Vacation
Travel & Vacation: Amazing Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Brina ready to head out on the Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom
The fast passes were gone for the Kilimanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom before we decided which day we would be going to the park which is a sign that this is a popular activity. We waited in line for about an hour to go on the safari, but it was very worth it. This is the longest we had to wait for any activity while at Animal Kingdom. During this safari we were able to see real animals in their natural habitats during the expedition through the Safari.
We got to ride out to the safari where many animals were living in the wild. We went through mud, standing water, on “shaky” bridges, and more while seeing animals at every turn. Many of these animals I would not want to meet out in the jungle, however, the animals in this jungle looked well fed, peaceful, and relaxed. It was a wonderful experience. The kids LOVED this and rated the Safari as one of their favorite activities while at Animal Kingdom. If you are ever at Animal Kingdom don’t miss this activity if you like seeing a lot of wild animals fairly close!
Karlie on the lookout for animals!
An okapi which is half zebra and half giraffe!
Hippo sunning itself on the bank by the water.
A group of hippo hanging out in the water.
Beautiful scenery!
That’s a lot of alligators in one spot!
Thankfully that big guy is heading that direction and not our way!
Life is rough!
Very tall termite mound! Surprised at how many of these were around in a variety of different sizes and shapes.
Giraffes nibbling on the tree!
Grazing!
Friendly elephant!
The elephants were covering themselves with mud to keep from getting sunburned.
A cluster of elephants rooming around.
The upside down tree (looks like the roots are growing out of the top).
Pink flamingos hanging out around the water.
Rhinos munching on hay!
Had to stop our drive through the grasslands when a rhino decided to cross the road in front of us.
Meandering along!
A gathering of rhinos helping themselves to some delicious rhino snacks.
Cheetah napping in the shade.
Lion sleeping in the cool rocks.
Zebras munching on the grass.
Warthogs resting
Ostrich eggs?
Zebras were pretty!
The animals were so peaceful!
Relaxing!
Travel & Vacation: Kids Wilderness Explorers Program at Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Learning about the Wilderness Explorers program!
While at Animal Kingdom the girls participated in their Wilderness Explorers program. It was a great having a chance to stop at the various stations throughout Animal Kingdom, get a sticker, and learn about a variety of educational animal topics. They quickly figured out that they just needed to look out for workers wearing the Wilderness Explorer uniforms (brown, tan, and orange). They wore the orange bags with stickers. In order to get their sticker for that activity they had to participate in an activity and / or listen to a presentation.
It was fun and educational. The only thing that we had problem we had was occasionally with missed a sticker because we couldn’t find the worker. This is a wonderful program especially for kids who can read or enjoy learning about various animal educational items. You can get a Wilderness Explorer book, your first sticker, an explanation, and a Wilderness cheer.
Looking through their Wilderness Explorer books to check where we need to go next.
Learning about a variety of animal sounds!
Standing in front of the Tree of Life looking through their Wilderness Explorer packets!
Travel & Vacation: Welcome to Disney’s Animal Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
A day at Animal Kingdom with these two chickies!
The girls and I went to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, FL recently while Jake was at a conference! They were very excited to check out all the animals in the park. We packed in a full day at Animal Kingdom. We arrived early and were one of the last few to leave at closing. The crazy thing is we still didn’t get to everything we wanted to do, but we definitely did a lot. It was a great day with my girls. Both girls LOVED it, but Animal Kingdom was probably Brina’s favorite place to visit (which isn’t a big surprise for those who know her).
Pretty bird….was the first comment I heard from the girls as we entered the park.
A pair of beautiful birds perched on the branch.
Having a blast!
A Wallaby eating its morning treat. At first we thought it was a kangaroo until further investigation. Must be in the same family though because there are similarities.
Karlie and Brina in front of a gorgeous waterfall in Animal Kingdom.
Starting to get more crowded. The tree in back is the “Tree of Life” and has over 300 animal figured carved into it. Very fascinating to see up close.
