Chauffeur

As a mom I have a variety of job descriptions including housecleaner, chef, teacher, travel agent, lawn mower, laundress, shopper, photographer, event planner, financial planner, etc. Some moms have a lengthier job description. For example, my friend, Tab, raises chickens for meat, keeps chickens for eggs, gardens, and cans fruits and veggies from their gardens and fruit trees. In the summer, one that takes up more of my time than it typically does the rest of the year is chauffeur. It's not exactly my favorite task, but it's also not the worst (cleaning up vomit would be an example of something that is definitely worse). For example, on Monday I drove Nadia and Ian to theatre camp and stopped at the library and Walmart on the way home, drove Oliver to an orthodontist appointment, and stopped at Aldi and Surplus Oultlet on my way to pick up Nadia and Ian from theatre camp. Altogether Oliver and I were in the van for more than two hours yesterday. Ian and Nadia only spent about 40 minutes of that time in the van. Oliver had orthodontist appointments two weeks in a row, but he will only have one in July and so far, only has one scheduled in August. The kids are signed up for 15 days of theatre camp this summer, and today is the 8th day. The other two weeks that the kids have camp it's for overnight camp, which means far less driving. Nadia and Ian are too old for VBS. Our neighbor took Oliver to the VBS at our church, and I'm planning to take him to another VBS in July. Our schedule in June and July has been/will be pretty full, but August looks like it will be a lot more laid back.  Two weeks in July we will have cousins visiting us! Wendy and two of her girls are coming next week, and then we're doing a cousin swap with some of Yvonne's kids the third week of July. 

Yesterday I took Nadia for her annual physical. She grew 2.25 inches over the last year. She'll have to grow another 2.5 inches to be as tall as I am now (she'd have to grow 3 inches taller to reach the height I was when I was 12 as I already shrank 1/2 an inch). Time will tell! I am assuming that Oliver will be taller than me some day. She didn't need to get any shots. We had to wear masks. I think it was the first time Nadia wore a mask this year. We no longer have to wear them at the dentist office, but it seems the doctor's office is a different story. On our way to picking up Nadia and Ian at 5:00pm, Oliver and I stopped and got pizza. After we got Nadia and Ian, we drove to a state park we used to visit regularly when they had a naturalist who did many programs for homeschoolers, but we haven't been there for several years. A homeschool mom organized a "paint your pet" event. Nadia painted Peppa and Jenna on a canvas, and Ian painted a picture of Milo. Oliver wore his bathing suit but decided the water was too cold. He and I walked around the park some. 

Below you will find the video I made this past weekend that includes pictures and videos from the past 12 months of Nadia's life. I can't believe she's already fourteen years old!

14 Years Old!

My daughter has been a teenager for a full year, and she's about to start high school! She wears the same size shoes as I do, but I still am a couple of inches taller than her. She still enjoys playing with Barbie dolls, listening to Adventures in Odyssey, reading, wearing earrings that feature different animals, listening to Christian contemporary music, spending time with friends, swimming, ice skating, spending time with cousins, skiing, watching shows on the iPad, and being in dramatic productions. She hasn't been playing any instruments, but she is planning to resume singing in a youth chorale in September. If it were up to her, we'd own far more pets. We currently own two guinea pigs and a dog, and that's more than enough for me. At the moment she's thinking she might like to study Animal Sciences, Marine Biology, or something along those lines when she's in college. She'll be receiving report cards for the first time in her life this next school year. All of her friends are from church. Her closest friends are also on the Bible quizzing team. I had no intention of signing her up for the drama class at the homeschool co-op next year because tech week was pretty much torture for me, but I did because she really wanted to be in their production again next year. If you needed evidence that I love her very much, the fact that I signed her up for it again could be exhibit A! She doesn't wear eyeglasses, and unlike her two brothers hasn't had any orthodontic work done in her mouth. Wearing a watch is still very important to her. She almost always has nail polish on her fingernails and toenails, but she doesn't wear make-up yet. She has been doing Duolingo every day for about a year. She often opts to skip eating breakfast, and she would love it if she could have a salad every single day at lunch or dinner. The majority of the time she has a grilled Swiss cheese sandwich for lunch. 

