Hey, have some fun!!!

Monday, July 28, 2014

Maryland: Tim's Family Reunion

I feel very comfortable around Timothy's family; they are a ton of fun and love to relax and be around each other. That is exactly what we did at Tim's uncle's lake house in Maryland. We had some beers, made an everlasting campfire, cruised on the pontoon and played on the speedboat with a raft called "hydroballs." Perhaps best of all, we sang karaoke to our heart's content. Yep, we all got along great, even when Meredith and I had to edit some of our poorly selected songs to accommodate the elderly crowd...oops!

We took one last pontoon cruise the morning of our departure. Uncle Joe made a concoction with the leftover liquor and wine and this girl was feeling it pretty quickly!

To say the least, it was a blast! Tim's family is very kind, fun, and laid-back!!!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Michael Turns ONE!

My nephew, Michael, who was diagnosed with a rare leukemia at 3 months, just beat all the odds and celebrated his first birthday with a giant smile and chocolate cupcake!

He is such a happy little boy; you've never met a happier little boy! He's so entertaining, curious and absorbent. He tries to do the itsy bitsy spider with his fingers when he hears the song and claps afterward. He's so stinkin' lovable and adorable! And he is very very loved.

He is home from the hospital now after a 9 month stint and my sister gives him his maintenance meds and is his number one nurse. There is no detectable cancer in his cells now and we pray for it to stay that way! He is an amazing little fighter and present opener =)

Monday, July 7, 2014

Brown County with the Family

It's officially a tradition! My aunt and uncle have always had horses, and now my cousins have their own families, horses and trailers, and so the tradition of Brown County, Indiana expands and continues!

I usually tag along and borrow a horse, but this year, Tim came along as well. He hadn't been on a horse since 4th grade, so it was time to give it a go again.

We rode to Story, Indiana for a white Russian, saw fireworks for the 4th of July, went shopping in a cute old town, hiked, swam and sat around the campfire.

The kids are learning how to ride their ponies with more and more confidence and Tim and I put up a circus tent we just purchased with ease. SUCCESS!

Thanks family for being AWESOME!!!

Monday, June 30, 2014

Lake Cumberland

I used to go to Lake Cumberland in southern Kentucky a ton when I was a kid, and I haven't been back since high school, but Tim's older brother, Greg, was turning 30, so we made a birthday trip!

We rented a house near the lake and settled in with beer and games. Tim's sister, Meredith, made T-shirts for us (professionally, not with puffy paint), and created a long list of challenges that if completed, points were awarded. We tallied up the score at the end of the trip. We were doing everything from cartwheels to beer showers...it was a crazy good time.

Saturday we rented a pontoon boat, which we thought was going to sink when a huge wake flowed over the whole front of the boat. Thankfully, it's nearly impossible to sink a pontoon! We cliff jumped, swam, and discovered a beautiful and cold waterfall, which we climbed up to.

Lake Cumberland was created by daming the Cumberland River, and it flooded towns in the process. Meredith was pretty nervous that the city never relocated the graves in the cemetery, but we're pretty sure they did. No hauntings on the lake.

So it was a great weekend filled with Michael Jackson dance offs and general good times =)

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Boca Raton, Florida

Tim had a conference in the swanky city of Boca Raton, Florida, so we made it a vacation! We stayed at the Boca Resort, which is a very fancy hotel that is pink. We arrived Friday in the early afternoon and checked in. We had fancy bathrobes and a great view. We explored the grounds, which were spotted with beautiful fountains, lighting-fast lizards and Tara Reid. Yeah, we saw her at the bar...always a little surreal to see a movie star out and about.

We made our way to the beach via our resort's shuttle. The beach resort was very modern and beautiful. You had to show your resort card to get in anywhere or order a meal, as it was a "Members Only" club. After we ordered a few drinks, we realized we would have to stock our room a little to save our paychecks, so we walked to the grocery and liquor store and squeezed leftover pizza into the mini-bar fridge =)

Saturday morning we woke up and took a cab to nearby Deerfield Beach, which was a pretty typical little beach town with a public pier. We took out two paddle boards and the GoPro. (If you have been debating about purchasing a GoPro, you should definitely do it, as you can make everyday activities seem epic simply by putting a camera on your head and jumping on swings, throwing a Frisbee, or taking a dive.)

Paddle boarding on the ocean was tough, but beautiful. Afterward we rented bikes and cruised around some nice homes. We took our bikes back to the hotel and asked where we could lock them up. Since locking up bikes was likely unsightly, they checked them for us!

Sunday morning we rode our bikes much further around the area and found a little diner, where our waitress recommended we check out a local turtle conservation project called Gumbo Limbo. We pedaled about 15 miles that day to take it all in! But Gumbo Limbo was pretty neat, as a lot of sea turtles wash up to shore with ailments and they do their best to help the little guys. They take the turtles in and rehabilitate them, then release them to sea again. Many turtles swallow plastic, which affects their digestive tract. After spending a few days at the resort's beach, Tim and I witnessed a lot of plastic drink cups that were left behind on the beach be taken out by the tide. Our oceans are big, but there is a lot of junk in them, and these turtles pay the price. It was an educational little place that I'm glad we got to see.

We pedaled hard back to the beach to get some relaxation time in, then a huge storm cloud started to roll in. The storm was going to hit hard, as the winds kicked up and thunder started rumbling. The lifeguard called everyone out of the water and people flooded toward the shuttle bus. Tim and I got on our bikes and rode right by the crowd! We hustled to the other resort before the rain really set in, but we didn't quite make it in time. It poured! But we didn't care because we were in our bathing suits and on vacation. We rolled up to valet and did a lap in the rain, then checked our bikes =)

We watched the World Cup, dried off and mingled with some people from Tim's conference.

Tim had his conference for the next two days, but we still managed beach and pool time and enjoyed ourselves at the lovely resort. It was a wonderful beach vacation!

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Michael

Meet this little angel!

My nephew, Michael, was diagnosed with Leukemia with an MLL genetic mutation at 3 months old; he is now almost 10 months old. He and my sister have been living at the hospital non-stop trying to get into remission. Michael has fought so hard and has been our Superman. He has stepped up to the plate receiving chemo, experimental drugs and finally, a bone marrow transplant. He is still recovering from the transplant, but it has been a long journey to get even there. He is such a special little boy who is always happy, smiling and alert. He loves to play and shake toys. He is engaged with electronics and music. He looks at you and laughs and it makes your heart skip a beat. He even got to go outside a few times when he was feeling well, but we still have a long road ahead. Right now, he is in a lot of pain from the transplant, but we know every day brings him closer to remission. Please pray for Michael to be cancer free for the rest of his life. He can certainly feel positive energy and it has been what's kept him going. He knows he is well-loved and has so much to live for! We can't wait until we get to take him to the zoo!