Busy, Busy, Busy!

This past weekend was really fun! My mom was out of town with my brother so we house sat for her. She lives a block from the ocean in Neptune Beach. All of Justin's family stayed with us. We celebrated Annsley's B-Day all weekend. I planned to take pics but my camera died the first night and I never replaced the batteries. We had a great time hangin' out with friends. We beachcrused everywhere, played games, cooked out, garage saled, played volleyball, walked on the beach...... It was relaxing and as always great to spend time with family and friends!!

The Edwards family and myself are heading to Maryland tomorrow morning for the Sovereign Grace Worship Conference. http://www.sovereigngraceministries.com/
I am sure we are going to have a great time! The Edwards signed me up for a vocal class HA! :) That should be fun!! I have been busy all day today preparing for our trip. Our children are staying with friends and my Mom. I packed little presents for them in their suitcase. They have a suprise for each day! I also put little notes in there. I have to share this one with you because I was cracking myself up BIG time!

For Thursday, I put a whoopie cushion in Ty's bag and a GIANT whistle in carter's bag. These were the notes:

Tyler - Psalm 100 "Make a joyful NOISE to the Lord, all the earth!" May the NOISE that comes from your whoopie cushion remind you to give thanks to God and bless His name! For He is good! I am thinking about you and love you so very much! XOXOXOX

Carter - Psalm 100 "Make a joyful NOISE to the Lord, all the earth!" Let the NOISE that comes from your whistle remind you that God loves you and so does Mommy! Praying for you! XOXOX

Isn't that hillarious?! Especially Ty's. I am still laughing as I type! Well, I will try to take pics this week while at the conference and update you all when I get back. I also still need to post about the scavenger hunt but I need to get help from Brenda on that as I don't remember everything! Please pray for us as we are gone that God will keep us safe and that He will do a great work while we are gone!

One more thing.........A HUGE THANKS to those watching my precious children! I appreciate you so much! May God richly bless each of you.

Last day of vacation

Our last day of vacation was July 4th. We celebrated Independence, Thanksgiving, and a 40th Birthday! I know no one else can say that! I didn't journal this day so it may be a little hard for me to remember all the events. We started the day with pancakes and bacon which I enjoyed very much. After breakfast, we immediately got to work preparing our Thanksgiving dinner. Each year we have a Thanksgiving dinner together since our entire family can't be together to celebrate the actual holiday. It is usually on a Thursday just like the real thing, but this year it ended up being on the last day of vacation. While dinner was cooking, Brenda decorated our eating area with black in celebration of Brad's 40th, the kids swam and had a water balloon fight, and everyone else was busy secretly planning Brad's party. His actual birthday isn't until Oct, but we also celebrate upcoming 40th's (male 40th's in particular) as a family during summer vacation so the birthday individual can be inducted into the M.O.T.H. Society (Men Over The Hill) by Grandpa - More on this in a little bit. Our eating area was outside on the porch which overlooked the lake. We ate all our meals out there becasue there was not an eating area inside the condo. The only problem with this was the flies. They were very annoying and they flew inside everytime the door was open. Too bad it took us until the end of vacation to buy a fly trap.

Our theme for 40th's is Mark 12:30 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." We celebrate by doing things that relate to Brad's heart, soul, mind, and strength. Ed and Brian took heart. The girls took soul. And the young adult guys took care of mind and strength. Brenda had also planned and created a scavenger hunt for the end. The scavenger hunt idea came from 2 things: Brad getting lost in the middle of the night trying to find our condo and the young adults + Brad staying up late one night making fun of Alabamians in Wal Mart. It was a little crazy with all the last minute planning. Did I mention that I ate A LOT of cookie dough during this time? I was addicted! :)

Finally dinner time! We ate Turkey, dressing, corn, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes w/ gravy, rolls, strawberry gelatin salad, olives, stuffed celery....I think that's it. Funny how it takes hourS to prepare and 10 minutes to devour!

