Events
30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival Promo Code
The weather is warming up and there are a lot of fun activities happening all around. If you will be in the Georgia area any time between April 18th to June 7, 2015 you may want to check out the 30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival. I have also included a promotional code for you to use for additional savings!
30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival Details:
Every weekend and Memorial Day, starting April 18 thru June 7, 2015 The 30th Annual Georgia Renaissance Festival is a family-friendly event, and a different kind of theme park. Inside this 32-acre recreation of a 16th Century English Village you’ll find hundreds of costumed characters, the Queen and her Court, endless circus-style entertainment on 10 stages, shopping in over 130 artisan shoppes, food fit for Royalty, games and rides for kids of all ages, and the spectacular Jousting Knights on horseback. Patrons are invited to wear costumes and join in the fun too. It’s a whole lotta’ fun, and a little bit of History, every weekend and Memorial Day, April 18 thru June 7, 2015.
Georgia Renaissance Festival Promo Code Discount:
- Get $4 off Adult and $3 off Child (6-12) tickets! Use Promo Code: “castle” when purchasing discount tickets on our secure website at www.garenfest.com. Tickets are good any day of the 2015 Season (Weekends and Memorial Day Apr 18-June 7). Online discount only. Not good with any other offers.
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
We had a blast last week with the girls out on Spring Break. It was nice having them home for the first half of the week. We did errands, played, read, went to the zoo, and so much more. At the end of the week Jake took off Good Friday and we went to Atlanta for a couple of days to explore. I was not able to get everything done last week, but made some progress. Thankful for fun with the family and great memories. Hoping that I will be able to make a lot of progress this week. Here are my goals for this week:
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
Finish reading Rascal by Sterling North to the kidsPlan 3 special activities with the family– we went to the zoo, a couple of Museums, and more fun!Play Games with the Kids– we played a lot of fun board and card games over the weekPrepare for Upcoming Spring EventsPrep for upcoming Family Adventure– went to Atlanta togetherStart prepping for the kids Science Fair Projects– startedEnjoy extra time with the kids on Spring Break– had a blast with the kids and hanging out in Atlanta for a few days
Celebrate Easter with the familySpend time working on projects with kidsFocus on quality family timeUpcoming STEM EventPlay with the kidsGo for a bike ride, walk in the woods, and relaxTake time to really listen to the kids and what they are thinking / doing, etc…
Personal Goals
Drink 8 glasses of water each day- Continue my YouVersion plan(s) – I got behind on this with my phone not working well and the kids home on Spring Break
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals (Walk 10,000 steps / 5 miles / 10 sets stairs per day) – blew it away on my stairs, but was a little short on my miles and steps
Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week- Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily – forgot to update a couple days
Home (Yard & Pets) Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day – with traveling my laundry schedule was off
Weekly Dinner Menu planned out for the week- Clean House (Focus – Deep Cleaning on all 3 Bathrooms) – got to 2 of the 3
- Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from FL and STEM trips) – working on it
Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Vacuum Van)Pet Care (Focus – Pick Up Mineral Bucket for the Goats)
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsRespond to Inquiry – Business Relation EmailsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention- Work completed for clients – put on hold for the Spring Break
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- Payoff the Car – working on it
- Payoff Medical Bills – working on it
- Payoff Other Outstanding Debt – (replacement microwave, refrigerator, hot water heater, bed, and other debt) – working on it
Pay Bills & File PaperworkGo grocery shopping one time to one store this week and stay within budget
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Finish reading Samantha’s Pride (Thoroughbred Series #7) by Joanna Campbell 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
- Work on the kids Science Fair Projects
- Prep for upcoming Summer Break
Personal Goals
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue my YouVersion plan(s)
- Keep up with my FitBit Goals
- Go to my Doctor Appointments Scheduled this week
- Update Counting My Blessings and Other journal entries daily
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
- Clean House (Focus – Unpack Suitcase and Items Away from Atlanta Trip this weekend)
- Organize Chaos (Focus – All pictures downloaded & organized from FL, STEM, and Atlanta trips)
- Yard / Garage Cleanup (Focus – Clean Out Van from Road Trips)
- Pet Care (Focus – Brush Goats & Dog – starting to shed with warmer weather)
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.
