Growing Older but not Up

2009-02-06T13:35:00.003-05:00

SNOW MUCH FUN!!!

We had a great time in Utah. This is the first picture of us Skiing together as a Family. The Boys had a blast tubing at Snow Basin...it was only 7 degrees that day brrrrrrr....but they stayed until the lift closed. Reece had great instructors and was skiing Black Diamonds by the end of the week. Houston can ski anything you put in front of him...we had to climb down the side of the mountain in waist deep powder because we took the wrong path and Houston just skied it. Rick and I so wished we had the opportunity to learn as kids, its harder when you get older because you so do not want to break anything. I love watching the boys have such a great time and we had lots of uninterrupted family time. Looking forward already to the next trip. Leave a comment and let me know what have you been up to???

2008-12-30T12:55:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Things have been crazy busy around here as Im sure everyone else is experiencing the same. We had Rick's Family here the weekend before Christmas then the Christmas festivities then my family for another gathering that my mom organized. It's not that often the we host both sides of the family. Ricks family lives in N. FL and it's hard to gather my family in the same spot. Getting ready for the Utah ski trip any maybe some quiet family time. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday

My family
Ricks Family

It' all about me!!!!!

2008-11-19T22:19:00.008-05:00

So these statements came from Karen's blog at K2 (she got them from Kim). It was fun to read the list and see how many I have done. What about you? You can copy to your blog and color/highlight the ones that pertain to you. Can't wait to read yours.
ps. Reece took this picture of me

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (Does Tambourine count? in my Brothers band)
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9.Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped.
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44.Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (Mrs Beasley)
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Life in the week

2008-10-03T13:48:00.006-04:00

So I decided to participate in Ali Edwards project for this week. Although I did not carry a note pad around all the time I did manage to snap a few pics to document the week. Here are a few of my favorites:

Fall anyone???

2008-09-29T17:31:00.005-04:00

Yes even a one degree drop in the Temp does deserve some celebration so we headed to Home Depot and added to our potted plant collection. Not sure who has more fun...the boys planting or me taking photos. Enjoy

IT'S GREAT TO BE A FLORIDA GATOR.....

2008-09-29T17:24:00.002-04:00

Ok...Win or loose FL Gators always bleed Orange and Blue. It's because we dress our kiddos in cute little Gator Gear and teach them to chant and cheer so they grow up to be just like us. Sorry all you Noles but it's just the way we roll.

GO GATORS!!!!!

Summer Daze

2008-09-07T12:51:00.018-04:00

Summer is over and it was a great time. How many of you (except Jessi) failed to get all the things done you had planned? 10 weeks seems like enough time to get all those "to do list" items finished but you blink and shazaam!!! it's over. So here is a recap of all the things I meant to tell you about over the past few months.

Reece turned 5 and had a great time wiht his buds from Pre-K

Houston moved up to middle school

We enjoyed a fun week in Orlando playing in the pool, going to Sea World and the Boy's favorite was Leggo Land

In July we went to Horseshoe Beach to spend time with family and the boys had a blast scalloping

We had lots of lazy days going to the movies, riding bikes, playing with friends, fishing and just being carefree

Carefree Learner

2008-05-18T12:31:00.004-04:00

Who would have thought that spending the afternoon with your 8th grade Biology teacher would be so much fun? That's what I got to do with my Husband and boys last week. The Carefree Learner goes out to the sandbars in the bay and you collect things...fish,crabs,shells, muck...then it's brought aboard and you learn about all the things you share the beach with. This was the second time Reece and I had been. It was so much fun for the kids and yes that is my 8th grade Biology teacher, Tommy Young and yes I was a memorable student. This was his last voyage as he is retiring this year after teaching 35 years. We all had a great time and look forward to going with the Shell club again.

Thanks Mr Young....Have a great retirement!

Water War

2008-05-18T12:18:00.005-04:00

This sweet little boy can be trusted with a water hose.......NOT!!!!
The kids had a great time when their friends Kirsten and Kelsey came for a visit from NC. It has been a year since they left and we miss them very much.

Water balloons and a hose. Who needs more?

Tennessee Photos

2008-04-05T18:50:00.003-04:00

More TN photos to go with the prior TN post.

When in the woods act like a Bear and charge the camera man (mom) when she takes a picture of your butt while your doing your business...yes, I ran.

The Hunt

2008-04-05T18:20:00.004-04:00

Had a great time at Evies for the Easter egg hunt. It was raining so not many people came out but hey whats a little water when your a Kid. They never complained and we stayed around for free Put-put in the rain. We had plenty of eggs to fill for the Easter day hunt at Sharons on Sunday.

