it's been awhile, ya think?
so, i've been on a blogging hiatus for about a year and a half...i feel like i've been running a sprint in a marathon in the past 18 months or so.
injuries, surgeries, stitches, casts, hospitalizations...that took up some of the time.
new middle school, high school graduation, vpk, a move to a new town...took up some of the rest.
i finished my acp (alternative certification program) and am now a full-fledged, florida no-longer-termporarily-but-fully-certified teacher...it's about time, after 20 years in education!
i lost a business, restarted a business, started a new business, taught full-time, helped with a pilot program for summertime for ESOL students entering kindergarten.
i've made some amazing new friends, parted ways with some others, and lost a few to heaven.
i've found out that i have thyroid issues, have gained weight, and have learned a lot about hypothyroidism.
and i realize every.single.day. how truly blessed i am. i have an amazing family with a husband of almost 21 years, three great kids, a job i love, two businesses with fantastic potential, and my future's so bright i have to wear shades!
so here i am. hoping to continue the fun of living off the beaten path. i'm having a busy summer and have lots of projects on which i've been procrastinating. stick around and check it out to see how much i actually get accomplished!
overachievers...
"Overachievement is aimed at people who want to maximize their potential."
i find myself often annoyed by people who like to think of themselves as "overachievers," but they are truly not performing above the potential of their ability, and they are not performing better than expected...they just like to "look" like they are. i think many people who think of themselves as overachievers are mislabeling themselves (and possibly are being mislabeled by others), when really they're just show-offs.
overachievers follow through and usually do things to challenge themselves, not to try make others look bad. overachievers go over and above what's expected, and actually do it, not just come up with great ideas they never accomplish. anyone can come up with a good idea, anyone can follow through and see it to completion. an overachiever will see it to completion and be phenomenal about it.
if you start with a gem and do nothing besides mount it nicely on a ring or a necklace, it still looks like a gem, just in a nice setting. if you start with a piece of coal and end with a diamond, well now, that's something...that's overachieving! take your gems and show them off and gloat about how pretty they are. i'll gladly take my coal and work as hard as i can to make it turn into diamonds. when you use a scale of 1-10 and show how much has changed, i guarantee my coal will have moved on the scale, from beginning to end, higher than your gems every time. a gem is a gem, is a gem...only coal can be turned into a diamond!
i think it's time to bring back my "overachiever diva"...she's been preoccupied and it's time for the leave of absence to come to an end.
my word for 2013 is "success"...i am determined to make it happen in every facet of my life...
o·ver·a·chieve
[oh-ver-uh-cheev] Show IPA
verb (used without object), o·ver·a·chieved, o·ver·a·chiev·ing.
1.
to perform, especially academically, above the potential indicated by tests of one's mental ability or aptitude.
2.
to perform better or achieve more than expected, especially by others.
i find myself often annoyed by people who like to think of themselves as "overachievers," but they are truly not performing above the potential of their ability, and they are not performing better than expected...they just like to "look" like they are. i think many people who think of themselves as overachievers are mislabeling themselves (and possibly are being mislabeled by others), when really they're just show-offs.
overachievers follow through and usually do things to challenge themselves, not to try make others look bad. overachievers go over and above what's expected, and actually do it, not just come up with great ideas they never accomplish. anyone can come up with a good idea, anyone can follow through and see it to completion. an overachiever will see it to completion and be phenomenal about it.
if you start with a gem and do nothing besides mount it nicely on a ring or a necklace, it still looks like a gem, just in a nice setting. if you start with a piece of coal and end with a diamond, well now, that's something...that's overachieving! take your gems and show them off and gloat about how pretty they are. i'll gladly take my coal and work as hard as i can to make it turn into diamonds. when you use a scale of 1-10 and show how much has changed, i guarantee my coal will have moved on the scale, from beginning to end, higher than your gems every time. a gem is a gem, is a gem...only coal can be turned into a diamond!
i think it's time to bring back my "overachiever diva"...she's been preoccupied and it's time for the leave of absence to come to an end.
my word for 2013 is "success"...i am determined to make it happen in every facet of my life...
