room was too quiet, we knew Tristan was up to no good. See below....

 

The ride home was full of hilarity---at least now it feels that way. An hour and a half into the drive, Tristan got cranky about being harnessed in his car seat. Usually his trusty stuffed dog does the trick. The only problem was that "Mine" (as Ann's mother has named the beloved dog for Tristan) had a battery problem; as in completely dead. Tristan kept pushing on the paws, the ear, and the glowing heart to now avail. Cranky Tristan turned into a screaming maniac. I don't think we have ever heard Tristan cry so hard in the car....and remember we just made an eight hour drive to Destin back in July! It's amazing what an uncontrollable child can do to you....no dinner and a non-stop screaming child made for two unamused parents. We, the sound parents that are supposed to remain calm at all times even started getting frustrated with one another. With tempers flaring we became one of THOSE parents. You know, the ones that stop 45 minutes away from home at a Target in Palm Bay to get three AA batteries for their son's stuffed dog. With a quick grab of burgers to go at Five Guys and fresh new batteries in the singing dog, there was silence in the car. The flood of tears turned into contentment as long as his trusty dog sat on his lap. We never thought we'd become one of those parents that would stop and do anything to get the screaming to stop. And now after a good night's sleep, we can laugh about it.