Hitting the Road For USTA Nationals

Monday morning A and I, along with my mom, will head for Mobile, Alabama where A will spend the week competing at the United States Twirling Association National Baton Championships.  This competition is the first of three national events that A will compete in this summer, ending another outstanding season of twirling.  She has worked hard all year long to improve and grow in a sport that hooked her at the age of 5.  This s A's fifth season twirling and it amazes me to look back ad see how far she's come.  At ten years old, she is competing at the advanced level in most events and more than holding her own.  She's worked hard to get to this point and is excited to have the opportunity to compete at the national level this summer.  This week she will compete in advanced dance twirl, solo, strut and presentation, as well as intermediate dance twirl, two baton, and strut.  She will compete in two group routines and one trio with her teammates.  The competition will be tough and A will go out on the floor and give it her all.  Last year at nationals she exceeded expectations when she ended with a top eight finish in advanced strut, earning a spot to compete in the prestigious Twirl Mania Gold invitational this past February.  She'd love a repeat of that but is going in with the desire to do her best, maintain a positive attitude no matter what happens, and above all represent her team and her sport with class and sportsmanship.  I'll be posting updates throughout the week so stay tuned to see how our little twirler does at her first national competition of the summer!

Hitting the Road For USTA Nationals

Monday morning A and I, along with my mom, will head for Mobile, Alabama where A will spend the week competing at the United States Twirling Association National Baton Championships.  This competition is the first of three national events that A will compete in this summer, ending another outstanding season of twirling.  She has worked hard all year long to improve and grow in a sport that hooked her at the age of 5.  This s A's fifth season twirling and it amazes me to look back ad see how far she's come.  At ten years old, she is competing at the advanced level in most events and more than holding her own.  She's worked hard to get to this point and is excited to have the opportunity to compete at the national level this summer.  This week she will compete in advanced dance twirl, solo, strut and presentation, as well as intermediate dance twirl, two baton, and strut.  She will compete in two group routines and one trio with her teammates.  The competition will be tough and A will go out on the floor and give it her all.  Last year at nationals she exceeded expectations when she ended with a top eight finish in advanced strut, earning a spot to compete in the prestigious Twirl Mania Gold invitational this past February.  She'd love a repeat of that but is going in with the desire to do her best, maintain a positive attitude no matter what happens, and above all represent her team and her sport with class and sportsmanship.  I'll be posting updates throughout the week so stay tuned to see how our little twirler does at her first national competition of the summer!

No I didn't fall off the face of the earth

Wow! Almost two years have passed since my last post! Guess life got in the way of blogging! Happy to say I'm hoping to rekindle my posts since i do enjoy the outlet blogging affords me.  For now, I'll fill you all in on what's been happening since my last post. Which really means updating you on my kids because everyone knows that's what this blog is all about.

I'll start with J.  My oldest baby is now 20, yes 20 years old! He went off to Belmont Abbey College and was quite happy there.  He loved the school, the baseball tram, and college life in general. Unfortunately, things didn't go as well as they should have and he has spent his second year of college back at home attending the local college.  He's done well and is set to return to Belmont Abbey for the spring 2017 semester.  Baseball is even still on the table which gives him great motivation.  In addition to school, J has been working at our local Publix and helping to coach his sister's Little league team.  He has a real knack for coaching and  think he may be considering a coaching career.  Time will tell.  So keep him in your thoughts and prayers for a successful return to the Abbey and the ball field!

N has discovered his niche in the theater.  He go involved in the excellent community theater in our town two years ago and has appeared in several productions.  He' not only an excellent singer and actor, he also loves working the tech side of shows.  He thoroughly enjoyed his first year of high school.  A big change is coming for him this fall though.  The other high school in town is starting up a fine arts academy.  N applied and was accepted.  He's so excited about getting to immerse himself in theater.  This summer he has his first lead role as Ryan Evans in High School Musical at the community playhouse.  He'll be turning 16 in September which hardly seems possible.  He's starting to think about college and talks about his future on the stage all the time.  I seem to have a knack for producing kids with crazy dreams!

