Photo shoot in Room 205

We haven't made it far. We headed out as planned around 5:30 for our hotel close to the airport. We arrived in Chantilly around 7:30, got checked in then headed to Longhorn for dinner. It was so nice having our whole family around the table for dinner.

We then headed back to the hotel to set every phone and alarm between the two rooms for 4:15 a.m. Yes, you understood correct! Oh my...I'm already sleepy. Anyway, since this is Kayden's first night in a hotel, we had to take some pictures. The other funny thing is that Chase was pretty entertained by the hotel as well. We forget that our children rarely stay in hotels since we mostly take the motorhome when we go places other than the beach where we stay at Grandma and Butch's house.

So, showers are done and hopefully the kids will be settling down for a little bit of sleep before we have to catch the 5:00 a.m. shuttle.

And.....we're off!

The day has finally arrived for us to leave for our family vacation. It seemed like it was so far away but it's here! Each one of us is checking our list to make sure we have everything we need. We all packed 'light' (I had to cut back on the shoes) since there's a charge for each bag these days. Kayden has a new stroller to stroll through the airports, laptops are all secure, passports are together and cameras are ready to roll.

This is the first time on an airplane for Britt, Cierra, Chase and Kayden so I'm anxious to see how that goes.

I will keep the blog updated with what we're doing throughout the week but for now I will leave you with a picture of the view from the west side of the house we're renting.....ahhhhh we're so excited! Add us to your prayer list for safe travels....

The "special effects" of June 27, 1992

Another activity for Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" - this is lots of fun! Our assignment was to show pictures of our rings, flowers and wedding party so...here you go! It's a blog carnival on http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/2009/07/show-us-your-life-wedding-party-and.html

First, let me say that way back then country blue and mauve really were the colors. I still have this bouquet!

Now for the special people that were a part of our grand event - the 'guys'

the 'girls'

And then there's him...my first born....who gave me away.

Now for my favorite pieces that remain constant and always with us.....

We did have them engraved several years ago with "God provided thee for me".

Friends always make things easier...

When you have a dog, cat, lambs, a goat, flowers, a pool and all the other things that require maintenance, it's difficult to go on vacation and not worry about 'back home'. But....when you have friends that are willing to look after things it makes it so much easier. We are lucky enough to have those friends - they consider it a vacation for them, too. So we can go on our vacation, relax and enjoy the time with our family knowing everything is ok back home.

Thanks guys - the key's in the conch shell! (ok, so I don't have a conch shell but that's what Kenny says)

"Fringe benefits" of having 'blog' friends...

Ronnie's convinced now that 'blogging' is a great thing :) For dinner tonight I decided to try one of the recipe's on Kelly's Korner. The simplest way to put how it turned out is based on Ronnie's comment "they are dangerously good"! Need I say more?! I think I'll keep visiting her 'recipe' blog for more ideas.

oh those summer nights..

Tonight we hosted the 2009 Braves pool party. The kids had lots of fun swimming then munching on the yummy snacks the parents brought. Trophies were handed to each of the boys for their Braves season and they also received the Cal Ripken League 2009 Champion trophies. Lots of fun in just a few hours!


Everyone is gone and we're cleaning up when suddenly I realize the cake Cierra and Brittany made was sitting in the house. Oops....you guys will only get the picture, not an actual piece of the cake. Sorry.


The final event of the night was our furry little friend that Ronnie discovered while cleaning up in the garage. Ewwww...

Island boy....

Those of you that follow Crockett's Corner know that we are down to about 4 days from leaving for our long awaited trip to the Virgin Island of St. John. We have packing underway and finally lined up our house sitters. We are really down to the last minute decisions including the most important....underwater camera and snorkel gear! We have decided on the 'right' camera after weighing many options and it's on the way. We have been to the Brass Anchor to check out the snorkel equipment and are pretty much set on what we need but....since our children have been deprived (haha) and have never been snorkeling, we weren't sure they would like it enough to spend the money at the Brass Anchor. Without fail, Walmart comes through!! Cierra and I picked up a set yesterday for Chase to try and within minutes he was hooked. I wanted to go ahead and pack it but nooooo he has to keep using it. Now we have to get the rest of them 'hooked up' with the right equipment!


I honestly can't wait for him to experience island snorkeling. Who knows, it wouldn't surprise me for him to take a break in between high school and college and experience the 'true island life'. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

We laughed until our cheeks hurt!!

We spent the evening at a Fiesta hosted by some friends. It was a great evening even with the storms that passed through. The food was great, the company was lots of fun and the Margarita Machine was in full use for about 5 hours straight! Needless to say Tequila was the hit of the night. Everyone even learned how to do 'shots of Tequila' without tears and burning of the nose and throat. What a blast! Thanks for the great time, Bryan and Alissa!

It's Shearing Time -

It's time for Morty and Poundcake to get cooled down! This morning we loaded them up (of course Magic was very upset to see them leave) and headed to Funkstown. Joe Frey has been a big help this year to Cierra and her 'sheep' project.
He sheared both in less than 1/2 hour then took us on a tour of his herd.


Wow - lots of sheep! He is already making breeding plans year so Cierra committed to buying two from him early next year. On the way home we stopped so I could take a picture of a barn that I love.
Then we headed to the bakery in Sharpsburg for some fresh pastries...yummy!

Today's the Day - Good Luck Derek & Nick!

