Life + Science = Fun

While Scott spent Labor Day with a roller and a bucket of paint, the kids and I spent 5 hours at the NC Museum of Life + Science.

NCMLS is one of the few places that I can spend 5 hours with the kids and never get bored.

Tired? Yes.

Bored? No.

The variety of activities is vast. So much to see and do outside. So much to see and do inside. If all three of us were not getting cranky, we could have stayed at least another two hours!

We started outside on the Dinosaur trail digging for fossils and such...Then we checked out some of the wildlife: black bears, lemurs, wolves and even dragon flies...We caught the wind and flew like a bird in the ornithopter...
And spent quite a bit of time in the Magic Wings butterfly house...
We took a lunch break in the cafe, where a couple of munchkins got a little silly...
But I got to snap pictures of my most favorite pairs of blue and hazel eyes...

Then we headed to the playground where Will did some running around and Eliza Grace worked on her steel drum skills...
Then we headed indoors for all the other exhibits, where I apparently decided I was done taking pictures.

We are all looking forward to heading there again later this fall. And next time we will let Scott come too!

The Times, They Are A-Changin'

The winds of change are starting to blow - thankfully not at tornadic speeds.

About 6 months ago, I wrote a couple very angst ridden posts dealing with the lack of balance in my life and the need for clarity. Thankfully, I have a couple of great friends and an exasperated, but supportive husband, to help me work through my sadness, anger, confusion, frustrations and fears.

But, like most things with which we humans struggle, it was acknowledging the problem that was the biggest step towards getting off my tush and doing something about it.

The biggest hurdle for me has been my job. Suffice it to say that the past year has been difficult and the stress and the hours have been ridiculous. Sure, parts of it have been ok and I have learned so much, but I knew that I needed to find something else as fast as I could or face a full-blown melt down that I was just barely keeping in check.

So, a bright ray of sunshine appeared in the form of a new position that sounds like (fingers crossed) it is the right one for me. I am hoping and praying that this opportunity will help me re-energize and re-focus in many areas of my life.

We all go through seasons, life's ups and downs, good times and bad. And I, for one, am ready to begin a new and positive season in my life.

My first....

...post of 2009. What shall I write?

I could do the typical rehash of 2008. The
look what we did, survived, enjoyed review.

Or I could do the look forward to 2009 with
thoughts on resolutions, predictions and desires for the year to come.

I could wax poetically about life and all of its
challenges, rewards, expectations and realities.

But I think I will just say that it is another sunny day in North Carolina, all the Christmas stuff is put away,
Scott has a pork butt on the smoker, the kids are playing quietly together and I am still in my jammies.

All in all a really good start to the new year!