Wednesday Hodgepodge - Part 1

Since I already had last week's Hodgepodge completed but never got it posted, here it is. This week's Hodgepodge will be posted later today.

Pokemon Go ... your thoughts? Are you playing? Do you even know what it is?

My 19 year old son Dawson has been an extreme Pokemon fan since he was a kid. In fact, he was Ash Ketchum for Halloween when he was 7, and I had to make him a handmade costume because there weren't any for sale. Catching Pokemon with Pokemon Go is like his childhood dream come true. However, he has not shut down the rest of his life to play it. No one else in the family is playing it. Brynne would like to, but she the only phone she could use would be mine and I do not have unlimited data. I've had to break her heart and tell her "no". I saw a video this week of hundreds of grown men and women swarming through a national monument site trying to catch a rare Pokemon and was astonished at how stupid they looked. I guess it's fairly harmless, but I did stop to think that it could cause major problems of trespassing and such. If I had a Pokemon in my backyard would I be okay with strangers coming onto my property to catch it? Probably not! If someone got hurt while searching for it, they would probably sue me for their injuries! This is one of those cases where the law is not up-to-date with the technological advances and people are too stupid, frankly, to follow the law that is there.

What was something you collected as a child? Do you still have that collection? If you're a parent what's something your own children collect(ed)? Have you ever camped out, stood in a crazy long queue, or paid a ridiculous sum for a collectible?

I wasn't a big collector, although I did have some china dolls. I do not have them anymore. Kyndal had some collections as a child but they were thrust upon her by family members. When we cleaned out our garage she got rid of all that stuff. Dawson collects lots of stuff ... posters, Pokemon stuff, Spiderman stuff, Game of Thrones stuff. He likes collectibles. Brynne does really collect anything, but does love her stuffed dogs. Eli goes through phases of things he is into, and right now he is collecting Nerf guns.

"Collect moments, not things" ... tell us about a moment you've added to your collection this summer.

The hike that Rick and I took in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, was definitely a collection of moments I will always cherish. What a thrill!

What's something collecting dust in your home right now? Any plans to do something about it?

Other than my surfaces that are always collecting dust (I hate to dust!!), I'd say my flat iron for my hair! This summer has been a ponytail summer. I fix my hair about one day a week. I really need a haircut, then I might actually fix it more often.

A favorite song related to time?

Take your Time by Sam Hunt. I love Sam Hunt!!

What's been your most frightening or your most interesting encounter with wildlife?

I am not adventurous when it comes to wildlife. In fact, I am very cautious! When Rick and the kids swam with dolphins in Mexico several years ago, I opted for taking photos from the dock. Why? Because I had a fear of a great white shark getting in through the underground fencing into the aquatic park (thank you Jaws 3-D!). But, strangely, I did get up enough courage to swim with the stingrays when Rick and I were in Grand Cayman one year. It was exhilarating, and terrifying! I was still constantly looking around for sharks. But I am glad I did it.

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 Commander Neil Armstrong set his foot down on the moon. If you could travel to the moon would you go? Why or why not?

No moon travel for me. It's just not something I desire to do. Rick, however, would sign up to go in a nanosecond!

Insert your own random thought here.

My daughter and her husband have had quite a week. They have been under a lot of stress from Collin's brother's car accident, Collins' sister is due to deliver her baby any day (UPDATE: She had a healthy baby boy!), and then yesterday Kyndal started having contractions that sent her to the hospital. She is only 32 weeks pregnant so, obviously, we are not ready for Bennett to make his appearance. She has just started to dilate and is 50% effaced and was having contractions about 8-9 minutes apart. They gave her medication to slow her contractions and kept her overnight for observation. She was discharged today with orders for bed rest until her doctor appointment on Friday. Please join me in praying that she is able to continue to carry Bennett until at least 36 weeks. Also pray for Collins as he is meeting himself coming and going these days. (UPDATE: Contractions continue but baby is staying put.)