July 29, 2007

welcome to my island :)

***UPDATED: Originally posted on 6/22/07. I finally took the time to go in and fix the pictures that didn't upload. Enjoy! :) ***

My family and I spent last weekend at one of my favorite places on earth. I picked my favorite pictures and still came up with a lot! So, I've uploaded them small, but if you click on them, they are REALLY big. The better to see them with, my dear. :) So, sit back, grab a drink, kick off your shoes, and enjoy my virtual tour of our vacation.


This is the monument on Put-In-Bay, Ohio. It was put up to commemorate the Battle of Lake Erie which took place during the War of 1812. My son kept singing the line, "You are my strong tower, shelter when I'm weak" from the praise song we hear on the radio. Too cute!

The Ferry

Here is my family at the back of the ferry that is taking us to the island. That's my mom, my husband, and he's holding my son. My daughter is in front of my husband. Oh, and that's my husband's other woman, his red Jeep. :)

Here's the superstar AKA my daughter. She likes when I take pictures in black and white. She said she is gazing out at the water. Gazing.

The House



Now before you go and think we are rich or something, we did not stay here. We camped at the state park located on the island. But, I will tell you that this is my new house (if only in my dreams). I scoured the island and this is my favorite. Look at the next couple of pictures and you'll know why.
This is the back of my new house (wink,wink). It is BEAUTIFUL, even if I do say so myself.
And this. This is why I found my perfect house. This is the view from my back yard. Can you believe it? Who gets so lucky as to have THIS as their back yard view. Sigh. I would just die. Okay, not really, but it would be really awesome.

Fishing


I was thinking of you blogger friends while I was on my vacation. I snapped this picture of my family. Everyone is in it except me and my son. From left to right, let me introduce you to my father-in-law, my daughter, my mom, my husband, my mother-in-law, my brother-in-law, and his soon-to-be wife (my soon-to-be sister!!).


One of the fish they caught. It had such pretty colors on it. Click on it and see!

Grandpa and his little buddy. I think they are taking a hook out of a fish. (YUCK!)

The WATER

Thank you, husband, for getting this picture from the base of the monument. As you can see, the main mode of transportation on the island is golf cart. But beyond that, LOOK at that water. Ahhhh...
My absolute favorite place on the island. At one end of the island, there is a point. Beautiful. Pure bliss for me.

This is my daughter at the same point at dusk. Look at the reflection of the sky in the water. Priceless.
Same point. My daughter, my son, my husband, and that beautiful water.

This is at the state park dock as the sun sets. Isn't that wonderful? This is my desktop picture these days.

These are the two types of birds that I took a lot of pictures of. We don't have these birds where I live. They are really neat. Both make me think of the blue water.

So we are home now and mostly unpacked. I sure miss my blue water though. I hope to go again soon! Maybe one day, I can even live there! That would be so awesome to me.

I hope you enjoyed your virtual vacation! I know I enjoyed reliving it again. :)

giveaways everywhere!

Another giveaway has been brought to my attention - a 37" Flat Panel LCD HDTV!!! To enter, click here to go to 5 Minutes for Mom. The TV is being provided by Best Buy so stop by there and check out the specs. How excited would my husband be if I won this? My fingers are crossed...

July 27, 2007

and the winner is...

I put all 171 comments into the random number thingy and this is what it said:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

105 
So, if I counted right - and if I didn't, we're going to pretend I did - the winner is.....

Toni from In the Midst of This Season!!!!!!

Go congratulate her!

July 23, 2007

dog days of summer bloggy giveaway

***COMMENTS CLOSED***

I've been otherwise occupied lately and haven't blogged in awhile. So I thought, what better time to get back in the swing of things than for the totally cool Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway? Go ahead and click on that to learn about all of the FREE stuff that bloggers are giving away this week. WAIT - don't go yet - let me tell you what I am giving away...





Here is a small kit to pamper yourself. There is a journal, a takeout for two kit, and six Partylite votive candles in the kiwi strawberry scent (yummy!).