Tennessee Road Trip

2008-04-05T17:26:00.005-04:00

We took an impromptu trip to Tennessee for spring break. My parents live in Belvidere TN (in between Nashville and Chattanooga) you find this kinda town by accident.( I drove 15 miles one day and saw less than 10 other cars on the road. Gotta love that traffic jam. )

We spent our days hanging out ....bird watching, fishing,riding in the little red wagon and helping with a few odds and ends my parents could not do on their own. My dad broke his hip about three months ago and is still not healed properly...he was always an on the go type of guy so its difficult to see him sidelined. Not sure he will ever be mobile again.

My parents live in a very pretty town with a state park nearby so we were able to take the boys fishing....never get tired of that....and to see some deer up close and personal. I personally thought they looked a little mangy so I do not have photos of any deer. Did see a Ground hog...they are very elusive.

The trees had little buds all over and in a few weeks the spring colors will be beautiful.

Made the trip home a sightseeing one and stopped at Ruby Falls. The boys enjoyed being under ground (260') and the underground waterfall was beautiful. We bought a bag of dirt so the boys could "mine for gems" they are forever putting rocks into their pockets so they enjoyed this.

March re-cap

2008-03-27T17:48:00.001-04:00

Gotta love the fair!!! Having lived here my entire life I can't remember ever missing the County fair. The vinegar fries, elephant ears, frozen bananas on a stick... I'm in heaven. I use to ride every ride at least a dozen times now my Chiropractor would love to see me ride $$$. Since Rick is made of steel he gets the honors and besides who would take all these great pictures? Reece is getting big enough to go on more rides so this year was awesome for him. We convinced Amanda that Drew had to go and now she is forever destined to be a Fair junkie for her kid because he had a blast.

Houston celebrated his 11th b-day. We had a few kids over for a camp out and they all had a blast. It was freezing that night so the bonfire was perfect and the S'mores were smokin"

Next day we had a great time flying kites. It was Reece's first time and it brought back memories of when I was a kid with a kite...at one point the kids were gone and Rick and I were sitting in chairs with our Kites in hand.

Reece had a great little Easter party at school. They had a bounce house, bubble wands, crafts face painting and snacks. Gotta love the ears.

Tag I'm it

2008-03-05T20:59:00.003-05:00

OK, so I was tagged by Kim who was tagged by Aimee, who was tagged by Paula, who was tagged by Celeste, who was tagged by Tina, who was tagged by Angie and that's all I know.

So I have to share 7 things, some random, some weird about myself then pick some buddies to tag then leave a message on their blog then they get to share

So here I go:

When I was 12 I got to go to Disney World as a special guest with all the Mouseketeers from the Mickey Mouse show and somewhere I still have the autographs.

My nickname as a kid was "Leanie Bikini" then my best friend (of 39 years) later changed it to "Beans"

I have been a certified Scuba Diver for 25 years and still love it

I once did a photo shoot for Maxum Boats with the helicopter flying directly overhead as we rode full throttle in the Gulf of Mexico

I met my husband on a blind date and knew we would get married.... that was 17 years ago

I ran almost three marathons (75 miles) in the sixth grade jog club

I don't like beer but love a great hole in the wall bar

So that's me.... I'm going to tag Beth, Betsy, Betty, Patty, Cami, Tracy & Debbie... have a good time girls

Back to Nature

2008-03-02T13:04:00.003-05:00

Last week Rick and I joined my friend Betsy and we took a field trip with the kids to the Crowley Nature Museum. There was a guided nature walk for kids so they could become "wildlife detectives". He talked with them about fossils, bones and animal tracks then we set out on an adventure. We looked at tracks on the ground and talked about what might have left them, we saw a Bald Eagle flying to a nest, sand hill cranes, egrets, lizards, insects, and kept a keen eye out for other critters (hard to spot with three boys running ahead). He was great with the kids and the adults had fun too but for me it was a moment to reminisce about my past.

I attended a wedding there once a few years ago but had not been on the property since I was in Jr High. My Jr. High agriculture teacher and one of the people most responsible for who I am today was the Late Bill Crowley. His family has owned the property for generations. He was the type of teacher (and parent) who inspired and challenged you, never settling for less than your very best, always there to guide you in the right direction. He was respected by everyone and as he taught me about animals, horticulture, and science he also taught me how to speak in public, how to be a leader and gave me enough self confidence to last three lifetimes. When I was a Senior in High school he filled in for my father on a very important day and the accolades he gave will be with me forever. He died 23 years ago in a plane crash on the way to Tallahassee while preparing to retire from a lifetime of teaching.

So while Reece and Rick got back to nature I got in touch with my past. It's the kind of place that you just want to linger at. Most visitors think its "Old Florida" but I know the reason is that the spirit of a wonderful man is at home there. I hope someday my boys will have a teacher as good as him and I hope that I can strive to parent the way he did.

