Devotions of a High Heeled Warrior

  Anyone who knows my family knows that we love weird experiences.   So on our vacation, we made sure to dine with Medieval knights while feasting on half a chicken with our fingers.  We also ventured into a local spot in Orlando that had around 20 food trucks where English was not spoken.  We used a lot of gestures and pointing, but ate well.  So trying new places is pretty common for us.   My husband and I visited my son at college last night and decided to try a new restaurant in town.  After a 40 minute wait to sit and another 40 wait for food, we were practically drooling.  Keep in mind that one group after another left the restaurant praising the food.  Since they specialized in seafood, I ordered the specialty shrimp.  I was so excited until the large serving was placed before me.  It was a mixture of the frozen medley that you get at Walmart- the one with broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots.  It was mixed with rice, some sauted shrimp, and pineapple from a can.  It was the same

 Family vacations are moments that should create memories that will last a lifetime.  This family vacation was especially important because it was the last vacation before one of my twins goes to college.  We chose Orlando, Florida as the destination and drove eighteen hours straight in a car to enjoy this vacation.  I need to preface this with the statement that my family and I are not "beach people."   We have a little problem.  The moment we enter the sun's rays, our foreheads turn a bright red.  Thus, as soon as we set foot in the Florida sun, we applied SPF 100.  I am not kidding!  We knew that we had to take my daughters to the beach simply because they had never been to the ocean.  They missed our Daytona vacation last year.  We drove an hour and a half to reach Cocoa Beach.  What we had not expected was a toll booth for what seemed like every 10 minutes.  After spending $20 in tolls and $20 dollars in parking, we had reached the ocean.  I led my baby ducks to th

  As a teacher, one of the perks of the job is being off during the summer.  As my summer starts, I have a little tradition.  I have my hair cut at the beginning of every summer.   In some ways, it can be a little symbolic of letting go of the weight of the year and relaxing, but mostly it's because it gets super hot during the summer!  As I cut my hair, I thought about the crazy year we have faced.  We have tackled an election filled with turmoil, a global pandemic, and a digital educational system.   With all of the obstacles, it can be a little hard to adjust back to a semblance of normal.  Even now, we are returning to mask-free eating, watching movies in theaters, and hugging people.  I'm not a big hugger, so some things can return a little slower; however, I digress.  As we return to normal, it might be hard to let go of the stress and anxiety that we've had to carry as a country over the last year.   I want to encourage you to cut off the burdens you've carried i