Life on Grandma's Hill

Little River Canyon, Alabama

2011-10-02T17:20:00.001-07:00

Today we left Dalton and went south through some back country roads to the bottom of Little River Canyon in Alabama. I discovered this place a few years back and was wanting to get back and drive the whole route. It has some serious twisting curvy roads. When we first got on it I was sure I had made a mistake. The roads were so steep you almost needed 4 wheel drive to get up them, but it got better quickly and soon we only had sweeping........................

curvy roads.............. some

went down steep grades and other went up.......................

If you click on this picture you can see the road that follows the canyon. It is to the left of the river gorge. Quite an adventure.

The falls wasn't doing much today. I'm sure it is after a good hard rain.

This is the canyon below. The road you follow goes down on the left side and winds back to the right.

This was mushroom rock. They built the road around it.

Little River falls from a distance and then.....................

up close. There was a nice walk way to get closer to the falls.

This is the Tennessee River in Chattanooga from the Boathouse Restaurant where we had lunch

Great ending to a very gorgeous fall weekend get-a-way.

Georgia Mountains

2011-10-01T18:11:00.001-07:00

Today we headed east to the Georgia Mountains. We followed twisty curvy roads and came upon Amicalola Falls. Of course we went the hardest way you could go. There were 425 steps down to get to this point of the falls and another 157 more steps to the bottom. (which we didn't do)

This picture was taken with my zoom lens. The sun was beautiful shining on the water.

And yes we were in for our workout for the day. 425 steps back up to the top. Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!

After leaving there we drove through more curvy roads before getting to Helen, GA. We have been here two other times, but it is such a cool town. All the buildings are built the same. They all have the German look to them.

This is Paul's restaurant which has the best Prime Rib I have ever had, but the main restaurant didn't open until 2:00 and we were ready to eat. The very back far left is all an open area that overlooks the creek. It is more of a sports bar, so that was were we ate.

These were some beautiful birds. This sweet looking one took a chunk out of my hand.

There she is acting all sweet and innocent.

This lady was holding this bird and said she was very shy and all of a sudden he jumped over to..

Buddy. He was a bit surpised and wasn't sure what to do. I think she liked him. :)

The flowers are just beautiful here. Not sure how much longer they will last.

After leaving there we took Hwy 60 back toward Dalton, and yes Buddy had some fun on the curvy roads. We passed several motorcycles at one of the sharp turns and one didn't quite make it. He was in the ditch and not moving. Sure hope he is okay. Several emergency vehicles were headed that way.

This was at an overlook at Fort Mountain.

Weekend Get-A-Way

2011-09-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

We had some free nights ChoiceHotel points we had to use before the end of the year, so decided to take off for the weekend. At first we were going to go the Eastern part of Kentucky with lots of twisty curvy roads. But, after seeing how cool it was going to be we decided to head south. Just south of Chattanooga is the Battlefield of Chickamauga. There is a seven mile driving tour that takes you all around it. The visitors center closed at 5 so we weren't able to get a map to be able to tell us what we were seeing, but it was very interesting. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Chickamauga Tomorrow we will be taking back roads through the North Eastern Mountains of Georgia.

Shelby's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-09-17T20:12:00.000-07:00

Shelby's birthday party was today and all she wanted was a purple flower cake. This has been the easiest cake we have done. The ice cream cones were two different size cupcakes and then you put icing on them and they look like ice cream cones. The party favors were the bowls that Kristin found at Hobby Lobby. They fixed their own sundaes in them.

You could either have a brownie sundae, make your own sundae or the specialty made by Cindy Holland, a good old fashion banana split. This was where you started and then you moved on to......

Oh my, can I say sugar heaven. You add your own toppings to your ice cream. Of course first in line was........

the birthday girl, with her own special bowl. She loves ice cream. Then along came big brother.....

Mitchell and he made his own sundae. Then after all the kids were served...........

they ate outside. All of them getting on their sugar high. Sorry, mom's & dad's.

You could have a 1 scoop, 2 scoop or a 3 scoop boat. Most chose the 3 scoop. This was Danielle's

I think Jonathan's had to be the best of the show. Thank's Cindy for your creative work. And then there was a nice..................................

Fruit tray for the healthy folks. Hmmmmm. Don't look like it has been touched. After the carb high, it was time for Shelby to..........

open her presents. She got lots of dress up stuff. That is her favorite thing to do. Loves beads. She got necklaces, rings, hi-heels.

Books

Cleaning things, because she loves to help clean house. I hope she still likes it when she gets older. I will sure put her to work, because that is my least favorite thing to do.

After opening all her presents, it was time for the...............................

cake. After blowing out the candles..................

she very gently put her fingers in the cake. Unlike the last several that we have made for the boys. and then it was time for a taste. She wanted to share so she gave...............

Grandmother a bite. If Ice Cream & cake wasn't enough, why not have......................

an Ice Cream Cone Cupcake........... It was funny when she took it, because she thought it was a real ice cream cone. She was licking it. And if that wasn't enough sugar for the rest of them, some

others had to have more. Mitchell just made his own sundae in his mouth. And best of all..........

we got a picture with Mom & Dad with all their great grandkids. Baby Garrett is a sweetie and now there is another one on the way for Jeremy & Katie. What a great day.

Our little princess. I hope you had a good day Miss Shelby.

St. Simons & Jekyll Island (Thur-Fri)

2011-09-11T06:36:00.000-07:00

Thursday we stayed close by. Around lunch time we drove through Fernandina Beach historic downtown and then we drove by.......
Amelia Island lighthouse. This one can only be toured on certain occasions. Ate lunch at Sliders. Then it was back to the condo.

This guy hung out with us all week.

Friday we went north into Georgia across this bridge to....

St. Simons Island, which of course but what else would I be looking for, but yet another......

lighthouse

St. Simons lighthouse was built in 1872 and is 104 ft tall with 129 steps.

I will never get tired of the views from the top of each of the lighthouses we visit.

Shrimp boat coming in.

This was a coast guard station, but now a Maritime Museum that we toured.

After leaving there we went over to Jekyll Island where the rich and famous use to have houses.

These are single family vacation homes that were owned by the Vanderbilts & Goodyears among other rich and famous

Now that is one big yacht.

We left there and went back and hung out on the beach the rest of the day.

St. Augustine (Wed)

2011-09-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

After sitting on the balcony this morning and drinking our coffee & eating breakfast, we decided to take off to St. Augustine. Only 60 miles away from where we were. We dropped the top on the Pony and took off. We always take side roads and today was no different. We drove down A1A all the way down. Well, when you get below Jackson, FL there are some huge houses on the beach. I could only get a few shots of them as we were going.

We then arrived at St. Augustine Lighthouse, which was....

built in 1874 and has 214 stairs to the top (yes we climbed) The light keepers had to carry 30 lb hot oil cans to the top 3 times a day. It took all I could do to carry my body up there.

These cannons were recently found in a shipwreck and they have to slowly get them changed over to the different waters to clean them.

Yep, that's the stairs

The view from the top don't give it justice. It is amazing.

St. Augustine is a very cool old town.

The fresnal lens

Probably my 3rd favorite lighthouse. Hatteras 1st, little Nubble Lighthouse in Maine and then this one my 3rd. We have seen so many it is really hard to pick a favorite.

