Coastal Trip Day 5

 So our 5th day of our venture had us waking up in Hilton Head. We woke up to some stormy weather. Austin and the kids decided they would go ahead though and try to beat the rain and get out to the pool and beach. Austin had also rented us chairs. We had a lot of laundry already by this point of the trip so since it was raining I decided I would go ahead and do our laundry while they swam and played. We also just had a light breakfast in the room of breakfast and granola bars. Well Austin and the kids helped get me set up in the laundry room and I had my book and phone and was pretty content. Well lightening chased them in about an hour later. So the kids went back to the room to get cleaned up and Austin sat with me while we waited on the clothes to dry. Once we got it all done we brought everything back to the room and organized it. Since the rain wasn't letting up we decided it would be a good time to go grab lunch. So we all got dressed and ready. We ended up at Zaxby's. We didn't think the lobby was open so we brought it back to the hotel. This actually ended up being a sweet memory. We ate our chicken on the balcony and just enjoyed being together. After lunch it had cleared off enough I knew we all needed to get out and enjoy the beach chairs. I decided I wasn't going to put on my swimsuit so I just went out in my shorts and raincoat. It was actually really cool so I was happy to have my jacket with me. The kids had the best time playing though. Austin and I were able to just sit and watch them. We stayed out there a couple hours. It was nice because hardly anyone else was out. The weather did start to get better so more people were coming out, but still not crowded at all. They decided they wanted to rent bikes and ride along the beach. During this part I decided I would go back up to the room. I needed to finish organizing the laundry. So I mostly sat out on the balcony and read my book. Sometimes on vacation I just enjoy the quiet time. The got back upstairs about an hour or so later. We rested and got cleaned up for dinner. We decided to go to Salty Dog. It seemed like a very family friendly place. We got there and it was super busy and crowded, but the weather was nice and they had a lot of waiting space. We had told them first available for seating. We went into the shops and got a few souvenirs then we just sat at a table and enjoyed the atmosphere. We ended up waiting about an hour I believe. Our table was outside near the water and the singer they had. It was super nice. We had the best time and the food was really good too. After dinner we decided to go play putt-putt. We found this cute, family owned putt-putt place. It was super busy though so it took us about 3 hours to finish. We were 10 that night getting back to the hotel. It was fun though. We were all ready for bed that night though! 

Coastal Trip Day 4

 So our 4th day of this venture we were able to sleep in a bit again. We found a breakfast place near our hotel we wanted to try. We walked there and had a delicious breakfast. I had a fried chicken biscuit. We enjoyed that then we walked around the City Market for a bit before heading back to our hotel to pack up and continue our journey to Hilton Head. We knew we would most likely skip lunch after having a big breakfast. The drive to Hilton Head was only about an hour and was a nice scenic drive through the South Carolina country. We arrived in Hilton Head around 12. We stopped at a McDonald's b/c I desperately needed coffee. I had had a mimosa with my breakfast and was dragging a bit. We got to the hotel and of course our room wasn't ready. We walked the grounds for a bit and tried to get a lay of the land. The kids and Austin went ahead to change into swimsuits. I didn't...1) I was on my period and 2) I wasn't crazy about changing in a public bathroom and dragging my clothes around. Anyway we tried to head out and find me a place to sit, but there were no chairs to be found on the beach or by the pool. I finally decided to just wait in the lobby and told them to go have fun. I had my book and iced coffee. I also ended up texting back and forth with Wendy a bit. I was perfectly fine. Finally after they swam/played for about and hour and a half they came back to check on me and our room was ready. I had decided that we should go eat a mid-afternoon meal then come back and swim when the pool was less crowded. We got up to our room and it was so nice. It was plenty spacious and had a balcony. Also since it was a Sonesta they left us treats when we got there. We dug into the fruit and cheese right away. We then headed out to find this place Hudson's we had heard about. We got there around 4. There was already a line. We found out they closed between lunch/dinner, but we decided to wait it out. They would open back up at 4:30. Once they opened we walked right in. We really enjoyed our meal and the scenery. It was a great experience. Afterwards we drove back to the hotel for some more beach/pool time. We went to the beach first. It was super windy by that point and the beach had cleared out a lot. I just sat on a towel and read my book. We did that for about an hour before they decided to go swim in the pool. I sat contentedly by the pool too. We finally went up to our room and everyone got cleaned up and ready for bed. It was a great day. I hated the homeless feeling, but overall it was a wonderful day! 

