Oh well. Yesterday, to kick off VBS week, all the children and their families were invited to spend Sunday afternoon after church at Spring Valley Beach. Lunch was provided, all we had to do was basically show up! Thank you so much, Pastor Craig! We had an awesome time and we're so glad you're here!
I love Spring Valley Beach. Like I said, I grew up going there. Of course, when I was a kid, it was nothing more than a hole in the ground! I don't know how my parents ever found out about it--we're not from Blount County. But I do know it's been around for years and years. It used to be called Burgess Lake. When I was I kid, we called it Alan's Lake. I think I was around 10 when the name changed to Spring Valley Beach. But although it was cemented, it was all lake water and had a sandy bottom with a few slides in the middle. There was red sand on the bank, a swingset stuck here and there, a few fishing ponds, a snackbar, picnic tables and grills. There were even fish in the swimming pool! People weren't so snooty and picky about where they swam back then, or what they swam in. It was mostly rednecks in cutoff shorts. I can remember even camping out there one night. Although camping wasn't advertised, we'd been there all day and planned to come back again the next day. So my dad and uncle asked the owner if we could just stay and he agreed. We slept in the back of the pickup truck!
I think I was about 12 when they added the first waterslides--the concrete ones. They were "dangerous" even back then but no one wore helmets. I remember riding doubles with my friend and coming out of the side and rolling down the hill. All the teenage boys used to make trains and use their mats to stop the flow of water so that it would be extremely slippery! They added the slide to the left of the concrete slides after I grew up sometime and only recently have they added the sidewinder and clorinated the main swimming pool, replacing all those slides. Then last year, they added a huge covered pavillion, more restrooms and yet another set of slides. All they need now is a lazy river and a wave pool and no one would ever need (or want) to go to Visionland! Especially since SVB lets you bring your own food!
Of course, with all the improvements that have been made over the years, the price has naturally increased. I can't get over that--$19 for a one-day pass. Hmmm....
Still, we had a great day:
In other "Quick" news....ha ha ha
I started my new job at Leeds First Baptist. I have the three's again. I have really missed being in a classroom and although there are SO many of them some days and some days, I could pull my hair out, they are all cute as buttons!
And the hours are great because I still get home in time to spend some time with my own doing some really fun things. We have been swimming at Mrs. Donna's, swimming at Zamora, going to the library, and last week we started our new Art Co-op.
It has also already developed into something for the Fall. I will be a resource teacher and have a "Discovery Room" a few days a week. All the kids in all the classes will come to my room and we'll do various activities--Science experiments, major Art projects, music & movement, etc. I am so excited!
As the Summer is slowly melting away, I seem to get busier and busier. I've got to get a handle on everything before it all gets away from me. It'll be time to start "school" again before we know it and it gets closer and closer to Mia's wedding every day! I still have a shower to plan, trips to pack for, things to make, things to pay for (that's the one that's stressing me out the most!) aye yi yi!
Guess I better get off this computer and get started, huh?
Blessings!
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