Still Standing

Week one of vacation is done. Mackinaw Island was so much fun. Matthew had a blast at camp. Off to Detroit tomorrow morning:)

Michigan Time

Off to Michigan for 3 weeks. Hopefully I will have access to a computer!!

Gaga-fest

Lady Gaga in concert. January 2010

Miss Lady Gaga will be in STL tomorrow night and guess who will be front and center!! Because I am leaving Sunday morning for 3 weeks, I decided on my last night, I need to go out with a bang. My friends and I are checking into a hotel downtown tomorrow and spending the afternoon lounging pool side, no kids and with adult beverages!! I saw her in January and her concert was amazing!! My husband just laughs and tells me that we are going to be the old moms at a teeny bopper concert. I think he is just jealous. I told him I will be thinking of him, at home, with all 3 kids!!

Lazy day

I should be doing this today,
But instead I am doing this!

My Trip Begins at Michigan.org

So this Sunday I am packing up and heading out to Michigan for 3 weeks. That is a very long time to be away from the comforts of my own home, my husband, and to be with my kids and no babysitter. The first week I am dropping my son and his friend off at overnight camp for a week in Holland, Michigan. While the boys are at camp I am meeting up with my sister, who lives in Detroit, and we are taking my girls to Mackinac Island. I am so excited for this. The last time I was at Mackinac I was a child. For those of you that are not familiar with Mackinac, this is an Island in upper Michigan that is a throwback to the olden days. There are no cars on the island. You get around by bike, horse and carriage, or your 2 feet. We have our bikes rented, tickets to the butterfly house, and some dinner reservations made. Right now pedaling around an island with an 18 month old baby in a trailer sounds just fine, I really hope these positive thoughts are flowing freely in my mind as I am actually doing it!

After I pick my son up from camp we are off to Detroit to spend a week with my sister and brother in law. They live on a lake and have a boat, which is great for the older kids but makes me a little nervous for my baby. My husband will fly up to Detroit at the end of the week and spend 2 days with us, then we all head back to Holland and spend week #3 with my in-laws . My in-laws live on Lake Michigan, again lake panic. I love spending a week in Holland, my brother/sister in law come over from Chicago, my other brother in law comes down from NYC and my sister/brother in law and their 4 girls live in Holland. It is pure gluttony with all the food and alcohol consumption!!

Mackinac Island
Main Street, Mackinac Island

Howdy Folks!!

My family at Silver Dollar City.
Scarlett enjoying a boat ride.
Libby being too cool!
Captain Matt.

That is the universal greeting at Silver Dollar City, "howdy folks!" We had a great weekend with most of my family. One of my sisters, and my brother could not make it down for all the fun. Thursday evening just the adults saw Cirque Montage, which is basically a Cirque de Soleil. I honestly think some of the acrobats had a few ribs removed to bend the way they did. It hurt just watching them move!!

Friday was our all day marathon at Silver Dollar City. We had a blast, between the shows, roller coasters and funnel cakes, it was a busy day. Friday night after all the kiddos were tucked in bed we enjoyed some cocktails pool side and just laughed and laughed.

Saturday was another marathon day, yet this one was on the lake. We took the boat out and went swimming, tubing, and floating for about 7 hours. Saturday night we had a great steak and red wine dinner poolside.

Sunday it was time to pack up and say goodbye to another perfect summer weekend. I will be back in December with my kids for a "Silver Dollar City Christmas!"

2 Awards!!

I should go out of town more often, I got home to find that I have 2 awards!! Yeah, I am really excited. Thank you, thank you to Cool Gal at It's the World I know and to Miss Southern prep at Preppy Southerner. Basically I need to share unknown facts about myself....so here goes!

1. I have 3 sisters, one of my sisters is adopted from Vietnam.

2. I have 1 brother, he is adopted from Korea. (My dad was in the Navy many years ago and he saw so many orphans overseas and knew he would adopt some)

3. My senior year of college I was on student council to fluff up my resume and I ended up on the committee that sponsored concerts. We had the Blues Travelers come and I got to hang out with John Popper all day and run silly little errands for him.

4. I have lived in Paris.

5. I taught for 6 years, I had no education degree and my first day of teaching was the first time I stepped foot in the classroom (as a teacher) I was told I was a great teacher and I did go on and get my certification.

I am supposed to tag 10 people but I am a new blogger and I think that maybe only like 8 people actually read this bog, so I guess I will tag all 8 of you:)

Road Trip

We are hitting the road bright and early tomorrow to go hang with the hillbillies of Silver Dollar City. Have a beautiful weekend everyone!!

So Excited!

Me and my sister, Jessica, on her wedding day. June 17, 2006

My sister will be here in just a couple of hours!!

Family, Friends, and Fireworks

Last game of the season.


My kids before we head out for a bar b que.
Me and my girls.
Time to catch a show, maybe Dolly Parton this year.
See what I mean, "the Vegas of the mid-west".

One of the rides at Silver Dollar City.
Boating on Table Rock Lake.
Ripley's Museum.
My sisters and I last time we were together (Christmas 2009) being very silly after many glasses of wine:)

Between baseball games, parades, fireworks, bar b ques, and Christmas tree burnings it was officially a busy weekend. I have about 2 hours for relaxation then it is time to get ready for this week. My sister and her husband are coming in town on Tuesday, then Thursday morning my whole family is off to Branson for a long weekend.

They say that Branson is the Vegas of the midwest, um yeah, Vegas minus the casinos, pretty people, and celebrities. Seriously, Branson is fun and my kids love it. We will see a show, go to Silver Dollar City, which is an amusement park run by people dressed like just walked off the set of "Little House on the Prairie", and then spend a day on the lake. If there is time we will hit my husband's all time favorite spot "Ripleys Believe it or Not" museum. I am just excited to be hanging out with my sisters!

God Bless America

The tree burn from last year. July 4, 2009

This week, like the summer, has just flown by!! Today is officially our last "girls day" because tomorrow morning we go and pick up our son. I am so excited to see him, I really missed him. We will just have a lazy day at the pool today, I had a late girls night out last night with my friends so I am a little tired. You know those babies are like alarm clocks, they wake up at the exact same time everyday. (around here it is 6am) They don't care how tired their moms are!!

Our 4th of July will be a fun day. We have a little neighborhood parade which I am excited for, this is our first 4th of July in our new home. After the parade we will go to our pool for a party then off to some friends for a bar b que and some fireworks. My night always ends the same way. One of our friends collects everyone's Christmas tree in January, stores them in their yard, then on the 4th we burn the trees in the street. I know it is silly and probably pretty dangerous but the 4th just wouldn't be the same without the Christmas tree burn!

I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday.