Travel Agent

Ian with most of the employees at Joyful Petcare

Years ago, the earliest I would begin planning a vacation would be about one year in advance. Once I had the goal for our family to visit all fifty states, I started sketching out possible future vacations much farther in advance. In 2021, we had our longest vacation (25 days), and I tweaked the plans for that vacation many times over a few years. A month ago, I only had planned out two more trips for the future - one to four of the eastern provinces of Canada for August 2026 and a short trip to Quebec that I was thinking we'd take in August 2027. Over the past month, I've sketched out some more trips to possibly take in the coming years. If these trips actually happen, we will have visited all ten Canadian provinces and visited at least one National Park site in all fifty states. At the moment, the kids have only been to Ontario, and we've been to an NPS site in forty-five states (plus DC) so far. If we visit the Apostle Islands in Wisconsin, City of Rocks in Idaho, Little River Canyon in Alabama, Lake Mead in Nevada, and Indiana Dunes National Park, we will achieve the goal of visiting an NPS site in all fifty states. These plans also include almost all of the national park sites that caught my attention while I was listening to the Dear Bob and Sue books. I *think* the only two national parks that aren't included in these plans that I had hoped we could visit together sometime are Big Bend in Texas and Glacier in Montana. I went to Glacier with my family decades ago, but I don't think I've ever been to Big Bend.

I think that for most members of our family, a ten-day vacation is the ideal length. With that in mind, I have come up with several vacations, five of which are about ten days long. These are listed in no particular order, as I'm not even sure which of these we might go on next year. Ian and Paul's first choice includes Michigan. Nadia's first choice is Western Canada, and Oliver's first choice includes Utah. If there's a chance Nadia will join us for a vacation next summer, I'll probably have to wait longer than usual to plan the trip, as I need a better idea of what she'll be doing next summer. For quite a few years we've been going on a trip in May, and many times we've gone on another one in August or September. If we end up picking Michigan and Western Canada for our trips next year, I don't think we would go in May because the insects are really bad in the Upper Peninsula in May and June, and some of the lakes are still frozen in British Columbia and Alberta. Time will tell. Ian's request for several years has been to go to Japan in 2028. I'm still not sure about that.

Years ago, I used to take the kids on about 80 field trips a year. That number has drastically decreased for a variety of reasons such as having more weekly commitments (co-op, art at MCS, piano lessons), there are more programs available for elementary students than high schoolers, the naturalist at R.B. Winter state park retired, and we've now visited many different sites in Pennsylvania. That doesn't mean we've been to every possible field trip site in the state. The Harley Davidson tour has been closed in York ever since COVID. I keep hoping that one will reopen as my students enjoyed going there decades ago. I didn't take the kids prior to 2020 because I was waiting for Oliver to be old enough to participate in the tour. Two state parks have been on the back on my mind - Kinzua and Sinnemahoning. I could have made it a goal to visit every state park in Pennsylvania, but I've not done that. I think I've only taken the kids to seven state parks (Black Moshannan, Bald Eagle, R.B. Winter, Ricketts Glen, Nescopeck, Milton, and Leonard Harrison). Not counting places we will visit on vacation, I only have four field trips planned so far for the 2026-27 school year - Army Expo in Carlisle on September 12, Elk Country Visitor Center on September 24, Kinzua Bridge State Park on September 25, and seeing a performance of Treasure Island in Lewisburg on October 11. I am particularly excited about hopefully seeing the herd of wild elk during mating season. I booked one night at an Airbnb so that we could go to a viewing area at dusk one night and at dawn the next morning. That is something I've wanted to do for quite a few years, and I'm happy I finally made a reservation (which greatly increases the odds it will actually take place). 

Ian, Ben, John, Randy, Julia, Leila, and Nadia in an individual round

1. Western Canada - Granville Island, Stanley Park, Vancouver Aquarium. Capilano Suspension Bridge, Butchart Gardens, Pacific Rim National Park, Wild Pacific Trail, Cathedral Grove, Peak 2 Peak Gondola, Banff Gondola, Yoho National Park, Columbia Icefields Skywalk, Mistaya Canyon, Emerald Lake, Moraine Lake, Abraham Lake, Maligne Lake, Peyto Lake, and Lake Louise- flying and renting a vehicle

2. Michigan - Sleeping Bear Dunes, Mackinac Island, Sault Ste. Marie, Picture Rocks, Apostle Islands, Perry's Victory (OH), Milwaukee, Chicago, and Indiana Dunes (if we wanted to visit Isle Royale National Park, this would be the trip to do it, but I'm leaning against including it at the moment) - driving in our vehicle

3. South Dakota/Saskatchewan/Manitoba - Hy-Wire Zipline, Tunnels of Moose Jaw, Stone Hall Castle, Mount Rushmore (again), Crazy Horse, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Custer State Park, Minuteman Missile, Badlands (again), and Falls Park  - flying and renting a vehicle

4. Quebec (less than a week) - Watkins Glen, Women's Rights, Harriet Tubman, Parliament buildings in Ottowa, Byward Market, Canadian War Museum, Rideau Canal, white water rafting and zipline tour in Quebec, La Citadelle, Plains of Abraham, Terrass Dufferin, Montmorency Falls, Montreal Botanical Garden, Saint Joseph's Oratory, Mount Royal Park, Notre Dame Basilica, Utica Zoo, and Fort Stanwix - driving in our car 

5. California - Joshua Tree, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, and Yosemite National Parks - flying and renting a vehicle

6. Utah - Las Vegas, Death Valley National Park, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Valley of Fire State Park, Grand Staircase Escalante, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Arches, and City of Rocks National Reserve - flying and renting a vehicle with 4WD

7. If the Nationals for Bible quizzing are held in South Carolina in 2027 or 2028, I'd like to visit these places either before or after the quizzing - Billy Graham Library, Biltmore Estate, Andrew Johnson National Historic Site, Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, and Little River Canyon National Preserve - driving in our car

Field Trip

We used to take a LOT of field trips. We go on far fewer field trips than we used to, but I haven't totally stopped scheduling them. On February 26, we went to see a performance of Riverdance; it seemed a fitting year to do so since we're planning to go to Ireland in May. Our homeschool group went on a field trip to Harrisburg today. Eighteen of us toured the capitol building, and twenty of us toured the Pennsylvania National Fire Museum. None of us had ever been to the fire museum before. Nadia and I had toured the capitol before, but it was the first time Ian and Oliver were there. I'm thankful the kids have had these opportunities. Other things I'm thankful for:

1. The VanHorns came over for dinner at our house on February 28.

2. I was able to be the substitute teacher for our Sunday School on March 1. I taught on Zechariah 1-4. If I am asked to teach again later this year, I plan on continue in Zechariah.

