Hidden Valley

Isaac and I spent the day at the Davis' camp ground on Tuesday. It was a great day. The kids rode around on the bikes, blew bubbles, and swam while Dee and I spent some time catching up. Their campsite is so peaceful and relaxing with a lot of shade and a nice breeze. I didn't realize how much fun it could be to ride around in a golf cart! It's like a whole other world there. Everyone has a campsite that they've decorated and made their own. Most people own a golf cart and ride around with big smiles on their faces. They're smiling because they've left their phones, washers/dryers, and bills at home. They have nothing left to do but enjoy. I now understand why my good friend, Dee, built a brand new house and spends most of her time in the summer in a camper. I get it now.

Thanks for checking in.

Diann

Moving...month

At the end of this past school year, a member of my department (and good friend) retired. That left an available room. We decided to switch the rooms around. Yesterday Donna and I and our kids spent about 4 hours moving materials from one room to another. These pictures show the results of our labor. Every piece of material that was in my old room is now all over the new room. The saying, "It will get worse before it gets better" sure holds true here. I will eventually get all of this stuff put away and have a nice new space that has been organized and cleaned. In the meantime, I think I'll be spending a lot of time at the school. I'll try to remember to take some "after" pictures to post here. Don't expect them for a little while. This will take some time!

Thanks for checking in.

Diann

Happy 4th

We had a good 4th of July. Roy started putting the replacement windows in the house and we had some "little" fireworks at the house at night. Mom, Dad, BoBo, Dan, and Megan came to watch. Isaac was so excited about the $15 box of fireworks that he insisted that everyone come to watch. Oh the simplicity of being a kid.

The town of Lime Ridge was really in the patriotic spirit. There were at least 3 families shooting off REAL fireworks. We were surrounded. It was great. It was so loud, that when my sister, Bonnie (AKA BoBo) got out of her car to run to my porch, a stray dog jumped into her car and went to the back seat to cuddle with Megan. They couldn't get the dog to come out and they couldn't find the owners. So, they ended up taking the dog home for the night. They eventually found the owners the next morning and returned Chester.

On the fifth, everyone went to the cabin (except Roy who stayed home to work on windows). Grammy bought more fireworks, but to get them the kids had to do a scavenger hunt. The fireworks were hidden in Grammy Zoe's basket on her walker. The kids did a little "victory" dance when they found them. Isaac, Carson, and Maddie had fun lighting the fireworks while Uncle Bill did a good job letting Isaac handle the lighter. He was handy with his water bucket and a lot of direction. We toasted Dad with rootbeer floats. It's been 6 months since his heart attack and bypass surgery. I guess his cardiologist would rather him toast with rootbeer and vanilla ice cream than the traditional toasting beverages (?).

It was a good two days, although I must say I'm a little disappointed in my family's reaction to my watermelon. So what that it was yellow instead of red. So what if Kelly's red watermelon was sweeter. It's time to break out of the ruts, you guys. Try something new.

Thanks for checking in.

Diann

How Dumb

If there were a picture to put with this post it would be of a dunce hat. Today I took my medicines twice within an hour of each other. That means I took 2 blood pressure medicines. The second dose was in the car and as soon as I swallowed the pills I realized what I had done. I had Isaac in the car with me, so I had to keep my panic on the inside while I tried to call the doctor and find out how much I should worry.

Have you ever called the doctor only to get voicemail? Irritating, isn't it? Luckily, my mom works at a nursing home and is surrounded by nurses. I called her next and was told that I should be careful the rest of the day. I turned the car around and went home. My pharmacist told me that I could possibly pass out and feel dizzy most of the day. So, I hung out around the house. I felt tired and a little "disconnected", but I was fine. I'm feeling fine now - other than feeling a little stupid.

I plan on buying one of those pill boxes that "older people" use. If that doesn't work, I'll get a wristwatch with a little alarm that beeps when it's time to take my medication. If that doesn't work, I'm going right to the personal care nurse!

Thanks for checking in
Diann

Williamsburg - Part 3

This was the last full day of our vacation at Jamestown Settlement. It's there that they have replicas of the ships and an Indian village as well as the fort at Jamestown. It was very hot that day - over 100 degrees - and I think we had all had enough history for one week. The boys enjoyed the Indian village and playing with the live chickens in the fort.

We spent a lot of time in the pool this day and every day. It was a nice balance of history, swimming, and relaxing. The hotel was great - 3 rooms total with 3 bathrooms. The boys had their own space and we had a common room that lead out to the pool. All-in-all a great time.

I hope you've enjoyed the little synopsis of our travels. Keep checking in. I'm sure things will stay interesting around here!

Diann

Williamsburg - Part 2

Okay, today I'll share details about the actual trip to Williamsburg. The first day there, we went to historical Williamsburg. The kids got into the spirit of the place. The first picture shows Isaac and Chris getting ready to be "tarred and feathered". Look at the top of the picture. This was one form of public punishment back in the day. The stocks were another. Mom and I left the boys there a little bit while we checked out the town. (just kidding) Isaac really enjoyed the shop where you could buy authentic hats and rent costumes to wear around town. Except for the Adidas t-shirt, he has the look down. From stocks to soldier.

On Wednesday, we went for a sailboat ride on the Potomac River. It took some convincing before Mom would agree to go. I had to call the place and make sure that there would be no chance of seasickness. Except for a near heatstroke while waiting to board the schooner, Mom did great. She really enjoyed it. Both Mom and I thought it was the best part of the trip.

This picture proves that Mom did okay on the schooner. She was chatting up the captain (Captain Greg) the whole time. He gave us a lot of information. Isaac took a turn steering. We ended up going in circles and the Coast Guard eventually had to come rescue us. (just kidding - again)

I think I'll post more details later. I don't have the hang of the spacing and the entering pictures yet. It's a little frustrating. I can only tackle it in small batches. Come back again soon for more information.

Thanks for checking in.

Diann