Chillin in Hot Springs...and a hike in Garvin Woodland Gardens

With the end of school nearing and the blur of activity and stress that is associated with that, it was essential that we get away for the weekend. Our good friends, Danny and Judy we celebrating their anniversary and asked if we wanted to join them at the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs. Also on the agenda for the weekend getaway was a hike through Garvin Woodland Gardens. Since we had not been to either popular attraction we were very excited about our trip. Let me just say, if you have not visited the Garvin Gardens, you must do so. It is a gorgeous botanical garden that was alive with spring flowers and blooming trees. You get to walk at your own pace through a winding 2 mile trail of waterfalls, streams, flowers and wildlife. It was so peaceful and serene. Just what we needed to begin the relaxation process we were hoping to find. After our walk we headed back to the hotel to check in and freshen up. Since the four of us enjoy people watching as a passtime we spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the veranda of the hotel talking and watching a variety of people, cars and tons of motorcycles as they came and went up and down Central Avenue. After a delicious dinner at the Fisherman's Wharf we went back to the hotel to enjoy listening to a live band playing 40's and 50's dance music while many talented and some not so talented people hit the dance floor. I really wish that Norman and I had some of Camryn's dance ability because I would have loved to join those on the floor who seemed to be having such a good time.

Today we had planned to hit the mall for some shopping but alas, being Sunday, they did not open until around 1 PM. So, we did the next best thing...we went to Walmart and got in on some great deals. Now, to most of you this may sound like a pretty boring weekend but to each of us, it was absolutely wonderful. I mean what more could you want? We had beautiful weather, peaceful surroundings and time with funloving friends.

Here are some of the pictures of us as we strolled through the gardens....

A self photo shot
A gorgeous stream
Us on one of the many bridges

Danny and Judy pause for a picture

Danny and Judy again

Norman and Me

Norman tries to attract the fish
A gorgeous Waterfall

I love these two people

Here they are by the waterfall

And here we are by the same waterfall

Judy and I enjoying a "serene moment."

What a beautiful view of Lake Hamilton in the background.
Another bridge shot of us

An electric train set

A miniature village for the trains to move around

We had a wonderfully restful weekend and look forward to our next outing with these two friends.

*Sorry about the 3 pictures that are not vertical as they should be. I couldn't find the correct way to get them turned and I was too tired to keep messing with them. lol

Talent Night at Faith Baptist

We had a talent night at our church last night to raise money for our Summer Youth Missions trips. There was a variety of talent presented which included performances from Country, R & B, Gospel, and Rock. These acts involved some who actually sang and others who only patamimed the song. We had a visit from a Legendary chart topping dynamic couple from the 60's....

Sonny and Cher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmGVR9yzUyk

Click on the link above to see the video. It was a lot of fun. Some of the other appearances by renound performers were The Blues Brothers, Michael Jackson, and the Village People. A great night of laughs and fun was had by all...and more than $1300 dollars was raised for the Teen Summer Missions trips.

A-B-C's of Me

I took this idea from my daughter and decided to add it to my blog.
A - Age: 56
B - Baseball Game or Ballet: Definitely Ballet and especially if Camryn (my 7 year old granddaughter) is dancing.
C - Chore you hate: cleaning bathrooms
D - Dream Vacation: the Gold Coast of Australia
E - Easter candy: Malted milk Easter eggs
F - Favorite Flowers: Oh there are so many...I guess I would say the Iris
G - Games: Win, Lose or Draw, Pictionary,Trivial Pursuit, Spinners
H - Height: 5’7”
I - Instrument you play: unfortunately there is not one. However, when I get to Heaven I want to get to play the piano.
J - Job title: Elementary Principal
K - Kindergarten Memory: Well, we didn't have Kindergarten when I was growing up, but one of my first grade memories was that I had to stand in the front of the room at the blackboard with my nose in a ring because I kissed a little boy on the playground. I still remember his name. He was a little red-headed, freckled faced boy named, Mike Justice.
L - Luxury you live without: a maid although my sweet husband helps me a lot with the house cleaning.
M - Mexican food choice: Taco Bell tacos
N - Nickname: Lisha
O - Overnight hospital stay: When I had my hysterectomy
P - Pet Peeve: people who drive slower than the speed limit...namely my husband!
Q - Quotes you like: “A Great teacher is a spark plug, not a fuel pipe."
R - Rainforest or Redwoods: Redwoods definitely. The rainforest is too humid for me.
S - Siblings: my crazy sister, Shelia, who is the complete opposite of me in personality.
T - Television favorites: Designing Women, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Coach, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars,
U - Ultimate dessert: New York Style Cheesecake or Coconut pie
V - Vegetable you dislike: Baby English peas
W - Ways you run late: It doesn't happen too often, but if I get caught up in a project on the computer, or scrapbooking, I can be known to run late.
X - X-rays you've had: My ribs and leg after our wreck in 2007
Y - Yummy food you make: I make lots of yummy food…learned to cook from my Mother, Grandmother and Mother-in-law who are all great cooks.
Z - Zoo animal that's your favorite: otters...they are so graceful when they swim and are also very playful. They are lots of fun to watch.

