America's Best Main Street

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No trip back to Tennessee would be complete without visiting the Collierville Town Square which was recently voted as "America's Best Main Street." This place holds countless memories for me and my family.

I remember my family shopping in some of the antique stores here when I was a kid. I didn't enjoy the shopping so much then, but I liked going into the store with all the cats. When I got a little older, I'd walk to the Square with my friends and buy candy in the store that had an original soda fountain. I loved attending the annual Fair on the Square in May (I think) and watching the Christmas parade in December. We even attended the beautiful white church on the corner for a while. I think it serves mostly as a little museum and restaurant now.

I know it's not the building that matters, but oh how I sometimes wish I went to a building that looked like this every Sunday!

My boys have special Collierville Town Square Memories, too. Mullin LOVED trains, so we'd come here and look at the trains. We even celebrated his 3rd birthday on one of the train cars. Of course the theme was Thomas the Train! Grandpa (my dad) would take the boys to story time on the train and they'd eat at Café Grill quite a bit. They had amazing fried dill pickles!

Shops filled with Christmas glitz and glam were a feast for the eyes! I think I'd like to have a tree in my bedroom like the one pictured below. :) Every time I see a nutcracker I think of Lincoln since he likes them so much. Loved the bright colors on this one and the had that could open - never seen one like that before. Didn't buy it, though. Actually, we were good and didn't buy anything! Tempting for sure.

This place is definitely a quaint spot full of character and simple beauty. Glad we went, and glad Shiloh now knows what we are talking about when we talk about the Collierville Town Square.

A Collierville trip isn't complete without driving by my old house that I grew up in. I was probably in fifth or sixth grade when we moved into this house, and I left when I married Mark. :)

Goodbye Collierville. Until our next visit . . .

Anderson and Cooper

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While we were in Tennessee last week, my baby girl had the BEST time cuddling and playing with Paw and Cici's super sweet golden doodles. She looks right cozy in her element. ;)

It was so neat getting to know the dogs' different personalities. Anderson and Cooper are brothers, and Cooper is the white one who loves his toys and can jump pretty high! Anderson is a bit fluffier and is a little more laid back. Both are adorable. They even won me over, and I don't consider myself an animal lover by any means. I've never really liked poodles, either, but these dogs were pretty amazing. The best behaved dogs I've ever been around!

What a treat to play in big, fat leaves with cute, big dogs!

We miss you Anderson and Cooper!

Our First Stop After 8 Years

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I can't believe it had been 8 years since I'd been back to the place I spent about 21 years of my life ~ Memphis, Tennessee (well, mostly Collierville). For Thanksgiving week this year, our entire family was able to go back for a visit. Since she has no memories of her birth place, I am so glad my daughter could finally see where she spent the first year of her life. :)

After getting up at 3 a.m., sitting on 2 flights, one delayed and almost cancelled due to inclement Chicago weather, a progressing diverticulitis attack for this poor mama, and Southwest losing ALL 6 of our checked bags, we headed on over to Paw Paw and Grandma's house to decorate their Christmas tree. This used to be an annual event - it's what Mark and I did right after getting engaged at Howard's Donuts (coming in another post).

At Paw Paw and Grandma's house - our first stop.

Two tired faces. Good to be off the plane and welcomed by our TN family. Sad that I couldn't eat the traditional-decorate-the-tree Cheeseburger soup due to PAIN, but thankfully I began to feel better as the night progressed.

This was Shiloh's first time hanging up her initial ornament made by her great grandma. Grandma has made one for everyone in the family. :) Lincoln loved wearing his step-uncle's ear flap beanie.

After the decorating was done, we still had to stop at the Wal-Mart to pick up a few first world essentials since we had NOTHING! Well, except I did throw in my face wash and makeup bag in our little carry-on. :) The rest of our carry-on stuff amounted to books, stuffed animals, crackers, and a Kindle.

Anyway, we all needed toothbrushes, and I needed ear plugs, pajamas, and face moisturizer. It got us through until the next evening when our luggage finally arrived. Just in time to go out to dinner with these 2:

My high school BFF (the blond) and her sister who is also my friend. :) Loved seeing them, and so glad we still keep in touch!

