Jeff's New Bling

While I was in Huntsville, our friend Thomas had a tough time getting Jeff out of the house to hang out with the guys. Because of this, Thomas dubbed Jeff as "Cameron" (i.e., Cameron from Ferris Bueller's Day Off). Jeff was even kind enough to pose in his hockey jersey that is the same jersey that the character Cameron wears in the movie. Gotta love a man with a sense of humor.

But, to prove that he is a rebel despite the humor we have been enjoying at his expense, he purchased himself a new toy today. He has been wanting a Ducati for years and he finally took the plunge today.

Please ignore the messy garage. But, it was raining today when he brought it home so this was the best shot I could get today. He was a bit put off by me showing this horrible shot of his new toy. I think he was wishing Pete was here to get the perfect shot of it shining in the sun light. Some might say this is a midlife crisis since he will be 40 next year. I'll let the readers decide. :-)

Trip Back Home

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature. ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

My Aunt Ethelene lives in Gardendale, AL. Since I was driving through that area on the way to visit with some friends and my Mom and Grandma, I make a quick pit stop to visit with her.

Anna, Kyle, Aunt Ethelene and Rachel

I was glad I stopped. I was able to meet her great-grandson, Kyle. Kyle's Dad is serving in the Army and is currently deployed to the Middle East. His son, my cousin, is just a little doll. I took some photos of Kyle and of the family and will be mailing those to Joey.

Me, Kim, Tracy and Maggie

Me, Kim, Tracy, Maggie and our children

Me, Kim, Maggie and Karen

*Note to self....must work on a tan!

I try to see my friends from home when time allows. Unfortunately, there usually isn't that much free time. Or, we all have such busy lives, that it is simply hard to coordinate a time where we are all free at the same time. I was able to schedule a visit with Maggie, Tracy, Kim and Karen on this visit. We all met at Maggie's house along with our children. We spent a nice afternoon catching up on life while the kids played. I have not seen Tracy since we graduated from high school; 20 years ago. I have, however, kept up a bit more regularly with Maggie, Kim and Karen through the years. Maggie has a beautiful home. She started a home decorating business a year or so ago and I say she definitely has the talent to do it.

I really wish I had more time to visit with my friends and family. I do miss them all so much. However, I seem to have even less time for friends than for family. It was so great seeing all of them; as well as Pete and Gabrielle while I was in Huntsville.

After visiting with my friends, we visited with my Aunt Josephine and her family; as well as my Mom and Grandma. The girls went swimming with their cousins while I visited with my Mom and Grandma for a while.

My Mom, Rachel, Anna and Grandma

After a lot of driving and a very long day, we retired to the hotel for a well deserved night of rest. Against my better judgement, I reserved a single king-sized bed room. I slept in between Rachel and Anna. I may has well have offered myself as a punching bag for the evening. They kicked. They punched. In a nutshell, I didn't get hardly any sleep last night. I won't be doing that again.

We made it back to Georgia safe and sound. I couldn't get back home quickly enough. I feel like I've been gone forever. It's good to be back home!

Bridge Street Town Center

I was done with my class by noon today. Gabrielle and I made plans earlier this week that we would meet in the afternoon at the Monaco Theater at the Bridge Street Town Center. Pete joined us, along with Gail. The movie of choice was released today; Space Chimps.

I was a bit disappointed by the Monaco Theater. They provide kiosks as an option to purchase tickets. However, it appeared only one of the six kiosks was actually operational. Then, the cost of tickets were a premium price. The sound went out intermittently during the course of the movie. I guess Disney has spoiled me. I don't mind paying a higher price if higher quality service comes along with it. I didn't see that one iota at this theater. In a nutshell, I won't be back. And, Space Chimps left a lot to be desired as well. It just wasn't very good. Wait until it is released on DVD if you still feel inclined to watch it.

