Small Town Mom, Wife, Teacher

Vacation Days 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

2011-08-28T18:13:00.000-05:00

Sunday, July 24, 2011: (our 18th wedding anniversary) Today we woke up a bit earlier than we really needed to because I think we were all excited about the cruise! We got ready and ate breakfast at the hotel and decided to leave for the cruise terminal. We arrived there within about 20 minutes and immediately checked our luggage at the curb. Then we headed inside the terminal. The paperwork that we had to complete was pretty minimal since I did a lot of it online. The check-in process was then really easy and all we had to do was to wait for them to call our boarding number so we could get on the ship! It seemed we waited maybe an hour or so before we finally got to get on. They announced our family name just like they did 3 years ago and we were finally on the Disney Dream! The first thing we did was met up with the Talberts and then headed to Enchanted Garden for a buffet lunch which was of course really yummy! We then just kind of roamed around the ship for awhile checking things out before we came to our stateroom at about 2pm. The room is very similar to the last cruise except instead of a veranda, we have a large porthole. Bruce and I went to a shopping speech presentation during the afternoon (about 40 minutes long) while the girls swam with the Talbert girls. We all had to do the mandatory evacuation drill at 3:45pm and then we went to the Sail Away Party after that. It was very hot at the party. Many of the characters were there. We came back to the room and got ready for dinner, which was at Animator’s Palate. We all met our servers whose names are Brito (from Portugal) and Dejan (from Serbia). The head server’s name is Boolah (from South Africa). Dinner was very good and this time, Crush from “Finding Nemo” comes and talks to different guests on the interactive screens on the walls throughout dinner. After dinner, we went to look around in the 3 gift shops and then went to the nightly show which tonight was a comedian. He was very funny. After his show, we went to a family game show and then decided to go swimming and try out the Aqua Duck water coaster. We rode it twice and then got in the hot tub on deck 11. Eventually we were all hungry so we got pizza from Luigi’s pizzeria (all 4 Franks and all 4 Talberts). Ginger (Vincent) Potter and her husband Greg were on deck as well and joined us. We got back to the room at like 1:00am and went to bed.

Monday, July 25, 2011: Bruce got up this morning and went to breakfast with Patrick (Vincent) at Cabanas at about 7:30am. The girls and I slept until like 9:00 and then went to breakfast there as well. We docked today at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. We got off the ship about 10:30 and headed to the family beach. We had snorkel equipment rented and when we finally got into the water, it felt wonderful! We snorkeled in the large lagoon and saw many many fish as well as “buried treasure” that Disney has planted there. The most exciting thing that Brittany and I found was a sunken status of Minnie Mouse! We went to lunch and met up with Patrick and family. After lunch, the girls chose to go to the kid’s area and then back to the ship to swim in the pools. Bruce and I rode bikes for about 30-45 minutes around the island. We went to an observation tower where you could look out and see most of the island. Once we were done with that, Bruce headed back to the ship and I decided to go to the waterslide area and try the slides. Disney has 2 waterslides build right into the lagoon on the island which use salt water. You get dumped out of the slide right into the ocean! I did the slides 3 times and then went to the 2nd family beach. I tried to find some shells because I had found many cute little ones here in 2008. I think Disney has brought in more sand since then because there were hardly any of the broken shells/rocks/etc. there now…..just mostly sand.  Oh well! I headed back to the ship at about 3:15 and once I got there, I headed to the pool area. I found Brittany and Bailey and took some pictures of them on the slides. Then I came back to the room to get ready. Bruce played bingo this afternoon but didn’t win anything. Dinner tonight was in the Enchanted Garden and it was again nice. Tonight our entire group sat together (there are 17 of us) and it was fun. After dinner, Bruce and I went to the evening show (Villains, which was not all that great in my opinion) while the girls went to their respective social areas. We met again at 9:30 for another family game show and then Bruce and I went to a couple’s game show. The girls went to one of the theaters and watched the movie “Prom.” It is now just after midnight and we are all tired and going to sleep!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011: Today Bruce got up and went to breakfast with Patrick again at 7:30. When he came back, he went back to bed! Haha! The girls and I didn’t get up until like 9:30am. We went to breakfast at about 10:15 and Bruce came with us although he didn’t eat anything. We had tickets to go to an Atlantis shore excursion which began at 11:15am. We met in the Walt Disney Theater and were eventually shipped via bus to the Atlantis Resort. The place is absolutely huge! I seriously don’t know if I would want to stay there because it is so commercialized and just sprawling! I wouldn’t be able to find my way around. The Yacht/Beach Club at Walt Disney World was big enough for me. Anyway, while there, we mainly visited the various aquariums. We saw a lot of species of fish and sea animals. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and when it was finished, Bruce and I spent maybe 30 minutes in the Atlantis casino while the girls waited for us in the lobby area. We then took the bus back downtown near the cruise terminal and found our way to the shops along Bay Street. Bruce bought a hat and a magnet. I bought 2 bracelets and the girls each bought a bracelet. We also got ice cream there. We returned to the ship at about 3:30pm. Bailey went to an activity in her club and Brittany set out to find Courtney and eventually swam for a little while. Bruce and I went to the quick-service counter and got a little snack and then came back to the room for awhile. I ironed one of his shirts (for tomorrow) and he went swimming for a little while. We went to dinner at 5:45 in the same restaurant as last night but with a different menu tonight. After dinner, Rick & Kim and Bruce & I went to an 80’s music trivia challenge which was fun. We earned 44 out of a possible 50 points! When that was over, all 4 of us got our picture taken by 2 of the photographers on the ship. Then the girls went off for a little while and Bruce and I roamed around the ship checking out some of the areas we had not yet seen. We all met on 11 deck at 10:30 for a Pirate/fireworks show which was pretty neat! Disney Cruise Line is the only one authorized to shoot off fireworks at sea. They also are able to show Disney movies on the ship which are currently being shown in theaters (because they actually OWN these movies!). After the fireworks show, there was a late night buffet which we visited. They had tacos, ham, turkey legs, fruit, and desserts. You certainly do not lose any weight on a cruise! The girls once again went off to do some of their activities with the Talbert girls. Bruce and I returned to the room and got ready for bed. Tonight, Courtney is spending the night in our room with Brittany and Bailey is staying in the Talbert’s room with Cami. Today was a really good and fun day!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011: Today Bruce again went to breakfast with Patrick at 7:30 while we girls slept! I didn’t go to breakfast today because Bruce and I had reservations to eat brunch at Palo at 11:00. We got dressed in our “dress up” clothes for this meal. It was very good. We first got to choose from many selections of “appetizers” and this was buffet-style. I tried caviar for the first time! I wasn’t really impressed! But anyway, then we chose our main course. I had veal and Bruce had chicken parmesan. The desserts were also buffet-style and all of them were wonderful! They were tiny so you could try lots of them. I especially liked the chocolate pudding stuff in a little cup and the little fruit tart. We were there for about 1.5 hours. We then returned to the room and changed into more comfortable clothes. I went to the pool area for awhile and at 3:00, we met the girls at the miniature golf course on deck 12. It is a really cute little course with lots of large icons (kind of reminds me of the All-Star resorts at Walt Disney World). We then went to a shuffleboard tournament on deck 4. There were only 4 teams total and 2 of them were Frank family people! Haha! Brittany and I ended up winning the tournament and later tonight, a little Mickey-shaped trophy with the Disney Cruise Line logo showed up in our room! I am very excited about that! Dinner tonight was at the Royal Palace, which is themed like Disney princesses. Everything we had was good as usual. After dinner, we got our family pictures taken by a couple different photographers in the atrium and then attended the Golden Mickeys show. The show was really good. The comedian who performed the show on the first night did another shorter show tonight in the adult area of the ship. Again, he was hilarious and we ended up buying one of his CD’s. We ended the evening getting little appetizers and sitting out on deck 12 with Rick and Kim. The girls swam from 10-12 while watching “Up” on the big screen above the pool. We all came back to the room and went to bed at about 12:30 or so.

Thursday, July 28, 2011: Bruce met Patrick for the last time this morning for breakfast. We slept until about 9:00 and then got ready for the 2nd Castaway Cay day. We all got off the ship around 9:45 – 10:00 and Courtney was with us too. We got our picture taken with Donald Duck in front of the Castaway Cay post office and also mailed a postcard home so we can see how long it takes to get there. We rode the tram and the girls all got off at the first stop so they could go to the family beach. Bruce and I went on to Serenity Bay, the adult beach. While there, we got some floats and went out in the ocean. The area is very shallow until you get out further and there are a lot of conch shells but they are pretty much all broken and have a lot of other “stuff” growing on them. We did see one nice big sand dollar but it was brown and I wasn’t sure if I should take it or not so I left it. We looked for little shells and found some tiny cute ones! We stayed there about an hour or so and then headed back to the family area. We met the girls for lunch at Cookies BBQ about 12:30. Patrick and his family were there too so we talked to them for awhile. We ate with the Talberts as well. After lunch, Bruce headed back to the ship while I went with our girls and the Talbert girls to the family beach. We “looked for treasure” by digging out hands into the sand under the water and bringing up whatever we could. We used a float and put the stuff on the top of it and then fingered through it looking for perfect tiny little shells. We found more of them than I thought we would. It was fun. Courtney and I came back to the ship at about 3:00. Brittany, Bailey, and Cami came back later. Bruce and I went to the show “Believe” in the Walt Disney Theater at 4:00. It was good but I liked the one from the previous night better. We went to dinner tonight at Animator’s Palate again. We didn’t have the Crush interaction that we did the first night but tonight the servers all lined up for us and one of the entertainment staff members came in and we got to appreciate our dinner servers. The chefs also came into the dining room and we applauded them. After dinner, we came back to the room and got our luggage ready to put into the hallway. Everything you put into the hallway gets delivered to the cruise terminal for you and is ready to go in the morning when we dock. We kept a few bags to carry off ourselves in the morning. We went to the “See Ya Real Soon” farewell in the atrium at 10:15 but it wasn’t as good as the one on the Wonder in 2008. To end the night, Bruce and I went with the Talberts to the comedian again. He had all different material tonight and he is great! While we saw the comedian, the girls swam for the last time and watched “Up” on the outside screen by the pool. We went to bed shortly after midnight.

Friday, July 29, 2011: We had to get up early this morning (6:00) so we could be at breakfast at 6:45. This was the last time we saw our servers. We took a group picture with the Talberts and then sadly, we left the ship. Boo-hoo! We went to fetch our luggage and had a very nice worker there who helped us get it all to our car. Once at the car, I tried to find the Disney tickets and could not. We looked everywhere we thought they could be to no avail. I began to stress since we all have several days left and we were going there today to meet Kaitlin & Adam. Once in the car, I called Disney and told them what was going on. They told me that once we got to the park today, we need to tell someone at the ticket window about this & they should be able to help us. We got to the Magic Kingdom around 10:30am and the whole ticket situation worked out. With our credit card #, they were able to look everything up and issue new tickets to us. Thank God! We met Kaitlin, Adam, his dad, and his cousin outside the theater and began our day together. We did a lot of things today: Space Mountain twice, Buzz Lightyear, TTA, Monsters Inc Laugh Floor, Pooh ride, Snow White’s Scary Adventure, Mickey’s Philharmagic, Peter Pan’s Flight, Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean. We got Dole Whips as a snack early in the day, ate lunch at the Plaza Restaurant, and had ice cream just before the parade later at night. We watched the Main Street Electrical Parade at 9:00pm, shopped in the Emporium, and left the park just before Wishes got over. We drove for about 1 hour and stopped at a Sleep Inn somewhere on the turnpike. We were all dead tired and went to bed ASAP!

Saturday, July 30, 2011: The hotel had a breakfast (no meat or eggs) so we ate there this morning. We left maybe around 10:00 Florida time and after stopping for gas, began driving home. The drive was pretty uneventful except for traffic on the south side of Atlanta. We kind of poked along, stopping whenever someone needed to go to the bathroom or we needed gas of course. We had a late lunch at a Chic-Fil-A somewhere in southern Georgia and a Ryan’s Steakhouse in the very northern part of Georgia. We were in touch with Kaitlin and Adam (and his dad and cousin) most of the way home and we all chose to stay at the same hotel, which was a Super 8 about 20 miles on our side of Chattanooga. We got adjoining rooms and played cards for awhile since the pool closed 10 minutes after we got there. We again went to bed around midnight.

Sunday, July 31, 2011: We didn’t get up today until about 9:00am. Again, we took our time getting home. We had breakfast at Shoney’s by our hotel and dinner at Krieger’s in Mt. Vernon. We arrived home about 6:15pm.

Vacation Days 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

2011-07-23T21:48:00.000-05:00

Monday, July 18, 2011: The alarm went off at 7:30 this morning. We got up and got showered and then went to the lobby for a hot breakfast, which was really good! We headed towards Orlando and made it to our Disney hotel (Port Orleans Riverside) to check in by 1:00pm. We are staying in the mansion section, in the Magnolia building. We all went to the main swimming pool and spent about 1.5 hours there. There is a small water slide there and the pool is pretty big. We then came back to the room and changed and headed back to the main building. We got a card for the game room and bought just a couple little things at the gift shop before heading to the Polynesian Hotel and a restaurant called O’Hana there for dinner. The meal consisted of food brought to your table family style. We had bread, salad, Asian-style dumplings, chicken wings, chicken breast chunks, lo mein, broccoli & snap peas, steak, pork, and shrimp. All the meat was brought to the table on skewers and then served to you according to how much you wanted. The dessert was pineapple bread pudding with ice cream and banana sauce over it. Bruce and I enjoyed the meal. Brittany was mostly OK with it too but Bailey didn’t eat a whole lot. After dinner, we looked around in the gift shop of the hotel and then headed to the Polynesian beach. We found a hammock which we all took turns sharing while the rest of us sat in lounge chairs. We watched the water parade first and eventually saw the fireworks (“Wishes”) from the Magic Kingdom. We were also able to see Tinkerbell fly from the castle! We then came back to our hotel and are now heading to bed.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011: We got up today at 7:00am and got ready to go to the parks. Bruce and the girls ate some breakfast in the room. We first went to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There, we waited for rope drop and then headed straight to Toy Story Midway Mania, which we got fastpasses for and also rode stand-by. Then we headed to Rock n Roller Coaster but the line was too long so we decided to get some cupcakes for a snack from the Starring Roles Café. We then rode Tower of Terror, went back to Toy Story and rode it again, and finally rode Rock n Roller Coaster. This was Brittany’s first time riding it and she liked it. Finally, we went to the 12:30 showing of American Idol. This was my first time seeing it. We left the Studios and headed to Epcot. Once there, we were all hungry so we ate lunch at the Electric Umbrella inside Innoventions. Then we went to Test Track and rode the single rider line. Next was Captain EO, which I thought was really dumb. We tried to ride Soarin’ but the fastpasses were all gone and the stand-by line was always over 1.5 hours. We did go to the Seas and rode the Nemo and Friends ride as well as going to the Turtle Talk with Crush show. We went back to Test Track and rode it again and then headed to World Showcase. We rode the boat ride in Mexico and then ate dinner at the Biergarten in Germany. I really liked the meal there. It included a lot of things I liked. We didn’t stay in the World Showcase for very long after dinner and headed back to future world. We again rode Test Track (this time in the dark, which was cool) and finally went on Spaceship Earth. By the time we left the park our feet were killing us. We are now back in our room and ready for bed!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011: Today I took the “Keys To The Kingdom” Tour at the Magic Kingdom while Bruce and the girls went to Typhoon Lagoon. I got up at 7:00 and went to the bus stop at 8:00. I got to go into the Magic Kingdom before the other park guests! My tour began at 9:00 and lasted for 5 hours. We heard a lot of little tidbits about all kinds of things at the MK like names on the windows, hidden Mickeys, sounds, foliage, external facades, things behind the scenes, cast member costumes, and we got to go into the utilidors under the park! We also got to ride Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Haunted Mansion without waiting in line! We all ate lunch together at Columbia Harbor House, which was included in the cost of the tour. I really enjoyed it! After the tour ended, I spent some time in the MK by myself. I tried to ride Astro Orbiter but the line was too long. I got a chocolate chip cookie sandwich at Sleepy Hollow and after I had eaten it, I watched the Hall of Presidents show, which always makes me cry! I love it. I then got a spot on the street and watched the afternoon parade. I rode the Liberty Belle, which I had never done before and then proceeded to the front of the park to watch the flag retreat (another new thing for me). I shopped a little in the emporium before heading over to the Polynesian to meet Bruce and the girls for dinner at Kona Café. This meal was really good and included steak. The desserts were really good too! After dinner, we returned to our hotel and watched YeHa Bob in the River Roost in our main building. He was hilarious! We watched from 8:30 until about 10:30 when we returned to our room for the night.

Thursday, July 21, 2011: Today was the most strenuous day so far as far as heat and sore feet are concerned. We began the day at Animal Kingdom and rode Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, and saw the show “It’s Tough To Be A Bug.” We also played a couple of games in DinoLand USA. We left there about 12:00 or so and went to the Polynesian to eat at the quick-service place there called Captain Cook’s. Next up was the Magic Kingdom. We got there just before 2:00 and went to Space Mountain to get fastpasses. We then rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority and Carousel of Progress. Then we headed across the park and waited about 45 minutes to go on Splash Mountain. We grabbed some fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, went to the Country Bear Jamboree show, grabbed some sodas, rode the train, and went back to Big Thunder Mountain. By now it was time for dinner which was at 6:10 at the Liberty Tree Tavern in Liberty Square. It consisted of Thanksgiving-type food and was good. After dinner, we headed back to Tomorrowland. Bruce and Bailey rode Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin while Brittany and I rode Astro Orbiter. Then we all went on Space Mountain. We then headed to Fantasyland (first time in that land this trip!) and rode Peter Pan’s Flight. We came back around to Main Street USA and watched the new show where they put pictures on the castle. We also watched the beginning of Wishes and saw Tinkerbell fly from the castle. Brittany and Bailey bought a few souvenirs from the Emporium and then we headed out of the park to the busses. We are now back at our hotel and are definitely ready for bed. We will all sleep good tonight!