3. I was in a LOT of pain after my dentist appointment on March 4, which is not a usual experience for me. I am very thankful that after about four days of discomfort, the pain resolved on its own, and I'm hoping not to have the same experience in six months. 

4. Toby, Jenna, and Joshua spent about eight hours at our home on March 7. The boys (plus Nadia) played games. Jenna and I chatted. Jenna, Nadia, and I went for a walk. Paul beat Jenna in chess, which was the opposite outcome from the previous time they played most recently. I think everyone had a good time! 

5. We had a few days when it was absolutely gorgeous out (got up into the 70's!). It's back to cold weather now, but we took advantage of the beautiful weather on Tuesday. Usually, the kids play games inside our house from 12:30-1:30 when we have co-op, but this Tuesday we went to the park and most of the kids played wiffle ball.

6. Ian played the keyboard for the youth worship the last two Wednesday nights, and this week he didn't feel the need to rehearse the songs with his piano teacher. He's growing in confidence! I played the piano in the foyer after the first and second services this past Sunday. We don't use hymnbooks at our church, but I used a hymnbook when I was playing the piano.  Music is a gift from God! 

7. The kids have been obsessed with Gordon Korman books lately. I found another book that they are enjoying that is by a different author - No Purchase Necessary by Maria Marianayagam. 

8. The university Ian is taking college classes through was on spring break last week. He did some work ahead of time last week which meant that not only was last week a lighter week than usual for him, but this week has also been more relaxed. 

Thankful Thursday

 1. Paul took Oliver to a free maple sugaring educational program at Montour Preserve on February 22. We had taken the kids there in the past, but it had been quite a few years. Oliver has been studying botany this semester in science, and he was too young when we went in the past to remember the program. It's an outstanding program which is free and at a location about 20 minutes from our home.

2. One of the families in our small co-op came over for dinner on March 1, and another co-op family came over on March 9. We enjoyed eating and playing games together with both of these families.

3. Our Montage ski trip was postponed by one week, but I was able to take my three kids plus Nathaniel skiing on March 4. They had a great time and want to go back there again next year!

4. Paul took Ian down to see the ENT for a follow-up appointment. Thankfully they didn't charge us anything for the appointment, and she said the surgery was a success! One nostril is now wide open. The other side has a narrow opening, but air can flow through both nostrils. Hopefully this will alleviate his sleep apnea. 

5. Although it made it hard to get up for church on Sunday morning in light of staying up past midnight on the night we lost an hour due to DST, the kids had a great time with the youth group at Winter Jam. Some of their favorite artists performed that night (Anne Wilson, Colton Dixon, Skillet, etc.), and they had fun with friends.

6. In the middle of February, I paid for one month of access to Angel. We saw several excellent movies including Faith of Angels, Brave the Dark, Lost on a Mountain in Maine, and Between Borders. 

7. We recently discovered that one of Oliver's friends from church lives very close to our home! Oliver has ridden his bike over to James' house a few times so far. Due to his autism, his mom doesn't trust him to ride his bike to our home, but I'm hoping I can provide transportation so that James can play over here from time to time with Oliver.

8. It feels like SPRING this week!!! I am not a fan of cold weather, so I am very, very, very grateful when it starts warming up outside. 

9. Cooper was at our house from the morning of February 21 to the evening of March 9, and he was healthy. Given his age and the fact that he had a stroke 13 months ago, it was an answer to prayer! Milo was looking all over for Cooper in the morning on March 10. He misses having Cooper here.

10. Nadia took the SAT on March 8. I decided to do some grocery shopping and get a haircut in Lewisburg while she took the test as then I took her directly for the last hour of a three-hour Wizard of Oz rehearsal. We will find out on March 21 how she did. I hadn't gotten a haircut in 7 months. I made the mistake of getting a shampoo while I was there. It had been years since I got a shampoo at a hair salon. It added a lot to the cost, so I definitely paid more than usual for this haircut, but I like the way she cut my hair. 

11. Next week I'm going to be taking five girls plus two moms to Cinderella's Closet at the YWCA to shop for prom dresses. The dresses there only cost around $20 each. Hopefully the girls will find dresses they love! The price is definitely right. 

12. Nadia finished her worldview course on March 7, and she earned another A. She's still in the middle of a New Testament course, and she'll begin an American Government class on Monday. 

13. A couple whom I have been friends with for 29 years sold their home that they had lived in for 57 years and moved to Indiana several months ago. They are in their late 80's. I enjoyed chatting on the phone with Kay this week, and we made plans to visit them in June as they live less than an hour from where the kids' Bible quizzing nationals will be held. 

14. After a two-week break, our small (15 kid) co-op resumed at our home on Tuesday. Our kids love spending time with their friends. 

