Good Bye

Steve and Heather are heading back up to VA tomorrow so Steve can get back to work. My mom called me this afternoon and asked if we wanted to come over for dinner at their house and say good bye. After work I finished up a couple things and got the kids ready and we drove over to my mom's. Peter brought his computer because him and Steve always have to give each other stuff they have off their own computers. My mom and Jim made BBQ chicken and we just ate and talked. My mom brought out guinea pigs that are only a couple weeks old. Her guinea pig had babies so now she has three more. The kids all played with them and loved on them until it was time to go. As we were packing up our stuff I noticed Bresa had red spots on her face and then her eyes got really red too. Apparently Bresa is allergic to guinea pigs, oh darn, I guess we can't take one home. My mom washed her face and hands really well and by the time we got home she was all better. It was sad to say goodbye to Steve and Heather again but we are glad that we got to see them one last time before they left.

Mommy's boy

Javan found my jacket today and brought it to me in the kitchen. I asked him if he wanted to put it on and then proceeded to wrap it around him. I buttoned it all up and rolled up the sleeves but it was still dragging on the floor when he tried to walk in it. He wore it for a while before we took it off. Too cute!!

The Women's Ministry

On any given Sunday our church has about 800 people on campus. There are lots of ways to serve in a church this size and some of them need more help than others. Peter and I are pretty active, we lead a Life Group together, Peter is the lead guitarist for the Worship Team that plays for the services on Sundays, we have both taught Crown classes and may again in the future if they need us. Well a few months ago I was asked by the lead Pastor's wife if I would join the Women's Ministry. For as many people as we have in the church the WM is pretty small with only about 10 ladies that run it. Apparently you have to be voted in unanimously and then there is a one year commitment if you decide to join. I was very honored to be asked and jumped at the opportunity. We meet at lease once a month and we plan at least two small events during the year and two large events which include a Spring Conference and a Fall Retreat. Tonight was one of our events and we had a Ladies Night at the Cafe. It was held at the church and we offered many different types of coffees and desserts. The room was set up to resemble a cafe atmosphere and the lighting was dim and seating comfy. We always have a speaker at our events who talks for 10-15 minutes on a certain topic and then the rest of the time is for fellowship and just hanging out. When I first joined the group I was a little nervous about being the youngest of the group but I quickly found many ways I can contribute. Our next project is the Fall Retreat which we are having in November at Daytona Beach. I am looking forward to this, I always have an amazing time and have posted the last two on the blog after I got back.

Responsibilities

Since Bresa is getting older Peter and I have made her in charge of a few more things around the house. We are trying to show her that with age comes responsibilities and sometimes that means things we don't want to do. Since she has been doing well so far I decided that she could have one more responsibility but this time it would be something a little more fun. Bresa had been talking about getting a fish for a long time (rather, she wanted to take one of the fish out of our pond in the front yard and keep it in her room) so today while we were out running a couple other errands I stopped at the store and told her to pick out a fish. She was super excited and took a very long time to pick out just the right fish. I told her all about how she would have to feed the fish daily and how she had to clean the bowl frequently and she claimed she could take care of all these things. After we got all the supplies we needed we headed home. Hopefully this responsibility won't become a nuisance too quickly.

Steve and Heather

My brother, Steve, just got off a 7 month deployment and gets a couple weeks leave time before he has to go back to work. He decided to drive down here with his wife, Heather, and their son, Tyler, to hang out for a bit. They are staying at mom's house and didn't have too many plans for the weekend so Peter and I decided to take advantage of their time here. Saturday afternoon we met up with them at the Seminole Towne Center Mall where we walked around and talked. It was pouring rain out but decided to run through the drops to our cars and head over to Sonny's for dinner. We all enjoyed a big meal and then we explored The World Market we had all heard a lot about. From there we parted ways to go home and get some rest. This morning Steve and Heather came to our church for the service with mom. As usual, the sermon was awesome and the kids all had a great time in their classes too. We grabbed some lunch on the way back to the house and then just hung out and talked. After eating some ice cream Peter and I showed Steve and Heather how to play Mexican Train. Steve is always hesitant to play games because he never thinks he is going to enjoy them but we always prove him wrong. After we ate some dinner the crew headed out so we could get our kids to bed and ready for the week ahead.
This photo is totally stolen from Steve and Heather's blog-Thanks guys!

