Christmas Trip - Day 6

Today was a great first day in DC. Much was accomplished and we are pooped out! We had tickets to go into the Washington Monument, a must do if you come to DC. It was totally cool!

We visited the National Museum of American History. We saw the Gettysburg Address draft written by Abraham Lincoln himself. Laura Bush lent it to the museum for a few weeks. It is usually kept in Lincoln's bedroom in the White House. White House visitors do not have access to this room, so it is typically not on display. Today was it's last day on display. So glad we got to see it, but no pictures! They NMAH is also houses the Star Spangled Banner. This is the actual flag the inspired Francis Scott Key to write our National Anthem. It was flying during the attack in Baltimore in the midst of the War of 1812. When the battle was over, Key looked up to see our flag proudly waving. It was amazing! Definitely something you have to do when you visit DC. We also weren't able to take pictures there!

The American Museum of Natural History was awesome. Definitely something Caden enjoyed. On display were every animal or skull you could possibly dream of. He had a blast. Below are pictures of a Giant Great White jaws and a Giant Squid.

Christmas Trip - Day 5

Day four was a day for saying goodbye and traveling. We said goodbye to our friends, the Figeruoas. Fran and Liz have four kids, RJ, Eliott, Ian and Elizabeth. We stayed with them while we were in NJ. They are a terrific family and were wonderful hosts. Liz, you are a wonderful friend! I love you!

When we were in NYC, we didn't see the Statue of Liberty. I know, I know, how crazy can you be? When we left our friends, we headed about an hour out of the way to go see Lady Liberty. The kids were pretty unimpressed, but loved the view of NYC from Liberty National Park in Jersey City, NJ!

We then travel to Washington, DC. In the last five days, we have been in eight states. Joe had serious issues with the tolls. I think we ended the trip paying about $20 in tolls! *grin* I have been really worried about our hotel. I always worry not having been in that particular hotel. We are in Chinatown in a Red Roof Inn. It is the only hotel within a thirty mile radius that had consistant prices not going up to $200 for New Years Eve and Day. I started thinking it had to be cheap for a reason. I was pleasantly suprised. We had issues with parking our monstocity of a truck, but all is well! The hotel is great, clean and helpful staff.

Christmas Trip, Day 3

We had planned on going back into NYC with our friends, the Figerouas, on Sunday, December 28. The city was so jam packed the day before, the Dillards weren't up for the trip. We had hoped to skate Rockefeller Center, but the wait was about 3 days (maybe a little exaggerated, but not by much!) so we decided to hit an ice rink in New Jersey instead. It will be no suprise to anyone that Coy and Caden were naturals. Chase and I had a harder time and Joe was pretty good on blades as well. We stopped by the grocery on the way back to the Figerouas and enjoyed tons of great finger foods and appetizers!

Christmas Trip - Day 2

On December 27, we went into New York City. I had really underestimated how busy NYC would be almost a week before the New Year. Yikes! It was so crowded and very difficult to enjoy the city.

We rode the NJ Transit into the city and arrived in PennStation. It was a mad house. We got a "dirty dog" and hailed a cab. We went to the World Trade Center site. What a sobering feeling. So hard to believe that two of the tallest buildings in the world once stood there! We saw the "cross" that was found on the site. We walked all the way around the site.

We stopped by to see what was happening on Wall Street. There are some amazing buildings there.

We hailed a taxi and headed to Time Square. It was CRAZY! You could barely move. We weren't able to get into the M&M store, the Toys R Us or any other store we were interested in. It was just nuts. We decided then to head to 5th Street to see Tiffanys, FAO Schwartz, and the Apple Store. Tiffanys and FAO Schwartz were both closed! UGH!

While this sounds very discouraging, while on our trapes around the city, we saw a few of the coolest street performers. We heard drums. There was one guy playing drums and the other was playing 5 gallon BUCKETS! They were amazing. One guy was gold. His clothes, his skin, his shoes all gold. He was a "statue." He stood perfectly still. I showed him to Caden. He asked if he was real and could he touch him. I said, "Absolutely." He moved when Caden touched him. Caden about came out of his skin! We also saw the Naked Cowboy.

