SURPRISE!!!

Ok, it's been a while... but since our honeymoon trip, we've traveled so much, I wasn't sure for a while whether I was coming or going! We've been to KS, CO, FL (me, twice) for various trips, and Ben has been gone 3 out of the last 4 weeks for work. May saw the end of school, and June saw Girl Scout camp and a trip to Turkish/Greek Isles for the two big girls. Which brings me to this post....

So the big girls go on a BIG wonderful trip somewhere fabulous with my parents just about every year. It begins when they are about 8 years old, so Madelyn has been invited the last couple of summers. Peyton however is still "under age"... and she doesn't get invited on the ski trips either... or any of the other trips or even dinners out with Grammy and Grampy. We DID take a girls trip with her cousin Tabi to Chicago for the American Girl Place shopping extravaganza right after school got out. They had too much fun, let me tell you! A sample of photos:

Peyton chose Kit and is very excited about the upcoming movie! The girls had a ball choosing various accessories for their dolls, watching the show, eating in grown-up restaurants (they were both very well behaved, I might add), and shopping in the Big City! It was a grand trip...

Just before we left for Chicago, I started toying with the idea of taking Peyton on a surprise trip just for her... So I did a little research, and booked plane tickets to a secret destination. I told the two big girls about my plan, and they were great secret-keepers. I managed to pack and get Peyton to the airport without her knowing a single detail that she was going anywhere - she only knew that she was getting a "surprise" day with mom. She wasn't quite sure what to think when we pulled up to the airport! A photo of her with her sisters, who would be gone by the time we got home...

And then we were off! We were on our way to... ORLANDO!!! Yes, home of Mickey and Minnie and the gang, only Peyton didn't quite associate the two. So I got her to Orlando and to my aunt's house without her suspecting our BIG SURPRISE destination.... you got it! The MAGIC KINGDOM!

I tried very hard to get a picture of her face when we entered Disney property, but it wasn't to be... We arrived first thing in the morning, and didn't have any traffic or trouble getting in the parking lot. We rode the ferry across to the MK and started our day heading for Cinderella's Royal Castle to see about eating there and meeting the princesses. What LUCK, because we got right in for breakfast! It was truly priceless, as you get to meet Cinderella, plus get photos with her, then go upstairs and Jasmine, Snow White, Belle, and Aurora all walk around and meet and greet everyone. We had our autograph book and camera ready! They do a little wishing ceremony that was wonderful, the food was good, and the whole experience was worth the (hefty) price tag.

Did I mention that the Fairy Godmother was right outside the castle and we were the last admitted to meet her before she had to go read the mice a story?? That's about how our day went -- pretty perfectly!

After breakfast we headed to Fantasyland. We rode the "It's a Small World" ride, Snow White's Scary Adventure, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, the carousel and met Ariel. She was fantastic! She spent about 10 minutes chatting with Peyton about various things like dolphins and swimming. Honestly, you'd think they'd be rushing people through, but it isn't like that, they really take time with the kids.

Then we were off to ToonTown and Minnie's House. After a tour, we headed to Goofy's Barnstormer roller coaster, and while in line, it looked like one barnstormer of a thunderstorm was headed directly for us! We were so lucky that we were able to ride the coaster and get over to the big tent to meet some of Mickey's friends before the skies literally opened up! It was quite a thunderstorm, but we were inside, so all was well. We met Donald Duck and Goofy, but poor Pluto got summoned away by Mickey, so we didn't get to meet him.

After we met Donald and Goofy, we were stuck in the gift shop for a bit while the rain passed. It was a little dicey, but we did a bit of shopping, and got a little snack, and soon enough the rain let up to a drizzle, so we went to see Mickey's house and then meet Mickey and Minnie themselves!

Then we headed to the Haunted Mansion! That was the first time I'd ridden that one, and it was so funny! We loved when you go past the mirrors and it looks like a ghost is riding in the car with you! And luckily the ghost was on my side, as I'm not 100% sure how well that would have gone over with Peyton. We rode the Pirates of the Carribbean, Jungle Safari, (during which the rain began again and we were forced to don our ponchos), the Magic Carpets, and went into the Swiss Family Robinson tree house.