Friday...Fun at the Museum of Discovery

Camryn and I spent Spring Break together and had a very relaxing week. Most of the time she enjoyed watching her shows on TV while I enjoyed some time catching up on my scrapbooking. Thursday Camryn got to spend a fun afternoon with her dance teacher, Ms. Marisa. Friday we were invited to join Billie and her family at the Museum of Discovery. Although, many of my kids at school had taken field trips to this place, I had never gotten the chance to go. After spending from 9:30 until 4 PM there with only a short break for lunch, I can see why the teachers like to take the students there. It is absolutely chocked full of interesting things to do. Below are a few of the picture I took of our time while discovering...

Here we have a picture of me and Camryn as we are about to leave for our day of fun and discovery!

We enter the Museum for a day of fun!
Belle and Camryn loved this area of the museum.

My granddaughter, the monkey.

David and Luke enjoyed the dump trucks.

Here they are waiting on the Three Little Pigs skit to begin.

(By the way, they sat still and attentive for the whole thing which lasted 45 minutes)

The skit

Camryn and the Three Pigs

They had a live animal exhibit that the kids got to see. In this shot they looking at the snake. Notice, Camryn's hands.

Luke is petting the rabbit with two fingers.

After our lunch we took a leisurely stroll back to the museum. These two girls are such good friends.

This play area was a favorite of these three. Here they are riding a cow.

Luke was saying, "Yee haw!"

Camryn letting her wind car race down the track.

Here you see the "four kids" are building their cars.

This little red owl was hit by a car and is blind in one eye. So, he is now one of the animals you get to see while visiting the museum.

Here are Camryn and Belle with their butterflies they made in the arts and crafts section of the museum.

And this is my precious "camera shy" granddaughter posing for a parting shot.

We had a great time on our day at the Museum. The kids were great and there was lots of interesting things for kids of all ages to do. Thanks to the Overstreets for helping us end our spring break week on a high note!

Camryn's Day with Marisa!

It seems that Marisa had promised Camryn a day with her if she did her solo really well at the last competition. Marisa felt she did since she scored High Gold 1st place points and also was chosen 5th in the top ten of her age group. So, Marisa was true to her promise and took her around 11:00 on Thursday of their spring break. They went to Jason's deli to eat and then to the park at Lakewood Village. They also went to some place to "paint a plate" according to Camryn. They did a little more playing in the park and finished up by getting there nails done. There will be more pictures to come of this fun day when we get Camryn's pictures developed. What a special young lady Marisa is to spend time with a little 7 year old on her spring break. I am sure memories were made that will never be forgotten by Camryn. Below is a comment taken from Marisa's facebook in response to my thanking her for spending this special day with Camryn.

Me: Marisa, thanks so much for the fun day you gave Camryn yesterday. You made memories with her that she will never forget. We appreciate you taking a day out of your spring break to allow her to spend some special time with you!

Marisa: Oh, I had so much fun! She is such a hard worker and she deserved it! I absolutely adore her...I didn't even realize how much until yesterday! She had me smiling and laughing all day...she's SO EASY and special...thanks for allowing me to do it! :)

Is it any wonder why Camryn loves dance and her solo and duet teacher so much? She is an awesome person!

The Queen likes to color

We have been out for Spring Break this week and I have kept Camryn with me. We have spent our days just doing what we wanted. I have worked on my plants; getting them home and placed back on my patio and deck and I have also done some much needed scrapbooking. Camryn has spent her time watching her shows: Sponge-Bob, iCarly, Backyardigans, etc., dancing, swinging, and playing with Jacye. Yesterday I bought her some new coloring items so she would have something new to do today. Little did I know that the Queen was coming to my house this morning. Thankfully, the Queen likes to color.

Jacye is on guard, making sure there are no squirrels entering our backyard.


As you can see, my little Queen, loves spending time coloring in her giant coloring book.

We have had a good time thus far this week, even though we have had some rain. Tomorrow she is expecting to get to spend the day with her dance teacher, Ms. Marisa, and then Friday we are meeting Billie and her kids at the Museum of Discovery for a day of fun.

Kids Artistic Revue

This past weekend was another big dance competition for Camryn. She competed in the Kids Artistic Revue at Robinson Auditorium in Little Rock. She danced all four of her dances on Sunday beginning with her solo at 8:15 am. This would not have been too bad had it not been the first day of Daylight Savings Time. We were all a little bleary eyed and sleep deprived but it didn't seem to phase Camryn. She was pumped and ready to go and did very well on her dances. In her solo dance she received Top 1st points and ranked 5th overall in the 8 and under age range. Below you will see the pictures of her receiving her award.

In the above picture the MC was asking Camryn her name and who choreographed her dance. Then they had Ms. Marisa come on stage and below is Camryn's reaction. She absolutely adores her teacher!!!

Here is a shot of Camryn and her outstanding teacher, Marisa Kirby.

A shot of the top 5 dancers in the 8 and under age division.

She and Callen received Top 1st points and ranked 3rd overall in the 8 and under age range.

Here they are in the group shot of the top 5 duet/trio routines for the 8 and under age division.Camryn was also competing (unbeknownst to us) for the title of Miss Petite Dance. She got 2nd runner-up and received a tiara and a pin. She was so thrilled with getting the tiara and wore it for the rest of the day. We have always known she was a little princess and now she has the crown to prove it!
It was a very long day but a very exciting day for the MKDS dancers. Her Hip Hop large group also received Top 1st points and ranked 1st overall. Their large group Tap routine received Top 1st points also and ranked 6th overall.

With each competition she continues to improve. By the time we get to the Nationals in Dallas, she should be peaking out on her dances.