THE CONCERT, well, just a little tiny bit of it.

Elijah, making me proud!

YESTERDAY,all my troubles seem so far away.....

Yesterday was full of adventure. Elijah had a concert yesterday evening and had to be out of town early so we decided to make a day of it an go to our friends' farm. The first thing I noticed was the sky when we got there. The clouds were so low to the ground, I felt like I could reach out and touch them. It was like one of those really fake backdrops, that are cool but not believable.

After that, Vicki showed us the horses. We were too late to ride, which was just as well, since that gave us more time to play in the water. I couldn't believe how friendly her horses are. I have been around horses before and have always felt a little scared. Not with hers, they reminded me more of dogs that liked to be petted. They are so soft and sweet, it was hard to leave.

But we did, and off to the water we went. Joe caught a couple of fish, I played in the shells and caught a couple of crayfish. It is always fun and entertaining in the water!


This was on the drive home. The sky was beautiful with all the colors and the fluffy clouds.

The farm that we went to belongs to our friends at the Easy Riders Ranch. You can find out more about the ranch at the web site here.

Two of Vicki's horses, Thunder and May, some of the friendliest horses you'll ever meet!

One of Joe's big catches. Levi was there for moral support!

I was none to happy to see this creature! Not a deal breaker, but I would be happier, knowing that there weren't any snakes around. Of course, it would not be the great outdoors if that was the case.

Kids afloat. I was in the other one cruising around, it was fun!

Joe looking studly! He is on the island with the snake, watch out!!!

Love this! Shells galore.

This is the fake backdrop I was talking about. My camera doesn't do it justice, but I'm happy enough capturing the moment as I did.

MY LIFE IS FULL OF DIVERSITY

I have had so much on my mind for the last couple of weeks, well, really, the last year. On one hand I feel like I am spinning my wheels and on the other I feel as if my life is in fast motion and I am being left behind. Don't get me wrong, I am loving my life, I just want it to slow down so I can put the effort into what I really want out of life. Just to give you a glimpse into my life, this is it in no specific order.

Music-singing and listening. Selling a great Pearl drum set sadly.
Phone calls
Emails
Paying bills
Cooking
Cleaning
Making Family Reunion plans
Serving at church
Yard sale
Puppies
Swim pool
Solar panels
Reading
Weeding
Making jewelry
School transport
Homework
Exercise
Fishing
Hairstylist
Transport to weekly mowing job
Fixing up a shed
Parenting (the toughest job of all) but I love it more than anything else. I'm blessed with some wonderful kids!


Doesn't sound to bad, when I write it down. I hope that those reading this feel as blessed as I do. I have so many good, wonderful people and things in my life I just want to tell the world.

CAN'T BELIEVE IT MYSELF

You won't even believe the way I spent my evening last night.

JUST CAN'T GET ENOUGH of Jack

I know there are lots of kids out there, I have a few myself. But sweet baby Jack is one sweet baby! He has so much expression in his face, it makes you want to smile just looking at him. I started this the other night when I was alone and looking at my pictures. I had so many of Jack at Max's soccer game that it is a wonder I saw any of the game at all. But I did, and it was good too! I got to take quite a few shots with Larry's camera, but for some reason I can't get them to go on the blog. So, I picked the next best subject which was Jack. Very much the center of attention. He looks like he is saying "Save me from Naomi! She won't even let me get dirty!!!"

"Boy, this thing is heavy!" But something over to the side has got my attention...."wonder if Pop is over there?"

"Oh Boy! I am having so much fun, I could do this all day! Are you up for that G-daddy? Pleeease!!!

"Now I know I have seen my momma ride it like this!"





Lastly, I just like this shot.

WOW!!!

First day, confident as ever.

I pray my children, children everywhere, and the educators that teach them, will have a safe, full filled, educational year.

I pray they will have grown in the understanding of life, and the value of an education.

In God's name we pray, Amen.

READY, SET, GROW!

I can't believe it is already that time again!

The kids are excited,
new backpacks and supplies.
The teachers are fresh,
wonder in their eyes.

The new year begins,
time ticks on.
I wonder how long it will last,
for soon they will be gone.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LEVI

Happy Birthday, Levi! I can't believe you are already as old as you are. The time has gone by so quickly, you have given us such great joy.

Birthday dinner last night. We have a super busy day today, so we started the celebration a little early. Chicken and Dumplings, water melon and company, oh what a night!

The cake! Well, not really a cake, but what he wanted. Cream filled doughnuts.

He can hardly stand the anticipation!

Did I mention we started his birthday celebration a little early? Here he is with Meme getting his present before we went to OC.

GETTING BACK TO REALITY......sort of.