"childhood comfort, stories of Jesus"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #14--(or not-so-Christmas)
(this was what was on my mind as I heard the news of the Connecticut shooting, I was reminded of how I coped, as a small child, with the loss of the sisters I barely even knew but the effects of their loss followed me throughout my childhood...)
My favorite song as a little girl...as I dealt with life's dramas (and there were plenty), I would sing this song and picture myself standing by His knee and listening to Him and in my mind, "fancy His blessing resting on me" was picturing His arm wrapped around my shoulders...
"Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear;
Things I would ask Him to tell me if He were here;
Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.
First let me hear how the children stood round His knee,
And I shall fancy His blessing resting on me;
Words full of kindness, deeds full of grace,
All in the love light of Jesus’ face."
(this was what was on my mind as I heard the news of the Connecticut shooting, I was reminded of how I coped, as a small child, with the loss of the sisters I barely even knew but the effects of their loss followed me throughout my childhood...)
My favorite song as a little girl...as I dealt with life's dramas (and there were plenty), I would sing this song and picture myself standing by His knee and listening to Him and in my mind, "fancy His blessing resting on me" was picturing His arm wrapped around my shoulders...
"Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear;
Things I would ask Him to tell me if He were here;
Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,
Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.
First let me hear how the children stood round His knee,
And I shall fancy His blessing resting on me;
Words full of kindness, deeds full of grace,
All in the love light of Jesus’ face."
"water, water, everywhere...makes a great ice rink!"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #13--
The year we had a water leak (that had to wait until Spring to get fixed) that froze into a HUGE ice skating arena in our back yard...I had SO much fun wearing my ice skates in my own back yard!
Our house had a water leak that couldn't be fixed easily, so we had to wait until Spring (when it warmed up and the ground wasn't frozen to fix it). That was the best thing ever in a little kid's eyes! I "skated" around on that ice before Christmas...when I came home with those skates, I really got to skate on it! I always loved watching the figure skaters (Dorothy Hamill was my idol when I was little...I even sported a "Dorothy Hamill Haircut" for awhile!!!) on television and wished I could be one when I grew up. For one winter, I got to skate to my heart's content, and in my mind at least, I was a world-class figure skater...the cold wind blowing on my face as I soared across the ice in my back yard!
The year we had a water leak (that had to wait until Spring to get fixed) that froze into a HUGE ice skating arena in our back yard...I had SO much fun wearing my ice skates in my own back yard!
Our house had a water leak that couldn't be fixed easily, so we had to wait until Spring (when it warmed up and the ground wasn't frozen to fix it). That was the best thing ever in a little kid's eyes! I "skated" around on that ice before Christmas...when I came home with those skates, I really got to skate on it! I always loved watching the figure skaters (Dorothy Hamill was my idol when I was little...I even sported a "Dorothy Hamill Haircut" for awhile!!!) on television and wished I could be one when I grew up. For one winter, I got to skate to my heart's content, and in my mind at least, I was a world-class figure skater...the cold wind blowing on my face as I soared across the ice in my back yard!
"crazy cards"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #12--
Thad's first Christmas...he was only 3 1/2 months old, so he was mostly smiling and super cute, but not doing much else yet. I actually got Nick and Elisabeth to cooperate with each other so I could take some fun pictures of them "wrapping" him up with paper and ribbons. Those were the best Christmas cards our family ever made!
Thad's first Christmas...he was only 3 1/2 months old, so he was mostly smiling and super cute, but not doing much else yet. I actually got Nick and Elisabeth to cooperate with each other so I could take some fun pictures of them "wrapping" him up with paper and ribbons. Those were the best Christmas cards our family ever made!
"was grandaddy nuts?"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #11--
My Grandpa Frame had a huge black walnut tree in his yard. Every year he would gather up all of the walnuts in grapefruit bags (plastic mesh) and store them in the basement. On cold winter evenings, he would bring up a bag and pull out his giant nut cracker (it was this huge gear with a handle mounted to a board) and he would work on them for several hours at a time. (He di
My Grandpa Frame had a huge black walnut tree in his yard. Every year he would gather up all of the walnuts in grapefruit bags (plastic mesh) and store them in the basement. On cold winter evenings, he would bring up a bag and pull out his giant nut cracker (it was this huge gear with a handle mounted to a board) and he would work on them for several hours at a time. (He di
d this with bags of mixed nuts and pecans too.)