Coastal Trip Day 3

So Sunday was our first full day of our trip that we weren't traveling. We slept in a bit.  We knew the first thing we wanted to do was catch a Trolley Ride. We first had breakfast in the van. We had packed a lot of snacks and breakfast bars to get us through the many days away. I wasn't crazy about eating 3 meals out a day for 10 days. So we had our little breakfast bars and then we ran in McDonald's for some coffee. We then made our way back to the hotel so we could purchase trolley tickets. It worked out amazingly well b/c by the time we purchased our tickets within 5 minutes the trolley was pulling up. We picked up a few more passengers from various hotels then it brought us to the Visitor Center to catch another Trolley. This one would take us on an hour and a half ride through the city. It was nice to just sit back and enjoy the sights. I will say it was a tad long though...Lindsay was definitely over it by the time we got off. I thoroughly enjoyed it though and I think Colby and Austin did too. The last stop was by the River so we hopped off and walked to a restaurant we had heard about that we wanted to go to for lunch. We put our name in and they told us it would be about an hour wait. Well we walked a block down to a hotel so we could potty. By the time we walked out of there and we were nearing the restaurant they texted and said our table was ready. The restaurant was called Treylor Park. We were hoping for a wonderful meal after the disappointment from the night before. It turned out it was great. We all 4 enjoyed what we had. It was fun just enjoying a lunch like that the 4 of us. After lunch we decided we wanted to see some more sights so we called the Trolley shuttle to come get us and take us to the park where Forest Gump was filmed. We got there and we walked around that area for about an hour. It was interesting just being in the midst of where such a big movie was filmed. Austin then said there was a Cemetery a few blocks away so we headed there. Had it not been so hot by that point...I wore jeans b/c we woke up to what we thought would be a rainy forecast and I hate wearing shorts and being cold in the rain. Anyway it was super hot and the kids were kinda over it...especially Lindsay. So we just made a quick pass through then headed back to the hotel. It took us about 30 min of walking back. It was nice though to just enjoy the scenery while we walked. We got back to our room and cooled off a bit then we wanted to get out and drive around a bit. We had heard about this place called the Moon Light District. So we decided to check it out. We went to this old plantation sight and toured the grounds. It was really interesting because the history there dates back to the late 1600s. We spent about an hour just walking around. It nice and shady with a breeze. I just enjoyed taking in the sight. We saw the oldest standing structure in Georgia as well as a typical colonial house. Once we finished there we hopped in the car....stopped for some cokes as an afternoon pick me up then headed to a place called Black Rifle Coffee to buy some souvenirs. We spent a little bit walking around there and stocked up on coffee for everyone. We then went back to our hotel so we could figure out dinner. We finally decided on Mexican. We found this little mexican place called jalepenos and it was so good. It reminded us of our favorite mexican place here. We enjoyed our meal. We had heard about this famous ice-cream place there so we knew we needed to try that as well. I was worried the line would be long but it really wasn't at all. We only had to wait about 10 min to get in. It was the BEST icecream. I was so glad we checked it out. So after that it was beginning to rain so we set off back to our hotel. It was a busy day...we saw a lot and walked over 6 miles. The most we would do the entire trip but it was a lot of fun! 

Coastal Trip Day 2

 So Saturday morning we got a very early start on our journey up to Savannah. I woke up at 5 and showered and we got the kids up by about 5:45. Mobile was in the midst of the worst weather though. The tropical storm had arrived there. We wondered how our day would go and really even if we should leave. We knew though it was best to just plow through and the weather would clear up the further we went East. So we bit the bullet and left. It was really bad for probably the first 2 hours of our trip. We stopped at a Bucees for the potty and breakfast treats. We quickly ate our breakfast in the car. We went on to Pensacola and thought we were ahead of the storm when we got stopped on the bridge and ended up being stuck there for an hour. During this time the storm caught up and we just had to sit and wait it out. We finally moved past the storm but it was off/on rain for the entire state of Florida. We stopped at a couple rest stops/gas stations for potty breaks. We also just went through a McDonald's drive thru for a light lunch in the car. Most places still didn't have their lobbies open. Anyway on we went...we even stopped at an Orange Place in Florida but it ended up being a tourist trap so we went on. We arrived in Savannah around 4 or 5 I think. By the time we got the car parked and our stuff up to the room and settled it was definitely after 5. We liked our hotel there in Savannah. It was a bit bigger then the one in Mobile and it had the bathroom split into 2 parts which is nice when traveling with a family of 4. We got cleaned up and decided to go to dinner at Lady and Sons. It was near our hotel and we figured we had to hit the Paula Dean restaurant. Well we arrived and first had to wait about an hour to be seated. The staff was less then desirable. We just weren't that impressed. The food was ok...fried chicken was excellent but everything else was just mediocre. We were really questioning what our Savannah experience would be like. Also not to mention the streets were really crowded and loud and dirty. Where we were felt like the French Quarter. After dinner we decided we should just walk and see some sights though. We walked down to the river. We quickly figured out this was the party scene. We snapped a few pics then headed back to our hotel. We were all pretty tired from the traveling anyway. 

Coastal Trip Day 1

So we just returned from a 10 day trip across the southern coastal states. We left mid-afternoon on Friday. There was a tropical storm headed for our area. This seems to be a pattern when we take a summer trip. We first had to drop Ruby off at our friends the Brubakers. We drove until we got to the MS Gulf Coast then stopped at Cracker Barrel for our first dinner on the road. It was yummy and a good experience. It was nice to get out and stretch our legs a bit. The weather was the worst getting out of NOLA then slacked up for the rest of our drive. After we drove straight to Mobile to our hotel. It was raining when we arrived there as well. We stayed at a Marriott hotel in the downtown area. We pretty much just brought our things up to the room and got settled with showers/baths and ready for bed. We knew the next day would be a long and early one. The hotel was nice and we got a good nights sleep! 

CoronaCation

 So we have finally been hit with the corona virus. Thankful we are all past it now and it honestly wasn't that bad. So Lindsay got sick over Thanksgiving. It was just a minor cold or so we thought..and honestly we aren't sure now. She had a stuffy nose and sore throat on Thanksgiving. She never ran fever or really seemed to feel terrible so we went on with our usual festivities. When we got back to school after Thanksgiving break many kids in my class had the snots and sniffles. By that Thursday/Friday I developed a sore throat. I was a little worn down, but it was Lindsay's birthday weekend so I went on. I felt a little bad, but never terrible. I tried to distance from people as well I as I possibly could, but we went on with our usual activities. By that Sunday I sounded stuffy and congested. My mom even commented. Anyway by that Monday, my friend Wendy commented about my stuffiness and I even joked that it was just a cold and not corona. By that Wednesday I felt completely fine. Well in the mean time...on Lindsay's birthday Austin found out that a co-worker had tested positive for the virus. This obviously put us in a tailspin, but again at this point we had no idea we might have already had it. 

