Manatee

A group of manatees have been enjoying the warm canal waters near Chris’s school lately.  The whole family took a trip out to see them on Saturday.  Here are a few pics.

Cape Canaveral

This past week we had the opportunity to watch a rocket launch from a close-up viewing area on Cape Canaveral. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off just before sunset on Wednesday, February 11th, carrying the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft. The launch was scheduled for Sunday, but a problem …

Monarch Mountain Ski Trip

The family traveled to Monarch Mountain Ski Resort on February 22.  This was Chris and Carrie’s first time skiing and the first time back on the slopes for Dave and Carol in 18 years.  We had an instructor guide us in the morning and returned to the slopes on our …

Bella Update

The entire family visited Fox Run Park on July 29th and Bella went for her first swim in one of the large ponds.  She took to the water right away and had a great time.  Here is a short video and a couple of pics from the day. On August …

School Programs

Chris and Carrie performed in separate school programs over the past few months.  The fifth grade class performed the educational musical Dig It in February.  In April, the choir performed their musical Possibilities!  You can play the videos below by clicking the small triangle in the lower left of each clip (If the video …

Brindabella Stickybeak

We are excited to announce the arrival of our new puppy!  She is officially called Brindabella Stickybeak although we simply call her Bella.  Her formal name comes from two Australian references.  Brindabella is a mountain range near our old home in Canberra and Stickybeak is the Aussie slang for someone …

Carrie’s Marathon

Carrie decided to participate in a before-school running club this semester.  Twice a week she, and about a hundred classmates, would run between one and two miles around the school athletic field.  Each time she finished a lap, her gym teacher would hand her a popsicle stick to keep track of her progress   As she …

Hawaiian Vacation

On the way back from Australia, we stopped in Hawaii for a week of relaxation.  We stayed in Princeville on the north shore of the island of Kauai.  This area is featured in the movie The Descendants.  Most of our time was spent relaxing on the beach or by the pool, …

Goodbye, Australia

On our last day in Australia we visited Weston Park to see wild kangaroos one last time.  Those of you who remember our Exploring Canberra post from 2009 may recognize Weston Park is where we first saw kangaroos after arriving in Australia.  This time there were a few small mobs of around …