That brings me to A.  My sassy girl is 10 years old and as sassy as ever.  She loves playing baseball, though she is considering a switch to softball.  And she is still heavily involved in competitive baton twirling.  In fact, this past year and a half has been a time of tremendous growth for her as a twirler.  She's twirling at an advanced level and holding her own against some very tough competition.  This summer she'll be competing in three different national competitions for three different twirling organizations, in three different states.  Stay tuned for updates from the road as we travel the country!

School just ended for us and we're enjoying our summer.  In addition to the baton trips, we have a trip planned with my family and a weekend trip with an awesome group of friends.  We're also hoping to sneak down to Miami for a quick visit with Coach C.  He just finished his second year of law school at Georgetown and is interning with a law firm down south for the summer.  So the summer is sure to fly by and it will be time to return to school before we know it. In the meantime, I'll be posting on a regular basis.  I hope you'll enjoy sharing our summer adventures with us!

Weekend Fabulous

My get away weekend to Jekyll Island was everything I hoped it would be and more.  My five friends and I had an amazing time.  For starters, the weather could not have been more perfect.  Breezy and cool with lots of sunshine.  We stayed in a cute little condo right near the beach.   It was a low key weekend, filled with lots of talking and laughter. We all arrived by early Friday evening and immediately headed out for a yummy seafood dinner.  Afterward, we just went back to the condo and sat up talking til almost midnight.  Saturday we went shopping and out to lunch.  Then back to the condo for the afternoon.  Some napped, some sat around talking, reading, or crocheting.  We also walked the beach, looking for shells.  Saturday night we got a little dressed up and went out to dinner.  Then it is was back to the condo so Jess, who is a hard core Alabama football fan, could watch the Florida/Alabama game.   She's 7 months pregnant, and wigged us out when  she started jumping and down after an exciting play.  We didn't want her bouncing the baby loose!  It was all good though, especially when Alabama won.  I'm whispering that since J and hubby are big Gator fans! Sunday and departure time came all too soon.  The thing that is the most amazing to me is how comfortable we all are with each other.   Remember, we met online, and for some, it was the first in person meeting.  Yet there was no awkwardness.  Just a wonderful sense of friendship.  We've decided this get away should be an annual thing.  In fact, we've already picked next year's destination, New Orleans.  We're inviting the husbands along for that one. If they want to go.  If they don't, we'll go without them and have a ball, I'm sure.  Thanks for a fabulous weekend Jess, Caroline, Angie, Erin, and Ann! And Linda, Steph, Zarina, Heather, and Mary, mark your calendars for this time year!   New Orleans here we come!

Hawaii Wrap Up

We're home.  We got home early Thursday afternoon after several long, but uneventful, hours of traveling.  Upon arrival at home, we all proceeded to crash in a jet lagged fog for several hours.  By Friday, we were able to get unpacked and somewhat settled back in.  our internal clocks are still somewhat off, but we're dealing with it. 

I wanted to do a final post on our trip and share some of my favorite things about Hawaii.  It was such a fabulous trip and I'm so glad we were fortunate enough to be able to go.  I snapped over 900 pictures to help preserve our memories, but even without them, I don't think any of us will ever forget this trip.  So, here goes.  A list of my favorite things from our fabulous Hawaiian vacation:

Maui:  The entire island is so beautiful and laid back it would be impossible not to love it.
Shave Ice:  This yummy treat is topping my list of favorite treats for a hot summer day.  And the ice cream in the bottom is a must!
Haleakala Crater:  The sunset view atop Haleakala is something I will never forget. For me, it felt like being on the edge of the world, right next to  heaven.
Aloha Dresses:  My new favorite summer style.  These long, flowy dresses are as comfortable as they are beautiful.
Sunset in Waikiki:   On our last night, we spent a few hours on the beach.  We stayed til sunset and the last picture I took was of the kids next to the ocean with the sunset behind them.  Stunning!
The Pacific Ocean:  We live near the Atlantic, and while it is beautiful, too, it doesn't quite compare to the wild beauty of the pacific.
Pearl Harbor:  What a beautiful, sad, and moving place.
Black Sand Beach:  One of the most stunning sights I have ever seen.

I could go on and on listing all the things I loved about Hawaii.  But what really made the trip special was being able to share it with my family.  We traveled with aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.  There were 16 of us total.   At times we got on each others nerves and little arguments cropped up.  I'm sure other people look at us and think we're nuts traveling together that way.  But without any one person, the trip would have been totally different.  And experiencing all of the wonderful things we saw and did together as a family is what made this trip so special.  When I remember this trip in the future, I will remember A building sandcastles with her great aunt, J and cousin M hanging out trying to be cool on their surfboards, N perusing the shops of the International Marketplace with his ever patient cousin Cindy, standing atop Haleakala together to witness that dazzling view.  Most of all I will remember how lucky we all were to be able to experience the trip of a lifetime together. 

Hawaii, Day Nine,Pearl Harbor

Today was our last full day in Hawaii.  We left the hotel at 6:15am to catch our tour bus.  Today's tour was to Pearl Harbor.  I will tell you right away that I didn't take a lot of pictures.  There are some locations that are meant to be pictured in our memories, and Pearl Harbor definitely falls into that category.  I also don't feel it's appropriate to be snapping pictures in what is in all essence, a burial ground.  So while I took a few shots of various plaques and the harbor itself, I took none of the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial.  I think this post will flow better if I simply give you my impressions of this important piece of American history.  We began by viewing a twenty minute film about the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor.  We then had some time before our scheduled trip out to the memorial.  The harbor itself is beautiful, like all of Hawaii.  It is certainly less tranquil than it must have been on that morning in 1941, but it was still hard to imagine such a terrible event in such a beautiful place.  A ferry boat shuttles groups of people out to the memorial of the U.S.S. Arizona.  Visiting there was akin  to viewing the Vietnam Wall, Arlington Cemetery, or Ground Zero.  The Arizona is visible beneath the surface of the water, a somber reminder of all the men forever entombed within her.  Oil floats to the surface and we learned this is known as the"tears of the Arizona."  Lore has it that when the last survivor of the Arizona dies, the "tears" will stop.  We also learned that there are 22 survivors of the Arizona still living.  They may choose to be cremated and entombed in the Arizona if that is their wish.  I was a little worried about taking a to a place that really requires a quiet, sober demeanor.  She did well though.  I suppose even a young child can feel the quiet dignity of such places. 

After leaving the memorial, we then visited the U.S.S. Missouri battleship.  I can't tell you much about it because A was tired and hungry by that point so she and I skipped that portion of the tour.  Hubby enjoyed it very much, as did J and N.

The remainder of our day was spent shopping, followed by a few hours on Waikiki Beach.  We're back in our room now, attempting to pack.  We will have the morning to enjoy before the shuttle picks us up at 1:00pm for the trip to the airport.  We depart Honolulu at 4:00pm and fly straight to atlanta.  From there, we'll fly on to Florida and home.  I'll post soon with a list of my favorite things about Hawaii.

Hawaii, Day Eight

Doing a little blog catch up here.  Last night we saw some fabulous fireworks.  The Waikiki fireworks are spectacular and we were able to enjoy them quite nicely from the hotel balcony.

