Olympic Night Jumping

When I was young, the Poll family had a trampoline. They lived through the backyard and down the street. It was rectangular and the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. When I was invited over, I would look out the window longingly and finally would get up my nerve to ask if I could jump on it. If I was invited specifically to jump, all the better. Trampolines were not so common 25 years ago. In fact, I think that was the only trampoline in the neighborhood. I could jump on that thing for hours. I loved it and wanted my own trampoline so badly! I loved it in the summer when we'd put on our swimsuits and put a sprinkler on under the mat.

Of course I also loved it when I decided to jump off the deck onto the trampoline and when my feet hit, my knees slammed into my chest, causing large cracking sounds and an impossibility of breathing for several minutes. I also loved it when I sprained my right ankle so badly that I have forevermore walked with a cracking sound (yeah, Kelly, that's where it came from. You better leave a comment). This trampoline never broke down or had problems. And, here is the amazing part. Now the trampoline was moved from the Polls house to their grandma's (who lives right next to my parents) and my OWN children jump on that very same trampoline every chance they get!

With this experience in mind, I bought my first trampoline for my children. I bought it from somebody on Craig's List. I picked it up in the dark and paid $75 for it. Not bad, I thought. Turns out that this trampoline, although only a couple of years old, was the king of suck. It had these fabric type springs that I'd never heard of. No worry, I told myself, trampolines last hundreds of years. I guess not. My kids enjoyed it enough (as you have witnessed from past posts) but, a couple of months ago one of the springs ripped off. Within 24 hours, 10 more had broken off and the trampoline was deemed a safety hazard (not the kind where you crack your ribs or your ankles, rather the kind that look like they are condemned). The kids were so sad as I tore the tramp apart and took it off to the dump (although the trip to the dump with Chancho was a joy for them, naturally).
Here are a couple of photos of my little superheroes enjoying their trampoline during its brief time with us.Since that time I have realized how naive I was regarding trampolines. Obviously Charlie Poll had some sort of magical powers infused into his trampoline because it stands today. Yet I am finding out that many of these things fall apart in just a couple of years. What the heck?

Chancho was fine with us not having a trampoline. He doesn't like how it looks in the yard and he says it is hard to move around when we have to mow the lawn but by we, we mean "me" and I don't mind moving it when I mow the lawn. The kids have been spending far less time outdoors because they have no trampoline to play Nickelodeon Cruise Ship on. Oh, and also our swingset with the cool fort and slide and stuff is basically broken to pieces now, too, in only 3 years. I haven't completely condemned it yet, but its getting close. So, anywho, I broke down and bought a new trampoline and I am please blessing (Jamie) that it will live as long as my kids want to jump on it. Chancho help me set it up when he got home from work and it was dark by the time we finished, but of course the kids needed to try out all of their new Olympic moves on it.
Speaking of Olympics, aren't they cool? Loumy got a cute little medal in church on Sunday that says, "I can say I'm sorry." I told him how cool that was and how I was proud of him because he is very good at apologizing. I told him it looks like an Olympic gold medal. He suddenly got a gleam in his eye. He wore it the rest of the day, but he stopped telling people he got it at church and started telling them he got it at the, "Olymps-SIX". Watch for the "Haitian Sensation" in 2020!
Thanks to those of you worried about my mental health. Sorry for scaring you. I am actually fine. Just a couple of lame days, you know. But it's fine now. Thanks for your concern!