Falls Creek Week

This week, I'll be gone to church camp all week as a sponsor.  Oklahoma Baptists have Falls Creek, the largest Christian youth camp in the world.  In the summer youth weeks, over 50,000 kids visit for six days at a time for an intense time of fellowship, worship and generally a good time in temperatures that usually hover around 100 degrees! 

Thirty years ago, this week, I traveled as a thirteen year old, future eighth grader to Falls Creek for the first time.  I was scared because I had never been away from home by myself for more than one night before.  I was scared because I was going with a church that I didn't know hardly anyone.  I was scared because I didn't know what to expect.  I left with a new found courage that I didn't know I had.  I could overcome homesickness, heat and lack of sleep and live! 

This year, my fourteen year old, almost eighth grade son will be traveling to Falls Creek for his first time.  I'll be there but I'm staying clear of him.  I want him to experience the power of Falls Creek for himself.  Part of growing up is making it for a week without mom standing over your shoulder.  Besides, I'm the junior high girls dorm nazi so I'll be pretty busy!  I've been laughing about that because I think our youth minister type-cast me!  The follower of the rules, that's me! 

Pray for me and the kids this week.  I need wisdom and stamina.  We all need to be still and listen to God speaking in their lives.  I am looking forward to getting away from the distractions (this computer included) and spend some time being still and learning. 

If you've never been able to experience a Falls Creek in your life, I'm sorry.  Falls Creek has left it's mark on so many youth in Oklahoma, when you say those two words, most people old and young have a story!  Most talk about listening to 5000 youth singing in the worship hall.  It's something to experience!

Personality

I read once that you're personality is pretty much set by the age of thirty.  So if you are a cynical, mean thirty year old that no one likes, you'll be a cynical, mean, old person that no one likes.  I read that in my twenties and decided that I wanted to be a happy, friendly, helpful thirty year old and a happy, friendly, old person.  I worked really hard to start seeing things a little softer.  Giving people the benefit of the doubt. Not always assuming that the person was out to get me!  It worked and now I feel like I see things in a mostly positive light! 

It does always amaze me when I am around someone who always sees the negative side of life.  I guess I'm just basically a positive person and I really do not think everyone on the face of the earth is out to get me.  I don't think that highly of myself to think that everyone else is always coming up with things to do to make me mad.  I think most of us go about our day to day lives thinking mostly of ourselves and those around us.  I would hope to think that most of us are pretty happy with our lives but as I've gotten older it saddens me to know people who can't be happy no matter what their circumstances.  I've met people who really do have legitimate reasons to be unhappy with their circumstances but they, for the most part, are happier than those who think themselves into being unhappy.  I had a dear older friend who used to say, "If you don't like your circumstances, change them!" She lived through the depression and didn't understand the general whining of people.  If you had a place to live, something to eat and loved ones around you, what  reason on earth did you have to complain about?

Being a forty-something person now, I think I can say that most days, I'm an optimist.  Some might even call me a PollyAnna who sees the good in most situations and people.  Maybe I'm a little too trusting that everything will work out all right.  Maybe I give away love a little too easy.  Maybe I forgive a little too quick.  If those are faults, I'm happy to have them!

Gourd Crazy!

Sometime in mid-May, I went gourd planting crazy!  Now, there is a jungle of vines down in the garden and enough gourds and squash growing that I should be able to decorate almost every front porch around this fall.  I can't wait! Because I love fall.  I love decorating for fall. 

I have swan-necked gourds, little tiny yellow and green gourds, big orange warty-looking gourds, striped white and green round gourds.  It seems each day I go down to the garden, there is a new type of gourd growing.  I hope they don't melt in this Oklahoma heat! 

Fall is going to be fun, fun, fun!

I'm not a nerd! I'm just unique!

My husband was reading the paper and said, 'it's too bad you're going to be gone next week'.  I, of course, had to ask 'why?' He said, 'because there is a butterfly count and you would probably enjoy that.' 'Yuck', I said, 'why would I want to hang out with a bunch of nerds?' 

