Baseball Cards

Madison finished her sunbeam project in enrichment today, so we're all a bit anxious to see how it turned out.  She's liked this project a lot.  Enrichment was today, and the last enrichment class is next Wednesday after school, and all of these classes have been a great time for Madison.  We picked her up at 4:00 from the school, about an hour and a half after school was over with, and just in time, really:  Daddy and Mommy were at several thrift shops today, looking through articles of clothing and accessories in an attempt to put together some costumes for our upcoming series.  We had some success, or at least a little more success than we had earlier in the week.  Daddy went too, so we could fully focus on this and help ease the stress for Mommy, who is the primary one to put it all together.  Really, without her, there's a big chunk of these KidPak series that don't work out right.

It was a rainy day, which is just fine as we appreciate the water.  Those who complain about the rain forget about our draughts, and how long they went on for.  We're going to choose to be thankful, even for these sorts of days.  And really, it's fine.  Mommy and Daddy stopped at Cracker Barrel for some "comfort food," the perfect sort of meal for a day like today.  Daddy had a chicken pot pie, which was delicious!  Mommy and Daddy had a little date after looking through thrift shops, dropping by Cracker Barrel and getting close to their heaters as we looked out the windows at the cold, grey, dreary day.  When you get that seat next to the fireplace or some heat, and you've got chicken pot pie... it's a perfect little dining experience!

Anyway, we picked up Madison, and Daddy was off and running to the church for another part of the work experience there, doing music and keynotes and so forth for the upcoming weekend.  We have plenty left to do, but we're getting it done, bit by bit.

At home tonight, we were back in Japan with some more reading and Nancy Drew.  We also finished the devotional for the "Elevate" series, with a discussion about the Third Man on the mountain.  It's an interesting thing that happens to weathered travelers alone - or perhaps with another companion - in those extreme situations.

We've been tired this week.  Not sure what that's about, but it seems to be going around.  Fatigue?  Weird.  Daddy has been going to bed at around 9:30 each night, and Mommy was a little after that tonight, although she's hard at work even into the late hours with the new costuming items.  Already, she's going to work on them.

By the way, today at the Goodwill, we picked up three more Nancy Drew books for Madison, plus a whole lot of baseball cards.

Call it an impulse buy, but they were pretty cheap.  One binder, Daddy looked up online tonight and discovered that it's lowest value well over $100, and again that's the lowest price we saw for it from a more reasonable and respectable website that sort of estimates these things.  Other sites had the cards at more, but the end result was a good pick-up today.  Keep in mind, we got about three binders, so we're definitely $300 over our initial investment.  Again, I didn't just pick these up because they might have value.  Really, the cards were just awesome to look at, period.  These were 1991-1993 cards, and Daddy just about knew every name, and with each name and face came back all these memories of games we'd watch, listen to, and go see at the stadium too.  Some time ago, there was some good advice about being a collector, and not buying things for monetary value only.  It's not about reselling these things strictly, though I'd like to do that and have no problem with it.  But these baseball cards have a good home right now.

I'll have to show Madison some of them, and perhaps her own baseball card as well.  Spring is coming soon, can you feel it in the air?  Perhaps that's it.  The rain will go away, and we'll all see that sun again.  Makes me want to do our Spring Training series again.  And maybe even go see a game this year!  Madison has been to a few games, and the thinking is that we're going to see a Gwinnett game this year as well.  Other than listening to it in the car with Daddy, she has no other real baseball association - nothing like Daddy did when he was growing up.  I remember vividly walking into Yankee Stadium, and seeing Reggie Jackson, Thurmon Munson, Lou Pinella, Ron Guidry, Greg Nettles, Bucky Dent, Willie Randolph, Mickey Rivers, Chris Chambliss, Catfish Hunter and more... And yes, down here in Atlanta, Daddy remembers going to the championship games with the Atlanta Braves in 1995, when they won the World Series.  It's my favorite of the main sports to watch, although safely from a distance.  That game agains the Expos in the ninth inning... Daddy got hit in the side of the jaw with a baseball... nope, not sitting in the ninth row again...!

Anyway, we might have to introduce more baseball to Madison this year.  At least play catch outside or something.  Just have to watch out for those knuckle balls.  And speaking of which, I do have a Phil Neikro card or two.  Just spotted that one in the collection, along with the tickets to the games, dirt from Fulton County Stadium's pitcher's mound, and a whole lot of cards now.

Doggy Pics

This is one of the things that Madison got for Christmas, a paint-by-numbers picture that uses the Warhol idea of multiple panels of the same thing, each colored different ways.  This actually took a few days to get done, but it turned out well.  It turned out so well that Madison signed her name, and is making up on her own four new designs, the next picture is of a flower with different colors each time.  Which of course makes more sense.

We're changing the set from winter to a castle at KidPak, along with all kinds of writing and filming and printing and the usual busy stuff that takes place between a KidPak series.  This next one will last until Mother's Day, so it's a big one.  We were off looking for costumes as well, online and at various thrift shops, as this is all new this time around.  Last series, we were able to recycle and use a lot of winter clothing.  This time around, it'll have to be pretty customized and colorful.  It'll be an interesting week for Mommy.

Meanwhile, Madison had piano again tonight.  Her playing is becoming much more fluid in regards to the pieces that she's practicing again and again.  I guess what I'm saying is that Mommy and I are finding it to be a little less mechanical, and with a little more flow to it, which sounds nice!

While Madison was playing, we were doing a bit of shopping, getting more fruit and groceries.  It's a busy week, as said earlier, so things are little tight on the schedule.  But it's all moving along in a positive direction, so at least there's that.  We have all our dogs in order!

The Strange and Sudden Disappearance of Mr. Moto

Nancy Drew is going to Japan, and so are we, apparently.  In the book, at least.  We're been reading "The Thirteenth Pearl," and to our surprise, the kind old Mr. Moto has disappeared, and this has us all worried.  It's especially concerning when you consider a very large Japanese guy with big feet might be the culprit.  There was a clue about those big feet, and it could lead to trouble!

