Spring Break 2013

Spring Break is coming to an end.  I have had so much fun this year.  My niece and nephew arrived Friday evening to kick-off our week of fun.
 
Friday Evening:  Dinner and conversation with Gram
My mom is still in rehab recovering from her broken leg.  It was great to get her out for the evening to eat a "sit down" meal with the family.  We talked and talked until it was late and time to take her back.  (She can only be gone from rehab for 4 hours at a time.)

Saturday:  Booth Sale and Errands
We held our last Girl Scout Cookie Booth Sale of the year on Saturday morning form 10-12.  It was in the upper 60s, but the wind was gusting 20-40 miles an hour, so it felt cooler.  We couldn't even get the cookies out and set-up our table because everything kept blowing away.  It was funny because the girls' hair was blowing and standing on end.  It wasn't our best sale of the season, but we did OK.

Once we finished, we ran a few errands, grabbed lunch, and went to eat with Gram.  Actually, my nephew stayed with Gram while my niece and I were at the Booth Sale.  I think that was a smart decision.  :-)

We ran a few more errands after lunch before going home to rest.  We had dinner with Gram.

Sunday:  Girl Scout Sunday and Bronze Service Project
Check out the Girl Scout Sunday blog post.

Monday: Aquarium and Legos
After getting off to a slow start, we made our way to Sea Life Aquarium for the morning.  We enjoyed seeing all the fish and turtles.  After lunch, we checked out Legoland.

On the way home, we stopped to visit a cousin who had surgery a few days before. We decided to get Sweet Frog and take it to enjoy with Gram.  We played Apples to Apples and watched RAW.  We had a light dinner after our sweet treat.

Tuesday:  Girl Scout Birthday, Service Project, and Fun with Friends
Check out the Girl Scout Birthday blog post.

Wednesday: Ripley's, Louis Tussaud's, and Ice Skating
We had discussed going to a local zoo, but Wednesdays tend to be half price or $1 day, and we just didn't want to be in those crowds on top of the Spring Break crowds, so we voted for something different.  We went to Ripley's Believe It or Not and chose to also visit Louis Tussaud's Palace of Wax and the Mirror Maze.  We really enjoyed our visit and made it through before the big crowds started.

  

 

 

Standing on pretend hot coals.

                                                            
                                                            Being interviewed by Oprah

The Wizard of Oz

History through the decades

 

All the Presidents made of wax

  

We enjoyed CiCi's pizza for lunch, one of their favorite places, before trying something new.  My niece and nephew went ice skating!  We normally don't do anything this crazy because we don't want anything to hinder my niece's dancing or my nephew's soccer playing.  We just don't want them to break anything.  Well, I threw caution to the wind and did it anyway.  :-)  My niece went around a few times.  She liked it, but she was OK with stopping.  My nephew loved it!  He was a natural.

It tired them out, and they slept all the way back home.  We finally got that needed hair cut for my nephew before going to tell Gram all about our day. After a short rest, we headed off to see Escape from Planet Earth, and Gram got to join us! Thursday: Zoo and Caverns Today was the day to head back toward my brother and sister-in-law's.  We decided we couldn't just get in the car and drive.  We had to find something fun to do along the way.  My niece loves visiting zoos, so we stopped at the Cameron Park Zoo.  When we arrived, we missed parking in the zoo lot by one car.  They sent us to park at a middle school to ride the shuttle.  That was great!  It picked us up right at our car, dropped us off at the front gate, and dropped us back off right at our car.  It couldn't have been better if we had parked on site.  It isn't a huge zoo, but it was just right.  The weather was perfect, and all the animals were out to see. There were a lot of people, but it wasn't so crowded you couldn't see the animals.

We put off lunch until after we left the zoo, so we were starved.  While eating, we decided that we needed to do something else fun as we continued heading south. We stopped at Inner Space Caverns. We walked a half mile in and a half mile back out.  It was a lot of fun and exercise. :-) They had a few animals outside and a mining area. Oh, we got to see an actual bat hanging just above our heads inside the cave.

We drove through a little traffic before getting to our destination.  

