Christmas 2012

I had hoped to finish updating posts of our trip by including photos, but I currently don't have access to them.  Instead I decided to post our Christmas letter from last year, which gives an overview of the trip.  Hopefully I will be able to come back and finish that series of posts at a later date.

December 2012

This was the year of the great American road trip for our family.

In April we traveled to Florida with Kanoa's mom. We spent a week in Pompano Beach enjoying the sun and sand and warm weather. We were able to take a boat cruise on the Intracoastal Waterway on this trip. We also visited the Everglades and rode bikes through Everglades National Park, where we saw more alligators than people. Another interesting place that we visited was the Henry Flagler Museum.

During the first half of the year, Preston continued to prepare for his trip to the BSA high adventure base Philmont in New Mexico. The crew of 7 Scouts and 4 adults took many hikes and backpacking trips in the local area. At the end of July they flew out to Albuquerque to become acclimated to the area. They visited Sandia Peak and the Atomic Museum prior to heading to Philmont. At Philmont they spent 12 days hiking in the wilderness of New Mexico. A highlight of the trek was hiking to the top of Mount Baldy.

While Preston was hiking, David, Kanoa, and Ian packed up the van and headed west. Our first stop was St. Louis, where we visited the Gateway Arch. Ian found the ride exciting, describing the tram to the top as a tiny compartment of death. From there we drove through Missouri and into Kansas, where we stayed in Junction City. Then it was on to Colorado, where we stayed with David's Aunt Mary just outside Denver. The following day Preston's Philmont Crew flew home through Denver, so David was able to pick him up from the airport. We spent a few days in the Denver area visiting David's relatives and seeing the sights in Denver. We were able to take the train up Pikes Peak, eat lunch in the Garden of the Gods, visit the Manitou cliff dwellings, and tour the Colorado State Railroad Museum in Golden before David's parents arrived. The following day we drove from Denver to Wyoming. Our first stop in Wyoming was Riverton where we visited the Pioneer Museum in Lander, drove out to Sinks Canyon State Park and Shoshone National Forest to see the Sinks and Rise of the Popo Agie River, ate lunch at 9000 feet in the Shoshone National Forest, and found Sacagawea's burial site in Fort Washakie. From there we visited Grand Teton National Park, where we saw some of the sights and had a picnic lunch. Then we headed to Yellowstone to check in at the Lake Lodge Cabins. While there we drove the Grand Loop around the park and drove out the north entrance into Montana to see the Roosevelt Arch. After our too brief stay, we drove east out of Yellowstone to Cody where we toured the Buffalo Bill Museum on our way to South Dakota. At our first stop in South Dakota we visited Mount Rushmore and the Museum at Black Hills Institute. On our way to Huron we took the scenic drive through the Badlands. From Huron we drove to DeSmet to tour the Ingalls Homestead (from the last five books in the Little House series). From there we drove across Minnesota to Wisconsin, where we spent a couple of nights in the Wisconsin Dells. After driving through Illinois and Indiana, our last stop was a brief trip to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Ohio. Final Tally for Road Trip 2012: 8/5 to 8/22 = 18 days, 5400 miles, 15 states, and a lifetime of memories.

In other news, Ian is in 6^th grade and decided to take an introduction to French class at CHESS (Centreville Homeschool Enrichment Support Services) this year to supplement what we are studying at home. Preston is a junior in high school and is continuing to take classes at CHESS. He is taking Spanish 2, pre-calculus, physics, and a writing class. Both boys are continuing piano lessons. Preston earned another superior rating at the piano festival last February, and both of them recently performed at church. Preston filled in for our regular pianist, and Ian shared special music.

Ian played soccer last spring, and his team made it to the championship game for the U-12 division. Preston played softball for our church's team again this summer, and both boys continued to swim on a summer swim team (Curtis Park Seahawks), where Kanoa serves on the board. This fall they also started swimming for a year-round swim team, Nation's Capital Swim Club.