These are clearly Madison's favorite books right now.  She could read one right after the other without any problem at all, so if you're thinking about getting her a birthday gift, this would the perfect idea:  one of the many, many Nancy Drew books that is out there.  It'll take us a while to get through them all!

We had ballet tonight, or at least Madison did.  Her class ran late, but Daddy wasn't upset about this at all:  he's spending time in there with the head of the Gainesville Ballet, and every moment you can glean something from her is something valuable.  So Daddy sat in the parking lot, and then in the hallway, continuing his preparation for that new series, "Legends."  Here's the graphic for it, which is finally complete:

Mommy and Daddy made a lot of headway today with the series, moving forward with some good ideas.  Meanwhile, Madison is doing incredibly well with her homework and tests at school.  Daddy was at the school this morning, taking more photos for the yearbook, which he's done a lot this year.

Madison did some piano when she got home, and of course her school homework, including some new vocabulary words and math assignments.  She's also learning about World War II, specifically Pearl Harbor.  Her testing and knowledge is increasing by leaps and bounds.  She's a smart one, absorbing and able to recall most of what she learns, even all those letter combinations that make up the programs that FDR did with the New Deal, from the FDIC to the TVA to the SSA to the WPA and the whole alphabet soup there.

After homework and a spaghetti dinner, we returned to Epic Mickey for a bit, and watched this great steampunk movie, "April and the Extraordinary World."  Madison has been doing really well with school, and everything else scholastically, including piano and dancing.  Her room and the back seat in the car are a bit of a mess, and that requires a bit of learning perhaps.  But she's been so ideal, and we love her so!

Closing Day

This morning's service from "Elevate" was probably the best of the series, as we figured out who the Yeti was, Scoobie-Doo style.  The path was cleared to go up and down the mountain, and everyone's acclimated and ready to march up to the top!

Obviously there was more to the service than just our little play.  We had an incredible worship service, and you can see Pastor Lance speaking here at the end.  It is incalculable how valuable this is to a parent to see this sort of service to our kids.  It really is the best children's service on the planet, and I don't even have to think about this a moment.  Nothing can top this.

After service... the set was dismantled.  A lot of the snow pieces will show up again soon at Brenau with the "Frozen" production as a backdrop for photos, but it was great seeing Madison on stage helping out with the other kids, all of them - along with volunteers and staff - carrying out the various pieces off the stage and to either a truck, or to Daddy's office.

We got home and did some piano, catching up there a bit.  But speaking of closing up things, we ended the Lara Croft game today, a co-op game that we've been working together on and off for the last few weeks.  Related, there's a Lara Croft movie coming out soon, but I'm not 100% about it presently, if Madison can see it or not.  We'll know as we get closer.  She really enjoyed this game though, anxious to play it each time she had a chance.

Tonight was a rebroadcast of the Olympic Closing Ceremonies, so there was a bit of closing going on today, wasn't there?

It happened this morning, but because of the time difference, we watched it all tonight, and it was special as always.  The drone technology is amazing, and slightly scary to be honest.  The imagery was beautiful, and the presentation by the Chinese and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games was amazing.  We remember Beijing in 2008, having personally been there just shy of the Summer Olympics.  The Olympic Ceremonies there set the standard that all the Olympic Games since have tried to match.  No pressure there!

Anyway, we watched this tonight, and there's always a bittersweet sort of spirit.  The next time the Winter Games come, Madison will be 15.  Yikes!

Frozen Camp

One last ballet camp for Madison, a "Frozen" mini-camp that she had to be at this morning around ten o'clock.  Balance that with Daddy's driving back and forth to assist with the ONE Marriage Conference, and it made for a busy day.

The camp itself was packed with kids, so the whole "Frozen" thing is still quite popular.  Madison and another girl wore their recital dresses from recently, and they fit right in.

The girls made crafts, like tiaras and snowflakes.  They also did their usual dance, where all the parents joined in one gym at about 1:00 pm, and watched the girls do a short routine that they just learned not long before.  And after that, it was time for more practice for the real thing - the girls all went to their respective rooms to do more work on the actual "Frozen" production that takes place next month.  It was a pretty full day for Madison - she was working on the closing parts, curtain calls and so forth.

We got home later, and we did some Tomb Raiding - that game still has some life in it left.  Surely we're approaching the end by now.  But in all seriousness, Madison is figuring out a few puzzles on this game that Daddy wasn't figuring out, although we won't tell her that, will we?  She was pretty smart to solve a few of them.  Daddy solved a few too, but there were more than a couple that Madison single-handedly figured out.

After that, it was back to the ice for "Mighty Ducks 2."  Intermittently, we were peeking at the Olympics as well (on another television).  The gala was tonight, so Madison watched the Shibutani siblings do an ice skating routine, the last of these Olympics.  She loves these two:

It was a nice moment - she really likes these two a lot, and hopefully we'll see them again soon.  In the meantime, Daddy - and the rest of America - was completely blown away by the gold medal winning performance by Team Shuster, the self-proclaimed "rejects," who played an amazing final game of curling.  It's been called the "Miracurl on Ice," because the odds of the Americans winning, let alone continuing into the playoffs, were really low.  We've been watching them play all week, and to see them get a gold medal may be the most rewarding one in this Olympics, just when you consider some of the back stories.  It's a group of great guys, and I'm sure they're not going to be going back into obscurity now.  If only there were a curling venue somewhere nearby.  Surely these are going to start getting more popular now!

Anyway, it was a good night with popcorn and those Ducks defeating Iceland.  I'm not sure how Icelanders feel about "Mighty Ducks 2," but we definitely like it!

Monstrous Regiment

Tonight was a return to the Disc World for Mommy, Daddy and Madison.  We met up with a vampire, an Igorina, and of course DEATH.  We saw a production of "Monstrous Regiment," which we got tickets for some time ago with our season pass.

It was a decent play, and it's always good to be in Discworld, but it is in fact Daddy's least favorite story by Terry Pratchett.  That being said, it was decent - but there are so many other Terry Pratchett books that could have been better choices for a play.  Still, it was good to visit Discworld again, and we all had a great time out at the theater.

