• Spring Training - Read about our experience going on a Spring Training baseball trip in Florida.
    Travel

    Spring Training 2016

    April 3, 2016 - By 

    Over Spring Break, we headed down Florida for a few Spring Training baseball games. Since we have family that lives in close proximity to many of the parks, it’s nice to have a free place to stay and take day trips to see different teams.   Philadelphia Phillies Bright House Field Opened in 2004 Capacity: 8,500 Clearwater, FL The Phillies spring training facility is Bright House Field located right off Hwy 19. There a re a few small parking lots around the stadium, but most of those spots are restricted. You will find that most people park in the grassy…

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    Dominica Highlights

    March 29, 2016 - By 

    Dominica (doh-muh-NEE-ka) is known as the Nature Island. We eagerly woke up before the alarm…again. Did our normal routine of going to the dining room for breakfast. I had the same thing I had the day before, but Rob switched it up a bit and ordered French toast. We got off the ship and loaded the bus for our tour called Dominica’s Favorites. Our guide was amazing. Throughout the day he impressed upon us that Dominica is the nature island where they eat healthy and use all natural remedies for medicines when necessary. We saw this rainbow as we made…

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    Visit to Linda’s Farm

    March 25, 2016 - By 

    During our Spring Break trip to Florida, we took a break from baseball and took Rob’s grandparents out to their niece’s house. She lives a ways out. It was a nice day and it’s always good to get Gramma and Grampa out for a little bit. If you or kids develop love or interest in ponies, its is advised to look for a source of knowledge about horses before you plan to buy and raise a horse of your own. Linda has lots of fun farm animals Willow is the coolest little dog around. The neighbor’s horse wanted to attention…

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    The Best of Antigua Highlight Tour and Dickenson Bay Beach

    March 20, 2016 - By 

    We woke up before the alarm went off and watched us dock at Antigua. We got dressed and went up for breakfast. We met some folks that cruise a lot. One of the guys has been on 75 cruises in 2 years. Oh the life of the retired…. It was interesting to listen to the 3 different couples talk about their cruising experiences and to hear what it’s like to be a Platinum or Diamond cruiser. Rob had Eggs Benedict wit OJ and I had pancakes, banana, bacon, and OJ. Rob isn’t used to eating breakfast, so he never eats…

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    Day in St. Thomas

    March 19, 2016 - By 

    After leaving San Juan about 10 pm the night before and getting to bed after that I still managed to wake up before the alarm went off. I looked out the window and saw that we weren’t docked quite yet. Rob and I got up and got dressed and headed to main dining hall for breakfast. Rob enjoyed Eggs Benedict, OJ, and hash browns. While I scarfed down scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, peach yogurt, and OJ. We went back to our cabin to go to the bathroom and pack our backpack for our day in St. Thomas. We had…

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    Paradise Point – St. Thomas

    March 5, 2016 - By 

    One of the things on our St. Thomas bucket list was to take the Skyride up to Paradise Point. It takes you up 700 ft. for amazing views of Charlotte Amalie, the boat harbor, as well as islands in the distance. Our plan was to ride up, have a drink or 2, and enjoy the views before heading back to the ship. The Bushwacker is the drink that St. Thomas is known for. so it was a must try. Rob wasn’t super thrilled about it because it had Kahlua in it. He’s not a fan of coffee flavored items. For…

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    Day in San Juan

    February 22, 2016 - By 

    On our full day in San Juan, Puerto Rico, we got up and went out on the balcony to see it in the daylight. Soon after that we hit the streets looking for somewhere open for breakfast. It was probably about 8:30 and not a lot was open yet. We ended up at a cafe inside the Restaurant Barrachina. They had a small menu with a wide variety. Rob had the French Toast Casserole and I had a Sausage, Egg, and Cheese sandwich. We left there full and walked around some more. Here’s a google map of many of the…

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    Atlanta to San Juan

    February 16, 2016 - By 

    The day we left for San Juan, we got up with the kids and saw them off to school before finishing up with our packing and running a few errands. We left around 11 and headed up to Rob’s Mom’s house where we would pick up Rob’s brother, Nick, who was driving us to the airport. Before going to the airport, we stopped at one of our favorite places to have Chinese, Fire Dragon. From there it was off the airport, where we were dropped off at Delta curbside check with no line! We got through a long line of…

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    Pirilo Pizza Rustica – San Juan, Puerto Rico

    February 12, 2016 - By 

    The night we got into San Juan, it was just passed 11 pm after we got checked in to our hotel and everything. Pretty much all the restaurants near us in Old San Juan were closed. We were pretty hungry, so we were happy that Pirilo Pizza Rustica was still open. We weren’t super excited about having pizza in San Juan, but at that point we weren’t going to turn it down. Pirilo is a quaint little spot with a bar and a few tables. I think there was an upstairs to the restaurant, but we didn’t go up there.…

  • Louisiana Visit (2016)
    Travel

    Louisiana Visit (2016)

    January 16, 2016 - By 

    After our Texas visits and driving from Huntsville, TX to Baton Rouge, LA, we enjoyed spending time with Rob’s family (his cousin and her husband and their 8 kids). The kids enjoyed playing basketball. Reading together Sitting around the fire since it was a little chili out. Riding scooters We all piled around the table for a New Years Day meal at one of our favorite cajun restaurants, Chimes! That always makes the folks that don’t get cajun food that often very, very happy. And of course before heading home we got all the 2nd cousins together for a group…