After a quick snack, we went to Tomorrowland. I wasn't sure there'd be much of interest to Peyton in this section, but boy was I wrong! We didn't take many pictures, due to the rain, but she loved the Transit ride (the people mover), the Carousel of Progress, and especially Buzz Lightyear's ride where you get to shoot things with your laser gun for points! Her only complaint was next time she will drive, because I didn't do a great job! At this point, it was about 8pm, so we went to find somewhere to eat dinner. We got right into Tony's for a great spaghetti dinner! We were both starving, so it didn't take long for us to devour the meatballs! We finished just in time to catch the SpectroMagic parade down Main Street. It is truly wonderful to see! The lights changed from color to white, and many characters are represented!

After the parade, we did our big shopping, where we purchased a pin trading kit, and a couple other pins she liked, and Cinderella pajamas! She traded two of her pins with Disney cast members, then we headed down towards the castle for the big fireworks show. I didn't have my good camera, so no fireworks pictures... :( ... But the show was fabulous! We saw Tinkerbell fly, and Peyton was on my back during the show, all the while wishing "I want to be a Princess ... I want to be a Princess ... " as shooting star fireworks went off and Mickey and friends told everyone that wishes do come true if you believe. THAT made the whole trip worthwhile! I leave you with the last couple of photos we took ... The whole day makes me want to go back very soon with the whole family!!! Priceless precious memories!

Our trip to Discovery Cove and Sea World the next day coming soon!

In a word... Perfect!

Yes, in one word, our honeymoon trip to the Bahamas was simply… perfect. One more reason to add to the “Why we are so LUCKY!” list.

Our alarm went off at 3:30 am on Saturday morning…we had a 6am flight out of Louisville! However, it is easy to do when you are on way to an exotic location for a whole week with your hubby. We arrived Saturday afternoon in good order, and only spent 45 minutes going through customs…. We were on the beach by 3:30 pm – a mere 12 hours after waking up that morning. Not a bad deal at all.




The resort was gorgeous. Everything we expected, with cozy nooks everywhere. We stayed in a villa a bit back from the main pools, which was nice because we didn’t hear the late-night revels, and yet we were not far away from everything either. A short walk took us to the pool, dinner, wherever we needed to go.

The most difficult decision for us was whether to lay by the pool or by the beach. We slept in, or at least as much as possible with a herd of elephants above us (the walls were a bit thin in our villa). Our butler brought pool towels and the newspaper every morning. Yes, we had a butler. Three of them, actually. They were there to cater to our every whim! LOL! They brought us snacks all day, helped me set up the dinner on the beach, did turn-down service, and generally were available to help us with anything else we might need.

We spent one day at the private island off the coast of our resort. It was really beautiful there! We truly felt like we were away from everything.



The one thing about an all-inclusive is that you can sometimes have not-so-good food. Lots of buffets, and the same thing over and over again can get tiresome. I can tell you, the Sandals Resorts have totally solved that problem! There were 9 different places to eat, and while breakfast was a buffet (although there was a restaurant that had a lovely breakfast that was not a buffet, and we ate there one morning. I could get used to mimosas and fruit every morning!), you could get whatever you wanted cooked to order. Each night the food just got better and better. The tables were set for two, and there were no set times for seatings. We had preferred seating, as we were in the butler suites – no waiting for us! The staff was wonderful, very friendly and the service was simply outstanding! If you are looking for an adult get-away, you cannot go wrong with a Sandals resort!



The most special night of all was the night we had a private dinner on the beach. I had set this up before we left. It was a surprise for Ben, who was truly speechless. We had a GORGEOUS sunset that evening. I told him we were going to the beach to have some photos taken, and when we walked over, he saw the table, and started to figure out what was going on… and they did have a photographer there who did in fact take some beautiful photos!



We had lobster, and chocolate covered strawberries. It was so delicious! The next night we had dinner on the pier restaurant, which was equally delicious. By the end of the week, we’d had Japanese teppanyaki, Italian, lamb chops and prime rib! The food was all wonderful, and the best part? When you are done, you just leave! NO CHECK!

We did venture off-site one day to visit the Atlantis – spectacular and totally over the top! – and the straw market. The cab rides were really fun and interesting, as we had some great conversation with the drivers.

We had an unexpected visitor as well.... While I was trying to take pictures of this gigantic lizard running around on our porch, this little guy snuck into our room for a little R&R... Um, Ben, get that thing outta here (but first take a picture)... Yeah, I was on the bed hopping up and down like a fool!



Most of all, we just enjoyed each other’s company! We had leisurely lunches, catnaps in the chaise lounges, worked out a little, sang karaoke, soaked in the hot tubs which were just about everywhere, watched the basketball finals (of course… anyone who knows me knows I couldn’t miss that!), and truly treasured our time together. Oh, and did I mention the couples massage we had on Sunday, our first full day on the island?? Yes, that was HEAVENLY!


