Dublin and Wales

Our flight from Newark to Dublin left on Sunday night around 5:30 PM EST, and we arrived in Dublin around 5:15 AM GMT. The flight was about 7 hours plus a 5 hour time change. They served us drinks with some Penn State pretzels that were delicious. Ironically, these are produced in the UK. They didn't name them after PSU but after the state of Pennsylvania because 80% of the pretzels produced in the US are produced in PA, and people in Pennsylvania consume on average 8 times more pretzels per year than those in the other 49 states. This was news to us! Shortly after the drinks were served we were served dinner which consisted of either tortellini or chicken and rice with a roll, salad, and a delicious red velvet dessert. We were each given a complimentary headphones, blanket, and pillow. Unfortunately, we each got very little sleep. Shortly before we landed they gave each of us a frozen orange juice and a apple Nutri-grain bar. We weren't fans of the OJ. 

We quickly went through customs, and the car rental place was on site, which was very nice, but we had some unexpected surprises with the rental car. We have rental car insurance through our credit card, but if we didn't pay for insurance, they were going to put a $5,000 Euro charge on our credit card, which was an unacceptable option. When I first was deciding whether or not to rent a car for 12 hours in Dublin, I had come to the conclusion it was cheaper to rent the car because of needing to pay for taxi rides to and from the airport plus pay to store all our luggage at the airport for the day. Once I realized we couldn't go to the Gaol, I began to question my decision as I knew we could just drive to the center of town, park the car, and walk to and from all our sites. If I could go back in time, I would definitely have opted not to rent a car in Dublin. Paying for taxis and storing the suitcases would have been cheaper and less stressful, especially for Paul since he's not accustomed to driving on the left side of the road. We didn't have to pay for any gasoline because we used so little. It helped that the SUV was a hybrid. It didn't help that we had trouble using the QR code that was proof I had prepaid for our stay at the parking garage. We thought we were at the wrong lot so we went across the street, and at the end of the day found out we had paid for the other parking garage. So we paid two different parking garages to park in Dublin. So much for trying to save money by prepaying. I'm writing this on Thursday, and I can say this wasn't the end of our parking woes although today I think we managed to make it through unscathed. I really wish we had just stayed in the first parking garage because the second one was connected to a shopping mall, and we didn't know that green exit signs are fire exit signs, and we ended up very lost in a place they don't expect customers to go, and it took us a very long time to figure out how to get out of the maze back into the mall. I came close to having a panic attack.

Thankfully, we still had enough time to enjoy a delicious breakfast at Lemon Jelly Cafe and walked over Ha'penny bridge before doing the Book of Kells experience at Trinity College. Our next stop was the Little Museum of Dublin, which was my favorite stop of the day. Our tour guide, Sean, was hysterical as he explained the history of Dublin. The exhaustion really kicked in at the GPO museum. It ended up being a waste of money because I was the only one who wasn't struggling to stay awake. Had Paul gotten more sleep, I know he would have loved the museum. So I bought coffees and sodas for the kids and Paul to wake them up. I wish I had done that sooner! Our last stops were the EPIC Irish Emigration Museum, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Christ Church Cathedral. At one point along the way we got food from Leo Burdock's Fish and Chips which had very high reviews online, but we weren't impressed. The fries were large and very soft. We prefer them crispier. We threw away the vast majority of the chips (partially because the servings were so large), but we would have liked to have had more fish and chicken. Over the past four days I've been impressed that #1 we haven't had to pay to go to the bathroom yet (I remember frequently having to pay during other trips to Europe) and #2 that we've been given free glasses of water at our meals which again wasn't possible in other countries in Europe. The kids have been blown away by all the traffic circles. I don't like traffic circles at all so I am amazed at Paul's finesse in handling them, especially while driving on the left side of the road.

The traffic back to the airport was much worse, and we made some wrong turns, so our stress level was high as we began to be worried about missing our flight. Thankfully the return of the rental car went very quickly, and we didn't have to wait long for a shuttle back to the airport, and there was no wait to go through airport security (albeit that body scanner nabbed me again - I have to say I hate those machines!). So we actually were waiting at our gate for more than 30 minutes before they began boarding. We were all together in a row on our long flight to Dublin, but on our flight to Manchester Paul and I were both sitting by a stranger. Ian was also by himself, but Nadia and Oliver were directly behind him. The flight was less than one hour long. I enjoyed seeing the topography of Wales from the sky. Paul was sleeping. 

We were *supposed* to be flying to Liverpool, but we ended up flying to Manchester because Aer Lingus cancelled that flight. At Manchester we had to wait a longer time to get a shuttle to the rental car center, and we were there a long time and again had to pay (a lot) for insurance because our credit card would only pay up to $50,000, and they said the SUV we were renting sells for almost $100K. If we ever travel to a foreign country again (which at the moment I'm not sure I ever want to aside from Canada), I do not want to rent any more vehicles. They also put a large hold on our card, so then when we tried to buy dinner a few days later our charge was declined. I had to make a payment so we could resume using the card. I always pay the full balance every month. We went over one bridge that involved a toll for which there wasn't a toll booth so we need to figure out how to pay that $2.40 toll. We have only encountered one other toll, but we were able to pay that one with a credit card. On our drive from Manchester to Liverpool, we encountered a road closure which lengthened our journey to our first lodging. We were beyond exhausted by the time we got there. I had been without sleep for 36 hours straight. We parked in a ParkBee facility and walked through town with our luggage to our apartment after 11:00 at night. The apartment was lovely, but Nadia didn't end up sleeping on the twin bed in our bedroom because Paul's snoring was keeping her awake. She opted to sleep on the floor in the living room, and because the boys were already asleep on the couches, she didn't offer them the choice of sleeping on the twin bed. 

Because we had gotten to bed much later than I had anticipated, we skipped the first thing on the agenda for the day (a hike at Great Orme) so we could sleep in a bit longer. Unfortunately, this meant my departure time wasn't correct for ParkBee. If I had entered the later time from the start, we wouldn't have had to pay extra because I paid for 12 hours. But because we left an hour later than planned, we had to pay for one more hour (which was about 50% of what 12 hours cost). Oi vey. At least I didn't pay twice as much as necessary. Our first stop was lunch at Indulgence Cafe in Llandudno, Wales, which we highly recommend. The food was very delicious and reasonably priced. Our next stop was Conwy Castle. which was very impressive to the kids as it was their very first castle. We bought a family 3 day explorer pass which meant we got in free to two other castles we visited in Wales in addition to Conwy. Our next stop was Snowdon Mountain. We rode a train for one hour up to the summit (3,560 feet elevation). We spent an hour up at the top, and then rode back down for another hour. It was VERY cold and extremely windy at the top, but the views were amazing which was an answer to prayer as it was very foggy and cloudy in the morning, and the visibility is sometimes nonexistent at the top of the mountain. I had planned for us to have dinner at the Crown Y Goron, but it turns out they only serve breakfast and lunch. A customer at their bar recommended we eat at the Black Boy Inn (evidently the rules of political correctness in the USA are different than in Wales). The prices were higher that I would have chosen, but we were very hungry as it was only our second meal of the day and it was almost 7 pm, which is much later than we usually eat dinner. Our lodging in Caernarfon was amazing! We had a three floor townhouse that was right next to the castle wall. Nadia had her own bedroom, the boys each had their own beds in one bedroom, and Paul and I had our own bedroom on the third floor. We also had two full bathrooms. Woohoo! Staying next to a castle was very cool, and the woman left our kitchen well stocked for breakfast. I scrambled six eggs and we had crumpets, bagels, toast, bananas, yogurt, juice, milk, etc. I used some of the bread to make PB&J sandwiches for our lunch later that day. 

