Vacation mini golf game

The vacation is never complete without a competitive mini golf game.  The stakes were discussed and set as always and the game began with anticipation.  Some of us played around, some were looking at the boys on the next green, and then there were the ones who took the game seriously.  I won't share who the most competitive were!  lol  But the game was fun, enjoyable, and for some reason I found out that the winner bought Dairy Queen after.  What was up with that?  lol

Jacksonville Beach

 

 

While making plans 2 days before we left for vacation, I changed the beach we were going to visit.  I found this place called Jacksonville beach which I had never visited before.  Some here had reservations about going to a place unknown to us, but I am always one for seeing new adventures.  Thus, being the plan maker, that's where we were going.  It ended up that we loved this place with the beautiful beach and the laid back atmosphere that was much needed after fighting the crowds of Disney.  We went to some seafood restaurants that had mouth watering fresh seafood.     We spent the day on the beach and much of it for me was swimming in the water and playing in the waves.  It was so refreshing that I didn't want to leave.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 I walked the beach, listened to the roar of the waves and dreamed of having a place on the water so I could be out in a boat anytime I wanted.  I  buried my feet in the hot sand and it felt good to play.  I sat at the edge of the water with my eyes closed and just listened to my surroundings and felt at peace.  This was just what I needed.  :)

 

 

After we left Orlando, we spent some time touring St. Augustine.  This is the nation's oldest city first sighted by Don Juan Ponce De Leon who claimed the land for Spain.  It was founded 42 years before the first colony in Jamestown, Virginia which makes this the oldest permanent European settlement in North America.  We  saw the old narrow streets of long ago and the buildings of that time and took the trolley guided tour to get the most out of seeing this city. 

 

We visited and did the wine tasting tour of  San Sebastian Winery and brought back a selection of wine that appealed to us.

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Castillo de San Marcos National Monument stood out for me during this tour.  I spent time inside and out learning the rich history of this oldest masonry fort in the US.  It is a great view from on top looking out onto the land and water.  We also fell upon the reenactment taking place at that time of firing a canon out into the water.  From there we wrapped up the day visiting St. Augustine's lighthouse, but I couldn't persuade the crew to climbed the 219 stairs to the top!  At that point exhaustion had crept in and climbing into bed was the only thing on their mind!!

Universal Studios - Island of Adventure

 

 

 

Universal's Island of Adventure was a lot of fun.  From the Hulk coaster to the  water rides which had us soaking wet, this park kept us busy all day long. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, the lines were long.  About a 90 minute wait for the rides, but it was well worth it in my book.  I love going to the parks and seeing everything that can be seen.  I think my favorite was the 3D Spiderman! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed at a hotel right there at Universal.  It was nice after a long day of walking to just be able to crash as soon as we were done.   Can't wait to go back!!

Vacation

"You can discover more about a person in an hour of play,
than in a year of conversation." - Plato

Our first day of vacation was spent at Blizzard Beach in Disney World.  We stayed from morning till night and had a blast going on all the water slides. My favorite was the last ride where I was in a covered tube the whole way down. I screamed from when I entered it until I was plopped in the water at the bottom.  It had taken me by surprise because I didn't expect it to be so dark.  Needless to say, I loved it.  Kid at heart?  Definitely!   :)

Trip

 

Another trip tomorrow!!    Sometimes it feels as though I need to get away and often think of this place in Key West that I visited last year, where looking out across the water I felt a sense of adventure that I long for.
So,  I will look forward to a  week of enjoyment, relaxation, wonder and most of all quality time spent with my kids.  I will return with lots of pictures!  Bon voyage!!  

PLAIN TRUTH

 

"If your afraid of everyone leaving you, what do you do?" 
"Make them stay"
"And if you can't do that, or don't know how to?"
You leave first, so you don't have to watch them walk away."  

"Just because you love someone doesn't mean the Lord has it in His plan for you to be together."  
PLAIN TRUTH  by Jodi Picoult  

This was the latest book that I read and a good one I would say. The passages that I have here in my entry were ones that stood out to me .  It kept my interest from beginning to end.  I found myself engrossed in the characters and understanding each one and their reason for acting the way they did. The setting was the all familiar Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in Amish country.  This story tells of the complex choices that the heart has to make.  Choices that sometimes seem unlikely, but are heartfelt. 

Notre Dame University

 

Below is Kelly's speech that she wrote after spending a week at Notre Dame University for a leadership program.  This is only a small part of what she wanted to share.  She was sent from our church to represent the teens from our parish.  I continue learning from my children every day.   
"True courage is not the absence of fear, but the absence of self."  My name is Kelly and this past week I learned what true courage really is.  Along with 3 other teens from this church and 500 nationally, I had the privilege of attending the Life Teen Youth Leadership Conference at Notre Dame University.  We spent a week on the beautiful campus learning more about what it really means to be catholic.  By the end of the week I had so much more knowledge about our catholic faith and the desire to share it with anyone and everyone.  But most importantly,  I realized that the youth of the church is responsible for the future of the church.  With this responsibility, I encourage everyone to learn a little more about their faith.  But most of all,  embrace all of the wonderful teens of this parish because we are the future.

Sky blue

 

 

"Promptly prepare a provision of taffeta and ropes, and you will see one of the most incredible things in the world"
Joseph Montgolfier of the Montgolfier Brothers - Hot Air balloon inventors

The sky has been beautiful as of late.  Big puffy clouds have been set against the summer blue sky in what makes for a spectacular dream.  It is days like this that catches my eye as I do my morning walks.  They are as splendid as flying above the clouds and looking down to what seems like puffs of cotton laying in the sky.  How lucky I am to see and notice such beauty. 

