A Wise Choice

My oldest daughter is an interesting girl. She enjoys dressing up and being pretty, but she also loves to play in the mud and be a kid. In first grade, her school friends were already telling her things like, "If you you don't join my Girl Scout Troop then you can't play with me at recess." Banana just did her own thing and didn't let it get to her. She chased boys on the playground regularly, so she could tell them about Jesus an invite them to church. She isn't into the things the kids around her are into. When she got a Hannah Montana doll for Christmas, she asked if she could give it away because she just didn't like Hannah Montana. I urged her to play with the doll because it is, after all, just a doll. I told her that Miley Cyrus, the girl who plays the character, is a Christian. She still didn't want anything to do with it because she just didn't like how Hannah Montana looks and acts. After the recent choices made by Miley Cyrus, it looks as though my daughter has made a good choice in who not to look up to.

Disclaimer: Before I get angry messages about knocking down Miley Cyrus, I must say that I am praying for her to make wise choices. As difficult as it is to be a "regular" kid, it must be many times more difficult to grow up under public scrutiny. At the same time, I do not want my child to idolize any person (including myself) and expect that person to always make the right choice. I am proud of a child that can see past the glamour that captivates many of us.

Talk To Me

My husband and I will be going to Monterey in a couple of weeks. It is an interesting turn of events in this troubled economy. My mom came to visit us last summer and the flight was so terrible that she was given a voucher for a free flight from the airline. When she called to use the voucher for her trip out this summer, the person told her that the airline would no longer be flying from California to Kansas City and the voucher must be redeemed by July 15th for a flight before September 1st when the airline stops flying. My mom looked online and saw that the airline still flew from Ontario to several nice destinations, so she offered the voucher to us. The value of the voucher was enough for my husband and I to fly to Monterey for a getaway.

So, on a limited budget, what should we do when in Monterey? We will arrive on a Thursday afternoon and leave Saturday morning. We want to know where to stay, what to eat, how to get around, and what to do for fun. Let me hear from you!