Meet Rudy . .err Cooper

This is the newest member of our family. His name was previously Rudy, but his new Dillard name is Cooper. Couldn't have an "R" in our kids names! *grin* He is a long haired dachshund. He is the sweetest. We aren't sure how old he is, but he isn't quite as old as Cajun. He is a sweetheart!

Christmas Trip 2008

Each year, Joe and I take the kids on vacation instead of buying a bunch of junk they'll forget about by Valentine's Day. This year, we are going to New Jersey to stay with a friend of mine. We will be going in to New York City on Saturday and Sunday. On Monday, we are going in to Philly. On Tuesday, we are going to be traveling to Washington, D.C. We will be there until Saturday. We have tickets to go in to the Washington Monument, The Capitol Building and The White House. Today, December 26, is a travel day. We drove through Tennessee, Virginia (which is beautiful), West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and into New Jersey! *whew* It has been a day! Virginia was beautiful. We were just miles east of the Appalachian Mountains. They were unbelievable. The little towns on the side of the road were amazing! We were advised to drive through Hershey, Pennsylvania. What a cool little town! Here are a couple of pictures from today.

Not a Clue

I have no clue why when I changed my template it only changed part of it. Any ideas?

An Update

To my friend, Angie: I think you are the only person who reads my blog! Thank you, my dear friend. ;)

We traveled home for Thanksgiving. It was our first Thanksgiving with our families since 2005! It was a . . .crazy Thanksgiving. Traditionally, we spend Thanksgiving Day with Joe's large, extended family. We meet at a Lodge and have dinner together. Joe's aunt and uncle are our hosts. On Thursday morning, they recieved a call that Kris, Joe's aunt's father was unresponsive in the retirement home where he lived. He passed away sometime later that day. My parents had decided to join us at Joe's family gathering. My dad called to inform us that my mom and Estee Lauder had a little tussel this morning. My mom had gotten a gel cleaner in her eye. A quick trip to the ER to get it washed out proved to put her out for the weekend. She apparently burned her cornea or something. She is doing much better now.

We woke up the day after Thanksgiving to understand that Joe's great-uncle, his Grandma's only living sibling of 5 had passed away. He had long battled skin cancer and lost his battle quietly and peacefully. Ironically, he and Kris's dad were "buddies" now in Heaven together! How sweet is that! We stayed in Chattanooga until Uncle Charles' service on Tuesday.

He served our country in peace and war. When he was 15 he enlisted in the United States Marine Corp. He served four years, was a civilian for a short time and re-inlisted as a sailor. He survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. He was so scared, as the story goes, that he climbed a tree. In the middle of the tree was a hollow. He climbed in. There was a large snake inside the tree. He said he didn't know who was more afraid so he and the snake kept each other company until it was safe to leave the tree. He had a beautiful, full honors, military service and was laid to rest on a hill in Chattanooga's National Cemetery. They released four doves representing The Father, Son and Holy Spirit when they released the last bird, representing Uncle Charles, he flew high into the sky and joined the Father, Son and Holy Spirit on his flight. It was beautiful.

May you rest in enternal peace with our Father in Heaven, Uncle Charles.

Mommies Minute Getaway Weekend

About a year ago, I joined a message board. It is all mom's from all over the country and beyond. The core group started six years ago when they were all pregnant. Last year, before I was a member, they all met up in Chicago. When I joined, they had just gotten back and started planning the meet up for this year in New Jersey, New York City and New Hope, Pennsylvania. I wasn't sure that I was willing to go. . . a little weird, right? Well, I was among the first to book my flight. My motivation was NYC, right? Who would pass up an opportunity to go to New York City? We all arrived in New Jersey, we stayed at one of the mom's homes on Thursday night. On Friday morning, we went for manicures and pedicures, had lunch and went into New Hope, PA. It was a quaint little town with lots of window shopping. On Saturday morning, we went into NYC and on Sunday, we packed, cleaned and headed off to the airport. I can not even put into words what a wonderful time we had. One would think with eleven women, with different personalities, beliefs, lives that things could go bad quickly. I have made 10 friends for a lifetime. Here are some things I learned on my trip:

You can't say, "Do you have a plunger ... and some rags?" with a straight face.

You can never be too silly.

You can't laugh too much, too long, or too loud.

It's a lot of fun to watch your friends have fun.

It takes 48 hours to really loosen up.

It's OK to let someone help you, if they want to.

Dreams do come true, with a little help from your friends.

An almost 50 year old woman can outrun a much younger woman, particularly when a friend is in trouble.

No 2 pictures of the Statue of Liberty are the same even when 50 pictures are taken.

Even rain can't ruin a good time when you are with your friends.

You can function on 3 hours of sleep each night over a long weekend, when you are having a good time with your friends.

A lot can happen in an M&M store.

Many people can look at the same thing, and see things differently.

9 sober women on a train can be very scary and really loud!

Everything tastes better when someone else cooks.

People are different in person than they seem on line.

Seven women and luggage will fit in a minivan.

Sometimes it is better to do it yourself.

No matter how old your passengers are, someone will say, "Are we there yet?"

We all need to take a moment to be sad before we move on.

The best place to have a crisis is anywhere your friends are.

Hot Chocolate is only worth drinking if you have mini marshmellows.

Don't stop at a public restroom if you are trying to catch a boat.

Not all Southern Belles go to charm school.

When we allow the unknown to happen, it can turn out better than we could have ever imagined.

Eleven women, in one house, with two bathrooms can be on time. . . most of the time with only seconds to spare.

We should take the time to find the positive when bad things happen.

Not all NYC firefighters are hot!

Eye injuries must occur in NYC while raining.

Sweetened Condensed Milk is loved by many.

Our perception of others is sometimes correct and totally wrong often.

Here a few of thousands of pictures taken on our trip!

Getting a Pedicure:

Pedicured Toes Lady Liberty

Time Square at night:

I am No Bakerella

So while "blogstalking" I found Bakerella. Coy's upcoming birthday party inspired me to try my hand! Almost laughable, but it was fun!

Thirteen

I can not believe that Coy turned 13 yesterday. Thirteen years he has brought smiles to our faces with his smiling face. He is such a sweet boy, a teenager now. He is having his birthday party next weekend, a skating party! I fixed him pancakes yesterday morning, they are his favorite. We asked what he wanted to do this day. He said skateboarding, just him and dad. He wanted steak and mashed potatoes for dinner. We begged to go out to celebrate 13 years, but insisted on steak and *mashed* potatoes! It seemed fitting to share a few pictures of him through the years:

Bread Machine

A great friend in LaGrange found out a couple of months ago that I was in the market for a bread machine. He and his wife had one in storage, new in the box, with no time or intention of using it. What a blessing to recieve! I have been working on finding a great sandwich bread to no avail as of today, but I am still working on it . I have made monkey bread (yum), pretzels, banana bread, various loaves of bread and these! My prized bread machine token. . .Organic Wheat Bagels! I made strawberry cream cheese to boot with organic strawberries, of course!

This and That

Ok, so not much has been going on with us. Chase is doing great at school and seems to be enjoying college. He still hasn't found a job, but I think he is working hard at it and actually had an interview this morning. (yay)

I have been very busy with various projects. I have decided this year all gifts with the exception of a very few for the kids will be handmade. I am very proud of the gifts I have completed. I refuse this year to buy into the commercialization of Christmas and with the economy on the brink, we just don't have the extra funds to be so wasteful! Stay tuned, I'll post pictures after Christmas!

I made new quilts for the boy's bedroom out of recycled jeans. Thought I'd share them with you. Through this project, I realized I am not a quilter and really just don't like sewing that much! The quilts are great and I love that I made something new from something old! I also recovered their booths which I had the fabric for well over a year!

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library

Joe had to go to work really early this morning and got home about 10am. We decided to do something, but what? LaGrange is not know for having tons of things to keep one busy! We decided on the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum. What fun! Coy and I have been studying the Election Process so, this was a great field trip! Let me warn you, no flashes allowed in the museum, so some of the pictures are not great!

This a photo from outside the library. There is no water in the pool due to the drought in Georgia.

This is a replica of the Oval Office, but with the actual furnishings used during Carter's Presidency.

This photo is of Carter created from different objects of his life and presidency.

Are You Kidding Me?

You have all seen them, right. . .reusable bags. I use them often. I wish I could say exclusively, but I tend to leave them in the truck and remember them when I am in the checkout line. Anyway, I go to the grocery the other day. I get to the cashier, hand her three reusable bags, more than enough for my groceries that day. I turn around and start getting my items out of my cart. When I finished, the cashier and the bagman are loading my groceries in to plastic bags and then putting them into the reusables! *sigh* Honestly! I told her the point of the reusables is so I don't have to have plastic. Her response. . .are you ready?. . .Can you believe this?. . ."I just figured that out!" I wanted to laugh so badly, but I was absolutely stunned in a world that I feel overwhelmed with Green Earth info that someone. . .two people would have no idea what a reusable bag is. We really need to get the word out!

Happy 90th Birthday, Grandma

September 3, 1918, Eula Marie (Sue) Payne entered the world. She had five children, which she raised by herself. She has served the Lord most of her 90 years. All of her children and most of her grandchildren are serving the Lord. At 90, Grandma is quite the fireball, not a force to be rekoned with. She has 9 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. We, along with many friends and other family members, including two of her brothers, one is 98, celebrated her birthday this weekend. Our theme was "The Roaring Twenties." We had a great time and it was a wonderful way to celebrate 9 decades of Grandma's life! Here are a few pictures commemorating the day.

Shame, Shame You Terrible Blogger!

I know, I know (hanging head in shame) I have been a horrible blogger. Here is a quick update:

Chase moved back to Chattanooga on August 16th. It was a sad day. We all thought we would be excited to get rid of him and he, to go, but it was heartbreaking! We miss him horribly, except Caden who is praying he doesn't come back! (hehe) It so hard to believe 17 years have gone so quickly. When I think about my life when he was born, it seems like a lifetime ago, but thinking of how fast he grew up and left us, it seems like the blink of an eye! He started college on Monday, August 25. He seemed to enjoy it and loves his Psychology professor. It is my prayer for him to grow and enjoy this time in his life.

Coy started sixth grade. We are trying a new, more hands on approach with him in school. He is just not a great student. He hates to concentrate, to sit still, and has a difficult time with memorization. We are hoping for a better year this year!

Caden has started preschool. He is so funny when people ask him if he goes to school, he promptly informs them, "I am homeschooled!" He is definitely going to be challenging. He is smart like Chase and high-strung like Coy. Hands on is most certainly his homeschooling fate as well! It is much more fun, but a lot more work for me!

We are still in love with LaGrange and its people. We don't know how we will ever leave this place! We have been told there should be work here until July, but that is only going to make it that much more difficult to leave!

Concrete Caden

Caden has always been enthralled by big machinery, bulldozers, dumptrucks, graters, etc. The park where we live is working on pouring cement on some of the sites. Currently, we are mostly red clay! Yesterday, they were pouring the pad in front of us. Caden was, of course, in the middle of it all. He tried to stay out of their way, but that only lasted for a short time. He watched them pour the concrete out of the truck. When the cement truck driver needed his concrete spout cleaned, he let Caden spray it off. He then proceeded to get himself a trowel and helped to finish out the concrete!

Update on Chase's Future

Chase was accepted to LaGrange College and had intended to live on campus. It is a private Christian school. Joe and I would love for him to go there. It is so flipping expensive, there is just no way he can go this year. He is going to be working on scholarships and grants so hopefully he can attend there next year. He is moving this weekend to live my terrific brother and wonderful sister in law in Chattanooga. He is going to be attending a state college there. He is disappointed, but recognizes it is a more responsible thing to do. He won't be in debt this year! We are really going to miss his humor and hugs. . . but I think we'll see him fairly often. . .

He has a girlfriend. I don't think Joe and I could have picked a better girlfriend for him. She is the cutest thing. We have always said Chase needs someone who is a yes-honey-girl or a girl who lays down the law. Christyna appears on the surface to be a yes-honey-girl, but in reality, she keeps him straight! She is precious. We love her!

He also become quite the little songbird. If you go to http://www.myspace.com/soulgate7 on the right side of the page, click on the song listed "Heaven Sent." It is Chase singing! It amazes me that my children never cease to amaze me!

A Vail Visit

My Mother in Law and Sister in Law visited this week with my nephew, Kain and my niece, Kylie. We had such a terrific time visiting! We hung out at the pool and waterslide and went over to the skating rink for the evening. Here are some pictures I wanted to share!