A Much-Needed Break

A definite perk of working for the school system is getting the breaks the kids enjoy throughout the year. This week was Winter Break. Sunday morning, bright and early, we hopped aboard an Airtran flight and were in sunny Orlando by 8:00 AM! Barry picked us up at the airport and we drove to some friends' house on Merritt Island. Shortly afterward, we met our scouts at Kennedy Space Center for the day. It was a bit of a fiasco, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway. Monday morning we packed up and went to Sea World for the day. Once a year since 2001 they allow military personnel and three dependents free admission. I like free! It was a great day. Tuesday we saw the local sites and played on the beach at Cape Canaveral. The boys played in the edge of the ocean and then we all learned to play Bocce Ball. It was a lot of fun, especially since I kicked everybody's behind!!! We came back to the house and enjoyed an evening in the pool and hot tub. The water in the pool was about 86 degrees and the hot tub was about 102 degrees - and we loved it! Wednesday we hung out at the house for a little while since Daniel didn't feel well. Later we took everyone out to the waterfront for a seafood supper, then enjoyed a walk on Cocoa Beach in the dark. Thursday we headed home with a stop off in St. Augustine at the original Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. The kids LOVED it! It was just as cool as I remembered as a kid. We returned home late that evening to some happy birds and fish, and a fuzzy cat glad to have "his" Jeep back to sit on. It was a great vacation.

What A Week

This was a wild and wooly week. It all started on Sunday with Barry driving to Orlando, Florida for a military conference. Just across the state line his front left tire blew out. Actually, disintegrated would be a better term. We just bought the set of tires in October, and had the warranty, but on a Sunday afternoon it wasn't much good. The next morning, the wife of one of the colonels called Barry to tell him that the colonel had food poisoning. She needed Barry to check on him and get him some medicine and Powerade. Meanwhile, one of the other warrant officers from Georgia had her car broken into at the hotel and the radio ripped out. Then I got a call from Barry's step-mom telling me that his dad had suffered some kind of seizure on a business trip to Las Vegas and was in the hospital there. But wait...there's more! I also get a call the next evening from Barry. Seems he stayed in the hot tub a little too long talking with a bunch of people, and got right out to head back upstairs. His blood pressure dropped and he passed out in front of the elevators, hitting his head on the floor. Thankfully, he has a hard head and is fine. It doesn't stop there though. One of the other Georgia soldiers returned to the airport to find that his car was not quite legally parked and had been "booted." The colonel who had food poisoning headed back to Atlanta. His flight was delayed and had to be diverted to Birmingham. He couldn't get another flight out of there for hours, so he rented a car and drove home. Those folks would have been better off to have stayed home!

Thursday was a fun one though. I went with Daniel's class on a field trip to the Sandy Creek Dairy Farm. On this chilly morning, we saw the cows being milked and went on a hayride. The kids learned about cows and butter and all kinds fo great stuff. I think their highlight was seeing a cow poop on a cold day. They couldn't stop talking about the "smoke" rising from the poop and the cow! After the hayride we sat down to eat our lunch at the picnic tables. I was struck by the thought that here I sat with boys and girls of all colors and backgrounds and nobody cared. One boy shared his fruit snacks while one girl handed out Pringles. Everyone tried to help a little girl open her thermos. They shared and laughed and enjoyed just being friends without any thought of race or creed. Kids are great. Thursday evening we gathered up Mama and enjoyed Scout Night at the Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus. It was wonderful!!! The boys cheered and sat with amazed looks on their faces. Daniel got a little sick a couple of times. I don't know if he was just excited or if he ate his supper too quick, but later that evening he was fine.

Now we're getting packed up to join Barry in Florida on Sunday for a little vacation. I sure am hoping for a calmer week!

Some Precious Kids

Wednesday I was fortunate enough to to go on a field trip with one of my little special ed kids. This little 6 year old guy has Down's Syndrome. The teacher is convinced that he has a terrible problem with weakness, but my opinion is that he is just a little bit of a brat! Today I took him by the hand, while the teacher and teacher's aide took two autistic boys, and off we went on a walking tour of Olde Town Conyers to find shapes. We were looking for triangles, circles, squares, and rectangles. Well, that is what the adults were doing. The boys were busy yelling and trying to run off to scare us all to death. Our adventure concluded with pizza at the Greek Pizza House. I took my little person to the bathroom where he thoroughly enjoyed turning the light on and off and flushing the toilet a bunch of times. Through the whole outing so far, he had not spoken a word to me. But when I cut his pizza into bites, he laid his head on my shoulder, smiled an "I love you" smile, and said, "Good job!" It just doesn't get much better than that!

Today I attended a performance of the Statewide 6th Grade Honor Chorus, starring my baby!!! He looked so handsome in his bow tie and crisp white shirt! Actually, there were 500 6th graders from all over the state, divided into two choirs. They had practiced at their own schools for a few weeks, but came together just yesterday for the first time. They were INCREDIBLE!!! The performance was professionally recorded, and I eagerly await the CD in the mail. I am blessed to have two wonderful sons, and to be able to enjoy the company of so many other great kids every week.

Talking A Good Game

Never let it be said that this family has a problem talking. Anyone who has ever met us can vouch for that! I joke at work that talking to my co-workers is the only chance I get to chat because when I get home I have to contend with three guys and three birds who never stop. It's just me and the fish.

Well, I had the pleasure on Thursday to hear Aaron competing in his first oratorical competition. He stood very tall and composed in his black suit and made me the proudest mom in the room! The speech was entitled "My Biggest Challenge" and his dealt with laying the groundwork for becoming a good man - and he laid it on them! Placing fourth in the school wasn't bad at all for his first time giving a speech in front of a crowd!

Fast forward to today... which was Scout Sunday, the culmination of a weekend of scout stuff! Aaron spent yesterday with his troop doing Pioneering Day. They built towers and monkey bridges and taught the Webelos about lashing and knots and stuff. Meanwhile, Daniel and I did some shopping and ended up at McDonalds, where he ran around in the indoor playground like a wildman! This morning we attended church services at the First United Methodist Church that sponsors the pack and troop. I was proud of the kids from the pack who were there, as well as our boys from the troop. I had to go in my ACUs since I had to leave right after communion for a meeting with my GSDF unit at the Confederate Avenue State Complex. At that meeting I was named squad leader for 2nd squad and told that I am up for promotion to corporal! I was pretty happy about that, being my second promotion in less than a year. If we were paid, that would be a raise. But, since we are volunteers, that just means I get to add a stripe to my uniform. Today a corporal, tomorrow I'm aiming for admiral!