The next morning we toured the Caernarfon Castle and then drove over 4 hours to Cardiff. I was NOT a fan of the drive because it involved many turns which made me nauseous even though I was in the front seat of the vehicle. After a couple of hours I suggested we stop at a gas station. We still had 1/2 a tank as our SUV is also a hybrid. The kids have a lot more room in this one than the one we had in Dublin, but this one is wider which can present challenges for Paul with driving and parking. It's very fancy though in terms of cameras to help with some of those difficulties. We went to the bathroom and bought some snacks (which helped my stomach). Our third castle of the trip was Caerphilly Castle, which so far is the one Paul liked the most. We then had dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the castle. We've learned that in Wales you either place your order (at a sit down restaurant) using an app on your phone or you go tell the bartender what food you want to order. You also go get your own silverware, napkins, and such. We had trouble using the app at some of the restaurants, but today (at the Three Elms) we finally had success. On Wednesday night we were given a choice of "chips or fries" with our meals so we mistakenly thought the chips would be the things we call chips in the USA. Wrong. Fries are thinner. SO we again ended up with a lot of uneaten chips. Unfortunately, I paid 50 pence too little for our parking (I forgot we were having dinner near the castle), and so our vehicle was in an expired spot for about 25 minutes. Sadly, we got a big parking ticket. I was literally in tears over that mistake. One more reason never to rent a car again in a foreign country. We spent the night at Holiday Inn right on the Cardiff Bay. Usually we get one room for 5 people, but it's much harder in the UK to find a room with 2 queen size beds plus a sofa. SO we had two rooms. The kids had one queen plus one couch, and we had just a queen. Their room faced the water, and ours faced the lovely parking lot.

This morning (Thursday) we had a hotel breakfast. They didn't serve exactly the same menu that they do at Holiday Inns in the USA. They served hot tomatoes, baked beans, croissants, etc. They didn't serve the cinnamon rolls that are standard in the USA. They had a very nice assortment of foods though. I've never seen slices of bacon that big in my life. Nadia loved the fact she could have an espresso, latte, or cappuccino for free at breakfast. Our first stop this morning was the Cardiff Market. Nadia bought a t-shirt, Paul got some nuts, and the rest of us got some Welsh cakes and Turkish delights. We had the Welsh cakes as our lunch at the Cardiff Castle, and we at the candy for dessert after our dinner. Our second stop was the Cardiff Castle. This one isn't included in the Explorer Pass. We also paid for a guided tour of the apartments. We have been walking up many, many flights of small turning staircases as we've toured 4 castles so far. Thankfully we've hardly needed our umbrellas at all which has been a blessing. It's been a bit chillier than anticipated, but I'll take that over pouring rain. Almost every time it has rained we've been inside. Our last stop today was St Fagans National Museum of History, which is primarily an outdoor site (kind of like a Williamsburg type experience). We've seen SO many sheep in Wales the last three days, but we got closer to them today. There are 10 million sheep in Wales compared to 3 million people. We had dinner at Three Elms in Cardiff which was the most reasonable dinner we've had so far, and the food was delicious. We then drove to a Holiday Inn in Swindon, which means we have returned to England. Oliver is sharing a room with Paul and I, and Nadia and Ian have their own room tonight. The kids like that they each get their own twin size bed tonight. Tomorrow, Saturday, and Monday we'll be in England. 

Off to Dublin

When choosing the dates for our trip to Europe, I wanted it to be after Ian's college classes ended and before Nadia left to work at Camp Susque in early June. Typically the kids have a quiz in Indiana the day before Mother's Day, so I scheduled our first flight for the evening of May 10. A couple of months ago they announced that the quiz in Indiana wouldn't be taking place this year. Nadia had then been planning to go to a graduation party more than two hours from our house on May 9 so I invited Xandir over to our house to spend time with Ian and Oliver. Ian was still finishing his physics exam on Saturday morning, but he was able to play with Xandir most of the six hours he was at our house. I also allowed Ian to finish unit C of Precalculus on Saturday evening after Xandir left even though originally I had said he had to finish that first. Nadia and Oliver are done with their schoolwork for the year. Ian just has one more unit of Precalculus to finish by the end of June. 

My kids aren't typically very good at remembering their parents' birthdays, Mother's Day, or Father's Day. On my birthday Oliver was the only one of my kids to even say the words "happy birthday" to me last month. He gave me a card he made, a hug, and the gift of not playing monopoly for one month. This year Nadia and Ian together made me a Mother's Day card and bookmark, and Oliver also made me a card. I'm very grateful for Paul's mom and my mom. Their presence is missed, and I'm very grateful after years of singleness followed by infertility that I became a mom about eighteen years ago (technically I've been a mom for 21 years as we lost our first baby in 2005). 

Sunday morning we dropped Milo off around 8:45 before attending the first service at church. He was very nervous at home when he saw the suitcases and very nervous in the van, but he was thrilled once he realized he was at the Seibert's house. We are very thankful that they can watch him while we're gone. On our way to the Newark airport, we stopped to get some sandwiches at Subway. I had brought some bananas, carrots, chips, and brownies to supplement our lunch. It is much cheaper to park at a hotel than at the airport, so we parked at a hotel and took their free shuttle to the airport. There was zero wait for the TSA screening so the TSA Precheck wasn't necessary, but I'm always grateful to go through a metal detector instead of a body scanner. We got to the airport a little over three hours in advance, which is what they typically recommend for international flights, but it meant we sat at the gate for over two hours before the boarding began. However, it was a case of better safe than sorry. I originally thought we'd only have two flights on this trip (to and from Dublin), but due to the fact you can't take rental cars on ferries, we also need to fly to England and then from Scotland back to Northern Ireland. I thought we'd take the train to Paris, but it was actually cheaper to fly on the particular date we are headed to Paris (normally the train is cheaper). The only train tickets we have are for the end of our trip to get us from Belfast back to Dublin. Paul and I made three tips to Europe together from 2002-2004, but this is the kids' first time on this continent. The kids were pleasantly surprised to find out that they would be feeding us (free) meals on this flight, and I was surprised that we will be offered blankets and pillows as those haven't been offered on our flights lately, even our lengthy flight to Hawaii. Praying for a safe trip, for all of us to stay healthy, for things to go as smoothly as possible, and for Paul not to have too much trouble driving on the "wrong" side of the road. Usually the first day is the hardest due to the fact we probably won't get much sleep on the plane tonight and we won't be near a bed until late on Monday night in Liverpool, England. I told the kids if they don't sleep on the plane they will be awake for about 34 hours straight.