The Igor character may have been everyone's favorite.  Or, at least we learned right away that she's an Igorina.  Regardless of her gender, she was a fun character, as was the coffee-crazed vampire.  These sorts of characters are very popular on the Discworld, along with the Night Watch, and okay, a whole lot of others.  I can't wait for Madison to start getting into these books, but that's much later on.

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur.  Madison got a lot of her tests back today, including one she actually took today on some vocabulary words.  Daddy and she were practicing this morning, spelling and defining words like quadrangles and milligrams.  She got a perfect score on that, a 98 in math, and a 104 on her social studies test.  She's just cruisin' along!

Daddy was helping with the ONE Marriage Conference at church, taking cell phone pictures of happy couples, and also handing out Hershey kisses.  Madison and Mommy picked him up to go to the play, and together the three of us were off to the theater afterwards.

It was a good day, certainly a warmer one.  The trees are blooming, and the wildlife seems to be in on it:  spring might be on the way.  Weather people say it will be cold again soon, but we're loving it this week.

Representing the EPYX Flag

We had a nice day with ballet and jazz tonight - lots of work there for Madison.  Daddy was busy helping out with the ONE Marriage Conference, helping set things up while also working on the finishing touches of our "Elevate" series.  It's been a great theme, one that went hand-in-hand with the Winter Games.  It's been a great series, and as a bonus, some of the set pieces of the KidPak winter set will go towards the upcoming "Frozen" production materials, probably for some photo backdrop material.  Yay for recycling!

We finished "When the Sea Turned to Silver" tonight, which was a really enjoyable book for Madison.  She's enjoyed both of these books by Grace Lin, no doubt not the last ones.  You really learn to dislike the Emperor in this story - he's a rotten sort of character, and his comeuppance is a happy little moment!  But there's a lot to love in the protagonists, and of course all the stories that take place within this book.  We can't wait to read the next one, but until then, Madison is anxious to return to a Nancy Drew book we got for Christmas, so we'll hit that one afterwards.

Tonight's ballet and jazz were longer, of course.  We're getting closer to the "Frozen" production.  We've got some marketing materials, such as posters and car magnets to use to promote the ballet.  We've got a magnet on our car right now, so folks will know when the show takes place.  With the "Frozen" theme, the tickets have been selling more plentiful lately, so that's good to see for the ballet company.  Also, we've gotten our tickets much earlier as always, four of them in the usual location at box five.  No, not box five, but the front of the balcony as always.  We'll be there to see her then, and Daddy will probably be an usher as well for the other productions.  It'll be fun!

We didn't have much time when Madison got home.  That's the way it usually is.  We watched a bit from the Olympics, and we also continued with Lara Croft, doing a bit of Tomb Raiding.  Madison really likes this game - we're getting close to the end of it, but she'll want to go back and pick up extras and so forth.

We said our prayers tonight, and Daddy got back to writing for the finale of the "Elevate" series.  We wrap it up this weekend, and then move on to "Legends," which is a new series.  It's all good, with so much going on at KidPak.

Speaking of the Olympics, here's something Daddy was writing to someone else earlier, about one particular athlete that caught everyone's attention this week:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Elizabeth Swaney has been an interesting topic at the Olympics lately.  She went down the half-pipe doing ...nothing.  While others were doing all kinds of stunts and flips and back-flips, Swaney was just going back and forth.  How on earth did she earn a spot in the Olympics?  Overly simplifying it, she was in the top thirty of a sport that didn't have thirty athletes.  Anyone who could travel and ski could have done what she did, and now she can say she's an Olympic Athlete, and nothing can take that away.

It's pretty fascinating to me, given that our generation is what brought Eddie the Eagle and the Jamaican Bobsled Team (and their movies) to the table.  The NPR headline says Elizabeth Swaney “scammed” her way into the Olympics, which sort of lets you know how that author feels.  It appears to be a polarizing issue, and these days, what isn’t?

Me personally,  I love it.  We have been really into the Olympics this year (even going so far as to watch an entire curling match or two).  

I always have loved the games - remember EPYX Winter Games for the Commodore 64?  Of course you do.  How many others of us can actually say they played a video game version of biathlon?  Every four years the memories flood back, trying to get that pulse down after a hard-fought ski segment.  

You could choose your nationality ahead of time, representing USA, USSR, Japan, England, and many other countries, including the fictional country represented by the video game company itself, EPYX.  We played this game for longer than I'd care to admit.  To this day, Daddy has a weak spot for Olympic-themed video games!

Anyway, all that said, I kind of understand the whole sentiment of the Olympics.  It appears her heart is in the right place, just wanting to be in the Olympics.  She seems like a super fan of the games, and she saw a way that she could become an actual athlete, something like a tourist with the best seats of all.

Ultimately, she’s not hurting anyone else (except perhaps the feelings of those US skiers that didn’t make their own country's top four).  But you can’t complain about her breaking any rules, because she didn’t.  If it upsets folks that much, the best thing to do is work to change the rules next time.  

Of course, if you did that, then all the ladies wouldn’t get to see Mr. Shirtless Oiled-Up Tonga Guy walk in the Opening Ceremonies either.  No, I haven't heard too many people complain about that.  Oh, he’s only been skiing on actual snow for three months now, and sure, he came in 114th place.  But he’s a shirtless oily hunky guy, so I guess that makes it okay!

And the truth is, it is okay.  Shirtless Tonga guy isn’t a problem, and neither is Elizabeth Swaney.

In conclusion, I must apologize for this polarizing bit of writing, and I hope it hasn’t offended you.  Disagreement and division is certainly not the spirit of the Games!  Instead, let us all gather under one flag in unity!  Yes, beneath the only flag that matters, the one you can choose to represent in the Epyx Winter Games:

 

Jumping Back Into Things

Jumping back into things today, the three of us.  School this morning, and a work day with a service tonight - we had a lot going on right off the bat.  Madison had enrichment tonight - she's working on an art project that involves sun rays and patterns, and she loves it so much that she worked on it at home as well.  Daddy got to spend a bit of time this evening with the family, the three of us enjoying Taco Tuesday... on Wednesday.  It was make-up Taco Tuesday.

Tonight, Daddy was working on a message for the Olympic-themed Wednesday night series, something based on the biathlon a bit, and a few clips from the Jamaican bobsled team.


Some of you may have heard this, but today, Billy Graham passed away.  He was ninety-nine years old, and for those of you who don’t realize it, this man was one of the most important people to walk the face of the earth these last 100 years.  

Listen to this:  this guy preached the gospel - in person - to at least 215 million people.  By the time television and radio and the internet came along, his messages were shared with even more people.  They’re still playing his messages, especially today.

As great as this man was, listen to his own words:  “I am not going to heaven because I have preached to great crowds or read the Bible many times.  I’m going to Heaven just like the thief on the cross who aid in that last moment:  ‘Lord, remember me.’ “ 

He was humble.  He knew he had his own personal failings throughout his life.  Listen to this one quote:  “The Christian life is not a constant high.  I have my moments of deep discouragement.  I have to go to God in prayer with tears in my eyes and say, ‘O God, forgive me, or help me.’”

Today, he is in heaven, and this one scripture pretty much sums it up:

"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith."  2 Timothy 4:7 NIRV

And that’s what we’re talking about today:  the race.  Last night, the Americans did something they haven’t done in a while with a race.  We’re still in the Olympics this week, and we’ve been watching all the sports.  But there’s this one called the skiathlon, which is 15 kilometers - just about ten miles long.

Yesterday was a team event where two teammates race against all the others, and let’s just say it this way:  no Americans have never even gotten a medal in this event.  Ever.  Kikkan Randall said this was her last try at the Olympics.  She was there at the Olympics in 2002 in Utah, and she came in 44th.  Her first World Cup race?  She came in last place.  So here she is with pretty much her last try at the Olympics.  They’ve been racing for seven kilometers.  And let’s see what happens:

CUE VIDEO:  “Diggins and Randall - Cross Country Victory”

What a win!  A lot of people might be tempted to give up coming in dead last, and then 44th.  And never winning.  And here you are, five Olympics later, and nobody thinks you have a chance at a medal, let alone winning the gold medal!  But she didn’t give up, did she?

Here’s another amazing story from this Olympics, and in the same sport.  This one is a brutal sport, about ten miles long uphill and downhill, in subfreezing weather.  I want you to see what happened to this one guy from Norway, how bad it was… and what he did afterwards.”

CUE VIDEO:  “KRUEGER’S MIRACLE ON SNOW”

He fell down, got trampled, was in last place, and had a ski actually rip a hole through his number bib there.  Talk about a bad start!  But even though he fell and fell hard, he got back up again, and didn’t quit.  Even though he fell, he didn’t stop trying.

And that’s what our life is all about.  We all fall.  We all mess up.  We all make terrible mistakes.

I was just reading about a guy from the Bible named David.  Everyone knows David, who took down the giant.  According the Bible, he was “a man after God’s own heart.”  But I’m reading a book now about how bad he messed up too.  I mean, this guy had some terrible sins.  And yet, by the end of it all, he still is remembered as a man after God’s own heart.  How do you do that?  How do you go from loser that’s fallen on the ground so hard… to a winner?

Repent, and get back up again.  It can seem pointless.  Voices might be jeering.  In fact, you might be hearing voices that are making fun of someone else who’s fallen down.  You could be one of those voices, making fun of someone else for falling.

That’s bad.  What’s good, though, is this:  watching someone get back up again.  You feel a little guilty when you laugh at people when they fall.  But there’s something inspiring about watching someone rise from a fall.  In fact, there's a great movie about a bobsled team some time ago.  The movie is called, "Cool Runnings," and it's about some athletes that tried to make it to the Summer Games.

CUE VIDEO:  COOL RUNNINGS FALLING DURING THE RACE

It didn't go so well.  But this is the theme of life.  What do you do when you fall?  You get up.  These guys wanted to represent Jamaica in a sport, so they did the one Olympic event that they could:  the bobsled.  And despite everyone laughing about it at first, the truth is they did really well.  All that led up to this final run.

CUE VIDEO:  COOL RUNNINGS FINISH THE RACE

He said, "I must finish the race."  And that brings us full circle.  Some time ago, Paul was nearing the end of his life, but no matter what came at him and no matter how many times he fell down - or was knocked down - he got back up and said it again and again, "I must finish the race."  Put another way, he said this: 

"I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith."  2 Timothy 4:7 NIRV

I have finished the race.  There's a sense of accomplishment, the end of a remarkable journey that we're all going on.  God has something amazing planned for all of us, and that destination is there.  The question is, are you going to let setbacks and falls keep you down?  Quitters never win.  But winners never quit.  Let God help you get back up again.  Together you can finish the race!


It actually went really well today.  There have been so many inspiring moments from these Olympics, as there usually are each Winter Games.  One story that is forming as we type here is the US Curling Team story, which hopefully will end well.  We'll have details about that in time, but beyond that, so many great stories.  Madison has been into it this year, wanting to see videos each morning before school, just little clips of accomplishments, remarkable runs, or figure skating performances.  Her favorite athletes this year are the Shibutani siblings, who still have a bit of skating to do later this week with the Olympic Gala.

In any event, it's time for bed tonight.  We're back, and hitting the ground running with a new series upcoming, and of course all the details of this current week, plus an upcoming ONE Marriage Conference. It's all good!

Back Home

And we're back.  It was a remarkably smooth trip home, except for the bits along 400 close to home.  Leave it to Atlanta traffic to spoil the journey.  The unusual news is our fairly easy trip through Henry County, which pretty much justified our decision to go through Atlanta versus the Athens route.

We left later in the morning, taking our time about things, packing slowly and extending our goodbye a little bit longer.  It's a long drive, but it's one that usually doesn't take so long that you have to get up so early.  Why not sleep in a bit?  We all did, and were glad of it.

The three of us listened to quite a few bits of "Riders Radio" on the way back, along with some Prairie Home Companion CDs that Daddy got for Christmas.  It was radio theater all the way home!  Madison was also listening to "The Greatest Showman" soundtrack over and over again, of course.  Guess what I'm listening to now, Daddy?  It's not that hard to guess these days!

We stopped a few times at rest areas, and our now usual Chick-Fil-A at the Cordele exit.  But we were all about getting home today, and that we did, fairly quickly.