Hanging out in line. They were troopers even in the longer lines. We took the time to get something to eat and drink whenever we spent a decent amount of time standing in lines. Thankfully, it wasn’t the busiest season so at Animal Kingdom the longest line we waited in was the Kilimanjaro Safari for an hour in the Africa section which was well worth the wait (I will be sharing more about that safari in a later post).
Big black fish swimming right beside us.
Going through the waterfall as we head into the Tree of Life for the “It’s Tough Being a Bug” Show!
Bug Eyes!!! They are ready for the show! Such a great show and one of their favorites for the day. Wish we had time to do it again!
Africa was one of their favorite places to visit while in Animal Kingdom. It had great music, the Kilimanjaro Safari tour, Lion King, and more fun activities to do.
Musical entertainment shortly after entering the gates into the Africa section. They had people playing on and off all day. Fun upbeat music.
Karlie trying out her musical talent!
Brina going all out!
Swinging around on their jungle gym!
Another one taking a rest!
Rodrigues Fruit Bats hanging around at Animal Kingdom. Wonder what they eat….if you guessed fruit you are correct. All the ones in the section we visited were male. Did you know that their bat wings are made out of similar material that our eyelids are made out of? They were fascinating to watch!
Beautiful tiger lounging peaceful and keeping a watchful eye on the visitors.
This tiger was literally on the other side of the glass from us. It’s fur looked so soft, not sure it would have been a good idea to pet the big cat though!
Deer enjoying a rest in the shade.
Love the colors on this feathered friend.
Mesmerized by all the activity above them!
So much fun. They were on the go and soaking all the cool animal sights in throughout the day.
Mount Everest at Animal Kingdom. The mountain is the host for the Expedition Everest roller coaster. We all agreed that it was probably a little more than we wanted to do, but it was super cool to watch!
They had a blast! Waiting for the bus to take us back to the resort. Thankful for an chance to spend the day with the kids at Animal Kingdom and all the fun memories as well as activities we did that day!
Travel & Vacation: Downtown Disney (Orlando, FL)
Walt Disney World – Where Dreams Come True! We made it!
Recently our family had the opportunity to go to Orlando, FL. Jake had a work conference and the girls and I tagged along. He spent the majority of the week working, but was able to join us at the end for some fun family time together. We got up at 3 am on Monday morning and made the drive to Orlando. The kids slept the first few hours and entertained themselves the remaining distance with books, games, a movie, and more. Thankful for kids who travel well. They love going on road trips.
We made good time on our way down to Florida so we decided to stop for a little bit and stretch our legs at Downtown Disney. We still had a some time before we could check into our hotel and Jake heading off to the conference. It was a beautiful sunny day and Downtown Disney wasn’t too busy. There was some construction going on at Downtown Disney and from what we hear it will soon no longer be called Downtown Disney, but rather Disney Springs.
Mickey Mouse! Made out of greenery!
The Lego store Downtown Disney had some amazing lego displays. This dragon breathing fire on the knight was in front of their store. It was massive!
Jake and the girls standing next to another lego display!
This dragon was actually partly in the water! Very neat!
Snow White and the 7 dwarfs working around the mine.
Outside of the T-REX Restaurant
Inside the T-Rex Restaurant and gift shop!
This was a ride you could go on in Downtown Disney. It looked like fun, but we were not there long enough to investigate it further.
Hotel with a flower Mickey Mouse across the water from Downtown Disney.
Look out for that alligator! It actually comes out closer to you and opens it’s mouth much to the fascination of the kids.
The girls always love the fish tanks inside the Rainforest Cafe. They also have a neat gift shop just watch out for the python (I have learned to look out for this creature from a past encounter)!
On the outside of the Rainforest Cafe is a volume. The volcano erupted as we were walking by. Very cool to watch. The random explosions probably lasted about 5 minutes. The kids loved it!
Learning more about this pretty white bird.
Frozen! Thankfully, it was a warm sunny day for us!
