Perseverance

How do you like to spend your Sunday evenings? Lindsay & I spent ours making a DNA model. We had lots of fun. Most of the time. :) A gummy bear fight would break out now & then. We started this project at about 7:30 in the evening. I had gotten some directions to making a candy DNA off the internet. Estimated time to make it? 15 minutes! Cool - I thought! But shortly into making it, we realized we would need more gummy worms. So we trucked off to the store. (Of course, I think it's in the let's-wait-until-the-last-minute ordinance that if you go to the store for more supplies, you had to buy Dreyers loaded chocolate brownie ice cream!

Now to really get started on the project. :) Lindsay has sorted out the gummy bears- Nice job Lindsay! I got the licorice cut Over her shoulder in one of the pictures, you can see the time of 8:30. Ok, so more then 15 minutes into it already! SO we actually get it all made (licorice strung on wire & gummy bears speared with toothpicks) & have it on the cardboard. Then we're trying to figure out how to twist it & to have it stay. The internet instructions didn't give any of that kind of info! Time to call in the big guns-Dad! After much thought, we decided to use this clear tube that houses an autographed baseball bat that Matt has. (so now we have Matt involved too!) As we are putting it in the tube, we realize it will be too short for the tube! Also, every time we try to put the twists into, the red licorice is starting to rip off of the wire! So now we are putting tape over the red licorice pieces. Wait, it gets even better! haha It is now about 10:00 & we keep trying one thing after another & nothing is working.

Ready to give up? Not us! We are going to conquer this DNA project!!!! Now it's about 11 & Lindsay & I decide to start over with thicker wire! Cut up more licorice & spear more gummy bears. We get it all done, the wire-taping every red piece of licorice-just in case! We get it slid into the clear baseball bat tube & try to twist it. Again we have to call for help from the "smart one". WE finally get it in there, twisted & secured! Lindsay gets the key made & we attach it to a guitar stand. Taadaaaaaaaa-it is finished!! Now it's only midnight! Thank goodness for late start Monday's at the highschool!

I got a text message from Lindsay a little while ago saying thanks & that everyone loves it & the teacher wants to keep it for awhile!! So we persevered & did it! It looks totally cool. I had to take pictures of it so I can do a digital scrapbook page, some day.

So what did we learn in this lesson? Don't procrastinate & leave it until the night before. And more importantly black licorice holds up better then red. Now for nap time....