We started her birthday celebrations early because we needed to schedule it when Faith was at her mom's house. On June 3, Jill and Faith came over to our house for lunch after Bible quizzing practice. Faith stayed until 5pm. Jill stayed until 9:15 the next morning. The girls and I had chicken wraps and fruit pizza for dinner. Nadia also started receiving some of her birthday presents earlier than usual. We bought her an interactive Hermoine wand at Universal Studios on May 24 and gave her the iPhone that had belonged to Paul's mom on June 15. She has been eagerly anticipating owning her own cell phone! I had previously been inclined to wait until she was sixteen to give her a phone, but it seems most kids don't even have to wait until they are fourteen to have their own phone. We bought her a turtle phone case for the phone. I have no idea how my mother-in-law managed to keep her screen intact without a case! We haven't decided when we will actually get her a phone number. For now, she's only able to use apps when she has wi-fi. Today she received some books and a For King and Country sweatshirt from her parents, a bag of Sun Chips from Oliver, a book from Ian, a book from Rachel, and a book, lamp, and pair of earrings from Grandpa and Gubba. Pop Pop is taking her shopping for a new desk chair tomorrow afternoon. Several months ago after she purchased a loft bed, we moved a desk from our bedroom into her bedroom which is the reason a chair and lamp were on her wish list this year in addition to earrings and books.

I've tried to make this week special for our birthday girl. On Monday we drove to Bonanza to have dinner after Nadia and Ian's theatre camp rehearsal was over, but it turned out they were closed for a company picnic. We will try again this coming Monday. On Tuesday I used a coupon for a free hot chocolate from Dunkin for her. I had planned to get stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut today, but that's what we ended up getting on Monday once we found out Bonanza was closed. We only get pizza from Pizza Hut once a year. Today I will treat the kids to frozen yogurt at Sweet Frog, and Wednesday morning they had donuts from Dunkin. Paul's dad is coming up to our house tomorrow, and Nadia has requested that I make baked ziti and a cheesecake for dinner tomorrow. I also bought her ham and cheese hot pockets on Monday afternoon, so her lunches have been special this week. 

Nadia and Ian were on the winning team in the B division

Bible quizzing teams plus their three coaches

Thankful Thursday

 

1. Our church sent two Bible quizzing teams to Nationals last week. One of the teams was undefeated in the A division, and the other team (which Nadia and Ian were on) was undefeated in the B division. As for the written portion of the event, four of our quizzers finished in the top nine places. Nadia came in 15th (out of 33), and Ian finished 25th. As for the team competition, Nadia was ranked 13 in the prelims, and Ian was 24th. In the individual portion of the competition, Nadia was ranked 23 in the prelims, and Ian was 26th. They both had a wonderful time and are looking forward to participating again next year. I'm hoping they will both put more effort into preparing next year. I was very thankful that everything went smoothly, and they came home safely late on Sunday night. 

2. On Saturday I took Oliver, Westyn, Addi, and their mom to Black Moshannon State Park. Unfortunately, the temps dropped thirty degrees on Saturday. We were freezing in the morning. Oliver's first two classes were archery and kayaking. After we ate lunch on a picnic table, we piled into the van and cranked up the heat as high as it would go. Thankfully the sun peeked through the clouds after lunch and that made all the difference. It was still in the 50's, but we were comfortable. Oliver's afternoon classes were on fire safety and campfire cooking. He loved eating various foods that were cooked over the fire!

3. In the first 20 days of my diet I lost 6 pounds! I'm happy to be headed in the right direction.

4. Our neighbor has been taking Oliver and her two kids to VBS at our church in the morning this week. Nadia, Ian, and I meet them in the park where they have Kid's Cafe before we head to Lewisburg to take Nadia and Ian to theatre camp. Oliver is excited because tomorrow the 4th and 5th graders will be using water inflatables at VBS. Ian, Nadia, and I would have volunteered to help with the VBS if it weren't that it's also the first week of their theatre camp. I am trying not to overload our schedule.

5. I signed Ian up for this theater camp without asking him if he wanted to participate. Nadia has been in this theater camp the past two years. Some years I had a lengthy drive to get Nadia to theater camp. In light of the cost of gas, I'm very grateful it's not too far. The camp is also very affordable - $60 per student for 40 hours of camp. Taking the kids to and from camp will cost about $100 in gasoline over the two weeks. The director of the camp spoke very highly of how well Ian is doing when I dropped them off on Wednesday and again when I picked him up. He must have done well with his audition because he was given a decent part even though she had never met him before. I'm looking forward to seeing their show next week!

6. Oliver began his orthodontic treatment on Monday afternoon when they put spacers in his mouth. I brought the pricing information they had given me last year, and thankfully they honored it even though their prices have gone up 27%. I am grateful!!

7. Although I love homeschooling my children, I am enjoying the summer break. I'm still doing the laundry, cooking, cleaning, and yard work, but I have more time for chatting with friends on the phone, taking Milo for walks, reading, and working on learning Spanish through Duolingo. I also have been doing some planning for the next school year. For example, this week I ordered the supplies Nadia and Ian will need for their biology labs (prepared slides for the microscope, dissection tools, etc.). 

8. Cheri met Oliver and I at a playground on Tuesday, and we walked and talked for about 90 minutes.

9. I'm thankful that our fathers are both Christians who love their children and grandchildren. I'm very thankful that Paul has been a father for 14 years. The kids each made him a card. I made him rigatoni and meatballs, as that is one of his favorite meals. I also bought him some peanut M&M's and made a double batch of one of his favorite cookies (Heath bar). I'm the most thankful for our Heavenly Father!

Life Lists

Plane used on D-Day

My brother was an avid birder and as is true of many birders, he maintained a life list of all of the birds he had seen. My nephew, Adam, has more recently become an avid hiker and birder. I've been keeping some other life lists for my kids. I wish I had kept a list of all of the children's museums and science museums the kids have been to. We have visited thirty-eight states plus DC and Ontario so far. Our goal is that the kids will visit the other twelve states over the next four years; we might also go to Puerto Rico. If COVID hadn't made international travel more difficult, we'd have kept our plans to spend more time in Canada. Hopefully we can do so in the future if COVID tests and vaccinations are no longer required at some point. Other countries we are hoping to visit over the next four years include Guatemala, Ecuador, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. 

The kids have been to twenty-six different amusement parks so far, and I think we should hit at least thirty before Nadia graduates. I'm thinking that the next ones to be added to the list might be Six Flags St. Louis, Kennywood, King's Dominion, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, and Six Flags Fiesta Texas. 

The kids have each earned approximately 140 Junior Ranger badges, but they earned about half of those at home. They have been to seventy-one National Park sites in person so far. We have plans to visit nineteen more in September. There are more badges that they could earn at home. As far as visiting National Park sites in person, I think we might visit 150 total by the time Nadia graduates from high school. I haven't given any thought to where we might go in Hawaii, but I am thinking that we might visit Denali and Kenai Fjords in Alaska. The kids should each definitely be able to achieve the goal of earning between 200-250 Junior Ranger badges. I told them that when they earn their 200th badge or patch, I will give them $50. 

I also have been keeping a record of the chapter books that we've read or listened to together. The Candymakers and the Great Chocolate Chase was our 888th read aloud although that includes 51 books that we read more than once. I told the kids we'd do something special to celebrate when we finish our 1,000th book, but I'm not sure yet what that will be. I'm guessing we'll hit that mark sometime in 2023. I began reading chapter books aloud in December 2012, which means we've been averaging almost 100 books a year. 

Inside of the large airplane pictured above

Here are some things I am giving thanks for today:

1. We were able to spend a long weekend in Delaware; we are making progress toward our goal to visit every state! I would recommend The Dover Green (part of the First State National Park) and the Air Command Mobility Center (on the Air Force Base) if you are ever in Dover. Both sites were free and the tour guides at both locations were excellent. I found myself welling up with tears as we sat inside an airplane used on D-Day. If I could go back in time, I'd have picked something else to do in Wilmington before seeing Matilda, but as long as we use our zoo membership elsewhere over the next year, it won't have been a poor financial decision. 

2. Milo was a very good boy at the neighbor's house in our absence. It's such a relief to know he is handling our trips much better than he did last fall, and it's so convenient having our neighbor care for him. They very generously refused the money we offered them on Sunday evening when we returned. I'm going to take two of their kids on some fun outings this summer as a way of showing our gratitude.

3. Nadia and Ian are in South Carolina with our church's Bible quizzing team. Xandir came over for an eight hour play date yesterday. The boys played at our home, ate a delicious free lunch prepared by the local fire company at the playground, and swam for three hours. 

4. I lost four pounds in the first two weeks of my diet. Four down and nineteen more to go.

5. Paul and I have been enjoying watching episodes of All Creatures Great and Small via a PBS app together. Aside from The Chosen, it's been several years since he and I watched a show together, and this year we found two shows on PBS that we both enjoy (Around the World in 80 Days is the other one). 

6. It's definitely harder to find bargains in this time of inflation. I got a good deal on the deodorant Paul likes at CVS this week. I used coupons they had sent me plus it was on sale, and in the end, I paid less than a dollar total for two. A new Aldi opened in our area, and we received a $5 off coupon in the mail which I used, and I think that store opening prompted our local grocery store to issue four $5 off coupons that could be used on $25 purchases over a period of four weeks. Tab also received those coupons but doesn't shop at that store, so I ended up with nine $5 off coupons altogether! It's also been impossible to find two liters of Coke or Pepsi for less than $1.50 over the last 5.5 months, but Paul will also drink RC, and our local store has been selling that for 99 cents lately. 

7. I buy our cereal at Surplus Outlet, and a box I got there had a Nintendo code on it that Ian was very grateful to be able to use. If it weren't for Surplus Outlet, I don't think I'd be buying any cereal this year due to the soaring prices. 

8. I have been able to have lengthy phone conversations with three friends so far this week, which is a rare treat for me!

12.5 Years Old

 

I can't believe that Ian will be a teenager in six months!  He has finished his first year of being in middle school, in the church youth group, and on the Bible quizzing team. Thankfully, he still enjoys practicing the piano, although I still haven't been able to get him to play duets with me over the past year. Ian also still enjoys playing with the Nintendo Switch, reading, playing with Legos, playing with Nadia, listening to music, giving hugs, talking to his cousins (Joel and Nathan), and drawing with colored pencils. Over the past year he has switched to preferring to get up later in the mornings and has become braver at amusement parks. Lately he has been riding all of the thrill rides! Over the last year he's been wearing a retainer, and thankfully he's never lost it! A year ago, Milo was sleeping in his crate in Ian's bedroom, but now Milo sleeps in bed with either Ian or Nadia. As of today, Milo has been in our family for exactly 18 months. A little less than six months ago Ian's bed was transformed into a bunk bed, and he's been sleeping on the top bunk, which makes tucking him in at night more challenging. For the last several months he's been the only child who requests for one or both parents to come and kiss him goodnight in his bedroom. Although he's going into seventh grade, I'm planning on having him take Algebra 1 and complete a HS biology curriculum with Nadia this next school year. I love you so much, Ian, and I look forward to seeing how you will grow and develop in the coming months and years! 

Weekend getaway

On Friday morning we drove toward the southeast area of Pennsylvania. Our first stop was the Brandywine Battlefield where we were defeated by the British on September 11, 1777. We had a one hour guided tour of the home of a Quaker family because their home was used as Washington's headquarters. We also spent time in the museum. Paul and I briefly visited there in 1997. We spent more time here this time, but Paul still wants to return some time in the future to spend more time hiking where the battle was fought. I think he'll have to wait until we are empty nesters. Our second stop was Longwood Gardens which is the largest botanical garden in the United States thanks to Pierre du Pont. Paul and I had also visited this site in 1997, but it was the first time the kids were there. The kids enjoyed Longwood Gardens more than the battlefield. Flowers are also more my cup of tea than battlefields. We saw two shows at two different water fountains. Nadia took a LOT of pictures of flowers using my old camera. We had dinner in Delaware at Red Robin using gift cards. It is the only restaurant where Nadia still orders off the child's menu. I had a bowl of chili for my dinner, and then I shared a pineapple upside down milkshake from the kids' menu with Nadia and Oliver. I ordered the one from the kids' menu because it was smaller (less calories). It was AMAZING! I think it might be the best milkshake I ever had in my life. YUM! During our most recent vacation we never spent two nights in the same hotel. We did spend two nights in a row at two hotels that were less than a mile apart from each other in Orlando. For this weekend getaway I booked us two nights at a Best Western in Dover. Unfortunately, I had forgotten that I hadn't been able to find a reasonably priced room that included an air mattress. We used an inflatable raft plus four pillows to create a bed for Nadia on the floor. The breakfast at this hotel is above average, but the mattresses on the beds are awful. On our last trip I found 2/14 mattresses to be hard to sleep on. I will be very glad to return to my own bed tomorrow night!!! The hotel advertised an outdoor pool, but it isn't actually available for use.