Today we spent several hours on a Circle Tour of the island.  We went to Hanauma Bay, several other beautiful beaches and lookouts that I lost track of the names of, and the Dole Pineapple Plantation.  The tour was a good way to see the island and our guide Steve was very knowledgeable.  We also drove past Pearl Harbor, but we're taking a tour there tomorrow.  We visited the North Shore, famous for its huge waves.  Unfortunately, this is the wrong time of year for the big waves and the water was calm as a bathtub.  I did take the kids picture standing in the water of the  North Shore though.  That was at Sunset Beach.  Without the tour, I doubt we would have seen nearly as much of the island.  I would have liked more time at the pineapple plantation.  The pineapple ice cream was seriously yummy.  I also would have liked to visit the Polynesian Cultural Center.  However, with our Pearl Harbor tour tomorrow we can't be back in time to catch the shuttle and we have no car.  We'd have to rent a car to get there and it is quite a drive from Waikiki where we are staying.t's suggested you plan on at least half a day there as well.  Guess I'll just have to plan a return trip to see the things I miss this time around!  We fly home Wednesday night.  Is our vacation reallyn almost over?  It has been an amazing eight days, ten if you count our traveling days. 

Bye Bye Maui, Hello Oahu

We left Maui this morning to fly to Oahu for the remainder of our vacation.  I have to say that Maui was probably the most beautiful place I've ever visited.  We really enjoyed the laid back pace.  The people were friendly, the weather was perfect, the house we rented was beautiful.  The view from the summit of Haleakala Crater was unbelievable and something I'll remember for a lifetime. 

Yesterday part of the group took an ATV tour of the up country, then hubby and brother took J, N, and cousin M deep sea fishing.  J caught a 26lb wahoo and M caught a 20lb wahoo.  We had it for dinner.  J, who claims to hate fish, ate some since he caught it and decided it was delicious.  Honestly, it wasn't the tastiest fish I've ever had, but it was decent.

This morning we flew to Oahu, where we will remain until Wednesday afternoon, when we will head home to Florida.  Our hotel is in Waikiki, about two blocks from the beach.  We have a tourof the island planned for Monday and a visit to Pearl Harbor is on the agenda for Tuesday. 

Hawaii, Day Five, Black Sand Beach and Haleakala Crater

Warning!  This post will be long!  We saw some amazing sights yesterday that I can't tell you about in just a few words. 

The day began back over on a beach in Lahaina, where several from the group went parasailing.  Since I am a big chicken and afraid of heights to boot,  I sat on the beach and watched.  A played in the water and got enough sand in her bathing suit to build a deluxe castle.  At one point we saw a seal swimming near the shore.  Since I have a love of animals, marine animals in particular, I was very excited and ran down the beach to try and get a good picture.  I only managed to get a shot of his back as he dove back down in the waves.  How cool to have seen a seal in its natural habitat though!

After a picnic lunch, we set out to find a black sand beach.  We drove through some beautiful areas in Wailea and Makena before coming to Makena State Park.  After bumping down a dirt path that passed for the road we came to the beach.  It was worth the bumpy ride.  The black sand was beautiful.  It's fiiner than white sand and brushes off your feet very easily.  It was very soft to walk on.  We didn't go in the water since the surf was rough, but we were able to wade in the edge. 

The next part of our day was a drive up to the summit of Haleakala Crater, a dormant volcano with an elevation of 10,000 feet.  We wanted to reach the summit in time to see the sunset.   The drive itself was amazing and harrowing all at the same time.  Rembember, I'm a chicken, so the drive up that twisting , narrow road had me white knuckling it the higher we climbed.  It was strange driving up through the clouds and there were some amazing views.  After an hour or so we finally reached the summit.  The temperature was in the low fifties and the sun was setting as we got out of the car.  It was one of the most amazingly beautiful sights I've ever seen.  It felt almost spirtual up there above the clouds.  In fact, A was waving to the angels.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

I've never seen anything like it before.  It was like what I imagine heaven must be like.  So peaceful and beautiful and bathed in light.  I'm so thankful I got the chance to see it and that the kids got the chance to see it.     

Hawaii, Day Four

Hard to believe we're this far into our vacation.  It's going so fast!  So far, we're having a great time.  Yesterday was no exception.  (In case you hadn't realized, with the time difference I'm writing blog posts a day behind.)