A New Normal

So I am currently so over that phrase, but that is what it has become. This summer has truly been different. We haven't been able to have nearly as many playdates. We haven't had VBS or camp. We haven't even had normal church activities. All in all it hasn't been THAT bad though. We have learned to live life slow. Since school ended in mid May we have slowed down a lot. We have seen a few friends and for that I am thankful. The kids started swim team after our trip to Tennessee and again I am truly thankful for that bit of normalcy. Even though it hasn't looked all that normal. Practices are only twice a week and several have been rained out. We have also only had one "virtual" swim meet. Anyway that's getting out though and seeing people so that has been nice. We also started back to church when we got back from Tennessee. Lindsay was baptized on June 22nd. It was such a sweet moment to be back in church after months. That was also Father's Day. It has been great being back at church even though that's a lot different too. No children's activities or Lifegroup...we have to wear masks. But its nice just to have normalcy. 
Anyway our summer has been very low key. We have had a lot of fun...but its been a slower paced fun. We haven't been to the Zoo or any big things. I am thankful for our trip to Tennessee and what we got to do there. We've pretty much just stayed home, run errands, or gone swimming. My kids have seen friends a handful of times. 
Starting back to school I think will be nice....I mean I will miss the laziness, but I feel like we need some start to a routine again. 

Friend And Work Time

This has been an unusual summer due to Covid-19. Since there hasn't been VBS or camps it really has just not felt like summer. I mean I guess in some ways it just feels like the never-ending quarantine. Thankfully we took the Tennessee trip...I think that felt the most like summer. 

My best friend Wendy has been gone a lot of the summer...usually she does travel a majority of the summer so time together is usually precious and we try to enjoy it to the fullest. So since our "last day" of school she left town and then I left town and then we were both finally in town for a bit. The Monday after we got back from Tennessee I asked her if I could bring coffee and hang out at her house. I really figured I would stay an hour or 2 maybe. Well 4 hours later...we were both sweaty and gross (We had coffee out by her pool thanks to corona). We had the best time though. It felt like we had a million stories and stuff to catch up on. We laughed and almost cried a few times. It was just so great to once again be together. 

The next week we had a meeting at my house for school to plan a graduation celebration for kindergarten and 8th grade. About halfway through the meeting though we scrapped the idea. Anyway it was Wendy, myself, Rebecca, and Marsha. Even though it was a "work thing" it was fun just to visit. Wendy got here a little early then she was the last to leave. She's truly like a sister. 

The next week on that Tuesday we did a ride around for the 7th graders. Once again it was Rebecca, Wendy, and I who rode together. I picked Wendy up though so we had a little extra time to visit. Between all the out of town trips and corona we really haven't been around each other a ton so each time we are together there is a TON to say. I also brought her home and went inside her house for a bit. I wished her well and goodbye as they were off the next day to bring her son to the Coast Guard Academy. 

So even though its been a different summer ---there have been some fun times thrown in as well. Oh and I also had lunch with Marsha one day last week. Its been nice to have some adult time during my summer. 

Tennessee Day 6

So our final day in Tennessee was a Saturday. After seeing the crowds coming into Gatlinburg the day before we decided we wanted to "get out of town" on Saturday. We opted to have a more "nature" day. We had researched some things to do outside of Cherokee, North Carolina. I had never been there before. It was about an hour and a half drive. We got into Cherokee and first found a place to potty. Bathrooms during Corona on a road trip are hard to find. Anyway after that we went to our destination which was actually outside of Cherokee and in Bryson City. We went into the National Park to hike a trail to see a water fall. There are so many hiking opportunities and now that the kids are finally big enough to hang we thought we would try one. Anyway the hike was about a mile round trip. It was mostly uphill though which made it slightly challenging. We got up there and just enjoyed the view and sights for about 30 minutes. After we went back down and found a quiet place by the creek to have our lunch. That was a sweet family memory. After we drove around a bit and went back into Cherokee. There the kids wanted to find water to play in. We found a lovely shallow river area. They played for about 30-45 minutes. I think our next trip we will be more prepared with swimsuits and such. Anyway after on the drive back we got ice-cream. The drive back was enjoyable. We got back to the cabin and rested a bit before cooking a big steak dinner. It was our final night in the cabin and we just enjoyed relaxing and being together. We turned in early and packed up our things. 

The day we headed back on Sunday...we got an early start. I woke up at 3am central time. I wanted to take a shower and get dressed. We left by 4am. The drive back went well and the kids were great. We stopped at about 6 or 7 for McDonald's breakfast. Another thing in the corona world we had to eat in the car. We made it to Hattiesburg by lunchtime. We picked up chicken and brought it to Austin's mom's to eat lunch with her. We visited and hung out for about an hour. It was nice just to break up the trip this way. 

We were back home by about 3. Our friends the Schifflin's took care of our pets and house while we were away. They left a beautiful snowball thing for our door. Such a sweet surprise! 

It was a wonderful vacation and so nice to get away! 

Tennessee Day 5

Our fifth day in Tennessee we decided we would spend the majority of the day in Gatlinburg. We have never stayed in Gatlinburg before. Therefore, we have never spent much time there. Well we were told about this park called Anakeesta that was on top of a mountain. You even had to ride a ski lift to get to it. We decided to do that. Well we waited in line just to get in the park for about 45 minutes. Once we finally got on the ski lift we were excited. The ride up was probably the most exciting thing! Anyway we arrived and we went first to the Mining Area. The kids loved doing that! Afterwards we went to check out the Tree bridges. We spent about 30 minutes climbing those. Well after that we were all getting hot and hungry so we went to find some lunch. The park wasn't very big so there weren't many options. Since it took us so long to get up we debated staying and having lunch there. We checked in with the restaurant though and they told us it would be a 45 min wait. We decided to skip out and just head back down the mountain. The ride down was fun. We went back to the cabin for lunch. We had leftovers and such to eat there. I was kinda glad we made this choice. We spent a couple hours just relaxing and hanging out. That afternoon we went back out and promised the kids we would play Putt-putt. We had a great time doing that! Afterwards we went and had dinner at a Mexican restaurant. It was really yummy. Afterwards we weren't ready to go back to the cabin though so we just did some driving around. Once we got in though it was Friday night so we let the kids stay up and watch a movie. We also enjoyed playing pool! Anyway it was another great day! 