As an adult, I always buy a bag of mixed nuts to keep in the old aluminum, grape embossed bowl I got from Grandma, and love to crack a few open every day...it takes me back to Grandma's big dining room, watching Granddad shelling nuts! (Grandma would always be sewing or working on something too.)
As an adult, I always buy a bag of mixed nuts to keep in the old aluminum, grape embossed bowl I got from Grandma, and love to crack a few open every day...it takes me back to Grandma's big dining room, watching Granddad shelling nuts! (Grandma would always be sewing or working on something too.)
"baby girl's visitors and kitty love"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #10--
Elisabeth's 1st Christmas...
The best thing was that we were visited by grandparents from Kansas and California that "season" to meet our sweet girl. Also, I loved how our kitty, Tigger, always loved to snuggle up to her. She would grab his fur by the handful and he'd just lie next to her and let her "pet" him. I loved all of the super cute girl clothes I could buy too!!!
"Somewhere" I have digital pictures saved from this year...I'll have to dig these up too!
Elisabeth's 1st Christmas...
The best thing was that we were visited by grandparents from Kansas and California that "season" to meet our sweet girl. Also, I loved how our kitty, Tigger, always loved to snuggle up to her. She would grab his fur by the handful and he'd just lie next to her and let her "pet" him. I loved all of the super cute girl clothes I could buy too!!!
"Somewhere" I have digital pictures saved from this year...I'll have to dig these up too!
"a snoopy watch and a transistor radio"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #9--
I was either 5 or 6 years old and I spent Christmas with my dad and his girlfriend's family in Chicago. I remember seeing the tall buildings and thinking it was like a city from the future. I got to go sledding a LOT because they had quite a bit of snow! I got a Snoopy watch and a little AM/FM battery operated transistor radio for Christmas, along with an afghan made by his girlfriend's mom. One of the girls gave me a pair of ice skates they had outgrown, so I got to take them home with me. (Another memory to post later.)
I was either 5 or 6 years old and I spent Christmas with my dad and his girlfriend's family in Chicago. I remember seeing the tall buildings and thinking it was like a city from the future. I got to go sledding a LOT because they had quite a bit of snow! I got a Snoopy watch and a little AM/FM battery operated transistor radio for Christmas, along with an afghan made by his girlfriend's mom. One of the girls gave me a pair of ice skates they had outgrown, so I got to take them home with me. (Another memory to post later.)
"firstborn's first words"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #8--
Nick's
1st Christmas (circa 1995)...we had a little 4 foot tree up on a table because he
was walking and we decided not to get a new one until he was bigger. We
finished decorating the tree and I picked him up to see it and said
"Look, Nick, a Christmas tree, isn't it pretty?" He whispered
"Preeeee"...it was so sweet and melted my heart! His first word was
"pretty" as he looked at the Christmas tree for the first time! ♥
(I may have to dig out some old pics of that Christmas to add to this post when I get a chance!)
"christmas in cali"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #7--
Christmas in Cali with cute boys...
The Christmas my friend Tammy and I spent in Cali...we were greeted at the airport by Santa and Mrs. Claus (my dad and step-mom). We helped Santa and the local firemen pass out toys, and hung out with some amazingly cute firefighters' sons, who took us bowling another night...one of the best Christmases from a teenagers point of view!
Christmas in Cali with cute boys...
The Christmas my friend Tammy and I spent in Cali...we were greeted at the airport by Santa and Mrs. Claus (my dad and step-mom). We helped Santa and the local firemen pass out toys, and hung out with some amazingly cute firefighters' sons, who took us bowling another night...one of the best Christmases from a teenagers point of view!
"camping knife"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #6--
Every year we would go to Bronson, KS for Christmas and stay at my Aunt Geri's house. Santa always knew where to find us and filled our stockings with goodies there. The stocking always had an orange in the toe, some nuts, and then other gifts/toys.
I can't remember many of the gifts, but the one I remember being super excited about was the multi-purpose pocket knife that had a fork on one side and a spoon on the other! (I was in Girl Scouts and it was perfect for using when camping.)
