Sunday Funday!

J/K...it was actually Saturday Funday, but it most definitely doesn't have the same ring to it as Sunday. 

Our Saturday started out as usual, house cleaning, laundry folding, etc.  Dennis works 7-3:30, so it's just the girls & I working around the house.  Once the house was clean, we ran to the store for a few things, picked up a fun box of pumpkin shaped cookies for a Halloween party the girls were invited to.

I dropped them off at said party and I headed home to switch loads and get ready for Jody & Ron's wedding! YAY!

After I finished switching loads, I ended up picking up Lisa & Taevion so they could ride with us out to the wedding.  Dennis picked up the girls from Morgan's and headed over to pick up Cadence's friend that was staying the night.  Finally, we were able to head to the wedding.
It was at Jody's aunt & uncle's house, and it was in the country. As we were driving out there, we passed a kid, maybe 9 or 10, with a scary ass mask on, standing at the end of his yard, near the road, VERY slowly waving at us as we drove by.  He was extremely creepy.  Lisa was freaking out.  HAHA.

The wedding was awesome - Jody looked beautiful!

We didn't stay too long, we wanted to get over to the Folklore Fest since it ended at 9.  When we got there, it was still daylight (usually we get there as it is getting dark) and it was WARM!!  I honestly don't think it's ever been warm.  We are usually freezing, sipping hot coffee & standing in front of the fire to try and warm up.  Everything aches by the time we climb into the car b/c we were shivering.
But not this time.  This time was perfection.  They even added some new activities, one was the spooky trail - it was pretty awesome.  I can't wait for next year!

When we got home, we threw some frozen pizzas in the oven and the girls decorated some cookies.  After we ate, watched about a 1/2 hr of tv and cleaned up, it was 10:30, so I headed to bed.  The girls were playing in the bedroom and they weren't being loud, so I let them stay up.  I was asleep within seconds of lying down.

When the real Sunday Funday rolled around, it was anything but fun.  I had to wake the girls early to get ready for Religion, that was pleasant..I assume it was close to midnight, if not after, by the time they fell asleep and here I was waking them less than eight hours later.
The plan was to drop off Cai's friend & then take them to Religion, but of course, we were running late (story of my life) and I had to take the girls first.  After I dropped off her friend, I ran to the store, grabbed a few things, picked up the girls and we ran to my work to anonymously start the 'you've been booed' fun at my work.  I would have taken it all in early Mon morning, but let's be serious, I would never make it before the people I was 'booing'.
We went to Whitney's to drop off clothes for her & the kids that she had left at our house.  The trip was crummy b/c it was raining and it takes about 35 mins to get there.  But I made it a little more enjoyable with a VERY scary story!  The girls were enjoying it so much they were bummed when we got home and the story ended...mid-scare!

When I walked in the door, I wanted to just relax, but there was cheer practice & dinner to make, so I kept it moving.

That evening, when everything was done and I finally had a little time to relax, I opened my Nook and picked up where I left off in 'My Commander'.  While the book isn't exactly what I like to read.  The pace and lack of buildup was a downfall for me, but overall, for an easy, amusing read - I enjoyed it.

Now it's Friday and we have a weekend full of soccer tournaments.  Maybe we can sneak in making popcorn balls...but mostly - I will be enjoying the fall weather and tv movies!  I hope you have a great weekend, too!

Merry Christmas!

We were so excited to make the decision to celebrate Christmas in Fl with my Gramma, aunt & uncle.  It was hard for me to leave the house for that long.  I was a little anxious about it, I played every worse case scenario in my head (it catching on fire, our tree falling into it, someone breaking in).  And even though we didn't leave any presents under the tree (for this exact reason), I have heard dozens of reports about homes broken into around Christmas and all the presents being stolen. I'm telling you - my brain is a complicated space. But I am so happy we went.
We enjoyed every moment there.  The trip down started rough.  We had warmer than usual weather here, so we had a lot of thunderstorms during the day.  It was a pain to pack up the car during the rain!
Once we picked up the girls from cheer practice, we jumped onto 75S.  It was already dark, we left at 8 that evening.  There is a TON of construction on the eway, so on top of torrential down pour, darkness - the roadways being narrowed b/c of construction made for a long drive through northern Ohio.  Once I hit Lima, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. 
Dennis had slept the whole time, thankfully Cai was up and keeping me company.  As we drove through the rest of the state, she & I played license bingo.  As we entered KY, I planned on going at least 1/2 way.  Surprisingly, I made it all the way through KY and 1/2 way through TN.  The ONLY reason I stopped was b/c our gas was getting low and I didn't know when the next stop would be.
Dennis was shocked I drove that far.  I am NOT a good long distance driver.  I get tired every, single time.  I don't know why, it is so frustrating.  I was proud of myself for driving so far and letting Dennis get a good amount of sleep. 
As soon as we gassed up, I climbed into the back of the van, where we had a makeshift bed so I could stretch out my bad leg, and slept.  The storms picked back up shortly after we got back on the road.  I could hear the thunder and the lightening flashes were very bright. 
Once daylight hit, we were in Atlanta.  We missed morning rush hour (phew) and stopped for gas and breakfast.  The girls stretched and went to the bathroom.  We climbed back in to the car and kept driving. 
Our next stop was once we entered FL.  The girls were THRILLED!  Our first pic of them was near a REAL palm tree.

I don't remember it taking so long to get to my Gramma's once you get off of 75, but it honestly felt like we drove FOREVER before we got to Arcadia.

