Tag: Writing Workshop

Molly and My EPIC Adventure #4 Plans

This summer, I’m not taking a vacation.  Last summer, I took 1 vacation, 1 EPIC adventure, and 1 road trip.

This summer I’m going to have an EPIC adventure.  Plans have been put into place.  Both Molly and  I are excited for the 4.5 days she will be here because they are jam packed.

She arrives on the 24th at 2ish in the afternoon.  Day 1 is only going to be driving around to where I grew up, work, and where my sister is buried.  Mom is going to be going along on this drive because she can give more detail about the history of some of the places.

We’ll eat dinner at my place that night and either swim or get into the hot tub.

On Monday morning, we are going to get up early and hit the road.  She had never been to Kentucky before so we are traveling down to Louisville.

While in Louisville, we are going to the Ali Center, the Louisville Slugger Museum, the Kentucky Derby Museum, and taking a boat cruise in the evening.

(Tuesday)  Since she had never been to Indiana either, we are traveling back to Ohio via Indiana.  We found a roadside attraction in Versailles, Indiana that we are going to try to find called Paulhedge.  I have only been to the part of Indiana that is along I-70 and Indianapolis and northern Indiana.  I’ve never been to south east Indiana.

We are going to go to Jungle Jim‘s on our way back and depending on how tired we feel we may also head over to Lebanon to see the Golden Lamb.  The rest of the evening will be spent relaxing.

On Wednesday, we are going to eat breakfast at one of my favorite brunch spots.  Then we are heading to Carillon Park and Hawthorn Hill.  Afterwards we are going to hit up a donut shop, a coffee shop, a quick service restaurant featuring gourmet hot dogs, and a store that specializes in chocolate.

After going home for a rest, we are going to a baseball game in downtown Dayton.

On Thursday of that trip, we are heading north east to see the Ohio Caverns and maybe a castle.

On our way home, we are going to eat ice cream at Young’s Dairy and once again explore Yellow Springs.

She is leaving Friday morning.  (Insert sad face)

After I drop her off at the airport, the Imaginative One and I are heading down to King’s Island for a day of fun.

All this fun during the week is the reason we call it EPIC adventures.

There is so much more I would love to do with her but there is not enough time.

Have a magical day,
Traci

 

Summer 2018 Accomplishments

As Phineas and Ferb say,
“There’s 104 days of summer vacation
And school comes along just to end it
So the annual problem for our generation
Is finding a good way to spend it.”

I don’t have 104 days off this summer.  I have about 70 days off this summer.  So, what do I want to accomplish during the summer of 2018?

  1. Finish decluttering my house – My aunt helped me reorganize my kitchen. I’ve also done the hall closet and am currently working on decluttering my bedroom.
  2. Take a class about Inclusion and the Special Education Student. I’ve already signed up for the class.  It’s a self-paced class and will help me with the way my career is going.  The focus is more on inclusion and less on pull out services for students who have been identified as having some sort of learning disability.
  3. Have my fourth EPIC adventure with Molly. She’s coming to town in 2 ½ weeks.  While she is here, we have many fun adventures planned.  (Click on the photo below for a link to the photos from one of the 2 adventures we had last year.)
    My Visit to Western New York
  4. Read at least 5 books if not 10 books.  I want to finish reading/ listening to all the Cleo Coyle’s Coffeehouse Mysteries series.
    Here are the books I have left to read/ listen.
    Espresso Shot
    Holiday Grind
    A Brew to Kill
    Dead Cold Brew     
  5. Watch all 13 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy. I just finished the third season.
  6. Getting a physical and other preventative care taken care of – Actually was done this week.
  7. Day trips around the area
    Peace Museum
    Boonshoft Museum
    Wegerzyn Metro Park
    Cox Arboretum
    Etc . . .
  8. Freezer Meals for the upcoming school year
  9. Focus on more writing for the blog
  10. Sleep – lots and lots of sleep

It’s not as adventurous as last year’s summer.  This year’s summer vacation will be focusing more on making sure I’m prepared for next school year.  My last 2 school years have been tough.

Have a magical day,
Traci

A Magical Birthday – Throwback Thursday

Around my 39th birthday, I realized my 40th birthday was going to be on a Friday. It was at that moment that I began to make a plan to travel to a new destination. I did not want a party.

