Dusk and Summer

Our family has had a wonderful summer, and I'm sad that the end is quickly approaching. Mostly, because my oldest will be starting Kindergarten in a few short weeks...sniff. Also, because we've had A LOT of fun as a family. In an effort to hold on to the last few shreds of the good times, I thought today's post could be a summary in pictures. Enjoy! 

Fun at Disney World with Mickey and Minnie! 

This is my adorable cousin, David, and his equally adorable new wife, Julie. 

Me, my sweet cousins Sarah, Stephanie, and Susi, my amazing Aunt Helen and my wonderful Mom, at cousin David's wedding in California. I'm lucky to be alive people.

This is a beautiful home in Turtletown (yes, Turtletown - the closest nearby town? DUCKTOWN...heehee), Tennessee, that we were fortunate to be able to stay in for a week! My husband took this picture, and I swear it could be a postcard!

 

My sweet baby boys caught a ton of fish! 

Mommy might have caught a couple too, though this picture does not give proper representation to the HUGE fish I caught...or my fashion sense.

This was a hilarious photo I took at an awesome orchard in Blue Ridge, Georgia, on our way to Tennessee. This is how we roll in Georgia.

Last, but not least, one of my FAVORITE pictures from this summer. This is probably the closest that they managed to be to one another THE ENTIRE SUMMER without doing bodily harm. Man, I'm going to miss this...sniff.

Holy White Knuckled Driving Batman!

Did you miss me? I missed you.

So I just returned from a (rather long, surprisingly disconnected from technology) vacation. That's one of the joys of having a teacher for a spouse...summer break! We did some time (not of the jail variety...although I could've been arrested for driving too slowly on the Freeway in California, as you'll see below) in South Florida with our respective families and had a great time. The beaches were unmarred by oil (thank the Lord!), and we got appropriately sunburned. Then my sweet mom and I got to escape sans husbands/kids/grandkids to Los Angeles for my cousin's wedding.

Well.

Let me just say, I don't know how people live in LA. I really don't. Yeah, I get the whole "sunshine and cool breezes all the time" thing. But that is NOT what we experienced while we were out there. Of course it wasn't, because we had packed for JUST THAT KIND OF DREAMY CALIFORNIA WEATHER. But no...NO! We land and walk into dreary, hazy, cold weather. Wait a second...I thought the destination on our tickets said Los Angeles...not Seattle (although I really do love Seattle for a visit. I couldn't live there, the weather is too depressing for this already medicated mommy). What's going on here?

Okay, so the weather stinks, but we're happy because it's still just the two of us. Just me and Mom...no one else to feed, take to the bathroom, or look after but ourselves. BLISS! So we go get our suitcase (the one we had to pay extra for because we got, as my Dad puts it, "took" at the curbside check-in in Atlanta...which was such a delightful beginning to the trip), and make our way over to the rental car place to get our car. We had anticipated a really LONG line, and to our delight, there's not a soul in the place. We get our car (a mack daddy Crown Victoria BOAT of a car, since our Dodge Charger was unavailable), and really, this is where my belief in providence comes into play. We take one look at the car and laugh, because we are going to be driving this monstrosity all over chic, sporty sports car LA.

Well...again.

I have never been so thankful to have such a large vehicle IN MY LIFE. I thought Atlanta traffic was bad? Hooo buddy, was I dead wrong. Almost literally DEAD wrong. LA traffic is...really there are no words for it. Let's just say, if Ozzy Osbourne and Axl Rose had a love child, they would name it I-405.

People drive fast in Atlanta, but for the most part I'd have to say they're safe drivers. In LA? LA people drive fast AND crazy. They're in and out of lanes, texting, talking, all but sleeping while driving (although some drivers appeared to be doing even that). So. The Crown Vic? LOVE THAT BIG OL' CAR. I might just get one when I'm...I don't know, 80?

The wedding was beautiful and we had a fantastic time with my aunt and the rest of my cousins that we rarely get to see. I even got to see my cousin's new baby girl, who could possibly be one of the funniest and best babies I've ever met in my life. Our flight back to Atlanta went off without a hitch, and I smiled as we drove back to my house in traffic that didn't make me want to swerve off of the road and breathe into a paper bag for...THE REST OF MY LIFE!

There's a reason LA is the City of Angels. I'm just sayin'...

Love It/Hate It - Limited Release Florida Edition

So we made it to Florida after a 12 hour drive and minimal outbursts from the kids! Woo Hoo! It has been lovely so far. Here's a few things I'm loving at the moment:

Love It:

1. Sunshine and blue skies during the day, making the beach a heavenly place to be. Also, my boys look like Coppertone kids, and it's so stinking cute.

