Stack the States

Lots of work today, and a clean-up day for Madison too.  There was a lot of housecleaning going on, and Madison was good to take care of her playroom, and her bedroom too.  When she's not cleaning, she was drawing or on her hand-held device watching something or playing a game like this one:

She has this game, and the second one as well.  It tests her knowledge of the names of states, along with a challenge to find their state capitals as well.  Daddy doesn't know all the capitals, but can do all the states pretty easy.  And thanks to this game, Madison can do all the states pretty well too.  These are the sort of games you can get behind - ones that mix fun with learning.  So, here's a question:  which state is that at the bottom right - Colorado or Wyoming?  And how is tiny New Jersey holding up the entire state of Montana there?

Anyway, it was Saturday.  Daddy was at work, writing and preparing, and filming too.  The upcoming Star Wars series is going to be pretty fun, but we have a lot of work still to do.  But the day started out well, because it started out... with pancakes.  We had such a great pancake breakfast this morning.  I would venture to say it was better than your pancake breakfast, it was that good.  I don't mean to brag, but Mommy is a wonderful cook.  She flips those pancakes, and we're all at the table, waiting in anticipation!

We concluded the "Star Wars" trilogy tonight with "Return of the Jedi," which features a lot of Ewoks, which I don't really have a problem with.  Later on, in fact, the three of us are going to watch that second Ewok movie, just to get into the theme of things upcoming.  There are a lot of Star Wars things to watch, from Clone Wars to Rebels to the seven movies, plus two Ewok movies, and countless parodies.  It's going to be fun, and we'll no doubt prove our geekhood!

Lobot

She did it!  Madison finished this big book she's been reading all summer long.  It took her a while - and yes, she was reading smaller books in between.  But through it all, she'd pick this one up on car rides, at the beach, and waiting for various camps.  This is the book of her summer, and she was very happy to finally get it done, reading the last page today.  The fact that it was her now favorite author Tom Angleberger mixed with Star Wars really made for a great book for the summer.

We made some donations to the library today, putting a few boxes of books there.  We went to the Cumming library, a larger one with a slightly bigger selection.  It has the bookstore there, the books that people like us donate - and it was there that we found a few to add to our own collection.  We're apparently big on books here, which isn't a bad thing, right?

It was a calm day, one that Daddy spent writing for the upcoming devotional, although there was a bit of Olympic series prep as well.  Lots of things going on here, including an upcoming trip to Spartanburg for their church's Summer Xtreme.  Hopefully, next year Madison can go to that as well.  If so, that'd be three Summer Xtremes!

The Star Wars "research" theme was continued tonight as we watched "The Empire Strikes Back," along with even more popcorn.  Daddy got some good ideas here and there, including one I'll paste below about the character Lobot.  Madison and Mommy have been throwing out ideas, making this book a family effort!  Madison is quick throw out ideas, and it's great to hear her mind working through it all, tying lessons to characters she knows and loves.

Lobot may not be one of those characters, but Daddy has always liked him.  Yes, he's pretty obscure in regard to the general public.  But we Star Wars fanatics know him very well.  We saw Lobot in the movie tonight, and Daddy remembered the action figure of him I had from years ago, along with the others.  He doesn't say a word, and yet is in so many scenes, right there by Lando's side.  So let's see what we can write about him...

“Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works.” Hebrews 10:24 NIRV

     One random act can change quite a bit.  For example, in the Star Wars universe, have you ever considered how the character Lobot single-handedly saved the galaxy?  In the movie "The Empire Strikes Back," Lobot was the silent guy in Cloud City who was always by Lando Calrissian's side.

     Late in the story, the good guys were captured and about to be taken to Darth Vader's ship.  Yet at just the right moment Lobot came to the rescue, saving Lando, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2. 

      These heroes would in turn save Han Solo, who would then go on to lead the battle to defeat the Empire itself.

      See how much depends on one little act of kindness?  Some would say it wasn't much.  But if it weren't for Lobot, the galaxy wouldn't have been saved!

     And that's an important lesson we should take with us.  A simple act of kindness may not take that much effort, but it can really change someone's world.  It might even save it!

     So think of what you can do for someone today.  It can be a kind word, a little help with a challenging situation, or perhaps something greater.  No matter what, a random act of kindness is so easy to do.  You can come to the rescue today!

The Stormtrooper Bump

How many years have I been watching Star Wars, and never once did I catch the Stormtrooper bumping his head.  Yes, here's the point where you all accuse me of not being a real fan.  The truth is, I knew about it.  It's just that I've been so into the movie that I forget to look at it.  So tonight, we watched the movie again - it's research for the upcoming series we have at KidPak that has to do with Star Wars.  Anyway, we went back after the movie because once again, Daddy forgot.  And finally, I spotted it - it's hard to miss.  We all spotted the Stormtrooper Bump!

We had some heavy rain today, which frankly is just amazing.  We need it for so many reasons, if only to just cool us off here.  But obviously, the water in the lake is going down as well, so that's a good thing to have a downpour of such magnitude.

Madison had Nutcracker camp again this morning, which will be over before you know it.  She's so happy to see her dancing friends again.  All the parents know each other as well - we're sort of stuck in the hallways waiting, passing by each other and talking, getting the latest news that we know about upcoming events.  We know some parents from church too, so there's a bit of talking there as well.

We had speech therapy again today, which is winding down in a way.  We have to figure out where to fit this in as the school year approaches.  We have ballet on Mondays and Thursdays, and Piano on Tuesdays.  This leaves Wednesdays, which is church - and Fridays, which might not be an option.  Anyway, a busy season is approaching for sure.

At home, Madison was working on stencil art again.  She has all these stencils, and she likes making the different shapes, and then coloring them in.  She's been working on fairies, and a few snowflakes and Christmas-themed items as well.  I guess the Nutcracker has us all thinking about Christmas!

It's just five months away!