We slept in a bit yesterday after our jam packed day of snorkeling and luau.  The kids were scheduled for a surfing lesson mid morning so we headed out to watch.  My boys, along with their cousins, M, B1, and B2, and my brother all toook a lesson from Ino at Maui Wave Riders.  The lesson began in the park above the beach where they learned to techniques of paddling and standing up on their boards.  A was not scheduled for a lesson but Ino didn't mind that she put her boogie board down and participated anyway.  Next they learned to carry their boards dwn to the beach and into the surf.   Ino accompanied them and they waded out to a good spot.  Eveyone did pretty ngood but N turned out to be the surfing star of the day.  He managed to rise up, do the switch, and ride his board all the way in several times.  Now, in case you're picturing giant Hawaii waves, these weren't.  The waves were gentle yesterday.  We will be visiting the North Shore when we go to Oahu where we're told we'll see those legendary Hawaiin waves.  I've already told J and N they will NOT be attemtping to surf those waves! At the end of the lesson Kyle, also from Maui Wave riders, went out on a board with a camera and took awesome shots of the kids as they surfed.  He gave us an excellent deal on two cds with all the images he took.  You'll have to wait til I'm back home where my comouter has a cd drive to see those.  In the meantime, here are a few shots that I took.

J riding a wave in.

N the surfing star.Cousin M

The group with their awesome instructor, Ino.

The kids loved the surfing lesson.  If you're ever on Maui and interested in a lesson, Maui Wave Riders was awesome.  The kids learned a ton and Ino and Kyle were great. 

After the surfing lesson and lunch, we headed out to tour the island some.  Our first stop was Iao Valley State Park.  We saw some beautiful scenery as we climbed up and down the paved pathways.

Next we set out to find a waterfall my brother had read about.  By that point in the day, everyone was getting a bit tired and cranky.  We were sniping at each other a bit and tempers were starting to flare.  We pulled over at a scenic lookout spot to regroup and try and figure out where the waterfall was.  We didn't find the waterfall, but we found this instead.   It went a long way towards soothing everyone and restoring peace and harmony to the day.  

 

Awe inspiring, isn't it? The kids climbed all over the rocks and for once I wasn't a nervous nellie and let them have fun.  

 

Hawaii, Day Three, Part two

That's J above, pictured with one of the hula dancers we saw at the Royal Lahaina Luau last night.  After the snorkel trip, we dashed back to the house to shower and change for the luau.  We'd all been looking frward tothis.  After all, what's a Hawaiin vacation without a luau?  This luau didn't disappoint.  We arrived for check in about 5, and waited for the gates to open.  Once the gates opened, our picture was taken and we were shown to our table.  A waiter came with drinks, which were included.  Except for blended drinks, which were $15 and came in a souvenir cocnut with free refills all night.  I ordered a pina colada, minus the rum so the kids could enjoy, too.  The pre show started,and featured music and a hula lesson given by the mistress of ceremonies.  A was eager to participate in that and now considers herself a trained hula girl.  After the pre show, the buffet was opened.  It consisted of salad, fruit, rolls,kalua pig, kalua turkey, chicken, hawaiin steak, sweet potatoes, fried rice, noodles, macaroni salad, and dessert.  There was a kid's buffet as well with kid favorites like hot dogs and mac and cheese.  Everything was very tasty and during dinner the hour long show began.  There were male and female hula dancers and a fire show at the end.  The kids really enjoyed the show and afterwards the dancers were available for pictures.  You can see some of our luau experience in the photos below.

 

Hawaii,Day Three, Part One

Sorry this blog post is a bit late.  Yesterday was jam packed from morning til night.  The day started out with a snorkeling trip on a 65 ft boat.  We checked in our group of 16 at the Lahaina Harbor at 7:30 and boarded the boat about 8.  There were several other people on board for the half day snorkeling adventure.  The day was clear and sunny with a wonderful breeze as we set out.  The crew set out a continental breakfast for our enjyment as we cruised out of the harbor.  Fresh fruit, muffins, and juice were enjoyed as we moved at a nice clip towards our destination.  After about an hour we reached our first stop, the Molikani crater.  Those who wished could get off the boat to snorkel.  The kids loved this, even A.  Wearing a life jacket and her own tiny fins, snorkel, and mask, she swam with her daddy and saw all kinds of Nemo fishies.  Her words, not mine. 