Travel & Vacation: Main Street Electrical Parade & Fireworks at Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
After dark at Magic Kingdom they do a Main Street Electrical Parade and Fireworks every night. You will need to check the schedule for the days you want to go, but it is pretty consistent most weeks. The electric lights parade was awesome. Even though we squeezed in all the rides we could before the parade the kids were still able to get front row seats for the parade (thankfully it was less crowded when we went). The parade was fascinating, the girls loved it.
A little bit after the parade was done we found a spot to sit down and watch the lights, music, and fireworks next to the castle at Magic Kingdom. It was beautiful. We ended up sitting right in front of the castle and had a great view! The kids really enjoyed it. After the fireworks we decided to go do a few more rides which we walked right onto since the majority of people were leaving at that time. It was a great day at Magic Kingdom. We had a few hiccups with a couple rides and shows, but everyone took it in stride and we had an amazing time together.
Fascinating
Bald eagle, flag, and fireworks!
Colorful castle!
Beautiful castle, lots of colors, music and fireworks who could ask for anything more!
Blue castle and fireworks! I lost count of the number of times the castle changed colors and the number of different songs they played during the show.
Red, white, and blue – The castle is dark blue with white stars (a little hard to see in this picture) and the fireworks were a bright red. Gorgeous!!!
Turquoise blue
Pretty pink
The kids loved it
A great ending to a wonderful show
Travel & Vacation: Swiss Family Treehouse, Tom Sawyer Island, Hall of Presidents, and Tomorrowland Speedway at Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Silly Karlie!
While at Magic Kingdom we had so much fun! It was great to get a chance to spend time having a grand time together as a family. We enjoyed our adventures and exploring the various places around Magic Kingdom. While we were in line we had opportunities to talk and catch up on the various activities that had been going on over the past few days.
Jake and Karlie exploring the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse
Hanging out with my girls at the Swiss Family Treehouse
Having fun
My handsome man
Hiking through the treehouse
Target practice… on Tom Sawyer’s Island
Look out! Did she hit the target?!
Fun times!
Checking to make sure we were coming
Exploring
The girls loved this moving bridge over the water.
This was my view across the river when I was crossing the bridge. Pretty, but at a funky angle.
Jake figured out that he could splash the water on the girls when he bounced a little on the bridge, they thought it was great.
Hanging out
Pausing for a moment on Tom Sawyer’s Island
Hall of Presidents Show, very educational
The girls enjoyed learning about all the different Presidents
My driver on the Tomorrowland Speedway
She was a good driver and all smiles!
Travel & Vacation: It’s a Small World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise at Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Brina and Jake riding on the boat through It’s a Small World
The lines weren’t too long so we were able to get onto several rides, however, we had a couple hiccups with some as well. The kids liked It’s a Small World so much that we did it 2 times. The Pirates of the Caribbean was a little bit of a disappointment because we stood in line for an hour and were 10 people from the front of the line when it broke down so we didn’t get to go on it. It took us another 30 minutes to get back out because we had to wait for all the people behind us leave. The girls did well and had a great attitude despite the long wait time. The Jungle Cruise was a fun boat ride with lots of neat sights along the way. The kids really enjoyed it.
Smiling and soaking in all the sights at It’s a Small World
It’s a Small World banner as you go in
Fascinating!
Always something to look at on the boat ride
Still smiling while waiting in the long line for the Pirates of the Caribbean
Catching up and chatting while in line
Yay, found a place to sit while waiting
Going on the Jungle Cruise
All smiles on the Jungle Cruise
Beautiful waterfall
They loved looking at all the animals and sights on the Jungle Cruise
So much fun!
Wishing You A Very Happy Easter!
Wishing you a very Happy Easter!
The girls have been off this week for Spring Break. Yay! It has been wonderful having extra time with the kids! Thankful for an opportunity to celebrate this amazing Holiday. While there are a lot of fun events and activities around the Easter Holidays the real meaning of Easter goes a long way back in time. Easter is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for a Savior who conquered death. So many reasons to be thankful this Holiday Season!
Sweet sisters!
Flashback Friday: Exploring the World
Loving the flowers and petals! Brina in the purple and Karlie in the pink.
Today’s Flashback Friday takes us back to when the girls were just over a year old. They loved exploring new things. Now that they were constantly on the move they were getting into all kinds of things around the house. Thankful for these little blessings and for the opportunity to watch them grow up.