First step on a long Journey

Today marked Abbi's first day of Kindergarten. I had already told my boss I was coming in late today so I could take my little girl to school. Peter and I got up and got all the kids fed, cleaned, dressed and hair done and then we were off. I tried to talk Abbi out of going to Kindergarten. I told her she could just stay home everyday and play with her toys, that she didn't need to get bigger, and that she could live with Daddy and I forever and ever. She was not swayed from her decision though so we parked and walked to the school. We found where she is to sit each morning until her teacher comes and gets her and the nice thing is it is right next to where Bresa's class sits while they wait. Bresa started her school year on Monday so she has already gone for two days. The school does a staggered start for the Kindergartners in an effort to help them ease into the everyday all day long school days. When I got home from work today I asked the girls how they did and Bresa was on green for the third day so far and Abbi was very excited to tell me all about the kids in her class and her teacher and centers. My little Abbi, she has grown so fast and in no time will be graduating from high school. I think I will keep her little while I can.

10 Year Wedding Anniversary Party

Peter and I had planned on taking a cruise in Alaska for our 10 year wedding anniversary. We had planned it for probably two years and looked at cruise lines and different rooms on the ships, I am on the mailing list for all the cruise-lines that have Alaskan cruises and we were picking out which excursions we wanted to go on. Needless to say, we were very excited about taking this trip. It was probably early this year when I thought our money would be better spent on paying off the Civic. Peter and I talked about it and ultimately decided that getting out of our car payment would be better than the wonderful cruise we had planned. Since it was our 10 Anniversary we still wanted to do something fun and exciting and so we decided to have an Anniversary Party with our friends. It was a lot of work and planning but with my friends help it was a hit. Several of my friends made all the food for the party which was delicious! Bill made pulled pork and pulled chicken sandwiches, we had lot of appetizers and salads and our friend Brenda made us a three tear cake topped with our topper from our wedding. It was beautiful and delicious!! I had planned a few games which everyone seemed to enjoy and I had made a slideshow to play just as background while people continued to talk and eat. I really enjoyed seeing everyone again and it was nice for me to be able to introduce a lot of my friends to each other. Peter and I have such great friends and we are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. Thank you to all our friends and family who mean so much to us. Peter and I thank God for each of you and we look forward to spending our next 10 years, not only with each other, but with you all also.

Abigail's Graduation

Our little girl is growing so quickly. It seems like we were just talking about her first day of preschool and now here she is getting ready for Kinder-
garten. Abbi had her preschool graduation tonight at a church in Deland so we all got dressed up and headed out. There were a few skits and acts before the ceremony and then Abbi and her class sang a couple songs before being handed their diplomas. I am so proud of my little girl. She was the only one in the entire class to stay on green all year long (a system they have to track behavior: green=good, yellow=acting up, red=bad). One day when Daddy picked her up Abbi was still on green and everyone else in the whole class was on red. That's my girl. Abbi is such a ray of sunshine and her new Kindergarten teacher will be very lucky to have her.

Our 10 year wedding Anniversary

It's been 10 years since Peter and I got married. We were just kids when we started out and we had no idea what we had ahead of us. There were hard times and tears of sorrow but there have also been so many more happy times and joyful tears. We just went on vacation last week so I hadn't planned on taking any more time off but since it was a big anniversary we figured we had to do something fun with no kids. My mom took the kids yesterday and Peter and I drove over to Tampa. We stayed at the Grand Hyatt Hotel on the Tampa Bay. The hotel was amazing and we had a beautiful room with a wonderful view (which you can see in the photo). Wednesday night we met our friends for dinner at The Cheesecake Factory and after saying goodbye Peter and I walked the mall a little bit. We went back to the hotel later and just walked around outside and explored the restaurants that they offered. When we got up Thursday we went out for breakfast and then went to a nearby mall. We didn't have an agenda we just wanted to hang out with each other and enjoy each other's company. Tonight is Abbi's preschool graduation so we will have to head back soon. Here's to another wonderful 10 years!! I love you Peter, you are the love of my life and I wouldn't rather spend my days with any other!!

Time to Head Home

Time to pack up and head back home today. We had to be out of the house by 11:00 so we set to work packing everything up and making sure to look under all the couches and chairs for misplaced toys. Mom made oatmeal for everyone and the kids ate theirs up while watching a movie as the rest of us gathered our things. We collected all the clothes and toys, packed up the guitars and emptied the fridge. Peter packed up Oscar and made sure to double check all the drawers and closets for clothes and belongings. Before we left we took a couple more pictures of the kids and then a few shots of all of us sitting on big rock by the creek. My camera battery had died by this point so we used Ali’s camera for these. We said good bye and started off but we didn’t get far because we needed to do just a little bit more last minute shopping. The girls each got a necklace with a gem holder and I picked up a couple more of the necklaces liked. My mom went out and got a couple shirts and fudge and I also picked up a nice necklace-bracelet set for Lisa who was taking care of Goose for us. Back in the car and ready to go. We stopped at a produce stand on the way out and got some tomatoes and peaches and then we made way to the highway. We drove for about an hour before pulling over for lunch at Chick-fil-a and then we were off again. We didn’t stop too much on the way home just enough for gas and bathroom breaks. I drove for about an hour but Peter did all the rest. We got home just after 9:00 and unpacked the car and put everything away. Baby Javan was fast asleep so I changed his diaper and clothes and put him in his crib. He will probably be very confused when he wakes up in his own bed in the morning. The girls put their things away and then went to bed too. My mom took her things from the car and then headed back to her house. Lucy-Goose was very happy to see us and told us all about her week at home alone, she talked and purred a lot. Once I was satisfied with everything being put away Peter and I turned in for the night too. We had a great vacation and I think it was much needed, but it is so nice to back in our own bed again.