Thanks Mr. Crowley

If you want to visit www.crowleymuseumnaturectr.org

Handsome and Talented

2008-02-06T16:03:00.001-05:00

We are so proud of our big guy. He did a wonderful job playing piano at the annual PVS talent show. They put on quite a production and it was very entertaining...this was the first time he has played in front of such a big audience and he was flawless. Oh! did I mention how Handsome he is?

Scooter Dude

2008-01-27T16:24:00.001-05:00

Reece has become quite the Scooter Dude zooming all around and dodging dangerous obstacles. So happy they make safety gear his size. Not sure where his safety shoes got too...he hides them so he can go bare foot. Go play!

Catch of the day

2008-01-27T16:10:00.000-05:00

The best part of having a lake in your front yard is you can fish any time you want. After finding a worm yesterday the boys decided to see what they could catch....Reece came running through the garage yelling "we got a giant one". They usually land a Bass or Bluegill but today the surprise was a nice size Catfish. We have a catch and release policy so the fish have a nice life here and I'm not much for eating lake fish. Today we took the Vette to the mall for the big annual car show and the boys and I caught a movie too. It's time to get ready for next week. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Gotta love a three dayer

2008-01-21T21:45:00.000-05:00

Just love that extra day on a long weekend. Started on Sat morning with Golf lessons for the boys...with the all the fog and dew in the air it felt as if we were in Scotland. They had a great time. Then we came back home and did some much needed house cleaning. Our Niece and her husband came over from Cocoa Beach and we went Gecko's (just in time for the wonderful downpour) for some pool and a bite. Sunday afternoon I caught up with the girls at K2...was not in a scrap mood so I managed to get some organizing done before the Tinkering Ink class started. Rick took the boys to Oscar Scherer for a cookout and we all got home about the same time

Today was a bonus day so we headed to Myakka State park for some hiking and wildlife adventures. Official count: Ratsnake 1, Hawk 1, Alligator 1 (that was strange) Wild hogs 6, Buzzards 2 hundred ++++...seems the lake suffered from low water level that resulted in oxygen levels to decline and combined with the cold temps a lot of fish died, so there were all these little fish carcases cleaned to the bone on the bank of the lake and more buzzards than I have ever seen...I told the boys not to stand still too long (ha,ha). We had a great time and managed to snap a few shots to share. How was your weekend???? Sorry for the twisted pics...I can't figure how to rotate in Blogger

Ode to the Piggies

2008-01-16T14:44:00.000-05:00

Little toes they speak to me

"oh why have you let us go...

it's been so long since we've had

the attention we love so"

As a gaze upon my sweet piggies

the sight is frightful though

a little chip here, a jagged edge there

how it got so bad I don't know

So I pampered them this winter day

and the results are pure delight

so I can smile even when

their tucked away in shoes and socks so tight.

Ok... so I'll stick to my day job...but since I wear flippies 99% of the time the least I can do is make the little piggies happy. What have you done just for yourself lately that makes you smile? The great thing about a pedi is that you can have girlfriend time and it 100% fat free fun. Thanks Manna

Where have you been????

2008-01-14T19:28:00.000-05:00

So can't believe that ther have been no post since Oct...SLACKER!!! Ok so I have a few excuses and they are good. First we sold the house in Osprey and are now living back at the Shilo Road house. Moving is a lot of work and it's good to purge all that stuff you so thoght you needed over the last four years. Thanks to all our great friends who helped with the move... we never would have made it without you. Then the next thing you know its Thanksgiving and we had so much to be thankful for but we were still busy organizing that it all went by in a blur. It seems as if Christmas always has a way of sucker punching you no matter how many days warning the calendar gives you. We had a quiet day at home with the boys and then we began packing for our ski trip to Utah. We went a few weeks earlier this year so that Houston would not have to miss any school. It was not so bad traveling over the Holiday but we did learn that a rental car reservation means squat to Budget. WE had a great time skiing. I twisted my knee so I got to enjoy watching the boys ski and I have to say it was great to be there the first time Reece came down the mountain on skis. Houston is becoming quite the Snowboarder too. It was blizzard conditions the first few days then cleared and we had great weather. Once we returned home I found that my computer had crashed and I lost my entire hard drive. So I also lost all pictures from Oct until the ski trip. Still working on finding where they are. Hope to get a New year card out with a ski picture as we held off on Christmas cards until after the Utah trip. Did I mention that three of us were pretty sick with the flu when we got home so I'm just now catching up...some great excuses don't you think. Hope all is well and looking forward to hearing from everyone in the New Year

Just Beautiful

2007-10-20T22:40:00.000-04:00

My second digi layout...seems too easy to be true. Not sure I like not being able to touch my layout though. Will have to try getting one printed but that's another day. Stay tuned!!!!

