Prince Caspian

Supreme Court

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

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

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

Fifty-two

Yesterday I celebrated my 52nd birthday. On my birthdays I always miss my mom and my brother a little more than usual as I would normally have at least chatted with them on my birthday. Considering my mom passed away a few months after she turned 71, she only lived 19 years beyond her 52nd birthday. On Sunday a man in our Sunday School class asked me if we are in the Classics group at our church, which is for those age 55+. Since Paul will be turning 55 in January, we are eligible to join the group in a few months. When we were dating and in the early years of marriage, Paul used to take me out to dinner for my birthday. It's been quite a few years since that happened. This year he suggested all five of us go out to eat, which is something we usually only do when we're on vacation. He knows Olive Garden is one of my favorite places to eat and Nadia's most favorite place, so he suggested we go there. I used some points to request a gift card that covered almost the whole bill minus the tip. I don't usually get a dessert when we go out to eat, but since Olive Garden gives you a free dessert on your birthday, I requested the black-tie mousse cake, which is absolutely delicious. I shared a little of it with Oliver and Nadia, and they said I need to find a recipe online and try to make one myself for one of their birthdays. Will do! He had suggested going out on my actual birthday (Sunday), but since we didn't have any plans to leave the house on Friday, I thought it was better to go out that night since we have church on Sunday. We stopped at Lowe's on the way to Olive Garden and got my birthday present, which was a new faucet for the half-bathroom. The kids think it's the worst birthday gift idea, but ours was 25 years old and looking rather dated. On the way home from Olive Garden we stopped at Aldi's for groceries. 

On Saturday morning I put some beef, potatoes, and carrots in the crockpot and headed to a service project with Oliver. When we came back 4.5 hours later, I was flustered when I discovered the food was still cold. The green light was on, but it wasn't actually heating up. I switched to using the oven. The meat was cooked, but it wasn't anywhere near as tender as it would have been had it cooked in the crockpot for 9 hours as planned. The mashed potatoes, yeast bread, and fruit pizza all turned out well. Faith and Xandir were at our house for 18.5 hours, and their parents joined us for a couple of hours for dinner and some games. On Sunday we ate leftovers from Olive Garden and from what I had cooked on Saturday. On Friday night Nadia bought me a plant (lilies). Oliver made me a card and gave me some Andes mints. My I received two birthday cards in the mail on Saturday and one from someone at church on Sunday. I received several birthday text messages and two phone calls on Sunday from Aunt Janet and Yvonne. My dad called me today. My friend, Tab, is taking me out to lunch this week on Wednesday, and my friend, Cheri, is taking me out to lunch next week on Friday. I don't have any idea how many more years I have left on earth, but I am thankful for the years I've been given thus far and for the many blessings in my life including my kids, husband, friends, etc. 

The picture above is of Ian in his Vlad costume for the musical. Next year I'm going to take photos during the dress rehearsal. The picture below is from last Tuesday at our co-op. One of our classes this session is geography. Each of the kids picked a country and prepared a 3–5-minute speech about the culture of that country and also brought in a food item from that country for us to enjoy at a special lunch. Oliver and I made a pizza shaped pinata filled with candy for the kids to enjoy after the lunch. Foods brought that day included a soup from Vietnam, tiramisu cupcakes, sushi, Yorkshire pudding, honey joys, dumplings, Belgian waffles, churros, hummus, macaroons, and fairy bread. 

Seussical!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mac, Mercer, and Mack

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

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

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

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

Daniel

In June 2012 we took our kids to Sight and Sound for the very first time. We saw Jonah, which at the time was Nadia's most favorite Bible story. Over the past almost twelve years, we've taken the kids to Sight and Sound eleven times. They've seen ten different shows, as we took them to see Moses in both 2014 and 2023. The sets they have in their current show (Daniel) outshine most sets I've seen at Broadway shows in NYC. We weren't expecting Ezekiel to be part of the show, but he was, and mention was also made more than once about Jeremiah. I thought Nebuchadnezzar's transformation (during the years he became like a beast of the field) could have been a bit more dramatic, and the "lions" were only digital for the lion's den scene, but overall, it was an outstanding performance. We recognized that the actor playing the part of Daniel was the same man who recently played the part of David. It's a blessing to be able to take our children to see such high quality, biblically based shows. 

Typically, I schedule something else for us to do in or near Lancaster when we drive down to see a show. Last year we toured a furniture factory. The previous year we toured the home of President Buchanan. My plan for this year had been to learn more about the Amish people, but those plans were scratched once I saw the Seussical rehearsal schedule. As it was the kids had to leave the rehearsal at 30 minutes early so we could get to the show on time. While they were at the rehearsal from 9:00-12:30 I took Oliver to an Easter egg hunt and baked two cakes plus an apple crisp. The latter was for our family to enjoy, and I took the cakes to our Sunday School class this morning. 

Steven Curtis Chapman concert (March 8)

Paul's dad met us at Sight and Sound. We enjoyed the show together, and then we had dinner at Red Robin. It has been the only restaurant where Nadia will still order off the kids' menu. Yesterday she didn't do that although truthfully, I think she would have enjoyed her meal more if she had because she loves their macaroni and cheese, but considering she'll be turning sixteen in three months, she wanted to order off the regular menu. After dinner, we drove back home as Milo had been left alone for almost nine hours at that point. 

Oliver in the National Gallery of Art

On Friday Paul and the boys stayed home all day. Cheri joined us for dinner, and then Nadia, Cheri, and I went to see the movie Cabrini. That was also very inspiring. I had never heard of the woman, although I had heard of a section of Chicago referred to as Cabrini Greens, which was named after her. Christian movies have come a LONG way over the last two decades both in terms of quality and also quantity. I'm amazed at how many are scheduled to be released this year! Nadia was fine with seeing Cabrini, but the two she really wants to see are "Someone Like You" and "Unsung Hero." We chose to wait to see the fourth season of The Chosen at home rather than at the theater due to the cost involved in buying five tickets to three movies. As we watched the trailers at the theater on Friday, we were interested in Possum Trot, Despicable Me 4, and Sight. I'm looking forward to seeing Boys in the Boat on DVD in the near future as we didn't see that at the theater, and I really enjoyed the book. It's not a religious movie. In the past I've often gone multiple years in a row without entering a movie theater, but I'm planning to see Ordinary Angels with Oliver and Cheri on Wednesday afternoon. This will be a new record for me to see two movies in two weeks, ha ha! 

White House, monuments, and more

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

Jefferson Memorial

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

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

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

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

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

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

View of the White House from the Washington Monument

Type A

In general, my personality definitely leans toward Type A although I'd never characterize myself as "aggressive" (one of the traits listed for Type A). I do like to be organized and in general enjoy planning things. As a homeschooling mom in a family who goes on vacation about 5 weeks a year, planning is one of my significant responsibilities. I write homeschool lesson plans for my three kids, weekly lesson plans for four classes in our homeschool co-op, plan out our meals (which then leads to creating grocery lists), choose what audiobooks we will listen to as a family (and which I will listen to on my own), schedule doctor appointments, purchase tickets to concerts, theatre performances, and the like, and serve as our family's travel agent, which involves making many plans and various purchases (airfare, hotels, rental vehicle, tour tickets, etc.). Since we returned from Quito, I've put further time into lesson plans, co-op plans for the next ten weeks, our vacation to Alaska, and selecting future books for the kids to read and listen to. In terms of our trip to Alaska, I am really, really motivated to make sure Oliver gains 5-6 pounds over the next 5.5 months because he has to weigh at least 80 pounds to do one of the activities I booked for our family. The minimum age is 10, and he'll be 12 years old at that point, but he's thin. I used Turo for the first time to book our rental vehicle in Alaska. It wasn't cheap, but it was much cheaper than other options I explored for Alaska, and I don't think there will be any unexpected fees like we experienced in Florida. Live and learn!

When I taught middle school in Maryland, I took my students on many field trips. Several of these were to Washington, D.C. Over the years we've been there several times, but we still haven't seen everything I wanted the kids to see. In 2020 I had tickets for us to tour the White House, Ford's Theatre, and Washington Monument, but all of those were cancelled. Four years later, we again have tickets to those places. We are planning to visit DC this weekend and the last weekend in April. Over those four days we plan to visit the White House, White House Visitor Center, National Gallery of Art, Washington Monument, National Museum of American History, Jefferson Memorial, Holocaust Museum, Supreme Court, International Spy Museum, Ford's Theatre, National Portrait Gallery, National Archives, and Rock Creek Park. After that trip, we will have visited most of the places I wanted to take the kids in DC. The places they haven't been yet include the National Museum of the U.S. Navy (took students there), National Postal Museum (never been), and the FBI (took students there). When I contacted our Representative for tickets to the White House, I also asked for tickets to the FBI, but there weren't any available. If there's another concert or play that brings us back near DC in the coming years, maybe we will visit those places. This weekend the reason we're headed down there is to attend a Steven Curtis Chapman concert, and at the end of April we're planning to see a theatre production of Prince Caspian at the Museum of the Bible.

Nadia, also a firstborn, is the other member of our family who shows the most interest in planning. For example, she asked me recently to figure out exactly what day she can get her learner's permit in June. She was disappointed she has to wait one whole day, as the earliest after her birthday (6/24) that I can take her is on June 25. She won't be getting much practice with driving in July because she found out last week that she has been hired to work at Camp Susque for four weeks this summer! One more example of how she leans toward "type A" would be that she recently organized all the magnets on our refrigerator (and we own a LOT). They are now in groups - for example the forts are together, historical sites, industrial sites, natural beauty sites, Presidential sites, etc. That's my girl!

Cold water!

Tuesday morning, we had breakfast at our hotel. They served us an egg (made to order), pan de yuca, avocado, cheese, tomato slices, watermelon, yogurt, bread, pineapple, and papaya. I'm glad it was a hearty breakfast because we had a very, very late lunch. Around 9:30 eleven us were picked up for our white-water rafting adventure on the Pastaza River. First, we picked up our helmets, water shoes, and wet suits. Then we drove to the location where we entered the river. The section of the river we traversed was class 3. Other sections of the river are rated class 4 or 4+, but considering we had kids as young as eight-years-old in our raft, class 3 was more than enough for us. We spent about 90 minutes on the river. It rained part of the time. After we carried the two rafts to the bus and took off our gear, we began our drive to the restaurant where we were to have lunch. We encountered a lengthy delay as there was a mudslide which killed a motorcyclist. We were all served rice and beans. Earlier in the day we had let them know if we wanted beef, chicken, or fish. Oliver had fish, Paul and I had chicken, and Nadia and Ian had beef. Because our meal was so late, I didn't feel like eating dinner. Joe brought back chicken and fries for dinner. 

For breakfast on Wednesday morning we were served a pancake, an egg (made to order), pineapple, mango, dragon fruit, yogurt, and a cheese empanada. Instead of syrup, you could put either jelly or molasses on your pancake. Around 9:00 twelve of us were picked up for our canyoning trip. First, we picked up our helmets, shoes, and wet suits. Then we had a very short drive to the location where we received our other gear and were given instructions as to how to rappel down the waterfalls. There were three sections to rappel down. All twelve of us went down the first section. Joshua, Paul, and I didn't do the second section. In hindsight, Paul and I would have preferred to have done the second section than the first as the only person (not counting the youngest kids who went down with assistance) who didn't become submerged in first section of the waterfall was Joe, whereas none of the nine people who did the second section were submerged. Joshua did the third section, but Paul, Ian, Joel, and I skipped that one. If I had to do it over again, I wish I had just been an observer and taken pictures and videos instead of actually participating. It was challenging enough just hiking to the top of the waterfall. Being submerged in ice cold water pouring over me and then at the bottom being submerged in ice cold water was just plain torture. I felt like I couldn't breathe it was so cold. At the end of the trip, we each shared what were our top two experiences of the trip. All nine of the kids plus Joe ranked horseback riding as number one and most of them ranked canyoning as number two. Paul and I ranked white water rafting as number one and Quito Old Town as number two. If Paul was allowed to pick three, he said he'd pick playing Scumbags and Warlords (a card game) as number three as he enjoyed playing that with Nadia and some of his nephews on Tuesday evening at the Casa Verde and Thursday morning at the Towfighi's house. After eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at Casa Verde, we drove back to Quito. Yvonne served sloppy joe sandwiches and leftover tuna noodle. We really enjoyed the rolls that she used for the sloppy joes. After dinner, Paul and Joe returned the rental vehicle to the airport. 

Because we only had one small vehicle, we just stayed at their home on Thursday morning. Yvonne served quesadillas for lunch, and we packed sandwiches on those delicious rolls to eat on our flight from Quito to Miami. Aside from the waterfall on Monday, white water rafting on Tuesday, and waterfalls on Wednesday, the other time we encountered cold water in Ecuador was when we took our showers. I did manage to get one hot shower while we were in Ecuador, and that was at 6:30am on Thursday. Unfortunately, later that morning their hot water totally gave up the ghost, and they were told it would be at least two days until someone came to try to repair it. They encountered quite a few difficulties within a span of about ten days. First, another driver rearended their small car while Joe was driving. Because no one in Ecuador has car insurance, Joe had to pay for the repairs even though the other driver was at fault. Thankfully, car repairs are much cheaper in Ecuador. They got it repaired shortly before we arrived, but we didn't discover until Friday that one of the headlights needed to be replaced. Joe replaced it on Wednesday evening. We had car difficulties with both cars on Saturday on the horseback riding adventure. The small car's problem was easily rectified. The bigger car ended up being towed and needs a new transmission. They had sold both of their vehicles before we arrived but had been given permission to keep using them until they fly back to the US next week.  Joe was also worried about being pulled over by the Transito as they frequently randomly pull people over. He was pulled over once when I was in the car with him. Hopefully things will go more smoothly for them during their final four days in Ecuador.

I was able to make use of my Spanish in Ecuador. I didn't always understand everything that was said to me, but I understand many things that were said. Similarly, I usually could find a way to communicate in Spanish although sometimes I made mistakes (ex. I used the Spanish word for grandson instead of nephew when I was talking to a guide about Wesley). I wouldn't consider myself fluent, but I've made more progress in Spanish over the last 2+ years than I did when I was in middle school. Although we don't plan to return to South America, hopefully I will have more opportunities to make use of my knowledge of Spanish in the future.

After eating lunch on Thursday, Joe drove us to the airport. It was a tight squeeze to fit six people plus all our luggage in a small car, but it wasn't a lengthy drive. We made it through the passport control and the security screening very quickly. We did some shopping at the airport because during the rest of the week we had only purchased magnets. Oliver got a baseball cap, Nadia got a purse, and Nadia, Paul, and I each got a t-shirt to remember our time in Ecuador. We landed a little early in Miami, which was a good thing because it seems you need two hours to go from one airplane to another in that airport. After we made it through customs and the security screening, we had to almost run to our gate. We arrived when group four was boarding, and we were in group five. None of us slept on the second flight despite the fact we landed in Baltimore around 11:45pm. We took the shuttle to the long-term parking, bought some gas for the van, and then drove home. Oliver had started having diarrhea on Wednesday, and he required a lengthy bathroom stop when we were about 30 minutes away from home. We got home around 3:10 am. Oliver went straight up to bed, and he promptly threw up on his bedding and again on the carpet in the hallway on his way to the bathroom. Due to helping Paul clean up that mess, it was about 3:45 by the time I crawled into bed. 

