Christmas With The Kids!

What a way to celebrate Christmas!!

Christmas Eve Rudy and I were at the Candlelight Processional at Epcot with friends. Christmas morning we went to Travis and Rosa's to watch the kids open their gifts and have dinner that Rosa made for us. This is the way to celebrate Christmas, with family & friends!

Christmas Day at 2:00 pm we headed north to Chattanooga to spend some time with friends! We stopped for the night in Macon, GA and got a good night's rest and we arrived in the Chattanooga area around 11:30 a.m. We checked into our hotel and went to the mall to see if we could find some bargains. We did our fair share of shopping the sales and then we decided to go to Rock City. We had a great time walking through the pathways enhanced with beautiful Christmas scenes and lights. We stopped for pictures along the way and even looked over the ledge on Lover's Leap and where you could see 7 States (on a clear day), but even if we couldn't see seven states the city lights were gorgeous from this view.

When our friends, GJ and Jan got off work we went to their house and visited with them and their family over a homemade dinner!

We'll be heading back south on New Year's Eve to start the New Year together.
Happy New Year!
See ya on the road again, real soon!

Almost Christmas . . . . :-)

It really is true - Christmas is for Kids - I love it, too. We are having so much fun getting presents for the little ones that we think they will love and their parents will only tolerate!

This past weekend we were at the Coronado Springs Resort and Disney Theme Parks all weekend long. We left reality and stepped into the fairy tale world of cartoon characters, fun, food and Elani's grins from ear to ear on Friday afternoon. We checked into our hotel and set out on the Disney Park Transportation (Bus) to MGM Studios. Our goal was to stay and see the Osborne Celebration of Lights that evening and maybe even see some "Florida Snow". We ate at a great restaurant and stuffed ourselves, then set out walking and looking to find Mickey Mouse. Instead we found characters from Playhouse Disney (a kid's learning show) and Elani was so excited. She stood in line (not very patiently, I might add), but we did wait our turn to give them hugs, high-5's and have her picture taken with them. We moved from one location to another until we were exhausted and she was still raring to go. As it was beginning to become dusk we headed to the streets of Disney's New York to see the "Dancing Light Show" It was magnificent and it even snowed. Elani was awestruck and silly all at the same time. She tried to catch the snow on her tongue until she finally got a mall little bubble of "snow" and found that it tasted just like soap bubbles! Yuck! She marveled at the colors and shapes and all the people. As we got closer to the end of the street her little legs could carry her no more and she was riding in the stroller to the Bus Stop to go to our room and rest for the evening.

The next day found us all sleeping in awhile, enjoying the quiet and peacefulness of the morning. After breakfast of Mickey Mouse waffles, eggs and juice we were walking out of the hotel when I was stopped by a gentleman from Ohio inquiring about my camera, and Elani took full advantage of this time of distraction to play in water fountain in the lobby. She was really wet, I guess it was her way of telling us she wanted to go to the Pool, so we got changed and played awhile in the 82 degree water for an hour or so. When we arrived at our room Elani took a nice long warm bath to get warmed up as we relaxed in the room for awhile. Later on in the day we took the Bus again to Downtown Disney where we ate at the Rainforest Cafe', took a Train Ride (Elani went all by herself on the Train, too), played in the LegoLand and did a little shopping too. We headed back to our room for an early night to try to get some rest for the up-coming Christmas Party and another day at the Wonderful World of Disney.

Sunday, we had Breakfast at Adventist Health System's annual Christmas Party at the Coronado Springs Resort where Mickey & Minnie Mouse made an appearance along with Santa Claus. After filling our tummies and chatting with co-workers we made our way to the Disney Park. Elani got to see Mickey Mouse, and three princesses for hugs and pictures. Her favorite right now is Cinderella and she saw the Castle she wanted to go in, too.

Can you tell I love to see this little girl smile? She was having the time of her life and taking it all in. We had a great weekend of fun with her, but by the time we arrived home later that evening, we all were tuckered right out. Elani slept the whole way home, so she was somewhat refreshed, but I could tell she was kickin' back. She ate a good supper and we took her home so she could tell her mamma and papa all about her weekend at Disney! Rudy and I settled back into reality of laundry, cleaning and preparing for work on Monday!

