This is what it's all about...

Catching Up

2012-02-09T06:24:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year! Well since I last posted, Cameron has turned 14 and Kelsie 17. We bought a 3rd car...a very exciting experience as now Kelsie has transportation more readily available to her. Kind of makes me sad...I don't want her to be more independent from me...although I won't lie...yesterday morning it was awfully nice that she could take herself to school. She's a good girl though, I don't see her wanting to be gone from us all the time.

As for me...let's see...since I last posted, I've had surgery on my leg/hip to remove a hematoma-type thing that I got as a result of falling down the steps on 29 October; I've had an ultrasound scope/biopsy of what turned out to be a cyst in my stomach; a CT scan of my carotid arteries; an MRI of my head....hmmmm...is that all? Seems like so much more! Waiting on the results of my MRI. I will tell you that the Lord gave me peace while in the MRI. I sang praise songs and prayed during the 1.25 hours of the test. Not something I really want to do again, but thankful that I got through it pretty easily. If you have been praying for me through this junk, thank you so much.

Today is my dad's birthday -- my folks have been in FL for the past 5 weeks enjoying wonderful weather. Wish we could have gotten down there, but as you can see, we've been busy. Happy Birthday, Dad!

It's been great weather here too -- love when it stays in the 50s and 60s during Jan & Feb.

Happy 2012!

Merry Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T22:36:00.002-06:00

As I wait for Santa to arrive...actually, I think he already arrived ;-), I think back over the last year and wonder where the time has gone. Really not only 2011, but the past several years. Whoever said "time flies", really was right. What will 2012 hold, I wonder. Will it go as fast as 2011 did, and the year before that, and the year before that? My guess is yes. I've had some health struggles the past few months. I wish those times would fly on by - and sometimes I wonder, why those times don't seem to fly by quite as quickly as the good times. But through it all, I've been blessed. I pray in 2012 that I can be strong in the Lord, live in His plan and be a blessing as I have been blessed. I pray that my family and friends will experience His blessings and that the Lord will continue His hedge of protection around my kids. Merry Christmas Eve and Merry Christmas everyone.

My Worker Girl

2011-10-27T19:35:00.003-05:00

I am not sure why I have a picture of Kelsie's friend with her apron and bow tie on but not of Kelsie????

Going Red

2011-09-29T21:28:00.003-05:00

The blog is going "Red" in support of the Cardinals' post season participation! I will admit, I was SO done with them about 3 weeks ago. I couldn't help it. I was done! But, now I am back ;-)

In other news, let's see...my partner Ashley and I won our City Finals match a couple of weeks ago. I am now officially over-committed with tennis. And I'm tired.

Kelsie's job is still going well. Cam is playing his fair share of tennis...so is Kenny. Did I mention that I'm tired?

August....

2011-08-31T08:07:00.002-05:00

I have to have an August post! But, I didn't want to until I could post a picture of my new little worker girl in her Steak n Shake uniform. But alas, I am too lazy to find the camera card and the adapter, and....well you get the picture (no pun intended). Anyway that was the big news of the month, Kelsie got her first "real", non-babysitting job and she's doing great at it. I have had to pry her tip money out of her hot little hands so it can go into her bank account. She's made so much $$$, I'm thinking of quitting my job and becoming a Steak n Shake waitress myself ;-) I am very proud of how she has managed work, friends, and homework. They are working her to death, though, so we may need to make a few adjustments, we'll see. As August passes...happy September to us all.

Ft. Lauderdale

2011-07-20T12:15:00.007-05:00

We spent last week in Ft. Lauderdale. It was a great weather week, rained a little bit one late afternoon, but that was it. We had a good time with one exception. One of us was sick. Check the pictures out...who is missing? And now he's given the sickness to me...sore throat, etc. :-(, but...we press on. These are a few pix -- haven't uploaded all of them to the computer yet. Heather was able to fly to FLL and join us for most of the week, I think the girls really enjoyed themselves. And we got to see the Linn's in Miami, but I don't have those pix uploaded yet, except the one of Cameron quacking the quacker from the Ducks ride.

I'm Tired and Ready to Go Home

2011-06-07T21:51:00.003-05:00

Lots of driving, a graduation party, seeing good friends, more driving, more driving, work, more driving, a wedding, family, some stress, driving, work, more good friends, driving, work, driving, driving, home. I'm about in the middle of all of that right now. I'm tired. I am thankful for the Lord keeping me healthy and I'm thankful for my family and friends, safe travels, my job. Come Saturday, I'll be heading home. Here are a few pictures from my niece Shayna's wedding. She was a beautiful bride, it was a wonderful wedding.

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T17:08:00.002-05:00

This might be the best mother's day ever. Stay with me. I'm sitting in a hotel room on Base without my kids, my husband, my mother, all by myself. Sometimes on mother's day, I really wish for just peace and quiet. A nap. Some alone time. Today, this mother's day, I am getting just that. And what I miss most? My kids, my husband, my mom, my dad (who are at my house taking care of my family). So while I wonder why my plans didn't work out, to be home today, maybe I'm learning something...on those mother's days that I long for some peace and quiet, a nap, some alone time, while those aren't bad things, I should treasure the hub bub a little more ;-) - and learning that just might make this the best mother's day ever.

I hope my mom, my mother in law and all of the other moms who read my blog have a very happy mother's day -- no matter what you are doing today!

The Very Important Post!

2011-03-28T18:53:00.003-05:00

Kenny has finished his long awaited memoir and "You Can't Take the Bronx Out of My Dad" has been published!!! I am very proud of him -- this is a huge accomplishment. If you would like to check it out and purchase this soon to be best seller, visit his blog: http://www.kenhand.blogspot.com/ I have had a lot of feedback from friends and family who have already bought it and they can't stop laughing ;-) Let me know what you think.

The Long Awaited UPdate

2011-03-20T21:39:00.003-05:00

Ok, well...I've been planning a big post since last Saturday...I think it was Saturday when I was on the tennis court, taking a lesson and I did something I've never done before. I hit myself with my racket -- on my chin -- it brought tears to my eyes, it was the hardest hit forehand I've ever swung -- and there was my chin. It hurt really bad. Well, I put ice on it, it was totally black and blue the next day. So, knowing that I needed to update my blog, I had my husband, and both kids try and take pictures of my chin that would do the black and blue justice, but not make my neck/face look fat and not show up my nose. That was a difficult task all the way around. So, yesterday, I decide that I'll upload the picture....when much to my dismay, the picture card was missing from the camera. So, I'm wondering, was it missing when the pictures were taken and I'll need the cord to plug into the computer (which I don't know where that is), or is it on the card, which I don't know where that is. So, I gave up and here I am without a picture. Please take my word for it, it scared a lot of people this week when they saw me ;-)

So that's what's been going on around here. Now that I am back blogging -- please stay tuned...I"m going to have one more VERY IMPORTANT post, probably within the next 2 days ;-)

I MUST!

2011-03-11T13:44:00.001-06:00

I MUST update my blog! I MUST update my blog! I WILL update my blog....sooon!!!!!! Update coming soon....

Sweet 16

2011-02-12T20:35:00.005-06:00

Shockingly enough, my baby is 16. I know, everyone says, where does the time go? And they would be right -- I don't know where the last 16 years has gone. Here are a few pix from Kelsie's dinner at the Melting Pot and from her horse show. Kelsie Lyn Gardner Collins Hand, I'm proud to be your mom. I love you!

The picture above scares me! Who let these kids lose with weapons???

Nick tried to suck up the remaining chocolate with a straw! Why haven't I ever thought of that?

I haven't made rolled out sugar cookies in a long time -- but a sweet 16 deserves the best!