I was the first one up this morning. I stopped and got a few essentials (ex. milk) on the way to getting Milo. I missed him! Thankfully, he did well at their home. He particularly bonded with Lucy. We did some schoolwork when I got back home with Milo. After lunch I took Ian to the orthodontist because one his wires had popped out while we were in Ecuador. I also did some more grocery shopping on the way home from the orthodontist. Oliver and I went to bed very early (8:15) last night. Nadia, Ian, Paul, and Nathaniel went to see a Tim Hawkins show. They didn't have good seats because a traffic accident added 30 minutes to the length of their drive there, but they really enjoyed the show. Ian and Nathaniel slept some in the van on the way back home. They got home around 11pm. I let Ian and Nadia sleep until 9:05 this morning. They had a two-hour musical rehearsal that started at 10:00. I slept for 10 hours last night and was in bed for 11 hours. Oliver slept for 14 hours straight!!! We've all been able to stay at home since Nadia and Ian came back from their rehearsal at 12:15. The only thing on our agenda for tomorrow is going to church. 

We are very grateful that we were able to spend time in southern Florida and Ecuador. However, we're also very glad to be back at home sweet home. Some things we appreciate about being at home are toilets that can be used to dispose of toilet paper, hot showers, being at a lower altitude, being with Milo (and in Nadia's case Lily), sleeping in our own beds, being able to text/call (we had to keep our phones in airplane mode for a week), being able to drink water from the tap, not needing to pay money to use a public restroom, being able to wear my wedding rings, and in Ian's case, he's been enjoying playing the piano again (he used the Towfighi's electric keyboard some but he prefers a piano). I didn't wear any rings during the entire vacation because Yvonne had said to wear a ring would be to risk having my finger cut off. Literally. I wanted to keep all my fingers, so I left my rings at home. The only place I used my good camera in Ecuador was in Cotopaxi National Park, and I made sure my cell phone was hidden in a pocket that had a zipper. Thankfully, none of us had any encounters with pickpockets. We also won't miss the insects that were biting us in the Banos area. Those bites itch much worse than a mosquito bite. Not fun!

We never made it to Turkey during the fifteen years they lived there. When I booked the trip to Ecuador, they had no idea that their time in Quito would be coming to an end six days after our visit ended. They are moving back to Maryland next week. It will be easier to see them more frequently when they are only living 3.5 hours away from us. Yvonne's physical difficulties in adjusting to the high altitude is the main reason their time in Quito is coming to an end. Next month she is due to give birth to their ninth child. They are planning to come and see one of Nadia and Ian's Seussical performances next month, we are planning to go to HersheyPark with them one day in June, etc. Whenever we fly out of BWI we will probably see them at least a little bit, which will also help us avoid paying for parking at the airport. We plan to do so in August when we fly to/from Anchorage. My kids absolutely love spending time with their cousins!

We are in South America!

Paul and I have spent time in Europe and Asia. Up until February 22 the kids had only ever been in North America. On Thursday morning we took the hotel's shuttle to the Miami airport. Although the line was longer than at BWI, we still made it through security very quickly. Our flight from Miami to Quito was about four hours long. They served us Biscoff cookies and drinks, and the kids used our own devices to access the in-flight entertainment. The line at the Quito airport to present our passports moved slowly, but eventually we were able to meet up with Joe near the exit of the airport. As soon as we exited the airplane, we noticed the difference in the air we were breathing due to the high altitude (9,613 feet). We drove straight from the airport to the Towfighi's home.