The All American Soap Box Derby is held today in Akron, Ohio. Nick is our Super Stock Champ and Derek participates based on Rally Points. We wish them the best of luck! It doesn't seem like it's been a year since we were there with Chase. It is an awesome experience for the participants!


Remember....stay low and roll down that hill! We will be watching the stats on-line. The best part about it is - EVERYONE IS A CHAMP IN AKRON!
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Show us your life - Wedding Dress

Oh...this makes me laugh! So I'm participating in Kelly's Korner's weekly "Show us your life" blog activity. I am way behind but there are still a few weeks left to go.
So....this is the dress I wore 17 years ago. Wow, look at the poofy sleeves. I loved it and spent a lot of time picking it out, going for fittings, of course most of you know the routine.


If I were getting married today (of course to my 'main squeeze' again) here's one I would definitely go for. Can't you visualize it, standing in the sand, no shoes, blue water...ahhhhh maybe we will renew our vows in St. John =)

If you blog, join in the fun with us!

Oh The Places We Will Go...

I do love that book! It was so 'fitting' for Brittany when she graduated...but that's not what this posting is about.
For those of you that love ice cream and don't know about Nutter's, consider yourself TOLD! Nutter's is in Sharpsburg and the best little ice cream shop around. We go there whenever we get a chance and tonight happened to be our lucky night. We had originally talked about going last night but were way too full after dinner so opted to get a rain check. (funny, it was raining tonight). Anyway, I typically get chocholate chip, Chase always gets chocolate with chocolate chips (yes, he's my child), Cierra usually gets chocolate chip cookie dough but did get something different tonight and Ronnie's favorite is mint chocolate chip. Besides great ice cream, it's also really cheap! We can all eat there for around $7. Try getting the same stuff in OC at the Ice Cream Castle. Yeah right, it's about double!

So, the next time you are looking for some really good ice cream, it's worth the trip to go to Nutter's!

Another great birthday...

Thanks to my family, it was another great birthday. Cierra and Brittany made a cake for me today, we had a nice dinner and now while the kids are at Grandma and Butch's, Ronnie and are getting caught up on e:mail and talking about our upcoming trip. It's hard to believe we leave next week!!

Happy Birthday to me!

It's simple, my life is good. As every year passes, I have no regrets. So much has been accomplished with many more opportunities. I can only hope that the next year brings as much happiness as the past. I am very blessed and realize it every day; I have the best husband/sole mate on earth, four (five including Ash) wonderful children, a grandchild that must have been sent from heaven, a wonderful Mom, Dad, sister and brother-in-law, and a best friend that really should have been a twin....So happy birthday to me!

Happy 30th Anniversary Donna & John!

Congratulations on 30 great years! We hope you are enjoying your "anniversary week".

How quickly

she went from this....

to this......


My how time has flown. Lil' Miss Kayden will be six months old on Wednesday. She is such a blessing to all of us with an awesome personality. She just goes with the flow and adjusts to wherever she is; always so happy. She is sitting up (with a little help),reaching and holding on to things and loves to stand on her little legs. Not sure yet if she is going to walk before she crawls but she loves to be on the go. We all love her very much and enjoy all the time we get to spend with her.

Here's some 'extras' from the weekend - enjoy!

It's beginning to feel a lot like...

FAIR TIME!! Yup, the books are all finished and turned in. Jeans and boots are dug out of the closets and last night was the Livestock Meeting, now the registration forms just need to get sent in to reserve the space for Poundcake and Magic.


This year the school starts on Wednesday during the week of the fair. That's going to be tough since 1)the kids have to feed their animals in the morning and 2)we usually stay out there until it closes each night so...looks like some creative excuses will be written for Chase and Cierra's first few days of school. Hey, that's what the Extension Agent told us last night, LOL. It will all work out but it will certainly be harder than years past.


More signs of the fair -

Last year we had a lot of fun with the Pumpkin contest. Jeremy had a vine of pumpkins that he was caring for and was sooo proud. Suddenly his favorite was ripped from the vine with no warning. He was sooo upset and mad; he wanted to call the police. Little did he know that Ronnie was the one that stole it and entered it in the fair. J didn't find out until we were going through the exhibits and spotted it. It was so funny! He walked right over and said "that's my pumpkin"! Ok, so he didn't win but it was LOTS of fun.

I love sunflowers but don't have any pretty enough at 'fair time'. Too bad huh? Don't you think this could win?

Happy Birthday Ashley!

We love you very much and hope you have a wonderful day!

The Funny Farm...

everybody loves to go over to Grandma and Butch's 'farm' cuz there's always something goin' on across the bridge. This evening was one of those lazy, summer nights that we sooo deserved.... so we all went 'down on the farm' - the guys went fishing while the girls just sat on the porch enjoying lil' miss Kayden. Jeremy caught a big snappin' turtle and huge catfish. Ronnie caught two large mouth bass and Chase caught a perch. It's always fun because you just never know what you're gonna see over there....

Cinderella

Cierra has developed the nickname "Cinderella". This is mostly because she had a history of turning into a pumpkin at 9:00 p.m. when she would get tired. Obviously times have changed because she is a night owl now but the name has stuck. So last night Mom, Dad and Brittany headed home and Chase stayed with Hunter so we had Cierra all to ourselves (which is very unusual). She helped out fixing dinner, played a round of corn hole with Ronnie and enjoyed her 'campfire smore' before getting tucked in.



We are heading home today while Ronnie and Chase stay behind to finish out this tournament. We have 4-h books to finish and plan to chill out by the pool for a while. We had a great camping weekend now it's back to reality