Elani's Third Birthday Weekend

It was another fun-filled weekend with Elani at our house and we celebrated her birthday, too!

I picked her up on Friday afternoon and we had lunch together and played at the house and later went to JC Penney's for her annual Birthday Photo-shoot. She was a little model - She does so good and poses so cute - Can't wait to get those pictures back. After we went to "Build-a-Bear" and Elani picked out the SHREK for her very own project, so we stuffed, added a heart, washed and blew it dry and then got him a birth certificate and away we went to our next destination - "Toys R Us" where Elani was crowned the Birthday Queen and received a balloon too. She then made her away around the store looking for the one special thing that she could take home. (She had a $3.00 birthday coupon to spend). She found a Lightning McQueen Car to add to her collection and home we went.

Sabbath we went to Sabbath School where they celebrated her birthday again with a pretend cake and candles and a special birthday song as Elani sat in the special birthday chair taking it all in. She had a ball that day in Sabbath School. After a delicious dinner and a little nap we met Elani's parents at Chuck E Cheese for dinner and games. Again, Elani was crowned the Birthday Girl, given a crown and a balloon. She opened some presents there as we waited for our pizza and then she played and played with her papa on the rides and games and winding maze. It was finally time to go home and have Birthday Cake and open more surprises. Everyone came to our house and we sang "Happy Birthday" and Elani blew out her candles and we ate some delicious cake, that by the way was all decorated with Lightning McQueen. Grandpa had all the large gifts hid outside, so we had Elani sit on the floor and cover her eyes as he brought them in individually. First the Sit 'n' Spin, then the Big Red Wagon from Great Grandma and Grandpa Higel, then the Outdoor Sports Center and the finale of Elani's very own Mud Runner battery-powered Jeep! She knew just what to do, too. She climbed right in and her mama and papa strapped on the bicycle helmet that they got her and away she went (with a little instruction of what to push and how to drive). Unfortunately, it was too dark for her to ride outside so she drove in the house for a while. It will be fun to watch her go when she gets it outside!! All in all, it was a great Birthday Weekend for a little girl turning 3.

Michigan Long Weekend Trip

The state-to-state travelers have returned. Elani and I made it safe and sound to and from Michigan this past weekend and we had a fabulous time visiting family and friends over the course of the 4 days we were there.
This is first time Elani has flown in an airplane since she was just a baby of 7 months old. She is much more alert and talkative now. Elani was excited when she saw the big airplanes and stayed awake through the take off, but soon was fast asleep and slept the whole flight until about 15 minutes before we landed, so she was awake for the landing in Lansing, Michigan at 11:15 a.m. We were met by my Mom, Don, stepbrother Doug and his girlfriend. We stopped for lunch to chat and do a little catching up at a Cracker Barrel before heading to Mom's house in Rose Lake Forest.
The weather was beautiful, sunny with just a light breeze and no humidity! What a relief.
When we arrived at my mom's Aunt Judy, Uncle Don and Michelle were there to meet us. We visited for awhile and then Elani and I headed to Cadillac where we would be staying with Michelle for the rest of the time of our visit.
Before going to dinner at a specialty Mexican place in Cadillac, we walked through the Annual Arts Festival in the City Park and then headed home to make sure Elani was in bed early and to prepare for the Sabbath.
Sabbath we went to the Cadillac West church and I got to visit and see some old friends there and then afterwards at a Potluck dinner at Jilane and Bryan Fenner's Lake House on Lake Mitchell. Elani had a blast on the boat dock and it kept me quite busy chasing her to make sure she didn't fall in the water or to keep her off the ladder and getting into the water. (I almost failed at that one).
After Elani's nap, Michelle, Elani and I went for a walk by Lake Cadillac. Elani got to swing and see the ducks and on the way home we found a small bush of wild raspberries, so Michelle and Elani picked and ate the berries. They also played in the Sound Garden on the Clam River Greenway (walkway).
After sleeping in on Sunday morning, we made our way over to Mom and Don's place on the Muskegon River for a picnic and tubing down the river. The weather was perfect, the sun was nice and hot so that helped us not get cold in the water. Elani was ready to go on this new adventure. She had her only little "boat" tied to my tube and we floated for the hour and a half trip to the bridge taking in the sights and sounds of the peaceful river ride. When we got back to the house we had a great picnic and Elani played outside all day long, barefoot in the grass running here and there, exploring everything and enjoying every minute of her time outside. When we finally packed it all up, she was one tired little girl, but a happy little girl.
At Michelle's house, Michelle and Elani each had a foot bath and painted their toes and fingers with bright red colors.
Monday we had a little snack with my friend Lorie at a coffee house and did a little on-sale shopping then hit the road to Lansing for our return flight. Elani slept all the way to Lansing so she was awake for the whole flight from Lansing to Sanford/Orlando. Rudy picked us up at 9:50 p.m. and we took Elani home to see her momma, papa and baby brother.
It was a great adventure and I would do it again in a minute. Elani is always very good when she is with me and we had a great "Grammy & Elani" weekend!