Adjustments to being in a foreign country include remembering not to drink the tap water and adjusting to differences with the toilets. Ian forgot and drank some tap water at their home on Sunday morning, which caused him to vomit a little bit later. Toilet paper cannot be flushed down the toilet in this country. Oliver forgot once and clogged a toilet. At first I kept forgetting to have a quarter in my pocket so that I could use a public bathroom if needed. At one such public bathroom (Joe loaned me a quarter), I was told to use a bucket of water to flush the toilet. When you give them the quarter, they give you a little toilet paper to take into the stall. They use the U.S. dollar in this country, so we didn't need to exchange any currency. The biggest adjustment is to the altitude. Our oxygen saturation levels have been lower than usual. Nadia and I had the least trouble adjusting. Oliver, Paul, and Ian had saturation levels that were in the 80's, whereas it's supposed to be between 95-100. Oliver's were the worst (as low as 79). Thankfully, Paul hasn't been bothered by the Towfighi's cat, Skittles. Paul and I had our own bedroom upstairs. Nadia and Julianna shared a bedroom. Joshua, Micah, Wesley, and Oliver shared another bedroom upstairs. Ian, Joel, and Nathan shared a bedroom downstairs.

Based on the license plate of your vehicle, there is one day a week that you can't drive your car. One of their cars can't be driven on Thursdays, and the other can't be driven on Fridays. A friend of theirs helped transport us to their home since we could only use one car on Friday. We then walked about 10 blocks to a Metro station. The Metro system has been in operation for almost 3 months. The tickets for children were only 22 cents each, and the tickets for adults were 45 cents each. We rode the Metro from the northern part of Quito to the central part known as Quito Old Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Two of Yvonne and Joe's friends served as our tour guides. Our first stop was La Basilica Voto Nacional, which was built in 1883. Some of us climbed 16 floors to the top of the spire and clock towers. It's the largest neo-Gothic Basilica in North or South America. Next, we had a guided tour of Compania de Jesus Church, which is also known as the golden church because so much of the interior is covered in gold leaf. We weren't allowed to take any pictures in that church. The construction of this Jesuit church began in 1605. We walked past the Carondelet Palace, but it was not open for tours given the state of emergency that has been in place since January 12. We walked to the San Francisco Church and Convent but opted not to pay to enter that site as we had done at the other two churches. Our last stop was Minka Chocolate where some people enjoyed eating ice cream or milk shakes. I tried one that was made from the fruit of the cacao plant. It didn't taste anything like chocolate. We took the Metro back to our guides' home where we visited for a while before returning to the Towfighi's home for a late dinner. 

We got up VERY early on Saturday morning so that we could be on the road by 5:30am to drive to the Secret Garden Cotopaxi. We had paid $40 per person for twelve of us to have breakfast, be driven to the Cotopaxi National Park, ride horses for three hours, be taken back to the hotel, and finally served lunch. On our way there we encountered some VERY uneven dirt roads. Paul was driving one of the Towfighi's cars, and the car began to overheat. We had one person from their car join the one that Joe was driving, and he dropped us off to have breakfast while he went back to get the rest of our group. During the time Joe was gone, a very kind soul put some water in the vehicle Paul was driving. He was able to resume driving to the Secret Garden. Joe turned around when he realized the car was moving again. They discovered that they couldn't put the car into reverse. Thankfully, they arrived about ten minutes before we were supposed to board the vehicle that would take everyone to the horseback riding, which meant they were able to quickly eat breakfast. Breakfast included a large pancake covered in fresh fruit (pineapple, papaya, banana, blueberries, strawberries, etc.), toast, and yogurt. 