15. I'm thankful for *some* of things Trump has done so far. I do not agree with a lot of his foreign policy (ex. referring to Canada as a 51st state, making Ukraine out to be the villain and Putin the victim, the way he talks about Greenland, talking about taking over the Gaza strip, etc.) or making a priority out of renaming things like the Gulf of Mexico/ Denali, but I am grateful he's trying to reduce the debt and size of the government, pardon some people who were in my opinion treated unjustly (ex. in jail for praying near an abortion clinic), releasing classified documents (and in general increasing transparency), trying to level the playing field when it comes to tariffs, and protecting women's sports. One positive thing as far as his foreign policy is that he's definitely not a "war hawk," which is a good thing. I think in general most Presidents have gone WAY too far with executive orders, so I'm hoping that the Congress will be more involved in many of these changes if for example the Post Office and/or Amtrak become privatized, or the Department of Education is eliminated. I actually debated with my roommate back in 1994 in favor of privatizing the Post Office. We shall see if that ever actually happens. My hope isn't in a President or anyone else in government. My hope is in the Lord! 

Thankful Thursday

1. I forgot to mention that during our trip to Alaska, I spotted two of the four license plates I was hoping to find. I saw one from Nevada and South Dakota. Usually it's harder to get North Dakota, but for some unknown reason I've seen MANY license plates from North Dakota this year and only one from South Dakota. The two I am still looking for are Hawaii and New Mexico. I haven't found all 50 in one year since 2021. I certainly saw FAR more Alaska license plates than usual this year! 

2. Last Saturday we spent the day in Lititz. Our first stop was the Johannes Mueller House. We had a guided tour that included a lot of interesting information about the Moravians. Then we met 10 out of 11 Towfighis at the high school to see a production of Tuck Everlasting by a group called Servant Stage. I've read the book and seen the movie but never seen that musical before. Their shows and concessions are all "pay what you wish". We had pizza at Nino's before driving back home to Milo. We've certainly seen the Towfighis more often this year than we usually have in the past! 

3. Everything went smoothly with the boys' orthodontist and dentist appointments on Monday. Ian now has braces on his bottom jaw for the first time. Oliver pulled one tooth out at church on Sunday morning, and the dentist pulled two more (at the request of the orthodontist) on Monday afternoon. 

4. Nadia started taking two Bible classes online through Liberty University this week. We're thankful she can earn some credits toward college while she's in high school.

5. They have chosen the Wizard of Oz for the spring musical, which was the one Nadia voted for! All three kids plan to participate.

6. Yesterday the kids enjoyed roller skating with friends (for free) at a homeschool roller skating party from 10-12. The party was *supposed* to be from 12-2. We wouldn't have been able to go if it was held then. I'm thankful Carolyn made a mistake, and that the owner of the rink was able to scramble at the last minute to open up the rink two hours earlier than planned! 

7. Nadia is glad that some of her friends want to go to the homeschool prom with her. She didn't go the last two years, but she's planning to go in May. This means we need to buy her a dress!

8. On Tuesday I took seven kids to PSU. Ben and his sisters followed behind me. I had organized a field trip to the nuclear reactor at PSU. The 2.5-hour program was outstanding. The kids enjoyed eating some M&M's as they learned about half-lives, and they also enjoyed eating some marshmallows after they finished building some atom models. About 20 homeschoolers showed up for the program plus a few moms. We were parked in a parking garage right next to the Creamery, so I decided to treat the ten kids to ice cream after we ate our packed lunches. It was delicious! 

9. When we attended the homeschool potluck on September 6, I tried a new recipe - campfire cookies. They were so delicious that there weren't any left to bring home. I already made them a second time since then. Yum!!

Thankful Thursday

1. On July 12 and 19 Paul and I attended two more lessons of Intermediate Cha Cha. Paul didn't want to go on July 26 and doesn't want to go tomorrow, so it seems we only will have attended 4 of the 8 lessons we paid for. Maybe this means we should just wait seven years before we try again, but I'm thankful we had at least four nights of dancing together for an hour and learning some new steps.

2. On July 13 four of us toured Fort Roberdeau and attended the Napoleonic Grand Tactique at Old Bedford Village. 

3. The boys attended a manufacturing camp from 9-3 July 15-18. It wasn't their favorite camp, but there were parts of it that they enjoyed such as the tour of Playworld. 

4. On July 20 we were able to visit Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site for the first time and spend four hours with 10 members of the Towfighi family, which meant we met Brenden for the first time. 

5. From July 20-27 Micah, Joel, Nathan and Julianna spent a week with us. The cousins had a blast! Five of those days they attended a Stronghold foam sword fighting camp from 9-12 in Danville and then had a free hot lunch and played on the playground in Watsontown.

6. I enjoyed teaching a lesson (as a substitute) on the second half of Amos in our Sunday School class on July 21. 

7. We were able to talk to Nadia on the phone on July 21. Talking only one time over a span of four weeks has been challenging for me, especially as I've also received very few text messages from her. Hopefully I'll hear from her more often when she goes to college as this has been hard for me, but I'm grateful she could have this opportunity to serve at this Christian camp. Now it's only TWO days until she's back at home. I can't wait to hear all about her time there!

8. Paul has done really well on the stock market over the last two months. We are grateful! 

9. Yvonne got a good report at the cardiologist this week. This is an answer to prayer! 

10. My nephew, Adam, was baptized this week in Lake Michigan in Chicago. I really enjoyed watching the videos of his testimony and baptism! This was also an answer to prayer!

11. The boys have been participating in a theatre workshop at our church put on by a Christian radio station in New York (Family Life). Nadia and Ian had attended their workshops at another church (farther from our home) in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Last year they didn't participate due to schedule conflicts. Ian and Oliver both have small parts. Ian is Galileo, and Oliver is C.S. Lewis. Pop Pop plans to come up tomorrow to see their performance at noon. 

12. Oliver's birthday party was a success. We celebrated early so that four of his cousins could participate. Micah, Isaiah, their cousin Dominic, Nathaniel, Xandir, Sincere, Andrew, Pop Pop, and Ben also joined us for bubble ball soccer, glow in the dark dodgeball, pizza, chips, and cake!