Hubby and I began to make plans of where we could possibly travel. Disneyland, San Diego, and Seattle were all thrown out as destinations.

Finally, in January of 2015, Hubby made the final decision for where we would travel on my birthday. We were going on a Disney Cruise with stops in Nassau and Castaway Cay.

On the morning of my birthday, we got to the airport at the same time as the TSA agents. I was also the first person to get coffee from the airport Starbucks.

Once we landed in Orlando, it was time to get on the Magical Express so that we could get to Port Canaveral. At Port Canaveral, we checked in and then waited and waited and waited. We were in group 15, I believe, so it was a long wait. Hubby and I decided to help the Cast Member who oversaw crowd control, so she let us go in before our group was called which was magical.

My birthday consisted of eating a delicious lunch, riding down the Aqua Duck while yelling “I’m 40!,” exploring the ship, and getting pixie dusted.

Here are some photos of my fortieth birthday:


With the Donald Duck statue


Sophie – The Crew Member who Pixie Dusted me on my 40th birthday


Sunset on my birthday


The cool circular bathroom


More birthday sunset


Dressed up for my birthday dinner


The menu from the restaurant where we ate on my 40th birthday


My dinner – Scallops (I really did not like the scallops.)


My birthday cake


The crab that our blanket was folded into

I took many more photos. I had to be picky about which ones I was going to share today.

Have a magical day,
Traci

Throwback Thursday – The first time they visited WDW

In April 2009, Hubby and I visited WDW with the boys who were 3 and 5 years old. The Wee One enjoyed meeting all the characters. The smile on his face was truly magical during our visit.

Here a few photos of the boys during their first visit to WDW.

At the All-Star Sports
The Imaginative One went through a phrase where he hated riding boats.  He gave this same look when he rode on the boat to Fort Sumter a few months later.

A few months after this photo was taken was the monorail accident where one of the “drivers” was killed.  I’m so glad to have this photo.

I hope you enjoyed my walk down memory lane.  They have since visited WDW 2 more times.  Needless to say, we are a Disney family.

Have a magical day,
Traci

Crossing An Item Off My Bucket List: P!nk Concert

On Tuesday morning, I woke Hubby up at 8:30 with the question “Weren’t we supposed to be leaving between 8 and 9?”  My excitement was overflowing because we were going to go see an artist that I truly admire.  A few of her songs are ones that you could hear blasting from my car when I have had a bad day.

Hubby had promised me if this artist had a concert within driving distance (8 hours or less) we would go see her.  In October, we found out she was going to be going on tour.  I had a choice of many places we could travel to see her:  Louisville, Indianapolis, Philly (furthest away), Cleveland, or Pittsburgh.  I decided Louisville would be the best choice because I was going to be on spring break when she was going to be in Louisville.

Before getting the tickets, Hubby made reservations at the Galt Hotel which is connected to the Yum Center.  He did not want to have to deal with trying to get out of the parking lot after the concert.  We realized it was the best decision because we watched people trying to get out for over an hour after the concert.

So, who was this artist I was going to see?  Why, she is P!nk.  I have loved her music since 2001 or so.  I listened to “You Make Me Sick” and “There you Go” in 2000 but there was no real connection with her music at that moment in time.  When I heard “Just Like a Pill,” I felt a connection with her music.  You’ll hear me play the song repeatedly.

That evening at 5:45, I was itching to get over to the Yum Center even though it was a matter of going down one flight of stairs, across the concourse, through a little bit of a parking garage, and then across the skywalk.  All in all, it should take 10 or so minutes to get there.  I wanted to get there so I could get my shirt.  I used to get concert shirts a lot back in the day.  Now it needs to be someone special for me to get a shirt.

The breeze way
My outfit
View from my seat
My new shirt
Hubby and I

Then it was a sitting and waiting game before the concert.  People trickled in a little bit at a time.  A lot stayed up on the concourse drinking at the bar before the concert.

The first act was a DJ.  He was okay.  There was a lot of good songs that he sampled.

Then it was a group called the Bleachers.  They were once again okay.  We had a problem because they would start shining these strobe lights that got into our eyes and blinded us.  Think the sun but a million times worse.  There was no hiding from these lights.

Finally, it was time for them to tear down the set from the Bleachers so we could “Get the Party Started.”  The queen was ready to dazzle us with her singing, choreography, and aerials.  For 2 hours, we were amazed by her pure talent.

