Rise and Shine!

Good morning! It is spring break for my kids and that means vacation time! Our budget and my husband's work schedule do not allow for a "real" vacation at the present time, so we improvised. My husband works in the middle of nowhere, almost two hours from home and far removed from civilization, so he and his coworkers stay near their job site in travel trailers during their work week. The kids and I will be joining them for a couple of days this week and the kids are thrilled! In addition to the usual sunscreen and reading material, we packed sand toys and a small blow-up swimming pool. The guys have a BBQ pit, so we will take the makings for S'mores and hamburgers. The remains of a volcano are nearby so we will take a hike and I'm sure my kids will find treasures along the way. If we have time, we will also visit a real ghost town (no souvenir shops here). Voila! Instant, inexpensive vacation!

Easter at Calico

Our family visited Calico on Saturday for their Easter activities. When we arrived, we were able to to park fairly close to the steps, thus avoiding waiting for the shuttle to ride to the entrance. Activities scheduled throughout the day included an egg hunt, coloring contest, best Easter dress contest, live music, pin the tail on the bunny, and photos with the Easter bunny. Near the entrance, two boys handed out bags with goodies inside to the children. We ran into the Easter bunny several times throughout the day and my kids were eager to meet and take pictures with this welcoming friend. We also visited the photo shop where Mariah took a studio photo on the kids dressed in their best. The Easter egg hunt was fun for all of the kids, except our family had to split up. There were two simultaneous hunts, one for kids three and under and the other for kids over three. The older kids were limited to taking ten eggs each to allow everyone a chance to get some. Most of the eggs were filled with candy but some had tickets inside of them to visit the pottery shop for a gift. The gift was a medallion that the child could paint. For those who did not get a ticket, they could purchase a medallion for a small fee. Children could also visit the saddle shop to creat a leather keepsake for a small fee. My kids made bookmarks and bracelets. While there, we watched a gun fight, something Calico has been without in recent weeks. We also had a snack at the refreshment stand at the entrance. When our day was done, we took up the offer of a shuttle ride back to our car. The only thing we missed by visiting on Saturday was the sunrise service on Easter, which we heard from friends was wonderful. That will have to be included in our plans next year.

Happy Easter

I pray that your family feels the love and presence of God on this special day.