Field trips and a party

The past 2+ weeks we've had a taste of what life will be like after Nadia graduates from high school. The last few field trips we've taken as a family of four instead of a family of five. Since Nadia doesn't really enjoy many historical field trips, I'm sure she doesn't mind that she missed them. On July 13 we visited Old Bedford Village. They hold a variety of special events throughout the year. Paul chose this weekend which focused on Napoleonic Grand Tactique as that is very uncommon whereas Civil War reenactments are held at a wide variety of sites. Paul just focused on the special lectures and demonstrations they were doing. The boys and I did some of that but also walked around some of the historic village. Paul especially enjoyed the lecture on espionage during the time of Napoleon. My favorite part was the instruction on the history of how brooms have been made over the years. Our next stop was Fort Roberdeau, which was a fort used for two years during the Revolutionary War. 

From July 15-18 the boys participated in a manufacturing camp from 9-3 in Milton. I signed them up at the request of my friend, Tab. A couple of weeks before the camp was to begin her two boys were the only two signed up, and they were going to cancel the camp. It wasn't the boys' favorite experience, but there were parts they enjoyed. On the second day they had a field trip tour Playworld (playground manufacturer in Lewisburg). On the third day they had some experience with using CAD to design a playground. This week they are participating in a foam sword fighting camp from 9-12 with four of their cousins in Danville. They participated in one of these camps last summer at another location. Next week they'll have their last "camp" of the summer - a theater camp from 9-12:30 at our church. 

On July 20, we visited Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site. The kids had earned Junior Ranger badges from that site through the mail when it was closed due to COVID. Sometimes when we visit a national park site that's not well known I find myself wondering why on earth it's a NPS site. That was NOT the case this time. It was interesting to learn about what happened there, and unlike most NPS sites, there was a hands-on experience in which we each made a stove plate (albeit not from iron). The park ranger who gave a talk we attended couldn't have been more passionate/enthusiastic about the site, and her enthusiasm was contagious! We spent about 2.5 hours at the site, and then we drove to Camp Hill to meet 10 of the 11 Towfighis (all but Andrew). We had seen 8 of them multiple times recently, but we hadn't seen Jenna since December, hadn't seen Yvonne since February, and we had never met Brenden (who is 3 months old). We spent about four hours together at Jenna's apartment, a playground, and Cracker Barrel before driving home with Nathan, Joel, Micah, and Julianna who are spending one week with us.

Oliver's birthday is August 7, but I decided it would be special to have his birthday party while some of his cousins were here. His first "big" (for our family anyhow) party was in 2022 when I rented two lanes of a bowling alley for two hours and invited his friends to join us. Last year we celebrated his birthday at an amusement park in Pittsburgh; he didn't do anything with friends for his birthday last year. His birthday party this year was by far the most expensive birthday party I've thrown anyone in my life, but it helped knowing the money was going to our church. We paid for one hour of bubble ball and one hour of glow in the dark dodgeball. I invited fifteen kids in the hopes that at least twelve would show up. Six of the kids were Ian, Oliver, and four cousins. Amazingly all fifteen said they could come for at least part of the time, and one family asked if they could also bring their cousin who was visiting them from Ohio. Two kids backed out the day of his party, and Ben came for only the second half of his party. This meant we had thirteen kids for bubble ball and fourteen for eating and dodge ball. Paul's dad also joined us, so we had seventeen people including adults. I brought chips, drinks, and paper products and ordered pizza that Paul picked up during the bubble ball. Paul's dad brought vanilla cupcakes and a chocolate peanut butter cake that Aunt Millie made. We three adults *thought* we would only be spectators, but the finale to the party was a round of kids vs. adults glow in the dark dodgeball. Xandir's aunt joined us, but we were still outnumbered 14:4 so Ryan had Ben play on the adult team which made it 13:5. Needless to say, the kids won. Throwing parties is totally NOT my thing. I wouldn't mind never being in charge of another party the rest of my life, but I want birthdays and other future special occasions (ex. graduation from high school) to be memorable for my kids, so I will do my very best. Oliver received nerf guns from the Towfighis and Xandir, an Amazon gift card from Nathaniel, Knoebels ride tickets from the Schrecks, some money, and some fireworks and Snickers from the Seiberts. Julianna was the only girl invited to his party. The kids we invited ranged in age from 8-16, and all of them are homeschoolers. It was the first time Nadia wasn't at one of her brothers' birthday parties. She will be with us for his actual birthday. I was very impressed with Xandir's generosity. He made Oliver a really nice birthday card, and he used ALL of his own money to buy the nerf gun. He was a few dollars short, so his dad had him do some more chores to earn the remaining money. Wow. What a kind and generous thing to do for a friend! My kids have certainly never spent that much money on a gift for a family member or friend, especially considering it was all of the money he had. 

Because the foam sword fighting camp is 30 minutes from our home and lasts for three hours, it doesn't seem worth it to me to come home after I drop them off. I've been spending the time walking, listening to audiobooks, and talking with friends. Yesterday I called Kay, who is in her late 80's and recovering from a knee replacement. Today my friend, Cheri, came and walked with me for part of the time. According to my phone, I walked 7.6 miles yesterday and 6.7 miles today. Speaking of phone calls, I talked to Nadia on Sunday!!! I hadn't heard her voice in two weeks which had been challenging for me. It was wonderful to hear about her first two weeks at camp. Just eleven more days until she is home sweet home! We're planning on one more field trip before she comes home - a visit to the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art on Saturday. 

Thankful Thursday

1. The boys came home from camp on July 6. They had a blast! 

2. We enjoyed the final episode of season four of The Chosen on July 6. 

3. You never know what you will find at Surplus Outlet. Today I was able to find some larger containers of olive oil that Cheri had asked me to keep an eye out for. Earlier this week I found some Ghirardelli brownie mix for 99 cents each!  YUM! 

