text: In two days my daughter and I are heading out on the ultimate field trip to the United Kingdom. In fact I would wager that we will learn more in those six days than the typical student learns in a semester.
  Our adventure will include history, math (we've got to convert dollars to pounds, not to mention the metric system), fashion, language, cultural studies, religion, art, law, architecture, geography, and of course we can't forget MUSIC!
  rigorous (we will either learn complex material quickly or get lost/waste money/be frustrated/get a ticket/irritate the locals...);
  With all components of the "3 Rs" represented, I fully expect that she will get an "A" on her culminating project. No, I won't be giving her an assignment, but she will want to create something to remember every single experience.
  My oldest daughter, Tana, reaches this milestone in her life in March. It's exciting! What fun it has been to watch her grow into a young lady. It's just went so darn fast.
  All year I've wanted to do something special for her birthday. In fact, her best friend's mom visited with me last summer about taking a cruise with the girls. After considering the fun we would have, we had to decline. My husband and I just didn't feel we could afford it this year.
  McFly, Tana's favorite band, announced a tour. I just kept watching their tour date announcements hoping that they would reveal a trip to the U.S. You see, they are a British band.
  During a lunch date last weekend my husband and I were discussing Tana's upcoming birthday. I lamented that there were several McFly concert dates during the week of spring break and I wished we could afford to take her on a dream vacation. Actually, I'd even looked at flights out of curiosity and couldn't believe the great prices. Then my husband said some magical words:
  Tana took her first full-time job last summer. She was a lifeguard, and a darn good one! In fact, on the grand opening day of our brand new aquatic park, Tana saved a child. And to her embarrassment, people actually cheered. Never did I hear her complain about going to work on those long, hot days.