This is where the lighthouse keepers stayed, which is attached to the lighthouse. It was like a duplex. One family on one side and one on the other.

The front of the house.

The trees just intrigue me.

Headed back to condo, Downtown Jacksonville

Tuesday Beach Day

2011-09-10T13:00:00.001-07:00

The waves are huge. This was taken from our balcony. Today we just stayed at the condo and read from the balcony and then later went down to the beach. 20 years ago you couldn't have pried me from the beach and sun, but not anymore. I love going down in the afternoon because the sun is behind you and no blaring sun baring down on you. We walked the beach and picked up seashells.
We pretty much had the beach to ourself. Nobody to the north and

very few to the south

Loving the waves

We had little friends around us and then it was time to.....

play in the water. But soon it was night time and since I wake up so early I get to see .....

pretty sunrises

This is my second post of the day, may get one more in. It is about time to head to the water.

Savannah & Tybee Island

2011-09-10T08:46:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to stay in today and get some pictures uploaded. Monday after leaving Columbia, SC we drove to Savannah & Tybee Island. We mainly wanted to see the lighthouse before heading on down to the condo. We ate lunch at Sting Rays Seafood and was a big mistake to eat before climbing the stairs of Tybee Island Lighthouse
The lighthouse was built in 1866 and is 154 ft tall and there are 178 steps to the top. It was really hot and humid that day and I was sweating buckets by the time I got to the top.

But once we got up there it was worth it for the view,

The fresnal lens

We toured the lighthouse keepers living quarters.

Little girl toys

Boy toy

Across from the lighthouse is this fort

The trees are an amazing sight.

Driving through the streets of Savannah

I may do another post later today, if not I will finish updating when I get home. I'm having to do this old school way and takes quite a while

Vacation Day 1-2

2011-09-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

The condo we are at, I still can't load my pics since the computer I'm using don't have a place for my camera card and there is no wireless, so I can't use my laptop. I will have to write about what we are doing and log pics when I either find a wireless connection or when I get home. Yesterday we left Columbia, SC and drove to Savannah & Tybee Island. Ate a great lunch at a little seafood place called Sting Rays. We then went and toured the Tybee Island lighthouse. Walked to the top and there was a heat index of 101 yesterday and yes i was sweating when I got to the top. After leaving there we drove through the beautiful cypress tree covered streets of Savannah (I guess you will just have to imagine the pics) and drove on to Amelia Island, FL. When we left yesterday I sure thought we would be in rain here for several days. We only drove through hard rain for about 10 minutes. After we got here we just sat out on the balcony and watched the waves. It is a beautiful place here and not hardly anyone on the beach. This morning we sat out on the balcony drinking our coffee and watching a gentle rain while looking at the sun out over the ocean. It didn't last long and we took a walk on the beach and picked up seashells. It has been overcast most of the day, which is fine with me. Not sure what the plans are for tomorrow. I may go to Walmart tomorrow and get a CD with my pics so I can download them and post. A blog is just not the same without pics.

Kidd Family Reunion

2011-09-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

All I can say is Internet don't work and I can't post pics. Wow, What a great time today in the mountains of Virginia with kinfolk. I loved that my grandkids all got to spend time in Wolf Creek where I got to spend so much time as a child. Even though there are only 2 out of the twelve siblings, there were over 100 people there. I so loved that Craig got to spend time with his great uncle Hemen this mornig which is his Pawpaws brother. I was so happy that my whole family was there. And so glad that John (son-in-law) was able to fix Aunt Bessie her waffle this morning at the hotel. She just raved on how kind John was. Just wish that my brother and his family had been there. It was so much fun when I was a kid. Can you imagine how much fun it was with 11 aunts and uncles and all their kids? We had a blast playing in Wolf Creek. I just can't say enough for my 2nd cousin 'Sandra You have done a wonderful job. Thank you for your home for the reunioin.

Virginia Part 1

2011-09-03T19:29:00.000-07:00

We are going to my dad's family reunion this weekend in Virginia. He is the youngest out of 12 kids. It is now only him and one other brother, but there is going to be someone from all the siblings there. There will be over 100 people there. My plans were to drive up early Friday to Bluefield, VA to spend time with my long time friend (since we were babies) Debbie. I broke out in the hives Thursday night and kind of got a delay on Friday morning. When I got here I just was able to see her a little while Friday afternoon. This morning I did get to go and visit with her and her precious grandaughter Alex. The rest of my family all were here by lunchtime and it was off to Aunt Ruby's house. She had a wonderful spread for us. These people up here know how to eat. She made my favorite, chicken-n-dumplings. The best you ever had. Plus, she had tons of other food. I can just kick myself that I didn't get any pictures there, but just wasn't feeling up to par. The kids all went down the hill to the creek and played. Jamie took pics and I will have to steal them from here so I can share. This is the only one I got, because about the time I got down there the boys were way down the creek and it was about to storm.

Tonight we went to Debbie's to eat and boy did she have some good food. As you can see, my kids are the first in line. Thank you so much Debbie for sharing your home and letting the Sanford family crash there. You have that quiet little baby girl. Just wait until you get more.

Shelby had her very own real baby doll. This is Alex, Debbie's grandaughter. She is just precious. And my heavens, looks just like her dad when he was a baby.

And then we tried to get a pic with the boys, all I can say is enjoy.

Happy Birthday, DAD!!!!!

2011-08-26T06:29:00.001-07:00

We celebrated dad's birthday last week, but today is actually his birthday. He is 86 years old. He has been such and inspiration to me and wow, what a dad to have. For his birthday dinner we had make your own omelets in a bag. These are fun to make if you've never tried it. I put 2 eggs in a ziplock bag and then set out all kinds of fillings to put in the omelet. Seal up the bag and drop in boiling water for 13 minutes. It slides out and makes a beautiful fluffy omelet. We also had hash brown, bacon, sausage,country ham, gravy & biscuits.

Craig's had to get two plates for all he ate.

This is a close up of what the omelets look like.

Dad and his great grandkids

For dessert we had apple tarts with ice cream.

Happy Birthday, Craig

2011-08-14T06:08:00.001-07:00

We celebrated Craig's birthday on Friday night, with his usual Stir-Fry birthday meal. We had stir-fry veggies, steak, chicken, egg rolls, potstickers, fried rice, teriyaki rice and ramen noodle salad.

Craig isn't a cake eater, so his birthday cake was Monkey Bread

Happy Birthday, Craig!!!! I love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Pride And Joy

2011-08-12T04:28:00.000-07:00

Swimming

2011-08-03T08:56:00.000-07:00

READY, SET

JUMP

Trevor flying high

John gets quite a workout tossing the boys as high as he can.

We took the slide off of the swing set. Buddy and John held it while the kids went down. Hopefully we can figure out how to fix it so it doesn't look like a redneck poolslide.

The kids have really enjoyed the pool this year. They have all come a long way. Mitchell is swimming anywhere he wants. Nolen will swim in the shallow end. Trevor will swim in the shallow end with his water wings on. At the beginning of the season he wouldn't even get off the steps. Now he will jump in on the sides. Shelby goes anywhere she wants with her swimmies on. Hopefully next year they will all be swimming.

