Colglazier Corner

Team PyroTech Updates

2012-01-13T19:05:00.003-05:00

Well, the three older Colglazier kids are on a FIRST robotics team, Team PyroTech. On January 7, 2012, FIRST announced the 2012 game that the FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) robots will be playing. Our 6 week build season has begun and Team PyroTech is finishing up their first week! Check out Team PyroTech's Website to see updates from the team!

2011 Colglazier Times

2011-12-24T13:19:00.004-05:00

The Colglazier Times

2011 Christmas Edition

We hope 2011 has been a good year for you. It has been an unexpectedly grand year for us with Carl winning the Grand Prize in C-SPAN’s StudentCam contest and the boys’ FIRST Robotics Competition team, Team PyroTech, qualifying for the Championships.

We just celebrated having Miriam in our family for 10 years, which means she is almost 11. She continues to enjoy dance and cooking. Miriam was recently baptized with her sister. She scored quite a few points for the swim team this year and finished 15^th the 9-10 girls freestyle in the City Meet.

Bethany is now our third teenager. Earlier this year, she got braces on the same day Carl got his off. Bethany has joined her brothers on Team PyroTech. She continues with piano lessons, and once again enjoyed the swim team and classes at SEEK (home school co-op).

Carl is 15 and about to get his learner’s permit. His StudentCam win was celebrated with a check presentation, an article in the newspaper, a City Council presentation, and a live interview on Washington Journal with the Historian of the United States Senate, Donald A. Ritchie. Carl continues with piano and enjoyed Philmont and Team PyroTech.

Christian is 17 and has his provisional driver’s license. He taught a class this year at SEEK on brick filming and made quite a bit of money on YouTube from people watching his films and tutorials. Christian enjoyed playing soccer, Team PyroTech and going to Philmont.

Leslie-Jean has had a busy year home schooling. She has assisted with Team PyroTech and has also been very involved with SEEK.

Dan continues in performance at IBM. He is helping the three oldest with math. Dan greatly enjoyed Philmont and is working on completing his Wood Badge ticket. He also continues to enjoy running.

C-SPAN by Carl

C-SPAN (Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network) is a nationally televised cable network that covers Congressional proceedings and current events (with no commentary). This spring we got the chance to see C-SPAN from the inside! How? As a part of their StudentCam documentary competition, winners get the chance to be interviewed on the network. Furthermore, first and grand prize winners are interviewed live during the Washington Journal program. I was able to get this chance by winning grand prize in this year's competition and our family was able to go to the set itself thanks to our close proximity to Washington, DC.

Some of my favorite things that we got to see were the sets for Q&A, Book TV, and more. From the lighting to the editing rooms to the lighting, it was really interesting to see how everything comes together. We were also able to answer the family mystery: is the background of the capitol building on Washington Journal real or fake? It turned out it is real. In fact the location was so good, FOX News and NBC took some of the other floors.

Another great part of this visit was the people we met including: Brian Lamb, founder of C-SPAN; Greta Brawner, one of the hosts of Washington Journal; and Joanne Wheeler of C-SPAN's education department. It was a very neat experience to get to see what gets put into a cable network behind the scenes.

FIRST Championships by Bethany

In April, our FIRST robotics team qualified for Championships in St. Louis. Championships started the day that Carl had his interview with C-SPAN, so the boys flew there while the rest of us drove. It took a day and a half to drive there. After eating lunch with the team, one of the team members and I went around to all the different pits looking around and collecting (what felt like) a million buttons, wristbands, and necklaces. We got to meet some really cool teams from all over the world! Later on we found the rest of the team in the bleachers getting ready to cheer on Team PyroTech. It was very crowded, loud and fun!

The next day we woke up around 6 since we didn’t need to get there as early as the rest of the team. We were slow in getting up due to watching the end of the royal wedding. I got a ride to the Dome so I could see the opening ceremony with the team. The ceremony was cool and we got to see Dean Kamen, founder of FIRST. After the ceremony, we waited for will.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas, who was going to control an FTC (FIRST Tech Challenge) robot and compete against Dean Kamen. It was an exciting match and turned out to be 77 to 9 with will.i.am winning. That day we watched many matches with and without our robot competing. At the end of the day we attended a very special concert for FIRST teams featuring The Black Eyed Peas. We were surprised in the beginning to also have Willow Smith. The concert was a lot of fun.

The next day 8 teams qualified for the finals and each of those 8 teams got to pick two other teams to be in an alliance with. Unfortunately, we did not get picked. After lunch, part of the team and a few siblings walked over to the Gateway Arch. Then we went back and watched the closing ceremony and the last few matches of the competition. We did not win Rookie All-Star, but we were told we made it to the top 4 and that was exciting. After the competition was over, the team split up and headed home.

Philmont by Christian

On July 16^th, Carl, Dan, and I went to the RDU airport and joined other members of our troop to go to Philmont Scout Ranch. We took a flight to the Denver Airport and picked up a rental van. We got a bite to eat at a Mexican restaurant and decided to try a new (for us) soda called Inca Kola. It tasted like liquid bubble gum gone wrong but was a fun experience. After lunch we traveled to our first camp site in Colorado Springs after stopping at the Air Force Academy. The next day we went to the Garden of the Gods and then rode the Cog Railway up Pikes Peak. On day three we woke up and traveled to Philmont and prepared to go backpacking. At 1:00 PM the next day, we took a bus to North Country and our Philmont backpacking adventure began. We hiked to our camp site with our packs weighing around 50 pounds because of all the food we were carrying. The next day we picked up a burro and got to our next campsite. On day 6 we went spar pole climbing which is a method of climbing a tree with spikes attached to your feet that you drive into the pole and climb your way up. Day 7 we hiked to Miranda and did some tomahawk throwing and black powder rifle shooting. The next day we took a side hike to climb Mt. Baldy, a climb of over 3000 feet to reach an altitude of over 12,000 feet. It was tough day, but we made it for a total mileage on the day of 10 miles. Day 9 we hiked to Santa Claus camp site. Day 10 we hiked to our next camp site and played around on some massive rocks. The next day we hiked to Cimarroncito and completed a service project. Day 12 we went rock climbing and took a side hike with some great views. Day 13 we hiked to Ponderosa Park and held horses because our horse ride was canceled due to a thunderstorm. Day 14 we climbed the Tooth of Time and faced the switch backs of death hiking in a zig zag style for miles in the blistering sun while seeing our final destination the entire time. Finally we made it and our backpacking adventure was done. We treated ourselves with a feast of pizza. After eating only freeze dried meals, it tasted amazing. The next day we went back to the airport and headed home having the adventure of a lifetime. After 15 days and hiking over 50 miles with a backpack on our backs, we were ready to be home.

North Carolina State Fair by Miriam

Every year we like to go to the North Carolina State Fair. We really enjoy looking at the arts, crafts, and food people enter into the fair. We also enjoy eating hush puppies and some fair food. This year Christian, Bethany, and I were able to enter something into the fair. Christian and Bethany entered the Website Design contest. Christian came in 1^st place and Bethany came in 3^rd. I entered chocolate truffles and earned a 2^nd place ribbon. It was fun to see my truffles at the fair.

Christmas – Good News Worth The Trip

This year we received good news which caused us to travel to Washington, DC and St. Louis. In Matthew 2:2 we are told the Wise Men asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” They had received good news through the appearance of the star and had travelled in response to worship Jesus. The birth of Jesus is truly good news. Because of our sins, we are separated from God and unable to come to Him. To correct this, God came to us - as a baby. Later on the cross, He became the perfect sacrifice for our sins forever travelling the gap between God and man. Let us celebrate this Christmas by responding as the Wise Men did to the good news of the birth of Jesus by coming to Him and worshipping Him.

The Colglaziers

Philmont Adventure - Day 1 - Cary to Colorado Springs

2011-08-07T12:13:00.003-04:00

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Woke up at 3:00 AM and got a few last minute things done. Went back to sleep and up again at 5:50 AM with the alarm. Breakfast of eggs and toast. Left to go to the airport at 7:45 AM stopping at Sheetz to pick up snacks for the plane. Everyone arrives at terminal 1 on time by 8:15 AM. Last insurance card copy collected. Tickets handed out to all but Keegan and Chris who got theirs “later”. Mostly smooth through security except Jordan got his bottle of sunscreen confiscated. Had to wait a while for our 9:55 AM flight. Got seats together in the back of the plane. Good flight. Read about half of “The New Cool”. Had “plane” crackers, pretzels, peanuts and Sprite Zero along with the chocolate chip cookies I brought. Got to Denver about 30 minutes early. Talked to a Scouter from Baltimore at baggage claim. Found Dollar Rent-a-Car bus and got on the second one. Discovered at Dollar that our reservations were with Thrifty. Fortunately it was right next to Dollar. Wound up renting a 12-passenger van instead of the 3 full-size cars that were reserved. Drove out of the airport looking for a place to eat. Crew wanted Mexican, so I suggested Casa Bonita. Got directions there by cell phone. Turned out to be the wrong place. Ate at Ludita’s instead. Had tamales and Inca Cola. Drove to the Air Force Academy (75 MPH speed limit). We walked around the campus and saw the chapel. When we returned to the van, Christian could not find his ID. I ran back to look for it. I received a cell phone call to come back as it had been found. On to the Garden of the Gods Campground. Set up camp around other Scouts including Crew 718-S from West Virginia. Drove to Flying W Ranch for a chuck wagon dinner and western show. The food was quite good: beef brisket, baked beans, apple sauce, biscuit, and spice cake. The western show was really good with the Flying W Wranglers – the second oldest western band at 59 years. They were all very talented. The opossum song was the highlight. Drove back to camp with one wrong turn. Great orange full moon seen on the ride back to camp. All went to bed pretty quickly at 10:00 PM.

Philmont Adventure - Day 2 - Colorado Springs

2011-08-07T12:12:00.000-04:00

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Up around 2:00 AM to go to the bathroom. The moon was so bright that I did not need a flashlight. Up again at 5:30 AM. Took a very nice shower. Other scoutmasters went to Starbacks and brought back donuts. Given watermelon slices by a troop from Omaha, NE. Pancake breakfast with sausage and beverage for $4.50 at camp. Ate 3 very large pancakes which were very good. Drove to Garden of the Gods and walked around seeing the amazing rock formations. Climbed a few and got lots of great pictures. Drove around to see more. Stopped at Balancing Rock and wound up doing a lot more climbing and taking pictures. Drove back to camp to get warm clothes. Lunch at A&W/KFC – root beer float! Drove to Pikes Peak Cog Railway missing the turn on the way. Got to park in an RV spot. Rode Aspen car up Pikes Peak. Very steep in parts. Lots of good views on the way up. Took lots of pictures at the top. Called home on Dr. G’s cell phone from the top. Felt really tired on the way down. Drove to Old Colorado City and ate dinner at Thunder and Buttons. Had buffalo brat with elk chili. Back to camp. Boys went swimming. Got ready for tomorrow. Bed early.

Philmont Adventure - Day 3 - Colorado Springs to Philmont Base Camp

2011-08-07T12:11:00.000-04:00

Monday, July 18, 2011

Everyone up by 5:30 AM. Broke camp and departed at 6:30 AM. Stopped at Starbucks. Drove to Pueblo for breakfast: Big Breakfast with Hot Cakes at McDonalds. Drove to Philmont. First view of the Tooth of Time and Baldy Mountain. Checked in at the Welcome Center with Caleb. Got our tent assignments (D31 – D36) and met our Ranger, Garrett. I went by myself to handle the paperwork – fast and easy. Caleb and I went to Logistics to learn our trek and mark our map. Lunch of two chicken tenders and mashed potatoes. Then medical checks. All went well except Carl had brought an expired prescription. Took two hours to resolve. Rest of the crew went on to Services to get equipment and food. Rejoined the crew at the end of equipment check. Carl and I did ours quickly afterwards. Some ranger training: maps and first aid. Dinner of pork and potatoes. Advisors meeting while the boys attended Crew Leader, Chaplain’s Aid, and Guia meetings. Chapel. Campfire on the history of Philmont. Quick shower and asleep by 10:00 PM.

