Gators and Butterflies

While we felt sorry for our friends and family up north who were living through a blizzard on Saturday, we didn't want to give up enjoying a sunny and warm afternoon here. So we headed to Gainesville to wonder around the University of Florida campus.

It is nearly impossible to live in Jacksonville and not become a Gator fan!

The highlight of the day for Jim was that Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (aka The Swamp) was open.

I think he was dreaming about having seats this close during a game!

I was most impressed with this guy who hopped up and down the stadium at least 20 times while we were watching. What a work out!

Later we went to the University's McGuire Center for Biodiversity where they have an awesome butterfly rain forest.

Newly emerged butterflies drying their wings and some being released into the rain forest.

Camp Milton Skirmish

Nearby Camp Milton was a Confederate outpost during the Civil War. While it never saw a battle, it was the home to many skirmishes. Yesterday we went to a reenactment of one of those encounters. It must have been a really small clash, because there were only about 20 actors involved.

The first casualty of the day.

Doesn't this guy actually look like a Civil War soldier?

When the fighting was over there was a 21 gun salute and the playing of Taps for the fallen soldiers on both sides.

Liza and Nina with our favorite Yankee soldier.

We had a fun day and were happy to be there to support The Preservation Project North Florida. Not long ago, the 125 acres that are Camp Milton were scheduled to become a sludge dump. So glad that didn't happen.

www.preserveflorida.org

A Chorus Line

This play first opened on Broadway in 1975 and the last time I saw it was probably sometime in the early 1980's. Somehow after all this time it was still fresh, both heartbreaking and fun at the same time. Especially to Nina and Liza who had never seen it before. We loved it!!

STATES at Daytona Beach

Each January we head to States in Daytona Beach. We like so many things about this competition. One being that we get to stay right on the beach. Unfortunately, we were so busy the whole weekend that the hotel balcony was the closest we came to the surf.

States is a three day event. Friday night is individual performances which Nina is doing this year. Here are all the individuals from FCA gathered before heading into the arena.

I could not believe my Nina was going to perform on this huge stage all by herself, but here you see her and she did a fantastic job!!

Saturday the crowds arrive in earnest with hundreds of all-star and school cheer and dance teams descending on Daytona.

The day is a long one since we go early to watch the younger teams from FCA. Also, one of the girls teammates injured her ankle on Friday night, so their routine had to be reworked. We are grateful that larger teams are assigned a room at the convention center where the girls can hang out and practice.

Our fallen comrade.

Finally it was performance time. Above you see the first stunt and below is the pyramid. Both look perfect!!

After cheer, Liza had less than 5 minutes to completely change costumes and run to the other side of the convention center to the dance arena for her next performance. Somehow they all got there and did a really nice job.

Sunday is a repeat of Saturday with a second performance from each cheer and dance team. Sunday night ends with the awards. Here you see all the senior teams waiting for the ceremony to begin.

I found this beauty in that sea of girls.

And here are the FCA Seniors on the medals stand, Silver Champions. They also walked away having earned a bid to Internationals in Atlanta. Go Girls!!

Sweet Sixteen

Happy Birthday Liza!!

January 8, 1994

January 8, 2010

How did she grow up so fast?

Ringing in the New Year with some old friends :D

After Charlottesville, we headed to our old stomping grounds in Northern VA for a New Year's reunion with our good friends the Ramsey and Balmanno families.

The first day we went to the Marine Corp Museum in Quantico. It was my first trip there and I really found it fascinating.

One of the highlights was listening to this gentleman who described his personal memories of the Battle of Iwo Jima. That is his actual unit in the photograph you see behind him.

Here is the flag that was raised above Mt. Suribachi in that famous photograph. It was hard to get a clear picture of it because you couldn't use a flash.

The design of the museum mimics the Mt. Suribachi photo.

After the museum we headed to one of our old haunts, Molly's Pub, in Warrenton for a New Year's Eve dinner.

We also went to the First Night festivities which included among other things a comedian, a magician and an impromptu NO talent necessary square dance session.

A reluctant Liza got dragged to the center by the caller to demonstrate proper dance techniques.

The next day it was into DC where we were hoping to go to the the new visitors center at the Capitol, but alas, it was closed.