After clean up the games began. Well, actually, we started with 1 serious thing. Ed and Brian started with "heart" by sharing about the things we all love and appreciate about Brad. Then came "mind." Since Brad is a geothermal engineer that builds power plants, we made him use his "smartness" by challenging other family members to games that required brains. Brad and Justin: math problems. Brad and Erica: sudoku. Brad and myself: word search. Of course, I lost!

Next came "soul." Brad also owns a business called Silver and Blue Outfitters. It is a Nevada Wolf-----Pack (2 seperate words - make sure it is not 1 word!) sports store. you can check it out here if you want: http://www.silverandblueoutfitters.com/store/

***Side note: Brad if you get any business from my advertising

I want some commission :)!***

Anyway, he is a maniac fan and is a booster at the University. We were giving him a hard time because the grand opening of his store in the local mall actually occured while he was away with us. Because of his love for the Wolf-----Pack, us girls made up a dance to the school fight song. Ed sang it while the band played from Barbie's laptop. We made pom poms with toilet tissue rolls and tissue paper and had signs. We raided his suitcase (everything in it was Nevada Wolf----Pack stuff) and we wore his clothes as our uniform. Other people at the condos probably thought we were looney! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of this with my camera. I will post some later if I can get my hands on them.

Now for "strength." The guys challenged him to all kinds of sport things. Brad and Ben: blongo. Brad and Nate: golf ball driving off the end of the dock into the lake. Brad and Jarred: push-ups. Brad and Davis: air soft gun target practice. Brad and Matt: wiffel ball.

Once back inside, Grandpa came out of the bedroom wrapped in a bed sheet and wearing a parrot hat. He was using a cane fishing pole with a flag attached (remember it was the 4th) as a walking cane. He pulled a homemade scroll made out of toilet paper out of his pocket and began the induction ceremony. Next M.O.T.H. - my husband in 15yrs - unless a female family member marries a way older man between now and then. Oh wait, it may be Nick, Becky's (cousin) new husband. This idea started a couple of years ago when Brian turned 40. When Carter saw these pics he said, "he's the master," about Grandpa!

We had so much fun and shared so many laughs, but the fun was just beginning! The grand scavenger hunt was last and boy was that the BEST! Since this post is getting kind of long, I will share about that in my next post.

Vacation Day # 6

Today Nathan (brother), Annsley (sister), Daniel and Erica (married cousins), Justin and I left around 8:30 to go rent jet ski's from the same guy who rented us the boat. We rented 3 ski's and had them for 4 hours. We all took turns riding them. We had lots of fun (I should say the guys had lots of fun) driving close to someone and then making a sharp, unexpected turn which sprayed water all over the people on the ski close by. Spray is an understatement! I got hit by a tidal wave and thought for a second I had broken my nose and gone deaf all at once- thank you Jarred! We would also drive in circles to create waves so we could jump over them. We tried to tube, but it didn't work so well. Jarred and Davis about got whiplash. When this family is together, it is always a good time and things can get a little crazy. In the midst of the all the fun, 2 ski's crashed into each other. One of the ski's was badly damaged. Fortunately, no one got hurt, but then again maybe that would've been better because health insurance would have covered it (totally kidding)! Now we had to take the bruised jet ski back to the same guy we rented the boats from (remember we already broke the prop on the speed boat and ran the pontoon without oil). He was very nice about it and is faxing Brad the estimate. Jerry (that's the rental guy's name) is going to be so glad to see us next year - "Oh, great here comes that Platt family. What are they going to break this year?! I'm going out of business for approx 1 week!" I am positive he will remember us. What's a vacation anyway without some excitement and adventure? While people were waiting for a turn on the jet ski, we played in the pool - volleyball and chicken fights! We all ate BBQ for lunch (loaded with brown sugar) and then the guys went golfing. At night, we all met at the Drive-In. 1/2 saw Hancock and 1/2 saw Wall-E. And what do you know, Brian's car wouldn't start when it was time to leave. The perfect way to end our day :D!

