Another "Magical" Day!

Back to Epcot for the bulk of the day! It is impossible to see all of Epcot in one day! Oh, wait, that word is no longer in my dictionary! Well, it's very difficult to see and do everything. So, first we hit "Test Track". It's a great ride recommended to us by the Evanson's. Actually, we rode it once at the end of the day on Saturday too but needed to do it again. At the end of it, there was a Chevy Volt. Dave does not often express a desire for material possessions but he has expressed an interest in the Volt. So, we took a picture of him by it.

Then off to the country pavillion again. Who knew we would find China in the middle of Florida? It was great. We ate some Danish pastries, saw amazing films on China and Canada and had to have fish and chips from Britain one more time. After Matt and Hannah created their own track for a roller coaster, we decided we could use a little down time. So, we headed "home" for some swimming and reading/napping. Mom went whirlwind shopping for an hour. For all you moms out there who need to dress your kids, you cannot beat JC Penney for boys suits and white shirts. And you cannot beat Ross for brand name t-shirts and socks for kids. Want to hire me to be your personal shopper? When I grow up, I want to be...

Before we came, we purchased some tickets for an NBA game. It was tonight. The Orlando Magic vs.the Detroit Pistons. We got there early and enjoyed all the pre game hype. We got our faces painted, walked around all the concourses and ate a vendor hot dog. (Dave's favourite!) The atmosphere was electrical!Everyone was so pumped! The fans were enthusiastic and fun. It was nothing like some hockey games we've been to. The fans were not rude or obnoxious. (Sorry to all the hockey fans out there...) We had such a great time! We may even now be convinced to be Orlando Magic die hard fans. It was fantastic. Oh, and the Detroit Pistons won by 7 points. Oh well...

So, off to Hogwart's tomorrow...Can't wait...

The Sabbath in Orlando

It's always a little harder on vacation to make sure that you're staying within the realms of appropriate when it comes to sunday. At least it is for us. If that makes us heathens, well, then there you have it!

We found a ward today that started at 10. That is one nice thing about vacation, you can pick your start time according to how you feel! The internet sure makes it nice for locating a building as well! You just have to go here.

Afterwards, we decided to head east for a calmer day at the Kennedy Space Center. It was really interesting. It involved a tour guide on a bus out to the shuttle launch pad and some educational movies. The next launch, we learned, is scheduled for February 24 (which is this person's birthday) It was supposed to go in November but there were some mechanical difficulties (I guess you don't want those if you're going to space...) There will be 6 astronauts on board and this will be the 39th and final mission of the shuttle Discovery. They will be going to the International Space Station and delivering 2 of the final pieces needed to complete the space station. There are 6 people currently living on the space station. When an astronaut goes there, they are committed to stay there for between 1 and 6 months. Neat, huh? We decided that you would not only have to be quite smart to be an astronaut, you would also have to be very brave, able to function under great stress and have a very good eye for detail. I like Nasa's motto. It is "Failure is not an option". One video we watched was of astronauts who had walked on the moon. One of them said, "I tell all the children I talk to to open their dictionaries at home or school and find the word 'impossible'. Then take out a black marker and cross it out. That word does not exist." I liked that.

So, a "home cooked meal" of frozen pasta and pizza topped off a great day! Another busy day tomorrow. "Vacation" means different things to different people! :)

Squeeze the MOST out of Every Day!

Our day started at 6am when we left to find Winterpark where we were registered for a 5.2km road race. Unfortunately, the camera battery died so the only photos are on Dave's phone which I didn't down load yet. So, just picture in your mind a crazy family of 6 arriving at the last possible second to pick up race packages with shoes undone, hair unbrushed, looking frazzled. We managed to get our race numbers on - though quite crooked and our race tags on our shoes. We jumped in after the gun had gone off anf had a great run! The course was beautiful. We ran partly through a neighbourhood with homes that resembled castles. Unreal! Free fruit and Cliff bars topped off the event and we left tired - and very happy! We hit some outlets on the way home. Mom declared she would never shop in that attire at home but it's amazing what being anonymous gives you the courage to do. And really, who can pass up a good deal?