Javelins and Nutcrackers

This is the writing desk that Madison will have soon - isn't it nice?  It was a leftover bit of furniture from the previous inhabitants of the condo Nana and Ba-Ba are living in.  There's really not a place for it there now, and Madison seemed to like it a lot.  Therefore, the news of the day is that we'll be getting this one soon.

So why is a raven like a writing desk?  I have no idea.  Of course, Lewis Carroll's later answer was:  "Poe wrote on both."  Which is a rather clever answer.

Anyway, today was a big work day, as there was catching up to be done.  Tonight's service was still related to the Olympics, and in fact the javelin.  There's a javelin in the Bible, so that's the direction Daddy was pointing in:

     Where are you aiming? Each Olympic Games, javelin throwers have been aiming farther and farther, haven’t they? Lining up and getting into position, the athletes run hard to the line and throw with all their might.
     Some time ago, there was another man holding a javelin. He had just endured bad news of the worst kind. His name was Joshua, and he had seen God’s army defeated. What was supposed to be an easy victory over the city of Ai became a devastating loss.
     Immediately afterwards, Joshua became sad, tore his clothes and fell on his face before the Lord, staying right there until late at night. It was then that God revealed to him that there was sin in his own camp. That was why there was no victory! That was why his armies were aimless and defeated.
     But Joshua knew he could turn things around – and he quickly sprung to action. The sin was removed, and once again he stepped up before everyone, a javelin in hand. He didn’t let the past destroy his future. He was ready to try again, and ready to aim farther.
     The Lord then spoke to Joshua. He said, “Point the javelin that is in your hand at Ai. I will hand the city over to you.” So Joshua pointed his javelin at the city, and the rest is history, because Ai was history – completely destroyed.
     With God, all things are possible. Your past is past, and your future is unwritten, a victory awaiting just so long as you get the sin out of your camp, do not give up, and aim farther than you’ve ever aimed before! 

It's a great little message called "Get the Point."  I had to come up with something clever for the title, and that was the best I could do.  Here's the points:

1. Don’t miss the point. Achan was drawn away from victory, and so were the armies of the city of Ai. Both were tempted and lured away from the thing that mattered most. They only realized their mistake when it was too late.
“But your own evil longings tempt you. They lead you on and drag you away.” James 1:14 NIrV

2. Pass the test! Special tests are performed before every game to make sure there is no one cheating. Sadly, someone on Joshua’s team was caught taking something – and as long as there was sin in the camp, Israel could not win the victory.
“But God is faithful and fair. If we admit that we have sinned, He will forgive us our sins. He will forgive every wrong thing we have done. He will make us pure.” 1 John 1:9 NIrV

3. It’s not too late. What a disaster! Joshua worried that all the opposing armies would surround them, and wipe Israel from the face of the earth. But it’s never too late, and never too much with God! No matter how circumstances may appear, remember Who is on our side, and that all things are possible to those that believe.
“Then the Lord spoke to Joshua. He said, ‘Point the javelin that is in your hand at Ai. I will hand the city over to you.’ So Joshua pointed his javelin at Ai.” Joshua 8:18 NIrV 

We talked about the members of the upcoming Olympic Javelin Team - Daddy found pictures online of the six American athletes heading to Rio next week.  It was a fun evening in the classroom - we even played some team Toss Across, as kids had to "aim" for victory.  You can't get distracted by anything else.  Just throw off every hindrance, and aim for a win!

Any time I think of Toss Across, I picture that guy from "The Santa Clause 2."  Just saying.

And speaking of Christmas themed stuff, Madison had Nutcracker Camp again this morning.  It's been more about the routine itself, about the choreography.  Madison seems to have this down well, showing off at home her different moves.  Christmas will be here before you know it.

SPEAKING OF WHICH, yes, we're already doing a bit of Christmas shopping for her… yep!  It's coming soon...

Monkee Mania

Nutcracker camp continues, where Madison has found friends and fun - and a bit of work.  This is more of a week of training, but she's enjoying in nonetheless.  There's only one break, I think, and this much has been noted when Madison gets home.  Still, she loves being a part of it, and is excited about dancing in the Nutcracker.  Already, costume details are trickling in - and one exciting prop is the umbrella that Madison carries in with her.

She was drawing Lilo from "Lilo and Stitch" when Daddy got home for a break.  He's been busy setting up for all kinds of things, including a massive day of printing things for upcoming events.  Tonight, it was Taco Tuesday.  Daddy cooks the beef for that and Mommy gets the other elements together - it's a group effort.

Our computer is not waking up from it's vacation slumber.  This is troubling, as we have a lot of pictures on it.  Hoping this works out in the end.  Daddy keeps rebooting the thing, with different results each time.  Hopefully one time, we'll win that lottery and get the computer up and going long enough to get those pictures off of it.

Tonight, Madison wanted to watch more episodes of "The Monkees."  This much should be obvious if you've been with her lately. She laughs out loud at some of their antics.  But then again, so does Daddy and Mommy.  It's just weird having a bit of Monkee Mania fifty years later.

One more bit of bad news:  Sodapalooza is about to end.  This isn't exactly bad news, as Daddy is pretty bored with it at this point!  Madison ended up with Peach Mango and the Arnold Palmer mix as her favorites.  On the way home from work, Daddy fills her cup, and delivers a delicious tall drink when he gets home.

We read some more tonight, getting closer to finishing "Mathilda," which has been a great read.  The movie is a bit different towards the end, showing a bit more of Mathilda's powers.  But otherwise, they're both a good investment in time.  This year, the surprise is reading Dahl's books.  They've been really fun for all of us.

After prayer and devotional time, Madison went to sleep as Mommy and Daddy snuck down stairs to catch up on the Convention speeches we missed during vacation.  Here's where the Presidential election season really gets cooking, and where all the venom starts flying.  It's probably good for your health to get off of social media, and not watch the news for a while.  At least, that's Daddy's plan.  Our minds were made up a long time ago, so why bother with the back and forth that goes on during an election.  So much anger - not from candidates, but from all sorts of people, even those we know.  Anyway, we're heading to bed with peace in our hearts.  Despite a bad computer and the end of Sodapalooza.  At least we have the Monkees!