A moment that stood out was when a young girl gave her an United States flag from her dad’s tour of duty.  P!nk went off stage to get the flag and then refused to put it down anywhere but somewhere safe.

Another moment in time that will forever be sketched in my head is during “So What.”  She did her aerials and ended up flying over us 4 times.  You looked up and there she was in all her glory.

I could ramble on and on about the concert but instead will share a few photos and videos.  (Oh and you may hear me singing in some of the videos.  I apologize for my bad singing.)

The only regret is that I wish I was in the pit so I could see her up close and personal during the whole concert.  Maybe next time.

Have a magical day!

Traci

Oh and the set list:

  1.  Get the Party Started
  2. Beautiful Trauma
  3. Just Like a Pill
  4. Who Knew
  5. Revenge
  6. Funhouse/ Just a Girl
  7. Smells Like Teen Spirit – Brought me back to the 90s
  8. Secrets
  9. Try
  10. Just Give Me a Reason
  11. I’m Not Dead
  12. Just Like Fire
  13. What About Us
  14. For Now
  15. Barbies
  16. I’m Here
  17. Perfect
  18. Raise Your Glass
  19. Blow Me (One Last Kiss)

Encore:

So What!

Glitter in the Ar

TBT – Signs of Spring

Spring Has Sprung or Has It?

This year, we had snow falling on the first full day of spring.  Almost 300 schools, churches, and even the Air Force base were cancelled or delayed because of the snow.

Even though snow has fallen, we have had some signs of spring.  My one and only deciduous tree, the autumn glory maple, has red buds on the branches which means there should be leaves growing soon.

During the snow fall, I still heard the birds singing their spring songs.

A Look Back at a Past Spring

I went back in my Google photos to find photos of spring in my neighborhood.  I finally found photos from 2012 when the boys were 6 and 8 years old.

Some of the photos that were taken during the spring of 2012 are some of my favorite photos that I have ever taken.

spring 2012 collage 1
Spring Sunset
spring 2012 collage 2
Spring Animals

The Boys of Spring

 

collage8
The Boys and their Godfather

collage9

collage11

spring 2012 collage 3 - Copy
The Wee One lost his first tooth.

spring 2012 collage 5 - Copy

spring 2012 collage 6 - Copy
Easter 2012
spring 2012 collage 7 - Copy
Easter 2012

Flowers and More Flowers

spring 2012 collage 4

collage10

collage12

collage14

 

Beautiful Scenery

collage13
Supermoon (Not in my neighborhood.  It’s just a cool photo.)

 

I hope you enjoyed the walk down memory with this Throwback Thursday post.  I can’t wait to see more signs of spring than what we have been seeing so far.

Have a magical day!

Traci

7 Things to Do More Often

1.      Pray and trust the Lord

This weekend I ended up having my gallbladder taken out 6 days before my scheduled surgery.  I could have panicked during the whole experience, but I put my faith in the Lord.  He put the right medical personnel to aid me when I needed it.

2.      Enjoy sunrises and sunsets

Every day God gives a fresh beginning with the sunrise.  He reminds me his grace during each sunset.

3.      Be Grateful for what you have

After being sick since November, I’m grateful to have a supportive family.  They understood that me not having the energy to do much was because of an invisible illness.  Hubby and even the Imaginative One have really encouraged me to continue to get better.  The Wee One, who is a preteen, has helped me in his own ways.

I’m also grateful for my health.  Whenever I went to the doctors about my gallbladder and was asked about my medical history, I really did not have much to report because I was healthy.

4.      Photograph life

You never know when life will throw you a hardball.  Photographs will remind you of lost family and memories you have collected over the years.

5.      Learn something new

Everyday you should learn something new.  At least that’s what experts say.  I enjoy learning new information whether it’s about a place I have visited, a show I’ve watched, something I have read about, or a podcast I have listened to.  My favorite podcasts come Stuff You Should Know.  Stuff You’ve Missed in History Class is my absolute favorite podcast from that website.

6.      Drink More Coffee

Coffee is life. Today was the first time I had coffee since last Friday.  While I was recovering, I did not crave or want coffee.  Now that I am feeling better, I want coffee.

7.      Eat more chocolate

Enough said!

Have a magical day!

Traci