Philadelphia - Day Two - Revealed!

Ok. I get it. My little guessing game isn't as exciting as I thought it would be! Sorry about that. So, I'll just TELL YOU... little by little... where we will be going, what we will be doing, and who we will see as we venture up north for our relaxing whirlwind vacation! (I do hope that at least part of it is relaxing!)

Yes. On day TWO of our stay in Philadelphia... we will be attending church with David's mother. This will be our first time seeing her new church and meeting her new friends that she has met there.

We will also be finally meeting her boyfriend for the first time, too!! Yes. She has a boyfriend! Well... she calls him her "Gentleman Friend". **Smile** She met him at her new church over a year ago and ever since, she has been like a young school girl...unable to have a conversation without mentioning him! It's so cute! 

photo source

 After church... and probably after lunch... we will be going to visit David's grandmother (his father's mother). TODAY is her birthday!! She is 99 years old!!! She is a sweetheart! David had wanted to wait and go for her 100th birthday, but I told him that we better not wait! He would also kick himself if we waited and then..... well, you know.



Happy Birthday, Granny!!!  Photo Source



We are going to call her today to wish her a Happy Birthday. We are going to tell her that we are coming for a visit, but she may not remember. Fortunately, she has a live-in sitter that is there with her 24/7, so we will be sure and let the sitter know. Plus, David's mom will be able to let her know, as well.

It will be wonderful to see her! She is an amazing woman! Her favorite color is PURPLE. Everytime I see the color purple, I think of her. 

Sometime, while we are in Philly.... we plan to get a SOFT PRETZEL while we are there! Venders sell these on almost every street corner. They are SO yummy!!

Photo Source

When David's mom comes to our house for Christmas every year... she always makes a stop before she goes to the airport, to pick us up some of these yummy treats!! They're STILL delicious even after they've traveled almost thousand miles!

Summer Arrives With a Birthday!

WOW!! I can't believe that it has been so long since I have blogged!! I honestly don't have a good reason for not keeping up with my blogging OR my reading of blogs. I guess I can only blame it on good 'ol "life" getting in the way! I am not sure why.... but, this month has been EXTREMELY busy!

I guess between it being the last month of school and then my deciding that it would be best if I quit my job and look for another one... time got away from me and I have not had blogging on my brain as much as I usually do!

When you are a teacher, you consider the day after school ends as the first day of Summer. So.... for me.... it is officially SUMMER!!!

This past Saturday was my baby girl's (Miranda) 20th birthday!! She has been asking begging for months to go to Atlanta and see "The Bodies Exhibition". So, I told her that I would take her for her birthday. She also asked to go to Lenox Square Mall and go shopping. -- I'm not sure why. We couldn't afford a thing! LOL! But, we had fun looking and "hob-nobbing" with those that can afford $500 purses. **Smile**

The Bodies Exhibit is at a place called Atlantic Station. I mentioned it in a previous blog post when David and I visited Atlanta a few months ago. When David and I went.... it was like a ghost town! So, I was surprised to find it bustling with people while Miranda and I were there! We had a great time!

The Bodies was VERY interesting!! Who knew that I would actually enjoy looking at dead bodies!! LOL!! Miranda is a pre-nursing student (she should find out soon if she makes it into the nursing program!! Keep your fingers crossed!!!) and for her Spring semester at school, she took Anatomy 1 & 2. She so enjoyed seeing these "bodies" and explaining all the parts to me! I learned a lot from her and was so proud of her and her knowledge that she now has.

We spent about an hour and a half touring the exhibit. After, it was time for lunch. She chose California Pizza Kitchen. Miranda chose the Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza. The pizza was SO GOOD!! I highly recommend it! We enjoyed our pizza while sitting on the patio and watching the people (Yes! PEOPLE!!) walk by. There was even a street magician doing magic tricks nearby.

After lunch, we walked around for a bit and then had our dessert at Cold Stone Creamery!! YUM!!!!!!!! This was SO not on my diet, but it was delicious!!!

Next, I really wanted to take her to the Ikea store because... #1 - I knew that she would love it!... and #2 - I love it!! **Smile**

I was right! She loved it! She bought a wire picture hanging "thingy" with clips to hang her photographs on her bedroom wall. (Sorry...Don't know how else to describe it!) I bought a blanket to drape across the end of my bed. It is navy blue. Unfortunately... I have learned that it is NOT the best color to use when you have two long-haired doggies, tho! **Oops!** Oh well.

We hurried home after "touring" Ikea so that we could be home in time for the "rapture". --- If you have no idea what I am talking about... let me know! -- We got safely home about 6:10pm. Whew!