Nutcracker Camp

It's Christmas in July!  Today is July 25th, which means we'll be celebrating Christmas in exactly five months.  To celebrate this occasion, today Madison started her Nutcracker Camp!  This is like ballet camp, but probably more work.  This week, the kids that made it through the audition process are practicing and learning about their roles in this upcoming season's "Nutcracker."  Not long ago, Madison earned the part of a China Doll, which was fairly a no-brainer.  She had a slight edge in this, actually being Chinese.

So this morning we were back at Brenau, back doing the ballet thing with all the other familiar kids and parents who were there for various parts.  Each session goes to about 12:45, so it's a few hours of dancing and stretching and choreography, with lunch and a few small breaks thrown in for good measure.  They have a good time though - Madison enjoyed it.

That's about as far as we got with our Christmas in July theme.  Daddy was at work for a good bit, and while at home Madison was working on some drawings, learning to recreate various Disney characters.  Today, she did a great picture of Dory from "Finding Dory."

When Daddy came home, Madison was helping Mommy a bit, all while dressed up as Angelica from "Pirates of the Caribbean."  We realized she hasn't actually seen the movie with Angelica in it (we've been slow to bring in some of these movies), so with proper warning about gross bits, we all sat down to watch "On Stranger Tides" tonight, this being Madison's first time.  We had the popcorn, and she still had her costume on.  She loved the movie, although she was pretty familiar with the plot already, having played the LEGO Pirates game some time back.  Still, it was a very piratey sort of night.  I suspect the mini-golf we played recently had some effect on her.  Regardless, it was a fun themed night!

Of course, before bed there is the devotional, and the chapter from "Mathilda" as well.  We're really moving through this book quickly - it's been an enjoyable read.  But soon, we'll be coming up to the point where the grown-ups start to regret their misdeeds.  That'll probably be extremely enjoyable for Madison…!

And speaking of grown-ups regretting their misdeeds, the Democratic Convention is going on right now.  Last week was the Republican Convention.  We haven't watched anything from either, as we've been on vacation.  But it's news, and in just a few short months - closer than Christmas - we'll be voting for a new President.  Either way, we'll have a new animatronic figure in the Hall of Presidents.  This new figure will historic:  it will be either be the only one wearing a pantsuit, or the first orange President in history.  Your vote matters!

Pump You Up!

The muscle men were back!  Today's service was all about spiritual muscles, but as you can see above, we were pretty buff with our real muscles too!  Okay, so maybe not.  But hear me now and believe me later, it was a pretty fun morning for all the kids!

Here's Daddy getting everyone pumped up.  You can see a few kids desperately trying to do push ups on the stage.  We basically took a few of the old SNL skits and tied it to an Olympic theme of weightlifting.  We even had a big weight there to pick up.

Of course, it wasn't real.  Madison picked it up with one hand! 

It was a fun morning.   And the kids learned quite a bit with some fun games, and a great message afterwards, as usual, all tied together with this theme of building up spiritual muscles.  Here are the three points that Daddy wrote up for today's service:

1. Build up your spiritual muscles.  It is key to set aside time each day to read God’s Word, and spend time in prayer at home.

"He gives strength to those who are tired. He gives power to those who are weak.” Isaiah 40:29 NIrV

2. Walk with confidence. Train each day and you'll walk around sure of yourself, and your relationship with God. You'll be ready to handle just about anything, because He will give you strength!

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” 1 John 5:14 NIV

3. God is your spotter.  Remember that He is the ultimate weightlifter: when you are weak, He is strong. If you are feeling weary and burdened, cast your cares upon Him and He will carry you. 

“Come to me, all of you who are tired and are carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28 NIrV 

When we got home, we left.  Seriously, Daddy and Madison went off to the library, and the reason was this:  Madison finished her summer reading program, and it was time to get a certificate.  And a free book!  She put her name on a ribbon that went on the wall with the other summer readers' names, and then she chose a book from a shelf that she could have:  it was a new one to me, but she knew exactly what it was and wanted to read that one.  We got ourselves a few other books as well, and were on our way afterwards.  We dropped by the busy grocery store after that to get a gluten-free pizza for Mommy, a tasty Margherita pizza.  This was a surprise - we got home and cooked it up for her so she could have something nice to eat.  Our house is devoid of a lot of food right now, as we just got back from a vacation, so this was nice.

The rest of the day was spent playing "The Force Awakens" for Disney Infinity.  Pretty much.  Mommy was researching the family line some more with the ancestry tools online.  And then, it was bedtime - an early one tonight.  We read from "Mathilda" and we read from our devotional, and then it was to get some sleep.  Tomorrow, we rise a bit earlier for Nutcracker Camp.  It'll be another fun, full week!

Rock Eagle

Here's Mommy and Madison at a quick stop on the way home.  We tried an alternate route, and for the most part, it was pretty nice.  We may make some adjustments the next time we try, but we certainly didn't have to worry about all that Atlanta traffic - or Henry County - this time around.

The place we stopped at here was a very significant one for Daddy some time ago.  It was Rock Eagle.

Here's Madison in the tower that overlooks the large eagle shape, made from thousands of stones.  You can see our car way in the distance there - we walked up to the tower, and it's about three flights up, so it wasn't a huge deal.  Also, the weather was slightly overcast by this point, so the temperature was better for us.  It was just good to get out of the car and stretch our legs for a bit.  Today, we went up the coast on I-95, and then took I-16 up to around Dublin.  That latter road was a long, long stretch of nothing.  We think that it would be better to take I-75 up, and then get to 129 to Eatonton next time - and then go north.  And that's where Rock Eagle is.