Their smiles always brighten my days!
Love their cute little pinchable and kissable cheeks!
My little sweet peas are growing up too fast!
Travel & Vacation: Tomorrowland Transit, Monsters Laugh Floor, Prince Charming Carrousel at Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Brina relaxing for a few minutes on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
The girls never stopped moving all day while at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. The only time we paused was standing in line, on the rides or at the shows. We did have a few bathroom breaks since the girls were drinking about 50 ounces plus throughout the day from their camel backs. The camel backpacks have been a life saver or should I say back saver.
Each person carries their own food and drink. The kids never have to ask for a drink or something to eat they can reach in and get their drink, sandwich, snacks, etc… Of course hand sanitizer is on every backpack to for all the germs we encounter while we are out and about. The had no problem carrying the backpacks and you’ll see them wearing them in almost every picture.
The kids have really enjoyed having the freedom to eat and drink whenever they need to. Usually when we are standing in line for a few minutes I would remind them that it was a good idea to grab a sip and something to drink. Although by mid-week I no longer needed to remind them; they did it on their own. Usually if someone had a snack out it would prompt the rest to get something as well. This helped a huge amount with preventing dehydration and hungry plus we never had to stop and get something to eat we just kept on going from sunup to sun down. We wanted to squeeze every last minute of fun out of our trip.
Karlie soaking in all the cool activities and figuring out where she wants to go next.
Karlie was not sure about the transit when it went into the pitch black, she ducked and said, “What’s going to happen now!?”
One last ride on the Transit after a very long, but super fun day at Magic Kingdom. We were there at opening and until closing. And yes, we are still smiling.
Having a good laugh at the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor Comedy
Club 
So funny!
The first time we went to the show it froze in the middle of the show so they had to let everyone out and gave us free fast passes for almost any ride at Magic Kingdom. The girls were disappointed, but the fast passes helped us get onto Peter Pan much quicker.
Smiling contently as they ride the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
They LOVE anything pertaining to horses and this ride was relaxing too with a short wait.
Karlie riding hands free
She cracks me up…it takes skill to ride hands free on a moving horse
That was fun!
Travel & Vacation: Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Enchanted Tales with Belle, and Astro Orbiter at Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Being silly in line for the Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little
Mermaid Ride Thankfully the lines were pretty mild most of the morning at Magic Kingdom. We got onto the Ariel’s Little Mermaid ride fairly quickly, however, we did stop to snap a few pictures. We had a great time at Magic Kingdom going from one activity to the next. The girls were troopers and did awesome not only in line, but walking everywhere. It is nice at their age they can do almost everything too!
Waterfall outside Little Mermaid
Entertainment while in line!
On the ride
On our way to see Belle
Karlie with Belle at the Enchanted Tales with Belle
Brina with Belle at the Enchanted Tales with Belle
Brina getting a bookmark from Belle!
It was a bright sunny day, somehow this is the only picture I got of the girls in front of the castle (a quick shot on our way to another ride).
My co-pilot on the Astro Orbiter
Karlie went by herself on the Astro Orbiter. She was very excited to fly!
Karlie giving me the thumbs up. Let’s just say this was not my favorite ride at Magic Kingdom. I get dizzy and nausea on a lot of spinning rides. This one was one of those rides. Thankfully it wasn’t as bad as some rides (like the spinning teacups…oh, boy).
Yes, that is Karlie way above Brina and I. I am not entirely sure we ever left the ground, but Karlie was having a grand time!
Travel & Vacation: Train, Dumbo, and Winnie the Pooh Rides at Disney’s Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL)
Brina having a blast and laughing.
We had the opportunity to go to Disney’s Magic Kingdom in Orlando, FL recently. The girls and I headed out first thing in the morning while Jake was at his conference. He was able to join us in the afternoon after the conference ended which was really nice. We packed in as much fun as we could while at Magic Kingdom. We were there only one day, but we had a blast!
Karlie all smiles as we ride the train to our next stop!
We walked onto the Dumbo ride that morning with no lines.
Enjoying the ride!
Something is laugh-out-loud funny to Karlie!
Playing in the garden while waiting for the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh ride
We got onto the ride pretty quickly and now we are all set to go!
Silly tigger
Tigger pounced on Winnie the Pooh
