For several years now, Danny and I have had a crazy dream to sell our house and travel the country in a Class C Motorhome. Most folks don't understand exactly how one does that, but we have managed to find a group of people that actually do. In today's world of YouTube and FaceBook, it is easy to connect with just about any group of like-minded people.
Taylor is our last child still at home. He is 16 and is currently enrolled in the Penn Foster homeschool program. He is on target to graduate in February of 2020. That means that this time next year, all of our children will be out if high school and we will have the freedom to make our dream a reality. There is alot to do...
The biggest obstacle for us to be able to travel is our house. It will have to be sold. There are some things we will need to take care of to make it "Market Ready". Our central heat and air unit needs work. Our windows need replaced, bathrooms need updated and the whole house needs a coat of paint - inside and out. I feel like it will take the next 5 years to get everything in order. We could just sell the house "as is" and take a loss. But doing that will not give us much of a cushion to find our home on wheels.
I have tried a few different avenues to earn extra money outside of our regular household budget to prepare us for travel. I'm hoping that we can find the "thing" that will allow us to earn an income while traveling. Our thought was that we could build our mini donut business and take it on the road. However, local health regulations differ so much that it would be hard to conform from state to state. Then there is Ebay. I tried my hand at pallet sales. I was able to make a nice profit but the problem with that is space will be limited and pallet inventory takes up quite a bit of that space. My latest brainstorm is a website. I won't go into detail about the particulars just yet. but I am trying my hand at building a membership website that we can build up in the next few years.
Our backup plan is to find work as we go at campgrounds and seasonal places like Amazon and Dollywood. There are also opportunities such as firework stands for July 4th and pumpkin stands at Halloween. These jobs are intense short term positions that only last a few weeks but pay nicely and allow you to travel in between. At the moment, we really don't have a concrete plan. We may just "wing" it. I worry that if we continue to put our dream on hold, someday may never come.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Fall 2014
October was here and gone before we knew what had happened. The first weekend of the month, Rachael came over to spend the day with our little Ryder. By the time she was ready to go home, the little stinker had learned to sit up by himself!
It’s so funny how quickly they learn new things. Then, just as quickly as they learn something new, it’s on to the next discovery. What a cutie
We were all able to get together on the weekend of Morgan’s birthday (17) and spend a day at Autumn Acres in Crossville. Typically, we always have gone to Sparta to Amazing Acres, but this year, we decided to try something new. The first thing we could see inside the gate was the huge bounce zone. The kids (and Danny) enjoyed some time jumping on the giant air-filled tarp.
There was also a small petting zoo with some bunnies, some goats and chickens that you could feed. There was a corn shooter, a playground and several corn mazes to choose from.
We choose a path and let Logan answer the questions that would lead us through the maze. Once we made it out, we all loaded up together on the hayride and Taylor and Logan picked out a pumpkin to take home and carve. All in all the maze was fun and I enjoyed having the whole family together for at least one afternoon!
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The end of the month brought a week long visit from mom and dad Long. They had spent the previous week traveling down the east coast into Florida. On the way back up to Michigan, we got to spend some time with them. On Saturday, we spent the day making donuts at the Baxter Autumn Fest. The weather was nice and the day started off with a parade.
About midway through the day, the train headed from Nashville to Cookeville passed through. We were set up at the depot right by the tracks, so we had a front row seat.
Before we knew it, Halloween was here. Friday night was cold and wet. The rain was changing back and forth from snow to sleet to rain. That didn’t stop my house from filling up with everything from peanut butter and jelly (Baily and Colt)
to Spiderman (Taylor) and a ninja turtle (Logan),
to the cutest monster I have ever seen (Ryder).
Danny and Taylor braved the cold to Trick or Treat. I stayed in with Logan and enjoyed some Nana time. It’s not often I get either of the grandkids to myself.
The very next weekend was Taylors birthday (12). We had a small party for him with family and his favorite food, mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce.
As the kids get older, time spent together as a family becomes more rare and precious. I am grateful for the times we have together and know that in the future, those times will become fewer and further between. Everyone is so busy with life. It’s so nice that the times we get together are full of love and laughter.
With the hustle of Thanksgiving, I decided to once again do morning brunch at our house. This way all the kids could have the afternoon for dinners with their other families. At the last minute, they all decided that a slumber party at our house would be fun. We all stayed up late playing OutBurst and had a great time. Everyone stayed the night except for MJ and Yavonna who had houseguests and a surprise of their own to share with us on Thanksgiviing morning. Our family has grown and we now have a new daughter-in-law! We couldn’t be more excited. We all love Yavonna and are glad to have her as part of our family. Congrats to Yavonna and MJ on their wedding 11/26/2014
It’s so funny how quickly they learn new things. Then, just as quickly as they learn something new, it’s on to the next discovery. What a cutie
We were all able to get together on the weekend of Morgan’s birthday (17) and spend a day at Autumn Acres in Crossville. Typically, we always have gone to Sparta to Amazing Acres, but this year, we decided to try something new. The first thing we could see inside the gate was the huge bounce zone. The kids (and Danny) enjoyed some time jumping on the giant air-filled tarp.
There was also a small petting zoo with some bunnies, some goats and chickens that you could feed. There was a corn shooter, a playground and several corn mazes to choose from.
We choose a path and let Logan answer the questions that would lead us through the maze. Once we made it out, we all loaded up together on the hayride and Taylor and Logan picked out a pumpkin to take home and carve. All in all the maze was fun and I enjoyed having the whole family together for at least one afternoon!
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The end of the month brought a week long visit from mom and dad Long. They had spent the previous week traveling down the east coast into Florida. On the way back up to Michigan, we got to spend some time with them. On Saturday, we spent the day making donuts at the Baxter Autumn Fest. The weather was nice and the day started off with a parade.
About midway through the day, the train headed from Nashville to Cookeville passed through. We were set up at the depot right by the tracks, so we had a front row seat.
Before we knew it, Halloween was here. Friday night was cold and wet. The rain was changing back and forth from snow to sleet to rain. That didn’t stop my house from filling up with everything from peanut butter and jelly (Baily and Colt)
to Spiderman (Taylor) and a ninja turtle (Logan),
to the cutest monster I have ever seen (Ryder).
Danny and Taylor braved the cold to Trick or Treat. I stayed in with Logan and enjoyed some Nana time. It’s not often I get either of the grandkids to myself.
The very next weekend was Taylors birthday (12). We had a small party for him with family and his favorite food, mozzarella sticks with marinara sauce.
As the kids get older, time spent together as a family becomes more rare and precious. I am grateful for the times we have together and know that in the future, those times will become fewer and further between. Everyone is so busy with life. It’s so nice that the times we get together are full of love and laughter.
