Busy days

We've had some busy days around here, and I haven't been writing about any of it. We are leaving for Pigeon Forge in the morning, and I suspect I'm too excited to sleep. We are all looking forward to this trip - even the long drive tomorrow.

Today was our 22nd anniversary. We usually celebrate by the Big Man planning something fun for us. This year, I took over. I surprised him with a lunch and then a trip to the spa. He had a pedicure, and we both had massages. We had such a great time together!

Then tonight was "Meet the Band" which means football season is coming soon! The band was great, and we loved watching them show us a preview of what we have to expect this season.

Here are some pictures of what we've been up to. I hope to post many more from our vacation.

Hands across....rocking chairs.

Cracker Barrel has a summer travel program going, and on their website (crackerbarrel.com) you can participate! The kids and I did today.

They're creating "the world's largest front porch." It's a collection of pictures of guests on front porches of Cracker Barrels and homes all over the country. We took our picture today and are waiting to see if it makes it to the site. If you submit a picture, let me know!!!

Here is the picture we submitted.

The summer of dentistry continues.

T. Willy has had a lot of dental work done this summer. Yesterday he had the biggest one and, hopefully, the last for awhile. They used nitrous, and he was absolutely hilarious. He was really loud and said he felt like he was in a video game. He asked me to take this picture while he still had the nitrous mask on.

The summer of teeth

This has been a summer full of dental appointments for all of us. T. Willy sees a children's dentist out of town and near the beach. Today we used the opportunity of his appointment to go to the beach for a little while first. We cleaned up and are now heading to his appointment. What a fun day! Maybe not for MK, though. She is in band camp and had already been outside most of the day. Hopefully the dentist's office will be nice and chilly for her before she heads back to band camp this evening.

Multi-tasking duo

Welcome Home, M.O.!

One of MK's best friends has been away for most of the summer. MK is going with the friend's mom to the airport tomorrow to pick her up. She made cupcakes to welcome her home, and we were able to sample them! They're wonderful and will be a sweet welcome back to Florida!!

"Big River"

Last night, MK, T. Willy, a friend and I went to see "Big River" at our local college. Some of my former students were in it, and they did a great job! Here is a picture of MK and her friend, P., with Jesse, one of the stars.

Vacay!!

We have made plans for a vacation before school starts. We're planning to rent a cabin in Pigeon Forge, and I cannot wait! We had talked about a different trip which would have included a trip to my family reunion. We couldn't believe it was going to work out, and it didn't. This trip will be fun anyway. We are looking forward to a fun week of rest and family time! The picture is the cabin we booked.

Sweet treats

MK and I found a new "cupcakery" nearby and took T. Willy to try it. They were wonderful! I tried "la la lavender" which was more lemon than anything, but I really enjoyed it. Here are pictures!

For some good news....the school called me today and offered me a job as an English teacher. I am oh so happy!!!! Not only is it a relief, I adore teaching English, and I'll be back at my favorite school with my favorite girl!

A sign of things to come

I saw this sign at a store in town!

Trying

T. Willy and I went to a movie and out to lunch yesterday after I rejoined the land of the living. My mouth is feeling great, and it's such a relief!!!

At lunch I tried to take some pictures of T. Willy. Here are a few of my attempts.

M.I.A.

I've been out of commission lately, but I hope to be back to normal now. A few weeks ago, I had a filling replaced, and I've been in pain ever since. I kept thinking it would just go away, and when I finally couldn't take it any longer, I called the dentist only to find out they were on vacation. MK started band camp on Monday, so I stopped at the dentist on my way home to see if they could help. They were able to see me that day, but due to the extent of the pain, they recommended a root canal.

So that's what I did today. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Of course, I'm still numb, so we'll see how I feel later. I was in so much pain - all day long, wake me up at night pain - so I'm thankful that they could see me this soon, and I'm hoping it's going to be better now.

On the way home, I snapped a picture of my favorite area of Destin. It was so beautiful and made me feel better just to see it.

