Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween. Riley's friend Tristan and his dad Alex came over. Riley dressed up like a vampire, mainly because he thought it would be cool to "float" with his Heely's. Regan was Ariel, the Little Mermaid, complete with crown, red wig, wand and light up dress shoes. Which means that after about 5 houses, I was holding the wand, a few more houses down, and I was holding the crown, a few more houses, I was holding the shoes, and in the end, I came home holding ALL of Regan's accessories, a dog on a leash and Tristan's helmet. It was fun though, got lots of loot, that thankfully, I haven't even looked at! We ordered pizza and the kids got to go to bed a little late tonight. I feel for their teachers tomorrow though!!

Canyon of the Eagles

Canyon of the Eagles

It seems to be the month for Spontaneous Fun Trips! On Friday, on our way home from Sweet Berry Farm, my BFF Tammy called and said the weather is great, lets go camping!! So they called around to find any place that had an opening, and I went home and started packing. We met them at Canyon of the Eagles, just outside of Burnet, Texas. It was beautiful! The drive, the scenery, the lake, the weather, everything was perfect. We ate lunch Saturday in Llano, at one of David's all time favorite places to eat, Cooper's Pit Bar-B-Que, it was PACKED! Then we had to go to HEB to get some food cause we literally just ran out there. The kids got to ride their bikes all around, play on the rope swing, play in the dirt, just an all around fun time at camp.

The Lodge there is gorgeous, David and I want to go back without kids and stay in a cabin overlooking the lake. They had a cowboy there telling "scary ghost stories" on Saturday night, although the stories weren't too scary, the kids loved it. We got some hot tea and hot apple cider from the lodge and sat and enjoyed the stories on the beautiful patio, that was all decked out with Halloween decorations.

We went back to the camp and made s'mores, that's always the best part! The grown ups stayed up past 1 sitting and chatting around the fire, it was nice and chilly outside, just so much fun! We got up Sunday morning and after we packed up we walked around and drove down to the lake and just enjoyed the scenery. We will definitely go back to this camp, hopefully around this same time of year, it just couldn't be any better!

Sweet Berry Farm

Sweet Berry Farm

Well, on an impulse today, I picked the kids up from school and headed out to Sweet Berry Farm. I have wanted to go there FOREVER but it's been rained out and canceled on me so many times. So today was beautiful, it's such a gorgeous drive out there, it was sunny and bright, around 80 degrees, and most important, NOT CROWDED!! First we looked around at all the different kinds of pumpkins they have out there. Some were quite freaky!! They had some that looked like they were covered in peanuts, some that looked like they had butts growing out of the top, some white, flat ones, just all kinds of weird looking ones. Tried taking some pictures, but it was pretty sunny and the kids were squinting a lot.

Next up was the Texas Maze, it's a giant corn field maze in the shape of Texas, and they give you a punch card with 12 different Texas towns on it, and if you can make it through the maze and find all 12 towns, you get a free drink. So, we spent a good half hour in there, but were victorious!! We found them all, and didn't get too lost in all that corn. Then we picked out our painting pumpkin, found some pumps to wash the dirt off, real working pumps, and as the kids started pumping to make the water come out, Riley yells, "Mom! This is just like Kid Nation!" They loved the pumps! So they painted a cute pumpkin, set it out to dry while we fed the goats pieces of the corn maze, they were just eating up the leaves of the corn, they were so cute, and very vocal. Then we took a hay ride all around the farm.

Finally, Regan picked out some mini pumpkins and cute mini gourds to bring home, one looks like a duck and one is shaped like a star. And before we left, we just had to try their homemade ice cream treats. Regan had a strawberry popsicle, from the strawberries that they grow there on the farm, and Riley and I shared a cup of pumpkin flavored ice cream that was to die for!! Really some of the best ice cream we've ever had (which explains the picture of him licking the cup). Then just goofed around a bit taking pictures around the farm. What a neat place, I can't wait to go back when it's strawberry and blackberry season!

Komen Race for the Cure

I'm a little behind this year, but I finally signed up again. I can't tell you what it means to me to do this race every year. My friend Tereasa always walks with me, and just being there with over 20,000 people, seeing all the pink shirts on the survivors, or the pink tags on the back of the shirts of people walking to honor someone, or in memory of someone, it's just awe-inspiring. I will never forget one year seeing a man, probably close to my own age, pushing a baby in a stroller and holding a little girl, and on the back of his shirt, his pink tag said he was walking in memory of his wife. His daughter had a tag that said simply, "In memory of...mommy". How heart wrenching. So, I do this every year in memory of my mom, who lost her battle with breast cancer almost 8 years ago, and in honor of my grandma, and my 2 aunts who have also battled breast cancer. If you would like to make a donation to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, you can do so on my race center page HERE.

Thanks!

Spontaneous Day!

