Emealz - Easy Meals for Busy People!
You are here: Home / Archives for homeschooling

A weekend at BEECH

February 21, 2012 By 3 Comments

When a groups of women who write about homeschooling get together, a lot happens.

Conversations. Laughs. Cries.

suzanne green

More laughs. Lots of coffee.

And chocolate.

BEECH Collage

And when a question is asked of one’s children, you may receive the response, “I just want to talk about blogging” <— true story

In a conversation Maggie Hogan and I had months ago, a vision came.

Plans began.

And, before we knew it, this past weekend was over.

beech gals

An eclectic group of homeschool writers came together in Vero Beach, Florida for a mini-conference.

The BEECH Conference.

BEECH is a place for homeschool writers to retreat and form real relationships while learning about blogging.

And that’s what we did.

We retreated.

feet in the sand

Real relationships were made.

make friendships

Friendships were grown.

real friendships

And a lot of learning took place.

learning

This weekend consisted of seasoned bloggers and of new bloggers.

And one writer doesn’t even have a blog. (yet)

It didn’t matter.

Each of the names of the ladies invited were laid upon our hearts months ago.
{Sadly, one other couldn’t come due to last-minute unforeseen circumstances.}

rachel

(thank goodness for Skype, right??)

God put each person there for a specific reason for 4 days and great things happened.

Sessions were held on balancing time online and off, taking your blog from hobby to professional, how to use social media well, and building your brand.

The amount of information circling this weekend still blows my mind!

Even those of us ‘teaching’ learned more than we could have ever expected.
There is always something to learn in this ever-changing world, ya’ know?

I came home from BEECH full.

My heart is full of love and encouragement from these ladies and my head is full of so-much-more knowledge than I had expected.

The BEECH Conference

Thanks to each one of you who has already reached out and been so loving and supportive of this new venture. Your prayers are coveted, and I can’t wait to see what God has before all of us!

A huge thanks to Bob and Maggie Hogan for graciously opening their home and their hearts to us and for being such an encouragement in our lives!

————-
What’s next for The BEECH Conference?

We all stand in agreement that this will be God’s conference. We will be His hands and feet.

We will continue to pray His will in planning every detail, and pray that lives are blessed. I know I have been already.

What I can tell you – is it will be held in early 2013 in Florida.

Join me in praying for BEECH in 2013?

Sign up for the BEECH newsletter, and find us on Facebook and Twitter to be the first to hear of updates and announcements.

I am very excited of what’s to come!

@dazeofadventure

Filed Under: conferences, encouragement, homeschooling
Pin It

The Lincoln Memorial

February 19, 2012 By 1 Comment

Commemorating the 16th President of the United States, The Lincoln Memorial is located on the Western end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

IMG_3639

"IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE
UNION THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER."

Designed by Henry Bacon, construction of the Lincoln Memorial began on Lincoln’s birthday February, 12 in 1914.  Following completion, it was dedicated in 1922. The 36 ginormous columns, which are 44ft tall, reflect a Greek style.

IMG_3637

Each column represents one state of the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death. When the memorial was completed in May 1922, the Union 12 more states. The names of the 48 states were engraved outside of the memorial’s walls. A plaque for Alaska and Hawaii were later added.

Inside the memorial is a statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting at 19ft tall.

IMG_3656

During our visit, Nicholas walked away from us – and I found him here.

IMG_3652

Reading the Gettysburg Address that is engraved on the southern wall.
I loved this moment. He was so engrossed in every word.

The northern wall of the monument contains an inscription of Lincoln’s second inaugural speech.

During our visit, the reflection pool had just begun.  It is expected to be a 18month project, costing well over $30million dollars. (y’all, don’t get me started)

IMG_3682 

The weather was incredible during our visit. We may not have seen the cherry blossoms in November, but the blue skies made for a priceless view of The Washington Monument.

IMG_3728 

There is also a small museum exhibit downstairs of the Memorial that gives more information on ole’ Abe, the Civil War, and the venture of ending slavery.

IMG_3658

IMG_3665

And of course a gigantic faux penny. I wouldn’t expect any less… Winking smile

IMG_3679

Additional facts about Abraham Lincoln and the Memorial:

  • The Lincoln Memorial is featured on the reverse side of the US penny and the back side of the American five-dollar bill.
  • Martin Luther King, Jr., made his "I Have a Dream" speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963.
  • There are 87 steps from the Reflecting pool to the statue of Lincoln. Eighty-seven is four score and seven – the introductory words of the Gettysburg Address.  (pretty cool, eh??)

    @dazeofadventure

Filed Under: family daze, history, homeschooling, traveling Tagged With: , , , , , ,
Pin It

The Washington Monument

February 19, 2012 By 3 Comments

Following George Washington’s death in 1797, the building of a memorial was discussed, only to be delayed by much controversy. Official construction of The Washington Monument finally began in 1848 and was finished in 1884.

Washington Monument

The monument, a classic obelisk, is made of stone and covered with white marble. This great Monument is capped with a 3,300-pound marble capstone and topped with a 9in pyramid of cast aluminum, which was rare metal in 1884.

Washington Monument

It commemorates George Washington, the first president of our country. The Washington Monument, which is typically visited by 600,000+ people a year, was closed during our visit to Washington, D.C. in the fall due to damage from the earthquake (measuring 5.8) that struck the area August 23.

Washington Monument

Memorial stones from the 50 States, foreign countries and others line the inside walls. When open to the public, an elevator will take visitors to the top of the monument for a panoramic view of the city. The Washington Monument stands at a towering 555 feet, 5 1/8 inches and is the tallest structure in our Nation’s Capital.

Repair of the Washington Monument is expected to cost a painful $15million to repair. According to reports, repair of the earthquake-damaged Monument will probably keep the monument closed until 2013.

@dazeofadventure

Filed Under: family daze, history, homeschooling, traveling Tagged With: , , , , , ,
Pin It

What encourages you?

February 14, 2012 By 3 Comments

BEECH-LOGORemember the twitter party I told y’all about last week? Check out the wonderful sponsors…

We want to see what encourages you in your homeschool adventure. Your encouragement might come from a person, an object, or a special place. Whatever it is, submit a picture of your source of encouragement on the #BEECHCon Facebook page for a pre-Twitter party prize entry to win a $50 gift certificate to Hearts at Home Curriculum Store.

All pre-party entries must be submitted by 8:30p.m. EST on Thursday, Feb. 16th. Winner will be announced at the beginning of the party and must be present to win.

So, join us! Thursday, Feb. 16th at 9:00 PM EST for the #BEECHcon party!

See you there!

@dazeofadventure

Find BEECH on Facebook and subscribe to BEECH newsletter to be the first to be in the know of what BEECH has in store for 2013!

Filed Under: homeschooling Tagged With: , , , , ,
Pin It
« Older Posts