Spring?

According to the calendar, Spring arrived on March 21st, now we just need the weather to look at a calendar and realize it is time to let the sunshine and stop the snow from falling. 

The good news, thanks to a wetter snow the kids were able to make their first snowmen.

The Titanic Exhibit is currently going on at the Grand Rapids Museum.

Photos aren't allowed inside the actual exhibit. Here is Jane next to a painting of the "unsinkable" ship. The captain was asked to come out of retirement and make this one last trip for the maiden voyage.  He was to be done sailing after they arrived to their destination.

We were given boarding passes of real passengers. When you come to the end there is a list of names and you can see if your person survived.
My name was Sarah Elizabeth I was in second class and I didn't survive. Jane was a 16 year old girl in first class who did survive.   First class ticket cost anywhere from $57,000-100,000 (in today's currency) and third class $900. The tragic of the Titanic prompted changes in laws and regulations that has saved lives on the Atlantic for a hundred years.

riding the carousel

BUTTERFLIES AT THE GARDENS

When we now walk into the conservatory and see the banana plants, bamboo and feel the warm, humid air, it reminds us of Hong Kong. 

Desperately trying to get a butterfly to land on him. 

Outside of the conservatory we are are quickly reminded we don't live in the tropics.

Snowball fight outside the cabin

 The Kids at the Gardens in 2007

Look at those chubby faces! I hope the gardens will be a fond memory to the kids when they are older and look back on their childhood. 

The game and the Conquerors

Back in the summer the kids participated in the Wyoming library reading program.  They earned prizes and free stuff. This included free tickets to the Griffins.  The minor league hockey team is located here in Grand Rapids and plays at the Van Andel Arena.

We thought the passes were good only for the kids, but discovered all four of us were free. This meant extra money for snacks.

Even though many things were thrown into the crowd like hot dogs and t-shirts we didn't manage to catch anything.

The kids liked it when everyone did crazy dancing. Elliot seemed to have the most fun and was a very vocal spectator. Even when he got the teams confused, he wasn't shy to shout out his feelings about the way they were playing. We didn't let it get out of hand.  
Jane said it would have been more fun had we got on the big screen they feature during the game. She also wanted to be closer to the rink, to get a better chance of catching free stuff.   
  

 The Sunday game we attended was sponsored by a local Christian radio station. The half-time program featured the strength team called The Conquerors.
This group of men and women perform feats of strength such as: tearing phone books, bending bars with their teeth, bending frying pans etc..  They use these tactics to entertain and then give personal testimonies about how they gave their lives to Jesus.

Elliot enjoying the chance to arm wrestle.

ice and snow from outypants on Vimeo.

The Conquerors Promo from The Conquerors on Vimeo.