Exploring the Mountains

Peter and I have friends that live in Sanford, NC which is closer to the east coast that we haven’t seen in quite a while. We use to come up and visit them on occasion and they would come down and visit us but lately the travel budgets have been depleted so the last time we saw Robert and Jackie was probably two-three years ago. Peter had called Robert and told him we were coming to NC but that we would still be a few hours away from them but Robert didn’t care and wanted to see us so we decided on a meeting place and got up early to get on the road. Peter and I took our kids while my mom stayed to sleep in and Ali and Sean stayed to have some quiet time too. We had decided to meet at Humpback Mountain and see the Linville Caverns. We told the girls all about how we were going to walk inside of a mountain and I asked them what they thought it was going to be like. They were excited to explore and I think a little nervous about going inside of a mountain. When we pulled up to the office we walked around some of the rocks nearby and watched the creek below. I took the girls to the bathroom and by the time we got out Robert and Jackie had showed up. We said our hellos and hugged and caught up a little before a tour guide told us they were about to start a tour if we wanted to go. We got our tickets and then got in line (there were maybe 12 of us altogether). When the guide opened the door to cavern you could feel the cold 52 degree air come out and greet you. It stays 52 year round and the water that runs through the mountain is 42 degrees year round. We took a few steps in and saw trout in the stream, blind of course, and going crazy over the food they were being fed. Javan liked the fish and kept saying, “fishy, hi fishy.” The girls held tight to Daddy and Jackie as we walked along. The path was clear and lit but you still had to watch your step and your head. There was an upper level that we got to explore just below the fault line but you had to climb a few stairs and Abbi says, “I didn’t know there were stairs inside of mountains.” We weren’t aloud to touch the rock walls at all because the salt and acidity from our skin causes the rocks to corrode and deteriorate. We got a to a tight path that was above a deep water pool, divers had attempted to see how deep it was and after dropping a 200 foot weighted rope, found that it didn’t touch the bottom. We walked over metal grates for this part and we were aloud to touch the walls because they wanted the path to be wider. I think that was Javan’s favorite part. The walls were cold and damp and almost slimy feeling. Once we got out of the narrow path we went around the corner and the guide showed us what it was like to be an early explorer with just a single oil lantern for light. That was pretty scary and I don’t think I would have made it too far into the cavern if I only had a lantern to guide me. You could only see right where you were and nothing more than 3 feet ahead or behind you. After the guide showed us the lantern light she turned off all the lights so we could see just how dark it was with no lighting at all. As you can imagine it was pitch black with no traces of light at all. When the lights went out Javan said, “Go?” his way of saying, “where did you go?” I was holding him of course to keep him warm and me too. When we got out of the cavern we looked around the gift shop and Robert bought us a cool book about The Blue Ridge Parkway. We went and took some pictures on the rocks while we talked some more but then I started not feeling well and knew I needed to get some food in me. We said our goodbyes and headed back. We took the Blue Ridge Parkway back for a few miles and then got off for some lunch. We were going to go farther down it but when I called Ali she said they weren’t doing anything and just waiting for us to return so we took the quicker route back to the cabin. We got back around 3:00 and talked about our trip, the girls were very excited about their new adventure and very willing to share their stories. Sean and Ali wanted to get out for a little while so they left us with their kids and had some alone time. I took the kids down to the covered porch and started another craft. I had brought shirts and fabric paint so the kids could each have a shirt from our vacation. I took turns with the kids having them put their handprint on each of the shirts with a different color for each child. After all the handprints were done the kids were aloud to decorate their shirts however they pleased. They all did a great job and once the shirts dry I think they will look very nice. I decorated Javan’s but since his shirt is so small there wasn’t really much room after the handprints. After the shirts were done the kids got dressed in their swimsuits and played in the creek for hours. We finally had to tell them to get out when Peter had finished making hot dogs for dinner. We ate downstairs on the porch and as the kids were finishing up I brought the supplies to make smores. Each child roasted their own marshmallow and then got the chocolate and graham cracker to have a smore. Once the kids were set I made my own and it was so good I went back for another. As it was getting darker I brought out some of those glow sticks bracelet things and disbursed them between the children. They had a great time dancing around and making their glow lines streak in the dark. It was our last night here but because Peter and I got up so early we were really tired and couldn’t stay up for very long.

Ashville Fun

After not quite enough sleep I got up when I heard little footsteps and giggling. Grandma had set up the kids with cereal and went back to bed so once they were finished I set up a movie for them and took my bible out to the creek to read. I did the same thing yesterday and it was very peaceful and tranquil sitting next to the flowing water. When I came back in Sean was up and getting breakfast so I went and woke up Peter too. Eventually everyone was up and dressed and we decided to go to Ashville which is only about 20 miles away. My mom wanted to stay home with Javan again so the rest of us loaded up in Oscar and rode together. We were hoping to get to go tubing down a river here but pretty soon the rain started in. The boys attempted to find a nice park but we got lost so we decided to head to a guitar shop that sells acoustic guitars for tens of thousands of dollars a piece. Peter had a good time looking at them all and playing a couple of them while talking to the shop owner. The owner told us about a place called Fun Depot that had a lot of things for kids to do so we decided to check it out. When we got there the power was out due to the storm so they were letting everyone play miniature golf for free and giving away Dippin Dots before they melted. We all got our own cup of Dippin Dots and sat down to enjoy them. While we were sitting and looking around we saw a rock climbing wall. I had always wanted to try it so Peter went to see how much it was. Because the power was still out they couldn't ring us up and told us to just go for it. Peter gave them some cash anyhow and then him and I tried the wall. There were four different difficulty levels so Peter took the second hardest and I went for the third hardest. It was pretty challenging but I made it to the top and Peter got there right after me. When I let go and coasted to the ground the guy working the wall told me to try the hardest one and hooked me up. Peter then went to the one I just came off of to give it a try. I started up the hard wall and got about 10 feet up when I lost my grip and fell down. I didn't give up though and started climbing again. This wall was a lot harder because there were fewer places that you could grab on to and it was easy to slip. I got quite the workout and took a while but I kept going. I was about 10 feet from the top when I heard Peter and then the girls cheering me on. It was really difficult and I wasn't sure if I could make the last foot to hit the button (I still hit the button even though it didn't sound) but I persevered and made it! When I came down I was really sore and sweaty but it was worth it. Sean and Ali had their go around at the wall and even the kids tried, the girls didn't get too far but it was fun just to try. The adults got some more Dippin Dots and then the kids all played miniature golf inside. Once all the fun to be had was done we headed back to the house where we made tacos for dinner and watched a short movie with the kids. My mom cut into her Birthday cake from yesterday and we all dug in.