The horseback riding was more challenging than I was expecting. The kids loved the fact that they frequently had opportunities to trot and occasionally go at a full gallop. I just wanted my horse to go at a leisurely pace. This is the rainy season in Ecuador, but thankfully it didn't rain while we were in Old Town on Friday, and it only rained as we were driving home on Saturday. Our horses went up steep hills, down steep hills, crossed over creeks, etc. In the middle of our horseback riding adventure, we stopped for a break. They provided each person with a piece of cake and some hot tea to drink. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy for us to see Cotopaxi. The top of Cotopaxi is covered in snow all year round even though the weather in Ecuador is generally warm all year round. The Secret Garden is a very beautiful place to stay. Some of their units look like hobbit holes! They have many flowers, several hammocks, a swing that the kids really enjoyed, a jacuzzi, etc. Our lunch consisted of some beef plus a chickpea pasta salad. Some of us had a strawberry and rhubarb dessert. After lunch, Paul and Joe went to check on the cars. At first, they thought the battery had died on the "good" car, but it turned out some cables had just come loose. They had to physically push the vehicle that couldn't go in reverse. Around 2:15, Joe and Paul thought they were ready to drive us all home. Unfortunately, part of the way home the car that wouldn't go in reverse switched to only being able to go in reverse. The "good" car also needed gas, and Joe wasn't able to make any phone calls at the location where the other vehicle was stranded. So he drove to get gas and try to make a plan. He came back about 30 minutes later, and then he took a few kids in the car with him as well as a stranger who said he could get us a tow truck. About an hour later they returned with a tow truck. Paul and I as well as several kids stayed in the broken down vehicle while it was loaded onto the tow truck, and we rode that way all the way back to their home in Quito. The drive was "supposed" to take about 1 hour and 40 minutes from Secret Garden to the Towfighi's home, but it took 15 minutes shy of 5 hours due to all the hiccups we experienced. Thankfully we all arrived back safe and sound. Another tow truck came and picked up the vehicle from the Towfighi's house on Monday morning. I skipped dinner, but the rest of our group ate a later dinner. 

Due to the fact we only had one working vehicle, some of us stayed home to watch church online while others went with Joe to attend the English Fellowship Church in Quito. After lunch, they borrowed a neighbor's car so we could all go to the Intinan Museum, which is located at the Equator. The nearby Mital del Mundo was constructed hundreds of years ago, but then through GPS they discovered that wasn't the exact location of the equator, so the Intinan was built. We had a guided tour of the property that included instruction about cacao beans, the native people who live in that area, the Coriolis effect, etc. One challenge was to balance an egg. Ian was the only one of our group who accomplished that task. Not everyone attempted it. He was given a certificate. On our way back to their home, we made a brief stop at the Mital del Mundo, but we didn't pay to actually enter that site. 

Monday morning Paul and Joe left about 7:30 to drive to the airport to rent a vehicle. By the time they got back, it was almost 10:00 before we left in the two vehicles. We drove for four hours to a waterfall called Pailon del Diablo. There are two different entrances. We chose to go to the older one which takes you through some very tight spaces. Several of the kids were soaked because they walked behind the waterfall. The newer entrance takes you over some rope bridges to the top of the waterfall. We didn't pay to go that route. After the waterfall we drove to La Casa Verde, which is a guest house in Banos. Joe had rented three rooms - two for their family and one for ours. The kids were thrilled because our room had four beds - three singles for each of the kids a double for Paul and I. Joe picked up pizza, and we ate in the dining room of the guest house. The kids enjoyed playing outside, using the hammocks, and playing some games. Paul and Joe played a game of chess. We have some very lovely views from the windows and decks of this guest house where we're spending two nights. 

Animals galore!

When I plan vacations, I try to take into account the varied interests of each member of our family. Our eight days in Florida contained very little "history," which is one of Paul's favorite interests. We learned a little bit of history at the Everglades National Park in the part where a Nike missile has been housed since the 1960's. Paul had a lengthy tour of Fort Jefferson, which was built during the Civil War, and we learned about the history of Biscayne during our tour of the Jones Lagoon. All of us enjoy seeing animals, and we've visited far more zoos, aquariums, and animal refuges since Nadia decided to major in Zoology. We saw many different animals almost every day of this trip. In the Everglades and Big Cypress, we saw hundreds of birds and alligators. We saw manatees and sting rays on two occasions. On our glass bottom boat tour, we saw a dolphin, sea turtles, and a variety of fish including a goliath grouper. We visited a few places where animals are rescued/rehabilitated with the goal of releasing them into the wild if possible. Those sites included McCarthy Wildlife Sanctuary, Turtle Hospital, Florida Keys Wild Bird Center, and the Zoological Wildlife Foundation. We didn't visit Zoo Miami. The closest we came to a traditional zoo was the Lion Country Safari.