Mom's Birthday

2011-07-30T11:50:00.000-07:00

Her birthday cake was Monkey Bread

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged and I'm going to try to get caught up, but first last night we celebrated moms 78th birthday. She still looks great. I have been so blessed to have her for a mother. She wanted Mexican for her meal. We had taco salads, taquitas, mini-chimi's and cheese dip. Her cake was Monkey Bread. The next blog will catching up from April.

Catching up

2011-07-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since I have blogged, so going to try to get back in the habit of it. I have to go all the way back to April. We had Kristin's birthday dinner and also

Trevor's birthday. He wanted a pirate cake so I did the best I could.

He loved it

After the birthdays along came Easter.

This was Trevor's school program

Then Nolen had a program for graduating from Kindergarten

We had been at Defeated Creek but came back for Mitchell's school program

Kristin and John came up to spend some time at the lake and Shelby had her first ride on the wave runners.

Papaw and his towheaded girl

July so far has been quite busy. We went to Jessica's beautiful fun wedding

which gave us an opportunity to get some family pics.

Me and my sweet little grandkids.

Love these guys

Craig's family

Kristin's family

At the reception Shelby got to play dress up and was kicking up her heels dancing while,

Mitchell had to show his moves

Then I was back at Defeated Creek for 2 weeks and the only pics I took were of wildlife. I had to fill this hummingbird feeder which was on the back of the camper 3 times while I was there.

The deer are plentiful up there. This was right by our camper.

Next was Mitchell's birthday. He changed from a Wrestling birthday party to a Despicable Me party, so we made the minion cake and cupcakes.

Lot of folks came and it was terribly hot, but I think they all had a good time.

I'm really going to try to do better on my blog.

Zoo Day

2011-03-22T13:48:00.001-07:00

It was a beautiful spring day today. Me & Kristin and her kids, met with Jamie and the boys at the zoo today. It was very crowded but had a good time anyway. I'm sure all of them went home and took a nap. They were wore out.

Nolen, Noah (from church) Mitchell, Shelby, & Trevor (the clown)
Bestest cousins

Stopping for a bite to eat.

New baby giraffe

Quick Virginia Trip

2011-01-29T12:48:00.000-08:00

We took a quick trip to Bluefield this weekend. We had a wonderful breakfast this morning prepared by my Aunt Ruby & Uncle Herman. My cousins Mike & Nancy, Beatie & Les were able to be there and also my Uncle J.W. It was great to see everyone. Today Keith & Debbie took us up on the mountain to see the beautiful snow scenery. It was breathtaking.

Hey, Hey, Hey Boo Boo!!!

2010-12-18T17:56:00.000-08:00

We took the boys to see Yogi Bear today. They were pretty excited before the movie. The movie was cute. Poor Trevor crashed about halfway through. These pics were taken with Buddy's Iphone so not the best quality. After the movie they were able to meet Yogi. Before the movie Trevor was wanting to know where Boo Boo was.

This was outside of the theater. The sun was very bright since we haven't seen it all week. You can tell by the boys covering up their eyes and squinting. Note to self: Make sure your shadow isn't in the picture. Guess that is one way of getting us all in the picture.

Christmas Lights

2010-12-03T19:11:00.001-08:00

Wow, we are a bit late getting our lights on this year. Buddy bought all new LED lights for the house. Well, we had no clue there were two different white lights. Oh yeah, there are cool white (blue) and warm white (white) lights. Craig & Buddy worked hard getting these lights up, only to find out that they were different colors.

Thankfully Lowes took back the (blue) lights back which were over $400 worth, and we used our old net lights. They are not as bright as the LED's on the house but much better than the others.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2010-11-25T04:46:00.001-08:00

I am so Thankful for my family. I think about those that have family that live far away and I'm just not sure how you can stand it. I am so blessed that both of my kids and my mom & dad live nearby. I am Thankful for a godly Mom & Dad that have shown me so much love & wisdom. I'm Thankful for my son that has a loving wife, with two beautiful boys. I'm Thankful for my daughter with a loving husband and a beautiful boy and girl. My grandchildren mean the world to me. I can't express in words how they melt your heart. Most of all, I'm Thankful for a wonderful loving husband of 34 years.

Happy Birthday Nolen & John

2010-11-19T03:39:00.000-08:00

Today is Nolen's 6th birthday and John's 30th birthday. We celebrated their birthday last night here at the house. Trevor was sick so Jamie had to stay home with him. John had requested Make-Your-Own-Pizza and I knew Nolen would also like that. I made Nolen a Monster Truck cake. This is the first year I have had the pleasure of making him a fun cake. After he saw all the fun Trevor & Mitchell had with their cakes, he asked me to make one for him. Of course Grandma is going to do what he asks. :) I have so much fun making their birthday cakes.

Lesson learned from Trevor's Monster Truck Cake. You will not be eating that cake. It will be destroyed. So, I made John a giant Oreo Cake and Nolen a smaller one, with ingredients that wouldn't bother his allergies.

The Birthday Boys

Good job Nolen

Mitchell with his bestest buddy

Craig & the birthday boy

He was pretty happy about his cake.

The beginning of the destruction

This was the funny part. When they first started playing in the cake, Nolen got some chocolate on his finger and wanted a wet towel to wipe it off. Notice Mitchell is also looking at his hand.

At first they were real careful not to mess up the cake

but soon,

it was demolished. Mitchell decided he needed to clean the tires off.

What a mess

Shelby dove right in

Final result!!!!!

Nolen with his presents

Fall Camping 2010 Pics Overload

2010-11-10T05:27:00.000-08:00

Thanks to those that took my camera and took pictures for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't have any. I seem to stay busy on this weekend, but I love it when we have this annual fall camping trip with family & friends. Can't wait til next year.

Back Home

2010-09-26T19:13:00.000-07:00

Last day and no real plans, just knew I had to get home sometime today. We were close to Arthur, IL which is an Amish settlement. Really didn't think we would see much since it was Sunday, but we did see this guy out. After leaving there we went to Parke Co, in Indiana. It was an area we have been to before. There are 31 covered bridges in this small county. Before, when we were here, we saw most of them, but thought we would stop through again.

Catlin Bridge, Built in 1907 and was 54 ft long. This one was moved to this area.

West Union Bridge, Built in 1876 and was 315 ft long.

Marshall Bridge, built in 1917 and was 56 ft. long

This was along the way. The bicycle was as tall as me. To get the true perspective, look at the seat. It was a normal bike seat.

Rush Creek Bridge, Built in 1907, 77 ft long. It has recently been painted. (They are having a covered bridge festival here in 2 weeks so guess they are getting ready)

Jackson Bridge, Built in 1861, and is 207 ft long

Buddy driving the pony through

This really gives you a better idea of how long it is.

After leaving the covered bridge area we drove through another Amish area we had been to 3 years ago. Didn't really think we would see much since it was Sunday, but there were quite a few out on the road. Sorry some of the pics are blurry, I had my camera on the wrong setting, plus we were moving along at a pretty good clip.

Our route today.

This was the GPS when we got home. It was off by about 61 miles according to the mileage on the car. Something was wrong and it kept shutting down. So our total mileage was 2,917 miles.

