VACATION BABY!

We started out vacation by leaving on Friday after work/summer camp was done for the day.  Whew it seemed like it took forever but we finally made it on the road!!!

 

The pictures below are ones Michael really wanted me to take LOL

 

 

Night driving.....

 

 

Still driving......

 

 

we got to our over night hotel about 12:30 am and met up with the rest of the family for breakfast and picked up a passenger along the way!

 

 

driving and jamming out....

 

 

 

Stopped for lunch at The Shed...amazing BBQ in Mississippi

 

 

Still driving

 

 

and driving

 

 

AND DRIVING......

 

there is light at the end of the tunnel!!

 

 

 

and sitting..... more sitting than driving.  What was supposed to be an additional five hours to get to Destin, ended up being nine hours.... FOUR EXTRA HOURS, traffic, road closures.... lines of cars.... UGH!

 

 

We finally made it

 

 

WOO HOOOOOOO!!!

 

 

I did happen to find the most important store - I didn't go there, it was just encouraging to know that I could if I needed too.... and I'm not talking about Target....LOL

 

 

It was a very long day and we were hoping to get all of our chores and some beach time in...but it wasn't to be, we arrived and were able to check into our hotel.... only to discover there is no way we were going to stay there, we needed to find a new one, check in new hotel to make sure, have dinner....check out of old hotel, move all of our stuff... ahhhh we were exhausted but so happy to be there.  Tomorrow's a new day!! 

 

WE'RE IN FLORIDA BABY!!!!

Happy July 4th!!!

After a fun filled and full day we were ready to watch some fireworks.

 

Mikayla just got out of the pool here so she could get ready to watch them too.

 

 

For the first time ever, we bought some fireworks.  We've never even bought sparklers before LOL - so not too bad for our first go around!

 

 

Happy kiddos!!! (Mikayla and the neighbors)

 

 

 

 

We loved watching the fireworks from the houses behind ours. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you had a Happy 4th too! 

VBS time!

What a great time we had this year!!!!  Tyler was able to come too so it was extra special having our little cousin/friend/framily (friend family) join us this year!

 

They climbed Mt. Everest this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are the three Pastors of our church, climbing Mt. Everest.

 

 

The kiddos posing with the bear.

 

FUN!

 

 

 

 

They had the fantastic music, dancing, learning FUN!!!

 

 

 

 

It was FANTASTIC.  I will confess to being a bit tired at the end of the week, come Friday I was ready for the weekend.  We had our normal days (work/summer day camp) and then I left work early, met Katie and Tyler and Mikayla at camp, then we went to church, they ate dinner there and then joined in on the session for the night.  Then at 8:30 I went back and picked them up and dropped Tyler off at his house and went home to get M showered and ready for the next day. 

 

So it was busy, it was fun....

Close call!!

Last week we had a MAJOR thunder storm and it was crazy out there!!!  Michael happened to be home (thank goodness because the dog is SOOOOOO scared of storms) and all of a sudden there was a HUGE BOOOM BOOM like two cannons got shot off in the back yard.

 

It turns out the neighbors palm tree took a direct hit of lightening!   Our tree is on the right, his tree is on the left.

 

We didn't actually notice until Sunday, the storm was on Friday.

 

 

As the week progressed the tree was really in bad shape :(

 

 

 Then I happened to see this....

 

 

They came to cut it down, there was no hope it would grow back.

 

Going.....

 

 

Going....

 

 

Gone!

 

 

I was driving down the street and saw our back yard neighbor walking his dog so I slammed the brakes on to talk to him.  hee hee.  He said that they had some Spanish ornament type things hanging on the tree and the lightening completely shattered them, he said there was glass all over the yard from it. 

 

We are all so thankful that no one was hurt!  It did knock out their phones, our alarm panel and system (which has been fixed already), it also knocked his next door neighbor over...literally it made the man fall down :(  but no one got hurt.  So I guess I'll appreciate my tree for awhile since I guess it's now our official lightening rod....

 

The picture below on the left was two days after it was hit and the right was four days after that.

 

 

That was a close call.

How ironic is this.....

I am on the hunt for a new dance studio for Mikayla.  We had a fine experience where we were, we just want more....

 

So Katie recommended two others to me and it turns out that one of those, another friend from Little Flowers, her daughter goes there.....

 

and it just so happens that this past weekend was their recital and she had 2 extra tickets...we decided to go - number 1 to see our friend dance and number 2, I wanted to see the outcome of a years worth of work.....

 

SO.....

 

I know, I know, it's not too ironic so far, huh.....

 

WELL the ironic thing is this.....  This is her costume from one of the dances.

 

 

 

And this is one of my costumes from the mid 1980s

 

 

and here is Mikayla wearing it for play/dress up

 

 

They're almost the SAME!!!!  All of these years later, guess the classics are still around!!!!!  Ironic huh!!!

Cut it off....

Well Mikayla has been BEGGING me to give her a hair cut...not just a trim but a CUT!  waaaaaa  I don't want to do it.... I was able to stall her long enough so that I would know what to do with it for her dance recital.  However, this is progress - I didn't cry when cutting it this time.... I am in mourning though. I smile and say how much I love it and I do love it...I just love it more when it's longer.

 

But there was no more stalling, no sense making her live with the long hair that I wanted when I was little and I seriously LOVE doing her hair every day *sigh*.

 

She's growing up on me.... :(

 

So we're all ready now.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She is SOOOOO in love with her new do..... Every time we're in the car... she has the mirror down to look at it! She is SUCH a darling about it!   

 

 

So this time it wasn't quite long enough to donate it.... we cut off about 8 inches.  That means that not counting trims, we've cut off over 3 1/2 feet of her hair!!!!  WHAT!!!  that's kind of crazy!  (plus, who would know that...... hope I'm not weird for knowing that........)

 

Quick recap of our over 3+ feet of hair.....  hair cut #1 before and after

 

 

 

 

 

 

haircut #2 before and after

 

 

Haircut #3 - before and after

 

 

 

 

 

And now....this cut #4  before and after

 

 

 

I think she is Rapunzel after all!!!