100 years old

The amusement park that I have lived the closest to for the past 30 years is Knoebels. It's a unique amusement park in that they don't charge for parking (it costs $35 to park at HersheyPark), and they also don't charge for admission. The only other amusement park I've been to like that is Delgrosso's, and I've been to a lot of amusement parks. Knoebels opened on July 4, 1926, so the park is celebrating 100 years this summer. The carousel (still in operation today) was built in 1923. Some of the rides were purchased from West View Park, which had been owned by my dad's grandmother. The park has been owned and operated by the same family since the day it opened. I think that's impressive, especially considering the park had to weather things like the Great Depression. When the kids were younger, we used to go to Knoebels multiple times a year; we've been taking them there since 2010. 

Lately we've only been going on WVIA Day, which is usually the first weekend of May. We used to use all six free handstamps for family members (Paul's parents, niece, or nephew would be the ones to use any extras that we had). The last several years we've been letting the kids invite some friends to join them. Typically, they'd invite two friends, but last year I brought six kids to Knoebels. If the weather forecast looks good, then we also bring Milo. Many people bring their dogs with them to Knoebels. That's another way this park is different from most amusement parks. Once we realized that we'd have three nephews and one niece with us, we paid for another WVIA membership so that we'd have 10 wristbands for Knoebels and 6 lift tickets/ski rentals for Elk Mountain next January (compared to 6 wristbands and 4 ski packages that we've had for many years). Since the cousins that Nadia usually hangs out with were going to be in Ohio for Andrew's graduation, I encouraged her to invite 1-3 friends. She only invited Faith. If I had to do it over again, I'd have offered two wristbands to any of our friends if they had just met us there at the park. Usually, Paul and I would ride some rides, but because I was busy taking pictures and we had Milo and the kids no longer ride many of the rides we used to ride with them, Paul and I didn't end up riding a single ride. It was chillier than normal, which meant no one wanted to ride either of the two rides that involve water. However, there wasn't any rain in the forecast, which meant there were more people at the park on WVIA Day than there had been the last few years. The lines weren't ridiculous, but they were definitely longer. About ten rides weren't running, which also didn't help with the lines. Thankfully, all of the rollercoasters were running. The kids rode three of them multiple times - Twister, Impulse, and Phoenix. That morning we went to the first service at church, came home to change clothes, get Milo, and make sandwiches for lunch, and then we drove to Knoebels. We arrived a little after the park opened at noon. In the afternoon we bought a snack or a drink for anyone who wanted one, and shortly before the park closed at 6:00 we bought three large pizzas for the ten us of us to share. While we were at the park Yvonne and her family were driving back from Ohio. They arrived after 10pm. Jenna and Toby drove back home that night as they only live 90 minutes from us. Nine of the Towfighis left our home the next morning. 

The last time I wrote a gratitude list was April 15. Here are some things I've been thankful for over the last few weeks:

1. I love being outside in the spring. I enjoy seeing more birds, flowers, blossoms, green grass, etc. 

2. We got the piano tuned on April 20. Last year he replaced some strings, and those strings didn't stay in tune for long. I enjoy listening to Ian play the piano more now that it's all back in tune. Ian is currently practicing Flight of the Bumblebee, Rhapsody in Blue (Gershwin), and Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (Bach).

3. To celebrate my 54th birthday I had lunch with Cheri at Panera, breakfast with Tab at Dolly's Diner, and got some ice cream for the family from Old Mill Creamery. 

4. Ian was offered two jobs for the summer. He accepted the offer from Joyful Petcare and will start his training on May 28. 

5. Despite Ian being whacked in the face at the first performance and Nadia's face being burned by a curling iron the night of the second performance, all went well with the three performances of The Little Mermaid. Ian was hysterical as Chef Louis, and Nadia did a great job getting into her part as the sarcastic Mersister, Aquata. Eight Towfighis joined me in attending the first performance. Cheri joined Paul and I on Friday night. Paul's dad, Jenna, and Toby joined us on Saturday afternoon. The kids received various treats in their bags at each performance (candy, flowers, etc.). 

6. There was a brief break in the rain on April 25 which enabled me to take pictures of seven kids who went to the prom together. I was very thankful that Ian decided to go this year since it was Nadia's last prom. Ian borrowed Paul's shoes and dress shirt. I need to buy Ian a long sleeve white dress shirt as Paul's was too big for him around the neck. He wore his own black pants along with the green vest, tie, and suit jacket that he wore in the Wizard of Oz last year. They just barely fit him, but it was nice to be able to use them one more time. 

7. The boys and Paul enjoyed seeing the Super Mario Galaxy movie on April 26 while Nadia was at work. They ate my free birthday popcorn during the movie.

8. Seven of us enjoyed seeing Joshua at Sight and Sound on April 28, which was my 50th spiritual birthday. We also enjoyed lunch at Olive Garden including a free birthday dessert for me (black tie mousse cake).

9. Andrew has graduated from Cedarville, moved into his first apartment (in Ohio), and has started his first FT job. He's planning to stay in Ohio for about 18 months until his girlfriend graduates from college. My kids have never attended a graduation before. They were quite shocked at how boring these ceremonies are (I showed them part of the livestream so they could watch Andrew when he was on stage), and Ian was surprised to find out that Andrew is his middle name, ha ha! We enjoyed having four of his younger siblings with us for a few days. We spent time at the playground on Friday and Saturday and at Knoebels on Sunday. 

10. Yesterday I went for a walk with Ian's piano teacher for about 75 minutes. I always appreciate getting some exercise, but I also enjoy being able to talk with a friend, especially one I don't get to talk to at length very often. Similarly, I'm meeting another friend at Panera today. I see her even more infrequently. There are many weeks that the only people I talk to are those who live in my house (aside from pleasant greetings at the grocery store or church), so I always appreciate opportunities for lengthier conversations with my sisters and female friends. 

11. Ian's college classes came to an end on April 30. Despite a few missteps on his part (ex. not realizing an assignment was due by 11:59 pm and trying to submit it after midnight, forgetting to take a picture when we entered Sight and Sound for his humanities assignment, etc.), he earned an A in Humanities and a B+ in Old Testament this semester, which puts his cumulative GPA at Cedarville University at 3.675 (he's earned 12 credits total so far). Today I registered Ian for his fall classes at Cedarville - Introduction to Programming with C++ and a Physical Activity course (5 credits total). Next year I want him to begin taking some CLEP tests in addition to the dual enrollment classes.  

12. Nadia and Oliver are done for the school year. Nadia's Introduction to Research class doesn't technically end until May 15, but she submitted the final assignments and took her last test early due to our trip to Europe. Ian will hopefully finish English (King Lear) and Physics by May 8. He has the incentive of spending time with a friend on Saturday if he accomplishes those goals. He'll have until the end of June to finish Precalculus (he's currently finished 3/4 of the class through ASU). Normally I'm excited about the end of a school year although I know by August, I'll be itching to start the new year, but this year it's bittersweet since it means Nadia has graduated from high school. I look forward to seeing her soar at Liberty next year. 

13. I'm thankful that Aer Lingus was willing to change our flight to Manchester since they cancelled our flight to Liverpool and that it wasn't hard to change our rental car reservation. I'm also hoping the War in Iran is truly over because there was a significant risk of the airlines in Europe not having fuel by the time we'd be trying to fly home from Dublin on May 26. I wasn't in favor of the war from the start so naturally I've been praying for it to end ASAP. I think our country's track record after WWII has been pretty much a total disaster when it comes to our involvement in wars (Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan, etc.), which is why I wasn't at all keen on the idea of starting a war with Iran. Sadly, I'm not sure anything good came out of it, but I'm grateful it's hopefully over. I had hoped that Trump wouldn't start any wars just like he didn't during his first term, but unfortunately, that hasn't been the case this time around. Thankfully, I know the Lord is ultimately in control, which is very reassuring when I'm not liking the actions/words of our current President. 

14. I recently read a book that I really, really, really enjoyed called Theo of Golden. I hope Allen Levi writes more books in the future!

15. I've been elected to the school board at Meadowbrook Christian School. Praying that I can be a blessing to them over the next few years. I'm also hoping to begin leading a small group on Isaiah on Wednesday nights starting in September. So far three other couples (in addition to Paul and I) have said they'll join the group. Praying we get a few more people to join us between now and then. Another woman requested we do an OT prophecy book (because we're in the NT in Sunday School), and Paul asked for Isaiah in particular. I'm grateful for opportunities to serve. 

Almost done

Our school year is very close to being done. Oliver only needs to finish his final vocabulary lesson, and he'll be done with seventh grade. He finished physical science and math today. Yesterday we finished economics, which was a subject all three kids were doing together although only Ian and Nadia were taking the quizzes and tests. If I could go back in time, I would have bought the curriculum from Notgrass instead of Boundary Stone. Nadia finished 12th grade English last week, and she gave up on physics months ago. She isn't sure if she's going to attempt to pass the College Algebra CLEP test this summer. The kids will have two more art classes at MCS next week. Aside from those art classes, all Nadia really has left is to finish her Introduction to Research class. She wrote her final paper on quantitative research. She just has to complete a presentation and take the final exam. The course officially ends on May 15, but she's planning to complete it by May 8 since we're leaving for Europe on May 10. I will submit the paperwork for her to receive a Commonwealth Secondary School Diploma from the Department of Education in June. She has to be at least eighteen years old before we can submit the college transcripts for her HS diploma. Ian needs to finish reading King Lear by May 8, take one test and one semester exam in physics by May 8, and finish precalculus by June 30. He finished his Humanities course through Cedarville today. I want Oliver to keep reading every day. All three need to keep studying 1 and 2 Corinthians. Ian will keep practicing the piano every day. We'll keep watching World Watch News every day (M-F). Nadia needs to take her technology assessment for Liberty. I've already finished her high school transcript. Her cumulative unweighted GPA is 3.85. Speaking of "lasts," last night was Nadia's last night of going to youth group on a Wednesday night. She will be able to attend Bible quizzing practice on a Wednesday night three more times between now and the national competition in New York that starts on her birthday in June.

 On Tuesday seven of us traveled to Lancaster to see Sight & Sound's production of Joshua. Their special effects have come a long way over the last 14 years. I can't recall the first time I saw one of their productions, but it was definitely in the late 90's. The first time we went as a family was to see Jonah in 2012 to celebrate Nadia's fourth birthday. When Nadia was three, Jonah was definitely her favorite Bible story. I was pregnant with Oliver. Thankfully, the doctor allowed me to be discharged from the hospital and attend the show as long as I went by wheelchair. We've taken out kids there thirteen times altogether, but they've seen the same production twice (Noah in 2013 and 2025 and Moses in 2014 and 2023) so they've seen eleven shows there so far. Today they announced that next year they'll be doing Jonah again. Since I was pregnant with Oliver, Ian was 2.5 years old, and Nadia had just turned 4 when we saw Jonah in 2012, we're planning on seeing the show again next year. We'll make sure to go at a time of year when Nadia can join us. After the show, we all had a meal at Olive Garden. It turns out Paul's dad had never been to an Olive Garden before. I was pleasantly surprised that our bill (before tip) was less than $90 for seven people especially considering we purchased two additional take home meals (for Paul's dad and for Nadia) and they gave me a free dessert (black tie mousse cake) because we were there for my birthday. I figured it was close enough to my birthday (7 days later). We were too busy last week to go out to celebrate my birthday, and Tuesday was actually my 50th spiritual birthday. Ian and Oliver ordered from the kids' menu, and Cheri and I both got the soup, salad, and breadsticks option (which is cheaper than an entree), but still to spend only a little over $100 including the tip for a sit-down restaurant for 7 people (especially considering we also bought two chilled entrees). Nadia has eaten her leftovers and take-home entree the past two days, and she hasn't finished it yet. 

I've been working on next year's lesson plans and objectives. Sometime in May I need to go to the school district to get Ian's work permit, and I'm hoping to submit next year's objectives and unsworn declaration as well as the evaluations from our supervisor at the same time (if I have received them). Next year I'm planning on having both Ian and Oliver study biology and geography. It feels so strange not to be doing any lesson planning for Nadia.