So, until next year, that was the trip in the Pony. I think we have pretty much covered the upper states, so guess we will have to move south. Really wish we could drive the California/Oregon coast, but we would need more than a week to make it there and back. SOMEDAY!!!!

Fall Trip Day 10

2010-09-25T19:16:00.001-07:00

This morning as we left we took all backroads again, and it took us to beautiful farms

Couldn't leave Wisconsin without getting some cheese. We stopped and bought some cheese from Igor!!! Another great farm This picture don't do this justice, because I had my zoom lens on and couldn't get the whole feel of it. Hundreds of acres of cornfields (these were taken while moving down the road)

After going through all this beautiful country side in Wisconsin, we enter Illinois and see all these ugly windmills. Thanks, Obama for making your state an eye sore in this beautiful country.

They went on for miles and miles

This was one straight road that we drove for 80 miles, and yes all we saw was corn fields.

Thousands of acres of corn.

You build a house, plant a few trees, and yes, you are surrounded by CORN

Our route today.

Fall Trip Day 9

2010-09-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

Today when we left Two Harbors it was still a little rainy, so we decided to move on and not go back to see Split Rock Lighthouse. As I said before we have been there and I have some good pics of it, so wasn't too hard for me to move on. Our plan (by many people insisting) was to go to Mall of America. We got there around noon, so first thing on our agenda was lunch. We checked out the map and decided on Ruby Tuesday. Now to find it was a different story. This place is huge. After we ate, I thought we needed to go shopping? HA HA. NOPE went straight to the Nickelodeon Amusement area.

This is a Pirate Ship adventure where you can walk planks, wires, swinging ladders. All of course with ropes tied to you. I know some little boys that would love to get loose on this.

Then we saw the Deago & Dora Bus ride. OOPS, can't forget Boots!

It was like a ferris wheel

This is Dora's Ferris Wheel

This was the Sponge Bob Drop that me & Buddy rode. If you double click on the pic and enlarge it you will get a better view of the real drop. Lot of flips and turns.

They had log rides

Backyardigans roller coaster

So many other rides, for kids. I just wish I had my grandkids with me. We need something like this in Nashville. That way I could take them to the Nickelodeon Area and their moms could go do my shopping. That would be a great trade out.

My favorite place was the Butterfly Room. You could go in and walk around. The butterflies would land on you or they would let you pick them up.

This one was on a girls shoulder when we walked in.

This is what it looked like before it opened up.

Of course I would have gotten one with injured wings.

Okay, so we were there for 3 hours. Only stores we went in were the Lego store, American Girl & Nickelodeon. I took a couple of picks of part of the mall but there was no good way to get even any idea of how big it is.

It is 4 stories high and close to 500 stores in it.

This is only one wing of the parking buildings that are around it.

After leaving the Mall we road down a route along the Mississippi River to Onalaska, WI

This was our route today.

Fall Trip Day 8

2010-09-23T17:47:00.001-07:00

First off I want to apoligize for all the pictures I post on my blogs. I do it for my own benefit, kind of a travel journel. But, tonights blog, is mostly for my niece Chelsea that is an animal lover.
We just knew our day was going to be a wash out by heavy rain. When we left, we had a very pretty drive to Ely. It had rained overnight, so Buddy couldn't hug the curves with the Mustang like he would have liked to. As it turned out, it didn't rain on us, until we got almost back to our room.

Our first stop was at the North American Bear Center. There is a live web cam, that I have been watching these bears for 4 yrs or more. There are 3 bears at the center. Ted & Honey were at a families home and they couldn't keep them anymore and gave them to the center. They were very overweight when they got them. They both have lost over 200 lbs since they had taken them in. A normal black bear should weigh around 300 lbs. Honey still weighs 600 lbs and Ted weighs 400 lbs. Lucky was taken from a den as a baby by someone and when he was turned out into the wild didn't know how to take care of himself. He was taken in by the center and he is doing fine and weighs in at what a normal bear should weigh 300 lbs.

Lucky, he came to eat and was out of there.

Honey, she was very shy.

Ted, now he is Mister Personality. He is on a box, which is actually scales whre they weigh them.

Having a snack

Checking out the den. They are almost ready to den for the winter.

Beautiful bear

Okay, Ely, Minn. is my new favorite small town. Just wish it wasn't 1,000 miles from Mt. Juliet.

This is for you Nolen. This is the gas station you have seen on the web cam. I somehow deleted the picture from the street where you see the red light.

This is where we ate lunch. Chili like I have never had. YUMMY!

After lunch we went to the Wolf Center.

When we first got there they were all napping.

They stretched......

Played.......

Yawned.....

It didn't take long to figure out, that this was the boss of the bunch

Making a run out of the den.

Back on top guarding.

After leaving Ely we drove back down the beautiful colorful roads and soon we saw....a sign with the temps at 47 degrees.

We had planned on going to another lighthouse, but it had started raining. We have been to this one before, but would love to see it again. So we decided to head back to our room.

Lake Superior is really kicking it up tonight.

When we got back to our room the waves were crashing over the bank from our room. It is suppose to rain all night. Hopefully, it will let up by the time we have to head back south. Right now, the wind is whistling through the windows, so not sure how much sleep I will get.

Fall Trip Day 7

2010-09-22T19:06:00.000-07:00

We had no clue what today would hold. But it turned out just perfect. This morning when I was up at 5:30 I took this picture, thinking the sun would be popping up anytime. Well, almost an hour and half later this is where it actually came up. Oh, well. Still a pretty sight anytime you see a sunrise.
Nice pics Buddy took of our backyard wildlife this morning.

We drove about 25 miles from where we were staying to Bayfield, WI. This is where you take a cruise around the Apostle Islands. There are 20+ Islands in the area, and there was some very unique history with them. It was a 55 mile cruise and took just over 3 hours.

This is a view of the quaint little town of Bayfield.

This was one of the first islands that we saw that had a lot of sandstone. They would quarry blocks out to use for buildings as high as 7 stories.

This was Devil's Island. The outer Island of the Apostles. There were lots of caves formed from the years of wear from Lake Superior. The history of this lake is amazing with all the shipwrecks.

Looks like a nice garage for boats.

Very unusual formations.

This is the lighthouse on Devil's Island

This lighthouse was on Raspberry Island. The couple that was sitting in front of us on the cruise, had stayed at this place for a week 47 years ago.

We rode a ferry over to Madeline Island to eat lunch. The population of the island is around 200 full timers and over 2,500 in the summer months.

This is the route we took today. You can see the Apostle Islands that we toured via boat on the right side. The largest Island is the one we went to to eat lunch. If we had wings or a boat we could have been where we are tonight in about 30 minutes. Instead it took about 2 1/2 hrs. I wish I had thought to do this in my earlier blogs, so you can actually see where we are. Mainly for my niece (Jessica) which is a world traveler. Tomorrow we are off to BEAR COUNTRY.

Fall Trip Day 6

2010-09-21T17:47:00.001-07:00

Today I veered off course a bit from what was planned, but that is no surprise. We thought it was going to be a rainy day all day, and it did start out that way. Not many pics as it was mostly a travel day.

We drove all curvy backroads through Wisconsin.

