{mini reunion or bust}

Last weekend my family traveled to Kansas City to go to the Homeschool Alumni Midwest Mini Reunion. I've been a member of HSA for a couple of years now and haven't been able to make it to one of the national reunions. So when I saw the MO mini reunion posted on the event board I was thrilled. And then ecstatic when I told my dear father about it and he said "we're going" before I even had a chance to ask. Late Friday morning we set off for our destination. About mid afternoon we reached the Cabela's store in KC and decided to stop and stretch our legs, again. I always enjoy going into Cabela's and looking around. While we were there we bumped into some other homeschoolers but they were not HSAers. Being homeschooled turns on some radar that allows you to pick up on other homeschoolers. No kidding. Anyway, then it was off to the campground to set up the tent before heading to HQ a.k.a. one of the other HSAers house that was hosting the event. We were the last ones in because of how long it took to just pick out a campsite. *sighs* But supper was cooking and the house was warm and inviting which was welcome relief after putting up a tent in the cooling temps of a Fall afternoon. After supper there was a Boggle tournament and other games plus lots of talking and laughter. I had a hard time staying awake and at one point had dozed off for a couple of seconds. But then a couple of friends shook the couch to make sure I would stay awake. Thanks guys. Needless to say I am not a night owl. I'm not exactly sure when we girls crawled into our sleeping bags (my parents had already left for the campground) but it was about 1 in the morning. Whew! Saturday was packed with activities. In the morning we went on a 3.8 mile hike around the lake at the local state park.

"The road goes ever on and on..."

Someone in our group decided to take a little detour and we thought he would catch back up before long so we didn't wait. Back at the parking lot and eating our picnic lunch he still hadn't shown up. So then we were worried. Just as we were planning a rescue mission he walked up. No Chris, we're not going to let you live this one down. Then it was off to the WWI museum in Kansas City.

Here's our reflection on the glass walk over the field of poppies and you can see the tower, too.

Very interesting and informative. Lots of artifacts, most of them original, to view. After that we dashed back to HQ to throw some grub down the hatch and change before the dance. It was my very first ECD and I loved it.

Here we are before the dance. Aren't mirrors handy for taking pictures!

Sorry to those whose toes I stepped on. We laughed 'til it hurt, which wasn't very hard. We danced The Hole in the Wall, the Gay Gordon, the Virginia Reel and another one I'm not sure of it's name.

The white blur dancing with the blue blur is yours truly.

Note to self: use shutter mode at next dance.

But now I'm hooked and don't know how long I can make it without another dance! When the dance ended it was back to HQ for dessert, more games, laughter and talking. We also had a few surprise visitors. Missionaries from Siam to be precise. There's something wrong with the leg on the last missionary. *laughs* Saturday night we stayed up until 2! I was able to remain awake a lot easier though. Sunday morning we had a time of scripture reading and prayer. Then my family left right before lunch and headed home. I wish it could have gone on forever. But life called and said it was time to get back to work. Bummer. Now I'm already thinking about next year...

Thanks to all my homeschool family for the wonderful memories made this weekend. We won't easily forget them.

{american girl}

I grew up watching Mr. Rogers and reading the American Girl series. So this afternoon when my mother and I went to see the lastest American Girl movie I was quite pleased. I may be 21 now and considered too "old" for such fair in the modern public opinion but I believe that you should never outgrow the wonder of childhood. And if you read very much of my writing you will be able to tell that I don't give two whits what everyone else thinks. What I liked most about "Kit Kittredge" was its Dickens-esque qualities. The Kittredge family are kind, generous people that help out those in need even though they themselves have fallen on hard times. And the reminder that when life hands you lemons, make lemonade. Such a refreshing perspective in our self-centered society. Where is America's can do spirit in these troubling times? It seems to me that everyone is looking to the government to bail them out when the best thing they could do is look to the past for an example on how to manage with what you've got. Sure, I'd love to have a new house, car and fashionable wardrobe but that would be wrong of me to burden my family like that. Instead, my family drives two cars that are paid for (I don't have my own car), shops at thrift stores or the clearance rack (you just have to do a little digging at Goodwill to find designer clothing gems for a fraction of the cost) and we're very happy because we have each other. Anyway, if you haven't seen "Kit" yet, take the family and go watch it before the theaters drop it like a hot potato! It may just be my imagination but it seems that the more moral and family friendly a film is the less time it spends in the silver screen. And if you need proof of just how great a film "Kit Kittredge" is, my mother cried. I did too for that matter, but in my family a film isn't good unless Mama has cried. Tears of joy or sadness, it doesn't matter. I'll leave you with this parting thought - life is too short to miss out on family. Just being together and enjoying each others' company will provide for a lifetime of happy memories. Oh, and if your husband doesn't want to see "Kit" because he thinks it's just a movie for girls, you just tell him there's lots of awesome cars to watch, too.