Myrtle Beach or bust!!

We spent the first week of August road-tripping to Myrtle Beach with the Hanbys for one last hoorah before the summer is over. What a great vacation it was!! There were LOTS of hours spent on the road just getting there and back, but we definitely made the most of it. Our first stop was for BBQ at Rendezvous in Memphis. YUM!!

Then we ventured on to the Opryland hotel in Nashville for the night. It's such an awesome place! We didn't even come close to seeing it all in the short time we were there, so we're looking forward to a return trip when we'll have more time. The girls all took a boat ride through the middle of it....

And Jake found the one thing he was looking for - a new flag!!

Payton holding up the "statue man"

And the girls learning a line dance. They know how to cut a rug!!

Our most favorite thing to do on this trip was EAT! And we ate WELL! Let's see....there was Rendezvous, Liberty, Landry's, Joe's Crab Shack, Key West Grill, Hard Rock Cafe and here we are at Senor Frogs for Jake's 11th birthday. Yeah....the scales were not kind when we got back home....

There was a complex right down from our hotel called Broadway at the Beach, and this is where we ended up every single night! The kids LOVED the rides....

Yeah, even this big kid.

And I use the term "loved" loosely....

Ahhh, the beach....besides the one day of rain, we had fabulous weather. And Myrtle Beach was PACKED!!

So...... I was so sad when it was over, but so thankful for the memories!! We knew after spending 8 days with the Hanbys during the ice storm this winter that we all wanted to spend another week together under better circumstances, and these definitely were! Now, it's time to plan the next vacation.....

What happens in Vegas.....

To be honest, it wasn't THAT exciting....ha!! But, it definitely was a good time! You all know that Scott and I prefer to take trips with other people, but it was good to have a long weekend with just the 2 of us and no plan or agenda to follow. We stayed out late, slept in, ate over-priced food, gambled away $23, saw the amazing "Mystere", layed out by the pool, met some very interesting people, and believe it or not...neither of us exercised for 3 whole days!! I say we layed out....the majority of time was spent standing in the pool since it was in the 110's the entire time we were there! It was hot, no doubt, but no humidity makes such a big difference!! I would move out west in a heartbeat if it wasn't for their lack of sweet tea....

Dinner at the Voo Doo. Nothing beats a good steak!

Ok, we know how tacky it was of us to take this poor man's picture, but.....HIS LEGS WERE SHAVED SLICK!! What is the thought process there???

No caption required.

Hannah Who???

Yeah, forget Hannah Montana, The Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift....we wanted the girls' very first concert experience to be with musicians who were actually old enough to drive. So, when I found out that Gavin DeGraw was going to be as close as Tulsa, OK, I knew it was time for a roadtrip. It just happened to be bonus that Collective Soul was also playing (brought back many memories since they were big when I was in high school), and on top of that, the opener was a band called Green River Ordinance, and they were FANTASTIC! The look on the girls' faces when the music started was priceless. I think it was excitement mixed with, "Boy, this is loud." They were true champs, and we could tell that they genuinely enjoyed it. Until about 10:30, anyway.... They started fading fast before Gavin was finished, but 3 and 1/2 hours is a loooooong time to be on your feet and half-deaf! I think it's definitely an experience the girls will always remember, either as "We had really cool parents that took us to a rock concert" or "What in the world were they thinking???".

Nine is so fine!!

So, here we are at another birthday post. I know I only do them twice a year, but it feels like I'm doing one every other month! Where does the time go??

Payton turned NINE a few days ago and decided to spend her special day with her sister and her good friend, Meghan. First stop - Different Strokes to paint pottery, and since there were only 3 of them, I let them pick what they painted. Payton picked a plate, Meghan a unicorn bank, and Holland a fun bowl.

Then it was back home to decorate cupcakes.

I think these girls should go into business!!

Then, to Red Robin. Payton picked it for their "steak fries". They got the entire wait staff together to sing "Happy Birthday", and she also got a sweet sundae out of the deal! Look at how red she is (but, she said the ice cream was worth the embarrassment)!

Here's her impatient face.....

And then the big finale to a great day! What a kid!

Father's Day

He didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. - Clarence Budington Kelland