The Easter Duck

On the first official night on vacation with old friends, what do you do? Get a babysitter and head out for a night out on the town. But with it being the night before Easter, the dyeing of eggs was essential before any adult festivities could commence.

After the eggs were all decorated, two sets of parents looked forward to a kid-free evening and were excited until about 8:30pm hit and we all were ready for bed. We did mange to make it to double digits before returning to the children and calling it a night. With an action-packed holiday ahead of us, we treasured any sleep we received.

In the morning, while enjoying bunny-themed pancakes, the rains that dominated Saturday held off long enough for an outdoor egg hunt and retrieval. In the excitement of searching for the Easter Bunny, we found the Easter Duck. She stuck around for a bit of the hunt but eventually flew off, leaving a multitude of plastic colored eggs behind. much to the appreciation of the two toddlers roaming the yard.

Once the egg hunt was completed, the rain returned and forced us all inside. Taking turns searching and finding baskets, the girls were incredibly patient during the presentation of Easter presents. Once all gifts were opened, the activity of finding baskets morphed into the game of "How much candy can we eat?" before it is taken away. With one girl being a PEZ connoisseur and the other eating anything she can get a hold of, it wasn't long before the candies were "re-hidden" until further notice.

Once the weather cleared, it was off for an Easter hike at James Island County Park. Check talesfttrails.blogspot.com tomorrow for that wet and wild adventure.

The Carolina Chronicles Introduction

Being on teacher time means that taking a vacation means when the kids are out of school. Subsequently, you are joined by everyone else and their mothers. . . .literally.

Despite being on teacher time for the last decade, my family and I have been very fortunate to take some of the stress away by having generous friends strategically located throughout the country. This offers us a safe haven from the hustle and bustle of the "touristy" places and more of a "home" feel on our trips. This has been especially important sicne fatherhood took over just under three years ago.

This time around, we headed to the Carolinas for a week with family and friends.

After landing in Charlotte, it was into the rental car for the 2+ hour trek to our first home away from home in Charleston. Traveling to see close friends, their two daughters. and two dogs, we were entertained by listening to our beloved Badgers in the Sweet Sixteen. Sort of. Actually, we played a game of switching through every radio station possible in a desperate attempt to hear the broadcast, repeatedly attempting to get a signal to receive updates on our phones and failing miserably, and ultimately having a textfest with a friend to keep connected on the game's progress. Luckily for us, the radio did eventually emit a clear signal. Unfortunately, the first words we heard were the final score of the game, a dramatic but heartbreaking loss.  We didn't let that dampen our spirits. Charleston was juts a few miles away.

I usually only give my students nicknames, but for some reason, I nicknamed my friend's dog a few years back. When we arrived, Bearance Von Waggerson III greeted us with boisterous barking. He was accompanied by another furry friend named Randall, our good friends Shawna and the Doctor (apparently his real name is Ryan), their toddler Ruby AKA Ruby Duby and their sweet newborn Matilda, affectionately nicknamed Tilly Furtado later in the trip.

A week of adventure was ahead of us. Follow this blog the next few days and get a feel of all  this excursion had to offer.

Sneak peek:  it involves lots of turtles, fire ants, the Easter Duck, enthusiastic naked mole rats, and many other non-animal things.