Starting off Strong

This morning we woke up and wished my mom a happy Birthday. I was up first (after mom and the kids) so I started pancakes for everyone. I made blueberry, chocolate chip, and strawberry pancakes. It seemed like I made 50 of them but they all got eaten so I was happy. After we were all up and dressed we decided to go down the street to where the little shops were. My mom stayed at the house with Javan for some quiet time and the rest of us headed out. We went in a really cool rock and gem store where I found my favorite style of necklaces for just $3; score! When we left there we walked across the street to a mining place where we got a big bucket of dirt. There were troughs with water flowing through them and screens where you put the dirt in and sifted through it to find gems. The kids had a great time finding treasures and they each got a bag full of beautiful stones. After a couple more shops we went back to the house for some lunch. We picked up my mom and the baby and went back to finish up the shops and enjoy some ice cream. There were a lot of cool stores and the girls looked and touched at everything trying to decide which thing they wanted to buy to take home to remind them of our vacation. They still hadn't decided after we looked at everything so we will have to return to pick up their final choices and I just might have to get a couple more necklaces. We left the shops and went to the visitor center to try and figure out what to do tomorrow and then we went to Walmart to pick up a couple things we needed. The Walmart is only 12 miles down the road but it is all rounded around the mountain so it took about 45 minutes to get there. We collected our needed things and then dropped mom and Javan off at the house and then headed up the mountain and little bit for some horseback riding. The kids got to feed and brush the horses and after getting Chase all saddled up the kids took turns riding him. Once the kids were done us adults got a turn too. Peter really enjoyed the horses and would be happy going back tomorrow and the next day. It was about 9:00 when we left the horses and went back to the house. When we got back the boys set up the grill and made BBQ chicken and I put on some corn on the cob. While we were waiting for the chicken to cook we got out some craft stuff and the kids each made their own wooden bead necklaces with little shell crosses that Ali had brought. The necklaces were beautiful and all the kids did a great job with patterns and colors. Dinner was delicious and after the kids went to bed the adults stayed up and talked for hours afterwards.

Vacation Here we Come!

We left for NC just before 6 am this morning. The car was loaded up with everything we needed for the week including clothes, games, books, and of course food. My mom had come over to our house late last night to spend the night because she was coming on the trip with us. The trip started off great and we didn't really hit any traffic. The morning passed quickly and we sang some songs and talked and pointed out things. The kids were pretty sleepy from waking up so early so they were pretty quiet for the most part. We stopped in SC to eat a picnic lunch and then continued our trek to NC. For some reason the afternoon passed slower than the morning, perhaps because the excitement was rising and we could almost smell the mountain air. Just before we crossed the state line into NC we started to see the mountains. We only had 20 miles or so to go but now that we were on winding roads each mile took 4 times as long. At about 3:30 we pulled up to our house and as we were unpacking Sean and Ali pulled up too. Great timing! We unloaded the cars and explored the house. Did a little catching up and then the kids got dressed in their swimsuits so they could go play in the creek in the backyard. That was a lot of fun and we all got wet and took lots of pictures. I could easily spend the entire week just sitting, playing, and exploring the creek. After a couple hours I went upstairs to prepare dinner for us all. The kids got out of the water and we all ate Hoagies on the top porch while drying off. After dinner and dessert Ali and I took a walk and then went back down to the water and sat and talked until the kids found us. After a little more playing we went inside and chilled until we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer. The photos are of us playing in the creek and the last shot is of the house we stayed at.