4. The boys and I helped out at Experience Missions on Monday and Tuesday. 

5. Milo enjoyed having Cooper here at our house for about ten days. He was literally crying after Cooper left on Wednesday morning.

6. Ian, Oliver, Cheri, and I went for a hike at Leonard Harrison State Park (aka Pennsylvania Grand Canyon) on Wednesday. We also went on a short tour of a unique chocolate factory and stopped for a treat at Rita's on the way home. 

7. Nadia is enjoying being on staff at Camp Susque! She hasn't texted much, but we have heard from her a little bit, which never was possible when she was a camper there. 

8. Paul finished removing the fence! Woohoo! I bought 600 pounds of topsoil today and used that to begin the process of filling in the holes. Someone is supposed to be picking up the fence on Saturday. 

9. The boys really enjoyed getting free Slurpees at two different 7-11 stores today. Since Paul and I didn't partake in the annual freebie, I didn't feel badly that the boys got two each. 

10. Paul, the boys, and I saw the movie Despicable Me 4 at the theater this afternoon. 

11. On July 5, Paul and I took Nadia out to dinner as a birthday treat plus a special sendoff before she spent 4 weeks at Camp Susque. It's her favorite restaurant. She got a free dessert and ate her leftovers over the next two days. I used a gift card from credit card points to cover a good chunk of the bill. The last 12 years we've typically only gone to a sit-down restaurant when we've been on vacation, but it's been nice to begin making an exception for special celebrations. 

12. In March I set a goal for Oliver to gain at least 6 pounds by August so that he would weigh at least 80 pounds, which is the minimum weight for ziplining in Alaska. He has achieved the goal! The doctor should be happy when he has his physical next month because last year his BMI was in the underweight category. 

Winding down

Our 2023-24 school year is almost complete. We already finished history, Life of Fred, Fix it Grammar, and the classes we were doing in our co-op. We had a dress rehearsal at 5:00 last night for our production of Alice, and put it on for the parents and some other family members at 6:00. After the show was over, we shared a meal together. We didn't have a set, but we had some props and costumes. The kids did a great job. Nadia had a LOT of lines to memorize, and she did a great job of projecting as we didn't use any microphones. Ian, who played the Mad Hatter, was definitely the funniest character. Julianna was sick, but her older sister filled in at the last minute as the Queen of Hearts and the March Hare. She had to read her lines as obviously she didn't have any time to memorize them. She did a great job with her part albeit she only joined us at the last minute. Nadia and Ian have also finished their art class at MCS. Today they had their last chorus rehearsal, and this evening they had their last concert for the school year. Field trips are a constant for us all year long. For example, over the next two weeks we plan to go to Hopewell Furnace NHS, Emergency Preparedness Day, a production of Little Women, Young Eagles flight, Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, Monocacy National Battlefield, Wolf Trap National Park, and Maggie Walker NHS. Although some things will continue throughout the summer such as reading and listening to audiobooks (all three), practicing the piano (Ian), and practicing the guitar (Nadia), here are the things that the kids need to finish to completely wrap up this school year:

1. Ian and Nadia need to finish Algebra 2. Ian should finish next week. It's going to take Nadia longer than that.
2. Nadia needs to finish Marine Biology, and she has until June 9 to finish her World History course through Grand Canyon University. 
3. Oliver needs to master the spelling of twenty-four more words.
4. All three of them are at varying places in demonstrating to me that they know the countries and capitals of Europe and Africa.
5. Ian and Nadia will continue to prepare for the Bible quizzing nationals which will be taking place in New York June 19-22. Ian wants to memorize the book of Colossians between now and then as he was recently told that he'll be on our church's "A" team. Nadia will be the captain of the "B" team. At the recent quiz in Indiana, the team Nadia was on placed first, Ian's team placed third, Ian tied for 2nd place in the individual competition, and Ian and Nadia were in 5th and 6th places in the written portion of the competition. Nadia won $30, and Ian won $40 at that competition. 

Because school has been winding down, I've been scheduling other types of appointments. Nadia had her first guitar lesson last week. While Nadia and Ian were in Indiana for a Bible quizzing competition, I took the van for an oil change, tire rotation, and annual inspection in the morning and then that afternoon took the van to the Honda dealer for a safety recall I had received notification about in January. While the van was being serviced in the morning, I got my first pedicure in five years. My dad gave me $100 for my birthday, and I decided to follow the advice Margie had given me when she was alive about using it for something I wouldn't normally have gotten. My first plan was to use the money towards a crockpot because the one my mom gave me in 2016 died recently, but for me a crockpot is a necessity not a splurge. I decided to use the birthday money towards my nails instead. Not that a pedicure cost $100! I'm planning to use more of that money towards a manicure next week when I take Paul's car in for an annual inspection, oil change, and tire rotation. Tomorrow Nadia and I are getting our hair cut. She typically gets hers done once a year, and I usually go 3-4 times a year. I cut Paul, Oliver, Pop Pop, and Ian's hair. I'm scheduled to have a mammogram on Thursday morning, and Ian has a cardiology appointment next Monday. Year round the boys go to the orthodontist once a month, Ian has a weekly 45-minute piano lesson, and Nadia has recently started taking a weekly 30-minute guitar lesson in Lewisburg. Ian is working on some music he's found online as well as Chopin's Military Polonaise, and a piano duet arrangement of Beethoven's 3rd Symphony. He's playing the primo part, and our neighbor, Addi, is playing the secondo part with him. 