Friday: Good-bye After visiting and looking at our Spring Break pictures on the computer, I got in my lovin' and headed north again. I had so much fun with my niece and nephew and miss them terribly!

Now to plan our next adventure . . .

Dr. K's Spring Break Tips

I wanted to write this post earlier in the week, but since I have been having so much fun during Spring Break, it didn't happen until today.

1. Order your tickets in advance for whatever activity you choose.  Some locations give you a discount, but more importantly, you save time standing in line.  At two different locations, we waited in line for about 30 minutes.  Everyone else without pre-purchased tickets stood in line anywhere from an hour to five hours.
2. Pack snacks, including drinks. Small snacks that fit inside a purse work best.
3. Check Groupon or other online discount locations.  I used Groupon for the first time to go ice skating. Cheap and fun!
4. Choose one town or area and do everything you can in that area for the day.
5. Let the children have a voice in what you do.  I created a list of ideas and then let my niece & nephew choose the places.  Once they did that, we worked together to create our entire schedule.
6. Plan your day carefully so that you are not in heavy traffic areas at peak traffic times.
7. HAVE FUN!!

What tips do you have to add?

I'm Getting Old

This year is my 20th High School Reunion.  A group of classmates is making plans for the event(s), so it will be fun to learn the plans.  With such a milestone glaring me in the face, it brings about many memories and thoughts.

Memories
I was blessed with being able to attend school K-12 in the same school district.  We had one elementary school (K-6), one middle school (7-8), and one high school (9-12).  Our middle school didn't have a cafeteria, so every day, they bused all the 7th and 8th graders to the elementary school for lunch.

When we graduated, we took a series of pictures.  We started with everyone who went to Kindergarten together and then added students who joined us each year--1st grade, 2nd grade, etc., until we were all in the picture as graduating Seniors.  I wish I had those pictures electronically.

I wasn't in the "popular" group.  I just "was" most of my school life.  When I got to middle school, I think it became more obvious that I was in the "advanced" group (not that I wasn't in elementary school). Once in high school, I became a "band nerd" and loved it.  I made some great friends through band.  I also had my friends with whom I had been in advanced classes all my life, but I started "hanging out" with my band friends. Many of my friends also went to church with me, so we had Youth Group experiences too. I loved going to Disciple Now, football games, Band Banquets, and more. Our Senior Cruise to the Bahamas was fun.

I am sure I will think of more things to say on this topic as the reunion approaches.

Thoughts
I am Facebook friends with many of my former classmates.  I didn't "hang out" with them or go to high school parties with them, but I know them, care about them, and am genuinely interested in their lives. (I think graduating with a class less than 100 makes everyone a little closer than high schools with hundreds of students.) If I haven't said it before, I am an Introvert, so even though I know these people, I will be extremely nervous and uncomfortable about the whole reunion, but it will be great to see everyone and listen to what is going on in their lives.

I wonder how many are still single, don't have children, and more. I am not married, and I do not have children.  I always thought I would.  I thought I would find "Mr. Right" while in college, get married right after college, and have 2 children by the time I turned 30.  Well, that didn't happen.  I can't decide if I just couldn't figure out what God's plan was and that I tried to be more in charge than Him so I messed all that up or if God's plan really was for me to still be single and childless at this age.  No need to question it.  I just continue to pray that I follow the path God has for me and to accept if that does not include a husband and children. However, all of these thoughts have come boiling up lately because one of my high school classmates, a girl whom I went to school with Kindergarten-12th grade and was at my Kindergarten birthday party, just announced that she will be a grandmother in July.  A grandmother!  I'm not even a mother. I am happy for her.  I absolutely love been an Auntie, so I know she will have a ton of fun as a grandmother.

I'll keep you posted on the reunion plans and God's plan for me.

Happy 101st Birthday, Girl Scouts!

How did you celebrate the 101st Birthday of Girl Scouts?

We assisted a local organization through the church by purchasing groceries.  Families who are struggling go to Helping Hands.  If they qualify for assistance with food, they mark items they want on a grocery list.  These items might be juice, pasta, boxed meals, dry beans, canned vegetables, fruits, or beans, toiletries, detergent, dish soap, and more.  It does not include fresh meat, produce, or anything frozen or refrigerated.