With the hustle of Thanksgiving, I decided to once again do morning brunch at our house. This way all the kids could have the afternoon for dinners with their other families. At the last minute, they all decided that a slumber party at our house would be fun. We all stayed up late playing OutBurst and had a great time. Everyone stayed the night except for MJ and Yavonna who had houseguests and a surprise of their own to share with us on Thanksgiviing morning. Our family has grown and we now have a new daughter-in-law! We couldn’t be more excited. We all love Yavonna and are glad to have her as part of our family. Congrats to Yavonna and MJ on their wedding 11/26/2014
Monday, October 28, 2013
Vacation 2013
Vacation 2013 got off to a rocky start. After some issues with our rental van, we decided to just take our own van and got it loaded pretty late on Saturday night. This pushed our start time back a few hours. We then got caught in several traffic jams that put us back a few more hours. We had planned on picking up my mom in Delaware by 6 or 7pm. We then had another hours drive to Fort Whaley Campground.
We finally arrived at the bay bridge and I knew we were getting closer to our destination.
We got to my moms around 10pm, loaded her luggage and headed to the coast. I had called the campground when I realized we would be arriving long after check-in. The staff was very nice and offered to leave our key in the entry box along with instructions for getting in to our cabin. We finally arrived, get everything inside and we all crashed pretty quickly. It had been a very long driving day for us.
The next morning we were able to see the campground in the daylight and explore a little.
Our little cabin at Fort Whaley.
We caught the campground shuttle to Ocean City to spend a few hours on the beach. Baily and Taylor had never been to the ocean and I couldn't wait to see how they were going to like it. Everyone loved it! The 3 kids never left the water. Taylor was soon body surfing the waves on the shore and searching for sand crabs and seashells. He had better luck finding jellyfish. After a few hours of sand and sun, we returned to the campground for dinner. We made steak and potato foil packets and corn on the cob on the fire and enjoyed a late evening campfire.
Day 2 we made a trip to Wal-Mart for some beach supplies. Taylor decided the shells and rocks were hard on his bare stomach when body surfing, so he wanted a boogie board. We picked up beach chairs and an umbrella then spent the day at Assateague Island. We were greeted in the parking lot by some of the resident wild ponies on the island.
There were signs posted that told about the ponies and how to keep yourself and the ponies safe as everyone shared the beach. The beach at Assateague was a little less crowded. There were lifeguards on duty, but no boardwalk. A much smaller crowd. Once again, everyone loved the water. Mom and I spent most of our time lounging under the umbrella and people watching. The kids hardly left the water!
The kids did decide to come up and get something to eat. Mom and I had fixed a cooler full of sandwiches and the seagulls gathered to wait patiently for a bite (well, some not so patiently)
Later in the evening, another group of ponies joined us on the beach.
At first, everyone gathered around getting pictures, but after a while, they wandered down to a secluded spot on the beach and just hung out doing their thing.
Our friend Brandi drove down and spent the day with us. She and the girls then snuck away to Wal-Mart on the way back to the campground and surprised Danny with a cake for his birthday.
On Wednesday, we met my cousin Sherrie and her family at Frontier Town, the sister campground to Fort Whaley. They have a water park which was free for us to use with our campground rental. We had fun and it was great to spend some time catching up with family. We met Sherrie's boyfriend Eric and her son Tyler is Taylors age. They had a blast together!
Sherrie, Eric and Tyler came back to Fort Whaley to hang out with us for the evening. Danny grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and the boys spent time catching crawfish in the stream in front of our cabin.
Sherrie lived close by and Taylor wound up spending the night with Tyler on Wednesday night. Thursday morning, mom decided she had had enough sun and sand and was ready to wrap up her week. We left the girls to explore the campground and drove mom the hour to her house. While there, I got to visit with my dad for a bit and also play with moms dog Buddy, who had missed her like crazy!
We picked Taylor up from my cousins house and when we got there, Eric had made enough food to feed an army! We stayed for lunch, visited with my Uncle Jerry and headed back to the campground with plans to meet up with everyone later that evening for dinner and some fun on boardwalk in Ocean City.
Our good friends Laura and Chuck and their daughter Chayla came by the campground later and we all carpooled to Ocean City. After dinner and laughs at the Dough Roller, we met back up with Sherrie, Tyler and Eric played on the boardwalk until midnight when everything closed down for the night.
Friday morning, we loaded up the van for our trip back to Tennessee. We had a great week. Assateague Island is on our list of places to visit again. Fort Whaley is a good place to stay that is quiet and clean. It is a little further to drive to the ocean, but it was nice to have a relaxing place to return to in the evening after a day of fun.
We had such a fun time with family and friends. It was great to spend time with my mom. The kids are already trying to figure out how to move closer to the ocean. What a great week!
We finally arrived at the bay bridge and I knew we were getting closer to our destination.
We got to my moms around 10pm, loaded her luggage and headed to the coast. I had called the campground when I realized we would be arriving long after check-in. The staff was very nice and offered to leave our key in the entry box along with instructions for getting in to our cabin. We finally arrived, get everything inside and we all crashed pretty quickly. It had been a very long driving day for us.
The next morning we were able to see the campground in the daylight and explore a little.
Our little cabin at Fort Whaley.
We caught the campground shuttle to Ocean City to spend a few hours on the beach. Baily and Taylor had never been to the ocean and I couldn't wait to see how they were going to like it. Everyone loved it! The 3 kids never left the water. Taylor was soon body surfing the waves on the shore and searching for sand crabs and seashells. He had better luck finding jellyfish. After a few hours of sand and sun, we returned to the campground for dinner. We made steak and potato foil packets and corn on the cob on the fire and enjoyed a late evening campfire.
Day 2 we made a trip to Wal-Mart for some beach supplies. Taylor decided the shells and rocks were hard on his bare stomach when body surfing, so he wanted a boogie board. We picked up beach chairs and an umbrella then spent the day at Assateague Island. We were greeted in the parking lot by some of the resident wild ponies on the island.
There were signs posted that told about the ponies and how to keep yourself and the ponies safe as everyone shared the beach. The beach at Assateague was a little less crowded. There were lifeguards on duty, but no boardwalk. A much smaller crowd. Once again, everyone loved the water. Mom and I spent most of our time lounging under the umbrella and people watching. The kids hardly left the water!
The kids did decide to come up and get something to eat. Mom and I had fixed a cooler full of sandwiches and the seagulls gathered to wait patiently for a bite (well, some not so patiently)
Later in the evening, another group of ponies joined us on the beach.
At first, everyone gathered around getting pictures, but after a while, they wandered down to a secluded spot on the beach and just hung out doing their thing.