One of the struggles with this new series, "Legends" has been a banner.  It just took forever to come up with an idea.  We had like four different ideas, and it just took us about 8,000 emails and phone calls and meetings and texts and so forth just to get to a graphic design we're all happy with.  This one has taken us a long time to nail down, and it's unusual - and frustrating.  But we're finally there.  Just imagine each of these below taking so long to figure out.  Do we put a sword here, a flash here, or a "Warcraft" circle here?  What about a mascot?

We could never find the mascot that fit the series, as the topics are pretty broad.  We have princes, princesses, Robin Hoods, and so on... nothing we found could fit, and there was no time to really create our own.  So we found this image here:

And most of us liked it, at least in a "thank goodness it is done" sort of way.  But then came a final indecisive surge of, "well adults like it, but will kids like it?"  So we found a castle online, a real one, and we're pretty close now with this banner idea here:

Except there's scaffolding in the picture.  We'll remove that.  But you can see this process through the week, and where we're at now.  Crazy how sometimes simple things like graphics can slow you down in a major way.

Fortunately, we weren't slowed down in traffic.  See what I did there?  Anyway, tonight we were back in our own beds, after watching some of the Olympics and unpacking our goodies.  It was a nice, quick trip away, but as you can see above, this next week we'll be visiting another place of stories, and fantasy... and legends...

Checklist Complete

We had to stop at Cow Licks today, a great ice cream place at Daytona Beach, and one of the items on Madison's check list.  We had board games covered, and of course walks along the beach.  We did that today once again, and the weather was probably the best it has been yet.  The sun was shining, and the weather nice and warm.  All of us lathered up with plenty of sunscreen, because the sun has been pretty intense in Florida.

Madison and Daddy went to the next item on the check list, Congo River Miniature Golf, which is not too far from Wakanda, from what I understand.  We had fun on this one, although we didn't run into T'Challa or anything.  We did get pretty close to par though!

Tonight we were at Texas Roadhouse together for a bit, and we were back at home watching Olympic Games - the curling events have been fun to watch lately.  We were looking through a lot of old photo books, and of course doing all kinds of looking for shells along the beach.  We've amassed quite a collection.

We played dominoes tonight, and just had a great day together.  We have to return soon, going back home, but today was a nice and relaxing day.   We'd spend a lot of time out on the balcony, reading books, or just shutting our eyes and listening to the waves.

Check list accomplished - it was a very nice little getaway!

"Ready?"

The Daytona 500 was today, and we can see the stadium from here, all fanned out and open to us.  We can hear the cars from here, but we're staying away from all the craziness just across the inlet.  In fact, we're quite happy over here where it seems a little quieter.  It also seems a bit foggier too.  The fog didn't lift until around 3:00 or so, and fairly heavy too.  That didn't stop us from going for a walk along the beach, and it certainly didn't stop Madison and Daddy from a visit to the indoor pool downstairs.  We spent our time playing "Yes and No" or "Marco Polo," which she loves to play.  We had the whole pool to ourselves, too!

We had pancakes this morning, and a nice, relaxing day again.  We were playing board games and writing poems for the yearbook, plus watching the Olympics with biathlon and speed skating, which was hilarious because of the guy that got the racers set on the line.  He sounded like a really timid version of Lurch from "The Addams Family," along with bit of an accent.  We'd look forward to each race, just because shortly before it, this guy would quietly call out, "Rea-dy."  And we'd all crack up.  It has become a catch phrase for the weekend.

It was a quiet day again, one that had us walking along the beach a few times, looking for shells and splashing in the waves.  No dolphins today, but there were the usual surfers, and the usual miss of the ice cream truck on the beach.  It seems to know when we're back up in the condo, and then you hear the music and see the truck roll by.  One of these visits, we'll catch it.  We'll be "Rrea-dy."

Tonight, we had dominos, and just a lot of talking with the grandparents, which was great because we haven't been with them in a while.  It might have been September, I think, when they were up here.  Since then, we've just been busy with practices for ballet and that sort of thing.  But this was a good weekend to head down.  They'll be back up in a few weeks, and then we'll be back down again, so that will help compensate for such a short visit this time.  But even with the foggy beach, it's still a good day here.

Beach Day

Here's the girls, back on the beach!  The weather down here is warm, and just about perfect.  The sunlight is bright, and the day was really nice here at Daytona Beach.  But it wasn't a nice day for this guy here, I guess.

Look at the size of this jellyfish!  If only there were a peanut butter fish nearby.  Madison was enjoying the walk along the water, although it was pretty chilly ocean water.  The sun was warm though, and we were enjoying kicking water up, and collecting shells.  Mommy found a few nice shells along the way.

So we've always got this little checklist going with each trip to the beach.  For example, we have to do a board game.  Check!  We got two in today, actually three.  Early on, there was Star Wars Monopoly.  In honor of the Chinese New Year, we also played a few rounds of "Lanterns."  And later tonight, the whole family did a few rounds of dominoes as well.

Daddy was reading on the balcony, "Downward Spiral," and Madison was watching movies or watching the Olympics with us.  We saw the ski jump for a bit today, including that guy from Norway:

The handlebar mustache is what seals the deal.  Reminds you of some sort of World War I flying ace or something.  We also saw some of the luge competition as well, pretty much watching different events on and off throughout the day.  Even curling, which is something we never really got to watch entirely before.  Oh, and that crazy short track speed skating, which is so unpredictable.

Daddy was doing some writing for the yearbook too.  And all the while, Madison was asking for words for her Mad-Libs, which she's been wanting to do over and over again.  She's been getting into those.  We also built a Tinker Crate project, the two of us creating a pull-copter, and launching discs upward to the ceiling.  It's a bit too windy here at the beach to try it out there, so we might wait until we get home to test it out for height.

Tonight, the grown-ups were watching "Victoria and Abdul," the first time for the grandparents, who had no idea about that particular story of the former queen.  Meanwhile, there was delicious ice cream on the table, and dolphins outside too.  You could see them from the kitchen table, out there playing in the waves and looking around for fish.  Occasionally, one would jump up out of the water.