I Did Something Crazy Today

2011-01-15T19:13:00.003-06:00

For about 2.5 hours, I chipped ice off of a tennis court. Why? I wanted to play. I didn't think it was going to be all that hard -- it was, until someone brought a hammer. That actually worked pretty well. Of course I had to hammer with my left hand because I didn't want to overuse my right arm, had to save that for the match. We got the match in despite the fact that a river continued to run behind the baseline. I'm not sure about this whole tennis thing -- my mom's right, tennis players are worse than golfers. But we did win our match ;-)

Bizarre!

2011-01-11T17:42:00.003-06:00

Well, did you know that I guess Atlanta owns about 6 snow plows? I think Cumming owns ZERO. Also, I don't think they have access to salt either. I am mind boggled that 6 inches of snow and a little bit of sleet below and on top has brought the city to a stand still. Get this: I went out for some chili from Wendy's today -- it was closed! So were: McDonald's, Chik fil A, Burger King, Arby's, Steak n Shake, Chili's, Subway and everything else except Huddle House (I don't even know what that is), Starbucks and Walmart. I ended up at Walmart, but they didn't even have chicken made up. I left with some bologna, bread, chips, salsa, bagel bites and milk...the staples. I couldn't carry much because I was afraid of slipping and falling on the ICED PARKING LOT. There was no way to roll a cart out to the car. So, tomorrow is day 3 of the schools being closed -- will this ever end? Temps are not supposed to get above freezing until possibly Friday -- that's the only way that this stuff will go away -- without snow plows or salt, we just have to wait for the sun to burn it off. It's interesting. I grew up in the north, we would never stand for such craziness! ;-)

Never Before Published (by me) Pictures

2010-12-19T17:13:00.002-06:00

Since I haven't posted pix in awhile, thought I would put some random pix out here -- then I realized most of them are from Thanksgiving -- so not so random ;-)

Blogging

2010-12-15T21:36:00.003-06:00

I still think blogging is better than Facebook. Kelsie says that my blog is boring b/c I haven't been putting pictures up. Here is some randomness: It's been cold here -- much to my dismay. Tonight there is icing -- kids went to bed sure that school would be cancelled tomorrow -- only problem is that it's supposed to be 50 plus degrees tomorrow. So, they have delayed school start by 2 hours. They are not going to be happy campers when they find this out in the morning. More randomness: I was sick on Saturday so I did some online shopping for Christmas. I went out a bit today too, so I feel much better about all of that. What else? I spent about 2 hours on the Walgreens website tonight trying to make our Christmas card. I will see how it turned out tomorrow -- then, well, I will have to see if I actually address them and send them out. I did buy stamps, so I guess it's a step in the right direction. Thankful that my father-in-law is healing nicely from his stay in the hospital and in rehab. He's headed back home on Friday! Kelsie, hope I didn't bore you to death!

400

2010-11-14T10:22:00.003-06:00

The day came...this morning. The kids and I went to church (Kenny wasn't feeling well). After church, Kelsie had the car keys and wanted to drive home. As usual, we stopped at Donut Connection, that went pretty well considering the parking lot is crazy and getting thru the drive thru is a challenge because of how cramped it is. Then the realization hit -- in order to get home, we have to drive on 400. I figured, it's Sunday morning, traffic won't be bad, now is the time for me to get tough, bare down and let Kelsie get on 400. I was good until she tells me that I can't be eating my donut and drinking my milk, I need to pay attention to her. YIKES! So I stuffed the donut down (maybe a reason I need to drop about 20 lbs) and focused. She made a nice left onto the ramp; I looked over my shoulder to the left and the "no Sunday morning traffic" I had anticipated was not the reality...traffic everywhere. I tried to remain calm, and I did a darn good job of it -- here it came, here came the merging...whew, I'm home safe and sound.

October 26th...and more

2010-10-26T20:27:00.003-05:00

Today is my husband's birthday -- Happy Birthday Kenny! We've had a good night, hopefully he's had a good day. He's working with Cam now on the Amazing Science Cell Project -- thank goodness because this mother is not a science-project mother!

It's been an eventful October. Cam finished up Fall baseball, Kelsie started her riding show season this past Sunday - she placed first, so that was cool. Ruth & Heather came for a visit, we had a good time with them here. Kenny and I made it to the mixed doubles playoffs. We were supposed to have our first playoff match tonight, but we got rained out. My women's doubles team made it to the playoffs too, we have our first match this Saturday. So, I'm tired, but thankful for our good health and all of the activities. Oh, Ken and Cam went camping this past Saturday night -- they had such a great time that they are taking Kelsie and Laura this Saturday -- notice that one person is missing from the camping equation ;-)

October...BRRRRR!

2010-10-05T08:09:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's October and about 45 degrees outside -- this is crazy! Hopefully it will warm back up soon. I spent 10 days in STL, mostly working. Back home now and need to get back into a groove. I understand that my husband was interviewed for his book while I was away. Now there's only 1 problem with this book of his -- I am not mentioned once in it! I think this is going to really affect sales, so in the editing process, I expect some changes...so don't give up!

The big news: KELSIE HAS HER DRIVER'S PERMIT!

Seriously?

2010-09-06T18:37:00.004-05:00

Last week some friends met me at Lotawata Creek in Fairview Heights for dinner. It had been quite awhile since I had been there and I remember the portions being big, but this was crazy! Chris ordered some kind of burger with onion rings and this is what it looked like:

Check out how big the "toothpick" had to be to hold the thing together!

The steak I ordered was pretty "normal" sized, but the baked potato was humongous!

I'm Glad Today is About Over

2010-09-02T19:46:00.003-05:00

Can't believe it's September -- we have nearly 4 weeks of school under our belt and for the most part, it's going well. Of course I found it funny when I went to meet Cameron's teachers and one of them told me how she tells the kids that they're like a family and Cameron informed her that he's the "older good looking brother" of the family ;-) Gotta love it. If you are wondering, he gets that from his dad.

I've been in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area this week. Today was one of those days that I'm thankful when it's over -- I had to testify at a hearing today and it was a stressful day, pacing around waiting for my turn to be called. Thank the Lord He calmed me down once it was my turn and it all went well. I hope to sleep well tonight and head back home tomorrow.

The Klaus' are on their way to GA for the holiday weekend, we are very excited about that. My parents will leave and they will arrive -- I think the week at home has gone well which I am also thankful for. Happy September!

A Strange Happening and An Uneasy Feeling

2010-08-07T15:23:00.002-05:00

School starts on Monday, I can't believe the bulk of summer is over. The kids and I spent 5 days in IL visiting my family and I returned to something very strange. NO BLOG UPDATES from my husband detailing my closet, my cleaning lady, my car...it felt very strange.

Every year at this time, I feel a little "uneasy". Don't get me wrong, it's about time for the house to be quiet again during the day, but I am never quite ready for the busy routine to kick back in. Tuesday starts riding lessons again, Thursday starts piano lessons, I signed Cam up for Fall baseball today, and of course to and from school, checking parent portal and angel for homework/school happenings, I'm tired already. The summer has, as usual, been a really busy one, but the start of the school year can never really be duplicated...thank goodness!

Amelia...Part III (& Final)

2010-07-18T10:39:00.007-05:00

Ok, last set of pictures -- we had a really good week in the Amelia Island area. On Thursday, we did all of our non-beach activities. Took a boat ride around Cumberland Island, Ga, very interesting -- that's where we saw the wild horses roaming on the beach; then traveled to Jacksonville just for a bit, then on down to St. Augustine for the afternoon/evening.

Flagler College in St. Augustine.

I specifically turned this picture before posting, but it still posted wrong.

Most favorite picture of myself!

Waves got pretty big on Friday.

Swim time! It was a good trip, beach was very nice and less than 6 hours from the house!

Amelia...Part II

2010-07-17T08:00:00.005-05:00

Amelia Island

2010-07-12T09:35:00.006-05:00

We made it to Amelia Island on Saturday night...having fun so far...

Only the best for dinner -- Arte's Pizza was recommended by the ladies in the "Trailer Trash" store which Cameron found "intriguing". So, we went and found it -- a high class establishment you'll see...Kenny said, do you want to go in? Absolutley! So we did and they did have awesome pizza!

More to come...

July...

2010-07-08T07:52:00.003-05:00

2 days 'til we leave for Amelia Island! Cam is going to White Water Water Park today for a friend's bday; he went Airsoft Depot and swimming for a party yesterday. Kelsie went to the driving range with her golf team last night & needs to get back to her horse lessons -- we have been kind of lazy so far this summer with that. Kenny and I have tennis practice tonight. July is in full swing. Hopefully I will have some good pictures to post next week from Amelia Island.

What a Month!

2010-06-25T08:54:00.002-05:00

Started out 2 weeks in STL, with the kids the 1st week, then Cam went to my parent's house for an amazing week and Kelsie went to camp (more on that...) and I worked the 2nd week. Got to see friends and family and go to Rachael's wedding which was wonderful. Kelsie had a good week at camp, but came home w/o her suitcase. VERY long story short, her suitcase was loaded on a trailer of the wrong church and was FINALLY tracked down 2 days ago in Grapevine, TX. Hopefully it is either on its way home now, or will be very soon.

After getting back on June 13th, Cam started 2 weeks of basketball camp, Kelsie 1 week of golf camp. Kelsie then returned to STL on June 19th to work in VBS, will be back home tomorrow night; Cam finished bball camp last night. The 1st week the team practiced, this week they played 2 games each night in an UNAIRCONDITIONED gym - it's been 95 plus degrees all week, yuk!

Last Saturday I played in my 1st mixed doubles match of the season -- 3 hour, 3 set match in 94 degree heat, I thought I was going to be sick, but after 4 motrin, cold towels, drinks, I made it and we lost. But, it was still fun despite the heat and loss. And my partner was Matt King...see post below where Matt had a brain tumor removed and can you believe he is back on the tennis court playing amazingly? What a miracle!!!

This last week was a very sad week as a friend from work passed away after a long, courageous battle with cancer over the past year and Kenny's aunt Robbie also passed away after her long, courageous battle with cancer. I was so sad that I couldn't be in STL for Wanda's funeral. Ken and Cam left last night for Aunt Robbie's funeral, wish I could be with them too, but Kelsie comes home tomorrow night.

I will be heading back out on the courts in the morning for another match with a different partner. I do not like it when Kenny isn't there watching. Oh, I forgot, he had a singles match this week, he did not prevail, which is very surprising, he almost always wins. I coached him after the loss and I do not think he will ever lose again!

I think that's about it for June, at least I hope we don't have anything else going on. 2 weeks from today we leave on vacation -- Amelia Island FL. We haven't ever been to that part of FL before, I think we are all looking forward to it!

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T06:48:00.001-05:00

To my husband, my dad and my father-in-law, I hope you all have a great day!!!

Coal Mountain Raiders...Part II

2010-05-25T20:53:00.004-05:00

What a difference a night makes! Cam's team played for the tournament championship last night and it was a rough night, they ended up losing 7-6; but they got another shot at it tonight and they won big, 15-2! Cam had 3 rbi's and played 2nd base well. So, the spring season is over and we wait for the fall.

Coal Mountain Raiders

2010-05-16T08:27:00.002-05:00

Here are some pics from Cam's baseball team. Crazy enough, they played their last regular season game Thursday night. Playoffs start next weekend, then the season is over. I still find it crazy that baseball is over in May here...until Fall ball.

My Little Entreprenuer & Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T21:11:00.002-05:00

Cam & Logan opened their new business today, "Superior Lawncare"! They thought this up all on their own, created the flyer and got their first customer. I'm very proud of them!

And a very Happy Mother's Day to my mom and my mother-in-law. I hope you both have a wonderful day!

National Equestrian Champion!

2010-04-24T19:01:00.009-05:00

Kelsie is the Junior Varsity Horsemanship National Champion! She won today and it was so exciting! I was really happy for her. As I stood there waiting for them to call her number for a ribbon, I knew I was proud of her whether she placed or not. So, I was standing there, still not knowing a lot about this horse riding, thinking to myself, she looked great. The top 8 riders earned ribbons. They start with 8th place, 7th, 6th...I'm starting to get a little nervous, would they call her name or not??? The people around me thought she had a good ride, she might win! Yikes, I started getting more nervous, I guess for her b/c I knew she would be disappointed if she didn't place. 2nd place (they call that person the reserve champion)...still no "kelsie hand"...and then it happened....from Forsyth Central High School....I think they said...CHELSIE Hand...but I didn't care, Chelsie, Kelsie, it was still my girl and she was the Champion!!!!

Kelsie and her friend Anna at the beginning of the day.

I love this picture.

We had terrible weather -- storms moved thru the area -- they had to put the horses back in the barn because they are afraid of thunder. This is after the storm passed, the riders brought the horses back.

WINNER!!!

The riders are from all over the country, by the way!

This is Marcy...

Calling Dad and Cam!

Yes, I was emotional!!!!

Below, they have a parade of teams....

Fore!

2010-04-20T21:52:00.004-05:00

Kelsie finished her 1st season of high school golf today. It was a drizzly day on the course, but she prevailed. I am so proud of her and I think she even had fun, in addition to the joy she felt when she got to miss school. I did a horrible job of taking pictures, though -- I had an umbrella in one hand and the camera in the other, but you'll get the point.

And a note about the Cardinals: Vicky and the kids were here over the w/e. We came home on Saturday night, turned on the tv and they were probably in the 6th inning -- 5.5 hours later, they lost! What a killer!!!! But, they rebounded on Sunday night baseball and brought us a winner!

One side note: After the match today, I carried her clubs to the car from the clubhouse. I do not know how these kids haul those bags around on their backs, it's unbelievable.

Chicken Pox and Other Stuff

2010-04-15T08:19:00.003-05:00

Front yard renovations have been completed -- check it out below!

Vicky, Hannah and Andrew are coming to visit tonight!

Kelsie came home from Florida itching -- I took her to the doctor and she said it's a mild case of the chicken pox! Can that be? She had both of the shots. Well, I guess it can, but thankfully it is a mild case. After 2 days at home, I shipped her back to school today -- hopefully all went well.

Does she look sick???

Spring Break

2010-04-08T20:49:00.002-05:00

The kids are on spring break this week and it's flying by. Kelsie went to Sanibel Island last Friday with a friend and her family. They are headed back tomorrow. I think Kelsie is ready to come home. Could it be that she actually misses us? OR, could it be that the showers at the camp site they are at are just not as nice as the ones here at home? Hmmm.

Cam and I have been having some fun while daddy's been working. Monday we played the Par 3 course, Tuesday, Chuck E Cheese, today lunch at Fuddrucker's and tomorrow, well, we haven't planned that out yet.

Kenny and I are still playing tennis. It's been getting intense, but fun.

Vicky, Hannah and Andrew are coming for a visit next Thursday, we're excited about that.

Happy Birthday, Mom

2010-04-03T21:39:00.002-05:00

Wishing my mom a very happy birthday -- wish I was there to celebrate with you and have a piece of the new recipe birthday cake! Have a great day!