July 19, 2007

Tomorrow morning Elani and I will be flying together (for the first time), making our way to Michigan for a long weekend visit with Michelle & Chris. This will be my first attempt to fly with a child under 3 years of age. At this time, I am not foreseeing any problems, as I am trying to prepare Elani for an exciting time!

We arrive in Lansing, Michigan at 11:00 a.m. I will try to update this site with pictures and happenings as the long weekend progresses. I am looking forward to seeing friends and family and having a nice weekend in some cooler weather!

Until then . . . . . .Keep us in your prayers as we travel . . . .

PEPSI 400

Janine and I were there! Can you believe it? Janine got tickets off the internet three days before the race so we sat in the 5th row of Section A in DePalma Grandstands. Not the best seats, but WE WERE THERE! The rain held off and there was lots of excitement in front of our seats on the 4th turn, entrance to Pit Road. This was the last PEPSI 400 and the last SuperSpeedway Race with the Car of Yesterday and Jamie McMurray WON - Jeff Gordon came in 5th after leading laps and starting from the Pole. Coke is going to be the official drink of the ISC tracks from here on out and so who knows if there will be another Pepsi 400. And next year all the races will be with the Car of Tomorrow - (COT). So Janine and I experienced along with thousands of others this historical race on 07/07/07.

4th of July Week Beach Trip

Friday - June 29: We were on the road again, but in the car heading to the Gulf Beaches this time to spend a few days relaxing in the sun with a good book and magazines. We collected shark's teeth, seashells, ate at Sharky's on The Pier, watched the sunset over the Gulf of Mexico and just plain relaxed! Our friend, Janine came and spent the first few days with us. Friday after dinner at Sharky's we watched the sun go down at the South Jetty where the dolphins jumped and played as we watched and a couple of manatees played by the rocks. It was totally amazing, but as soon as the sun set and we had gotten our hundreds of pictures over the waters, it started to rain.

Saturday - June 30: We again enjoyed time at the Beach and then a great dinner that Rudy cooked for us and then ended the day at the Englewood Beach to watch the sunset over the Gulf as we sat quietly in our chairs and took in the magnificent sky and listened to the waves come crashing in.

Sunday - July 1: This started our week-long routine of getting up, having breakfast, leaving for the beach by 9:00 a.m., coming back to the house for showers, lunch and some R&R for the afternoon (I make lots of scrapbook pages), then in the evening we would venture out again to just site-see in the area.

Thursday, July 5: Rudy decided that we were going to take a drive to Fort Myers and find a restaurant called Famous Dave's that we saw advertised on TV. So on this very warm afternoon we hit the road south and had a great dinner at a place we've never eaten before.

New adventures and spur of the moment things are always fun!
Our daily routine was carried out through Thursday and then Friday, July 6th, we packed up and headed home with a stop in Sebring for our monthly hair cuts. We arrived home on Friday, unpacked and settled in to go back to the every-day work week until we are able to take another couple of days and travel on the road for fun, rest and relaxation!

Penny's Birthday Weekend at Daytona Beach!

In my opinion it is the best way to celebrate your birthday - on the beach, soaking up the rays, relaxing poolside or in the white sands of Daytona Beach. It was a great relaxing 4 days that Rudy and I spent in Daytona on the beach. We walked on the beach, soaked up the sunshine and swam in the pool as much as I could. We ate at great restaurants and visited the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse at the farthest point of A1A South that you can go. We ever climbed the 203 slim winding steps to the top of the Lighthouse and took in the spectacular view over the Atlantic Ocean. Then to top it all off Rudy surprised me with a Richard Petty Ride-Along on the 2 1/2 mile, 33 degree high-banks of Daytona International Speedway going 165 miles an hour in the Car of Tomorrow from NASCAR. Just like the sign says at the the Track, 'FEEDING MY OBSESSION - MY NEED FOR SPEED! It was awesome and a great experience that is hard to compare anything to. On our way home from the Beach, Rudy took me to dinner at Don Pablos for the final portion of celebrating this year. I don't care what others say, birthday really aren't that bad when you can celebrate them like this!