Swimming hole

I've been looking for a swimming hole. Not in any hard core kind of a way, just over time. I dislike the fact the kids mostly get wet during the summer months and I wanted a place that we could return often and was friendly even to the smallest among us.

The trek to this pool reminds me of going to Green Canyon...but only in length. We travel highway 77 for about 1/2 hour through two of these mile long tunnels into another state. The first time we went was way back in March when Amber and Gregg were here for a visit, but we didn't really declare this our swimming hole for many more months.

We finally decided we loved it when we realized that we could get in for just $13 for our entire family.

It has a TON of space where everyone can walk and swim. It has a slide that Goldie has done twice (I hope to convince her to do it again. She swallowed more water than she wanted to on her second trip down.) It even has a "big people" section that when Mike is with us I sneak over to and enjoy at least for five or ten minutes.

We try to go at least every two weeks. I'm a tiny bit overdue right now because of sickness this last weekend. So I'm hoping to run over this Friday. I can tell a huge difference in the kids abilities as they have been more consistent in their water play. I think I can finally say we've found our swimming hole and we are sticking with it.

Charelston!

Goldie recently went on her first extra-curricular field trip on a bus. (Can I call it that?)

I was more worried about letting my seven year old go that far without a parent than Mike was. They would not allow me to ride the bus, so I drove behind it all the way to Charleston, WV. By the time I found a parking spot at the hotel she was scheduled to perform at I had lost the children.

A quick phone call to Mike told me that they were across the street in the mall at Chick-fil-A. I caught up to them just in time to follow them back to the hotel. I thought it was funny that they were required to hold hands through JC Penny so no clothing would be touched. Goldie thought this was an awesome tall building so we caught it on camera.

Then we went back to the hotel to a ready room where we handed out hats and other paraphenilia the children would need to perform. The booster club president redid every girl's hair to make sure it was off of her face. Then they rushed them out into a hallway where they sat down and listened to a book. Before it was finished they rushed them off to wait again, this time right in front of the performance space. The children got so tired of waiting they sat down again.

Finally it was their turn to perform for the West Virginia School of Excellence Annual Awards Dinner. They did an excellent job. The audience was really tuned into them, more so than when they have performed for parents in Princeton. In fact they recieved a standing ovation.

It was fun to see the experience from the eyes of children who were very impressed by the "fancyness" of the hotel. I was glad that I got accompany them in this latest of Goldie's adventures.