Nobody knows why it exists.  Some people who are more clever than others determined that it is anywhere between 1,000 and 3,000 years old, put together by Indians.  Or aliens.  They don't really know, but they do think the people that assembled this were not the more modern native Americans of more recent centuries.  As to why it is built, that too is a mystery.  There is another one built nearby, also in Putnam County.  And that's pretty much it.  Madison observed that it almost looks like a sea turtle.  And that it's head looks more like a vulture than an eagle.  Which goes along with what some others have observed:  vultures are a symbol of death, and perhaps this was a grave site.  The people who constructed this were simply signaling to the vultures overhead, "Hey, come on down here!"  But Rock Eagle sounds a whole lot better than Rock Vulture, so I suppose for tourists later on, this was the better option in a name.  

ANYWAY, nearby this mound of rocks is a camp where Daddy stayed quite a few times when he was younger.  It was a Y-Club camp, the place where he made lots of friends and had lots of fun.  It really changed my life for the better, changing me from a introverted teen with no confidence to something else slightly better at least.  We may talk about those memories later.  Daddy was tempted to drive through the cabin area, but we were later in the day here and ready to get home.

We got home safely, and pretty tired too.  It was a long week, and a long drive too.  This morning, we started out saying goodbye to Nana and Ba-Ba, and then we went off… to Lowe's.  Yep, the Build and Grow program is nationwide, and so we signed up to do the next Marvel character not at our usual spot in Gainesville, but instead at the one in Port Orange, Florida.  Yeah, we signed up for this location about two weeks ago, and here we were, walking into a new Lowe's that had its act together.  There were plenty of workers there, one with a vest just covered with patches.  Madison's apron has about 34 patches on it, so these two had quite a bit to talk about together.  Soon, we were in the shade, outside there, working on the next wooden creation.  It was Thor, and his mighty hammer.

This ties to tonight before bedtime.  Daddy got to the place in the devotional tonight, and each message in the devotional is devoted to a different sport in the Olympics.  Today's reading was about the hammer throw.  Here it is, in fact:

     The hammer throw is one of the most unusual and exciting field events at the Olympic stadium. Muscular athletes pick up a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle, and then begin to swing it around and around. Faster and faster they spin, until with all the force they can, the athletes release the hammer and send it soaring at the target, over eighty meters away.
     There’s no question about it: you don’t want to be around a hammer when it comes crashing down. It’s a sixteen-pound meteorite that can do some serious damage!
     Compare this to the Bible, and the power of each chapter inside. In the book of Jeremiah, God says this about His Word: “It is like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces.”
     That sounds about right, doesn’t it? Officials stand a safe distance away until they see it come down, otherwise they’ll be making an unexpected trip to the hospital!
     God’s word is definitely like a hammer. Want proof? Back in the book of Genesis, God brought the hammer down on Satan, telling that devil his head would be crushed. Ouch! You certainly don’t want to be on the business end of that hammer!
     The next time you feel temptation lurking, why don’t you grab that same hammer, God’s Word? It’s a promise that has a whole lot of weight, and a whole lot of power. Pick it up, and hold on to it tightly for a bit. You want to see someone scatter? The Bible says the devil will flee – and if he doesn’t, he’ll find himself on the receiving end of a crushing throw. God’s Word has power, and when you throw it at any situation, you’ll see some changes, that’s for sure!
     Ready to be victorious? Sure you are. If you’re ready to go the distance, then pick up that hammer, God’s Word, and get ready to see some real power: it’s hammer time! 

To help with devotional time for this Olympic-themed series, Daddy has been showing the different sports each night before bed, videos on the handheld iPad.  So, tonight we were watching different athletes compete in the hammer throw.

After reading the devotional, Madison said, "Hey, that's like Thor!  He throws a hammer."  And we all laughed a bit about this, because it was a funny little coincidence.  But not as much as a coincidence as this next thing:

We opened up the book "Mathilda" in order to read the next chapter, and lo!  The next chapter was called, "Throwing the Hammer."  No joke.  It was like that was the theme of the day for some reason.  Mrs. Trunchbull, the awful headmistress of the school, was - of all things - an athlete who did the hammer throw.  We read this, and then of course we read how she practiced this sport on the children, tossing them about.

It was a funny theme that kept popping up:  the hammer throw.  Daddy actually saw that event in person at the 1996 Olympics.  It's so obscure, but a lot of fun to see.

Okay, anyway, after that we were more than ready to turn in, although Daddy has quite a few lines to memorize for the skit tomorrow.  That should be fun. 

But we're grateful to God for the safe and easy passage home.  You can't ever take that for granted.  

A Turtle Named Madison

This sea turtle is named Madison.  True story!  Madison was released today at around noon right around Beach Street at Ponce Inlet.  We just so happened to be at the Marine Center yesterday when the lady giving a speech about turtles asked us to join the volunteers to see the release of two turtles at noon today.  So we got our things ready this morning, and headed south to the beach there, where we saw the volunteers getting things ready.  It wasn't too much later that the stars of the day arrived, two turtles named Nantucket and Madison.  Both had been found earlier in the year, both lethargic and sickly with conditions that required immediate care.  The platform of course is rescue, rehabilitation and release.  Yesterday, we got to see several sea turtles in their tanks and in the rehabilitation phase.  Today, it was time to see some actually get released!

Here's a picture of Nantucket, who was clearly the larger turtle.  She is sixty-six pounds, and thanks to the effort of the Marine Center here, she's swimming healthy and free once more.  It took about four volunteers to hoist her out of the vehicle and walk her to the shore, but what a sight it was.  We watched as she was set down, and then made her way into the ocean waves.  It was really sweet.

And what a neat extra touch that the smaller turtle just so happened to be named Madison!  It was a very nice moment indeed, one that we all enjoyed seeing together.

