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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Living Life - Ringling Bros. Giveaway

Life.

It's meant to be lived. And that's what I'm doing right now.

I am in a period of where I am feeling the need to really focus on my family and not miss a moment with them.

For me, that is involving shutting the door on several activities that I have historically been involved in or in leadership positions for. In other words, believe it or not, I am backing off of things at church like choir and lessening my role in others like VBS. These are two things I have truly loved, but my mind has been in a different place as of late.

I have recently felt so overwhelmed by things I need to think about that just adding something simple like a Wednesday night rehearsal just seems to put me over the edge. And when something becomes "just another thing on my calendar," it's time for me to back off and evaluate what I'm involved in.

So, I'm doing stuff with my man and my kids and I'm living life and waiting on God to reveal my next steps. I hope that it won't be a long wait. But wait, I shall.

And while I'm waiting, we're going to the circus... you wanna come, too?


Next week, we are looking forward to going to opening night of the Ringling Bros. "Over the Top" show when it opens in Dallas on July 29th.

It's been several years since I have been to the circus and I can't remember whether we have ever taken Sarah... my memory is good enough that I know that Nathan has never been. But I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they see clowns, and horses, and dogs doing tricks, and elephants, and tigers, and acrobats, and motorcycles... OH the motorcycles.

Does anyone have some ear-muffs we can borrow for poor little Nathan?

And I'm really looking forward to going to the Pre-Show this year that starts an hour ahead of time. I'm hoping that this gets Nathan acquainted enough with what will happen that he won't get scared during the show itself.

So this week, I want to give you the opportunity to live some life with your family.

I have been given the opportunity to give away 4 tickets to the Fort Worth show that begins August 12th. For many of you, this could be a last little hurrah before school starts.

"Why," you may ask yourself, "is she going to the Dallas show and giving away tickets to the Fort Worth show?"

Well, I'll tell you. For one thing, we thought it would be fun to take Nathan on the train down to the American Airlines Center and for another thing, our school starts on August 11th. So the Fort Worth show was kind of out for us as far as scheduling goes.

But I know most of you, my local friends, might prefer going to the Fort Worth show, thus those are the tickets I am giving away.

And as a special perk for you that may go to the Fort Worth show, there in an Animal Open House that begins 1 1/2 hours before show time. I think that would just be stinkin' cool to go see.

So here are the details:

4 Tickets for the August 12th (7:30 pm) Ringling Bros. "Over the Top" show. (Tickets will be held at will call with your name on them.)

How to enter:

Leave a comment (including an email address) and tell me what you loved about the circus when you were a kid (if you went) or what you are most looking forward to seeing at the circus.

You may leave an additional comment each for a chance to win if you:

-Tweet this post. (Include @waymorehomemade so that I see it.)

-Post a link to this post on your Facebook page. (Friend me so that I see it. You can find me using my waymorehomemade at yahoo dot com email address. Just send me a note telling me you are from the blog.)

Comments will remain open until midnight (Central Daylight Time) on July 29th, which is the day that we go to the show in Dallas. (You can follow me on Twitter and see how our trip goes as I'll be live tweeting the event that evening.) I will announce the winner on July 30th using the random number generator at random.org.

And if you'd like to go to the Dallas or Fort Worth shows (and don't win any tickets) you can go to http://www.ticketmaster.com/ and order tickets using the coupon code "MOM" and get 4 tickets for $44.

(I looked at the ticket prices and the cheapest regular tickets cost $15/each, so this coupon code saves you $16!!! A great deal, if you ask me.)

So, go. Go live some life with your family.

And what better way to have some fun with them than to go to "Over the Top"!

(And let your kids get some cotton candy while you're at it... they're only kids once, you know.)

14 Comments:

jimrenf said...

I'm not sure that there are many more things that make everyone feel like a kid than going to the circus. To see Karsen's face when she sees all of the clowns would be priceless! With all of the crazy things that are going on right now our new motto is just to make the best of the moment we are in. I can't think of a better way to do that than a night at the circus!

Amanda said...

We always loved the elephants. I have never taken my kids but I know they would love it!

Amanda said...

I put this on my twitter

Sallye said...

