March 5, 2013

GULF SHORES, AL
July, 2010

There was an Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 that I'm sure a lot of people will never forget.  The spill was so bad, that it took weeks to even figure out how to stop the oil from gushing into the Ocean.  The oil obviously affected many things, one of the things being tourism.  In an effort to get people to travel to Gulf Shores, AL, Jimmy Buffett, Zac Brown, Kenny Chesney and a few other artists teamed up and scheduled a free concert on the beach.  The only thing that you had to do was to get onto Ticketmaster.com & be one of the lucky ones who got tickets before they were gone.  There was a minimum of 4 tickets per order allowed, but that was the only stipulation.  Being huge Buffett & Zac Brown Band fans Creag & I decided that we HAD to go.  With only being allowed 4 tickets per order, we were each going to try to get online and get tickets so we would have enough to take all four of the kids.  I had everyone at work that morning signed onto Ticketmaster to get the tickets because we knew they'd go fast.  Fortunately, we did get tickets, BUT we only got four before they were gone.  We decided since we didn't have enough for all of us to go, we'd just take the girls with us.  Unfortunately, we found out the day before we were leaving that the concert was cancelled due to a storm that was supposed to come through.  We went anyway, and had a blast.

We left the house in the evening & drove most of the way through.  The girls slept through the night for the most part.  I remember Creag getting really tired at one point so we pulled over at a rest stop & slept in the car for a bit & then we stopped at Burger King for breakfast.  The morning we got there, we stopped at the beach.  This was Skylar's first time to see the ocean so it was pretty special:)  A lot of the brown stuff that you can see in the pictures are clumps of oil.  We tried to step over the oil, but there was just so much of it that we did end up with some on our feet.  The girls found sea shells & loved the ocean.

 

After the beach, we checked into at our Condo at the Purple Parrot.  It was a nice place with a very nice pool.  With it being close to the 4th, they had all kinds of activities scheduled.  On the drive down, we were listening to Buffett Radio on Sirius & had heard a rumor that Buffet may show up at his sister's restaurant, LuLu's.  We went to LuLu's the first night we were there in hopes of seeing him play.  Buffet didn't end up showing, but we had a great time listening to a Bluegrass Band while the girls played in the sand.  I can't remember the name of the band, but they were very original.  They used washboards for instruments & were just very entertaining. 

 

 

Another day, we went to a restaurant called The Hangout.  It was great for kids & while we were there, I taught the girls the Maccarana.  They also had a bubble machine that was a hit.

 

 

We rode the Ferris Wheel at a place called The Wharf and then had dinner at a pretty good seafood restaurant. 

 

One day, I think we spent the entire day at the Purple Parrot.  They had a pig roast around lunch time so we took a break from the pool & had that for lunch. They had tents with tables set up & it was great food!  I think that night, we went to the grocery to get the stuff to grill out.  We made amazing Juicy Lucy Burgers. Juicy Lucy's are two hamburger patties, but in the center is your cheese and anything else that you want to stuff them with. They were probably the best burgers I've ever had.  Come to think of it, we haven't made them since so we should probably do that soon.

I think the highlight of the trip, was being there on the 4th and being able to watch the fireworks on the beach.  We actually went to a point on the beach where we were the only ones there & it was awesome!!

 

 

 

 

 

Gulf Shores was a great vacation for the four of us, and boys, if your reading this years from now you'll be going on all boy fishing trips every year so there is no jealousy allowed that only the girls went on this trip :)

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

March 4, 2013

I'm going to do a weekend recap today & then be back tomorrow with a look back to our 2nd trip, Gulf Shores, Alabama with the girls.