Friday, July 22, 2011: We used our last quick-service credits this morning and ate breakfast at the food court of our hotel. We loaded the car and checked out of Port Orleans. Our next stop was just a few miles up the road at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. When we pulled up here, people were waiting to help us out! I went inside and was whisked up to the 5th floor check-in concierge desk. Bruce and the girls unloaded the car along with help from the staff. Come to find out, we are on the top floor of the hotel which is the concierge floor. We did not register for this and when I asked why we were being given it, they told me that once in awhile when all the rooms are not full, they have some of the other people come to the top floor. I texted our travel agent and he humbly confessed to having had something to do with it and then said “Happy Anniversary!” The room is very nice with queen sized beds and a small balcony. We have lots of room in the bathroom area too as well as a flat-screen TV and fridge. The best part of being on this floor is that every time you get off of the elevator, the people at the concierge desk say “Welcome Home”…..just like they do to Disney Vacation Club members! AND… there is a little room right off of the 5th floor lobby area where we are allowed to go anytime for food. They have coffee very early in the morning, then breakfast items until 10am, then during lunchtime and the afternoon there are cookies, home-made chips with dip, yogurt covered pretzels, trail mix, and Swedish fish. From 5-7pm they have cheese & crackers, veggies & dip, 3 other kinds of appetizers, apples with caramel dip, bread, rolls, wine & beer. From 8-10pm there are a few little desserts, and from 11pm – 5am they have the pretzels, trail mix, and Swedish fish for people who come back from the parks need a midnight snack. They also have soda and water all day long. We feel very special! Once we checked in, we headed to the pool here, called Stormalong Bay. It is the best hotel pool I’ve EVER been to! There is a sand bottom throughout the entire pool and the depth ranges from 3.5 feet to 8 feet. There is a waterslide and a volleyball net as well as several small waterfalls. The pool is sprawling and HUGE! There is another pool next to it where there is a ton of sand and pails for kids to play, etc. It’s like a beach/pool combination. There is a snack/meal bar near the pool and a little counter that sells pool toys, sunscreen, etc. Beaches n Cream soda shop is located near the pool as well. One of the main reasons I wanted to stay here for 1 night is because of this pool. We spent time there this afternoon before coming inside to visit the concierge snack room. Bruce and I then took the boat over to the Boardwalk and looked around in some of the little shops there. When we came back, it began to rain so everyone had to get out of the pool. Bruce and the girls played some games in the gameroom while I came up to the room and took a shower. Bruce and I had dinner tonight at Cape May Café here in the Beach Club. It is a clam bake seafood buffet dinner. The girls ordered a pizza from room service and thought they were quite cool! We spent the rest of the evening in the room (only about 1.5 hours) watching TV, etc. Today was a really good/relaxing day!

Saturday, July 23, 2011: We checked out of the Beach Club this morning and went to Downtown Disney to shop a little. I got a silhouette of the girls made which matches the kind I had done of them in 2004 and 2008. We bought just a few things and Bruce and I had lunch at Earl of Sandwich. When we left Disney property, we went to a different souvenir store and then grabbed the girls some lunch from McDonald’s. We then headed east towards the coast. We checked in at our hotel (Hampton Inn in Titusville) and brought all our stuff to the room. I sorted laundry and headed to the laundry room here. We had 5 loads total. We spent the afternoon here. The girls swam while I did laundry and we then sorted everything and got all the luggage, etc. read for the cruise. We went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and then drove over to Cocoa Beach just to check the place out. We went out on the beach and walked in the water for a little while. On the way home, we stopped at Wal-Mart. Once we got back to the room, we finished packing and getting ready for tomorrow. We are now headed to bed.

Vacation Day 1

2011-07-17T19:45:00.000-05:00

Sunday, July 17, 2011: We pulled out of the driveway this morning at 4:09am. I drove first since Bruce had worked late at the homecoming last night. We did not stop until we were past Nashville, TN when we needed to buy gas and got breakfast at Shoney’s. Our next stop was someplace in Georgia where we needed to go to the bathroom and again, filled the tank although it was only ½ empty then. We stopped one more time in Georgia at a rest stop to use the restroom and then we reached the Florida state line at 4:45 our time, 5:45 theirs. The welcome center closed at 6:00 so we were just in time to get the free orange juice, which was really good! We also picked up some brochures while there. We drove until we reached Lake City, FL and stopped for dinner at Red Lobster. We also got a hotel room here at a Comfort Suites. Now we are just hanging out in the room and will go to bed a little later. This is the farthest we have ever driven on the first day of a Disney or Florida vacation! Yay!

It Was A Rough Job!

2011-06-08T10:51:00.006-05:00

Once again this year, Bruce and I were asked to be judges in our local BBQ contest called Jakey in June. This year, we judged on Saturday night in the Kids Q Competition, the "Anything But" (where the teams submit any meat dish except those judged on Sunday), desserts, and margaritas. I once again had the honor of judging the winning Kids Q hamburger and again this year, it was amazing! There were lots of good entries though and it was harder this year to judge than it was last year. Below are some of the pictures I took (with my phone so the quality is not very good) of the desserts and the meats. I did not taste all of these but those that I did were fabulous!

Bruce judged these.....

I judged this.....it had a peanut butter flavor.

This was my #1 dessert. They had a hint of coffee flavor to them and also a filling. They were really really good!

I also judged these beautiful little cakes! They were hollowed out at the bottom of the inside and filled with strawberries!

This plate was really good too! That is a lamb chop with 2 lumps of crab meat and mashed potatoes. The sauce on that plate was delicious!

This is a lobster pot pie! I got to judge this one! Yummy!

Prime rib which was like butter melting in your mouth!

Steak with bacon-wrapped asparagus. Also VERY good!

After everything else, we judged margaritas. I am not a margarita person and honestly, I took a very small sip of each one. The one I liked the best got voted out in the very first round. I think I liked it because it was the least like a margarita! It had a peachy flavor, was frozen, and tasted more like a daiquiri! Those are the kinds of drinks I like.....the fu-fu ones!

Some Recent Pictures

2011-05-27T15:38:00.005-05:00

If you are my Facebook friend, you have probably seen these first 3 pictures. Captions are UNDER the pics:

B1 (on the left) and friends before their 8th grade formal

The entire group before 8th grade formal

B1 in her formal dress

B1 (in the middle) with a group of friends at 8th grade honor's night

Here, she is receiving an award (one of four) for algebra! Yay!!!!!

This is when she got one of the other awards. She received 4 altogether that night.

B2 and one of her best friends watching their sisters at honor's night

B1 and her Algebra teacher Ms. Mueller. She was a GREAT math teacher!

My babies on their last days of middle school and high school. Ahhh.....summer is upon us!

B1.....last day of middle school

B2.....last day of elementary school

Life in a Small Town

2011-04-30T11:25:00.004-05:00

Today is one of those days when I realize that life in a small town is wonderful. First, I slept in while my husband got up (not too early, but earlier than me) and headed to our local park (6 blocks away) to lead a meeting for the summer umpires for our local recreational baseball/softball program. Bruce officiates high school softball and baseball games and therefore, is very educated on rules, etc. He is the perfect person to be in charge of arranging umpires for the summer rec games. He not only serves on the baseball/softball board but also on our local park board and is sort the liaison between the two. He enjoys doing what he did with the young people this morning and that makes me happy.

Our daughters informed me that after they ate breakfast, they too were headed to the park (pretty much just to hang out and see what's going on there today). This is not a problem for me whatsoever since we live in a small town. The park is close, B1 has a cell phone, the girls have been lectured about safety and talking to strangers, etc. and they can just ride their bikes and be there in a few minutes.

After I ate breakfast, I received a phone call from Bruce asking me to run B1's softball bag to the park because her rec team (which she will play with when she isn't playing on her other team) was practicing and we didn't know about that. No problem.....not a big deal for me to run it out there since we are so close! I quickly brushed my teeth and got dressed and headed to the park. On the way, I drove past the home of a family I have known my whole life. The father was just standing outside by his garage, doing nothing much. He waved of course. We wave to everyone around here, whether we really "know" them or not. Then after I took the bag to B1, I drove back through town where I had some mail to drop in the mailbox outside the post office. Who was inside the post office but my father, who came out to say hello, dressed in his finest gardening clothes and lovely shoes! Ha! I went on down the street and passed a couple (parents of one of my very best friends) who walks together just about every morning. I waved at them. Then I went to the bank drive-thru where I was greeted with a "Hi Beth!" from someone I have probably known most of my life. I then headed back to the park to walk (we have a nice walking trail) and while doing so, was able to watch B2 play on the playground with a little boy who's father and Bruce have been friends since birth. This kind of stuff doesn't happen just anywhere!

Later when it was time to leave, it was really windy and B2 didn't want to ride her bike back home so we loaded it into the back end of my SUV, kept the hatchback up, and she held onto it from the back seat while I drove slowly to our house. No, not the safest thing to do, but again.....in a small town, just something that we DO do.

I haven't put a bit of make-up on yet today and we are soon headed to the neighboring town to purchase flowers to plant outside. I'm sure we will run into someone we know there as well!

Love, Love, Love life in my small town!

"Well I was born in a small town
And I live in a small town
Prob'ly die in a small town
Oh, those small communities

All my friends are so small town
My parents live in the same small town
My job is so small town
Provides little opportunity

Educated in a small town
Taught the fear of Jesus in a small town
Used to daydream in that small town
Another boring romantic that's me

But I've seen it all in a small town
Had myself a ball in a small town
Married an L.A. doll and brought her to this small town
Now she's small town just like me

No I cannot forget where it is that I come from
I cannot forget the people who love me
Yeah, I can be myself here in this small town
And people let me be just what I want to be

Got nothing against a big town
Still hayseed enough to say
Look who's in the big town
But my bed is in a small town
Oh, and that's good enough for me

Well I was born in a small town
And I can breath in a small town
Gonna die in this small town"

(Lyrics from the song "Small Town" by John Cougar Mellencamp.....so fitting!)

Pesto Meatballs

2011-04-23T19:10:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I've done a post about food. I did a lot of cooking today so I thought it would be a good day for one of these types of posts. I had to prepare a salad to take to Easter dinner tomorrow. I made one called wonton salad, a recipe I got from a lady who was a student in a summer class I took a few years ago. It has only 4 ingredients: lettuce of your choice, chicken, red pepper, and crunched up baked wonton wrappers. The dressing is sweet and sour with sesame seeds in it. It's really a yummy salad and I am excited to eat it tomorrow as it has been awhile since I've had it. I didn't take any pictures of the salad.....maybe tomorrow.

I knew that I also wanted to make a new recipe I saw recently in a magazine. This one called for all ingredients which I had on hand except roasted red peppers and ricotta cheese. I checked online and found that I could substitute cottage cheese, cream cheese, or even sour cream for the ricotta. I had all 3 of those on hand so that was no big deal. I also had a jar of pimentoas on hand which would have worked in place of the red peppers. But.....I also had 2 red peppers in the fridge (because the salad above calls for 1-2 red peppers). I knew that I could try to make my own roasted red peppers with one of these, which is exactly what I did!

I went online and looked up how to roast a red pepper. I had read this in the past but never tried it so I forgot how to do it. They gave 3 options: on the grill (I wasn't planning to be outside in our awful rainy weather today), on a gas stove (which I don't have), or in the oven using the broiler. This was my method of choice. I basically had to keep an eye on the peppers and turn them every few minutes. When the skin turned black, I then pulled them out and put them in a bowl with an airtight lid for awhile to let the steam do its work. About 30 minutes later, I pulled that black skin off and then diced them. Voila! Roasted red peppers! How exciting! They tasted really good too!

Please excuse the crappy quality of the picture here. At this point, I didn't know I was going to blog about this and I took this picture with my phone simply to send to my foodie friend Katie! I knew she would be excited for me!

I've never made meatballs before! I know that sounds crazy but it's true. The thing that attracted me to these particular meatballs is that they are called "Pesto Meatballs." I love pesto!

Last summer, I had a basil plant on my front steps in a pot and it grew like crazy! I couldn't use all of the basil it was producing so every so often, I would pick a bunch of the leaves and make my own pesto. I froze it in an ice cube tray and now I have 2 bags of pesto cubes in my freezer (well, I only probably have 1 bag left by now). So when the recipe called for "prepared pesto," I have that on hand! Yay!

Look at all the yummy goodness that you can actually see in these meatballs.....the green specs are the pesto (basil), you can see onions, and of course my roasted red pepper!

Pictures From The Weekend

2011-04-10T15:16:00.002-05:00

On Friday, I traveled with B2 to Memphis where we met the rest of her softball team. They played in a tournament there (actually in northern Mississippi, just south of Memphis) but didn't do so well. It was good experience though. Here is B2 at the plate when she is beginning her run to 1st base.

Here she is pitching.

I left Memphis around 4:40pm yesterday (Saturday) in order to be home for B1's Presentation Sunday today. Here she is this morning. I have a picture of her taken in this exact same spot back in 1999 on her first day of Sunday School, which honestly seems like last week. Today is one of her last. Sniff sniff.

Here she is in church giving her speech.

We are very proud of both of our daughters this weekend and always. We love you B1 and B2!

Midwest Weather

2011-03-30T17:20:00.002-05:00

I took this picture out my classroom window this morning at about 7:35am. Yes, that is snow.....

I took this one at 8:00am (yes really).....

And this one was taken at 8:40 after the sun obviously moved.....

Gotta love our midwest weather!

March is here!

2011-03-12T16:11:00.003-06:00

The 3rd quarter at school ended yesterday! Spring is almost here! I love when the spring sports begin their practices and eventually their games.....that means the end is really near. I also like being able to get outside to go for walks, ride my bike, etc.

A tornado ripped through our area 2 weeks ago and in its path, tore the roof off of the home of the principal of my building. He, his wife, and their 4 sons (age 10 and under) were all OK but it really scared them I believe. There were several factors about the whole incident which just scream divine intervention. Today, I took a pan of lasagna, a pan of chicken tetrazzini, and 2 containers of taco soup (all home-made) to their temporary home. That's how I help people when I can; I cook!

My students at school raised $892.57 for lukemia and lymphoma. Actually, they didn't "raise" the money, they donated it! Seriously.....I set a goal of $6/student (some gave nothing and some gave over $50). With 128 students, our goal was $768 so we blew that away. Another teacher's classes ended up with almost $1200. We were second and the third place teacher had somewhere in the $300's. But the teacher who came up with $1200.....let's just say she did it using some "not so legal" practices. For example, apparantly, her students were allowed to drop some low scores on quizzes if they gave a certain amount of money. They were promised a field trip if they gave a certain amount of money (and our school CUT field trips at the end of last year). I made it be known that MY students gave from their hearts and they certainly DID NOT "buy" their grades in my classroom. RIDICULOUS! Anyway, because they met our goal, we are having a party on Monday, which is only a half day for them anyway so that is good. We are having buffalo chicken dip, chips, cookies, and Hawaiian punch.

My nephew was in a bad car accident about 2.5 weeks ago. He slid on black ice and flipped his truck. He was thrown from the vehicle and most of his injuries were to the bones in his face. He also fractured his hand and his jaw He spent many nights at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis and had surgery which lasted about 10 hours but is home now and recovering. We are thankful.

I have been doing an exercise class on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. The Tuesday session focuses on toning and using light weights. The Thursday class involves more cardio. They are both great and make me leave basically panting but feeling really good about what I just did!

B1 met a new friend 2 weeks ago at a birthday party and they really hit it off. They have talked to each other (through texting) just about every day since and this weekend, her friend spent the night here last night while B1 went with her and her family to the St. Patrick's Day parade in St. Louis today and is spending the night at her house tonight.

Bruce, B2, and I are about to head out to Wal-Mart, dinner, and Aldi (my new favorite grocery store!).

Have a great weekend!

Ramblings.....

2011-02-21T10:22:00.003-06:00

Once again, it's been quite awhile since I posted here. We are between sports now with the girls so there's been a lull. Well, there's NOT been a lull in activity though as they are both practicing for the next season: softball. And actually, B2's basketball season just ended on Saturday.

B1 has softball practice on Thursdays and Sundays and pitching lessons on Tuesdays and Sundays. B2 has softball practice on Wednesdays and Saturdays and also pitching lessons at the same time as B1. She is also still in gymnastics on Wednesdays and has been taking hitting lessons (she needs all the help she can get there!) on Wednesdays. Wednesdays are BUSY nights for her! LOL!

Since B2's basketball has wrapped up now and we are having a party for the end of the season, also on Wednesday night this week. The highlight will be a "Moms vs. the Girls" game. I might die. We will see!

I've been doing a "boot camp" class after school on Tuesdays, which is a weight and toning class. I like it. I am sore for the next few days but it's a good kind of sore, one where I know I earned it! There is also a class on Thursdays which is more of a cardio type of class. I decided to check it out last week. Wow! I had to jog, sprint, jump, and more. It was intense for me, but I know I burned some serious calories while there! I told one of the women there that I didn't know if I would be back and she convinced me to come back again. I felt like I was slowing down the women who were in better shape. She assured me that I was not and that everyone goes at their own pace and if they are ahead of me, they can loop back and go again. She is right; I will try again this week!

I think that the chances of yet one more snow day are narrowing, which is fine. I find that our family runs more smoothly when we have a routine in place. We also spend less money and I eat better and exercise more! I also obviously get more done at school with my students and we are already more than a week behind last year.

That's about it from here for now. I'll hopefully post again after Wednesday night, if I live through it! Haha!

Playing at the College Level!

2011-02-01T16:05:00.003-06:00

Bruce coaches B2's 5th grade basketball team and he does a wonderful job with the girls (if I do say so myself). Sometimes I think some of the parents think he might get a bit more worked up than he needs to, but I know him and I know he really does care about every girl and wants to help them improve. He does all of the scheduling and our season this year has lasted from October into February. We have 3 Saturdays left and maybe a couple week night games before we are done. They played at halftime of the SIUE women's game a few weeks ago (I wasn't able to go because B1 had a game that night too) and this past Sunday, they played at halftime of the Saint Louis University women's game. They only played for about 8 minutes and B2 scored 4 points! Here are some pictures.

The 4th and 5th graders with the Billiken before they played.....

B2 is in the purple jersey on the left.

Dribbling.....

Shooting.....

Running up court.....

Here are all of the 4th and 5th graders with 2 of their teachers. Mr. Eyrich was the honorary referee for them and Mrs. Schmitt was an honorary coach!

Snow and 1st Place!

2011-01-23T18:05:00.004-06:00

We had a big snow storm here Wednesday night/Thursday morning. This was the most snow I can remember in a while. I recently told Bruce that when we were kids and got off of school because of snow, it was usually A LOT of snow. Our kids have been getting off for just a couple inches of snow here lately (don't get me wrong, being a teacher, I certainly am NOT complaining) but it's still not like it was when we were kids (wow, I sound old!). Well that changed this week. We got a pretty big one. When we woke up Thursday morning, it certainly was beautiful outside. I measured it with a ruler and it was just barely under 9 inches here.

Front yard

Trash can

Hot tub

Picnic table

Shinza LOVES it!

B2's basketball team won a tournament today. They actually played both yesterday and today and won all 3 of their games. They played really well against some pretty good teams. Bruce is their coach and we are very proud of all of the girls. It's fun to watch them and know how much they have all improved from 2 years ago.

Here is B2 shooting a free throw today. She made 1 of the 2 she shot.

This is the team (with B1 in the background watching as well as Coach Bruce and Coach Mike) waiting for their trophies.

