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| From 090808 Cayuga Nature Center |
We stopped by Cayuga Nature Center on the way back from Taughannock Falls. The tree house was really cool, and the peacocks at the mini-zoo was pretty eager to show off his feathers. He made up for the fox, who had a tough time keeping his eyes open. We also enjoyed the butterfly house and the “living” sculptures.
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| From 2009-01-17 Myrtle Beach |
After our water problem was fixed we packed up the van and headed to Myrtle Beach for the long weekend. This would be the first time Daddy and the jmonsters would see Grandma and Pap-Pap’s new digs. They rented a new condo this year and like it much better. It is on the 16th floor so Daddy and Tallmonster had to hug the wall to get to their room. It’s a loonnngg way down.
We arrived at dinner time Saturday night and couldn’t go to bed without an after dinner swim in the pool. It was like bath water so it was nice and relaxing.
Sunday dawned cloudy and rainy but we decided to head out the to jmonsters favorite store Kleig’s Kites. It is at Broadway at the Beach so we went to walk around (after a morning swim of course) and be tourists. It was rainy but it didn’t deter us from enjoying the day. After lunch at Johnny Rockets, we checked out a new store called Sugar Me and it just might take over as the jmonsters new favorite place. We bought over priced jawbreakers and gummies and decided to head over to the new Bass Pro shop down the road. After checking out the saltwater aquarium it was time to head back and try the beach. It was still raining and so after a quick walk on the beach it was back to the pool.
Mommy had told the jmonsters that it was their day until 6 p.m. when the Steelers came on. Grandma made chili so we watched the Steelers and Pap-Pap and I moaned and groaned through the whole game. Only when we both left the room did something good happen. So we better make sure to do that during the Super Bowl! Monday we had to leave and of course it was sunny and 20 degrees warmer. We walked on the beach while Grandma took the jmonsters to the pool. All and all a great weekend, hopefully next time it will be warmer…
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| From 090101 Trip to Biloxi |
We decided that this year we would do something different for New Year’s besides sitting in bed and watching the ball drop. So we headed to Biloxi, Mississippi to check out the Casino’s and spend a night away from the jmonsters. We recruited Courtney and Andy to come with us since a group is always more fun and we don’t get to see them nearly enough.
After checking in to the Hampton (where else) we freshened up (meaning napped) and headed over to Biloxi to go to dinner. We didn’t really make any plans and ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe Casino. We had burgers and nachos and overpriced drinks and enjoyed looking at all the memorabilia on the walls. After dinner it was on to the Casino. We split up and walked around the Casino to get a feel for the games and decide what we wanted to lose our money on first. We tried a few slots and then found the machines that Mommy likes to play, Poker. After awhile we decided to check out the tables. Mommy has always wanted to try blackjack but we were only able to find $10 tables. So after much hand wringing Mommy got the nerve to sit down and try it. After getting $70 in chips and playing a few hands she soon found out she was in way over her head. It took about 15 minutes to lose all that money but at least was able to get a few free beers in the process. Most expensive beers ever!
Well, it was back to the 25 cent poker machines and Mommy was determined to win back her money. Daddy was content to sit and watch and get free beer whenever the cocktail waitresses walked by. He was most concerned about tip money. After winning a couple of hands we placed a max bet and hit with four of a kind. Woo-Hoo next thing we knew we had $148.50 in quarters. Nowadays you don’t get the satisfaction of filling up your bucket with quarters you hit a button and a slip of paper comes out with what you won, just like an ATM machine. We cashed in and found Courtney and Andy and found out that they had also won something so we decided to get out while we were ahead. We stopped at the ice cream shop on the way out for overpriced ice cream to top off our night in Biloxi. We had a lot of fun and realized when we got back to the hotel it was only 9:30 and what do you know we watched the ball drop in bed and an hour early to boot!! A great way to start 2009…
A few days after Christmas we made the journey down to Florida. This year we decided to spend New Year’s down there. The jmonsters couldn’t wait to see everyone. They love visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Florida (mommy and daddy do too!) Jessie, Abbey, and LuLu were waiting to greet us at the door. I think they get excited too since Tallmonster and Smallmonster play with them. After a great meal, Courtney and the gang came over and we opened presents and visited the rest of the night. Amazing how grown up the kids are getting! Colby now has his permit and on Tuesday he drove us to the beach. It was a perfect day to go to the beach, and this time we were smart enough to dress the boys in their bathing suits but did forget towels. Sure enough as soon as we got there Tallmonster was playing in the waves. Smallmonster takes a little longer, or he’s more cautious, but was soon wet. They dug holes and watched the surf fill them back in and in no time had sand filled bathing suits. Not having towels was a bit of a pain and the jmonsters did not like the idea of showering without a towel. At least we had thought to bring extra clothes so it was a just a little bit of suffering. It was worth it and someday we vow to rent a place for a few days on the beach…
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| From 2008-12-29 Ride to F-L-A |
On our way to Florida we always get excited when we pass the big water tower that looks like a giant butt. You would think it would be in Georgia but it is actually in South Carolina. The kids always giggle and Daddy and I always shake our heads at their juvenile humor but wonder what they were thinking when they built it, it does look like a giant peach colored butt! This year we got a picture for proof and decided it must be blogged about. Oh the things long car rides make you do…
We packed up the trusty van and headed west towards Memphis, TN and Uncle John’s Wedding. Daddy implemented an “everything must be in a bag” rule, and was soon being referred to as the bag Nazi by Mommy. The rule was adopted from the utter chaos that ensued while driving to New York the week before last. There was stuff everywhere and Daddy was always on the look out for the chickens and goats that may have been accompanying us. Call names if you want the van look much more reasonable on this trip when compared to last, and you should always strive to “PUT THAT BACK IN THE BAG”!