Please Consider Helping Matt King

2010-03-24T07:07:00.003-05:00

Hi -- friends of ours son, Matt King, was found unconscious last week in his apartment and has a brain tumor. Matt is 26 years old and does not have health insurance. The doctors put a shunt in his brain to drain the spinal fluid that had collected. His 10 hour surgery to remove as much of the tumor as possible is scheduled for April 6th. He has to pay the surgeon $8,000 up front by next week. Here is a link to his journey:

www.helpmattking.org

If you can help out by donating to his surgery, that would be great. Most importantly, though, would you please lift Matt and his family up in prayer, along with the doctors?

Thanks!

On to Nationals

2010-03-21T19:21:00.005-05:00

Kelsie and I are back from a weekend in Statesboro GA. She competed in the Zone 4 Western riding competition -- riders from 5 states met for the weekend about 4.5 hours from here. Kelsie rode in the Junior Varsity Beginner Horsemanship class because she earned enough points during the regular riding season to advance to Zones. She took 2nd in her class and the top 3 riders go on to the National Competition. Nationals are pretty close to home this year, yay! So we'll travel about 1.25 hours to Conyers on April 23rd (I think).

Kenny and Cam had a good weekend too. Kenny and his doubles partner won their match yesterday and Cameron's baseball team won too. The weather was perfect on Saturday, rain AGAIN today. I better check my husband's blog and see what trouble he was up to this weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2010-03-17T22:23:00.002-05:00

To my wonderful mother-in-law. I hope your day has been restful and special!!!

Time for a Quick Update

2010-03-10T21:58:00.002-06:00

I hope everyone is doing well out there! Just a quick update on what's going on here in GA. Kelsie had her first high school golf match last Saturday - 18 holes, wow, without a cart? You know I could NEVER do that, but Kelsie did and after a long day away, she came home with a really good attitude about the whole thing. She was the only one in her group who got a par. Kenny was in the gallery ;-) the whole day -- what a dad!

Zones for the Western high school equestrian team are about 4 hours from here in GA the weekend of March 19th, so we will be heading there.

Cam's baseball team has their first tournament this weekend, should be fun, if it stops raining.

The Kotlarczyk's are coming for a visit starting on Saturday, we are looking forward to that.

Kenny and I started playing "T2" mixed doubles. I don't have time right now to rant about our first match which was Tuesday night.

This Saturday, the ALTA men's doubles team starts their spring season and Sunday the women's ALTA doubles start. Kenny is scheduled to play, the women's schedule hasn't come out yet.

My brother Alan has been in and out of the emergency room the past few days; had some kind of a scope today that showed some ulcers, more tests tomorrow, would appreciate prayers for him.

That pretty much covers it for tonight. Happy March 10th (oh, Happy Anniversary to my parents tomorrow -- let's see...must be 55 years, is that possible?????)

Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Jamaica

2010-02-22T16:53:00.006-06:00

Here are some pix from the trip.

It was crazy for all of us getting to Miami, with the weather for my plane and mechanical problems for my sister's plane. They got to Miami at 1:30AM and I got there at 3:30AM; when we got to the hotel, they had one room left with 1 king bed...there were 4 of us who wanted to sleep...it wasn't pretty. One of the women trying to get to Miami from St. Louis didn't make it -- she had to fly into Cozumel on Monday.

Carnival Liberty...

Cozumel...

My sister snorkeling...

One of the pool areas...

One little snafu: the seas were too rough to tender near Georgetown Grand Cayman, so they took us to the other side of the island. It was a bit crazy getting off onto the tender boat, but it ended fine...we just missed out on some shopping in Georgetown...

My sister at stingray city, Grand Cayman -- see the stingray on her back?

Jamaica...Dunns River Falls. Kenny and I went here before we had the kids...I conquered it then, it was slippery, cold and dangerous then...

My sister, Cindy, Sharon...

Me....(I didn't feel a need to conquer it again, since it is still slippery, cold and dangerous...) so I was the official photographer...

Dolphin Cove, Jamaica...

Back on the ship....

On Friday, our last day, they announced that we had a medical emergency on board, so they cleared the front of the ship, waiting for the coast guard helicopter to come. It hovered above the ship and they lifted the person up and flew him/her to the Bahamas. All they told us was that it was life and death.

Breakfast the morning we left. We were about 2 hours late getting into Miami due to the medical emergency.

I'm Back....and Shoes

2010-02-21T19:39:00.003-06:00

I made it back safely from the cruise, had a great time with my sister and friends. I'll write more about that after I get myself back in order. But...for any of you who saw my husband's blog before he took it down (in an attempt to hide it from me)...I found the pictures and he left them out for me to see. I just want to say...first, those are not all my shoes. Second, I am on a mission to develop a blog post just for him. ;-)

Cruising

2010-02-11T22:32:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow night I am leaving for Miami to meet up with my sister and several of her friends -- there will be 8 of us women, if I am counting right. And then on Saturday we board the Carnival Liberty for our cruise. So have a happy week everyone and keep Kenny, the kids and my parents in your prayers -- and us girls too!

Kelsie Lyn Garnder Collins Hand

2010-02-05T17:58:00.001-06:00

Happy 15th birthday Kelsie. I love you!!!!

The Dinky Little Serve, Part II

2010-02-01T20:08:00.002-06:00

Ok, well, yesterday guess what? I won my first ever mixed doubles tennis match and the score was 6-3, 7-5!!! It was very exciting. Now I have to tell you that I had a different partner this time. Kenny, my normal partner, was moved up to "line 3", I remained at "line 5". Now, if you are like me, you have no idea what that means. Our team plays 5 matches each week, they are called lines 1-5, 1 having the best players, 5 having the less experienced (not worst) players. I brought Kenny down to line 5, but they had had enough of that and split us up and moved him to line 3, where he rightfully belongs. Anyway, the woman part of the team we played yesterday, had a less dinky serve than that other woman I wrote about, but it was still a little dinky. And... I started off doing the same thing yesterday, returning it once into the net and once hitting it out. So, I tried to remember what the line 3 player told me...just treat it like a volley and punch it back. It worked out pretty well. And, guess what? We won!!! Honestly the other team was a lot worse than the 2 other teams Kenny and I have played, so if we didn't win yesterday, that would have really been bad. But, it's still a win and I can now say I have tasted the thrill of victory ;-) Line 3 did not win yesterday, but they played well and it was a close match: 5-7, 5-7.

A Stone Goes Unturned

2010-01-25T07:22:00.003-06:00

In order to understand the context of this post, please, I refer you to my husband's post from last night. I submit to you that he may have focused in the wrong area. I submit to you that he left a stone unturned. I submit to you photos of my closet. Yes, it's a mess, and I have been meaning to dig into it, clean it, but so far I have not brought myself to it. I submit to you that maybe he should have started his cleaning rampage in there...

Look....closer....

No, closer!!!!

Closer...you are almost there....

Hmmm, it's a miracle!!!! Now, let's wait to hear his explanation for this....

Cameron James Richard Philip Hand

2010-01-22T06:15:00.003-06:00

Happy 12th Birthday, Cam. I love you!!!

The Dinky Little Serve

2010-01-18T21:14:00.002-06:00

It's late, I have a throbbing headache, but I must document this while it's fresh in my mind. Kenny and I played our 2nd mixed doubles match of the season tonight. Someone explain to me how another person can just dink their serve over the net and I cannot hit it back. I hit it into the net, I hit it over the baseline, I goofed, and goofed and goofed, all hitting the dinky little serve back. It should be illegal for an adult to even hit a dinky little serve. Because when we practice, we don't practice hitting dinky little serves back. So, they should be outlawed. If dinky little serves were outlawed I am sure that we would have won tonight AND we wouldn't have had to be on the court for 3 sets and 2.25 hours. So, to sum it up, my partner should fire me and dinky little serves should be outlawed. Thank you for listening.