Happy girls and coaches

B2 and her trophy

December 30 & 31, 2010

2011-01-11T10:41:00.000-06:00

Thursday, December 30, 2010: Well, let’s start with last night. Just as I was finishing up on the computer at about 1:00am, the fire alarm in our building began sounding! My dad woke up, Bruce woke up, and Darren (who I don’t think was asleep yet) woke up. Mom (wearing ear plugs to sound out Dad’s snoring) and the girls (NOT wearing ear plugs and sleeping right under the alarm) didn’t wake up. We weren’t sure what we should do so Darren headed downstairs to check things out. Not long later, we found out that someone had burnt popcorn and it made the alarm go off, which automatically calls the fire department. We did not have to evacuate. Darren ended up having to go down and then back up 23 floors of stairs. This morning we left the room about 9:30 and headed to St. Augustine. We got there about 11:00 and first went to a visitor center and then down a street where the oldest wooden school is located. We shopped in a few of the stores and got ice cream for lunch! We also checked out the waterfront near the fort. Then we headed to the Fountain of Youth, which turned out to be not so great. Oh well! On the way back to Daytona Beach, we drove by a lighthouse and then came up highway A1A the whole way, along the coast. Once we got back to Daytona, we went back to the game room where we spent some time on Christmas Day. We spent a little bit of time there and then headed to dinner at a seafood restaurant in Ponce Inlet called Down the Hatch.. Once we got there, we decided that it looked like a place we had eaten on our 1997 trip. When I get home, I will investigate and see if I can find out for sure. The food was OK but not great. We then came back to the room and began packing for tomorrow. We played cards for a little while before going to bed.

Friday, December 31, 2010: We had to check out this morning, which we did by 10:30am. It was challenging to get everything into our bags (once again, I guess we purchased too many souvenirs! Ha!). We went to a miniature golf place and we all played. It was a neat place and they had live alligators there! We bought some food to feed them, which was fun. Then we headed to a pier that Mom and Dad discovered a few days ago when we were at Disney. We ate lunch at the restaurant on the pier called Crabby Joe’s. It was good food in a good atmosphere. We walked out on the pier where many people were fishing. Once we left there, we went to another area with a pier and fishing (this time on an inlet). While there, we saw several dolphins in the water, which was really neat! We then began driving towards Orlando. We arrived at the airport plenty early and got to the gate at least 2 hours before our flight. So we played cards on the floor and ate some supper we bought at a nearby stand. The time actually went by quickly and we were boarding the plane before we knew it! We had a layover in Atlanta again and our laptop (we again had free internet on the plane so the girls passed their time well!) had run out of power. So while in Atlanta, we found an outlet in order to charge the laptop and my dad and B2 went off to find a snack. They began boarding the plane early and they were not back yet so Bruce went to find them. We were in one of the last zones to board anyway, but now we were pretty much the last people to board the plane! LOL! The flight to St. Louis was pretty uneventful. We landed to temps in the 30’s though! The airport was almost dead (it was New Year’s Eve and all) and when we went to get our luggage, one of Mom and Dad’s pieces was nowhere to be found. They left their name and number and were told that when (if) it shows up, it would be delivered to their house. The skypark shuttle worked well; they picked us up and took us to their office and our van. With the coupon, it only cost $48 for the entire 8 days! We were on Hwy 70 in north St. Louis when the new year began. We stopped at White Castle in Collinsville and went through the drive-thru for a new year’s snack. We got home about 12:30am, brought in all of our stuff, and went to bed. The laundry will begin tomorrow!

**Mom and Dad’s luggage was found in Atlanta and delivered to their house on the afternoon of 1/1/11….everything in tact!

December 25, 26, 27, 28, & 29, 2010

2010-12-29T23:09:00.003-06:00

Saturday, December 25, 2010: We weren’t in a real rush to get up today. Once we finally did, we ate a little breakfast in the room and then headed out to the beach to take some pictures. The ocean was water was COLD but we still got our feet wet and had fun! We spent maybe 45 minutes out there just walking around, etc. and taking pictures. We then walked down the beach a little ways and spent some time and money in an arcade. We had 1:00 reservations to eat in the Hilton Hotel South Tower Grand Ballroom. The meal was fantastic! We were slightly underdressed compared to everyone else but oh well! It was really yummy – buffet with just about everything – cheeses, carving station, salad, breakfast omelet station, all kinds of breads, and a huge display of desserts. We left there very full! Once we got back to the room, everyone but Mom got dressed in swimming attire and headed to the beach and pool. Although the temp reached 76 today, the water was still too cold to swim (at least that’s what I thought despite the fact that B1 and B2 got in!). We all got in the hot tub, which felt wonderful! We came back to the room and then the guys (Dad, Bruce, and Darren) went for a ride down the strip while we girls watched a movie, got cleaned up, played some euchre, and played on the computer. B2 and I fed some pigeons on our balcony and at one point there were about 30 birds out there! It was fun! We went to a movie (“Little Fockers”) at 7:35 about a block away from our condo. It was OK but not great. Then we came back here and ended up ordering pizza at about 10:30! It is now time for bed.

Sunday, December 26, 2010: Today we got up and moving by a little after 9:00am. We headed to a place called Mt. Dora where my dad had heard of a huge flea market. It is COLD today! I mean like in the 30's.....not much different than back at home! I am thankful it was so warm yesterday for Christmas. Anyway, we got to the flea market and found it to not be quite as big as expected, but big enough anyway. We all found a few little things we "needed" there. We also ate lunch at the snack bar there, which was actually pretty good. When we got back to our condo, we decided to go look in a few souvenir stores around the area. I got a purple sweatshirt and each of the girls got a T-shirt. Dinner was at another restaurant right near our hotel; this one is called the Wing House and is very similar to Hooter’s, except the girls are even more scantily clad! The food was great though so whatever! We came back to the room and I went to bed just after 10:00 in preparation for the next 2 days!

Monday, December 27, 2010: We were up and out the door this morning by 5:30am on our way to Orlando and Walt Disney World. We parked at the Transportation and Ticket center and rode the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. The weather was cold! We were all dressed in several layers with our winter coats, hats, scarves, and gloves! We were inside the park by 8:00am and the crowd was thin at that time, which really worked in our favor. We rode Space Mountain right away, then went to the Carousel of Progress, then Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and finally Stitch’s Great Escape all in Tomorrowland. We then headed around to Fantasyland and rode Snow White’s Scary Adventures while getting fastpasses for Peter Pan’s Flight and Mickey’s Philharmagic (both which we rode after lunch). We went to Small World and then ate lunch at Pinocchio’s Village Haus. After leaving Fantasyland, we went around to Liberty Square and did Haunted Mansion and the Hall of Presidents (which always tears me up!). Next up was Frontierland and the Country Bear Jamboree. We got fastpasses for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to ride later. Then we went to Adventureland and rode Pirates of the Caribbean and saw the Tiki Bird show. We then headed back to Main Street USA and watched the afternoon Christmas parade. It was now 5:00 and we split from Mom, Dad, and Darren. We decided to go back to Tomorrowland to use some Space Mountain fastpasses that we had gotten in the morning but the ride was down at that time. So we walked to Mickey’s Toontown Fair and got on the train, which we rode around to Frontierland. We then used our Big Thunder Mountain fastpasses. Finally, we headed back to Main Street USA to do some shopping! We met Mom, Dad, and Darren to go to dinner at Tony’s Town Square. Our reservation was for 7:35 but we did not get seated until almost 8:15! This played into our favor later though as we all got free desserts and also something which would help us the following day. The girls and I went to the confectionary and bought some sweet treats (for later) while we were waiting to get seated. We watched the parade (Main Street Electrical Parade) from the restaurant because we had a table right next to a window. We left the park after dinner with very tired feet. The park definitely got more crowded by later in the day! We had our group picture taken several times during the day and the castle looks absolutely beautiful at Christmastime…..almost like it is covered with icicles! Mom, Dad, and Darren then headed back to Daytona Beach while Bruce, the girls, and I went to our motel in Celebration, FL. It was a Ramada Inn and was absolutely terrible! We were only charged $39.95 (thank God!) but they didn’t even have enough rooms clean when we checked in at almost 10:30pm! Wow! Once we go into our room, we pretty much fell into bed and went to sleep!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010: The 4 of us got up this morning at 7:30 and got ready for day #2 at Disney World. We grabbed some breakfast at a Chic-Fil-A. We decided to park at Downtown Disney and rode the bus to Animal Kingdom. We first went to guest relations where we had a set of fastpasses waiting for us (also a reward for the bad service at last night’s dinner). We used these to ride Expedition Everest. The line was relatively short so the girls wanted to ride it again. They went in the single rider line but ended up sitting right in front of / behind each other! I walked back a little ways and grabbed an egg roll for a snack while Bruce waited for them. Once we were all back together, we headed to Camp Minnie Mickey and saw the Festival of the Lion King show. It was really good! We ate lunch at Flame Tree BBQ and then left the park. We took the bus over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios where we again picked up some fastpasses. This time, however, we were given 8 cards which were good for up to 5 people each to use as fastpasses! Cha-ching! This really spoiled us and now when we come back in July and actually have to wait in lines, we won’t be happy! Haha! Anyway, we headed down Sunset Blvd and rode the Tower of Terror and Rockin Roller Coaster first. B2 did not ride Tower and neither of the girls rode RNR. We then went to the Great Movie Ride and after that to Lights Motors Action! We then tried to check-in for our 5:40 dinner reservation (but it was only 5:10) and they told us to come back at our actual time. So we decided to go across the park and ride Tower and RNR again. B2 got up enough courage to ride RNR with us for the first time. She loved it! B1 has still not rode it (maybe in July!). Once we finally go back to the restaurant (Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano), it was 6:10 so we got seated right away! The food was much better than last night’s and the service was 10 times better! After dinner, we walked through the Streets of America and saw the Osborne Spectacle of Lights, which was really cool! We then headed to Toy Story Midway Mania and rode it twice. We all love that ride! By now, it was about 9:30 and we were getting tired and knew we had a long drive ahead of us so we left the park. We took a bus and eventually got back to Downtown Disney. We shopped just a little while in the World of Disney store but actually didn’t buy anything. We left DTD, stopped at a gas station for a soda, and then headed back to Daytona Beach. We got here at about 12:15am and went to bed right away.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010: Today we got up at 8:30, got showered and ready, and headed to Kennedy Space Center. Mom and Dad didn’t come with us; instead they drove to Melbourne, FL and visited Mom’s cousin Sharon and her husband. The 5 of us took the tour at the space center, which was interesting. I am not sure the girls were super impressed with it but I am glad we went there. Hopefully one day when they see something from KSC on TV, they will remember seeing some part of it in person. We got back to the condo around 5:15pm and met back up with Mom and Dad. We had dinner reservations at the Daytona Kennel Club at 6:45. We ate in a dining room right next to windows where we could watch the dog races. Most of us had prime rib for dinner and it was really good. We all put some $$$ in a big pot and took turns picking dogs to bet on for each race. When the night ended, we were down in $$$ but not too much. We had fun. B1 and B2 went outside for just about every race and then came back in to our table to help us pick the dogs. The most we won on one race was $27. We left there at about 10:15pm, came back to the condo and went to bed pretty quickly.

December 24, 2010

2010-12-25T08:28:00.001-06:00

Friday, December 24, 2010: We got up today at 2:45am in order to be ready to leave the house by 3:45. Mom and Dad picked us up and then we went to pick up Darren. We were on the road to Lambert Airport by 4:00. Following the suggestion of Debbie, we parked at Skypark, right across from the airport. They took our luggage and shuttled us to the airport. While in the shuttle, I discovered that I did not bring the cash along that I had planned to bring! Thank goodness for ATM machines! Gees! So we went through the whole check-in process and of all the people in our group, my mom had to be “patted down.” The pin in her arm from when she broke it a few years back made the detectors go off. LOL! Why does it always seem like your gate is the one at the very end of the concourse? Once we made it to the gate, the airline (Airtran) was asking people to check their carry-on luggage because the flight was full and they didn’t think there would be enough room in the overhead bins. Since it was $20 for each bag we checked originally, we took advantage of this so we wouldn’t have to lug our luggage through the Atlanta airport (for our 1 hour layover). The flights were both pretty uneventful except Bailey’s ears hurting as we landed in Atlanta. We landed in Orlando just before 12:00 local time, got our luggage, and got our rental cars. We were on the road heading towards Daytona by 2:00. We found our condo unit easily and the check-in process was smooth as well. Our room is really nice…..it has a fully equipped kitchen, 3 beds in 2 bedrooms, 2 large bathrooms (1 with Jacuzzi tub), 3 TVs, and a pull-out couch in the living room. We got acquainted with the building and our room, checked out the building and the beach a little, and then went grocery shopping for snacks and breakfast items. We brought all the things back to the room and then walked down a block to a Bubba Gump’s Shrimp Co. It was good but not as good as I remember it being the last time (at Universal Studios Orlando in 2008). Bruce and I went to Walgreen’s to get a few things and then came back to the room. All of us but Darren played some cards before we went to bed. Brittany and Bailey watched a movie for awhile while lying on the pull-out couch.

A Few Recent Pictures

2010-12-12T19:36:00.003-06:00

Here is B2 before her Christmas program at school last week. We are lucky that our school still puts one of these programs on because most in our area don't do it anymore. This was the last one for her since she will be in middle school next year.

Our entire family on Thanksgiving. Edna is on the couch in the middle and her 2 sons and daughter are standing behind the couch with their spouses (light blue shirt, red striped shirt, black shirt). Then there are the children-in-laws, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren! We make a pretty good-looking group if I do say so myself!

B1 during a recent game.....

B2 during a recent game.....

We have our first snow day tomorrow! I am not really sure it is necessary but I'll take it either way!

A Forever Moment

2010-11-23T22:31:00.003-06:00

B1 gave Bruce and me one of the best moments of our lives this week. I'm sure there are many more to come, but this one will remain close in our hearts forever.

Thursday night, she had a basketball game and her team played against Carlyle, who supposedly had not lost since they were in 6th grade (and are now in 8th grade). B1's coach expected it to be a blow-out and for her to be able to get all of her players a decent amount of playing time. But at the end of the first quarter, the score was tied 16-16. It was close at halftime as well and as the 2nd half progressed, it became apparant that we might actually be able to beat them. Now, B1 does not start. If you remember, she didn't even make the team in 7th grade, so we were just thrilled when she made it this year. She got a decent amount of playing time in the first and second games of the season and (according to Bruce, who would DEFINITELY say so if he felt she played poorly) played well. But since then (about 4 games) she hadn't seen much court time at all (maybe 5 minutes total). Anyway, the game was very physical and eventually 3 of our players fouled out. When the 3rd player fouled out, the coach went to B1 and pretty much pulled her by the shirt to go into the game (why do basketball coaches do that? :-) There was exactly one minute left in the game and B1 had not been in at all yet. The score was tied 45-45. So, she and the other girls played well, not allowing Carlyle to score. The trouble was that we hadn't gotten much of a chance to score either and the clock was ticking away. But then we got a rebound on their end and B1 was almost all the way down the court, under our basket. One of her friends passed her the ball from just a little closer than half court and at this point, B1 was standing on the block. She got the ball, turned and shot. It was basically a layup type of shot, only she wasn't running into it. The ball bounced one time somewhere up on the rim area (just a little bounce) and then.....fell through. I watched this happen and then immediately looked at the clock. 1.6 seconds left! Oh My GOD! I know my mouth fell open, Bruce stood up and walked down the bleachers to watch the rest of the game standing up, my dad grabbed the railing in front of him and pumped his fist, my mom just looked at me with an expression I can't even describe, and another mom in front of me turned around and went to give me a high 5. I didn't give a high 5; instead, I threw my arms around her and began crying a little. Then I hugged my mom and by this time, I was shaking and crying. I couldn't believe it. The gym went nuts, and all for my little girl and her teammates! It was surreal! The students were screaming for her and other parents we have known for a long time were looking to us with huge smiles. It was amazing. The other coach called a time-out and then it was their turn to inbound the ball under our basket. B1 was the player all the way at the other end of the gym (now under their basket) in order to try to stop any long pass or shot. Bruce was leaning over the railing screaming at her "nobody gets behind you!!!!!" They did get a shot off from farther out than half court, but it didn't come anywhere close to going in. Their girls cried and ours jumped for joy. Our coach had been going crazy all game and was doing so even more now! It was so cool!

We then went down to the gym floor and waited for the players to come out. Witnessing everyone hugging my daughter and saying such nice things to her made me smile and made my heart swell. She too was smiling from ear to ear. One man said to me "and it couldn't have happened to a nicer person." That really made me feel proud, knowing that he knows B1 and thinks that about her. The comments she received were genuine and heartfelt. That one minute on the clock will last forever with me in my mind and in my heart!

Remembering How To Slow Down A Bit!

2010-11-06T14:34:00.003-05:00

It's 2:34pm and I am still in my pajamas! How wonderful this feels! This is the first Saturday that I have had to "myself" in a long time! I tried to sleep late but my body wasn't going for that so I got up at 8:00 (which yes, is about an hour earlier than I would like on a Saturday. Oh well!). I was happy with what the scale said this morning so my day started good. I have done a little laundry, cleaned my kitchen (including the floor, which was nasty!), and just done some little odds & ends around here which have been neglected too much lately. Ahhhh..... it feels so good to actually have time to just move slowly!

Last night, Bruce and I went to a concert at Lumiere Place. We saw Tracy Lawrence, who is one of my older country favorites, and Richie McDonald, the former lead singer of Lonestar. They sang many good songs which we knew and a few new ones. They both took the stage together and just fed off of each other, taking turns singing. We wish it would have lasted a bit longer though (only 1 hr and 15 mins). I love the song "Amazed" by Lonestar and loved sitting next to Bruce as we listened to it. I am lucky to have such a great husband! I also discovered that Lumiere now has "Deal or No Deal" penny slot machines, which are my favorite! Apparantly, they are many people's favorite too as it took a while to get on one to play. We didn't win, but we had a great time.

Tonight we are doing a trivia night with friends and tomorrow is kind of busy again (church, softball games, and pitching lessons). This week at school will be a breeze for the girls and for me (I hope at least). They only have to go one day (Monday) and I then have parent/teacher conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday is Veteran's Day so we are all off together and Friday is "fall break." I am scrapbooking next weekend with a few good friends and very much looking forward to that!

Happy November!

2010-11-01T20:05:00.003-05:00

Once again, it's been 2 weeks since I updated my blog. Using the words of a friend, "with my kids' activities, school, and keeping up at home, something has to give." Basketball season is now underway for both girls. We have been pleased with their performances thus far. I think that this past October has been one of the busiest of my life. Little did I know that we would literally have softball games every single weekend! That coupled with the beginning of basketball plus everything else made it a really crazy month!

Friday night, Bruce and I are going on a little date to see Tracy Lawrence in concert. Tracy Lawrence used to be one of my favorites and I still like many of his songs. Before the concert (which by the way, happens to be at Lumiere Place!), we are going to go to dinner with his current student teacher and our daughters. Bruce wants us to meet her.

I don't really have anything new for you. I'm sure you all get tired of hearing how busy we are and about the girls' sports. My next post, however, will probably be pictures of the girls playing basketball!

Until then, take care!