Our friend Brandi drove down and spent the day with us. She and the girls then snuck away to Wal-Mart on the way back to the campground and surprised Danny with a cake for his birthday.
On Wednesday, we met my cousin Sherrie and her family at Frontier Town, the sister campground to Fort Whaley. They have a water park which was free for us to use with our campground rental. We had fun and it was great to spend some time catching up with family. We met Sherrie's boyfriend Eric and her son Tyler is Taylors age. They had a blast together!
Sherrie, Eric and Tyler came back to Fort Whaley to hang out with us for the evening. Danny grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and the boys spent time catching crawfish in the stream in front of our cabin.
Sherrie lived close by and Taylor wound up spending the night with Tyler on Wednesday night. Thursday morning, mom decided she had had enough sun and sand and was ready to wrap up her week. We left the girls to explore the campground and drove mom the hour to her house. While there, I got to visit with my dad for a bit and also play with moms dog Buddy, who had missed her like crazy!
We picked Taylor up from my cousins house and when we got there, Eric had made enough food to feed an army! We stayed for lunch, visited with my Uncle Jerry and headed back to the campground with plans to meet up with everyone later that evening for dinner and some fun on boardwalk in Ocean City.
Our good friends Laura and Chuck and their daughter Chayla came by the campground later and we all carpooled to Ocean City. After dinner and laughs at the Dough Roller, we met back up with Sherrie, Tyler and Eric played on the boardwalk until midnight when everything closed down for the night.
Friday morning, we loaded up the van for our trip back to Tennessee. We had a great week. Assateague Island is on our list of places to visit again. Fort Whaley is a good place to stay that is quiet and clean. It is a little further to drive to the ocean, but it was nice to have a relaxing place to return to in the evening after a day of fun.
We had such a fun time with family and friends. It was great to spend time with my mom. The kids are already trying to figure out how to move closer to the ocean. What a great week!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Time for a beach vacation!
I grew up on the east coast. I can still remember the first time I saw the ocean. I don't remember how old I was, but I can remember the smell of the salt, the sound of the seagulls mixed with the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. I remember walking on the hot dry sand to the top of the dune and seeing nothing but miles and miles of sand and water. The ocean seemed to go on forever.
Our kids have never seen the ocean. Well, Morgan has but she was so little she says she can only remember sand. That's probably because she spent all her time building sand castles just out of the waters reach. In just a few days, we leave for our first family beach vacation to Ocean City, MD. I couldn't be more excited! The best part of the vacation....we are stopping on the way to pick up my mom who will be spending the week with us.
We have rented a "bare bones cabin" in Fort Whaley Campground. Last year, we bought a very large tent and spent a week roughing it in Indiana and Michigan in 100 degree temps. It was fun and we considered taking the tent again this year. However, we have had a very rainy summer season so far and the idea of spending the week soaked in a leaky tent just did not sound like vacation to me. So, the cabin we rented is just a step above our tent. It has electricity, but no water (bathroom). We will be using the bathhouse, which is a big issue for Baily. I'm not big on sharing a shower with a whole community of campers either, but the reviews for the campground on TripAdvisor are good, with clean bathhouses being mentioned several times.
I have decided to take our crock pot in case of rain for cooking some of our meals. I found some really cool crock pot liners at Wal-Mart. Those should come in handy as we do not have a kitchen to wash dishes in.
I have spent the week making lists and gathering some of our camping items out of storage. We will get Logan on Friday night, then Saturday we pack, drop off Daisy at the "Thomas Acres Pet Retreat" (thanks Lori), leave the fish at a friends (thanks Ashley) pick up the rental van, load up and try to get some sleep. Sunday morning before sunrise we are heading out. It will take us 12 hours to get to my parents house, then another hour to the campground. I see lots of family bonding time in my future next week (are we there yet? Stop looking at me! I'm hungry. I'm thirsty. I have to peeeeee. I feel sick)
Let the fun begin!!
Trina
Our kids have never seen the ocean. Well, Morgan has but she was so little she says she can only remember sand. That's probably because she spent all her time building sand castles just out of the waters reach. In just a few days, we leave for our first family beach vacation to Ocean City, MD. I couldn't be more excited! The best part of the vacation....we are stopping on the way to pick up my mom who will be spending the week with us.
We have rented a "bare bones cabin" in Fort Whaley Campground. Last year, we bought a very large tent and spent a week roughing it in Indiana and Michigan in 100 degree temps. It was fun and we considered taking the tent again this year. However, we have had a very rainy summer season so far and the idea of spending the week soaked in a leaky tent just did not sound like vacation to me. So, the cabin we rented is just a step above our tent. It has electricity, but no water (bathroom). We will be using the bathhouse, which is a big issue for Baily. I'm not big on sharing a shower with a whole community of campers either, but the reviews for the campground on TripAdvisor are good, with clean bathhouses being mentioned several times.
I have decided to take our crock pot in case of rain for cooking some of our meals. I found some really cool crock pot liners at Wal-Mart. Those should come in handy as we do not have a kitchen to wash dishes in.
I have spent the week making lists and gathering some of our camping items out of storage. We will get Logan on Friday night, then Saturday we pack, drop off Daisy at the "Thomas Acres Pet Retreat" (thanks Lori), leave the fish at a friends (thanks Ashley) pick up the rental van, load up and try to get some sleep. Sunday morning before sunrise we are heading out. It will take us 12 hours to get to my parents house, then another hour to the campground. I see lots of family bonding time in my future next week (are we there yet? Stop looking at me! I'm hungry. I'm thirsty. I have to peeeeee. I feel sick)
Let the fun begin!!
Trina
Friday, May 31, 2013
Park fountains and milkshakes
Yesterday was just a pretty awesome day from start to finish. I woke up to the most gorgeous sunrise and knew that it was going to be good. Work was work. I don't love getting up early and going to work every day, but there are lots of things about my job that I do love:
The hours are great
I go home most every day knowing that I have helped someone
I have the best co-workers EVER!
Work went smoothly without many kinks. Afterwards, I picked Taylor up from camp and we headed over to Dogwood Park. This is a small park right in the middle of the old part of town. It has been renovated from an old parking lot in the last few years and what a great place to hang out for an hour or so after work.
The main attraction is the fountain. Water comes down from a large fountain and small holes in the concrete release little spouts of water. The fountain changes colors and is really pretty after dark. There are nice sitting benches everywhere and paved walkways throughout the park. I just sat and watched the kids having fun in the water. Others around me did the same.
Some families had brought blankets and picnic baskets and were relaxing in the grassy areas. Others were throwing a football. Some kids were riding bicycles and scooters. There were moms strolling with babies, lots of dog walkers, power walkers and leisure walkers. There is a small rose garden as well as an outdoor pavilion where they hold concerts throughout the summer.
