May 26, 2008

No Skateboards Or Video Games Today!


This morning, Dan and Alex, and I jumped in the jeep with great expectations of adventure, exploration, and deals of a lifetime which did not include skateboards and video games. O.k. we had to convinced Alex that it would be O.K. and he may be surprised what fun adventure awaits. He was alittle reluctant at first, but willingly got in the jeep after we announced we would be stopping at Walmart to get munchies later.So, we set out first to find "THE POP-UP" camper for our trip in July. Needless to say, after 5 different stops, yes, 5 different stops between 2 different counties, that "deal of a lifetime" apparently was not for us today. But that's o.k. We met a wonderful man who showed us some pretty awesome, way out of our league, top of the line pop-ups that even had Alex droooooooling over. He gave us some great tips on what to look for in quality,etc... when we find "the ONE". Over all, our day was not wasted. We had a relaxing time just hanging out with each other, and exploring. We were driving through Ocala, and a sign with a diving symbol caught my eye. It said "paradise springs". So, Dan graciously turned around and we drove back with great anticipation of what awaited us. O.k., maybe I was the only one, but I was trying to teach Alex that there are other things in life besides skateboarding and video games. We turned down the dirt road.Our jeep was filled with anticipation,excitement, where are we?,and can we PLEASE STOP AT THE OCALA SKATEPARK? Anyway, we drove over railroad tracks that were out in the middle no mans land, into an area occupied by some mobile homes, and horse farms. It was literally out in the middle of nowhere. We enjoyed the yard signs about their wildlife, and came to a house with a lawnchair positioned outside with a sign that read "register here". That seemed pretty strange to us for two reasons. #1. We were parked in the middle of someones yard. and #2. There was no water anywhere that could be seen. We did however see 2 divers with there gear getting ready to suit up when we first started down the driveway with the funny yard signs. So naturly we were quite puzzled when we "arrived" at "PARADISE SPRINGS" only to be greeted by a man and his son who appeared to have been swimming, but where...?


There was a tiny platform to the right of our vehicle. The man said we could go take a look, and there was... Paradise Springs. It looked small, but looks can be very deceiving. To the left, under the biggest elephant ear plants I have ever seen, was an orange marker in the water. You can't see it in the pictures, but underneath that marker was a 100 foot drop. When you get down there, there are several caverns. One particular cavern, if it was possible to drive a semi-truck down in that little blue hole, could occupy 10 full sized semi-trucks. Wow! The pictures really do not do it justice. The water was a beautiful shade of blue. The sign by the main highway was fixed onto their mailbox towards the ground. It was maybe 2 feet by 2 feet. I'm surprised I even saw it. I'm so glad we decided to turn around, and just go for it. Who knows what we'll find I told Alex. We could come across something no ones ever seen before, or at least not many people have ever heard of. That was our great adventure today.We did stop and look at some "MUSCLE" cars for the guys, and ate at Dan's FAVORITE chicken place...Popeye's.
This was a fun day. I believe Alex had a wonderful time too...even if he did have to spend...THE WHOLE DAY WITH HIS PARENTS...UGG!


May 15, 2008

Love Is In The Air



Who is that coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her beloved? Song of Solomon 8:5


My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand. His head is the finest gold;his locks are weavy, black as a raven. His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, bathed in milk, sitting beside a full pool. His cheeks are like beds of spices, mounds of sweet-smelling herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh. His arms are rods of gold, set with jewels. His body is polished ivory, bedecked with sapphires. His legs are alabaster columns, set on bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend...Song of Solomon 5:10-16