2010-10-18T17:44:00.002-05:00

B1 got her braces taken off last week. She had the braces 2 days short of exactly 2 years! Here is a picture taken of her the night before her appointment. I posted about this in October, 2008, when she got the braces put on as well.

And here are a couple of pictures I took of her just a little while ago. she has the clear retainers now, which she is wearing in these pictures.

Great smile!

She had an 8-day streak which was very good for her.....her softball team got 2nd in state on 10/7/10. She got her braces taken off on 10/12/10. And on 10/14/10, she found out that she made the middle school basketball team! Whoo-hoo!

2nd in Illinois! (Lots of pictures!)

2010-10-09T15:35:00.007-05:00

We had a very exciting week here! B1's middle school softball team took 2nd in the state on Thursday! They began playoffs 2 weeks ago and won their regional pretty handily. Then last weekend, we played in the state quarter-finals and beat Metropolis, advancing to the semi-finals on Tuesday. We beat West Frankfort that day. Thursday was the state finals and we played (and lost to) Carterville. It was a really fun ride! The baseball team from our same middle school also went to state and WON the title! Yay for them! Here are some pics of the pep ralley and send-off as well as the medal/trophy ceremony.

Signs made by TMS students.....the first one is specifically for B1!

They marched outside, in between all the students, band and cheerleaders, behind a police car.

Here comes the softball team!

B1 with one of her best friends.....

And getting on the bus.....

What a beautiful smile!

The bus heading out for state! There's something about seeing a Triad bus that makes me happy and proud!

A fire truck from each of the 3 towns that feed into our middle school helped escort the kids towards the interstate, along with 2 police cars. This is the fire truck from OUR town.

Custodians and maintenance workers were even on the roof of the school, holding signs and wishing the kids luck!

The marquee at the school.....

You have to look closely here. This is a picture of the scoreboard during the game when B1 was batting. I thought it was neat how it said "at bat 50", which is her number. The score doesn't look so good though! LOL!

Receiving her state medal.

The team receiving their trophy.

The team with their trophy.

B1 with the team trophy.

B1 and 2 friends with the trophy.

The boys baseball team AND the girls softball team together with their trophies.

B1 and my mom with the trophy.

We had a huge celebration later that evening at Pizza Man! The bus came back and all of the kids rode on it (instead of riding home with their parents like they usually do). The bus was also escorted home by 2 police cars, one in front and one in back. They of course got to ignore all red lights, stop signs, etc., which they thought was awesome! Most all of the parents, and many grandparents, siblings, etc., were also at Pizza Man and boy was that place rocking! However, if you walked into the back room where most of the kids were sitting, the smell was not so pleasant! I guess that's when happens when you play in a state final game!

Here is B1 with some friends.....

Here she is with a boy in her class who she has literally been friends with since birth. We all go to the same church and they are currently in confirmation class together. They have been in school together since kindergarten.

And here are the 2 trophies we brought home from state!

Keeping Everything Straight

2010-10-03T11:37:00.002-05:00

B1's school softball team won the quarter-finals in the state playoffs yesterday! They are at least the 4th best team in the state in their class! No Triad Middle School softball team has ever gone this far, so she is a part of history and I am very proud of her for that.

I am typing this next part partially for my own sanity and to keep things organized. Here is our week:

Today: church, B1 has confirmation right now, B2 has a select softball game at our local park in 20 minutes, B1 then has 2 select softball games in Collinsville at 2:30 and 4:00. One of us will have to leave there early with B2 to get to pitching lessons at 4:30. B1 will miss pitching lessons today.

Monday: B1 has school softball practice until 4:30, B2 has basketball practice at 6:00.

Tuesday: B1 has a school softball game (state semi-final) at 3:00. I will have to leave work early, pick up B2, and head to Centralia (about an hour's drive) for the game. Then both girls have pitching lessons in Caseyville at 7:00pm so we will need to rush back from Centralia to get there. Of course, Centralia and Caseyville are in opposite directions from our house.

Wednesday: B1 will have school softball practice after school until 4:30, B2 has gymnastics at 4:30 and basketball practice at 6:00. B1 has select softball practice at 7:00.

Thursday: B1 will play a school softball game (either at 2:00 if they lose on Tuesday or 3:30 if they win on Tuesday). I think that's it for that day.

Friday: football (duh!)

Also, B1 is once again trying out for middle school basketball. Tryouts are now being pushed back (they were supposed to start on Monday) because of the softball team playing at state. I am guessing maybe tryouts will begin on Friday??? Softball will definitely be over by then.

Next Saturday, B1 has select softball practice from 12-2. We also have Blues tickets for opening night. Last night, the Blues had a practice game and Bruce and the girls tried to go there afterwards to get autographs. Well, fans are not allowed this year to stand in the spot where they stood last year to get autographs after the game when the players drive out. Bummer for my family! The girls LOVED doing that! Not sure what we are gonna do now.

I am currently listening to the "Footloose" soundtrack, which I got in the mail yesterday, purchased on ebay. LOVE IT! I am so glad I was in junior high, high school, and college from 1980 - 1990! GREAT DECADE!!!!

Countdowns

2010-09-25T07:16:00.003-05:00

Short post just to bring attention to the fact the the Christmas trip countdown is way under 100 now and the summer, 2011 trip is now under 300 days away!!!!!!!!! Disney World, here we come!

B1's 8th grade softball team won the regional yesterday (defeating Highland 15-0 in 4 innings!) and is now on to STATE! The next game isn't until next Saturday though. I am not sure yet who we will play.

Our football team blew a 31-10 lead to Highland last night and lost 37-31. There isn't much that jabs at the heart more than a loss like that to archrival Highland. UGH!

Guess Where I'm Going!!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-14T19:32:00.008-05:00

Here!
Yep! My parents decided that for Christmas this year, they are going to take our family, my brother, and themselves to Florida! We will spend most of the week at Daytona but we will also get to spend 2 days at my favorite place on this earth.....Walt Disney World!

The Tower of Terror is my favorite ride......Anywhere! Ever!

Toy Story Midway Mania is pretty cool too!

We will get to see the Osborne Spectacle of Lights at Disney's Hollywood Studios!

The girls are really looking forward to riding this at Animal Kingdom! Expedition Everest!

And I will get to check 2 more restaurants off of my Disney "list".....
Mama Melrose's Ristorante at the Studios

and Tony's Town Square at the Magic Kingdom!

And then.....I get to go back in July, 2011! Disney World twice in 7 months time with my awesome family! WOW! LIFE IS GOOD!

I Caught A Big One!

2010-09-11T13:20:00.003-05:00

We went fishing last Monday, Labor Day. It was a beautiful day weather-wise and we have a little pond about 6 blocks from our house right in town! B2 caught 18 blue gill, which was the record for the day! B1 caught about 7 fish and Bruce caught 5. I only caught 1 but it was the BIGGEST one of the day! I caught a catfish which was about 12 inches long from head to tail. It was kind of exciting!

There are 4 ducks who live at this pond too. You can see one of them in the picture behind me!

Today we are attending a wedding. The groom is my 3rd cousin and there will be lots of family members there who we only see maybe once a year. I am looking forward to spending the evening with them.

Our lives are about to get even busier. Pitching lessons for both girls start back up in October and we go twice each week. B2's basketball practices begin Monday night and will also be twice each week. Since Bruce is her coach, that involves him too. B1's new softball team is beginning its practices this week on Thursday and for the remainder of September, she will practice 3 days/week. She also has 2 middle school softball games this week and we have Cardinal tickets for Thursday night. Gymnastics is still on Wednesday for B2 but I am going to try to get that changed to Tuesdays to couple with Tuesday pitching lessons. And, hopefully within a month, we will know if B1 made the middle school basketball team this year and so we will hopefully have to add those practices and games to the schedule too. Dang these kids keep us busy! How do people with more than 2 do it? I guess their kids are just not in as much stuff as ours, huh?

Have a great weekend!

Softball Pictures with B1

2010-09-03T22:38:00.004-05:00

Well, the school year has gotten off to a great start. We have all adjusted nicely to the new routine and I am happy to say that the girls and I have made it out the door each day by 7:05am, which is a big improvement over last year! Bruce and I have been getting up about 3 mornings a week and walking for about 45 minutes together, which is very nice. It gives us some time to talk when we aren't falling asleep or being interrupted by the girls.

I am very much looking forward to this long weekend. We don't have any major plans except that we went to football games tonight (Bruce's school won and mine lost), maybe a movie tomorrow night (I am craving movie theater popcorn again!), possibly close our pool, and possibly get together with some friends.

Here are some pictures I took this week at a couple of B1's softball games. Their team is off to a good start. I think they have lost 4 games and won about 10. She has gotten to play quite a bit, which of course makes us happy!

Getting ready to bunt

Playing 3rd base

Batting.....she got a double at this at-bat

One 2nd base after her double

And then on 3rd base a little later

Pitching

Happy Labor Day!

Expenses!

2010-08-22T18:32:00.004-05:00

It's the time of the year for us when we spend a lot of money! Seriously, why does everything have to be paid for NOW? Let's see.....there's B2's gymnastics beginning back up, both B1 and B2 take some extra softball lessons/classes, and Bruce's car just needed a new battery, windshield, and alternator (about $800 total). Not to mention that if we want to go in on Cardinals post-season tickets (an option available to us since we share season tickets with a group), we can pay for those now too and Blues tickets are going on sale here soon. Oh, and the insurance on our vehicles is due by the beginning of September. Yes, I do ralize that all of these but the car repairs and insurance should be considered "luxuries" and are totally not necessary. We declined the Cardinal tickets and instead of getting any kind of a major Blues package, are going to purchase a small pack of games, which are mostly on weeknights. They are the cheapeast seats out there. Ugh. Money. We are NEVER moving! I will suck it up and live in this house for the rest of my life. It's just fine for us and so what if we are a little crowded?.....I don't want to be house-poor and not be able to do this other stuff! Plus, our girls won't live here forever and we will have a little more space once they move out someday. If we get too old and can't make it up and down the stairs for laundry purposes, we can have some plumbing work done and somehow move it upstairs! Just the thought of packing up all our stuff, moving, and unpacking it all again makes my stomach hurt anyway.....so much work!

The beginning of the school year has gone well. B1's softball team is off to a good start and my classes seem good so far. I swear, this year is going to really be a breeze as compared to last year. I have done NO school work this weekend at all! It's awesome!

We went to the Illinois State Fair yesterday. We love the fair. We all have our favorite parts about it. For me, it's getting an order of cheese curds to share with B1, the butter cow, and seeing the decorated cakes that won ribbons. For Bruce, it's walking around to all of the tents and getting freebies. For B2, it's the rides and milking a cow, and for B1 I think it's the cheese curds and Ethnic Village. We saw Selena Gomez in concert last night too in the Grandstand. I think this was the first concert we attended specifically for B2. Mitchel Musso opened for her. All in all, it was a good show. The line at the souvenir stand was crazy long all night. B2 got a T-shirt which she plans to wear to school tomorrow.

That's about it for now. I'll probably post some pics of B1 playing ball for TMS here soon. Have a great week!

Concerts

2010-08-12T20:58:00.003-05:00

When Bruce and I were driving home from our concert weekend in Louisville last month, I began to realize that I have been lucky enough to have seen many concerts in my life. Then I began to make a list of artists I've seen. I am sure I am missing some, but here are the ones I know I have seen. The star* means I've seen that artist at least twice.

1. Alan Jackson *
2. Bon Jovi
3. Brad Paisley
4. Carrie Underwood
5. Charley Pride
6. Cheetah Girls
7. Chicago
8. Darius Rucker
9. Dierks Bentley (several times)
10. Faith Hill
11. George Strait
12. Glorianna
13. Gretchen Wilson
14. Jason Aldean
15. Jonas Brothers
16. Journey
17. Keith Urban
18. Kellie Pickler
19. Kenny Chesney (many times)
20. Kenny Rogers
21. Lady Antebellum
22. LeAnne Rimes
23. Little Big Town
24. Martina McBride *
25. Miley Cyrus
26. Miranda Lambert
27. Montgomery Gentry
28. Phil Vasser
29. Prince *
30. Randy Travis (many times)
31. Rascal Flatts
32. REO Speedwagon *
33. Sammy Kershaw *
34. Sarah Evans
35. Steve Wariner
36. Styx
37. Sugarland *
38. Taylor Swift
39. 38 Special
40. Tim McGraw
41. Trace Adkins
42. Tracy Byrd *
43. Tracy Lawrence *
44. Willie Nelson
45. Zac Brown Band

Finally, Just a Regular Old Post!

2010-08-09T15:20:00.005-05:00

Today is a little sad for me. Bruce started school today. I hated hearing his alarm go off this morning. Although I do enjoy my time once in awhile by myself or just with our girls, I like having him around. I like the fact that we are both teachers and get to spend our summers together. I like it that he is here to help get the girls where they need to be, he understands rushed dinners, and we are just simply on the "same page" for the most part. But anyway, he's at school today and I miss him not being here.

B1 and I watched her first "scary movie" on Saturday night. It was the updated version of "When A Stranger Calls" which is rated PG-13. There wasn't any bad language in it and only a couple of dead bodies so it wasn't too bad. I found myself doing the same thing I have always done during scary movies.....watching through my fingers when there's obviously a scary part coming! I don't think she was much phased by it and when it was over, I asked her if she wanted to sleep in the living room (instead of her own room in the basement) and she asked me, "Why?"

Last night, we watched a movie called "Hachi" which was about an Akita that finds a home with a family. The Akita in the movie reminded us so much of our own dog, a Shiba Inu, which is basically a miniature version of an Akita. We saw previews of this movie on Friday night while watching a movie in our local park and knew we had to rent it ASAP. It turned out to be a kind of sad movie which left my heart heavy. Sigh. After B2 went to bed, I heard her in there crying. So I went in and asked what was wrong and she said she didn't know. Finally, I pulled from her that she was sad about the movie. She said she didn't want any of us to die. Oh boy. So I had to talk to her a bit about death and the fact that everyone dies except God and even so, we would all be together again one day, and we would also be with our beloved pets who have gone on before us. A little while later, she was crying again and as it turned out, she had a stomach ache. Finally, she fell asleep.

That's about it for now. I have a Girls Night Out tonight with friends and we are going to a tapas restaurant called Modesto. I've never been to any tapas restaurant before so this will be a new experience!

Pictures From Vacation Day 9

2010-08-08T19:58:00.001-05:00

This was the last full day of our vacation, DAY 9. We started in Albert Lea, MN and headed south into Iowa.

We first stopped in Clear Lake, Iowa. Here, on 2/3/59, a plane crashed in a corn field around 1:00am which was carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper as well as the pilot Roger Petersen. My parents were seniors in high school when this tragedy took place and I am interested in this type of pop culture, which is why we stopped here. You can read more about it here.

These glasses depict the beginning of a half-mile long trail back into the corn field to the crash site. Buddy Holly wore glasses similar to these.

Pictures from the crash site

The Field of Dreams from the road

And the sign next to the road

The farmhouse

On the field

Playing ball

"If you build it, they will come."

Carved into the bleachers from the movie. It says "Ray loves Annie."

We played in a little "pick up" game which was taking place. Here's B2 on first.

And B1 on first

On the bleachers

The wave

Yesterday and Pictures from Vacation Day 8

2010-08-04T14:37:00.015-05:00

We had a good day here yesterday. B1 made the middle school softball team! We celebrated last night by going to the Cardinal game and ended up with 4 seats in the diamond box area. We only really paid for 1 of these seats so it was a good night! I was shocked when the lady came up and asked us if we would like anything because I've never sat in the seats at Busch Stadium where you can order food right from your seat. We also had access to a little bar area where there were restrooms and it was air-conditioned. The temp at the start of the game was 99 and by the 10pm when the game ended, it had cooled a whole 7 degrees to 92. Wow! I'm not sure I've ever perspired that much at a Cardinal game. And with our seats being down low, we didn't feel the circulation of the air that you would get from higher up. Oh well....we had a good time and B1 got a ball tossed to her during batting practice!

Here are the photos from DAY 8 of our vacation:

Outside the Mall of America in Minneapolis

There is an acquarium inside the mall which we did not visit, but the girls still decided to act silly for this picture.

The shark mascot was walking all around the mall handing out coupons for the acquarium. I get the feeling it's not a really big draw for them!

1 view of the amusement park inside the mall.....

B2 in the Legoland area

Waiting in line to ride the roller coaster

The girls riding a smaller roller coaster where the car also spins

Posing next to the spinning roller coaster's tracks

The last time we were here, the amusement park was named "Camp Snoopy." Now, however, it is a Nickelodeon-themed park. Here are the girls with Spongebob and Patrick.

Bruce with Woody in Legoland

Walking in the mall

I LOVE this picture! It shows all 4 levels of the mall and B2 is trying to look diva-ish!

That's B1 and B2 up there on the log ride!

And coming down the hill.....

All 3 girls riding the drop ride

The next 5 pics are of B2 climbing in some sort of cage thing. She had to wear a harness and could go all over this thing, walking on tightropes and suspended bridges, climbing ladders, etc. She loved it and it was like 5 stories high!

A couple more views of the amusement park

My honeys!

Pictures from Vacation Day 7

2010-08-02T12:37:00.016-05:00

Finally, some more vacation photos. This was DAY 7. Once again, there are many pictures here!

In Mitchell, SD across the street from the Corn Palace

The Mitchell Corn Palace. My parents were here when they were young and on their honeymoon in 1963. They change the decorations/design of it each year and were actually working on part of it while we were there. Inside this building is kind of like a small convention center. The local high school plays their basketball games here as well as a nearby college. High school graduation is also held here.

Inside the Corn Palace

I thought this was cute!

Don't they look like angels.....ha ha.....NOT!

Being goofballs in the souvenir area

Bruce before eating his ear(s) of corn.....

During.....

And after.....

Next, we drove to DeSmet, SD, which was one of the hometowns of Laura Ingalls Wilder. She lived here with her family as a young girl for quite a few years and much of what she wrote about in the "Little House" books happened when they lived here. The buildings in these next 3 pictures were not actually lived in by the Ingalls family but are on the property and are "replica" sort of buildings from that period.

If you were a fan of the TV show, you know what is going on in these next pictures!

Supposedly, Pa planted these trees back in the 1800's

Animals in the barn.....

Inside Ma's Little House

Outside Ma's Little House

Wildflowers on the prairie

Bruce trying to lasso!

Pony rides.....

The stagecoach

The schoolhouse

The Ingalls Graves.....Pa is on the right (the large headstone), then Ma, then someone named AJ Wilder (not sure who this is), then Mary, and finally Carrie on the far left

Pictures from Vacation Day 6

2010-07-29T23:02:00.006-05:00

OK, so back to the vacation photos.....
Here are the pictures taken on DAY 6 of our vacation.

The girls and me outside Wall Drug in Wall, SD.

The girls and Bruce inside Wall Drug. There were little statues like these all over the place there!

In the "back yard" at Wall Drug.

