Beach Pictures

We just got home from the beach. Internet access was sketchy, so I didn't get to do as much blogging as I had hoped. We enjoyed a variety of activities indoor and out. The children got to go fishing and one day we went to the amusement park at Broadway on the Beach. While we were on vacation, Samuel proposed to Monique, so Rachel was able to take a lot of good engagement pictures of them together. Karen also got her ears pierced for her 14th birthday. The weather was nice until Friday, when it started to rain. Fortunately, our plan for the evening was for the girls to take Karen out to see High School Musical 3 in the theater. It was fun. Rachel's mom, Vickie, is hilarious- she was dancing in her seat. We can't take her anywhere.

Sunday and Monday

Our first whole day at the beach was fun and relaxed. The traditional living room Sunday service started with some singing, and then we had a message from Mick. A sandwich lunch followed, and then we spent some time on the beach. Ben was the first person to fall in the ocean. He was running backwards away from the water (racing the waves) and tripped. After falling in, he popped back up, got disoriented, started running toward the water and fell in again a little deeper. According to Ben, the water wanted to suck him in so he could go find a shark. Brad had to wade in and pull him out. The rest of the day was low key- cooking dinner, doing laundry, playing board games. Turbo Cranium was fun, even if Samuel kept talking during charades.

Monday was a day full of good food. It started out with a breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Then we had Frogmore Stew for lunch. Frogmore Stew is a bunch of vegetables and shrimp boiled together with lots of spices. You drain all the water out and dump it on newspaper to eat. If you want butter, cocktail sauce, etc. you just dab it onto the paper in front of you. No plates, easy clean up. For the afternoon, Brad and I took Karen, Ben, Anna, and Emily to the Ripley's Aquarium. We saw a couple of dive shows, but my favorite part is the underwater tunnel. It is so cool to see fish swimming over your head. After the Aquarium we hit Ben and Jerry's and had an ice cream Sunday. Emily had some of the plain banana. Dinner was turkey and dressing with sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and all the traditional Thanksgiving type foods. We decided if you can have Christmas in July, you can have Thanksgiving in October. The day is ending with more board games and a semi-early bedtime for me. Looking forward to it since the children have us up before the sunrise.

Frogmore Stew contains potatoes, corn, onions, shrimp, and sausage.
The children (and Brad) watch as sharks swim over their heads.

We're Here!

The Donahues made it safely to the beach. This year we have an elevator to move all our stuff up to the third floor. It's very handy for Anna and Wanda as well. I was the designated elevator man becuase they could pack the most stuff around my body. Our beach house is graced with 11 adults and 6 children age 4 and under. The schedule is relaxed- mostly hanging out and playing games. Eating snacks is also high on the list. Fun times ahead.

We're Going To The Beach!!!

The Donahues will be at Garden City, South Carolina from October 18th through the 25th. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures, so look forward to our next installment- Beach Trip.

eHow

So now I will explain to you the process of writing articles for eHow. It is actually very easy. They don't require you to pass any tests- your success is based on your skill because pay is determined by some secret algorithm that figures in how frequently your page is viewed with how well it is rated, etc. They won't stop you from writing an article about something that is already covered, but they strongly discourage it. It's not in your best interest. The template for writing the articles is very easy. However, depending on the success of your article, you may not make a dime. Or you could make a little cash. eHow seems to be reputable, and it is kind of fun to write the articles. I have already written a second one that pertains to the Spina Bifida community. It is also good to just have the information out there on the web so that you can refer people to it later, rather than having to give different people the same advice over and over again. So watch out. Next time someone asks me me for advice, I may just say, "Actually, I wrote an eHow article about that. Here's the link. Now what else did you want to talk about?" Ha ha.

My Article

I wrote an article for eHow! More on that later, but for now- go check it out! How cool is that?

Here it is.

Strange Article

I don't know if this article is something to really pay attention to, or if it is just another random theory by our science community. Whether or not it is accurate, it sure is interesting- mostly because it would totally change the way science looks at the universe. You can read it for yourself and slog through all the yadda yadda on your own (which I would encourage), but the summary is this: The earth may actually be special. Apparently, the theory states that the earth may be surrounded by a cosmic bubble that is less dense in matter than the rest of the universe. This would mean that the universe may not be rappidly expanding as previously thought, and that other objects in space are not as far away from us as they appear. Things outside this bubble would appear farther away because of the presence of more matter between us and them. Things inside our cosmic bubble would appear closer. We measure how far away something is by how dim the light is that it gives off. Our perception of time and space may be completely warped by the presence of more matter between us and the object. Interesting, to say the least.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,430943,00.html