It's funny how we remember (and appreciate) the small things...like the oranges in the toe of the stockings. (and now I live in FL where we can pick fresh oranges off of the trees for Christmas)
Every year we would go to Bronson, KS for Christmas and stay at my Aunt Geri's house. Santa always knew where to find us and filled our stockings with goodies there. The stocking always had an orange in the toe, some nuts, and then other gifts/toys.
I can't remember many of the gifts, but the one I remember being super excited about was the multi-purpose pocket knife that had a fork on one side and a spoon on the other! (I was in Girl Scouts and it was perfect for using when camping.)
It's funny how we remember (and appreciate) the small things...like the oranges in the toe of the stockings. (and now I live in FL where we can pick fresh oranges off of the trees for Christmas)
"christmas candy"...christmas memories
Christmas Memories #5--
Making candy and snow ice cream at Grandma Frame's. We would make Mexican candy, hard peppermint and cinnamon candy, taffy (SO much fun to pull!!!), peanut brittle, fudges (chocolate AND peanut butter) and little cream cheese mints (that you form with little rubber candy molds). She put me to work when I was there, but I have so many amazing memories (and skills---cooking, baking, sewing, latch hook, garden/plant skills) from hanging out at her house so often!
Making candy and snow ice cream at Grandma Frame's. We would make Mexican candy, hard peppermint and cinnamon candy, taffy (SO much fun to pull!!!), peanut brittle, fudges (chocolate AND peanut butter) and little cream cheese mints (that you form with little rubber candy molds). She put me to work when I was there, but I have so many amazing memories (and skills---cooking, baking, sewing, latch hook, garden/plant skills) from hanging out at her house so often!
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| Grandma's "Mexican Candy"...a yearly "must have" confection! |
"green tomato pickles"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #4--
One of my favorite stories to tell is about the Christmas my hubby went home to Kansas with me to meet my parents (and ask for their blessing to propose) and the rest of our family. The poor guy was overwhelmed with my crazy big family, asked how to make sweet tea (really???), and found himself playing basketball with my cousin-in-law and future cousin-in-law.
But the part I love to tell is about Grandma Frame's homemade pickles that Mom served with dinner one evening. Hubby ate some and said they were REALLY good...and I had the overwhelmingly joyous opportunity to inform him that they were my grandma's "green tomato pickles". At that point he made a face and refused to eat any more of them...he hates tomatoes! (It was classic!) :D LOL (Love you, honey!)
But the
Boy, what I wouldn't do to have a jar of those pickles to serve with Christmas dinner this year! They were SO good! (Anyone have the recipe?)
One of my favorite stories to tell is about the Christmas my hubby went home to Kansas with me to meet my parents (and ask for their blessing to propose) and the rest of our family. The poor guy was overwhelmed with my crazy big family, asked how to make sweet tea (really???), and found himself playing basketball with my cousin-in-law and future cousin-in-law.
But the part I love to tell is about Grandma Frame's homemade pickles that Mom served with dinner one evening. Hubby ate some and said they were REALLY good...and I had the overwhelmingly joyous opportunity to inform him that they were my grandma's "green tomato pickles". At that point he made a face and refused to eat any more of them...he hates tomatoes! (It was classic!) :D LOL (Love you, honey!)
But the
Boy, what I wouldn't do to have a jar of those pickles to serve with Christmas dinner this year! They were SO good! (Anyone have the recipe?)
I think it's time to peruse through Grandma's recipe box and see if I can find it!!!
"little house on the prairie"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #3--
One of the best, most-used gifts I ever received (this one was from my Grandma Corky)...the boxed set of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" book series. I was so excited to get them! I used to read them at least once a year... I think I'm going to read them over Christmas break, it's been awhile.
The pages are worn and "crunchy" and have gone unread for several years. I can't wait to get my hands on them and read through them once again in a few weeks!
One of the best, most-used gifts I ever received (this one was from my Grandma Corky)...the boxed set of Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" book series. I was so excited to get them! I used to read them at least once a year... I think I'm going to read them over Christmas break, it's been awhile.