Pete, Gabe, and Me

Rachel Playing in the Water at Bridge Street

A Tired Rachel

Krista and Rachel

Gabe and Me

Lia

Anna

Noone was hungry for dinner after popcorn at the theater so we opted for ice cream and letting the girls play in the water in the middle of the shopping center. They had a blast and definitely loved having ice cream for dinner!

My Class is Almost Over

Today is the last day of my class. I'm so glad that it is almost done.

There are 30 people in my class and they represent organizations from across the military. We were each assigned to a group of six people and you become a family in a two-week time period because you are hitched to these people all day, each day for the duration of the class. I have to say that my group was by far the liveliest and most fun of all of the groups. I was fortunate to have been assigned with these smart and funny people. If people take this stuff too seriously, it can make a tough course even harder. Truly, you have to have a sense of humor in our line of work.

We all earned (or were given) nicknames this week. Here is a picture of my team and our nicknames (from left to right):

John "The Commish," Angela "Miss Daisy," Mark "De la Pastrami," Wayne "The Body Ventura," Rodney "The Rodent," and Michael "Iron Mike Tyson."

I went to dinner last night with one of our instructors and about 12 other students from the class. It was nice getting out of the classroom and getting to know some of these amazing people. Other than the people in your group, there isn't much time to get to know the other people during class.

It's been an educational two weeks but I'm so ready to get back home.

I plan to stop in Bessemer on Saturday to visit with family and friends and then return to Georgia on Sunday.

It's Time For The Tooth Fairy To Visit Huntsville

Rachel lost her fifth tooth today. She's been wiggling that tooth for weeks now. And, she is very happy that the tooth fairy is coming to visit her tonight.

Jeff's Photo-Shoot

Not to be out done by Angela's photo shoot...sorry about the expression on my face...that breeze was making my tenders chilly.

Z-Photo

It's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart. ~~Anonymous

And, thank goodness that I have lots of personality! And, I'm glad that the author of that quote didn't specify the type of personality. ;-)

Our friends, Pete and Gabrielle, live in Huntsville. We planned a visit with them today. Gabe and I grew up together so she has known me since we were Anna and Rachel's ages. I met Pete when we were students at Auburn. And, I introduced Pete and Gabe to one another. They have me to thank (or blame) for meeting one another.

Pete operates his own photography studio, Z-Photo, in his home and I asked if he could take some photos of me and the girls today. Rachel and Anna were not really interested in taking photos today so they weren't the most cooperative. That is typical of children when you want them to take photos. They were more interested in playing with Lia and Krista, Pete and Gabrielle's daughters. But, we did manage to get a few decent shots of them with me and with Lia and Krista.

I figured I was rounding the bend to age 40 (I'll be 38 in a couple of months) and that I'd better get some portraits of myself before I went over the hill. And, I have not had any portraits taken of me alone in quite some time. However, I wasn't an easy model to work with. Let's just say some clay isn't mold-able. :-)

First I needed to choose the perfect outfit. Pete has some clothing for models who are clients to use for portraits....mostly all size 6s. I guess middle-aged Moms aren't real popular on his list of clients. Needless to say, my rear end hasn't seen a size 6 since before my first pregnancy. But, I found a few items that I could squeeze into. And, I brought a blue dress of my own that Rachel and Anna picked out for me which he took some shots of me in.

I wanted to smile and Pete wanted me to keep the serious but "come hither" look. That look just wasn't working for me. It's just not me. I've seen lots of photos of models he has worked with and they can do it. But, me, ha! When he told me to give him a little smile; I did. Pete said it looked more like a smirk. My supervisor at work always says that I smile a lot which makes him wonder what I'm up to. I guess I just have that look of being devious. And, then after a couple of clothing changes, my hair started frizzing out. My hair started changing with my first pregnancy and has continued to get wavier and frizzier as I age. My hair used to be straight. I guess it fits my personality whether I want to admit it or not but it's not the best look for photos I suppose.

Pete tried to get me to "work with the camera." When cooperating on my own wasn't working he unleased the fan on me. You'll see the fan blowing my hair in the photo below in my blue dress. And, then I started having fun with it and smiling which is more natural to me.

