All of the kids had a fabulous Easter egg hunt with lots of prizes.  Aunt Linda did a great job putting it all together.

Hunting for eggs

Hunting for eggs

Hunting for eggs

After the egg hunt, most of the kids decided to walk down to the catfish pond.  My kids got to fish for the first time ever. (No, I didn’t touch the bait.)  They didn’t catch anything but they still had a blast.

Fishing for the first time

Fishing for the first time

Before leaving, we took a ride around the property, which backs up to Lake Strom Thurmond.  It really is a beautiful area.

Riding around the property

]]> http://bistan.net/blog/2012/04/07/a-country-easter/feed/ 0 http://bistan.net/blog/2012/04/01/my-first-president/ http://bistan.net/blog/2012/04/01/my-first-president/#comments Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:23:15 +0000 Jonathan Davis http://bistan.net/blog/?p=3317 When I was born, Jimmy Carter was our nation’s president.  I’ve always wanted to meet him.

A few weeks ago, I read that he still teaches Sunday School classes at his church in Plains, Georgia and the public is welcome.  That’s just over an hour away so I decided we would be in his next class.

The Davis Family with the Carters

This morning we woke up early and drove down. There were already about 60 people in line.  On Sundays that Carter doesn’t teach, about 20 members show up.  Today there were over 300 from about 30 different states and 20 different countries, including Richard Riley, a former South Carolina governor and Secretary of Education under Clinton;  several international interns from the Carter Center and a Navy submarine commander.  It’s amazing what a former president can do to a sleepy little church!

When we drove up, a military dog sniffed around our car and then we went through secret service screening.  Those agents are pretty cool.  It’s just like the movie Guarding Tess, where Nicolas Cage is assigned to an old widowed first lady.

We had great seats.  After the lesson and the worship service everyone is able to take a photo with the Carters.  Since we were seated near the front of the sanctuary, we ended up near the rear of the photo line.  The lady in charge of the morning, a former teacher of Amy Carter named Ms. Jan decided that Mackenzie was so cute that she literally grabbed her hand and walked us to the front of the line.  Even Jimmy Carter thought my baby girl was cute!

Later, we stopped at the local cafe for lunch and guess who was there?  The Carters and the whole secret service detail.  Pretty cool!

It was amazing how accessible and approachable this world leader is.  I dare you to find another current or former world leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner, or governor who is this accessible.

Bucket List Check!

I was so excited a few years ago when I heard that Lego was taking over the old Cypress Gardens park in Florida.  Although it’s only been open for about five months, we finally went today.  It’s only about 45 minutes from Disney.

Legoland was amazing.  The miniature models and well as the full size model will blow your mind.  We’ve been to many of the locations represented in Miniland: Las Vegas, Washington DC, and Kennedy Space Center.  The details were phenomenal!

While it doesn’t begin to compare with Disney, it’s worth a visit if you are into Legos.  I think I’m good as far as that’s concerned.  After today, I never want to see another Lego again.

Cross that one off the bucket list!

Mackenzie ran a 200 meter race at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

Tristan ran the Mickey Mile, which is timed.  He ran it in less than 8 minutes!

Kimberlie ran a 5K through Epcot.

Here are a few pictures:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  The kids races are the best bargain you’ll find at Disney.  For $10, you get a t-shirt (good luck finding another $10 shirt at WDW), a goody bag, a medal, snacks, and lots of fun.

At $25, the Mickey Mile is still a decent deal, considering it is timed and results are posted online.

And, although I ran the 5K in 2010, I can no longer recommend it.  They tripled the number of participants — to 8000!  It’s awfully crowded and it is not worth the $55 entry fee.  Find a local 5K to run instead.

Why no pictures of me? Because I didn’t get anything!  I must have been a bad boy this year!

Of course, I couldn’t say anything in front of the kids. But, when he finally realized it, he said “Oh, that’s you Jonathan!” and then asked about my sister, stepfather, etc.  Let’s just say my kids were EXTREMELY impressed that Santa knows their dad!

And, since he knew me, he showed my kids lots of attention.

I ran a good race, too. Only about a minute off of my PR on a VERY challenging course!

I have no problem telling people that we are frugly (pronounced FRUG-LEE). That stands for frugal-ugly. We would rather look plain and have a few extra dollars and more free time than visit fancy salons and spas and wear clothes that cost more than we make in a week.

We didn’t even own an iron until a couple of years ago when I needed to make t-shirts (and honestly compels me to disclaim that we haven’t used it since).

A hair dryer? We don’t own one. My wife doesn’t have a hairdresser. She doesn’t even know any. The only time she gets haircuts are when they are free because she gets enough cut off for locks-of-love.

To us, appearance just isn’t the most important thing. Yet, apparently during a moment of weakness, we decided to enter Mackenzie into Macon’s Little Miss Cherry Blossom Pageant.

The pageant isn’t your average Toddlers-and-Tiaras-type pageant. Only “Sunday” dresses are allowed. The kids are suppose to look like kids, not miniature adults. No excessive make-up, hair-dos, etc. Sounds like the perfect pageant for a frugly family like mine!

So first, we had to find a pink dress — in November. If you walk into any store, you quickly realize that red and magenta are the colors of the season. Finding anything pink was a huge challenge. By the way, I got the $60 dress for less than $20. Score 1 for the fruglies!

Next, it was time for shoes. We wanted white dress shoes, but again, those are impossible to find outside of the Easter season. After visiting at least 25 stores, we finally found a pair (and at a reasonable price). Score 2 for the fruglies!

Now, what to do about the hair? Mackenzie is cute in braids, pigtails, or pretty much any other quick hair style, but this warranted something special. We found a curling iron for $5.00 (Score 3 for the fruglies!). After pleading for help on Facebook, and nearly choking from laughing so hard when a Facebook friend suggested that we call my wife’s (non-existent) hairdresser, Kimberlie’s co-worker and friend volunteered to help with the task. This same person also trades Saturday shifts with Kimberlie and made a few wonderful pink bows for us.

Finally, there were logistical matters. We had a 5K scheduled in Milledgeville (and hour away) just 4 hours before we had to be at the theater. (It’s the end of the year and we are chasing points.) That gave us (all four of us) less than an hour at the house to shower, change, eat lunch, and prep my little princess. But, somehow, we pulled it off.

Mackenzie didn’t win the title, but we weren’t “in it to win it”. She did a wonderful job, however.

I think it all turned out pretty well. What do you think?

Sometimes, you have to go back to work to recuperate.

The weather was perfect again this weekend!  Last weekend, we let Tristan spend the night in his playhouse outside.  This weekend, we saw The Lion King in 3D, and then spent lots of time outside — running, playing soccer, visiting the local park, etc.  Here are a few photos: