The first full day of our vacation in Florida it only made sense for us to spend the day at Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
After the flight from Tampa and drive across state to Titusville the day before, we were refreshed and eager to see what KSC had to offer. This was a bucket list item especially for me (mom) who loves anything to do with NASA, space and Astronauts. (I secretly hope someday to become an astronaut or at least participate in the NASA Educator program.)
As we drove into the facility we were met with a huge sign that was overshadowed by a large ominous building that we would learn soon housed the Atlantis itself and the interactive exhibit dedicated to the NASA Shuttle Program.
When we arrived shortly before 10 we headed straight to the Atlantis exhibit. As you enter you wind your way up. Along the way on the walls are the quotes of astronauts from the many missions flown for the Shuttle program. (I love quotes and all of these were incredible that I couldn’t just do one.)
You then entered a room where the history of how the Shuttle program began was shared. All I can say is that you have to see it. The story of the birth of the Shuttle program made this 80’s baby tearful and proud. The introduction into the exhibit was breathtaking. When the magnificent production concluded the screen lifted and at eye-line you were met with the actual Atlantis Shuttle in all of its magnificence.
There were many points of interest in the exhibit. The kids loved the unusual facts that were part of the entire exhibit. They also enjoyed the interactive displays, including the touch screens and simulators. Kritterman loved the slide that took you to the bottom floor as well as the toilet. Emmarie enjoyed the opportunities to sit in a model of the cockpit and see how astronauts ate in the Unity room of the the Space Station.
The time flew by and before we knew it we needed to be at our very special planned lunch with an astronaut. This is something that can be purchased as part of the visit to KSC. It was a great day to select this opportunity, as KSC was celebrating the 45th anniversary of Apollo 11’s walk on the moon. Their contemporary, Jack Lausma, entertained us with stories and his own mission experiences, including being the only astronaut to land at the alternative White Sands, New Mexico location as lead on Columbia. Kritterman even got to ask the astronaut a question during a brief Q and A at the lunch. His question, “On one of your flights did anything get damaged where everything shut down?” Fortunately, not for Lausma, although he did mention others had not been so lucky.
Following lunch, we took a tour of the various points of interest that NASA utilizes for the space program including the famous launch pad where it dons the largest American flag in the world.
After the tour we had one last opportunity to see Astronaut Jack Lausma again. This time we got to speak with him and get his autograph. He mentioned in the brief conversation he had recently eaten dinner with Jim Lovell (Apollo 13) and his wife. He also encouraged Kristopher to become an astronaut and stressed to me as an educator how important it was to continue to foster a love and pursuit of the study of math and science.
This was an experience the whole family won’t soon forget.
Every summer we plan a family vacation. Sometimes they are more along the lines of a “stay-cation” and sometimes they are a full on travel-agent like planned event. This year we were met with a dilemma. This July was our 20th anniversary. Eric and I usually take a “big” trip every 5 years for our anniversary. We also wanted to take the kids on an adventure too. Time off and money dictated we couldn’t do both separately. So here we are now. Taking a trip together and celebrating 20 years of marriage.
The plane tickets were bought, lodging reservations made, car rental reserved and Pinterest packing list downloaded.
With 4 carry-on wheeled bags in tow, backpack for each of us and a large suitcase full of vacation necessities we were ready to go.
We flew Southwest, which is always a great experience… especially if you upgrade to the Early Check-in Status!
We left from Dallas-Love Field with a lay over in Houston on our way to Tampa, Florida.
It wasn’t long before our adventures began. While in Houston waiting for our connecting flight Emmarie and I made a stop at the ladies room. After a lengthy wait for Emmarie who did not exit from the stall, I went to check on her. Evidently her stall door stuck and she could not get out. Luckilly she’s 11 and can make her way under a bathroom stall door! To commemorate the event we took a snapshot of her with the stubborn stall door.