Such a nice thing - can't believe you can used to that sort of thing, but there it is.  Each day, the in-laws wake up to this sort of view, and for a brief vacation here, we are as well!

Mad-Libs and More

We drove down to Daytona today, and yes, there's this little race thing going on this weekend.  Talk about timing.  We saw the blimp overhead, and the big crowds here on Friday, all getting ready for the weekend of racing action.  Some day we'll join them to see a race and get into that NASCAR thing, although it's nothing passionate like some folks tend to be.  But if you're in Daytona while the race is going on, why not go check it out?

Madison was watching the figure skating tonight at the Olympics, mainly for this guy here:

It's the flying Winnie the Pooh guy.  Instead of flowers or roses, fans throw hundreds of Winnie the Pooh dolls on the ice after each of his performances.  It's because he likes Winnie the Pooh.  I can't imagine Disney not doing something about this.  Meanwhile, all these dolls are collected, and he keeps his favorites and sends many of them off to children's hospitals.  It's all good.  Madison loves the sight of flying Winnie the Poohs, and to be honest, who wouldn't?  It's pretty surreal!

We drove down today, so much of our day was spent on the road south.  We didn't really encounter any traffic, except in Atlanta, of course.  It doesn't matter what time of day you drive through, it's just sort of given that you'll experience traffic.  Regardless, the rest of the journey was easy.  We were listening to Riders Radio on the way down, that ongoing serial Daddy loaded up on the player, listening to Riders in the Sky in their old weekly radio show.

On the way down, and we'll have all throughout this trip Mad-Libs.  Madison has two books full of Mad-Libs, including one from the movie "BFG."  She also has a Halloween-themed one, so there's this constant request for words, one after another.  Verb!  Adjective!  Adverb!  Animal!  The stories are finished and read by Madison, and then she's ready to do it again:  Verb!  Adjective!  Noun!  Number!  We've probably done about five of these.  You get worn out trying to think of some super creative, weird or funny nouns or adverbs.  It's brain exercise!

On the way down, we had plenty to eat in the car.  Mommy made sandwiches, and we made our traditional stops along the way, particularly the one at the Florida Welcome Center.  Captain Citrus has moved over behind a counter, and the attendants there still are giving out that free orange juice.  The roads were clear from there, and the weather just fine.  It was an easy drive, and soon enough we were there with Ba-Ba and Nana to see them again.  It was a warm welcome!

We talked and laughed and caught up on things, although we talk a lot on the phone or computer.  Still, there's obviously nothing like face-to-face meetings.  They were happy to see Madison, and she was anxious to hang out with them as well, playing games and fooling around.  We'll be here for a few days - a shorter trip.  But it'll be  nice!

Movie Posters with Names that Don't Line Up

Madison did better on her math test with the retake, although it's notable that she got an 89 on it, and not the typical A.  It's the confusing nature of math word problems, which can be confounding not necessarily related to math skills, but more related to trying to figure out tricky wording.  Daddy has trouble with comprehension too, especially with this new curriculum.

Anyway, the weather is warmer outside, and it seems pretty likely that our chances for snow are going away too.  Not that we mind as much - we're all generally tired of the constant colder temperatures.  It's been a sustained cold this winter, and one without much snow.  It's a good thing we had that one big day a while ago.

Despite the lack of snow, we've been having snowball fights galore.  Madison started it Sunday with these fake snowballs that you can buy from the store.  They're pretty lightweight, and don't hurt that much.  But they can fly pretty good, and ever since Sunday, they've been flying left and right in the office!

We're getting ready for a quick trip, so we activated a new cell phone that we'll be using for a bit.  It's a flip phone, which is so wonderfully retro!  It's President's Break, and the trip we're taking is down to Daytona for the beach again.  We just realized we'll be there, right when the Daytona 500 will be going on, so that might add an extra bit of flavor this weekend.

One of the movies we're bringing with us is a movie Madison got for Valentine's Day tomorrow, the movie "Wonder."  And here's a brief commentary about the movie packaging:

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So we bought the movie “Wonder,” because we all really loved it.  But look at the cover.

     Why can’t they ever match up the names of the actors at the top with their pictures below?  Clearly, it should be “Owen Wilson - Jacob Tremblay - Julia Roberts.”  

     I mean, I get it with “top billing” and all, but in the end, your movie poster is distracting for people with hyper editing powers like me.  Like look at this one:

Or these:

I know we’re all discussing seemingly more important matters on social media platforms, but this is one of those things that should go straight to the top.

That’s pretty much all I wanted to say there.

******

We'll watch that movie in Florida, as tonight, Daddy wanted to watch another Olympic-themed movie, "Ice Princess."  It's a nice movie, one Madison and Mommy liked a lot.  Mommy was trying to pack, but kept pausing to stop and watch the movie as it went along.

We were able to watch this movie tonight, because we don't have school tomorrow.  That said, we had "movie night" and ballet/jazz night.  Yes, there was the typical two and a half hours of dancing for Madison.  They're gearing up for recitals and of course "Frozen."  Time is going by quickly!

That's one good reason to take a break tomorrow, and head south.  We'll keep typing this up tomorrow in Florida...

Chocolate Fountains

Happy Valentine's Day!  Check out Madison's box she made for collecting her Valentine's Day cards. We had a few other ideas that we narrowed down, but ultimately the panda won the day, and she was pretty happy with the end product.  She was also happy with all the cards she received today.  Her teacher thought it would be fun to briefly exchange cards using the traditional homemade boxes.  There were all kinds of boxes being carried in this morning to school, which is always fun to see at drop-off.  Kids were carrying princess castles, giant hearts, and football-themed boxes, all so their fellow students could drop in some cards, and even better, candy.  Lots of fun dip today!

She had enrichment after school, spending some time doing artwork again, although not yearbook related.  It was Valentine's Day related, of course.

Speaking of which, check out what Madison saw when she walked in the door today!  We had this chocolate fountain for a few years now, but only tried it for the first time last week.  We kept it a secret, so the surprise was set up, and it got a huge, "WHOA!"