2. Rain showers in the afternoon making for delightful naptimes.

3. A pool mere steps from my parents' condo.

4. Family!!! (a.k.a. FREE BABYSITTING!!!) Also, I have the best.family.ever. and I love them to pieces.

5. Tomorrow I celebrate 8 years of marriage with my amazing husband and best friend. I love you babe!

Hate It:

1. Seaweed. Why is this stuff necessary again?

2. When those rain showers turn into thunderstorms...not so delightful.

3. My hair in Florida weather = frizzy all the time.

4. My own tan lines...grrr. However, better to have tan lines then no tan at all, am I right?

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer so far! Don't forget, there's still time to let me know what your favorite blog is! Tune in Friday to see the suggestions. You never know, you might find a new blog you can't live without! :)

*Photos courtesy of Google Images

This Mommy's Catching Some Rays

We're taking a little vacation to Florida a week from now, and this mommy needed to get some sun. BADLY.

I'm a native Floridian that has been transplanted to Georgia (which makes me sound like I don't have a husband and kids, but I DO!), so it is completely unacceptable to vacation down in my home state without the proper base tan. I do NOT want to look like a tourist (and yes, I can be incredibly vain at times).

Although, with the way this (horrific, catastrophic, idiotic) oil spill is shaping up, I may get brown just from taking a quick dip in the ocean. :(

So, I've been spending all of my free time with the kiddos soaking up some sunshine at our community pool, which has been GLORIOUS.

I'm a much happier person when the sun is out, are you?

A Day Late...

...and a dollar short! Well, actually it's two days late and a couple hundred short, but who's counting? That's what happens when you go on vacation, right? So here's Writer Wednesday and Fun Friday rolled into one...woo hoo!

I just returned from Savannah Wednesday night, and I have to tell you...I WANT TO MOVE! That place is just so stinking beautiful. If you have ever been, you know what I'm talking about, and if you haven't...then you need to go! The tourism board isn't paying me to say that (although, I'm not opposed to taking handouts ), it really is just THAT fantastic. 

As my photographer friend, Jodi, said quite eloquently, "Savannah is like crack for photographers." And she's right. She took some AMAZING pictures while we were there, AND I'M HOPING she'll be opening an Etsy shop soon where you can buy some of her incredible shots! Since we just got back she has been in full mommy mode and hasn't had a chance to get her pics up, so in the meantime I will give you a few pics with the help of my friend Google to show you just how gorgeous Savannah. Then when my girl puts her pics up I will repost and you can bask in the wonder that is Leap Frog Creations.

 

I'm so excited, because this trip gave me the chance to get the "feel" of Savannah in my blood, which is totally inspiring and has given me plenty of ideas for my book. Since my book is contemporary women's fiction, it was important for me to have factual information about the city. We had a chance to take a trolley tour, which was more than helpful with giving me lots of that priceless info and a sort of street-by-street look at how the city is laid out. 

Another thing that proved very helpful, is that it gave me a clearer picture of the "locals". We drove by one of the housing developments for The Savannah College of Art & Design (or SCAD) and saw their students "in their natural habitat" as the trolley driver so aptly put it. We ate at the (previously mentioned) Lady & Sons restaurant, owned by Food Network personality, Paula Deen, and I got to get a taste of the local flavor, literally.

All in all, it was an incredible trip (except for the part where my three year old woke up at 1 in the morning and wouldn't go back to sleep. Tune in Monday for that story!). Time to get writing and get all of this creative energy out! 

Everyone have a great weekend!

*** Okay, so, not winning any Wife of the Year awards here! I got so excited about telling you all about my trip and what I learned that I forgot to mention that hubby's baseball team WON and are on their way to the final four for baseball on Monday! Woo hoo!

This Mommy's Packing Her Bags

...for a trip to Savannah!

If there's one thing I loathe, it's packing. Well, not so much the packing part, but the laundry part. Man, I hate laundry. If I ever commit a crime punishable with jail time and they put me on laundry duty, you can bet your sweet potatoes I'm going to be all over the news for busting the HECK outta there the minute they say, "Lights Out". 

Now, if they put me on yard detail? That'd be another story. They'd have to kick me out! Three square meals a day cooked FOR me and TV time? I don't even get that at home! Prison is like Club Med for Mommy!

Not that I ever would commit a crime . 

*I realize that prison is a horrible place. I really do. You know, just in case there's anyone reading out there who's done actual jail time. Have I mentioned you look GREAT today? Because, really, you do.

So. Packing.

I heard somewhere that you should pack everything you think you'll need and then only bring half of it. That person obviously didn't have kids, because that's just crazy talk. I am, however, only bringing what I really, really think I'll need, because we have to squeeze two mommies, four kids, and all the necessary accoutrements into an SUV. And one of those kids (I'M LOOKING AT YOU, YOUNGEST SON) still isn't potty trained, which means I will have to bring a bag of pull-ups, which takes up half the truck. 

I may or may not be able to post Wednesday, depending on whether or not our team wins or loses, so if I don't talk to y'all until Friday...have a great week!

What's your least favorite thing about traveling?

Time to Put Some South in My Mouth!

My husband's baseball team (he coaches Varsity baseball at the school where he teaches) just won their first round of playoffs last night. I just found out that the next round of games are going to be played in SAVANNAH, GEORGIA! 

Why am I so excited?

Well, for starters, that their team is winning. They won the Georgia A State Championship last year, and they have a really good shot at doing it again this year.

But the REAL reason (sorry honey!) that I'm doing cartwheels is...THE LADY & SONS. Paula Deen's restaurant in downtown Savannah. By far THE BEST food I've ever tasted in my life.

*Photo courtesy of Google Images

Her Fried Chicken is THISCLOSE to heaven. And she makes these Gooey Butter Cakes that are TO.DIE.FOR. I'm all about some southern cooking y'all. I might've been born and raised in Florida, but I'm a Georgia girl at heart. My mom and I and my friend Heather actually got to meet Paula's sons, Jamie and Bobby, and they were just as sweet and gracious as they seem on TV. 

I mean, come on, who doesn't love a man that loves his mama?!

An added bonus? The setting for my novel is Savannah, so I actually get to do some research while I'm there! I visited Savannah on a family vacation a little over two years ago and fell in love with it. It's #1 on my "Favorite Places I've Visited in the United States" list.

So next Tuesday, my girlfriend Jodi (her husband is the head coach of the team) and I will be loading all four of our kids into her truck and heading south! So, if you're traveling through Georgia and you see two mamas on the side of the road with a port-a-potty seat, it'll probably be us! 

What's the best place you've ever visited?

Making Up For Lost Time Part 2

Commence Part 2: Orlando

So today I can actually look at the computer screen without my eyeballs screaming in protest. I'd like to take this opportunity to say, this cold WILL NOT go away. Mike and I keep saying to each other, "We'll feel better tomorrow, right?" "Riiiight. You just keep telling yourselves that," say the nasty little germs that have wreaked havoc on our bodies. 

Where was I. Ah, yes. ORLANDO. DISNEY WORLD. HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH. 

Except, we didn't go there. We went to Sea World instead. 

That's right folks...I was in the vicinity of THE MOUSE and did not step ONE FOOT into The Magic Kingdom. I know...I was shocked too. This was a first for me. I've never visited Orlando without going to Disney World. We shopped around Downtown Disney, but if you're a Disney addict like me, you know that's like giving me a Diet Coke when I SPECIFICALLY SAID I WANTED A REGULAR COKE.

Cody had been to Sea World when he was about 4 months old, so he was too young to remember any of it. This time around, he absolutely LOVED it. Both he and Tyler fed stingrays, touched dolphins, saw Shamu (a favorite for sure), and plenty of other sea creatures. Here's a smattering of photos of our trip - Mike took mostly video, and until I can figure out a good way to upload it here, the pictures will just have to do.

This is Cody, with all of his bounty from playing the booth games. Actually, Mike and my dad won half of it for him. Funny story, my dad was intent on winning Cody an enormous stuffed animal, so he finds the one game he KNOWS he can win. Apparently those "pound the groundhog/frog/whatever animal it might be in the hole" games are NO MATCH for my father. So in his superior fashion, he won, and made the 5 year old kid who was playing against him cry. To top it off he gave a big fist pump in the air. If you've ever seen Billy Madison, all I could think of was the big bully kid that goes, "O'Doyle RULES". Way to go, Dad...hee hee.

Cody and Tyler at The World of Disney Store in Downtown Disney (which was the closest they got to anything Mickey Mouse related this trip) with a Dalmatian.

Cody (center), with his buddies Logan Taylor (left) and Reed Chandley (right) at Sea World.

Cody, Tyler, and Mike feeding the stingrays at Sea World. 

My parents, the boys, and myself at Downtown Disney (Mike was the photographer - and didn't he do a great job!;p).

The trip was a lot of fun...which is good, because it gave us something awesome to remember when we all came home and became deathly ill :P

Making Up For Lost Time Part 1

I'm finally back, and (somewhat) recovered from vacation(s)...if only I had a vacation to FULLY recover from my vacation(s). Okay, I sound like a completely spoiled brat.