Philmont Adventure - Day 4 - Base Camp to Sioux

2011-08-07T12:10:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Got up very early to repack. By making good use of all space, got everything in my pack including my fleece. Breakfast of waffles and ham. Had to make Villa Philamonte reservations after 8:00 AM and returned to do so in the van. Got 10:30 AM reservation. Checked out of base camp. Boys played cards at the Welcome Center. Went to the Tooth of Time Traders for final items – lighters. Toured Villa Philamonte. Excellent tour with lots of information. Brian played their piano. Had to leave early to get back for lunch. Lunch of turkey with cheese removed sandwich. Long wait for 1:45 PM bus to Ponil Turnaround. Put last things in the van. Boarded the bus for our trip through Cimarron to Ponil Turnaround. Bus went pretty quickly. Lots of “misinformation” from the rangers. Got off the bus and hit the trail. Saw some of the effects of the 2002 fire. Got to Ponil pretty quickly. Stopped for porch talk, branding and root beer. Started to rain a bit, so we put on our pack covers and hit the trail. Got to Sioux pretty quickly. Set up camp: water bottles in the fire ring, tarp set up, bear bags, and then tents. Made dinner. I had beef stew while others had Fettuccine Primavera. Back to Ponil. Went to the trading post and waited for the cantina show. Boys played horseshoes. Cantina show was not very good and very hot. Left before it was over. Got to play some horseshoes in the dark. Back to camp and bed. Started raining hard. Checked on my stuff which I had left out under the tarp and found the tarp had blown off our stuff. Tried to get Caleb up but failed. Others who were up helped with the tarp. Fixed my tent so the rain fly worked properly. Finally to sleep. It rained hard twice during the night with strong winds.

Philmont Adventure - Day 5 - Sioux to Flume Canyon

2011-08-07T12:09:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Up before the crew (4:30 AM instead of 5:30 AM). Got tent and sleeping pad dried out. Broke camp and hiked back to Ponil. Ate breakfast. Boys picked out a burro. Burro training. Messed up the diamond hitch demonstration twice. Christian and Carl both selected to help with the demonstration. Both called “Freckles”. Boys did not get the burro they had picked out because it had just gotten off the trail. Got B-17 instead. Still named it “El Guapo”. Our crew was the first one done getting the burro ready, so they were asked to help out another crew. Finally on the trail with El Guapo. Hiked on a road straight to Flume Canyon with only a few short stops. El Guapo was pretty good except for looking for any opportunity to eat. Kermit rode on El Guapo. Keegan and Christian corralled El Guapo while the others set up camp. Challenged to set up camp in 20 minutes. Did not accomplish that since Keegan and Christian had things we needed. Ate lunch. Completed ranger training. Filtered water. Some time to relax. Camp site was very nice, but it did have a few flies. Had a bit of trouble hiking today but able to keep up. Rinsed myself off in the stream with my bandana – felt wonderful. Went to watch the feeding of El Guapo. Dinner of turkey and breakfast skillet which we had swapped for the stuffing. Hiked to Pueblano for loggerball and campfire. Loggerball was basically baseball with logs for bats and a large ball of duct tape for the ball. One oddity was running the bases backwards for the second inning. Staff vs youth. Staff won. Garrett and Brian both got hits. Brian hurt his finger fielding a pop up in the crowd of Scouts. Saw a double rainbow during the game. Had to hike a ways to the campfire which was really good. Lots of songs with 2 guitars, 2 banjos, a mandolin and a wash board. Also had stories and “Logger Love Connection” which included Garrett. Campfire ended with a heartfelt talk on the Philmont experience. On the way back to Flume Canyon we helped a Scout without a flashlight and separated from his crew back to his camp. We sang songs along the way to scare off bears and mountain lions. We also did “roses, thorns and buds” on the way. Then straight to bed around 10:30 PM.

Philmont Adventure - Day 6 - Flume Canyon to Head of Dean

2011-08-07T12:08:00.000-04:00

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Woke up at 4:30 AM before the crew at 5:00 AM. It had rained during the night and the rain fly was very wet. Packed the tent away wet. Broke camp, got El Guapo ready, and hit the trail back to Pueblano. Some of the boys put El Guapo in the corral while most of the crew hurried to sign in for an early spar pole climbing spot. Got 8:00 AM. Ate breakfast while waiting. Good and fun instructions on how to spar pole climb. The whole crew successfully climbed the pole, some better than others. I got tired on the way up and really struggled to finish but did. Somehow got a bloody finger. Took lots of pictures and video. Got El Guapo ready again and hit the trail to Head of Dean. This was a very nice trail that started with a series of switchbacks. Lots of burned trees and great views. We saw Baldy for the first time on the trail. Made it pretty quickly to Head of Dean and checked in. Got a 12:30 PM slot for Challenge Events. Was given the camp site near the corral which was pretty far away. Got Challenge Events time switched to 1:00 PM. Set up camp and ate lunch. The camp site was nice but had a large slope. Started to rain. Walked to Challenge Events which got switched to Porch Games because of the weather. Best games were Green Door and Ghost which was a spelling game. Went back to camp and took a nap. Was awakened for dinner. Went to the advisors meeting and learned a lot from the other advisors. Back to camp and early to bed. Felt better hiking today as it was cooler with a nice trail.

Philmont Adventure - Day 7 - Head of Dean to Ute Meadows

2011-08-07T12:07:00.000-04:00

Friday, July 22, 2011

Woke up at 5:00 AM with the crew. Finally broke camp at 7:00 AM. Hiked to Miranda stopping along the way to play Frisbee and enjoy the views. Returned El Guapo. Logistics had told us incorrectly how to return the burro which slowed us down. Got the 2:00 PM slot for black powder rifle shooting. Crew threw tomahawks. I washed my laundry before my turn. Did pretty well ending with sticking a bunch in a row. Christian almost nailed a mini bear. We cooked our dinner for lunch. It rained a bit. Fortunately it did not affect our shooting except we did not get to load the rifles as Uncle was much faster at it and did it to get us done before any more bad weather. Carl nailed his hat twice. I had no idea how I did as my target had fallen over before I had a chance to shoot it. Short hike to Ute Meadows. Boys took a long time to select a camp site. Boys finally chose a good one except that the bear bag cable was far away. Tomorrow’s lunch for dinner. Slowly got camp ready for the night and went to bed. Chris had had a hard day with many things going wrong including a mini bear getting into his Gu which then exploded in his pack and on the map.

Philmont Adventure - Day 8 - Side Hike to Baldy Mountain

2011-08-07T12:06:00.000-04:00

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Got up at 5:00 AM with the crew. Not feeling 100%. Hiked up the road to Baldy Town and had breakfast. Caleb learned that he needed “Onion” which he had not brought. He and Jordan ran back to camp and back to retrieve it. Used the delay to read the informational posters about mining and habitat change with elevation. Finally left for Baldy Mountain at 8:15 AM. Got lost once at the beginning of the trail. The trail was rocky and quite steep. We did 10 minutes of hiking followed by 1 minute of rest to drink – worked well. We actually caught up and passed two crews on the way up. The last part was straight up and very difficult. I found that taking short steps worked the best. The crew got separated for a bit, but Caleb got the crew to the summit together. It took about 2 hours from Baldy Town to the top of Baldy Mountain. We spent time enjoying the views and taking pictures. We ate lunch. Then we took crew pictures with Mr. H’s monopod trekking pole. The weather was great when we arrived – mostly sunny with a few clouds. When we left it was cloudy, cooling off, and it looked like it was about to rain. The trail down was quite steep with loose rock. We finally made it to a ridge which was very open when it started to rain. We hiked fast to get off the ridge with lightning in the area. Unfortunately Carl went too fast and had an asthma attack. We had to wait while he recovered. We were then on a very pleasant trail down with a lot of switchbacks. We then found the trail to French Henry and it was terrible – steep with lots of wet rocks as it was lightly raining. I was feeling miserable. Carl found a hot spot which we treated twice on the trail and once at French Henry. We wound up doing nothing at French Henry except sitting and resting. We took the road from there back to Baldy Town. At Baldy Town, we bought some things at the trading post. I replaced my broken spork and got another canister of fuel. Took a shower. Did not have a towel but dried off very quickly anyway. The shower really made me feel better. Boys got our food at the commissary. I got a fresh pear which was quite good. Hiked the road back to Ute Meadows. Was not feeling well again and neither did Carl. Ate dinner of beef and potatoes. Took care of things and went to bed at 9:00 PM.

Philmont Adventure - Day 9 - Ute Meadows to Santa Claus

2011-08-07T12:05:00.000-04:00

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Was awakened at 6:00 AM with the rest of the crew. Cooked breakfast. Saw two deer by our camp site. Broke camp and hit the trail back to Miranda. Threw tomahawks again. Had a tournament which Brian won. Hit the trail again to Head of Dean. Ate lunch there. Reserved the 2:00 PM Challenge Events slot which was rained out again. Caleb was nice to a female staffer who rewarded him with snack packs for the entire crew. Left in the rain for Santa Claus. Hiked through a large, burned out forest. Got to Santa Claus and set up camp. Boys found Garrett with another crew. Went and talked to him. Boys filtered water. Late dinner. Two of our snack packs were given to Garrett. To bed at 9:20 PM.

Philmont Adventure - Day 10 - Santa Claus to Upper Bench

2011-08-07T12:04:00.000-04:00

Monday, July 25, 2011

Up at 6:00 AM with the crew. Broke camp and hiked to the Cimarron River. Carl was having trouble, so the boys took a lot of his weight from his pack. This sped Carl up quite a bit making me the slowest of the crew. My feet were really hurting. We got to the river and soaked our feet in it while filtering water. The coldness on the feet felt wonderful. We ate dinner for lunch knowing our evening camp had little or no water. It was mostly downhill to the river. It was mostly uphill from there to our camp at Upper Bench. We probably hiked 9 to 10 miles total for the day. We set up camp pretty quickly. Dr. G had medical consultations with each crew member. Advisors meeting to discuss how things were going. Lunch for dinner. Keegan led a devotional. Used a latrine (no walls) for the first time after our sister crew showed me where it was. Walked around the dry lake bed and found a fairly fresh deer leg. Also found a log that had been rolled and lots of animal droppings. Saw a deer and fawn walk through the lake bed. Boys climbed the rocks at the end of the lake bed. They then showed the deer leg to our sister crew. This camp had the first mosquitoes that I saw.

Philmont Adventure - Day 11 - Upper Bench to Cimarroncito

2011-08-07T12:03:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Up a couple of times in the night and the stars were incredible. Unfortunately my findings the previous evening prevented me from going too far from my tent to look at them. Up at 5:00 AM with the crew. Left on the trail at 6:15 AM. Carl was rattled by a rattlesnake along the trail. We had to hike around it. Ate breakfast on the trail. Got to Ute Gulch Commissary pretty quickly for our last food pickup. Had another pear. At the trading post, bought a Philmont Nalgene for Christian to use, some more fuel, and sock liners and foot powder for my feet. The last two items seemed to help a lot. Hiking through Grouse Canyon was very nice with lots of interesting rock formations. Quite quickly we were at Cimarroncito. We had our porch talk while Christian defended our packs from mini bears. We set up camp and had lunch. Lots of laundry was done. We did our conservation project at 2:00 PM. First we moved their equipment from where it was to the Hunting Lodge. It took two trips. Then we pulled up Musk Thistles and pulled off their seeding heads. This is an invasive species. Ironically it is also on the Philmont staff badges as it has a pretty purple flower. It was a long way back to camp and Carl hit his limit. Therefore we made the long, slow walk back together while the rest of the crew went on ahead. We took a very nice shower on the way. Dinner was pretty late and Christian missed it because he had to attend a Guia meeting. He wound up eating quite late. Carl went to bed quite early and we were all in bed by 9:00 PM.

Philmont Adventure - Day 12 - Cimarroncito

2011-08-07T12:02:00.000-04:00

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Got up at 6:00 AM before the crew got up at 6:30 AM. Did my laundry. Slightly late for breakfast. Rock climbing. All climbed up and rappelled down. There was a race to see who could climb up the fastest. Chris won and got a Snack Pack. Back to camp for lunch. Took a side hike to the Hunting Lodge and Window Rock. The Hunting Lodge was interesting in terms of construction and items in it. The tour itself was a bit long and hot. Getting up to Window Rock was very slow as Carl was really struggling. The view from the top rewarded our efforts. You could see the Tooth of Time Ridge, the Philmont Training Center, and I believe Baldy Mountain. Keegan led a very good devotional while we were up there. I was very impressed hearing how the Philmont experience had drawn everyone closer to God. Had a talk with Carl about his pace and dealing with adversity. I told him we would need to send him to base camp if he could not pick up his pace, that I would have to go with him, and that I did not want to go. Carl flew so fast back to camp that I had a difficult time keeping up with him. Got back and took a shower and washed the clothes that I had been wearing. Dinner of chicken and rice. Got somewhat organized for the next day. Watched the boys try to conquer the climbing wall challenge without success. They could have earned a dozen donuts. To bed at 9:00 PM. By the way, no significant rain today – a first for us on the trail.

Philmont Adventure - Day 13 - Cimarroncito to Ponderosa Park

2011-08-07T12:01:00.000-04:00

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Got up at 6:00 AM before the crew at 6:30 AM. Got a few things done and watched woodpeckers peck. Had breakfast, broke camp and hit the trail. Tried a group picture beside a lake. We hiked through the Demonstration Forest and saw a number of turkeys. Quickly got to Clarks Fork. Had our porch talk and decided to hike onto our camp at Ponderosa Park. We quickly set up camp and went back to Clarks Fork. We ate lunch there and headed to our horseback ride. We were getting our horses when lightning struck. We were delayed for 30 minutes and tried again. Unfortunately there was more lightning and the ride was cancelled. We then got things branded. I got the horse brand on my hat. Most of us then waited out the rain on the porch. Some of the boys played horseshoes. I played Moose Farkel with Carl, and then most of the others joined us. Brian won that game twice as he gambled and lost after reaching 10,000 the first time. We then went to the chuck wagon dinner. We were one of the last crews to get to eat. The beef stew tasted quite good. We then had to wait quite a while to leave as Keegan and Christian helped with cleanup. We loaded up on water on the way out since it was the last water until base camp. Chris carried the 2.5 gallon jug filled with water. We arrived back at camp and prepared for the next day. Some of the boys made large quantities of hot apple cider. Keegan cooked a spaghetti dinner he had found. Most of the boys ate the extra pound cake they were given at the chuck wagon dinner. To bed at 8:30 PM.

Philmont Adventure - Day 14 - Ponderosa Park to Base Camp

2011-08-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

Friday, July 29, 2011

Got up at 3:45 AM before the crew at 4:00 AM. Ate breakfast, broke camp and hit the trail at 5:15 AM. Started the hike using my headlamp to see. Up through Shaeffer’s Pass. Then every rock formation was the Tooth. This happened many times. Finally we arrived at the base of the Tooth of Time. We made a pack line keeping our smellables with us. It was a difficult rock and boulder scramble up to the top. The views were great. Took a lot of pictures. Getting down was a bit difficult. Carl’s hip bothered him on the way down, and he took quite a while. We hit the trail again. It ended with a series of switchbacks that were hot and dusty. Made it back to base camp about noon taking a group finishing picture. Checked in at the Welcome Center getting our tent assignments and list of things we needed to do. Went into Cimarron for pizza at the St. James Hotel. Came back to take showers, to do the advisors survey, take care of trail charges, and get our arrowhead patches. Hit the Tooth of Time Traders for souvenir purchases. Got the mail. Dinner in the mess hall at 5:45 PM – Asian food. Chapel at 7:00 PM after dealing with sons’ SEEK classes. Chapel was pretty good. Closing campfire at 8:15 PM – Home Bound! Caleb was awarded the “We All Made It” award. To bed at 10:30 PM after some packing.

Philmont Adventure - Day 15 - Base Camp to Cary

2011-08-07T11:59:00.000-04:00

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Up at 5:00 AM to finish packing. Took a few sunrise pictures. Breakfast at 7:00 AM – raisin bread French toast. Last trip to Tooth of Time Traders for patches. Loaded up the van and checked out. Drove to Cimarron and shopped for knives. Bought Leslie-Jean a pair of hummingbird ear rings. Back on the road. Stopped at a McDonalds in Colorado Springs for lunch. Drove on to Denver. Got gas and returned the van. Shuttle to the airport. Had to check our luggage at the curb. Mr. H got the wrong name on his boarding pass and had to go back to get it fixed. Through a long but efficient security line. Train to terminal C. The plane was beginning boarding when we arrived. Scrambled to use the restroom and grab some food. Flight left and arrived on time. Some turbulence during the flight with a thunderstorm going into RDU. Met at the airport by the rest of the family. Had to wait on Jordan’s grandparents picking him up. Then a long walk to the car and finally home.

Swim Team 2011

2011-08-05T20:12:00.014-04:00

The swim team season is over! :( We ended up 5th overall in the Cary City Meet in July and had 3 wins, 2 losses, and 1 tie (incomplete meet in this case).

Miriam was in the main event for all of the meets in Freestyle and placed in many of them. Her relay team also did really well in all of the meets.

On Thursday, July 21, we had the banquet. After receiving the medals and times sheets, they moved onto the special awards! First, they handed out the "Imp Awards". This award went out to ten people, who during the season showed great sportsmanship, vast improvement

and had a steady attendance record. Miriam was awarded one of those awards, which was a silicone cap and certificate. They went through most improved boy and girl with every age group and then MVP boy and girl with every age group. After that they did the coach's award. They only present 4 of these awards. One boy and girl for the 10 and unders and one boy and girl for the 11 and ups. I won the coach's award for the girls 11 and up. I got a really nice plaque with my name on it. It's really cool! :)

Coach Beau (below)

C-SPAN Visit 2011 Pictures

2011-08-05T12:21:00.017-04:00

(The guy in the pink shirt and tie is the person who gave us a tour on the first floor!)

C-SPAN Visit 2011

2011-08-05T12:20:00.000-04:00

In April we were able to drive up to Washington D.C. and have Carl interviewed by C-SPAN for his winning documentary, "The Great Compromise".

On Tuesday, April 26, 2011, we woke up kind of early and drove up to Washington D.C. Since it was a Tuesday, Carl and I had Latin class. So a quarter till 9 AM we stopped at a Starbucks and Carl and I were able to participate in our Latin Class. An hour passed by and soon enough we were back on the road.

It wasn't that long before we arrived in Washington D.C. Our plan was to visit the Museum of Natural History for the rest of the day. Once we arrived in D.C. we drove a around for a while trying to find parking.

We eventually found a parking garage that was actually open. Our car was checked by security and then dad drove down below. We drove around the first level and went around and around in circles and came to a conclusion that there were no parking spaces on that level so we go down to the second level and basically do the same thing. Then we go back up to the first level go around in a circle then back to the second level. On the second level we looked around then went down to the third level, went around a few times then down to the fourth level and went around several times (it was good if you wanted to spot different license plates and mark them down and get a good look at a car 5 times!!!). The past few times we went around we asked some of the parking assistance people and they would basically direct us to where we had been thinking there were spots open . So we headed up and while doing so we went around a couple of times on each level to see if any cars had left. Finally we reached the first floor and headed toward the exit. We approached the pay booth and said we didn't find any parking. Apparently we had been down there looking for a parking spot for 27 minutes. The security person was going to charge us, but we kept saying how we didn't park. So she called up another worker and he moved his car so we could park in his spot.

After that 1/2 hour spent in a parking garage, we headed up to go to the museum. Before we went to the Museum of Natural History, though, we walked to the Museum of American History to try to find a book by Donald Ritchie, the Senate Historian who talked about Compromise in Carl's interview. Unfortunately we couldn't find any of his books so dad walked all the way over to the Capitol Building while the rest of us visited the Museum of Natural History. We enjoyed all of the exhibits and for the last few we had dad with us to see them.

When we were done exploring the museum we got back into our car and drove to the hotel, which we had stayed at before during our Washington D.C. trip in September 2010. We arrived and unpacked. We chilled out for about an hour and then headed down to the lobby area for dinner. We did pretty much nothing that night except relax and Carl was getting ready for his interview.

The next morning we woke up pretty early and went down to breakfast around 6AM. After breakfast we watched Carl's documentary on C-SPAN. It was not too long after when we headed into D.C. and to C-SPAN's building. We didn't exactly get lost, but along the way we were puzzled about where we were and where we were supposed to be going. It all worked out because we found the building and parking earlier than expected, which was good.

We met up with the employee from C-SPAN and walked to the green room on the first floor. There we waited and another employee (I forgot his name...) came in and gave us a tour of the first floor, including the Q&A studio and the studio where Carl was going to be interviewed. We went back to the green room. We waited a while and watched C-SPAN as several employees popped in to congratulate Carl. Later, a few people came in. Carl recognized all of them. First, it was the employee that gave us a tour of the first floor, then the Washington Journal host for that morning, Greta Brawner and last, Brian Lamb, CEO and founder of C-SPAN. Carl had been talking days before we left about how much he really wanted to see Brian Lamb, but doubted that possibility thinking he would be somewhere else or really busy so he was really excited about it! They visited for a little while then left so Carl could start preparing for his interview.

A bit later Carl was taken away for the interview and we were able to watch the hosts swapping places and Carl getting ready on one of the TV screens. His interview started and we watched the whole thing in the green room.

When Carl was done, we met Craig McAndrew and Pam McGorry, who both work in the Education Department at C-SPAN. They lead us to the 6th floor, which has most of the offices and the studio with the Capitol Building in the background. We got a tour of that floor and Carl got many congratulations from several people.

In the studio (with the Capitol Building in the background) we met the winner from the first contest C-SPAN had and he was from China. We enjoyed the rest of the tour and at noon we had to leave to go to the airport in Baltimore, Maryland for the second part of our trip!

We drove about 45 minutes to the airport while eating Subway food. We arrived at the airport and we weren't there that long. We were sending Christian and Carl off to St. Louis to meet the rest of Team PyroTech for the robotics competition championships.

Everyone, except for Christian and Carl drove through a bunch of states to get to St. Louis.

Carl's Winning Video:

http://www.studentcam.org/Winners11.htm

Carl's Interview:

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/CarlCo

C-SPAN's StudentCam Website:

http://www.studentcam.org/

This ends part 1 of our big trip!

Team PyroTech

2011-08-05T11:52:00.009-04:00

Christian and Carl joined a robotics team last year, Team PyroTech. At the regional competition they placed 7th out of about 52 teams. Not only did they win the Highest Rookie Seed Award, they were awarded the Rookie All-Star. This award gave them the opportunity to go to the world championships! We were all very excited, but if we were going, we had a lot of work to do! The competition was only 3 weeks away and there was much planning going on during those weeks!

http://teampyrotech.com/

Congratulations Carl!!!!

2011-04-22T19:51:00.017-04:00

This past year, Carl entered a C-SPAN documentary contest called StudentCam. Last year he won second place for middle school his documentary called "Wasting Waste". This year he won the grand prize, which tops both high school winners and middle school winners.

Every year a representative for C-SPAN comes and has a presentation at the winner's school and presents them with their reward. Since Carl is homeschooled, though, C-SPAN came to our homeschool co-op, SEEK. We were all very excited the morning of this presentation. A man from the Cary Town Council, Jack Smith, attended as well as Keith Poston from Time Warner Cable. The presentation started with the representative for C-SPAN, Rachel Katz. The tech people in the back played Carl's video and then Jack Smith spoke a bit about Carl's documentary and topic and congratulated Carl. Next Keith Poston spoke a bit about Carl's accomplishment and how Carl's video will be on demand for Time Warner Cable after the interview is aired on C-SPAN. Carl was then awarded with a certificate with a case and a big check (something he really wanted)!!!!!

Carl's documentary:

http://www.studentcam.org/winners11.h tm

Carl's reaction during the phone call from C-SPAN telling him that he had won the grand prize!

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/CamWinn

Watch Carl's video and interview on C-SPAN on Wednesday, April 27!!! (Video - 6:50 AM ET, Interview - 9:15 AM ET)

CONGRATULATIONS CARL!!!!!

Our COLD Camping Trip

2010-12-20T10:36:00.004-05:00

The day after the practice debate tournament we went camping! Our original plan was to stay at a state park in Florida for the first two nights then move to Disney and camp there at Fort Wilderness. On Monday we were going to visit University of Florida (the reason we were there!), Tuesday, move to Disney, Wednesday, visit Grandma, Thursday, relax and visit all the resorts with cool decorations then Friday, travel home. A few days before the trip, however, we found out that the first two nights at the state park, which is in Gainesville, was supposed to get down to 18 degrees (Fahrenheit) during the night and we knew that some of us couldn't handle that. So we switched our plans and stayed at our grandmas for the first two nights and visit her all day on Monday. Then Tuesday we moved to Disney and Wednesday we visited University of Florida then Thursday we did the same as planned.

