Reality Show Nut

I admit it...I watch a few reality shows. These people make me laugh!!!

This show is almost over...it's so silly - kind of like Survivor in a house...Speaking of Survivor...this show starts in a few weeks... it's our family's all time favorite...

And earlier this week on Good Morning America the cast of Dancing With the Stars was announced. Interesting...Here is the list:
Kim Kardashian, reality TV star
Cloris Leachman, Oscar-winning actress
Maurice Greene, Olympic sprinter,
Lance Bass, former N' Sync star
Rocco DiSpirito, TV chef
Warren Sapp, NFL star
Misty May-Treanor, Olympic beach volleyballer
Toni Braxton, Grammy award-winning R&B star
Cody Linley, that kid from "Hannah Montana" show
Ted McGinley, veteran actor
Brooke Burke, actress/TV personality
Jeffrey Ross, celebrity roaster and comedian
Susan Lucci, "All My Children" star

My boss & friend will be back next week!!! Yippeee!!!

After a month long sabbatical my boss and friend, Sheila will be back to work next week. I've missed you Sheila!!! Welcome Back!!! You are the best!!!

Receipe for Disaster? I think not.

So...in a couple of weeks we will be opening our home up to my son's middle school bible study group one night every week. Teenagers... a pool, a pool table, a Wii, a PS3...wait...ALSO amazing leaders, bibles, in-depth study and discussions...GOOD STUFF!!! Here's a couple of his friends that are sure to be here...can't wait! (Peter is the very smiley guy in the middle of the bottom picture -he's one of the group leaders.) More pics to come when they actually get going.

First Day of School

We have a tradition of taking a picture before they walk out the door on the first day of school.

Here are my boys this morning - on the first day of school.

Riley - 9 years old (he'll be 10 on 10/08/08).
My fourth grader - Riley.
Dylan - 12 years old (he'll be 13 next week on 09/01/08)
My 7th grader - Dylan.

(I am gonna cry. I'm not joking. These boys look so mature. They make me so proud. I gotta go find some kleenex......)

School Starts...Monday...

Our boys! They start school on Monday. I love them more than I can even put into words. I am praying they have a wonderful and successful year.

Back to work...and other random items...

Yep - my body went back to work but I think I left my brain at the beach. It was hard I tell ya - hard to go back. I'm really missing my boss who is out on sabbatical for a month but I'm so happy she's relaxed and resting. And I get to spend some "friend time" with her later this week! Yea!!!

Anyway...after musing over being married for 18 years I'm starting to freak that my oldest will be 13 in less than 2 weeks. YIKES! People - the older you get the faster time goes...ENJOY EVERY MOMENT! (Monday - our anniversary - was GREAT by the way...spending all day just doing whatever we wanted to - just the two of us - with no time limits or anything was absolutely GREAT!)

I still remember standing at the end of Dylan's crib the night before he was born (my water broke and I left for the hospital 4 hours prior to my scheduled induction time - oh and I was 10 days late...on September 1st...yes - HOLY COW!) any way standing at the end of his crib I said to Ron, "Nothing will ever be the same!" Was I ever right. I love that Dylan is our son. He's a great kiddo...we are so blessed by him and his little brother Riley. I have loved every moment, easy and hard, of being his mom. What a true joy! God is so good!

Anyway - with fall and winter approaching I'm willing myself to stay on track and keep losing weight. It's hard when we've been to the beach already and I know blue jeans and sweaters are looming ahead in my wardrobe. It can get easy/tempting to hide a few pounds brought on by little indulgences you might try to sneak in because it's "the holidays". Our vacation was encouraging though: Ron and I shared lots of meals/plates - because we've gotten use to not easing as much. We both only gained 2 pounds in 8 days. We both worked out 4 times in those 8 days. And we've both already lost those 2 pounds.

I'm also gearing up for back to school and getting us all on a schedule again. The kids go back on Monday the 25th. Dylan will be in 7th grade and Riley will be in 4th grade. (bring on more tears because my baby is about to be 10 and in 4th grade - jeez...)

Okay - just because I took so many pictures on vacation here's some more of Dylan and Riley for your viewing pleasure...ENJOY (especially you grandmas/grandpas that I know keep up with the blog to see your grandkids)!

18 Years!

We've been married for 18 years!

Happy Anniversary!

(18 years on the 18th - isn't that cool? We are spending the day together - just the two of us!)

It's over already?

It's true, time flies when you are having fun.

Here's a few final pictures from our vacation week in Destin, Florida.

You know you are getting closer when you go through the tunnel in Alabama.

You know you are more than halfway when you go over the Mississippi River bridge in Baton Rouge, La.

A snapshot from the "annual mom's trying to get a christmas card picture photo shoot".

The crabs that pop in and out of holes in the sand.

The birds that beg for your snack food.

Dylan with his toes in the waves.

Riley posing...people - he eats ALL THE TIME - I swear! (i only say that 'cuz i know you can see his little ribs)

I call this...digging yourself into a hole...:)

Dylan driving go carts the last night at "The Track" - gotta do that every year.

Watching boats in the harbor during dinner on the last night - gotta do that every year, too.

Dylan and Riley - still good natured on the last night...willing to take yet ANOTHER picture for mom!

Gotta stop at Joe Patti's in Pensacola on the way home to get fresh seafood!

Forecast: SUNSHINE!

The Weather Channel - and the skies - show our last two days in Destin filled with SUNSHINE.

See ya later...we're going to park our butts on the beach.

Bye!

p.s. actual post time 9:00 a.m.

Makin' the most of it

Okay - so we are not having the most sun but we are having lots of seafood and sleep.

Too much rain for my liking this year.

We've got the shopping out of the way and plan on mega beach time the last 3 days.

(God willing!)