Look at Caden, I think he was really about to jump in!

We ended up heading to some old favorites, the Botanical Gardens and Air and Space.

We had just enough time left for a quick celebration of Audrey's 14th birthday before we headed home. Thanks for having us guys!

Charlottesville

We recently went up to Charlottesville, VA to visit Grandpa, Danna, Dave and Cameron. It was so nice to see them.

We had a second Christmas celebration at Grandpa's house.

And a belated Thanksgiving dinner at the Hills since Cameron was in the hospital for the real Thanksgiving.

The girls loved getting reacquainted with Hawkeye.

There was quite a bit of snow on the ground there and Liza and Nina got to go sledding for the first time in a couple of years. They had a blast!

Cameron looking cool snowboarding.

Even Jim got in on the action.

Gramps and I acted as the official photographers.

We also got to visit the fabulous new visitor's center at Monticello.

Nina, TJ, and Liza

Nina comparing a nickel to the Houdon bust upon which it is based.

Liza on a replica of TJ's bed.

We also spent some time at the walking mall downtown where Liza left a comment or two on the First Amendment Wall.

After a little shopping it was time to warm up with coffee at the Mudd House.

Thanks for a great time! We can't wait to come back.

Christmas!

We had a nice, quiet Christmas morning at home. The only one that would let me take early morning pictures this year was Yankee. She was so tired after going through her stocking that she fell asleep guarding her new treats. The girls spent the day playing with their favorite presents, new touch screen phones. Then it was off for a late Christmas brunch downtown.

A New Tradition

I am not a huge fan of traditions. I feel we sometimes continue to do them even though our family has outgrown them or they have gotten dull. Nevertheless, as long as my kids are in the house and it is Christmas time, I know I will have to keep up the traditions. There are certain foods that must be eaten, certain Christmas shows must be watched, certain cookies that must be baked, certain rituals that must be followed, and so on. It is just part of Christmas for my girls. However, we have started a new tradition that I actually love.

This is our third Christmas in Florida and we have been fortunate enough to have had beautiful weather on Christmas Eve each year. So beautiful, in fact, that a trip to the beach has been in order. Today was no exception, 70 and sunny. Perfect! We packed up our picnic lunch, beach chairs, and the dog and headed to the Atlantic.

As long as we live here and the weather stays nice, this is one tradition I know I will continue to enjoy!

***

P.S. Dear Santa, If I find the deed to any one of the three houses below in my stocking tomorrow morning, I will be most grateful.

The Cookie Creature Contest

Liza, Nina, Logan and I created cookie creatures this afternoon. We decided to turn it into a contest with Jim doing the judging when he gets home from work. I have a feeling he is going to pick Logan's tribute to NY Giant great Lawrence Taylor. Which one do you like best?

Winter Wonderland

Last night, the girls and I went to Winter Wonderland, complete with a snow making machine, an ice slide and a big fire pit for toasting marshmallows. It was actually really cold for Florida this time of year and it got us in the holiday mood. We love it!

Neighborhood Light Show

One of our neighbors really gets into the Christmas spirit by producing a fabulous light display synchronized to music. It takes him hundreds of hours to set up the 30,000+ lights and miles of extension cords and then hundreds of hours on the computer to program the music and lights. All we had to do was tune the car radio to his station to hear the music and sit back and enjoy the 30 minute show. Here is a little taste of it in the video below.

Rainy Regionals

Last Saturday was the Regional competition and it was also just about the rainiest day I have ever experienced. It was the kind of rain that soaks everything in a matter of seconds. The girls had to run from the warm-up building to the holding area and to the performance building in the downpour. So they had to perform with wet uniforms, wet hair, and soaking wet brand new $80 'Nfinity competition shoes, UGH. But they soldiered on and ended up doing really well.

Liza and Logan before the Senior Hip-Hop routine.

Nina with the group waiting to perform their individual routines.

Here she is on the floor for the first time competing by herself.

Then it was time for the cheer team to compete. They were great!

All smiles once the pressure was off.

Here is a video of the Awards Ceremony. 1st place for FCA Seniors!!

The next night some of us went to a little celebration dinner. As you can see they are happy and dry. We qualified for States next month and are hoping for a sunny day and another victory.