The trip continued. One of the sweetest things about my kids is the way they interact and play with one another. Today’s plane ride was no exception. Instead of being consumed with their own devices they opted to play card games to pass the time. Not once was there a disagreement over the rules or accusations of cheating. Made this mama’s heart proud (and secretly happy I packed the deck of cards)!
The adventure continued. Upon completing our paperwork for the rental car we went to retrieve it. Somehow we managed to get lost… IN THE AIRPORT! All was not lost, the car rental agency did not have the Explorer we had upgraded to, so in it’s place the only option was a 2015 BMW X5! Who knew it was Christmas in July!?!?!?
There were a few more mishaps along the way as we drove from Tampa to Titusville. To protect the innocent I will just let the readers know it is a very good thing to have leather seats and ziploc baggies when one is on vacation.
While there were some hiccups, the drive was enjoyable. It was especially enjoyable when an afternoon heating shower treated us to a full rainbow.
By the time we arrived in Titusville it was time for dinner. As I have done on many other vacations I used the Urban Spoon app on my iPhone to help choose a local restaurant. The app led us to Dixie Crossroads Seafood Restaurant. The restaurant is surrounded by water and while you wait to be seated customers can see close to 3 dozen red-eared slider water turtles of various sizes actively swimming, a surprisingly large soft-shell turtle, multitudes of tilapia and one lone bright pure orange koi fish. The meal was decent in taste and price. I do think the Wilson family prefers their seafood with a Cajun flair and that may have skewed our opinion.
Following dinner we drove out to a barrier island, where, to our surprise about a dozen cats were hanging about, perhaps to feast off the fisherman’s throw backs.
It is so good to be on the trip and ready to embrace the adventures of the upcoming week as a family and as a couple. Stay tuned as more posts will follow sharing the much anticipated adventures this week will bring.
Kritterman wanted a crazy hat birthday party for his theme this year. Frankly it had me stumped. The first thing I did was do a full search on Pinterest. Lots of Dr. Seuss themed birthday ideas with the red white striped hat and lots or Halloween witch hat ideas… but epic fail on crazy hats. I, by nature, am not creative when it comes to an ORIGINAL idea. What I am decent at is being an #ideabandit and augmenting the idea to suit my ideas and needs.
Panic began to set in. What am I going to do? Then it hit me. What is the whole reason he wants a crazy hat themed party? To have fun and be silly with his friends.
So, then it was about focusing on him and his targeted goal. This involved getting his favorite cupcakes from Mugs Bakery. He doesn’t like just any cupcakes… this boy likes “Dark Chocolate Grenache Raspberry Filled Cupcakes.” Ordering sub sandwiches from the Walmart Deli (which was a deal: 6 foot long 2 meat, 1 cheese with lettuce, tomato, pickle, mustard and mayonaise for $32!), which was his request with Puff Cheetos and sliced watermelon. Finally, all I had left to plan was the main event. I decided to go with a game truck, but when I went online I discovered that they would set up a laser tag even on your property. I once again consulted the soon-to-be birthday boy what he would prefer. Hands down he chose the laser tag through a local affiliate of the Game Truck company.
My panic turned to peace. This was going to be a great crazy hat birthday party after all.
I had Kritter fill out the invitations (post cards provided by Game Truck) and he added for every attendee to wear a crazy hat.
I did forget a few things along the way. Balloons, matching plates and napkins for cute birthday decor for whatever reason escaped my to do list. Did it ruin anything? You decide…
It turned out to be a great party. The Game Truck Laser Tag was amazing (Eric, my husband was very impressed and gave them a generous tip). Kritter loved the sub sandwiches and cupcakes. Was it a crazy hat birthday party? If you ask him, it was. Did he have a great time having fun and being silly? 100%… MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
You want proof? Here’s a video slide show capturing some of the fun:
Moral to the story: Focus on the fun, don’t stress the details and don’t let Pinterest rob your joy. Simple and silly is always better than cute and matching.
Today we celebrate 9 years of life for Kritter. It has been a wonderful, exciting, lively 9 years. I cannot believe that in the same amount of time, 9 years from now we will be preparing for the next chapter in his life journey… most likely college. How did it go so fast?
