Destination Imagination Global Finals 2009

Well, we have safely returned home from our trip to Knoxville. We had a great time, and it was an awesome experience for all of us. The first day we were there, we attended the Opening Ceremony. All the participants were together in one place - 9 different countries represented!!! Below you can see all the flags of the different countries that had teams there.
Throughout the week there, the kids participated in "pin trading". I had heard about this tradition, but I didn't realize before we went how big this was! Each team brings pins that represent their state or country. The kids then trade pins with one another. It is a great way for the kids to talk to other kids they otherwise would probably just pass by without saying a word. We ended up with pins from many of the states, along with Korea, Turkey, Guatemala, and Canada. My kids have really enjoyed looking at and organizing their pins. Definitely an experience to remember!

On Thursday night, instead of attending the "dance" that they had planned, we took our kids to the fountains in World's Fair Park and turned them loose! They had a great time for about an hour and a half. For the longest time, they were the only ones there, and they were soaked!!! Later on , though, a group from South Korea came - it was neat to see our kids running around wild with kids from a whole other country!!!
On Friday, we didn't really have anything that we had to do on campus, so we took off for a family trip to Dollywood. I don't have any pictures from that because I didn't want to "lug" my camera around. We had an awesome time! It wasn't TOO crowded, and the weather was perfect.

On Saturday, the kids presented their challenge. They did a great job - we were very proud of them. We ended up tying for 36th place out of 60 teams. We were pleased with the results (although the kids were disappointed that they didn't place higher) and the experience outweighed any placement we could have gotten.Way to go, Team Hassellwood!!!! We are very proud of you!!!

Just a note.....

....to let everyone know that the Finton clan has NOT fallen off the face of the earth!! (I know you were worried...). It has been a busy week getting everyone and everything ready for Parker's DI team trip to Knoxville. So busy that I really haven't had the time to post much. I have some pictures from Kinlee's Girl Scout overnight trip that was a lot of fun, too, but it will have to wait until we get back. We leave tomorrow morning (5:15 to be exact - UGH!) and will return on Sunday night. I know I will have lots to blog about, but until then, I plan to be reading yours whenever I get the chance. Until then, I hope everyone has a great week!!

Teapot Parade 2009

Pardon all of the posts today, but it was "catch up" time after a busy weekend. Here are some pictures from the Teapot parade this past Saturday. The weather was downright awful, and it rained pretty much the whole morning! That didn't stop us, though. Girl Scouts don't stop for just a little rain (or thunder and lightning that we witnessed as we held our umbrellas on the parade route!!) Kinlee's troop theme for the parade was Recycling. They were asked to take leftover empty Girl Scout cookie boxes and make "outfits" out of them. Below is our creation. Also, Parker's DI team had a Bake Sale at the parade - didn't bring in much $ this time, though - I guess people didn't like to eat sweets while they were soaking wet!!! That's okay, looks like he had a great time anyway. It was very wet, but a lot of fun, too!!

Fun at the Mall

While we were in Nashville this weekend for Parker's DI competition, we had a little free time to spend as a family. We headed back to the Opry Mills mall, even though we were just there last weekend. This time, we ate at the Rainforest Cafe - that place is cool! For dessert (as if we hadn't had ENOUGH to eat), we stopped off at the Marble Slab Creamery for some yummy ice-cream!!!After eating (great timing), Parker and Kinlee each had a turn on the "Spider Jump". I think I would have definitely lost my lunch if I had done that right after I ate, but they got along just fine. Parker had done it before, but this was Kinlee's first go at it. She was a little hesitant at first, but it didn't take her long to get the hang of it!!!

Destination Imagination!!!

A while back, I posted on the blog about Destination Imagination that Parker is involved in in school. A month or so ago, his team won the Regional competition and made it to the State competition in Nashville. Well, that competition took place this past weekend. So, off to Nashville we went for the second weekend in a row - UGH! We had a great time, though. This is all new to us, so we were kind of just figuring it out as we went and "going with the flow." The kids did their skits and instant challenges much like they did at regionals, with a few changes here and there.

His particular team's events were over by lunchtime, and we were very glad, because some of the teams had stuff spread out ALL throughout the day. The schedule for his team allowed us to slip away and have some fun family time that I will post about next. After some hangin' out and runnin' around, we returned to Lipscomb's campus for the results. The kids all lined up and anxiously awaited the awards.

Well, come to find out, Parker's team won 1st place and made it to the GLOBAL competition in Knoxville in May!!!! We were all surprised because we hadn't seen the other teams perform, and had no idea what we were up against. I found out tonight that their team is the first team from our hometown that has made it to Globals in 20 years!!!! They also said that there are teams representing 20 different countries at this thing!! So, as I said before, we are learning as we go, but this is proving to be a pretty big deal! So big that we have to raise $15,000 in a month to cover the cost of the team!!! Fundraisers, here we come!! I'm gonna be baking a lot of chocolate chip cookies for Bake Sales, I think!!! Anyway, we are very proud of them. I'm sure there will be plenty of posts and updates to come - wish us luck!!! (we're gonna need it!!)

GOOD JOB, TEAM HASSELWOOD!!!!