Yee-Haw!!!

Here we are in front of the jackalope in the back yard. This thing has been here for years! My parents have a picture somewhere with my brother and me on this thing when I was about 10!

B1 and I having ice cream at Wall Drug!

The next 9 pictures were taken in the Badlands National Park. It reminded me of a miniature Grand Canyon. We spent maybe 2 hours here, driving through the eastern part of the park which was supposedly one of the more scenic routes.

B1 and I are not real fond of snakes! Especially poisonous ones!

Hullabalou

2010-07-26T21:11:00.007-05:00

Bruce and I had a little getaway weekend a few days ago and we went to Louisville, KY. The main purpose for going there was a music festival called Hullabalou. Bruce's favorite singer (Dierks Bentley) and my favorite singer (Kenny Chesney) were both performing there and with Kenny only doing a handful of shows this summer, this was a perfect opportunity for us! And the fact that Saturday was our 17th wedding anniversary didn't hurt either!

We left on Thursday morning after dropping the girls off at my parents' house. We arrived in Louisville around 2:00 or so. Our first stop was the Louisville Slugger Bat factory and tour, which was interesting. I thought I had been there in the past but after stepping inside the building, I didn't remember any of it so I guess I was never actually there!

This is a picture of a tree along the sidewalk outside the factory.....the base is in the shape of home plate!

And a picture of my honey next to the HUGE bat outside the front door!

Ozzie Smith's signature the way it appeared on his Louisville Slugger bats.

Here, Bruce is holding a game-used bat. I can't remember which player used the bat but I do know it was someone from sometime in the 1980's.

Here I am next to a replica of Babe Ruth.

We were not allowed to take any pictures during the actual tour of the factory. The factory itself surprised me by being rather small. Everything is on one floor and it's really not a very large space at all. They showed us the entire process of a bat being made, from cutting down the tree somewhere on the New York/Pennsylvania border to the carving to the branding to the dipping in shiny paint stuff, etc. It was interesting!

This picture of Lou Brock was in the area at the end of the tour where they give you a free miniature bat.

And here is how Stan Musial's signature appeared on his bats.

We stayed in a Quality Inn which was nice. It wasn't the best place we've ever stayed but certainly not the worst either.

Friday consisted of checking out 2 shopping malls in the morning/early afternoon. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant inside one of the malls and Bruce got a massage from a little Chinese man. We arrived at the Hullabalou around 4pm. There were actually 65 bands at this festival all together and it was held at Churchill Downs. There were all genres of music as well and 5 stages total. Most of the performers we watched were on the main stage. We walked around for a while and got acclimated to the place and then eventually decided to go to the grandstand and try to find some decent seats. We had general admission tickets which means that our seats were "first come, first serve." We managed to get some decent seats, just off of the center (but pretty far back). There were like 5 big screens showing the performers while they sang so that really helped. The first band we heard on Friday was Train. Bruce did not hear much of what they did though because he had a "Meet n Greet" pass to see Dierks Bentley. He got this through Dierks' fan club.

After Train was done, then Dierks performed and he didn't disappoint. He is really full of energy! The headlining performer that night was Bon Jovi. And Jon still looks pretty darn good!

Later, during the song "Wanted, Dead or Alive" Dierks came back out and sang a little with Jon. Dierks later put on Facebook that he just sang with Jon Bon Jovi and he was still processing it, so you know he was excited about that!

On Saturday, we decided to go to a movie, which started at 1:45. We saw "Grown Ups" and it was not as funny as I anticipated from what I had heard from others. Oh well. Before the movie, we stopped at a flea market that we just sort of stumbled upon and let me tell ya, it was an interesting place! The people there were certainly different and I didn't let Bruce get too far out of my sight. But I did manage to find 3 pairs of shoes to purchase!

Then we headed back to Churchill Downs. I wore my Kenny Chesney orange football jersey and my cowboy hat that I purchased in Deadwood just a few weeks ago! You could tell from the time that we were in the parking lot that there was a certain energy in the air.....Kenny Chesney was here! We got into the stands and managed to get the same exact seats from the previous night! The first act was Sarah Evans, then Jason Aldean, and finally my Kenny. The people were soooooo much in a party mood the entire time. I can't imagine how much alcohol was consumed there on Saturday night. Wow! It was fun just to people-watch.

As usual, Kenny was full of energy, didn't stop moving, and just sang song after song. He didn't sing his new song though ("Boys of Fall"), which was a bit disappointing to me. I love singing along to all of his songs!

I've got my Kenny fix now for awhile again. I sure hope he tours again next summer like he has in the past.

We drove home on Sunday, picked up the girls, went to a cookout at a friend's house for a couple of hours, visited Bruce's mom for a little while, and then the girls and I decided to jump in the car and go see Sugarland in St. Louis. We lucked out too because someone gave us 2 free lawn seats so I only had to purchase 1 ticket!

It was a great weekend!

Pictures from Vacation Day 5 (and lots of them!)

2010-07-20T12:07:00.009-05:00

We took A LOT of pictures on this day!

Bruce and the girls heading up the alpine slide

The white building in the background is our hotel. That's how close we were to the alpine slide!

B2 coming down

B1 coming down

Bruce coming down

Me coming down

The girls and I heading back up.....

And back down.....because it literally began raining as soon as we got off the platform to go up. They wouldn't let us slide down because the brakes on the cars don't work when the track is wet and we were pretty soaked by the time we rode the lift back down, which is why we are acting like we are crying! Good thing our hotel was so close so we could go change clothes! Ha!

Even the heads on Mt. Rushmore looked like they were crying in the rain!

Crazy Horse Monument.....this is as close as we got to it; we didn't pay the $$$ to actually go into the gates so we just took pics from the outside.

The next 15 pictures are of the burros (donkeys) in Custer State Park. Before we left, someone had told us to bring crackers for them. We are so glad we did because they LOVED being fed, and we LOVED laughing about it! They were very friendly and I petted their noses too.

We aren't exactly sure what this animal is. It kind of looks like a deer, but then again, not really.

Herd of buffalo in Custer State Park

Waiting for him to cross the road!

Pictures from Vacation Day 4

2010-07-19T16:36:00.004-05:00

First of all.....the Disney countdown ticker is now UNDER 1 YEAR!!!!!

These are the pictures we took on the day we went to Mt. Rushmore. We went there first during the day, then went back to the hotel and rested/swam, and then back again at night for the lighting ceremony.

We are all wearing shirts from our town because the St. Louis newspaper runs a picture in the travel section of people wearing clothing from anywhere local (but they say the Cardinals and the Blues get used a lot) when they are on vacation at a well-known place. We are hoping to have our picture printed in the paper.

See the second flag pole back on the left side? On the front side of that pole is a white flag flying. It is the Illinois flag. There is one flag there for each state. They call it the "Avenue of Flags."

You can see the Illinois flag again here. Second pole back on the left side again.

Pictures from Vacation Day 3

2010-07-15T16:32:00.006-05:00

Here are the pictures that correspond with DAY 3 of our trip:

This is a statue of Wild Bill Hickok, which was outside out hotel.

The girls panning for gold.....

And the gold that they found, inside two little jars.

We drove over to Devil's Tower, which is in Wyoming. This was a side trip while we were staying in Deadwood. On the drive, we stopped at 3 different scenic trails which all lead to waterfalls. These next pictures are from those trails.

And the 29th state that B1 and B2 have been in.....Wyoming!

Devil's Tower.....

Pretty much, a big rock-like thing sticking up from the ground and that's about it! Ha ha!

Pictures from Vacation Day 2

2010-07-14T12:50:00.004-05:00

OK, I will start posting some pictures from each day of our vacation. If you a friend of mine on Facebook, you may have seen some of these already. I already posted a couple pics from Day 1 earlier(when all we really did was drive). Here are some photos from DAY 2 of our trip.

You see tons of billboards for Wall Drug in South Dakota. We counted 86 of them along I-90 on the east side of Wall, heading west. This was one of my favorites.

Downtown Deadwood, SD

Wild Bill Hickok's grave marker in Mt. Moriah Cemetery

The view of Deadwood from Mt. Moriah Cemetery

Kids are allowed to be in the casinos in Deadwood so B1 and B2 got to watch us play. They particularly liked it when we played the "Deal or No Deal" machines (penny slots) because we would ask for their input on which cases to pick!

The original Saloon #10, where Wild Bill Hickok was shot in the head and killed during a card game on August 2, 1876.

B1 and B2 with some street characters who had reenacted a shootout.

B1 wearing my cowboy hat.

B1 got to participate in a reenactment of Wild Bill's shooting. She was one of the "other" card players in the game.

Smiling for the camera.....

What's in that shot glass?

"Wild Bill" has now joined the game!

And Wild Bill has now been shot! Brittany's character had to yell, "Don't shoot me, Jack!" Jack McCall was the name of the shooter and you can see him running down the hall in the back of the picture.

B1 posing with "Wild Bill Hickok" and "Jack McCall"

Posing for a picture at a table in the front of the saloon.

Vacation Day 10

2010-07-09T22:58:00.002-05:00

Friday, July 9, 2010: We didn’t get up until about 9:00 this morning. We had a $20 breakfast coupon to use again at Bennigan’s so that’s where we ate before getting on the road. Bruce wanted to go back into Iowa (Davenport) to look in the souvenir shop at the minor league ball team there, which is an affiliate of the Cardinals. We then headed for home. We stopped in Lincoln for gas and snacks and again in Springfield so I could get a Jimmy John’s sub (yummo!) for lunch, which was more like a mid-afternoon meal. We arrived home at about 3:00pm and unloaded the car before the girls and I went to get Shinza from the boarding place. She was happy to see us! We are now unpacking and doing laundry. It is good to be home!

New states for B1 on this trip: South Dakota and Wyoming. I think she has now been in about 30 states.

New state for B2 on this trip: Kansas, South Dakota, and Wyoming. She has now been in the same number of states as B1.

We always keep track of the license plates we see while on vacation and I believe we saw more this time than any other. We saw license plates for every state in our union except Delaware, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. We also did not see the District of Columbia (Washington, DC.) plate. We also saw plates for 4 provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan).

We put 2780 miles on the Honda Pilot this trip, which is an average of about 278 miles a day! WOW!

It's only about 6 or so months now until I can make our Disney dining reservations for VACATION 2011. Yep - I'm a little excited about it!

I will post pictures from each day of our trip as I get the time here in the next couple of weeks.

Vacation Day 9

2010-07-09T22:52:00.002-05:00

Thursday, July 8, 2010: We woke up about 8:00 this morning and ate breakfast at the hotel before getting on the road. Our first stop was in Clear Lake, Iowa at the site where on 2/2/59, a plane went down which was carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. They were young musicians at the time and had performed that night along with Waylon Jennings, who chose not to ride the plane to the next stop. All 3 musicians and the pilot were killed in the crash and the song "American Pie" by Don McLean was inspired by this tragedy. The site that we saw was in the middle of a corn field but there was a marker at the edge of the field and a pathway which led to 2 small memorial markers at the site. We then drove into town and got lunch at McDonald’s (Bruce and me) and Casey’s (the girls). We ate in the car while we drove towards Dyersville and the Field of Dreams. We arrived there at about 2:45 and there were probably 20 cars in the parking lot as well as some bicycles. People were playing ball on the field, playing catch, and taking pictures. We did all of those things and took pictures of the 4 of us standing at the edge of the corn field too. We stayed there about an hour or so, bought some souvenirs, and then left. We drove as far as Rock Island, IL where we found a Holiday Inn to stay at for tonight. We got here at about 6:30pm. There is a Bennigan’s Restaurant attached to the hotel so we went there for dinner. We all went to the pool at about 8:30 and swam until 10:00, then came up to the room and Bruce and I began to teach the girls how to play euchre, which went pretty well! It is now almost 11:30pm and we are heading to bed.

Vacation Day 8

2010-07-07T22:34:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, July 7, 2010: We started the day with breakfast at Burger King and then we were on the road to Minneapolis and the Mall of America! We arrived at the mall at about 10:30am and got a great parking spot outside one of the main entrances. Once inside, we all got maps and got acclimated to where we were. We also peeked in at the amusement park, which is now a Nickelodeon Park instead of Camp Snoopy like it was the last 2 times Bruce and I were here. We walked around the first floor of the mall, which is shaped like a big square with stores on both sides of the hallway and the amusement park in the center part of the square. After completing the first floor, we bought tickets for the amusement rides. The 4 of us all rode the roller coaster and then the girls rode another coaster which is kind of like the Tony Hawk ride at 6 Flags in St. Louis. After that, we were hungry and had lunch (it was now about 1:45pm) at one of the food courts so we could all get what we wanted. I had food from an Asian place and it tasted really good! We next did the 3rd floor of the mall. There is a cheese store on the 3rd floor which I remember from both of my other 2 trips and I love it! They have free samples! I tried several of them and then decided which ones I was going to go back and purchase later in the day. Then we finished off riding the rides. We all rode the log flume (this one and the one at the Magic Kingdom at Disney World are the 2 best I’ve ever rode), the girls and I rode a “drop” ride, and Bruce and B1 rode the roller coaster again while B2 did some kind of climbing thing where she had to wear a harness. Then we shopped on the 2nd floor (the 4th floor only has some restaurants, offices, a comedy club, and movie theater so we didn’t go up there) and finally, at about 8:00pm, ate dinner at an Italian restaurant which was really good! Then I went back and got my cheese and we left. It was a really good day although we probably spent too much money! Ha ha! We drove just a little south and are now at a Comfort Inn for the night.

Vacation Day 7

2010-07-06T23:11:00.000-05:00

Tuesday, July 6, 2010: We woke up today after 9:00am and once we got ready, we headed for the closest gas station to get something to eat for breakfast/lunch. Bruce and I decided before we left the hotel that since we finished all of the sights we wanted to see in South Dakota a bit early, we would add a day at the Mall of America to our itinerary! We did not, however, tell the girls about this right away. We had to drive about 2 hours to get to Mitchell and the Corn Palace. It’s kind of like a small convention center with a gym floor in the middle of it. We found out that the local basketball team plays their games there and so does a local college in Mitchell. The gym floor, now, however, is covered with souvenirs! Go figure! We did buy a few things of course and at the “corn-cession” stand, Bruce bought 2 buttered ears of corn while the girls and I had popcorn. We left there and then drove on 2-lane highways for about 76 miles to reach DeSmet, SD. DeSmet is one of the childhood homes of Laura Ingalls Wilder. We visited the Ingalls Homestead which included all 160 acres of their property, a barn in the same spot where theirs was located, a house in the original spot, and several other sites to see. It was pretty neat! We also went into the town and drove to the cemetery, where Pa, Ma, Mary, Carrie, and baby AJ Wilder are buried. After we made it back to the interstate (about 6pm), we let the girls in on the secret that we were adding something to the trip, but we didn’t tell them what it was. We, instead, gave them some little clues so they could try to figure it out. We stopped in Sioux Falls for dinner at an Arby’s and continued driving. The girls figured it out shortly thereafter and were excited. The last time we were at the Mall of America was in 2003 when B1 was 6 and B2 was 3. We are staying tonight in Albert Lea, MN at a Super 8 Hotel.

Vacation Day 6

2010-07-06T00:00:00.002-05:00

Monday, July 5, 2010: We got up again at 8:45 today and chose not to eat the breakfast at the hotel. Instead, we drove to Rapid City and had lunch (at 10:30) at McDonald’s. This was actually the first time we ate at a McDonald’s on this trip! There was a sports card shop across the street from the McDonald’s so Bruce and the girls went in there after we got done eating and then we headed towards Wall. We arrived in Wall about 12:15 and began looking at the shops and at Wall Drug. I had been at Wall Drug as a child but I really don’t remember a whole lot about it except that I thought it was big. We spent quite a bit of time there and just went slowly, looking at everything. We did some of the free ice water! We had ice cream in their soda fountain area about 3:00 and finally left there a little after 4:00. We decided to go ahead and head to the Badlands National Park. We drove the south-eastern loop of the park and entered it just about 8 miles from Wall. We were in the park until maybe 6:30pm, having stopped a few times to look at scenery and take pictures. We also stopped (of course) at the gift shop. We got back on I-90 and continued east until we got to Murdo, SD, where we stopped and ate dinner at a place called the Rusty Spur. The time had changed and by the time we got done with dinner, it was after 9:00pm. We then decided to try to find a hotel in this town and succeeded with a Super 8. Once again, we played some cards in the room and now it is almost midnight so we are heading to bed soon!

Vacation Day 5

2010-07-05T22:14:00.001-05:00

Sunday, July 4, 2010: We woke up this morning after sleeping until about 8:45, got showered, and went downstairs for the continental breakfast. We then went over to the alpine slide with the intentions of using the remainder of our tickets. Bruce and the girls rode up and back down first and I took pictures of them. Then it began to rain a little. But then it stopped so the girls and I got on the chairlift to the top. Pretty much, as soon as we got going, the rain began harder and by the time we got to the top, we were pretty darn wet! They, of course, would not let us ride down on the alpine slide but they would like us ride back down on the chairlift and then get a rain check for later in the day. So that’s what we did. We then had to come back to the hotel room and dry off and change all of our clothes! Gees! Our next stop was supposed to be the Crazy Horse Memorial. We got there, however, and the cost to go in was $27/car. It was raining pretty hard by now too and rather cold for the 4th of July! So we chose not to go in. We could see the monument good enough from where we were so we took a few pictures and went on. Someone had told us anyway that it really wasn’t worth the money. They have been working on this monument for 62 years now and only really have the face done! We then drove to Custer (the town) and ate lunch at the Wrangler Café, which was pretty good despite a bus boy in there that had some serious BO! We then headed to Custer State Park. We ended up spending probably 3 hours driving through there and also stopped at a little country store. We saw several deer and finally, after quite a while, saw some burros and buffalo. The burros came right up to the cars and were looking for food! We had heard about this and so we were prepared by bringing crackers along for them. They stuck their heads right into our car and we all thought it was pretty cool! When we saw the buffalo, first we saw a group of about 50 of them and then a herd of probably 500! It was amazing and we had to wait for some to cross the road before we could drive through. We DID NOT try to feed them! We finally got back to Keystone around 6:15pm. We went back to the alpine slide so B1, B2, and I could do our ride and then we ate dinner uptown at Ruby’s Restaurant. We came back to the hotel and Bruce and the girls swam a little while, while I tried to do some laundry but the machines were busy until about 9:40. I am now waiting for laundry to get done! There is a game room caddy-corner across the hall from our room so we are playing around in there now until we go to bed.

Vacation Day 4

2010-07-05T22:11:00.002-05:00

We did not have internet access at our last hotel so I did not get to post anything! I am catching up now.....

