Sunday, April 26, 2009

A day at the Dog Beach


Here we are trying to get Layla in the picture too!

Last week Rachel and I took Layla to the beach for the first time! It was a beautiful day with a nice breeze. The beach is located on the intercostal waterway at New Smyrna beach. We saw dolphins, sting ray and lots of other sea life. Layla seemed to have a good time, although she would have had more fun if she could run free! Can't wait to go again soon!
On Friday we'll be leaving for our cruise! Only 5 more days!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Easter and Prom

On Easter we enjoyed spending time with both families. First we visited my side of the family and enjoyed a nice brunch. We also decided to let Layla swim in the pool. It took some encouraging but she finally got dunked by Rusty and then decided she liked it! Then we went over to Rusty's family's cookout at the lake. It was really good BBQ from the slow cooking grill Joe made...yumm!


This past weekend Paige went to her senior prom! She was so pretty and grown up and brought back a lot of good memories!

Today I took Layla to the dog park but we got rained out after only a few minutes. She has been doing really well playing with other dogs. Her favorite thing to do there is play fetch with the ball in the water!


Right now things are tough with Rusty's job since the economy is so bad. We are still saving up very slowly for a new car for me (hopefully mine will hold out long enough!) and our carpet desperately needs replacing. We are considering laying hardwood this summer if time and the budget permit.


Less than 2 weeks until we leave for vacation (and my birthday!) More later...

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Spring!

Last weekend Rusty and I went camping with a few friends in Ocala. This is the first trip we have also brought Layla along! It was a lot of fun and I think Layla enjoyed the outdoors but was also really happy to get home!! Mike and Michelle were there with their son Michael, now 5 months old. It was really cute to see the two of them interacting. Layla was wild and crazy as always but surprisingly gentle with the baby! Michael was just trying to grab the dog's nose and eat it!

Friday night was nice and we enjoyed some time at the spring Saturday. We also went hiking and as always, enjoyed great food! Saturday night we awoke to a storm with thunder and lightning! The campsite was drenched by morning and we headed home. All in all it was a pretty typical camping adventure! When we got home we discovered Layla was covered in ticks (and I had 2 on me too!) Gross!

Last week we learned that Jim's father passed away after a battle with cancer. Nolan, Paige and I attended the funeral and enjoyed hearing stories about his life. Although it was a sad day, it was nice to see our family.

Random thoughts: Today I spent some time in the backyard planting basil, oregano, tomatoes and green beans. I have them in little starter trays and haven't quite decided what to do with them when they are grown yet! I am excited to see some green sprouts on my pineapple plant I thought I surely killed in a frost this winter! Today is truly the perfect Florida day. There is sunshine, blue skies and a nice cool breeze!

That's all for now. As of today, less than 1 month until the cruise! (26 days, but who's counting?)