The day was not full enough so we quickly came home, changed and headed to Epcot for the afternoon and evening. It was spectacular. Highlights were the food- crepes and quiche in France, cool drinks in Japan that reminded dad of his mission, fish and chips in Britain and an amazing funnel cake. We plan to go back on Monday. We loved Test Track and the fireworks were like an Olympic event. Fantastic! The girls all got to meet Mary Poppins! How neat is that?

Funny story - we went to a presentation in the American Pavillion and were all a little tired so most of us dozed off a few times during it. Sara, though dozed off for most of it and it wasn't until after we had all left that we turned around and noticed Sara was missing. She was still asleep in the theater and we'd all left her there. Thanks to the kind lady who found us and told us where she was! Dave was afraid security might follow us the rest of the night! Guess we were a little worn out - at least that's our excuse!

Why not get the most out of every day? That seems to be a theme here! Hakuna Matata!

It's not -30 Degrees Here!

We arrived! After a full day of plane rides, we safely made it to Florida! We almost had to leave Matt at security when they found his geometry set - with a very pointy compass - in his backpack. OOOOOPS! They eventually let him go, with geometry set in hand because one of the security guards pled his case and said, "The boy's got to do his homework!"

Did you know that in January, the normal apparel here is shorts and sandals? Hard to believe! We have rented a house here which is so perfect because then we have all the conveniences of home. We bought a few groceries last night and ate here. We swam in "our"

pool last night upon arrival. How cool is that to swim outside in January? Today, we took on Animal Kingdom despite the rain. Actually, it was great to have rain because the park was not busy at all! We had no lines or waiting.

Tomorrow we are entered in a 5km road race...We are just doing it for the Florida t-shirt. Normal people would probably just plan to buy one. But, we could never be counted as normal!!

Christmas Adventures Reflection

We all went back to school today! :( The morning went much smoother than anticipated! We even made it to seminary and the bus on time - with lunches in hand! WOW! Most of the decorations are now put away, the house got vacuumed, mail sorted and laundry is at least washed - mounds of clean clothes on the floor await to be folded! The house seems so quiet and Buddy sat by the window looking outside all day hoping the kids would miraculously appear. The two hardest days of the year for me are the first day after summer vacation and the first day after Christmas break. It's great to have the kids home and spend so much unscheduled time together! We loved having Patrick, Kim, Leah and Dillon here and completed 40 puzzles together - a new record. We skated, skied, ate, played games, ate some more, cross country skied, watched movies (Voyage of the Dawntreader, Tangled, Despicable Me, It's a Wonderful Life) and ate again! Our family was able to participate in the live nativity on Christmas Eve which brought a great spirit for the season! On New Years Day, we hosted our annual Boxing Day Run (rescheduled because Boxing Day was on Sunday) Afterwards we had everyone over for breakfast. It was delicious and our largest attendance ever - about 50 people. What a great way to start the New Year! Next time you come to visit us, we'll have to have German pancakes. We were introduced to them that day. Guaranteed you'll love them!

So, back to real life for all of us. Lessons, schedule, work, callings... Don't get me wrong, we're grateful for all those things. It was just so nice to have a break! We'll look forward to next year! An elderly lady from church that I spoke to today wisely told me that we are fortunate to have the month of December because it brings us great joy. How true!

Sure feels like Christmas when...

The ice is frozen! We'll be able to skate soon! Or so we thought. After these four dedicated snow shovellers spent hours clearing a very large surface, we got a chinook! Gotta love Southern Alberta! Sara, Hannah and mom even played hookey on Monday - that's right - hookey, not hockey and we went to Castle to ski for the day. After two runs, we went and got our money back because it was a slushy mess. The upside was that we got to come home and make gingerbread all afternoon. The gingerbread house decorating is planned for tomorrow night. But, as for the ice, the chinook is now over so perhaps we'll be skating this weekend after all. And that, will feel like Christmas!

Alberta School Attire

We have had absolutely frigid weather here for the past few days. After swimming lessons today Hannah tucked her braids under her hood because she was afraid they would freeze and crack off on our short walk to the car! This is what a typical morning looks like when Sara and Hannah head off to the bus! On the bright side, it means that we'll be skating and skiing very soon!