Amazing Race - Easter Style!

Good Monday morning!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Ours went pretty much according to plan... so we had a good bit of family time, as well as some down time. This may be our last "non-busy" weekend for a while. With Austin's Band Banquet, Prom, band trip to Virginia Beach and graduation looming in the near future, we have a lot of things to do and places to go. Add to that Easter, a little Family City Adventure to Nashville, Roxie's dance recital, Josh's guitar concert and the obligatory Botanical Gardens visit to take pictures, and we have ourselves a lot of busy weekends coming up! Yes, this was definitely our last "non-busy" weekend... and yes, we definitely enjoyed it very much. (And we'll enjoy the busy ones, too. I can't even imagine how many pictures will need to be taken in the next eight weeks... and if you've known me five minutes you know I am REALLY, REALLY excited about that aspect of April and May!)

My Showcase Pic this week is my nephew Brad when he was a little guy. As is evident by the pictures of my kids and Bev's kids, her children are all brunette with dark complexions. Mine have auburn hair with fair complexions. Just like me and Beverly... total opposites.

The Gallery Pics this week are from my nephew's birthday. Brad is officially 17... and loving it! He is a handsome, sweet guy, and he has been a wonderful nephew. (I'm having trouble getting him to call me "Belinda, the Great." It must be something you have to start when they are very young... like my great-nephew, Matthew!) Also, since I am talking about 100 Things To Do Before 90 (see below), I'm going to put a picture of a couple of the things I've accomplished thus far. (Today... Me and Mikie celebrating our 20th anniversary in Charleston, South Carolina. That's right, folks. My favorite thing... a two-fer!)

100 Things To Do Before 90

Mike says this is my "Bucket List," but I disagree. One, I didn't see the movie (starring Jack Nicholson) about two friends dying and doing a bunch of different things before they "kicked the bucket." Two, since the women in my family live well into their 100s, I do not consider it a "Bucket List" at all. It's just another "To Do" list as far as I'm concerned.

I know a lot of people have lists of things they want to do, see or accomplish before certain ages. I'm working on a scrapbook of 100 things I want to do, see or accomplish before the age of 90. I started when I was 45 (which would have given me 45 years to complete the list). I was a little amazed at how fast the last 2.5 years flew by... and how little I marked off my list. Amazed and very nervous. I'm going to have to pick it up a little. (Also, I should have started this list when I was 20!)

So far, I've marked off the following:

1. Celebrate 20th anniversary
2. Visit Charleston, South Carolina
3. Become a tubing expert (And I am an expert, too. Just because I don't like going 100 mph doesn't mean I CAN'T go 100 mph. It's just a personal preference!)
4. Visit Amelia Island
5. Start a Blog (And an excellent blog it is!)
6. Meet ten famous people (You have seen my list beginning with the March 11, 2009 post. I'm a little short!)

See... That is pitiful. If I only do five or six things every two and a half years, it doesn't take a genius to figure out I'm not going to make it! Well, you don't have to be a genius, but you do have to have a calculator. (I'll only have 90 things marked off by the time I'm 90... and I'm thinking between 90 and 100, I'm going to mainly be concentrating on breathing and not marking off the last ten things on my list!)

So, just for fun, I'm going to share a few things every day this week from my list. There may be someone out there who could actually help me obtain some of my goals. I'm not too proud to ask for HELP!

Today I'm going to list seven things I consider "active" things I want to accomplish. Translation -- I need to do these as soon as physically possible.

1. Snow ski in Colorado or Utah
2. Go snow tubing
3. Ride horses on the beach
4. Swim with dolphins
5. Ice skate at Rockefeller Center under the Christmas tree
6. Parasail
7. Zip line

Now before you say anything, I have snow skied in West Virginia and it was a fiasco (see previous posts beginning February 2, 2009). However, I hear the snow is different in Colorado and Utah. I want to see for myself. AND if skiing is still not my thing, I will snow tube there. (I assume since I am an expert water tuber, I will also be quite adept at snow tubing. For anyone who has snow tubed before, you can let me know if that assumption is correct or not.)

I have also ridden horses on occasion, but always on mountain trails. I just think it would be so romantic and pretty to ride them on the beach at sunset. (Someone will need to be there to take flattering pictures of me as I ride toward them. And I will need to have much longer hair... and it will need to be blonde. Anyway, that's the way I imagine it.)

When I was younger, I wanted to be a marine biologist. Then I saw JAWS. But I still dream of swimming with dolphins. And I mean swim... none of that "pet their nose" stuff. I want to hold their fin and go all over the place.

I have also ice skated. While I prefer roller skating (it doesn't hurt as much when you fall), I want to experience the whole skating under the giant Christmas tree with snowflakes gently falling on me thing. (Again, someone will need to be there to take flattering pictures of me before I fall and blood is involved.)

Parasailing and zip lining need to be done sooner than later for obvious reasons. Anything that entails putting a harness around your rear end in front of other people doesn't need to wait. Especially when (in theory) that particular part of your body gets bigger every year from 45 on! (No one needs to be around photographing those events. I'll just have to remember them by myself!) I also want to parasail and zip line fairly "low," if you know what I mean. I think I can enjoy the experience just as well ten feet off the ground or ocean as 100 feet off the ground or ocean.

I'll share a few more tomorrow and the next day. Like I said earlier, if you have a zip line in your backyard or know of local dolphins I could swim with... just let me know!

Amazing Race - Easter Style!

This falls under "transition traditions" for teenagers who used to hunt Easter eggs in your family. If your family set aside a day for traditional egg hunts, this is something new and fun to try with the now older kids in your family.

Since I have this planned for the Friday before Easter, I will give you my outline and the Monday after Easter I will tell you if it was successful... or not.

