Boston

Just re-read last post...forgot about sand crab hunts at night.  Tori has a spider phobia lately, and those little crabbies are very spidery.  She was freaking out!  I piggybacked her, and from on my back she was cracking up.  Funny girl.  And Adrion?  Fearless.

So on to Boston...so pretty!  The weather was a breezy 70-80 degrees--way different from the humid 100 we've had in Arkansas.  And no bugs!  Darline made this observation.  There are outdoor eateries everywhere, but no flies/mosquitoes/gnats/chiggers to be found.  People's windows were wide open with no screens.  The streets were also very green and flowery.  Trees, bushes, and flowers were planted in nooks and crannies all over the place.  The people were very friendly as well.

From the airport to the hotel, we rode in a "shuttle".  I had directions to get there using public transit, but after all day traveling, we weren't gung ho to figure out how all of that worked.  So, we got into a "hotel shuttle" with a "gypsy".  (We learned these labels later on from a cab driver.)  The gypsy took us through the underground four-lane highway into Boston (a construction project referred to as "The Big Dig"), and then proceeded through a series of abandoned alleyways to our hotel.  He fought with someone on the phone in Farsi the whole way.  But alas, we arrived safely and checked in.  Each of us was on a different floor.  Nancy on the 22nd, me on the 25th, and Darline on the 31st.

Shuttle under Boston

From the 25th floor

Rooftop gardens/patios

Fireworks over skyline

Eight teachers from our school attended the ASCD conference.  The conference covered new technologies, classroom differentiation, and curriculum mapping.  Five teachers from high school and three of us from elementary attended.  The best session that I attended addressed technology and globalization.  I won't elaborate, but the fact of technology's contribution to our students' global existence is fascinating to me.  This speaker said that most teachers are preparing students for the 70's and 80's with their curricula.  She also asked who had newborns in their families which she followed with, "Congratulations.  Your baby will be in the class of 2031."  We're in a brave, new world.  (I don't actually know how brave I feel toward it.)

Darline and I at Copley Square

Nancy and I in the subway

Old Ironsides

Boston Harbor  (Jellyfish everywhere!)

Make Way for Ducklings

Boston Common

Prudential Tower "Top of the Hub"

PCB/Boston

Just want to document some of this summer's adventures before I forget.  I'm thinking I might start using this blog as a journal and post something daily to keep up.  Time flies when you're having fun (or feeling stress, or being over-committed).  I recently heard of time being referred to as the great equalizer.  Every single person has exactly the same amount of it.  Mine is mostly mismanaged, and I wonder at my lacking sense of urgency.  I'm an avoider and a procrastinator.  I like to check out of schedules and waller in non-productivity.  This piece of me is becoming more dominant as I get older, and I recognize the frustration it adds to my life (mostly in my relationships); however, I don't care.  I'm seriously completely apathetic toward the subject.  I don't want to be relied on.  I want to be a free entity.  I love my family deeply, and to them I try to stay present; but otherwise, eh. (Insert shoulder shrug.)

Anyway, I way digressed.  On to the adventures (that I fantasize about and plan in the midst of my wallerings with apathy)...

June 3-11:  Panama City Beach, FL

Absolutely beautiful.  I love, love, love this area.  I love it.  The water is teal, the sand is white, the vibe is relaxed, the shopping is great, the food is delicious, nightlife is abundant, clothing is mostly optional...It's just the ultimate place to be free.  We went with my parents and the Chronisters (family of 6 with #7 on the way).  We all split a beach house which made the trip very affordable.  Here are the highlights that I don't want to forget:

• June 3rd--left after school was out.  Drove all night.  GPS was a little glitchy (for example, at one point it led us into an alley with no outlet).  Arrived at 8 am earlier than expected.  House was ready.  Yay!
• (No more dates.  Can't remember now.) Gulf World--Dolphins, sea lions, sea turtles, sharks, penguins, tropical birds (one talked to us), alligators, snakes, magic show.  Tori and Grammy swam with "Maya" the dolphin at the "Dolphin Encounter".  They shook her fins, swam with her, and got hugs and kisses from her.  This was amazing.  My Tori is very into whales/dolphins right now, so we did this to nurture the little marine biologist in her.
• Orca puzzle--Kacey, Mom, and I (and the girls somewhat) put together a 1500 piece puzzle that I kept to frame for Tori's future bathroom.  So fun.  I love puzzles.
• The beach.  I've started craving it.  I really think that no matter where else we take our kids on vacations during the summers from this point forward, we must also seek out the beach.  
• Pier Park--We ate at Margaritaville here, shopped, rode rides in the carnival part (carousel, airplane, ferris wheel), ate at Reggae J's, got the kids a light up sword and dolphin necklace.  I'd like to mention here that my childhood fears are resurfacing.  I'm becoming water-phobic and ride-phobic like when I was little.  The ferris wheel about did me in.
• Date Night--Mom and Dad kept the kids for us one night, and we went on a date.  We ate at Hammerhead Fred's, listened to terrible live music (it was really bad), walked around Pier Park (G didn't go the first time b/c he was having dinner with friends), then walked out onto the pier.  The pier was very cool.  It was 9ish when we went out, so it was dark.  Night fishermen and their kids were camped out.  Kids were sleeping with pillows and blankets.  One guy caught a small shark that he and his sons were trying to figure out how to get off the hook.  Garon and I determined that if he or I jumped/fell off the pier, we'd drown before making it to shore.  It's a LONG way out there, and the ocean is hard to swim in.  I had no doubt that I'd drown, but I was surprised that Garon thought he would, too.  He's a strong swimmer, so that made me appreciate the distance and power of the ocean even more.
• Shelling--The best shelling was when Mom and I went out alone.  There aren't really any big shells at PCB (I don't know about morning time...that's my sleeping time as I am FAR from a graceful riser) , but lots of neat stuff...shark teeth, sand dollar pieces,  hermit crabs...Mom found a piece of drift wood that had a crab living in it.  She wanted the wood, so the poor crab got evicted.
• Boating--Dad arranged a boat trip out to "Shell Island" where we could swim with wild dolphins, snorkel, and look for bigger seashells.  There were dolphins everywhere.  The water out there was  clear and absolutely beautiful.  G dove in one spot to get a live sand dollar.  We let it go.
• Parasailing--Dad, Garon, and Tori did this.  All I saw was a picture, but they had a blast.
• St. Andrew's State Park--We mistakenly ended up here one day thinking it would lead to a Shell Island excursion (it did, actually, but this version was a boat over, abandonment, no facilities, and no shade...not ideal for the family trip), but we stopped at a trail around "Alligator Lake" so that Garon could plant a geobug.  We did not find the geocache on the trail, but we did find a live gator.  It was sitting right next to the edge of the water just looking at us.  I don't know if it was tame, waiting for us to feed it, or waiting for us to get close enough so it could eat US, but we didn't stay long.  The park was really pretty, though...shrubby trees, palm leaves/trees everywhere, lizards, tiny little frogs, sand dunes...I would have enjoyed a day of hiking there.  Maybe sometime with just G.
• Lots of giggling, playing in the gameroom, swimming at the beach, cooking, eating, lounging, relaxing...we did the trip home in two days.  We didn't make a reservation, and we went through 3 hotels before we found one with a vacancy. 
• Awesome trip.  Wish I could fold the US like a map to enjoy more of it more frequently.  I am so thankful for the extravagance of travel time.  It feeds my soul.

And, I am tired now.  I am sitting in my hotel room in Boston, and my goal was to write about THIS trip before I forget the little things, but I am tired.  So, in posts to come...the Davises, Boston, American Idol, and PICTURES!

Night night.

Spring Update

National Boards Portfolio Postage

Garon's 34th

Birthday dinner at Weiderkehr's in Altus

Weiderkehr's Take 2

Easter 2011

Tori's 9th at Noodles in Fayetteville

Birthday trip to the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks

Washing BadDad's car for the car show in Charleston to raise $ for CF

Three!

Three years old!  Happy Birthday, my sweet boy.

And, as it turned out, today was a snow day. :)  

Me and G New Year's 2011

My best friend.  The love of my life.  My rock.

Goals 2011

Last summer I was trained as a facilitator for the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People".  Very cool program.  Very guru-esque creator (Steven Covey)...

Because of that training, I surfed one day to the Franklin Covey website (his company) and did the personal mission statement section...it takes some focused time, but it's a good way to get an objective view of your personal philosophies and goals.

SO, here are some of mine:

• I am at my best when I have a deadline and I can turn everything else off to hyper-focus.

• I will try to prevent times when I'm micromanaging.

• I will find enjoyment in my personal life through travel, hiking, and experiencing new places.

• I will find opportunities to use my natural talents and gifts such as writing, dreaming, and creating.

• I can do anything I set my mind to. I will learn Spanish, travel around the world, continue my education, and build a house.

• I will stop procrastinating and start working on:

• frivolous spending.
• abandonment of wasted time on facebook, email, internet, TV, etc...screens in general...
• quiet time with God.

• I will strive to incorporate the following attributes into my life:

• grace
• unconditional love
• a spirit of life

• I will constantly renew myself by focusing on the four dimensions of my life:

• exercise...cardio and weights
• daily quiet time
• literature, more education (National Board Certification)
• quality time with Garon and my children

December 2010

Merry Christmas!