This morning after we ate our free breakfast, we visited the First State National Historic Park in Dover. We had a (free) private walking tour, attended a Juneteenth program that focused on the experience of African Americans in the military during the Civil War, and also had a tour of the colonial courthouse. We learned that Delaware used to be part of Pennsylvania. Delaware became the thirteenth colony shortly before the Declaration of Independence was signed. Because slavery was legal in Delaware, there was debate as to which side they would join in the Civil War, but they sided with the Union. Originally, I had planned for us to visit Rehoboth Beach. The kids have never spent time at a beach with a lengthy boardwalk. Rehoboth's is one mile long. After talking with a woman from our church on Wednesday afternoon, I had decided to take her recommendation and visit the beach at Cape Henlopen State Park instead of Rehoboth. I have fond memories of going to Rehoboth as a child and also in my early 20's, but evidently, it's changed a lot over the last almost 30 years. The weather was cooler today than yesterday. It was cloudy, but thankfully it didn't rain while we were at the beach. Because of the cooler air temperature plus the fact that the water temperature was 69 degrees, we didn't spend as many hours at the beach as planned. We shared a large pizza for dinner in Dover. 

Our first stop tomorrow morning will be the Air Mobility Command Museum. We drove by it today, and Paul is very excited about seeing the aircraft there tomorrow. I made a last-minute decision to include a visit to the Brandywine Zoo in Wilmington tomorrow before we see Matilda (musical) and then head home. We're planning to stream the church service tomorrow evening during our drive home. I decided to purchase a zoo membership because it will give us a membership with AZA which means we will get 50% off at other zoos I planned to visit over the next year. If I had made this decision earlier, I would have purchased a membership at WNC Nature Center because a membership there also includes an ASTC membership. Later this summer I'll renew our membership with Owensboro Museum which will give us an ASTC membership for $40. Hopefully Milo isn't too distressed by our absence. The kids will be attending overnight camp and Bible quizzing in South Carolina, but I think it will be three months until he'll be separated from me for more than several hours. I'm looking forward to printing two more photos for the map in our family room - Georgia and Delaware! We are now down to twelve states left to visit. 

Thankful Thursday

The last time I wrote a gratitude post was March 24. I'm not going to attempt to make a list today that encompasses all the time since then, but here are a few of the things that I'm thankful for today.

1. My ankle has improved SO much!!! I can walk as much as I want to. The only time I've had pain over the last couple of weeks has been when I stand for too long. I'm not sure why standing bothers me and walking doesn't, but I'm so grateful that I can walk for miles a day again!!! I've been taking Milo for multiple walks a day as long as it's not raining, and I've been walking an average of probably around 3 miles per day.

2. I hadn't attempted to lose any weight since August of 2020. I lost some in 2019, regained some of it, and lost it again in 2020. I started dieting again last Wednesday, and in the first seven days I lost 2.2 pounds. I'd like to lose 21 more. I really, really, really, really hope I do a better job of keeping it off this time around! I'm thankful I'm headed in the right direction.

3. Typically I haven't done a good job of inviting other people to our home for a meal aside from relatives. My goal is to have 12 couples or families come over for dinner in 2022 (not counting relatives). We've had three so far, and three more families or couples are already scheduled to come over sometime this summer. 