Here are a few of the photos that he took below that are unedited. I know that Pete and Jeff can both do wonders with Adobe Photoshop to get rid of my wrinkles, freckles, cellulite and other age related blemishes. Heck, they can even give me a slimmer waste line. But, then I figured, I am an almost 38-year-old woman. It's OK to have those imperfections....it's part of the charm, right? So, without further delay, here I am. I spared you some of the out takes although they are quite humorous. I fully realize that I don't have a future career in modeling ahead of me (nor do I want one) but I think Pete did a great job making a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Thanks, Pete, for your time and talent! And, did I mention that I have a whole new respect for people who model (and for Pete's talent to direct said models to stand or pose for the camera)? Holding a pose in just the right way (and sucking in my gut) while not looking fake is certainly an art. Well, I guess the size 6 models don't have to suck in their gut! Oh, the humor of it all.

Mall Visit

My first week in Huntsville has been quite busy between class time, homework in the evenings, trying to read work e-mails in the evenings, and trying to spend some time with the girls. My body is still stuck on eastern standard time though so I'm pretty much spent by 8:30 p.m. and I'm ready to get up by 5:30 a.m.

I promised Rachel and Anna that I would take them to the Build-A-Bear Workshop at the Parkway Place mall today. So, we didn't that first thing in the morning after the mall opened. Anna picked out a dog and Rachel picked out a cheetah; that figures that they would pick anything but a bear at the Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Forty-five minutes later and $80 poorer, we left the store with their animals dressed up and in their very own box along with a personalized birth certificate. I strongly suspect that the clothing will disappear shortly after getting home as all dolls in our home are usually naked shortly after being removed from the packaging. But, the girls thoroughly enjoyed the process and Anna already wants to come back to purchase more accessories. I told her she'd have to go into her piggy bank if she wanted more things.

Afterwards we finished our visit to Build-A-Bear, we browsed a few shops and then the girls were anxious to try a trampoline in the mall. So, they took at stab at that before lunch. Rachel mastered flips while she was jumping. Anna wanted to go again. But, I figured we had already spent enough and there was still lunch that I needed to buy. We enjoyed a quick meal in the food court and then returned home.

We plan to eat dinner at P.F. Changs at the relatively new Bridge Street Town Centre. I stopped briefly at Bridge Street yesterday after class just to check it out. The shopping center is essentially right across the highway from where I am attending school. It is very nice and definitely worth a visit. If nothing else, just to walk around.

Anna's New Bling

Jeff and I made the decision before our first daughter was born that we would not get their ears pierced as infants. Our opinion is that it is a personal choice and they should have the privilege of deciding to have their ears pierced. Also, I remember when I was a young girl and got my ears pierced. It was almost a right of passage milestone. I was able to decide when I was ready and I remember making that choice for myself. I wanted my daughters to have that same choice when they were ready.

A week or so ago Anna, the younger of our two daughters, began talking about wanting to get her ears pierced. I think Jeff and I both were hesitant because we figured it was all talk and that she would chicken out when the opportunity actually came. However, Anna is a woman of decision. She knows what she wants and she goes after it. So, I wasn't surprised when she didn't change her mind.

She was talking about it quite often while we were in Orlando so I told her I would take her to get her ears pierced when were in Huntsville. We arrived on Monday and I took her Monday afternoon. She chose studs with her birthstone in them. She didn't flinch when she got them pierced and both ears were pierced at the same time. She had a stunned look on her face after they pierced her ears but she did not cry one bit. After the initial sting, she was just fine. And, perfectly content with her choice. I asked Rachel if she was ready too but she wasn't. I thought she might change her mind once her sister got it done; particularly since Anna didn't cry. But, she said she wanted to wait...at least until her birthday in September. We'll see.... There is no rush though. I don't want her to get it done until she is ready.