I'm also almost done planning our vacation, which is good because we leave in ten days. My heart got a workout this morning after I read an email saying that our flight from Dublin to Liverpool had been cancelled. They had rescheduled us for a flight eight hours earlier in the day, which would basically mean we'd miss doing most of the activities we had planned to do in Dublin on May 11. The flight they switched us to is currently the only flight that day from Dublin to Liverpool on any airline. Thankfully, I came up with another solution. I called Aer Lingus, and they switched our flight to one that was leaving at the time I had originally chosen but is going to Manchester instead. I was able to change our rental car reservation so that we could pick it up in Manchester instead of Liverpool without any difficulty because I had booked it through credit card points. I looked into switching our first night of lodging from Liverpool to Manchester, but the reservation I had made using Alaskan Airlines miles was nonrefundable. So, we'll have a little more time on the road in the evening on May 11 (driving from the airport in Manchester to our apartment in Liverpool), but other than that the flight cancellation hasn't interfered with our plans. I'm hoping the rest of our flights will take place as scheduled. The kids are happy because I ended up booking a vehicle that is larger than the one that I had booked in November. 

What a week!

Last week was show week! Our kids played on a variety of athletic teams when they were younger, but that hasn't happened for a little over six years. Ian has piano recitals, but otherwise the big weeks for our kids are Bible quizzing nationals in June and show week for the musical.  On April 12 all five of us helped in the afternoon with moving the set into the auditorium. The kids had rehearsals every day from April 13-18 (some went until 10pm and one was over 7 hours long) as it was tech week. They got one day off (April 19) and then had dress rehearsals April 20-22. Theater kids from the local public school came to attend the dress rehearsal on April 22. I also attended that one because parents are allowed to take photos that night, which isn't possible during the actual performances. The theater director from that public high school told Ian that he had never seen a better performance of Chef Louis. 

The performances took place in the evening on April 23 and 24 and in the afternoon on April 25. Nine members of Yvonne's family came up in the evening on April 22 so that they could spend the day with us on April 23 and see the show that night. They left to return home in the morning on Friday. Paul stayed home to babysit Brendan when they attended the performance. Cheri joined Paul and I at the performance on Friday night. Toby, Jenna, and Paul's dad joined us on Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately, Grimsby whacked Ian in the face with his walking stick during the performance on Thursday night. Despite the fact that he was bleeding, Ian kept singing, running, and acting until his song was done. Once he was off-stage, a doctor who was in the audience looked at Ian (said he needed stitches). After he was bandaged up, Ian asked if he could return onstage for the finale. He slept in a recliner on Thursday night to help reduce the swelling in his chin. I bought him wax for his braces as the inside of his lip was also ripped up. On Friday his chin was rather swollen, but Ibuprofen and ice packs helped to bring the swelling down. Ian said he'd rather have a scar than stitches, so we didn't take him to a doctor. Honestly, I'm not sure they would have actually used stitches. His chin is still a little swollen, and as I write this, he has an ice pack on his lip, but it didn't stop him from participating in anything the last few days. He received a LOT of very positive feedback for his performance. He's already excited about being in Newsies next year, and I'm grateful that those performances will be taking place in March during Nadia's spring break at Liberty University, which means she will be able to see him perform! I'm not sure if Oliver will work backstage, be on stage again, or not participate at all in Newsies. Time will tell. The boys have decided to join the school's chess club that meets on Thursdays from 3-4pm.

Ian and Nadia also attended the homeschool prom last night. It was Nadia's second time attending a prom, and it was also her last since she's a senior. It was Ian's first time attending a prom. I think Oliver will be our only child who will likely attend the prom four years in a row. He would have gone this year if he was old enough to participate. Due to rushing to get ready after the Little Mermaid matinee performance, the photo shoot was more rushed this year. We were very grateful we could do it outside because it rained most of the day. The kids got ready at the Seibert's house, and Dave drove the seven kids to and from the prom. Originally, we thought we'd have nine kids going together this year, but one girl decided to join other homeschoolers, and Joey ended up not going to the prom. The five girls who went together this year also went together last year. Nathaniel and Ian were the only boys from our group. Last year the only boys were Isaiah and Nathaniel. Isaiah graduated from high school last year. Nadia said the kids danced a lot more than they did last year. Ian said he won't go to the prom next year, but he will go his senior year because Oliver will be able to go that year. 

Ian had his second job interview last week. He had an interview on February 3 with Camp Susque, and they did offer him a job as SIT this summer, but he turned that down because he decided he'd rather work at Joyful Petcare. He had an interview with Joy (Nadia's boss) on Tuesday morning. I need to get his work permit from the public school because he will be starting his first job (kennel assistant) on May 28. 

Finally, I turned 54 years old on Tuesday. Cheri took me to lunch at Panera on Tuesday, and Tab took me out for breakfast on Wednesday. Wendy gave me two foldable foam mattresses which the Towfighis used last week and will use when they visit us again this week. Yvonne gave me some money towards a new winter coat. She knows I haven't been a fan of my ski coat, which my mom got me in the late 1980's. Most of those decades I only wore it when I went skiing, so I didn't really care if I wasn't fond of it. However, I've been wearing it far more often over the last five years when I walk for a few miles in the winter. I've found the coat to be hideous for about 40 years, so Yvonne decided it was time for me to have a coat I don't dislike. Greatly appreciated! Paul's gift was another recliner for our family room. Ian had been using mine (the one I bought in 1994) instead of the beanbag I got him, so I had been sitting on the couch, and I greatly prefer my recliner. The beanbag was relocated to Oliver's room, and Ian can now use the new recliner, which means I get my old recliner back again. Paul had offered to take me out to dinner, but due to our crazy schedule last week, I opted to buy 1.5 gallons of ice cream from Old Mill Creamery, which we hadn't had in over a year. The kids and I all love their peanut butter Oreo ice cream. It's more expensive than what we usually buy, but it was a delicious birthday treat! 

The last eight months I have taken very few pictures (aside from at Jenna's wedding where I made up for lost time), but I took almost 100 pictures on Wednesday night at the dress rehearsal and took about 70 pictures during the prom photo shoot on Saturday night, so I have no lack of pictures to choose between for this post! Our vacation is around the corner, so my camera won't be gathering any dust in May. Bit by bit I've continued to finalize the plans for our vacations. Last week I found out that we won't be able to visit the Parliament while we are in London. So far there have been four things that have been scratched from the UK trip. I added the Tower Bridge into the schedule once I realized we can't visit the Parliament. Paul and I did the Tower Bridge in 2002, but it will be a first experience for our kids, and we were already going to do the Tower of London that day. 

This week won't be as crazy of a week as last week was, but it's still a week filled with some special activities. Paul and the boys finally went to AMC to see the new Mario movie (that outing had been rescheduled multiple times), and since it is my birthday month, they enjoyed a free large popcorn. Tuesday we're heading to Lancaster to see Joshua at Sight and Sound. The Towfighis will be coming back on Thursday night. Some of them are then heading to Ohio on Friday morning, and four of the kids will be staying with us for a few days including a trip to Knoebels with us on Sunday. 

She's registered!

