For an awesome field trip. The kids toured the mansion, the museum, and the winery and garden grounds. They spotted a snake in a massive tree stump....
So we decided to head out west and see this massive monstrosity called the Grand Canyon. It was more than we were prepared for. We started in Sedona -- Red Rock Country and then headed North to Flagstaff -- rented some camping gear and camped out at the "South Rim" of the Canyon. Here are some shots from the adventure...
Sedona at twilight... gorgeous.
Dandeelyon getting work work done on the plane...
The view from our balcony.... the sunrises were A. Maze. Ing.
Horseback riding through the dessert...
Dandeelyon the daredevil -- this is actually about 15 feet up
We found a Mexican Mission to eat at... for a while I couldn't find Dandeelyon -- and then I remembered, if there are trees, she's usually up in it.
wayyyyy up there.
Daddy & Dandeelyon
We hung out with some of the guides for a while... these donkeys carry people all up and down the canyon; sometimes getting very very close to the edge but they never fall off. Amazing.
Another D&D shot...
Jiffy Pop -- perfect for the campfire
So -- somehow a tree jumped out into the pathway and smacked Dandeelyon right in the chin. She was moving fast too.... so she was able to get some much needed attention from the Canyon Rangers who also hooked us up with cookies and ice cream. #Score
Til next time Sedona....
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
So... in the midst of chaos and knocking out my to do list, I saw this ( in orange)
I received the acceptance letter on Monday. Dandeelyon will be headed to Veritas School starting first week of September. It will be tough -- but I am certain she'll take this challenge on with as much tenacity as we've come to expect from this fine young lady.
She will take on latin, the literary classics, humanities, theology, rhetoric, logic, dialectic. Serious stuff.
I'll start with the first word and maybe we'll watch Dead Poet's Society just for kicks. "Oh Cap'n my Cap'n. Carpe Diem!!"
Exactly 5 years and 3 months ago... Dandeelyon was about to begin Kindergarten at William Fox Elementary School in the Fan. It's widely known as one of the two best elementary schools in the Richmond Public School system. To daddy it represented the next phase or the next step. To Dandeelyon however, it seemed so BIG and maybe even a little scary. The kids, all older, bigger, and -- well that last about 15 minutes. Dandeelyon took it on like a champ, adapting quickly (anyone surprised?) Since then, Dandeelyon has grown in both stature and in wisdom. A very special thanks to Jessica Blumburg, Miss Ford, Miss Smith, Miss Kite, and finally, Mr Dejnozka and Mrs. Baron!! What a fantastic ride!!
The plays, science projects, back to school nights, soccer games, show and tell, after school activities, playground spats, and all the boy/girl drama -- yes, we'll miss you all. :)
So a friend of ours from Area 10 Church earned a starring role in Richmond Ballet's version of the Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker".
Dandeelyon was starstruck as she watched Laurie Lou twirl across the stage at the Richmond Landmark Theater. Truly an amazing performance!! Perfect daddy daughter date ended with hot chocolate at the Jefferson Hotel with great friends from our small group.
On the way down, we did Charleston SC, Savannah Ga, Jacksonville Fla and Orlando. All awesome cities...
Savannah Georgia
Downtown Jacksonville
Charleston South Carolina
Dandeelyon and Daddy took off to a whirlwind East Coast Road Trip with a 4 day pit stop in Orlando to visit Magic Kingdom, Typhoon Lagoon, Universal Island of Adventure, and Animal Kingdom.
Dandeelyon and her namesake!
Dandeeyon's Intense Avengers Face!!
Oh yes. That's Captain America all right.
Typhoon Lagoon has the best wave pool ever. The Tsunami comes crashing down about every 90 seconds and it NEVER GETS OLD! This thing takes out everyone in its path!
We had 2 great nights with the Florida Polareks -- Jay, Joanna, Kenzi and Kesley. Those girls are so darn cute I could squeeze them til their little heads popped off!
Dinner Margaritaville!
Almost Bedtime.... but not quite.
On the way back we did a 3 day stop with Matt, Lisa Lliam and Gavin in HOTLanta. Great to catch up with the Dierdorff Family!!
Movie time at the Dierdorffs.
We also dropped in for a southern layover in Charlotte NC with some amazing dinner and conversation with the Heyman Family (Thanks JR!!) JR's mom was all about spoiling Dandeelyon. JR -- you need to get married and have kids SOON!!
Then we stopped in and hung out with the NC Fam Vestals and Cooks (better known as Grammy Sue, Paw Paw Lee, Maw Maw Bert, Aunt Molly and Ava & Sawyer, and Uncle Jeremo!
Our church has taken on a goal to flip the statistics for who waits for foster care in Virginia. Right now, there are far greater children than parents willing to foster or adopt. We want to change that so that there are far greater parents waiting to adopt than children. It's called the change who waits campaign.
Dandeelyon played the foster child in this video which will air on ABC and NBC affiliates . I am so proud of her it makes me want to pop!
I am one proud daddy this weekend. Dandeelyon has trusted in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and wanted to publicly express it. She understands the amazing and life changing "Grace" which was given to her.
I was cleaning the house and found a notebook with some writings from Dandeelyon. Turns out she has a little club of friends at her school. Here are the rules:
Dandeelyon: "Do you think I'd be good at lawyering?"
Me: laughing, "Yes. VERY good. Why?"
Dandeelyon: "cause I chose being a lawyer today when I was playing "Life."
Me: "Wow! That's huge Dandeelyon. I've never heard you say you wanted to be a lawyer."
Dandeelyon: "Well, I did choose that. AND I chose being a lawyer over being an entertainer even though the Entertainer was wearing a red sparkly dress and had boys in tuxedos all around her."
Dandeelyon covering her mouth: "Many people, now that Obama is raising taxes, wish they'd voted for John McCain."
Dandeelyon again, "the Librarian says that I will make a great teacher ONE day. But not today."
When asked "What do u think the other kids say to their parents regarding you?"Dandeelyon replied "that I'm a little bossy. That I like to talk. And that my mommy works for the Governor."
Dandeelyon "I wish I had a remote control ghost. Bwahahaha."
Says, Dandeelyon when responding to the news of a mass shooting in Tucson Arizona last week.
The conversation happened next to a TV which was streaming the most recent headlines at a restaraunt.
"That man...he's a bad man. He's... well, grrr...I would have tripped him with a big root!!!"
A part of me was proud of her for being willing to stand up to the "bad" in this world. Another part of me wanted to shield her from it. Protect her from the thought of anything bad. Anything less than perfect. At the one hand, she needs to know in the right age appropriate context. On the other hand, I hate watching her wrestle with this new reality.
After dinner we went home and watched a fairy tale princess cartoon to regain some of the lost Innocence (daddy inlcuded)