I started this blog to capture the more personal part of my life. I have been blogging for over a year professionally. The problem is, I want to thoroughly process and present a perfect post…. EVERY TIME.
What results… I don’t post.
So I didn’t post about Embug’s volleyball team winning the 12U championship.
I didn’t post about the end of the year awards for the kids.
Kritter with Mrs. Burnett- 2nd Grade Awards
Kritter with friends celebrating a great 2nd Grade year
Embug at 5th grade Graduation with Mrs. Daniel
Embug with one of her besties… all smiles for these future Middle Schoolers!
I didn’t post about the 5th grade clap out. The one most significant event that happens at Haslet Elementary on the last day of school to bid farewell to their oldest members of the student body.
Silly girls getting ready to exit the building.
I failed to post Embug’s choir singing “God Bless America” at the Rough Rider’s game in the 7th inning stretch at Dr. Pepper Ballfield in Frisco.
What I realize is that I am missing moments both big and small because I am waiting for the perfect time to create the perfect post. What’s the use of a blog if you don’t utilize it for what it was intended… right?
So I plan to be more intentional with posting and less concerned about how perfect it looks. For your grammar, spelling and format wardens… I apologize if my errors annoy you. This blog isn’t for you anyway. It is ultimately a journal of memories and moments that capture the beauty, struggles and human moments of my life and the life of my family. It is a legacy for my family that I wish to share with the world… and as a way for our family far and near to have a window into our lives. Frankly, I am not the best and keeping everyone up to speed.
So, in the first part I shared some big events that happened over the course of the last few weeks. Less “braggy” moments, but my personal favorites that I didn’t post were:
Embug totally digging the Indy Car Race at Texas Motor Speedway
Kritter explaining framerate to decrease lag in Minecraft.
Catching Embug and Kritter disagreeing while playing Minecraft. (love it… when I catch us being real)
And finally, Embug showing me how important it is to savor quiet moments with a cup of Jo. (I think she’s 11 going on 50!)
So here’s to capturing the real moments in life and learning from them. I love telling our story. I hope you enjoy reading it.
Spring Break started off with no plans to go anywhere and lots of plans for house cleaning and organizing. Not what Embug and Kritter would declare exciting, by any means.
Thanks to my somewhat addictive relationship with Social Media and a recent re-connect on Facebook with my former student Lance Carpenter, an unexpected road trip was planned to Northwest Arkansas. Just before spring break I learned that Lance Carpenter would be performing at a local bar in his hometown, Ozark, Arkansas… the first town Eric and I lived in as a married couple and where we had our first jobs out of college.
With this event happening at the end of the Spring Break, it was a perfect reason to make a trip to our favorite haunts in the Northwest Corner of my home state. We left Texas and started this adventure by stopping just inside the Arkansas/Oklahoma border for dinner at LaHuerta Grill and Cantina on Garrison Avenue in Fort Smith, Arkansas. A favorite authentic Mexican Food Restaurant for Eric and I. Their white cheese dip and cheese enchiladas, while unattainable in Texas, were all I craved when I was pregnant with Emmarie.
We spent the next day at the University of Arkansas. Eric met with colleagues at the Center of Excellence for Poultry Science, while I dusted off my “Orientation Leader” skills and gave the kids the “real” tour of the campus. We met my best friend from High School and College Roommate, Michelle Parks for lunch at Farrel’s where Kristopher, to his amusement, had the “Hangover Burger.” I think he still giggles when we recount the outing.
After lunch we were lucky enough to catch my Cousin Bret Bielema in town. He graciously made himself available to show us around the Razorback Football facilities. It was an amazing and awesome experience that I catch myself doubting it actually happened… it almost seemed too good to be true!
After our tour of the Football Athletic facilities we stopped for a custard at Andy’s Frozen Custard and then on to my sister’s family in Farmington. There we met up with my parents, niece, nephew, sister and brother-in-law to celebrate my nephew’s 10th birthday.
