About 11 years ago, when we first moved to Tyler, I was invited several wonderful places to get plugged in to the local community. One of them was Bible Study Fellowship (hereafter known as BSF). I went to a couple meetings towards the end of their year, met some lovely people, but ultimately decided to join the Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPs) group at the church I actually attended (BSF meets at another church across town), which also on Wednesday mornings.
Fast forward 11 or so years and here I am again at the end of a study, joining into a new-to-me group. But this time it’s better. Well, not BSF. BSF has always been good. I’M better now. I’ve had 11 years to find my way through life, make friends, lose friends, finally get some sleep, and to find out what’s important to me and what is not.
I went to my first real meeting this morning (last week I attended a one-on-one welcome session with the lovely lady that had been my HR director at a former job, oddly enough). It was such a good morning. I’d finished all my personal Bible study during the week and was prepared for conversation. I made my way to my classroom and found a group of women that I found delightful. It was such a nice mix of women willing to speak out and ask the kind of questions that might intimidate others (either with their incisiveness or with their apparent lack of knowledge) and women that were quiet until a specific thing they felt passionate enough about to warrant speaking and still others who, like me, just had what seemed to be the most simple of answers.
I am so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone and made my way to this group. I think it’s going to be a very good thing in my life. 🙂
The Camp Site – I’m trying to decide if it is really on a hill or if Nick took this photo while he was falling over. I keep forgetting to ask.
I, personally, didn’t camp with them (David and I spent the night comfortably at Nana & Pa’s house and had dinner with the cousins), but Pack 369 went out to Gilmer this weekend and set up camp.
Our Boys’ Tent. It is small and warm.
My husband forgot the camera AND his phone the first night and they all came home the second night because Nick and I had an ETSO performance to attend, but they got pictures this morning, finally, when they went back to pack everything up to bring home.
When we were planning Spring Break originally, Nick wasn’t taking time off. I’d thought about going to see my parents or staying here…and then at the weekend we had a Teen Regional Weekend for church. Plans changed.
Nick looked at the schedule and realized this was a great time to a) do our family vacation (a mini one this year due to other travel going on later in the year) and b) to go see the Magna Carta (on display in Houston). So we added that to the schedule.
Meanwhile I realized that my much postponed visit to see my bff needed to happen during that week, too.
So our break became one long car ride with interruptions here and there.
We started off our break with a Holcomb Family Dinner at Nick’s parents house.
Cousins all watching a movie
Adults all talking about “boring stuff” (according to the kids)
Saturday, this happened:
There’s free time! We should Bedazzle something! What do we Bedazzle? Our Phineas & Ferb shirt!
Saturday morning Pokemon obsessing
Floppy David is floppy
Then on Sunday we started the first leg of our journey… to College Station, where I spent a lot of time sitting around while the kids went exciting places, like the ice skating rink.
Ben & Greg start off pretty close to the wall.
David is a speeding blur!
Now Ben’s got it going on.
I did break free and run off with Steph for a while to do some catching up and shopping. My favorite thing we saw:
I am absolutely certain that we do.
While I was gone:
Time for Poker!
Then on Tuesday we drove down to Houston to tour the Houston Museum of Natural Science and to see the 1217 copy of the Magna Carta.
At the Magna Carta exhibit, there were many good things for the kids to do hands on.
The chained books made the kids excited: “It’s just like your Library screensaver!”
The Writ of the Magna Carta (the instructions that travel with it)
The 1217 Magna Carta
The parts of this chair that look like wood are actually carved and polished stone.
TRILOBYTES are EVERYWHERE!!
Alligator?
Mineral that formed in the shape of a dragon
We had lunch nearby at a place that only did sliders and sides.
Our skyline view
These chili fries taste weird. Yeah, that’s cause they taste like curry!
Sliders, sliders, and more sliders
On Wednesday, we drove back to Tyler, dropped Nick off, then the kids and I drove to Quitman to visit the cousins at the park near their new house.
Teeter-tottering with the cousins
Wandering down the nature trail
Sitting on the cute front porch of the historical building.
That’s a really tall slide!
On Thursday, we did a bunch of laundry, repacked, and headed up to Colleyville to see Kay. Unfortunately, she was unexpectedly still in Houston. We spent several hours trying to amuse ourselves on our own before she made it back.