Planning lesson plans, future vacations, and field trips is something I do regularly throughout the year. This morning, I booked an Airbnb for two nights in Houghton for Paul, Oliver, and I so we can watch part of the quizzing competition. We could also have stayed in the dorms like Ian and Nadia, but it was unappealing to us to pay $18.50 per person per night to stay in a dorm that doesn't have air conditioning. Sometimes those plans lead me to apply for a new credit card. This time I applied for an IHG credit card because the points we will be awarded after the first month of using it will be enough to pay for three nights at a Holiday Inn on Long Island in August, and whenever you use points for three nights, they give you a fourth night for free. The card has a $99 annual fee, but the card also reimburses up to $100 toward the cost of TSA Precheck, and Paul and I have a TSA Precheck appointment next month. This means we won't really be paying an annual fee, and we'll be able to stay for four nights for free on Long Island at a hotel that costs more than we usually pay per night. In the past we always stayed at Aunt Janet's home, but she moved to Reno a few years ago. It's much easier for us to travel to Long Island than to Reno. She spends a month on Long Island in August at a friend's house. We are looking forward to a wide variety of experiences over the next 3.5 months before we start the next school year. 

Prince Caspian

Supreme Court

In early September (2023) I purchased six tickets to see Prince Caspian at the Museum of the Bible in April 2024. One of the tickets was a gift to my dad. At that time, I thought April 2024 would be the next time we went to DC. As it turns out, we've taken the kids to DC four times over the last fifteen months. The two unexpected trips (November 2023 and March 2024) were to attend concerts. The end result is that we crossed off more sites in DC off the list I had created years ago earlier than expected. I will say that we've had really nice weather for all four of those trips. Our first stop on Friday was a parking garage. After that we walked one mile to the Supreme Court for a thirty-minute program. Next, we walked to the Museum of the Bible where we met my dad who had come into DC via the Metro. The show was three hours long (not counting the intermission) and was very well done! It was put on by the Logos Theatre from South Carolina. After eating a quick meal at Subway with my dad, we walked to the Spy Museum. Paul could have spent FAR more time in the museum. I would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't so crowded. We got Paul an early Father's Day gift at the museum - a t-shirt featuring his favorite president - George Washington. After retrieving our vehicle from the parking garage, we drove to Arlington and picked up two slices of cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory (one was free due to my birthday) on our way to our hotel. We stayed at the same hotel last month. Four of us shared the two slices of cheesecake. I really loved the one that Nadia and I shared. 

After eating breakfast at the hotel, we drove back into DC. There was a lot of construction near Ford's Theatre, but eventually we found a place to park. Our tickets included seeing a show called One Destiny, which was a short production put on by two men about the day Lincoln was assassinated. It was very well done! The kids each earned a Junior Ranger badge, and we also made a quick stop at Petersen's House across the street where Lincoln died. Next, we walked to the National Archives. I had timed tickets, but on this particular day they weren't necessary. We didn't spend a lot of time there, but we did look at the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Constitution. Our last stop before returning to our vehicle was the National Portrait Gallery. The kids and I did an art project, and all five of us explored the museum. The kids said they preferred the National Gallery of Art (which we visited last month) to the Portrait Gallery. Visiting art museums isn't their favorite thing, and we don't do it very often, but I'm grateful they've been to a few of them. We ate some snacks in our vehicle as we drove to Rock Creek Park. We watched a planetarium show, went on a very short hike (in the rain), and the kids each earned another Junior Ranger badge. The current stats are that we've now been to 139 National Park sites in person, Nadia has earned 207 badges, Ian has earned 209, and Oliver has earned 193 altogether. We stopped at Denny's for dinner on the way home. One of our neighbors watched Milo for us during the time we were gone. I'm grateful that in 3-4 hours we can be in NYC, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and DC. 

I attempted to take Nadia to see Unsung Hero at the movie theater on Thursday night, but our tickets were refunded due to technical difficulties. We're going to try again tomorrow night as she's waited a long time to see this movie. Originally it was scheduled to be released in June 2023. I had a lovely two-hour lunch with Tab at Panera on Wednesday. All five of us went bowling this afternoon as our church rented out a bowling alley for two hours. Although it will take Nadia and Ian longer to finish some subjects (ex. Algebra II), for most subjects our last day will be May 9, which means we only have nine days left at this point! The end of 5th grade (Oliver), 8th grade (Ian), and 10th grade (Nadia) is in sight! Nadia has completed four college classes so far this year. She's currently taking World History, and that course will be finished by June 9.

Seussical!

I haven't posted for three weeks. Here are some highlights as to what we've been up to lately.

1. I took Oliver to one egg hunt on March 23 and two on March 30. One was rained out on the 23rd. Next year will be the last year for Oliver to participate.

2. Rachel, my niece from Chicago, spent four days with us at the end of March. She and Nadia continued their traditions of having a very planned out "sleepover" and also making a mystery dessert. This one was by far the worst they'd ever made. Blech!!! However, they had a lot of fun making the cupcakes! I really liked the Good Friday service at our church this year.

3. Paul's dad joined us at church and at our home on Easter. 

4. I supervised a large service project at Meadowbrook Christian School. The students packed 3,300 kits for Voice of the Martyrs. 

5. While I was helping at MCS, the kids went with another family to a homeschool program about the solar eclipse at Ricketts Glen State Park. A few days later, all five of us did see the eclipse, which wasn't a guaranteed thing because it was a very cloudy day, but thankfully the clouds parted so we could watch it. We weren't in the path of totality, but it was 95% covered in our area. Considering the next one is in twenty years and won't be visible in Pennsylvania, I'm glad the kids saw this one (not that any of us know where we'll be living in twenty years). 

6. I attended my friend's mom's 91st birthday party at a nursing home. That same day Paul took Nadia to a Jeremy Camp concert in Stroudsburg.

7. Nadia, Cheri, her uncle, and I saw the movie Someone Like You in the theater on April 7. The tickets were a bit steep in price, but we enjoyed the movie. Nadia and I had read the book a few years ago. 