We were ALL so excited to pull into Gramma's driveway 18 hours after leaving our house. It was the best Christmas Eve gift ever!  And she is psychic b/c the moment I walked in, I asked if I could shower (eww, I felt so nasty) & she said of course, I already have it all set up for you!
That was an amazing shower  :)

The girls loved exploring Gramma's house.  Having only been to her camper during the summers she came to OH, they could not believe how large her home was. 
We unpacked and relaxed until Uncle Rick & Aunt Claire got there.

We joined them in their annual Christmas Eve dinner at Chili's.  After dinner, we headed over to Gramma's.  The girls opened their Christmas Eve gifts from us, a movie & matching pj's.  They spent time getting to know Uncle Rick & Aunt Claire.  It was awesome.  Shortly after getting there, Bryleigh puked every where.  It was disgusting.  But Aunt Claire didn't blink an eye and cuddled with her while she laid on the couch next to her.  It was very sweet.

We were all exhausted after our long trip and still had to get up early for Christmas mass, so we said good night and headed to bed. 
The next morning, we all got up and got ready for Church.  Mass was a lot different there, than it is up here.  After Mass, we headed back to Gramma's and waited for Uncle Rick & Aunt Claire to get there for the girls to open their gifts.  The girls were thrilled to finally open their gifts and enjoyed playing with them most of the morning.

Gramma's friends started arriving early afternoon and we set up for dinner.  After dinner, we cleaned up and lounged around relaxing.

The next morning, we decided to head out to downtown Arcadia for their antique sales.  The girls loved it.  We saw lots of cool things and enjoyed spending our time together.

We went back to Gramma's and got ready for a trip to Ft. Myers beach!  Watching the girls run into the Gulf was a great feeling.  They had so much fun.  Since I was being tortured with my monthly visitor, I didn't swim, but I loved watching the girls & Dennis splash around.

As we drove back to Gramma's, we decided to shower and head out to Fisherman's Village to walk around.
The girls bought a board game with their Christmas money from Nana.

We didn't do much on Sunday, we needed a break before heading out again Monday.  It was hard knowing we only had that day left before we had to leave Gramma again.

Behind her house is a field and there is a donkey that lives there.  She became friends with the girls.  She would run the fence line with them.  Enjoyed eating carrots and hee-hawing when we would go back in the house.  It was adorable.  We named her Eeyore - so original, I know. 

Monday was Cai's b/day and we enjoyed ice cream cake and she got to open her gifts from Gramma.  It was awesome to be able to do that since she has never been able to spend her b/day with Gramma before.

When we left Monday evening, it was with heavy hearts.  We made a stop in KY to visit a friend of Dennis' & we picked up a few random things at the local Walmart.

Once we finally walked in our door (to a clean house - I made sure it was perfect before we left), we all crashed in our beds.  I, unfortunately, picked up a bug during the trip and felt miserable by the time we got home.  I slept A LOT. 

I still don't feel well and do not think I will be up at the ball drop! 

I hope your Christmas was fantastic and you have a safe New Years!

Bring on 2016!

Christmas, Christmas time is here...almost

I decided to decorate before Thanksgiving this year.  It is the first year we’ve ever done that.  Last year, as we were packing up our decorations, I honestly felt like I didn’t get to enjoy them for very long.  Between school stuff, their practices & Christmas activities, our weekends were barely spent at home.  I know this year will be just as busy, which is why we did it now.  Plus, we usually do it the weekend after thanksgiving b/c it’s a long weekend.  But it’s always chaotic and stressful b/c we’re still trying to clean up from dinner and it ends up running into the following week.

This year, we had dusted, vacuumed and everything was ready for decorating.  Dennis brought in all the totes Sat morning and I said ‘fuck this – take them back out’ haha.  For a brief moment, I thought I was an idiot.  But, we decorated and by this am, the house was clean, once again, and ready for Santa.  Ahem, I mean Thanksgiving.

Our sweet Elf, Tippy, still won’t be visiting until 12/1, and the girls cannot wait! 

 

 

I didn't realize until after the picture that my lights were falling down - oops!

 

Friday, I went back on my Zoloft.  I’ve been so anxious the last few months – I just needed something to help me calm down.  But, while I know this will work in the next couple of weeks, I was anxious about starting it.  I HATE taking medicine.  I HATE putting more stuff in my body.  So even with the prescription ready to pick up at Walmart, I avoided it for a few days b/c I couldn’t stand the thought of another med, even though I know I needed it!!  Does that make sense?  My mind is exhausting. 

 Anyway, yay for Christmas happiness and medicated peace of mind…

Family Fun

4th of July was a busy day – we had so much fun.  During the day, we went to Aunt Vicki’s for our annual family 4th of July party.  We had lots of yummy food, swimming and conversation.

That evening we watched fireworks and set off some as well w/Shannon & Johnny. They had more delicious food, and were totally awesome company.

The following day, we were invited out to a house that Sarah, Aunt Sandy & Aaron had rented for the week. 
We stayed the night and had an absolute blast!!!  We swam…a lot..went on a boat ride, swam some more, sat around the fire and enjoyed our time together.
Cadence lucked out and was asked to stay the night, again, to play with Madison.

On the way home, we stopped at my Gramma’s for fireworks at her campground.  We got there in late afternoon, so we sat around talking and catching up.  We went out for dinner and headed back to the campground to wait for the fireworks.  Because of the rain, they cancelled them and have rescheduled them for next weekend. 

It was also a special weekend to me because Whitney joined us.  I love being able to spend time with her, though sometimes, it makes me mad about what we missed out on for the last 7 years.  But, we have a whole future to make up for lost time.
I hope your 4th was as fun as ours!