4. I'm so thankful that the family who lives across from us is always willing to give food and water to our guinea pigs when we're away. They'll be doing so this weekend when we're in Delaware. I'm also very thankful that another neighbor family takes care of Milo when we're away. After this weekend I don't think we'll need to ask for their help again until September, but it's a huge blessing to have someone who lives so close be willing to help us out. Some of the times they've even turned down the money we've tried to give them! 

5. Faith's mom helped me out a few times last week with taking Nadia and Ian to Bible quizzing practices which was a huge blessing. Her son, Xandir, and Oliver enjoyed playing together at our house during the practices. Yesterday the quizzing practice was held at Macey's home and included swimming and dinner. I served as the scorekeeper during the individual competition and quizmaster during the team competition. Oliver had a blast playing with the coach's three youngest children during the practice. 

6. We had a lovely vacation last month. Aside from being a little hotter than we prefer at the start of the trip, the weather was ideal. No bones were broken!!

7. I'm thankful for people who set up field trips in the area. We toured a snowboard factory yesterday, and on Tuesday we had a 90-minute tour of a courthouse that included a demonstration by a K-9 dog.

8. The candidate that I voted for Governor in the primary election won. Unfortunately, the person I really didn't want to win for Senator won by a very narrow margin. If I could go back in time, I would have voted for the man who was neck and neck with the winner instead of the woman I voted for although she did come in third place among the seven candidates. It's tempting to vote third party for Senator in the general election, but considering the make-up of the US Senate right now, I'll probably end up voting for the one who won and hoping against hope he'll be better than I think he will be. I am very thankful for the freedom to vote! I'm really glad I didn't live in the era when women were excluded from voting.

Delaware

I remember going to Rehoboth Beach as a child and also as an adult, but the kids haven't been in the state of Delaware before. The timing of our trip was based on wanting to see a production of Matilda. Although Nadia loathes some of Roald Dahl's books, Matilda is one of his books that she loves. Our itinerary for this Friday through Sunday includes Brandywine Battlefield, Longwood Gardens, John Bell House (part of the First State National Park), Rehoboth Beach, Air Mobility Command Museum, and seeing Matilda at the Wilmington Drama League. Maybe the gas will be cheaper in Delaware? It went up to $5.15 in our town yesterday, EEK!!! Our neighbors have graciously agreed to watch Milo again for us. I am really, really hoping to get a nice family photo of the five of us either at Longwood Gardens or the beach. Also, since Oliver was very interested in the go karts in Pigeon Forge, I decided we should let the kids experience a go kart racing track for the first time in their lives at Rehoboth Beach. After we visit Delaware, the kids will only have twelve states left to visit! We're hoping to cross Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont off the list in September. Speaking of vacations, below you will find the video from our recent vacation (or field trip as Oliver calls it).

We were in South Carolina on May 19, and Nadia and Ian are planning to return to South Carolina on June 15 with other kids from our church's Bible quizzing team. They should be returning home on June 19. The quizzing on the books of Romans and James will end on June 18. Jill, Macey, Ben, and Chris will be on our church's team that is competing in the A division. Faith, Keegan, Nadia, and Ian will be on our church's team that is competing in the B division. Since five of the team members are homeschoolers, they began having extra practices last week before school let out. Nadia and Ian have practiced with the team at least two hours a day for six days in a row as of today. Although summer doesn't officially start until June 21, it truly feels like summer has begun now that the kids around here are also on summer break. Today is the first day that Kids' Cafe is serving lunch in the park, and today is opening day for the swimming pool that we joined for the third year in a row. My kids didn't eat at Kid's Cafe today because Pop Pop picked them up from Bible quizzing to take them to lunch at Bonanza, but we did head to the swimming pool for a quick dip this afternoon. Although we might be on summer break, it doesn't mean that all learning has come to an end. Tomorrow I'm planning to take the kids on a tour of a courthouse and jail that also includes a demonstration by a K-9 dog. Wednesday we're planning to take a tour of a local snowboard factory.