On Kay’s trampoline
In Kay’s backyard
Then the girls had to go to gymnastics class (and yes, at this point we were wondering why we were even invited up, and by the end of the visit there was unpleasantness), so we took the kids to the park.
Climbing at the park
My spider boy
David in a teacup?
The sleeping arrangements were weird because the bed we were supposed to sleep in was broken.
The next morning we had a muffin cook-off.
Iron Chef: Muffin Battle
Our plan for the rest of the day involved the ginormous amount of books to go through and then take to sell at Half Price Books.
These are the books I took home. There were about 20 other bags & boxes that I didn’t take home, but did dig through.
After Half Price, we went to Cost-co to celebrate Pi day the cheap way.
Happy Pi day!
Then we went back to the house for movies and a frantic search for my debit card.
Sometimes it’s easier to take photos of kids when they are facing the other way.
In the evening before bed we had one final bit of happy Pi-ness:
Happy Pi Day!
Saturday we got up and drove over to McKinney for the Dallas UCG Regional Teen Weekend.
Church a la research center
We had church and a Bible study earlier in the day, then in the evening there were separate dinners for the pre-teens/families and for the teens. After dinner, the teens had a dance and the pre-teens/families were left on their own for entertainment.
This is so obviously my kid. We sat across from each other and read. People thought it was weird. 😉
Savage Raccoon Greg
Sweet Owl Greg
Rainbow Loom bracelet making station.
Our dinner companions
Touring the Heard Museum – they were sweet and let us tour as long as we had enough adults to take all the kids through. Nick and I took some extra kids whose parents were chaperoning the dance.
Our hotel for the night. The younger kids and I went back early for sleep while Nick stayed behind and waited for David’s dance to be done. Ben thought our hotel room was beautiful.
The next morning we got up and had breakfast back at the Heard Museum before going for a little hike on the nature trails.
The Heard Museum’s Research Center
Part of the Bluestem Walking Trail
Part of the Bluestem Walking Trail
After the trail (which the kids didn’t go on because it was FREEZING!), we headed out to Garland to the Skatium.
Roller skating fun
David is a blur on roller skates, too
After the skating, we had one last meal together before we left for home.
I’m sorry I brought my 101 degree fever to your banquet. I didn’t know I had one after I baked the brownies and fed them all to you and rubbed my germy hands all over your scouts little fuzzy heads. So sorry. :*(
Nick and I took the Pack 369 Tiger Cubs up for a tour of Camp Ford, the largest Prisoner of War camp during the Civil War this side of the Mississippi.
Meeting up at the front of Camp Ford
One picture of one sign. No, really, I took pictures of ALL of them. If you want to see them, let me know and I’ll post more. 🙂
Nick starts his lecture on Camp Ford while the Tiger Cubs and their families listen intently.
At some point Greg injured himself and had to be carried for a while. This did not deter Nick in the slightest.
Apparently I lied. I like pictures of signs. Whee!
On the trail…
Greg finally gets down when there’s a sign with labels that mean something to him in real time.
Playing on the wall.
This really cool cabin/tent combination that prisoners built themselves (this is more than likely a recreation, but still). Basically they were just left out there to their own devices. If they wanted shelter, they had to make it themselves.
I had that day where I only had one appointment on the calendar, but managed to have to be away from home all day long. Attended PTA Council meeting, signed up for Fit City Tyler, tried (without success) to join my husband’s gym, got children necessary 2nd semester supplies, and finished my critique of a friends screenplay. Tomorrow there will be laundry and my own writing done. It will be good.
Last night while I was at work, Nick took the Tiger Cubs of Okee Tuklo Pack 369 to a Lady Apaches Basketball game at Tyler Junior College. The gym there is very nice and they let scouts in to the game for free.
TJC Lady Apaches Basketball
Go Apaches!
Tiger Cubs watching the game (Greg is so not amused that his daddy is blocking his view path).
At Nick’s church there is definitely a “more is better” philosophy going on when it comes to events. If a chili supper for the whole church is fun, adding a sing-a-long is better. If a potluck isn’t quite enough, a game night makes it even better. So therefore if there’s an International Dinner, a Variety Show must follow. (Not that this is all bad…I’m just a one-thing-at-a-time kind of gal.)
Nick and his mom getting ready to help serve at the Greek table
Lisa Holcomb 