To enter, just leave me a comment. Make sure I have a way to get back in contact with you. You don't have to be a blogger, just leave your email address when you comment. Only open to people in the U.S. (sorry!).

Okay, now you can go find out all the cool things you can enter to get - FREE! Just click on that cute dog picture!

July 6, 2007

eleven today

it seems just yesterday
that i was welcoming you
to the double digits

and now another year
has slipped by

it's been a big year for you
clothes and hair were suddenly
things to be conquered

very important
and never perfect

boys became more than
a passing thought
and the phone, my goodness, the phone

i think i'll scream
if you ask to use it one more time

and it's only just beginning...

you started to work hard in school
your curiosity unsatisfied
proof in your honor roll report card

it dawned on you
that school wasn't just for making friends

i've enjoyed many conversations
and i see the hint of the young adult
you will become

remember to always keep your own opinion
don't borrow someone else's

your face and body are growing up
your heart is beautiful
and that is reflected outside

keep your eye of Jesus, sweetie
and you will always be beautiful

i miss you today

i can't wait to celebrate with you

happy birthday, baby girl!

*************

God,
I'll never understand your master plan - placing this precious girl in my care.
I'll never forget the miracle - watching her wiggle into this world.
I'll never know all the answers - which is more evident the older she gets.
I'll never fail to be amazed when I look at her - and see me.
I'll never stop trying to shape her heart - reminding her of your love.
I'll never feel as if I am ready to let her go - but every year, it comes closer to that time.
I'll never get tired of saying thank you - for the blessings that she gives me.
So today, on her birthday, as always, I say again - thank you for my daughter.
Amen.

July 2, 2007

catchin' up with a meme

I was tagged more than a month ago by my friend Chels at My Puddles of Thoughts and I never got around to doing it. I've been wanting to blog for a few days and couldn't get my thoughts together. Today, I remembered this tag - perfect!

Here goes...

What were you doing 10 years ago?
July of 1997 - I was working full time and getting ready for my baby girl's very first birthday. That means she'll be 11 this week!!

What were you doing 1 year ago?
July of 2006 - juggling my daughter's custody schedule and dealing with my son's strep throat. Wow, bet that was fun.

Five snacks you enjoy:
*pretzels (unsalted)
*cookies
*BBQ chips or pretzels
*muffins (cinnamon or pumpkin are my favorite)
*gummy anything

Five songs that you know all the lyrics to:
*Greatest Man I Never Knew by Reba
*Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot
*Sara Beth by Rascal Flatts
*Jesus, Take the Wheel by Carrie Underwood
*Everything I Do, I Do It for You by Bryan Adams

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
*Live on an island
*Buy a new car, probably a minivan
*Pay off all my family's mortgages (and then some)
*Travel
*Give away a lot of it, probably to kids charities

Five bad habits:
*spending too much time on the world wide web
*leaving the last load of clothes in the washer - forget to switch it to the dryer
*when the light in the car comes on to let me know I need gas, I wait another day until I really need gas (I know, pretty dumb of me)
*leaving the kids toys out at the end of the day - like Chels said, why clean them up when it's going to look just like that tomorrow?
*procrastinating about everything

Five things you like doing:
*spending time with the family
*surfing the world wide web, especially blogs
*reading
*taking photographs
*writing

Five things you would never wear again:
*Most things from high school - it wouldn't fit
*the cute barrettes my mom made me when I was in school - they were cute but wouldn't be in style now
*a two piece swimsuit (unless I lose, I don't know, 50 pounds)
*jelly shoes
*the ugly puke yellow volleyball jersey I wore in high school

Five favorite toys:
*laptop
*mp3 player
*Cars movie cars (they keep the boy quiet)
*my daughter's personal DVD player (hey, I didn't buy it and it keeps her quiet on car trips)
*I guess I'll say the TV, even though as a rule, I am anti-TV

I'm gonna tag -
I'm going to take the easy route and say whoever wants to do it, feel free! Just make sure you comment so I can come visit! :)

 
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