Aberdeen, Scotland Part 1

Yes, I do know that we made that trip in January... but it's better late than never! :)

** Be warned... it may sound like I am moaning and griping about this trip... but I REALLY am not! I actually found it quite amusing that we had such bad luck along the way! We laughed about it the whole time... okay, well maybe not the whole time... but we do plan to go back one day!

So, here is what we learned in Scotland... don't go between October- April. Due to the bad weather they shut down all the attractions including VISITOR INFORMATION! We found their office and there was a little sign on the door "Returning April 2011". How sweet! :) It was 10 degrees warmer in Scotland than it was in Florida when we left home! We came with waterproof shoes and all the under armer we could carry in our suit cases and didn't really need it. lol! Oh well! Better safe than sorry! :)

So, we show up for Robert's school and guess what?? Twin beds... Twin beds with a night stand BOLTED TO THE WALL in between. Isn't that precious?! And they apparently don't use ice in their drinks because the hotel didn't even own a single ice bucket... I got the metal bucket every night (This is the good one, it actually looks like a wine holder or something... the first one was more of a janitor looking bucket. LOL!) No ice machine... So I had to bug the poor people at the front desk to bring it to me... every... single... night... bless them. I bet they were happy when we checked out!

The days were short so Robert left before sun up and didn't get back until after sun down but me and another Shan, another wife, decided to do the only thing we could in these circumstances... shop! :)

 We have TJ Maxx.. They have TK Maxx

 Of course Starbucks is universal...

 

Super cool! At least I got to hear and see a REAL bag pipe being played.

Queens Bridge

They were sandblasting the college. So pretty! It was glistening in the sun with all the granite!

Found a Maritime Museum with this model in it. Pretty fitting for our trip!



Shan and I quickly discovered that our taste buds were not accustomed to the local flavors... so the night the boys wanted to venture out of the hotel to find food instead of eating in... guess where we went???

TGIF's! :) The waitress gave me a menu and a pin to take back to my sister who is a fellow TGIF employee and I thought that was really sweet until we started to leave and she told me I had to hide it under my shirt... hmmm....

Stay tuned for more... Who knows when I'll get around to posting again. Could be tomorrow...could be next year! :) Goodnight!

Busy Busy Busy

Lately things have been so busy that I haven't even had time to get the pictures off the camera! If it's not been shot with my phone and then send to facebook, it just hasn't gotten done! LOL!
That is sad, but it's life also! Does anyone else feel like you are just running in circles? Good productive circles, mind you... but still circles!
I love being a mommy and a wife!
I catch myself thinking, "oh, I need to blog this"... but I never get the time to sit down and actually do it!

So, I will just start where I am and move forward while backing up! What??
Simply put, I plan to keep moving forward with my blogging efforts while taking extra time (ha ha ha) To back track here and there over what I've missed! Wish me luck!


In that spirit, here are some photos of what Ashleigh and I did yesterday! We had a great time at the Roy Hyatt Environmental Center with her 2nd grade class! So hard to believe that she will be in 3rd grade next year! (Even harder to believe that I will have 3 middle schoolers... but this is about Ashleigh!)

We learned about the sea life and how that beautiful sand comes from rocks and crystals being beaten by the wind and waves. And about all the beach creatures and how they contribute the the enviroment.

Then we took a scavanger walk on the nature trail identifying different plants and animals.

God has truely blessed us with so many beautiful things in nature. It is refreshing to stop and look around and just thank him for all of it. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the go, go, go of everyday life that we take for granted all the "little" things in life! Stop and kiss your babies no matter how old they are or where they are in life. Because time is not stopping for any man.

Britt's 5th Grade Field Trip

For their 5th grade field trip we took off for The Mobile Explorium and The Dolphin Island Sea Lab. It was a very fun filled day with lots of clowning around!

Ballerina?? Maybe not so much! :)

In front of the GIANT heart.

Horse Shoe Crab in the touch pool

I think she caught something here... not too sure!

Cheese!

Some of the 5th graders enjoying the outdoor section of the Sea Lab.

Brittanie's 5th grade year

Hard to believe that my first born is going to middle school next year! Just doesn't seem like it should be so soon. However, as each day goes by and I look at the beautiful young person she is turning into, I do realize that this is just part of life! Robert calls her butterfly... I can't think of a better name for her!

Citizenship!

Singing "There You'll Be"-- Faith Hill. Yes, I cried like a baby!

Mamaw, Me, Justin, Britt and PawPaw John after the ceremony.

Britt-Britt and Tay-Tay... soul sista's!

Ta and Britt getting ready for the Luah

5th grade Talent Show. Singing "Baby"-- Justin Beiber

Relay for life... Spiderman with the silly string! LOL!

Christmas party... nobody likes to have their picture taken with their mom in front of their friends... but she did it... reluctantly! LOL!

She played 2nd base this year. This was her 1st year of softball. She went from T-Ball to Minor League Baseball and then took a year or two off!

5th grade walk was emotional for her as she leaves to go to middle school because she knows that the kids are not all going to the same schools. This picture was on North Escambia's website and it made Robert and I both cry when we saw it from out of town.

God bless my child and guide her through these years and into adulthood. Help me to be what she needs me to be, in order for her to grow into the beautiful person you have called her to be! Amen.

Ashleigh's 1st Grade Year at a glance

Time sure does fly! It feels like she just started Kindergarten and here she is finishing up her 1st grade year. God has blessed me with some sweet sweet babies!

Ashleigh getting her 1st grade awards

Relay for Life

Making water globes and end of the year crafts!

Singing at Church for Easter

Christmas Party

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Ashleigh's Grandparents Breakfast with Mamaw and Gran Cindy

Trying to win candy out of Gran Cindy's machine

@ the skating rink with the other Hannah R.

She was a Vampire Queen for Halloween

Cheerleading (she was crying in this picture because they didn't win 1st place! LOL!)

At our school Carnival with the Fire Dog

Hannah's Kindergarten year at a glance

My baby is getting so big! I can't believe that she is graduating Kindergarten! Seems like just yesterday I walked her to class!

I was there to see my Hannah graduate from Kindergarten! She's so excited!!

But missed water play day! They had a blast!

Yummy water melon!

Getting ready for the Relay for Life Parade. Underdogs

Grandparents Breakfast With Gran Cindy and Mamaw

3 of a Kind play. She was one of the 3 Billy Goat's Gruff

@ her Christmas Party together!

@ the Corn Maze

Of course she was Tinkerbell for Halloween!

My little Cheerleader

I had the privilege to coach this group of girls and they are amazing! We took 2nd place!