On the Road Again...

You may remember that I posted a while back about my dear fil having hip replacement surgery...well he was never able to return to living alone at his home. He has been living with his daughter and her family. She (and her family) have gone on a short vacation for a few days, so we drove to Alabama to stay with him. We've had a nice visit, and my sil will be back today.

My dh decided to combine this trip with a business trip he had to make anyway. So my neice came up to stay with fil and my kids, and I came on this trip with dh to corporate offices in Birmingham, Alabama for two days. I'm enjoying my time alone with dh, but I sure do miss my kids. Will be glad to see them tomorrow ;) I went out to sit by the pool to read, but all I could think of was how much fun my kids would have in the pool if they were with us. Sad, I know, but dh is not here with me during the day and I can't help but think about my kids.

Our Beach Vacation

We are back, and I am missing the beach already! My family loves the beach and we usually choose a beach vacation each year. Sometimes we go other places on vacation, but usually it's the beach.

My husband loves to go to different beaches, and this year he found a place for us to rent for the week at a place called Indian Shores, Florida. It's between Clearwater and St. Pete Beach, in the Tampa Bay area. It was so nice.

I love everything about the beach...playing in the ocean, snorkeling, searching for shells, building sand castles (as well as other creations from sand), sitting under a big umbrella reading a good book, feeling the breeze on my face and the sand under my toes, watching the beautiful sunsets. I love sitting on the balcony at night, listening to the waves crashing on the shore...so peaceful. Yep, I'd love to retire to a little place on the beach some day :)

Of course, I really love all of God's great creation. From listening to the waves crashing on the ocean shore to seeing beautiful mountains ablaze with color in the fall to just sitting in my own backyard in the evenings listening to the crickets chirping, I enjoy it all. Isn't He grand to share all this beauty with us? And shouldn't we be so grateful? He is so good!

Independence Day Celebration

Our July 4th celebration lasted all weekend long.... on Friday, we bought a few "little" fireworks to do at home. We always have fun...even if they are not the big magnificent ones that we see at fireworks shows!

On Saturday, the 4th, we played outside (well, first we did alot of yard work...trimming shrubbery, etc.) Then dear hubby grilled out for us...yum! The puppies enjoyed a leftover bone from our meal!

We went to see the "big" fireworks display...fun! Here we are waiting for the show to begin...

Watching the fireworks....

And on Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed our time at our church's annual picnic at the lake....and there was much fun to be had by all...from swimming in the lake to watching the kids from the shore or the dock...from riding in the boats to riding the jet skis...from tubing to skiing. And of course, there was all the great food!

Of course, we had a great time. And this weekend is certainly a reminder of how blessed we are to live in a nation where we have so many freedoms...especially the freedom to worship the One, True God in a right and proper manner. And may we always remember those who gave their lives to ensure that we live in a free nation. While we owe our forefathers and the service men and women a debt that can never be repaid, may we never forget the One who gave His life to truly liberate us from darkness. How grateful I am to be blessed so abundantly by a God who loves so greatly!

Blessings!

New Puppies

Well, I can't believe we've already acquired another dog this
soon...two actually! Puppies!! We said we were not going to get
another dog right away. Funny how puppies have a way of making
you change your mind (lol)! They are just too darn cute!!

We were at our pastor's house last night for the youth bible study.
In the summer, our youth pastor has bible study at various church members' homes...he teaches the lesson, then everyone eats and
swims. Anyway, our pastor's wife was showing us the puppies that her dog (which was not supposed to be able to have puppies) gave birth to. They are a Lab/Setter mix. Their dad is a black Labrador Retriever with some brown markings on his face, and their mom is a white Llewellin Setter with brown markings on her body. The puppies are just beautiful! They look more like the Lab, but they do have some features of the Setter. They should make awesome hunting dogs! But we don't bird hunt (not enough to train dogs, anyway).


So...how did we end up with two new puppies??? Glad you asked!
She's trying to place them in homes because they already have
three dogs and can't keep seven puppies. And her husband says
they have to go! Of course I can't say no to such cute little faces!!
So my daughter and I picked out two little fellas and off to home we
went with them. In this case, I felt that it would be easier to ask
forgiveness rather than permission from dear hubby...after all, he
wasn't there to be won over by their cute little puppy-dog faces.

When he saw them he said, "Honeeeyyy......." and I said, "I know,
I know, but I had to rescue them! They said the puppies that
didn't go to a home were going somewhere!" And of course, it was
only a matter of minutes until he was completely won over by
their cute little puppy-dog faces, not to mention their cute little
puppy-dog antics.

They did very well for the first night away from their family.
That's why I wanted two puppies. It has been my experience that,
when taken away from their families, puppies do better if they
have a sibling. We put them in the laundry room for the night,
with a baby gate separating them from the kitchen. They did
really well. We didn't hear them cry at all during the night.

So, although we had no intentions of replacing Scamp right away
(we really can't replace him), our two new additions, Maverick and
Rascal, are helping to ease the pain of losing him. We are glad that
God brought these precious little pups into our lives!