Tennessee Day 4

So on day 4 which was Thursday, we had to get up and get going fairly early. We had tickets to the Titanic museum for 10. We had breakfast and all got dressed. We got into Pigeon Forge and arrived just in time for our tour. We loved the museum. This was our second time to go. Last time we loved it too, but Lindsay was 4 and she did not love it! Well this time she was totally into it too! After the tour we weren't quite ready for lunch yet and the kids had been wanting to do a mountain coaster so we decided to find one of those! OMG it was so much fun! Colby and Austin rode together and Lindsay and I partnered up! I was really surprised at how fast that thing got going!! After riding the coaster we went and found a Firehouse for lunch. We had a quick lunch then went back to the cabin to rest a bit. This was the earliest we really got back to just hang out. The day before we were gone all day and the other days we would be gone about all day as well. We got to the cabin to relax and rest. My friend Wendy called me and I chatted with her for about 30 minutes. I had missed her so! She had been in Tennessee herself for about 2 weeks and then we left. Plus she and her daughter were taking care of things around our house. Anyway we got up and cleaned up about 4 and headed out for an early dinner at the Old Mill. We only had to wait about 10 minutes. It was a yummy dinner and we just enjoyed the family time. After we shopped and found some souvenirs in the store. We then drove back into Gatlinburg and walked around some there. We then retreated back to the cabin for our usually resting and hanging out before bed. 

Tennessee Day 3

So day 3 was our first full day in the mountains. We decided to use this day to go ahead out to Cade's Cove. Lindsay has been asking about riding horses for years! I think the last time we went she was too young. Anyway there was a slight chance of rain, but we decided to go ahead and risk it. It was about an hour's drive from our cabin to Cade's Cove. So I think we got there around 10:30 or so. We went right to the riding stables and got signed up and pretty much jumped on a tour right away. I must admit I was a little nervous. I don't think I have been on a horse since I was a young child! I ended up loving it though! Colby was also nervous, but he loved it as well. We went on about an hour ride through the woods. We saw a bear, a deer, and a coyote! Anyway watching Lindsay she was a complete natural on a horse. I was so glad we could make this dream come true for her! It was about an hour ride. Once we got back to the stables it started to rain! It was perfect timing. We hopped in the car so we could continue our tour of Cade's Cove. There was terrible traffic so it was really slow going. We got out at the first Baptist church and then decided to eat our lunch in the car. We skipped several cabins b/c of the rain. We did hike out to one. There was a lot of bear out! I think we saw 6 total. We really didn't get out the car as much as I would have liked, but between the rain, traffic, and the hour horse ride, we were all kind of tired. We did enjoy the few stops we made though. On the drive back to the cabin we stopped at a place so the kids could get out and wade in the creek. They loved this! They found some river rocks to bring home as souvenirs. Since we spent most of our day outside and we were all pretty spent when we finally got back to the cabin...which was near 5 or so. We decided to order pizza and have a night in. It was nice to chill out and just hang out. We also watched church. Colby also did YouTube and Zoom with the youth. While he did that I read my book and Lindsay and Austin got in the hot tub again. The evenings were about the same every night...the kids would shower and then crawl in bed and watch tv and Austin and I would watch tv downstairs. It was nice and peaceful! It felt good resting up for another busy day ahead! 

Tennessee Day 2

Tuesday we were up bright and early to get on the road. We stopped and got Chickfila for breakfast and ate in the car. We stopped a couple times between Meridian and Tennessee for bathroom breaks. We got to the TN state line and decided we would get Subway sandwiches and take them to the Rest Stop to eat them. It was a nice sweet picnic lunch. After that we were well on our way again. We decided to take the scenic route. We stopped in an outside town at a Walmart to get our groceries for the week. We then had about an hour left until we got to our cabin. We got to the cabin around 4. We unpacked and got settled in and started cooking dinner. The first time we had chicken tenders, mac n cheese, green beans, and cookies for dessert. It was quite yummy. After dinner we took a walk around to check out the cabin community then Austin and the kids got in the hot tub. The kids had a blast in the evenings playing upstairs in the cabin. The cabin was nice and spacious. They had the entire upstairs to themselves. There was a pool table and game system so they had plenty to do. That night we were pretty tired so we got settled and went to bed so we would be read for our first full day in the mountains! 

Tennessee Trip Day 1

So we just got home from a family vacation to Tennessee. The last time we were there was 4 years ago. It was neat to return with the kids being much older now. Colby has been 4 times and now Lindsay 2. Anyway we left last Monday. We left actually in the midst of a tropical storm. That Sunday a tropical storm made landfall in Louisiana. We stayed in all that day and worked on getting packed. The weather was never really all that bad, but then on Monday when we got ready to leave came a HUGE downpour. We didn't leave until around lunch which was nice to have the morning to get ourselves together. With flying we usually leave at the crack of dawn so it was nice to not be up early. We picked up Subway for lunch and ate a quick bite before hitting the road. We had to stop by my parent's house to bring the kid's special stuffed friends to leave at their house. We then drove to Hattiesburg to drop off Ruby with Austin's mom. It was nice to stop and stretch a bit. We visited for about 30 minutes and got Ruby settled then we were well on our way again. We drove to Meridian, MS. This is where we would be spending our first night. We had some good friends recently move there. Andrea and Beau Bredow we have known since before we were married. They have 2 boys around Colby and Lindsay's age as well. They have lived in Florida though since Colby and Blake were both 1. We had connected with them a couple times in Disney World and probably seen them a few times when they passed through NOLA. Anyway we stopped and checked into our hotel first. It was a super nice Fairfield Inn. We cleaned up and went to Mugshots to meet them for dinner. We probably stayed and visited about 2 hours. It was so great catching up! After dinner we tried to stop to walk off dinner, but everything closes early there. So we just went back to the hotel and watched some tv then turned in early. 

Graduation Drive By

Well this year concluded with some graduation Drive By's. Wendy and I had planned on going to see Kindergarten after our last East Drive By's b/c we had so much fun. So Wednesday morning came. She and I planned to drive together. We originally thought it might just be us, but the whole school or most of it ended up turning out which was fun. 
I left my house at 8 to go pick her up. It was nice that the kids had spent the night out and I could get ready and leave without a whole lot of extra stuff to do. Anyway we decorated my van while we were at her house. We got up to the school around 8:45 and met up with everyone else. We got the rest of the cars decorated and loaded up. She and I were the lead of our caravan. It was nice spending the day together and catching up. I feel like we never run out of things to say! Our first stop was in Waggaman so we had about a 45 minute drive over there. The first one we saw was Ja'Sani. It was sweet seeing her. It was hard not to cry! Between being surrounded by all the teachers and the music! Anyway after that our next stop was Delvin who was in the same area so it was a quick trip. We then stopped at Micah's, Kylie's and Guilian's They were all in about the same area of town. After that it was lunch time. I had offered our house as a stopping point. I knew from the time Wendy and I went at Easter we would need a break. This time we were running about an hour or more early then we were the last time! It was still nice to take a pause. It ended up being myself, Wendy, Heidi, Marsha, and Rebecca who came here. We aren't quite sure what happened to the others. Anyway we had a nice visit for about an hour and lunch and potty break! 
From there we went to see London, then Denver, Shechem, Arden, Noah and finally ending with Kaladin. Well we lost a good bit of our caravan after Noah then everyone after Kaladin. We had planned to go see my first graders after we lost everyone else. We stopped at Gavin's and Marina's house. It was so bittersweet seeing them! Anyway after we finished at Marina's it was about 3:45 and we were so DONE! We had planned margaritas and chips n salsa after. Well it was a night and experience I don't think either of us will soon forget! We had 2 medium margaritas and I'll leave it there. Somethings are better left unsaid. We were there from about 4 and I got home sometime after 8:30. Anyway it was a LONG day and I didn't feel the best over that night. 
Woke up the next morning ok but not super, but decided to go ahead and do the 8th grade drive by. Wendy actually got dropped off at my house around 10:30. Emily stayed here with Colby and Lindsay. I was so glad to not have to drag them along. We got up to the church and touched up the car decorations and met up with everyone. There were only 4 8th Graders but 2 lived in Algiers and the other 2 lived out towards Laffite. So it still took a couple hours. Even though we had literally been together 12 hours the day before I don't think we ever run out of things to say to each other. Although we were probably a little quieter due to us not feeling well. It was really hot too. By the time we were driving down to Laffite I really wasn't feeling good and I don't think Wendy was either. I knew we needed food. We skipped out before some of the other teachers, and headed for Chickfila. We got back to my house and ate lunch with the kids. We then had to drive up to the school so Wendy could pick up some papers and then I dropped them off at their house. We stayed and visited for a short while. It was such a crazy end to the school year. 

Corona Life

Well I tried blogging when all this first started and then honestly I abandoned the idea. So Covid-19 life started in March...and here we are ending May almost. Well mid-March was when we officially got out of school. We spent a week prepping to teach online and that we did. I started a YouTube channel and videoed my lessons daily for my students. The kids did online work. It wasn't awful...but I am glad its over. We did settle into a nice routine and we will have lots of good memories I think from it. The weather was amazing throughout the entire time so we were very blessed. We had a lot of outdoor picnics. The kids and I would wake up and do school every morning. I was up by 6 and ready to video most days by 8. The kids would get up around 9 and start their day. We would break at 12 and they would get lunch and we would eat outside and then I would allow them recess. Most days I was through filming by lunch or atleast shortly thereafter. It was lovely getting to nap and relax most afternoons. I picked up Bible studies for the first time in YEARS and also read a few books. 
The hardest part has been missing friends! Luckily through all this my friend Wendy and I have stayed in touch and forwent social distancing. 
We were together every day up until the Wednesday that we were all finished and then we went about a week without seeing each other. I had enough and brought her b-day cake the following Tuesday and socially distant visited in her driveway. The next weekend we were shopping at Target with masks on. We then went to visit all our kids for Easter. We started the day in separate cars but joined up after lunch and from that point on we knew if we got Corona we would go down together. It was just TOO HARD to not be around each other. 
We also talked nearly every single day...it has helped so much to have someone to laugh and cry with throughout this. We have cussed, prayed, talked through emotions, drank, and talked about Jesus. 
We have had a few drive way visits and we also even went out and took family pictures together in the Quarter one Saturday. I would say I was by her house at least once a week throughout the whole event. 
We even had a day where Austin took the kids to visit his family in Hattiesburg for his b-day. Since it was still a school day I chose to stay here and enjoy the peace and quiet. I had held down the fort with the kids for nearly 2 months and was quite anxious for a quiet day. That afternoon Wendy came over. We got chickfila and daiquiris and just chatted. It was nice just having friend time. 
Anyway life has been interesting this spring. Church is online and we have Lifegroup via Zoom. Colby has Youth Group through YouTube and Zoom. I feel like Lindsay has probably missed out the most. She's had some school Zoom meetings, but I think she's missing her friends fiercely. She's social like me. 
It hasn't been awful, but it hasn't been easy either. I miss friends, church, and it was really hard being ripped from a class 2 months early. It felt like we had so many memories left to make. All in all we have survived and now school is finished and we are heading into summer. 