Nadia and her friend, Maddie from when they attended a Josiah Queen concert together

 I have gotten in the habit of putting it in my calendar when I need to make a reservation for something. Sometimes I only am aware of the earliest date I can make a reservation, but other times I am also aware of the specific time I need to be online if I want to have a chance to get the tickets. I knew that the tickets for the Ford Island bus tour at Pearl Harbor and also the Big Ben tour tickets would disappear within an extremely short period of time. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out what precise time I needed to get the tickets for the Eiffel Tower. Thankfully, I was still able to get ones to the second floor, but the summit was sold out. I knew that the Kilmainham Gaol tickets were released 28 days in advance, so I attempted to get some on Monday for May 11. Sadly, I hadn't realized that the tickets are released at midnight (Dublin time). It would have been easy for me to get them on Sunday night at 7:00 pm, but I had no idea they sell out extremely quickly every day. Since we're only spending one day in Dublin, it was easy for me to pick something else to do instead. I've known for a while that Nadia's class registration for the Fall 2026 semester would open on April 15, but I only found out yesterday the exact time it would open - 12:01 am. They don't have morning people in mind with that schedule! I asked Paul to wake me up a little before midnight so I could register Nadia for her classes. I finished the task around 12:45, and then it took me until 2:00 am to fall back asleep. By next month she will have earned 50 college credits (20 through Grand Canyon University and 30 through Liberty University). Over the next three years she's hoping to earn a BS in Zoology and Wildlife Biology and minors in Psychology and Photography.  I signed her up for Chemistry, Biology, History of Life, Probability and Statistics, and a one credit university seminar that new students must take. Altogether those add up to fifteen credits, which will be the most she's ever taken in one semester, but of course the last three years she's been taking both high school AND college classes, whereas she'll only be taking college classes next year. 

Here are some things I'm thankful for today:

1. I love the warmer temps (although I don't need it to be in the 80's in April), and I love seeing all the beautiful flowers, green grass, and blossoms on the trees. Gorgeous! 

2. The kids and I packed food at Experience Missions on April 8. We started doing this in the fall of 2020, and given Nadia is about to go to college, this was probably her last time helping at this ministry. The project manager (Paul) says that we should cross over the line of packing the one millionth meal this fall (taken six years to accomplish that feat). We are experts at putting vitamins, dried vegetables, rice, and lentils in a bag. :) While we were there that day, Paul gave me a large container of coins to separate, count, and roll. I deposited the rolled coins into Experience Missions' bank account on Monday morning. As proof that I counted a LOT of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters - the total came to $541.32. I did keep the foreign coins I spotted separate, and I also kept a 1941 silver dime separate as it's worth more than ten cents. I'll give those back to Paul the next time I see him. 

3. On the last day of co-op, I received gifts from two students. One family gave us a board game which was about the National Parks! What a great idea they had! We played it for the first time on Friday night. Another student gave us some candy, a candle, brownie mix, and a dish towel. We appreciate their thoughtfulness! 

4. Paul enjoyed attending a men's prayer breakfast at church on April 11. It was his first time attending one of those, but he plans to attend more of them in the future. 

5. Ian was offered a job to be a SIT at Camp Susque this summer. He turned down that job offer because he decided he'd rather work at the kennel. Nadia's boss will be interviewing Ian in the near future. 

6. Paul and I haven't taken any ballroom dancing lessons for the last five months, but this week we decided to sign up for two classes that will take place in June and July. In one class we'll do eight weeks of intermediate rumba, and in the other class we'll do four weeks of beginning shag and four weeks of beginning bachata. We've done the rumba before, but the other two will be first time experiences. 

7. We got a new window above the kitchen sink and a new sliding glass door on Monday. They both look SO much better than the ones that were removed. I finished painting in the family room, but we haven't finished painting in the kitchen yet. 

8. Nadia earned A's in the first two college classes that she took this semester (Earth Science and Theology). Her research class doesn't end for another month. Ian's Old Testament class ends this week. I don't know what grade he'll earn, but I am very grateful that he'll be done with one class so that will hopefully give him more time to work on Precalculus through ASU and also for studying I Corinthians for Bible quizzing. 

9. Ian played the piano for youth worship last Wednesday, and he received positive feedback from both of the adults who were leading the youth worship that night. Even though we don't often sing hymns at church, his piano teacher has been teaching him how to improvise when playing hymns. This week he's been working on Victory in Jesus along with songs by Bach and Gershwin. 

10. Nadia continues to enjoy her friendship with Maddie. They do a variety of things together - go shopping, go for a walk, do a Bible study together at a coffee shop, get frozen yogurt, etc. Last week they made a run to Wendy's on a day they were giving customers a free frosty and a free small fry. Both girls will be attending Liberty in the fall. 

11. The directors revealed last Saturday that next year's musical will be Newsies. They had given the kids a "bracket" that contained I think 16 different musicals and gradually had eliminated ones from the competition. Nadia from the beginning had correctly predicted it would be Newsies. Oliver's first choice from the list was Frozen, and Ian's first choice was Matilda, but Ian is fine with Newsies. Lydia (from our co-op who is also in the musicals at MCS) was hoping for Frozen or Newsies so I'm certain she's also happy with the outcome.  I hope Nadia is able to see Ian in Newsies next year! I am planning on signing Ian up for some voice lessons now that I know he enjoys having a solo in a musical.

He is Risen!

 

I used to take pictures of the kids every year on Easter. That habit fell by the wayside somewhere along the way. I also used to buy Nadia a new dress for Easter when she was younger back when it was possible to shop in a store like JCPenney or Sears. This year I decided to order Nadia a dress on Amazon. Our former senior pastor retired in 2021, and over the past almost five years that Pastor Brandon has been the senior pastor, there has been a definite shift towards more casual dress on Sundays. Although Nadia had worn (dressy) pants to church in the past, she didn't switch to wearing jeans (with a sweater or something along that line) until more recently. I personally haven't worn blue jeans to church on a Sunday morning, but it's pretty common these days. Easter is a different story. People still get dressed up for church on Easter Sunday. I have to say I enjoyed seeing all the dresses, dress shirts, ties, etc. Nadia does wear a dress once a week at Camp Susque in the summer, and she might have occasions to wear this new dress while she's in college so hopefully today won't be the only day she wears it. I thought she looked beautiful! It is a short sleeve dress. Yesterday it was almost 80 degrees out, but today it was much colder, so she wore a jean jacket with it, which I thought looked nice together. Our Sunday School class was cancelled today, so we gave the kids the choice of which service they wanted to attend. Nadia asked for the 10:45 service as she likes to sleep in. I gave the kids the day off of school on Friday, but Nadia couldn't sleep in as she had to be at work at 7:30 am. Milo doesn't like being left home alone so I'm sure he was glad we were home more today than we usually are on a Sunday. I planned to stop at the park on the way to church to take a picture, but it was raining. Thankfully, it wasn't raining as we got near the park on our way home. Paul's dad joined us for dinner and games. The six of us played Bubble Talk and Telestrations. Ian beat Pop Pop in a game of chess while Nadia was at work this afternoon. Both boys played Labyrinth with Pop Pop. Paul joined the three of them for a game of poker. I think everyone had a good day. 