At this point, my husband stopped reading, laid down the paper, looked at me like he does when I say something totally weird and said, 'excuse me?' By now, most of you that read this know that I like butterflies.  I enjoy watching them, collecting them and watching them hatch.  Last saturday, I was running around the back yard trying to identify a new butterfly.  I also have a huge gian black swallowtail that I'm so proud of I show everyone who comes over.  So why don't I want to hang out with a bunch of other butterfly lovers?

Well, when I am alone as a butterfly watcher, I am unique.  When I am surrounded by others like me then I just become a nerdy butterfly watcher!  I like being a little unique, a little different maybe even a little nerdy.  But I don't want to hang with a bunch of people just like me! 

I know, I know, most humans seek out people just like them because it makes them feel secure having friends with the same likes and dislikes as them.  I've just never been one of those people.  I enjoy having friends with all sorts of likes and dislikes, not necessarily just like me.  I enjoy meeting people with different talents and hobbies. 

So I won't be going to do the butterfly count.  I'll stay here and be unique on my own little corner of the world! I like being me!

Summer Sounds

We had a dinner party a few weeks ago with several people from out of state and out of the country.  After dinner, we took a walk around the yard to look at the flower beds and introduce our guests to Kate, the big, black german shephard.  We were wondering around in the yard and gardens when one of the guests asked if it was always so loud at night. 

My husband and I looked at each other, we lived about a fourth of a mile off a highway and there isn't a lot of noise coming from the cars traveling.  There was also no trains coming through at that time blowing their whistles.  We didn't understand what they were talking about.  Finally, it dawned on us what they were talking about.  Frogs, crickets, cicadas! 

Remember when I told you that living in Oklahoma is almost like living in a jungle? Well, in the middle of deep summer, it sounds like a jungle in the dark.  During the day, the sound is quiet, I think everything has gone to a deep, dark, cool hole so not to burn up.  But as soon as the sun begins to go down, everything wakes up and sings their little heart out!

Oh, and lightning bugs freaked some of them out also.  Imagine several grown men jumping and chasing lightning bugs with pink and green butterfly nets!  They wanted to see one close up.  I told them about being a kid and making lightning bug jewelry.  Yeah, we would actually squish their little butts on our bodies so the luminescence would stick on our arms, legs and fingers.  I know it's gross to an adult but to an eight year old, it was really cool! 

When they finally caught the little lightning bug I think they were disappointed to see how plain the little bug actually was.  Just a plain old black bug with a red head.  Sometimes the coolest suprises are in the plainest packages!

Monday Mornings

Ah, monday mornings.  Sometimes, I just love monday mornings. I used to dread them when I was working because I never had gotten all the things that needed to be done over the weekends.    The weekends were when I got caught up on all the things that didn't get done over the past week.  My husband was home so he could help with the kids and they would go to bed at a decent hour.  Oh, and since hubby is an early riser, he would get the kids breakfast on saturday mornings while I slept in to at least 7:30 or 8:00! 

Now all that has changed.  I have a teenager and one so close to being there that she behaves like one.  They have very active social lives so if one of us is not dropping off or waiting to pick up then then they are at home with two or twelve of their close personal friends.  Watching tv, swimming, playing lazer tag outside preferably, or video games inside, pretty much hogging all the space in the house!  And have I mentioned eating?  Especially the boys.  They'll eat pretty much anything but I am known for my food preparations.  They all want to eat!  This happens almost every weekend.  By Sunday night, I'm just pooped!

This is not to say I don't enjoy this time.  I love having all the kids over and hanging out.  I try to keep a super teenager stocked pantry so they want to come over.  My thought is if they are here, I know where they are and what they are doing.  It's not that my kids have friends from bad families.  All my kids friends have very nice families and I know and trust the parents.  I just enjoy having them at my house!  But this makes the weekends so very exhausting!  

You see, they do not have a sense of time anymore.  Their bodies do not tell them it is night and time for bed.  When my daughter was born, she had her days and nights mixed up.  She would sleep all day and then want to stay up all night.  It really wore me out the first few days.  There was nothing I could do to make her stay awake during the day!  Finally, a dear neighbor took my son to her house one day and I carried her around keeping her up and giving her about 5 baths (she hated baths!) and she finally slept a few hours straight that night!  I think these teenagers have their days and nights mixed up. 