This past weekend was very low key.  We didn't have any real plans and just kind of went with whatever we felt like doing day by day.  We usually love weekends like this, but they're very rare.  I had said on Friday that Hank had been complaining of an ear ache since Thursday night at Silverlake.  Well unfortunately, it did not go away after I sent him to school on Friday.  I got a call from the School Nurse around 2PM that he had been in the office complaining of ear pain.  The nurse said that he did not have a fever, but was congested so she gave him a cough drop and sent him back to class.  I knew that this was obviously not going to go away, so I called the Dr. to see if they could work him in that afternoon.  They were able to get him around 3:45, so Creag picked him up from school and took him to the appointment.  The Dr. said that he really didn't see an infection, but there was some blockage from ear wax so he cleaned that out as best he could.  I guess even though Hank had been complaining a lot about pain, he kind of down played it to the Dr.  Maybe that's why he wasn't as concerned with it, who knows?  After the appt. Creag & Hank headed to Silverlake and as soon as Creag checked him in to Kids Quest to work out, he got pulled out because Hank instantly didn't feel well and was complaining about ear pain.  Why he didn't explain how bad it was to the Dr. is beyond me but I really wish he would've.  Anyway, they all left & headed to the grocery to pick up the stuff for dinner & I met them at home.  When I got home, I gave Hank medicine & he relaxed on the couch for a little bit while we made mini pizzas for dinner out of English Muffins.  Creag got the idea from a book that he had read to Sam.  We let the kids each make their own.  They just did pizza sauce, pepperoni, ham & mozzarella.  Creag & I fancied ours up w/ BBQ sauce instead of the marinara, onions, jalapenos, green peppers, ham & mozzarella and they were amazing.

The kids ate their dinner at the new bar in the Living Room while they watched one of the movies that we rented from the Red Box, Puss N Boots.  Hank started to feel better half-way through dinner, which was good.  I made him a pizza & he was able to eat all of it.  Creag & I had our dinner in the kitchen at the island & it was really good to just sit & talk for a bit.  After dinner, we got the kitchen picked up & baked cookies for dessert & Skylar was finally able to bake with her Easy Bake Oven.  Wyatt came downstairs in his Cowboy Hat & had his horse that he made at school that day, so I snapped a picture & then Creag, Sam, Wyatt & Sky had a wrestling match in our Living Room.

 

After dessert we pulled our couches together & cuddled up to watch Avengers, the second movie from the Red Box.  Everyone made it through the movie but me which is typical.  Saturday morning Creag had to do a 15 mile run, which was part of his training program for the Flying Pig Marathon in May.  While he was gone, I tried to get the house completely cleaned which did not happen.  I got the entire first floor, but the second didn't get touched.  I stuck our St. Patrick's Day window clings up since we hit March 1st.  Creag needed a break from holiday decor so I wasn't allowed to put them up a day sooner.  Creag made it through his run which was awesome and a huge relief for him.  He took about an hr & a half nap while  I made the kids lunch & they watched their 3rd movie from the Red Box, Men In Black 3.  When Creag woke up, we went shopping for Skylar's friends birthday party & then dropped her off for the night.  After we dropped Skylar off, the rest of us headed to dinner @ a Chinese Buffet, then we stopped at Shoe Carnival & Dicks for some things that the kids needed.  When we got home, we headed across the street to Mike & Tammy's to play cards.  Hank may or may not have used Larkin's play dress up clothes to dress up like a girl.  Can you say black mail?

 

 

There were three couples there, so we played Texas Hold 'Em just for fun.  No money involved but left kind of early because Hank was not feeling well.  He ended up waking up in the middle of the night with severe ear pain.  He was really delirious & talking in his sleep, so he had us pretty worried.  We gave him another dose of medicine & he slept on the couch for the rest of the night.  Sunday morning, we made an early breakfast.  We decided to try something new & were not disappointed.  Breakfast Pizza.  We used pizza dough, gravy, sausage, eggs, green pepper, onion & cheese.  It turned out really good.  Creag & I had no issues eating lots of it but it's always tough to get the kids to try new breakfast recipes.  We spent the rest of the day Sunday straightening up the basement & putting in some shelving that Creag's step-dad gave us.  We also did a lot of dreaded laundry.  We feel like we cleaned the entire weekend & didn't get anywhere but I guess that's what happens when you stay home most of the weekend.  We were constantly picking up after each other. 

 

 

Sunday afternoon Michael stopped by & we made fried chicken for dinner. It's kind of funny because both Creag & I had a craving for it at the same time so we decided on Friday to make it one day over the weekend.  Sunday was the winner.  We had a little grease mis-hap in our new pan but after that was figured out & we had a house full of smoke we had a pretty good dinner. 

 

 

We breaded the chicken w/ Buffalo Wing Pretzels, flour, egg, beer & a few other spices. We also had homemade mashed potatoes, green beans & biscuits. County Cookin' at it's finest.  After dinner, Creag baked the kids cookies again, and then we decided that starting one month from the day we leave for our trip we are not eating any sweets until we leave.  We'll see how that goes.  I kept throwing in exceptions, so that was pretty funny.  We can cheat once a week.......we can have dessert at parties.......blah, blah.  We'll see how it goes.  We got the kids to bed early last night, and Hank did talk a little bit in his sleep but did not wake up crying.  I hope his ear problem goes away and does not cause him too much more pain & trouble.  I hate it when the kids are sick.  This has been a terrible Winter for it.  We have a cold week ahead of us, but the days are getting longer which is a little sign that Spring is right around the corner.  I'm really looking forward to Spring Break & that trip we're going on.  I've been told we're leaving in 31 days!!

 

 





 

 

 

 

March 1, 2013

After work yesterday, I picked up Skylar from the house & then we drove to Little Ceasar's to grab a $5.00 Pizza Pizza before we met the rest of the family at Silverlake to swim & eat dinner. We just went through their generic drive through. No speaker/intercom ordering system, so you just pull up to the window & wait for help. I rolled my window down & waited patiently for the guy to help us. His window was closed, thankfully because Skylar was in a mood. While we were sitting there, she starts saying "Ding Ding Ding"!!! And she didn't stop. She just kept saying it louder and LOUDER. She was cracking me up. To top off the already hilarious time we were having in the Little Ceasar's drive through, while the guy was on his way to the window she burps LOUD! Louder than I've ever heard before. It was sooooooo embarrasing!! The guy was grinning a little bit so I think he heard her. 

 

When we got to Silverlake, I had dinner w/ the kids while Creag ran on the treadmill & then after that I did a Jamz class while the kids went swimming.  After Jamz I went to join the kiddos & Creag by the pool.  Wyatt & Hank weren't really into swimming.  Hank was complaining of an ear-ache & Wyatt was just cold I think so we rounded up the girls & headed for the showers to get ready to head home.

This morning was pajama Day at school for the older kids and cowboy day for Wyatt, so they were all pretty excited about that.  Hank was still complaining of a really bad ear ache this morning.  Crying and miserable, so I hope he's feeling better tonight.  If not, it may be off to the Drs. Office in the morning.  We're planning on a low key family night tonight, making personal pizza's & watching movie's.  Here's to a relaxing weekend!!!!

February 28, 2013

FT. LAUDERDALE, FL
February, 2010

It's no secret that Creag & I like to travel.  We tend to take trips every few months.  It's something that we both love & feel very fortunate about.  Our First Anniversary is coming in April & we're finally taking the honeymoon that we never had.  I would love to say where we're going, but I have no idea.  It's a surprise, so I probably won't know until we get to the airport!  It's going to drive me crazy, but it's exciting to get surprised every once in awhile.

I thought that it'd be fun to think back on all of the trips that we've taken over the last few years & recap them leading up to our Anniversary trip.  I'm going to try to go back & think about each trip & try to find & post pictures of everything that we did while we were there. 

Our very first trip together was just a few short months after we started dating.  We flew out for a short weekend trip to Ft. Lauderdale, FL where I saw Jimmy Buffett in concert for the first time.  We weren't there for very long, but we definitely made the most of it. 

Obviously, I'm not going to remember everything that we did but I still remember quite a few details.  After we landed at the airport, we took a cab to the Hotel.  After we were dropped off, the driver tried to charge Creag way too much money so Creag gave him a piece of his mind & did not pay the entire fair.  That night, we went across the street to a small dive bar & had shots of tequila & I think pizza??  We decided to make this a tradition, but it hasn't held up. 