I'm a Digi Girl in a Digi world....

2007-10-16T21:27:00.000-04:00

Yes! It's official I'm a digital scrapbooker. I have had Photoshop for several years but never ventured much beyond some photo editing but thanks to my scrap buddie Nikki (who I think is the coolest chick in scrap land...just check out her blog link below) I made my first digital layout in Jessica Sprague's online class. Step by step walk through can't be any easier. Can't wait for the next three classes. Now I just have to find a way to print it out. Amanda I know your gonna want to do this...got ya covered girlfriend.

You go Kid!

2007-10-10T18:59:00.000-04:00

This was Houston's best game ever. His team lost, he never made a goal and he's not the fastest player but we were so proud at how he hustled and was so "in the game". We always tell him it does not matter how good you are at something what matters most is how hard you try. You could see the confidence and pride that he had in himself after giving 110%. Go Green!!!

2007-10-10T18:31:00.000-04:00

Let the games begin

2007-10-10T11:47:00.000-04:00

This is Reece's first time playing a team sport and as you can tell by the pictures he had a blast. He enjoyed himself until his best buddie Drew got switched to the other team then he decided to hang out in the grass for a while. It was so much fun to watch the kids having such a good time. We enjoyed Houstons game as well and he will have his own post too.

Arts and crafts anyone!

2007-09-19T22:07:00.000-04:00

Ok so what's up with the Art projects? My 5th grader Houston has been bombarded with "at home projects"...last weekend completed a longhouse use by the Iroquois, this weekend working on a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea mobile and the following is a two foot high paper mache jaguar for the virtual rainforest exhibit...is this Ringling School of Art...hello teachers this mom would rather scrapbook. What happened to memorizing a few lines for the school play? Failed to get a pic of the longhouse so hope it makes it home in one piece. At least I delivered on the letter of the day for pre-k "R"... as I'm walking in the door this morning I remember so I convince Reece that he is "show and share" because he starts with the letter "R". Rolling eyes starts with "R" too. Here Reece is with some art work of his own Enjoy

Lisa, Me and SDV

2007-09-19T15:32:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pics from Scrappers Dream Vacation. Lisa and I had a blast! We sat with a great group of girls and laughed till wee hours in the morning. Must do this again real soon. I will post more pics shortly

King of the Playground so just get over it

2007-08-21T23:45:00.000-04:00

The boys are soooo excited. Houston is in 5th which makes him King of the Playground... because of his size it's a little joke around here...the rehearsed speech goes something like this "OK you snot nosed second graders it's time to bow down to the king of the play ground...as I stand here face to face with your knee caps I'm here to say I once walked in your shoes. It's not important that I can still wear them, it's what Ive done in them that counts...I have clawed my way to the top of the slide on more than one sunny afternoon and I'm here to tell you it's bloody hot, so take the stairs provided at the back. Strongly recommend reading Night of the Living Lunch Ladies before you step foot in the cafeteria. You can run and you can hide...for a measly 50 cents I will share with you the best spots PVS has to offer. One more thing the gum under the desk is not that bad. I will enjoy my reign until mom finds out then it's back to the bottom cause I know she'll make me go on to 6th grade. Long live Captain Underpants!"

The fun continues

Reece informs us this evening that Nicole and Sofia ( the "girls" from last year) and the boys all decided to like each other for this year. In his own words "we just got over it" guess we could all take advise from the pre-k 4 class.

Hope all of you are having great first day memories too!

Summer

2007-08-16T09:17:00.000-04:00

I know it was here just the other day
the start of Summer was on the way

The beach, the park, the pool did you say
all fun things to fill a long summer day

Visiting friends, some travel not far away
we have so many hours to waste in a day

But today I awoke and much to my surprise
Summer was gone like a quick sunrise

Now it's the last minute crunch to get ready for school
backpacks, pencils and other colorful tools

Gone are the days of jammie's till noon
It's rise and shine have to be at school soon

It's hard to let go of the things left to do
guess that's why next year we get Summer too

Wait just a minute I thought of a reason
to smile again about this Summer season

It's Florida you see and that means just one thing
We enjoy Summer year round and that's a reason to sing

PS. better start Christmas shopping

Orlando

2007-08-02T08:57:00.000-04:00

These are from our trip in July...some of the kids havng a great time and just being kids

Love Picasa

2007-08-02T08:46:00.000-04:00

Here is my first Picasa collage and it's as easy as everyone says. These are a few shots from Key West and I will be posting more of the summer excitement as I play on Picasa. Have a great one...Go play! PS Just love how the one of me and the boys cuts out my face.

