Universal Studios

Our final trip to Universal before our annual passes expire. We have enjoyed our visits here, but we decided to let the passes go and take a break from here. We enjoyed the rides and of course the Butter Beer. Our final ride on the Dragon Challenge and the Forbidden Journey. We look another visit to the Orlando area again in Nov., but we bid Universal Studios a fond farewell.

Gulf Shores, AL

Our second visit to Gulf Shores this year was a lot of fun. This time we went with family, We enjoyed the beach, Lambert's, mini-golf, go-carts, and the Shrimp Festival. We tried a couple new restaurants and enjoyed spending time with family. It was a lot of fun.

Happy Autumn

Recently the kids participated with their 4-H group in a hay bale decorating contest. They had a great time and all the kids did a fantastic job. We are proud to present Thomas Henry III ( the kids made up the name). I am especially proud of our group because our turkey was made completely by them. They had assistance and direction from the adults, but all the work was done by them. Other groups had kids running around while adults did all the work. While we may not win, (we find out on Nov. 1st) they are all winners in my book.

We bought a pool.

Well, after draining, disassembling, and loading up, and 4 1/2 hours, we have a 24' round above-ground pool. It is in very good shape for being about 8 years old. We will need to purchase a new liner, but everything else has been taken care of. The pool was well maintained by the woman who owned it and she gave us everything she had to go with it. So, we will probably begin the site work this fall, but we probably won't fill it until spring. We're looking forward to enjoying it for many years to come.

The hunt for a pool.

We are currently looking for a used, above-ground pool for our property in FL. We have looked at 2 so far and driven all over North Florida. It is frustrating, we are trying to find a good deal that is not a piece of junk. We looked at one near our home that we like, and the price is right. However, it is still full and assembled. The owner is a single woman, so we will have to drain it, take it apart, and bring it home. We probably won't put it up until spring, but there is still a lot of site prep work to be done. We'll see how it goes, and decided if it really is worth all the effort and expense. So keep your fingers crossed for us that things work out the way they should.

4-H Banquet

We arrived home from Illinois just in time to attend the end-of-the-year 4-H banquet for our county. Kids are recognized for the outstanding work with 4-H. Our kids received awards for completing a 4-H related project and receiving blue ribbons. They worked hard and deserved the recognition. Other kids from our 4-H club were awarded and recognized as well. We really enjoyed the evening. Our club rocks!! I am so glad they are part of 4-H, they have really grown and learned so much from it. We are definitely looking forward to several more years.

On the road again (finally)!!

While we have been spending most of the summer here in FL, we were very happy make a trip to Illinois recently. Our very good friends stay at a campground there and we were looking forward to a nice visit with and them. We always enjoy our friends and Leisure Lake Resort. Tim did a lot of fishing and caught a small bass and lots of Bluegills, we did a lot of eating (Maciano's and Portillo's YUM!), Kelsey enjoyed the Pet Lovers weekend they were having and participated with Sasha & Kasey. We acquired a new vehicle to our fleet, a 1990 Club Car golf cart. It definitely needs some work, but it runs and will be helpful around our home and be good to have at campgrounds. We are looking forward to the fall when our friends come south to visit is here in FL.

A day of service

At our local Tractor Supply Co. the kids and their 4-H friends recently participated in a pet-friendly event where they attended a watering station for dogs at a pet event. It was a fund raising opportunity for our 4-H club and a community service event for the kids. The local Humane Society was their as well and the kids really enjoyed playing with all the dogs.

4-H Day Camp

The kids are involved in a club that involves shooting sports and fishing. We recently had a 3-day-long camp for kids interested in these sports. It was a really hot week, but we had a lot of fun. The kids did archery, air rifle, fishing, and had visits from several guests with animals. They got to pet a really large alligator and hold an enormous python. They enjoyed their 4-H friends and all the activities.

Camp Cherry Lake

My daughter and her 4-H friends recently spent 4 days at sleep away camp. She had a great time and kept very busy. She came home excited and full of stories. She was tired, but loved every minute of it. She definitely wants to go back next year.

A day at the Beach!

We recently had a short visit from Aunt Kim. During that visit we spent a day at Jacksonville Beach. It had been raining in the morning so we left a little later, but the afternoon turned out to be sunny and beautiful. The water was warm, the surf was calm, and the day was really nice. We found a little seafood joint to try for dinner. The Beachside Restaurant had fresh, affordable, and delicious seafood. I would definitely go there again. I hope to be able to visit again soon since it was only about an hour and a half away.

A visit to central FL

Hanging out at Universal is always a good time. Low crowds, short wait times, and Butterbeer. I ask you, what can be better than that? We also visited our favorite pizza place in the area, Giordano's, and had our anniversary dinner at one of our favorite Disney restaurants, 'Ohana. We also made time to visit Downtown Disney so I could get a little Disney fix. We had some work mixed in there as well, but we made plenty of time for fun. Next on to Bradenton, FL for one last junior golf event, then home for a bit. I am ready for summer to begin!

Happy Birthday Tim!

We recently celebrated our son's 17th birthday. Where does the time go? We had two celebrations, one with family in GA and one at home. Tim enjoyed 2 cakes, ice cream, and his main gift...a remote control helicopter. We will be celebrating a little more next week with a visit to Universal Studios and the Orlando area. We are very proud of the young man our son has become.

4-H Car Wash

Today we held a car wash to raise money for a camping trip with our 4-H group. We had a great time, raised a good bit of money, and cleaned about a dozen cars. We love doing things with this group as they are really a great group of kids.

Gulf Shores, AL

We recently took a short trip to Gulf Shores with our good friends the Shermans. We stayed at Gulf State Park where they had nice, big, RV sites, inexpensive rates, a pool, an activity center, a nature center, trails, planned activities, and the beach. We had a really great week despite the fact that both the dogs were pretty sick. We did a lot of eating, lots of relaxing, and plenty of fun times and good company.

The County Fair.

We had a small, county fair here last week. We participated in a booth competition where we decorated a booth according to a theme chosen by the fair committee with our 4-H group. We won second place. Also, they had a decorated egg contest that Kelsey entered, she won 1st place, a blue ribbon, and a cash prize. The fair was small and the rides were old, be enjoyed ourselves and had fun participating. We have lot of ideas for next year.

Happy Birthday Kelsey!

We recently celebrated our daughter's 14th birthday. We had a small celebration at home with our good friends Patti and Ed. Pizza and mint Oreo ice cream cake were on the menu. She got a new compound bow for her main gift and was really excited. We are so proud of the lovely young lady she has become.

YAY, We have neighbors!

Our good friends are visiting us from Illinois. It has been a year since we saw them last, so we are really excited that they are here. We love hangin' with the kids, but some good adult fun is appreciated. We are looking forward to a nice, long visit with them.

Battle of Olustee

We recently attended a historic reenactment of a civil war battle held here, in N. FL, in 1864. This year marked the 147th anniversary of The Battle of Olustee. It was fun to see all the reenactors in their period dress and the battle itself. The kids enjoyed it and it was a nice afternoon out with the family.

Happy Birthday Sasha!

On Jan. 25, 2011 our fur-baby turned one year old. We were excited to celebrate her first birthday. I made chicken-flavored cupcakes for the dogs and they ate them very quickly. The celebration was small and quick, but special just the same. We are so happy to have her in our lives.