Its going to be quite a different summer... we aren't going into it tired and ready for a break...we've been able to sleep in for months now! We also aren't starting our summer break getting ready for VBS. So here we are just not exactly sure what summer will look like. We will have swim team and I am super excited about some normalcy!! 

Summer Week 4

So it felt like we hit the ground running after getting home from vacation. We got in at dinner time Saturday and then Sunday was Father's Day and church both services. I was happy to be back there though and see friends and such. We had lifegroup. I got to catch up with Wendy which was nice. After church we went to eat Mexican with my family. It was sort of a long day, but I was happy to spend more time with my family and celebrate Father's Day. It was like a sort of extended vacation. That afternoon we mostly just relaxed and worked on getting life back to normal. Oh and we brought Colby to my parent's house that evening though to spend the night. Austin also had to go into work...it was nice having a little quiet time with Lindsay.  
Monday it was nice to feel like we were starting our summer groove. Although we were up early! I had made plans to go to breakfast with Wendy. We were so anxious to get together and catch up. Even though we had been together every day during VBS... a week apart seems like we have a million things to tell each other. She got to my house at 8. Her daughter Emily who is 14 stayed here with Lindsay. Its been such a sweet friendship. Lindsay has developed such a love for Emily. And Emily truly is like a big sister to her. Wendy and I are also basically like sisters we say. Anyway its a completely natural friendship and its been so fun the last year! So we went to Another Broken Egg Cafe out in Lakeview. This has sort of become our "thing". We've been 4 times to get breakfast and mimosas. Even just the drive out there was hilarious and we had the best time. Breakfast was great. We had a pitcher this time of mimosas and we stayed about 2 hours. After our leisurely breakfast we decided to do a little bit of shopping. She and I had discussed going to Trader Joe's since before school got out to buy some wine. We did that and each got 4 bottles! It was so cheap though. Afterwards we went to Fleurty Girl and another little boutique type shop. It was fun just shopping and talking. We then drove back to the Westbank. We did a little driving around though before we came back to my house. We drove through her neighborhood and she showed me a house for sale that she really wants to buy. We got back here and the girls did great by themselves! That afternoon we rested up a bit before going to swim. 
Tuesday we were supposed to have swim team. Well it was storming and raining that morning. We ended up driving there though to find out it was cancelled. It was ok though. We came home and re-grouped a bit then went on to the grocery. Afterwards we got back out to go to Petsmart and buy puppy supplies. We picked up lunch and had a low key afternoon around the house. 
Wednesday we made plans to go see the movie "Aladdin". I hated Austin was going to miss it , but its hard to wait around to do things during the summer. Anyways we invited my friend Rebecca to go with us. The movie was great! We loved it! Afterwards we had to stop by the grocery and get some stuff because we were going to be keeping Buttercup the bunny for a week. We then dropped everything off at our house then went by the Schifflin's to pick him up. Wendy was in the midst of making a b-day cake for Andrew. We got to sneak a peak and she even sent us home with a smaller version. It was fun getting to visit for a bit. We packed up the bunny and gave them our puppy supplies and came home to rest before church time. This was our first Wednesday of the summer. I hate pretty much made up my mind during VBS that I wanted to help out with the youth some this summer. We went and ate dinner. Also my Aunt had come in town so this was our first opportunity to see her. That night I really enjoyed the youth. It brought back so many fond memories of my childhood experiences. I was hoping to get out of any type of "teaching role" well they had the kids get into small groups and next thing I knew I had 5-6 girls flocked to me though. It was sweet and I really enjoyed it. I had Ella and Emily in my group who are both like daughters and then I had Christa who I have been getting to know and a couple others. Anyway it was a fun night. 
Thursday we were up early again for swim team. I kinda like the early start to our day honestly. We also made plans to get Ella from her house and bring her swimming at my parent's house. She has been going to the church with her parents a lot of the summer, so I figured this would be a good break for everyone! So after swim we picked her up and headed to my parent's house. We also got to visit with Aunt Ree. The kids had a blast and played together so well. I love that about Ella. She's able to balance my kids out! After swimming they decorated a cookie cake. I didn't want to barge in on my parents too much so I left with the kids and took them to Canes. I enjoyed hearing the 3 kids just talk about life and school! After I dropped Ella off and we came home to relax! 
Friday we got out that morning to run some errands. My mom and Aunt wanted to stop by to see the house and visit. I hated we didn't get to spend more time with them, but with life and kids we have just been SO busy. We had a nice visit here. We stayed in the rest of the day. 
Saturday the kids had their FIRST every swim meet. I was super excited on how they would do and that would go. They actually did really great! I mean neither won anything, but I was just proud of how brave they were. It was a long morning though. We had to be at the Y at 8 and the swim meet didn't end until around noon. We were all quite exhausted by the end of that. We rested and just did some projects around the house. 
Sunday we had church. We went to both services and had lifegroup. My friend Wendy is out of town with her 2 younger children so we had offered to have her husband Phil and oldest son Philip over. They declined though due to Philip having tests that he needed to study for. I was a little sad, but also relieved b/c then I knew we could relax longer. 