Home Again

2007-07-25T16:37:00.000-04:00

Tag I'm it...thanks Nikki. Now if there were five fellow bloggers that have not been tagged yet I would be all set..so let me know if you want to get "tagged". OK, so I've been feeling some heat ...no pun intended...for not blogging lately. I have good reason...another trip to Orlando and not one visit with the Mouse...ooh I'm so lucky that my guys are not Disney junkies. Do get credit for going to Sea Bloody Hot World...thanks Amanda, without you there it would have been miserable suffering all alone...the things you do for love (no it's my kids I love but Amanda is a close second). Did get to spend a lot of time with my longtime friend Melody. We usually catch each other on the fly so it was nice to have more than a few hours together and the kids had a great time together too. I have so many pictures that need to be uploaded and ordered. So be on the prowl as they are on the way. I got side tracked by The Deathly Hallows and made record speed in finishing before anyone could ruin the ending for me...and since I'm sworn the the secrecy of the Order of the Phoenix you will not find any answers here...just like Harry you must find out his fate on your own.

OH! So excited that my sis in law and I are going to the ultimate scrap weekend in Orlando. This is the first time since we became in laws (13 years ago) that we are doing a girls only activity...it's going to be a blast and I'm excited for her to meet the rest of my scrap family as they are all a bunch of creative, goal setting, motivating, inspirational, did I mention fabulous & gorgeous scrap girlie's. It will be a blast. OK so I'm off to get some work done. Don't forget to leave a comment or you can email me to say hi. Go Play!!

One for a Pal

2007-07-09T20:23:00.000-04:00

Ok so she's a great scrapbooker but lacks a little in the upload department :-) So this is for Amanda who completed two chalenges this week the first one was for Nikki's goal challenge to make a layout for the goals you have left in 07 and the other was an "ugly" challenge where Jessi gave out things that she did not want and had us make pages..nothing ugly about it now. Great job Amanda and it looks like I have some catching up to do.

Have a great evening everyone.

Gotta Love the Keys

2007-07-02T21:46:00.000-04:00

Can't seem to slow down long enough to catch up now that we are back. I thought we would have a quiet Summer not much planned but opportunities keep popping up so why not enjoy. We had a wonderful time in the Keys. We rented a house on Summerland Key and the water was perfect the first few days. We spent most days on the boat with a few days in Key West on our bicycles sharing the sights with the boys. Had fun fishing thought the Mahi (Dolphin) were a little elusive. Rick landed a Goliath Grouper, they are protected so we got a few pictures then sent him back to the ocean. We caught another grouper that was legal along with 2 snapper that Houston landed himself. We did some Kayaking and found an entire Lagoon of upside down Jelly fish...Reece had his little net and in the excitement got some Jelly juice on his legs...he had a few welts but we washed him off good and within a few hours he was OK...little secret... urine does help...Reece had to pee so I told him to just go in his swim suit while sitting in the Kayak then I rubbed it on his legs...he was crying before then within 10 minutes he was not complaining any more...thanks Survivor Man. The boys also had a blast just fishing off the sea wall at the house. Those of you who scuba or snorkel know the excitement jumping in to explore clear calm water. I have been diving almost 20 years and I still get a rush when the visibility is great. It's so much fun watching my boys fall in love with the water. Reece is a little fish and took to the ocean like Nemo. Houston is learning how to slow down and look for all the things that inhabit the reef..it's amazing what you will find just looking in one spot for a while. One of the most memorable dives I have experienced was a macro dive at night under a pier in Bonaire. The sea life and colors were amazing I rented a camera and took some great shots. The most amazing thing was how little everything was. I played with a baby puffer fish that was smaller than a dime, found sea horses nestled in coral fans and fed coral heads...if you shine your light briefly plankton swim to the light then you watch the coral heads eat them sounds gory but it is very cool. I also learned how to feed a Tarpon by shining little fish in the dark some of the Tarpon were over 5 feet long. I do love night diving...I figure if something is going to eat me I would rather not see it coming so at night all your attention is on what your are shining right in front of you...it is very relaxing. Have lots of pictures to share but here are a few will post more later.

