Our Trips in Different Directions

Faith spent this last week in Texas at Karolyi's camp. She left very excited to meet Bela and Marta, as they are icons in the Olympic world. When she got back she was full of stories of camp life. They spent about 8 hrs a day practicing gymnastics and the other hours were filled with activities of swimming, learning dances for the talent show, horseback riding, lake activities, and other fun camp things. She did come back with many new skills...which is exciting for her starting Optionals. Faith also brought back several items signed by Bela...a water bottle, Karolyi Good Luck Bear(which I loved... my little girl at heart), and a leotard. Faith said, when she was being hugged by Bela and having her picture taken, her heart was beating so fast with excitement. The only bummer for her, was this coming week Nastia Lukin, Shawn Johnson and many others were going to be at Karolyi's to train for a upcoming event. She can't wait for next year, she said she wants to go for two weeks... I better start saving now.

Bela & Faith. Her coaches from home being silly-Dan & Christain

Gregg and I also took a vacation to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It was our first vacation without any of our children. We spent our first night in Savannah, Georgia. It was beautiful! And the food and people were great. We ate downtown on the Savannah river, at Huey's, where we sampled the local cuisine...yummy. I also had Beignets, which I love. The Italian's make a similar dessert called Zepole's. It is a warm piece of fluffy dough with powdered sugar. After dinner, we walked along the cobbled line streets where I busted my high heels. Luckily, no ankle injury. I ended up buying a pair of flip flops...so much easier to walk in. We also watched huge carrier ships come into port. It was amazing seeing them make it under this one bridge.

Downtown Historic Savannah

The trio of guys singing were awesome- the harmonized so well together.

The next night, we spent in Georgetown, South Carolina. The people were not nice and the food stunk! Definitely, we will pass this town up next time. I did manage to get a beautiful sunset picture though.

We spent the next few days in Myrtle Beach golfing different pro courses everyday. We played Indian Wells, Burning Ridge and Wacchaw East Plantation. They were all beautiful and challenging.

We stayed at the Springmaid Hotel on the 6th floor. We had great views and the beach was just below our hotel. Gregg and I enjoyed walking in the evening looking for sea shells. One night, a storm came in quickly and there was going to be a wedding rehearsal. In one quick gust of wind, half their chairs went down.

I also got to cross another item off my list of things I want to do. I have para-sailed in Mexico and bungee jumped from my ankles over a pond. Gregg took me on a helicopter ride. It was so much fun and I sat next to Jack in the front seat. We talked through our microphone headsets. I am hooked! I would love to go again. Now, if I can just talk him into letting me parachute from a plane. He doesn't trust anyone enough to let me go, and I don't think the Army will let me be a guest for a day.

On the way home we stopped in Jacksonville, Florida because we were having golf withdrawals. I looked up this place on our Garmin. At first, we were a little nervous. The area was not so good and I think we were the only white people in the neighborhood. I am sure they saw our license plate and thought for sure the dumb Oregonians were lost. I am not a prejudiced person, so I could care less if we didn't fit in. It was called First Tee and we had so much fun on this course. It was like playing in your backyard. You had to guess where the golf paths were and the holes weren't really marked. The people who ran the course were fantastic and accommodating. I would love to go back. We found out the course was used primarily for kids struggling with criminal backgrounds. Funny, it was located right next to the work release center. They had guys that mentored these kids. The rules were posted on the cart, which included dress attire and in bold letters no foul language...so I whispered(LOL). Golf is not relaxing like people say. It is frustrating at times and you get a work out in. Especially, balls you shank into bushes, tree lined areas and ponds. Overall, our trip was fantastic. Gregg and I got to spend some quality time together. Now, I have to do the all the laundry in two days and repack. We pick up our son, Elliott on the 1st and then we head to the Keys for the 4th of July. Hurrah, another adventure.

Simple Woman

Hosted by Peggy @ http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

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Outside my window...the palm trees are blowing gently in the wind. There is a lizard basking on my patio.

I am thinking...of what needs to be accomplished in the next couple days for Faith's trip and ours.