Kristopher loved his time with his cousin, we watched “Nacho Libre” and sang Happy Birthday to a boy it seems like I was holding in my arms in the hospital after his mother’s long and trying delivery just yesterday.
The next day we left the Fayetteville area and headed for Ozark. We stopped at Ozark Upper Elementary (Go Hillbillies!) where I taught the first 4 1/2 years of my career. We also visited turkey growers Eric had provided support to as a Flock Serviceman and showed the kids what it was like living in a small town. We spent a large amount of time at the Roxin’s farm where we got to meet several friendly dogs and hold puppies from 3 litters of French and English Bulldogs. I still am not sure how we managed to NOT walk away with a puppy picked out to take home once it was weaned!
We finished the afternoon excursion by going by Post Winery in Altus, Arkansas to pick up some of our favorite wines and grape juice. Since it was close to dinner time we decided to take the kids to a local Irish Pub called “Kelt’s” where Eric and I used to have “date night.” The dark, candle lit metal fabricated make shift building that houses the restaurant that serves traditional Irish dishes made for the perfect end to a rural Arkansas day.
The next morning we took the kids through the intricately winding roads of the scenic Highway 23 to the trail-head of the Ozark Highlands Trail north of Ozark. We hiked down the side of a hill to a stream. It was so good to be back breathing the Ozark Mountain air, steadying my feet along the path as I walked, and sharing what is a part of my inner fabric with my flatland Texan bred children. There is such a peace in the woods and rolling hills of my home state. To share this part of me with my family completes me in a way no other adventure or excursion does. It seems strange to travel away from what I now call home and when I go to describe it, to want to call it home… I guess it is truly where my heart is.
After our hike we met Marty and Penny Baker and their children for a late lunch at Cracker Barrel. Marty went to school with Eric and I, came to Ozark and worked in the same department as Eric when we were first married. Shortly before we moved to Texas, Marty met and married Penny. Hard to believe that was 15+ years ago!
After heading back to the hotel to clean up, we then met up with one of my former students Erin (Warden) Hamilton and her family. Such a wonderful sweet family and what joy it brings me to see my students full of joy, passion and happiness. So good to see your former students successful in life… and full of contentment!
Finally, Erin watched Embug and Kritter, who enjoyed playing with her boys. Eric and I went to see Lance Carpenter. Lance being the whole reason we did this spur-of-the-moment-road-trip.
I apologize for the length of this post, but I wanted to share our adventure. A few things I have realized after reflecting on this adventure:
1. Planning sometimes ruins the fun.
2. Sharing your past with your children by taking them to the actual locations… even if the physical building is no longer standing is the most powerful way to share your memories.
3. Holding tiny warm wiggly puppies on any trip makes a good trip great.
4. Being passionate about something (like the Razorbacks or Springtime in Arkansas) can only become a family passion if everyone gets to experience it.
5. Good food, ambiance and time for stories is what brings a family closer.
6. The fabric that makes you who you are isn’t made just from your experiences and successes but in the leisurely hikes and the natural beauty around you.
7. Reconnect with your past, share your present with your past connections and make those past important connections part of your future.
8. Every road trip needs a great playlist… your 80’s music is your kids Disney Movie’s soundtracks!
Road Trip Top 10+Playlist:
Ice Ice Baby- Vanilla IceBilly Jean- Michael Jackson
Legs- ZZTop
Devil Went Down to Georgia- Charlie Daniels Band Final Countdown- Europe
Dreams- Cranberries
Hungry Like the Wolf- Duran Duran
Kick start my heart- Motley Crüe
The Sign- Ace of Base
The Tide is High- Blondie
Wannabe- Spice Girls
9. Be sure to talk with accents in the car as you travel… sounds crazy, but trust me it makes everyone giggle.
10. Everyone needs to take a spur-of-the-moment trip at least once a year that requires driving across at least one state line and an overnight stay with enough time to make unforgettable memories.
Who knows when our next spontaneous adventure will occur, but I am so glad I fought my tendency to need to plan and jumped at the chance to take a trip… unplanned.
