VBS,a MULE Hunt? and

Vacation Bible School has ended at Sixth Avenue Church of Christ for another year.  With a theme of "Righteous Round-Up" we yee hawed and howdied our way through the lessons.  There were four classrooms with each having a craft and an activity to go along with the lesson of the night.  4/5 year olds, 1st/2nd graders, 3rd/4th graders, and 5th/6th graders rotated through the four lessons ~ one for each night of VBS.  I worked in the Dorcas craft area.

People were greeted at the front of the church building

by a cowboy, cowgirl, and horse? 

This was part of the Good Samaritan room

The foyer had a big red barn with registration set up

for each age group 

This was the Abraham room

(didn't get a snapshot of Abraham, sorry)

The Good Samaritan

from left: two travlers, a lawyer, the inn keeper 

The King and Daniel

Did not get a snapshot of Dorcas ~ so sorry!  That was Kim, Skoot, Jakob, and McKinsey

On to the mule hunt.... there are several mules located around town.  Mother told me there's going to be a map showing where they all are once they are all in place.  Here are the ones I've found. 

Penny is located outside a bank in downtown

Ronnie is outside Blackston and Associates, P.C. 

Sunnyview is located in front

of Ridgeview Nursing Home

Uncle B is tied to a rail in the 

parking lot of the Bankhead House

Unknown ~ also in at the Bankhead House 

Real mule ~ in a pasture near our house 

Sal at the Family Health Associates Offices 

Patches in front of Powder Puff Beauty Shop 

Energy located at Buck's office

Reed Mining on Industrial Parkway 

During the days of this last week Kim has been attending AMSTI training for her job.  The boys stayed with me a couple of those days.  We went to the free movie on Thursday and they played a game before we headed into the theater to find seats.

NEWS:  I will be heading to Colorado next Friday to celebrate Sarah's 7th birthday.  Kim is going with me and at this time the boys....undecided.

The Beach, a Funny....

Pulled together a few last photos from the beach.  I don't know which I like better....the morning sun as it comes up over the condo or the evening sun as it sinks into the Gulf of Mexico.  To be honest ~ it really doesn't matter as long as I'm on the BEACH!  Our ideal retirement home would be a condo on the BEACH with room for all the visitors who wanted to come.  Relax....ahhhhhh

Morning sun from the balcony 

Evening sun from the beach

I believe that is Topher

on the far right sitting on his board 

and this would be Jakob 

See that tiny umbrella in the middle of the frame?

That's mine 

Kim and fam are the tiny specs

in the middle of the photo

(this was taken from the balcony)

Nice family shot

dripping wet and totally happy 

Kim stopped for a pose on the steps

And NOW the funny........

Everyone knows the beach flies different colored flags to indicate the safety of the surf.  Topher read the sign below, which was posted on the inside of the door.  He kept telling us that purple means the military is coming through and everyone has to get out of the water.  I believed him until....

The photo is blurry but the purple flag

indicates Dangerous Marine Life

SHARKS ~ Jellyfish ~ etc Not MARINES

I delivered a GREEN velvet cake

to Lisa recently at her new house

(notice there area couple of slices missing??)

Did you know the green food coloring

will make you poop green??

Living in the Country

We've been living "out in the country" since December of 2006.  I'm ready to move back to town!  We have had mice ~ I trapped them.  We have had lizards ~ I caught two and beat one with a Croc.  We have had a frog ~ in the shower with Jakob ~ I caught it in a WalMart bag and banged it against the grill.  Then... last week we had a SQUIRREL!!!!  You read that correctly, a SQUIRREL!!  It was a small "flying" squirrel and was on one of the beams in the living room.  Buck "tapped" it with a hoe handle and it "glided" down to the floor.  Someone asked if he set it free to which I replied "He did, he set it free into the afterlife".
Have a nice day....

Did you think I was finished??

Part of the "vacation experience" is eating and we certainly did while in Florida!  I admit, I gained five pounds!  I know, right?? Well worth it.  As I mentioned in an earlier post we went to Captain Anderson's to celebrate Kim's birthday.

We also went to Uncle Ernie's

another seafood place

Then there was the Waffle House

(a Wilson Family tradition at the beach)

and let's not forget Krispy Kreme Donuts

I had a kreme filled ~ YUM 

AND a stop at Sonic on our way to a game.

Of course, eating wasn't our only activity....  We went to the Gran Maze where the object is to get through the maze and check in at four different locations and back out in the shortest amount of time.  We used to go when the girls were younger and laugh at them for getting lost and confused.... trust me people it isn't funny!  I made it in 28 minutes ~ whew!

Ticket ~ you had to insert it in a time punch clock then

tick-tock tick-tock off you go 

No running

No climbing over or under

NO PANIC?

no problem 

I saw A LOT of this

Jakob and Topher made it on the broad

for the day (I was at 28 minutes but didn't

turn in my time!!!!)

Oh yeah, we were in Florida for baseball, right?  We did make it to the games.  Topher couldn't play in the field due to an injury but he did keep stats in the dugout and he got to bat.

Topher at bat 

CYJ in the field 

a sister under an umbrella

Everyone was making sure they sprayed their sons down with sunscreen and there were four or five tents over the bleachers and chairs.  Florida has a nice breeze much of the time so it wasn't unbearable.

Love my new tee

Peace ~ Love ~ and Baseball

Here is the Ripley's Museum

we didn't go ~ just thought it was cool

they have a ship "beached" in the middle of town! 

We DID go to Wonder Works.  That's Drew (Jakob's friend) and Jakob at the entrance.  Sort of a hands on science sort of place.  The building looks like it is upside down AND the first room you go into has furniture hanging from the ceiling. 

Protective eye gear was required in the Tornado room 

Kim and Jakob pedalled their way

on this anti gravity contraption

It started to swing and they started to pedal.... 

this is what happened next

(not an upside down photo ~ they went over the top)

To appreciate the next two photos you have to look at the first and try to figure out what it is.  When you push the button nearby it reveals itself.

Pretty cool, huh?? 

The purpose of this "experiment" was to see if you could get the ring around the wire from one end to the other without touching the side (it made a TERRIBLE racket) 

Jakob and Drew (at the other end of the table) had their brain waves registered to see who was calmer ~ Jakob won.  When Kim and I did it ~ Kim won.  My brain waves were all over the places.  I was thinking too much about how I should be calm! 

Jakob lost his head.... 

Drew attempted to lift his body weight 

This was in preparation of the "sky walk"  Kim and Jakob had to "borrow" shoes from the place because they were wearing flip flops.  Jakob is in the PINK ones.

Drew went up....

and came right back down 

Kim walking across a ladder? 

Jakob gave me a thumbs up from way above my head. 

Speaking of heads.... 

We worshipped with a local Church of Christ on Wednesday

They say they usually have around 30 in attendance.  With us, the Alrdridges, and a young couple from Alabama that number was increased by 14. 

Gardenia growing in our yard

No connection to the Florida trip

Random....