Island time

2007-06-20T23:03:00.001-04:00

Heading to the Keys for a week with the boys. We always have a great time on the water and this year Reece can use a snorkle. One of our favorite places is Looe Key...it is where Rick proposed to me... underwater... so it's always a favorite. We will spend some time in Key West visiting our local hangouts and calling friends just to rub it in LOL they would do the same for us. Can't wait to take some great pictures to share. Hope everyone has a great week.
Be back soon.
Charlene

There's no place like home

2007-06-11T18:52:00.000-04:00

Just returned from a week in Orlando. To say that Shamu and I are friends would be an understatement. There is nothing more exciting that having a killer whale stare you in the eye as he/she eases onto the landing at Shamu stadium. We all had on our rain ponchos and said "bring it on". The spalsh zone rocks!. It's fun to go relax close to home. Little drive time, you know all the short cuts and great places to eat and if your husband forgets to leave payroll for the employees he can just drive home. LOL. Had a nice visit with my Sis-n-law and nephew and the kids had fun. If you want to kill a few hours go tho Shell World (I think there is one in Venice too) the kids filled a little bag for 99 cents and picked a few shells each. Two hours and $12.00 later we were out of there. Lots to see and you can touch all the shells. As always it's great to be home.

Go Tri It

2007-05-27T22:50:00.001-04:00

Along with the crazy week I've had I set aside time to participate in the K2 challenge. This week Nikki wanted us to create something other than a LO with our supplies. My friend Amanda has asked me to train for a Triathalon with her. We are keeping journals, goals, training tips and motivational items in a training binder. So here is my creation. I took the idea "Go" from the "one little word blog" and decided on "Go Tri It". I will train to see how the knee holds out and if I feel able I will do my first Triathalon. At the very least I will be stronger and healthier from the training. This was so much fun. I used stickers that I bought years ago when I thought I would try scrapbooking along with a few new techniques and here is my project. Can't wait to do a "Go Scrap It" binder full of fun ideas to try.
Thanks Nikki

My Baby is Four

2007-05-27T22:04:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Reece!
We celebrated with a few friends on Sat night and today it was his day. Started off at Fundango, then headed to see the ski-a-rees show, got to see Dr.Jack Sullivan, who four years ago saved Reece's life, went to Crobbies for newnools translation (Carabba's for noodles)and ended the day at our favorite family place Books a Million. Great day indeed. Not sure where the last four years went but the best part of the day was once again thanking Jack for our wonderful miracle. I have some catching up to do with all the pics I've taken over the past few weeks. Can't wait! I love you little Man

Proud Parents

2007-05-27T21:45:00.001-04:00

Wow! what a week....This was Houston's last week of school and to say that I had a few "mommy" obligations would be an understatement. Rick and I were invited to attended the Fourth grade awards ceremony on Tues morning. As we sat in the audience the Assistant Principal begins with "Our first Creativity Award goes to a student who extends his love of learning beyond the classroom walls. With his vivid imagination" (at this point my husband whispers it's Houston...I wave him off as the entire Fourth grade is eligible) "he is able to add his own unique "twist" to every classroom project!" ( Rick "It has to be Houston...Me dagger eye glaze for him to be quiet) "He enthusiastically and openly shares his creativity with others. I am proud to present this creativity award to Houston *****s from Mrs. Tucker's class". Then Rick, so loud that people turn to look..."I TOLD YOU IT WAS HIM"..me teary eyed jumps to my feet to give a standing ovation...you go son! He also went on to win awards in art and academic achievement as well as several class awards. Yes we are proud! We can only imagine what great things he will go on to accomplish but for this summer we will work on keeping his room tidy.

2007-05-19T16:01:00.000-04:00

Another week has come to an end and a few more school days until Houston is out for summer. Reece finished his last day of Pre-K on thurs. Hard to believe he will be 4 in a week. May has been a month of celebration. Mothers day (which my husband forgot), anniversary, 13 years on the 21st (don't think he will forget this) and Reece bd on the 27th. It's all flying by but I'm trying to capture as much as I can in photos to remember the special moments we share . Got invited to my first Bunko game last night...can't remember that last time I was with a bunch of screaming women. Had fun and would go again. I was asked to go back to one of my old jobs doing Hippotherapy and so I volunteered today just to get some hands on and meet the kids who are currently riding on Sat morning. This was the first time I have been around any children with special needs since Reece was born and I have to say it was very emotional for me. I guess it takes having one of your own to see how deeply your life is changed and I so admire the parents of these children bc for some of these kids there life will always be altered by their needs and some are here only for a short time yet the parents have the same pride, dreams and aspirations for their kids as I do. The kids and their families are truly an inspiration and I'm gad they let me be a part of their journey. Hope I can rise up to the challenge.