In church news, David is finishing his term on the leadership board as the Fellowship and Recreation coordinator, and Kanoa will begin a term as the chair of the leadership board in January. Last May Preston and Ian both participated in the Youth Sunday program, and in August Preston was selected to be a member of our denomination's Mid-Atlantic District Youth Cabinet, which is responsible for planning district-wide events for senior high youth. So far this year he and other youth from our church have attended a beach retreat in Delaware and a Christmas lock-in in Maryland.

The photos featured on our card this year are all from our summer trip. The center picture was taken at the Colorado State Railroad Museum. The other photos, counterclockwise from the left, are David, Kanoa, and Ian at the Gateway Arch, Ian at the Sinks of the Popo Agie River, an elk in Yellowstone, Preston at the Sinks of the Popo Agie River, and Preston and Ian at the Colorado State Railroad Museum.

We wish all of our family and friends a happy and healthy 2013

Sincerely,

The Ratliffs

David, Kanoa, Preston, & Ian

Summer Road Trip 2012 - Days 3 through 5

Days 3 - 5

August 7 - 9

Arrived in Denver on Tuesday. David picked Preston up from the airport on Wednesday. Ian and I spent the day with David's aunt and cousins visiting some shops in the suburbs of Denver. Rode the cog railway up to Pike's Peak, ate lunch at Garden of the Gods, and visited the Manitou cliff dwellings on Thursday with David's cousin's family.

Summer Road Trip 2012 - Day 2

Day 2

August 6 – Crossed Mississippi River, visited Gateway Arch, crossed Missouri River twice, stopped for gas in Warrenton, MO, drove through Topeka, KS, stayed overnight in Junction City, KS

Travel notes - I-70 in Kansas becomes Kansas Turnpike (toll road), no rest areas until after Topeka

Corn was bad in Illinois, worse in Missouri, and even worse in Kansas – brown and burned up, no green; even grass in much of Kansas is burned up. Soybeans still seem okay.

Many rivers are low; some creeks and rivers are almost dry

Weather/traffic: blue skies, sunny, good driving weather; temperatures in upper 90s- 100 degrees. Very little traffic except near cities, no back ups, few work zones.

Speed limit: 70 mph on I-70 in Missouri & Kansas

Total miles: 453 Total time: 7:30 a. m (CDT) – 7:00 p. m. (CDT) with stop in St. Louis

Summer Road Trip 2012 - Day 1

Day 1

August 5 – West Virginia: curvy roads, pit stop at New River Gorge Information Center, photo, lunch near Charleston

Kentucky: straighter roads

Indiana: straight roads, corn crop not doing well, pit stop at welcome center, photo

Illinois: pit stop at welcome center, photo, stayed at Comfort Suites, Mount Vernon, dinner at Cracker Barrel

Weather/traffic: good driving, no rain or storms, expected cold front with bad weather missed us, traffic light

Total miles: 745

Total time: 7:10 a. m.(EDT) - 7:30 p. m.(CDT)

Summer Swim Team 2012

This summer swim season was different in several ways. First, I was serving my first year on the Board. Second, this was the first time both boys swam in all of the dual meets. Preston moved up to the oldest and most competitive age group in the league: the 15-18 male age group. Ian also moved up an age group this summer to the 11-12 male age group. This was his first summer to swim the 50m distance using flip turns in competition. Finally, we moved back up a division from Patriot to Battlefield.

A note about scores and awards. First through sixth place receive ribbons, and first through third place score points for your team in dual meets. Both boys swam in relays as well, but it's harder to record the results of those, so again I am limiting my results to just individual events.

Practices began May 29 in the evening.

Beginning June 18 practices moved to mornings.