Two Posts in One Day?!!?

2010-01-15T13:22:00.007-06:00

Shockingly enough, I received 2 e-mails today from people who actually read my blog! I think they both called me "slacker", so I'm doubling up today.

On Jan 4th, my sister turned the big 5-0. Since I was in town on New Year's Eve (barely over my sickness), we decided to kidnap her and have a little early celebration.

Now on to the kidnapping. Cameron may startle you when you see him. I promise it was just an air soft gun and I only let him put 2 or 3 pellets in it, in case she resisted. lol. Now, if my sister reads my blog, she will be upset that I posted these pictures. When she walked into my parent's house, she thought she was just coming over to play some games and spend the night. Upon her entrance, Shayna exclaims, "Why did you wear your pajamas!?" Of course my sister is wondering what the big deal was and why would Shayna care. And, by the way, why were we all dressed up? Anyway, here's how it went down.

We played a few party games - Larissa won the gumball guessing contest. Did you know there are 751 gumballs in those jars? I counted every one of them -- ;-) She guessed 750!

Everyone brought "50" of something -- 50 rolls of toilet paper; 50 paper clips; 50 twizzler sticks; 50 ounces of detergent; 50 1/2 dollars, etc etc.

Riding Western

2010-01-15T13:16:00.005-06:00

These are from last weekend's show; Kelsie and I got to go and it was a lot of fun, despite the cold temperatures. She had an English show on Saturday and 2 western shows on Sunday. She placed in all of them and they were much bigger show groups than normal. She got to wear her new western show shirt that she got for Christmas.

So Much Craziness!

2010-01-03T19:00:00.002-06:00

I must keep it short tonight. I'm tired. And achy. Today is Sunday, 3 Jan. Happy New Year. Following a nice Christmas, many people in IL got sick, including Kenny, then Cam, then Kels, then me. It was ugly. But, thank goodness, the sickness was short lived. I was tired. I was achy. It was crazy. Now onto today's craziness. Today/tonight Kenny and I played our 1st mixed doubles match. At match time (approx. 4:05pm) temperature was 30 degrees. By the time it was over, temperature was 25 degrees and the time was approx. 6:40pm. We had fun, I think, I was proud of how we played together, especially for our first time, we didn't win (6-4, 4-6, 4-6), but it was fun. ;-)

The Week in Review

2009-12-27T12:33:00.008-06:00

Snow was here when we arrived -- Cam and Devin made the most of it. Then it rained for 3 days and most of the snow went away. On Christmas it started snowing again...

We went to the Family Museum and had a lot of fun with the mirrors...

At the museum they had a special "showing" of these window displays that Petersen's had in their windows at Christmas when I was a kid -- I know I remember the little people sawing wood.

Chuck E Cheese on Christmas Eve...I ruled at basketball no matter what my husband says...

So, Santa was a little peeved I guess this year since two little munchkins forgot to leave out the milk, cookies and carrots this year...

Someone broke the pre-agreed-upon gift giving rules and gave me a new computer. I am very excited about it though!

I hope all of you guys had a great Christmas!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T21:29:00.002-06:00

Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly." John 10:10

December Update

2009-12-13T20:28:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone! I tried to update the blog while in Dayton last week, from my Ipod, but the title was all it would let me write. Anyway, it has been a busy month; Kelsie has had 3 horse shows, Cameron started basketball and of course there were midterms, etc. I spent last week in Dayton OH at a workshop, it was really cold there. Tomorrow, the kids and I are flying to my parent's house for Christmas. Kenny will meet us there on Christmas Eve. "Losing" 1 whole week being out of town before Christmas has kind of thrown me off schedule, but life goes on! I hope everyone has a great time celebrating Jesus' birth.

'Tis the Season

2009-12-04T22:37:00.002-06:00

I was hoping to post some Thanksgiving pictures tonight but for some reason the picture card and the computer are not cooperating with each other. Hopefully later.

Tonight was my first round robin tennis practice with my mixed doubles team! EEK! I was very nervous. Thank goodness Kenny was there to show me the ropes ;-) We had a good time -- even though I didn't even get to warm up!

Tomorrow Kelsie has a horse show. Temperatures are supposed to warm to 40 -- 40, can that be considered warm? Not to me. It's going to be freezing in the morning.

The Christmas tree is up. The nativity is not...yet...hopefully tomorrow.

It's going to be a very busy December...I ordered Christmas cards tonight and will pick them up from Walgreens in the morning. I miss being able to get the kids' pictures taken at Elizabeth Ann Photography and order the cards from Julie, but hopefully these will turn out ok.

How Many Modes of Transportation Can 3 Women Take in an 11.5 Hour Period?

2009-11-15T19:57:00.004-06:00

Rhonda and Sherri came to visit last weekend and yes we had an adventurous day on Saturday. We started out at a craft fair in Cumming and then headed to Roswell's shopping district...

Loved this one store especially, it was a shop where everything was made out of recycled stuff (ok, I am not a recycler but the stuff in the store was great). Then we had lunch at the Salt Factory, yum. Now, all of this was done by car.

While driving down to Buckhead, there was a sign over the road alerting us to an accident up ahead, 3 right lanes were going to be closed. Sure enough, at about exit 5 (Kenny's work exit) the traffic backed up. I had this bright idea that we would just exit and hop on the MARTA and head to Buckhead....so that's what we did.

Only one small detail that I hadn't thought about. Where will the MARTA take us in Buckhead and if it's not in the middle of shopping or restaurants what are we going to do w/o a car??? Well, sure enough, it let us off in the middle of a bunch of tall buildings and no shops/restaurants.

So, after asking a few people on the street, where are the shops, etc, we hopped in a cab and took it about 10-15 mins away to Virginia Highlands. Never heard of it before, but we found some shops, etc.

Now, as evening approaches, how are we going to get back to the MARTA and to our car??? Guess we'll have to take a bus to the train station -- so we did.

Got to the train station safely and after realizing the first train we boarded was not going our way, we de-boarded just in time to successfully get on the right train which took us to the station we left the car at. But, we weren't done. Back in the car, to exit 8 for some dinner before heading back home.

On Sunday after church, we even squeezed in a trip to Dahlonega. Had a short time there, but still it was nice. The weather was beautiful all weekend. I hope they come back for another visit so I can try and top the adventure we had this time.

Kelsie's 1st Horse Show of the Season

2009-11-01T19:46:00.003-06:00

It was a long day, but the weather was beautiful and Kelsie took home a 3rd place ribbon in her division, which is really great!

The Bronx Hand's Come to Georgia

2009-10-31T14:43:00.006-05:00

Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Gena and Uncle Philip came to visit last week and we had a great time. We traveled north to Dahlonega one day...

Kenny bothered his brother so much that one night Philip left with a headache!

Check Cameron out in the background...

Cameron had a ballgame on Monday night, it was nice having such a great cheering section...

Aunt Gena discovered something this trip -- the Ipod Touch. ;-) Boogie Fever and Leif Garrett came back to life.

Monday night, after the ballgame, we celebrated Kenny's birthday.

I took this picture looking out one of the windows in my office -- the picture doesn't do it justice, but the leaves are so pretty out there. We had a great visit, can't wait until the next one.

For My Husband...

2009-10-25T20:37:00.000-05:00

Enjoying the Signs

2009-10-23T22:40:00.003-05:00

Thanks Anne!

I Needed This Today

2009-10-19T13:26:00.001-05:00

Homecoming 2009

2009-10-17T17:56:00.002-05:00

All phases of homecoming preparation have been completed. Kelsie is at the dance now. Here are some pix.

