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!)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Pesto Meatballs
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!
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!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Pictures From The Weekend
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!
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!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Midwest Weather
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!
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!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
March is here!
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!
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!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Ramblings.....
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!
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!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Playing at the College Level!
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!
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!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Snow and 1st Place!
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
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
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
December 30 & 31, 2010
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!
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!
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
December 25, 26, 27, 28, & 29, 2010
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.
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.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
December 24, 2010
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.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
A Few Recent Pictures
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!
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!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
A Forever Moment
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!
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!
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Remembering How To Slow Down A Bit!
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!
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!
Monday, November 1, 2010
Happy November!
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!
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!
Monday, October 18, 2010
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!
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!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
2nd in Illinois! (Lots of pictures!)
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!
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!
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