Birthday Trip!

October is always an eventful month for our family! Fall festivals, Halloween parties, and special birthdays (mine :)) keep us very busy.  This year was no exception.  In addition to the usual cRaZiNeSs, we decided to drive up to see our friends.  They moved to Dallas GA last year!  Its just north of ATL. We miss them terribly, but totally understand why they love it so much.  Especially this time of year!  There were multiple opportunities for pictures.  We tried to take advantage.  

You have no idea how cold we were during this photo.  I couldn't even take off my wool jacket for 1 picture :)

 The leaves were in the process of turning.  It was exactly what I wanted to see!  I wish Florida could enjoy some of this beauty.  

I guess we will have to settle for the beach.  Anyway, here are some special moments!

 Stayed in our jammies until well into the day!

 Best homemade breakfast ever!!

 Bribery to stay still and smile for pictures :)

 Feeding the ducks- impossible to get a good pic :)

Best buddies <3 <3


As the cold set in on Saturday night our gracious hosts built a fire in the fire pit. 

We enjoyed s'mores, sweet tunes, and a serious game of hide-and-seek in the dark!!

The last day of our trip we enjoyed the Georgia Aquarium together.  It houses some of the coolest animals I have ever seen, and that's a lot coming from me-who doesn't even like wildlife.

 2 Albino Alligators!! For real!! I have never seen anything like that!!

 Always on the brink of disaster :)

Beautiful Beluga Whales! They were so cool! Also, it may or may not have been mating season for them :/ Kind of awkward with the kids!!
We also saw otters, oh, and a bunch of fish! The whole experience was fantastic! 
Thursday through Sunday flew by and then reality came rushing back  very quickly. We are now back to our hamster wheels!  I wish it was always October!!!  

Family and Fun on the Fourth!!

I should begin by saying that blogging has become somewhat of a chore as of late.  I do not have a lot of free quiet time when I can sit for extended periods of time.  So in those few quiet moments that I do enjoy, blogging seems about as appealing as grocery shopping or doing dishes.  However, we have had so many fun adventures this summer that I must share.  So this is my first attempt to get back at it!! :) 

My husband and I already took our "big" trip this year.  He is a big budget-er. So we are allotted so much money each year in the vacation fund! I know! I know! Crazy right?  Supposedly I will thank him when I can retire.  But for now it is hard to abide by!  On a side note- I very much appreciate this side of him because I have zero saving skills! So anyway, all that to say that when we started thinking about the 4th of July, it needed to be an expense-less trip.  So what better place to go than to visit my family in the fantastic Panama City beaches??? So the plans began......

We would go and stay with my cousin and cousin in law, Michelle and Steve.  They live in a highrise condo just steps from the beach with beautiful gulf views.  This is what they wake up to every day...

Can you even imagine??? So this whole trip was pretty much a no brainer!  There was only 1 problem.  My cousins' kids are all grown.  They have no need for lots of room and as a result, their condo only has 1 bedroom.  Now I should remind you this is my husband, me and 2 rowdy kids! We have stayed there before for 1 night.  They were super hospitable! There were enough couches and even a blow up mattress. And free which is my husbands favorite!  But this time, we were staying longer.  And Lucy is currently deep in the midst of her terrible two's, which by the way, are more terrible than I remember!  She desperately needs structure and routine, neither of which I can provide for her over the summer.  Thus the reason her irrational tantrums are multiplying :) Good times! LOL, so they are all my fault, I know! However, I try not to expose those I love and care about to too much of her craziness.  

That sweet smile can be so deceiving! LOL! Anyway, in addition to "fun with Lucy" my kids are loud!!  

Furthermore, I won't lie, the older I get, the more I want a good night sleep in a comfy bed and my own space.  Alllllll of that being said, I decided to attempt to convince my husband to let us rent a condo at my cousins resort.  "You already spent your vacation money for the year" he said.  Just as I expected, so I had to get creative.  Everyone knows I have a little side job. And luckily it gives me the extra dough to do extra things that I wouldn't be able to do.  So I volunteered :) to pay for the condo with hair money!  Now we had a deal!  Friends! I was soooo excited! Here's what was waiting for us...

WOW! Right?  What you can't see is the master bedroom/bath and kids bunk room/bath.  My cousin got us this great deal that was basically cheaper than a hotel room! Oh, and we had that same great view!  Here's a shot of the gulf along with a full moon :)

Okay! So clearly I am still pumped about our accommodations but now let me tell you about our activities.  We had a full agenda.  Most of which involved water.  For this reason, I did not get photos of everything.  I will have to help you visualize it on your own :)
If you are logged into facebook, you may be able to see more photos here.

Day 1 Cape San Blas FL.  We went to visit my dad who lives up near Panama City in a small town.  The plan for the day was to go scalloping in the bay.  Too many things went wrong that morning, but eventually we got to our destination.  Finding scallops proved to be more difficult than planned.  FYI- this is a scallop before they serve it to you on a plate.  I share because I didn't know:) 

We enjoyed the process much more than the product.  We are not seafood fans so my dad and his wife ate all 20 that we found.  A little more visiting and we were back to our cushy condo :)  The next few days were full of a great balance of pool, beach, lake, and rest!  Again I am saddened that we don't have more pictures!  Here are some highlights we did capture....


Snugglin' on the couch

Fireworks!!!!

Our last day, Uncle Steve surprised by coming over and making us pancakes!! So yummy! This is why we need a full kitchen on vacation! I'm never gonna be able to stay at a 1 room hotel again!!!

This was such a great vacation.  We are so blessed to spend time together and with family!  Can't wait to go back!!! :)
PS. I'm already saving up :)

Spring Break 2011

This year for Spring Break, Andrew and I decided to vacation alone.  Gasp!  I know some of you are thinking "How could you?", and others are thinking "I'm so jealous!"  The fact is that vacationing with kids is not relaxing.  At least that's true for my kids.  And yes, I felt very guilty a few times.  However, I believe it is vital for husbands and wives to spend time together.....alone!  

At my request, we decided to go some place warm but still in driving distance.  Since we live in central Florida, our choices were limited. We chose Key West.  Some of you may be able to make a personal connection to this city like "Oh yes, we went there a few years ago." But now I'd like to ask you this question... Have you been to Key West during Spring Break????? I believe it is a totally different animal.  I suppose I am somewhat of a prude according the worlds standards and that is okay with me.  I enjoy my conservative existence.  I was naive to think that I knew what to expect.  Spring Breaks are much different than they used to be. :) 

Outside of all the debauchery, there were some nice sights.  And Andrew and I Had a great time together laughing at all the drunkards. Once we even got called "cool-for old people" by some college goers.  At first I was offended, but then I realized that he was right- we are pretty cool! :)

Here are some of the G rated sights....

 I think next time we will schedule our trip at the 25 and older resort :) 
KBO