Trip to Tennessee for Christmas

On December 24th we drove up from Daytona Beach to Granny and Papas in Morristown, TN.

This was Brock's first Christmas with our family. He listened to our Christmas eve stories and he didn't sneak off the middle of the night!

White Water Rafting with the Troop 31619 (Girl Scouts)- August 2014

Our trip with the Girl Scouts was amazing.  On Saturday, we spent the morning playing some team-building games and swinging on a tree swing, that was lots of fun.  After lunch, we rafted with our amazing guides.  The rafting trip was really fun and some girls jumped into the water and swam in the calmer areas.  

On Sunday, we drove to our rock climbing area, where we repelled down rocks, climbed cracks and hiked.  The girls were very tired and were not sure if they wanted to hike in the canyon, but many of them said after that hike, that the canyon walk was wonderful and worth it.  The canyon had water in it, so the hike was going in and out of the water and the view was just amazing.

It was a great experience- Sleeping under the stars, without tents, having great friends, 2 camp fires with Smore's, lots of singing of High School Musical and Disney songs (poor, poor,Jason, our guide!), great sky with millions of stars and NO street lights or noise pollution.  I have never heard such a silence in the middle of the night!  It was so peaceful!   

I have to say that the people of Rock N Water did an amazing job!  The food was fresh and nutritious and they spent lots of time with us, even during playtime, or campfire (Did I mention poor, poor, Jason and our singing?).  Jason was our "big brother" and we had also Creg, Colin, Norm and Kailie (sorry, I am probably misspelling all names here), all taking care of us to have water, helmets, harnesses etc.  I would highly recommend this company to all!

This was a great outing!  Really by far, my favorite!

Thanksgiving 2014 in Indiana with Granny and Papa

We had a wonderful time in Indiana.

First, I had a surprise when my husband took me on a Romantic getaway to…French Lick!  Yeah, just the name itself make your imagination run, knowing the French romantic inclinations…

It is a beautiful place in Indiana, where they used to have medicinal springs (yes, a lick refers to these springs and to animals who came by to lick water and precious minerals there).  People were prescribed a diet, exercise and drinks from the Springs and the area became a highly-sought after retreat.  The springs are not in use anymore, but the area still provides rest and recreation for people. 

To get there, we drove through Nashville, Indiana, where we stopped for pizza, cheese and chocolate.  Arriving at the French Lick area, we got a beautiful room at the French Lick hotel.  We had dinner at the Power Bar, breakfast at their buffet and just a very restful time.  We took a tour of the hotel, which now houses a casino, restaurants, stores, stables, pools, spa and a bowling alley and was setting up for a big Thanksgiving weekend.  Coming before the actual holiday, we missed all the crowds, as well as all the special activities for the holiday, but we had lots of time to talk to each other and catch up!  I really needed that time with Doug!

The vacation with Doug's family was wonderful as well.  Lots of good food and good company.  The kids ran board games with Doug and his Dad and also saw "Interstellar" at the theaters (they went to the movie when Doug and I were in French Lick).  We all saw the Penguins of Madagascar (#3? #4?  Who knows?) as a family.  

Another great outing was when we drove to meet Ella-Marie and her Fiance, Brock at the Beef House Restaurant.  Ella-Marie will graduate this year and decided to get married at the same time and on the same weekend.  It was nice to meet with her again and to see her fiance for the first time.