Here's to Making Each Day Count!

What a summer! We did it! Phew! Our family lived out our philosopy this summer.....You can rest when you are dead. We managed to fit in a fabulous trip to Tennessee, camping, boating, swimming, summer camp for 4 weeks, a trip to St. Louis for a wedding, visits from several relatives, back to school shopping, volunteering at church, and 2 full time jobs. Oh, did I mention that I am training for a half marathon and get up at 5:45am each morning to run? Are we intense, or what?

Wedding in St. Louis

The first day of school is always so bitter sweet for me. I am excited for our two boys to embark on a new journey and I am anxious for them at the same time. I pray that they will have great teachers who love them for who they are and train them up as if they were their own. I always want them to be able to make new friends and keep the old! (obvious reference to girl scouts. Maybe I will sing this to them at school? Won't they love that? LOL). 

Back to School

The boys were apprehensive about going back to school this year after enjoying such a great summer, but they seem to be transitioning pretty well! They both like their teachers so far and both have friends in their classrooms. What a blessing!

Back to School

Because I am the Chief Purser of the Titanic Museum Attraction, my family has become well versed in Titanic history. Each time we have visited one of the museums as a family, we have learned more and become more emotionally connected to the passengers who sailed Titanic.  One of our favorite stories is that of Douglas Spedden, age 6. He was traveling home to New York, via the Titanic, with his family after a vacation in Algiers and Monte Carlo. There is a very famous picture of him on one of the decks of the ship, playing with a top. Father Browne took the picture.

http://cheddarbay.com/0000Tea/Titanic/passengers/survivors/survivors3.html

Young Mr. Spedden reminds me of my boys...with a passion for adventure, outgoing, and resiliant.
His mother, Daisy reminds me of me. They were survivors of the disaster and were rescued by the Carpathia. I recently read the most wonderful quote from Daisy Spedden following the Titanic disaster, as the Spedden family continued to travel to Europe much as before but with a new perspective on the frailty of life. Daisy wrote that all the values of their lives had changed and “the daily incidents which once seemed of such importance to us dwindled into mere trivialities". (http://www.the-titanic.com/Passengers/Survivor-Stories/Douglas-Spedden.aspx)

Just like many other visitors to the Titanic Museum Attraction, I have often wondered what happened to each of the survivors after they arrived home? What was THEIR transition like after making it through such a terrible disaster? Each survivor was given a new lease on life. Did they all have Daisy Spedden's new philosopy to not sweat the small stuff? Or were they eternally tortured by their memories of that fateful night? Did any of the survivors go into politics in America? Did they build empires and legacies? What impact did they have on American History? Did the children survivors go to American Schools and tell of their adventures on Titanic?

Starting this Labor Day Weekend, at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Branson, Mo., a new fantastic exhibit will be revealed. It is called the Survivor Wall. Have YOU ever wondered what happened to each of the survivors? The Titanic Museum Attraction has spent the past 2 years researching each of the survivors of the Titanic and you can now find out what happened to them and what impact they had on our history.

When I reflect back on this summer, I feel satisfied that we packed it all in (even though I am a bit exhausted). As Jack Dawson from the famous Titanic movie by James Cameron said..."I like waking up in the morning not knowing who I'm going to meet or where I'm going to wind up. Life is a gift and I don't intend on wasting it. You never know what hand you will get dealt next." 

http://www.titanicuniverse.com/titanic-jack-dawson-leonardo-dicaprio-a-character-study/1474

HERE'S TO MAKING EACH DAY COUNT!

Titanic's 3rd Annual Woodcarving Event, a Huge Success!

This past weekend, my husband and I took the boys to Titanic's 3rd Annual Woodcarving event. We went last year too, so the boys were excited to see some new animal carvings. First of all, October weather in Branson, Mo. is perfect. It was warm and sunny on Saturday; ideal for this outdoor event. When we arrived, men and women from ALL OVER the COUNTRY were actively carving very LARGE stumps of wood with chain saws and chisels. There were wood chips flying.

I enjoyed seeing the creativity. It is so neat to see an artist look at a giant stump and be inspired to turn it into a bear with detailed features. The carvers used torches to burn sections of the wood, which I thought was a very neat technique that gave depth and definition to their pieces.

Jaynee, Titanic's 1st Class Maid Personality from the television commercials, billboards, and print was present at the event. It is always a pleasure to see her. As you can see from the video, she picked out her favorite woodcarving, but it was too big and heavy for Jaynee to move on her own. Molly and Carter made an appearance to greet guests, and of coarse were bum rushed by all of the children. They were cute and well behaved as usual.

In my opinion, the most exciting part of this event was the auction held at 2pm each day. On Saturday, the auction started with a bear in a log. So cute. I couldn't believe how cheap these wood carvings were selling for. There were some GREAT deals happening. I wanted to bid on the Sea Turtles that were absolutely gorgeous, but I don't have any place to display them right now. Next year!

As each item sold, the LOGHOGGERS TEAM was kind enough to load the piece into the buyers car/truck. These works of art are super heavy, so that was a nice service. Anyway, we enjoyed it and are planning to purchase a big item next year.