It's almost Christmas and this past weekend was a good way for us to get started with our celebrations. Next weekend we are on the road again, heading to be with my mom in Venice to celebrate Christmas and visit for the weekend. Before you know it, it will be Christmas

It is cooler here to, so it is feeling like Christmas - A lot cooler - like in the upper 30's this morning when I left for work and even with the sun shining I am sure it isn't about 45 out there. Makes it nice for a change, but I sure don't want this to last too long.....

That's it for now. - See ya on the road!

December 8th, 2007

What a beautiful winter day it is here in north-central Florida. We are camping with the Florida Outdoor Club this weekend and we couldn't ask for better weather. I've been sitting outside here under the awning of our 35 foot RV relaxing as I listen to the birds and the rustle of the leaves as the gentle breeze blows. The sun is shining and a slight breeze is blowing, the temperature is a gorgeous 80 degrees. This is what Peace is...... quiet, peaceful and relaxing...... just what we needed after a long busy week of the mundane and usual. Basking in God's nature that was created just for us to enjoy and be a part of. I've been blessed and invigorated and I give God all the Praise and Glory!

Then to top it off, we are surrounded with friends that we share good food, fellowship and study the Bible with throughout the weekend! I am so glad that we were invited to join this once-a-month mini-vacation in the woods. Thanks Pat & Les for making us a part of your family!

More Pictures - Unbelievable - I love my family!!!

Giggles & Grins



Family Thanksgiving 2007
The Wonder of Christmas

Me & my Kids!

More Pics from Thanksgiving Week- 2007

Michelle and Me on top of the St. Augustine Lighthouse


Big Sister and Little Brother - The ones we are Thankful for! Our Family Thanksgiving Christmas - 2007
Michelle and I at Daytona Beach

Ponce de Leon Lighthouse
Rudy & Me - waiting for the kids to climb the Lighthouse
Michelle and I rest under the trees after climbing the Lighthouse steps
Michelle & I at Flagler Beach on our way to St. Augustine

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Follow up to Homestead Race:

I know this is very late, but we've had a whirlwind of activities and things happening these past two weeks. We had a great time at Homestead Miami Speedway, we met new friends from California (Bob & Charlene), Debbie from Tennessee, got together with friends we've met before, Norman and camped with our regular race buds - Ashley and Cully! The weather was great, the races were awesome, Rudy fed us really well - we couldn't have had a better weekend at the Track. Well, maybe it could have been better, if Jeff Gordon would have Won the race and the NASCAR NEXTEL CHAMPIONSHIP, but it didn't happen and Jimmie Johnson won the Championship and Matt Kenseth won the Race. Saturday Night Cully and I were part of the ONMC members that were at the Championship celebration after the Busch Race and Cully got to go on the Stage with Carl Edwards and pose for pictures. It was awesome. We were up close and personal with Carl and afterwards we ran into Richard Childress and I got my picture with him (2nd year in a row).

We left Homestead track on Monday morning at 7:30 a.m., dropped Cully and Debbie off at the airport and picked up Michelle and Chris for their Thanksgiving Vacation with us. On our way home for the night, the front brakes went out on the RV and we had to have it towed for repair, so our plans changed and instead of going to Daytona on Tuesday, we got a rental car and drove to Daytona that night, stayed in a really nice Comfort Inn , then on Tuesday we went to the Beach and then to Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse. We toured the grounds and they climbed the Lighthouse (Rudy & I did it earlier in the year). After that we headed further north to St. Augustine for our next night on the road. We found our hotel and then found something good to eat and we walked some of the historical streets and checked out some of the local merchants and on Wednesday we toured St. Augustine's Lighthouse and climbed the 214 steps to the top to view the awesome sights from atop of this Lighthouse and we took some pictures too. After a leisurely visit of the grounds and inn-keepers home, we headed home to pick up the RV and get settled in.