GRAND CANYON 2019

So we just got back from a wonderful family vacation. We started out bright and early Monday morning. I had to set my alarm for 3am!! We were to the airport by about 5:15 and boarding the plane by about 5:45. We landed in Las Vegas around 7:45. We got our luggage and set out to get the rental van. We got in the van and loaded up and we were all excited about our adventure for the week. We found a nearby Walmart and stopped there first to load up on snacks for the week and an ice chest. Once we got that settled we drove from Nevada to Utah. It was a couple hour long ride. We finally got into this tiny Western looking town and found a place for lunch. It was this cute Saloon looking place. The burgers we got were quite yummy! Plus we were all starving! After this we traveled awhile longer to get to Zion National Park. I was excited to start seeing some sights, but also very tired from the day. It was also quite hot. We ended up riding this shuttle around the park mostly. We got out at a couple stops. I was happy we got to get out and hike. I think the kids liked moving about too. We saw this little waterfall thing and they got to splash around in a creek. I think that were some of the highlights! Afterwards we went on to our hotel. We stayed at a place called Thunderbird Lodge. It was like an old fashioned inn. It was honestly really cute. It felt like a scene out of cars. We unpacked and rested for awhile. The kids really wanted to swim, but we were all tired. We cooled off a bit then met the family for dinner. The place had a little restaurant on the grounds so we ate several of our meals there. It was always nice sitting around the table talking and laughing. We all had a light dinner and dessert since lunch had been late and pretty big. After we got back to our rooms and did baths and bed to gear up for another busy day! 
Tuesday we got to sleep in a little which felt quite good. We met the family for breakfast. We all had a nice big breakfast and got packed up for the day and ready to head out. This day we spent in Bryce National Park. This was a neat park as well. I wished I was more rested for Zion, but I think Bryce was one of my favorites. Plus the weather was super nice this day as well. This park we were able to drive through and just make stops along the way. I preferred this over the shuttle option from the day before. We got out and saw a lot of sights. We took a few short walks which was nice. We finished the park around lunch time so we drove down to this little town not far away and had lunch at this place called Ruby's Inn. It was a buffet, but they also had other options. I think we all especially enjoyed the ice cream. We had about a 2 hour drive back to our hotel. My brother had offered to bring us to another park, but I think we all just wanted an early evening in. We ended up getting back to our hotel around 4 I think. This gave us time to unwind and the kids got to swim and play in the pool. I enjoyed the down time. I like seeing stuff on vacation, but I also enjoy just resting. We sat by the pool for about an hour. After that we got cleaned up and we met for dinner at the hotel restaurant again. Once again we weren't super hungry. We ate some big lunches on this trip. We split some appetizers. Lindsay and I browsed the gift shop and got a few souvenirs and then we were ready to head back to the room and turn in earlier than the night before. 
Wednesday we had a busy day planned out. This day we were driving to the North Side of the Grand Canyon. We set out early and it was about a 2 hour drive. We enjoyed the sights. It was a beautiful drive in. The north side of the Grand Canyon is nothing like you would expect. We ended up seeing snow and deer and trees and all sorts of things. We parked at the Visitor's Center and walked a trail out to a peek of the Canyon. It was quite a walk, but we survived! We got to see some beautiful sights. We contemplated hanging out there and eating lunch, but we finished rather early, so we decided to go ahead and keep driving. We ended up finding this neat little cafe on up the road. I was so happy we stopped here instead. The lunch was fabulous! It was also nice to get out and stretch our legs and such. We had another 2 hour drive from there though. We saw a lot more sights on our way to the South Side of the Grand Canyon. We even pulled over and did this walk through over the Colorado River. That was cool...but boy was it hot!! We got to our hotel that evening. We had a nice hotel with a HUGE bathroom and tub. Austin was a little disappointed in the cleanliness though. We had a bit to hang out/get cleaned up before meeting everyone for dinner. We decided to just eat at the hotel buffet. My parents passed it up...we probably would have too except my brother and sister in law wanted to eat there so we went and visited with them. The ice cream ended up being my highlight. It was also just nice to laugh and enjoy their company. That night we enjoyed the spacious hotel room. Colby woke us up randomly though shouting in the middle of the night. 
Thursday we were up early again. This day we were going to be touring the "South Rim" of the Grand Canyon. Once again we met for breakfast and then set out. We got there and we got to see a lot of the typical scenes you see on movies and such. We walked a lot along the edge and that was nice. It was pretty warm though. We then went to the iconic place where you see all the pictures. That was over crowded and felt very touristy and honestly I didn't like it much. After we finished at the south side we decided to drive a bit and find a place for lunch. We drove into Williams, AZ. This was located on Route 66. It was the cutest little town. It truly felt like the movie CARS. Colby loved being on Route 66. We ate at this cute little cafe. Lunch was delicious and they had awesome pies. We then decided to Zip Line. Well Lindsay, Lizzie, and I did. It was so much fun! We then drove into our next hotel we would be staying at. We got to the hotel and had time to relax and such. The kids were happy to swim in the pool and I was happy to stay in the room and get some much needed quiet time. That night we went to a little hole in the wall Mexican place. 
Friday we woke up and drove to Hoover Dam. I wasn't super into this. I mean I guess it just seemed more like a "guy thing". I mean it was impressive, but by this day I was kinda over it and ready to go home. We stayed there a few hours. After leaving the Dam we drove into Vegas and towards our hotel. We found an IN-OUT burger right by our hotel. It was so good! It was crowded, but worth it. After we went to our hotel and rested for awhile. We let the kids watch Toy Story and just chill out. At 4 we met up with everyone to go down to the Vegas strip. I was excited at first to see the sights and such. We drove for about an hour seeing all the major things. That part was fun. We then searched for parking...we ended up at the Bellagio. We walked around on the inside for awhile and saw the pretty gardens. Lindsay had fallen asleep so she wasn't super impressed. We then went outside and as soon as we did I was over it. It just seemed dirty and crowded. We waited for the fountains, but even that didn't impress me. With all the places I've been I just didn't think it was that cool. Anyway we then crossed the street to eat dinner. We had a nice steak dinner then walked in a casino and walked back to that hotel. I hated that part. Its just so filthy there and full of bad stuff. I was quite ready to get back to the hotel. We got in and we were all ready to get cleaned up and turn in! 
Saturday we were up early for our flight home! I was anxious to return home! We had breakfast at the hotel lobby. We got to the airport and had about 30-40 at the gate to wait. The flight was uneventful. I read and Lindsay drew and slept! We arrived in NOLA ahead of schedule and I was so excited...but then a HUGE thunderstorm blew in and we weren't allowed off the plan for an hour!!! Then we finally got out the plane and we had to wait another hour and a half for our luggage! It was quite an ordeal...although I think sometimes God just wants us to learn patience. It all worked out ok...we picked up Chickfila on the way home and just decided to call it a night. We did a little unpacking, but knew most of it could wait! It was a great trip though...I am thankful for all the memories and laughs with family! 