Dropped Fly Ball

2009-10-09T11:48:00.002-05:00

Was it lost in the lights? I don't know and honestly at this point I don't care. Last night was one of the worst baseball nights of my life. No, I will not give up, but when your 2 ace pitchers don't win their games, you know it is not a good sign. Come on Cardinals!!!!!

October

2009-10-04T15:30:00.004-05:00

Happy October -- for those of us who work for your Federal Government, it is FY10 (fiscal year 2010), can't believe it. We are in full swing here -- it's the last day of the regular major league baseball season, which always brings with it a sort of sadness for me. Thankfully the post season starts Wednesday for the Cardinals. I am nervous about it since we did not finish too strong.

Cameron's fall baseball is in full swing with the rain finally allowing him to get in 2 games this past week. Watch out next week, 4 games in 4 days as they are trying to make up the rainouts. Obviously I haven't gotten any good pics yet this fall of him, since I am posting this one:

Believe it or not, this is a weed pulled out of the crazy Georgia landscaping when my parents were here.

Here's Cam just taking a random pic of himself. Kelsie spent this past weekend in Jasper, GA (I think) on a youth retreat with her Church group. She has homecoming in 2 weeks and Grandma and Grandpa Hand, Aunt Gena and Uncle Philip are coming for a visit, we are very excited.

And last, but certainly not least, my husband has taken up tennis. If you have seen his blog you already know this, but thought I would post one pic -- I have done a terrible job of filming him -- I think it's b/c the sun is beating down every time I try and take a picture. I have been helping him practice and who knows, I might join a team in the spring.

LET'S GO CARDINALS!!!!

Happy Birthday Dad Hand!!!

2009-09-27T16:56:00.003-05:00

Looking forward to your trip out here in October -- if you didn't receive your card...you know who to contact ;-) Hope you have a great day!

I'm Going to Go Crazy!!!

2009-09-26T20:35:00.001-05:00

Would the Cardinals clinch already?

And the Rain, Rain, Rain Came Down, Down, Down

2009-09-21T19:42:00.004-05:00

UPDATE #2 (Saturday, 26 Sep): Raining again all day. Hopefully the Cardinals will clinch tonight!

Well, my parents got here a week ago tonight and it's rained every single day since they got here. And it hasn't just sprinkled, it has poured and poured and poured. The flooding has gotten so bad that most of the schools are closed tomorrow, including Cam and Kelsie's. Our creek in the back of the house has become a mini-river, but not causing any problems. So, my folks are tired of waiting for the sun and are heading out tomorrow. Only problem is, I think they are heading back to rain at home. Hopefully they will time it right and at least see some sun as they drive.

UPDATE #1: THE SUN IS OUT TODAY (Tuesday); of course my parents left this morning.

Relax the Back, Karo Syrup Bars, & the Family Room Revisited

2009-09-19T16:03:00.005-05:00

Nita came to ATL last weekend and I took her to the hottest tourist attraction in the area -- the Relax the Back Store. Who knew? This place is amazing! I don't have neck or back issues, but I still loved it. We went there in search of a pillow to help Nita's neck problems and what we got were neck exercises, zero gravity chairs, massages, a neck traction thing, and of course the pillow when it was all said and done. I was so impressed with this place I took my parents there this week too. I about killed my mom by putting her in the massage chair -- oops! So, if you come and visit us, beware!!!

You wouldn't believe the kind of contraptions they had in this store for people with neck/back problems. Normally I would not want to post the picture above, but to be fair, I am posting it so I can post the one below ;-) CUTE and captures our field trip.

After we were relaxed, on to the karo syrup bars, Nita's speciality.

Long story, but let's just say that now we can see our fireplace -- we moved the tv and flipped the furniture and much to my surprise, I love it! The room seems so much bigger and it just works so much better. Nita visualized it and made it happen!!!! ;-)

September 11th

2009-09-11T17:40:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe it's been 8 years. Let's remember all of those who were killed that day and all of the families that were affected. Also, pray for the men and women who wear the uniform today and our leaders. I hope that we continue as a country to strive to protect our country from evil.

Pool, Party, Picnic, Pit

2009-09-08T09:47:00.005-05:00

We spent Saturday-Monday in Nashville with friends. Here are a few pix:

Amanda's birthday was Saturday so we helped her celebrate:

The Residence Inn had a nice pavilion with BBQ's so we had a little picnic on Sunday:

Sunday night we played Pit until the wee hours of the night ;-) Some people got out of control ringing the bell which brought the hotel staff to the front desk looking for customers quite a few times ;-)

Oh golf was involved, but since I wasn't invited to play, you will have to check out Kenny's blog for those pix!

Mashed Potato(e)s!!!

2009-09-01T17:11:00.004-05:00

First of all, I can never remember how to spell that word - didn't Dan Quayle get crucified b/c he didn't know how to spell it? In his honor, I refuse to use spell check.

Anyway, on to the the huge news of today. I know it will shock some of you and embarass my mother (mom, it really isn't your fault - I'm lazy), but I am telling you right now, I, me, mwa, made mashed potato(e)s for the first time ever tonight -- the first time ever on my own from start to finish. Yes, I have run the mixer for my mom before, etc, but I never thought I could make them like my mom, so why in the world bother? But, Kelsie has been asking me to make these hamburgers with gravy that Vicky makes so when I was talking to Vicky yesterday, I finally remembered to ask her about these hamburger things. So she told me how to make that and said she makes mashed potato(e)s with them. There was my dillema. Do I make the special burgers and pull out a bag of pretzels or chips to go with them? That didn't seem right. So, I broke down and did it. And, if I do say so myself...YUM! And, since Kelsie said my blog is getting boring with no pictures, I pulled out the camera and took a picture of the food -- believe me, these pix do not do them justice (lol)!!!

Losing Your Religion

2009-08-30T11:05:00.002-05:00

One of the most powerful messages I have ever heard, I heard this morning. I know, I know, occasionally I suggest you watch a message from my church. But today, I really, really, really wish you would watch this.

Tonight at 6PM eastern, 5PM central, our church broacasts live online here:

http://northpointonline.tv/

It's about an hour, I know, that's a long time, but I really hope you can do it. You will love the music, I promise and the message...well, like I said it's powerful.

If you can't make it at 6/5 central, then probably tomorrow it will be up on the normal Browns Bridge link at the right side. You won't regret it.

Kelsie Goes to St. Louis

2009-08-29T08:46:00.004-05:00

Kelsie had the opportunity to go to STL last night to help her friend Hannah celebrate her 15th birthday. Her flight left at 5:40pm, so...I picked her up from school at 2:30 and decided that since traffic would likely be bad on the way back from the airport, we would drive to the MARTA train station, leave the car there, take the train to the airport. We had a few adventures...sitting on the train, waiting for it to pull away, Kelsie realized she left her phone in the car (this after she did not bring the cell phone charger and we went back home to get that!). So, we got off the train, went back to the car, back to the train, waited again...got to the airport, security line was HORRIBLE...ran to the gate and with 3 minutes until they closed the door of the plane, she boarded. Whew! Time for me to head back to the car on the MARTA. Well, I guess it was a good idea despite the fact that Kelsie arrived in STL at the same time I was walking in the door to my house -- CRAZY!

More details as they emerge....

NEW DETAIL: Ok, couldn't say anything until Hannah knew...the girls are going to the American Idol concert tonight! They are very excited. Vicky had gotten the tickets and invited Kelsie to come to go with Hannah for her bday!

Cardinal Update

2009-08-25T21:42:00.002-05:00

In case you haven't been paying attention, the STL Cardinals have a 14 game winner and as of tonight, a 15 game winner!!! Both with ERAs under 3.00. Carpenter and Wainwright are all over it and making this season exciting. Ok, yes, Albert-O and Holliday, among others have been holding their own as well.