We are putting the finishing touches on plans to build a new garage and turn our old one into  a teen cave/family room.  A place they can go and hang out and yell and scream and not disturb me.  I can't wait!  I know it will be a hassle while it is being built but in the end, it will be worth the wait.  Maybe when we get it built, on Mondays, I'll take my coffee and have my quiet time down in the teen cave.  It will be early in the morning so all the teens will still be asleep and all will be well in the world.

Friday Rant....

It's friday, I feel like I need to rant a little and I get tired of ranting to my husband! I feel sorry for him because he always gets to hear all the little things that get on my nerves about everything and everybody.  He used to try to discuss the problem and help me see the other side.  This was not what I wanted! I finally explained that I just needed a human body to sit and listen and agree with everything I said.  I needed a sounding board, not someone who tried to get me to see the other side!  Not extremely sane, I know.  But as I've talked to other women, I realize just how common this is! 

I had a older woman tell me long ago, that women needed other women friends besides their husbands just for that reason! As I've gotten older, I completely understand. 

Here's my friday rant:  I wish I was less responsible.  I wish I wasn't always the one that everybody knew would follow through and get it done.  I wish I could just not follow through with something and not feel bad.  But alas, that is not my nature.  It is my nature to get things done, correctly and in a timely manner.  Almost perfectly.  I'm a perfectionist.  I'm not ashamed but sometimes it does get to be a bother.  I drive myself crazy sometimes trying to get it just right.  I have gotten better since the kids have been around.  I had a friend give me a plaque that says 'Cleaning and Dusting can wait till tomorrow, for babies grow up we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down  laundry and dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my babies and babies don't keep.' I have learned that cleaning will wait until tomorrow and to seize the experience.  I just wish sometimes, I had a little more Peter Pan and a little less Little Red Hen living inside me!

Peaches!

It's peach season and I'm one lucky girl! My husband drives by Porter, Oklahoma almost everyday for work and about once every two weeks or so, he stops in and picks up a big bunch of juicy, ripe peaches.  Nothing in this world is as good as a really ripe fresh from the grower peach.  At least that's what my daughter says.  It's so funny, because every fruit season she declares that this particular fruit is her favorite.  A few weeks ago, it was the blueberry; before that, it was the strawberry and just the other day, she declared she missed apples!  But now, now it's peaches.

She'll eat three or four a day and that doesn't include any that I serve after dinner as a dessert.  At my house, usually we have some sort of dessert with dinner.  In the winter,  it's a pudding, a cookie and applesauce, or a fruit bread but all summer long it's fresh fruit.  It may be a cream pie but usually, it's just fruit, sometimes with yogurt sometimes not.

I had a friend years ago who brought this dessert as a salad to a cookout I hosted.  It was so good and so decadent but I really didn't feel right eating it as a salad so I got the recipe and relabeled it at my house as a dessert.  It's one of my kids favorites, in fact, my son requested it with his birthday dinner instead of a cake.  Don't worrry, he also had a cookie ice cream cake too! He's just not a big cake eater so his birthday party is lazer tag, swimming and banana splits and pizza.  Not necessarily in that order.

Here's my recipe for our favorite peach salad/dessert! I serve it especially when I make dinner for someone who is trying to lose weight.  They can't believe that it can be so good and so little calories.

Peach Berry Salad Dessert

a peach a person, coat the cut peach with lemon juice or fruit fresh
1/2 cup berries per person: blackberries, blueberries, cherries, etc.  Right now, I'm picking blackberries so that's what I'm using.
1 Tablespoon flake coconut per person
1 teaspoon chopped chocolate per person; this can be chocolate chips, a chocolate bar, chocolate kisses, the chocolate you keep above the fridge out of reach from the kids; dark, white or regular chocolate.

Mix all together and chill until serving.  To make this special for company, I chop a little fresh mint over the top when I serve it.  You could serve it with whipped cream but that just adds calories. 

I do not measure when I make this recipe.  I just dump it all in, sometimes, I add more chocolate, sometimes less, sometimes none at all but this does not make the rest of the family happy!

If you are lucky enough to score some really good peaches, try this recipe!

Picking, picking, picking!

Tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, squash, basil, corn, blackberries.......tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, squash, basil, corn, blackberries.......tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, squash, basil, corn, blackberries.......I seem to be in a bit of a rut!  At least every other day, that's my routine.  I have to do it early in the morning because it's been so humid here with rain almost every afternoon that even at eight o'clock in the morning, I am wet with sweat by the time I finish.

I am not like a lot of southern women who do not seem to sweat but glow or perspire.  I sweat, I sweat alot.  Gallons it seems.  There seems to be a spigot on the top of my head that runs down past my brow and into my eyes and then on down until it collects in my muck boots.  My grandma would sweat alot.  When she worked outside, and she did alot because she had an extensive flower garden, she would wear a rag on her head and carry a rag in her bra.  As a kid, I found this incredibly embarrassing and gross.  As an adult, I can understand the wisdom in her ways.  I usually wear a wound up bandana around my head and have been know to carry a rag in my pocket.  I'm not as endowed as my grandma was so if I tried to stuff one in my bra it would look very lopsided. 

When I'm out there sweating out the impurities from my system, I try to imagine what it would have been like a hundred years ago when a person couldn't get into the air conditioning as soon as they were finished.  I understand why that old creek looked so good.  My own swimming pool gets jumped into a lot in the summer after I've been working.  Sometimes with all my clothes on, they were all wet anyway! 

During this time of year, I always try to thank God each and everyday for air conditioning and the ability to pay for it!

Birthday Boy!

My baby boy is fourteen today.  I can't believe that so many years have gone by since I first met him.  It was love at first sight.  He was honestly the most beautiful boy I'd ever laid eyes on.  I wouldn't hardly lay him down.  When I finally would lay him down, my husband would pick him up. 

Why is it that the first baby had just so many pics and videos and each child after that gets fewer and fewer.  When my daughter was born, I made a vow that I would let her get her own pictures.  I am proud to say that she does have many, many photos. 

Getting back to birthdays.  Lazer tag, that's what my son wants to do again for his birthday.  Again.  This is three times that he's done lazer tag.  I really wanted to take a float trip and take some of his friends.  He vetoed that and chose lazer tag.  Oh well, I guess I'll schedule a float trip in August sometime. 

Now, I'll just enjoy every birthday.  In two years, there will be real stress.  Car and driver license stress.  In four years, he'll be legal and also a senior in high school.  I think I'll just enjoy today, thinking back to the tiny baby he was fourteen years ago and how I slept with my hand over in the cradle so he wouldn't disappear while I grabbed that big two hours of sleep a night.  I'll probably have to wake him up this morning, I love teenagers!

Bible School

Today is the first day of bible school and of course, I'm working.  Remember, I volunteered for everything that was available during the summer.  I think I lost my mind sometime in April.

 I like bible school.  I liked it when I was a kid and I like it as an adult.  I didn't like it so much when my kids were little bitty and it was such a chore to just get to church on time!  Now, it's fun to be with the kids and my job is really easy.  My job is to be fun.  Get to know the kids and do a twenty minute fun activity everyday.  Oh, and eat snacks.  That's part of my job.  If they ever stop serving that dip they make at the church only for bible school, I might just stop coming.  Every year I say that and every year they tell me, 'you know, it's just picante sauce and sour cream'.  Yeah, I know.  But they also serve Ruffles potato chips and I never buy those at home so they are really a special treat.

This is the first year that I have a child actually helping me instead of attending a class.  Since my son, is in the youth group, he has aged out of bible school so he's being a youth helper.  He's going to be my runner, running for snacks, running people to the bathroom and back, etc.

I also look forward to working with people that I either don't really know or never get to see.  I have met retired men and women that I would never normally get to know well until we worked together during bible school.  I get a few minutes while the kids are in craft time to visit and socialize with old friends that I never get to see. 

I'll be very tired each day by noon.  More tired that a normal day of teaching.  But it's worth it.  I just got a letter a few weeks ago from a woman in Indiana that I met at bible school night many, many years ago.  I had her daughter in bible school when she was in the third grade.  She felt like she couldn't come to church because she didn't own any church clothes so she sent her kids to bible school.  I promised her she wouldn't feel uncomfortable if she'd just come.  I called all my friends and asked them if they would wear jeans that sunday.  They came and stayed.  The daughter is now in college studying nursing and her brother just graduated high school.  They are still members of the church. 