Weekend Fun

So the weekend after VBS was nice to slow down ever so slightly and have time to catch our breath. Well that Friday we did our typical Friday night movie. Saturday we decided to take the kids to the movies. I went to Target that morning then I picked up the family and we went and had lunch at Panera then we went to go see Secret Life of Pets 2. It was a cute and funny movie. We spent the afternoon relaxing. 
Sunday we went to both services at church. We were back to lifegroup. It was nice being back and being able to visit with friends. That afternoon we went for a quick lunch then came home to work on being packed. Wendy and Emily stopped by that afternoon for a quick tour. They were going to be taking care of things around our house while we were away. 

The rest of the day we spent preparing for the trip and our early morning wake up call!!! 

VBS POWER UP

Its hard to believe that another year of VBS has come and gone! It was truly a wonderful week though. Its bittersweet to think its Colby's last year as a "kid" in VBS. This was my second year to take part in big kid VBS. I taught 2nd grade again. I am so happy to be out of the preschool world. I mean I loved that during that season, but I really enjoy being in the big kid one so much more. Its also SO much easier! Lindsay enjoyed her 2nd year of big kid VBS as well. 
Monday- Austin was off and we had to bring my van in to be serviced. He dropped us off and picked us up that day. I felt like things went really smoothly and I loved my class of kids. It was also fun this year that my friend Wendy worked. She taught kindergarten. Even though we weren't together a lot during the actual day it was fun just having her around.  After VBS Austin got us and we had lunch at Subway. The kids had swim lessons that afternoon. He was sweet to bring them both and let me stay home and rest. We also got a call that day for the kids to try out for Swim Team. That made for a VERY busy day!! We basically traded off...Austin brought them home from lessons and they had time to grab a snack and I headed out the door with them. They both made the swim team and did amazing. Wendy's son Philip is their coach and I think they both really liked it. We got them all registered before leaving. We ran into the Schifflin's leaving b/c Emily swims in the advanced team and her parents work out in the evenings. That night we had pizza and all went to bed early. 
Tuesday- I still had the rental car this day, but we got called early that it was ready so Austin picked it up while we were at VBS which was super helpful. We had another good day at VBS. I averaged about 10 kids in my class. I honestly felt like it was a walk in the park compared to a full day of teaching. Plus most of my kids were church kids and I had many of them when they were in preschool so that was fun! Its amazing how quickly they grow up. After VBS we went to Chickfila with Wendy and Emily. It was nice to finally catch up with them! Emily sat at a table with the kids and they talked while Wendy and I caught up about life and all that's going on with her and her family. We ended up dropping Emily off at the movies with some friends and then we brought Wendy home. The kids made a quick pit stop at the house to change and get ready for swim lessons. We had a low key evening after that. 
Wednesday- This day went well...after VBS we just went home to eat and get ready for swim lessons. I was glad to have a little extra time. They kids had swim lessons and swim team though which made for a super long afternoon! We picked up Popeye's and ate and walked. 
Thursday - Another day of VBS...this day felt a little busy b/c we had to load up some garden plants from school. Thankfully Wendy's son Andrew helped get all that squared away. It was also crazy b/c there was a tornado warning right as VBS was over and we were all about to leave. We ended up having to hunker in the church for about 30 min.  After that was finally over we had lunch with them at Firehouse. Once again it was fun to visit with them and catch up. That afternoon was pretty much the same. Swim lessons, dinner, and walk...
Friday- The final day of VBS. This is always bittersweet to me. You kinda get attached to the kids and seeing the same people every day. It was also nice though knowing we would get our summer back. After VBS we helped clean up and take down decorations then we went to Chickfila with Wendy and her kids again. Yes we had lunch with them 3 times! I swear though they are like family. We ended up bringing her home too. Its been nice to just catch up and visit. Even though it seems like we see each other a lot...nothing compares to the daily visits at school each day. That afternoon was the same routine. 

VBS was great this year...bittersweet to see my kids growing up though. Seems like yesterday I was working in the preschool with them both. This was Colby's last official year. I think he enjoyed being the "big dog" and having a class full of boys though. Lindsay had fun and enjoyed being with 2 school friends all week. I enjoyed my class of 2nd graders. It was neat b/c I had a few of them as preschoolers a few years back!