Dance

 

Today was the last chapel service for Free Chapel College this year, and Maddie was there early with the dance team - they had put together a little choreography to go just prior to the service, and it turned out pretty fun!

And so ends a small chapter of Maddie's school history.  She enjoyed it, and is now off in other directions.

She drove with Nana and Ye-Ye today, and they got the car taken care of over at the dealership, and the price was so much more affordable than what we're used to dealing with using our other car here.  But she was driving well there, and then Maddie drove over to taekwondo afterwards.  She had a good night helping with instruction, and then joining the leadership class.

I was reading a good bit, catching up there and on some work for KidPak.  Sort of a crazy day today.  We're getting ready for Boot Camp, but also ready fora  quick trip away. 

The Braves lost today, unable to hold a lead in the eighth inning.  Certain bullpen pitchers just aren't able to get the job done, but that okay because we won the series vs. Detroit, and still remain the only team in baseball to have not lost a single series.  Mom was watching that at home while getting things ready for our trip.

I got the walking in, and tonight we watched a few more episodes of "The Mandalorian," pressing on there in season two, which is pretty epic.  Afterwards, we read of course, getting closer towards the end of "Thud!"  We said our prayers, and sleep came easy tonight for all of us.

Captain Awesome

We dropped over at Camille's place this afternoon, and it might be a while before we see her again, because it's so close to her due date and we wanted to drop by a baby shower gift.  We've been joking that because there's no official "baby shower" this time around, we'd call it a "baby sprinkle."  You can see Bonnie was having a great time running around with Maddie, and when it came time to open the gifts, Bonnie was very excited, as was her mom.

We gave gifts themed to "The Very Hungry Caterpillar!"  There was a cute onesie, and another item, and the book itself.

And so it came to pass that after that, we went to Braselton.  This time we were with Maddie, and as is our custom, we ate first, stopping by a familiar place.

We were at Cracker Barrel again, and that was fun.  We even did some small shopping, or at least looking around in the store afterwards.  I picked up a card for Ye-Ye's birthday, and we all got some candy too.  We didn't pick this up though:

Right after this, we were in the warehouse, busy collecting items for the Boot Camp skits upcoming.  A casting absence means that I'll probably wind up being in the skits again.  That's okay.  We picked up some set decorations and some costuming, and were on our way home for the night.

Today was Maddie's last day of college classes.  Tomorrow is a chapel service, but today was the official last day of classes, and thus that chapter is pretty much over.  It was a short chapter.

Tonight we were getting some things done in the house.  There's still plenty of packing to do, which all of us were doing tonight to one extent of another.  I'm also still trying to get things lined up for some time away from KidPak, of course.  We cooked up the last of the oven-bake pretzels, and I got my steps in watching a documentary on SpaceX and Mars while on the treadmill.  Afterwards, that Braves game:  wow.  We were facing a tough pitcher, and we were pretty much in trouble until the eighth inning.  And then that ninth inning happened, and Matt Olsen crushed a two-run home run to win it for the Braves in a thrilling walk-off at-bat.  Pretty amazing stuff.

We read after that, more from "Thud!"  And after that, time for some sleep!

Walking Towards the Moon

Got another post card as I march along here virtually.  Moving pretty quickly through this walk, I'm already on the moon.  It's been great watching a lot of NASA related programing and movies while doing this march.  And of course, next week we'll be visiting Kennedy Space Center, so it's all about space this month when it comes to keeping fit. 

We woke up this morning to thunder, and even a bit of hail outside, although things settled down soon enough to be just a steady downpour for a good bit in the morning.  We sure need the rain, and are grateful for all the water we can get.  

Maddie was at college today, things winding down for Free Chapel College.  Maddie's just got one more day, and then a service on Thursday.  Then she's all done - hopefully she's enjoyed the year.

We watched the spider episode of "The Mandalorian" tonight, and then the Braves game on BravesVision.  The Braves beat the Tigers tonight, another great win from the team with the most wins in baseball.  Afterwards, it was time to read some more from "Thud!"  We said our prayers soon after that, ready for another good night's rest... until there was a noise out there on the porch... oh, there's our possum friend again.  The possum keeps coming up to visit, I think sniffing around for leftover birdseed or something.  I love how they just waddle around and sure enough, as long as you leave them alone, they'll leave you alone.  Anyway, good night everyone - and goodnight little possum!

Poison Ivy

Goodness, Mom's poison ivy has been annoying.  It's easily been the worst she's ever experienced.  My mother can just reach down and pick up the stuff with her hands and throw it out, but if it just barely touches Mom, it can bring some trouble.  It spreads on the skin and it's just a lot of itching and pain.  So uncomfortable, and we're really praying she's better by the time we take our little trip coming up.

So we've been packing, and getting things done ahead of time for the services at KidPak coming up.  Getting booklets done and getting skits written and graphics done.  Maddie had taekwondo tonight, and I was there "at my office" there while watching the team practice.  While all that was going on, I was finishing up the script, getting graphics done and all kinds of stuff to set up for a small trip away.

We watched "The Mandalorian" some tonight, and afterwards read a bit from "Thud!" again, nearing the end of this mystery.  Everyone's listening in as I read, as this story has captured the imagination.  It's been fun.  We said our prayers after this, and then... time for some sleep!

National Pretzel Day

KidPak this morning was really great, another small group morning.  Super fun!  We had our worship in the main sanctuary, and then after that it was time for the kids to head to small groups.  We had the video game theme going on, and I had planned a fe different things like a puzzle race that revealed a video game character wearing the Full Armor of God, and then after that we had a paper doll of Gideon where kids could add the individual pieces of that Full Armor of God.  It was all about the battle in the mind, and reminding kids that each one is a mighty hero, and that the voice they should listen to is that of God's.  To illustrate listening to the right voices, we had this "Berzerk" themed maze that I made, to go with the video game theme.  Kids had the upside-down goggles on, the ones that make it pretty impossible to see with, and then they had to listen to their teammates guide them through the "electrified wall maze" with Berzerk robots in it.  And once they got about halfway through the maze and were feeling more comfortable... uh-oh.  Here came Evil Otto!  I got to be the bouncing smiling face villain that added a lot of stress and pressure to the the journey through the maze.  It was so much for for the kids that they wanted to do it again and again.  Afterwards we illustrated the point about listening to the right voices that lead you to safety, versus the wrong voices that get you lost or in trouble.  Even the smiling faces one!

The last thing that we did was put together that craft that I made up for the kids, the paper stand-up with Mario Kart racers on it.  They all came out pretty well.  I worked pretty hard setting up the pieces for that the past few days, so they were quick and easy to assemble.  

All in all it was a really fun morning with the kids.  I was so grateful to get to do this again, and all our volunteers each played a big part in presenting different parts of the Bible story or illustrating points along the way.  They all did so well!

On the way home, we picked up some Chinese food for lunch and ate at home.  It was good, of course.  Mom was hankering Chinese food, and apparently a lot of other people were too, because the restaurant was packed!  Probably a lot of post-church people that were pretty hungry.

So we relaxed the good part of the day.  With Maddie, that's been farming games and videos she watches online.  I got my steps in on the treadmill, a little over two miles a day while I virtually walk towards the moon.  Today's feature was another Tomorrowland video from 1957 or something like that, "Mars and Beyond."  These have been super interesting and fun, as it was so early with technology and they were only guessing about certain things in space by this point.  There were certainly some surreal bits, but it was fun.

When we got home we watched the Braves win again, this time 6-2.  Within the first two innings the game was 6-0, and that offered a nice little gap that the Phillies just couldn't catch up with, particularly because of our ace, Chris Sale.  It was awesome seeing Matt Olsen drill another home run, and really great to see Eli White do the same a few innings later.  The Braves are the first team in baseball this year to reach 20 wins, and that's fantastic.

Today is National Pretzel Day!  Yesterday while grocery shopping, I picked up some gluten-free pretzels for Mom, and I also got the large soft pretzels you heat up in the oven.  Maddie and I each enjoyed a one of those tonight, and afterwards Mom and I were munching on a few of the gluten-free pretzels from the bag as we watched "The Mandalorian" some more.  We're going through all the old episodes, now starting off season two.  These are so good - we forgot how fun these episodes were.  

Afterwards, it was time for sleep.  We read for a good bit, and then said our prayers.  It was time for some sleep!

Saturday!

Saturday!  Maddie drove over to Team Edge practice this morning, and is certainly getting more comfortable behind the wheel.  Not comfortable is Mom, who has been struggling with this poison ivy that just lingers and lingers.  So annoying and uncomfortable - she suffered with this today, and has been suffering with it quite a bit the last few weeks.   I've made a few trips to the local drug store to try and get some items to help her with the itching and pain, and at night she's just taking things to help her sleep.  I feel bad for Mom - hopefully she'll be over this before we head south for our trip.

I got my steps in towards the virtual moon walk there while watching some old "Tomorrowland" television episodes from our Walt Disney Treasures DVDs.  It's some old material, imagining what space travel would be like some day.  It's amazing to see what they got right, and what they could only guess at.  I actually have all but two of the Disney Treasures DVDs.  I would have had the last two if that Disney Movie Club hadn't messed up my order - I'm still steaming about that one, because I actually passed by the DVDs that I wanted at Best Buy but didn't get them there because I knew that the Disney Movie Club order was in place.  Only, they completely messed it up, and here I am without those two DVD sets that I really wanted.  I'm not bitter!  Okay, a little.