Taylor played in the water for about an hour and decided it was time to go. We walked the perimeter of the park to give him time to dry (we didn't take a change of clothes) then headed to McDonalds for a chocolate shake. What a nice evening! I am looking forward to this stop being a weekly thing for us.
Hopefully, today will pass quickly and my little Logan will be here to spend the night tonight. I am always missing him by Friday morning!
The hours are great
I go home most every day knowing that I have helped someone
I have the best co-workers EVER!
Work went smoothly without many kinks. Afterwards, I picked Taylor up from camp and we headed over to Dogwood Park. This is a small park right in the middle of the old part of town. It has been renovated from an old parking lot in the last few years and what a great place to hang out for an hour or so after work.
The main attraction is the fountain. Water comes down from a large fountain and small holes in the concrete release little spouts of water. The fountain changes colors and is really pretty after dark. There are nice sitting benches everywhere and paved walkways throughout the park. I just sat and watched the kids having fun in the water. Others around me did the same.
Some families had brought blankets and picnic baskets and were relaxing in the grassy areas. Others were throwing a football. Some kids were riding bicycles and scooters. There were moms strolling with babies, lots of dog walkers, power walkers and leisure walkers. There is a small rose garden as well as an outdoor pavilion where they hold concerts throughout the summer.
Taylor played in the water for about an hour and decided it was time to go. We walked the perimeter of the park to give him time to dry (we didn't take a change of clothes) then headed to McDonalds for a chocolate shake. What a nice evening! I am looking forward to this stop being a weekly thing for us.
Hopefully, today will pass quickly and my little Logan will be here to spend the night tonight. I am always missing him by Friday morning!
Monday, May 27, 2013
Summer is finally on the horizon!
Summer has been a long time coming, but it is finally here! I am so excited for warm sunny days and evenings on the porch swing. Winter just seemed to linger on forever this year. There hasn't been much to blog about. The kids are out of school for the summer. Taylor starts his summer camp program tomorrow.
We have been busy planning vacation. As much as we enjoyed Holiday World and Lake Rudolph last year, I have been promising the kids a beach vacation for a few years now. This is the year. We will be spending a week in the Fort Whaley campground just a few miles from Ocean City, MD in July. The cool thing about this years vacation is we get to spend it with my mom. She lives on the eastern shore and we are picking her up on the way. I couldn't be any more excited!
We were originally going to tent camp again this year. But, with this being my moms first camping experience, we decided to get a cabin. The cabin is rustic. No running water or a bathroom, but it will be dry if it rains and we wont have to sleep in the ground. Plus, there is electricity so we can still "rough it" with some of the comforts of home :)
The cabin rental includes admission to the campgrounds water park and a discount off a wild west show and mini golf. We are close to the boardwalk and also to Assateague Island where the wild ponies roam free. I think we will find plenty to keep us busy all week.
We have had a quiet Memorial Weekend at home. Got some things done around the house and in the yard. Danny worked today, so it has been a pretty lazy day for me. I am not excited about returning to work tomorrow, but it is right around the corner. Hopefully, vacation will be here just as quick!!
We have been busy planning vacation. As much as we enjoyed Holiday World and Lake Rudolph last year, I have been promising the kids a beach vacation for a few years now. This is the year. We will be spending a week in the Fort Whaley campground just a few miles from Ocean City, MD in July. The cool thing about this years vacation is we get to spend it with my mom. She lives on the eastern shore and we are picking her up on the way. I couldn't be any more excited!
We were originally going to tent camp again this year. But, with this being my moms first camping experience, we decided to get a cabin. The cabin is rustic. No running water or a bathroom, but it will be dry if it rains and we wont have to sleep in the ground. Plus, there is electricity so we can still "rough it" with some of the comforts of home :)
The cabin rental includes admission to the campgrounds water park and a discount off a wild west show and mini golf. We are close to the boardwalk and also to Assateague Island where the wild ponies roam free. I think we will find plenty to keep us busy all week.
We have had a quiet Memorial Weekend at home. Got some things done around the house and in the yard. Danny worked today, so it has been a pretty lazy day for me. I am not excited about returning to work tomorrow, but it is right around the corner. Hopefully, vacation will be here just as quick!!
Monday, January 28, 2013
A New Year
Annnddd.....I did it again! Here we are already well into 2013 and I haven't bothered to share a single post. 2012 ended quietly here at the Long/Henry home.
We spent the last of our cool fall weekends making donuts at our local high school football games. We had a blast trying to keep up with all the hungry customers, and the kids loved that we were all at the games together. When it was all said and done, we were able to donate a large percentage of our donut earnings to the Livingston High School Band, who runs the concession stand at the games and graciously invited us to come.
Taylor joined the local wrestling team. This was his first experience with organized sports. They practice 4 nights a week. Danny has been taking him and I suspect he enjoys it as much as Taylor does :) Taylor likes to play the big tough guy, but it didn't take him long to figure out those guys he was going up against had a bit more experience at wrestling than he did. His first competition, he was pinned in less than 10 seconds. Wait.....what just happened????
By the end of his 3rd competition, he had managed to make it a little harder to get pinned, but he decided that wrestling is just not his thing. We did get to travel the state a little and see some places barely on the map.
Morgan is still on the dance team and will be competing in her first competition this weekend in Nashville. She has danced at the football games, in the Christmas parade and at Homecoming. The girls on the team (including Morgan) suffered illness and injuries throughout the end of 2012, so hopefully this will be a fresh start for them in the competition category.
Baily is waiting patiently for tennis season to start, which will be soon. I'm not sure if she is excited about practices after school in the cold, but we are all hoping for an early, early spring! The tennis team was also able to use our little donut machine for a fundraiser in the fall and raised over $1,000 to help with expenses.
New Years Eve this year was spent with the Thomas family, our yearly tradition. Logan spent the night and we quietly rang in the new year with food, family, friends and a little Words With Friends. Heather brought some fireworks and even though it was sprinkling outside, her and Justin were able to light a few off at midnight.
I'm not very good at new years resolutions, but if I were, keeping up this blog would be on the list. I guess it's a good thing I don't make lists, because I'm already off to a rough start!
We spent the last of our cool fall weekends making donuts at our local high school football games. We had a blast trying to keep up with all the hungry customers, and the kids loved that we were all at the games together. When it was all said and done, we were able to donate a large percentage of our donut earnings to the Livingston High School Band, who runs the concession stand at the games and graciously invited us to come.
Taylor joined the local wrestling team. This was his first experience with organized sports. They practice 4 nights a week. Danny has been taking him and I suspect he enjoys it as much as Taylor does :) Taylor likes to play the big tough guy, but it didn't take him long to figure out those guys he was going up against had a bit more experience at wrestling than he did. His first competition, he was pinned in less than 10 seconds. Wait.....what just happened????