After we got all settled in at the RV Resort, we started preparing for Thanksgiving dinner with family at Aunt Judy and Uncle Don's house in Avon Park. We left Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. and headed south for a day of good food and family time. In the afternoon we took the younger ones to a neighbors house (where Uncle Don built a tunnel for Mr. Wells' train) for a Train Ride. What fun we all had!!

5:30 a.m. Friday morning (black Friday) found Michelle and I on the road to the mall. We made one stop first at Einstein's Bagels for breakfast and then we shopped and shopped. We met the guys later for lunch back at the Altamonte mall for lunch and more shopping. They brought Elani along too.

Elani was mesmerized with the large Christmas Tree in the middle of the Mall and then she spotted Santa Claus! She wanted to go see him (much different from last year) so we made our way over to him and she even sat on his lap for a picture.

Saturday after church we went to Travis and Rosa's for dinner and to celebrate Christmas with them and Michelle. It was a great way to give the Holiday season a kick start. It was also only the second time in 14 years that I've had both of my children with me during the Thanksgiving holiday! I love it! Travis got us tickets to Arabian Nights Dinner Show for that evening so we took Elani with us and had a good dinner and shop. (Elani's 2nd Santa siting) Sunday we hung around the RV, did some laundry and cleaning up. In the afternoon we went shopping again and then crashed early in the evening so that I could get ready to return to work on Monday. Monday night we all met at Olive Garden for our farewell dinner together. We took a few more pictures after eating great food. Tuesday Chris and Michelle flew out early in the morning and arrived home safely in Michigan. We are back to our normal routine of work and more work.

The weather is great here right now, so we are thinking of a nice motorcycle ride this weekend!

We don't have any travel plans until the second weekend on December!

So, I guess we will see you on the road then!

Heading South to Miami. . . . .

Thursday, November 15, 2007.

We are on the road heading South to Homestead-Miami for the final NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Race of the 2007 season. The Champion will be crowned at the Truck Race on Friday Night, the Busch Series Race Champion will be crowned on Saturday night and Sunday night the NEXTEL Cup Champion will be crowned and

WE WILL BE THERE!!

It is 7:45 p.m. and we on the Florida Turnpike about 200 miles from our destination. We will be camping in our RV at the Track Campgrounds. Cully and I have ONMC reservations to go to the Busch Series Championship Celebration after the Race on Saturday Night. Carl Edwards has won that Championship so Cully is thrilled and we are hoping to get some good pictures of Carl and the Trophy and all the Celebrations.

We have some new friends coming to visit us, too this year. Bob and his wife from California, Norm and a friend from Ohio, Debbie, Cully's friend from Tennesse, and Ashley is coming too from our home town to join us tomorrow for the weekend. We are going to have regular tailgating party and Rudy will be our Chef (as always). The weather is perfect for racing..... It is expected to be sunny and warm with a little breeze to keep it cool with hardly any humidity. This is going to be a great weekend, meeting new friends, attending NASCAR races and eating good food. Who could ask for anything better for a weekend of entertainment.

I'll have more to report and pictures too as the weekend flies by.

See ya on the Road!

OakRidge Boys - LIVE Concert

AND WE WERE THERE!....... November 8, 2007

We were given FREE complimentary tickets to the OakRidge Boys Concert that was sponsored by the Florida Hospital Heartland Division Foundation and Stevens Construction. (Thank you John Negley).

The Concert was awesome to say the least. Two full hours of their Greatest Hits along with some Christmas Songs and to top it off they sang "Elvira" and "BobbySue".

And that isn't all....... John invited us to join a select group to meet and greet the OakRidge Boys upclose and personal in the "Green Room" and have our picture taken with them by a professional photographer.
Can't wait to see the picture.......
I've attached a couple of the pictures I took that night. These guys were really, really good!
What a great evening!

Friday we set off for a weekend of camping with the Florida Outdoor Club in north Florida. We had a great relaxing weekend of enjoying the out-of-doors and great food and fellowship.

We will be leaving on Thursday for our last NASCAR Race of the season in Homestead-Miami, Florida. It is going to be a great time, we will be meeting new friends and hanging out with some old ones too. Looking forward to it on one side of the coin and on the other side, it is the last Race of the Season and we will have two full months before another Race. :-(

See ya on the Road!

Family Weekend in Avon Park

Nov 2-4, 2007

Weekend

Aunt Phyllis, Uncle Paul and Corrine arrived from Michigan on Friday afternoon on their first visit to Florida, so Aunt Judy planned a family get-together to Welcome them and for a eat and chat fest! And that is exactly what we did - we ate and we talked and we ate and we talked for three days! It was so much fun. Of course some of us had little ones to chase around too, so that helped, but mostly we just got caught up on each other's lives and talked about old times and made some new memories to carry us through until the next time we all get together.

We had Elani with us for the weekend so she kept us entertained and busy too. She loved to be outside and the weather was perfect for just that. We couldn't have asked for better days than this past weekend to welcome Michigan family to Florida.

The three sisters, my Mom, Aunt Judy and Aunt Phyllis and their husbands, Don, Don and Paul were present. Then Rudy, Elani and I were there to represent my Mom's side, Cal & Jess, Jodie, Mike, Kahli and Kadence (Cal's grand-daughters), Shanta, Mark, Kayla and Allyne, Don, Cheri and his two daughters, Nikki and Kadi were there (they all live in the area were Aunt Judy &Uncle Don's kids), Aunt Phyllis, Uncle Paul and Corrine. Aunt Phyllis and Uncle Paul also have three boys and their families, but they were still back in Michigan.

It was a good time for all and it is always good to see everyone together again. Times like these always produce good food and lots of memories to keep us going until we get all together again somewhere.

Aunt Phyllis, Uncle Paul & Corrine were now heading to the west coast side of Florida to see more of Florida and to spend some time at my Mom's house before completing their vacation trip in our fair state.

Next weekend, Rudy and I are going again with our friends, the Florida Outdoor Club camping in northern Florida. It is always a quiet relaxing weekend. Except Rudy will be cooking burgers for us all for our first fund-raiser, so he will be busy.....

See ya on the Road!

Not-So Scary Halloween

What a beautiful night for Trick or Treating here in Florida. We couldn't have asked for better weather for those little ones to be out and about. Rudy, Rosa and I took Elani and Lenix to Crane's Roost just behind the Altamonte Mall to Trick or Treat the different vendors and merchants lined up along the water edge. There was a beautiful soft breeze blowing across the water and the clouds went away giving us some blue skies and a gorgeous sunset.

Elani had a blast and she got lots of compliments and attention all dressed up in her "SALLY" car costume (from the movie "CARS"). She looked so cute and said Trick or Treat to every person at each one of the tables before they gave her candy treat and she followed with a sweet thank you, too!

It is quite a hike for a little one all the way around that little lagoon, but she made it until the very end. We stopped to watch the ducks and even saw a turtle in the water. Elani caught glimpses of other children and their costumes also and even made a new friend or two as she walked. What a great experience for a 3-year old and I am happy to be able to share it with her. Even little Lenix had fun, taking in all the sites and peculiar looking people. We have to thank Rudy (Paway) for taking great pictures to document this time in our lives.

We are heading to Avon Park/Sebring area this weekend for a Family Get-Together. Should be another fun-filled weekend!

See ya on the Road!

More Atlanta Pics

We had such a good time with our friends at the Atlanta Race, I just can't get enough of the pictures, so thought I would share with you all. All Races should be this much fun. It's kind of sad that the NASCAR NEXTEL CUP season only has three more races this year. And we will be at only one of those (the last one) Homestead- Miami for the weekend of November 16-19. We are going to be meeting some new friends there too from California.

It's Trick or Treat Night here so off we go to take the little ones out and about. Pictures will be posted of our little goblins (or whatever)......later

See ya on the Road!

More Atlanta Pictures

Pictures speak a thousand words, so I thought I would add a few more from our Atlanta Race Trip!