Wow! All this love talk, why? Well our friends are getting married in about 2 weeks, and I'm SOOOOO excited for them both. Nothing like a wedding to get the ole' mushie meter working overtime.
I just can't help it. I have to praise God for the man He has blessed me with as my husband. I'll refrain from letting you know the other names I like to call him. Anyway, in preparing for the upcoming wedding shower, yes, shopping, I came across a wonderful little book. Here are some of my favorite quotes:
Those who love deeply never grow old; they may die of old age, but they die young. -Sir Arthur Wing Pinero
The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer.-Oliver Wendell Holmes
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
The roses, candles, and love letters will one day be few and far between. When it comes to maintaining a happy marriage, friendship must outlive everything else.-Clint
Sensual pleasure passes and vanishes in the twinkling of an eye, but the friendship between us, the mutual confidence, the delights of the heart, the enchantment of the soul, these things do not perish and can never be destroyed. I shall love you until I die.-Francois-Marie Voltaire (1694-1778)
That about says it. Thanks for 20 wonderful years baby. Oh, one more thing. If someone asked how we've made it this far, I would have to say...COMMUNICATION. You have to communicate with each other, not at...if you know what I mean. Never forget the three powerful resources we all have available to us in our relationships: love, prayer, and forgiveness. Thank you Lord. And finally, remember that the quality of our relationship reflects the kind of care we give it. We can apply that to EVERY relationship in our lives, ESPECIALLY our relationship with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

May 9, 2008

Vacation...Let's go, NOW!!!!


Can anyone tell me where April went? It seems like May is flying by just as fast.
It's been very busy at work, and though I'm very grateful for the work, when it gets like this, all my days seem to just blend together, it's hard to keep track what the date is. Oh, well, on to more exciting things. Today is my day OFF. Yes, do the happy dance with me, I said TODAY IS MY DAY OFF!!!! YEPEEEEE!!!!! And, tonight, Haleigh is coming over for a sleepover. HOORAY! I'm SOOOOO very exicted.


Hubby has been VERY busy this week as well, Praise God. Needless to say, this week has been very exhausting for both of us, and I've been looking forward to spending the weekend doing nothing but lounging around with the family. A little relaxing would be nice too, however, I'm not sure it will happen this weekend as the laundry seems to have developed a voice and is constantly telling me its needs. UUGGGGG!



Dan and I are going to be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary this summer, and we have a few ideas about what to do, but I'd like to know others experiences. What is your most memorable vacation destination? and Why? So far we are going to go camping on Fernandina beach at Fort Clinch for 4 days and nights, YEAH! This is something I've always wanted to do. Right now it looks as if we are going to be sleeping in a tent in the middle of July. I'm VERY excited about this, however, Dan is really praying our finances turn around and we can purchase a pop-up camper before then with A/C. After that, we are pretty much open to whatever. We have a friend who has a house on the beach in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. He said we are more than welcomed to use it as long as we want.
AWESOME! Let me pack my bags and call me when the children have graduated from highschool. JUST KIDDING!!!!CALM DOWN!!!! All this vacation talk has the vacation bug biting me, and after this week, I'm ready for alittle R&R. Anyway, so far that's what's been floating around up in our heads. I applied for trail maintenance on the Appalachian Trail for July.And they accepted my application. As appealing to me as this sounded, Dan was not quite on board as I was. Actually, he was on a totally different boat all together. I thought it sounded wonderful. We combined both our passions into one vacation, and they provided our food,shelter, etc... all we needed to do was get ourselves to Virginia. We would leave headquarters, and get dropped off into the woods where we would HIKE to our camping destination. We would set up base camp there for 7 days and 6 nights, then during the day we would be carving out new trails that would connect to the Appalachian trail, and do some regular trail maintenance on the AT(hauling out logs, cutting down brush, etc...)you know, all that fun stuff people do on vacation. Alright, so it sounds like work, but the food, shelter, etc... provided was VERY appealing, and we both LOOOOOVVVVEEEE hiking and camping. But Dan said some other time, Just not in the summer in a tent.Oh, and there was no running water so i guess no shower maybe for days, but the river was there.Come on, that sounds like something a Maine mountain man would want to do, right? Farewell Appalachian Trail vacation, you'll have to wait till winter. Yes, winter. My husband, being from Maine, loves to hike and camp... IN A TENT IN 30 DEGREE WEATHER. BRRRRR. I would say it was because of his brain cells being exposed to all those years in Maine's frigid temperatures, but I have to admit... It's a passion we both enjoy doing together. For that, I consider myself VERY blessed to share with the man I love. Alright, I hear you, don't lose your lunch, i'm moving on... let me know if you have any ideas. Where's the neatest place you've EVER been? Even on family vacations when you were a kid. We would like to know. Until next time, this Gramzie is going to get ready for Haleigh bug. This time Poppop will have to hold me back. I wonder if Haleigh likes smores? YUMMMY!!!!!