Swim Team

Here's Daniel holding his trophy from this season's swim team. They did great this summer and were league champs.  Daniel enjoyed the swim meets and also receiving the placement ribbons that went along with it.  He had lots of fun swimming with his friends and is thinking of joining another team that swims year round.  Way to go Daniel!!

 

 

Sometimes tenderness comes from pain
when love has shown it's way to others
While forgiving those who sent you that way  

That love is kindness... without boundaries,
and always a welcome blessing
that gets you through
while struggling
And never leaving your side

Fluffy

 

Look whose getting big fast.  Fluffy  is about 8 weeks old now and just the cutest little thing.  She runs around the house and tends to get into trouble here and there.  One day I found her in the fireplace covered in soot from the ashes.  She ended up being a bit gray for a few days!  Now she's back to her fluffy white and looking for something else to explore.  This picture of her sitting funny was a site to see.  Rabbit don't usually sit like this and I just had to capture a picture.  It's a little blurry though because I was laughing so much at the site of her that I couldn't keep the camera still! 

Puzzled thoughts

 

The doubts I have
 come crawling in when I'm alone
and my heart seems heavy ...
if I had an angel whisper in my ear and tell me things will be all right then maybe I'd believe...
but baby I need your love
to keep me strong
and to feel how it would be
with my heart given to you.
I just can't help myself...  

Home from trip

Back home and back to reality.  This trip was nice but didn't know how things would be when we got home after leaving the two older kids at home.  Glad to report that they AND the house survived.  But, our welcome home was one wrecked vehicle in the driveway (no injuries thank goodness), one broken door knob that fell to the ground as we tried to enter the house (which had us ringing our own doorbell to get in and left me wondering how many kids actually walked through that door the passed week), a (broken) window screen laying on the ground in the back of the house because our daughter apparently got locked out and decided to take things in her own hands, and reports from the security company that our alarm went off 3 times. (??!!)  Other than that, seemed liked they were healthy and glad to see us (they ran out of food)!

 There's just no place like home.....  :)

Day 6 continued - Nascar 3D IMAX, Chattanooga

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To win without risk is to triumph without glory.

Pierre Corneille (1606 - 1684), 'The Cid,' 1636

Felt like we were in the driver's seat for this Nascar 3D film.    It started with the history of race car driving which led to what Nascar is today.  It was amazing to see the aerial view of the track and all the fans as it was larger than I thought it would be.   This film was interesting, exciting and full of speed.  I would recommend it to anyone that ever wanted to sit behind a wheel of a car and feel what it would be like to go 180 miles an hour!

 

Day 6 of trip - Tennessee Aquarium, Chattanooga

Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy. Anne Frank (1929 - 1945), Diary of a Young Girl, 1952

 

We enjoyed visiting the Tennessee Aquarium and all it's beauty.  The freshwater and  saltwater fish plus all the other displays were so pretty to look at.  My favorite were the water and land turtles in huge natural habitats that really made them interesting to watch.    I spent most my time there and they had to pull me away to visit the next floor!  I saw the workers in the tanks feeding the fish and wanted to be in there with them.  I think it's time to plan another snorkeling trip to get the more close-up view that I like!  

 

Day 5 of Trip - New River Gorge, West Virginia

 

This is a favorite area of mine and we decided to stop on our way back to do a little white water rafting.  Unfortunately the weather had been bad and the river was brown.  This was not good to take the kids on.  We ended up hiking instead.  This bridge is the longest steel-arched bridge in the world and is pretty cool to ride over and look down.  Way down!  It's 876 feet above the New River and is the second highest in the country.  The Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado is the highest.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spent a lot of time looking out at the mountains which reminded me of our view we had living in Virginia.  I miss that view.....  Anyway, the place was beautiful and a highlight for me of the trip.

Day 4 continued - Primanti Bros. Restaurant

 

  Couldn't let this trip go without a stop to the Primanti Bros. Restaurant.  It has been a Pittsburgh tradition for close to 70 years and is well known to anyone that lives there.  It's located in the strip district where the trucks go to unload the fruits and veggies for the city's restaurants and stores.  These sandwiches are stuffed not only with meat, cheese, lettuce, and tomato, but also has the cole slaw and french fries right on it between the Italian bread.  It's the best late night place to eat in Pittsburgh.  And yes, it's way to big to bite into it, but somehow everyone manages to squish it together and eat every piece!

Day 4 of trip - Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium

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NONAME
Komodo Dragon  

My intention today was to post a cool picture of a familiar animal from the zoo.  Some of my favorites were the giraffe and the zebras, but I kept going back to this picture of the Komodo Dragon.  I have never seen anything this different at the zoo.  This is the world's largest lizard and is found on the Indonesian Islands of Kmodo, Rinca, Flores, and Padar. His mother was a gift to President Reagan from the President of Indonesia in 1988.  It's a skilled hunter and scavenger and can eat up to 80 percent of its own body weight in one sitting!  He also locates prey up to 5 miles away with his sense of smell.   He's as huge as an alligator but had a head and tongue like a snake.  He looked very mean and kept showing his tongue like he was ready to attack.  I was glad to be behind the glass that protected us!

Day 3 of trip - Rangos Omnimax Theater

 

 

 

We saw Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in the IMAX theater at the Carnegie Science Center.  It  has a four story high screen with digital surround sound.  This is only one of seven institutional museums to premier the IMAX version and we were lucky enough to be in town to view it.  It was  another great Harry Potter story with lots of imagination to keep one totaly interested.  Recommend this movie?  Of Course!!