On our final day in Florida, we visited our fourth National Park site of this trip - Biscayne National Park, which is almost all under water. There were so many (expensive) tours to choose between. I think I made the right choice in picking a paddle boarding activity instead of a snorkeling one given Miami was experiencing a "cold snap" (meaning highs only in the high 60's) this week. Two employees took the five of us out on a boat to the Jones Lagoon, which was about 30 minutes away from the Visitor Center. The kids and the two men used paddle boards, and Paul and I shared a kayak. Oliver is often the only one who counts as a "child" when I am buying tickets these days so usually his ticket costs less, but the opposite was true of this tour. The minimum age was eight, but if you bring a child between the ages of 8-11, you have to book a private tour, which in our case meant paying for a 6th person because the maximum group size was six. Oliver wasn't supposed to be allowed to paddle board, which is why I had reserved one double kayak, but the guides allowed him to paddle board (at the age of 11.5) when we told them he did know how to paddle board. Oliver was thrilled because he really wanted to use a SUP, and Paul was happy because he preferred to use a kayak. We traveled around many mangrove trees. We saw two lemon sharks, many Cassiopeia jellyfish, parrotfish, many different kinds of sponges, sea stars, and some birds (one spoonbill and many pelicans, seagulls, and cormorants). The kids earned their fourth Junior Ranger badge plus one patch because they had earned a badge at the three parks in that area. 

After we left Biscayne, we stopped at Robert is Here, which is a famous fruit stand and farm south of Miami. Oliver and I absolutely loved our milkshakes. You choose three fresh fruits to be added to your shake. I picked passion fruit, pineapple, and strawberry. Nadia sadly didn't like hers. After that stop we headed to the Zoological Wildlife Foundation for our third tour that included encounters with animals. Our first experience was in Indiana last April. That one is still our favorite. On this trip we did two. The first one did a better job during the tour portion of the experience, but the animal encounter portion was much better at ZWF. I should add that ZWF cost a lot more than the other one. At ZWF we had the opportunity to hold a lemur, armadillo, python, kinkajou, cockatoo, and a baby alligator. We also were able to pet a capuchin monkey (he jumped onto Paul) and a serval. Because he was under the age of 13, Oliver wasn't allowed to come near the monkey. After our tour was over, we had dinner at Olive Garden and then drove to a hotel located very close to the Miami airport. Paul dropped Nadia, Oliver, and I off and then he and Ian vacuumed out the van, returned it to the rental car company, took a shuttle to the airport, and then finally took a shuttle to the hotel. The next morning, we had an early breakfast and then boarded the 7:00 to the airport for our flight to Quito. 

We were not a fan of the rental car company. I hope to do a better job picking which company we use in Alaska in August because this one tacked on SO many unexpected fees (ex. forcing us to pay $20 a day for the tolls even though there were several days we were never near a toll road). Paul vacuumed out the vehicle because they threatened us with a $350 fee if it was at all dirty on the inside when we returned it.

We didn't buy many souvenirs on the trip. We bought five magnets for our refrigerator (one from each National Park site and also one from the Turtle Hospital). Nadia bought herself a bracelet at the Turtle Hospital, and she asked me to buy her a pair of earrings there that I will give her in June for her birthday. 

We've taken the kids to Florida many times over the years. Several of the trips were to the Orlando area. I'm not anticipating we will go back to Florida for quite a few years now that we've also had the opportunity to explore the Everglades, Florida Keys, etc. This was the first time we visited Florida in the winter, and I have to say that it's a very nice time to visit the state, especially if you are visiting the southern part.