Today I'm thankful for:

1. The love of Jesus that led Him to die for my sins. He rose from the grave! Hallelujah! 

2. Normally Ian and Nadia go to the youth service at 9:00 and to the main worship service at 10:45. This means that Oliver is usually the only one who joins Paul and I for the 9:00 service. They didn't offer a youth service today so the five of us sat together today, which I really enjoyed. The music was outstanding today. After the sermon a male quartet led us in singing "Arise my Love" which is a song that I really love. Tears were streaming down my face multiple times in church this morning (happy tears). 

3. The boys enjoyed playing baseball with some of their friends at a birthday celebration for Daniel on March 22. 

4. The boys and Paul enjoyed seeing the movie Project Hail Mary on March 24. Tickets on Tuesdays and Wednesdays are only $4.24 each, and I used part of a gift card that Toby's parents gave me as a thank you for the wedding photos to get a gift card to AMC, so the outing didn't actually cost us any money. Nadia prefers to read a book before seeing a movie based on a book. She's reading the book now, but that's why she didn't see it at the theater.

5. Nadia and Ian enjoyed seeing a dress rehearsal performance (of a local public school) of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with other cast members from The Little Mermaid.

6. Nadia and I were able to attend Jillian's sixteenth birthday tea party. 

7. The kids enjoyed attending Winter Jam at PSU with the youth group on March 28. 

Faith took this very creative shot of Nadia during photography class at co-op last week!

8. I was able to help out at Experience Missions on April 1. A local Mexican restaurant provided a free meal for the volunteers that day. Yum! The kids appreciated that I brought treats home for them that evening - a free iced coffee from Dunkin (thanks to an April Fool's promo code) and blizzards from DQ for the boys (one of which only cost $0.99 thanks to a coupon). I enjoyed a free cup of custard from Rita's thanks to another coupon. Yum! 

9. We were able to focus on Jesus' death at the Good Friday service.

10. We had fun playing Taboo together on Saturday night. We don't have family fun night every single week, but we achieve that goal most weeks, for which I am thankful. 

11. A couple of weeks ago I resumed working on the project of painting the stained trim in the kitchen. In eight days, we are scheduled to have one kitchen window replaced (it's been broken for several years) and also the sliding glass door replaced. I thought it would be a good goal to finish painting the walls in the kitchen as well as painting the trim. I'm not sure if we'll achieve that goal because Paul has been fixing some cracks which is quite an undertaking. So, I switched gears on Friday and began tackling the family room. I did two of the windows and began painting the walls in that room. Tomorrow is another day off of school for our family, so I'm hoping to finish painting the room tomorrow. I also got new window treatments for the five windows in the kitchen and family room. We've lived in this house for almost eighteen years, and these were two rooms I hadn't previously painted or changed the window treatments. I am not sure if I'm crazy about the curtains I got for the two family room windows, but I really love the ones I got for the three kitchen windows. Paul helped with installing curtain rods for two of the windows. 

12. Although the weather was chilly and blustery today, we've had some really nice weather recently (even in the high 70's). I love the warmer weather. Milo doesn't share my opinion, ha ha! 

13. My nephew, Joshua, had a major facial reconstruction/jaw surgery on Monday. I'm grateful that it was a success and that the worst part of the recovery process is behind him although he's by no means out of the woods yet. 

14. We've had another good session of co-op. Sixteen kids have been part of our group this spring. This Tuesday will be our tenth (and final) day of class for this session. I try to find something special to do on the last day of each session, and this time I've made plans for our group to head up to AMC after lunch to see A Great Awakening that was produced by Sight and Sound. The main characters are Ben Franklin and George Whitefield. It's been over a year since Nadia or I entered a movie theater, but only two weeks since the boys saw a movie. They would have preferred that I had chosen the new Mario movie, but the good news is that Paul plans to take them to see it next week. As much as we enjoy hosting co-op at our house, I'm also looking forward to a break. We plan to resume in September. Nine kids from our co-op (including Nadia and Ian) are planning to go to the prom together on April 25. Nadia is thrilled that I convinced Ian to go. :)

Oliver DOES know how to smile, but I don't have much success capturing those smiles lately.

Cinderella's Closet

 

A photo Nadia took years ago that we recently downloaded from the camera

Last year was the first time Nadia attended a prom. We (five girls and some of their moms) shopped for prom dresses at the Cinderella's Closet at the YWCA last year. Last year four of the girls got their dresses there (for free!). This year I suggested that we have lunch at Panera prior to shopping to make the outing more special since it's Nadia's senior year. Three of the girls plus their moms had lunch at Panera, and four girls plus four moms shopped at Cinderella's Closet. The cost was $18 for each girl, which is very reasonable for a prom dress plus a pair of shoes. Nadia was hoping for a blue dress this year, and we found one that fits her perfectly. I think she looks beautiful in it! I'm planning to do a photoshoot for the 7 kids again this year (5 girls and two boys). Isaiah won't be in the group pictures this year as he's currently a freshman at Cedarville, but his younger brother (Joey) will be going for the first time this year. The other six kids went to the prom together last year. 

Here are some things I'm grateful for today:

1. Cooper spent 27 days with us. He went home on Tuesday. We are happy to help out our friends by caring for him while they're away, but we're also grateful to be back to having just one dog. Cooper went to the vet today, and she thinks he has an aggressive cancer. The vet doesn't recommend operating on him. Thankfully so far Cooper doesn't seem to be in any pain. Hoping he won't have to suffer much and that his family will know when the time has come to end his suffering. 

2. Nadia attended a Josiah Queen concert in Pittsburgh on Tuesday with her friend Maddie. Maddie's parents bought two tickets for the girls and drove them to and from Pittsburgh. Nadia didn't get home until 2:15 am as Pittsburgh is more than 3 hours from our house. I'm thankful for the many Christian friends that Nadia has. She and Maddie are both going to be attending Liberty in the fall. They've been meeting at least once a week to do a Bible study at a coffee shop, and other times they go shopping, bake cookies, or do watercolor together. It was Nadia's first-time seeing Josiah Queen in concert. She also would have loved to see Forrest Frank, but she'll be working at Camp Susque when he's going to be in concert in Hershey in June. I contemplated just getting tickets for the boys but changed my mind when I saw the price of the tickets. Paul and I aren't keen on his music, but I'll try to see if the boys or all three kids can see him at some point. 

