Off We Go!

Flying to Disney today with four kids in tow. Dog is in the kennel; hope she behaves. Kids are packed and jazzed; hope they behave. I'm ready to go; hope I can keep my cool.

Disney, Here We Come!

We are getting all packed up for our trip to Disney World later this week. It takes several days to get all six of us ready to go. We went to Disney World a couple of years ago during the Christmas holiday. We had fun even though it was crowded. This time everyone is a little older, and taller, and the prospect of being "big enough" is really charging up my two youngest daughters. My youngest one will still be too little to ride some of the rides, but hopefully she won't have to be stuck riding only the spinning teacups (I refuse to do that one!) and the Dumbo ride and all the other similar ones that just go around in a large circle. The other thing that is different about this trip is that we are flying. The thought of herding four children into a plane for a two hour flight was much more attractive to me than packing us all into the car and driving for thirteen hours. Since our oldest is fifteen, this would have been almost as bad as being held hostage for thirteen hours. Only our oldest daughter has flown, so the flying thing is super exciting to the girls. The other thing, and best part about the trip is that we will be meeting up with my sister and her family while we are there. They are flying down from Indiana and we are flying from Virginia. I have not seen my sister in almost a year! It has been a very long and lonely year for me so this will be the cherry on the top of this vacation. My girls miss their cousin so much that my youngest daughter said she is "just gonna tackle him" when she sees him. He's sixteen years old, I'm sure he'll enjoy that! The girls really love their aunt, uncle and cousin that much! Even though this kind of vacation holds no rest and relaxation for me, I think it will rejuvenate me enough to get through one more year of being away from my family. Onward to Disney!

Spotted Eagle Ray Accident

The unfortunate accident that happened yesterday between a Michigan woman vacationing in Florida and a Spotted Eagle Ray was truly one of those times when both woman and animal were in the wrong place at the wrong time. How sad for the woman and the spotted eagle ray. After hearing about the accident, I did some research on the Spotted Eagle Ray and, wow, are they beautiful creatures. The fellow who struck the woman was quite large and the impact of his body hitting her in the head is what killed her. The ray also lost his life. What a sad incident in both the human and animal kingdoms!

Smithsonian Institution--Great Day Trip

Since we now live an hour away from Washington, D.C., we have been making rather regular trips into the Capitol city to spend a few hours or so. Today, we met a friend at the Air and Space Museum. I am not a real airplane afficiando, nor am I able to comprehend the vastness of space or anything to do with space travel, but the museum is well worth the trip. The best part about it is that it is free. There was something for everyone there. My youngest is 6 and the oldest in our group was 74. There was quite a bit of walking that was tough for the oldest person, but I think we hit all the exhibits. It is cool to look at how far air travel has come. From the Wright brothers to military jets, to commercial airlines; so much in only a few decades. While admission to the Air and Space Museum is free, you do have the option of attending a couple of shows in the planetarium. We chose to see a show there, which was interesting for the 20 minutes that it lasted. I'm not sure if it was worth the $8.50 admission though. There is also a very easy in, easy out food court that features Boston Market and McDonalds foods. There are also a few gift shops too, if you like that sort of thing. What I love about all the Smithsonian museums is that since admission is free, everyone can have access to these great American Treasures. If you are planning to be in Washington, D.C. for Spring Break or later this year, make an effort to go to any of the museums. You will definitiely get you money's worth and then some!