Happy Birthday, Jenny!

2009-08-22T01:19:00.000-05:00

NEW YORK CITY! Please, We Need Your Help!

2009-08-19T16:31:00.005-05:00

So, how is everyone? We have actually had a pretty quiet week, and I am not complaining. Until baseball starts again in a couple of weeks, horse starts back up and AWANA gets into full swing, it's pretty quiet. Yay! So, I have no new pix to post, no new REAL news to share. But, I have a friend traveling to NYC this weekend and she wants me to post. So, I am posting...anyone out there want to share their ideas for her trip? What does she HAVE to see while in NYC for a long weekend?

All is well with the kids and school. Well, as far as I know! Socially, everything is going smoothly. Until I see the first report card I probably won't know how things are going academically, if you know what I mean! :-)

1st Day of School and the Weekend

2009-08-10T17:40:00.003-05:00

The kids came home from their first day of school with good reports -- Praise the Lord! I failed to get their annual "sleeping before getting up for the 1st day of school" picture, they were both up way earlier than I was. But Kelsie got her own picture and I got one of them together before heading off for the day.

ZOO ATLANTA/CYCLORAMA:

We had a fun day on Saturday with our STL friends the Linn's -- we went to the Zoo and to the Cyclorama. Even for those of us (me) who are not that into history, the Cyclorama was a really cool place!

Cameron and Kenny debating the Civil War with the reenact-er. Go to Kenny's blog for that discussion, it's over my head, I have no idea what they were talking about ;-)

Cam really loved the whole Civil War thing!

After that, we had pizza at Fellini's in Buckhead, it was a first class restaurant... ;-) let's just say my mom would have been blotting up that grease on the pizza with stacks of napkins -- it was tasty though.

Happy Birthday Devin!

2009-08-08T16:40:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that you are 12! Have a great day! We miss you!

Braces and a Breakthrough

2009-08-06T17:49:00.002-05:00

Yes, yesterday was a big day here -- Kelsie got her braces on. But something else happened which was as significant, maybe even huger (is that a word?). You may not know this, but Kelsie has taken no medicine, zero, zip, nada since she was about 6 years old. Thankfully she is a very healthy person, but over the years she has gotten a few ear infections and has not taken anything for them -- she always gets over them on her own. But yesterday, her pain tolerance I guess met its match. She took 2 MOTRIN! And, 2 more today! I cannot tell you how huge this is. Now as far as the braces go...she looks mahvelous!

Before:

After:

Home

2009-08-02T17:16:00.009-05:00

I was thinking as I was flying Wed night that I have 3 "homes" now. Home is in Cumming GA now, home is in STL where I spent 20 years and home is where I grew up in northern IL. So, the kids and I headed to my first home last Wednesday night. We've had a great time so far -- they are running me ragged here - my mom says it's me running them ragged, but you know who's telling the truth. Here are a few (ok, a lot) pictures of what we have been up to.

The kids and I went golfing with my dad on Thursday morning -- after all was said and done, we had a fun time.

STAND BY FOR THE MOST AWESOME-EST FOOD EVER. To all of those people who say I am a picky eater, take this -- SALMON CAKES, made by my mom of course. You cannot eat just one.

We saw my sister, Shayna and Brant play softball...

Oh crud! I thought that was my sister batting when I added the picture, but now see it's Shayna. Bummer (no offense Shayna, but I wanted one of you and one of your mom here).

Of course when I come home I must visit favorite pizza place Happy Joe's. The whole crew (almost) went and we took over the place. Did you know that my dad and his groupies used to come here EVERY DAY for lunch back before he retired. Well, shockingly enough, one of his groupies (Keith) happened in last Friday when we were there. He tried to turn around and leave when he saw the mess of people in there, but it was too late, we already had spotted him.

We went to the Niabi Zoo. I haven't been there since I was a kid and they have transformed the place, it's awesome.

On Saturday we went to Michael's fun world -- at first I thought it was going to be "rinky-dink" but we had a really good time. Trampoline basketball was great!

The jousting people got a little out of control.

Brant at the batting cages. He started out with slow pitch, but we forced him to step into the big time -- 40 MPH and he was pretty impressive -- lol -- wait til he reads this, I'm sure he'll straighten the story out.

We went on a picnic on Saturday night; Dora's daughter is here from Brazil, so we got to meet here, then Sunday afternoon we went to Alan and Dora's for a swim. The water was like ice b/c it hasn't been all that warm here in the evening, so there were some antics getting people into the water.

Last but not least - we have been PATIENTLY waiting for Jen to have her baby -- it's really getting out of control. She was due last Monday. If this baby doesn't show before we leave on Tuesday night, there is going to be some real trouble!!!! Come on baby Makenna or Cadence!!!!

Happy Anniversary Dahling...

2009-07-27T16:59:00.001-05:00

Happy Pinning Day, Anne!!!

2009-07-25T08:28:00.004-05:00

A special shout-out today to my friend Anne in STL. Today she has her pinning on ceremony at Florissant Valley Community College - she completed the Deaf Communications Studies, Interpreter Education program. Anne and I started learning to sign Sunday nights at church quite a few years ago now. (Thanks to our interpreter friends for getting us started and working with us all of those Sunday nights.) I am so proud of her; she decided to go to Flo Valley for their formal program and although she works full time and has a family, she was determined to do this and here she is today. I had the opportunity in June when I was in STL to go to the Flo Valley drama department production that Anne and a classmate were interpreting -- impressive.

So, congratulations Anne!!! You did it!!!! May God continue to use you in this field. Wish I was there to see you get pinned today!!!

Everything Else (besides the warm chocolate melting cake)

2009-07-20T17:27:00.007-05:00

First, let me say, my husband has the rest of the story on his blog...I could only include so many pix here (I know, the mind is boggled that there could possibly be more)!

I nearly got my camera taken away for taking the picture above. They started yelling at me saying no pictures in the terminal!!!

As for the 2 pix below: I like to keep my eyes open for famous or infamous people when I am out and about. I noticed the person below, even though I have only seen her show once or twice (when the Klaus' visited, and she really annoyed me)!

Cameron averaged approximately 8.5 ice cream cones per day.

Ask my husband about his artwork below.

Formal night:

1st excursion day in Cozumel, we met up with a friend.

People: I am posting this just in case I ever need to use it -- he says it's innocent and he has never seen this woman before. But, just in case, I have it documented!!!

For me, shore snorkeling may be the only snorkeling left in my future. I got sick on the high seas in Playa del Carmen. Before we did that, though, we went ATV-ing and yes, mother, I did go too.

Ok, I was scared, but once I got the hang of it, it was fun. Now that I have conquered this, I am ready to try the tubing in Helen, GA again. 1/2 way thru, we stopped at this freshwater "cenote". It was really beautiful -- water was...brrrrr!

Summing it up

2009-07-19T16:43:00.003-05:00

If I post nothing else from the cruise, this is enough (ok, I know I will post more, but I have to get this out!). This one thing will sway me toward a Carnival Cruise in the future. If it's between Carnival and another cruise line, this one seemingly little thing, will make me choose Carnival...

A Carnival exclusive: Warm Chocolate Melting Cake with a side of vanilla ice cream!

Holiday

2009-07-12T22:24:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow we set sail on Carnival's Holiday ship from Mobile AL. We have to be up at the crack of dawn (which is not one of my strong points) for the drive down there. I hope all of you guys have a great week, we are looking forward to ours.

PS: I cannot believe I scheduled a vacation during the All Star Game especially since it's in STL. However, I shall DVR the game and more importantly the home run derby -- go Albert-o (el hombre)!!!