A chocolate fountain appeared in both "Descendants" movies, so it was sort of in her mind lately.  Mommy got the strawberries, and yes, the conversation hearts.  But we also did a little penguin theme too, adding a stuffed animal and some stuff we picked up after Christmas at Bath & Body Works.  She appreciates the smelly stuff!

But you can see Mommy and Daddy liked the chocolate fountain too.  I think each of us were able to do about four strawberries total, as they were pretty rich.  But boy, these were delicious!

Daddy got Mommy a bunch of Crunchie Bars, and a nice card he picked up over a month ago.  Daddy himself got some Ghirardelli chocolates as well.

Of course, it was Wednesday night, so there was church tonight as well.  We had a great service tonight, continuing our Olympic theme, and it was fantastic.  We were showing a bunch of videos of snowboarders, and connecting it to themes of love, and sacrifice.  It was great stuff.  You can see we had one of our volunteers bring in a snowboard too!

Valentine's Day was a busy one with school, the office and so forth, but we had a great time together after school.  But our school was safe and sound, unlike another one state south of here, one we're deeply saddened to hear about.  Madison may know about it from hearing hear or there, but nothing we're actively listening to or watching.  But it's on our hearts.  

Snowboarder Valentine

It's a busy day here, where we've been prepping for the big day tomorrow - I think you know the one. It's Valentine's Day, so Mommy is out buying groceries for a little surprise tomorrow, but also helping Madison create a Valentine's Day box for the other student friends to put cards into.   Madison had piano today, but also her "Live to Give" club after school.  They've been writing things to encourage other students and teachers, and also collect coins for a "wishing well" that benefits charities.  Meanwhile, Madison is also working her yearbook artwork, which is just unexpected, really.  I think it's related to Daddy getting somewhat plugged in, but it just so happens that her artwork is going to be scattered throughout the final yearbook of the school for her.

Lots of driving around today, but it's all good.  We're also setting up for a quick vacation out of here this weekend.  It'll be a super brief trip to Florida, but it will be nice down there, visiting with Nana and Ba-Ba.  

Here below is a little something Daddy is working on for service tomorrow, tying the themes of Valentine's Day with the snowboarding we've been seeing on television thus far.

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HOST:  "Valentine's Day is almost here, and love is in the air.  At least that's what they always say this time of year.  And when we think of the word love, you of course start thinking of hearts, cards, chocolates, flowers and all that mushy stuff.  But real love is a little different than that.  In fact, since it is winter, let's quote our good buddy Olaf, who nails it:"

CUE SLIDE:  "Love is putting someone else's needs before yours."

HOST:  "It's really that simple.  It's what makes Christmas so wonderful, the spirit of giving.  It's what God Himself is so wonderful at:  giving.  And it's what we ourselves should be doing: giving."

HOST:  "Because it's the Olympics, I wanted to share this one video with you about a guy who gave something pretty big.  It was his hair.  But it wasn't just any hair.  This is a snowboarder named Shaun White, who had long red hair and it was all part of his image.  Everyone knew who he was, because of that talent, but also because of that hair.  But one day, he got this idea..."

CUE VIDEO:  "Shaun gets a hair cut"

HOST:  "He got an idea.  Some of you may have done this before.  My daughter Madison has done it too.  This snowboarder donated his hair to a good cause.  When some kids go through cancer treatment, they start to lose their hair.  It happened to my wife a little when she was going through chemotherapy.  Locks of Love is an organization that takes your hair and makes it into a nice wig that you can wear.  Imagine this:  somewhere out there is a kid who is wearing Shaun White's hair!  Olympic gold medal hair!"

HOST:  "That's the simple of definition of what love is.  It's giving of yourself.  Shaun was ready to give up some of his hair.  But some people give a lot more than others, even more than an extreme hair cut.  Let's think about parents, for example."

HOST:  "Did anyone catch the other snowboarder, Chloe Kim?  She's just seventeen, and we were watching her incredible run on the half pipe the other night.  Amazing.  Stunning!  But she's always said she has someone to thank for her gift, someone who showed her what love really is."

CUE VIDEO:  CHLOE'S DAD

HOST:  "Chloe's dad literally quit his job to help her achieve her dreams.  He gave up time to drive her up, and all this money just to get her to competitions.  And did anyone catch how she did?  Let's take a glimpse now!"

CUE VIDEO:  CHLOE'S RUN

HOST:  "She wouldn't have been there if not for her parents.  Her dad showed the kind of love our Heavenly Father shows, because God is always there with us to help us along.  He's there in the morning and the evening, and He's there to encourage us, get us moving, and see us win.  And of course, you have people in your life that are trying to do the same exact thing.  The best thing for you to do right now - especially with Valentine's Day - is remember how everyone I just mentioned here loves you.  How can you show some love back?  We have one idea in just a moment, so let's hold on to that thought."

HOST:  "But before we get there, I have to introduce you to one more snowboarder.  Her name is Kelly Clark, and last night she was at her fifth Olympic Games!  Here she is at her very first:"

CUE VIDEO:  KELLLY CLARK wins GOLD

HOST:  "She's inspired an entire generation of snowboarders, and helps as a mentor for Chloe, someone that Chloe really looks up to.  Consider this:  Kelly Clark has won more than any other snowboarder in the history of the game.

HOST:  "But you know what's printed on her snowboard?  Listen to this quote from an article I found."

HOST:  (reading) "Clark demonstrates her commitment to Christ with a message printed on the topside of her snowboard: “Jesus, I cannot hide my love.”

HOST:  "Here she is with Chloe at one competition.  It was some time ago that Kelly had just been in Chloe's shoes, fresh off a gold medal and just empty inside.  She was struggling.  A fellow snowboarder was praying for her.  Would that be you?"

HOST:  "One fateful day, she was at a competition, and she heard one snowboarder say to another that had fallen, "Hey, it's all right.  God still loves you."

HOST:  "Kelly Clark couldn't get that phrase out of her head:  'God still loves you.'  She went back to her hotel room, and everyone knows there are those little Bibles in the nightstand at a hotel.  But she had no idea where to start in it.  So instead, she went to another snowboarder's room, and knocked on the door.   "I think you may be a Christian," she said, "and I think you need to tell me about God."  She knocked on the right door, didn't she?"

