Baby sister had some tricks up her sleeve...

Last night, Stevie called me from the airport, she was waiting for her return flight into Louisville. I wasn't suprised that she called me, she and Andrew had been in California for a few days, so I thought she was calling to tell me about their trip. Boy, was I suprised when she said, "So, I'm coming home a married woman!"...I thought she was joking. They had just gotten engaged in May. I didn't think they were in any hurry to get married, yadda yadda. I asked, "Are you serious?" to which she said, "Yes! Andrew and I got married last Friday on a sailboat in San Diego!"
So, I now have two new brother-in-laws! I knew Stevie and Andrew wouldn't have the big, over-the-top church wedding that Kasey and Mark had, that's just not them. And, I knew they wanted something small, I just didn't think they'd elope while on vacation.

I'm ready for another trip to the lake

I'm ready for another vacation! Our trip to Georgia was wonderful. I loved seeing Hank and Betsy together. The last time they saw each other was in 2005, when we were moving home to KY from GA. They were 14 months old. I know they don't remember each other, they've just heard stories and seen pictures, but they picked up and played like they've been side by side from day one. It was sweet. I wish we could have more time to visit. Next time, I'll have to plan things out more in advance.
We got to the houseboat late Friday afternoon, and stayed there until Monday. It was heavenly! We went to Hartwell Lake which is on the GA/SC border. Mike and Susie keep the houseboat docked there, and I loved it. I have never seen a prettier lake. The weather was perfect. Not overly hot, not humid. A nice breeze would blow. The sunsets were goregous. I couldn't catch a sunrise, it came up from the opposite side of the cove. The cove we docked at was calm and peaceful. The sun was shining, the water was cool and clean, and everyone had a great time! I wish I was back there now. Hank and the boys had fun on the slide. There's no telling how many times Hank slid down. The boys would lay a raft at the end of the slide, and the goal was to slide through the hole for your feet. Hank went through it almost every time, and he'd pop up and say, "Hole in One!"...it was funny. We heard "Hole in One!" a lot over the weekend. He was a huge fan of the jetski. And, PJ tried his hand at skiing. He didn't make it up, but he did really well considering it was his first time. Austin was content to chill out and relax all weekend. So was I. I took my book, my beach towel, and I found the top deck of the houseboat the perfect place to soak up the sun.
One of the best parts of the weekend was watching 4th of July fireworks from the lake. A man that lives on the lake does a huge fireworks show every year, and all the boats will make their way into this huge cove to see the show. It was incredible. As much as I love the patriotic music, it was nice to see a fireworks show that was just fireworks and no music. There was close to 300 boats all sitting on the lake watching the fireworks. It was a neat experience to see.
We swam, we ate, we jet-skiied, we took the little boat out, we sat in the sun, we played Uno, and just hung out as a family. It was a wonderful few days. I'm ready to go again!

"I said Georgia, Ooooooh Georgia......"

Yes, I'm singing a little Ray Charles this morning. I'm heading to Georgia in just a few short hours, and I'm very excited. Georgia will always be my second-home. I spent a combined eight years living there, two of my very best friends still live there, and I'm just happy to go back and visit.
The last time I was there was 2008. I went to see my Trish, and we spent the weekend on the beach. It was a wonderful girls weekend. This trip, is a family trip. It will be the first family trip to Georgia since we moved back from there in 2005.
Our first stop is in Columbus to see Laurie, Hunter and Betsy! I can't wait to see Hank and Betsy together again. They don't remember all the time they spent together as babies, obviously. But, they were together a lot. Laurie and I would back the babies up and do whatever struck us that day. We'd go to the park, or the pool, but our typical outings involved, what else? Shopping! We'd load the kiddos in the strollers, and make our way through the mall, TJ Maxx or Columbus Crossing. I've joked many times that the best thing I could have ever done for both our bank accounts was to move away! Laurie and I were some shopping fools! And, there rode Hank and Bets, eating Puffs, and sharing sippy cups. We planned their birthdays together, and even made their wedding plans! So, after all this time, the Hank and Betsy reunion should be a lot of fun. And, of course, I can't wait to see Laurie! And, yes, Hunter, too. He and Joe can talk Army talk all night. That's fine by me. Laurie and I will have more important things to talk about--like celebrity gossip, who has what on sale, and whatever else comes up.
Our second Georgia adventure is one that my boys have been looking forward to for months. We're going to stay on Uncle Mike's houseboat. Hank has talked about this since the beginning of the year. And, I think the big boys are just as excited. It's going to be a great weekend hanging out on the boat, soaking up the sun, and watching the boys make fools of themselves. Hank has already decided that he is big enough to jump off the top deck of the boat. And, I'm sure he will. The thing about the 'boys' on Joe's side of the family is that they all feed off each other. So, whatever Uncle Mike, or Cousin Luke do, my boys are going to do it also. It's a classic case of Monkey See, Monkey Do! I'm looking forward to working on my tan, and catching up on some magazines that have been piling up.

"Oooooh, Georgia........"