Karlie and Brina near the Disney Christmas shop!
Having fun in Downtown Disney!
Three shirts with familiar faces on them!
Had to sit on the bench next to Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet!
Once Upon A Toy was a neat shop. The girls brought their spending money and looked around this store a couple times during the week we were there. The Disney items are really neat, but for their budget were a little pricey. They ended up coming home with most of their money because they wanted to shop around for better prices instead of spending it all in one place. Glad to see them choosing to wait on some items.
Walking through Downtown Disney with Daddy!
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week our family had the privilege to go to Orlando, Florida with Jake. He had a work conference and the girls and I got to spend some time exploring the area. We found a lot of great activities to keep us busy while Jake was working. Once Jake’s conference was over he was able to spend the rest of the week with us. We had a blast going to the Disney parks and doing other fun activities while in Orlando. The week went by really quickly and we packed a lot into the week. We created a lot of great memories during our stay. Now that we are back into the normal work and school schedule we have a lot to get done around home. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Finish reading Rascal by Sterling North to the kids – last week we didn’t read much with all the other activities going on in Florida
Plan one special activity with the family– we went to Orlando and explored some of the Disney parks, the kids loved it!Play a Game with the KidsPrepare for Upcoming Winter & Spring Events (Spring is just around the corner)- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure – our Orlando adventure went really well, was a hit, and we created some family memories
Spend Extra Time with the Family– spent time together in Orlando and Jake joined us after his conference ended
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each day– drink a lot as it was up to 90 plus degrees a couple days we were in FL- Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – my phone was burning through the battery so I didn’t listen during last week, but was already caught up before leaving on the trip thankfully
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week– the kids and I made and ate our dinners at the hotel while Jake was at the conference and he joined after the conference had ended. The hotpot worked really well for easy prep items.Clean House (Focus – Basic House Clean Up)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts – some ideas were bouncing around, but for the most part I enjoyed my time with the kids
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention – some items got pushed back but hoping to get back up to speed this week
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
Pay Bills & File Paperwork
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Rascal by Sterling North to the kids
- Plan one special activity with the family
- Play a Game with the Kids
- Prepare for Upcoming Spring Events
- Spend time Monday – Friday helping the kids with Homework
- Attend After School Activities
- Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night before
- Prep for upcoming Family Adventure
- Get the kids caught back up with Homework from missing school last week while in Florida
- Prep for upcoming State STEM Competition
- Prep for upcoming Spring Break
- Take kids to Eye Dr and Dentist for regular Cleaning
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week
- Use up food items in our pantry and freezer
- Clean House (Focus – Extra Laundry Done from Traveling)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – Unpack All Suitcases and Put Items Away from Florida Trip)
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Clean Out the Van from the Florida Trip)
- Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Hay for the Goats)
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
- Respond to Inquiry – Business Relation Emails
- Keep up with the day to day items that need my attention
- Work completed for clients
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car
- Payoff Medical Bills
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt)
- Pay Bills & File Paperwork
- Go grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.
Josh & Megan’s Wedding Reception (New Harmony, IN)
Josh and Megan at the reception in New Harmony, IN
After the wedding we headed over to New Harmony, Indiana to celebrate more at the reception. As the bridal party was getting some outside pictures taking the wedding guests made their way to the reception hall. They had a photo booth, kids coloring station, and other fun things to do as we waited for the bride, groom, and wedding party to wrap up the last few pictures. The food and cake at the reception was delicious!
Reception table sign! Neat idea!
All the adult guests got a jar of jam made by Megan (YUM) and the kids got crayons – super fun!
Mouth full of cake! They were nice and didn’t make a big mess during this exchanging of cake tradition!
Our family with the good looking groom and lovely bride at the reception. Thankful that we were able to be a part of their special day!
The kids chatting around the coloring table!
Busy kiddos coloring their pictures! Great idea having a kids coloring table at the reception!
Brina and my adorable nephew Nicko coloring!