This morning, there was another sweet moment:  the arrival of the Tooth Fairy to Daytona Shores.  Previously, the Tooth Fairy found us in the Caribbean, so it stands to reason that she could find us here at the beach as well.  Last night, Madison lost her tooth at about 9:30 pm, showing it off proudly to us.  So under her pillow the tooth went, inside a bag.  Amazingly, this morning, the bag contained a few dollars - and a few sand dollars as well!  Since we were at the beach, there were four sand dollars inside the bag.  These can't be spent anywhere, necessarily, but they're really nice souvenirs, right?

But today's adventures didn't stop there.  Later on, we were out to play some mini-golf, and there were plenty of places to choose from here at this tourist destination.  We chose pirates.  When in doubt, go with pirates.  Actually, a rule of thumb is to generally go with pirates no matter what!

Here's the Queen Pirate herself, sitting in her throne.  They had this set up at the earliest part of the course.  As you can see behind, it's got the standard 'mountain' that has a few holes on it, and inside as well, where there's a cave to play a hole.

What's pretty cool here is that you can literally see the ocean from the course, and hear the waves as well.  Sure, there's traffic and so forth from the main road.  But the ocean is right there, and we arrived at a time that there were no other golfers yet.  When we were done, there were plenty of others arriving, but for about 18 holes, we had the course nearly to ourselves.  It was really nice, and the next time we come down here, we'll probably not even think about the other golf course options.  Again, pirates.

We spent a good deal of time today at the pool, and a good deal of time walking along the beach.  Both of these have become regular occurrences.  Madison is vigilant about filling in holes she finds at the beach, making sure the little turtles have a flat exit to the ocean just in case they should come out of their nest nearby.  It was a pleasant walk tonight, the weather cooler in the evenings, particularly with the ocean breeze.  It was somewhat of a goodbye to the ocean too, as we'll have to pack up and leave tomorrow.  It's been fun though, and we're rested and ready to return.

Ponce Inlet Marine Science Center

This morning, we decided to visit the the Marine Science Center at Ponce Inlet, which was just a few miles south of Nana and Ba-Ba's place.  It was all rather spontaneous - we were looking for a place to park to see the lighthouse down there, when we wound up in this parking lot for the Marine Science Center.  It wasn't big, and it didn't cost much, so we figured why not?

It was a really nice visit.  Of course, we had all seen "Finding Dory" and the 'touch pool' sort of brought up a few jokes.  But there was an employee there all the time to make sure people were kind to the creatures in this pool, and there was a certain way, and distance, you put your hands into the water.  It kept things safe for the creatures.  Madison put her fingers out for the stingrays, who glided by below and let her run her fingers along their back.  Or top side.  And she even felt a shark!

That was new for Madison.  The Marine Science Center was a museum as well, of course.  And it is complete with oversized mosquitoes.

This is where the zika virus came from.  This guy right here.  This looked like a prop from a 50's science fiction movie.  Someone somewhere felt inspired:  No, I don't want to do a recreation of a dolphin, shark, or an ocean dwelling creature.  I want to make this ginormous mosquito!

Anyway, it was a fun visit.  There were plenty of other fish there to see as well, including this highly camouflaged lion fish below.

But the greatest thing about this place is the rescue-rehabilitation-release program they have for sea turtles here.  Outside, we saw several tanks with sea turtles that were on the mend.  We listened to a lady speak for a bit about sea turtles, about the nesting process - and we learned a few things about the colored ribbons they use to mark the nests, and how that determines dates, types of turtles and so forth.  Best of all, the lady invited Mommy, Daddy and Madison to a sea turtle release tomorrow.  Check this out:

The Marine Science Center Turtle Hospital is pleased to announce the release of two rehabilitated sea turtles this Friday July 22nd, 2016 at 12 p.m. in Ponce Inlet, Florida.   On the beach just North of Beach Street approach

After just over 2 months of rehabilitation at the Volusia Marine Science Center, “Nantucket” a sub-adult Loggerhead Sea Turtle has received a clean bill of health and will be returned back to the ocean this coming Friday. “Nantucket” arrived at the MSC Turtle Hospital on May 13th, 2016 after being found by county biologists under the Granada Bridge in Ormond Beach. The turtle was debilitated, anemic, dehydrated, and covered in leeches. After a treatment including antibiotics, antiparasitic medications, iron and other vitamin injections, fluids, and a well balanced diet, “Nantucket” has responded well and made a full recovery and now weighs 77 lbs.

“Madison” a juvenile green sea turtle arrived on April 26th, 2016 after she was found floating in a marina in New Smyrna Beach unresponsive, weak and covered in algae, with a low glucose level. These are all signs that indicated the turtle had been debilitated for quite some time. After a 3 month rehabilitation that included antibiotics, antiparasitic treatments, fluids for dehydration, vitamin injections and a highly nutritious diet, “Madison” has made a full recovery and now weighs close to 9 lbs.

We are so pleased with their speedy and successful recoveries and we hope you will all join us at 12pm on Friday, July 22nd, 2016 at the Beach Street Ramp in Ponce Inlet, just north of the Marine Science Center to see these incredible endangered species off on their journey back to the sea. *(weather and surf permitting)*

We'll be going to that tomorrow for sure!  And how cool that one turtle is named "Madison!"  Anyway,  we've had quite a theme of sea turtles going on here lately, haven't we?  As a souvenir from the place, we got a jade sea turtle for Madison, a sweet little reminder of a fun week here.

And oh yes, we did get to see the lighthouse as well.  

It is the tallest in Florida, and there is some history to it.  The weather, however, was amazingly hot outside, and the daunting task of climbing those steps in such plagued hot temperatures did not appeal to us.  Just standing outside involves a great deal of wear-and-tear.  The heat is tremendous.  It is cooler in the evenings, of course.  We'll come back some other time, of course, as Nana and Ba-Ba live right next to this place.  We did spend some time in the gift shop they have, and even got a pressed penny. 