HOST:  "God is knocking on our door right now.  He's wanting to share His incredible love for us.  He gave so much, and all He wants is a relationship with each of us."

HOST:  "You can't give any more than He has.  This Valentine's Day, it's time to stop thinking about love the way the world does.  Love is not just flowers, chocolates, cards and so forth.  Although that stuff is nice, real love is thinking of others before yourself.  It's putting someone else's needs before yourself.  Just like God did for us."

HOST:  "Tonight, we're going to work on a little craft, and I thought it'd be fun to design our own snowboards as well.  But here's the deal:  on the other side, we're going to write a personal note to someone.  That's right, we'll make these snowboards a card.  Write down a note of encouragement or a note of thanks.  It just depends on who you're writing to.  The important thing is thinking of others first."

HOST:  "As a motivation, our judges here are going to give out prizes, just like in the Olympics.  We'll reward the three best designs for the snowboards, but we'll also give out three prizes for the most thoughtful notes.  Now if you want to keep your note a secret, we can work with that.  The important thing is to do it, and put someone else first.  Are you ready?  Let's get going!"

Frozen Marketing

We're getting closer to the "Frozen" production, and meanwhile, the weather is warming up a bit.  It's been gloomy and overcast, but still, things are becoming more springlike despite the fact that it is in fact still winter.  One has the feeling that we've missed a few golden opportunities for frozen precipitation this year, but again, we're grateful for that one ideal bit of snow that poured down upon us.  It was quite nice.  But I think we're pretty much done with the snow.  I could be wrong, of course, and would be glad to be wrong.  We love snow.

Perhaps we'll see some more the closer we get to Elsa and Anna's arrival.  Frozen is coming soon, and the kids were rehearsing for it Saturday.  Tonight, it was more about dancing on pointe, which is something Madison is getting more and more used to.  Daddy was out doing a bit of Valentine's Day shopping as Madison was dancing.  We've got some fun plans for Madison on Wednesday for sure.

She was doing things for Valentine's Day as well, filling out card after card.  These are part of the assignment this week for doing something nice to others, or something like that.  It took her a while to do this, her math homework, and then her piano, and then some work on this computer here as well.  She's keeping up with it all though!  It just means there wasn't much time for anything else tonight.  Ballet keeps you busy!

We got the car checked out today, and all's well for an upcoming trip south.  The weather is warm down there, and we're ready for a small break.  We'll probably still be watching the Olympics though.  We have that Olympic fever, as do many of our friends.  Tonight we were cheering on a few heroes of the halfpipe, and even watching some alpine skiing.  The skiing wasn't as exciting as it usually seems to be, and I think I know the problem:  where's the cowbell?  It seems as if every Olympic event in Europe always had a crowd and several people with cowbells ringing as skiers raced by.  These crowds were a little smaller, and more subdued.  This might be due to the colder weather as well - we'll have to see as the weeks progress.  More skiing is expected tomorrow.  The winds have been high, and it's really affected the skiers adversely.  It's the sort of weather that gives unexpected players an advantage, and frustrates the others I'm sure.

Daddy was working on the school yearbook all the while, and the poems inside it.  Some day we'll look back on this fifth grade book and smile warmly.  Our family has quite a presence in it suddenly, and that was by no means what I was planning.  It's just that artwork was needed here or there, and Madison was able to draw something up, and the next thing you know, she and I are partners in making the second grade intro page.  Daddy's been working on kindergarten through third this week, and hopes to tackle fourth, fifth and pre-school next week or so.  Here's one of the pages for second grade, one that Madison did the artwork for.  The pictures are just generic pictures of elementary school kids found online, used as place holders until the real thing comes along.  All of this is of course a rough draft.

The neat thing again is that Madison did the artwork here.  That's pretty exciting.

Okay, it's time to go back and watch some Winter Games.  We read tonight, more from "When the Sea Turned to Silver," and of course our devotional.  We said our prayers, and we've got so much to be thankful for.  It's hard to be ungrateful for so much mercy and protection upon us, and so much favor.  Despite a few setbacks here and there, we're doing fine generally speaking.  And that, as they say, is better than any of us deserve.

Skating Through

As advertised, we had another fun morning at KidPak, with a continuation of our ongoing story about a mystery at base camp.  Inside the ten above are the two characters that Madison likes the most right now, a few siblings who are somewhat like Bill and Ted.

Daddy was helping out with a goofy new "winter game" involving moving cotton balls with kids' noses, and a liberal dose of vaseline too.  It was a fun morning, along with a visit from our yeti friend.

Rather than go out for further activities, we went home afterwards.  We thought of going to this one free event, but the recent flu outbreak sort of kept us from heading out any more than just church.  We've been washing our hands left and right, along with everyone else around here.

Madison spent a lot of time on the piano this afternoon, then working on the computer doing homework assignments.  She was learning about the Golden Gate Bridge, and then the next thing she was doing involved writing more of those "random acts of kindness" cards.  She spent a long time on homework and these sorts of things, and that was okay.  It's great to see her working so hard at school.

Meanwhile, the Games go on - we were watching the skiathalon, with that incredible victory from a Norwegian who had fallen and crashed very early on.  Then the luge race, with an American coming in second place and getting American's only luge medal ever.  It's just fun watching these obscure sports, and sort of getting into them.  Every four years, we cheer for people on a sled going something like 86 miles per hour down this insane track.  And then after that, we were watching the speed skating races, with an amazing come-from-behind Korean race, followed by a race decided by two one thousandths of a second, and then finally an Olympic record race by a skater from where else but the Netherlands.

This led us to get some popcorn out and watch an old movie we haven't seen for a while, "Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates."  It's a great chance to look at life in Holland, wooden shoes and all.  Along with windmills, flowers, and of course there's the ice skating.  Daddy has ancestry from Holland, so it was fun watching life in that area from over a century ago.  Anyway, we all enjoyed it greatly.

Tonight, after a bit of tomb raiding, we were still reading "When the Sea Turned to Silver," and from our devotional as well.  And then... back to the Olympics for Mommy and Daddy, watching the team skating events tonight.  It's been great to watch these talented skaters, but now it's time for some sleep!