2,972 miles

Last September we went on a 25-day vacation that involved driving around 7,000 miles through twenty-five different states and visiting twenty-seven National Park sites. Over the last fifteen days we drove 2,972 miles through nine states and visited sixteen National Park sites and four amusement parks. Last September we saw the license plates for all 50 states, DC, and several provinces of Canada during our vacation. This time we saw the license plates of 40 states, DC, and five provinces of Canada. We're going to see how long it takes us to spot license plates for the last ten states. For many years we've included at least one science museum in just about every vacation, but that didn't happen this time because the science museum in Charlotte wasn't open the day we were there and because the kids decided they'd rather spend more time at the Canaveral seashore, so we skipped the Orlando Science Center. We had visited the Carnegie Science Center earlier in May, but we didn't visit any during this vacation. During our trip in September the only times we saw any friends of family were when we visited my sister's family in Chicago and Nadia met her pen pal in person in Illinois. During this southeast trip we were able to spend time with my friend Jo and her family, my dad and Margie, and my Aunt Tina and her friend, Janice. With both trips we were very fortunate in terms of the weather. It was very hot at the start of this trip, but rain was never an issue, for which we were grateful. I worked on Duolingo every day during both vacations. During this recent vacation I achieved the badge in Duolingo that is earned by doing Duolingo every single day for a full year. We were also very thankful that no one broke any bones on this trip! Gasoline was definitely more expensive on this trip than our trip last fall. Of the nine states we drove through in May, the cheapest place to buy gas was in Georgia. We actually paid less than $4 a gallon once in that state! Here in Pennsylvania the price is inching closer to $5 a gallon. EEK!

I had made changes to the National Parks we would visit on the first and last days of our trip because some of the parks are currently only open five days a week. In September 2020 I learned to keep checking on the hours that places were open while we were on vacation because things were constantly changing. On this vacation I didn't do that, and this was a mistake in one instance. On Tuesday morning our first stop was the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center, which is part of the Blue Ridge Parkway National Park. Unfortunately, it was closed, and driving there added about 40 minutes of driving time (round trip). Some of the other Visitor Centers in that park were open that day, but at that point we decided we'd rather just get home to Milo a little sooner. The kids earned another Junior Ranger badge at the Dickey Ridge Visitor Center, which is part of the Shenandoah National Park, after we hiked the Fox Hollow Trail. 

I took very few pictures from September 12, 2021 - April 30, 2022. I haven't made a photo book for 8 months, which again is very unusual for me. I took more pictures in the last month than I took over the combined previous

seven months. I'm going to make a video about our vacation and then start working on a photobook so that I will be ready the next time Shutterfly has an unlimited pages coupon code. There was a code that expired yesterday, but I had too many other things to do yesterday. Last October I was very frustrated when we came home because I was unable to help with much of anything. The grass was really tall when we got home. Paul started mowing it on Tuesday night while I was unpacking. On Wednesday morning I finished mowing the lawn, did the weed whacking, did two loads of laundry, vacuumed the van, and trimmed some of the bushes. I didn't finish the yardwork because it was really hot out, and I was exhausted. The most painful day for me in terms of my ankle on the vacation was May 24. The pain level was very high that night even when I was in bed. The next day my ankle only bothered me when I was standing still for extended periods of time. From May 27 to the present, I've had zero ankle pain! PTL!! Three months ago, I was beginning to wonder if my ankle would ever be back to normal. I am so, so thankful that I think it's back to normal now! I didn't take Milo for a long walk yesterday, but I'm planning to resume that habit starting today. Yesterday I also started dieting again. I am hoping to lose at least 23 pounds. 

Nadia and Ian had Bible quizzing and youth group yesterday from 4:30-8:15. Because the national competition is only 2 weeks away, they will have quite a few extra practices in the coming days. Today and tomorrow, the homeschoolers on the team are practicing from ten to noon. Xandir is going to hang out with Oliver at our house while their siblings are at the practice. Tomorrow two of Nadia's friends are coming here for a sleepover, and Ian and Oliver are going to Xandir's house for a sleepover. The whole Bible quizzing team will practice on Saturday morning and Sunday afternoon. All three kids are going over to the Schreck's house on Saturday afternoon so that Paul and I can have our second date this year, which is a huge improvement as previously we had gone 49 months without a date. I'm very thankful that I feel my ankle is ready to go ballroom dancing with Paul for the first time in I'm not sure how many years. We joined a swimming pool again this summer, and the pool opens on Monday. Tomorrow will be the last day of school for kids in our area. 

