Spring Break 2020

**Guest Blogger**

Eric Hendrickson

Day One - Saturday, March 14th, 2020

We set off for my most anticipated Spring Break of all time.  Our plans were to visiting Grandma on our way to St Louis.  While in St Louis, we were going to drive by some of Stacee and my old stomping grounds (HBE where I used to work and the rental house where we lived) and to go to the Zoo.  Next, we would go to Kentucky to the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter for 3 days (this was to be the most exciting part of our vacation).  From there, we would head to Louisville to tour the MLB bat making museum and factory.  Our last stop would be in Springfield to the new Bass Pro museum and aquarium.  There was one concerning factor.  We were to leave after the our High School boys won the 6A state championship on Saturday.  However, the tournament was cancelled after the first round of games on Thursday night due to concerns of the coronavirus.  Stacee called all the places that we intended to visit and they all said they were still opened for business, so we decided to still keep our vacation plans.

Our first stop was at Nanee and Popee's house for a quick lunch and some extra birthday gifts for Sarah.

Next up, visiting Grandma in Concordia... After arriving at Grandma's assisted living facility, we went though a medical screening (for the coronavirus) process to be allowed entry.

My favorite thing to do with Grandma is to read a book that Grandma filled out for Stacee and I for our wedding.  The book is called "Grandmothers Memories to Her Grandchild".  It is a journal of faith and love that starts from the Grandmothers childhood all the way to the present (which the present for this book was 2003).  Grandma really enjoys reading this book and having it read to her.

As you can see Grandma looks great.  I was very happy to see how well she looked and that her mind has not seemed to diminish since the last time we saw her. 

On our trip, we decided we would drive by the baseball or football stadiums in each metropolitan city.  We first drove by the Royals/Chiefs stadium through Kansas City.  Here we drove by the Cardinals stadium. That night in St. Louis we also drove by the Arch so the kids could see it lit up at night.

Day Two - Sunday, March 15th

It was chilly this morning at the St. Louis Zoo.  The night before we had driven by this elephant statue and told Silas it came alive at night like the animals in the movie, Night at the Museum.  He may have believed us for a minute.

Silas loves seeing fish.  After seeing some of these big fish, He kept proclaiming to all of us, "That was amazing!"

They have a nice penguin exhibit (above).  And, it was fun seeing the Sea Lion exhibit (below).

(Below) This was a giant Green Anaconda.  It was about 18 feet long.

We went to the Arch, but didn't go in it.

We made a stop at Dairy Queen to get some BOGO Blizzards.

On our way through Indianapolis, we stopped to see their football stadium.

A statue of Peyton Manning.

On our way from St. Louis to Kentucky, we were notified that the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter were going to be closing after Monday.  Since it was Sunday, our 3 days of spending time at the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter were going to be reduced to 1 day.  Instead of staying the night in downtown Cincinnati and going to the Creation Museum the next day, we decided to drive to a motel near the Ark Encounter.  We did detour to drive by the Cincinnati Bengals football stadium and the Cincinnati Reds baseball stadium.

Day Three - Monday, March 16th

We made it to the Ark Encounter Monday morning.  There weren't many visitors there when we arrived first thing in the morning.  A shuttle bus drives you from the parking lot to the Ark.

This building is impressive.
Here is a link to the Ark Encounter website - CLICK HERE.

I could have spent two days reading all the information.  Stacee and I took lots of pictures of things we wanted to remember, reread, and share.

Phoebe loves the sloth.

Jesus is the door.  John 10:9

Just as there was only one door to enter the Ark, there is only one door to enter Heaven.

As we were completing our walk through the Ark, our pastor and his family were starting their walk through.  They happened to be visiting at the same time as us.  Above, left to right, Eric, Tyson, Charity, Silas, Phoebe, Gracie, Stacee, Sarah, Rhett, and Rachel.

Not only does the Ark have an inside exhibit, they also have outside exhibits and a zoo.

Sarah always loves the goats.

They also have a nice playground area.  The kids had a good time playing here for awhile.

Everything at the Ark was top notch.  I hope everyone has an opportunity to experience the Ark in their lifetime.  If people would be open minded to a world that didn't happen by chance and didn't advance by evolution, they may realize that the information the Ark provides makes sense.

Do you see the guy wearing the hoodie to the right, in the picture above, sitting by Sarah?  Too bad this is the only picture I got of Kirk Cameron.  We were sitting by him on the shuttle bus and Stacee and I didn't even recognize him.  I did recognize him as we were exiting the shuttle bus.  He was waiting for his ride and I was able to introduce myself.  We talked for about a minute or so.  He was practicing social distancing so I wasn't able to get any pictures.  I wish I would have told him that I very much appreciate his boldness for Jesus.

Not only did I meet Kirk Cameron, I also met Bodie Hodge who is the son in law of Ken Ham, the founder of Answers in Genesis.  Bodie also preaches Creation and was there making a film.

After leaving the Ark we headed towards Louisville.  While we were looking for a motel in downtown Louisville, we were informed that the bat museum/factory had closed due to the coronavirus concerns.  We decided at 8pm that evening that it was time for us to go home.