Why Oregon?

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"Going anywhere this summer?"

It's a pretty typical question people ask during the summer months. My answer sounded something like, "Yeah, we're going to Oregon the last week in July."

People who didn't know us extremely well usually responded by saying, "Oh, do you have family there?"

Close friends who know we don't travel much responded with, "What's in Oregon?"

To both sets of folks, I found it difficult to explain the reason. Because traipsing across the country to meet/visit your son's friend, whom he met online about a year and a half ago, isn't exactly something this strait-laced family would do!

But, in a nutshell, that's what we did. We drove to Oregon to meet my son's special friend and her family. As strange and shocking as it may seem, we felt God's blessing upon the situation. So, here's my son and the reason we traveled to a tiny town in Oregon:

Seemed like forever that we anticipated this trip! Usually, we start school the last week of July, but my kids lucked out and got an extra week of summer vacation. I'm surprised my kids were coherent enough before the sun rose to perform the action of posing and smiling for a picture.

Driving through Nevada was about as exciting as eating paper. The Joshua trees we passed were neat, so I snapped a quick pic. Thank goodness I had a book (Illusion: A Novel) and chocolate to get me through!

We drove for about 15 hours that first day and stopped in Boise at a Shilo Inn. I'd never heard of this hotel chain before, but, of course, I loved the name! Didn't so much like the nasty brown spot I found when I turned the comforter over. Good thing I don't use those in hotels. Ever.

The phone by the toilet was a little interesting. And gross. Funny thing -  right as I was about to land my bottom down on the seat, it rang. LOUD. 'Bout scared me half to the moon! It was the front desk letting me know that the roll away cot we'd requested was ready. But, seriously, why put the phone next to the toilet? So weird. Multitasking at its finest.

Sunday morning, we woke up and drove some more. Fortunately, it was only for about 3 hours. Our plan was to meet Mullin's friend and her family at their church. We arrived a little early and they weren't there yet. It felt so strange being visitors at another church! Anyway, we knew to keep our eyes out for any gingers who happened to walk through the door. ;)

Super fun seeing Mullin and his friend meet for the first time in real life!

After church, we all went to a little park and ate lunch. The kids had fun playing football and getting to know one another. Mark and I enjoyed getting to know the parents as well. It was so easy to get along with everyone in this sweet family!

Sunday night, we all went to the grandparents' house and hung out. The grandparents' prepared a wonderful meal, and the kale salad was very yummy. I've already made it since we've been back home. I'll have to share it soon!

After dinner, the parents treated us to fresh Huckleberry sorbet. Earlier that day, I tried a huckleberry for the first time. Sort of like a blueberry, but smaller and maybe more tart. Good, though.

The view from the grandparents' house was amazing. The scenery was so peaceful, and Mark and I loved sitting and taking it all in. The sunset was divine. Even though the picture isn't quite the same, it's still pretty nice. No filters, either.

We stayed at the Union Historic Hotel for two nights. Talk about a neat, old building! When you walk through those inviting, red doors, you get a whiff of the 1800s. Shiloh liked that a big, fluffy sheep dog roamed the place. I didn't take many pictures of our actual room, but it had an old-fashioned ranch feel to it. I thought it was a bit strange that there wasn't a big mirror in that room. And the mirrors that were in there were pretty small and cloudy.

We did hit a little snag while we were staying there, though. I guess a leak sprung in the downstairs living room, and they claimed it was coming from our bathroom. So . . . the lady said no more showers until she found out exactly where the leak was coming from. Not good. Especially when everybody hadn't had a shower yet.

Shower alternative: the lady came back with a shower key. I'd never heard of a shower key, but it unlocked the door to the shower room down the hall.

The leak problem wasn't solved that first day, so if we wanted to be clean, to the shower room we'd go. I braved up, and went first, hoping and praying that the lock worked. And that there wasn't a secret passageway that led to the teeny, tiny dressing room separated from the shower by a thin, plastic curtain. Well, since I am typing this, you know I survived.

There was no way I was sending my little girl to the shower room all by herself, so Daddy sat outside the door until she was done. From what I hear, she had a blast in that room!