I found my thrill!

It's 10:13 in the morning, and I've been blueberry picking and blueberry muffin baking. Now getting ready to eat breakfast and head to church. What a fun day!

Little steps.

We changed the mirror and hung many things yesterday. So little by little we're fixing things up. I'd love to paint the hallway, but that would require painting other things, so I'll be patient.

Progress...

Well, here are before and after pictures. The "after" isn't true, because I still have plans for the mirror and other things, but I'm pleased with the progress.

Things that make me smile

(not counting my family)

These things don't belong to me. They're just random things I've seen on the internet, but thanks to the capture feature on my phone, I can look at them any time I like.

I've spent some time recently shopping and looking for some things to update and freshen up around here. Pictures coming soon of the changes once they're complete.

Happy 4th from our front yard!

Happy Independence Day!!

MK made cupcakes for tomorrow, but she let us sample tonight!

Our final letter day:

F is for...
Family, fun in the pool, friends, French toast for breakfast, French fries at lunch, a film with friends and football in the yard. T. Willy chose "f" and had a fun day.

The last f was a "frozen" treat: ice cream cones on the "f"ront porch!!!

More.

A rhymes with K. K is for Krul.

We had such a fun day. We relaxed and swam and took a walk. It was great!

A is for...

Almost Alabama. We are close to the Alabama state line at a place called Krul Recreation Area. We just got here, and it looks nice so far. MK brought friends, and my neighbor is coming with her kids and Ty. I'll post more pictures later.

M is for....

MK just has a short while before band camp starts, and our days will not be as lazy as they are right now. So I want to pack some fun things into our days while we can.

This week we are doing theme days by letter. No fancy name for it - we each get to choose a letter and find activities to go with it. MK's day was today, and she chose the letter "M." So, we had "M"uffins for breakfast, had "M"oe's for lunch, went to the "M"all, had a "M"cDonald's ice cream cone and homemade "M"acaroni and cheese for dinner. (Yes, they did revolve around food.) It was so fun! Tomorrow is my day, and I have chosen the letter "A." T. Willy's day is Thursday...and he chose the letter "F."

T. Willy missed VBS at our church while we were in Delaware, so my neighbor took him with her kids today. He wasn't sure he wanted to go, but he loved it and can't wait to go back! I asked what he learned, and he said, "The ten condiments!"

P.S.

Subs fall into a different category.

Homemade

The Reuben is my favorite sandwich; forgive me if I've ever said otherwise.

Lizards

Since we didn't have them where I grew up, lizards are very fascinating to me. The Big Man took this picture for me - capturing two at once.

At the movie

Movie night!

The Big Man had the day off, so we ran errands this morning and had a family movie night. It was a lot of fun. After the movie, we stopped at Whataburger for dinner. Pictures!

If they ever go into witness protection:

I will only be able to display this picture.

Herr's is ours.

We toured the Herr's factory while we were in Delaware. We were delighted to come home and find this display at our local grocery store. We didn't even buy any; it just feels good to have them here.

Have fun!!!

The Big Man spent his Father's Day working. He came home, showered, and took off again with MK to go to a concert in Orange Beach, Alabama. They're sure to have fun. I hope they don't go "Def" while MK wears her "Leppard" headband. It warms my "Heart" to see them spend time together. Can you guess who they're seeing?

We're home

Today was uneventful which was great after our busy week. We had such a great time visiting Delaware, but it's also nice to be home. We unpacked and did laundry. Now we're ready to see what next week holds.

It's almost time.

Our flight scheduled to leave at 3:30 is now supposed to leave at 7:30. We're really hoping it happens. We're tired, but the kids have been excellent. We're so thankful for electronics and places to charge them, but we're running out of things to do and missing our homes. Here are the kids who have just been wonderful sports through the entire trip. MK's friend was a wonderful traveler, and she fit right in at my parents' house, but I know she's ready to see her parents. Hopefully soon!!