Vacation day # 5

Wed, 07/02, started as usual except this time I walked with Mom. Brian cooked breakfast with the help of Ed. We had potatoes (cooked with a at least a pound of butter), sausage, eggs, and toast. This time I did not refrain and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Brian and Tina left around 10am to go back to Birmingham (their home) for a Dr appt. We chose to have the reuion in AL this year because Tina is 8 mo pregnant and is not allowed to travel more than an hour and a half from home. This child is a special gift from God. Brian and Tina thought they were not going to be able to have any more children. They had been trying for close to 7 years. The Lord's timing is perfect! He is so good and is so faithful! I will never forget our 07 Christmas when they announced their pregnancy.

While they were gone the guys watched the children so we could go into Rome, GA to prepare for a surprise baby shower. We ordered her a cake from this place everyone talked about called the Harvestmoon Cafe (it wasn't that good for the price). Jillian picked it out - strawberry cake with strawberries inside. They wrote welcome baby Andy on the top. The babies full name will be Anderson Quinn Platt and he is due 08/07/2008 but Tina is shooting for 08/08/2008 :)

We went into a couple of really cute shops. We found this ting called a pee pee tee pee. I was going to buy it but forgot to go back and get it so we made our own. It is material sewed into the shape of a cone. The directions went something like this: Hold child's legs with one hand at a 90 degree angle. Cover his wee wee with the pee pee tee pee to prevent a sprinkle during diaper change. It was really funny!

We ate lunch at a tea room called Victoria Rose (I've never been to one before). Jillian (big sister) had a good time dressing up in different hats and boas. Unfortunately, I left my camera at home. We all ordered chicken salad.

On the way back to the car we found a really great upscale resale place. I went in with Barbie and bought a stroller for Tina for $27.00. The car seat I had already given her snaps right into it. This was an exciting find. Tina had asked me to bring my stroller so she could borrow it but we didn't have room for it. Because we spent so much time int he consignment store, we were rushed for the rest of the afternoon. They were getting back at 5pm and we need to have everything ready and decorated. On the way home we stopped by Big Lots, the Dollar Store, and good ole' Wal Mart. We got with 30 min to spare. Brian called and said they were running late so it gave us a little more time.

Tina seemed to be very surprised! Everything turned out great. We set the stroller up and filled it with all the gifts. We played a baby food game. Tina and Gma were the mommies and Brian and Brad were the babies. We blind folded both. The mommies had to find their babies by listening for their cry. Once they found them they had to feed them an entire jar of baby food (I chose squash). The first done was the winner. This was so funny I about peed my pants. The next game required thinking. Brenda made it up. She thought of a different way to say the name of baby items. We had to figure out what the item was. For example: liquid calcium container = baby bottle. We gave her a really hard time about that, but only because our team had milk bottle (which made more sense given the clue). Here was another crazy one: Butterworth of Cadillac. The answer was Syrup of Ipecac. Have you ever heard of that in your life??? Here was another one: Whitney Sphere. The answer: Cotton Ball. Remember Eli Whitney and the cotton gin? It was a really fun game with lots of laughs and controversy. The last game was a relay. There were 2 teams lined up boy-girl-boy-girl. The boy started by dressing a baby in a cloth diaper. He then passed to the girl toundress the baby. The girl then passed it back to the boy to dress again. If you dropped the baby you had to start over. Whoever finished first won. We had a wonderful time celebrating!

For dinner we had an interesting combination - chicken and lentils made by Becca (Matt's girlfriend) and hot dogs made by Ben. It was actually pretty good. Some of the gang ended the night with volleyball in the pool. It was a great day!

(Barbie's bruised arm after

tubing the day before)

Vacation Day # 4

Tuesday morning, 07/01, I started the day once again with exercise. I could really get used to this vacation thing :) We left at 8:30 to go rent a speed boat. The rental place was at Chesnut Bay (where we are staying next year). Once we had the boat, we headed back toward the condos. We got REALLY lost! The map of the lake that was given to us was doing no good. We had no idea where we were in this HUGE lake. After about 45 min, we were able to flag down a boater for help. By the way - This was the only boater we saw the entire time we were lost. He graciously led us to our condos. I don't think we would have found it without him. It would have taken us hours. When we got there, some of the adults took the little kids out to tube. They were gone for a really long time. We were just beginning to wonder what was going on when we got a text saying they had broke down. The guy at the rental place met them with a pontoon boat and they traded right there in the middle of the lake. He was able to get the broke down speed boat started and he took it back to work on it.