Spring break comes early in Texas and often it isn’t very “springy” yet. Usually a trip out of town to warmer climates isn’t doable with Eric’s schedule. So, we find ways to enjoy our much needed week off right at home in Cowtown.
Of course ideas are solicited from all “stakeholders.” Embug didn’t hesitate to remind me of our trip last spring to Fort Worth’s premiere modern art museum “The Modern.” As luck would have it, “The Modern” (normally closed on Mondays) had opened with free admission on the Monday of this wonderful Spring Break week.
Both Embug and Kritterman loved viewing the artwork. Some works are part of the permanent collection that they enjoyed revisitng, and some works were new. We especially enjoyed the multimedia visiting works on display from Fred Tomasellli and the rich and folksy qualities works of showcased Texas native David Bates featured on nearly the entire second floor.
The next day over breakfast I announced it was going to be a day of shopping. One thing that I wasn’t prepared for was the immense growth spurts both Embug and Kritter went through this fall and winter. Since last year this time
Embug’s foot has grown from a 5 to a 7 1/2. Kristopher quickly moved from a 7 to only briefly visit size 8. If there wasn’t a quick intervention he would be sporting the ankle pants only popular in women’s fashions.
Of course the two “growing weeds” were less than excited about a shopping trip… that is until I baited it with an afternoon matinee to “The Lego Movie.”
The shopping was tolerable for all at best. But the movie was surprisingly enjoyable for all. I even inappropriately laughed really loudly at a scene… and got “the look” from my kids. I highly recommend the movie and it will more than likely find its way into our permanent home movie collection.
We made it home with a lot of new “one liners” from the movies and a sufficient wardrobe for both to make it into the summer. What they weren’t expecting is that our relatively un-eventful Spring Break was about to get exciting. Stay tuned for the next episode in our Spring Break adventure.
Recently my district and specifically the Instructional Technology Department, which I am a team member, hosted a Student Technology Showcase event called TechnoExpo. Over 1,000 products and 500+ presentations took place at this even on February 27, 2014.
Both Embug and Kritterman presented.
Both of their products stemmed from our summer venture with Genius Hour– Summer Camp Style a.k.a. Mom’s plan to keep us challenged and learning.
Kritterman struggles with writing. He’s wiz at math, loves science experiments and inquiries, powers through thick fantasy chapter books with unparallelled speed, but give him the task of writing more than a sentence and he is like a 4-wheeler in a freshly plowed field after 2 days of rain. So when Genius Hour began and he chose to explore his passion for Minecraft, I saw the perfect opportunity to marry a passion with a personal challenge. How would he take his passion and recast it to fill a need for others? Through blogging.
He still struggles with the writing, but he loves to see the “traffic” on his blog. He has since learned to do YouTube tutorials using Screencast-o-matic on Minecraft and loves it. We are working on a trade off between YouTube posts and written posts.
Either way, he has something he is proud of, presented at the district TechnoExpo and in the process developed new contacts via his presentation. When the comments showed up on his blog to moderate… he was so excited he could barely contain himself, and now he is constantly planning his next post.
(please note my phone ran out of space during the recording)
Then there was Embug. This young lady is a worker-bee. She grasped hold of the philosophy of Genius Hour and embraced it with abandon. She is DEEPLY passionate about Greek Mythology. That is great… until you Google it. So what our Embug, little genius that she is, decided was to create a “kid-friendly” Greek Mythology website so that other kids that share her passion have a safe place to explore and learn about Greek Mythology.
Now to some of you this may seem like an interesting task for an eleven year old. But for a dyslexic, this was a huge undertaking. You see, her eyes play tricks on her. So not only did she write all of the text in “pages” first before copying and pasting into the Wix website builder to help her self-edit due to the spelling challenges she faces. She also had to learn some basic HTML code. Now for those without the challenges of dyslexia the forward slash, back slash and every symbol in between can make a person go blind, so imagine if you were trying to modify HTML code and were dyslexic. What may have seemed too much trouble for some, was only another reason for her to push forward. She had her eyes set on a goal. Nothing, not even some difficult HTML code, was going to stop her achieve what she set out to do.
