Friday, August 5, 2011

Adventurez- "Way down Yonder" . . .

Weekly Wrap Up:
We've been on the road -
This past week has been a busy one to say the least!

We headed for Atlanta for the Southeast Homeschool Convention.
We were having a good time before we even made it through the door.
We made friends with this handsome guy-
he's a Praying Mantis!


A large one!


Everybody got a chance to get aquainted. . . 


He tickles!


And then we found him a little safer home in the garden.


The few days leading up to the road trip . . .


We entertained some of our favorite people!


My childhood friend/sister "Aunt Krystal"
came for a visit with her fantastic kids
(and my goddaughter)


We had a super time teaching them to kayak and ride the waves.
It was wonderful for the mamas to watch out babies play together.
They all get along so well, and made special memories!

Then we headed to the convention- which is a post of its own-
I can't wait to share some of the fabulous information and
some freebies 'n giveaways with ya'll. . .
but, this is about the adventure-

The "Timothy Group" showed the boys how to tie some
good knots for repelling. (Right up our alley)


And then the boys hit the Rock Wall for practice!


They LOVED it (of course)


After a couple of awesome days at the convention-
it was time to explore!


Historical Roswell just outside of Atlanta was our home for the week.


There is a lot of interesting history and natural beauty to explore.
We crossed the covered bridge and visited the old mill.


We learned about its historical significance and heard stories
from the Civil War that you won't find in textbooks.

(Like, about the 400 women and children- mill workers- who were
charged with treason
for using the cotton mill to make tents for the Confederates-
they were marched off and never heard from again)

Seeing pictures of the children who worked at the old mill
made it very "real" for the kids - it was a shocking
revelation for a group who play with iPods and laptops on a regular basis
that children their own age actually WORKED at the mill!
(hello teaching opportunity)


We watched a brown water snake swallow a fish
that seemed impossibly large!



And. . .  then we practiced our rock climbing!





The kids had a memorable time with our friends- who were our
hosts in Atlanta - after they'd visited us in Florida!
(perfect)

Note to self:
save the rock climbing for the kids-
mama busted her rear end!
(btw- they were climbing ON the rocks- not Up them)

Then it was time for a local tradition:
we went to
"Shoot the Hootch"



. . . "Way down Yonder on the Chattahoochee"



It was great fun and a perfect way to cool off!


Parts of the river were calm and serene-
and others were more exciting!






Some "shoot the Hootch" in rafts or canoes-
some just go feet first!


We also collected some perfect rock samples
for our "geology collection"-
we saw geese, a heron, and turtles!




Mama got to kick back and relax!

 
We finally did have to break away to head home
after enjoying family and friends
and some awesome adventure-
but
we took the time for a detour along the Suwannee River!


The water was super low at Big Shoals State Park
(the main "white water" spot in Florida)
so, we enjoyed the scenic beauty of the woods


observed a black snake-



Little Shoals park has a long board walk and
 trail through the woods.

Our favorite part of the Suwannee "detour"
was watching this mama and her two fawns:


It was a memorable time of learning, exploration, and
Adventurez!



Playtime Link up:

           The Homeschool Mother's Journal    weekly wrap-up


joy pockets
My Joy Pockets -pulled from the week of adventure listed above:
* Making memories with special friends and family
* Sunset at the beach with loved ones
*Watching our children play and bond with my bff
(childhood friend)
* A week of family time
* The fact that our whole family will stop (despite being late to the
conference/expo we were attending) to play with a
praying mantis & get him to a safe spot
*Watching boys climb
*Seeing my oldest son play "the gentleman" for my
friends daughter- he went back to help her off slippery rocks
at the creek and "coached" her along a bit when he took the time to
notice that she was holding back
*Having a husband who will bother to attend a homeschool conference!
* Having my whole family get overly excited about a
microscope and not being able to wait to use it to learn more
about the bugs we often collect!
*Friends who open their hearts and home to our family
These things and more have filled my heart with Joy this week!

15 comments:

Praises from a Wife and Mommy! said...

Wow! That looks like an amazing time. I love rock climbing by water falls. :) Your kids are adorable. I am following back. :)

carol l mckenna said...

Wow! What Joy Pockets ~ Want to adopt me? LOL ~ Great photos ~ great family ~ glad you are teaching and learning so much and see the joy in learning ~ thanks ` over form Bohemian Twilight ~ My blog is A Creative Harbor ~ come visit ~ thanks, Carol ^_^

MJ said...

What an amazing trip Kelli!!! I think I want you to plan our next road trip, seriously!! Georgia is an amazing place. I love Roswell, the mountains in the north, the river, Amicalola, but I know I barely tapped in when I see your pics. Stone Mountain is still on my list, as well as Cumberland Island. You got me all excited now :).
Cheers to you!!
xx oo

Sharla said...

I'm not an outdoorsy person but I have a weakness for waterfalls! That looks like a fantastic trip full of wonder, family time, and enjoying God's creation. It doesn't get much better than that!

Theresa said...

WOW! That was SOME week!! The Southeast Conference sounded so great--I was reading all of the tweets last week. I can't wait to hear about your experience!

I love the kayaking photos. How special that your kids got to play with your old friend's kids. I love that kind of thing...kind of history repeating itself kind of thing.

Also, wow those mill workers...that is not something you hear in history books!!

MissMOE said...

Looks like an awesome week! I haven't seen a water snake in years. I wonder if they live here on the west coast. Glad I stopped by.

Becky (So Very Blessed) said...

It looks like you guys had SO much fun! WOW! Everything looks exciting and relaxing and everything a vacation should be! I LOVE the waterfall pictures!

Little Wonders' Days said...

It looks like a wonderful trip. You did so many things. We love road trips too.

Kate @ Puddles and Gumboots said...

What an amazing looking trip! I love all the photos, what an adventure for your kids :-)

Nicole said...

What beautiful pictures! Seems like a great trip! I am following you back now and can't wait to read more!

Tonya said...

Kelli, what an AMAZING adventure! I'm intrigued by the southern landscape - so different from the northeast - someday we'll have to go way down yonder to explore it. I love the photos!!!

Unknown said...

What a great week and a great adventure. I can't wait to hear about your convention. That one is a lot bigger than ours here but I still love going and leave feeling encouraged and excited.

Kay said...

holy cow, i totally want to be adopted by you!!! those pics are awesome!!! i LOVE being outdoors!! you guys got some great exploring in!!! we may have to put atlanta on our vacation list.

thanks so much for stopping by!!

texasmcvays said...

Wow looks like you all had a boat load of fun. That's a great idea to extend the homeschool conference experience with a Vacation. We have a conference in Austin & San Antonio and I know we'd enjoy an extended time of exploration.

Jennifer said...

Those snakes! Yikes! You're so brave to get close enough for picture! The one of the snake eating the fish blew my mind!