On Sunday we drove down and we ate Fried Chicken for dinner then watched the finale of The Amazing Race. The next morning Carl and I went for a ride with my mom's aunt and we drove to the beach. She stayed in the car while Carl and I had fun for about 5 minutes on the cold windy beach! We pretty much relaxed and rested that day.

On Tuesday we departed from our Grandma's house and we traveled to Disney World. We set up camp then mom and dad went shopping for food and then mom worked on her job for our homeschool co-op, SEEK. So they were gone all afternoon and all of the kids were able to walk to the 'Bike Barn' and make a cel (yes, that's how 'cel' is spelled!). We traced a character onto a piece of plastic then colored it in. It was a lot of fun and very cold! That night we cooked fajitas. That evening we all (the whole family...mom and dad are back now) walked to the campfire and roasted our gigantic marshmallows. Then we were heading back to camp and that night was miserable! It was way below freezing and we were hurting so badly...especially mom. She almost moved to the bathhouse since it was heated...(it's Disney!). The next morning we woke up and cooked a very fast breakfast since we were going to University of Florida. Mom and I were wanting to go as soon as possible so we could get into a warm car! Our tour guide was awesome. We were able to visit The Swamp (the football stadium) and a sample dorm room. Later that evening we dropped mom off at the Contemporary Resort so she could work on descriptions for our homeschool co-op, SEEK, then the rest of us headed off to Downtown Disney. We visited all of our favorite shops and traded pins. We were up very late that night and mom was definitely stalling at the resort once we arrived to head back to camp. She was in NO hurry!! She didn't mind if we slept in the lobby because it was warm!! :) But that night wasn't as bad. We slept and then woke up...nobody woke up during the night. We were bundled up more...mom had a blanket on her feet and she felt a lot better. The hard part was getting out of the sleeping bag. So we quickly walked to the bathroom and right to the warm showers. The second hard part was getting out of the showers. Once we were all clean and ready for the day we made our breakfast then headed out to the bus station and started to look at all the resorts.

After looking at all the resorts we went swimming at the swimming pool. We mostly went down the slide, not much swimming...meaning actual stroke swimming! Then the kids played corn hole.

Later that night we went to the campfire then walked around some of the loops and looked at all the Christmas decorations that Disney guest put up to light there area up! Then we walked to the beach area by the boat dock and watched the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom and after that the parade on water. These boats put on the show!

That was pretty much our trip in a not too long post!!

Practice Debate Tournament

2010-12-20T10:18:00.003-05:00

This year I learned how to debate and we had the practice tournament the weekend after the First Lego League Regionals Tournament...December 11th. Everybody who signed up got to debate four times. The first round I was able to debate my friend, which was exactly what I wanted, and we also had a great judge! This round was not really how a real round was like. One because we had a new timer and needed a bit of assistance so we ended up with a bit more time than what we're actually supposed to have (with the prep time) and two because we were having too much fun!! This round, though, gave us a feel of what a round was like. The second round I did OK. My opponent's value for me was a bit difficult to argue...especially since I had no idea what it was! The third round I was up against someone who has done this kind of stuff before and then the fourth round I was up against a guy who had democracy as his value. I actually didn't do so great, but somehow I ended up winning the round....

So I won half of the debates I debated. The rounds I won I was the negative speaker. I didn't really care what I won and what I didn't. I had a blast! It was so much fun...I don't know why, but it kind of became addicting!

By Bethany Colglazier

First Lego League Regionals Tournament

2010-12-20T09:41:00.006-05:00

In case you all didn't know, I am on a First Lego League Team (Bethany is). First Lego League has two main parts: an engineering side and a project side.

On the engineering side we program a robot to complete missions. Each year First Lego League has a theme and this year was on Biomedical Engineering. Each year is different with it's missions. This year we had missions in which we needed to push things, grab things, and place things. So we came up with some attachments to help our robot complete those missions. At first it's pretty easy and it's a lot of fun....but then toward the middle it can get pretty frustrating, but still a lot of fun!!

On the project side we come up with a problem related to the theme of the year then come up with an improvement or solution. We focused on hearing loss and came up with a survey to send out to those who have hearing loss. One of the big problems that the majority had was batteries. The batteries didn't last too long and they had to keep replacing them. So we came up with body powered hearing aids that run by the beat of your heart, sound waves, blowing from your mouth or bit of quartz. One of our team members took all of our ideas and put it into a funny skit that we presented to the judges.

Now onto the tournament part! On Saturday, December 4th, 2010, we had our regional tournament. Each team got judged in three parts: Teamwork, Robotics, and the Project. Then later in the afternoon there were three rounds of robot runs. First was teamwork, which went great and we had a lot of fun with the teamwork challenge. We had to pick out something that we wanted to act out and we chose an airplane. The second judging round was on Robotics. We were able to show them our attachments and our robot runs. Then finally our third judging round was on the project. We presented our skit and then went over some things that we did over the season. Also during each judging round the judges would ask questions about whatever they were mainly judging on.

In the afternoon we ran our robot and the best score we ended up with was a 95. This was fine by us because we knew the robotics part wasn't exactly our strength. We did know, however, that our project and teamwork part went well and we figured we had a chance at that.

The day went pretty well and we were all exhausted at the award ceremony. They did first and second place for Robot Runs, Robot design, Teamwork, and Project. We place 2nd in Teamwork and that automatically put us in the states competition!!! We were all very excited and very unexcited. We just knew it was going to be another long day!! Anyway, states competition is in January!!!

Oh I forgot to mention that one other team member and I created a website to educate the "WORLD WIDE WEB" about our ideas and about First Lego League! We had lots of help from our Young Adult Mentor (or "YAM" for short) to make this website look good and to be on the web! So thank-you Christian! Our website link: http://www.theferbots.110mb.com/

By Bethany Colglazier

Washington D.C. Trip Update - Day 7

2010-10-14T19:50:00.006-04:00

Carl, Miriam, Christian and I in front of the back of the house

A beautiful view

The back of the house

The House at Mount Vernon

Today, we are traveling back to North Carolina. However, before we left, we visited Mount Vernon. We bought tickets to get in and watched a 20 min video. This was on George Washington and his house in Mount Vernon. Then we walked to the actual house part and took a tour there. It was also pretty gray the day we were there. Next, we zipped through the grounds because we were pretty tired. We checked out the burial site of George Washington and his wife.

Once we were done we headed back to the visitor center and walked through two museums on Mount Vernon & George Washington. After that we ate in the food court and then walked back to our car and drove to the interstate and headed home.

It was pretty boring, but I guess most car trips are like that!! For dinner we stopped at Cracker Barrel and had a delicious meal. About an hour after we were home!!! We unpacked and went to bed.

Day 6 Pictures

2010-10-10T17:11:00.010-04:00

The Washington Monument from across the World War II Memorial

Washington Monument across the reflecting pool

The Lincoln Memorial at night

If you look closely at the stairs it's packed!!

The Washington Monument at night

Washington D.C. Trip Update - Day 6

2010-10-10T16:44:00.004-04:00

Today we drove to a conference on Do Hard Things with the Harris brothers, Alex and Brett. Their book, "Do Hard Things" is a teenage rebellion against low expectations.

They split the conference into four sessions. Each session was kind of like a sermon at church. The sessions had a story that they shared in their book, "Do Hard Things".

The kids/teens were handed a response card (keypad) to answer some of the questions they had throughout the conference. All the answers would be locked in and then they would show the results. I thought that was really cool.

They would also shoot rockets off a launcher to the section that cheered the loudest and whoever caught the rocket got whatever they were giving out (t-shirts or books).

The band Reilly was there to perform and play the worship songs. The two violinists were awesome!!

Alex preached the first session, Brett preached the next two, then their oldest brother, Josh Harris was our guest speaker.

Towards the end they told us that they usually announce the amount of response cards they're missing so we can try to find them. This time they told us that this amount was a first. We were missing.........ZERO keypads!!!!!

Unfortunately we had to leave a bit early so we could meet up with Boy Scout Troop 204 (Christian, Carl and Dad's scout troop) and walk around and see all the monuments lit up!!

So we rushed to the hotel, changed, picked something up to up, and drove to the metro station.

Since it was after the rush hour, the trains started slowing down, which basically means less trains coming by. We hopped onto the next train going our direction and rode to the station at Braddock Road where we waited for about 20 min for it to start moving again. We got off two stops before the one we planned on getting off because we figured it would take longer to get where we needed. So we walked a ways to get to the World War II Memorial. There we found the troop and stuck with them the rest of the night in D.C.

The World War II Memorial was really beautiful at night! The fountain and all the lights made it look wonderful! The Lincoln Memorial was pretty cool, also.

We rode the metro with them and we got off at the stop before theirs.

By Bethany Colglazier

Day 5 Pictures

2010-10-10T15:19:00.014-04:00

The Air and Space Museum

The Wright Brothers exhibit

The Fly Eastern Air Lines plane
Below is Eastern Air Transport Inc. U.S. Mail no.19

Display board of all the planes in World War II (models)

The back of the Capitol (full view)

Opie and Frank in front of the Capitol!!

The back of the Capitol

Washington D.C. Trip Update - Day 5

2010-10-10T15:18:00.000-04:00

Today we got to sleep in!! We woke up in no hurry and took our time. The first thing we were going to do was the National Archives, which opened at 10AM, so Carl could get some video.

Today I took Opie, dad’s Webkinz opossum, and Frank, my Webkinz pug, along since we were visiting a museum for most of the day and they also wanted to see Washington D.C.!! (It was silly, but they don’t weight much!!)

The first stop was the National Archives. Carl couldn’t take video inside so he did it outside the building. The second stop was the Natural Museum of Art. We came to see a specific exhibit. We looked all around for it then asked a guard if it was still there. He said it had been moved so we just left after that. Outside the museum we ate lunch then headed to the Air and Space Museum, which we spent almost the rest of the day in.

The first exhibit we visited was on how things fly. This exhibit was all hands-on! It was tons fun!!! Then we checked out the middle open area. We kind of quickly walked through it then went to the food court to get a treat from McDonalds.

After eating, we visited many exhibits. One of my favorite ones was the World War II exhibit with the planes and uniforms from the different countries.

Once we checked all the exhibits out, we walked toward the Supreme Court. We passed the back of the Capitol and stopped so Carl could get some video. While doing so dad and I took pictures of our Webkinz in front of the Capitol!!

Then we made it to the Supreme Court and waited for Carl to finish his video footage. After that we were off to the metro station and back at our hotel. Since Thursday was the last provided dinner of the week at the hotel, mom made Pot Roast for dinner!! And it was yummy!!

By Bethany Colglazier

Day 4 Pictures

2010-10-10T14:03:00.016-04:00

The White House

The Scout Statues

Carl, Dad, and Christian in front of the Scout Statues

The Lincoln Memorial and World War II Memorial view from the Washington Monument

The Washington Monument

Christian making an evil laugh next to one million dollars!!!

Bethany with one million dollars in ten dollar notes!

Bureau of Engraving and Printing

President Carl making a speech

Carl in front of a train at the Natural Museum of American History

Miriam and Carl playing at a hands-on exhibit

Christian in front of Stanley at the Natural Museum of American History

Washington D.C. Trip Update - Day 4

2010-10-10T11:33:00.008-04:00

Today we were going to the White House for a 7:30 AM tour. They didn't let us bring in anything except umbrellas, wallets, keys, and cell phones. That was it...Nothing else! It also said we couldn't bring in a comb, but we could bring in an umbrella! Does that make any sense to anybody????? So we left the hotel with nothing except wallets, keys, and a cell phone. Nothing else!

So we woke up 5:30 AM to get to the White House a bit earlier than 7:30 (just to be safe). As soon as we got ready we stuffed ourselves with a donut and a banana. Back when mom went to the White House you have fifteen minutes to look at six rooms. So we had expected to go there look at the rooms, then come back for breakfast at the hotel and get our belongings and go on with the rest of the day.

