Tuesday, August 19, 2008
South Haven
Julie and family came for a week-long visit in South Haven last week. They rented a house and most of the family went to stay for the week. We were able to go visit a few times during the week and take advantage of the spectacular view of Lake Michigan. One night, we met the gang for a golf outing. It was nice to see everyone again and see how much all the kids have grown.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Weekend with the Bruces
Karie and family came for a visit over the weekend. We spent most of the time in the pool on Friday. On Saturday, we all went to the Perrigo company picnic and had a great time. McKenna was on my back as we walked up the fairgrounds and she had her nose snuggled in my neck. She told me she just couldn't stop smelling me. (I think that's a good thing.) The kids played some games, found over $1.50 each in the coin search, and Hunter climbed a volcano. Afterwards, we headed over to Grand Haven and the Coast Guard Festival. We had some yummy food at Eric's and then we headed down to the docks to watch the fireworks. We went to Binder Park Zoo on Sunday, where Hunter had his picture taken and Karie was interviewed for the Battle Creek Enquirer. We fed the giraffes and spent a fun day hangin' out with the animals. On Monday, we headed up to the mall in Grandville so Hunter could climb the rock wall, but it was unfortunately closed. I think the clothes Karie bought him at Abercrombie erased his disappointment. McKenna's wish was to visit Libby Lu's (which we did - and we have the sprinkling of fairy dust to prove it). They all left from the mall and Keaton and I came home so he could go to - where else - basketball. It was a great weekend and it went by too quickly. Perrigo is expanding with 500 new jobs, so we're trying to talk the Bruce family into relocating to our neck of the woods. I'd even offer free babysitting to help sweeten the deal!
Our Hot and Sweaty Florida Vacation
Wow - I can't believe it's been over two months since I last checked in. We've been keeping busy with traveling and hanging' out in the pool. Keaton finished his sophomore year with high marks again and we're so proud of him! It's hard to believe he's now a junior. I really need to get going on his scrapbooks - we have less than two years before his graduation. I have so many pictures to embarrass him with. Keaton has been using the summer to play lots of basketball, earn money mowing, and spending time with his friends.
Our trip to Florida was AWESOME and not too eventful. (That's a good thing!) The Durango didn't break down, but our friend's truck did - right on the expressway. Luckily, we were near an exit, so we could all limp to it and set up at a truck stop, call a mechanic, and run out to get the part. The Durango did struggle towing in the heat and we couldn't run the air-conditioner while we traveled. That was NOT fun to ride for 10 hours in 97 degree heat. I won't be doing that again. Our first few days we spent on the west side of the state near Naples. We went over to Sanibel Island one morning to check out the beach and were amazed to see dolphins jumping and splashing in the water right along the shore. Matt and I took a walk along the beach and found sea turtle tracks and a nest she had just laid her eggs in. That was pretty cool to discover before the turtle patrol arrived.
Our next stop was to Fiesta Key. Our campsite was right on the Gulf of Mexico and our trailer backed right up to the Gulf. Keaton was able to do some snorkeling. We walked along the dock one morning to discover a huge sea turtle swimming up and down our little channel. We found lots of jellyfish, some lobsters, and even an octopus. We went out on the Atlantic Ocean from Key Largo one day - Matt and some of the group on a snorkeling trip and the rest of us on a glass-bottom boat tour. We went out over a coral reef and found some dolphins swimming and playing along our boat. Unfortunately, we hit some 5-6 foot waves idling over the reef and most of us couldn't stay inside the cabin to take pictures. I tried looking at the horizon, but the horizon was rocking about 10 feet in the air and that wasn't helping any - neither was the Dramamine. Keaton was a trooper and he was able to stay in the boat and get some pictures - without the aid of any Dramamine. The rest of us caught some sun on the upper deck of the boat and prayed the tour was almost over. Matt said snorkeling was tough as he had to constantly swim and fight the current the entire time, but is was a new experience for all of us. Another day, we took a drive along the Keys and the 7-mile bridge and went all the way down to Key West. We spent some time at the beach and some time wandering the town. It's definitely one we'll have to go back and spend some more time at.
Next we were off to Orlando and the Disney parks. We had so much fun park hopping. We hit all four parks - including a water park, nightclubs, and lots of shops. We rode lots of rides and had some really long days trying to fit everything in. But, we did it and I have lots and lots of pictures to prove it. We went to Downtown Disney one night with our friends, Dave and Kelly, and went to a couple of nightclubs. Our favorite was one that played 70s and 80s music (70s for Dave and 80s for us). We had so much fun, but it was really hard to be up at 6:30 a.m. the next morning to hit the parks. Staying at Fort Wilderness was great because we didn't have to drive. We just hopped on a bus or boat to take us to the fun. It was super hot and humid, but that's what we get for visiting Florida in July. I LOVE Disneyworld and would like to go back. Matt was disappointed because we didn't have time to hit Universal Studios, but maybe next time.