Golf Camp

2009-07-10T16:30:00.003-05:00

At the beginning of the week, the kids couldn't wait to go to golf camp. Ok, so that's not really true. Cameron was excited about it, I will leave it at that...however, I think it is safe to say that when they left today, they were both happy about their week.

Cameron said he thinks his putting and chipping really improved. Kelsie was hitting the ball 200 yards (with some roll) off of the tee -- it was really something to see. Watch out grandpas, the grandkids are on the move!

The Beach

2009-07-01T20:06:00.003-05:00

We didn't make it to Myrtle Beach this summer, but hey, we have a nice little beach closer to home. This is the Lake Lanier Beach & Waterpark. I didn't get any pix of the waterpark because I was too busy riding all of the slides...haha! But the kids loved the slides and Cam thinks we need a season pass. I did make it to the wave pool but stayed a safe distance from the "knock me over" waves.

Are these people cute or what? And guess what? They are real people that I am actually friends with. I opted to post real people this time as opposed to those on the promotional website like I had to do with the tubing pix!

More real people that I actually know!

It Started Out as a Good Idea

2009-06-29T17:48:00.004-05:00

I honestly cannot believe my husband has not posted about this event yet. We went to Helen GA last fall when the Hand's were in town. We had a nice fall afternoon there. Recently I heard from friends that they have tubing on the river there. I went to their webpage and when you see the pix below you will see that it looks harmless. Children as young as 3 tube "the hooch" without incident. However the hooch had never met me before. Check these pix out from the webpage:

Please, look close. In ANY of these pictures do you see one DANGEROUS boulder sticking out ready to bang me in the head? In ANY of these pictures, do you see any sliding rock falls that would tip me over and drown my head under the frigid waters? Do you see...well, you get the idea. I say false advertising and my husband says, "stay home next time or don't hook on to my tube".

This was our group when I was happy, BEFORE getting into the dreaded waters!

And then we had to say goodbye on Friday morning. I begged them to stay, but....

Six Flags over Georgia

2009-06-28T11:39:00.003-05:00

Lake Lanier - the next adventure

2009-06-23T20:43:00.006-05:00

Monday we went to Lake Lanier. Thanks to a friend we were able to get a nice discount, which made it even nicer. The weather was questionable on our drive out there. However, Ron insisted that we continue with our plans as there was no possibility that the weather would get bad -- he was very optimistic (lol).

Great fun was had by all for about 2 hours, then the weather did turn ugly and we headed for shore.

The picture above is for my dad.

Rock On!

2009-06-23T20:26:00.002-05:00

We spent Father's Day night in Alpharetta, GA at the amphitheater -- Rocking to .38 Special, REO Speedwagon (anyone know why they are named that?) and Styx. Of course these bands were well before my time, but my older husband wanted to go. We had to drag Ron & Vicky out of the place after it was over, they loved it!!!

We let Ron take a few more puffs before we reminded him of the no smoking policy.

"Keep on Rollin', Keep on Rollin', oh, oh, Keep on Rollin'" REO.

Right away we spotted this Mike K look-alike! It was crazy!!!! This is what Mike looks like on vacation.

Poole's Mill Bridge Park

2009-06-23T09:12:00.003-05:00

20 minutes from our house -- who knew? This is a beautiful park, even though the rocks are slippery and I am a wimp. There was even a church group having baptisms there! The rock "waterslides" were so cool; I didn't even see the 1/2 of it, Kenny and Ron and several of the kids explored down around the bend and I guess it went pretty far.

More fun to come....

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T23:13:00.002-05:00

It's late in the day, but still wanted to wish my husband, my dad and my father-in-law Happy Father's Day. I hope you all had a great day. Thank you for being wonderful husbands, fathers and grandfathers!

Happy Birthday Shout Outs - You Asked for It!

2009-06-20T12:57:00.004-05:00

Several June birthdays: Shayna - today! Philip; Kyle; Alison; Brant

Happy Birthday everyone!

By Demand: A Happy Birthday Song: (5 bucks to anyone who can figure out what in the world the cat is saying at the end of the song)

Kelsie at Vacation Bible School

2009-06-15T20:49:00.004-05:00

A friend sent these great pictures to me tonight of Kelsie at VBS.

Kelsie is in the front row, middle.

Thanks for the pictures Natalie - it helps seeing what Kelsie is up to!

The First 2 Weeks in June

2009-06-13T19:18:00.006-05:00

It's been a busy 2 weeks in the St. Louis area. Cam and I are in Murfreesboro, TN tonight, on our way back to GA. I am pooped and ready to get back home. We miss daddy!!! Kelsie is staying one more week; she wanted to work in VBS. Thanks to Mrs. Ruth and family for taking care of her this week. The pictures are pretty much in reverse order, but I'm too tired tonight to rearrange, and I am the only one who would care anyway. This is pretty much the first week since I worked the 2nd week and didn't bring the camera with me.

January Wabash pool.

At Devin's baseball game. Cam & Devin headed to my parent's house for the 2nd week. I hope I can get Cam's pictures off of his phone so I can post those -- they had an unbelievable week in the Quad Cities. Skating, bowling, Lagomarcino's (yum), Country Style (double yum), Backwater Gamblers, the zoo, Subway, walks in the neighborhood, softball games, movie, Cam played the piano at church, basketball, and more! Good thing I didn't go up there, I really would have been pooped!

KelsEY is driving???? KelsIE had to take a spin around the parking lot as a passenger, they grow up so fast; pretty soon it will be KelsIE behind the wheel.

We miss Janet and KelsEY.

We got to see the Mustangs play!

Love these Mustang Moms!!!!

At the Woods' pool!

Noah's birthday party at the new Hazelwood pool -- see those cupcakes? The were DELICIOUS!

Our "Teacher of the Year". I can't say enough about this teacher -- she made the school year for Cam!

Kelsie Starts a Blog

2009-05-31T19:50:00.003-05:00

Kelsie would like me to promote her new blog -- she would like some readers/comments, so check it out!

http://wildvolybalchick.blogspot.com/

Can You Ever Really Get Enough Baseball?

2009-05-29T16:17:00.002-05:00

I know, I already posted some baseball pix of Cam, but these are new shots taken by one of the other parents. Cam playing 2nd base and at the plate. I especially like the 3rd picture where he was backing up 1st base -- he is very good at being where he should be.

Catching Up

2009-05-25T20:33:00.015-05:00

Cam's spring baseball season is over -- he had a great team, wonderful coaches, I hated to see it end. Cameron made some real progress with his hitting and fielding this season.
Here is the result of the great dress debate. Kelsie wore the purple dress with a sweater. I took tickets that night and she was by far covered up more than a lot of girls. The black dress was still my favorite.

I finished working my 15th year in AWANA. We had a lively group of 3rd graders and it was a great year. God certainly blessed me with my co-worker -- I think I said in the beginning of the year that she is a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing at one of the high schools -- How cool of God to hook me up with someone who I can sign with?! And what a wonderful person she is.

Cameron received his award for finishing a book earlier in the AWANA year -- he received his award from the Pastor of 1st Redeemer.

On to the last week of school -- the 5th graders had a picnic after school on Monday --

This was last Friday, graduation day....

The recessional...

Celebrations started....

Cameron with his friend Hunter...if I could bottle up all of the energy here...WOW -- I wouldn't have to sleep for a year!

We decorated the 5th grade hall with photos of the graduates...

The weather was not that great, but the kids still got together at one of the neighborhood pools for a cookout after school. Thanks Norval, we had a great time and the food was delish!

No Longer

2009-05-22T20:45:00.003-05:00

No longer a 5th grader; No longer an 8th grader. Today was the last day of school -- I will try and get pix up this weekend. We are traveling to Nashville tomorrow morning to meet some friends from STL - we are looking forward to that too.