By the end of his 3rd competition, he had managed to make it a little harder to get pinned, but he decided that wrestling is just not his thing. We did get to travel the state a little and see some places barely on the map.
Morgan is still on the dance team and will be competing in her first competition this weekend in Nashville. She has danced at the football games, in the Christmas parade and at Homecoming. The girls on the team (including Morgan) suffered illness and injuries throughout the end of 2012, so hopefully this will be a fresh start for them in the competition category.
Baily is waiting patiently for tennis season to start, which will be soon. I'm not sure if she is excited about practices after school in the cold, but we are all hoping for an early, early spring! The tennis team was also able to use our little donut machine for a fundraiser in the fall and raised over $1,000 to help with expenses.
New Years Eve this year was spent with the Thomas family, our yearly tradition. Logan spent the night and we quietly rang in the new year with food, family, friends and a little Words With Friends. Heather brought some fireworks and even though it was sprinkling outside, her and Justin were able to light a few off at midnight.
I'm not very good at new years resolutions, but if I were, keeping up this blog would be on the list. I guess it's a good thing I don't make lists, because I'm already off to a rough start!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Wow. Has it really been that long???
I can't believe I have not posted on this blog since we left on vacation! It sure has been an busy summer. Between work, kids and the new donut machine, I hardly feel like I have time to anything extra.
Vacation was great. Holiday World was alot of fun and has already made the list of things to do again next year. We stayed in Lake Rudolph in our new tent and that was a good choice as well. They are very family friendly there. Each night there was something fun to do. We watched a movie one night and attended karaoke another.
The campground rents out golf carts. Everyone decorated their golf carts with the most fun decorations and ideas. You could tell that alot of thought had been put into some of the themes. Each evening around dusk, all the carts would line up and parade through the campground. It was such a fun, family friendly place. I can hardly wait til next year. We will be decorating a cart of our own!
The shuttle from the campground to Holiday World ran all day. We never had any problem getting back and forth. It was nice to return to our camp site, have lunch and relax for a bit before returning to the amusement/water park each evening. (not to mention waayyy cheaper than eating in the park every meal). The staff at the park were all very nice and attentive. The lines were longer in the afternoon for the water park, but the wait times were not bad at all.
On Thursday we left Santa Clause IN and drove to Michigan to surprise Danny's parents for the weekend. Surprise them we did! They were happy to see us coming up the drive and we were able to hang out with extended family as they had planned a campout for the weekend there.
Danny's parents have since been to TN to see us. They spent 3 weeks traveling out west visiting with family and seeing some sights. They arrived here on a Friday evening and stayed until Monday. It has been very nice to be able to spend so much time with them this summer.
I hope to be able to keep the blog up to date. I really like being able to go back and read the older posts. I will be working on updating our donut adventures over on the Grams Mini Donut page so don't forget to check in there as well.
www.gramsminidonuts.blogspot.com
Vacation was great. Holiday World was alot of fun and has already made the list of things to do again next year. We stayed in Lake Rudolph in our new tent and that was a good choice as well. They are very family friendly there. Each night there was something fun to do. We watched a movie one night and attended karaoke another.
The campground rents out golf carts. Everyone decorated their golf carts with the most fun decorations and ideas. You could tell that alot of thought had been put into some of the themes. Each evening around dusk, all the carts would line up and parade through the campground. It was such a fun, family friendly place. I can hardly wait til next year. We will be decorating a cart of our own!
The shuttle from the campground to Holiday World ran all day. We never had any problem getting back and forth. It was nice to return to our camp site, have lunch and relax for a bit before returning to the amusement/water park each evening. (not to mention waayyy cheaper than eating in the park every meal). The staff at the park were all very nice and attentive. The lines were longer in the afternoon for the water park, but the wait times were not bad at all.
On Thursday we left Santa Clause IN and drove to Michigan to surprise Danny's parents for the weekend. Surprise them we did! They were happy to see us coming up the drive and we were able to hang out with extended family as they had planned a campout for the weekend there.
Danny's parents have since been to TN to see us. They spent 3 weeks traveling out west visiting with family and seeing some sights. They arrived here on a Friday evening and stayed until Monday. It has been very nice to be able to spend so much time with them this summer.
I hope to be able to keep the blog up to date. I really like being able to go back and read the older posts. I will be working on updating our donut adventures over on the Grams Mini Donut page so don't forget to check in there as well.
www.gramsminidonuts.blogspot.com
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Day 1 of vacation in the books
As I suspected, Friday lasted an eternity! I finally made it to 5:00 and headed to camp to pick up Taylor. He managed to get through 2 entire weeks without getting 1 disciplinary form! Oh, the difference an incentive can make :) We had been giving him hints every day about what his surprise was that he was working so hard for. By Friday evening, he still had not figured it out, so we told him.
Our girls are the same age, therefore have each other to hang out with during vacation. That normally leaves Danny, Taylor and I. We thought it would be nice for him to be able to bring a friend along. So, Taylor's friend Chase will be joining us this week. That will give him a little buddy to ride the rides with and I think we will all have a more enjoyable week.
After picking up Taylor, we drove to Rachael's and collected Logan for the night. He was so excited to see us. I love having him on Friday nights. We came home and played in the pool for about an hour, then had dinner. Baily spent the night with her cousin Jessica and Morgan stayed with her dad, so it was just me and the boys (Danny included).
On Saturday after Logan left I did some cleaning, picked up Baily and we headed to town to do some shopping. Morgan met up with us there and we then went to our friend Leah's Premier Jewelry party. Our girls day out was alot of fun and we all three wound up with a fun new necklace.
We leave on Monday to Lake Rudolph Campground. We will get the tent set up and Tuesday it is off to Holiday World. We will have wifi access in the campground, so I may try and post pics daily if I have any energy left at the end of each day!
Our girls are the same age, therefore have each other to hang out with during vacation. That normally leaves Danny, Taylor and I. We thought it would be nice for him to be able to bring a friend along. So, Taylor's friend Chase will be joining us this week. That will give him a little buddy to ride the rides with and I think we will all have a more enjoyable week.
After picking up Taylor, we drove to Rachael's and collected Logan for the night. He was so excited to see us. I love having him on Friday nights. We came home and played in the pool for about an hour, then had dinner. Baily spent the night with her cousin Jessica and Morgan stayed with her dad, so it was just me and the boys (Danny included).
On Saturday after Logan left I did some cleaning, picked up Baily and we headed to town to do some shopping. Morgan met up with us there and we then went to our friend Leah's Premier Jewelry party. Our girls day out was alot of fun and we all three wound up with a fun new necklace.