Wasn't long and the sun popped out and ended up being a beautiful day.

The further north we drove the more the trees had turned. I drove the last 75 miles so Buddy could sleep, so I didn't get any pics of the bright red maples that I saw along the way.

We have been so lucky at the places we have found to stay on the water. I had no reservations or places that I planned on staying. That's what makes it fun to take a trip where you aren't tied down to a certain schedule.

Lighthouse several miles out from our room.

This is a tree next to our room. They are in full color up here.

Beautiful full moon over Lake Superior tonight

Tomorrow, depending on the weather, we are suppose to take a Lighthouse Cruise around the Apostle Islands. It is in the 50's up here and has been a bit cool for convertible riding. I'm loving the fall feel in the air. So sorry for you folks in Tenn. where it has been in the upper 90's.

Fall Trip Day 5

2010-09-20T18:43:00.000-07:00

It was a beautiful morning. This is looking out from our deck. Yes, I know my kids will be amazed that we actually took a pic of ourselves. I hate having my picture taken.
Bailey Harbor Range Light

Bailey Harbor Range Keepers house

The range ligh was probably 200 yds from the house

Cana Island Lighthouse

Looking out the port hole about half way up the lighthouse

This is the Fresnel lens that (now days) only a small light about the size of a AA battery will light it and you can see it from 17 miles out. Before, the lighthouse keeper had to make 97 steps up and manually light it every 2 hours.

From the top looking down

the winding stairs

This is Al Johnson's Restaurant (famous for the goat's on the roof) It is a Swedish Restaurant with a sodded roof. They bring the goats every day from 8:00 until 5:00.

Okay, if our punishment wasn't enough for our bummed knees climbing the lighthouse, we decided to climb this tower with 109 steps. Well worth it.

Eagle Bluff Lighthouse

Back home, you have seen the view to the water, we are on the top floor with the wrap around deck.

This is just below our room.

Day 4

2010-09-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a great view to wake up to. I sat outside and drank my coffee this morning as the colors of the sky changed.Two Rivers Bay Light

Rawlights Lighthouse

Hard to believe the trees are already turning

Kewaunee Light

WWII Tugboat

Draw Bridge going into Sturgeon Bay

Sturgeon Bay Light

Yes this our backyard for the next 2 days

Great view from our deck

Fall Trip Day 3

2010-09-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

We left Michigan City around 8:00 this morning. Drove through Chicago and it was a breeze. Thank goodness it was Saturday. We hit rain about the time to stop at the first lighthouse, so pics aren't too good of the first two we saw.

Kenosha Pierhead Lighthouse Kenosha LighthouseRain had stopped, but remained overcast most of the day.
Racine Root River Light Racine Breakwater Light Wind Point Lighthouse

Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse Milwaukee Breakwater Lighthouse We couldn't resist taking a picture of this. It was Pedal Tavern. The people rode around the city while pedaling their way and drinking.

North Point Lighthouse, Milwaukee, WI

We climbed this lighthouse. This was a pic looking down.

Port Washington Lighthouse These were motorized parasails.

Manitowoc Breakwater LighthouseBuddy was the picture taker today. I love this shot. The sun hadn't been out all day and when we were headed back to our room, it popped out for a while. This is a great pic Buddy.

This was taken from just outside our room.

Fall Trip Day 1 & 2

2010-09-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

We left Thursday morning on our vacation, via work stop for Buddy. We stayed in Fort Wayne, Indiana. This morning we were through with interstates and stayed on back roads. Went to the northern Indiana area of the Amish Country.

This was a beautiful Amish Farmhouse This is at a grocery store that we went in and bought the yummy Amish Peanut Butter Spread. Nothing like real peanut butter.

This was the Menno-hof which is where you learn how the Amish & Menonittes lifestyles are and how they came to America.

All around the area they grow gardens like this and they are in the shape of quilt patterns. It is late in the year and they are drying up, but I'm sure this one was pretty early on.

Here we are at the IGA grocery store.

You really have to be careful while driving down the roads.

Just happened to be Fall Festival in Middlebury, and again I wish I could take pics of all the cute little Amish kids. We walked through, didn't buy anything but it was lunch time and both of us had chicken and noodles (dumplings tenn. style) Wow, were they good.

Working the land

Seems wash day was Friday here. Usually it is Monday for the Amish, Maybe it rained on Monday and they are doing it today, because everyone had their laundry hanging out.

they have the road, you just move over when you can

going home from work

not sure but he sure was laughing

a pretty church, just loved the blue sky above, which I don't think we are going to see for the next several days

Ok, now we are on Lake Michigan

I have tried to tell my kids, being up here is just like the ocean without the heat and saltwater. Tell me it isn't true.

This is the dunes we walked up from the other side to the beach 8 yrs ago. Don't look that steep from this angle, but let me tell you it is steep. 4 steps up and 2 steps back. Hard to walk.

Michigan City, Indiana Who would think there was waterfront in Indiana

Happy Birthday, Shelby!!!!!

2010-09-09T07:55:00.001-07:00

Today is Shelby's 1st Birthday. We had her party on Saturday. We love you sweet baby girl. After everyone ate, it was time to open presents.
She got a cute pink hat with mittens, & scarf.

She got lots of clothes Books

Toys
More toys

Another cute hat

A lawnmower to help keep the yard cut.

This was the cute little cake me & Kristin made. Kristin does the decorating, all I do is bake the cake. We have so much fun making the kids cakes.

Shelby was very anxious to get to her ladybug.

Waiting very patiently

Thank goodness, now it is time to dig in.

First a tiny little bite, and then...........

it didn't take her long to dive right in.

believe she enjoyed her cake, and it had to be taken away or she would have eaten the whole thing.

Sweet Carey Family

Quick Road Trip

2010-09-07T18:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had Shelby's birthday party at our house. After everyone left, me & Buddy took off for a spur of the moment Road Trip. We loaded up the Pony (Mustang) and took off. It was such a gorgeous weekend and just couldn't pass it up. Drove to Clarksville and then cut over to Dover and drove up The road that goes through Land Between the Lakes. Being a holiday weekend we weren't real sure we would find anywhere to stay, but found a Comfort Inn real close to the area we were wanting to see. When we take these trips I like to find motorcycle roads, so you are guaranteed nice curvy road. This one took you up to the very western part of KY and along the Ohio river and ended in Marion, KY (Amish Country) Since it was Sunday we didn't see much going on, but it is pretty country up there. After leaving there we ate lunch at a Marina overlooking Lake Barkley. Then we drove around parts of Lake Barkley & Kentucky Lake. Went back to the hotel and sat outside and read the rest of the afternoon. Monday we went back up to Marion to see if we could see anymore Amish. Went to a couple of stores and bought Amish bread, honey, sorghums & peanut butter spread. Drove all around the country and still not much going on so it was time to make our way home. We drove down the eastern side of Lake Barkley cut across and drove to Scottsville, Ky and then home.

Barge going up the Ohio River

Ferry that you take to get into Illinois.
On Lake Barkley there were fast boats

Sailboats

Boats with dogs

and very large boats.

These little shells were everywhere.

Amish buggies

One of the few we saw out driving

These were parked in the garage where we stopped to buy bread.