She practiced multiple times in the mirror. Asked for critical feedback from her dad and I. And shared her passion with anyone that would listen, including a high school Mythology teacher that was so impressed that she got Embug’s information and plans to contact our gal to come speak to her High School Mythology Class.
When she presented her website that night the room housed a small crowd, but every member of the audience was in awe. Young middle school men, planning to present after her, shook their heads in approval. Parents of other students were amazed at both the content and the savvy-ness of her tech prowess. She was a goddess of knowledge and expertise.
(this video was a smidge better but my phone still cut things short)
We couldn’t be prouder of our two tech savvy kiddos pursuing their passions, and overcoming their own learning obstacles. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
When I drove Kritterman to Mansfield last Saturday so he and his Destination Imagination (DI) team could compete against 40+ other elementary teams from all over the Dallas/Ft. Worth region I had no idea what was in store. Sometimes being the taxi driver can be a bit mundane… but this day turned out to be a proud mama moment worthy of a post.
See, Kritterman is the little guy at our house. He has a sister, a dad and me who constantly keep him focused and on task. Not much opportunity to lead, even if we don’t intend to do that, it’s just how it works sometimes in the dynamics of a family structure where you are the “baby” in the family design.
What I didn’t expect is how much he exceeded my expectations beyond how awesome I already knew he was. His DI team is composed of two second graders, and three first graders. Three of the group are very ACTIVE boys (including Kritterman) and two very VOCAL girls. In DI the rules are that the adult coaches are only allowed to supervise, they cannot suggest, make or direct the team on how they will create the theatrical presentation that answers the challenge. That has to be done by the five mentioned before.
Now I don’t know the process in detail that brought them to the day I got to witness, but it truly was amazing how this little troop worked together. At their helm was my guy. I saw him coach, direct, be firm and compassionate in the same motion. I am teary as I reflect how truly amazing he was as a person and as the LEADER of his DI team. Oh, and did I mention that one of the teammates is visually impaired? If you were observing from the outside you would probably miss this detail, because the whole group seamlessly supported one another including the one whose vision might have hindered some groups, but not this team… it was embraced to the point no outsider would have ever known.
Now I would be remiss to not give the Coaches Jennifer and Andrea credit. Anyone that can step back and let kids refine a product without any input and simply provide the supervision needed as well as the raw supplies is amazing. It makes me wonder how many times as adults, teachers, parents and coaches that we step in too soon and squelch the creativity of a child that could have resulted in amazing final result. Time to step back and provide the environment for growth and stop placing too much structure on “genius leadership” in the making and let kids discover the “ringmaster” inside.
Here is a video from my phone (it ran out of room to video the whole thing… but it is too cute not to post a sample of their work).
Most people have been blogging about their family for years or their journey through a personal challenge. I, on the other hand, chose to start blogging a year ago about my professional interests or passions. It’s not that I don’t love my family, but sometimes I think my family tires of my continual posts of them on Facebook. To blog about my family is like taking Facebook and putting it on steroids.
But what I am finding is that more and more people are becoming busy with their own families, challenges and lives. Time to pick up a phone and catch up with one another isn’t always doable… especially when you are in two very different time zones. So this is why I decided to branch out and share the humble, silly, sometimes serious stories of the Wilson Family on Razorback Ranch.
Our family stories are pretty ordinary, but you will see themes. Themes of love, passion, persistence, faith, Arkansas Razorbacks and celebration. I love this family that God blessed me with so completely that when tragedy strikes those around me I lose my breath and shudder. I hope you enjoy the stories that I share and I hope my family forgives me for the transparency with which I tell our tales.
The family: Kritterman, Eric, Kirsten and Embug (fall 2013, Spoofers Stone, Old Main Lawn, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas)
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The Wilson Family Stories from Razorback Ranch 