We leave on Monday to Lake Rudolph Campground. We will get the tent set up and Tuesday it is off to Holiday World. We will have wifi access in the campground, so I may try and post pics daily if I have any energy left at the end of each day!
Friday, June 22, 2012
Friday...I thought you would never get here!!
This has definately been the slowest week ever. I feel like I have things at work as caught up as possible. It's a good thing because my regular pharmacist decided to take the day off for a long weekend. Jill has an afternoon appointment already scheduled, which leaves me with a temp for the latter part of today. It's only 4 hours though, and once I make it to 5 o'clock, its vacation time!!
I'm pretty sure Logan will get to come and spend the night. I miss him through the week, but it makes seeing him on Fridays that much sweeter. We tossed around the idea of taking him with us on vacation. We decided he is really too little to fully enjoy himself yet, and we already have a vanload of stuff to squeeze in to take.
Taylor has made it through the week and managed to stay out of trouble! We have had so much fun giving him hints about his vacation surprise. So far, he has not been able to guess. I will give him the final hints tonight after camp. He is going to be so pleased.
Saturday evening the girls and I are going to a jewelry party at a friends house. I am looking forward to some girl time with them. Then, Sunday will be spent getting everything ready and loaded for vacation. We are leaving Monday morning for the week and I am ready!
Now, off to face my Friday.
I'm pretty sure Logan will get to come and spend the night. I miss him through the week, but it makes seeing him on Fridays that much sweeter. We tossed around the idea of taking him with us on vacation. We decided he is really too little to fully enjoy himself yet, and we already have a vanload of stuff to squeeze in to take.
Taylor has made it through the week and managed to stay out of trouble! We have had so much fun giving him hints about his vacation surprise. So far, he has not been able to guess. I will give him the final hints tonight after camp. He is going to be so pleased.
Saturday evening the girls and I are going to a jewelry party at a friends house. I am looking forward to some girl time with them. Then, Sunday will be spent getting everything ready and loaded for vacation. We are leaving Monday morning for the week and I am ready!
Now, off to face my Friday.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Vacation is right around the corner!
3 more days of work and we will be free for an entire week! My entire household is excited about our trip to Holiday World.
We have promised Taylor a surprise for vacation if he can make it thru the week with no disciplinary forms from camp. Each day that he behaves well, he gets a hint about the surprise. So far, he hasn't figured it out :-)
It has been a busy few days at work. I am doing my best to make next week as painless as possible for my co-worker Jill. She is so great to work with and will be working longer hours to fill my spot while I am off. I hope she knows how much I appreciate her!
We have promised Taylor a surprise for vacation if he can make it thru the week with no disciplinary forms from camp. Each day that he behaves well, he gets a hint about the surprise. So far, he hasn't figured it out :-)
It has been a busy few days at work. I am doing my best to make next week as painless as possible for my co-worker Jill. She is so great to work with and will be working longer hours to fill my spot while I am off. I hope she knows how much I appreciate her!
Friday, June 15, 2012
Off on yet another quest
Yet another week is coming to a close. They do go by quickly! Baily did a week of summer school to bring up her grade in algebra. Today will be her last day and I know she is glad!
Thursday was her birthday. She turned 15 and cant wait to go take the test for her permit. I'm sure that will happen next wweek. She asked for meatball subs for her birthday and Taylor helped me pick her out a small cake. She is having a party on Saturday, but i wanted to do something on her birthday as well.
We ordered her a new phone earlier in the week, and it came right on time! More updates on the party in a few days.
On a sad note, one of Baily's classmates passed away this week and another is in critical condition. Three boys were riding bicycles on the road after dark. It was hard to see them and they were struck by a truck. James was killed. Only 16 years old. Such a sad accident. His friend is still in pretty bad shape and we are praying for him and all the families involved.
Danny and I are off on another adventure. I have created a blog specifically for our new business Grams Mini Donuts for anyone who wants to follow along.
www.gramsminidonuts.blogspot.com
We are pretty excited about adding this new delicacy to our area. It is going to be a fun way to achieve our goals for the future.
Off to get my Friday started.
Thursday was her birthday. She turned 15 and cant wait to go take the test for her permit. I'm sure that will happen next wweek. She asked for meatball subs for her birthday and Taylor helped me pick her out a small cake. She is having a party on Saturday, but i wanted to do something on her birthday as well.
We ordered her a new phone earlier in the week, and it came right on time! More updates on the party in a few days.
On a sad note, one of Baily's classmates passed away this week and another is in critical condition. Three boys were riding bicycles on the road after dark. It was hard to see them and they were struck by a truck. James was killed. Only 16 years old. Such a sad accident. His friend is still in pretty bad shape and we are praying for him and all the families involved.
Danny and I are off on another adventure. I have created a blog specifically for our new business Grams Mini Donuts for anyone who wants to follow along.
www.gramsminidonuts.blogspot.com
We are pretty excited about adding this new delicacy to our area. It is going to be a fun way to achieve our goals for the future.
Off to get my Friday started.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Another great weekend
Here we are at the end of another great weekend. Nothing spectacular. Just hung out with Danny and the kids. To me, those are the best ones!
The girls had a "bonding meeting" with the dance team at the sk8 on Sunday afternoon. Dance camp starts on Monday and the coach thought it would be good to get all the girls together to get to know each other. Considering they will be spending 9 hours together every day next week, it was probably a pretty good idea. They had a good time.
On Saturday, the kids and I went to Keelie's first bd party at Standing Stone State Park. (Keelie is Logans little sister). She turned 1 and we had a good time getting to meet the other side of the family. (Got to hang out with Logan while we were there too).
Keelie got lots of great gifts and had fun smashing cake all over.
Sunday is winding down now and we are all gearing up for a week of work, camp for Taylor and Dance camp for the girls. Only 2 more weeks til Baily's bd and 3 weeks til vacation.
The girls had a "bonding meeting" with the dance team at the sk8 on Sunday afternoon. Dance camp starts on Monday and the coach thought it would be good to get all the girls together to get to know each other. Considering they will be spending 9 hours together every day next week, it was probably a pretty good idea. They had a good time.
On Saturday, the kids and I went to Keelie's first bd party at Standing Stone State Park. (Keelie is Logans little sister). She turned 1 and we had a good time getting to meet the other side of the family. (Got to hang out with Logan while we were there too).
Keelie got lots of great gifts and had fun smashing cake all over.
Sunday is winding down now and we are all gearing up for a week of work, camp for Taylor and Dance camp for the girls. Only 2 more weeks til Baily's bd and 3 weeks til vacation.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Memorial Weekend campout
Baily and Morgan both tryed out for the dance team at the high school for next year. They went Wednesday to learn the routine, then returned on Friday for tryouts. Both were very nervous about making it thru, but just a few hours after leaving, they both received a text. Both girls made the team. They are so excited. I am happy for them both.