June 20 – CPST @ Fawn Lake – Exhibition Meet

Preston's events 100m free – 1:18.28 (7^th), 50m back – 42.89 (6^th), 50m breast – 52.58 (9th)

Ian's events 50m free – 49.44 (16^th), 50m fly – 1:22.45 (7^th), 50m breast – 1:08.64 (6th)

June 27 – Hampton Oaks @ CPST – won 217-290

Preston's events 50m free – 35.66 (13^th), 50m back – 43.85 (10^th), 100m IM – 1:37.25 (9th)

Ian's events 50m free – 48.88 (15^th), 50m breast – 1:04.72 (11th)

Week of July 4 – No meets

July 9 – CPST @ Austin Ridge – won 311-198

Preston's events 50m free – 35.10 (11^th), 50m fly – 45.68 (12^th), 50m back – 44.26 (9th)

Ian's events 50m free – 53.78 (17^th), 50m breast – 1:12.97 (11^th), 100m IM – 2:32.37 (8th)

July 12 – Massad YMCA @ CPST – lost 286-219

Preston's events 100m free – 1:17.99 (9^th), 50m back – 44.22 (8^th), 50m breast – 48.96 (9th)

Ian's events 50m free – 49.66 (11^th), 50m breast – 1:07.83 (7th)

July 18 – Aquia Harbour @ CPST – lost 187-167 (only swam through event 46 - backstroke)

Preston's events 50m free – 34.22 (10^th), 50m fly – 45.97 (10^th), 50m back – 44.07 (8th)

Ian's events 50m free – 49.76 (21^st), 50m back – 1:08.89 (8th)

July 23 – CPST @ Woodlands – won 330-168

Preston's events 50yd free – 31.22 (11^th), 50yd back – 39.51 (10^th), 50yd breast

Ian's events – only swam relays – freestyle relay got 2^nd place

August 4 – Battlefield Division Finals – finished 3^rd out of 6 – 694 points

Ian's events 50m free – 45.72 (8^th in C division)

Preston didn't swim due to being at Philmont

Christmas 2011 Letter

And apparently, it still never got posted.

I thought that this was scheduled to post automatically in January, but apparently it never did.  So here it is a few months late.

December 2011

Fifteen. Eleven. Teen, tween; how they grow!
The theme for this year seems to be transitions.

Ian is doing well in 5th grade, and Preston, in 10th grade, started taking a couple of classes with CHESS (Centreville Homeschool Enrichment Support Services) this year to supplement what we are studying at home. He is taking Spanish, an SAT Math prep class, and a computer information systems class. In the spring we took a field trip to the Library of Congress. Then in June Ian and Kanoa visited the Virginia Historical Society museum in Richmond with Kanoa's mom and Aunt Mary. This fall Ian and Kanoa also took the Fredericksburg Trolley Tour. On Mondays while Preston has been in class, Ian and Kanoa have also taken several hikes at the Manassas National Battlefield. The trolley tour and hikes at Manassas both supplemented Ian's study of the Civil War.

Music instruction continues to play an important role in the boys' lives. Ian continues to take piano lessons, and this summer he attended a summer camp that focused on voice instruction. The camp concluded with a performance of the song each participant had learned during the week, and in the style of American Idol, the audience voted for the best performer. Ian won for his age group. Preston is still taking piano and guitar lessons. In February he participated in the local piano festival where he earned a superior rating. In March he played guitar with a group of musicians from our church for the annual WinterFest gathering of local Brethren congregations. His guitar teacher also arranged for the guitar students to perform at a local nursing home. Both boys have shared their musical talents at church throughout the year.

On the sports front, both boys played basketball last winter. Preston's team was quite successful, making it to the championship game. Ian played soccer in both the spring and fall again this year. Preston played on the church softball team this spring and summer. Our summer swim team had an exciting, undefeated dual meet season where both boys contributed to the team's success by scoring points. Both boys swam at Finals in August where the team won the championship. Kanoa was also elected to a two-year term on the swim team board at the awards banquet in August.

There were many fun Scouting events this year as well. In January Ian participated in the Pinewood Derby, winning second place overall. Also in January we visited the WPRZ studios to learn about radio stations, and each of the Scouts in attendance was able to say hello on air. Later in the spring Ian and the other boys in his Webelos den built model bridges to learn about engineering. Throughout the winter and spring we did other fun activities such as bowling, ice skating, and roller skating as well. During the summer we held a rocket derby where it was more exciting if you could find and retrieve your rocket to relaunch it since everyone's rockets launched successfully. We also visited a local gymnastics studio to earn the gymnastics belt loop. This fall Ian and his den have been busy completing their remaining Arrow of Light requirements and visiting Boy Scout troops so that they can transition to Boy Scouts in February.

