Homeward bound

Here we are, back in Chicago. The weather seems a little cooler; not so humid. We are all in the Main Hall, which is 4 or 5 stories high with marble floors and long walnut benches, like church pews on steroids. The fearsome four are playing another game of Egyptian Rat Killer, as are the high schoolers. We took over one end of the lounge car from DC to CHI yesterday and played cards and Bananagrams all afternoon and into the night. The little girls collected some new friends as other travelling kids migrated to where they were and joined in the card games. I stuck it out until 1230 am, then called it quits and headed for my seat. We hit Chicago just after 8 am CST and we are here until 3 pm when we board our last train for Newton. We have had a wonderful time. Overall, everybody has gotten along good. I have received compliments on the kids' behavior. None of our group was with the 9 who got stuck in an elevator at the hotel for a half hour. (They had to call the fire department). We mostly stayed awake during the final 3 hour session when the awards were handed out, and those who didn't will have their picture loaded on this blog after we get home. We learned that we never want to sit near New Horizons Middle School from Florida, because they SCREAM every time one of their members was called up on stage. We learned about how to avoid panhandlers, to always cross with the "walking man," and that M and H mean Marriot and Hilton, not middle school and high school. We learned your roommates appreciate you more when you bathe everyday, and Fabreeze is your friend when they don't. If we had worn pedometers, they would have maxed out after the third day, but the weather cooled down to the 80's, so we didn't mind the mileage as much. Thanks for the pleasure of your children, young men and women. It's been grea!

Dear Readers:
Sorry it has been so long since I added to this blog. Two reasons: first, we have been busy, busy, busy; second, the free wi fi here at the hotel is actually slower than my dial up at home!!!!! It took me nearly 30 minutes just to get logged in to do this entry. We are going to have to wait until we get back to upload the pictures.
Went to an Orioles ball game tonight. The weather was awesome! Around 70, light breeze, clear skies, and the Orioles won! 9 to 6 over the Oakland A's. Several home runs, high balls into the outfield caught on the run, strike outs; it was great. I enjoyed watching Ryley and Kelci, who both had a blast. I thought Kelci was going to get up and start doing cheers.
The stadium was amazing to see. All around us were TSA delegates and advisors. 2000 kids and adults from all over the US in their orange Leadership Academy tshirts, cheering for the Orioles. A big group hiked over to an empty area of the stands and spread out to make a giant orange T S A in the seats. We all started chanting "TSA, TSA, TSA." Like I said, it was amazing!
Tomorrow is our last day of competition. Of my middle schoolers, Kelci, Grayson and Ryley have two events, and Taylor is in semi-finals for photography. Some of their events don't have semis, so we won't know until Friday is they placed or not. Grayson and Ryley did bridges today, Techno Talk (Grayson and Kelci) tomorrow, and Grayson and Ryley in Problem Solving. Genny and Seth are in the running for top 10 in Medical Technology and had their interview today. Jason had some amazing flights with his glider and we hope to see him on stage Friday as well. Michael's CO2 car was in the top 16 and was run in the finals races today. Jaci, Madison, and Emily competed but did not make semi-finals. They still have racked up some good experience points though.
I am really proud of all the Middle School delegation. They have gotten along (minor squabbles only) and been helpful to me and each other. They have represented themselves, their school, and TSA in a very positive manner. Tomorrow night we pack up all our stuff, check under the beds for lost socks and get ready to hit the dusty trail as soon as awards are over. We check out Friday morning and catch the light rail about 11:30 am to catch the train for DC. I'm guessing it will be pretty quiet on the train the first few hours. It has been a great time, but home, your own bed, your own space and home cooking will be a welcome respite.

Travel Pix

Seth and Grayson waiting for the light rail in Baltimore.

Newton train station. Our train was an hour late arriving. Pictured are 3 of the fearless foursome.

Picture of the girls on the wooden bench is in the main hall at the Chicago train station.

Sorry this is taking a while. The WiFi is kinda slow here at the hotel.

Travel Images

Katlyne and Bruce waiting at the Newton train station.

WE ARE HERE!!!!! We are in our hotel and getting our stuff organized. Now that we have free internet we are going to get all our pictures loaded tonight. It is nice to sit on something that does not sway back and forth! We are taking power showers and heading downstairs for our first pre-conference powwow. No plans for tonight, but lots of fun stuff going on tomorrow, including the National Aquarium. Our time here is 1 hour later than you, so it is 6:30 pm here now. More later, the shower is mine now!