Saturday, July 3, 2010: Today we got up and once again had breakfast at the hotel, which was serving a little different food than yesterday. We checked out of the hotel and left Deadwood, heading to Keystone. We took a 2-lane highway to get there, which had pretty scenery along the way. We drove into Keystone through the commercial, touristy district and quickly found out hotel, the Roosevelt Inn. We did not check in yet though, as we went straight to Mt. Rushmore, getting there around 12:00. We took lots of pictures and walked the path that takes you as close to the monument as possible. We looked in the museum, watched the film, and talked to the park rangers a little. The monument is very impressive. We ate lunch around 2:00 at the restaurant there, went into the gift shop and bought several souvenirs and then finally left around 4:00. We checked into the hotel and then looked around in all of the little shops in downtown Keystone. We also went to the alpine slide, which is literally right next door to our hotel (good planning on my part, huh?). We all rode up and slid down once and decided to keep our extra tickets for tomorrow. We then went back to the hotel and ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, which is a pizza place and it was really good. We went to our hotel room for a little while after dinner and rested before heading back to Mt. Rushmore for the evening lighting. We arrived there at about 8:45 and found a seat in the amphitheater. It was raining just a little bit so we all took our umbrellas along. It was also chilly outside so we wore our jackets and hoodies. The orchestra in the amphitheater played patriotic music while the lighting took place. We kind of thought there might be a laser light show or colored lights but there was not. It was just white/yellow lighting on the monument at night but it was nice and again, impressive. I learned today that during the carving of Mt. Rushmore, there were NO casualties! I think that is amazing, considering they used a lot of explosives, people were hanging by harnesses every day, and the whole carving took 14 years to complete. We then came back to the hotel and went to bed. B2 is sleeping in the king size bed with me and Bruce while B1 is sleeping on a single-sized pull out couch bed. This was the only option that I could find available to us when I made this reservation. But with it being 4th of July weekend, we thought we better take it!

Vacation Day 3

2010-07-03T01:00:00.001-05:00

Friday, July 2, 2010: We woke up this morning and again had breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast room is on the same floor as our room. We then headed out and went to the Broken Boot Gold Mine, which is right outside Deadwood. We took a tour of the mine and then the girls panned for gold and actually got a few little pieces each (according to the tour guide, each of them got about $3 worth of gold). We drove through Lead and stopped at a bar called Lewie’s to pick up a T-shirt for someone back home. Then we took a scenic bypass road on our way to Devil’s Tower. The bypass took us past 3 waterfalls. The first one was about a mile walk off of the road. The second maybe a half-mile walk and the 3rd was right along the road. We ate lunch at a restaurant in Spearfish that looked like a lodge. I cannot remember the name of the restaurant but it was good. It took about another hour to get to Devil’s Tower from there. We did stop at the Wyoming welcome sign and took a picture of the girls there. This is another new state for both of them. We started to see Devil’s Tower from a distance but it still took a little while to drive there! Once there, we walked up a path and took some pictures as well as going into the park service building and reading about the monument. This was the first national monument in the US. We stopped at the Devil’s Tower Outpost on the way out of the park and bought some souvenirs and ice cream. We then drove back to Deadwood and arrived here maybe around 6:00pm. We parked the car at the other end of Main Street (where we had not really looked around much yet) and went into some shops. We also gambled in a couple casinos. Kids are allowed to be in the casinos here. They just cannot touch the machines. So Bruce and I played “Deal or no Deal” slots for awhile and let the girls stand behind us and watch. It was fun! Finally, around 8:00, we went to one of the casino’s buffets for dinner, which tonight included prime rib and crab legs. It wasn’t like a buffet in Vegas or even the St. Louis casinos though……not much selection at all and everything shoved into one little space. Oh well. I them gambled some more while Bruce and the girls came back to the hotel and swam. When I got back to the hotel, they got out of the pool. Bruce changed clothes and went out to the casinos for a while (he is actually still there) while the girls and I finished our card game from last night. We are now going to bed.

Vacation Day 2

2010-07-01T22:49:00.005-05:00

OK.....I am having some problems getting pictures to load on blogger using our laptop. Last night, after wrestling with it for awhile, I finally got it to work. But I don't want to have to take the time to do this every night. It takes away from my vacation. So I am just going to copy and paste my word document each night about what we did that day and then once we get home, I will take some days to load some of the pictures from our trip. OK?

Here is today's summary:

Thursday, July 1, 2010: We got up this morning and had breakfast at the hotel. It was basically a continental breakfast plus pancakes. We continued our drive and stopped at a Black Hills welcome center, which had a lot of information and a gift shop. We then finally came into Deadwood. It is a neat-looking old western town which reminds me of Cripple Creek from last year’s trip. We were not able to check into our hotel because it was too early so we had the car parked and headed uptown. We ate lunch at a place called Mustang Sally’s, which was mainly burgers and fries. Then we headed towards Saloon #10 where right outside, we signed up for a bus tour leaving at 2:15. The tour guide was very informative and took us all around Deadwood, explaining lots of stuff as we drove. The tour also took us to Mt. Moriah (aka Boot Hill), which is where Wild Bill Hickock and Calamity Jane are buried. He explained both of those people to us and come to find out, they were NOT lovers or even involved with each other much at all. I am glad we took that tour as I learned a lot from the guide. After getting off the tour bus, we found a place to watch a staged shootout on the street (wasn’t all that great really) and then went back to Saloon #10 where we watched a staged reenactment of the shooting of Wild Bill. B1 got to take part in the action and played the part of one of the card players who was at the table when Wild Bill got shot. I took several picture of her. That reenactment was much better! Once we left there, we came back to our hotel and checked into the room. Bruce and the girls swam for a little while and I went and gambled. Bruce and I have decided (from just the little we have done so far) that the machines in Deadwood are tight! Not the “loosest slots” like those on the Casino Queen…..haha! We then headed a few doors down and ate dinner at Gem’s Steakhouse inside the Mineral Point Casino. The meal was OK but nothing special. I was hungry for steak though so it was satisfying. Bruce is out gambling now and the girls and I are in the hotel room. We might play a game of cards and just watch some TV before going to bed later.

Day 1 Pictures

2010-06-30T23:38:00.003-05:00

OK, so I figured out the picture thing, for today at least! Who knows if it will work tomorrow!

Anyway, here are the girls at the South Dakota sign. Now keep in mind, we entered SD on the east side and most of what we are going to see is on the west side of the state, so at this point in the day, we still had like 450 miles to go to get to where we want to actually start the sightseeing.....and we aren't there yet!

I thought this license plate was funny! It was on a truck at the place where we ate dinner tonight.

Vacation Day 1

2010-06-30T22:45:00.003-05:00

As I have typed here in the past, my dad's mother used to go on family vacations with us all the time. While we were gone, she kept a journal of where we went, where we stayed, where we ate, etc. I began doing the same thing when I was a young girl. I used to write in a journal like Grandma did but now I type a word document on our laptop while we are gone and then print it out in hardcopy form once we get home.

For some reason, I am having trouble uploading pictures. I am not sure if this problem is going to get better as the trip goes on or not. If not, I will definitely be posting pictures once we get home.

Tuesday and Wednesday, June 29 & 30, 2010: We had Cardinal tickets for the game on Tuesday night. We went to the game after we stopped at White Castle for dinner for the girls. Bruce and I got Philly sandwiches at the game (so yummy!). It was a beautiful night in St. Louis – about 80 degrees! The Cardinals were up 8-0 after 7.5 innings so we decided to leave and get going on our vacation! We had to stop at St. Louis Mills Mall to finally give Donna the Miche purse she ordered from my party a month ago (she was going to the midnight showing of “Eclipse”) and then we were off! We drove as far as Columbia, MO and then stopped at a really nice Quality Inn Hotel. We went to sleep right away. In the morning (today), we got up about 6:30, got showered, and had breakfast at the hotel. It was a great hotel breakfast – eggs, biscuits and gravy, bacon, fruit, cereal, bagels, etc. We then spent most of the day driving. We got to Kansas City and then went north on I-29, into Iowa and finally South Dakota. At Sioux City, SD, we headed west again on I-80. Lunch was at Taco Bell in Council Bluffs, Iowa and dinner was at Al’s Oasis in Chamberlain, SD. We are now at an America’s Best Value Inn in Kadoka, SD. This hotel does not have a pool so we are playing cards in the room tonight while we watch TV. We are about 2 hours away from Deadwood, where we will go tomorrow!

Frank Girl Vacation Toes

2010-06-28T15:49:00.002-05:00

It has become a tradition in our house to get pre-vacation pedicures. Seems like the cost of this tradition is going up every year too but oh well I guess! I think we started this in 2008 but maybe it was 2007.

My design.....since we are going to Mt. Rushmore and gonna be there on the 4th of July, what better design to get? I had never seen something like this before and I was pleasantly surprised!

B1's toes.....the last time she tried a French tip, we spent several days at waterparks (at Disney) and the tip didn't last as long as she (or I) would have liked. We won't be doing any water parks this trip, just swimming in hotel pools, so it should work better this time.

And B2's toes.....very appropriate for someone her age! Heck, I would even like this design for myself sometime!

OK, now this time for real, my next post will be from the road!

Rambling.....

2010-06-27T23:48:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I stopped the picture posts. I did 25 of them and was running out of ideas. I will be posting pics hopefully each day from our vacation, which begins officially on Wednesday. We have most of our stuff packed already though! Yep, I guess we are excited!

And we will be taking the new car on vacation. We have finally decided to say goodbye to our van and try to sell it. The tags are due at the end of this month and it's just starting to nickel-and-dime us more than we like. I tried to see if we could renew the tags monthly but no, you have to renew for an entire year and $106 is just pretty darn steep if you ask me! So we will be driving it for 2 more days and then we will sadly be done with it. That is the vehicle in which we brought B2 home from the hospital. I guess all good things must come to an end. :-(

I picked the first tomato today from my garden! June 27 - I think that's pretty good. They are really going to start ripening now and I for one cannot wait to eat tomatoes - love them!

I am about 1 hour's worth of work away from having our Disney 2008 vacation completely scrapbooked. Whew! Only 2 years later. My next scrapbooking goal is to catch my "everyday pictures" up so I am only 1 year behind with those and then begin on last year's vacation - Colorado. Will I ever catch up? Probably not, but that's OK because then I'll never be bored!

That's all for now. My next post will probably come from the road. Whoo-hoo!

June 25, 2010

2010-06-26T01:29:00.002-05:00

I took the girls and 2 friends to the City Museum tonight. These picture were taken with my phone so the quality is not good. Also, I am posting this well after midnight, but it's the best I could do! Ha!

B2 got called to help the magician

The entire group in the cave area

B1 and her friend at Dairy Queen before we left for St. Louis

B2 and her friend.....

June 24, 2010

2010-06-24T21:07:00.003-05:00

Here's a picture of B1 as we drove to her softball game tonight. Ha ha! She doesn't know I took this picture with my phone (or that I am putting it on my blog!). I asked her before we left if she wanted to take a nap while we drove to the game and she said no. Sure, she didn't! LOL!

June 23, 2010

2010-06-23T11:13:00.002-05:00

Here is the story behind my gourd birdhouse:

A couple years ago, I noticed that some friends of ours had a gourd which had been painted and made into a sort of birdhouse. Theirs was painted with the mascot of the high school where he teaches (also the town where they live). I commented on it and said that I thought it was neat. Dan (our friend) said that his dad had made it for him and he would ask his dad to make one for me with a Knight on it for Triad. I told him tha he didn't have to do that but he insisted that his father had plenty of time on his hands and it would most likely not be a problem.

Some time went by and we eventually saw Dan's dad at some event, at which time I think maybe the gourd topic came up again. He said he was working on it and would get it to me when he had it done. Some more time went by. We went to a trivia night in their town and Bruce and I noticed that 2 of the silent auction items were gourds painted again with their hometown's high school's mascot. Oh woe is me; I guess I will never get my gourd...... :-(

Then came this May when we went to a birthday party at Dan and his family's house for their son. Bruce told me that I should act sad that I never got my gourd. So I played into that and when we saw Dan's dad that day, I said something like, "Wow! That's sure a nice gourd Dan has hanging in his tree!" Dan's dad just smiled and honestly I can't remember what he said to me at that point. I just figured he was busy and my gourd was on the back burner for him. Then it came time for present opening. People were taking the presents from the kitchen out to the garage for Dan's son to open them and Dan's wife comes to me with a bag and says, "This is for you, from Paul (Dan's dad)." Oh boy, I KNEW what was in there and now I was gonna have to eat my words!

So I went to the garage and yelled to Bruce, "Look Bruce! I got a present!" Dan's dad was just sitting there in his lawn chair with a big old grin on his face. It was pretty priceless! I played right into his hands! He started mocking my whining about my gourd and it was too funny!

So anyway, now my birdhouse gourd is attached to our flag pole out front. I wanted to put it somewhere that people would actually see it and the only tree we have in the front is too far away from where people walk. I don't think any birds will actually make their home there but I love the decoration!

Thank you, Paul!

June 22, 2010

2010-06-22T23:15:00.002-05:00

First of all, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my parents who were married 47 years ago today.....quite an accomplishment!

One week from tonight, we will be on our way to South Dakota. I am very excited! I love just about any vacation we take as a family. We have Cardinal tickets that night and after the game, we will head west. We plan to drive for a couple of hours, get a cheap motel room for the night, and then get up and continue driving in the morning.

Among other sites, we will definitely visit Mt. Rushmore. Our hope was to watch the July 4 fireworks over Mt. Rushmore but I have now found out that SD is having a dry summer and the chance of the fireworks there starting a fire is greater than usual, so there won't be any fireworks this year. Bummer for us but we'll make due!

June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T22:15:00.002-05:00

Yesterday (Father's Day) was Shinza's 7th birthday. We always celebrate with her by giving her a Twinkie with a candle in it. This year, we gave it to her outside while some people were still at our house for our BBQ.

Here she is waiting patiently for B2 to let go of her.....

Posing for the picture.....

Mmm, mmm good!

June 20, 2010

2010-06-20T22:48:00.003-05:00

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Here are just a few snaps I shot this morning while Bruce opened his gifts.

The girls made him a picture frame.....

Last weekend, we sneakily purchased a T-shirt for him that he was looking at.....

Bruce and the wonderful girls who made him a dad.....

June 19, 2010

2010-06-19T12:16:00.002-05:00

These are some pictures of the flowers around our house.

My dad plants flowers in this pot for me every year as a Mother's Day gift. When he planted the plants this year, they were all green (no blooms) and I thought it looked a little more scarce than in previous years. Ha, I guess I was wrong!

This is hanging by our front door. Every year, I try to pick out a basket that seems to have a lot of blooms, is kind of "droopy" (hangs down below the actual basket), and will actually survive all summer in the heat. I have been faithful this year with watering it and so far, so good!

This little pot is on our back patio. When I planted the flowers in it this year, I added Miracle Grow and I added too much of it! A couple of the plants died within a week and I had to replace them. But eventually, I think the Miracle Grow worked.

This is the hydrangea bush in our landscaping in the back yard by the sunroom. My dad planted this for us about 5 years ago and every year it seems to be fuller and prettier. I love it!

Close-up of a couple hydrangea flowers

When we go on vacation here in a week or so, I know my dad will be faithful and come over and water my flowers every couple of days, so they should be in good hands while we are gone!

June 18, 2010

2010-06-18T10:42:00.002-05:00

I pulled out an old photo album that Bruce's mom had given to him a couple of years ago. I thought there was a picture in there of him in the Batmobile at the Lake of the Ozarks and sure enough, I found it. So here is a picture from probably about 1975 and then I also reposted the picture from last weekend. Too funny!

June 17, 2010

2010-06-17T08:54:00.003-05:00

B1 and B2 cooked dinner for us last night. They and I went shopping yesterday morning to pick up some ingredients they needed but we didn't have. The menu was to be kept quiet as to surprise Bruce. Here's what they made:

"Drink" orange smoothies.....

"Side dish" chicken and dumplings.....

"Main course" pizza roll-ups (pizza dough with sauce, string cheese, and pepperoni rolled inside).....

"Dessert" chocolate chip cookie cups with ice cream and hard-shell topping.....

I must say that everything was very tasty and it was awesome not having to cook dinner myself!

June 16, 2010

2010-06-16T13:11:00.003-05:00

Ok so first of all - our dog is scared of 3 things: going to the vet, thunderstorms, and the timer/buzzer sound on our stove. She shakes when she hears it. Today, Bruce and the girls were making a frozen pizza and some toasted ravioli for lunch and using the stove, setting the timer, etc. She was scared so she came and joined me in the basement, where I was doing laundry and eventually got in the shower. Towards the end of my shower, I notice the curtain move a little and I wondered if one of my family members was going to try to throw cold water on me (we do this to each other occasionally). I look and no, it's Shinza, looking like she's gonna hop right in, which she did! Our basement shower is a stand-up shower with concrete blocks around the bottom of it to keep the water from going everywhere in our basement. She jumped over the block and came in. Gees! So I shushed her out and right after that, the came in again! I shushed her again and this time I thought she was gone. So I close my eyes to rinse the conditioner out of my hair, turn off the water, squeeze water out of my hair, pull the curtain to the side, look around the room for her and don't see her. No, because she again was standing right next to my feet, looking up at me! Wow, scardy-cat dog!

We had over 4 inches of rain fall here yesterday in less than an hour. That is a lot of water! Here are some pictures I took shortly afterwards.

This was taken standing on our driveway looking down the sidewalk.

This one was taken from the neighbor's driveway, looking in the same direction as the picture above.

This is the intersection at the end of our street!

And the yard right next to that intersection!

The water was rushing into this drainage ditch so fast it almost sounded like a small waterfall.

It was pretty amazing though too, as fast as that water came, it drained away pretty quickly as well. Our church had a bit of flooding but I don't believe anything was damaged majorly. Someone posted a picture on Facebook of their kids swimming in a ditch right after the storm.....only in a small town! An hour or so after the storm, the sun was out and shining and soon, the sidewalks were clear again!

June 15, 2010

2010-06-15T16:06:00.004-05:00

It's been too long (several years) since I had the girls' picture taken together. So today we went to Portrait Innovations in Fairview Heights. I really didn't know a lot about the place but had heard a few good things. As it turned out, I was very happy with the service and quality of the pictures. And the fact that we got to bring them home today (along with a disc of ALL the pics they took) wasn't bad either. All in all, we did get a lot of picture for the price I paid. Satisfied customer here!

Here are some of the photos they shot of our beautiful daughters!

June 14, 2010

2010-06-14T12:50:00.002-05:00

This was one of my birthday gifts this year from Bruce and the girls.....a Kenny Chesney football jersey! It's a Tennessee Titans jersey, as you can see, with "Chesney" on the back. I have wanted one of these for a long time and I actually told Bruce (a couple of weeks before my birthday) that with the money my parents gave me for my birthday, I planned to purchase one for myself! But I didn't have to!

I think I look really tan in this picture. I really don't think my tan is all that great; I think it's just the orange color reflecting on my skin, or something!

June 13, 2010

2010-06-13T15:53:00.002-05:00

First off.....notice my countdown at the top of my blog posts? YES.....it is now UNDER 400! Whoo-hoo!!!!!