San Antonio ZooAlamo

So David calls around 10 am, he has to go to San Antonio for work, just to get a part, the kids are still on fall break, so he wanted to know if we all wanted to go for the day. We had free zoo passes since we went in July and had to evacuate cause the zoo keeper had been mauled by a tiger. So he comes home, picks us up, we head to the zoo, he drops us off while he goes to get his part, then comes back and meets us there. We headed straight to the back, the part that we missed this summer, so we saw the petting zoo, all the African animals, and the best part was the Lorikeets. You can buy nectar (or as Regan called it, "hector") and the birds will climb all over you to get it, the kids had a blast! They are so pretty, but they have really nasty projectile poo, you have to be careful (David wasn't, that's all I'll say here!)

Then we walked around the River Walk, had some mediocre Mexican food, played the tourist for a while, then walked down to the Alamo. It was closed by then, but it sure is beautiful at night all lit up with the Texas flag waving proudly.

It was a great day, and just something out of the blue.

Stomach Bug

I don't know if there is something going around, but between David and I, the last few days have been miserable!! David has had some sort of stomach bug the last few days, and I guess he passed it on to me. It's NOT fun here. David missed work Monday and Tuesday because of it. Last night, after Daisy Scouts, I came home and just had the worst pain ever. You can't sleep because of the pain, which is bad cause it just makes you so weak and tired. I tossed and turned on the couch most of the night, trying to get comfortable, and wasn't real happy when David woke me up this morning freaking out about his tongue. He stuck it out and it was black. So I stuck mine out and wouldn't you know, solid black. Disgusting. Then the panic sets in, is there some kind of poison in our house, do we have some rare spreading disease, do we need to go to the hospital? Kind of a mini-freak out. Then I googled it. Then I feel like and idiot. We had been taking Pepto chewables, and for whatever reason, it turns your tongue black. So, that mystery solved. Still don't know what the stomach bug is, but at least for now the pain is gone. I haven't left the couch all day, and the kids have been angels today, I SO owe them for this one!

Pink for October

Remind your friends and family that October 12-19 is National Feel Your Boobies Week
Pink for October

Manic Monday Meme

Which month of the year do you think best describes your personality?
Probably June or July, the summer months. I'm pretty laid back, easy going, just want to have fun, and what better time to do that than summer?!

If you could have had the starring role in an existing movie, which movie would you pick?
The Philadelphia Story. To be a young, regal Katherine Hepburn and get to make out with Cary Grant AND Jimmy Stewart? Wow.

Are you attracted to people whose personalities are very similar to your personality or very different?
Well, since my husband is so different from me, I would say different. We compliment each other perfectly!

Ohio Day Seven - Nine - Amish Country

On Friday we didn't do a whole lot, I had an upset stomach and didn't feel like doing much, which was fine with the kids, they had the neighbors over and rode four wheelers all day. Linda let the kids make their own breakfast each day, and Riley ate about 4 eggs every day, with toast and homemade apple butter!! Being out in the country really works up an appetite I guess!

Amish

On Saturday, while the kids rode four wheelers, yet again, Linda and I took a drive out to Amish Country. It wasn't far, about a 15 minute drive from their house. We weren't sure where to go, but all of a sudden we saw a horse and buggy cross the highway, so we turned off to follow it. Then we found a fool proof way to find them, follow the horsey poop! It worked, we soon found ourselves in the heart of Amish country, and it was amazing! I felt like I was in a movie set. They don't like having their picture taken so I tried to respect their privacy and not get too close. It was just too surreal to see them riding down the street in their horse and buggies. We even stopped at an Amish store and went in and shopped. I was surprised though, the inside of the store looked more like a Dollar Tree! They had all kinds of trinkets and kids toys things I would not expect to find there. I had my heart set on getting something genuinely "Amish" so Linda bought me a small handwoven basket and a hand printed magnet for my magnet collection, and a book of Amish remedies (which is VERY interesting!) and an Amish family cookbook. There were some girls running the store, probably around 8 and 13, and they had on the long dresses, the bonnets, bare feet, had the Dutch-type accent, they were adorable! We saw an Amish school house, complete with handmade swings and see saws, saw some very huge houses with the little buggies parked out front. It was so neat! I was like a goofy kid seeing it all.

Mt Vernon Playground

Then Linda wanted to wear the kids out so they would sleep good on the trip, so we went to Mt. Vernon which is the nearest town to them, about 15 miles away. They have an awesome playground there, the kids were completely sweaty when we left, they played so hard! I couldn't get over the beautiful country, I just always imagined Ohio to be flat and full of corn or something, but the trees were changing colors, from green to red to yellow and every color in between, rolling hills, green grass, beautiful old red barns, cows and horses everywhere, just a part of the country I had never seen before and never thought would be so beautiful (I just can't think of another word to describe it!)

So we left around 8:30 Saturday night, Linda was sad to say goodbye to her boy again! The kids were asleep before we left Columbus! Pete drove us to Memphis where we had breakfast and I drove us on home. Nearly 3,000 miles on my Expedition, the kids were awesome in the car, we made it home by 5:00 Sunday, David had grilled steaks waiting for us, he missed us bad!!