The pages are worn and "crunchy" and have gone unread for several years. I can't wait to get my hands on them and read through them once again in a few weeks!
"silver bells"...christmas memories...
Christmas Memories #2--
I must have been very young, because I barely remember this one...but I was at my Great-Grandma Wolford's house and I remember it being really cold, Christmas lights were everywhere, and someone was ringing the downtown bell in Bronson, KS...I recall thinking it was just like the song "Silver Bells"! (Bronson is a tiny town, but I guess it looked like it had lots of "city streetlights" to a little girl who loved to soak in Christmas magic.)
I'm pretty sure there was snow on the ground, and my "perfect memory" (as in what I imagine to be the perfect picture of it, not saying my memory is perfect) has it snowing too. Below is a picture of the tiny downtown of Bronson that I found online...
I must have been very young, because I barely remember this one...but I was at my Great-Grandma Wolford's house and I remember it being really cold, Christmas lights were everywhere, and someone was ringing the downtown bell in Bronson, KS...I recall thinking it was just like the song "Silver Bells"! (Bronson is a tiny town, but I guess it looked like it had lots of "city streetlights" to a little girl who loved to soak in Christmas magic.)
I'm pretty sure there was snow on the ground, and my "perfect memory" (as in what I imagine to be the perfect picture of it, not saying my memory is perfect) has it snowing too. Below is a picture of the tiny downtown of Bronson that I found online...
My Grandma Wolford lived next to the city water tower. My cousin, Sonia, and I would climb on it when we were out playing in Grandma's back yard!
christmas blessings
you can be a christmas blessing...
over the years it seems our family is challenged with helping people who are having hard times during the holidays. every year it seems as if there are more and more in need, especially in the current economic climate. well this year, i want to plan ahead a little because it seems like we find out about the needs right at the last minute, after most people have already donated or given, and it's hard to get it all lined up at the last second (though it does always fall into place). please consider clicking the above link and donating to help families in need this holiday season.
as a teacher, sometimes the way i find out about things is through students sharing at school when others are discussing the upcoming holidays. last year i was heartbroken when i found out about a little girl who had NEVER experienced christmas because her mother felt she could not afford gifts, holiday decorations, etc. and had no family to celebrate with anyway, so they just avoided the stores during the holidays and stayed home and did nothing. well, once her daughter came to school and started hearing about classmates discuss things, along with all of the holiday activities that happen this time of year, she started asking questions of her mom. the little girl came to school and told me that they don't celebrate christmas, but she couldn't tell me why. so i wrote the mother a note just to make sure that school activities involving the holidays were not going to be a problem with her beliefs or whatnot. that's when i found out their story. i cannot go into detail about it, but it was heart wrenching and she was open to allowing others to help her make christmas happen for her little girl. i had several friends and anonymous donors help make this an amazing experience for this little girl and the smile on her face when i showed up with everything was priceless.
this is just one example of how your donation can help someone. please help us be a blessing this christmas!
over the years it seems our family is challenged with helping people who are having hard times during the holidays. every year it seems as if there are more and more in need, especially in the current economic climate. well this year, i want to plan ahead a little because it seems like we find out about the needs right at the last minute, after most people have already donated or given, and it's hard to get it all lined up at the last second (though it does always fall into place). please consider clicking the above link and donating to help families in need this holiday season.
as a teacher, sometimes the way i find out about things is through students sharing at school when others are discussing the upcoming holidays. last year i was heartbroken when i found out about a little girl who had NEVER experienced christmas because her mother felt she could not afford gifts, holiday decorations, etc. and had no family to celebrate with anyway, so they just avoided the stores during the holidays and stayed home and did nothing. well, once her daughter came to school and started hearing about classmates discuss things, along with all of the holiday activities that happen this time of year, she started asking questions of her mom. the little girl came to school and told me that they don't celebrate christmas, but she couldn't tell me why. so i wrote the mother a note just to make sure that school activities involving the holidays were not going to be a problem with her beliefs or whatnot. that's when i found out their story. i cannot go into detail about it, but it was heart wrenching and she was open to allowing others to help her make christmas happen for her little girl. i had several friends and anonymous donors help make this an amazing experience for this little girl and the smile on her face when i showed up with everything was priceless.
this is just one example of how your donation can help someone. please help us be a blessing this christmas!
christmas memories...