Now we were on the metro, which wasn't very crowded, reading the newspaper and sleeping. We got off at Federal Triangle and walked to the White House. There was a big group of people standing in a line and we guessed they were there for the tour also. So we joined the line. We waited awhile before we got in to sit in another line inside the fenced area! In the second line I watched the guard dog sniff every car that came in for about 20-25 min. Then we watched big black vans (not minivans) drive out and then put their lights on and sirens. It was really cool!

Finally we got passed that and we were walking to the security tent. They checked us making sure we weren't bringing in anything dangerous...especially a small comb, which is apparently very dangerous!!!!

We were passed security and we were walking down a hallway looking at pictures. A guard kept calling: keep moving. A tour guide will get you started in a minute! That was surprising to us! We weren't expecting a tour guide to show us around. Well all the tour guides aren't just tour guides. They were security guards. Our guide was phenomenal!

He kept making little jokes and our group just listened and watched him. It was funny! When we were in the Blue Room he said this was his second favorite room....and we were waiting for him to go on. Then he said: well don't you want to know what my favorite room is? It's the break room!!!

Anyway, he was great. He explained things well and was interesting. After the tour we took a picture with dad's cell phone in front of the back of the White House. Then we had a man come up and volunteered to take a picture of all of us.

The tour ended up being about 40-45 minutes long, which was a lot longer than we had expected. We enjoyed that though.

When we got back to the hotel breakfast was done (which we knew because it was already past 9AM) so we just got coffee. We walked up to our room and packed our lunches and got ready for the second part of the day.

We actually ended up going back to where the White House was so Carl could get some video of a statue in front of the Treasury building. While Carl, Christian and dad went over to the White House area mom, Miriam, and I visited the White House Visitor Center.

Next we walked over to where the Boy Scout Statue was. We took several pictures of the scouts in this family (Carl, Christian and dad) in front of that statue.

Then we walked to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, which is where they make money. They gave us a tour on the second floor where you could look down and watch them make money. The tour was pretty good. Before the tour Christian and I got our picture taken in front of one million dollars in ten dollar notes that weren't cut.

After visiting the Bureau of Engraving and Printing we headed over to the Natural Museum of American History. We spent the rest of the day here. It was very cool. We visited all of the exhibits and had a lot of fun.

That night at the hotel we had hamburgers and cheeseburgers. This was the last night we were having dinner there. After dinner we pretty much rested for the next day!

By Bethany Colglazier

Day 3 pictures

2010-10-09T11:34:00.000-04:00

Miriam and I in front of the North Carolina pillar at the World War II Memorial

World War II Memorial

The White House with the yellow firetruck

That firetruck comes when the President is either leaving or arriving!

Donald R. Colglazier above

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Picture in front of the Lincoln Memorial

Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial

The Washington Monument across the reflecting pool

Korean War Veterans Memorial

Christian setting up the camera for Carl's video

Hanging the wreath

A cool part of the ceremony

Attention!!!

The changing of the guard

A pretty view of D.C. from Arlington National Cemetery

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Watching the guard in front of The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Mast of the USS Maine

Christian and Miriam watching closely at Carl videoing

Carl getting some video

Tons more graves!

Robert F. Kennedy's grave

The Arlington House

(Left) President John Kennedy's grave, (right) Jacqueline Kennedy's grave

Look at all the graves!!

Arlington Cemetery

Washington D.C. Trip Update - Day 3

2010-10-09T11:29:00.005-04:00

Woke up around 7-7:30 and went down to breakfast for eggs, waffles, and sausage. After we finished breakfast we were first for the shuttle. The shuttle came and we were one of the last people to get on. The shuttle, once again, took us to the metro station where we all got off. We rode the metro to the Arlington National Cemetery station and walked to the visitor center. Dad got tickets for the tour mobile that takes people around the cemetery.

Our first stop was the Kennedy graves. We walked up to John Kennedy’s grave and his wife’s, and also Robert F. Kennedy’s grave.

Our second stop was the theater where the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier lies. First, we took a quick look at the Mast of the USS Maine, and then headed behind the theater to see the changing of the guard. We waited about 10 min for the changing and while doing so we watched the guard on duty going back and forth doing amazing things with his gun! Another guard came out and they started doing the changing of the guard stuff. Then another guard came out and they saluted to the tomb and did very precise things. After that they had four elderly gentlemen come and hang the wreath before the tomb.

Our third and final stop was at the Arlington House. We waited a while to go in because we were looking around at the amazing view of D.C., and Carl wanted to film himself for his video.

After the Arlington House we walked downhill and back to the visitor center. Christian, Carl, and I enjoyed pointing out some of the most interesting and odd last names that were engraved on the stones.

We arrived at the visitor center then hopped onto a different Tour Mobile. This one took you around all the different memorials and had comfier seats! They stopped at the Lincoln Memorial first and we got off. When we were looking for a place to eat lunch we noticed a bunch of Flight of Honor people visiting the Vietnam/Korean/Lincoln Memorial area.

As soon as lunch was done we headed off to the Korean Veterans Memorial then to the Lincoln Memorial then the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. They were pretty cool. At the Lincoln Memorial we were able to rest and listen to a park ranger speak about Lincoln and the statue of Lincoln. It was very fascinating!

The next stop we were going to on the Tour Mobile was the Jefferson Memorial. This was a quick trip for us. All we did was walk up, take a few pictures then back to the Tour Mobile stop. We waited awhile for it to come.

Next, we wanted to go to the FDR Memorial. This was really pretty with all the trees and small waterfalls and statues. When we were done we waited for 25-30 minutes for the next Tour Mobile to come.

Our next stop was the World War II Memorial. We didn’t spend much time there either. Once we were done we walked awhile to the next metro station, which dad said was only half a mile away. It turned out to be more than that, though!

At the hotel we had pasta with alfredo and shrimp! It was delicious!

By Bethany Colglazier

Day 2 Pictures

2010-10-09T08:56:00.019-04:00

Look at all the different mailboxes!

People working on stage for the next upcoming event

Carl in front of the Daily News with

Mad Carl Disease!!

Second floor across view

It's very pretty!

The Library of Congress

Mail Trucks

U.S. Postal Museum

The President's box at Ford's Theater

Washington D.C. Trip Update - Day 2

2010-09-27T07:15:00.005-04:00

Woke up around 6:30 AM and headed down for breakfast. The breakfast was pretty much the same except we had biscuits n' gravy as the main course. After breakfast we walked out of the lobby and waited for the shuttle. The shuttle came, picked us up, and drove us to the metro station.

Today we were going to Ford's Theatre, The Petersen House, and the US Postal museum, and Carl's interview.

First, we did Ford's Theatre. When we arrived we were a bit early so we looked inside the gift shop while we waited. When the theatre and museum opened, we quickly grabbed our audio remotes and got started with the tour. The tour was excellent! I loved the museum area with all the facts about that time zone. Once we were all done with the museum part we headed up to the actual theatre. When we entered the room we heard and watched some people working on stage preparing for the next play. We quietly walked over to the room where President Lincoln got shot and peeked inside. We spent a little while there listening to the extra stuff on the audio remote (thing!) and waited on Carl video taping the room.

When we left the building we walked across the street to the Petersen house. We quickly walked through it and then walked back to the Metro Station. We hopped on a train and rode to the station where the U.S. Postal Museum was located. We spent a couple of hours there and then shortly afterward we headed toward Foggy Bottom where Carl was doing his interview. Once we arrived at the building a man who worked there greeted us and let us in his office (by the way this is the man who Carl is interviewing!!). Carl set up his camera and equipment then started his interview.

His interview went quite well. After his interview we went to Starbucks and mom got a pumpkin spice latte.

Capitol South was our next stop. We checked out the Library of Congress. We spent about half an hour there because it was about to close. We enjoyed it very much. As we were going out we had to go through security. Carl had just bought a book on D.C. and the security machine things (the ones that you walk through) didn't approve of that book. The guard had to ask Carl whether or not it was his. She let us through though.

Tonight we had sweet n' sour chicken for dinner at the hotel. It was delicious!! After dinner we pretty much rested up for the day ahead of us, which was walking around all day.

END OF DAY 2

By Bethany

Pictures From Day 1

2010-09-24T19:41:00.008-04:00

The top of the Capitol Building

Passing by the Library of Congress

The Spiral Staircase inside the Supreme Court

Carl the camera man

The Supreme Court (front view)

Washington D.C. Trip Update - Day 1

2010-09-21T19:50:00.014-04:00

Today dad woke us up at 7 AM. We got up, got dressed and headed down to breakfast. Their main course was eggs and bacon, but there were some other things like yogurt, bagels, donuts, cereal, and oatmeal.
After breakfast we rushed down the elevator to the shuttle van to take us to the metro station. We waited for about 8 min and the van was still not there so we decided to go in our own car. We drove to the metro station and found that were no parking spots except ones that had a parking meter, which we couldn't do cause we didn't have that many quarters and we needed the quarters for laundry. Since we couldn't find any spots we drove back to the hotel and found the van parked in the drive through area to the lobby. The next ride was at 9 AM and we were there at 8:37 AM. We had to wait 23 minutes. So we went up to our room and waited.
Finally, we got into the van and we were off to the metro station. Obviously we were a running a bit later than we intended.
Now we were at the metro station and trying to get 6 7-day ticket passes. This was a pain! We tried getting the passes, but it only allowed two tickets per credit card. So we ended up using three different cards just for 6 tickets. Now we were definitely running later than we intended.
So we are on the metro for about 10-15 minutes until we get off at our station, Capitol South. We hopped off the metro and walked to the Supreme Court building. We just barely made it to the 10:30 lecture on the Supreme Court and the building. I thought it was fascinating! We learned about the friezes up at the top of the wall. It is so nice in there!!! The marble, the pillars...EVERYTHING!!!! The man giving the lecture also talked about who sits where and why.
After the lecture we ate lunch outside the Supreme Court. The weather was cool and breezy and the sky was perfectly blue! We had to eat quickly so we could make it to the Capitol building (right across the street) and be a bit early for the tour. We made it quite early for the tour. To use up some time we checked the Capitol building out and visited the first part of the exhibitions.
When the tour began we watched a 15 minute video on Congress. Then we lined up and got headphones that were connected to our guide's microphone so we could hear her better.
The tour was great. We got to see the Rotunda with many statues inside. It was very cool!
After the tour we had access to the House of Representatives Chamber. That was so exciting!! Carl and mom were probably the most excited, though. We sat there for about an hour and a half not knowing whether there was going to be a session or not. They kept moving things and that made us want to stay longer to find out whether or not they were having a meeting.
They ended up having a meeting after all!! I remember asking mom, "How long is a meeting?" She replied with the basic answer, "it can take a couple hours or a couple minutes". Today it was two minutes!!! That was really enjoyable to watch and it gave us a rest!!
After the meeting finished we headed out and walked toward the tunnel to the Library of Congress. Christian didn't want to go inside the Library of Congress he just wanted to see the tunnel. The tunnel turned out to be a hallway with facts on the wall...that were all the same!!! We reached the end of the tunnel and turned around.
We walked over to the gift shop and looked around. Then we walked back to the Supreme Court and visited the lower level of the building, which included a few exhibits, the spiral staircase, and a gift shop. First, we looked around at the exhibits and the spiral staircase. Then we watched a 24 minute video by C-SPAN about the Supreme Court Justice's and how they make their decisions. We thought it was fascinating.
Now we were headed to the metro station. We took a train to our stop and it took about 20-25 minutes. We got off the train and dad called our hotel so they could notify the driver of their shuttle to pick us up. The shuttle arrived shortly and we hopped on board. Once we arrived at the hotel, we rested for a few minutes in our room then went down to Dinner. Dinner was meatloaf w/ mashpotatoes. It was really delicious. Then we went up to our room and rested.

END OF DAY 1
By Bethany Colglazier

Washington D.C. Trip

2010-09-20T16:29:00.004-04:00

Having a great time at the park in Short Pump, Virginia!

Left to Right: Miriam, Jack, Elaine, Carl, Christian

Today we traveled up to Virginia! Along the way we visited our cousins, Jack and Elaine. That was a lot of fun! We stopped at their house and spent about 20-30 min then headed over to the park. This park reminded all of us (the Colglaziers) of Bond Park in North Carolina. It had a lake, a play ground, soccer field, and trails. We had a ton of fun. We arrived and kicked some soccer balls around then ate lunch. By the way it was a gorgeous day!