The rest of the day was spent at the pool, and back at the beach again.  We were resting in the tidal pools once more, watching the waves come in, watching the fish swim around us, and keeping cool.  Later on, we had a round of "Pirates LIFE," the board game, as well.  With Madison, you keep busy!  We've been finding shells in the tidal pools, but not near as many as there are down at Satellite Beach.

There's a big political convention going on, but we're not really watching that so much.  We're busy playing pirates and making origami hats and boats.  That's the kind of week we're having - in other words, a pretty fun one!

Sea Turtles, Mate!

It has been noted here that Daddy does not win any raffles, lottery, contests or anything.  Odds are thing that never work out that way.  But when it comes to sea turtles, this rule is thrown out the window.

Here is Madison, assisting - once again - baby sea turtles to the ocean.  It just so happened that Daddy was watching out the balcony tonight, and saw nearby a woman pointing at a nest down below.  It wasn't that far away at all.  And sure enough, there were turtles just starting to climb out.  We hurried down there, and got to see an event that some of the locals haven't even seen before:  the march of baby sea turtles out to the waves. 

Look at them go!  Some folks have lived there for years, and you just have to time it right.  The nests are scattered across the beach, and for the most part, you just have to time it right to see them escape to sea.  It happens so quickly, you could live right there and miss it.  It's just chance, and yet here we are AGAIN, happening to watch sea turtles leave their nest.  Of all the nests, the one right next to us begins to stir.  And check out these cute little guys!

We got to see this happen last year too, and it is simply amazing.  These nests are scattered down the shore, and for us to be there at this time and at this place… the timing was just perfect, and it just had to be set up by God Himself.  

This turtle march was much larger than the one we saw last year.  There were so many turtles crossing the beach, and the small group of people that we were, each of us guarded the turtles as they made their way towards their destiny.  

Here is a view of the tiny turtle tracks they leave behind.  There are so many of them crawling along, with such purpose.  Mommy and Madison were quite thrilled to see this again!

It was quite a memory, and we were so blessed to see it.  Just look at the joy on Mommy's face.  It was a wondrous sight.

The rest of our day was quite dull by comparison.  We swam in the pool outside, a salt-water pool that Madison feels doesn't taste as good as the one at home.  Nevertheless, she's swimming across it, and showing Mommy, Nana and Ba-Ba what she can now do:  swim from one end to the other.  She swims on her back for the most part, but she gets there easily now.  This is such good news, of course.

Another thing we've been doing is hanging out at the six-foot end, and climbing down the ladder to the bottom of the pool.  We hold our breath and touch the bottom of the pool there, which for Madison is quite a ways down.  But with the ladder right there, she can grab hold of it and burst upwards for air if needed.  She's got her goggles on, and likes to scan the pool from beneath, especially so deep down.

One thing that is required with each trip to the beach is this: ice cream.  We've had root beer floats at Nana and Ba-Ba's place, but one thing you have to have is gummy bears on an ice cream.  That is, if you're Madison.  So, we went to check out a new ice cream place nearby:

This place was called Cow Licks.  And they had big servings of ice cream too.  It cost a bit more, but then again, there was a lot more ice cream.  One scoop is probably more than enough!  There were plenty of cow items all over the place, and the service was good as well.  We'll be coming back, probably once a visit really.  Madison enjoyed it quite a bit, and she got her gummy bears.

So it was another day of walking the beach today after all was said and done.  There is this heron that follows us each day, walking alongside us.  He's looking for dinner in the waves, but he seems to like keeping us company each day, keeping pace with us as we walk along the shore.  The full moon is beautiful each night, rising over the horizon so big and orange.

It was the end of a wonderful day, just part of a wonderful little vacation.

Drive-In Churches and Tidal Pools

Less than five miles from Nana and Ba-Ba's house is a pretty unique church.  This, my friends, is a "Drive-In" church.  We're thinking this used to be an actual drive-in that was converted into a church, where patrons literally sit in their cars to see the speakers and singers located in this building here:

That's the picture we took today.  During service hours, this is what the church looks like below, where everyone comes to sit in their car and enjoy service. 

I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't tempted to attend a service next time we come down to visit.  This seems so different!  On the plus side, they apparently actually show movies as well - this week they're showing "The Force Awakens!"

Today we discovered that there are some really nice tidal pools in front of Nana and Ba-Ba's place.  When the tide retreats, there are these pools left over, ones that have all kinds of fish inside that you can dip down and swim with.  These aren't huge fish - just the little ones that like to nibble on your toes a bit.  Occasionally waves will come pushing through.  Madison and Daddy were spending quite a bit of time today swimming in these little natural pools, even going to the edge where the shoreline begins once more, where a thin layer of water separates the pool from the rest of the ocean.  There, we'd sit and let the waves come and wash over us time and again.  It was a very nice time there.

We've been making sand castles too, digging deep sand wells and making our own fun on the sand.  Mommy was with us, seated in her beach chair under an umbrella, just resting in the atmosphere.  It isn't so bad in the shade, certainly with the breeze coming in.  We sat together for a while, enjoying the beach, and then coming inside for a bit.   Why?  It was Taco Tuesday, right?

But later as the sun was setting, we went back out again to walk along the beach once more.  Look at this cloud we spied.

Madison noticed it looked like a ginormous pelican.  I think she was right!

The moon was slowly coming up again, as it will all week.  So big and orange, it was great to watch the moon rise over the ocean waves - quite impressive.  And our heron friend was back to walk along with us too!

We've had a heron keep us company for our evening walks.  He's there for the buffet of fish in the shallow waters.  The walks along the beach are quite nice, as is the view.

Speaking of which, here was the view tonight from their place.  Mommy's enjoying the view of the full moon over the ocean.  You can see the pool there too below.  Madison and Daddy were swimming in that tonight.  Each day we swim and go to the beach.  That's what you do.  This time, however, Madison wanted to try out the hot tub inside for a bit as well.  So we did that too.  She'll always remember that hot tub on the Disney Cruise, the one with the transparent bottom. We saw a large sea turtle from that hot tub, and she always reminds us of this.