I have decided to post a Christmas/Winter memory daily on Facebook for the month of December and thought I would post them here as we go too.
Christmas Memory #1
As I read my Aunt Gracie's facebook post that she's going to decorate her church for Christmas later today, it brought up one of the best Christmas memories I remember from my childhood. I spent Christmas at my Grandmother Pittam's that year. (If I remember right, it's also the Christmas that Santa brought me a Hollie Hobbie phonograph.) What I loved most about that Christmas was going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service with Grandmother (it was just her and I there together) at Savannah Avenue Baptist Church. It's the first candlelight service I remember attending, and it was so magical to a little girl! I was wearing my favorite red velvet dress, all prettied up for the holiday, and remember the glow of the candles in that beautiful church was breathtaking! This was back when I was in love with, and in absolute awe of the story of Baby Jesus, and had that childlike faith that we all should strive to have as we grow up. I ended up spilling candle wax down my velvet dress and think I ruined it, and even though everything wasn't perfect in life, for just that one evening, everything was right with the world.
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
Christmas Memory #1
As I read my Aunt Gracie's facebook post that she's going to decorate her church for Christmas later today, it brought up one of the best Christmas memories I remember from my childhood. I spent Christmas at my Grandmother Pittam's that year. (If I remember right, it's also the Christmas that Santa brought me a Hollie Hobbie phonograph.) What I loved most about that Christmas was going to the Christmas Eve candlelight service with Grandmother (it was just her and I there together) at Savannah Avenue Baptist Church. It's the first candlelight service I remember attending, and it was so magical to a little girl! I was wearing my favorite red velvet dress, all prettied up for the holiday, and remember the glow of the candles in that beautiful church was breathtaking! This was back when I was in love with, and in absolute awe of the story of Baby Jesus, and had that childlike faith that we all should strive to have as we grow up. I ended up spilling candle wax down my velvet dress and think I ruined it, and even though everything wasn't perfect in life, for just that one evening, everything was right with the world.
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."
planes, trains, and...parachutes?!?
i had an appointment this morning with my little buddy. we were in and out rather quickly and then, as i had promised earlier, we went to play at the train park.
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| still enamored by trains... |
while we were there, we peeked in the windows of the train depot and watched a real train go by.
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| exploring the depot, peeking in the windows... |
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| old safe sitting outside the depot... |
we decided to explore, so we walked down the trail into the woods. we found a half-hollow tree riddled with woodpecker holes. we have a resident woodpecker behind our house, so he thought this was great, seeing how the woodpecker drills holes in the wood to get his food.
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| the woodpecker's diner |
then we set out to see what treasures we could find...
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| our treasure collection... |
we gathered flowers, rattle-y seed pods, and sparkly rocks, as we laughed watching the
squirrels play chase. we discovered a tree that had grown around some concrete
that had been left at it's base.
(it's interesting how nature compensates
for the things man does, and still grows and thrives.)
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| chunk of concrete under the tree |
on our trek down the paved path through the woods, we also found a
hidden swing set. it was such an unexpected surprise, and the little man was thoroughly delighted by the discovery.
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| "higher, mommy, higher!" |
as i stood there swinging him in the middle of the peaceful woods,
listening to him laughing and begging "higher, mommy, higher!" it
occurred to me that this was THE perfect moment in time. the
peace, the joy, the gratitude for the fullness my of life, flooded over
me and i was overwhelmed by the moment.
not a worry was on my mind, no grocery or cooking lists were running
through my head, i wasn't thinking about bills or lesson plans, and it didn't matter what else was going on in the
world.
THIS was the perfect moment and the perfect place to be. i just
stood there soaking it in for as long as i could, swinging my little guy
as high as he could stand it, and letting the magic of the moment wash all of my cares away. i wanted to hit the "pause" button and savor every second.
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| ancient ceiling fan |
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| perfect florida day, not a cloud in sight |
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| i love to imagine old buildings as they were in the past |
we meandered back through the woods, played on the playground with some new friends for a little bit, watched a miniscule spider and a tiny strange
"crab" looking bug crawl on the playground train, and then headed to the car after a quick detour back to the depot.