The 1st group came back with the pontoon and a 2nd group went out. We had to take turns because there was so many of us. I was in the 2nd group. Justin was driving and was trying his best to throw me off. I was holding on tight and my arms were starting to BURN. Towards the end, I was starting to loose my grip and my body was mostly off of the tube. A force of water came and took my bottoms right off. Fortunately, because of the way I was positioned, I don't think anyone on the boat saw, but they sure were laughing when I held my bottoms up in the air! When I got back on the boat Carter was crying. He had been crying the entire time. I thought I would be able to calm him down, but I couldn't. Nathan got on after me and he started again, "I want Nathan." Back to the condos we went to put him down for a much needed nap!

(1st pic: Carter happy)

-

-

Davis hopped on the tube with Nathan and we were off again. After they got done, Annsley and I went. It was really fun with 2 people because you crack up and scream the entire time. The down side is you get thrown off more often. We were all taking turns and having a great time until Justin turned off the boat so Brad and Barbie could get on. They finally got situated and the boat would not start! We sat there for at least 10 minutes praying. None of us had cell phones and here we were just floating in the lake. Finally, it started. We headed back to the condos to drop off and pick up.

Nathan drove this time so Justin could tube. When we took off the ladder on the back of the boat was left down and it threw all these little fish onto the deck. The kids had fun with that. Soon, the boat started beeping obnoxiously and would not quit. We tried calling the rental guy for help but he didn't answer. Justin finished his ride and then he and I rode together. This was our last trip out as the boat was continuing to beep and our rental time was almost over. We headed back to the condos for the last time to drop off and then took the boat back. When we got there the guy said to never drive the boat when you hear a beeping. Oops! It was low on oil. We were also told that we had broke something on the prop of the speed boat earlier that day. Because of all the problems, he didn't charge us for the damage. It was an eventful boating day to say the least!

We had spaghetti for dinner which was so good probably because we were all so hungry! We ended the night with a blongo tournament which Ed and Ben won.

(Tyler holding a little fish)

(Blongo Tournament)

Vacation Day 3

A week ago today, 06/30, I started my day with another run. I found that it is a lot easier to be consistent with exercise while you are on vacation. G-ma cooked pancakes and bacon and I again chose to refrain. Almost the whole crew (there were 22 of us total), left after lunch to check out another rental facility across the lake called Chesnut Bay. They came back raving about it and because it was so nice Grandma and Grandpa went ahead and put a deposit down to hold 3 houses for 09 family reunion. It is more of a family friendly place with lots to do. They have a trampoline in the lake, a 125 foot tube slide into the lake, tennis courts, basketball courts, a fitness facility, an ampitheatre, and kayaks and paddle boats. I chose to stay back while the fam was gone. I was able to sit by the pool and read which was nice.

(Place we are staying next year)

While I was taking a nap, more swimming, fishing, and game playing took place. Tyler caught his biggest fish ever and the biggest fish of the entire week.

(fishing - 3rd pic: Tyler's fish)

For dinner, all the married adults went out. We call it our "adult dinner." This is an annual event that only happens once the whole week. We do not allow the single adults to go (their our babysitters) so we are thinking about changing the name to "married adult dinner." We have to figure out the requirements for this dinner because it is starting to cause some conflicts :) What if the singles never get married or what if it is not for a long time??? We went to the Santa Fe Cattle Company in Rome, GA. Where we were staying was only 9 miles from the GA line and only 30 min from Rome (the biggest city near by). Santa Fe was very similar to a Roadhouse. It was one of those places where you throw peanuts on the floor. We ended the night at the cinema with Get Smart. Before bed, almost everyone had root beer floats. I didn't have my own cup, but ate some of Justin's. It makes me feel better when I just have a "few bites" of someone else's instead of having my own. That way I can say, "I didn't have any." :) I got teased about this quite a bit. Nathan (Justin's brother) arrived just before midnight. He couldn't come with us on Sat because of "school," but I think it was really the volleyball tournament he wanted to play in on Sun. Either way, we were glad to see him.