We went to bed shortly afterwards, although we still read from our devotional, and our copy of "Mathilda."  That's our new book for the week, one that's been just as enjoyable to read as the other books by Roald Dahl.

And so another day draws to a close.  It's been a good one.  We're pretty blessed!

Daytona Shores

Today was our first full day at the beach again, and this time it was Daytona Shores Beach.  This is where Nana and Ba-Ba have moved to, and they're quite happy here.  We arrived last night after a long drive, and got to see the place briefly before falling asleep rather quickly.  It was a big day yesterday.

But today was a great day to relax and explore the beach.  You can see Madison was loving it!  There are a few things that are different.  Firstly, there are cars allowed on this beach.  Daddy remembers that in Jacksonville we drove a van up on the beach when we were younger.  Still, after seeing so many beaches afterwards, the idea of a car on the beach just doesn't make sense.  I mean, how can you mess with the wonderful look of a beach by planting a car on it?  It sort of spoils the scenery in a way. 

Not that there were too many cars here in front of the condo.  In fact, there were not many at all.  The majority of the cars are parked south and to the north - you can see the parking lot on the beach if you look way up one way, and way down the other.  It's a good ways down, so there's nothing terribly spoiled at all where Nana and Ba-Ba live.  

But there is this unusual feeling about seeing cars on a beach, as if they are characters from the "Cars" movies, sitting down themselves to enjoy the sand and sun.

Another thing about this beach:  there are no shells.  Well, at least hardly any at all.  Satellite Beach was covered with shells.  You could find all kinds of shells there.  Here, you had to wade through the tidal pools, and maybe do some digging in the sand to find anything at all, and it was usually pretty tiny.

But the advantages are pretty numerous.  First of all, their place is just a lot nicer than the condos we were staying at in Satellite Beach.  Not that those were terrible.  It's just their new home is really nice.  It's spacious, comfortable, and with a wonderful view of the beach. 

The tide goes way out there each day.  There's a lot of room to wander on the beach, and of course that's what we did today.  Another advantage were the tidal pools, which Satellite Beach did not have.  These were places for Madison to swim in without fear of her getting too deep into the waters.  It's like swimming in the ocean, complete with waves and fish - but without any of the worries. 

And there aren't too many people here either.  Just a few miles north of here is Daytona Beach, which is immensely crowded.  There's plenty of room here for families to enjoy quiet time walking along the shore, which of course we did plenty of tonight and this morning.

Madison and Daddy did some castle building today, in addition to digging a sand well deep to the water level beneath the sand.  Madison likes to cover her feet in sand, and she is also learning the drip method of building castles, which is always fun to do.

Daytona Shores is a really nice beach.  We really enjoyed the entire day here, listening to the waves and watching the birds, crabs and fish.  The crabs aren't as numerous, although they are very well camouflaged, a white color that makes them difficult to see until they scurry away.

We didn't have any pictures of the crabs here, nor do we have a picture of the pool yet.  There are two pools at Oceans 6, which is where the grandparents live now.  One is an indoor pool, and the other is an outdoor pool.  The building they live in is at least sixteen stories tall, and they live on the third floor, overlooking the pool and the ocean beyond.

It's a great set-up.  There are also numerous sea turtle nests at various points along the shore, higher up so that the waves don't bother the eggs.  Just like Satellite Beach, you close your shades at night during turtle season.  You also leave the turtles and the nests alone. 

Nearby, there is mini-golf and of course the most famous NASCAR race track ever where the Daytona 500 takes place.  Daddy hopes to tour there some time soon as "research."  Not interested in driving a car really fast around the track though.  We don't have to drive a NASCAR track when we do I-75 down to Florida right?  Just kidding.

So today we spent time at the beach.  We spent time swimming too - Madison was showing off her new skills to Mommy and the grandparents.  She can now go from one end of the pool to the other without touching the bottom.  What was once formidable is now much easier to do.  From the balcony, they all cheered and held up pieces of paper, the three of them.  On each piece of paper was written a big 10, as if they were swimming judges.  Madison beamed with pride.

We did some relaxing inside too, to get out of so much sun.  Daddy has been reading the latest Kingdom Keepers book, and Madison has been watching a new show called "Canimals" that she likes a lot.  It's animated series.  Of course, she still has been watching Clone Wars episodes and Jessie episodes as well.  On the way down here yesterday, she watched the entire season one of "Star Wars Rebels."  She's in a bit of a Star Wars mode lately.

So here we are.  And here we'll be a few more days as well.  It'll be a nice week at the beach, and a lovely beach to spend a quick vacation away.

The 2016 KidPak Men's Synchronized Swim Team

So here we are, the KidPak Men's Synchronized Swimming Team.  it was a tremendous accomplishment this morning, as we got the water on stage and the performance was simply riveting.  

Okay, it was a little off.  And that's the point.  We were being goofy.  The part where everyone's legs were sticking up over the water just got the kids laughing, as did most of the skit.  It was a lot of fun, and the guys just look great in the swim caps and goggles.  Matching shirts too - we went and got those as well.

But we couldn't rest on our accomplishments for too long:  after KidPak, it was off to Daytona Shores! Yes, we were on our way today, starting out late, but anxious to get to the beach once more.  We saw a rainbow on the way down, and in other good signs, we took a different way down other than Atlanta.  We went by Athens, and even a little town called Madison, Georgia.  Yes, Madison has now been to Madison.  

This way was shorter, although we had some significant mishaps along the way, amplified by the late start we had.  We arrived in Daytona quite late, but safe at least.  It's going to be a wonderful time away.

Hank the Septopus

As with every trip away, you have to work hard to make sure things are ready while you're gone.  That's what today was about, plus a bit of packing.  Here's the gang at KidPak using Chris' phone along with a new app that turns your pictures into some sort of colored pencil art.  Madison will like this one - I might get it.