It's definately worth it.....

Blackberry Jam/Jelly/Spread

Today I'm making blackberry jam/jelly/spread.  I don't really know what to call it because it's not really jelly because I'm not using just juice and it's not really jam because I am not using the whole fruit.  It's more of a spread really because I cooked the fruit and ran it through a colander to sieve out the seeds.  I also make my spread a bit more thin than some people because I just like a bit more soft.  I hate making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and have to tear the bread up to spread the jelly/jam!

I like making jellies, it makes me think that I'm preparing for winter.  I always look at myself as an ant instead of a grasshopper.  Don't get me wrong, I have my share of fun.  I just also like to hope for the best and be prepared for the worst!  I also get extreme satisfaction during those dark, winter months when I reach into the storage pantry and pull out a jar of jelly that I made during the summer.  It makes picking those berries worth it.

Since I also not working, I am getting a start on Christmas gifts.  When I worked, I really appreciated a homemade gift around Christmas because it always got so hectic.  I'm making small half pint jars of jams and jellies to pair with a homemade loaf of bread for our neighbors, my daughters teachers and the kid's teachers at church.  It won't be expensive but just the simple act of letting them know you appreciated them enough to spend some time preparing something special was always special to me. 

I'll be sharing a few ideas in the next few months for inexpensive Christmas ideas that I've used over the years.  They have always gotten rave reviews when the kids passed them out and they would work just as well to let co-workers know you were thinking of them.

Blackberries

When we moved in this house over ten years ago, the owners told me about the blackberries at the front of the property.  They said that the little old ladies that had this property years ago had a patch but it had been left to itself and had grown into quite a jungle. 

The first year we were here, I barely got myself into the patch.  I had to cut weeds and overgrown shrubs and use a stick to pull out the canes.  Each winter for about three years, I got closer to the patch and finally, was able to cut down the old years canes and clean out from under the canes.  As you know, I hate snakes and do not want to find myself deep in blackberry canes with a snake.  I keep them cleaned out from under so I can see everything going and coming from the patch.  I usually have a cardinal that builds in the canes and it upsets them to no end when I get close to the nest while picking.  It's interesting when the blackberries are blooming to see which insects come to pollinate.  Sometimes, the blooms are full of butterflies, sometimes bees.  It really depends on the year.

These berries have thorns so I wear a pair of my grandpas old bibbed overalls and my muck boots.  In this hillbilly outfit, I can lean onto the canes to reach all the berries.  This year, I am picking about a colander full every other day and they are as big as my thumbs.  I generally get ten to twelve quart bags to put into the freezer for pancake nights during the winter plus all the berries we can eat  while they are ripening. 

Since I am frugal, I relish these free berries each year.  Every bag I put away saves me money during the winter when fruit is so expensive.  I feel like I am saving money and doing something healthy for my family at the same time. 

Here's the recipe I promised for a great blackberry cobbler.  My daughter made it a couple of days ago and it didn't last long.  It came from my grandma's recipe box.

Blackberry Cobbler

5 cups fresh blackberries  - I put a few extra cups in because I had a bunch and I like a lot of berries
3/4 cup sugar - gauge your sugar to the fruit, I used less because my berries were really sweet
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/8 t salt
2 tablespoons butter/margarine
Pastry ( recipe follows)
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon sugar
Vanilla ice cream

Wash berries thoroughly and drain well; place in bottom of a 9 inch square baking dish.  Combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt; sprinkle over berries.  Dot with butter.  Roll out pastry into a 9 inch square and place over berries, sealing edges to sides of dish.  Cut slits in crust.  Brush crust with milk and sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar.  Bake at 425 F for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Serve with ice cream.

Pastry recipe
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 t salt
1/3 cup butter or shortening
2 tablespoons water

Combine flour and salt.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle with water and stir with a fork until mixture forms a ball.  Roll out on a lightly floured surface. Yield: enough for one 9 inch cobbler.

 I doubled the recipe so we would have a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.  This gives you a runny, juicy cobbler.  If you want it thicker, add a tablespoon of tapioca to the berries and let stand about 10 minutes before you place them in the pan.