Ah, the Disney Movie Club.  That ended about two or three years ago, but for a while that was one of those companies that would send you eight CDs for a dollar and then you'd have to spend the rest of your life making sure you said "no thank you" to whatever cassette or CD they were offering you each month, and sure enough they were banking on those moments you'd forget and then you'd get billed for something you didn't ask for and maybe it'd be too much trouble to return.  Remember getting something in the mail, a little card that you had to return to say NO?  And then that went to the paperless system where you had to remember once a month to go online and say NO?   It was the same idea with the Disney Movie Club.  To begin with, Maddie was a toddler and we were getting some age appropriate things for her, such as the Little Einsteins or Higgly Town Heroes or something like that.

There were some exclusive videos we picked up from them, mostly old Disney Channel material - but a lot of that is available elsewhere now, most notably on Disney Plus.  I remember not getting those Disney Treasure DVDs I ordered, and then also ordering a lithograph from them, thinking it would be the same size as the other Disney lithographs I have... only to discover it was basically a post card.  Yeah, these events sort of made up my mind.  I'm not sure why we hung on with Disney Movie Club so long, but you can see why they went away.  We were pretty big Disney fans back in the day, so I suppose that was what kept us plugged in. But we generally bought all our new-release DVDs, and then eventually Blu-rays, all from the actual Disney Store, as they usually also had a lithograph with every purchase.  Now that's something I genuinely miss.  I loved those lithographs, and have a massive collection of them right now.  Most of them are framable and just gorgeous.  Ah, memory lane.  

Okay, anyway, it rained today.  This is huge news, huge news indeed.  We've been so desperate for rain, and it was so nice sitting on that front porch, reading and listening to the sound of rainfall.  I was really quite pleasant.  

Maddie spent the day with Nate's family again and had a good day there.  I finished up a good bit of set-up for tomorrow's small group morning at KidPak, and did that all while watching some Mandalorian episodes and the matchup between the Braves and the Phillies.  The Braves lost today, but the only reason the Phillies won was because it rained today.  True story - the grass was wet out there in the outfield, which led to a slip, and that one run tied things up for the Phillies.  So any bragging about a victory on their part is pretty shallow.  I'm not bitter! Okay, a little.

Anyway, it's been a good day here.  I did some grocery shopping for Mom, picking up a few things before heading home.  I'm driving a borrowed car from the dealership, as our vehicle is getting some routine work done.  It's a nice loaner vehicle, and I'm really enjoying the Elvis channel!

Tonight in Washington, yet another assassination attempt was thwarted.  It was good news that no one was seriously harmed, but that's about the only good news that comes of this.  I'm not even sure how to respond to this because clearly this sort of thing shouldn't be so commonplace, and yet here we are.

Later on this evening, we read as always, and then after that said our prayers.  Time to get some sleep early, because we have service tomorrow morning.

Driving and Philly Cheesesteaks

Maddie did quite a bit of driving today, first with Nana just over to Wal-Mart for a big first:  filling up the gas tank.  Yep, she went to a gas station.  Another thing we did at home in the driveway:  check the oil.  Maddie learned how to use a dipstick, and not the candy kind you use to dip into a bag of powdery sugar mix.  

Later on, she was driving over to taekwondo tonight, and even home afterwards.  There was one little spot of difficulty with a turn on the way home, but other than that she was flawless, taking her time and keeping within those lines.  She did great!

We got home tonight and this was one of the few Braves games that was blacked out for us, but did that stop us from catching the game?  No sir!  Mom and I set up the fire pit outside on the back deck and listened to the game online, just enjoying the nice weather under the canopy all lit up with Christmas lighting.  It was a very pleasant evening out there, made greater because the Braves won yet again, continuing on with the best record in baseball right now.

Mom's been dealing with poison ivy a lot, so she was a bit uncomfortable tonight.  We're hoping this is gone in a week, because we're getting close to embarkation day.  More than once the two of us have sat there watching a live feed of the Disney Cruise ships docked at either Port Canaveral or Port Nassau.

Today's viewing, however, was with our astronaut theme:  Mom and I were doing a few things while watching "The Reluctant Astronaut" again, probably the first time since 2020 when we were writing that KidPak video inspired by that movie idea.  Today we were watching it because we'll be at Kennedy Space Center soon enough, and of course I'm also walking virtually towards the moon and back.  I finished up "From Earth to the Moon" earlier while on the treadmill, so I'm really spaced out.  But what were we doing while the movie was on?  I was cutting out a lot of pieces for this weekend's small group activities.  A lot of work ahead of time on this one, but it should be fun for the kids, and hopefully helpful.

We got some more patriotic decorations out there today, including a new US flag and a new garden flag too, one commemorating the semiquincentennial.  Which I never get tired of saying.  We spent some time talking with my parents, and oh yeah, there was this: 

I haven't had one of these in a while.  In preparation of the visit by the Philadelphia Phillies tonight, Mom made me a Philly cheesesteak, and it was absolutely amazing.  And of course, the Braves beat the Phillies tonight, and that was amazing too.  Sorry, Philadelphia.  But you still have great cheesesteak sandwiches!

Tonight Maddie and I read a bit from "Thud!" and then... that's the noise we made as we hit the bed.  We were all pretty tired today.  Great day though!