Georgia and Tennessee

On Sunday morning we arrived at the Georgia Aquarium at 8:30am. Parking at this location was definitely easier at that time of day than it had been the previous afternoon. The aquarium opened at 8:00 and coming earlier in the day definitely meant it wasn't as crowded during the first part of our visit. The aquariums website stated that the average visit was 2 hours long. We stayed for 3 hours. During that time, we visited all of the exhibits and saw both shows. We missed the 4D movie because we showed up 1 minute late due to the fact it took us 16 minutes to exit the dolphin theatre and walk a short distance to the theatre entrance because the aquarium was much more crowded at that point. We really enjoyed the sea lion show and the dolphin show. Nadia said she might like to study marine biology in college as working with dolphins would be something she would love to do. Earlier in our vacation Nadia had purchased three souvenirs in Florida - a pair of manatee earrings and two t-shirts. Ian purchased his first souvenir at the Georgia Aquarium - a plush river otter. Because we stayed at the aquarium longer than planned and because Paul wanted to have more time at Chickamauga Battlefield, we ended up skipping Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield, which actually disappointed Nadia not because she loves battlefields but because it meant one fewer opportunity to earn a Junior Ranger Badge. 

I'm not sure exactly how many battlefields we have been to as a family, but I'm guessing we've been to around fifteen altogether. When a battlefield has a special day filled with hands- on activities, it's far more enjoyable to some of us (we have participated in events like that at Valley Forge, Antietam, and Gettysburg). Paul on the other hand loves battlefields and could spend many hours at each one even when they aren't having any special activities. On Sunday afternoon we participated in a caravan tour at Chickamauga that lasted about 2 hours. We also watched a movie at the Visitor Center. The kids each earned a Junior Ranger badge. After we left the battlefield, we had dinner at Golden Corral and then drove to a hotel in Tennessee. We watched our church's worship service online, and then Oliver, Paul, and I went to bed early that night. That hotel had a door that separated the bedroom from the living area, so Ian and Nadia were able to stay up later than the rest of us.

There were several activities I considered including in our itinerary in Chattanooga including the Tennessee Aquarium, Ruby Falls, and the incline. The reviews on Ruby Falls were very mixed. In the end we decided to skip those, but we did drive up to the top of Lookout Mountain, which is a much cheaper way to reach the top compared to buying 5 incline tickets. The battle of Chattanooga took place at the top of Lookout Mountain. Because it's in the same National Park as Chickamauga, the kids weren't able to earn a Junior Ranger badge. We spent much less time at that smaller battlefield site. Our next stop in Tennessee was Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which is the most visited National Park in the USA. There were a few times out west last September that we had to purchase Junior Ranger booklets; the only time that happened on this trip was at Great Smoky Mountains. We hiked to Cataract Falls, and then we went on a longer, steeper hike to Laurel Falls. Originally, I had planned for us to spend more time at this park, but when I shortened the vacation a little, the time we spent here was reduced. As we left the park the kids were rather impressed by all of the businesses catering to tourists in Pigeon Forge - many go-kart tracks, miniature golf courses, restaurants, and other attractions. I had planned for us to have dinner at Subway, but I made a mistake somewhere along the way and didn't have a gift card. We got a pizza from Papa John's instead as I did have a gift card that covered part of the cost of our pizza. Then we toured one of Pigeon Forge's attractions - the Titanic Museum. It was well done. We each had a handheld device to listen to an audio tour, and we were each given a boarding pass that gave us a new identity for our tour. At the end of the tour, we found out what happened to the person whose identity we were given. Four of us survived. Paul was given the identity of a third-class passenger who perished. During this trip we have typically not driven much after dinner, but last night we drove about 2.5 hours after we left the Titanic. We spent the night in Virginia. Today we are planning to stop at two National Parks in Virginia as we drive home to Milo. We miss him very much!