Sitting Under the Stars with Fireflies

 

Yes, that is exactly how we spent our 4^th of July weekend this year. We went to Indianapolis and we had a great time with Matt’s family. We did the usual, eat hot dogs, cheeseburgers, rode jet skis, made smores and  listened to good ole oldies music.

We were able to sit around at the pool for three days and not do anything. It was great! 

There was a boat parade over the river on the 4th of July. Everyone in the neighborhood gets to show their patriotism and spirit by decorating their boats. The theme of this year was M*A*S*H.

Later that night we watch the kids play with their sparklers and then we headed to the river deck and watched the fireworks. What I loved the most was sitting there in silence seeing the fireworks over the calm water and then looking around and seeing the fireflies. It was priceless!

It was great to spend time with family, especially now that we have a little nephew on the way. Matt’s sister Jessica is pregnant. We are so excited for her and Josh.

The following week Matt had a week vacation, so we decided to rent a car when we came back from Indy and head to upstate New York.  My poor husband is going crazy in the City. He is definitely a Southern boy and loves to be outdoors. 

 

I have to say we were a little disappointed with the view from the U.S. side of the falls. The Canada side was much more beautiful. 

We crossed the bridge from the U.S side to the Canadian side. Matt was quite excited to be in Canada. 

On the border of U.S & Canada. When we got to the falls the weather was snot pleasant. First it started raining then the sun came out and we saw a rainbow right by the waterfalls. It was amazing. This was the first time Matt had seen a complete rainbow. 

We walked the rest the night and waited for the light show over the falls. 

 

Canada was fun but the I have to say the rest of our trip around upstate New York got even better the following days. I think I've come to love farms and ice cream shops. Will post more pics of the rest of our trip later.

Home

This past week I went home to Florida to spend a much needed time with my family. I miss them terribly and I hate coming back to my normal life away from them. It's so hard for me to be away from my little sisters, they are the world to me and in many ways they are like my own kids. I didn't take many pictures of my trip. I think I am having a love and hate relationship with my camera.

My sister Michelle asked me to take some pictures for her. I think she got the best beauty genes out of all of us. She has my mom's Latin personality and my step dad's beautiful eyes...or I guess you can say, she got the "gringo" genes from my step dad.

Seriously, look at those beautiful blue eyes.

And here is my little Penelope, with her beautiful dark hair.

Being able to spend Mother's Day with my mom this year was probably the best part of my trip. I am so grateful for her, for her love, kindness and for all the sacrifices that she has made for my family.

This past week made me appreciate my family much more. I think sometimes I get caught up in the daily routine of my life and sometimes I loose sight of what is truly important.

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

Celebrating Earth Day!

Today we went to Mrs. Mango’s Herb & Antique store to celebrate earth day. Both of my sisters went to the herb store to participate in the different activities that Ms. Mango had planned for the kids.

The girls planted some sunflowers and they learned about how to take care of their plants at home.

There were some lady bugs to look at and to play with.

Mrs. Mango also taught the kids about composting and the different recycling ideas for the garden.

Penelope got to paint on the wall. She had a great time with that one.

The finished product.

The gals had a great time. I only wish I was able to take some pics of my sister Michelle but she kept avoiding the camera the whole time. Silly girl!

Conversations: I know everything?

Matt & his sisters-in-law

Penelope and Matt went to get some ice cream. They were enjoying their treat and Penelope gasped,
Penelope: "Oh no Matt, I can't eat this."
Matt: "Why"
Penelope: "The doctor said I can't eat dairy for 2 weeks"
She was in a hospital for 2 nights due to some GI disturbances.

After the ice cream incident, later in the day, Penelope and Matt were having a conversation and Penelope asked Matt how he knew the answer to something they were discussing.
Matt: "I know everything, I am going to be a doctor."
Penelope: "You're not going to be a doctor, you can't even remember that I can't eat dairy!"
Ouch, his confidence was damaged, and he begged her to take her comment back for fear of being jinxed. (He shouldn't have been so cocky.)

So to make up for it, the day he got his passing results from his board exam. Penelope made him this awesome picture. I think he will be a fantastic doctor. He'll just have to make sure he doesn't get cocky and that he reviews the chart before any big decisions.

We are so proud of Matt. He worked so hard for this board exam. Now, we just have to wait and see when the school gives us the green light to move to NY.

Lift Off Baby!

The shuttle Discovery blasted off this morning at 6:21am and Maria and I woke up early to go see it. When the alarm sounded at 5:30 after only 5 hours of sleep I was reluctant to get up because I knew the sun would not be up yet and I figured it was 40 miles away so we wouldn't even be able to see the spec of a shuttle at that distance. However, I was wrong. The faint glow of  the sunrise did begin to appear as the launch time neared, but, actually, we would not have even needed the suns light to view the show. The view was probably even enhanced and more dramatic with the black backdrop. As the AM radio station we were listening to announced 20 seconds to launch I looked north in the general direction of Cape Canaveral. Then, instantly, an atomic bomb sized fire ball blasts into view along the horizon and rises into the vast unknown! A couple minutes later a thunderous roar from the engines rolled over us and continued on down the Florida coast. Here are some of the pictures Maria snapped as we looked over the Banana River on Pineda Causeway. They almost capture the magnificence of seeing it live.

Sun shines on the shuttle plume. Red, white, and blue. Nice touch. 

Mr. Hatler enjoying the view.

Surfing the Waves

This weekend we went to East Tennessee to take part in Creek Week, which is the kayaking event of the spring. Every year, around the month of March, kayakers from Memphis go on this trip to paddle the white waters of Tennessee. This trip meant a lot to my father-in-law who has been waiting for two years to be able to paddle with Matt once again.

The first day we did a 6 mile hike with the family and friends and we got to see some cool arches and a cave. I was so excited to finally have some warm weather here in Tennessee.

Later that evening, Matt took a break from studying drove up from Knoxville to join the party.

J&J

M&M

The next day Matt & Fred Dad were finally able to go and paddle together and they seemed to have a great time even though the weather was not the greatest. The best part of the trip was seeing Matt so excited to eat at Crackle Barrel. He is definitely a southern boy who enjoys the southern food.

Fred Dad’s new goal: To have Maria in a boat. Umm…we will see how that one goes.