This horse and buggy were waiting to take off. I do try to respect their privacy as they don't like to have their pictures taken.

You can tell what day it is, because the Amish always do their laundry on Monday.

Look closely, there was a little Amish boy picking the garden.

This lady was just walking down the road.

This is Jefferson Davis Monument between Hopkinsville & Russellville

Happy Birthday, DAD!!!!!!!

2010-08-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

Father-Daughter Love

My daddy was my hero

For my very youngest years;

Daddy kept me safe and happy,

And he chased away my fears.

I watched in awe and wonder

At each manly thing he did;

Oh, I looked up to my daddy,

When I was a little kid.

My dad was still my hero,

As the years passed, one by one.

He taught important lessons,

And he took some time for fun.

He was my firm foundation;

On my dad I did depend;

He was always there for me,

My dad, my guide, my friend.

My father is my hero,

Now that I'm fully grown.

I love him and respect him,

The best man I've ever known.

I knew when I would marry

That my husband had to be

A great man, just like my father,

Dad, my hero you'll always be.

by, Joanna Fuchs

Dad's actual birthday isn't until Aug. 26th, but I'll be gone camping and wasn't sure if my air card would work, so I'm posting now. We had his 85th birthday dinner last night at my house. Salad, steak, twice-baked potatoes, corn on cob, green beans, mac & cheese, grilled veggies.

Instead of a cake, I made Oreo Creme Pie

Dad's pride and joy are his 4 great grandkids.

I am so blessed to still have my dad in my life. He has taught me so much and I'm still learning from him. He has definately slowed down and can't do what he used to, but he is now content with that. He is so full of wisdom, love, compassion, generosity and cares so much of others. Everyone I see that knows him, tell me what a wonderful person he is. Most days if he isn't watching the Braves play ball, he is out on the back porch reading. He loves being around his great grandkids and I'm so glad they have able to spend their young years with him.

Happy Birthday, Daddy

I LOVE YOU!!!!

Nolen Starts School

2010-08-09T07:03:00.001-07:00

I know it was just yesterday that I took Craig to kindergarten for his first day of school. Wow, where does the time go. That was 27 years ago. He is now 32 years old, been married for 7 years and has 2 boys of his own.

Oh, the memories that have been made since he started school at West Elememtary. He went there seven years. Just a few memories: His first year he took my chocolate chip cookies to his teacher for Christmas. As the years went on we kept up the tradition. I didn't only make them for his present teacher but the ones from the years before. This was also with Kristin's teachers. So by the time they were in the 6th grade, I was making quite a few batches of cookies. When I would walk through the front door, if Mr. Stokes (the principal) was anywhere nearby, would spot that yellow tupperware bowl I always carried them in (By the way still have it) & he would always grab a few out before I made it to the classroom. Other memories are the school plays that are always enjoyable to watch. The friends he made and still have today from elementary school. One other time that really stands out, is: I would go eat lunch with him quite often. One time, and he was probably in the 5th grade, I had gone to eat with him. As I was about to leave, he just automatically reached up and kissed me. The boys sitting around him teased him and said. "I can't believe you still kiss your mother" Well, that didn't phase him and I'm so proud that he still kisses and hugs me anytime he is around me.

Anyone that has kids starting school, hang on to those precious memories. Now Nolen is starting school. His first full day of kindergarten is today. I know he is going to do great in school. He is already so smart, I just hope the teachers can keep up with him. Craig & Jamie, you hang on to every single moment that you can, because it goes way too fast. Love you Nolen and Grandma is so proud of you. Before you know it I'll be going to your graduation from High School.

July 4th Food, Fun, Family & Friends

2010-07-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th of July. John, Kristin, Mitchell & Shelby were here most of the day. Craig, Jamie, Nolen & Trevor came later in the day. They had been at the lake with Jamie's side of the family. David & D came by also to swim and eat. We had your basic 4th meal of burgers, chicken wings & chips. The kids are all doing so good in the pool this year. Hopefully they will all know how to swim by next year. That would make me feel a lot better.

Shelby had fun in the water, and.....

out of the water
Mitchell swam, and.....
turned flips.
Shelby posed at the steps, and.....
Made faces, and......

showed us her Daddy's smile.

Mitchell went flying high, while.......

Shelby played with the sprinkler,

she loved the feel of the water, until......

she was squirted in the eye, and by then.........

she had enough and crawled away.

Nolen & Mitchell loved jumping in the pool together, while.........

others watched.

There were smiles, and.........

more smiles.........

hugs..........

more smiles........

and yet more smiles.

Then there was food.

Some ate, while others played.

Trevor patiently waited on his food, while....

David and D. chowed down.

Then it was rest time after eating.

Finally it was time for a few sparklers

What a fun way to end the day!!!!!!

Mike & Terry came by after church and visited awhile. We sat on the front porch and watched fireworks all around us. Nice being able to not have to fight the traffic but still enjoy the show.

Hills of Virginia

2010-06-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

It was a very interesting weekend is all I can say. Went to a beautiful wedding in VA and came home VIA backroads through the south western part of Virgina. Beautiful landscape and nice curvy roads with the Mustang. (We are not actually home yet, another whole story). The haze in the sky made a big diffence in the pictures, but still beautiful.

I love Barns!!!

Lots of houses like this along the way. Check out the arch in the windows. These houses are miles and miles from any major city, and built years and years ago. Yes, sorry another barn. Curvy roads are fun in the Mustang Very hazy, but a beautiful view

Watauga Lake in TN. We stopped here and ate lunch at a restaurant that was overlooking the lake. I knew something was wrong with Buddy when he only ate half of a cheeseburger and hardly any fries.

Swimming & Gardening

2010-06-17T19:35:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a long time since I posted last and not sure why. The past month has been terribly hot and muggy. Thank goodness the pool is open for the kiddo's. The garden is looking good. I got my first zucchini and yellow squash yesterday. Tomato, cucumber, okra will be along soon. I have been getting banana peppers for a couple of weeks. It was starting to get really dry and thought I was going to have to water, but we had a nice rain today. Craig's family wasn't able to come tonight. We missed them and Mitchell was really upset that Nolen & Trevor were not going to be here. You hardly ever see him cry, but he sure did when he found out they weren't going to be here.

Now that the pool is open that is the first place the boys go when they get here on Thursday's. I was in the kitchen, so didn't get any pics of them in the pool last week. I did get a couple of shots of them playing on the trampoline with the sprinkler spraying them.

Shelby loves the water.

Mitchell started out the night holding his nose and jumping off the side of the pool. He made real progress from last week.

Mitchell was wanting to dive to the bottom of the pool to get quarters. At first he was holding his nose, but John would have to push him down. John showed him how to blow out his nose so he could go down. It didn't take him long to learn and he was getting to the bottom in no time.

By the end of the night he was swimming across the pool without holding his nose. Shelby wasn't her normal happy self tonight. You can't tell it in this picture though. Garden is coming along good. Thank goodness for the rain today. Everything was getting dry.

Nolen's Graduation

2010-05-14T05:20:00.001-07:00

Tonight was Nolen's graduation from pre-school. So hard to believe he will be starting kindergarten next year. Where does the time go. Nolen has gone to this same school since he was little and they are such good teachers and have a great program. It has been fun to watch the progress through the years. Trevor also goes to the same school. He has a few more to go.