We had a lot of heavy clouds, but no rain.  The temperature is so amazingly humid and hot outside - it's got to set some sort of records.  It makes you long for fall a bit, so those back-to-school signs aren't quite as bad right now, because you think, with school there are generally cooler temperatures.  Perhaps!

This morning, we went to see a movie together, a good one.

We saw "Finding Dory," and the three of us enjoyed it very much.  Along with some popcorn too.  Okay, a lot of popcorn.  That's how we roll.  The theater, by the way, was packed.  This is a popular movie this summer.  And you can see why - it's a good one.  Though we've enjoyed the other ones we've seen as well.

The character of Hank, who you can see above, was one of our favorites.  He's an octopus - or at least a septopus, having only seven tentacles.  There are so many great characters in this, and with it comes a renewed love of all the things in the ocean.

Except for maybe goblin sharks, box jellyfish, and maybe those Atlantic wolffish.  And great white sharks too.  No thanks you!

Mario Tennis 64

Once again, we were doing tennis early this morning, and just as with swimming, Madison did really well returning serves and keeping the ball going back and forth.  And she was having a great time doing it.  The temperature, even in the morning, gets hot.  But we're not in direct sunlight at that time - not yet - so it isn't quite as bad as it is at 9:30 am and beyond.  Seriously, I can't imagine anyone out there playing tennis on the courts.  Even Madison starts complaining if we're out there too long in the sun.

It's a good thing the pool is right there.  We did go swimming a little later on, and she's showing remarkable progress with her swimming skills.  She's doing really well, keeping above water and getting more comfortable.  To think we almost had these costly lessons, which I'm sure are worth it, but she's been determined and managed to get all this done on her own!

This morning, tennis camp concluded with some more Mario Tennis 64.  Madison really likes this game - it's easy to pick up on, with a slow learning curve that gets you sucked in, getting you hooked and wanting to play more and more.  I'll have to go find this for the GameCube.  We had a version of it for the 64, and it's just been fun hooking that old game system up.  I mean, we're talking twenty years ago!  Daddy nearly wept when he saw the gold cartridge he has of "Ocarina of Time," perfectly preserved along with the perfectly preserved box of "Mario 64."  Legendary games!  We'll be doing a bit more N64 in the coming weeks, as it is something Madison is really liking!

In the meantime, Daddy is working, getting ready for services and more.  We have a few upcoming events that are dominating the calendar, and a vacation thrown in for good measure.  It was a busy day for Daddy, and one for Mommy as well, who is getting us all packed and ready to go!

Snowflakes in July

You should see the rest of these snowflakes that Madison has been cutting out.  This is one above, but the others are just as great.  She's spent the last three days cutting out these snowflakes in her spare time, and they're all over the place, like a scene in the movie "Elf."  She had Daddy scan each one this morning, just to show off a bit.  She did a great job!

Today, we had a lot of fun with a zoetrope!  Part of our Tinker Crate projects was constructing a working zoetrope, which we spent time doing.  Then the fun part came:  making animations!  Mommy, Daddy and Madison each spent some time this afternoon drawing up some animations.  This would be Madison's first animation, actually.  Which is kind of like the history of animation itself, when you think of it!  Anyway, her first creation was a character apparently chewing on something.  And it turned out great - Daddy filmed it, and will be posting it here shortly.

We did a few other things today, including speech therapy down in Alpharetta.  That went well, with Madison working on the letter "r" some more, just like a good pirate should.  Arrr!  We went to the pool and the tennis courts as well, hitting the ball back and forth some, followed by swimming across the pool now.  She's doing such a great job learning to swim.  Daddy stays right there beside her, ready to catch her if she has trouble, but she hasn't had any trouble.  And in return for the long journey across the pool, her motivation was the chance to splash Daddy thirty times.  Yes, Daddy had to sit there on the receiving end of thirty direct hits with water.  It was brutal, but it was fun too - Madison earned it, and was quite proud of herself.

Tonight, we watched a few more episodes of "The Monkees" together, with Madison laughing out loud.  The extra benefit of tonight was the foot bath we brought down.  This is a device Mommy got for Christmas a few years ago, one that massages her feet with warm water jets.  Madison loves putting her feet in it as well.  The two of them were sitting, enjoying the shows and getting their feet massaged by warm water.

And yes, Madison likes Davy Jones the best.  Because, according to her, he always gets the girls.

Return of the Torch

Tonight, Daddy asked Mr. Gerry to come back with the Olympic torch from his part of the relay in the 2012 London Olympic Games.  Can you believe it has already been four years since he was last here?  He was happy to come back, and it was really great to have him with us.  We were speaking on stage for a bit about carrying the torch, and as you can see afterwards, he posed with the kids, letting them each hold the Olympic torch once more.  It was pretty cool, and just something extra fun with this Olympic-themed series.  Madison had a good night - we had great skits, and a great message about gymnastics, one where we showed a few clips about Gabby Douglas, who of course was the gold medalist from the 2012 London Olympics.  She has an inspirational story, so it was just awesome to have that as a theme for the night as well.  All in all, this Olympic series has been so solid.  But just wait until this weekend when we have the return of the Men's Synchronized Swimming Team!

This morning, we had our tennis camp continue.  Daddy had some coloring sheets afterwards, pictures of Hello Kitty playing tennis.  I'm sure Madison was doing a bit of Mario Tennis as well.  But she was also doing some productive things, such as helping Mommy out with packing and cleaning the house up.  There was also some piano class, and more snowflakes.  She got this snowflake pattern book at Christmas time, and now that it is only five months away, she figures it is not too early to start making a whole lot of snowflakes.  Soon, the house will look like Buddy the Elf was here.

It was a fun day, although a long one.  We had a pretty lengthy meeting recapping Summer Xtreme - which, I might add, we're not done with quite yet.  Not completely. There is still a Summer Xtreme planned for our KidPak in Spartanburg. Stay tuned on that one!