B2 made this yard decoration / stepping stone in a paint class she took last spring. I have had it in the house ever since but she voiced that she would like it displayed outside, so now it is in our front landscaping.

This is the decoration that she made this spring in another paint class. This one, right now, is in our sunroom.

And this is a stone given to me by my friend Melissa for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. It is out in front of our house. See the little rocks with our names on them? We purchased those (and others with the girls' names on them) at the Gypsy Caravan.

June 12, 2010

2010-06-12T20:30:00.002-05:00

More pictures from the Ozarks.....

This was B2's breakfast this morning - yep, ONE HUGE cinnamon roll! Every time we go to Bagnell Damn, we eat breakfast at a place in the strip called Stewart's. They are known for these rolls. She ordered only this for breakfast. B1, Bruce, and I ordered regular breakfasts, ate some of this roll, and there was still some roll left over. It was really yummy though!

Here are Bruce and the girls outside one of Bruce's childhood favorite spots....."Dogpatch"

Bruce said that he bets his mom has a picture of him as a kid in front of this same Batmobile car. It used to work but now is just a nostalgic decoration outside the arcade.

B1 and B2 had a lot of questions about the dam and how it works. We drove down to the bottom part of the dam to show them. There were a lot of fish down here, jumping really high out of the water! It was pretty neat!

June 11, 2010

2010-06-12T20:08:00.002-05:00

We spent yesterday and most of today in Osage Beach, MO. This is why I wasn't able to post a picture yesterday. Anyway, Osage Beach / Bagnell Dam / Lake of the Ozarks is a place where Bruce vacationed with his family while growing up. They camped almost every summer there for about a week. In 1988, only a couple of months after Bruce and I began dating, I went along with him, his parents, and 2 of his nephews on this annual trip. I had never camped for that long before, but his mom and I, being the only females on the trip, got to sleep inside the camper on the 2 beds! The boys slept in the back part of his dad's pick-up truck. We went to a different music show almost every night and we had a good time swimming, playing arcade games and skee ball, and looking in all the souvenir stores. I remember that week fondly. Bruce likes to go back to the area every couple of years or so. He likes to drive down the "strip" and see how things have changed and how old favorites are still around. He likes to look at areas of land (like the place where the camp-site used to be) and remember what was there, even though now it's a big shopping complex with a Target store right on top of where he used to sleep!

Here is Bruce playing 10-cent skee ball. This is the only place at the Lake anymore where it's only 10 cents.

Our girls love it too!

And I love the vintage video games you can fine there!

This animal greeted us as we walked down the sidewalk yesterday afternoon. To me, it looked like a HUGE German Shepherd. It's hard to tell by this picture just how big thie animal was, especially around his belly. At first, I thought it was a pregnant female. We began talking to it, as it was very friendly, and then the owner came out of a restaurant where he was eating and talked to us. He said that "Max" was just a big baby. I asked him if Max was a German Shepherd and he replied to me with, "No, wolf." I almost said something like, "Wolf shepherd?" but instead I said, "Wolf hound?" He said, "No, just wolf, and he's the runt of the pack." Okkaaaayyyyy?!? Wolf? He assured me that yes, Max was 80% wolf and 20% shepherd. This was why Max was so big. Wow!

June 10, 2010

2010-06-10T10:27:00.002-05:00

We cleaned the basement yesterday. Well, we cleaned the girls' area of the basement. We had 2 toy boxes down there. We are still keeping one of them for some of their larger items but we were able to get rid of enough stuff that we can also get rid of this toy box.

If any of you people who know me are interested in it, you can have it for $10 and you come pick it up. It's in really good condition and because of its rectangular shape, it fits nicely into a corner. The measurements are 30 inches long, 17 inches wide, and 18 inches high. It's clean too!

June 9, 2010

2010-06-09T09:43:00.003-05:00

This is an old picture of Bruce umpiring with a Triad teacher. One of my students had this picture on a softball slide show and sent it to me on my phone over the weekend!

June 8, 2010

2010-06-08T13:24:00.002-05:00

Haircut!

B1 decided, kind of on a whim, that she wanted about 6+ inches of her hair cut off. It had been a long time since she had a cut and I knew she was due for one, if for nothing else, to keep it healthy. And it's summer so why not have it a bit shorter? We went to the beauty school here in our town. We have sometimes had good luck there and sometimes not so good. But they have never done anything MAJOR wrong, and with it only being a cut of her mostly straight hair, I figured what the heck!?! The fact that cuts are only $7 didn't hurt either! Here are some before and after pics from the front side and the back. B2 also got a cut, but since her hair is short anyway, there isn't a whole lot of difference you can see with her.

Before, back shot, dry hair:
I never really realized how much her hair came to a "V" in the back. She wears it up in a pony tail or bun so often, and when it is down, I guess I am looking at it from the front, not the back.

After, back shot, wet hair:

Before, front shot, dry hair:

After, front shot, dry and straightened hair:

June 7, 2010

2010-06-07T23:18:00.002-05:00

This is cinammon French toast. I have been holding onto this recipe for awhile now and finally made it for the girls on one of the first days off of school. We used cinammon swirl bread. I hadn't planned to take a picture of it but when B1 plated the toast, it looked kind of pretty, so I did!

June 6, 2010

2010-06-07T23:11:00.002-05:00

This post is legitimately late. Yesterday, when I remembered to post something to my blog, it was already 12:30am this morning. I tried to post then, but something was wrong with Blogger and wouldn't let me do it.

I have had this troll since about 1992. It was a gift from one of my old bosses; I collected the smaller trolls at the time. Notice he has written "WOW!" under one of the troll's feet and his initials are on the other foot. This troll now sits in my classroom during the school year. This picture was taken on the last day of school, before I put Mr. Troll away for the summer. Some boys in my class made him pose in my chair with a calculator, red pen, and a snack. They also made his hair into a mohawk!

June 5, 2010

2010-06-05T14:14:00.007-05:00

Today's pictures are of B2 playing ball.

Batting.....

On 1st base with Dad coaching.....

On 3rd base with B1 coaching.....

Pitching.....

Happy Saturday!

June 4, 2010

2010-06-04T11:37:00.002-05:00

Let me just start out by saying that I am LOVING summer vacation! Duh, you might think, of course teachers love summer vacation. But so far this summer, it seems like we've got a lot of things accomplished at home. Also, I have been either walking, riding my bike, or working out on some exercise equipment every day first thing in the morning. B1 has been joining me for the most part.

Today, for example, we worked out on exercise equipment in Highland (a friend who owns several different machines has a workout spot in her husband's business building and several ladies go there on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to use her machines), then I came home, changed into my bathing suit under my workout clothes, biked 4 miles, and once I got back home, immediately got into the swimming pool! Ahhh.....relaxation for a little while! Before I got into the pool, I opened the windows in our sunroom and turned on the ceiling fan in there and while I was doing that, the thought ran through my head that we are really lucky to have a mini-vacation destination right in our own back yard! We really do. If I choose to, I can leisurely swim, take a break and watch TV in the sunroom, come in and make a little lunch, eat in the sunroom, throw the dog's ball for awhile, swim some more, etc. It's awesome! Yesterday, the 4 of us played cards for awhile in the afternoon in the sunroom. Perfect! I love being married to another teacher!

Last Thursday, we took up the task of cleaning B2's room. This is a MAJOR endeavor in our house. The last time we cleaned it like this was 2 years ago. Last year, we sort of cleaned her room, but not to my highest expectations. Anyway, we threw away 2.5 bags of trash and got 1 big box ready to donate to Goodwill. Here are 2 "before" and "after" shots; the first one includes our little slob child. This is just one corner of the place. You can get an idea from this!

June 3, 2010

2010-06-03T09:08:00.002-05:00

Last year I posted a picture of the money I collected selling pencils at school. This is a picture of this year's money from the entire year. Last year, I had $186.57. This year it was a little less at $170.23. Since I sell regular pencils for $.10 and mechanical pencils for $.25, I have no idea where the extra $.03 came from! Anyway, this adds a nice little pad to my "rainy day" money!

June 2, 2010

2010-06-02T13:09:00.002-05:00

Today, Bruce and my dad (and me just a little) are power-washing our deck and patio. Wow! What a difference! We are also washing the 2 deck boxes we use for pool toys and pool chemicals. This was long overdue! Here are some pictures of the patio:

Right outside the sunroom door where the rubber mat lays.....

2 sections of the patio.....one "before", one "after".....

Amazing, isn't it?

I was standing in the sunroom before the process began.....

And after it was done.....

Ahhh......it feels really good to get that done!

June 1, 2010

2010-06-01T00:16:00.002-05:00

For the past 2 years, I have attempted to upload at least 1 photo per day during the month of June. I am going to try to take on that same task again this year, especially since my posts here lately have been sporadic at best. For the last couple days of June, however, I do not promise anything as we will be getting ready to depart on our family vacation.

Today for the first time, we went to the Gypsy Caravan, held on the campus of UMSL. I would describe this event as a combination garage sale/flea market/craft & vendor fair. You could find almost anything here! Even though I just had a Miche party and got 7 new purses, I found another one today that I had to have! Maybe I'll take a picture of it for another day's post. We also bought some small rocks with our names in them. Bruce bought a hat and the girls bought sunglasses(as you can see in the picture below) and make-up. After we left there, we headed to Forest Park and the Boathouse. We had promised the girls about a month or so ago that shortly after school got out, we would take them there and we would rent a paddle boat. We did just that as you can see in today's picture. B2 had to wear a life jacket since she is younger than 12 years of age. We ate dinner at the Boathouse restaurant too and while there, the skies opened up! We had opted to eat outside but under cover and even so, we had to move to a different seating area because the wind was so strong, it was almost blowing the rain sideways right on us!

They were having a good time!

And Even More Recent Pictures

2010-05-16T17:33:00.006-05:00

The girls and me on Mother's Day

The girls and Grandma Edna on Mother's Day

The odometer in my Honda Pilot (one year after purchasing it!) I am pretty happy about this!

Back in April, when B2 turned 10, she and B1 decided they would make some fancy cupcakes for the occasion. They purchased a cupcake cookbook together back in December with Christmas money. They chose to make penguin cupcakes. Here are the steps they took:

They needed both regular-sized and mini-sized cupcakes for the project

Icing makes things stick together nicely.....

Doughnut holes were necessary for the head!

A little time spent in the freezer made everything "dry" faster

Assembling.....

The final product! Cute, huh!

Let's see.....their bellies were a sliced off marshmallow, their beaks were half of a yellow starburst, chocolate chip eyes, and thin mint "wings"

Here is a dinner I cooked about a month or so ago.....madeira chicken with mushrooms and asparagus, mashed potatoes, and mozzarella cheese. It took forever for the sauce to thicken and I almost gave up and served is soupy, but all of a sudden it turned to a gravy-like consistency. Whew! It had a very good flavor.

Here are my basil plants. Basil and cilantro are my favorite 2 spices. I've tried to grow cilantro in the past and it just doesn't work out well for me. Plus, it's cheap enough to buy at the grocery store and you get a nice amount of it. I LOVE just touching the basil plants in the morning when I walk out of the house and having that wonderfu smell on my fingers for a few minutes while I drive down the road. Ahhh!!

This came from 4 starter plants.

This year, I also bought some basil seed and planted it. As you can see, it is coming up. This picture was taken a few weeks ago too and by now, some of the leaves are an inch long. It is doing great!

I cannot use all of the basil that these plants are producing as quickly as they are producing it so I have been making pesto and freezing it. By plucking my plant regularly, it seems to already be healthier than ever in the past, and it's reproducing leaves quicker too. I use an ice-cube tray to freeze the pesto and it works great! Now we will have basil/pesto available to use all winter!

More Recent Pictures

2010-05-09T22:15:00.006-05:00

Here are some more pictures from recently:

The first ones are from B2's 10th birthday party, at a local bowling alley.

The girls with one of B2's best friends

B2 bowling

B1 bowling

B1 and one of her best friends

The girls with Grandma

It was a "we love each other today" kind of day!

The whole gang

Sign made by B2 herself!

Eating cake

More cake

Goofing around!

Hmmmm.....ya think B2 might need braces one day???? I've already started saving!

B1's softball team after placing 3rd in a tournament last weekend. She is in the back row on the left end.

The team with their coaches. Bruce is next to B1.

B1 and the trophy.

More pictures coming soon!

A Bunch of Recent Pictures

2010-05-02T19:24:00.004-05:00

Easter morning, just before the egg hunt in our back yard

Shinza wants to hunt eggs too!

Before church in their new Easter outfits

Waiting for Cam Janssen to come out of practice on 4/5

Cam signin the stick he brought for B2

B2 and Cam

It's the real deal!

Cam's autograph

B2, on the morning of her 10th birthday. No, hair had NOT yet been brushed!

She LOVES McDonald's.....Bruce found this shirt for her.....perfect!

New roller blades!

Trying out the new roller blades (yeah, on my hard wood floor!) while wearing the outfit that B1 bought for her

More pictures coming soon!

Lyrics That Just Hit Home

2010-04-25T00:01:00.003-05:00

Alright, so I am going to attempt to write about why I can relate to Kenny Chesney’s music as much as I do. I have stated previously here that I believe part of my “connection” with his songs is the fact that he is basically the same age as me (2 months and 4 days older than me to be exact). He therefore graduated from high school the same year I did and attended college at the same time as me.

I have at least 6 favorite Kenny songs right now. I believe the first one was “I Go Back.” Its lyrics are these:

Jack and Diane painted a picture of my life and my dreams
Suddenly this crazy world made more sense to me
Well, I heard it today and I couldn't help but sing along
'Cause every time I hear that song.
I go back to a two toned short bed Chevy
Driving my first love out to the levvy
Livin' life with no sense of time
I go back to the feel of a fifty yard line
A blanket, a girl, some raspberry wine
Wishin' time would stop right in it's tracks
Every time I hear that song, I go back
I go back.
Well, I used to rock all night long
To Keep On Rocking Me, Baby
At frat parties, college bars, just trying to impress the ladies
Well, I heard it today and I couldn't help but sing along
'Cause everytime I hear that song.
I go back to the smell of an old gym floor
The taste of salt on a Carolina shore
After graduation and drinkin' goodbye to friends
I go back to watchin' summer fade to fall
Growin' up too fast and I do recall
Wishing time would stop right in it's tracks
Everytime I hear that song, I go back
I go back.
We all have a song that's somehow stamped our lives
Takes us to another place and time.
So, I go back to a pew, preacher and a choir
Singin' 'bout God and brimstone and fire
And the smell of Sunday chicken after church
And I go back to the loss of a real good friend
And the sixteen summers I shared with him
Now, Only The Good Die Young stops me in my tracks
Everytime I hear that song, I go back
I go back.

For me, “Jack and Diane” was a HUGE song. I was a freshman in high school when it came out and I was just starting to listen to pop music. I remember lots of girls in my classes being crazy about that song and the first time I heard it and really listened to the words, it just sounded like Jack and Diane were soooo in love! Wow! Would I ever have a love like that??? I loved that song and apparently, so did Kenny. I too can remember being a high school student, attending football games and recognizing the smell of the gym floor. Schools still have a certain kind of smell to me today. There are many, many songs that can transport me to another place and time and yes, sometimes I do wish that I could stop time in its tracks.

The next Kenny song I discovered that I could relate to was “Young.” Here are the words to it:

Lookin back now, well it makes me laugh,
We were growin' our hair, we were cuttin' class,
Knew it all already there was nothing to learn,
We were strikin' matches just to watch 'em burn.
Listened to our music just a little too loud,
We were hangin' in there with the outcast crowd,
Headin' to the rapids with some discount beer,
It was a long train trussle but we had no fear.
Man I don't know, where the time goes
But it sure goes fast, just like that,
We were wanna be rebels who didn't have a clue
In our rock n roll t-shirts and our typically bad attitudes
Had no excuses for the things that we'd done
We were brave, we were crazy, we were mostly young.
Wooh ooo ooh.
Young.
Talked a good game, when we were out with the guys
But in the backseat we were awkward and shy,
Girls were a mystery that we couldn't explain,
And I guess there are some things that are never gonna change.

This song and “I Go Back” are very similar I think. This one reminds me a bit more of my college days though, talking about “cuttin’ class” and knowing everything. I didn’t cut many classes in college and I certainly didn’t think I knew everything, but I can still relate.

Then, while listening to some songs on an album that never got released to be singles, I discovered the song “Never Gonna Feel Like This Again.” This is my ALL-TIME favorite! Here are the lyrics:

Friday night, butterflies - Like clock work, they'd arrive
A little chill in an October sky - Nervous til' the kickoff came
Four quarters, win or lose - Spent Saturdays black and blue
But it was what I loved to do and it was more than just a game
It was my life and it was fun - Another season of my life, it's done
Another race I'm glad I got to run - Another chapter of my life, it's over
No, I'm never gonna feel like that again - Time's rushin' by me like the wind
Never be as young as I was then - No, I'm never gonna feel like that again
Practice dancin' in my garage - Two left feet and a white corsage
Daddy let me borrow the Dodge - Said "Don't bring her home on empty."
I swung by and picked up Cindy Lou - Took her to the prom for a dance or two
Then we drove down to the water, blue - And that's where she kissed me
It was my life and it was fun - Another season of my life, it's done
Another race I'm glad I got to run - Another chapter of my life, it's over
No, I'm never gonna feel like that again - Time's rushin' by me like the wind
Never be as young as I was then - No, I'm never gonna feel like that again
I got a call one July day - Cindy Lou was in that way
I had a big decision to make, and I couldn't take it lightly
At first I thought of leavin town - But I couldn't let our families down
Now I'm out here throwin this ball around with a boy that looks just like me
Well, it's my life and it's sure fun - Another season of my life's begun
Another race I'm glad I get to run - Another chapter of my life, I'm writing
No, I'm never gonna feel like this again - Time's rushin' by me like the wind
Gotta grab each moment that I can - Cuz' I'm never gonna feel like this again
No, I'm never gonna feel like this again
No, I'm never gonna feel like this again

Wow. I just love this one! The only problem is that I have never heard him sing it live in concert, and I’ve probably been to 10 or so Kenny Chesney shows in my life. I would die if I ever heard him sing it live. Why do I love it so much? Well, I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I am a teacher. The opening words just grabbed me the first time I heard them…..”Friday Night Butterflies…..like clockwork they’d arrive.” I don’t miss a football game that my high school plays. I LOVE Fridays in the fall and I know the players get jitters every week. But then the song goes on to just talk about different stages in one’s life and how we need to embrace each one and how we’re never going to be able to re-live them again. That is just so true for everything and I try to remember it every day.