So here's Part 1: CALIFORNIA

Like I said before, California was a-mazing! My adorable, tech-geek husband - as evidenced by the photo below at the Mecca of all geekdom - had a training conference in Anaheim. 

Being the opportunistic wife that I am (ahem), I saw my chance to get a kid-free vacation out of it. I called in the reinforcements (a.k.a. Grammy Carol and Pop-Pop Stan) to watch the kiddos for the week, and away we went. 

Mike obviously had conference responsibilities, so in those moments I took the chance to soak up some sun (every day was PERFECT WEATHER!) and read a few books. When he wasn't in training sessions, we explored California, and I have to say again, I LOVED IT ALL. Well, all but the traffic.

We were staying in Anaheim, so we thought we ought to pay homage to the one and only, Mickey Mouse. We visited Disneyland and California Adventureland. You must know, dear reader, that I adore all things Disney, so it would have been sacrilege NOT to go to Disneyland. Although, it was totally weird without the kids, and I found myself teary-eyed on more than one occasion at how badly it made me miss them. Despite that, we had SO. MUCH. FUN.

I got to meet Handy Manny (Cody's favorite) ,

 

and Mike took a picture with Lightning McQueen (Tyler's favorite) .

 

What made it even more fun was that my precious cousin, David, and his even more precious girlfriend, Julie, were able to join us one day for the fun. 

Couldn't you just eat them up?!

We were also able to visit Venice Beach and the Santa Monica Pier. I've never seen a beach where there are mountains in the backdrop! And I've never been on a beach where I've actually said, "Gosh, I wish I'd brought a jacket. I'm cold!" What the ???

My favorite day, had to be when we got in our little rental car and drove to Beverly Hills (Rodeo Drive, baby! Any Pretty Woman fans out there?!), Hollywood Boulevard, and the Sunset Strip. 

Who's a crazy tourist? Um, that'd be me.

Who's a celebrity junkie? Uh, that'd be me again (touching Mr. Brad Pitt's hands, thank you very much).

That sign actually says Via Rodeo, but we were taking our own pictures, so it got cut off.

On a sadder note, we were actually there just after Michael Jackson's death, so we were able to see his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame piled high with flowers and memorial tributes.

Our last night in California we stayed with my sweet cousin Susi (and her awesome hubby Jona), who God bless her, is newly pregnant and has been SO SICK. Nonetheless, she mustered up the strength to get dinner with us AND hang out that night. She's a trouper. Love you, Sus! xoxo

So that about wraps up the California trip. I said it before, and I'll say it again...PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN: If you have ANY chance to get away without your kids for a couple of nights...DO IT. My hubby and I had so much fun (LOVE YOU BABE), and I'm so grateful to my parents for watching my babies, which in turn allowed me to have a STRESS FREE vacation.

Part 2: Orlando....COMING SOON

Home Sweet Home

We've been gone for two weeks visiting family in friends in Florida, but now we are HOME. I've never missed my bed so much!

Here's a smattering of things that happened while we were in The Sunshine State - which held up to it's name almost every day (minus the hour or two in the afternoon when the thunderstorms decided to make a visit):

- Went to the beach!

- Went out on my dad's boat with our family (including my ADORABLE nephew Logan. The boys' first time on the boat together...so fun.

- Went to the pool!
- Went to a neighborhood water park! (okay, we did a lot of water related activity)
- Saw some movies with the kids...Disney's Up and a free movie screening of Open Season
- Had a surprise birthday party at the beach for Mike with all his friends :)
- Had an anniversary...number 7!! Love you babe!!
- Had dinner at a Greek Restaurant and danced on the table with the belly dancer (I can mark that off of my list of things to do before I die...haha)

- Had ice cream from our FAVORITE ice cream place, Sloan's. I get the Circus flavor, it tastes like cotton candy and it has gummy bears in it....YUM-O.
- Drove by our old house at 923 Charles Street and almost died because the owners have pulled all the vinyl siding off and it looks like they're restoring it back to the original wood (something I would've LOVED to have done, but OH SO MUCH $$$!)

We only got three stations on the TV at the place where we stayed (FOR FREE thanks to our sweet friends Patrick and Christy), and I didn't have internet access, except through my phone, which didn't always work, but it was a nice distraction from the everyday busy-ness. I usually get a little cranky when I don't have time to write, but who can be cranky when you have a beach nearby!

So I am home and I am very thankful to be back to writing, but have to admit I am a little sad to have left all of our family and friends...and the beach :) It is at this point that I have to remind myself we will be in CALIFORNIA in less than two weeks (without kids)!!!