I am thankful for... for such a good husband. A man who pampers me and puts up with my spunky attitude. Who is patient, trustworthy, an incredible lover and my best friend.

From the learning room...today is the last day for CAT testing and then we are done for the summer. My daughters reward for such a great attitude and diligence through the school year, is a new Vera Bradley purse...she is so excited. She gets to pick it up tomorrow.

From the kitchen...I just made a cup of Chai tea. Faith is still sleeping but soon, I will be making the breakfast of her choice.

I am wearing...sweat pants and a tank top.

I am creating... a new habitat for Mako...Faith's new leopard gecko. We just bought a new 10 gallon cage. We added red colored sand for a desert look. We have several tiny pieces of wood arranged so he can hide and climb. We plan on adding another rock and some plants. It is fun to watch him stalk the crickets and munch them down.

I am going...to Savannah, Georgia on Monday. Then on to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for almost a week. This will be the first vacation with just my hubby in many, many years. Taking a trip with Gregg is so much fun. We stop at different little shops along the way that look interesting. I have found some great gifts at little roadside stops.

I am reading...lately, just magazines. I haven't really had the time.

I am hoping...that Faith has an amazing time at Karolyi's next week. Prays that she doesn't get injured but can learn some fantastic new skills.

I am hearing...the air conditioner blow. The house is still quiet because Gregg's at work and Faith is still sleeping.

Around the house...there are suitcases being prepacked for this next week. The house is clean and the laundry caught up. Whoo-hoo!

One of my favorite things...yahoo chat. I love being able to keep up with friends.

A few plans for the rest of the week...finish testing today. Friday- oil change on the car, my day to carpool for gymnastics. Saturday & Sunday- finish shopping for our trips and celebrate Father's Day.

Here is a picture I though I'd share...

My Dad- taken at Shoshone Falls, Idaho. Happy Father's Day, Dad.

Meet Mako

This is Faith's newest pet, Mako. We had to come up with a non-gendered name because you don't know the sex until they are older. We had gone into Pet Smart to get another crabby, because Hercules died while molting. The crabs only molt when they are happy, well both decided to molt at the same time and only Blueberry survived. We started to look at the lizards, they had Bearded Dragons and Leopard Gecko's. We talked how it may be fun to get one...my theory is, not a lot of maintenance, we travel quite often. We talked awhile with the employee, who owns several of both. The bearded dragon eats pinky mice as they get big, no thanks. They aren't so cute as they get older, but the leopard gecko changes colors as they mature and are docile. He recommended they are great for first reptile pet. Faith has done a great job with her crab, but you can only interact with it so much. She lets it crawl around on her and her bathroom floor. With the gecko, she feeds it live crickets(which we bought a special cage for) and mealy worms. We switched around the cages but are going to get a new enclosure for Mako. This will be good for Faith because we are studying Life Sciences next year. Faith spent the first hour we got it home on the web learning how to care for her leopard gecko...it should be fun watching it grow.

Faithy's Giant

Faith got her giant, it is a huge skill for a gymnast. She is strapped to the bar at her wrists. Then she hangs straight down and swings, until she builds enough momentum to continue going around and around. I wanted to add video, but haven't had a lot of luck. The first time I tried to video, it wouldn't work on my camera, the second time my batteries ran out, and the third time, I got the beginning, the middle disappeared, and got the end. So I have decided to put on a few pictures. It is fun to watch because when she gets to the handstand, she sometimes changes and goes backwards. She usually goes around 5-10 times. Once you get this skill, they never want to be off strap bar.

Lindsey, her team mate gets ready when she comes back down to pull the strap in... helping her to stop.