Families, businesses, and churches around the community adopt families and purchase the food.  The food is then delivered to Helping Hands to be given to the families.

Our church has adopted 3 families.  We were going to purchase groceries for one family, but when we arrived at the church to get the credit card, we were asked to drop off a second family's list to another church member.  After talking to her, we did the shopping for the family she had taken.

We had two Girl Scouts, a Boy Scout, and a little brother/friend/former Cub Scout.  The boys took one family while the girls took the other.  We followed our lists closely, made decisions to keep us under budget, and enjoyed knowing we were helping others.

After checking out, we took the groceries to Helping Hands.

We enjoyed a fantastic lunch together and topped it off with bundt cakes to celebrate Girl Scouts' Birthday.

I absolutely love that they are learning to give of themselves and their time to help others.

Girl Scout Sunday 2013

Today is Girl Scout Sunday, the Sunday before Girl Scout Birthday, which is March 12th, when Girl Scouts will turn 101.  Three of our girls spent the morning at First Presbyterian Church of Rockwall, not only attending service, but they were greeters and ushers during the service.

After the service, the girls delivered their Be Prepared, Girl Scout themed, bags to a few memebers of the church who need a little extra TLC.  While visiting the different rehab facilities, they looked at flowers to help earn the Flowers Badge.

Happiness

Happiness is . . . having my niece and nephew for 6 days of Spring Break!
I can't want to spend time with them. They are setting the schedule for the week, and since Gram is still in rehab for her broken leg, we will include her in as much as we can, and when we can't, we will show up with dinner or ice cream to tell her all about our day.

We'll keep you posted on our adventures!

Today, we begin with our last Girl Scout Cookie Booth Sale of the season.  2 hours in front of our local Walmart before we spend some time getting the final items for their Be Prepared goodie bag of the church shut-ins.


Bronze Award and Girl Scout Meeting Update:
I missed the last Girl Scout meeting because of the Visitation, but the girls decorated bags for two themes--Be Prepared, in honor of Girl Scout Sunday, Girl Scout Birthday Week, and Girl Scout Birthday, and Easter.  Few items were donated for the bags, but the items that were donated were placed in their respective bag. Once we finished our shopping today and finalize the bags, I'll let you know what was placed inside.

We continue to hear "thank you" and what joy the Valentine's Day bags brought the church members.

Saying Good-bye

We have grown accustomed to burying our loved ones in March.

My maternal grandfather broke his hip the Tuesday or Wednesday of my Spring Break in 1995. He never really returned to himself after the surgery and passed away the Wednesday after Spring Break, March 22, 1995, and we buried him on Saturday, March 25th.

My father had a stroke the Wednesday of my Spring Break in 2003.  He was doing well in the hospital until he had another massive stroke the following week and never recovered.  We lost him on Wednesday, March 26, 2003, and said our good-byes on Saturday, March 29th.

My uncle (mother's brother) passed away from complications of lung cancer on March 20, 2005, the Sunday at the end of Spring Break.

We have lost other beloved family and friends, but Spring Break just seemed to be a difficult time for us. We normally say we just want to skip Spring Break, but now, maybe we just want to skip the whole month of March.

Yesterday, March 2nd, we buried my maternal grandmother, Granny, the lady we knew would outlive us all.  The little lady everyone seemed to know, who loved her husband of 52 years and greatly missed him for almost 18 years, and who loved her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren more than anything.

I have very few memories that don't include her.

• My mother was a teacher, so Granny (and Grandpa) took us on the first day of school and attended any events during the school day. She was at awards ceremonies, special lunches, band concerts, field days, and middle school & high school sporting events. 
• She took my brother and I to our doctors' and dentists' appointments, helped us learn to drive by letting us drive her around, and loved to just sit and talk, listening to what was going on with us. 
• When the great grandbabies came along, she was in the floor playing whatever you could imagine--Hide and Seek, battle games with a curling iron as a weapon, cars, rolling them to and fro, and she read book after book. 
• During college, when I didn't have class, we would run her errands and enjoy lunch together.
• We had Christmas Eve at her house nearly every year of my life--silver aluminum tree, ornaments from the early 1940s, twirling color wheel, crocheted tree skirt, handmade, sequined stockings hung from the mantle, and villages all around. 
• When I was a toddler or just beginning school, Granny and Grandpa moved back to North Texas part time from their vacation place at Port Mansfield.  I remember helping them move into their apartment.  Later, while I was in elementary school, they moved a few streets behind us.  I could walk to their house whenever I wanted.
• We spent time at their place in Port Mansfield fishing and enjoying the coast. When they decided to sell their property and move back full time, I practiced my driving by helping move their final items. 10 hours of driving and experiencing being searched by Border Patrol kind of stick with you.  :-)
• These are just a few memories.  I could go on and on. 

