Such a tragedy...

I don't know if you've heard, but yesterday the daughter of my all-time favorite Christian musician/artist, Steven Curtis Chapman, was tragically killed in an unfortunate accident at their home. Her name was Maria and she was 5 years old, their youngest adopted daughter from China. Most recently, Steven had written a very popular song entitled, "Cinderella", with lyrics inspired by recent precious moments Steven had with his daughters. The Chapmans have three biological children (a daughter and two sons) and three younger daughters who were all adopted from China. Sadly, yesterday the Chapman family was also going to be hosting a high school graduation party at their home for their son Caleb. Apparently, their other son, Will, accidentally tried to back out of their driveway and did not see little Maria directly behind the SUV before running over her. I can't even begin to imagine the feelings the entire family must be going through at this moment, especially their son, Will, who was driving the vehicle. My prayers are with their entire family and I hope that no one I know EVER has to go through this kind of a tragic loss of a child. Thank goodness for the family's strong Christian faith and for the hope they have in Jesus that one day they will see Maria again in Heaven. Below is a video clip of Steven talking about his motivation for the new song, Cinderella. It's also the first song playing right now on my playlist (track 03). What a touching little video clip this is to see, especially in light of what's just happened in their family.

Chad the Wolf Scout!

Following my husband's lead, I am posting a new blog about our son, Chandler, and his Cub Scouts graduation ceremony held at Fort Christmas Park, yesterday! I am a proud mama! "Chad" graduated from Tiger Cub Scout to Wolf Cub Scout! We had a wonderful time at the picnic and we even toured these old wooden houses at Fort Christmas that were built in the early 1900's, including the original Post Office for the town! I had never been to this park before, but I was very impressed with the unplanned field trip we experienced as we were taken back in time by walking through some old forts there, too! I felt like I was walking on the set of Little House on the Prairie. There were many posted signs around the entire park with lots of written history of the families who once lived in these old wooden houses there. The inside of the forts had all kinds of memorabilia from the 1800's-early 1900's, including rifles, loads and loads of various tools, wagon wheels, and lots of clothing and pictures in black and white of the many family members who once lived on the property. It was a fun history lesson and of course, there was also a section dedicated to the history of the Seminole Indians who used to inhabit that land. There were examples of their Indian clothing and shoes, as well as plenty of photos, too. If you are ever in the mood for a unique family outing that doesn't cost a dime, try driving out to Fort Christmas Historical Park & Museum! It's easy to get to and not very far at all from east Orlando...you just go down SR50 (east) and follow it as the road forks into SR520 and SR50...stay towards the left on SR50! A few miles down you will see the sign and Fort Christmas Rd. is on the left. It's right where the big Christmas tree is standing on the side of the road.

Big sister, Sierra

Here's Daddy officially placing the neckerchief around Chandler's neck at the ceremony...how cute!

The Ice Hotel...

I have heard about this unique hotel over the past year just a handful of times...it's called the Ice Hotel! Tonight, I caught the last half-hour of a special on Discovery Channel that was all about the Ice Hotel, how its built, how long it lasts, and some stunning and unique views of the one-of-a-kind accomodations you will find in this hotel!! It's located in the village of Jukkasjarvi, which is 200km north of the Arctic Circle in Sweden. I did some more research online and found their website, where you can actually book accomodations online and even take a peek through one of their live webcams! This place looks totally COOL...pardon the pun! Seriously, the bar, the entrance hall, all the bedrooms, and the dining hall are made out of these uniquely carved and designed blocks of ice! Sculptors from all over the world participate each year in creating one-of-a-kind rooms and intricate details such as the large, ice chandelier which hangs from the ceiling in the entrance of the hotel. They have even put fiber optic lighting inside the chandelier to illuminate the interior of the hotel. The hotel also has an Ice Globe Theater for all your entertainment needs, including plays, dancers, singers, etc. And yes, the entire theater is made of ice, including the auditorium. But, don't worry, the hotel graciously accomodates each of its guests with special protective clothing to help keep guests "warm" (which in this case is a very relative term...LOL!) The ice is taken from the Torne River in Sweden, which is known for being one of the purest rivers in Europe.

This hotel actually has its own chapel made of ice, too! Apparently, they perform about 140 weddings there per season! The season lasts approximately 5 months beginning in mid-December until late April or so, when nature takes its course and things melt away. Amazingly, everything flows back into the Torne River from where it originally came. So, in that respect, nothing is really being used up, as the ice eventually melts back into water. Then, it's on to planning for the next season's accomodations by starting to harvest the ice ahead of time in freezers. What an interesting concept! You have to admit, it would be quite an adventure, if even for only one night's stay! Check out their drinking glasses in the picture below from the bar...pretty cool, huh?





I've been trying to do the converting from the Swedish Krona into US Dollars to figure out the exact price for one of their rooms per night, and it appears that the prices for a standard "snow room" start at around $400 per night. There are also "ice rooms", which include sculptured furniture made out of ice. These start at around $430 per night on Mon-Wed only and $580 on Thurs-Sun, during the month of December only. During the remaining months, the prices go up to about $600 per night on Mon-Wed and $800 on Thurs-Sun...OUCH! This does not include the cost of a dog sled ride from the nearest airport located in the town of Kiruna to the fantasy hotel! Let's face it though, right about now in Florida with the heat & humidity steadily climbing, any place cool like this sounds like a treat!





Check out www.icehotel.com