After lunch Uncle Carl, Dad, Jack, Carl, Christian, Miriam and I played a game of soccer. Jack was a tough player and he's only three!! He'll run up to you and steal the ball or block it with himself!!

Uncle Carl told us that when he's playing a game with his team he doesn't care what goal he goes to! He has the ball he'll score at the closest goal!!!!! :) We all had a really good time visiting each other!!

Jamboree Day 10 - Wednesday, August 4

2010-08-14T12:04:00.002-04:00

Slept under our tarps as the tents were already packed away. Slight rain most of the night. Big storm hit about 3:30. Were instructed to abandon camp and gather under the commissary tent. Moved cots and equipment around to protect them as best we could. Stood in the tent until 6:30. Quickly packed away my stuff and went to the Southern Region Headquarters to catch a bus to Rappahanack Gate to meet our bus to go home in. Bus finally arrived after a bit of a wait. Finished packing and getting ready while the troop loaded the bus. Departed around 10:00. Watched "The Incredibles" and most of "We Are Marshall". Slept through most of the first movie. Arrived at Triangle Towne Center at 2:00.

Jamboree Day 9 - Tuesday, August 3

2010-08-14T11:57:00.001-04:00

Up at 6:15. Went with Carl and did the Flying Squirrel - a team of 7 runs as fast as possible pulling a rope which lifts a person up in the air about 40 feet very quickly. Went kayaking and canoeing with Carl. Went to see Martin Yan and got to sample an omelet made by scouts with his help - very good! Went back to camp to help tear down and pack up. Hot dogs and beans dinner.

Jamboree Day 8 - Monday, August 2

2010-08-14T11:46:00.001-04:00

Up at 6:00. Out of camp early to get in line for mountain boarding. Long wait in line anyway. Carl caught up to me and we did it together. I sort of got the hang of it on the easy hill. Fell hard on my elbow on the hard hill and got treated for it. Carl scraped his leg and got treated for it. Back to camp to be scoutmaster in charge. Traded 2 JSPs with visitors to our camp. Had to return an ID to a scout in Troop 1910 and traded for a peacock JSP on the way back. Stew dinner. Went out and traded for 2 JSPs after going with Carl to get our wounds checked out and rebandaged.

Jamboree Day 7 - Sunday, August 1

2010-08-14T11:34:00.002-04:00

Up at 6:15. Given the "wrong" breakfast which now had to be cooked making it difficult to get to services at 9:00. Most of the troop attended the service at our camp. Went with Carl to get lunch and then on the bus to the media relations tent. We got off the bus a few stops early to trade patches. Took pictures of Carl at the media relations tent. Walked to National Exhibits trading patches on the way. Went to the Bechtel Summit, Boys' Life, Sea Scouts and Armed Forces exhibits. Walked back to camp stopping at Technology Quest to see "NASA in 3-D" and touch a moon rock. Stopped at the Vault to take pictures of Pennsyvania patches. Stir fry dinner. Traded for a great train JSP after troop meeting.

Jamboree Day 6 - Saturday, July 31

2010-08-14T11:24:00.001-04:00

Up at 6:00. Went back to the Conservation Trail to do some of the things I had missed. Back to camp at 12:00 to be scoutmaster on duty. Rest of the troop returned by 3:00 to get ready for the Arena Show. Lunchable dinner. I packed mine in my pack to eat later. Off to line up to go to the Arena Show a bit after 4:00. Got to the arena about 6:00. We had great seats! Pretty good pre-show and excellent Arena Show. The highlights were Mike Rowe, Switchfoot and the fireworks. Back to camp a bit after midnight.

Jamboree Day 5 - Friday, July 30

2010-08-14T11:13:00.002-04:00

Up at 5:00 for the 5K at 6:00. 5K was very poorly organized and dangerous. Ran 22:40 and my leg felt OK. Took two buses to get to the public parking area with Christian and Carl. Went to the OA Village to check it out while waiting for the buses to arrive. Met Leslie-Jean, Bethany, Miriam, Dad, Mom and some of Troop 204 in the parking area. Went to Concessions for lunch. Walked quite a ways to get my lunch. Traded for a Crater Lake JSP on the way back from getting lunch. Lost all my lunch tags. Went to see the national and international exhibits. Went through the Merit Badge Midway. Went to the OA Village. Saw the arena. Guests left boarding their bus at 4:00. Traded for a San Diego Zoo JSP with panda on it on the way back to camp. Hamburger dinner. Went to the trading post with Christian but neither of us bought anything.

Jamboree Day 4 - Thursday, July 29

2010-08-14T11:00:00.002-04:00

Up at 6:00. Watched over the campsite until noon putting "patrol crossing" signs on the gateway and organizing the leader area. Picked up lunch. Went to the vault (museum) at the Mysterium Compass during the rain storm. It was a great exhibit of historical scout items, by far the best I have ever seen. Went to see Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. and hear them answer questions. Did about half of the Conservation Trail and earned a patch. "Spam and More" iron chef dinner. Walked around subcamps 18 and 19 trading patches including ones featuring Cheerwine and Bristol Motor Speedway. Got a Sun Drop to drink from a scout. Went to and from the shower in the rain.

Jamboree Day 3 - Wednesday, July 28

2010-08-13T21:53:00.003-04:00

Woke up at 5:00. Cereal and bananas for breakfast. In class A uniforms and off to the arena show a bit after 7:00. Got to the arena at 9:10. Arena show was quite good but hot. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates gave a very good speech sharing some of his scouting experience. Other speakers were the Chief Scout Executive, Order of the Arrow Chief and Miss America who also sang. Also saw WWE stars, parachuters and a great drill team. Lots of water was handed out. The troop was dismissed after the show and the boys gave the scoutmasters their class A uniforms to return to camp. Grabbed lunch on the way back to camp. Went to escort back to camp two scouts from the subcamp 11 medical tent. Rode the bus back then handed off the boys to Scoutmaster Rob at the second bus stop. Walked back to camp stopping to shoot clay pigeons with a shotgun. Hit the first four but missed the last one. Jambalaya dinner. Relaxed at camp after dinner.

Jamboree Day 2 - Tuesday, July 27

2010-08-13T21:43:00.002-04:00

Woke up at 5:30. Helped put the local team license plates on the gateway. Scrambled eggs for breakfast. Attended the Subcamp 17 flag raising ceremony. Took the long walk to visitor parking taking pictures and making a few stops along the way. Traded for a Star Trek JSP from the future birthplace of James T. Kirk (Iowa) along with their Hawkeye troop patch. Stopped at W.D. Boyce Council (my council when I was a scout) Troop 1036 and talked to their scoutmasters. They actually had a tent with them from my era and had a fabulous gateway. I later traded for one of their JSPs on my way back to camp. Decided on a meeting place for my visitors coming on Friday. Walked to Technology Quest eating lunch and taking some pictures on the way. Went through the Technology Quest exhibits. Saw a good science show and some impressive robots. Got a free t-shirt and memory card. Quickly visited Brownsea Island – a recreation of the first scout camp. Walked back to camp trading for a Blues Brothers JSP on the way. Handed out some patrol equipment. Taco dinner. Troop meeting. Shower. PLC at 10:00 and then to bed.

Jamboree Day 1 - Monday, July 26

2010-08-13T21:35:00.002-04:00

Woke up at 4:00. Bought ice and put the frozen gallon milk jugs in the Igloo coolers with the ice. Had a nice breakfast of eggs, bacon and hash browns. Left for the Triangle Towne Center a bit after 6:00. Lots to do getting everything loaded under and into the bus. Departure was delayed because the bus from Fayetteville got stuck in accident traffic and arrived late. Troop photo taken in front of the bus before departure. Watched “Up” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” on the bus. Lunch stop of donated Chick-fil-A sandwiches at a rest stop. Group picture in front of our equipment truck. Went to the wrong entrance, but they let us in anyway. Some initial trouble setting up the shade fly, but finally found the rope and stakes to get the job done. Unloaded the truck and got camp set up started after our oddly shaped site got straightened out. Tents and flies were set up. Dinner of BBQ sandwiches, beans, cole slaw, peaches and rice crispy treats. Got the gateway mostly set up. Shower at 10:00 and then to bed.

Lego League Tournament

2010-02-16T15:08:00.008-05:00

We had our First Lego League Tournament Saturday, February 13, 2010. It went pretty well. Our robot, Charlie had some difficulties when running his missions in the actual tournament. We were practicing beforehand and it went great. The highest amount of points we programmed Charlie to get was 365 out of 400. So when we were practicing it was doing everything correctly. We were very excited and pretty confident that Charlie would do what he was supposed to do in the tournament. When it was our turn to run the robot we were disappointed to see Charlie get a score of 125. It was better than what The Charlie Bytes got the previous year, but we knew Charlie could do better! We got better scores the next two runs after that...only a ten point difference between each one. So our first run we got 125 points., on our second run we got 135 points then 145 points.

The first thing we did in the tournament was our project and interviews. We had a robotics interview, a team work interview and our project interview. So we did our project then answered some questions that the judges had for us. It was pretty easy.

At the end they were handing out trophies and plaques. First place would get a trophy and second place would get a plaque. The categories for each trophy and plaque were: Teamwork, Robot Design, Project, and Robot Runs (I'm not exactly sure if that was the actual name, but it is the basic idea of what it was). Unfortunately we didn't get anything and we were almost sure that we were going to get something for the Project because we had an excellent project! After the Award Ceremony, they listed some teams that were going to the State Tournament (all of North Carolina). They made it kind of like Extreme Makeover Home Edition by saying something to open the folder showing the list of teams going. We read the list and we were greatly disappointed that we didn't make it.

The Charlie Bytes' Website

2010-02-02T14:46:00.001-05:00

Here is the website for our First Lego League team, The Charlie Bytes: http://thecharliebytes.110mb.com/ Enjoy!

2010-01-30T15:22:00.009-05:00

We were very excited about this winter event!! So we woke up early, ate breakfast, and bundled up! We were ready to play in the snow!!!!!!!

When we went outside, we found out that the snow was too dry to build a snow fort with, but this snow was perfect for sledding!!!!!! So we went sledding. At first, we were taking turns going down the hill with our one and only double person sled. Then Carl and Miriam went back up to the house and started making a mountain. Christian and Bethany kept taking turns sledding for awhile until Christian left to gather some snow to make a ramp! Bethany sledded down once more then headed back up to see what Carl was doing. Carl wanted her to bury him in the snow. So she did! Miriam helped her a little and soon Carl was a big lump of snow!!!

Later on friends came out and we did some sled races together. After awhile, we went up the "big hill" in our neighborhood to sled down. We didn't go up to the top right away. Instead, we went sledding on a steep hill (In the grass area) with some other neighbors. That was fun and scary. Some people stayed on and some people flipped and fell over. This hill was so steep that it was very, very, VERY, hard to climb back up. We kept slipping down!! We finally started going up the hill. That took awhile because we were tired (just a little), we were in snow boots (not the best for running or walking in!!!) we were very bundled up, and it was steep! A neighbor pulled out all their sleds for people to sled down on!! They had a sled where you had to lie on your stomach and steer with the handles in front. We went up and down, up and down, up and down, up and down, and up and down for a long time!

We decided to head back up to our place and race again on our hill. We did that for awhile then came inside and rested!

Miriam's 9th Birthday!!!

2010-01-30T14:14:00.008-05:00

Miriam had her birthday on January 22nd. she invited some friends over to her Webkinz themed party. It turned out great!! We had games, crafts, snacks, presents, and FUN!!! We had about 6 games and crafts to do. First, you would spin the cake gently. Then you would watch the cake land on something and you would do that craft/game. It was a lot of fun for everyone. My favorite part was making the little doll T-Shirt for any of our stuffed animals (for us it was all Webkinz!).
Miriam got many gifts this year. She got a watch with dancers on it, she got a holder for her American Doll, some markers, a Zumbuddy, a webkinz outfit, and many other assorted items. Miriam had a great time at her party!!!

Bubble Gum Experiment

2010-01-29T14:42:00.008-05:00

Our friend Jeremy came over today to do a bubble gum experiment. He had 5 kinds of bubble gum and we had to try blowing a bubble with each type 5 times. He had Bazooka, Hubba Bubba Max, Double Bubble, Bubble Yum, and Bubblicious. The point of the experiment (with us) was to see which brand of gum was the best to blow a bubble. The hardest one for me was Bazooka. To me it was very thin when I started blowing.
Jeremy gave us two minutes to chew the gum up. Then we would blow a bubble and he would measure the bubble with his hand-made bubble measure. After measuring the bubble, he would track it down on his paper.