2007-05-18T16:02:00.000-04:00

Overlay Challenge

My scrap buddy Amanda and I worked on our challenge today. This has been a lot of fun and it's making me work outside of my normal comfort zone...love it! This challenge is from Jocie who manages to make weekly scrap-n-dash layouts forK2 as well as beautiful LO of her friends and family. I have had this overlay for a while but was not sure how to use it...I found out using overlays is quite simple once you work out your photo arrangement... so now I can add this to my toolbox of skills. Thanks Jocie

Get out of the box

2007-05-13T09:49:00.000-04:00

Had a great time at my LSS for Natl Scrap Day. The time flies when your hanging out with friends doing something creative. Will do this again very soon. This weeks challenge is by Nikki and she wants us to think outside the box and get into circles. I did a lo on NSD but Amanda and I got together yesterday and did another challenge. I love this one more (thanks Amanda for the pointers) and I have to admit Amanda's looks amazing. This is fun and it's great to have someone give you the idea and then to see all the different takes. Love my circle cutter...could not have done this without it. Thanks Nikki for the great idea...I love everthing you do!

Paint something

2007-04-30T23:40:00.000-04:00

Ok so after last weeks challenge when my Layout was picked I felt real inspired to try the next challenge...ok so I was picked by default..one entry was the owner of K2 the other was an incredible designer who makes notebook paper look great (Nikki) and the other was Jessi who posted the challenge but I figure somebody has to participate so I accept the credit and continue to play along. So here is my next submission...hope Kim likes it.

What I would give to be an Artist. This was my attempt to use paint on a scrapbook page. Of course I had the paint because K2 had a cute little sample pack that I had to have. So now I'm an artist...ok so a wannabe but what the heck I think it's looks pretty darn good for my first tree. I love the story of The Giving Tree and had these great shots of Reece from a trip to Gainesville... so this is my creation. Thanks Kim for unleashing my inner artist with your great idea. Ok Amanda where is yours?

Sometimes it takes a challenge

2007-04-29T08:50:00.000-04:00

Ok...so I'm a slacker. It seems lately I have been doing a lot of stuff but nothing fun and for me. Thanks to my new friend Amanda I think there will be some new challenges ahead. She suggested we do the weekly challenge from our LSBS so here is my attempt....guess I should let her know I started. Thanks Jocie for the challenge this week.

"I miss myself"

2007-03-19T20:48:00.000-04:00

While putting Reece to sleep a few night ago he was saying that he wished he could be bigger like me and daddy...I told him that I like him just the size he is now and that in fact I miss my little baby and he replied with "I miss myself too". I was amazed that a three year old could have such insight because there have been many instances when "I miss myself " too. Can you relate? Sometimes when we get busy or overwhelmed it seems we just want to reconnect to ourselves so we do things to get back in sync with friends, family and spouses. It's not that I don't love and appreciate what I am or have now it just it easy to forget about who we are and what our mission is. So the next time you are missing yourself take a few moments to rejuvenate and fine you again...I'll bet you smile.

Houston's 10 now

2007-03-19T20:30:00.000-04:00

OK, so it's Monday again. Had a busy few weeks. Last weekend (3/10) we celebrated Houston's 10 th birthday...there was something about him turning 10. No more single digits for this guy. I shared with him the fact that I was sad to see him grow up but happy about the young man he is becoming he said "at least it's one with a zero (10) instead of nine with a zero (90)...so who get the smarty pants award?...love the way his brain works. Got lots of pics from the day and party so I will make him a special b-day album on Shutterfly when I get the chance. He loved the Jon boat Dad and I gave him so the idea of any Game boy was quickly forgotten. The best part was that he said it was the best gift ever. We had a few friends join in for a bonfire and cookout on Sat...it's so relaxing sitting around under the stars starring at the flames...reminds me so much of being a teenager with my friends. This weekend we took the boys to the fair...Reece as been seeing a carnival on his favorite show Dragon Tales so he was so excited about going. He loved all the rides and anything you could climb on. The fair brings back lots of memories too. I can remember saving my money for months just to have 10-15 dollars to spend at the fair. Then as I got older it was the highlight of the year. It was a guaranteed few days off school as I usually had some "official" duty with FFA or my animals. I was amazed when I would meet someone in high school that had never been to the fair..hello did they live on another planet or what? Guess it all in where you grow up...so glad I came from Fruitville.

2007-02-22T17:58:00.000-05:00

Thursday...where has the week gone? Had a relaxing day enjoying my Valentine's facial and a few hours home alone. Got the Pics from the Vette photo shoot..not the best but the only one of us together with the car. The car is being published in Vette Magazine and we spent a few hours getting the car photographed...our own children have yet to be professionally photographed ...LOL

Had a busy fun day yesterday too. In the morning after I dropped Reece at school I went to see my friend Betsy. I got to take a few photo's of her adorable little Ryan and helped her plant some flowers..it was way better than the paper work that I had to do at home. On my way to pick up Reece at school my best friend Dawn called and we had lunch...what a great day! I love catching up with my girlfriends and sometimes impromptu meetings are more successful than planned ones. We ended the evening by taking the Boy's to Sarasota Circus... it was OK. Reece's take "I no like this Circus"..."where the animals" there were some horses and a dog show but otherwise it was acrobatic and aerial acts... oh well we tried.

