March re-cap

Gotta love the fair!!! Having lived here my entire life I can't remember ever missing the County fair. The vinegar fries, elephant ears, frozen bananas on a stick... I'm in heaven. I use to ride every ride at least a dozen times now my Chiropractor would love to see me ride $$$. Since Rick is made of steel he gets the honors and besides who would take all these great pictures? Reece is getting big enough to go on more rides so this year was awesome for him. We convinced Amanda that Drew had to go and now she is forever destined to be a Fair junkie for her kid because he had a blast.

Houston celebrated his 11th b-day. We had a few kids over for a camp out and they all had a blast. It was freezing that night so the bonfire was perfect and the S'mores were smokin"

Next day we had a great time flying kites. It was Reece's first time and it brought back memories of when I was a kid with a kite...at one point the kids were gone and Rick and I were sitting in chairs with our Kites in hand.

Reece had a great little Easter party at school. They had a bounce house, bubble wands, crafts face painting and snacks. Gotta love the ears.

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Tag I'm it

OK, so I was tagged by Kim who was tagged by Aimee, who was tagged by Paula, who was tagged by Celeste, who was tagged by Tina, who was tagged by Angie and that's all I know.

So I have to share 7 things, some random, some weird about myself then pick some buddies to tag then leave a message on their blog then they get to share

So here I go:

When I was 12 I got to go to Disney World as a special guest with all the Mouseketeers from the Mickey Mouse show and somewhere I still have the autographs.

My nickname as a kid was "Leanie Bikini" then my best friend (of 39 years) later changed it to "Beans"

I have been a certified Scuba Diver for 25 years and still love it

I once did a photo shoot for Maxum Boats with the helicopter flying directly overhead as we rode full throttle in the Gulf of Mexico

I met my husband on a blind date and knew we would get married.... that was 17 years ago

I ran almost three marathons (75 miles) in the sixth grade jog club

I don't like beer but love a great hole in the wall bar

So that's me.... I'm going to tag Beth, Betsy, Betty, Patty, Cami, Tracy & Debbie... have a good time girls

Back to Nature

Last week Rick and I joined my friend Betsy and we took a field trip with the kids to the Crowley Nature Museum. There was a guided nature walk for kids so they could become "wildlife detectives". He talked with them about fossils, bones and animal tracks then we set out on an adventure. We looked at tracks on the ground and talked about what might have left them, we saw a Bald Eagle flying to a nest, sand hill cranes, egrets, lizards, insects, and kept a keen eye out for other critters (hard to spot with three boys running ahead). He was great with the kids and the adults had fun too but for me it was a moment to reminisce about my past.

I attended a wedding there once a few years ago but had not been on the property since I was in Jr High. My Jr. High agriculture teacher and one of the people most responsible for who I am today was the Late Bill Crowley. His family has owned the property for generations. He was the type of teacher (and parent) who inspired and challenged you, never settling for less than your very best, always there to guide you in the right direction. He was respected by everyone and as he taught me about animals, horticulture, and science he also taught me how to speak in public, how to be a leader and gave me enough self confidence to last three lifetimes. When I was a Senior in High school he filled in for my father on a very important day and the accolades he gave will be with me forever. He died 23 years ago in a plane crash on the way to Tallahassee while preparing to retire from a lifetime of teaching.

So while Reece and Rick got back to nature I got in touch with my past. It's the kind of place that you just want to linger at. Most visitors think its "Old Florida" but I know the reason is that the spirit of a wonderful man is at home there. I hope someday my boys will have a teacher as good as him and I hope that I can strive to parent the way he did.

Thanks Mr. Crowley

If you want to visit www.crowleymuseumnaturectr.org