Below are the memories I typed to share at the funeral for my grandmother, Nadine, better known to everyone as Granny. Some ideas are the same as above, while others are memories shared by my mother, brother, cousins, and aunt. Even though some repeat, I wanted to leave it all intact.

Family

Nadine loved being around her family. When her children were young, she drove with her daughter, Jayne, to orchestra and band concerts, and to hear and support the band during football games.  She enjoyed attending football and wrestling with her son, Andrew. The day school was out, they would get in the car and drive wherever her husband was working in the United States and spend the summer.  Throughout her life, Nadine visited every state except North and South Dakota. 

Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren

Nadine’s grandchildren and great children were her greatest joys. She was there to take her grandchildren to the first day of school almost every year, doctor and dental visits, attend awards ceremonies, band concerts, and other school programs. She taught her grandchildren how to drive, and she enjoyed going to dance and sporting events.

Her great granddaughters loved teaching her to dance. Her granddaughter, Andrea, remembers when her youngest taught Granny the “Walker Bootie Dance.” Her great grandson enjoyed teaching her to play soccer.  She got down in the floor and played whatever they wanted.

Her grandson, Danny, remembers her push for everyone to get their education and that she was there for any and everybody.

Holidays

Nadine loved spending holidays with family.  Until the family grew too large to meet in one place, she enjoyed the huge family Christmases she had with her brother and sister and their families.  Each year, Nadine enjoyed decorating for Christmas and having her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren over on Christmas Eve to celebrate and visit.  The grandchildren discussed the silver aluminum tree decorated with ornaments from the early 1940s and the twirling color wheel. She hung the handmade sequined stockings from the mantel each year. She would decorate her front yard, but the decorations had to be brought in every night because someone might take them. Whenever eating at Granny’s, the grandchildren had to sit at the “kids’ table.”  There was a “kids’ table” even after the great grandchildren came along.

Her daughter-in-law, Peggy, mentioned the memories of handing out Halloween candy each year.

Summers meant homemade ice cream on the back porch.  The grandchildren would get so tired of cranking, but the ice cream sure was good.

Her grandson, Pete, recalls one Mother’s Day when he and his dad rode the motorcycle from up north to Dallas to visit Granny.

Nadine sent cards to everyone for every holiday and birthday. The grandchildren mentioned the excitement of receiving the card and it having either a $5 bill or pennies taped inside.

Helping Others

Nadine enjoyed helping others.  If anyone was in the hospital and needed someone to sit with them, Nadine was the one to call. When others needed her help, she was there.  When her granddaughter, Micheal, taught 5^th grade, many years ago, Nadine rode the bus with the class as the parent chaperone to hear the Dallas Symphony because no other parent volunteered, an act that impacted the students for many years.

Everyone knew Nadine as Granny, and if you visited, you always got hugs and kisses before leaving.  Every time you visited, you had to have a Coke.

Hobbies

Nadine loved crocheting, knitting, sewing, cross-stitching, and more.  She crocheted baby outfits and blankets for her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She would teach anyone who wanted to learn.

She baked and made candy, and she enjoyed eating sweets until her final day. Her granddaughter, Laurie, remembers stories of her helping Granny make rum balls and Granny telling her not to eat them as they were made.

She enjoyed working in her yard—planting strawberries that no one could touch and the lilies she planted after Easter each year.

Later in life, she enjoyed working the daily puzzle in the paper and watching Wheel of Fortune, NCIS, and Law and Order.

She will be missed by all.