Next song? Well, I think I really started liking “Anything But Mine” next. Lyrics are as follows:

Walking along beneath the lights of that miracle mile
Me and Mary making our way into the night
You can hear the cries from the carnival rides,
The pinball bells, and the skee-ball slides
Watching the summer sun fall out of sight.
There's a warm wind coming in from off of the ocean
Making it's way past the hotel walls to fill the street
Mary is holding both of her shoes in her hand
Said she likes to feel the sand beneath her feet.
And in the morning I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland
So tonight I hope that I will do just fine
And I don't see how you could ever be
Anything but mine.
There's a local band playing at the seaside pavillion
And I've got just enough cash to get us in
And as we are dancing, Mary's wrapping her arms around me
And I can feel the sting of summer on my skin.
In the midst of the music I tell her I love her
And we both laugh, ;cause we know it isn't true
Ah, but Mary, there's a summer drawing to an end tonight
And there's so much that I long to do to you.
But in the morning I'm leaving, making my way back to Cleveland
So tonight I hope that I will do just fine
And I don't see how you could ever be
Anything but mine.
Mary, I don't see how you could ever be
Anything but mine.

The song is about summer love. The video, which usually plays at the concert when he is singing the song, shows 2 young people at an Atlantic City type of place, with carnival rides and water. I’ve never really had a “summer love” although the summer I turned 16, I dated a friend of my brother’s and we had fun time together going to movies, swimming, etc. I think seeing the video of this song also reminds me of the homecomings and festivals that I grew up with and still enjoy to this day.

Another favorite is “Keg in the Closet.” I didn’t really discover this song until I bought Kenny’s live CD. I had heard it before but never really listened to the words. Here they are:

We had a dog named Bocephus living in the front yard
He liked sleeping out on top of the car
He drank beer out of a mason jar
And he'd climb up on everyone in bed.
A white frame house in a college town
A bunch of people always hanging around
No real problems we needed to drown
But we tried our best anyway.
We went to class just to pass the time
Back in '89.
We had a keg in the closet, pizza on the floor
Left over from the night before
Where we were going we didn't really care
We had all we ever wanted
In that keg in the closet.
This old guitar taught me how to score
Right there on that Lambda Chi porch
Mary Ann taught me a little more
About wantin' what you can't have.
Sweatshirts and flag football
Spring breaks down in Panama
For a while we had it all
We never dreamed it wouldn't last.
We went to class just to pass the time
Back in '89.
We had a keg in the closet, pizza on the floor
Left over from the night before
Where we were going we didn't really care
We had all we ever wanted
In that keg in the closet.
We all kind of went our separate ways
But I swear it seems like yesterday.
Keg in the closet, pizza on the floor
Left over from the night before
Where we were going we didn't really care
We had all we ever wanted
In that keg in the closet.
Ohh.., Ohh.., Ohh..., Ohhh...

Oh wow! I can’t think of a song that is more “college” than this one is! I too sometimes went to class just to pass the time back in ’89 (the year that Kenny and I both turned 21). There was a Lambda Chi fraternity at my college too and yes, I often ate leftover pizza the next morning! I went to Florida on a spring break trip one year and at that time in my life, I never dreamed that the way I felt then wouldn’t last. We too all went our separate ways but it does seem like yesterday that I was at Eastern Illinois University while Kenny was at East Tennessee State University.

And finally, my last favorite song is “Summertime.” I think I added this one to my list about a year or so ago:

Summertime is finally here
That old ball park man is back in gear
Out on 49, man I can see the lights
School's out the nights roll in
Man, just like a long lost friend
You ain't seen in a while
And can't help but smile.
And it's two bare feet on the dashboard
Young love and an old Ford
Cheap shades, and a tattoo, and Yoohoo bottle on the floorboard
Perfect song on the radio
Sing along because it's one we know
It's a smile, it's a kiss
It's a sip of wine, it's summertime
Sweet summertime.
Temperature says 93
Down at the Deposit and Guarantee
But that swimmin' hole
It's nice and cold
Bikini bottoms underneath
But the boys heart still skip a beat
When them girls shimmy off
Them old cut-offs.
And it's two bare feet on the dashboard
Young love and an old Ford
Cheap shades, and a tattoo, and Yoohoo bottle on the floorboard
Perfect song on the radio
Sing along because it's one we know
It's a smile, it's a kiss
It's a sip of wine, it's summertime
Sweet summertime.
The more things change
The more they stay the same
Don't matter how old you are
When you know what I'm talkin' 'bout
Yeah baby, when you got.
Two bare feet on the dashboard
Young love and an old Ford
Cheap shades, and a tattoo, and Yoohoo bottle rolling on the floorboard
Perfect song on the radio
Sing along 'cause it's one we know
It's a smile, it's a kiss
It's a sip of wine, it's summertime
Sweet summertime...

They play this song at one of my favorite places almost every time I am there…..Busch Stadium, home of my St. Louis Cardinals. I love the words in this song! I have driven a Ford vehicle for many, many years now. I do put my two bare feet on the dashboard sometimes and I wear cheap shades. I consider me and Bruce to be “young love” and man do I smile when school’s out and the nights roll in just like a long lost friend! I also remember one summer when the local swimming pool was closed for renovation so we had to swim at a lake instead. The line “bikini bottoms underneath but the boys’ hearts still skip a beat when them girls shimmy off them old cut-offs” is soooo country and soooo appropriate for where I live! Love it!

OK, other than these 6 songs, there are many more one-liners in many of his songs that hit home with me.

* I picture me and Bruce crying our eyes out some day when our girls leave home and “There Goes My Life” really reminds me of that.

* In the song “Back Where I Come From,” Kenny sings about being proud of his home town. There is a line in there that says “I make it a point to say THAT’S where I come from.” Anyone who knows me knows that I am VERY proud to represent my home town, even though only about 15% of the students in the school where I teach are from there. I am also VERY proud to say that I am from SOUTHERN Illinois, and NOT the Chicago-land area.

* There’s a line in “Don’t Happen Twice” that goes “one bottle of wine and two dixie cups.” I vaguely remember one summer, having a date with a guy and driving out to some lake, laying out on the grass on a blanket, and drinking wine from plastic cups! (This same idea is also visited in “Never Wanted Nothing More.”)

* Or how about the song “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy”? Now there’s one for us country folks, huh? I am not a farm girl, but I live in a farming community and as I grow older, I realize what an important job farmers have. I also realize that with my students, those who grew up on farms are those who you would be best to call on if you ever needed help. They are the ones who are seasoned and know how to do things.

* His song “The Good Stuff” reminds me of forever love – the kind I think that Bruce and I have.

* History is my 2nd favorite subject and “Live Those Songs” touches on a couple of little snippets of history.

* Sometimes I feel like my life is spinning (not so much out of control, but just spinning!) and this is reflected in the song “Living in Fast Forward.”

* Then there’s the song “Out Last Night.” Although I rarely go out and drink too much anymore these days, on the rare occasion that I do, this song reminds me A LOT of things that happen to me!

* “Don’t Blink” reminds me about how life passes by so quickly and once again, we need to enjoy every single minute!

So there. There are some of the reasons I love Kenny Chesney and his music so much. Another part of it is the fact that his concerts are true entertainment. He is ALL OVER the stage constantly during his shows. He never rests. I am dancing in my seat and singing along with him the entire time!

Thanks to my cousin Dan, I was able to meet Kenny Chesney once, in June of 2005. I was not nearly as big of a fan of his then as I am now. Now, if I got a chance to meet him, there would be so many more things I would like to tell him than I did back then. Maybe someday.....

My friend Donna and I are going to see the Summer in 3D movie tomorrow (this will be my 2nd time). I can't wait!

I LOVE this time of the year!

2010-04-21T19:39:00.003-05:00

Yes, yes I do! And for so many reasons.....

* Squirrels running around in the yard, moving in their stiff, almost animated way.

* The tropical snow stands are out again! I love seeing them being set up!

* Kids on bikes.....how awesome is it to see kids riding around the neighborhoods on their bikes, getting exercise?

* Flowers! Although I had a bit of a tough time planting mine this year (did anyone ever tell you that you can put TOO much fertilizer on them? No one told me!), they are finally out and I am excited about it! I love watching them grow and watching for some of the bulb plants to poke through the ground.

* Wearing shorts! Even though my legs are big and pasty white, you just have to love being able to wear shorts and capris every now and then.

* Kids playing outside.....love, love, love seeing kids in their yards, driveways, etc. just being kids and plain playing!

* Baseball on TV, or the radio! Oh yeah, I love those sounds of summer!

* The Ice Cream Man! Wow - I really like the music he plays!

* Seeing people drive their convertible cars around - with the tops down!

* Porch swings! I want one! Or at least a backyard adult swing. Bruce said maybe we could get rid of the swing set and get one. It does make me a little sad though that my kids are old enough to get rid of the swing set. B2 still plays on it though so maybe not just yet!

* Even spraying for weeds and grass in the cracks of the driveway makes me happy!

* Ball teams practicing. Our local park buzzes with activity almost every night of the week now....softball, baseball, t-ball, soccer, it's great!

* Walking in the park while these teams are practicing is great too!

I have often said that Friday is my favorite day of the week and it always has been. I think this is because the anticipation of the weekend for me is almost better than the real thing! I think the same goes for spring in anticipation of summer! May is my favorite month of all and we are almost there.

Happy Spring!

Look What I Made!

2010-04-02T10:25:00.002-05:00

Home-made marshmallows! They taste like "Peeps"! I found this recipe in my Taste of Home magazine back in December. I had already decided on which Christmas treats I was going to be making, so I tucked the recipe away for a future holiday. Easter seemed perfect with its bright, pretty colors!

Here are some of the "naked" marshmallows, before they were decorated.

And some chocolate ones.....

These were kind of hard to do because when the chocolate was too hot, the marshmallows began to melt, and when the chocolate started to cool, it didn't go as smoothly onto the marshmallows as it did when it was hot.

These were EASY! Since the marshmallows were sticky on all sides, rolling them in sugar was a breeze.

I am excited for Sunday to come. I plan to put them all out on a big platter.

In other news.....Bruce has been on spring break for basically a week now. This is only day #2 for the girls and me. Five days off still seems pretty great though! Last night, Bruce and I went with my parents to Harrah's. We had dinner at the buffet and of course, gambled. Bruce and my parents play video poker almost the entire time. I don't like video poker. I play blackjack at the table. I wasn't doing too great there though so I switched to slots. They have "Deal or No Deal" machines now at Harrah's, which I love. I had to wait a little while before I could get on one, and then it took forever to finally hit the bonus and be able to play the case game, but it was fun. I discovered that game back in Vegas in 2008. It's a penny game too so that is a plus! I chose to move to another penny machine later and won $45! Overall, on the night, together, Bruce and I lost $2.50. Not bad for a few hours of entertainment!

We told B2 about the Easter Bunny, Santa, Tooth Fairy, etc. about a week ago. She did not seem phased by it much at all. I think she kind of had the idea already in her head. At Christmastime, B1 shared with me that at one point, B2 asked her "do you think Mom and Dad are Santa?" B1, bless her heart, vehemently denied it and still played the game for us. But when she told me that, I decided that after Christmas, we would let B2 in on the secret. Well, we just now got around to it! LOL! I have some items purchased for their Easter baskets and we will hide plastic eggs in the yard. We will continue to do this until they tell us that they are too old! Hopefully that will never happen. Keep dreaming, huh?

I am beginning to see a tiny bit of light at the end of the school year tunnel. Yes, there are still about 7 weeks left, but I now have a plan in my mind for those weeks. I know where I should end up in my classes, I have 2 weeks of ACT review ready to go for my Trigonometry students, and I know the end is near! We have put in our requests for next year's schedule (which classes we would like to teach), and if I get what I want and teach the same subjects as this year, I think next year ought to be a breeze. I am sooooo keeping my fingers crossed. I would LOVE to be able to maybe scrapbook a little in the evenings while at home instead of always doing math. I swear, this school year, in any extra moment, I have been doing math homework, lesson plans, making notes / worksheets / quizzes / tests, etc. I have done NO scrapbooking other than 2 weekends when I went away to do it. But, I have also realized that I am paying the price now for the future when I teach the same subject (hopefully!).

B1 and B2 have been playing outside a lot lately. The weather here has been great the past week or so. They have been playing ball in the yard, riding bicycles, and taking the dog for walks. I love it! I love coming home from school and seeing them in the driveway, being active! I am hoping to get my bike out soon too.

That's about all for now......have a Happy Easter everyone!

Dear Blog,

2010-03-21T08:12:00.002-05:00

Dear Blog,

I have not broken up with you. I promise. Please try to be patient with me during this time of my life when I just don't think I have a whole lot to offer to you. I am sure that once school gets out and I have less on my mind, I will come around again and be able to pay more attention to you. I still love you and I care about our relationship very much. Please just hang in there with me right now.

I will leave you with a couple pictures of B1 and B2. In the first, they are not very happy because I forced them to wear clothing they don't like.

This almost broke my heart, so I allowed them to change into clothing that supports their favorite team. Much better.....

I will be back with a more significant post soon, I promise! Until then, know that I think of you often.

Always,
Beth

Just Some Misc. Pictures

2010-02-27T10:13:00.004-06:00

While I was at the Triad/Highland game last night, Bruce took the girls to a Hardee's somewhere in St. Louis to see Blues player Cam Janssen. Our family loves Cam. He is always so nice to our girls and claims that Bailey is his favorite fan. She even had a Christmas ornament made for him which had a picture of him and her on it. Thursday night, they baked him cookies, which he apparantly ate while signing the autographs. Too funny!

You can see the plate of cookies on the corner of the table here.

Cam and the hunk......or is it Bruce and the hunk? Hmmm.......

Bruce turned 41 on Wednesday. We are now the same age for 3 months. I asked him that morning what he wanted to do for dinner that night and he said he would like home-made pizza. Cool, that's easy enough! Chef Boyardee helps with the crust! Anyway, we gave him a little bit of everything as gifts. He got Blues pajama pants (which he is wearing in these pics), a navy USA t-shirt with "Johnson 6" on the back (this represents one of the Blues players who is playing for the US Olympic hockey team), some cash, some scratch-off lottery tickets, some gift certificates for back scratches from us, some Ghirardelli chocolates, and a cookie cake. The girls also painted him a wooden plaque with "#1 Dad" on it. He really seemed to like all of his gifts.

And lastly, a few pics from last weekend when I made a new recipe....."Cream of tomato soup." It started with Campbell's condensed tomato soup as a base and then included lots of other ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, cheese tortellini, cream, and basil. It was good and I will keep the recipe to make again next fall.

Have a great weekend!

Game Night Food

2010-02-19T23:43:00.002-06:00

Tonight we had a game night at our house. Three other families came over with their kids and some snacks and we had a really good time. The adults first played euchre, then Scattergories, and finally Taboo. While we did this, the kids (7 girls and 1 lone boy - lucky guy!) played in our basement doing who-knows-what. We laughed a lot at ourselves and each other and it was really nice. Two of the families had to leave around 9:30. Then our family and the other who was still there played a game all together - the Disney version of Apples to Apples. It was fun and had been a long time since I played it.

Here are some of the foods I prepared for tonight. I took these pictures early and then of course, forgot to take pictures of the actual people who ate the food. Gees!

Sun-dried tomato and pesto dip. This was OK but next time I make it, I will used the oil-packed tomatoes instead of the dried ones. I also think I fried the almond slivers on the stovetop a little too long.

Neiman-Marcus dip.....YUMMY! I first ate this last Sunday at church when another lady made it for a gathering there. I came home and immediately acquired the recipe, which is really delicious. It's more like a cheese spread rather than a dip though.

Fiesta shrimp cocktails.....these were good too. I think some of the guests were a little apprehensive because they might not look the greatest, but the taste was really good. They marinated for 24 hours in a combination of tomato, green chiles, cilantro (one of my favorite herbs), green onion, Italian dressing, a touch of hot sauce, and a bit of honey. We had leftovers which will be my lunch tomorrow!

It was a great evening, spent at home with great friends. Very nice way to spend a Friday night!

ARF Concert and Stripes

2010-01-19T19:09:00.003-06:00

Sunday night, Bruce and I went to Tony LaRussa's ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation) concert on the campus of St. Louis University. This was a first for us.....we had never been to this benefit concert before. He ordered tickets for it back in December when we found out that his favorite, Dierks Bentley, would be the headliner. Little did I know then that some of the other performers would be awesome too!

The show started at 6:30pm with a band called the Lovehammers. They are a Chicago (boo!)-based alternative rock band and honestly, I didn't enjoy their music very much at all. But you know, you go to a concert and you know you are going to love a certain act in the show, so you sit there and tolerate the others. This is what I figured would happen until we heard Dierks, or until I looked at the program.

Next up: David Nail, a native Missourian. He mixed a bit of country with a little pop, etc. He was enjoyable and come to find out, his sister and niece were sitting in our row. We figured this out when he sent a tribute out to his 5-year old niece who was seeing him perform for the first time that night and the sister reacted by bursting out in tears!

The next performer was Jonathan Cain and his 16-year old daughter Madison. Jonathan was a member of Journey. So, after Madison (who is very talented) sang about 3 songs, she and her brother (who had been playing drums) left the stage and Jonathan remained at the piano. He did a medley of Journey songs which I absolutely loved! I graduated from elementary school in 1982, high school in 1986, and college in 1990. So I was definitely a child of the 80's and Journey was HUGE then! That was a trip down memory lane!

We then had intermission and Bruce went out to get us some nachos. Texting was actually encouraged during this concert because one of the sponsors was AT&T! LOL! So I called the girls to check on them and then texted some people to let them know where I was and what I was doing. I asked one of my students who loves Dierks Bentley if she wanted me to call her when he was on and let her hear a song. She did! We also looked around while the lights were up for "stars" in the crowd. There were several current and former Cardinal baseball players there (this concert is held every year in conjunction with Cardinal Winter Warm-Up) including Mark McGwire. Tony LaRussa mentioned a lot of names of people and when he said Mark's name, everyone gave a huge cheer, which was kind of a sigh of relief given the news about him this past week.

The next performer was Dennis DeYoung from Styx fame. Wow! This guy is 62 years old and has white hair. But man, can he still perform! His voice sounds great, he can play the keyboard wonderfully, and he has a great sense of humor. He was a true entertainer, not just a musician. He and 5 musicians are going to be at the St. Louis Family arena on Feb. 12. If we didn't already have Blues hockey tickets that night, I might think about going to that show now that I have seen what he can do. He, of course, sang some of the old Styx songs that I love and again......memory lane!

Then it was time for Kathleen Madigan, a comedian. She was hilarious. She was kind of like the girl next door, only really funny! We laughed a lot at her.

Dierks then came out and performed with another guitarist and a banjo player. He did not have his full band and the 3 of them sat on stools on the stage. It wasn't quite the energy-filled Dierks we are used to seeing. But it was very nice. He sang about 6 songs, joked with the crowd, and wished someone a happy birthday. He got done playing and it was like 10:15! Time flew by.

We really enjoyed the show and will probably try to go back next year.

Yesterday, on my day off, I got some stripes put on my Honda Pilot. It is over 8 months old now and doesn't have 2000 miles on it yet! :-) I chose red because of Triad and the Cardinals. I think it looks pretty darn good and it really wasn't all that expensive.