Both of them had plans for the holiday weekend, which did not include us :) Morgan and her friend had tickets to see Hunter Hayes in concert up in Kentucky. Baily spent the weekend with her cousin Jessica.
We finally got our tent and all the supplies we ordered from Wal-Mart. We wanted to set the thing up in the back yard to give us the opportunity to get familiar with it, and also to spray it with water repellant.
We figured Memorial weekend was the perfect opportunity to do just that. I must say, it was a good thing we did! We opened the tent and found the instructions. It is a 3 room cabin tent. Huge! Not to mention, neither of us really had any idea what we were doing :)
We got the tent spread out on the ground.
After some reading....arguing.....reading, we finally managed to get it up off the ground and looking like a tent :)
I was really glad we decided to put the tent up before we took it to the campground. No need to look like bunch of amateurs in front of the entire campground!
I am very pleased with the size of the tent. Plenty of room for our big family to spread out. I found a good deal on Local Sales Network on 3 new queen size air mattresses. We are picking those up tomorrow.
We had our friend Dianne and her son Brandon over for a few hours. Roasted hot dogs, made smores and visited for a while. It was a nice relaxing evening.
Around 10:00, we put out the fire, and settled in our new tent for the night. It was a cool night with a heavy dew, but we stayed snug and dry. The frogs sang us a lullaby and we fell asleep quickly.
I think the campground is going to work out nicely for us next month for vacation. We are all getting very excited for June 25th to get here!
Both of them had plans for the holiday weekend, which did not include us :) Morgan and her friend had tickets to see Hunter Hayes in concert up in Kentucky. Baily spent the weekend with her cousin Jessica.
We finally got our tent and all the supplies we ordered from Wal-Mart. We wanted to set the thing up in the back yard to give us the opportunity to get familiar with it, and also to spray it with water repellant.
We figured Memorial weekend was the perfect opportunity to do just that. I must say, it was a good thing we did! We opened the tent and found the instructions. It is a 3 room cabin tent. Huge! Not to mention, neither of us really had any idea what we were doing :)
We got the tent spread out on the ground.
After some reading....arguing.....reading, we finally managed to get it up off the ground and looking like a tent :)
I was really glad we decided to put the tent up before we took it to the campground. No need to look like bunch of amateurs in front of the entire campground!
I am very pleased with the size of the tent. Plenty of room for our big family to spread out. I found a good deal on Local Sales Network on 3 new queen size air mattresses. We are picking those up tomorrow.
We had our friend Dianne and her son Brandon over for a few hours. Roasted hot dogs, made smores and visited for a while. It was a nice relaxing evening.
Around 10:00, we put out the fire, and settled in our new tent for the night. It was a cool night with a heavy dew, but we stayed snug and dry. The frogs sang us a lullaby and we fell asleep quickly.
I think the campground is going to work out nicely for us next month for vacation. We are all getting very excited for June 25th to get here!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Family Pics
Saturday and Sunday were busy days for us all. We drained the pool (what a job), scrubbed it and refilled it (took 2 days to fill). Danny brought me home a trailer full of mulch. He had to work all day Sunday so I spent the day mulching and planting the flower beds. They look really nice.
Before we started all the work :) we had an appointment to have our family pics made. We hadn't done this in a several years, and Rachael had used someone who did an awesome job for her, Jordan and Logan at Easter.
We decided to do the pics here at our house. We live in the country, and wanted them to be personal and fun. Well, fun they were! I highly recommend Andrea Dawn Photography (look her up on Facebook). She was great to work with and did a fantastic job.
Our new pic at the top of our blog is one of hers too, and if you live in the middle TN area, I encourage you to contact her.
She is affordable and fun and will pretty much do your pics where ever you want. I am very happy with the way ours turned out. Thanks Andrea!
Before we started all the work :) we had an appointment to have our family pics made. We hadn't done this in a several years, and Rachael had used someone who did an awesome job for her, Jordan and Logan at Easter.
We decided to do the pics here at our house. We live in the country, and wanted them to be personal and fun. Well, fun they were! I highly recommend Andrea Dawn Photography (look her up on Facebook). She was great to work with and did a fantastic job.
Our new pic at the top of our blog is one of hers too, and if you live in the middle TN area, I encourage you to contact her.
She is affordable and fun and will pretty much do your pics where ever you want. I am very happy with the way ours turned out. Thanks Andrea!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Hump Day
I hope everyone had a great mother's day Sunday. This week has flown by like every other week this year. I came home Monday to an empty house. Lori had picked all the kids up and took them to the Livingston pool for a pool party sponsored by the tennis team. A little cool for swimming, but they had a good time. I don't think kids even feel cold :)
This is the last full week of school. Baily has been busy with finals. Morgan is enjoying her last few days at Rickman (k - 8) She will be a freshman in the fall.
I was able to get Taylor signed up for summer camp at the city park where he went last year. They have a really nice program that keeps the kids busy all summer. I wish the girls could go too. 12 is the oldest age they take. At 14, they are not old enough to get a summer job, but too old for camp :)
We have someone coming on Saturday to take family pictures. I am really excited to have them done here at our home. Bentley and Daisy will be able to get in on the fun!
We are picking up our tent this evening that finally came in, so hopefully this weekend we can get it set up in the back yard and seal the seams. Vacation will be here before we know it!
This is the last full week of school. Baily has been busy with finals. Morgan is enjoying her last few days at Rickman (k - 8) She will be a freshman in the fall.
I was able to get Taylor signed up for summer camp at the city park where he went last year. They have a really nice program that keeps the kids busy all summer. I wish the girls could go too. 12 is the oldest age they take. At 14, they are not old enough to get a summer job, but too old for camp :)
We have someone coming on Saturday to take family pictures. I am really excited to have them done here at our home. Bentley and Daisy will be able to get in on the fun!
We are picking up our tent this evening that finally came in, so hopefully this weekend we can get it set up in the back yard and seal the seams. Vacation will be here before we know it!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Happy Mothers Day
What a great mothers day weekend! Logan spent the night on Friday and stayed most of the day of Saturday. His eye infection is starting to clear up, although the antibiotics have given him a pretty bad case of diarrhea. Even so, he is on the mend :)
MJ and Yavonna stopped by for a few minutes to visit. Yavonna has some sinus issues going on and was planning on spending her only day off (Sunday), resting and hopefully feeling better. Thanks for the windchimes guys!
Saturday night we went to eat at my favorite Chinese place. It is small, locally owned and has the best buffet. The staff there are so friendly. The waitress gave Danny and Taylor a lesson in using chopsticks. Hilarious!!