I did not get off the boat, but stayed aboard to take photos from the deck.  I should tell you that I did not bring my dslr camera on the snrokel trip.  Not being sure what to expect, I was worried it could get damaged so had to be content with the rest of the group'soint and shoot cameras.  I will tell you the scenery was beautiful and I wished I had brought it along and taken the risk.  We did have some underwater cameras but those photos will have to get developed and scanned in back home.

After about an hour, everyone reboarded the boat and we set off ofr our second stop.  While we were cruising, a dei style lunch was provided and was again delicious.  We reached our second stop, which the crew simply referrred to as turtle town, in about an hour.  Unfortunately, the wind was a bit high, so the captain made the decision to move onto another turtle town, so called because of the large number of sea turtles in the area.  At the second stop, I even got off the boat.  I love sea turtles and the chs nce to see them in their natural environment was too tempting to resist.  I used a boogie board with a "mask"  viewer nd was able to enjoy all the beautiful sea life and corla.  I didn't see any turtles while I was in the water, but saw several from the boat deck.  Guess they all hid with eveyone splashing around!

I must include a description of the surroundings in this post.  The mountains and beaches we passed were beautiful of course.  But it was the Pacific Ocean that was the star of the day.  The water alternated between a deep sapphire blue and emerald green, depending on where we were.  Colorful schools of fish were visible even from the surface.  And below the surface was a whole world of magical creatures and colors.  And let me tell you that water was cold!   Living in Florida, I've been in the Atlantic plenty.  The Pacific is definitely colder!

We returned to the harbor about 1:30.  The first part of our day was over and it was time to head back to thenhouse to get ready for the evening.  A traditional Hawaiin Luau.  See the next post for details on that.

Hawaii, Day Two

Our adventure today was a scenic ride on the Sugar Cane Train.  Contrary to the name, there was no sugar cane lesson or anything remotely relating to sugar cane.  The ride was a scenic one through the old whaling town of Lahaina.  After the ride, we visited the Cannery Mall for a little lunch and shopping.  N and A both opted for a ukulele as a souvenir.  Yikes!  What was I thinking?  A also got a grass skirt and a tiny coconut bra to wear and dance the hula.  Like a typical teenager, J opted to buy sunglasses and t-shirts. 

After the shopping, part of the group headed back to the house while the remainder stayed in Lahaina to visit the whaling museum.  They are still not back so I have no idea how it was.  On the way home,we stopped at a little farmer's market and got a coconut for A so she could drink the milk.  She'd been saying she wanted to drink milk from a coconut for weeks prior to the trip.  Coconut milk is now her favorite drink she says.  At least it was until she drank some after eating potato chips.  Then she decided it was nasty.  I guess salty chips just don't mix well with fresh cocunt milk.

Tomorrow's adventure is an all day snorkeling trip, followed by the Royal Lahaina Luau.  The boat will take us out at 8am and we will stay out til mid afternoon.  Breakfast and lunch are included.  Then we have a few hours to relax and get ready for the traditional Hawaiin Luau.

Hawaii, Day One

Aloha!  We made it to Maui yesterday at 11:30am local time, after a long day of traveling.  The trip itself went without a hitch.  Connections were made, flights were uneventful, the kids behaved, and out of fourteen travelers, only one suitcase was lost.  The house we rented in Kihei is wonderful.  With such a large group we needed lots of space and the Hale Lelani fits the bill with six bedrooms and four baths. 

Yesterday was spent settling in, shopping for groceries, and crashing in a jet lagged fog around 9:00pm.  Today everyone was up for a bit more adventure.  We scouted out a beach and spent a good portion of the day enjoying the sun, sand, and water.  The temperature is in the upper eighties, but with the cool ocean breezes, it feels more like the mid seventies.