We hung out quite a bit at our new friends' house. They were so hospitable and lovely to be around. Monday morning, they cooked a delicious breakfast for us which included two types of pancakes I'd never eaten before: huckleberry pancakes and pancakes sprinkled with cheddar cheese. Both were super yummy!

They also gave us a little basket of goodies, and Mullin's friend made matching Cookie Dough shirts. She actually formed the letters out of real cookie dough. Neato!

Later that day, we drove about 8 miles or so to hang out and grill hamburgers at beautiful Catherine Creek. Gorgeous place, however, the wasps had already staked their claim. Oh my! They were EVERYWHERE and landing on us like crazy. Fortunately, no one got stung, but we decided to ditch our plans at Catherine Creek and head over to Union City Park which was right beside our hotel. Everyone still had a great time, but I did miss the sound of naturally flowing water. :(

Our kids learned a new game: King Elephant. It kept them busy while hamburgers cooked on the grill. They're eager to play again, but they need more than 3 people. So, watch out Arizona friends! You may be learning a new game soon if you don't already know how to play.

The second night I decided to stay at the hotel for a bit of relaxation while Mark took the kids back over to our friends' house to watch The Princess Bride.

Tuesday morning, we stopped by our friends' house to fellowship a little more and to say goodbye. They are truly surrounded by such beauty. I love that I got to see another part of God's wonderful world that I'd never seen before, and to meet the family belonging to my son's friend.

THANK YOU Oregon friends for your gracious hospitality! It was wonderful meeting you all. May our friendship continue and may God abundantly bless you.

TBT: First Family Vacation

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In light of returning from a quick family trip to Oregon late last night, I thought I'd post a few pics from our first "just us" family vacation to Disneyland 3 years ago.

Our first family vacation was a quick one, too, but we had so much fun!!! Day 2 got completely rained out - it poured all day long. Plus it was chilly. We made a good decision not to spend the $ on tickets that day, but it was still quite a bummer. Not enough to totally dampen our spirits, though. We were able to spend 2 wonderful days riding rides and eating fun food!

* It's crazy to look back and see Mullin standing so much shorter than me! In 3 years, he's passed me by about 3 inches. Too bad I can't clip the wings of time.

TBT: 10 Years Ago This Month (Leaving kids for the first time.)

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Hard to believe that a decade ago I was leaving my two sweet little boys and their daddy to visit my Arizona family all by myself. So thankful I made scrapbooks during that season of life so I can look back at all the fun memories.

My mom and I took a day and went to Disneyland (still have the ticket purchased for $49.75), I got to see my sister's third baby boy, and spend time with my sister and brother and extended family. The best part was that my mom flew back home with me for a visit. Loved that I didn't have to spend the 3 1/2 hour flight home fighting back tears of missing my mom.

Looks like my 2 stinkers had a blast with daddy while I was gone. Oh, it's so hard leaving little ones. I missed all those mama cuddles for sure. The only complaint I remember hearing about was that Lincoln didn't like something about the way daddy was doing the sippy cups. I think he was putting the wrong color lids on the cups - because we all know the colors can not be mixed up! Yes, I was that mom - lids always matched the right cups. ;)

Thinking About Going to Sea World?

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GO!

38 years old and never been to Sea World until my mom and I went during our beach getaway. I absolutely loved it and recommend going if you've never been! The whole time I was there I kept thinking, my kids would love this!

I sure hope the opportunity arises for my hubby and I to be able to take our kids sometime in the near future. (My daughter will be studying sea creatures in school this fall - surely Sea World qualifies as a homeschool field trip, right?)

So, if you and your family have never been to Sea World and you've been contemplating a trip, I invite you to read the rest of this post in which I've included pics from the shows and a few short videos that I caught on my phone. I recorded bits and pieces so my kids would be able to get a better feel for it. I'll throw in a few tips along the way, too. :)

Currently, there are 4 shows going on at Sea World in San Diego. The first show we watched was Pets Rule®. Super cute. I so wished my crazy-about-dogs daughter could've seen it. I learned after the show that all of the animals are rescue animals. Neat. I was truly amazed at the talent!

Here is a brief video I took during the show. I didn't take long videos because it was hard for me to actually watch the show while recording on my phone, but here's a taste anyway . . .



There wasn't a flamingo show, but there are a couple of spots at Sea World where you will find flamingos. I think they are so interesting to watch. At one point, there was a flock out from behind their caged-in habitat. It was really fun to sit down and let them come over and peck at your ears. Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. :)

Tip: There are lots of other animal stations to view and explore as well such as dolphins, mantas, turtles, otters, sharks, fish, etc..

Did you know that flamingos really are pink because of what they eat? Click the link for lots of cool flamingo facts.



I adore dolphins. Watching this show made me want to sign up for a dolphin encounter. :) The shows do more than just show off animal tricks. This one told a lovely story about a princess.

Tip: arriving early to all shows- about 15 to 30 minutes prior to show time - is highly recommended so you can get good seats whether you want the perfect SOAK ZONE seats or the perfect not so SOAK ZONE seats.

We chose to stay dry that day.

Sea Lions Live® was really a blast! The main guy in the show was super entertaining, and of course, the sea lions were, too! Lots of fun music and laughs. There's even a cute little otter in the show.

My goodness, aren't these creatures gorgeous! Very beautiful show to watch. Mama and baby were so adorable.

I am NOT a knick knack kind of girl when it comes to souvenirs. I like practical or CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS! I like things I will actually use like clothes, cups, etc.. For practical, I decided on a t-shirt. For Christmas ornament, my mom and I both got that cute little dolphin sugar cookie looking one. Can't wait to hang it on my tree next to the Disneyland ornament my mom and I got back in 2004 when the 2 of us took our first "just us" trip.

Sea World also has 7 rides. We didn't really do the rides that day because so many involve water, but I did talk my mom into riding a super fast roller coaster - Manta. :) It was fun!

Tip: You can't have any loose items on this ride and probably most of the others, too. Be prepared to rent a locker to store your stuff if you want to ride rides. First hour is free, but after that there is a small fee.

I personally wouldn't want to take very small children to Sea World, however, there is an area called Sesame Street® Bay of Play® which is perfect for all the littles.

Of course there's lots of fun and very expensive food to eat. We shared a churro, but it really wasn't that great. If I ever get to use my free second visit I'd like to eat at Pineapple Pete's Island Eats!

Tip: You are allowed to bring in you own bottled water and some small snacks in a purse or something but no coolers etc.. Also there are allergen free snacks available at the markets between Shamu and Dolphin Stadiums.

Hope you enjoyed this small taste of Sea World San Diego. It surely makes for a very fun family outing! Definitely doable in one day, too.

Thanks for the memories, Mom. Sure had fun.

 

Linked to WFMW

Voice Over the Water

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Isn't the sound of the ocean majestic? Waves softly crashing upon the shore over and over again lulling one into a peaceful trance. A heavenly trance. One in which the voice of the Lord speaks to the soul. Godly meditation on His Holy Word.

Who else but to the Lord could I ascribe the glory due his name for this glorious sight and sound? I didn't actually do this, but in my mind I pictured myself bowing face down in the sand, arms outstretched worshiping the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Words from Psalm 29:3-4 were the meditation of my heart this past week:

Salty ripples gently caressing feet in the sand, wrapping around ankles for the teeniest moment only to quickly return to the vast expanse from whence they came as if commanded and pulled back by an unseen force. And take my breath away, this unseen force is explained by God Himself when he speaks to Job out of the storm:

Highest praise is for you alone Lord. I could sit for hours and watch the waves rise and fall and listen to this majestic voice over the waters. And I did. Between each roaring splash, I also felt the Lord impressing two simple words upon my heart over and over again - like the waves.

BIG & VAST

Not super impressive words, but I got the point. Standing upon the shore looking out into the briny deep, I felt so small and the ocean so big and vast. But God was whispering deep within that He is far bigger, and He's totally got this thing called my life.