It's Cold!!

2010-01-13T10:10:00.002-05:00

It's cold! When it is this cold it should be snowing!

Bill Obesity on the Rise

2009-11-08T09:55:00.002-05:00

In honor of the passage of our "health care reform" bill, Carl has created a political cartoon:

17th Anniversary

2009-06-14T21:56:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we celebrated our 17th Anniversary! The day before, we went to a Brazilian grill called "Brasa." We loved it; it was phenomenal. It was like a better version of "Ahona."

We were very busy on our anniversary, so the next day we went to see the movie "UP."
We really loved it.

It was a great anniversary.

Miriam's Recital

2009-06-13T23:28:00.010-04:00

Today, Miriam had a lot of fun at her dance recital.

She played two roles:

As a tortoise (she is the second person in the green)

As a car (in the tie-dye)

Strawberry Picking

2009-04-29T11:13:00.006-04:00

One of our favorite things to do during this time of year is to go strawberry picking. This year our favorite farm, Phillip's, is back after being closed for two years! ☺☻

Here are some of the photos!

Gotcha Day!!!

2009-04-01T12:03:00.010-04:00

On March 30th we celebrated my 10th gotcha day!! It was a very special day. I got a beautiful necklace from my parents. It was a necklace with my Chinese name on it. I love it! My Chinese name means sunny spring.

We went to Chinatown, a Chinese buffet, with my family and grandparents. We had a very nice lunch together and ate a lot!!

AWANA Olympics

2009-03-29T18:11:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, we had at the AWANA Olympics at Catawba Spring Cristian Church. In the morning, Miriam and the sparks played games, while Bethany, Carl, and the T&T'ers did Bible Quizzing. Miriam did quite well in the games. In speed quizzing (where there are ten question and you buzz in like Jeopardy), Carl and another girl on the team, Amanda, quizzed out (answered three speed quizzing questions correctly), while Bethany got two questions correct! In paddle quizzing (where you answer a multiple choice question by choosing an "A" paddle, "B" paddle, or "C" paddle), Bethany and Carl both got 10/10 (100%), while another kid, Bob, got 8/10. They quizzed in book three and won the trophy! Also, the other kids in their club won book 2 and got 2nd in book one.

In T&T game time, we won in one heat of balloon relay, and bean-bag relay. We also won the marathon (Bethany won it!) and the sprint relay. We won more but that is all that I remember.

NCFCA Tournament Preperation

2009-03-25T16:44:00.002-04:00

We have been very busy with prepping for the upcoming NCFCA speech and debate tournament. Christian and Carl have been editing their constructive cases, and writing briefs and cross-ex questions. Leslie-Jean has been asking local businesses for donations. She is doing pretty well considering the amount of time from now to the tournament. Our club just met today and debated each other.

We still need judges for the tournament. It is April 6-8. We are really excited and can't wait!

Teleportation Industries Open House

2009-03-25T16:40:00.000-04:00

Another video that Christian and Carl made.

It's the Money You Could Be Saving by Switching to Geco

2009-03-25T16:32:00.000-04:00

This is a video that Christian made.

Carl was ran over by a GIANT snowball

2009-03-02T17:15:00.004-05:00

We were playing in the snow and Christian was taking video. He caght it all on tape.

Snow Day!!

2009-03-02T15:53:00.006-05:00

Today, we were very excited to see a few inches of snow lining the ground.☺☻

We had a ton of fun out there. Bethany was sick, so she could not play. But the rest of the kids made two snow forts and had a huge snowball fight. They also filmed some video, and got some nice pictures. They also went to a friends' house and made a medium-sized snowman.

This snow was much better than the last snow; it was wetter.

It's hard to believe that it will be in the seventies later this week.

Macbook Air Spoof

2009-02-13T17:00:00.003-05:00

Christian and Carl have made a new video. That is just like the ad for the Macbook Air. We hope you will like it.

Third Run At The NC FIRST Lego League Rookie Challenge 2009

2009-01-13T09:24:00.002-05:00

Here is our Third Run. We got 85 points this time, our best of the tournament. Video of our last run will be on soon. Also, will have a (g00d) video of all of our missions working during a practice run.

Second Run At The NC FIRST Lego League Rookie Challenge 2009

2009-01-12T14:20:00.000-05:00

Here is our Second Run. We got 55 points this time. Video of our other runs will be on soon.

Pictures of NC FLL Rookie Challenge 2009

2009-01-12T13:49:00.006-05:00

Here is the team fixing a program glitch at the Tournament

Us with the Sweet trophy!

First Run At The NC FIRST Lego League Rookie Challenge 2009

2009-01-12T12:33:00.005-05:00

Here is our First Run. We only got 25 points this time around. Video of our other runs will be on soon.

FIRST Lego League Rookie Tournament 2009

2009-01-10T20:49:00.002-05:00

We woke up really early today to drive to Greensboro so that we could compete in a FIRST Lego League (Click on the link to see what FLL is) Tournament.

Christian, Carl, and the other kids on the team, The Charlie Bytes, had been working really hard to get our robot, Charlie, working. It wasn't until the day before that we actually had the robot doing our missions properly.

Also, we were working on our presentation about the drought.

We will have videos and pictures of both on soon.

Once we arrived, we got into the huge line for parking. Then we had some chill time before we started our runs. In practice, we had obtained 125 points; however, in competition, it is very rare that you get your max.

Our first run, we got 25 points, which was a little disappointing. We were in a tournament with only first-year teams, and there was another in December with veteran teams. It turns out many of the veteran teams' runs were around the score of our first run. Also, not so surprisingly, the rookies struggles a bit this year too. I guess that we were not as far behind the eight ball as we thought.

Anyways, our next and second run was a lot better; we got 55 points. WOW! Not our best, but we were still very pleased.

Next, we got our best score of the day: 85!

Then in our forth and final run we got 60. Overall, out of forty teams we finished tied for thirteenth.

Then we had a hurried lunch before our teamwork interview. We did pretty well there.

After a little time we went to our technical interview. We showed a couple judges how Charlie worked and how he did his missions. Then we told them how we programed him. They were impressed with our use of unit conversion, My Blocks, and variables, which our coach brought up the idea of using. We thought we did pretty well in the interview.

We changed and delivered our presentation a little while later.

We then went back to the first building and watch two veteran teams deliver a Teamwork Interview, and Technical Interview, and a Presentation.

Then we formed a line for the "Parade of Teams."

After being seated again, there was a award presentation.

The trophies were really cool, made out of Legos; however, we did not think we placed well enough to win one.

But we were pleasantly surprised when we were announced the winners of the Programming Award. Remember our technical interview? Well, the judges were impressed with our use of unit conversion, My Blocks, and variables. WOW! It was so exciting.

Again, we will have pictures and video of our fun-filled day up soon. Check back the next few days.

The Package has Arrived

2008-12-24T08:27:00.006-05:00

Today we received a package from Operation Christmas Child. In the box were 6 pens, 3 red shirts, 2 mugs, and a sweatshirt. We were sent them because our family won their shoetube video competition. If you want to see the video you can look at our previous post.

Shoebockes Do Not Pack Themselves

2008-12-13T20:30:00.002-05:00

This is Christian's video that was one of the winners for creativity!
http://www.occshoetube.com/

The Cross of Ethiopia

2008-11-09T17:05:00.005-05:00

As we posted earlier, our friends, the Schmidts, just adopted a baby boy from Ethiopia named Benaiah. While in Ethiopia, they bought us this beautiful metal cross.

But getting it here was a small task; while putting their luggage through the airport security machine, the machine detected metal. The security worker then proceeded to check the bag. Then they explained that they bought the crosses in Ethiopia, and was taking them home for gifts. So the security worker let them through.

We would like to say thank you to the Schmidts.

Braces...

2008-11-05T18:52:00.003-05:00

When Carl went to the Orthodontist for his occasional check-up, he did not think that he would get his braces. But it happened.

Just a few hours before the appointment, we were asked to come early to talk about finances. Right away, we knew what would happen.

Once we arrived, we were called on quickly. Carl got pictures and x-rays, before getting his bands placed, and, eventually, his wires and brackets. This took a couple of hours.

Back at home, Carl took pain relievers. Fortunetely, Carl did not get very sour until the next day, but he ate a diet of mac 'n' cheese and yogurt anyways.

Now, he is three months into a two year phase.

Welcoming the Schmidts

2008-10-31T19:14:00.002-04:00

Today, we had the honor of welcoming our good friends, the Schmidts, who were coming back from adopting Baby Benaiah (Meteku) from Ethiopia. It was a very emotional day for everyone.

Most of the Schmidt family (including aunts, cousins, grandparents, ect) were there to see them for the first time in more than a week, and to welcome a new baby brother.

Benaiah was very tired and not used to the change of time zones.

Follow this link to go to their blog post

Here are a few photos:

Fun at the State Fair

2008-10-23T20:49:00.004-04:00

After a quick breakfast, we were on our way on Tuesday to have fun at the North Carolina State Fair.

We had a lot of fun. With all the rides, displays, and the FOOD. :P

Here is what we ate (yum!):

Giant Turkey legs (Carl, Bethany, and Dan)

Sausage Sandwiches (everyone else)

Onion Rings

Fried Candy Bars (Milky Way, Snickers)

Fried Pecan Pie

Kettle Corn

Corn Dogs

French Fries

Funnel Cake

We stayed the longest that we have ever stayed this year.

Away from the Blogging World

2008-10-21T20:10:00.003-04:00

Sorry that we have not posted for the last three months. We have been very busy with speech, debate, awana, soccer, SEEK, ect.

But after finding out that a plant has a daily blog, we think we can do it. No joke, a plant in Japan has its own blog using biological technology.Even posting how much fun he was having in the sun.

So now we will provide a steady stream of posts, capturing our last couple of months...

October Birthday

2008-10-07T20:55:00.000-04:00

Dan enjoyed his birthday today. Our cake supported the Mina Project, and it tasted delicious! Pumpkin spice with savory frosting and white chocolate accessories. Yum! Doesn't it look beautiful?

Anyways, we had a very fun day with Grandpa and Grandma over. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!

Trip to the Dead Sea Scrolls

2008-10-07T20:49:00.003-04:00

Before all of our wonderful celebrations, we brought Papa and Grandma along on a field trip, to the Dead Sea Scrolls. You are not allowed to take pictures in the exhibit, but we have a few from the rest of the Museum.

This photo is from outside the Museum. It was made for the "Bug fest" this weekend and was still there. They made it completely from sand. Amazing!

We got a discount for our subscription to the News and Observer, which sponsors the Museum.

Arriving early, we quickly got our audio tours and were one of the first groups in. We spent a lot of time there and we learned a lot.

After eating lunch, we proceeded to explore the rest of the Museum. Some of the highlights included an action style film on the life of a dung beetle, and the walk-in butterfly area.

Finnaly, we made it back home to celabrate Dan's birthday.

Camping on Lake James

2008-09-30T20:22:00.000-04:00

In September, the Colglazier family enjoyed an extended family camping trip, camping of the shore of Lake James with a beautiful view of the North Carolinian Smoky Mountains.

We arrived on Thursday so that the Kids could get in FREE to the Biltmore Estate. Waking up at 4:30 a.m. we arrived at camp early and set up the camp as soon as possible.

The lunch we ate at one of the Biltmore restaurants is the best buffet ever. We enjoyed a delicious appetizer, salad, entree, and dessert, all in a buffet. The dessert was the best. We

enjoyed pies, lots of chocolate, and an excellent bread pudding.

After our almost private lunch, we went to the estate. You never realize how big this famous building is until you actually see it. It is one of the greatest works of architecture of its time. We did not do the audio tour, but enjoyed seeing the

many of the 250+ rooms ourselves.

With exhausted legs, and after a long while, we went to the large garden, then to the farm and learned a lot there.

The next day, we had small hike at our campground, and watched from a height that enhanced our view. We had a distant view of the mountains.

On Sunday, we took the hours drive to Linville Falls, and there did a large amount of hiking. Small trails, large trails; easy trails hard trails; we did them all. We saw the falls from the top, side, far away, and we even to the difficult trail to see it from the bottom.

