Nine Armed Sea Stars

Since the month of May we have been blessed with a massive amount of nine armed sea stars inhabiting our Naples beaches. Because they don't have a backbone or fins they are referred to as sea stars, not starfish. We have found all of our sea stars in "knee deep" waters. Mason has become an expert in finding them.  He doesn't have to actually see them in the water, he knows them by the "feel" as he walks in the sand. I still can't get over how large they are. By the way, none of these sea stars were harmed for the photos. Sea stars are easily stranded when the tide goes out but can survive if the sun doesn't dry them before the next tide.





We have not only been blessed by sea stars but also by a visit from our 10 year old niece, Ashlan. We are so proud of her! She flew by herself for the the first time and came to stay with us for an entire week. We had so much fun that we were sad to see her leave.  Thankfully, she will be back at the end of July with her entire family.



Life is good...at the beach :)

VBS Rocks

I am so proud of these two for once again participating in Vacation Bible School as crew and jr crew leaders. Each summer I begin to wonder if this will be their last time and if they are getting tired of giving up their first week of summer break to volunteer. But at the end of the week at the dinner celebration they always tell me they will be back for more next year. I guess no matter how old you get, VBS still rocks!

Totally Jaw-Some

We knew someday that Mason would be a Gulf Coast Shark, we just didn't know it would happen in 6th grade. This Spring Mason joined a start-up team of an established youth football league. On the plus side, all of the equipment and jerseys were brand new. On the negative side, our newly formed team was up against more seasoned players. Even though Mason's team didn't fair well against the other teams we sure enjoyed watching him play in the Gulf Coast High School stadium.

The Big Reveal

Friday was a very exciting day for Mackenzie. First, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade organizers surprised 300 members of the Gulf Coast High Shark Marching Band with news that the band has been selected to march in the 2015 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They are one of just 10 bands chosen from a field of 175 bands nationwide. Collier County Schools released a slide show of the big reveal and Mackenzie was featured in one of the photos. Take a look here.

That night the band held its annual banquet where Mackenzie was presented with her second varsity letter. All sophomores received the number "16" because they will graduate in 2016.



Mason has been busy progressing from one sport to the next.  His flag football team ended their successful season as the championship winners.  However, there is no rest for the weary, Mason's spring tackle football season has already begun.

On The Hunt

Due to overcrowding at our church we opted to try the outdoor sunrise Easter Mass this year. We attended a beautiful (but chilly) Mass and enjoyed a delicious breakfast. Surprisingly, we were back home by 9:30 am. With a lot of extra time on our hands we were on the hunt for some holiday excitement. We made a quick decision to load up our bikes and head to Sanibel for the day. We biked the 8 mile loop through Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.





As most people already know you can't visit Sanibel without driving over to Captiva to visit the famous Bubble Room. Did we purchase any of their enormous slices of cake? Yep. The popular Orange Crunch Cake of course.





Hope everyone's Easter was filled with some "egg"citement as well.

Highlands Hammock

Compliments of Spring Break we headed out for another infamous Morgan day trip. This time to Highlands Hammock State Park in Sebring. We loaded up our bikes on a brisk morning and headed north. We were expecting cloudy skies with a high of 77 degrees.

On the way, we stopped at a well known u-pick farm in Alva, FL.  Notice the nice blue sky behind Mason.



Check out the huge zucchini I picked, I found the mother-load. They don't sell them like this in the supermarkets, folks!



As soon as we entered Highlands Hammock it began to drizzle. I had to keep my camera covered to snap this photo of Mason next to the 1,000 year old oak tree that measures 36 feet around.



And then the temperatures began to drop. We were biking and hiking in 64 degree rainy weather which wouldn't have been that big of a deal if we had planned for it. Instead we were wearing shorts, t-shirts and light jackets. Thankfully, I was able to find leftover Disney rain ponchos in the back of the minivan.



Even in the rain this park is breathtakingly beautiful.



We had read online that the park included the CCC Museum.  Have you ever heard of the CCC, we had no clue?  The CCC was the Civilian Conservation Corps formed by President Roosevelt's New Deal. It provided jobs for young men (18-25) during the Great DepressionIt provided these young men with shelter, clothing and food along with a wage of $30 a month ($25 of which had to be sent home to their unemployed families). During the time of the CCC these young men planted nearly 3 billion trees to help reforest American and constructed more than 800 parks including Highlands Hammock.



I was surprised by how much were enjoyed this museum. It was so interesting to listening to the personal stories of CCC men who are now in their 80's and 90's. Our trip to Highlands Hammock State Park will go down in history as our wettest and coldest excursion to date.

First Goal

Mackenzie scored her first very first lacrosse goal tonight while competing against Golden Gate High. Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of it.  However, below are action shots from her recent game against Barron Collier High.