Wordless Wednesday- Great Wolf Lodge

Warning: Picture Overload!!!

Tackle it Tuesday

Reality Check: I long to be an organized person, but I'm just not there yet. I consider myself to be the type of person that keeps everything on the outside neat and clean, but things that are unseen (cabinets, closets, drawers, etc.) are usually a BIG mess!

Enter Exhibit A: My school bag.

For the past few weeks I have had good intentions of organizing my handouts, notes, assignments, etc. However, six days before classes are over you can see it has not happened.

Here are all of the contents of the bag neatly arranged for a photo shoot:

Enter Exhibit B: A cute, functional, file folder tote.

As I was roaming around in Ross yesterday I saw this cute file folder tote. After a little deliberation I decided this nifty little tote might just be worth $5.99 in order to assist me on my journey to become a more organized person. So.... this afternoon I rearranged all of my handouts into the following sections: Course Information, Notes, Handouts, Assignments, Research Articles, and Other.

I must say that I am pretty proud of myself. It was quick, easy, and hopefully it will prove to be efficient!

Is there a project that you have been putting off? Go ahead. Do it. There is nothing better than being able to move that task from your to-do to your ta-do list!

Surprise!!!

Who doesn't love a surprise? I know I sure do. Well, last night we pulled off a surprise 60th birthday party for my wonderful mother-in-law, Marian. She is usually the one doing the inviting, cooking the food, and buying presents. She definitely has the gift of hospitality. However, last night it was all about her! She was finally the recipient. We showered her with as much love, attention, and gifts as we could. It was the least we could do to say THANKS for all that she does for us each and everyday. We had a wonderful night with friends and family from near and far. Happy 60th birthday, Grams! We love you!

Saddle Ridge Ranch

This past week we have been very busy with VBS at FBCL. Our theme this year was Saddle Ridge Ranch with the motto being "Need Answers? Ask God." Each night through song, Bible study, and games we discovered answers to burning questions such as Who am I? Does God care about me? and What plan does God have for me? The interesting thing about VBS is it is designed to be an outreach for kids, but EVERYONE always walks away with a renewed sense of hope, commitment, and love for Christ. We wrapped up our fun-filled week last night with our traditional Family Night. After the opening Worship Rally, all of the families were treated to a FREE hotdog/hamburger dinner, hayrides, icees, games, a jump castle, and so much more! Even though VBS is over, in reality the work is just beginning. Now it is time to follow-up with the families in attendance in order to show them that we are a church body that is not only interested in ministering to them during the week of VBS, but 365 days a year.

New Day

NEW DAY
Each new day is a new

beginning-

to learn more about

ourselves

to care more about

others,

to laugh more than we

did,

to accomplish more

than we thought we

could,

and be more than we

were before.
-Author Unknown

Thoughtful Thursday

"Don't be afraid to fall in love with something and pursue it with intensity."

- E. Paul Torrance

Cannon Ball!!!!!!!

Father's Day Recap

Father's Day weekend was filled with family, friends, and fun!

We started the celebration off at my parent's house on Saturday night with a delicious dinner prepared by mom which consisted of ham, mac and cheese, corn casserole, green beans, and Linda's infamous FRIED OKRA!!!!!!! Yum-O!

Here is a picture of my wonderful daddy- Larry (a.k.a. Huggie Bear and/or Satch if you live around here)

On Sunday morning, Mackaylan and I showered Mickey with gifts. Mackaylan greeted him with a card and a big hug to start off the day. She was so excited! As we were arranging the gift basket on the table she said, "Oh, Father's Day is just going great!" It was priceless!

After church we went to the O'Shields to celebrate with Pop-O. Then, we enjoyed an afternoon by the pool. The weather was perfect for swimming!

And then to wrap up our weekend, we joined some of the Caldwell clan for dinner in Hendersonville, NC. On Sunday nights this restaurant has all-you-can-eat crab legs. Our table put a hurting on their profit on Sunday. As you can see from a few of these pics, this was some serious eating!

I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day weekend and were able to spend it with those you love most!

Ever Have One of Those Days?

Ever have one of those days when God just blesses your socks off? Well, today was one of those days for me. Mickey and I were meeting for a lunch date and ran into our wonderful friends, Travis and Alyssa. In my opinion, there's nothing like an impromptu double date to start the week off on the right foot! We had a great time eating and catching up. I think the test of a true friendship is one where you can go months without seeing each other and you just pick up right where you left off. That is how it is with those two. It never takes long to reconnect, laugh, and just enjoy each other's company. Then, to put icing on the cake, as I was driving home, the song "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes came on the radio. I was enthralled with the lyrics at once. My mind immediately began to drift and all I could think about was my dear husband. He is such a wonderful husband, daddy, and friend. Well, just as I was about to pick up my cell phone and call him, my phone rang. It was Mickey. He was calling to let me know that he was listening to a song that was his song to me- "God Gave Me You!" Yes, I just about melted. He really knows how to make my day. I am definitely the luckiest woman alive!