We spent a lot of our time at the Beachcomber, which was the hotel where we were staying.  The pool was fantastic.  I still remember the name the Bar Tender at the little Tiki Bar by the pool. It was Steve & he was awesome! He quoted Jimmy Buffett on several occasions & was just very friendly.   His favorite was "I bought enough money to buy Miami but I pissed it away so fast."  He said this one probably everyday.  We were there around St. Patrick's Day & he made me a green frozen concoction that was amazing. And I remember being soooo devastated when I spilled it all over our hotel room before a nap.  We took walks on the beach & Creag ran on the beach one morning.  I tried Sushi for the first time and actually liked it.  We had dinner one night in a cool little town called Lauderdale by the Sea & that was a great dinner.  We had oysters for starters & that's all I really remember.  We had breakfast at the hotel every morning & Creag remembers having a spicy omelet that "tore him up".  I had my first Buffett experience like I said before.  The concert was indoors, so Creag said that it wasn't the "true Buffett experience", but in my mind I thought it was perfect.  I spilled beer down the front of him at the beginning of the show & after the show he gave me a piggy back ride back to the car.  If that tells you anything about the night it should tell you that it was a mess of fun!    I remember another day, napping on our balcony together to the warm ocean breeze & the last day that we were there having Italian for lunch at a Mom & Pop restaurant and it was amazing.  After lunch, we walked back to the hotel on the beach & that's when we got the picture below. 

I may not remember every single detail, but I definitely have memories that I hope don't fade too much as the years pass by.  From that first trip to now we've realized that traveling is our thing, something I hope that we'll always be able to do together.

February 27, 2013

This week has been pretty low key with not a whole lot to write about so today's post is going to be completely random & quick before I leave work for the day.  I have a Cross Training Class tonight at 5:30 that I'm looking forward to.  This class absolutely kicks my butt every week.  The woman who teaches it is body builder/hard core like.  I like to call her Jillian Michael's on crack.  I need that though to get toned up for bikini season.  These past few months, for me have been a record breaker at the gym.  I tend to always make excuses as to why I don't work out.  Lately though, I've just been making it happen.  I've made it to the Gym at least 4 x's a week as of late so I'm extremely proud of myself.  This is something that I've never done before, so I'm just going to pat myself on the back.  Group Classes have been my saving grace with keeping me motivated, so I'm greatful that I've discovered them.   

On Monday night, the kids brought their report cards home.  I've been a little worried about Skylar's grades because she's been having some trouble with her homework & tests lately.  It's not that she isn't smart, she's just not very confident in her answers on tests & homework.  She's also been a little messy & unorganized lately.  Thankfully though, she got A/B Honor Roll again!  Hank has been doing really well in school this year & his report card also reflected his hard work.  We rewarded them with a dinner of their choice, and they chose Subway.  We went there after the gym & they ordered foot longs & a cookie.  After dinner we headed home & we watched The Bachelor while Creag ran to the grocery.  All three of the kids along with myself are into it this season.  This is actually the first season in awhile that I'm watching it, so I love to have the kiddos cuddled up to me on the couch! 

Last night, it was just me & the boys at home so I tested out our new pots & pans and knife set that we got from Bed Bath & Beyond over the weekend. I fried up a really good dinner & it was nice to just sit down to dinner with just the two of them. 

 

 

They must've really been hungry because they both devoured their dinner!  Maybe we should late dinners more often?

February 26, 2013

LEXINGTON, KY

Morning!  I'm starting to feel like I have this blog thing on a roll once again.  Apparently we've had enough things going on lately to keep it going.  With that being said, that may or may not be the reason that I'm completely exhausted & almost falling asleep at my desk at work!  Or, maybe not.  It may have something to do with the weather too.  I'm so ready for spring, and so soooo sick of the cold!  Today it's in the 30's with rain in the forecast for most of the day.  Blahhhhhh

So, as I said yesterday I'm back to write about our day Saturday & since we're talking about Saturday we might as well talk about Sunday too!  I got up way too early on Saturday to get ready for a 9AM hair appt.  I had highlights & red low-lights put in my hair & I love how it turned out.  I've been needing some sort of change for awhile & this definitely did the trick.  I feel so much better!  Less frumpy & old looking :)  After my hair appointment, I had another appt which I'd love to talk about but it's a surprise.  Our 1st Wedding Anniversary is coming up on the 1st of April & this was part of Creag's gift so my lips are sealed until April! 

So after my crazy, busy morning I met the hubs back at the house and we finished packed our bags & took off for Lexington!!  Creag had bought us tickets for the UK Basketball game & we had some Hilton Honors points to use so we booked a hotel room so we could stay & go out after the game. 