We always eat breakfast and lunch in but eat out for dinner. Yummy seafood - our favorite. Never a disappointment.

Anyway here's a rainbow I spotted yesterday morning. Makes me remember that everything is alright, regardless.

And here's us eating at Cheeseburger in Paradise for lunch while out shopping - yummy, sloppy burger. (yes - I'm still working out, Sheila)

p.s. Tthis post is actually at about 9:45 a.m. while I am working - yes working - gotta pay the peeps at work!

A few vacation pics

Beach view from our balcony.

Pool view from our balcony.

Dylan's airbrushed "tattoo" - temporary.


Worn out shoppers?

One of our other favorite restaurants here.

View of condo from balcony door.

p.s. again - NOT 5:09 a.m. about 7:30 (woke by thunderstorms...UGH!)

86 degrees with a beach breeze!

Awesome! Here we are! In Destin - LOVIN' IT!


But not without a few little hiccups.


The drive was good. My husband is an amazing road trip dad. Calm, smooth, quick, efficient.


But, as we head to bed at 10 p.m. in New Orleans I am seriously remembering Nashville when Sheila and I were woke up by a fire alarm at 1 a.m. and thinking, "We need a GOOD night's sleep, Lord. Please give us one." Not to be...3 a.m. (for real?) accounting calls to confirm we have valet parked our truck...UGH!!! Takes me 30 minutes and Ron 1 hour to get back to sleep. Riley never heard the phone and Dylan and MiMi conk right back out. UGH!!!


Then we get to the condo in Destin and find out (after we buy groceries) that the fridge is frozen up. No one can come till the next afternoon (today). Ice chests and slightly cold freezer - stuffed to the brim.


But...the absolute best part (besides just being here) was sitting at our favorite restaurant across the road from our condo with all their windows open then checking The Weather Channel and seeing that it was 86 degrees here and 101 back home...AND an amazing beach breeze was blowing steadily through the restaurant. Once again I have to say - LOVIN' IT!
(sorry fam and friends back home but I really am).

Here's a few pictures to make it worse for you all... :)



Decatur Street in New Orleans - no crowds! Dylan and Riley-fountains by the RiverWalk.


Ron and Denise -calm! The boys - not a posed picture! Promise!



Yummy!!! Favorite restaurant in Destin.


p.s. the post time thing in blogger is silly - i didn't post this at 7 a.m. - it was more like 10 a.m. - we all slept till 8 - that hasn't happened in a while...

Off we go!

Destin - here we come!



(this is our view for the next week)

1 Day

Check that ticker out - 1 DAY LEFT...That's right! We leave tomorrow for Destin, FL. Can you tell I'm just a little excited?

Yesterday was VERY productive. Almost everything is packed. Tonight we pack it all into the truck so we can head straight out VERY EARLY in the a.m

Can I just say again that I am sooooooo ready for some sleep, sun and seafood. Vacations are so good for the body and soul.

The kiddos are ready too. They are staying up later and getting up earlier because they are so excited to get the heck out of dodge. Poor Dylan starts up with band practices right when we get back and then school starts the week after that. Wow!

K - gotta run get to work!

Picked but not packed

I've picked out all the clothes and have pulled out all the books, games, movies, beach gear, and miscellaneous items we'll need in Destin but haven't packed anything!

It's gonna be a LONG couple of days before we get to the beach. I've gotta work, finish picking and packing, clean up a few things around the house, go over all the "stuff" with the person house sitting for me, get my nails done, have my toes repainted (i messed 'em up bad and can't stare at them for a week on the beach like they are) and meet up with my sweet friend, Sheila - who is on sabbatical for a month....UGH - I miss her at work! We're celebrating her FINALLY being done with school - immediately after her final presentation. I was really worried about missing her terribly but we have been able to communicate and not talk about work one bit (easier than I thought). I think it helps that I will be gone from work as well 10 of the 30 something days she'll be gone. But I still miss her!!!

Please pray for our sweet staff of ladies that are doing an amazing job getting ready and handling things in our abscence. They are all GREAT!

Okay gotta run get some stuff done! Only 2 days to go!!! Woooohoooo! Destin here we come!

Playing not packing :)

Okay...Okay...

I really loved my calm and serene blue blog background that reminded me of the ocean water.

But, I blog surfed and got distracted....and here I am with a new background.

(and silly little stick people widgets of us and the pets)

Now I have to take new pictures of us for the right side of the blog.
(note to self - don't forget to pack black and white for beach pictures)

Off to finish up some cleaning and then start picking out clothes and items we need to pack.

What?

My vacation ticker on the right says there are 6 days till our Destin vacation. WHAT?

Jeez...there's so much to do and work too! YIKES!

And...I have got to lose that last pound so I can lay in my beach chair and say, "YES! I lost 20 lbs. before I got here." (I was aiming for 25 but I'm pretty happy with 20 - major accomplishment for this 40 year old momma). This is huge for me because at the beginning of every summer I keep thinking that I need to lose the weight so I look AND feel good - in a bathing suit. This year - I did it. It has been hard and I'm not done yet. AND I have to keep this off and keep feeling healthy.

Here's a picture from Nashville that Sheila took of me.

I don't think I look very skinny. Not fishing for compliments just being honet. It's hard to look at oneself. I also have quite a few more pounds to go as well. But the belt on the last hole...I know I'm skinnier. And the scale right at 19 pounds less...I know I'm skinnier.

Hopefully, we'll get some good family pictues in Destin - I torture my guys to try to get a "Christmas Card Picture" EVERY year. I'll try to remember to post one from a pervious year and one from this year so you can see the difference in my wonderful hubby too - 10 pounds lighter. And Dylan getting taller and slimming down too. And Riley - just plain growing up! Jeepers - slow down time!!!

I better quit talking/blogging and go pack for vacation! Bye!