Donna,

I really don't want to win the tickets, cause I just can't get there from here, but my two favorite memories of the Circus is way back when I was a kid, and the Circus still came in on the train. There would be a Circus parade from the train unloading to the venue where the Circus was. The elephants walking down the street trumpting.. And then as a parent we were in the DFW area one weekend, and got to see the Circus train up close, and my kids just loved it..

First time Circus is always the best. Took Grandson to his first when he was about 4 and he didn't move once the lights went down. Threw a fit when it was over, cause he just wasn't through being carried away.

Anonymous said...

Count me out...

Ringling Bros. circus beats its elephants!

Footage recorded by an undercover PETA employee shows elephant trainers beating the animals with bull hooks across the head, legs, and body. The trainers are also seen cursing the animals.

So awrful!

PETA vice president Daphna Nachminovitch said that their undercover agent "witnessed these elephants being beaten for no apparent reason."

Ringling Bros. said they could not comment on the video because it had not been viewed yet, but they did say that "PETA is an animal rights extremist group…We are very proud of our animal care, we are committed to the care of all our animals partly through our conservation programs at the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation…We have 139 years of experience of working with Asian elephants."

This is not the first time that Ringling Bros. has faced scrutiny for their elephant treatment.

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

Hope you have a great time at the circus. We went a number of years ago. How wonderful to spend more time with your family! :D

Dianne - Bunny Trails said...

ps - don't count me in on the giveaway.

Keal said...

Donna,

Thanks so much for doing this! My favorite part of going to the circus as a child is that we did it every year. It was a tradition in our family - every year my dad would get discount tickets through his work and take me and mom to the circus. I think my favorite thing at the circus were the acrobats flying through the air and the great costumes.

Anonymous said...

I love the cicus! Loved it as a kid, and love it as an adult!! I am most excited to now take my children and go as a mom!! It should be a whole new way to love the circus!!! As a child I remember the excitement that the entire ... Read Moreatmosphere brings. The smell of the food, the loud music, all of the acts going at the same time. Trying to watch all of it at once is like the best sugar rush a kid can feel!! My favorite is probably the elephants. I love how they dance to the music and the gals that are dressed up riding them. I love how the cymbals clang as the elephants kick up their legs and actually stand up so strong and tall! There's also something about the clowns juggling while riding around on their unicycles and all of the lights flashing and swirling around the eintire tent.

My boys have not been to the circus yet and I already can see and feel their little hearts beating and their eyes beaming with excitement! I cannot wait to watch them watching it and experience the circus yet in a totally new and equally exciting way. Once as a child myself, and now as a mother watching my child! Yay for the circus and all that it brings to the little kid in all of us!!

Christi E (from fb)

Holly Bassham said...

Ha! ha! on me! I was so excited to find how to post a comment, that I didn't even follow your directions. What did I love as a KID MYSELF- ok.

I know this sounds weird, but I loved the chocolate bars. We lived in a small town and didn't get to see a big circus like Ringling Bros. We got to see the circus put on by the Shriner's. During intermission, the Shriners would sell candy bars as a fund raiser, and if you were one of the lucky ones, your candy bar wrapper might have a ticket in it that entitled you to go down to center ring and pick out a stuffed animal of your choice. It was like a real-life Willly Wonka. I could actually SEE other kids win with their special tickets. I never did win one of the toys, but that was always something I looked forward to at the circus.

Anonymous said...

i went to the circus once as a kid, and my hubby isn't a huge fan, but i have always wanted to go and take the kids..with or with out him!! LOL I remember just being in awe of the whole thing, no real specific memories just remember being in awe of it...

Groovewoman said...

Donna,
Reasons why I would love to win this giveaway: 1- because hubby is a Circus Fanatic/Freak. No kidding, he has done some clowning professionally, he can juggle (everything), he can spit fire and he can eat fire. I'm telling you, he can do it all.
2nd reason- We would LOVE to introduce our 2yr old son to the joy that is the circus. I think he would LOVE IT!
Why am I entering, because we don't have the $$ to buy tickets, so winning would be our only option.

Oh & MY favorite part of the circus growing up was getting to see the Elephants & Lions up close, but better than that, was getting my face painted like a clown. I have a pic from a childhood visit to the circus & it's a treasured memory.

Groovewoman
groovewoman {at]sbcglobal (dot}net

Groovewoman said...

I tweeted the post - with about 1/2 to go!

Groovewoman

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the reminder!

kim s (from fb)