The drive down to Lexington is always so beautiful. White picket fences & farm land everywhere. It's so beautiful to drive through the country on a sunny day with the love of your life by your side.  We stopped off for a bathroom break about halfway through our drive & Creag came back to the car with a single white & blue rose for me.  It's the little things that still give me butterflies:)

We got into town around 6PM & checked into our room.  We received a complimentary bottle of campaign with the room so we told them that they could go ahead & bring it up.  We laughed when they brought it to us in a plastic pitcher.  Very classy, right?

 

 

After a few glasses of the bubbly we headed down to call a cab to get us downtown for dinner.  We originally wanted to go to De Sha's but the wait was about two hours so we ended up at Cheapside and had a few appetizers at the bar.  With our stuffed banana peppers & queso I had two Makers & Diet's.  Can you say true Kentuckian right here??

 

 

 

 

After dinner & drinks it was off to Rupp for the game!  At the game, we had an absolute blast!  The Wildcats were behind most of the first half of the game but they slowly caught up & made it competitive.  There were a lot of Mizzou fans so it made the experience interesting!  Walking into the game, there was a fan of the opposing team who was being obnoxious & almost hit me.  Let's just say Creag got in his face & told him to knock it off and I was shocked!  Gotta love a man who will stick up for his wife.  The game ended in OT with a Wildcats win!!! 

 

After the game we went to a few bars downtown, Two Keys & then took a cab to a county bar that Creag had been to before where there was a live band playing. The music was really good & we had got a slow dance in before we left. There weren't a lot of cabs available, so after waiting at the gas station by the bar for close to 40 minutes we paid a stranger $50.00 to drive us home! Not something that I'd really like to make a habit of, but it got us home!!  The next morning we had breakfast off of the buffet at the hotel restaurant & then requested a late checkout & took advantage of a nap.  We woke up & went to the mall for a little shopping & then had to decide what we wanted for lunch.  It was between Hugh Jass Burgers & Joe Bologna's (where we always eat.)  Joe Bologna's won because of their awesome Mexican Pizza that we were in the mood for.  We'll definitely be choosing Hugh Jass next time, though.  I heard after the fact from my Sister-In-Law that they have amazing sweet potato fries w/ marshmallow sauce that I have to try!

 

 

After lunch, we headed home & ended the evening relaxing on the couch with white chocolate popcorn that we had picked up in Lexington & watched the movie Flight with Denzel Washington.  What I saw of the movie was pretty good, but I didn't make it all the way through.  I was exhausted & my new slippers were comfy!!! 

 

 

 



 

   

February 25, 2013

The weekend was a lot of fun!  I wish I could say that I'm refreshed on this Monday morning from lots of relaxation, but we had quite a few fun things planned so I won't complain.  Friday night, I met Amy for appetizers & drinks at Champps off of Union Center Blvd.  Hate to say it, but Amy was an hour late so I was forced to sit at the table alone for close to an hour.  This is one of the things that I absolutely hate.  I always feel like such a dork!  Luckily, while I was waiting, Creag called so I just talked to him on the phone for a few before he went out with Mike.  After we hung up, I ordered a few of the $5.00 apps & a beer.  After dinner, we headed across the street to the theatre to see the movie Safe Haven.  It was a great movie with a very surprising twist at the end. 

 

Creag texted me a picture of his dinner from Terry's Turf.  JEALOUS!

 

 

After the movie, we did a little shopping at Meier.  They had so many great deals going on.  I got a few shirts, a pair of shoes, slippers, a purse, watch & a picture for my office for under $100.00.  I don't shop for myself often so I was a pretty happy camper when we left.  I can't wait to get this picture hung up in my office.  I've had my eyes open for a good motivational print for awhile so when I saw this one for under $20.00 I had to buy it.

 

 

After wearing ourselves out shopping, we called it a night.  I met Creag back at home a little after midnight & he had stopped to get us a sundae from UDF.  A great surprise & a perfect ending to the night.

 



 

I'll be back tomorrow to talk about the rest of our weekend.  It was so much fun & I have way to many pictures to fit them all into one post!