3. The Eiffel Tower releases tickets 60 days in advance. I wasn't aware of what time they are released each day. Evidently, I should have gotten online earlier yesterday to get our tickets. When I tried to purchase them, I discovered I couldn't get any for the summit. Almost all of the 2nd floor tickets (via the elevator) were also sold out. I was stunned to see that the only time slot that still had tickets available was at 5:30pm, which was the exact time slot I was hoping to get. Thank you, Lord! Paul and I have already been to the top, and the boys didn't seem to care. Nadia was a little disappointed, but at least we are going to the Eiffel Tower. I have made some reservations for some of our dinners on this trip, and that is something I've never done on a vacation before. Although a lot of the planning has already been completed, I still have things to do over the next less than 2 months including making parking reservations and buying a few more tickets to things (ex. still waiting for the Parliament to open tour reservations for May). 

4. Ian had to visit an art museum for his humanities class this semester. The options for art museums within 30 minutes of our house are those connected to a university. I told Ian what the options were, and he chose to go to an exhibit by Lycoming College yesterday. As an added perk, the artist was there for a reception (which included some free food). It was challenging to spend a full hour there, but we did as that's one of the requirements. This artist isn't exactly going to be one of our favorites, but we made a memory. Since yesterday was the first day of spring, we got free small ices at Rita's before we went to the gallery. Usually that involves standing in a long line, but I think the rain kept people away and we didn't have to wait at all! I also use a coupon for a free Blizzard at DQ as a treat for Ian after the art gallery. We had dessert before dinner instead of afterwards. His first arts experience was attending a concert by a symphony orchestra. He enjoyed that more than the art exhibit, and I'm confident we'll all enjoy seeing Joshua at Sight and Sound next month which will count as his "drama" experience for the class. 

Nadia took this with her phone recently while walking near our home

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. 

Fourth Quarter

 

We have officially entered the fourth quarter of our school year. The kids have already finished their Life of Fred books (Pre-Algebra with Physics for Oliver and Trigonometry for Nadia and Ian). Some subjects won't be wrapped up until May 7. I had planned on having Nadia and Ian read The Scarlet Letter and That Hideous Strength during the fourth quarter. Nadia read That Hideous Strength during the third quarter instead of Crime and Punishment. Ian is still going to read That Hideous Strength, but Nadia has opted to read Hamlet instead of Crime and Punishment. Both of them have selected Dracula instead of The Scarlet Letter. I still plan to have Ian read The Scarlet Letter sometime in 11th or 12th grade, but it seems unlikely Nadia will ever end up reading that book as she doesn't need to take any literature courses at Liberty. Oliver is currently reading Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan, and his other book for the fourth quarter will be The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum. He read six books from The Chronicles of Narnia in addition to A Wrinkle in Time during the first three quarters of seventh grade. 

Technically our last day of school won't be until May 25 because of the "field trips" we'll be taking in Europe in May. For months they've been showing availability to take one (expensive) tour of Buckingham Palace through the end of March, and then they had far more options starting in July. Yesterday they finally had tickets available for the expensive tour in May. Paul really wanted to go to Buckingham Palace. He didn't want to see the changing of the guard (which is free). We didn't go there when we were in London in 2002, and since Paul and I will probably never be in England again, Paul was willing to splurge. Most of the places we are visiting in May will not be "repeats" for Paul and me. I think the Tower of London will be our only repeat in the United Kingdom, and we'll visit four places we've already been during our one day in Paris. 

I only have two months left of homeschooling a daughter. The time has flown by. She is very excited about her new upcoming adventure. She and Maddie went shopping for clothes recently, and they got matching peasant skirts that they are both planning to wear on the first day of the semester at Liberty in August. In terms of my years of having at least one child at home (who hasn't yet graduated from high school), almost eighteen of the twenty-three years have been completed. I'm in the "last quarter" of my years as the mom of a baby, toddler, preschooler, or homeschooler. Nadia is taking three courses through Liberty this semester. The only math she's doing right now is preparing to take the College Algebra CLEP test. The only subjects I'm giving her a grade in this semester are economics and English. I had intended for her to do physics this year with Ian, but she really doesn't like physics, already had enough science credits for high school, and if she doesn't want to go to graduate school, she doesn't need to take physics in her undergraduate program. 

I've started to put a little bit of thought into plans for the next school year. It will be strange only having two kids at home. Oliver and Ian are not accustomed to doing science together, but I'm planning on having them both do biology next year and do the dissections with the coop in the fall. I think next year will be the only year the two boys do science together because Ian wants to do forensic science during his senior year, and I think Oliver will do general science when he's in 9th grade. I did Fix it Grammar with Nadia and Ian and had been doing it with Oliver, but it wasn't working this year with him, so I switched to the Giggly Guide to Grammar, which was a good fit, but it's just one book. This week I chose another grammar book for Oliver to do next year. I never did a vocabulary textbook with Nadia or Ian, but I started having him use Wordly Wise this year, and I plan to continue that next year. For social studies, I decided to have the boys do a year of World Geography by Notgrass. I used a Notgrass book for the first time in the fall (government), and I liked it. I'm not as crazy about the Basic Economics books I chose for this semester. Previously the kids had done four volumes of Mystery of History and four volumes of The Story of the World. For math Ian will do calculus (Life of Fred), and Oliver will do Pre-Algebra through Teaching Textbooks. One school related thing that will be new next year is that it looks like I'll be starting a three-year term on the MCS school board.

We have had at least one guinea pig in our house since December 2016. Most of the years we had two guinea pigs. Our time with Lily came to an unexpected end on Sunday. We have been dog sitting Cooper for fifteen days (he'll be with us for ten more days). Unfortunately, while we were at church on Sunday he pushed open Nadia's bedroom door, dismantled the guinea pig cage, and killed Lily. It was so shocking and heartbreaking. We know he was just acting on instinct, but it was very sad. Cooper has been in our house many months over the last 2+ years, so it really caught us off guard. If Nadia wasn't about spend the summer at Camp Susque and then move to Virginia in August, we'd get a replacement guinea pig for her but given how little time she has left at home and the fact that she was the only one who interacted with the guinea pig, we are not replacing Lily. Milo is our only pet. There's an elderly couple that lives near our home who has a 16.5-year-old Bichon Frise. Hopefully Milo will also live a long life and not have an untimely death like Lily did. Other unexpected (but much happier) news would be that my dad has recently become engaged. He and Karen are planning to get married this summer. The other unexpected, happy news is that my sister is expecting her tenth child. I say "unexpected" because my sister is 51 years old. I think my dad's third wedding and my sister's tenth delivery might both take place in July. Life is full of so many twists and turns.