Cooking vs Convenience

I have this little brown box that holds my handwritten recipes, before the easy days of down loading from the computer. I was going through it the other day and was amazed at some of the things in there. Most were so faded, stained, and my mom's Sour Cream Chocolate Chip cookie recipe was half burnt. Then I remembered, that I had cooked it with a batch of cookies and I thought it was funny it had survived. Why I never rewrote it...probably got busy with life. Everything is about convenience these days. I rarely ate out as kid, not because we couldn't but my mom was a great cook. Although, I love to cook... Gregg takes me out quite often on weekends(So many great restaurants in Tampa) but it gives me the chance to come home and try to duplicate the meal.
As you all know, I have been on a strict diet. After talking with a friend, Sue, I started to re-evaluate and increased the calorie count, not a lot but enough I don't feel like death after working out. I also have been reading this book by Jillian Michael's on metabolism, she was saying we are so screwed up because of all the chemicals in processed food. So last week, I started going through the cupboards seeing what I could make that I couldn't buy fresh or organic. I am not turning into a health nut but if I can change just a few things, at least I know what is going into my families bodies. One thing, I have always done that saves time is I plan a menu for two weeks in advance, do we always stick to it...No. Since I love to cook, I have been known to spend hours going over recipes, thinking how to tweak them. Luckily, only a few toxic wastes have happened...LOL.
After shopping, I come home and pre-cut the veggies and separate meat into freezer bags-if we are having hamburgers, I'll form the patties. It is time consuming after you just spent hours shopping but when you go to cook, it is a breeze to pull out that prepared stuff. With Faith's late gymnastic nights, I try to plan crock pot meals, casseroles or different meals that can be cooked in shifts for our crazy schedule. Poor Faith, she can't eat heavy beforehand- so she eats some healthy snacks. Some nights not getting home until 9 p.m., she is starved but I want to make sure she has something good waiting. She needs to refuel after three or more hours of working out.
I found this recipe that has been handed down on the Anthous side of family and came from their Granny Line, she was in her late nineties when she died. We love to make pancakes and waffles on the weekend. I had quite a time finding the buttermilk powder, a store employee and I spent about 20 minutes looking. This is a great recipe and stores for 6 months.

Pancake & Waffle Mix
Mix-8 cups flour
2 cups Buttermilk powder
2 tsp.salt
4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. sugar
( 8 tsp)-2 2/3 tab. baking powder
Mix well and store in tight container for six months.
To make pancakes or waffles-
1 1/2 cups mix
1 cup water
2 eggs
3 tabs. oil
She even added a Pioneer "Maple Syrup"
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 tsp. maple flavor
Boil for 2 minutes.

I do love to cook and the compliments that come with it. It is also great sitting at the table and sharing stories about your day. Especially, with kids because they grow so fast.

Hannah Montana Military Style

Friday night, was the grand opening of the base theater. They were showing the new Hannah Montana movie- best part it was free entrance. The snacks were very reasonable, the small was the size of a large in a regular theater. For a coke, large candy and popcorn, it was only $5.50.
The theater was well designed to hold about 500 people. The seats rocked and they stair stepped down so you could see well.
Before the movie started they played the National Anthem on the screen, everyone stood and some sang. The teenagers were well behaved, no feet on the seats, chatting loudly, or on their cellphones texting during the movie, I hate that!
We had a great crowd and the movie was great. I was amazed how different it was compared to a public theater. I think we will be going to the base theater from now on.

Bridge in Tampa Park

Simple Woman

Hosted by Peggy @ http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

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Outside my window... It is dark, the storm has calmed down.

I am thinking...about tomorrow's work out.

I am thankful for...my beautiful family.

From the learning room...it is quiet for the evening. We will be working hard to complete our Math for the year.

From the kitchen...the dishwasher is running. Faith just finished making some hot chocolate.

I am wearing...a cute little night gown I bought in Portland.

I am creating...this post for the first time. I have enjoyed reading some of my friends posts.

I am going...to bed soon.

I am reading...Patricia Cornwell-"All That Remains."

I am hoping...I can be strong the rest of this week with my diet.

I am hearing...the T.V.

Around the house...Faith is watching Smart House and Gregg is checking Elliott's flight for July.

One of my favorite things...is all of us home together.

A few plans for the rest of the week...go to the Casa Bella Biggest Loser workout, home school with Faith early so we can keep up with new gymnastic schedule.

Here is a picture I thought I would share...I took this picture of Faith & Gregg because she is growing up so fast. It won't be long before she won't want him to come play with her because she will be busy with her friends.