Our proud little pre-school graduate. Hands are working their way to his pockets. I don't know how both of Craig's boys pick up on what he does so fast. If you will notice Nolen & Trevor, when they are standing with nothing to do their hands are always in their pockets. This is so Craig. Singing Hands in pockets Singing Hands back in pockets Nolen's class Trevor walking in very proud (with hands in pocket I might add) UNTIL................ ........ he spotted his mommy & daddy and ran to them. The teacher came and got him and I'm so proud that he went on with her to sit on the stage. He was so cute. Still crying but trying real hard to be brave Trevor's class

Finally getting into the songs Finding his way back to mommy & daddy Papaw getting a little loving. He made his rounds to everyone. He seems pretty happy here. Making the grand entrance for his walk on stage to get his diploma Waiting his turn (next to last) Proud of that diploma

Mitchell thinks Nolen hung the moon. He loves him so much. Mitchell, Shelby, Kristin & Nolen Craig & Jamie have many more enjoyable school days to go with Nolen. He is going to go far in life. Already so smart and loves to learn. We are so proud of this little guy, before we know it we will be going to his hi-school graduation. Jamie's parents (Gigi & PawPaw) Grandmother so proud of her first great grandson graduating from Preschool. PawPaw was there but had already gone to the car.

Happy Birthday, Trevor

2010-04-12T13:37:00.001-07:00

Easter

2010-04-07T07:28:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday was a great day. I had the whole family at church with me. (which I usually do) After church we went to Buddy's Uncle Bobby & Aunt Peggy's house for family dinner. My mom & dad joined us this year. I have no clue how many were there but there was a bunch. Sometimes this is the only time of the year that we see some of the other family members. So, it is good to be able to gather, socialize, and catch up on what everyone has been doing throughout the year. We had Bobby's famous grilled pork chops and the rest of us brought sides & desserts. After we ate, the kids had an egg hunt. It was a beautiful day and very warm.

Shelby smiles with her eyes even if she has her mouth closed.

One of the few pics I was able to capture of Trevor with his cute smile. He was not in the mood for pics today. Mitchell didn't seem to have a problem with a smile.
My sweet grandkids (I am so blessed) Mitchell loves his baby sister (Shelbers as he calls her) My family (so proud of them all) Sanford Family (Nolen was having a rough time) Carey family Nolen & Mitchell were striking the pose in the next 3 pics.

This baby is always smiling and happy Shelby & Mommy And they are off for the egg hunt.

Nolen was checking to see if they were going for money or candy

Craig & his boys Pappy with most of his grandkids. Craig & his family had to leave early for a birthday party, also Jessica of course is in Miami. Missed you Jess.

Grilling/Jumping/Flying/Hunting

2010-04-02T04:42:00.001-07:00

Wow, what a great week we have had. The weather has been incredible. I was able to get on my tractor and mow, which is one of my favorite things to do. The Bradford trees were in full bloom earlier in the week and are now quickly turning green. It is so refreshing to see springtime. Other than Buddy's allergies (pretty rough on him right now)

Last night was Nolen & Trevor's first time on the trampoline. It is so funny to watch Trevor's hair fly when he is jumping. Mitchell wasn't feeling real good, so he didn't do much jumping. John performed a few tricks for them. They then went to the front of the house and flew the kite, blew some bubbles and got their easter baskets, while me & mom hid the eggs in the backyard. Didn't take them long to find them. Nolen racked up with the most eggs. I don't put candy in them, just money, & they didn't all have the same amount, so not sure who came out the best on that. Then they had a water balloon fight. I think they all got Papaw pretty good. We then went up to the bonus room & Nolen & Grandmother played Connect 4. Kristin, John & Nolen played Twister. Mitchell didn't do much at all, (he just wasn't himself) Trevor & Papaw wrestled and Shelby just sat in the floor and blew bubbles out of her mouth. Her new trick .

We got the kids a trampoline for Christmas, but waited on the weather to warm up before we put it together. John & Kristin came a couple of weeks ago and put it together for us (with a little help of Mitchell) Helping mommy & daddy put the trampoline together.

First jumper High flying Our first almost major injury. John was turning flips and came right down on his head. Popped the neck pretty good. Mitchell loves his sister

Miss Personality

The rest of the pics are from last night. Check out that hair

John helping Nolen to jump higher Flower child With their Easter Baskets (sand pails) Great day to fly a kite My little Easter Bunnies

Egg Hunt

Water balloon fight

How long has it been since you played twister? Piano entertainment How many different facial expressions can this baby girl make.

New bubble blowing face

Sunny Thursday

2010-03-19T05:38:00.001-07:00

Nolen wasn't feeling well this week so him and Jamie stayed home. This week we had veggie stir-fry with choice of steak or chicken (or both), fried rice, teriyaki rice, ramon noodles, egg rolls, pot stickers & Krispy Kreme donuts for dessert. This is one of Craig's favorite meals. It was great seeing a beautiful sunny day finally. The grass is really greening up and it will soon be time to start mowing & planting the garden. The trees are budding out so yes, spring is right around the corner.

Loving the new time. The boys at least get to play outside awhile before dinner.
SWEET FACES

SILLY FACES

The boys love their cars. I bought them all a new one a piece this week, and they hardly put them down.

Shelby and my mom

Sweet smiley Trevor

Flirty Mitchell

Krispy Kreme time (Debbie, Mitchell ate an extra one for you in honor of your birthday)

Shelby wants a bite

Bathtime for Miss Shelby

Mitchell & Trevor decided they needed to help.

Shelby's Dedication

2010-03-08T05:27:00.000-08:00

Shelby was dedicated Sunday. Pastor Andrew has dedicated all of our grandkids. He also married both of my kids. The Wharton family has been a big part of our family for many years. The dedication was very sweet and also Mitchell provided entertainment. Thanks to everyone that came to watch this beautiful baby get dedicated. What a precious gift from God. Thanks to the Gronda's for taking the pics for us.

Our sweet happy baby Shelby

Mitchell started out being very good. Pops, Grams, Pappy, Papaw, Grandma, PawPaw, Grandmother, Daddy, Mommy, Pastor Andrew, Shelby. Mitchell was in front of John (can't see him)

Trying very hard to be still. I think he has his (Jeremy) military face on here. During the prayer at the end, Mitchell couldn't stand it any longer. He turned into a Ninja warrior. I'm sure not a single person in the building heard the beautiful prayer Pastor Andrew was praying over Shelby.

Roses for Kristin and Shelby getting her first Bible. Shadow box that a gal at our church made for Shelby's dedication.

Valentines @ Gatlinburg

2010-02-19T07:40:00.000-08:00

Once again we went to Gatlinburg for Valentines/Daytona week. We left on Thursday and when we got there we saw beautiful snow covered mountains. We stayed in the same chalet as last year. It overlooks Ober Gatlinburg, so we get to enjoy watching the people skiing and some crashing. We watched a lot of racing, worked jigsaw puzzles, read and ate, ate, & ate. It was a great time. On Monday when it came time to leave we were a bit worried, because it had snowed again. But the roads were fine.

The ski slopes of Ober Gatlinburg

I'm sitting on the deck watching it snow.