We went to see the Revolutionary war reenactment today with my brother, his son, and some of my brother friend's and some of their family. It was a great day! The actors did a great job (despite the heat and sunshine) and we got a nice visit in.

I decided I wanted to post several of the pictures but after posting so many of our vacation on the blog, I decided to link it to my other blog. I'm not sure what I am doing, just thought I would give it a try. I may decided to do more pics like that, but you'll be the first to know! So, if your up for viewing more pics of our day.....you'll have to wait due to technical difficulties. I hope to have those pics soon.

STILL FEELING IT

We had such a great time at the beach, I can hardly quit thinking about it! It does help that I have all these wonderful pictures to remind me of the beauty and good times that we had. There is nothing like the ocean breeze. The sound of the waves crashing in, the shriek of a child playing in the sand that suddenly finds something that has washed up. The feeling of the sand between your toes.....nothing that I have experience is quite the same. Topping it off by getting to make and share the memories with loved ones, makes it only that more special.
The idea frame of mind, no shirt, not shoes, no problem.... Painted by Uncle Jim.
The puzzle, everyone had a hand in it. It was small but it turned out to be quite the challenge as most pieces were cut the same way. There was some debate over what, when, where, and a person who claimed he didn't make mistakes. Oh, the stories we could tell!
Posers! This was made while the big guys were out on a boat fishing. I wanted a real family picture taken on the beach but this was going to have to do. I guess we'll have to photoshop Joe in here somehow.
Levi laying claim to the sandcastle that a guy beside us built. It was funny, the same scene being played over and over. When we came out the guy had a lot of the main structure built. Nothing was defined but you could tell it was going to be a big sandcastle. Levi makes a bee line over to the guy, starts asking him questions. He is modest, polite and tells him just make a pile of sand and start cutting into it.

So, Levi starts his sand pile and it is not long before the guy is helping him. The guy goes back to his own project and someone comes along. Same questions as Levi has ask, same responses. This goes on for a couple of hours with several more people coming up to ask him the same questions over and over with Levi questioning further. The guy was very polite to each person and seemed genuinely happy to help someone else achieve fame. I didn't get his name, but his legacy lives on.

HORSESHOE CRAB RESCUE

http://www.beach-net.com/horseshoe/Bayhorsecrab.html The link to learn more about these facinating animals.

THE COOLEST

More than just a cool video, this post is educational. That is if you take time to click on the link and read a few minutes. Pop and I found this Horseshoe crab while waiting on the kids to leave for their para sailing trip. We were walking along the edge of the bay, when we noticed more than a few. It was after their trip was cancelled the day before because of a storm. So, our thoughts were the storm has washed them up and they needed a little help to return to the water. Being the good servant, I called Joe over to see them and give them a hand back in the water. (I would do it, but who would work the camera???)

Now for the informative part. Last year Joe and I watched a special on the crab (which is not really a crab) and learned the value of the animal. Researchers have studied it for years and uses it's blood (without hurting it in any way) to check medicines purity. I find extremely fascinating and hope you do do. Click on the link, and from there, you can learn even more by clicking on the Universities link, enjoy!

SUPER HOT ROD

HOT ROD

Elijah got to run loose on a scooter. He was a happy boy!

MORE MEMORIES

Assateague IslandThe wild Maryland horses roaming around freely.

Seacrets Bar
Joe wanting to be part of the Bobsled team.

Hanging out by the vintage VW.

Captain Seacrets

Special feature of the bar, eating outside!

Getting ready to order, everything looks so good! We went for the recommended jerk chicken, fries and crab toast. Mmm good.

Back at the Beach.

Sand flea, one of the fun parts of the beach. We loved to see how many we could catch and release.

Naomi (Medusa) hanging out in the sand. We buried her standing up and she just grew from there.

Original inspiration!

Levi loving the surf. Or should I say, Levi, happy as a clam?

Naomi catching a wave.

Waiting for just the right wave!

Sea gull by the Sea shore.



Bad Ass Cafe

Meme

Meme posing by the artwork. I got a lot of pictures in here because it was so amazing, how real everyone seemed. It was a good blend of stars.

Meme and her bodacious biscuit!

Cheers!

Out and About

My tough guys. Levi going for a spin on the Boardwalk.

Levi in love.

Joe (aka Wolverine) and Levi getting ready to head around the track.




The Big Catch

Refer to my earlier post about the Family Fisherman. Pop's big catch!





Early Morning Adventure

Me and Meme after being up for hours watching the fishing boats take off for the day. We were getting ready to hit the beach before anyone else.

We spent hours watching the boats go out waiting for the sunrise and talking. I looked up and all of the sudden this is what was on the horizon, Beautiful!

The fishing boat, heading out to do some tournament fishing. It was super early but well worth the time. So peaceful, watching the ships pass in the night.