For Mothers Day, Taylor made a recipe book in class. The teacher compiled a book of the kids favorite recipes and included the kids version of that recipe on the opposite page. It is so funny and priceless. Those are the best gifts.
I want to send out a big Happy Mothers Day to the 2 best moms, Cathy and Diane. We love you guys. You both are great moms and even though we all live so far apart, we cherish each moment we have with you both. You made Danny and I into the people we are today, and in my opinion, you both did a pretty darn good job :)
Also, to Rachael, you are doing such a good job raising our grandson Logan. We are very proud of you and the choices you have made. Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there. I hope you all take some time for yourselves and relax, do something fun, spend time with your families.
MJ and Yavonna stopped by for a few minutes to visit. Yavonna has some sinus issues going on and was planning on spending her only day off (Sunday), resting and hopefully feeling better. Thanks for the windchimes guys!
Saturday night we went to eat at my favorite Chinese place. It is small, locally owned and has the best buffet. The staff there are so friendly. The waitress gave Danny and Taylor a lesson in using chopsticks. Hilarious!!
For Mothers Day, Taylor made a recipe book in class. The teacher compiled a book of the kids favorite recipes and included the kids version of that recipe on the opposite page. It is so funny and priceless. Those are the best gifts.
I want to send out a big Happy Mothers Day to the 2 best moms, Cathy and Diane. We love you guys. You both are great moms and even though we all live so far apart, we cherish each moment we have with you both. You made Danny and I into the people we are today, and in my opinion, you both did a pretty darn good job :)
Also, to Rachael, you are doing such a good job raising our grandson Logan. We are very proud of you and the choices you have made. Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there. I hope you all take some time for yourselves and relax, do something fun, spend time with your families.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Accessories....no tent
Part of my camping order arrived yesterday. Everything but the tent. I am hoping it will come soon so we can set it up in the yard and seal the seams, practice putting it up and basically get it (and us) ready to go camping! I am getting really excited about our Holiday World/Lake Rudolph trip.
Rachael had to take Logan to the Dr twice in the last week. He has some sort of eye infection. We at first thought pink eye, but now its looking like something else. He is now on antibiotic eye drops and oral antibiotics. It does not appear to be getting any better. He is going back to the Dr today.
I had a meeting after work yesterday at Crawdaddys in Cookeville. Such a great place to eat. Our speaker, Dr Jamison from Nashville was funny, entertaining and informative. Really a great combination. All in all it was a good day.
Well, the kids are off to school and Danny had to be to work by 6:30, so I have the house to myself for the next 45 minutes. Time go get ready for work myself :)
Rachael had to take Logan to the Dr twice in the last week. He has some sort of eye infection. We at first thought pink eye, but now its looking like something else. He is now on antibiotic eye drops and oral antibiotics. It does not appear to be getting any better. He is going back to the Dr today.
I had a meeting after work yesterday at Crawdaddys in Cookeville. Such a great place to eat. Our speaker, Dr Jamison from Nashville was funny, entertaining and informative. Really a great combination. All in all it was a good day.
Well, the kids are off to school and Danny had to be to work by 6:30, so I have the house to myself for the next 45 minutes. Time go get ready for work myself :)
Monday, May 7, 2012
Vacation plans!
We are planning our vacation this year to Holiday World in Santa Clause, Indiana. I have spent the last few years reading some great reviews and now its time to see for ourselves! I am getting very excited.
I reserved a spot in the Lake Rudolph campground, which is right across the street from the amusement park. There is a shuttle, so we wont have to drive once we get to the park.
Holiday World is a family run amusement park that includes a water park for the same admission price. We are leaving June 25th. It should take us no more than 4 hours to drive.
I have ordered a 3 room cabin tent to camp in at Lake Rudolph. The girls are less than excited about that, but I think it will be fun. I am hoping the tent purchase will allow us to visit more places that are not within our budget :-)
Speaking of budget, the campground fee is only $30 per night, which includes electric and water. We can also get our Holiday World tickets there for a discounted price, $65 a ticket for 2 days. Yes, that says 2 days! I am hoping this will become an annual trip for us. More to come, but for now, its time to go face my Monday :-)
I reserved a spot in the Lake Rudolph campground, which is right across the street from the amusement park. There is a shuttle, so we wont have to drive once we get to the park.
Holiday World is a family run amusement park that includes a water park for the same admission price. We are leaving June 25th. It should take us no more than 4 hours to drive.
I have ordered a 3 room cabin tent to camp in at Lake Rudolph. The girls are less than excited about that, but I think it will be fun. I am hoping the tent purchase will allow us to visit more places that are not within our budget :-)
Speaking of budget, the campground fee is only $30 per night, which includes electric and water. We can also get our Holiday World tickets there for a discounted price, $65 a ticket for 2 days. Yes, that says 2 days! I am hoping this will become an annual trip for us. More to come, but for now, its time to go face my Monday :-)
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
We will miss you Gramma Jane
Danny received a phone call early Saturday morning. His grandma had passed away during the night. She went to bed the night before and never woke up. Danny spent the majority of his teenage years living with Gramma Jane, so her passing was very difficult for him.
We spent Saturday washing laundry and preparing for a 12 hour drive to Michigan. We pulled out of our driveway around 6:30 pm on Saturday. The temps were in the high 60's and Taylor was wearing shorts. We were prepared for the colder weather to our North, but as we got further into Michigan, we began to see snow. Just a little at first, but more as we continued to drive.
The trip was uneventful and we arrived in West Branch, MI at 6am Sunday morning. The temperature was now a balmy 14 degrees with around 2 feet of snow on the ground. Poor Taylor still had his shorts on from the night before.
The plan had been for us to drive all night, then get in early and get a motel room so we could get a few hours sleep and freshen up before the family had to meet at the funeral home at 1:00. There were only a handful of rooms in the town, and to our dismay, they were all booked. Yup, every one of them. It seems that West Branch is popular with the snowmobilers, and the snow from the day before had brought everyone out. Every room was full.
Danny took us on a small tour of the town, and after a quick call to his mom (who lives an hour and a half away) we decided to drop in on Grams sister, Aunt Honey who lives just a few blocks from the funeral home. After giving her a chance to get up and moving, we knocked on her door. We were welcomed into her home with open arms and spent the entire morning visiting with her. Such a sweet lady!
After the meeting at 1, we grabbed a bite to eat at McDonalds. Since the service would not take place until Tuesday, We all (Danny's sister, brother and families) made our way to Lake, MI to Dannys parents house for the night. The kids were able to get in a little sledding:
And everyone spent some time catching up and sharing great memories of Gram.
The hotel had a very nice indoor pool for the kids. They were able to get some swimming in and lots of cousin bonding time :)
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