A Cheerful Few Weeks

I can't believe the Cheer Season is almost here. This year in addition to both girls being on the senior cheer team, Liza is on the senior hip-hop dance team and Nina is doing cheer individuals. With our first competition fast approaching that has meant many, many extra practices with every spare minute being spent at the gym. I don't know how they are doing it, I'm exhausted and all I am doing is driving them back and forth!

The highlight of our preparations was last Saturday when Nina and the other girls that are doing individuals were invited to do an exhibition at a local school. It was her first time performing alone in front of a crowd and she did a fabulous job. We are looking forward to a fun season!

Thanksgiving

We were very excited that at the last minute my nephew Sam was able to get a couple of days leave and was going to come to our house for Thanksgiving. As if that wasn't good enough, my sister and her husband decided to make the trek all the way from Ohio as well. My girls did a fabulous job setting up and helping with the cooking and we all enjoyed a great meal.

On Friday, we brought Karen, Jack and Sam down to St. Augustine for lunch at Crackers, one of our favorite hang-outs.

No one can come to St. Augustine for the first time without visiting the Castillo de San Marco and taking a walk around the harbor.

Saturday, the whole day was spent getting Sam ready. He leaves tomorrow morning for his long journey to Iraq where he will be deployed for the next twelve months. We love you Sam and are so thankful we got to spend this holiday with you. Stay safe and we will see you this time next year. XOXO

We Have Liftoff!

The space shuttle Atlantis took off this afternoon from the Kennedy Space Center, which is about 150 from my house. Here is the view from my driveway. I go out to watch the shuttle every time it takes off. Sometimes the trajectory brings it directly over our house, this time it went off in the other direction. There are only 5 more missions before the shuttle program ends next year. I am going to try and get closer for one of the liftoffs so I can really get a good view.

USS Klakring

The girls and I were lucky enough to get a tour of the USS Klakring the other day. The Klakring is a 4100 ton, 453 foot Naval frigate. This ship will soon deploy for a trip around the tip of South America where they will work in connection with the DEA trying to stop the flow of drugs into the United States. The Klakring carries about 40 officers and 175 enlisted men.

We met Master Chief Kirby and Commander Smith.

Love those white uniforms!

Liza and Nina on the bridge, and on the bow of the ship.

This lovely lady is one of only three women on the Klakring. She told us there are some benefits to being so outnumbered. Namely, private quarters and bathroom for the three of them.
Go Navy!!

The Blue Angels

Yesterday we went to one of our favorite events around here, the Jacksonville Sea and Sky Spectacular, featuring the Blue Angels.

It's a big festival on Jax Beach with lots of good food, games and activities.
The girls spent some time signing the boards that had been set up all over with messages of goodwill that will be sent to our armed forces overseas.

They also had fun interacting with this strangely realistic sculpture.

Then it was time to head out on the sand for the main event.

While waiting, the girls couldn't resist putting their feet in the water even though it was pretty chilly. Suddenly, the Blue Angels came upon us from the right. It's funny because you don't hear them coming but they are so LOUD once they have passed.

You can't really tell from the videos just how loud, but watch Liza and Nina react after the planes go by.

They are going hundreds of miles an hour and pass within inches of each other!

What a remarkable show!!

Ramsey Central comes to Georgia

We met our good friends Christy, Audrey, Spencer, Malena and Caden Ramsey in St. Marys, GA over the weekend. St. Marys is a little seaside town with not too much going on. Luckily, there was a sweet little playground complete with moon bounce and fountain. The kids wasted no time taking it over.

As usual,Caden stuck pretty close to Liza.

We also found a little museum where some really nice gentleman tried in vain to explain about a battle of the War of 1812 that took place in St. Marys. The kids were way more interested in trying on the costumes.

Look who Caden is with again!

We had such a nice day. It was over way to soon. Can't wait to see you guys again!

Boys Like Girls

Boys Like Girls, Cobra Starship, The Maine, Rocket to the Moon and Versa Emerge. That was the line up for the concert.

It was a must see for Liza and Nina.

They loved it!!

A big thanks to Jim for taking them so I could have a quiet evening at home.