The Happiest Place on Earth

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. ~~Walt Disney

Wednesday, July 2nd

We arrived at the Fort Wilderness Campground around 1:30 on Wednesday afternoon. We checked in, got the camper settled, and then drove to the Shades of Green resort to purchase our annual passes. After getting our tickets, we decided to go to the Animal Kingdom.


We had eaten lunch pretty early in the day and we were all pretty hungry so we decided to eat an early dinner at the Rainforest Café at the Animal Kingdom entrance. As usual, the food was wonderful but I think Jeff and I could order one entrée and share it as they give so much food. After our meal, we headed straight for the Everest ride. This was our first trip where Anna was tall enough to ride it Unfortunately, the weather forecast for our visit in Orlando projected 40-60% chance of showers daily. And, as soon as we got in line to ride Everest, the park shut it down due to the storms rolling in. We waited in line for 1.5 hours before being able to finally ride it. But, at least, we were under cover and out of the rain. Rachel and Anna were getting a bit impatient but they were able to tolerate the wait. Anna was getting more and more nervous about the ride, though, the longer we waited. Once we got on it, she loved it. Both of our daughters love the roller coasters and Anna immensely enjoyed this ride.

After that, we browsed a few shops and then headed back to the RV to relax and get ready for the next morning. Due to the heat and projected crowds, our goal was to enter the parks as soon as they opened. And, then return to the camper some time shortly after lunch when the heat and crowds would peak. This plan worked great for the duration of the trip with one flaw; the kids were complete grumps for the first part of the morning.

Thursday, July 3rd

We visited Epcot on Thursday. We rode Soaring and Test Track and a couple of rides in the World Showcase. We spent the better part of the day walking around the World Showcase visiting the Kidcot stops. The girls got their face painted at one point.

But, as the heat got more intense, so did the complaining from Rachel and Anna. But, I have a bit of advice for weary parents…have no fear, alcohol is near! In all of our many trips to Disney, we have never bought any alcoholic beverages. By the time we made it to Italy, I was ready for a glass of wine. A nice, cold glass of chardonnay seemed to take the edge off. By the time, we made it to France, I decided it was time for one more and I got one of the frozen wine daiquiris. After that, I was perfectly content for the remainder of our walk around the World Showcase. No amount of whining seemed to affect my good mood after that.

We stopped at the American pavilion where the girls participated in saying the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

When we stopped in the Great Britain pavilion, I had to get one of my favorite candy bars; the Curly Wurly. While paying for it, the Disney cast member at the register commented that my “frozen drink looked yummy.” I told her “that it was.” And, that Disney World can be the happiest place on earth for weary parents with fussy children if they drank a few of these.” She got a laugh from that. Jeff was mildly amused by me. I was not drunk by any means. I just felt like all was O.K. in the world. After a few alchoholic beverages, you won’t care that you spent hundreds (or in some cases, thousands) of dollars and all your children want to do is whine, complain, go in shops and/or play on playgrounds. All of which can be done at home without having spent said money.
We decided then to go back to the RV and take the girls swimming for a while. But, before we did that, we made reservations at the Trails End restaurant at Fort Wilderness. We spent a couple of hours at the pool, ate way too much food for dinner, and then returned back to the RV to turn in at a reasonable hour as I knew Jeff would be cracking the whip on us again at 7 a.m.

Friday, July 4th
We decided to visit Hollywood Studios (formerly known as the MGM park) on Friday. Both Rachel and Anna used to love Tower of Terror. It was their favorite ride. Now, both seemed afraid to get on. They love the ride itself. It’s the theatrics that they use on the ride that scares them. But, we had to wait a few minutes inside the entrance before the park officially opened. And, the whining had already begun. I snapped a photo of Anna while she was in her prime (see picture above). It’ll give you an idea of what drove me to drinking the day before.
Anna still isn’t quite tall enough to ride the Aerosmith Rockin’ Roller Coaster. Jeff was able to talk her into riding the Tower of Terror once with him while Rachel and I rode the Rockin’ Roller Coaster. The Rockin’ Roller Coaster is by far my favorite ride. Rachel and I had a blast riding it.
After hitting these two rides, we went to get Fast Passes for the new Toy Story ride. The Toy Story ride is new and even though we got Fast Passes pretty early, our ride time wasn’t until 2:30 and it was only 10:30. We got some photos with characters (Prince Caspian and Kim Possible) and then we walked to Star Tours. We arrived just in time for a Jedi Knight training camp. Rachel was selected from the crowd but Anna was not. Rachel did a great job; even dueling Darth Vader at the end (see below). We were so proud of our little padowan.
We enjoyed lunch at the Pizza Planet where Jeff and I played one another in a basketball game. Jeff and I are quite competitive; particularly with one another. I was on a roll when I started playing and I heard some guy walk up to Jeff (who was standing right behind me) and he said, “I hope you didn’t bet her any money.” I was hitting nothing but nets and then when he spoke, it broke my rhythm. We played a few more games and then decided it was time to move on to the next activity.

We were finally able to ride the Toy Story ride a bit later and it was a blast. It is a 3-D ride where you shoot targets; sort of like the Buzz Lightyear ride at the Magic Kingdom; but better.

We stayed for the 3:00 block party parade where Rachel and Anna joined some cast members and other children to play Duck, Duck, Goose. After that, we decided we had enough of the sun and crowds and returned to the camper. We ate dinner at the RV. And, then we rode our bikes to the beach to pick a spot for the evening fireworks.

The girls made friends and played on the beach and picked up shells. Jeff and I settled into our chairs and enjoyed the peace. Jeff visited the Fort Wilderness store and got some cups and some champagne. Rachel took this photo of Jeff and I below while we were relaxing at the beach. We stayed for the evening fireworks and then returned to our camper for some much needed rest after a long day.
Note: For anyone visiting Fort Wilderness during the July 4th timeframe, there are tons of activities at the campground that we did not partake in. You could easily spend the day at Fort Wilderness and be thoroughly entertained. They even have a parade first thing in the morning where you can enter with a decorated golf cart or bike.

Saturday, July 5th
We decided we would go the Magic Kingdom on Saturday morning so we took the boat from Fort Wilderness. I have to admit though, after several long days and late nights…I was starting to feel like the girls....a bit whiny and slow moving in the morning. There is no doubt that going to the park early is the best for beating the crowd but it was tough to get moving this morning.

We were able to easily get on our favorite rides with minimal to no wait. We ate lunch at the Pecos Bill Tavern. And, then decided we had enough around 3:00. We returned to the camper, went swimming for a bit, and then had an early dinner at the Trails End restaurant again. After that, we went to Downtown Disney to browse the shops. I snapped this one photo of Anna and Jeff trying on pirate headwear while in one of the shops. I had not realized how much Anna’s face has changed over the summer until this past week. She really looks like Jeff in this photo.

After about an hour at Downtown Disney, I had decided I had my fill of crowds. I was so ready to go back to the camper and just collapse.

Shortly after returning to the RV, we received a call from our friend Steve. He and his wife Denise were on their way to Fort Wilderness to visit with us and were arriving around 8:30. It was a pleasant surprise and a nice end to our visit to Florida.

Of course, I threatened Jeff with bodily harm if he awakened us early on Sunday.

Sunday, July 6th

We slept in a bit later on Sunday. But, we needed to get on the road as soon as we could because I needed to get home, do some laundry and then pack again. Rachel, Anna, and I are driving to Huntsville, AL, tomorrow. I have a two-week training course and the girls are going with me. We are staying with their grandparents during the two weeks so Jeff will be home all by his lonesome for two solid weeks. I just don’t know how he’ll make it without us. I’m sure he’ll die from being so lonesome. Actually, I suspect he’ll be enjoying grilled steaks, cold beers, playing video games, and the peace that goes with being without three women for two weeks. I'm picturing him playing music loudly and streaking through the house in his underwear much like Tom Cruise did in the movie Risky Business.