No. I didn't take any pictures during our trip. I know that I should have, and I wish that I had. Miranda seems to think that I am a little too "camera happy", so I decided that I woud give her a break with the camera for her birthday!

My next adventure is tomorrow!!!! David and I will be traveling to Atlanta again with some friends to see JIMMY BUFFET in concert!!!! WAHOOO!! We will be traveling in a friends motorhome and tail-gating all day before the concert! It should be a BLAST!!! And yes..... I WILL take pictures!!! --- I promise!! **Smile**

The Birthday Boy

Well, the "party" that I had hope to have didn't really happen! No one was home when I got home, and the girls had already given Chester his gifts that we bought for him! Oh well! I snapped a few shots of the "Birthday Boy" and his new toys to share with you, anyway!

I tried to get him to "sit" with his new toys, but he decided to "lay", instead!

"Ok, Mommy. I'm 'sitting'."

"No. I think I'd rather lay down!"

Jackson just says... "Spoiled-rotten baby! He gets everything!"

"Yep! That's me! -- Spoiled-Rotten!"



It's Chester's Birthday!!!

Yes, today is Chester's 1st Birthday!!

In case you are new to my blog... Chester is the youngest of my two Golden Retrievers. He became a member of our family on May 1st of last year - 2010.

If you have been a follower of mine for the past year, then you will know that life has been quite the adventure since Chester arrived!

Here are a few photo's from the day that we brought him home, but be sure to check back later for his

"Birthday Party"

 pictures!!

Happy Birthday, David!

Today is David's 19th

time turning 

29!!

I LOVE YOU!!!

Snapshot Saturday - 12/11/10 - Thisisme's pick!

My friend "Thisisme" over at Southhamsdarling picked: 43 - 8 - 42

Here's the photo --

This photo is from Ashley's 8th birthday party. The girls were having a BIG TIME ripping up the tissue paper from the gifts and tossing it up in the air!!

Ashley is the one with the flowered shirt and pink headband, on the right. That's Miranda, just behind her. She wasn't quite three, yet.

This was our "finished basement" in the house that we lived in (and LOVED!) when we lived east of Atlanta, Georgia in a town called.... Snellville.

When we moved into this house, the basement was "unfinished". David was able to "finish" it for us so that we would have a den and playroom for our family. It was WONDERFUL and I miss it! The house that we have now, does not have a basement.

The glass tables once belonged to my mother. Not exactly "kid friendly".

The blue blanket on one of the couches is hiding the CHEWED OFF arm of the couch that our first dog ate right after we were first married!! The couch was brand new, when that happened!! It was a VERY comfy couch though, and we weren't about to get rid of it.

Thanks for the great photo pick!! **Smile**

Happy Birthday Daddy

Today would have been my Daddy's 81st Birthday. I miss him so very much! He died, way to young, at the age of 53 of a heart attack. I was only 18.

I was a Daddy's Girl and not a day went by without him telling me..... "I love you."  They weren't just words with him, either. He meant it. I KNEW that I was loved! He always called me his "Little Sweetheart".

During football season is when I think about him the most. I have many memories of us watching the Atlanta Falcon's play on TV together. I believe this picture was taken as we watched a game together in 1972. I was eight. --

Another memory I have of my Daddy is helping him clean the pool on Saturday mornings. My job was to put the chemicals into the little tubes to test the pool water and then shake them to see what color the water turned. I thought that was so much fun!

My Daddy is the one that taught me how to swim, too. I was always afraid of the drain in the deep end. When I jumped off the diving board, I would always jump to one of the sides and never OVER the drain! It might suck me up!! One time, after I learned how to swim, he took me by the hand and swam with me to the drain and made me touch it to prove that it wouldn't suck me up! This was all it took to get me over my fear.

I used to love to watch him work on our cars. He was a very good mechanic and loved "tinkering" with them. He wasn't a mechanic by trade. He just enjoyed it.

I have many, many other memories of my Daddy. I could go on and on about them.

I can't help but wonder what my life would have been like if he hadn't died so young. The thing I hate the most is that he didn't get to see me grow up, get married and have a family. I hurts that my girls never knew him. They would have LOVED him!! He would have been the BEST Granddaddy EVER!!

It makes me sad that he is no longer here, but I know that he was sick and the only way that God could heal him was to take him home.

My hope is that my Daddy is waiting for me up in Heaven and I can't wait to get there to see him again!!

Happy Birthday, Daddy! I miss you and I love you!!