He was very excited about school today because the Firetruck was coming ...he got a hat and a tour. Rick picked him up at school and said he talked about it all the way home. Houston and Rick should be on the way back from music lessons and we are having spagetti.

2007-02-20T14:17:00.000-05:00

It's Tuesday and since Monday was a holiday I will be behind all week. My wonderful hubby hung some more shelves in my craft zone and I bought a few accessories to hang things up with and I'm sooooo loving it. I think I heard some humming from inside today....now just carve out some time to create and the music will start.

My two boy always come up with the funniest things to say so I thought I would post a few from the last few days so that I will remember them:

While talking about his height Houston (almost 10 yo) stated that "he hasn't reached his adolescent growth spurt yet

While working on homework
Houston: "Mom do you think there will be another Armageddon?"
Mom: "If you don't quit talking and finish your homework there will be an Armageddon on your butt

Reece who is 3 1/2 always has some great ones: although Christmas was almost two months ago Santa still seems to be heavy on his mind

Conversation started..."Mommy I wanna call Santa" Why? "cause I miss him" well I think he's working " I wish I was Santa so I could make some toys then turn back into a real boy again" a few seconds pass then "If I was a chocolate Santa I would get all the toys dirty"

Favorite saying : Oh pleeeeeaaaasseee Mommy, followed by batting eyelashes and a big grin

Told his Daddy I don't need your help right now but someday I will still love you

When he ask for toys and such I say "lets put it on the list" this worked at Christmas to defer any purchases and it worked. Today at Walmart he wanted some Floam and I said "let's put it on the list" he smiled and agreed then suddenly (as if a light went on) he turned around and said "we gonna need some paper and pencil wif us cause I never member to write em down when I can get home" LOL

On another note I saw a documentary about a little girl Juliana Wetmore from Jacksonville who was born with Treacher Collins syndrome and has had major surgeries to restore her face and make eating and talking a possibility for her. I was so moved by her story that I went on line to look her up. During the Documentary she was only 2 and now is almost 4. What an amazing story. I will not for get her and her family. I thank God for the blessing I have been given and Julianna's parents treasure their little girl just as much. As a Therapist I'm amazed by the parents who never complain or say "why me"...they just continue on with the gift they have. It makes you stop and think about all the little things that annoy or irritate you...in the big picture most are just trivial but we make them monstrous. Visit her site at JulianaWetmore.net and your world will look a whole lot brighter.

2007-02-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

Saturday observations: I love Saturdays. No kids to get ready for school, stay in my jammies till noon if I want, spend time catching up at home. This is what's going on now: my boys are playing with Pirate figurines and ship (getting along very well), clothes in the washer and dryer, house being cleaned in between blogging and surfing, kitchen counters spotless (this is one of those things that last about 10 minutes around my house), its sunny but cold outside so that's why we are inside for now. gotta get back to cleaning.

2007-02-17T11:16:00.000-05:00

This is definitely one of my passions. I would give anything to be able to draw or sketch but it's just not one of my talents. With my camera I can be as artistic and creative as I want. With creative editing I can be an "Artist". I would love to spend more time learning and creating with my camera. I have no interest in being paid for my work as that becomes a job and not a hobby. With a hobby there is no pressure...you can't make a mistake...it's just you and your ideas. I love taking close-ups. When I freeze a moment in time it brings such joy every time I look at it. Through scrap booking I can journal and preserve that moment so someday my children can enjoy the moment that I love.

2007-02-16T21:04:00.000-05:00

Here we go! It's about time I started keeping track of this life I love...although sometimes I have to remind myself. It's so easy to get caught up in the chaos of life that we forget the basics...food, shelter and health. I have so much more than the basics and for that I'm eternally grateful. I was asked recently about a mission statement and I got to thinking "what is my mission"?. It use to be easy...get an education, find a job, enjoy my husband, spend time with friends and live happily ever after. I got the education, got the job, enjoy my husband, adored my friends but ever after has a lot of forks in the road....aka KIDS. Now I don't have the job and friends are distant memories of people who use to share my life (thank God for that husband). In short my mission has taken on a whole new meaning but I have yet to give it a solid foundation...I'm operating without a valid statement, one I truly believe in, one that makes my heart sing, one I look forward to everyday. So for me today begins a new journey to make a statement. I don't want to picket any cause or walk the beach in a thong...I just want to selfishly do this all for me. I'm looking forward to the journey.