1. We are going to the Galleria after school on Friday. (My three children - ages 18, 15 and 12 and my sister's three children - ages 17, 15 and 11.)

2. The three oldest (Austin, Brad and Josh) will be on a team by themselves. Katie, Roxie and Zac will be on a team with their Aunt Bev.

3. The clues will be on a piece of paper I will have in a large manila envelope. There are two places in the Race where they will receive envelopes from other people in the mall.

The following is a copy of the instructions, clues and envelopes:

Each team will have the following when the race begins... 1 manila envelope; 1 instruction sheet; 1 pen; 1 digital camera. When the race ends, each team should have all of the above, but also two envelopes (one from Auntie Annie's Pretzels and one from their Grandmother), and a signed Easter card for their Grandmother.

Each team will start together in the same place. I will hand a large manila envelope to each team. Of the eight clues I am about to show you, Team One will be racing in order (1 - 7), and Team Two will be racing backward (7 - 1). They will not know the difference. They have the same clues, just in a different order so they won't arrive at the same destinations at the same time. This is what the sheet of paper will say when they open their manila envelope.

WELCOME TO THE AMAZING RACE - EASTER STYLE!

YOU MUST COMPLETE EACH TASK IN ORDER. NO RUNNING IS ALLOWED. THE FIRST TEAM TO REACH THE PIT STOP OF THE RACE WILL BE DECLARED THE WINNER... HOWEVER, YOU MUST HAVE ALL THE ENVELOPES YOU HAVE COLLECTED WITH YOU WHEN YOU CHECK IN OR YOU WILL SUFFER A FIVE MINUTE TIME PENALTY.

YOU WILL HAVE $15 FOR THIS LEG OF THE RACE. COUNT YOUR MONEY, AND BEGIN!

1. Find the elevators in the middle of the Food Court. Ride up to the 2nd floor and back down again a total of three times. You should exit on the 1st floor. NOTE: YOU HAVE TO GO TO THE SECOND FLOOR THREE TIMES BEFORE YOU GET OFF THE ELEVATOR ON THE 1ST FLOOR.

2. Now make your way to the Book Store in the mall. Find an Easter book. Take one member's picture with the book.

3. Go to where children are having their picture made with the Easter Bunny. Take one member's picture with the Easter Bunny behind them. NOTE: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO WAIT IN LINE AND HAVE YOUR PICTURE MADE WITH THE EASTER BUNNY. HE JUST HAS TO BE IN THE BACKGROUND OF YOUR PICTURE.

4. Go to Auntie Annie's Pretzel stand. Order one order of cinnamon pretzel sticks with one cup of icing and one large Coke. Don't forget napkins and three straws. Ask the clerk for your next clue after you place your order. (THE PERSON BEHIND THE COUNTER WILL HAND THEM AN ENVELOPE WHEN THEY ASK. THE ENVELOPE HAS TO BE OPENED, AND IT WILL TELL THEM TO GO TO THE FOOD COURT AND FIND THEIR GRANDMOTHER WHO IS SITTING AT ONE OF THE TABLES. THEY ARE TO SIT DOWN AND EAT THEIR PRETZEL STICKS, DRINK THEIR COKE, AND THEIR GRANDMOTHER WILL HAND THEM THEIR NEXT ENVELOPE WHEN THEY FINISH.)

THE ENVELOPE HANDED TO THEM BY THEIR GRANDMOTHER WILL TELL THEM TO GO TO THE CAROUSEL. ONE PERSON HAS TO RIDE THE CAROUSEL... OR THEY CAN DO THE ROADBLOCK.

ROADBLOCK - IF ONE PERSON IS NOT WILLING TO RIDE THE CAROUSEL, THEN THE GROUP HAS TO STAND BESIDE THE ENTRANCE TO THE CAROUSEL AND WAIT UNTIL IT MAKES TWO COMPLETE RIDES. (NOW THEY LOOK BACK AT THEIR SHEET OF PAPER.)

5. Find the Gourmet Bubble Gum machines in the mall. Each person on the team must find and buy their favorite flavor. Before you move on to the next clue, EACH person must blow a bubble with their bubble gum.

6. Go to BumperNets. EACH person must play one game before moving to the next clue. It can be air hockey, pinball, pool, etc. You do not have a lot of time. REMEMBER... PLAY ONLY ONE GAME PER PERSON. (It is acceptable for air hockey to count for two members of the team. The third member of the team would need to play another game. The games can all be played at the same time.)

7. Go to the Hallmark Store and pick out an Easter card for Grandmother. Watch your money. (BE CHEAP!!!) Purchase the card. ALL three team members must sign the card with the pen in the manila envelope. Seal the card and put it in the manila envelope to give to Grandmother at the end of the race.

8. Make your way to the entrance of J. C. Penney's and look for Grandmother. This is the Pit Stop of this leg of the race. Remember, the last team to arrive may be eliminated.

Now remember, this is Team One's list. Team Two's list will begin as follows and go from 7 to 1.

1. Go to the Hallmark store and pick out an Easter card for Grandmother. Etc., etc., etc.

Each Team's number 8 on the list will be the same.

I will arrive at the Galleria early to talk to the clerk at Auntie Annie's Pretzels, and leave the envelopes.

I hope I've made it clear. If you have any questions, just contact me in the comment section or e-mail me, and I'll try to clear up any confusion.

I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and I think even the teenage boys are going to get a kick out of it. Again, if I'm wrong, I will admit it and we'll move on to something else. (I have been wrong before, you know... I put that in there for Mikie's benefit!)

Have a fantastic Monday. Tune in tomorrow for an Easter recipe (that is also a tradition). Great (and easy) for families with young children. I will also have a few more things from my 100 Things To Do Before 90 list. I know you don't want to miss that!

Talk to you tomorrow!