Ohio Day Six - Hocking Hills State Park

Hocking Hills State Park

Today we traveled about 90 miles Southeast of Columbus to Hocking Hills State Park for some hiking. It was absolutely breathtaking! We started out going to Old Man's Cave, which wasn't quite a cave, just a large opening where I guess an old man had lived at one point. We walked down about a million steps to see what would have been a waterfall if there was enough water. There were rock bridges and trails over tree roots and giant rocks, it was some beautiful scenery. I was surprised at the kids, they never ran out of energy at all. Riley wanted so bad to go off the trails, and if he went out of my sight for a minute, I would turn a corner and find him trying to scale smooth rocks. Linda and I walked a little slower than the guys, we wanted to stop and take pictures of everything!! We were going to hike to Cedar Falls, but passed some other people that said there were no "falls" right now, so we decided it wasn't worth another 1.5 miles, when the last mile took us so long!

Then we hiked to a place called the "Rock House" which was really neat. It was some giant rocks that were kind of triangle shaped, to form sort of an A frame house. It was just incredible. And all the trees, there were so many different colored leaves, and it was nice and cool, just a beautiful place. Took lots of pictures, but they just can't convey how amazing it is.

Drove back to town and ate some bar-b-que at Smokey Bones, then went home and passed out! After two days of non stop walking, my legs were sore. Even the kids slept good that night!

Ohio Day Five - Columbus Zoo!

Columbus Zoo and Aquarium

Today was the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. It is one of the nicer zoos I have been too. It's also superman HUGE. We walked for miles it seems!! Even the kids were exhausted when we left. They had manatees, komodo dragons, gorillas, elephants, rhino's, just all kinds of things. It was the perfect day also, probably about 80 degrees. I DO NOT miss the texas heat right now!!

We came home and got Grandpa and headed to Mount Vernon, which is the nearest town to where they live. It's a small country town, but at least they have a Walmart and McDonalds! We ate dinner at Fiesta Mexicana, a little Mexican place, that really was some of the best Mexican food I've had (outside of Chuy's). It was yum! Riley was upset that he didn't get to ride the 4 wheelers today, but at least he's not nearly as lonesome for his daddy. That is one daddy's boy there. I need to go soak my feet cause tomorrow we're going hiking!! I hope I can keep up!!

Ohio Day Four - Four Wheelin'

Four Wheelers

We slept in again, it's SO nice being out in the country, the cool weather, the open windows, the breeze, the country sights and smells and sounds. It's so relaxing. The neighbor kids, Kayla who is 14 and Brodie who is 11, came over during a home school break on their 4 wheelers and took the kids for rides. They had a BLAST. The rode them most of the afternoon, then we had to run in to town to go to the mall, Polaris Mall, or something like that. It was super nice, they had a Children's Place (my favorite store) that had a bunch of long sleeve stuff, which was hard to come by in our neck of the woods, and CHEAP!! Regan found all kinds of dress up goodies she wanted, and managed to get Grandma to buy her a new Ariel nightgown, that is "superman beautiful".

We ate dinner at Red Robin and then came home to start a campfire in the backyard, and the neighbors came over for S'mores and more 4 wheeler rides. We all stayed up way too late, and had a great time.

Ohio Road Trip - Days One-Three

OhioPictures

The Adventure begins before we even leave home! David changed the oil in my truck, checked the battery, did all the typical husband/dad things before your family goes on a long road trip. And wouldn't you know, as I go to run some errands before the trip, my truck won't start!! We had to buy a new battery, but I was just glad that we found that out before the trip!!

So, as soon as the battery was put in, we hit the road. We left home around 8 PM on Saturday. We had a drive thru dinner in Waco, gas/bathroom stop in Dallas, gas stop in Little Rock Arkansas, and then we stopped for breakfast just this side of Nashville at Loretta Lynn's. That was a trip. I couldn't figure out why the ham I was eating from the breakfast buffet tasted so odd, until Pete tells me he overheard someone say that was the best fried bologna they ever had!! Yuck! I ate friend bologna. We got some pictures of the kids in front of a giant buffalo (don't know the relevance of giant buffalo in front of Loretta Lynn's, but oh well). Back on the road. We drove through to Bowling Green Kentucky (Regan renamed it Green Ball Kentucky) then on through Louisville, Cincinnati, Columbus, and just north of Columbus about 30 miles to Marengo, Ohio. We got in about 6 PM Sunday, their time, just in time for a dinner of green chili and burritos, YUM!!!

We raided Grandma's garden and the kids picked their own watermelon for dessert. We picked peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupe, all kinds of home grown goodies. The kids LOVED it!!

The next day we spent around the house, kind of resting up from the trip, Pete and Riley worked on Pete's 4 wheeler. Never did get it going though. Regan helped Grandma peel apples for Apple Butter and we just had a good time walking around the country, and enjoying being out in the middle of nowhere!!

Riley has been terribly dad-sick, calling him about every hour, and already wanting to go home. Could be a long week!! Regan on the other hand, wants me to leave her here when we go back.