8. Nadia and Ian were in three performances of Seussical last week! It went very well. Different friends and family attended each of the three nights. I attended two of the performances. They had a LOT of lengthy rehearsals lately so I'm grateful it's come to an end. Paul's dad attended on Friday night and took them home because Paul, Oliver, and I were at a Casting Crowns concert in Williamsport. On Saturday afternoon Joe, my dad, and six of their kids came to attend Seussical, which was very special. They spent about 24 hours with us. Yvonne didn't come because she gave birth three days ago to their 7th son (9th child) - Brendan. Jenna and Andrew stayed in Maryland with Yvonne and the baby. 

9. Last Sunday I filled in as the substitute for our Sunday School teacher. 

10. This week Nadia is finishing her fourth college class (English Composition 1) through Grand Canyon University. She's starting her fifth next week (World History). In the fall she plans to begin taking classes online through Liberty University. 

Mac, Mercer, and Mack

Awhile back I asked Nadia what artists she wanted to see in person before she graduated from high school. We have been gradually working through the list she gave me. Ian's list was much shorter. There is only one artist left on the list she gave me - Riley Clemmons. Toby Mac was on both Ian and Nadia's lists, and we saw him in concert for the first time on Thursday night. When we attended a Steven Curtis Chapman concert earlier this month, Ian was really hoping that he'd sing "Got to B Tru," and miracle of miracle, that was one of the songs in his set list! Considering how many songs he's sung over the decades, we didn't think it was likely that one would be on the list. When I asked Ian if he was hoping to hear a particular song from TobyMac, he said he wasn't because he likes all of his music. The other artists on this tour included Tasha Layton (who was also on Nadia's list), Terrian, Cory Asbury, and Mac Powell. Each of those artists was given twenty minutes on stage. The pastor's talk plus the intermission accounted for another forty minutes. TobyMac was on stage for the final ninety minutes of the concert, which lasted 3.5 hours altogether. 

The number of concerts we go to in a year will drastically go down after Nadia graduates from high school. However, when we attend a concert that's more than two hours from our home, I typically try to include some other "field trips" in the outing. Because Nadia and Ian have chorus and art at the Christian school on Thursdays, we couldn't leave until 3:00pm. At first, we were planning to have dinner at TGI Fridays, but then we decided that we didn't have quite enough time to eat at a sit-down restaurant. Instead, we stopped at a travel plaza on the turnpike. The prices were rather high, so we ordered a large pizza, but we had to wait twenty-five minutes for them to make the pizza. I had thought we should aim to arrive at the arena thirty minutes before the concert began. We did achieve that goal, but I hadn't reserved parking ahead of time. If we ever go to another concert at Temple University, I will absolutely reserve parking well in advance! It took us 45 minutes to find a place to park (due to the zany amount of traffic) and then walk back to the arena, so we missed about ten minutes of Terrian's time as a soloist on stage due to our late arrival. Usually Nadia buys a t-shirt and/or sweatshirt at concerts. She got a t-shirt and a sweatshirt at the Steven Curtis Chapman concert earlier this month. Surprisingly, she didn't buy any merchandise at this concert. Ian purchased a t-shirt for the second time in his life. Last summer he got a God's Not Dead one from the Newsboys, and at this concert he got one from TobyMac. I was very grateful at the end of the concert that we were only driving about 30 minutes to a hotel rather than driving 2 hours and 45 minutes to get home. 

After we ate breakfast at our hotel, we drove about 30 minutes to Doylestown where we had a tour of TileWorks, which is a historic tile factory that is still running today. After that we toured Henry Mercer's home (Fonthill Castle) and visited the museum he established in 1916. In hindsight, I could have allowed less time for Mercer Museum and more time for TileWorks. The Fonthill Castle tour is guided so there's no need to guesstimate the length of time needed at that site. We ate some snacks we had brought from home as our lunch as we drove to Allentown for our guided tour of the Mack Truck Historical Museum. We had dinner at Carrabba's for the first time ever. I'm glad we tried it once, but most of our family prefers Olive Garden. The portions were large, so I'm looking forward to eating the other half of my chicken parmigiana this evening. Milo was very glad when we got home about 7:00pm. During the 28 hours we were gone, a teenager in our neighborhood walked him three times and allowed him to sleep in her bed on Thursday night. As I'm not a fan of lengthy drives, I am glad that our next longer drive isn't until April 26. I'm sure Milo will also appreciate that as he really doesn't like it when he sees us packing a suitcase!

For years Nadia has been asking us to go to England. More recently she's expanded that to England, France, and Italy. I'm not sure if/when we'll make it to Italy, but we are hoping to go to England and France in 2026. Up until recently, Ian hadn't said where he wanted to go in 2028 (when he graduates from high school), but now he's decided he wants to go to Japan, which thrilled Oliver as he's wanted to go there as well. Paul and I have been to China so that won't be a new continent for us, but it will be a new country for all of us and a new continent for the kids. Maybe Oliver will choose to go to Africa or Australia? Time will tell. 

White House, monuments, and more

Friday morning, we left our house bright and early (6:00) and dropped Milo off at our friends' home on our way to the White House. I had requested a tour through our Representative. Two weeks before our tour date, the White House confirmed that we could have a tour at 10:00 am, and we were told to arrive 15 minutes early. I had prepaid for a spot in a parking garage for the day ($18), but I didn't realize it was valet parking. Oliver had gotten carsick on the drive down to DC which added to the "adventure" of the morning. We walked rather quickly to the meeting spot for the tours only to find out that we were allowed to enter the tour line any time between 10:00-12:30. Seriously! So, if you ever sign up for a public tour, just keep that in mind! We wouldn't have left our house at 6:00 am had we known that. Also, I forgot that no bags were allowed. I had remembered they didn't allow cameras with detachable lenses, so I had left my camera at home, but I was using a small purse. Because the van was parked by valet, it didn't seem feasible to walk back to the parking garage and attempt to put my purse in the van. The park ranger said there was a hotel nearby that would store bags for a fee. If the purse hadn't been my mom's, I would have put the contents in my pockets and thrown the purse away, but it had enough sentimental value that I was willing to pay a fee for it to be stored for one hour while we toured the White House. It had been decades since I had toured the White House. Back in the day, we were taken into more of the White House and didn't go through nearly as much security, but I'm glad my kids have at least been in part of the White House.

