Give me a 'C'!

Ok, it's time to get back on the horse, as they say.  Vacation is over and I have a schedule to keep and a fan base to remain loyal to (HA!)  :)  Seriously, though...this Thinkbox Thursday question has been sitting in draft form for weeks now as I had intended to post it while I was on vacation.  However, with no internet service in the 1000 Islands to assist me with that, it sat unfinished until tonight.  So, without further ado.  (Whatever that means...)

Were you ever in a drama or speech class, on a sports team, or in a club?

I tried the drama thing and failed miserably.  I was never cut out for a speech class of any sort.  The very thought of all those EYES gazing upon me while I delivered a lecture of any length makes my skin crawl even now.  I was part of a few clubs, S.A.D.D. and I'm sure others that have slipped my mind.  But sports.  Now there's an activity I really sank my teeth into in high school.  No, I wasn't a softball player.  I never had a penchant for volleyball or tennis.  I'm simply not built for basketball.  Nope, I threw myself into a sport of another sort.  

I realize this is a highly debated topic but I was, in fact, on a sports team.  I, not surprisingly to most (and already known to the majority of you reading this anyway) was a CHEERLEADER.  Now I now some may scoff at the use of the words CHEERLEADING and SPORT in the same sentence but I am not backing down on this one.  Obviously this must be less of an issue today than it was back in MY day.  Afterall, have you SEEN cheerleaders today?!?  With the level of athleticism they exhibit and the degree of difficulty involved in the stunts and routines they perform, it's obvious to me they're working their butts off!!  

But yes, back in the day, I was a Football, Basketball, and Soccer (yes, SOCCER) cheerleader.  Different seasons, of course, but from Freshman year through my Senior year in high school I cheered for all seasons and enjoyed every single minute of it.  I don't care what people say, really.  Even when I was a cheerleader (before the massive expectations, dangerous three-story-high flying and flipping in the air, and triple-back-flip-head-spinning hand springs), we worked hard.  We had to be in shape, we exercised, and practiced, and perfected our "game" (also known as skills, cheers, jumps, timing, acrobatics, stunts, etc.).  We were out there in the wind, rain, snow, and bitter temperatures cheering on our players, entertaining the spectators, and freezing our little behinds off in those little skirts and tops!  That alone deserves respect, recognition, and credit!  I really think cheering helped me grow in confidence and helped to prove (at least to ME) that I was good at something.  I mean I wasn't the best, I was a mediocre cheerleader at best (as I am with most everything) but I'm ok with that.  I never really strove to be the best.  That was too much spotlight for me.  I honestly didn't mind blending in.  I just liked having the camaraderie.  I liked the feeling of being a part of a community, and hey, the title was cool, too.  Plus, it was a lot of fun!  I made some fantastic friends and a whole heck of a lot of memories along the way.   It taught me responsibility and hard work and dedication.  I was accountable to a TEAM and it certainly kept me busy (Read: out of trouble!)!  I am proud of my days as a cheerleader.

Here's some tangible proof of my BHS pride:  

Lucky (?) for you guys I haven't gotten my scanner up and running or you'd have an eyeful of flashback cheering photos to pile through!  Count your blessings!  He, he!

Wordless Wednesday

Another time...

In honor of Flashback Friday this week, I thought it would be fun to do a bit of a comparison between our recent trip to the 1000 Islands and our previous trip we took with Nathaniel in July of 2007.  He was not quite 16-months-old when we took our first trip with him to the Islands and he has grown up SO much in these photo comparisons.  It's fun to see how he (and our family) has changed in two short years.  

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I Heart the Islands x1000

I won't bore you with all the minute details of our recent trip to the 1000 Islands, but I would like to share some of the highlights and, of course, many of the more than 1,200 photos I took while we were there!  

I love the 1000 Islands!  It's a fantastic place with plenty for the whole family to find interesting.  

The shopping is great!

The fishing is intensely rewarding.

There was beautiful scenery all around us.

  

We got to see gorgeous sunsets every night.

Gigantic boats chugged down the St. Lawrence River.

There were family fun places galore, and it has a culture all its own.  

Every year we stay in the same state park at the same campsite.  We know what to expect, where all the amenities are located (close by!) and what time of the year to avoid if you want peace and quiet.  

We played in a lot of dirt and got very filthy.

We took a lot of walks around the park.  We walked to the beach, to the playground, over to the pier to fish or to the "store" to get ice cream.  We walked to get water to fill up the kids' pool for baths.  We walked to the "bath house" to use the potty or officially shower off the filth.  We walked over to the water to see the big boats go by and to catch a full view of the sunset.  Sometimes we just walked around to help the kids settle down or let Nate burn off some energy. 

We took in a lot of the beauty around us.

The kids loved the playground!

The beach was a huge hit, even on the "cold" days!  Nate loved to splash in the water while Alex preferred to play in (and eat) the sand.

Nate had so much fun fishing with Daddy!  

Here he is removing his own fish he just caught so he can "free" him back in the water!

Of course the week was not without injuries.  Within 5 minutes of us arriving Alex had his first head wound.  He stood up into the sharp corner of the door as we were setting up the camper.  (It's hard to see in this picture as I had just taken the ice pack off and the bleeding had already stopped, but the two raised lines on his forehead are the "cuts" he sustained).  

Here's Alex showing off his new head wound...he looks pretty proud, actually!  Believe me, it looked worse in person!

The next day Nathaniel fell off the picnic table and hit his face on the bench on his way down, leaving a fantastic bruise on his cheek that looked like dirt for the rest of the week.

We made many friends during our stay.  Another "Smith Family" moved in all around us on our second to last day and Nate was in his glory with kids his own age to romp around with!  

This cat wandered in from who knows where on our last day and Nate took an instant liking to him (dare I say he became an obsession?  Picture Nate running down the road yelling "Cat, Come BACK!" when the cat DARED to walk away!)

We rode a ferry to Boldt Castle where Nathaniel got to look for the dragons he insisted lived there!

By the end of the week, though, our smiles turned upside down.  A long week of bad sleeping patterns turned our children into cranky, non-listening, messes.  Temper tantrums were displayed with little prompting and melt downs were the fashion of the day.

So we were glad to get home.  Let the laundry begin!