We are having fun in the archery program. Dad is the coach and he does a good job with all the kids. I have taken a break from my compound bow this season and am shooting with Mom’s recurve. I am trying to build up my confidence a little bit more. 
We ducked out to go to Disney and enjoy some rides in the middle of the week. 
We were all exhausted and headed home to finish up some school. 
More 4-H on a chilly day. We learned about a lot of different types of fish, how to clean a pole and about where the best places to look for fish are. 
This pier on this day was NOT one of those good places to find fish. We all game up quickly and hope our next meeting is a bit luckier! 
Off to Gainesville again for another 4-hprogram. This weekend was archery in Newberry. We stayed at Oleno State Park in High Springs. It was a beautiful campground along the Santa Fe river. 
During the hurricanes in 2011 the water covered this swimming bridge! 
We stopped off at the Santa Fe Teaching Zoo to see the animals. The peacocks were still as snotty as before. 
The gibbons has been in back enclosures while their pens were fixed up and this was their first day out in a few weeks. They were noisy and hilarious! 
The archery tournament started out cold. We staked our claim in the field and awaited the start. I went off by myself and Mom went with Emmerson. 
We saw each other a few times when the lanes got close. 
E got 1st in his group. 
So did I! I beat all the people standing next to me! Opps! I was the only one in my bow class. odd! 
Month: January 2018
First Florida 4-H Insectathon
This may have been my dream since I was three years old. I have been insect obsessed for years as many of you know. We gathered at the University of Florida’s Entomology department for the first annual Insectathon contest. 
We turned in out collections of insects and our artwork and moved to our contest rooms. We had different rotations through each category demonstrating our ability at insect id, general knowledge, pollinators, skills at identifying pests and damage caused by pests. 
Breighton even gave the senior quiz bowl a crack since there was only one team. 
Time for the awards. 
Pinellas County youth did amazing in al the categories. The juniors swept the art division. 
B got 1st in the intermediate art contest. 
E did a specialty collection and general collections  and got a blue for both. 
The juniors also too 1, 2, and 3 int he overall contest. And top team! 🙂 
B was top individual for his category but didn’t have a team. 
I think they got a lot of ribbons! Their hard work certainly shows! 
One more photo of the contest. 
Emmerson’s are the 5 on the left and Breighton’s are the 4 on the right. Great job! 
Family Fun Times
Dad and Mom got a pizza oven for Christmas. They have been trying different ways to make them. Dad is getting really good at it. 
Yummy pizzas! 
E has been  enjoying his Christmas gifts. I love the new expansion for Exploring Kittens called Imploding Kittens. E opted to wear the silly cone of shame even though he didn’t have to. 
I also declared dog pile! 
And sumo wrestler. 
We gave some love to Hedgie a lot lately. He has been feeling sad but we tried to cheer him up. 
Three Long Days of Driving
The amazing Dad pushed hard and drove well to get us home in just around 3 days. It gave us the entire weekend to unpack, unwind and get back to life. We stopped at some fun rest areas to leg stretch. This one needed a new sign. 
We found some rocks to climb at another. 
OJ and space suits… we must be in Florida. Worst part of entering through the panhandle is the total drive time Florida. HOURS AND HOURS! 
Parade of Floats
We got to go to the Parade of Floats today. It was basically where all the floats from the parade come to park afterwards so the public can come and look at them up close. It was amazing seeing all the things that go into the fine details on the floats. There were long stem roses taller than Emmerson. Pictures made of seeds that were so intricate! We were all amazed with all the designs and work. We jokingly critiqued all the silver leaf on the floats. We still think ours was the best! 
It was insanely crowded and we were thankful we got there early! Back to the campground after lunch to pack up and hit the road in the morning to race across the US. 