Jefferson Memorial

After I retrieved my purse, we went to the White House Visitor Center, and the kids each received a Junior Ranger Badge. Our next stop was the National Gallery of Art. We explored a significant part of the West Building. We've studied quite a few different artists this year since we've been studying the Renaissance. It was exciting to see original paintings from many of the artists we've studied. The disappointment was that the one part of the museum I was most looking forward to seeing (French Impressionistic paintings from the 19th century) was closed as they are doing renovations. We each got one thing from a vendor (I set a limit of $4 per person) for our "lunch." I don't recommend buying a soft pretzel. Paul and I did so, and they were very stale. Our next stop was the Museum of American History. As a child, my favorite part of that museum was the First Ladies' inaugural gowns. That museum has changed a LOT over the last few decades, but they still have some gowns on display. 

Our next stop was the Washington Monument. I had been trying for years to take the kids up there. First, they had it closed due to replacing the elevator, then it was closed due to COVID, and then I had trouble getting one of the $1 tickets. Paul and I really enjoyed seeing the views from the top of the monument. We planned to visit the Jefferson Memorial on Saturday morning, but the weather was beautiful on Friday, and it was supposed to be raining on Saturday. So, we decided to walk to the Jefferson Memorial on Friday afternoon. The kids weren't thrilled because they were tired of walking. Who would think that two adults in their 50's would have a much higher tolerance for walking than three kids between the ages of 11-15? I had gotten our National Park passports stamped at the White House and the Washington Monument, but due to renovations, we were unable to get ours stamped at the Jefferson Memorial. Two monuments in DC that the kids haven't been to yet are the ones for Roosevelt and Martin Luther King, Jr. The visited the Korean War, Vietnam War, WWII, and Lincoln Memorials last year. After we walked back to the parking garage, we drove to Alexandria, Virginia. We had dinner at a pizza place and then attended a Steven Curtis Chapman concert at a church that is located in a shopping mall in Alexandria. The concert was the reason we headed to DC. Nadia would have liked it if we drove back after the concert because they had to miss a Seussical rehearsal on Saturday morning, but we wouldn't have gotten home until 1:00am (at the earliest).

Because it was raining on Saturday, the only place we visited was the Holocaust Museum. Four of us selected cards at the beginning that were of Jews who survived. I was the only one who had been there before, but Paul and I have both (separately not together) visited concentration camps in Europe. The museum had changed some since I was there (when you go more than 20 years in between visits that's likely to occur), but the part that had been the most impactful when I was there decades ago (the exhibit with the shoes) was currently under renovation (no shoes for the time being). In addition to the main exhibit, we walked through one about the more recent genocide in Burma as well as the children's exhibit called "Daniel's Story," which is based on an excellent book I used to read my students back when I was a classroom teacher.

We had eaten breakfast at the hotel in Alexandria, and the kids were grateful we left the hotel at 10:00 considering it had been 6:00 the previous morning. State College is the same distance from DC as our home, and so we drove to PSU from the Holocaust Museum to attend a concert called Winter Jam. On the way we stopped at Roy Roger's (my request) because I haven't been to one of those in many years and as a kid, I loved their strawberry milkshakes. Those milkshakes were our "lunch." In State College we stopped at Wendy's for dinner (using a gift card). It was raining in DC, raining during the entire drive, and raining while we stood outside the Bryce Jordan Center waiting in line to enter the arena. There were about 15,000 people in line. I am not exaggerating. You don't buy tickets in advance but just pay $15 at the door. Nadia and Ian joined the group from our church's youth group. They had been waiting in line for 2.5 hours, so they were at the front of the line and got in long before Paul, Oliver, and I did. But we all got seats. Four of us (Oliver being the exception) had the same favorites - Katy Nichole and Cain. I also really enjoyed the song "Arise my love" by Newsong. I was very grateful for my ear plugs for the entire event, and I walked around the concourse during two of the artists (the two Oliver liked the best). In the future, I doubt Paul and I will attend Winter Jam. We'd prefer just to let the kids go with the youth group, but this one time it was nice to go as a family. We skipped the last artist (Crowder) because I wanted to leave before most people did to avoid the massive traffic jam on the campus when that many vehicles are all trying to leave at the same time. The other reason I didn't want to stay until the bitter end was because we were losing an hour of sleep that night due to DST.

We picked Milo up around 12:30 after church as the people he was staying with live about 5 minutes from church. Thankfully while we were in Florida and Ecuador, Milo really bonded with their eleven-year-old daughter. Milo loves Lucy! Honestly, he gets as excited to see her as he does to see Ian, Nadia, or myself. Prior to her I had never seen him show that much affection for anyone outside our immediate family. He also likes their dog, Cooper. It's such a blessing to know he is happy to be at their house while we're away. We are scheduled to watch Cooper for about 10 days in July, and they are scheduled to watch Milo for one week at the end of May/early June and for another week at the end of August. I'm hoping that Lucy can continue to be our dog sitter for years to come! Milo was so excited when she came over to our house for co-op last Tuesday. 

It's been harder lately to find audiobooks that Nadia really enjoys. I recently hit the jackpot when I got the first book in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. All three kids, especially Nadia, really enjoy this series. Typically, Ian is the one asking when we can listen to a book on a road trip. Now it's Nadia who is asking! The first few books in the series are each between 12-16 hours long, whereas many books we listen to are between 4-6 hours long, but we're already on the third book. I'm not sure if we'll listen to all ten books. Maybe the kids can read the last few if I get them from our local library? We shall see, but it's nice to find a series that Nadia really, really wants to listen to. 

View of the White House from the Washington Monument