GNEW End

Today was full of packing, curia, and letting others pack because me feet keep swelling.   C drove all the way home and now I have showered and have my feet up.  C &  I are watching Gideon so K & Z can go to an engagement party.  We are hoping to play a game later, but I am grabbing a few minutes to get some thoughts down about the weekend.

Saturday I didn't write much so I am going to try and remember some of the key parts of the day.

In the morning we held the Golden Sword Tourney.  This tourney is usually held in Stonemarche but the event we have it at was canceled so we asked to have it at this one.  There were six new fighters that competed.  We saw some wonderful fighting and they all looked very promising.  I was thrilled that last year's Golden sword winner was able to attend.  They have come a long way since last year.  All the competitors fought against seasoned fighters and members of the chivalry as well as last year's winner.  They all show promise but only one could win.  It was great time!

During the day I watched fencing, archery and thrown weapons.  I was able to see the arts and sciences displays and wander through the merchants.  I visited with people and went to morning court and tried to prepare for evening court, where I knew I had a bunch to do.  Being in the right place at time allowed me the chance to start the children's water fight.

The evening court was long and as with the morning one, many worthy people received well-earned awards for their arts, sciences, martial activities or service.  There was a presentation of largess and the children for a toy from the toy chest.

When Their Majesties asked the new comers to attend them at court, friends brought forward their six week old baby. 

Someone played harp to listen to.

Words were spoken that were true, beautiful and left no watching dry eyes during the former Baroness's induction into the Order of the Pelican.

 Someone, who wasn't expecting it, received a writ to enter into the Order of the Pelican.                                                                               

So many happy things today that my 'happy' will be that there were many SO happy things that, that i will not count them.                                                                                                                                                                                                          Sleep...

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My apologies if my tiredness means that this post is full of typos. 

GNEW Day Three

It is two in the morning and it has been a day with laughter and tears.  Tomorrow I will try to reflect more but for now I feel my happy things can be summed up with great people being awarded what they have earned.  I will fall asleep to the sounds of drums beating and shouts with laughter .

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GNEW Day Two

It has been a long eventful day and I am trying to figure how to write quickly and efficiently to capture some of today's essence.

Last night, we didn't set up the tent, it happened this morning instead.  The bag of pins that we needed arrived yesterday but it was raining and so we set up the other arrival's tents instead and slept in the car.   After the tent was up, it was time for me to volunteer at gate.  So many little things happened today, I think I will concentrate on a happy list:

• Getting snuggles from a little girl who apparently doesn't usually go to people she doesn't know well.  She and I sat together for a while.  Her twin brother played with us some too.  
• Watching the Deeds competition.  This was the first time I had been part of this.  Some of the spectators watched and chose people to give tokens to for their chivalrous manors or something that impressed us.  Each spectator chose someone different until every fighter was presented with something.  A few got more than one as there were more spectators than fighters.
• During court we surprised someone by having her children bring her into court and then send her to vigil in preparation of entering into the Order of the Pelican.  She seemed to be very surprised. 
• Hearing the First Baroness of Stonemarche play her harp.  She has been ill for some time and it was nice to see her smile.

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GNEW Day One--Short

Writing early because I currently have WiFi and it is raining.  If I do this now I am on the computer and it will stay dry.  Today was a pack all the stuff and get to the event day.  Unfortunately, I somehow managed to forget an important part to the tent I am using.  Fortunately, there are some extremely awesome people in this Barony and the parts are on the way!  And just like that I have my happy for the day.  Awesome people helping out.   It seems to happen quite a bit in the SCA.  People helping people to get somewhere, set up a tent, carry things or whatnot.  It is an awesome community just for that reason.

Pretty foggy drive part way up to the campground.

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Biplane

Someday, maybe, I will keep reasonable hours and not be totally exhausted when I sit down to write in the evenings.  Someday is not today.  Today my alarm went off because last night I was too tired to remember that I didn't need to get up early today.  So again I am working at keeping myself awake to write.

My friend and I took a nice walk along a rail trail.  It was busier than the walks we usually take with bikes whooshing by and more pedestrian passersby than when we walk her neighborhood.  It was a lovely trail with farms adjacent and shade trees as well.  We stopped to watch a plane do acrobatics over us.  Buzzing high above and doing flips, twists and turns.

Later K and Gideon came by and we loaded up all the tents into the van.  Then errands and a fighter practice for Gideon in the evening.  It was a lazily busy day.

Happy things are:

• Walks with friends.
• Gideon enjoying the sport of medieval combat.
• Getting to watch the biplane.
• Organizing some of the time schedules for the coming weeks.

Someone decided to help by selling cold drinks! 

All armored up!

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Science! with pictures

It is another late night and so, in an attempt to not fall asleep at the keyboard, I will endeavor to keep this short.  C, Gideon and I went to the Museum of Science today.  So many things to see, learn and do there.  We saw fish, turtles, and tamarin monkeys.  We learned about water flow, sewers, how we walk, and how fast our reaction time is.   We did things like build little bridges over flowing water, dams, try to lift 500 pounds, and how to balance things.

Museum going and rehearsal are my happy things for today.

Fish

 Tamarins are on the box

 Footprint!

Bed of nails. 

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Storage Unit

Normally when I spend time at the storage unit I end up depressed, overwhelmed, teary-eyed.  Today, none of these things happened.  Instead of feeling the money drain as a sink hole, I looked upon it as rent money for my things.  I decided to only do things with stuff that I felt I had a clue as to what to do with them or things that seemed that they could be sorted easily.  I turned on the music, loud.  I sang to the music and moved to the beat.  Maybe it was the music, or the pink floral skirt, or that it wasn't overbearingly hot, but I felt good doing this today.

At some point, I found some tiles that I have--

Live as though heaven is on earth

Dance as though no one is watching

Sing as though no one can hear you

                                                                                                                         

Finding the tiles renewed my energy.  I kept the tiles set out by the door to remind me to do those   things.  Did I throw away much of the stuff?  No.  Did a lot of it end up sorted and donated?  No.  But I moved through and reorganized a bunch and felt good still in the end.  No tears. 

After, I met up with a friend to give some kits too and then with K, Z, C, Gideon and other family for a fun dinner.  The storage unit and dinner are my happy things for today.  Also, the red hat I found.  Now I keep falling asleep at the keyboard, so good night!

All the Stuff!

Red hat 

Bop! To the nose! 

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