All in the Family - Add an Artist

Our families are a great group of people, and I think most people would agree would this opinion. We do have a lot of fun together if you couldn't already tell from our many family related blog posts. And yeah, of course we love them very much. We feel very blessed.

Selfishly we also have to acknowledge the convenience that our family provides as well. I'm not writing here about living in proximity to one another; I'm writing about the diverse skills and abilities that they all bring to the table.

You need a car fixed? I know a mechanic who can fix anything.

Bangs a bit long? Jordan at Salon Cheveux takes care of our hair.

Need a babysitter? Too bad, I'm not sharing.

Time for a family photo? Walcott Imaging is so where it is at.
Preguntas? Need help with your Spanish homework? We've got teachers and Spanish speakers.

Electrical work or repair? Dan is our man.

Need something engineered? Ya know, those kind of folk are good to have around.

Advice or guidance? We would label more than one of them very wise.

And now, we add an artist to the list. Lisa, sister-in-law, just graduated from Cranbrook earning her masters in sculpture. We attended her art opening last weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Detroit, otherwise known as MOCAD.

Congratulations Lisa!

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo

In case you missed it, my son is officially obsessed with trains. In a month or so we will celebrate his birthday with a “Choo Choo I’m 2” party – there was absolutely no question about the theme of this party.

Trains seem to pop up lots of places, and even when they didn’t Bright could often (not always) satisfy his choo choo fix. Roller coasters looked enough like trains to appease him, and my son must not be the only one with the obsession because trains of all kinds spring up quite frequently at tourist locations.

We even watched and rode Disney's monorail when we were on Disney property. We also packed up some trains and tracks from home and took them on our trip, and we were so glad he did. He took Thomas to Sea World, and he has even started requesting to sleep with a Choo Choo. The last two nights he has even asked for train track in his crib, but that's where this momma drew the line, but I couldn't help but laugh. I wouldn't even dare guess how many times this little guy says "Choo Choo."

Looking at some of these pictures even makes him smile followed by a spirited, “Please!” Which we interpret to mean either take me back to that train or even better could you buy that for me?

Spring Break 2010: Mammoth Cave

Mammoth Cave National Park was close enough to our overnight driving stop, that we decided to visit it on the way home. None of us had ever been to Mammoth Cave. Because we are all early risers now, we did some minor hiking on trails right outside our hotel. We went to some lookouts and even saw quite a few deer up close and personal.

We then took a two hour tour into the cave. What an experience! Bright even enjoyed it too. I'm fairly certain that at least two grandparents wouldn't have enjoyed this excursion let alone approve of us taking Brighton. Jon says it's definitely not something we have to do annually as it was both fascinating and freaky at times, but were are certainly very glad to have experienced it.

Our tour guide was an attraction himself. He traced back five generations for us beginning with his great-great-grandfather in slavery in that very area. Through the generations then his family had lots of involvement in Mammoth Cave even well before it became national park. Not only was he great at his job, but his position is steeped in tradition far more than we could have ever suspected. What a story!

Spring Break 2010: Sea World

We were able to break our visit to Sea World into two half days thanks to a promotion they are offering right now which was perfect for our family as Bright still needs a nap. This also permitted us to avoid the hottest and busiest time in the park as well as see and experience the entire park with the exception of the roller coasters.

Sea World was a great experience for all of us. We were so glad we decided to go. Sea World is such a unique combination of features, and we thoroughly enjoyed nearly everything we decided to see and do. The shows were really impressive although we were slightly disappointed with the Shamu Show, but heard later it is ½ of the show it used to be due to the recent death there.