JEERK - The Swedish Sensation in Branson, Mo!

Last Friday, we took the kids to see a new show in Branson called JEERK. Funny name, I know. They are a group of extremely talented guys from Sweden who rock the stage with their tap dancing and rhythm. They perform at the Hughes Brothers Theatre on the strip.

If I had to sum up the experience in one word, it would be "unbelievable". If you get a chance to read their brochure, each of these young men has been highly successful. They are dancers, musicians, actors and singers. The show is not only a tribute to the famous tap dancers like Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Gregory Hines, but also something new and fresh in America. They use hardware items that you might find in your local hardware store to make incredible rhythms all while tapping in their high tops. They look and dress like rock stars and their music is very much Rock and Roll.

Non-stop action and entertainment. These guys never stopped tapping! And they were creative and innovative with their stage props. Did I mention that they were funny? We gave them a standing ovation twice because the audience wanted more! During the show, I peeked at my 8 year old to see if he was enjoying it. I could see his wheels turning. This show made a huge impression on him. He saw "cool", "hip" guys with punk rock hair playing instruments, dancing, and performing. This show inspired him.

After the show, all five performers came out so that we could meet them. I would like to mention that a lady, who was in her 70's, came up already dressed in her JEERK t-shirt, and hugged each and every one of them. She loved it! My kids couldn't wait to get autographs. They too wanted t-shirts, necklaces, posters, bumper stickers, etc. Truly, a show for all ages.

To me, this show represents the NEW Branson. The Branson that will attract young families like ours to vacation and live and yet will still impress our senior crowd that we love and cherish. If you haven't seen this "Rhythm Artist Group" yet, you must make plans. They are only performing through the end of October, so make it part of your Fall Fun in the Ozarks!

FLUFFY SHEEP!

Our Lady of the Lake

Yesterday evening, my family enjoyed a dinner cruise onboard the Showboat Branson Belle. Our Lady of the Lake has been entertaining passengers for 16+ years. When we first arrived, we walked a path through the most beautiful grounds that I have seen in this area. The landscaping is pristine and there were many photo opportunities along the way. The path lead us to the White River Landing where there was shopping, restrooms, and a box office. And in the background was the Lady herself docked on the most beautiful lake I have ever known, Table Rock Lake.

As we boarded the Belle, our boys stopped to feed some giant Carp that had been patiently waiting for our arrival. Then we were off to get our souvenir picture taken. At this point we were hot and ready to go inside for reprieve. We entered the ship and were directed to our seats, but in typical Wicker fashion, we went to the restrooms instead. When we finally found our seats in the dining hall, we were amazed at the size. We learned that the Belle can accomodate 700 guests and I believe that it was about 95% full.

There was no idle time when we sat down. The Emcee, a seasoned comedian, began telling us about the paddle boat. The boat was constructed at its port at White River Landing and was launched into Table Rock Lake on August 12, 1994. What we found to be facinating was the fact that in order to get the boat into the water after construction, they used "Launching Rails" that were covered in bananas to "Slip" the huge paddleboat into the water. I thought that slipping on banana peels was something of a cartoon myth, but no. It actually worked and the boat slipped at 14 miles per hour into Table Rock Lake, which the Emcee mentioned was the fastest the boat has ever traveled.

During the introduction, one of the audience members asked the Emcee if Nickel City was a fun place to go in Branson. She meant, Silver Dollar City, but the Emcee was relentless in teasing her throughout the show. It was pretty funny. While the Emcee gave us a history lesson, the first course of our meal was being served. The Dinner consisted of salad and bread, Beef and Chicken with Vegetables, a yummy ice cream pie dessert, iced tea, water, and coffee. The kids devoured chicken strips, veggies, and macaroni and cheese. Their dessert was ice cream and gummy bears. Perfect.

The Show was entertaining and high energy, but my favorite part was going up on the decks of the boat and peering out on the landscape of the Ozarks. I never pass up the opportunity to go to the lake. I love seeing the sun sparkle off of the gentle waves and I am one of those people that believe that the lake gives off positive ions that make you feel relaxed! We saw a few tubers going by so we waved. The boys were asking a lot of questions - How does a paddle boat work? How much does this boat weigh? When are we going tubing? Why are we on the lake and not in the water? That is why we took a picture of the "PLANK"....wink, wink.

The boys enjoyed Todd Oliver and his talking dogs. When they performed, every member of the audience was laughing. Mr. Oliver is a famous ventriloquist and he controlled masks that were attached to the dogs' muzzles to make them appear to be talking. He made the dogs have personalities which made it funny. The Bull Dog, Irving, was very sarcastic and lazy and his nemisis, Lucy was shy and matter of fact. This was a huge hit with the kids especially.

When the show was over, we left the ship and walked ashore. The boys thanked us for taking them and told us that they had a great time! Our final thoughts were that the Showboat Branson Belle is a must see in Branson and definitely is entertaining for all ages. The show was high energy, the staff was friendly, and the scenery was breathtaking. I encourage Branson visitors to check out the deals on their website http://www.showboatbransonbelle.com/. They have a first time ever combo offer with the Titanic and when the 2 attractions are purchased together, adults save up to $13.83 per ticket.