And while we spent a week in Paradise, we were ready to come home and see the girls and talk to Spencer. We really missed them all so much!

I am so very lucky to have this man as my husband. I couldn’t have imagined so enjoying someone as much as I enjoy Ben. He is truly the love of my life, and I am so grateful he loves me. I also know how grateful he is to have us in his life! We are truly LUCKY!

Easter Sunday

Wow, this has gotten away from me this month. Between the snow storm, the cancelled/rescheduled auction, Girl Scout camping trip, trip shopping (11 days to go!), trip planning, (Kansas City, Colorado, Chicago, Bahamas) and everything in between, time has just gotten away from me.... Here is my attempt to catch up.

So, March 7 and 8 brought a "surprise" snow storm to Kentuckiana! We got about 10 inches by Saturday morning, and the decision was made on Friday that, given the forecast and potential for big snow, rescheduling the school auction was in order. So we cancelled. It was disappointing, but definitely the right decision. Having the auction at the small airport, the airport authority would be in charge of plowing/clearing the parking lot. Priority number one is the main airport, and the runways, followed by the rest - of course. So by Saturday morning, the airport was closed, and even by that afternoon the parking lots were still a mess. My parents happened to be returning from a quick trip, and couldn't land there as planned. Mom said there would not have been a way to get in or out of the airport that day. We have rescheduled for May 17, and all in all, everyone has been very understanding. We hope to have a wonderful evening!

Here is a picture of the "snow leopard" we have. Mr. Charlie loved running in and out of the house, bouncing around in the snow and having a generally good time outside! Who'd have thunk it???

Next up was the Girl Scout camping weekend. We, Shelley and I, take our troop to Camp Whipporwill, about an hour away, for a weekend every spring. We manage to finish work on 6-8 badges! We are always proud of how hard the girls work. We have plenty of fun, and smores, and we have a lot to show for our efforts. We look forward to the weekend, and to the weekend being over.

Last weekend was the first in a while that we didn't have much going on. We had a lovely weekend, with lots of basketball watching and bracket analysis.... Yes, the NCAA tournament truly is the most wonderful time of the year! Ben and I enjoyed a dinner out with some friends at one of my favorite local restaurants, and Sunday was Easter. We had homemade waffles for breakfast, lazed around most of the day, and went to Mom's for dinner. Brooks hid some 80+ eggs around 4 rooms of the house, all filled with money! Ben and I wanted in on that hunt, but alas it was for those under 14.... Maybe next year?!?

The kids had a ball finding eggs, and we watched, yes, more basketball. Dinner was delicious, and we enjoyed the company.

So, that is the last 3 weeks in a nutshell! Ha! I've been working on Library of Memories, and I've moved almost all of my 3 ring binder photos into the new Pioneer albums I bought, and I've gone from 6 binders to two albums! Whoa! Not what I expected, but that's cool. I need to spend some time uploading to sbpictures for a big order for the last few months.

I have been shopping for clothes/shoes, etc. for the BIG trip coming up! I (surprisingly) found 3 new swimsuits! Two were very reasonably priced and look pretty good (all things considered - they are bathing suits after all!)... Nothing like 3-way mirrors and dressing room lights to give you that smack on the head that you REALLY need to work on getting some more exercise. Sheesh. Gonna warm up a bit, but supposed to rain this week. I hope to find some dry spells to get out there some. Shoot, I can even walk the mall if necessary. Just must MOVE.

I work alot next week, and I'm helping give a friend at work a little wedding shower. So much going on before the trip, I will be so happy to get away and do NOTHING for a whole week with my wonderful hubby! No, I haven't forgotten that wonderful man! He is working hard, and we have booked our trip to Kansas City for his friend's wedding. What can I say? We are still so giddy it's ridiculous. I love him so much!

So I leave you with this....

Sweet love!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy 14th Birthday to my beautiful daughter.....

Where the heck did the time go??? I cannot believe this wee little one - born 5 weeks early at 5 lbs, 3 ozs., 19 1/2 inches long, is now 5'10" (at least!)..... She is a wonderful young woman, at the beginning of her journey. The song "Unwritten" is a perfect illustration of where she is in her life - blank page before her, the rest is still unwritten. I can't wait to see where she goes!

And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my wonderful sister in law, Sarah!

We were fortunate to be able to spend her birthday last year with her.... We are wishing her a very happy day today!