Preston's Boy Scout troop has been busy with several exciting trips this year. They traveled to the Outer Banks in January, West Virginia in May, and southwestern Virginia in July for summer camp, where Preston, fittingly, took part in the Mountain Man experience. He spent a week learning about things like blacksmithing and shooting black powder rifles. The older boys in his troop also decided to put together a crew to travel to Philmont, the BSA's high adventure base in New Mexico. This has required additional fund raising activities and monthly training hikes in addition to regular troop activities. Preston was elected Senior Patrol Leader this year, and to prepare he attended Impeesa, the National Youth Leader Training course, in June. If that's not enough, he is also active in the local Order of the Arrow chapter, which has its own meetings and activities. Additionally, Preston continues to press on toward Eagle Scout by finishing up merit badges and beginning to plan an Eagle project.

An activity that both the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have found fun this year is geocaching. David has taken Preston and Ian a few times this year, and on back-to-back weekends in November Ian's Webelos den and Preston's troop went on outings.

Even though we didn't take any major trips this year, we still were able to take in part in some enjoyable short events. In February we traveled to Charlottesville for a UVA women's basketball game. May and June were particularly busy with a quick trip to Winchester for part of the Apple Blossom Festival, a trip to Charlottesville for Kanoa's 20th UVA reunion, and a couple of trips to Richmond. In July Ian was invited to travel with a friend's family to West Virginia for a few days. Then in August we all traveled to West Virginia to visit the West Virginia State Fair and the cabin. In October we visited King's Dominion with David's brother's family, and in November Preston was able to go hunting with his Granddad Ratliff again.

Church also continues to be a hub for our family. Kanoa transitioned off the church leadership board last January but agreed to serve on the youth task team, and David transitioned on the leadership board as the Fellowship and Recreation coordinator. These positions have allowed us to be part of several exciting events this year. The youth baked cookies and made Valentines for the congregation in February and then planned the Youth Sunday worship service in May. They also took part in a Christmas play. After a break, Kanoa once again directed Vacation Bible School, which Ian attended and Preston helped with, in June. Events that David helped to plan included a visit by the Celebrant Singers in July and a movie night in October. The senior high kids, including Preston, attended Roundtable, a regional youth conference, in March at Bridgewater College and a Christmas lock-in at the beginning of December. Ian enjoyed a week at Shepherd's Spring again this summer, and David, Preston, and Ian all performed in our annual talent show in August.

Among other exciting events this year, we cannot forget the earthquake that occurred here in Virginia in August. That was followed by the rains from Hurricane Irene. Then in the fall a tornado came through Midland. While there was no damage at our home from any of these events, there were several local buildings that did sustain damage from the earthquake, and at least one house was damaged by the tornado.

Our photo this year is of the boys enjoying the Lawn at the University of Virginia during Kanoa’s reunion. We hope that all of our friends and family had a terrific 2011 and are looking forward to an even better 2012.

Sincerely,
The Ratliffs
David, Kanoa, Preston, & Ian

Fall Soccer 2011

Bean's fifth season of soccer. Practices were on Friday nights, which meant that we only had to miss one due to conflicts with Cub Scout Pack meetings. They did miss three other practices due to weather cancellations though. Bean moved up to U12, and there were only four teams in the league. The one negative was that the majority of the teams wanted to play on Sundays, which we don't really like.

9/11 Lost (2-5)

9/18 Lost (0-3)

9/25 Lost (2-6)

10/2 Games Canceled

10/9 Lost (3-5)

10/16 Lost (0-4)

10/23 Tied (2-2) – So close to winning one!

10/29 Soccer Tournament – Games Canceled due to – get this – SNOW – in October!

10/30 Soccer Tournament – Tied (2-2)

11/5 Soccer Tournament – Won (3-0)

11/5 Soccer Tournament – Lost (5-0)

The tournament was so close. The team almost made it to the championship game. They missed by 1 point, I think.