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    Texas Visit

    January 15, 2016 - By 

    After our eventful Christmas Eve and our fairly relaxing Christmas Day, it was full steam ahead headed west! First stop was to see Rob’s sister and family in Longview, TX. We got there late on Saturday, spent all day Sunday, and left after grabbing breakfast on Monday. Sunday the kids played outside for a good while and we had lunch at Jucy’s Burgers. Really great burgers and I love that they have all you can eat beans. Monday Maria and I went to Butcher Shop Bakery for some quiche and cinnamon rolls. Really yummy. While we were gone Rob and…

  • Travel

    Thanksgiving Weekend 2015

    December 5, 2015 - By 

    This year for Thanksgiving we drove down to Spring Hill, Florida for a family visit. Rob’s Mom, brother, Nick, and adopted sister, Rachael as well as Rob’s sister Maria and her entire family came as well. We rented a home on VRBO.com. We split our time between the rental home and Gramma’s house. It was nice to catch up with my sis-in-law and her family since we don’t get to see them much. They live in Texas now and the last time we saw them was a little over a year ago. Seeing the cousins hang out made my heart…

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    Winter Gatlinburg Trip

    December 5, 2015 - By 

    Last year was the first Annual Ski Trip for our Boy Scout (and family can come too so we get the group rate) trip. You can read about that trip here: —Boy Scout Ski Trip 2014::Gatlinburg, TN {Day 1 & 2} —Boy Scout Ski Trip 2014::Gatlinburg, TN {Day 3 & 4} This year the boys wanted to do it again. We ended up at the Days Inn again. It’s not the nicest of places, in fact some of the parents opted to stay somewhere else this year. We like it for the price and the location. It’s in the same…

  • Travel

    Clearwater Beach

    December 2, 2015 - By 

    Over Labor Day weekend, we went down to Spring Hill to visits Rob’s grandparents. One of the days we all piled in the car and drove down to Clearwater Beach. Rob and Drew hung out there at Spring Break when they went down for Baseball’s Spring training, so Rob knew the perfect spot to park Pier 60 at Clearwater Beach is a great location to park and costs $3.00/hour. We enjoyed a few hours on the beach before packing up and finding a place to eat. I spot a mermaid! Lots of building going on. A good amount of folks…

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    Florida Tour 2014 Overview

    November 26, 2015 - By 

    For those that want a complete overview of our Florida Tour that we took at the end of last year, here is a complete summary of the trip with links to more detailed posts about each place. Itinerary/Budget for trip: Click pic for larger version Quick Stop at University of Florida Weeki Wachee Springs Myakka River State Park Capone’s Coal Fired Pizza Fort Myers River District Sanibel Island Naples, Florida Everglades City Everglades City Everglades National Park Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge Morning in Key West Morning at Sea off Marathon Key Spreading My Dad’s Ashes Burdines Waterfront Restaurant Bahia…

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    Visit to Kennedy Space Center

    November 25, 2015 - By 

    We got up early, had a nice big breakfast at the hotel in Cocoa Beach, and drove over to Kennedy Space Center. Driving there we saw several gators and even a wild boar, which you see below. Such an impressive view. We got their before the gates opened, but were able to ask a few questions, take some picture, and just hung out until opening. Rocket Garden is one of the first things you see when you enter. This is the spot where old rockets seem to scrape the sky at 80-100 feet in the air. You will see Juno…

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    Day Trip to Columbus, Ga

    November 21, 2015 - By 

    We live about 35 miles from Columbus, Ga and we used to travel there quite a bit to shop and for different places to eat. However, now that the Auburn-Opelika area has grown so much we really don’t have a need to go there like we used to. This past Sunday Alex had a friendly soccer game there, and it was so last minute we ended up having to get people to substitute for several church obligations we had, so just ended up heading over to Columbus after we had breakfast. I suggested we park downtown and walk along the…

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    Afternoon in Cocoa Beach

    November 20, 2015 - By 

    After leaving Fort Lauderdale, we continued north towards Cocoa Beach. We checked into the hotel and ventured across the street to the beach. I was feeling quite nostalgic knowing Dad used to live right near there on a condo in the beach. It was quite breezy and a bit cold, but that didn’t stop the kids from getting in the water. Rob and I walked along the beach enjoyed watching cruise ships pass by in the distance. There was also several flocks of birds to keep us occupied. Carnival ship in the distance Disney ship in the distance Lots and…

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    Fort Lauderdale Riverfront Cruise

    November 10, 2015 - By 

    After spending the night in Fort Lauderdale at the Comfort Suites Airport & Cruise Port, we grabbed a quick breakfast snack from the hotel and then headed down to the river to inquire about a Fort Lauderdale Riverfront Cruise. Here’s a few pics from the drive. Since we were there in January during peak season, we were lucky to get a spot on the next cruise. After Rob purchased the tickets [23/adult, $13 children (4-16)], we had a few minutes to kill before getting on so we walked around before boarding. The cruise lasted about an hour and took us…