Some of my feathered friends

Early morning sunrise

Snow Day

2010-01-31T06:10:00.001-08:00

We finally got enough snow to sled. It has been quite a long time since we have had enough to really enjoy. The anticipation of waiting on it to get here was tough. The news stations had talked it up for days. Of course everyone went out and bought out the grocery stores, thinking they would be snowed in for weeks. :) We had quite a crowd on the hill by mid morning. Papaw was going to go get Craig's boys but Trevor was sick and Nolen can't get out in the cold so they didn't get to enjoy the fun. Jamie did bring some snow in for them to play with at their house. Check out her blog. Mitchell really liked it. I went down a few times. It is quite a workout to get back up that hill walking in the snow. Our neighbors all came over and Mike (John's Dad) brought Karla & Maddie. Clay & Michael came, plus a couple from our church brought their kids over. It was a fun day. Lunch was potato cheese soup, hot wings, & chocolate chip cookies.

Before the hill was disturbed.

The Carey Family We had quite a few sledders.

Mitchell & Maddie attempting to make snow angels. Clay & Michael Karla & Maddie John going down the driveway. He was going too fast and was dragging his hand to slow him down. Going down on his own. Mitchell got to going a little too fast and Papaw had to make a diving catch for him before he topped the hill. The walk back up the hill is quite a workout. This is how Mitchell gets back up the hill.

Me & Mitchell racing John. We won!!! Bailey loved running in the snow. This is her coming up the hill. Mitchell getting another ride up the hill, Papaws sack of potatoes Kristin & Papaw racing

Sword fight

King of the mountain.

Everyone is Healthy Again

2010-01-23T06:31:00.000-08:00

I think the crud went through just about everyone in our family. It had been several weeks since I had been able to fix a meal on Thursday night. It was good to be able to get together for family night again. We had Weight Watcher chicken noodle soup, Mock lasagna (using spaghetti squash instead of pasta) I think our John is coming around on eating new things. Proud of you John. We also had make your own pizza. I had several toppings they could choose from. Flatbread or regular pizza crust, BBQ chicken, taco meat, pepperoni, turkey pepperoni, onions, red pepper, black olives, mushrooms, and different cheeses. Some made theirs healthier than others. After we ate we went up to the bonus room and Craig hooked up the OLD Sega video game to our OLD TV. The boys are used to the Wii, but they picked up on it pretty quick. It was a fun night and looking forward to next week.

Paper airplane on a mission.

I think it is confirmed. Miss Shelby is going to have John's eyes. Mitchell using Craig as part of his obstacle course All the boys love playing on the pool table. Mitchell loving on baby sister Anyone recognize a tv like this or this game as far as that goes. Yes we are still old school.

I don't think babies are suppose to sit up at 4 months. She really can't stay long on her own, but making a pretty good attempt at it.

Mommy getting Shelby ready for basketball already.

Trevor loves Shelby Into the video game I think they were into the show on TV

You Call This Snow!!!!!!

2010-01-07T17:23:00.001-08:00

As most of you know my first 10 years were growing up in Virginia. I was talking to Debbie (my best friend since we were 18 months old, you can do the math) and we were saying how we used to have to walk to the end of the road in snow that was a foot deep. Back then we couldn't wear pants to school, unless we wore them under our dresses. We would walk in the tracks that a car had made so we could get through. This is the honest truth. She said it isn't like that anymore. They do call schools off but not like here in TN. Hopefully we will get another good snow in TN, where we can at least sleigh ride down my hill. We have been in our house almost 17 years, and we haven't had a good snow since the first year we moved in. Most of the snows we have had since then melt before you can get a good day of sledding in.

This was our sorry excuse for a snow.

This is a Virginia snow. They have had snow since the week before Christmas and it is still snowing. This is a snow worth calling school out for. This woodpecker had a tough time getting in this bird feeder, but as you can see he has a seed in his mouth. Cardinals were everywhere today.

Christmas Part III

2009-12-30T06:02:00.001-08:00

What a great Christmas it was. Saturday night Buddy's sisters and families came to our house. We ate and the older kids played "Dirty Santa" Before opening the presents the 4 boys decided they needed to have a wrestling match. It was quite entertaining. The boys were at a great age this year. Next year Makyna & Shelby will probably be right in the middle of them.

I hope everyone has had as good of a year as our family has in 2009. We are so blessed. Now it is time to start planning on next years camping and vacation times. Not sure which direction we will be going on vacation, maybe toward Charleston & Savannah. That is subject to change. When we travel we start out in a general direction and just go with the flow. That is the best way to travel. So until next year I leave you with yet more pics of Christmas.

The whole gang. Sorry for the tilt of the pic, the camera was on the back of the couch.

My family Sissy's sweet family (David, Tiffany, Derek, Tony, Makyna, Darryl, Sissy, Drew) Buddy's youngest sister Marty with her lovely girls (Chelsea, Marty, Maggie, & Jessica)

Before the kids opened their presents, they decided they needed to have a little WWF going on.

Kristin's fill in sisters (Chelsea, Jessica, & Maggie)

Christmas Part II

2009-12-28T15:27:00.001-08:00

Christmas day was spent at home just relaxing. We waited on Jeremy to get in from the Air Force to have our Christmas at moms. So we had our Christmas at her house a day late, but it was worth it to wait on Jeremy to join us. We didn't get to see much of him, because he hadn't had much sleep for 2 days. As soon as he got through eating breakfast he went upstairs and took a nap. So, he missed the present opening and family pics. After leaving there, it was time to get home and continue our Christmas with the Sanford family. That will be the final blog on Christmas.

Our cook, my dear sweet mom

Jeremy with the boys The boys praying before Christmas Breakfast. My family My family with mom & dad Barry's Family & mom & dad (Jeremy was napping) Mom & Dad Jonathan & Danielle Cande & Barry Jacob John, Kristin, & Mitchell

Craig, Jamie, Trevor & Nolen

More books for dad.

The U. S. Air Force backpacks Jeremy got them for Christmas. Nolen & Mitchell showing us how to salute, not real sure what Trevor was doing.

Christmas Part I

2009-12-27T06:28:00.001-08:00

We had a great Christmas. The blog will be done in three parts. I know I posted a lot of pics, but it is so hard to choose. Christmas Eve was for our family. We ate dinner and then opened gifts. I got lots of nice things. What a great family we have been blessed with.

Trevor praying before we had dinner.

Let the gift opening begin. Nolen & Mitchell were being very patient, waiting on Trevor to open his present. He has to get every single piece of paper off of it.

Kristin wrapped Nolen & Trevor's presents in oatmeal & muffins boxes. When Nolen opened his he just threw it down. He thought it really was muffins, and as you can see from the look on Trevor he wasn't thinking too much about getting oatmeal for a present.

This is Mario Wii that I got for John, but I think Kristin was just as excited to get it. Opening their single cup coffee maker.

Craig & Jamie couldn't wait to open their coffee maker and fix them a cup or two or three. They will be on coffee overload the next few days.

This was suppose to be Mitchell's spiderman outfit, but John liked it better.

Double click on this one. Trevor looks a little loopy in this pic. So cute.

Shelby likes the Santa on my tree.