We had made hotel reservation on the west side of Nashville and rolled in around 5:30pm only to be reminded that it was central time and it was really 4:30pm… Way cool! We immediately got changed into our trunks and headed down to the swimming pool. We blubbed for about an hour or so, and decided to break for dinner.
Mommy and Daddy actually relented and allowed the jmonsters to eat out. We found a really good Mexican place and the jmonsters decided they really like tacos and enchiladas. Go figure, we can actually add something new to the will eat food list. We are up to about ten things that both jmonsters will eat and can be found at the same establishment… Yahoo!
We stopped by The Red Caboose Park in Bellevue on the way back to the hotel. The park had a killer play set that was designed and built by Leather Associates from Ithaca, NY. The also had a real red caboose (go figure) and an old cabin from the late 1700’s. The jmonsters had a great time running from one end of the play set to the other. We finished the night by stopping into Toys ‘r Us and Circuit City for Daddy.
The jmonsters and Mommy took a road trip to visit Grandma and Pap-Pap in Myrtle Beach. We knew the weather wasn’t going to be the best, but we figured the indoor pool would keep us occupied. We arrived Thursday evening, too late to take a dip in the pool but went to bed knowing it was the first thing on our to-do list in the morning. After swimming until we were prunes we hung out at the beach looking for cool shells and playing in the sand.
Saturday started back in the pool and then we hung around the condo for a while. Mommy was ready to get out and decided to head over to Broadway at the Beach to do some window shopping. We can’t go to Myrtle without stopping in Kliegs Kites and checking out the cool stuff. After we headed over to the NASCAR arcade so the jmonsters could play some games. Unfortunately we got there at 4:40 and they closed at 5:00. Mommy quickly got some tokens and told the jmonsters to hurry up and play some games. I don’t think they noticed that we were the only ones in there since they were closing but the people were nice and even gave them extra "treasures" when they redeemed their tickets, Mommy’s favorite!!
Gram and Pap treated us to dinner at one of the "local" restaurants in Murrel’s Inlet. The jmonsters loved the restaurant because everywhere you looked there were licence plates hanging all over the place and also people were allowed to write all over the walls, chairs, and ceiling. It was fun looking at all the different plates from all over. All in all a great weekend away and we can’t wait for Daddy to join us for our next trip…
A perfect weekend was on tap for our annual trip to Sand Lake. The gods were smiling on us as Saturdays, approached 85, with loads of sunshine. The kids even went swimming a couple of times. We saw that the weather promised to be good, so we threw the suits in as a last minute addition. We were thinking that it would be nice to have the suits on for all the invariable oops’ that happen while fishing for salamanders and crayfish. It turned into full fledged permission granted swimming, it was that nice. We even took the swim dock back out to where its moored, in the deeper part of the lake.
When the kids weren’t swimming they were torturing fishing for those rascally salamanders. At one point the had over 25 in the bucket. It looked like a horror film scene with all of them squirming at the bottom of the bucket. We instituted an immediate catch release policy, in order to practice conservation of the lakeside creatures. The fishing was pretty slow this year, with no big trout caught. Just a few chubs, and the last we knew Pap-Pap was beating Mommy by a chub or two.
We hiked around the lake that Saturday, the trail on the north and west sides of the lake are starting to show the lack of maintenance, since Connie’s untimely demise. We had to do a bit of bushwhacking and move a log or two in order to make it over some wet spots. Pap-Pap almost went into the drink as one of logs decided to let loose and roll as he was crossing. His lumber jack skills are a little rusty. No injuries, just a dirty hand and he didn’t take Mommy with him. The day was finished with loads of kayaking and canoeing. There were a lot of trips up and down “Spooky River”.
The jmonsters and Mommy are having loads of fun here in Pensacola. We have tried to do as much touristy stuff including a trip to the Navel Museum, putt-putt golf, and the beach. Mommy even took them to Sonny’s Barbeque to see where she used to work. They weren’t too impressed but liked the food. The jmonsters have enjoyed riding their bikes in the dirt piles near Grandma and Grandpa’s house with Colby and Zach. With all the rain they usually come back dripping wet and covered in dirt but with huge smiles on their faces. Mommy is glad she packed the bikes!!
Mommy had the chance to golf with an old friend at a Country Club down here and had a great time. We are looking forward to seeing Daddy tomorrow and spending the weekend with him. More later…
After leaving Tennessee we started to long trip through Alabama. Out of the seven hours we were in the car, 5 1/2 were in Alabama. It is one long state! The boys were pretty quiet during most of the trip, the long days and late nights visiting were finally catching up with them. Smallmonster was the only one who slept though it was right before we stopped for lunch.
We were all anxious to get to Florida so the stops were quick and right back into the van. We made it to Grandma and Grandpa’s house around 6 pm and were glad to be done driving! The jmonsters raced into the house before Mommy could turn off the van. Before long they were in the pool and were glad it was much warmer than it was in April. Overall a long trip and Mommy is pretty sure she won’t be doing it again! We are ready to enjoy our week in Florida…