Family Vacation Day 2

A week ago today, 06/29, I woke early to run. Running in Al-a-BAMA can be kind of scary. Obviously, they don't have leash laws there because dogs were loose and barking at me. I was able to scare them off though with my deep toned yell and pointed finger (GO AWAY, STOP)! We went to Wal Mart when I got back for our HUGE shopping trip. Each year we prepare most all the meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) at our lodge and then at the end of the week we split the cost between the number of people. 2 hours and almost $500.00 later we returned back home. This was only the 1st trip to the store.

Healthy eating is so hard when Grandma is around. We ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast this morning. I chose to refrain, but was very tempted. The rest of the day we just relaxed - swam, fished, played blongo, played bean bag toss, swam, swam some more.... It is nice being in a small town because you don't feel like you constantly have to be doing something. The closeness shared between this family is so rare and special and is one to be treasured. Just being with each other is a good time. I am so very grateful to God for blessing me with such an amazing family.

For dinner we had ham, cheese potatoes, baked beans and rolls. G-ma uses an unknown amount of brown sugar in her beans. We always joke with her about brown sugar. If it is good, it has brown sugar! After dinner more, swimming, fishing, and game playing. Davis (our cousin) had dropped a bobber into the lake. His dad and Justin held him upside down by his ankles, over the railing of the dock, so he could get it. On the way up he dropped it and had to go down again. We all got a kick out of this. Everyone said, "OHHH!" and started laughing when he dropped it.

I decided to go to bed early. Justin went upstairs to condo # 3 and played XBox until at least 1am. I kept waking up because I could hear them laughing. When he came to bed I was awake. He said, "HONEY!" Unbeknownst to me, for the last 3 hrs I had been sleeping on a card he had left under my pillow. It was our Anniversary and he had left me a surprise card. I am so thankfuk for him and for the way he loves and cares for me.

(2nd pic: Blongo, 3rd pic: Bobber catching , 4th pic: sunset)

08 Family Vacation Day 1

June 28th we left for our annual family reunion. This year it was in Cedar Bluff, AL. We drove with Mom and Dad Edwards and Annsley. When you are with the Edwards, car rides are always fun! We started the morning off with a trip to the new Einstein Bros. Bagels in Riverside. This could become a new tradition (we stopped there last yr too). For lunch, Mom had planned a nutritious picnic consisting of peanut butter and jelly, chips, and oreos. We were going to actually stop at a park somewhere, but because of our very frequent potty breaks (which tested Dad's patience) we decided to have our picnic in the car. When Mom started breakin' out the food, we realized we had no peanut butter. So....we had to stop AGAIN. We had no luck at the 1st gas station or the 2nd gas station so we went to a grocery store. I (the queen of decision making, HA!) was sent inside to make the purchase. I decided to try and be funny and hide the peanut butter so the family would think the store didn't have any either. I could not hold my laughter as the peanut butter was slowly slipping down my pants. Dad said, "now that is truly some peanut BUTTer!" Shortly after lunch, our tire blew right outside of Atlanta. It was very scary! Justin did well controlling the car across 3 lanes of fast moving traffic into the emergency lane. Fortunately, I have AAA (big thanks to my grandparents). We were fixed and back on the road within 35 min. The customer service and promptness was amazing.

(2nd pic: AAA guy, 6th pic: Our port-a-potty)

Because of potty trips, a blown tire, and several traffic jams, the trip was way longer than expected, but it was definitely memorable. When we got there the VERY SMALL town of Cedar Bluff was having there annual 4th of July festival a week early. You could defintely tell we were in Al-a-BAMA! Driving through the town was like a scene right out of Sweet Home Alabama - they even had a big water tower just like the movie. The only exception was this one was decorated with Santa and Christmas Lights!

As soon as we arrived at our condo, the kids ran straight for the pool like they had never seen one before. After we were all settled and the kids swam off some of their excitement, we decided to go in to town and end our day with fireworks - we were celebrating our safe arrival :)