Camp Tekoa

The same weekend we celebrated Don's parents big 50th anniversary, we joined Donna, Matt and kids for an adventure to Camp Tekoa outside of Charlotte, NC. They go every year with their church and we joined them this year.
Team Tekoa...It reminded me a lot of the summer camp I used to attend when I was in Campfire Girls - Camp Mawavi, some superb childhood memories there. Just like then, we stayed in bunks in your very basic cabin, ate in the mess hall, took turns with camp duties, and participated in camp activities. It was a blast. We took more video on this trip than we have in a long time.

Only the kids and Matt were brave enough to go in the icy water...
They had special activities for kids.
Such as the blindfolded shoe game. We blindfolded them, stripped them of their shoes, threw them (the shoes and the kids) into a big pile and had them try to find their own. Hysterical. I was surprised at Grant - he charged right in. You can see Olivia in purple and Grant shoving the big kids aside in his search. Ben giving Grant a hand...Even more funny? The three-legged race.
Getting ready...Grant needed a partner and Ben, being a loving older cousin, took him on as a teammate.
Ben-Grant team, part 1...

Ben-Grant team, part 2...

They had a good run of it even if Grant did an early face plant and clung to the pole after the half way mark, clearly hoping it was the end. Towards the end of their run, Ben's competitive streak kept them in the game and he ended up nearly dragging Grant to the finish line even with just one shoe on. We couldn't stop laughing.

The activity highlight of the weekend... the ZIP LINES!

Nathan, Ben and Olivia were old pros at this (Olivia attended camp with them last year). I was shocked then that Olivia was so brave but even more shocked this year when Grant, all of age 3, stepped up to the plate.

And we aren't talking just any old zip line...this sucker is 60 feet off the ground, on a slightly shaky platform, run by a college student :)

Uncle Matt volunteered to help with every run that afternoon - all 50 or so of us that went.
Yes, it is that high up...A vote of confidence from Ben...Off they go... You will notice in every picture I took, Olivia's smile never faltered. I know mine did way up there before I leaped. Still smiling... I think cousin Nathan said it best: "Young kids don't have the sense to be afraid." So wise for a ten year old.It is a long way down...Olivia went by herself...Grant did not. He didn't want to and we wouldn't allow it of course.We have video clips of the 60 ft runs but they aren't as good as the other zip footage below.

Success!The other zip line is a mere 40ish ft off the ground and above water. And WAY more fun. It must have been at a greater angle because it was much faster. Olivia showing us how it is done...
This time Grant went alone. Getting prepped...I'm three but I'm brave...

No sweat! Cool as ice...Of course Matt, Donna, Don and I did it too.
Wheee... you will see Matt and Ben in the boat below trying to whack me like a pinata.

Me, post ride...At the end you slam into the stopper and great whisked back out over the water. The more you weigh, the bigger the slam and bounce. We feared Don would break it.

And in case you want an idea of how the ride goes, here is footage from rider vantage...


We finished the w'end with a talent show. And Ben, with more hutzpah than the rest of us put together, signed up with his dance act. It appears he was holding back on his talent though. After the performance he said if they had found a better song he would have REALLY rocked the house (not a quote, but something to that effect).
Ben, getting his groove on...


Great fun! I think this face sums it up...

Happy Golden Anniversary!

Joan & Don Behringer - 50 Years!

Thank you for being an inspiration to all of us!

To me, fair friend, you never can be old,
For as you were when first your eye I eyed,
Such seems your beauty still.
- William Shakespeare




Love at first sight is easy to understand; it's when two people have been looking at each other for a lifetime that it becomes a miracle.
- Amy Bloom


Love seems the swiftest, but it is the slowest of all growths. No man or woman really knows what perfect love is until they have been married a half of a century.
- adapted from Mark Twain

We are so glad we got to celebrate with you...

Future Biker

Grant hit the streets for the first time on his bike and training wheels. He loved it and in just one day is nearly ready to have those trainers off!! Wish we could say the same about Olivia. As fearless as she is, the bike has her number.Thanks Cousin Ben for the rad bike...

Opening Gator Game: Florida vs. Hawaii

Thanks to Jon's tickets and some bargaining on the street, we went to the opening Gator game. Hawaii isn't so great this year so it wasn't much of a game, but it's also nice to be on a lopsided win now and again... we don't lose our voices that way. Photo/Video credits: Scott Park

On the way... Jen, me, Dara...Tailgating with friends...even in the rain...Reliving old days...The Swamp...Tebow in action...Can you see us? It was "White Out" cancer day so everyone was asked to wear white.Storm rolling in. It was so bloody hot that we were hoping to be dumped on. Instead, the clouds just hovered providing nice shade with no rain.One of the most photographed spots on UF campus...Cam Newton has now taken on Tebow's old role of being called in to run the ball in. They celebrate together at the end....

Labor Day 2008

Boy am I behind...

This year's celebration of all of our hard work was happily spent with our great friends Scott/Dara Park and Jon/Jen Lewis, and of course the Lewis girlz, and of course, Mike.

Dara celebrated the most by actually laboring on labor day...Girly fun with Sammy and Ellie...Baby fun with Alexandra...Cookout at the pool...Enjoying the spread... Don's smoked chicken was good but Veronica's spring rolls stole the show!Scott + Dara = Kid Magnets...Olivia and Chance...Since Scott and Dara live soooo far away in SC, we lingered in our goodbyes and visited Morningside Nature Center before they headed out of town...Penny the adorable cow...

Toads, Toads, and MORE Toads

On Saturday, to avoid being complete college football watching slugs, we took a walk through the woods to a park near our house. The kids brought their bug bags - we gave one to Olivia for her birthday and Uncle Jim/Aunt Terri gave Grant the exact same one this summer. They get a LOT of use. Olivia quickly scooped up a grasshopper. A short distance into the woods I saw a tiny toad hop in front of me so I bent down to get a better look. It was then that I noticed I wasn't alone and I was extremely outnumbered. There were hundreds of toads around me. And thousands more along the path to the park. They were EVERYWHERE. Wish I had my camera with me. I don't even want to guess how many we unknowingly squashed along the way.

Their loot...Skull and scales too... We also came across a dried up, picked-clean armadillo. Grant is holding its pelvis bone above and Olivia wanted to keep some of the bony armor plates that cover the outside of the armadillo's body (below).How cute...Hop, be free!

A Dirty Day

We spent the day doing yard work and organizing the garage. We can fit both cars in - YAY!The kids spent the day playing in the yard and while trying to document their filth, I discovered that Grant has entered that stage in a boy's life where he must make a goofy face in every picture. That of course led to a few more...A swingin' good time...