Ah, if only I could completely and wholeheartedly trust my God who is big and vast and surrender myself to ride the waves of His perfect plan for my life without fear. Lord, give me strength to follow You into this future of uncharted waters that you've planned for me and my family. And thank you for the gift of relaxation, refreshment, and restoration during the eight days of ocean side bliss with my sweet mom!

Linked to Thoughtful Thursdays

Blessed Beach Vacation

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If you don't count the 30 minutes my family spent at the beach on our way home from Disneyland a few Octobers ago, then I haven't been on a beach vacation in 20 years.

I love the beach.

Sun, sand, water . . . it's all very much me. Just not a place I want to spend with the boys in my family (unless it's an extremely private, isolated beach with hardly any people), so it was such a gift to be able to steal away with my mom to Carlsbad, CA for 8 glorious days.

Even though we weren't right on the beach, we were blessed with an amazing second story view from Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort. Waking up to cool breezes and crashing waves was incredible. I have to admit that reading God's Word and being able to look out upon the Pacific Ocean was quite a bit more thrilling than the view from my room or backyard at home. It was just so peaceful.

This was the view from our back porch. Simply lovely. Loved, loved the glimpses of dolphins swimming across the sea. Too bad they didn't leap out of the water like the Sea World dolphins. ;)

My mom and I made so many memories, some of which I will be posting all about over the next couple of weeks I am sure. :) Sea World, Seaport Village, Seashell collecting, miles and miles of walking, the beach bomb, and so much more.

As much fun as I had, there really is no place like home. Thankful, though, that I had an opportunity to miss and be missed.

A Grand Adventure

Pin It Now! Columbus Day has never been a homeschool holiday for us, but since Daddy gets that day and all those other government holidays off, he surprised us with a quick little trip up North.

After church, we drove to Flagstaff and stayed the night. You would've thought we'd spotted gold by the way we all ooohed and ahhed over the aspens dotting the roadside woods and far-off mountains. Rocks, cacti, dirt, and HOT-as-you-know-what temps do tend to wear on the soul after a while. Cool, tingly temperatures, the musky scent of pine, and vibrant fall colors were the perfect ingredients to awaken the senses of this desert weary girl!

We stopped and stretched our legs by the neatest looking chapel. If not for the paved road and cars whizzing by, I might have thought I'd stepped back in time. I imagined myself sitting inside wearing some kind of vintage dress, worn Bible upon my lap, and a horse-drawn carriage waiting outside upon my return. Anyway . . .

 

 

My favorite thing about this chapel was the door. Love it. :)

 

 And what do we modern-day folks do when we like something? We pose by what it is we like and take a billion pictures!

 

 

Shiloh couldn't wait to collect pine cones, something we can't really do in the dust bowl.

 

 

And, yes, if there is a tree, Lincoln WILL climb it. I've been waiting for the day he falls and breaks something. Thankfully, I am still waiting. ;) I hate to admit it, but when I was much younger, I loved climbing trees, too, only I'd go one step further and hang upside down. Don't tell Lincoln, though.

 

After a fun night of going to dinner at Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers, then to Starbucks for fun drinks, and getting a little bit of sleep, we were ready for The Grand Canyon! (The best part of going to Flagstaff was getting to comfortably wear a sweater and a pair of boots in October - yeehaw!)

 

This was my second time to see The Grand Canyon. It was Mullin's and Shiloh's first time to see it. As expected, the 7 yr. old wasn't all that impressed - said it just looked like any other mountain. Oh well, I enjoyed seeing this amazing raw beauty up close again. (I didn't enjoy the agonizing shin splints I suffered the next few days. Too much walking on an incline, I guess? Seriously, I couldn't walk, I had to shuffle.)

 

 

 

 

Totally off the subject, but I just think it's so neat that all 3 of my kids have different hair colors. And at least for now, all natural. :)

 

And, yes, I saved the best for last. The picture below was taken in May of 1996. I was a mere 20 years old. Ahh, so young! It was my first time to ever see the Grand Canyon. Mark's, too, I suppose. We were visiting my mom and sister. Little did I know that Mark would propose 6 months later and we'd be wed that very next May.

 

I never thought I'd actually live in Arizona again, but here we are 16 years later taking our 3 kids.

 

Life. Goes. By. So. Fast.