Though so little people do this, it is well worth it.

We ate lunch and returned tired.

The next day, we shopped in Biltmore Village.

We returned to our home on Monday, after leaving camp.

We learned a lot on this exciting trip.

Gettysburg

2008-08-22T11:03:00.005-04:00

We traveled to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania last week to visit with Bethany's China travel group. Wow, Gettysburg is fantastic! They have a new visitor center and it is sweet! We arrived on Thursday and chose to do an audio tour so we could focus on visiting with the travel group on Friday. We also had reservations at a restaurant in an old Gettysburg home. They had the best pumpkin fritters we have ever tasted. Yummy!

An EXPLOSIVE Birthday!!

2008-08-12T08:43:00.005-04:00

We celebrated my birthday by having Bojangles fried chicken and sweet tea. I asked Dan and the kids to make me a volcano cake. The lava is made with dry ice. I thought I'd be helpful and save Dan some time by buying the dry ice a couple of days in advance. Note to self: dry ice melts and disappears within a couple of days if it is not in a freezer that is at least negative 109 degrees Fahrenheit. Christian pulled the dry ice bag out of the freezer and all that was left was some air. We all had a good laugh over it. Dan and Christian had to go out and buy some more dry ice. It delayed the cake eating for a bit, but allowed us all to digest some of our Bojangles.

We were all pleasantly surprised when the Schmidt family dropped by with William's home made Chocolate Gelato and a home made angel food cake. Let me tell you that William's Gelato is by far the best, to die for, creamy, chocolate piece of cold heaven dessert I have ever had. Lady Godiva has nothing on this rich treat. I wish I could share some with all of you. What a great birthday treat!! Thanks Schmidt family.

The Ballet Bun

2008-08-12T08:28:00.005-04:00

Well, it ain't easy to get luxurious, thick, Asian hair up into a pretty ballet-style bun. Our neighbors, Paula and Gigi, were kind enough to take pity on us and show us how to do it. First, you need to find this nifty hair device called the Hairagami. You flatten the device out and place the hair between it. You then roll the hair around it and allow the hairagami to roll up. Finally, you cover the entire bun with a nifty, sparkle-covered hair net. Voila--the perfect ballet bun is born. Thank you Paula and Gigi for teaching us how to get our dance hair on and for giving us those pretty hair covers.

Busted Swim Meet

2008-07-23T08:09:00.009-04:00

Well, the last swim meet of our season ended in a bust. It was an away meet at Abbington. Some of our friends swim for them so we were really looking forward to seeing them.

It started to cloud up about an hour before we needed to get to the meet. There was a flash of light just as the first relay was about to start. I asked Dan if it was a camera flash. Wishful thinking on my part. The weather did not clear up in time to have the meet. It was decided not to try again the next day.

Miriam did get a chance to warm up in the water with the team. She was going to swim freestyle, backstroke, and breaststroke. We had told her if she swam in a meet she could have a hula hoop. Her warm up looked good so she earned her hula hoop. Christian was disappointed not to get a chance to swim the meet.

We were all thankful it was not a late night.

Today we are going to a free movie. Regal movies offers free family movies on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the summer.

http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx

Our movie theatre even has dollar drinks and popcorn for this event.

Beware the Pool Playground

2008-07-20T15:33:00.006-04:00

It may seem like an innocent playground, but beware, beware, beware!

On Thursday, June 5th Miriam was thrown off this seesaw. The result: the infamous broken arm .

On Tuesday, July 15th Bethany Colglazier was innocently playing on the swings. When out of nowhere the other swing attacked her; hitting her numerous times. It left a swollen, bruised mark on the right hand side of her face.

While it may appear that this very playground is a dangerous threat to the Colglazier family, there is one other factor involved in both events. This factor is a person: Carl Colglazier. He was on the seesaw when Miriam fell off. He was also on the swing next to Bethany just moments prior to when it attacked her.

So is this a case of a play ground with a vendetta for the Colglazier girls? Or is this the plot of a brother whose secret desire is to be an only child? He may look innocent with that sweet smile and intellectual visage, but could this face be one of a schemer working on assuring his place as an only child in the family? Christian better be on the look out. He may be the next victim of the River Rock Playground attacker.

Only kidding. Carl helped me write this.

We have one more swim meet left for the season. Miriam is doing so well after recovering from the broken arm that she is agreeing to swim three strokes for the meet.

Back From Camp

2008-07-10T15:11:00.008-04:00

The boys are safely back from camp. They both has a fantastic time. Someone asked them what the cabins were like at camp. To set the record straight there are no cabins at camp. They camp in tents all week. Christian really enjoyed earning the cycling merit badge. He also earned environmental and geology merit badges.

Carl enjoyed earning his wilderness survival merit badge. He had to spend one night out in the elements in his own home made shelter to earn it. Thankfully it did not rain that night. He also earned the first aid merit badge managed to do so without passing out.

We asked Carl what he missed most while at camp: indoor plumbing.

Museum of Life and Science

2008-07-10T14:50:00.004-04:00

Last week both Colglazier boys headed off to boyscout summer camp. The remainder of the Colglazier Clan spent a day at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham. Thanks to Papa and Grandma Colglazier we were able to get in for free. The butterfly exhibit was our favorite. We saw several exotic butterflies from Central and South America. Our favorite was this blue beauty called a Blue Morpho.

Cast Away

2008-06-28T09:14:00.015-04:00

On Thursday, Miriam got her cast off!

We left for our appointment with hopes that this would be the last day that Mim had her cast. Mim was quite nervous when we pulled into the parking lot.

We had a quick appointment. We went into the cast room to get Mim's cast off.

The machine used had a metal blade with a plastic cover.

The machine tickled Miriam. A tool pried open the plaster. Miriam said that it sounded like a coconut cracking. She was quite the trooper. L.J., Carl , and Bethany felt weak during the procedure.

Bethany asked L.J. later, "This is for posterity's sake, so, honestly, how do you feel?" (This is a line from the movie "The Princess Bride")

L.J. answered "It was O.K. I'm glad I had my seat!"

Mim is glad she no longer has her cast!

Honey

2008-06-27T08:12:00.003-04:00

We received a wonderful package from Florida. Grandma Fissell sent a big package of orange blossom and key lime honey. Miriam is enjoying the sweet treat on her english muffin.

A Day at the Capitol

2008-06-23T20:15:00.013-04:00

On Wednesday, June 18, 2008, we went to the North Carolina Legislative Building for a "Teen pact" alumni event.

As we were about to enter the Legislative Building, we saw a press conference about bills against illegal immigrants.

Once we left that, we entered the Legislative Building to watch the Transportation Committee.

The bill that came up was a bill to increase the speed limit for mopeds. The bill passed committee.

We then ate. It was a place under the street where we ate. They sure didn't underfeed us!

We then went to the court yard of the Legislative Office Building. There were lobbyists, there, lobbying for a bill to get rid of pig waste ponds. We got cupcakes. 'It' was good.

We also visited Rep. Paul Stan, whom we saw at the press conference, and who was also one of our other member's Rep.

We the sat in on some of the proceedings in the House of Representatives.

It was a very awesome experience!

Meals on Wheels

2008-06-18T20:51:00.003-04:00

Our family volunteers for Meals on Wheels. We love it!

Meals on Wheels is an organization that provides nutritious meals and other nutrition services to men and women who are elderly, homebound, disabled, frail, or at risk.

For now, we are called to substitute whenever one of the regular meal delivery volunteers can't do their route. We have only been able to substitute twice so far, but we have thoroughly enjoyed those times.

Here is a picture of Bethany and Miriam with our container of meals and cooler with milk. We are ready to deliver our meals.

A Happy Father's Day!!

2008-06-15T18:59:00.015-04:00

Today is Father's Day. So we had the Grandparents come over and at about 9:30, we ate a very excellent brunch.

It consisted of some of Leslie-Jean's "breakfast casseroles." One of them was a sweet maple syrup and egg soaked bread, cooked and broiled. A.K.A. French Toast Casserole. The other was an egg and sausage casserole.

There were a lot of Father's Day cards for both dads.

We watched the Scripp's National Spelling Bee and The Princess Bride. Inconceivable!!

Our second meal of the day was a chickeny, biscuity, dirty ricey, southern sweet teay, pink lemonadey, baked beany, potato salady, chocolate bread puddingy dinner (reference to Carl's longy meal prayers). Papa also treated us to some Wendy's Frosties. A portion of the profits goes to help adoption.

We hope everyone had a great Father's Day!!

A rat made of a towel

Miriam Broken Arm Animation

2008-06-15T09:21:00.008-04:00

Click picture to see the animation. The first is how it happened. The second is Miriam Breaking her arm in Matrix. Christian did the animation. Sorry it is a little cheesy. It is affective though. (Rated PG) WARNING: not for the squeamish

I'm Diving In...

2008-06-14T20:32:00.010-04:00

Today we did time trials for the 10 and unders. It was run just like a meet. The older kids catch the six and unders. Christian took the photos and got apicture of Bethany diving in. Bethany was the only swimmer from our family that swam because Miriam was in a cast. Christian and Carl already had their time trial.

Bethany would not sit on the chairs because they were wet. There was a rule if you were swimming soon you had to sit. So she sat down using her arms so she did not have sit on the chair. Picture below.

Surprise...

2008-06-14T14:58:00.009-04:00

Yesterday Dan surprised Leslie Jean with some flowers. Fluffy, a stuffed dog was very excited and curious. Later, they went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for their anniversary and to see the new Indiana Jones movie.

16 years ago today...

2008-06-13T08:04:00.007-04:00

Pictures from our Honeymoon cruise in 1992.

Well, we really can't believe it has been 16 years since we have gotten married. Enjoy these pictures from our honeymoon. We plan to go to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse tonight to celebrate. I will try to post a more modern picture once we gussy up for our big date.

It's all about commitment(lessons we learned from Tim Smith)

While looking for the pictures, I found a folder of notes and lessons from our premarital counseling. We had excellent premarital counseling from our pastor at the time, Tim Smith. I wanted to share some of the highlights that I thought were interesting and useful for anyone who is married or considering marriage.

# 1 A successful marriage is not built on Romantic love, but on commitment.

#2 Unrealistic expectations are just that--unrealistic:

Let's admit some basic facts:

(1) Nobody is going to meet your every need.

(2) Nobody is ideal.

(3) Prince Charming and Cinderella are fairy tales.

(4) A good marriage even to the right person still has problems.

Hebrews 13:4

REVIEWING THE VOWS

Over 4 million Americans will get married this year. Most of them will expect to keep their commitment for a lifetime. But figures show that 2 million of them will be divorced before their 15th year of marriage.

Many are like the girl who said, " I want a good deal, I got a raw deal, now I want a new deal."

But when you say your vows to one another in just a few days, you will be making a promise to God and to each other that whether you feel at times that you got a "raw deal" you will make it a "big deal" to stay with your imperfect mate. After all, God designed marriage to last, we need marriage to last and on the day you say these vows you PROMISE THAT YOUR MARRIAGE WILL LAST.

1. Do you take-(accept each other for what we are)

2. To be your WEDDED- (weaving process, becoming one)

3. Do you PROMISE- (covenant with God)

4. In Better and in Worse

5. In Joy and in Sorrow-

6. In Sickness and in Health

7. In Prosperity and in Adversity--

8. And that Forsaking All Others-- (parents, friends....)

9. So Long as you both shall live--

10. To be a True and Devoted Husband/Wife

X-Ray Photo

2008-06-08T13:01:00.014-04:00

Here is the x-ray of Miriam's broken bone. On the top photo I high-lighted the crack. On the bottom it is not high-lighted. It is a photo of Miriam's right arm. There is great news though, she only has to wear her cast for three weeks. I will be working on a count down to tell you when it is done. I hope to have it in the next week. Please pray for Miriam's bone to heal quickly.

Broken Bone Praises

2008-06-07T15:03:00.003-04:00

We really saw God's hand on our broken bone ordeal.

Some praises:

It is a straight forward break that should only need a cast for three weeks

We saw our favorite nurse practitioner at our pediatrician's office

We got an early appointment at the orthopedist office

Everyone at the orthopedist office was nice and helpful

Miriam was a real trooper with a good attitude

Psalm 147:3