Everytime I eat this cobbler, I think of all the times my grandma would con me into picking blackberries.  If I'd pick a bucketful, she'd make a cobbler.  She made quite a few cobblers over the years!

Crazy Good Lemon Zucchini Cookies!

Ok, so I got back from vacation and apparently, my zucchini went into overdrive while I was away.  Geesh, I was only gone four days and I had four Giant Zucchini!  What to do, what to do?  Here's the rundown on how I got rid of all four!

1. I grilled one and had it with grilled chicken.  I just split one into two pieces and brushed it with olive oil and sprinkled both sides with greek seasonings.  About ten minutes on each side with the grill on low and my son ate almost half by himself!  My daughter won't touch a zucchini, never have and stated just yesterday, 'never will!'

2.  Made zucchini bread with one. Recipe will be later in the week.  It's actually good for you with flaxseed and whole wheat flour.

3.  Made two batches of lemon zucchini cookies!  Oh, these are soooo good.  I'm going to have one tonight with some decaf Earl Grey tea.  I found this recipe here:  http://southernfood.about.com/od/zucchinirecipes/r/bl30627i.htm
of course, I made a few changes so I'll give you my revised recipe.

Lemon zucchini cookies
3/4 cup butter/margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest OR 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract ( I used lime zest because I didn't have any lemons)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded zucchini, drained
1 cup chopped toasted nuts ( I used pecans)

Cream the butter and sugar and beat in the egg and lemon zest or extract.  Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and mix into the wet ingredients.  Stir in the zucchini and chopped nuts. 
Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, until the edges begin to slightly brown. 
Glaze the cooled cookies with 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon (in my case, lime) juice.
Makes about 3 dozen small cookies.
Next time, I'm going to add a dash more zest because the lime was a bit tame.  I would like a tad more of the citrus flavor. 

Going to sit down and have a couple with a cup of Earl Grey decaf tea, these cookies make me crave english tea! I'll be making these often this summer.....

Busy, busy, busy!

It's simply amazing how busy a person who, supposedly doesn't work full-time, can actually be!  I am busy from sun-up till sun down and still can't seem to find the time to even check my email some days.  Summertime is always really busy with the kids out of school.  I try to do something fun or educational or both each week.  We also go to the library once a week to check out books.  This year, I haven't had time to sit and read for an hour a day like I usually try to do. 

Since we came back from vacation on friday night, I have been running like a mad woman trying to get the house back in order.  We discovered when we returned that our hot water heater was not heating water so doing laundry was out until Sunday afternoon.  It's always a great treat to come home from vacation and not be able to do laundry for three days! My husband was able to fix it and since the water heater was under two years old, it is still under warranty.  I just have to send the reciepts into the company.  His weekend was not exactly what he wanted either since it did not include wishing to lay in the utility room floor for hours.  But, long story short, I just had a wonderful hot shower and have finished the piles of laundry!

My main goals this week is to try to get back into some sort of routine in the house cleaning.  Since it's summer, I have to figure in every other day to pick the garden and the blackberry patch that is giving me a colander full of berries every other day.  I'll post tomorrow about my patch and give you a great cobbler recipe!

Happy Birthday America!

I trust you had a great 4th of July weekend. I always hope that we, as Americans, stop during our fun filled celebrations to stop and thank the men and women that have given their time, service and oftentimes, their very lives so we can enjoy living in the country that offers more opportunities than any other on the planet.  It saddens me to think that their are people, who were born in the greatest country on earth, that do not understand what a gift they have been given and squander the opportunities by sitting on their backsides and complaining about not having enough! The reason we have such a situation about immigration right now is because so many of our countrymen and women gave their all so we could be free.  Why else do you think everyone wants to be here!

 My husband still has one more day of vacation today so it's not over for our family.  We have been all over since I last posted.  My daughter and I spent a week at kids camp to come back and have a weekend that was full of company picnics, dinners and meetings for upcoming camps.  On tuesday, we left for a week in Branson, Mo.  If you've never been, I would suggest you go.  I'll be posting this week on some of the many activities and adventures we had while on vacation.  You know with me, it's always an adventure!