Time for some sparkler fun to send off the happy couple!
There they go! Congratulations! Hope you have a fun and relaxing honeymoon!
Watching the rest of the sparkler burn down.
Important sparkler lesson learned via Karlie…once the sparklers are done, the wire is still very hot. After the reception clean up we headed to Walgreens for some burn ointment this picture was a couple days later after it started healing. Poor kiddo, glad it wasn’t any worse. Although she will probably be more careful the next time around sparklers!
A quick picture at the photo booth after a busy day of wedding celebrations.
You can see they are getting tired, but they were troopers through all the activities. They were a big help with cleaning up after the wedding and reception too!
The “Hendrich” banner behind the bride and groom!
Rehearsal Dinner Decorating & Rehearsal Event (Mt Vernon, IN)
Josh and Megan’s table at the Rehearsal Dinner
Thankfully my Mom and Dad had all the prep work done prior to the rehearsal dinner. All we had to do on Thursday evening is help set up and put out all the decorations. With the help of family and friends it didn’t take long and it turned out well. Glad we were able to celebrate with Josh and Megan on their special weekend. The “Congratulations” sign was made out of corrugated tin and looked pretty cool hanging above their table.
A big “H” for Hayes, nope not this time it is for “Hendrich”!
One of Josh’s old toy combines on the table full of freshly cut corn. Made the perfect table decorations plus the kids loved having toys to play with at the rehearsal dinner!
The table decorations were perfect for Josh and Megan’s rehearsal dinner!
My Mom put together these beautiful vases of Sunflowers, Roses, Wheat, Milo, and Baby’s Breath! They were bright and gorgeous!
Great Grandpa CE playing a game with the girls. I never had a chance to play but it was set up on a huge table and had several balls involved. They seemed to enjoy it!
Great scripture quote hanging on the wall for the rehearsal dinner – “And the greatest of these is LOVE!” Corinthians 13:13
The mason jar bases of the flower and crop arrangements were filled with fresh corn, brilliant idea!
Josh’s John Deere cap
It turned out well, now just waiting for the rehearsal practice to finish so we can have the rehearsal “party”!
Rehearsal practice!
Rehearsal went smoothly now to party!
The highlight of the rehearsal dinner for the girls was the roasted pig! They were FASCINATED!!! It was delicious too!
Table full of fun kids!
Megan and Josh handing out bridal party and parent gifts!
Karlie was super excited the caterer let her have the apple straight from the pig’s mouth! Crunchy…Munchy!
Hanging out with my girls!
Jake and his girls! Thankful for my family and the opportunity to celebrate with my brother and his new wife (AKA my new sister! Yay!)
Pre-Wedding Activites – Family Fun, Bridal Brunch, & Reception Decorating (Evansville & New Harmony, IN)
Wedding Welcome Basket!
We arrived for the super fun Wedding Celebrations! When we arrived at the hotel for my brother Josh’s wedding there was an amazing Welcome Basket waiting for us. My Mom put together the welcome baskets complete with a sweet letter, schedule of events, maps with directions, drinks, snacks, games, post it notes, gum, kleenexs, and more great items!
Since we arrived the afternoon before all the official wedding festivities began we got in on helping set up, prep, decorate, and enjoy some time with family. All of us were staying at the same hotel in Evansville, Indiana, so almost any time you were on the elevator or lobby area you could almost be certain to run into someone you know. It was a lot of fun spending time with extended family and friends. We super excited to be celebrating Josh and Megan’s big day!
Swimming in the indoor hotel pool, a hit with the kids!
Brina and Karlie hanging out on Grandma Penny’s lap and chatting away!
I am sure Pastor Jim is getting an ear full from the girls….who knows what they are talking about! Thankful for my parents and brothers Pastor and his family pitching in to help with various set up, decorating, clean up and so much more over the wedding weekend. They were a huge help!
Karlie hanging out with Great Grandma Willa! Thankful that Grandpa CE and Grandma Willa were able to join in all the wedding fun, it was wonderful spending extra time with them.
Brina and Nathan….waiting patiently!
Karlie sharing a fascinating story to Grandpa CE
Amber and Grandma Willa
Heading into the Bridal Brunch for Megan. Great Grandma Willa and Karlie talking on the way up the walk!
Bridal Brunch at the Red Geranium Restaurant in New Harmony, Indiana! They had delicious food on the Bridal Menu – Chicken Salad Croissant, Red Geranium Club Sandwich, Soup & Salad!
Brina hanging out at the Bridal Lunch!
Karlie sitting next to me at the Bridal Brunch!
Megan and Mom at the Bridal Brunch
Megan with the Moms! Teresa Petty (Megan’s Mom), Megan, and my Mom Penny Hendrich
Grandma Willa and Mom helping fluff flowers for reception decorations for Josh & Megan. The flowers went on the photo booth, cute idea!
Josh and Megan’s “photo booth” for the guest to use at the wedding. Our crew did the flower fluffing and decorating of this booth, it turned out really well!
Travel & Vacation: Adventure Science Center (Nashville, TN)
During our recent visit to Nashville we went to the Adventure Science Center. The kids LOVED it! It was a lot of fun hanging out, playing, and learning with the kids for several hours. We were there when it opened that morning and left when it was closing 7 hours later, I would say it was a hit with the kids! Even better is our whole family got in free (WOOHOO) because we are members of our local Roper Mountain Science Center in Greenville and the museums are part of the same affiliation.
Brina and Karlie discovered that they CAN lift a car off the ground, using the right tools!
Activity that simulates walking on the moon, they had a blast!
Karlie especially liked the Space Chase room. Standing near her favorite planet….Saturn!
The space room was two stories high, this is looking up from the ground level. Pretty neat!
Chatting with Brina, the old fashion way!
Brave Karlie putting her hand into the mouth of a fish and pulling it out of the log.
The water table was a popular spot for the kids!
Brina checking things out!
Karlie using the wind from the Jungle Gym to blow the sails on the sailboat!
Karlie in the bubble under the dinosaur as Brina points out that the dinosaur is moving.
Karlie generating energy on the bicycle! Pedal faster!
Parachute race! Whose going to win! You raise the parachutes on the pulley system, when it clicks they release and see who lands first!
Locating our house!
Found Grandpa and Grandma’s house too!
Exploring particles and magnets….
Feeding the giant mouth!
Trying to master the digestive track maze!
At the top of the 3 story jungle gym you can look out over downtown Nashville. Great view!
Jake and the girls waiting for me to come down from the top. They obviously move faster, ha! Fun times with the family.
It’s probably been awhile since Jake’s been on a 3 story jungle gym. He was a good sport and allow the girls to “show him around!”
This was a laser game that we played several times. The good activities compete against the germs / sickness to see who will win.
Jake playing checkers with Karlie.
Brina maneuvering the wheelchair around the ramps and basketball court. Takes some skill getting around places in a wheelchair.
Travel & Vacation: Nashville – Parthenon Park
Our family was able to spend a couple days in Nashville, Tennessee recently. We had a little bit of time to burn before heading to our next adventure so we stopped at one of the parks near our hotel. The contained a full-scale replica of the Athenian Parthenon. It was massive! The re-creation was built in 1897 for Tennessee’s Centennial Exposition. The Parthenon represents classical architecture. It was pretty neat seeing it!
Sitting near the statue with the Parthenon replica in the background!
If you look closely you can see two people on the steps of the Parthenon (that is Brina and Karlie). They look tiny!
The side of the Parthenon. Can you see us?!
Hanging out on the steps. We look so small!
This statue near the Parthenon is of John W. Thomas. John Thomas was a native of Nashville and was the President of the Nashville Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway for many years.
The outside of the Parthenon replica in Nashville, TN
Venting some energy out on the play ground for a few minutes!