Our last major stop was to St. Augustine. It is the oldest settled city in the U.S. and full of lots of interesting history. We visited the fort and had the attention of all the kids for the first two minutes and then they all took off to find some ice cream and do some shopping downtown. I found the history very interesting, but was a little jealous they got ice cream. We hung out at the beach and we all did some boogie-boarding. Matt had a little nervous moment when he and Keaton were out waiting to catch a wave. He saw a fin the next wave over and his heart did a little skip - until the fin jumped out of the water a little and he saw it was a dolphin. Whew! I'm glad he didn't tell me about it while I was in the water. We went to the St. Augustine Light Station one day and did some exploring. Matt and Keaton climbed the 219 steps to the top. I passed since it wasn't air-conditioned and I was already melting.
We had a really fun time and really enjoyed the time with Keaton and our friends. We tried some local food, including alligator, conch, and crab. We really missed Cyrus, but were so thankful he could stay at my mom's house and get lots of tlc. It was way too hot for him to be in Florida. He doesn't like to be outside if it's over 75 (or humid, or rainy, or sunny, or windy), so I don't know what he would have done in the Florida heat. He was really happy to come back home and was my cling-on for days.
We're not sure where we're going for next year's adventure. I'd love to visit Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands. There's talk of Banff, Canada. We'll see...
Our trip to Florida was AWESOME and not too eventful. (That's a good thing!) The Durango didn't break down, but our friend's truck did - right on the expressway. Luckily, we were near an exit, so we could all limp to it and set up at a truck stop, call a mechanic, and run out to get the part. The Durango did struggle towing in the heat and we couldn't run the air-conditioner while we traveled. That was NOT fun to ride for 10 hours in 97 degree heat. I won't be doing that again. Our first few days we spent on the west side of the state near Naples. We went over to Sanibel Island one morning to check out the beach and were amazed to see dolphins jumping and splashing in the water right along the shore. Matt and I took a walk along the beach and found sea turtle tracks and a nest she had just laid her eggs in. That was pretty cool to discover before the turtle patrol arrived.
Our next stop was to Fiesta Key. Our campsite was right on the Gulf of Mexico and our trailer backed right up to the Gulf. Keaton was able to do some snorkeling. We walked along the dock one morning to discover a huge sea turtle swimming up and down our little channel. We found lots of jellyfish, some lobsters, and even an octopus. We went out on the Atlantic Ocean from Key Largo one day - Matt and some of the group on a snorkeling trip and the rest of us on a glass-bottom boat tour. We went out over a coral reef and found some dolphins swimming and playing along our boat. Unfortunately, we hit some 5-6 foot waves idling over the reef and most of us couldn't stay inside the cabin to take pictures. I tried looking at the horizon, but the horizon was rocking about 10 feet in the air and that wasn't helping any - neither was the Dramamine. Keaton was a trooper and he was able to stay in the boat and get some pictures - without the aid of any Dramamine. The rest of us caught some sun on the upper deck of the boat and prayed the tour was almost over. Matt said snorkeling was tough as he had to constantly swim and fight the current the entire time, but is was a new experience for all of us. Another day, we took a drive along the Keys and the 7-mile bridge and went all the way down to Key West. We spent some time at the beach and some time wandering the town. It's definitely one we'll have to go back and spend some more time at.
Next we were off to Orlando and the Disney parks. We had so much fun park hopping. We hit all four parks - including a water park, nightclubs, and lots of shops. We rode lots of rides and had some really long days trying to fit everything in. But, we did it and I have lots and lots of pictures to prove it. We went to Downtown Disney one night with our friends, Dave and Kelly, and went to a couple of nightclubs. Our favorite was one that played 70s and 80s music (70s for Dave and 80s for us). We had so much fun, but it was really hard to be up at 6:30 a.m. the next morning to hit the parks. Staying at Fort Wilderness was great because we didn't have to drive. We just hopped on a bus or boat to take us to the fun. It was super hot and humid, but that's what we get for visiting Florida in July. I LOVE Disneyworld and would like to go back. Matt was disappointed because we didn't have time to hit Universal Studios, but maybe next time.
Our last major stop was to St. Augustine. It is the oldest settled city in the U.S. and full of lots of interesting history. We visited the fort and had the attention of all the kids for the first two minutes and then they all took off to find some ice cream and do some shopping downtown. I found the history very interesting, but was a little jealous they got ice cream. We hung out at the beach and we all did some boogie-boarding. Matt had a little nervous moment when he and Keaton were out waiting to catch a wave. He saw a fin the next wave over and his heart did a little skip - until the fin jumped out of the water a little and he saw it was a dolphin. Whew! I'm glad he didn't tell me about it while I was in the water. We went to the St. Augustine Light Station one day and did some exploring. Matt and Keaton climbed the 219 steps to the top. I passed since it wasn't air-conditioned and I was already melting.
We had a really fun time and really enjoyed the time with Keaton and our friends. We tried some local food, including alligator, conch, and crab. We really missed Cyrus, but were so thankful he could stay at my mom's house and get lots of tlc. It was way too hot for him to be in Florida. He doesn't like to be outside if it's over 75 (or humid, or rainy, or sunny, or windy), so I don't know what he would have done in the Florida heat. He was really happy to come back home and was my cling-on for days.
We're not sure where we're going for next year's adventure. I'd love to visit Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands. There's talk of Banff, Canada. We'll see...
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