Happy Father's Day

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? My favorite thing to do with Daddy is play with him. SuperGirl. You know, when he lifts me up and I put out my arms and fly around the house. That's my favorite thing to do with Da-Da!

What makes Daddy happy? Um, when he throws me up in the air! It makes him happy, but it only kinda makes me happy!

How do you know Daddy loves you? Because he wants me to give him hugs and kisses when he gets home from work.

What is something Daddy always says to you? I love you!

Wordless Wednesday

Weekend in Review: What you missed!

On Friday, Mackaylan and I met up with Reisha and the kiddos for some fun in the sun. Mackaylan had a fun time showing Owen all of her new water tricks, and she helped Reisha with Lainey throughout the afternoon as well. I am just amazed at how comfortable she is in the water this year as opposed to last summer. Never in a million years would I have thought that she would be swimming after only a few short weeks into summer break. Well, after our afternoon at the pool, we enjoyed Family Date Night. We ate dinner at Ruby Tuesday's and then headed to the theater to see Shrek 3. I was a little disappointed with the movie, but Mickey and Mackaylan loved it. As with any movie, there are certain lines that stick with you, and a few of those have been tossed around our household frequently over the past few days!

On Saturday, Mackaylan and I joined my sister, mom, Nana, and my sister's mother-in-law on a shopping excursion to Asheville, NC. We hit up a wonderful consignment shop called Lulu's and then went over the the Biltmore Mall for the Dillard's Clearance Outlet. Let me just say: WONDERFUL!! Mackaylan is such a little shopper. We left home at 9:30 and didn't return until 5:00PM and she didn't complain once! LOVE IT! I have a feeling Mickey's wallet is going to be in trouble when she gets a little older. :)

Mickey's last 4-wheeler race before summer break was on Sunday. It was in Woodruff, which is only about 40 minutes away so we had lots of friends and family with us. This was the first race with my new camera and I was in picture paradise! I'm not sure paradise would be the word that others would use to describe the afternoon because it was HOT (and dusty!) After the race, we packed up and headed back to Grams' and Pop-O's to swim. It was the perfect way to cool off and end our weekend.

So, that's what we've been up to. What about you?

Candy Land

Confession: I got schooled by a 5 year old at Candy Land.

Just for the record: I redeemed myself at Memory!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Not-So-Wordless Wednesday

This is my first photo with my new Nikon D5000 camera. I thought it was funny when Mackaylan said, "Take a picture of my princesses, Mom. They are already smiling!" A few clicks later this is what we ended up with. I am pleased with the way this photo turned out. Now I am reading all about ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed. My learning curve is going to be BIG!! :)

What a Day!

Yesterday was a very busy day. I was up and at 'em by 6:00AM in order to get to Converse for the two classes that I am taking as I continue to work toward my Masters in Educational Leadership. The classes are only for 4 weeks, but it is going to require a lot of discipline on my part so I don't let all of the assignments pile up on me.



After class I called my husband, Mickey, and he invited me to join him for lunch. I guess that will be one good thing about being in summer school - lunch dates with my hubby! Today, I met him at work and we headed to On the Border for a nice mid-day meal. We love Mexican food and eat it all of the time. It is just one of those things that we never grow tired of.

After lunch, I dropped Mickey off at work and went to our local Best Buy to make a BIG purchase- a Nikon D5000. The salesman was so nice and actually works as a professional photographer and for Nikon. Needless to say, he was able to answer any question I had, plus provided me with lots of other helpful information, tips, and tricks. I have been wanting a SLR camera for a while now and Mick and I decided that this was a deal that couldn't be resisted. I am so happy we found this deal when we did because Mick has his last race before the summer break this Sunday. Hopefully between now and then I can learn the basics of how to capture some of the best shots! Any tips, tricks, suggestions are greatly appreciated....

You would think that the day would end there, but it didn't. On the way home, I called my sister and convinced her to join me for a mani/pedi. Oooh! It was so relaxing and I always love spending time with my big sis!

Once I finally returned home, I was so excited to see a package sitting at the front door. I thought it was my textbook, but it was actually my blog books from Blog2Print. One of the main reason I started blogging was to serve as a "scrapbook/journal" for our family near and far. I was so happy when I realized that I could have the posts and pictures bound into an actual book. My first order contained the 2008 and 2009 book. I can already tell this was a good investment because Mackaylan hasn't stopped flipping through the pages since we walked in the door.


After dinner, we spent some time outside as a family. Mickey worked on his 4-wheeler, I did some reading for class tomorrow, and Mackaylan drew some pictures with sidewalk chalk- one of her favorite outdoor activities. Needless to say, it was one marvelous Monday!