We drove straight through to our home arriving about 5:30am.  Our week long vacation lasted only from Saturday morning until Tuesday morning.  Although it was short, it was memorable.  The visit with Grandma was great and the Ark was incredible.

We decided we would do this same intended vacation on one of our upcoming vacations.  Looking forward to seeing the Creation Museum.

A Teenager

Sarah's birthday was on a Thursday this year towards the beginning of March. She loves being outside and playing sports.  After school she talked Eric into jumping on the trampoline with her and Phoebe for awhile.

The static electricity was crazy that day on the trampoline!

That evening we attended the 4th grade musical program at the grade school that Phoebe was in.  Afterwards we went to birthday dinner with some of our closest friends.  Sarah choose for us all to eat at The Olive Garden.  We had a great evening out with everyone.

Sarah was given a special strawberry cheesecake dessert at the restaurant and we all sang to her.

Below, some of my favorite kids in the whole world.... (left to right - Shawna, Phoebe, Felicity, Sarah, Silas, and Abigail).

After dinner back at our house Sarah opened her gifts from us.... And a few that she had gotten in the mail from Popee, Nanee, Grandma Sharon, and aunts and Uncles.

She got candy and money from Silas and Phoebe.

She got one hundred dollars in a card from Popee and Nanee to use for special activities and sports throughout the next year.

Eric and I gave her some coupons to use later this year....

The next morning I took both girls to get manicures and pedicures.

We were all so full from dinner at the Olive Garden the night before that we did not eat any of Sarah's birthday cake that night.  So, for lunch that day we all enjoyed some of her favorite ICE CREAM CAKE from Dairy Queen.

What are some of your favorite things about Sarah?

Eric (Daddy) - "Sarah is thoughtful, spending time to do things that will brighten people's days (cards, notes, letters).  She is competitive.  If only we could get her to practice at the level of her competitiveness.  She displays boldness to defend the faith, especially when it comes to Genesis.  She has Genesis 1:1 posted on her locker.  On evolution questions, she will give the answer the teacher is expecting then provide a note to the side regarding what Genesis tells us.  She is empathetic.  Sarah is caring and often puts herself in other people's shoes.  She does not like to join in on the "girl talk" about boys.  She is motivated to do well in school and is an exceptional student."
Stacee (Mommy) - "I love how creative and thoughtful you are.  You are smart, athletic, and determined when you put your mind to something.  I love that you are a fierce competitor! I absolutely love watching you play sports.  You are a good role model to those around you and a good leader in your school.  I also love that you care about animals, especially family pets that we have, and they seem to love you right back."
Phoebe - "I like playing with her.  I like watching her play softball.  I like it when she pitches."
Silas - "She plays with me.  We ride bikes and play on the trampoline together.  She is pretty."
Popee - "She wanted me to ice her knee when we were there.  She likes playing outside games (darts, basketball games of all kinds, washers, corn hole, frisbee tag at the Village School playground).  she always will go to the store with me.  I liked snow skiing this last December with you.  I like all your hugs and the extra good-byes."
Nanee - "She always gives us a hug and lets me give her a kiss when we leave for home AND then usually comes back for another hug.  She is kind about noticing when I need a hand when walking.  She shares her bed with Popee and I when we come to visit.  She writes us letters and sends encouraging pictures that she colors. She likes to play games.  I like helping comb the tangles out of her hair.  We like watching her play sports she loves, like basketball, softball, and even volleyball, which I encouraged her to try."
Uncle Matt - "Sarah is sweet, creative, athletic, and loveable! I'm very proud of the young woman she is becoming!"
Uncle Bret - "She has a lot of grit."
Aunt Andrea - "She has a kind heart and the biggest smile."
Ayden - "She is creative and fun."
Kallin - "She is funny.  She does funny dances with me."

Sarah asked to have a birthday party this year.  She suggested having it at a painting place.  So, we booked a time at the local "Paint the Town" and she invited some of her friends from school to join us there.

She selected a hot air balloon picture for everyone to paint.

The instructor did a good job of encouraging the girls along and pacing them, working with each of them step by step to get their paintings completed.

Below, the girls left from right, top row - Sarah, Emmi, Delaney, and Lexi.  Bottom row - Phoebe, Chadisty, Aliyah, and Ava.

After painting Sarah opened her gifts and cards from her friends and they ate some delicious Hurts Donuts.

I enjoyed spending a couple hours with these eight girls.  What a fantastic bunch of friends!  They shared laughter, stories, and words of encouragement and kindness with each other.

We dropped in at Popee and Nanee's house about a week after her birthday.  They had a couple more gifts for her to open from them.

Thanks, Popee and Nanee!

Happy 13th birthday, Sarah! It seems like in a blink of an eye you went from being our little girl to a teenager.  You are an impressive young lady.  You excel in academics and athletics.  You are kind, caring, and compassionate.  You have done several bold things for God, shining the light.  Continue to impress and make Jesus and us smile.  

Love, Daddy and Mommy.