Good Morning!
We are in Pennsylvania, not sure what city. I woke up to fog in the mountains and a beautiful view of the Ohio River out my window. PA is definitely one of my favorite states for scenery. We just went into a tunnel, so nothing but black out there right now. Most of the kids are still sleeping. Em and Jaci are bright eyed, so we are going to get breakfast. It is 5:30 EST.

3:50 am. Finally on the train. It was an hour late arriving at Newton. This is pretty wild. The train car is two levels and I am on the upper level. Since it was so late(early) the cars are dark and most people were sleeping. I know all the kids are on the train, but I only know where Mark, Mr. and Mrs. B, Bruce and myself are at. Part of us are downstairs and part on the upper level. It's pretty comfortable--good leg room (yay!) Everything is quiet except for the gentle thump of the wheels on the rails and a soft clatter from the connector between the cars. It sways quite a bit up here, so I hope Genny remembered her motion pills. We pass through empty, streetlight lit towns, then back to the country. I'm looking forward to daylight so we can start seeing some of the country. I think we get to Chicago around 3 pm today, change trains, then on to DC and Baltimore. Hope all the kids are catching some Zs. More later. No worries, Moms and Dads.

Hey Everyone,
Here we are in Newton at the train station. It is 1:20 a.m. We have just under 2 hours to wait for our train to arrive. So far everyone is pretty wired up and excited, but I bet they will start dropping like flies once we get on the train. Katelyn is looking comfy stretched out on the benches with Cody providing a knee for a pillow. Emily has her fuzzy purple blanket, so she is ready to snooze whenever. Other than us, there are only about 6 people here in the station. Seth just told me having a blog was stupid, but that is Seth. My little girls, the fearless foursome, are munching snacks and waiting for the train. They were all grins and giggles on the bus. This should be a pretty exciting trip for them. Bruce, the king of the cat nap, is already in position. After going to two Nationals with him, I am still amazed at how easily he can sleep anywhere, anytime. More later, but we are off to a great start!!

Amtrak info

Amy has been checking the Amtrak site for travel information and called to let me know that there are size and weight restrictions for carry-on baggage. Rather than trying to recopy what Amtrak has posted, I am linking from this blog to the Amtrak site. You need to select the "baggage guidelines" link and check out the "carry-on" information, not the "checked bags." We didn't see anything specific about backpacks, but I would guess a backpack would fall into the same category as purses, briefcases and diaper bags.

Blogging at home

Hello, blog followers! School is finally over for the summer and I am back to blogging. Due to techno-security I couldn't update this page from school, but my college son has graciously loaned me his laptop and I am blogging again! (Look, Judy. I'm updating and no phone calls for help!)
I received an email from National that the girls' website design has been "officially" received and is now in the judging process. Keep your fingers crossed!
TSA took a week long break for the Memorial Day holiday and to just rest after the final week of school. We'll be back at CHS starting next week for worknights and travel preparations.
Two of our high school members are getting a jump start on their traveling. Jason and Genny are currently in Bolivia, South America, with a mission group. They get home next week and have a couple of weeks home before we hit the road, or tracks in our case, for Baltimore. They should have some great stories to help entertain us on the road.
Scooter has a photo shoot scheduled for this evening. If my technology skills don't desert me, I'll have his picture posted sometime tomorrow. (Judy, I may need you on speed dial for this!)
Keep checking in on the TSA traveling band. News will be posted as it happens.

Learning to blog

Here I am, last day of school, and Judy is holding my hand and helping me get this blog up and running. I hope everyone enjoys following our progress from classroom to conference. I will be continuing to add information and pictures to this site to keep you updated so you can have a virtual National experience!!! Be sure to check out Scooter's News. In a day or two I will have his picture posted and the first of many (I hope) dazzling editorials from our favorite traveling companion. See you in Baltimore!

Getting ready for Baltimore

School is almost out, but TSA is still ON! We are finishing projects, building planes, completing notebooks and making our travel plans. June 24 I am rounding up my 7 middle school students and jumping on the bus for Newton. From there we take Amtrak across country to our final destination of Baltimore, Maryland for the National TSA Conference. The students and I plan to keep a journal of photos and info that you can access to follow our progress. Join us (and Scooter) on a fabulous trip to the East Coast!