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| old signal light |
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| one last show of independence before leaving |
instead of heading straight to the "supermarket", which was our next planned destination, i chose to turn right instead of left. we crossed over the railroad tracks and drove over to the airport where we watched several small planes refueling.
we drove around the corner and saw the big, old military plane next to the museum of military history, and drove on down the road to what seemed like the most unlikely place to a preschooler. i pulled the car off the road and parked on the shoulder.
he had no idea what i was up to, but i just kept telling him "trust me". i knew we would get to see something more spectacular than he realized. we got out of the car and watched one plane land, followed by another taking off. just before we turned toward the car, we noticed several people "falling" in parachutes and that was just as amazing as anything else he had experienced today.
we drove around the corner and saw the big, old military plane next to the museum of military history, and drove on down the road to what seemed like the most unlikely place to a preschooler. i pulled the car off the road and parked on the shoulder.
he had no idea what i was up to, but i just kept telling him "trust me". i knew we would get to see something more spectacular than he realized. we got out of the car and watched one plane land, followed by another taking off. just before we turned toward the car, we noticed several people "falling" in parachutes and that was just as amazing as anything else he had experienced today.
it was such a fun, "go with the flow" day. i just wish i would have had the foresight to plan a picnic so we could have enjoyed it just a wee little bit more! the best part was hearing over and over again from my spontaneous sidekick that this was "the best day i ever had, mommy!"
yeah, you can bet we'll be planning another day like this, but this time we'll go on a morning when the museums are open, pack a picnic to carry into the woods, eat somewhere along the trail...and maybe we'll share some of our tasty morsels with the frolicking squirrels.
pretty? muddy? pretty muddy...
last weekend, i "ran" my first 5k...tampa's pretty muddy with friends from my old school. it was the BEST thing EVER!!! (you'll see why "ran" is in parenthesis if you read on...haha)
my friend cris is the one who
we signed up for the 8:00 a.m. start. the first thing we encountered
was a "bubble tunnel" where a mountain of suds welcomed us with chilly
dampness. after we got through that little obstacle (the smallest of
them all, really) we turned the corner to find ourselves wading through
chilly water...as you can see, i was laughing about it, and my friend cris was just LOVING enduring it!
after that trek through the water, we ran down the road and came upon this great little mud pit just before the big barn. one friend was totally planning to run the whole race without getting muddy.
seriously? you think you're going to stay clean with the crew you're hanging around for this?
think again, sister!!!
several of us were having NONE of that! so we chased her and corralled her into the mud. we sludged through and continued on our way. just as my friend was bending to tie her shoe on the other side of the barn, another brilliant idea came to the mind of one of our running mates...push her into the nearby swamp! (that would've been amazing, had it happened, but alas, it did not.)
just as she ran up to her, someone noticed a bright red streak oozing down her leg in the middle of the brown sticky mess of mud that was covering her skin up to her knees. we made it to the next obstacle (where you pick up a log and run down and around, and drop the log off before going on), and luckily there was a water station there also. we all stopped, helped her wash off her leg, and realized that she had a fantastic, mud-filled gash on her shin.
the medics were called, we all waited until they came and cleaned it up as much as they could, and she decided she was better off to ride back with them. a few faithful friends stayed behind and waited for her departure, and a few of us decided to continue on as we agreed that she was in good hands, and that she should survive.
we continued on the course, up and over, under and through...mud, mud, and more mud! it was a great experience for a first 5k "run" (with the "injury detour" we took over an hour total to finish!) those of us who finished in the first group hung around and went back to finish again with the rest of our group, along with our injured teammate who ran the last little leg of the race (skipped the last mud pit, of course) and was given the fire hose to spray on the group crawling through the mud.
i'm so glad my friend hookwinked convinced me to do this with them! i did absolutely ZERO training ahead of time and i was fine! i'm definitely going to do more of these, and want to do "real" 5Ks too. eventually i'd love to do some sprint triathlons, but for now, i'll start "small" and go from there.
...gathering up my clothes and shoes to be ready for an early morning run tomorrow...here i go!!!
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