• Life

    June Scripture-A-Week

    I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve posted a scripture a week. Not sure why that is. Maybe because end of April and May are just so busy. End of year concerts, ceremonies, recitals, etc. As I searched through scripture to memorize for June I found several that spoke to my heart. I think I say that every month, but it is so true. I really take quiet time and pray and ask God to place scripture on my heart for not only me but for you as my readers. I found this last month or so with my…

  • Life

    How to Find a Penpal

    One of the things I used to do growing up was writing to a penpal from far, far away. I got to thinking earlier this year that over the summer, I wanted to try to do some penpalling again. So I began researching it. I came across several sites where those that are interested can find others interested in penpalling. Here’s a list of places you can find penpals. Penpal World – this is the one I found to be the best and easiest to use. Swap-bot Interpals Penpal Snow Global Pen Friends You can also go to instagram and…

  • Life

    June To Do List

    So lately, well really for a long long time, it seems I’ve been all about travel here on the blog. I love sharing our travels with you but those posts take so long. I take way too many pictures, which have to be edited. Then, I have to gather info and write. Ugh, I get exhausted just thinking about it. However, I really want to share more of me and more of what’s going on in my life and in my head. There’s been a few really inspiring posts lately of folks that shared their June Goals or To Do…

  • Life

    Memories of the Month {6.2016}

    This month I was happy about: going on vacation at the end of the month, which I am on now! This year I’m going to rate the books & movies. Here’s my rating system: ♥ ♥ = Love it! A must read/see! ♥ = Really good! Highly recommend. ✓ ✓ = Good, not great ✓ = Not much to talk about X = Awful. Total waste of time Movies I watched were: Zootopia ♥ TV Shows I watched were: The Bachelorette America’s Got Talent SYTYCD Kids (yay for a change) One Tree Hill (Netflix) Young & Hungry (Netflix) How to…

  • Life

    Grad Party at the Lake

    The Saturday after graduation we gathered at Lake Martin at our good friends’ house to celebrate our 2 seniors. Drew and Joe both invited friends and family to join us in celebrating their high school graduation. It was a beautiful day. Everyone enjoyed the weather by finding different ways to enjoy themselves by… Swimming Jumping Playing Boating Tubing Playing yard ball Visiting and hanging out Skiing Or just relaxing Here’s part of the group gathering for prayer before our meal. We served a hot dog and burger lunch. No summer party is complete with out watermelon! And cake…of course! Drew…

  • Travel

    Last Port of Call – St. Maarten

    We woke up before the alarm went off went and enjoyed watching the Celebrity Silhouette as we ate breakfast at the mermaid grill. When Rob went to the bar to get us some cokes, he noticed the invasion of towel animals that took place on Lido deck. I’ve never seen so many towel animals. So cool! Here’s a few pics I snapped right after getting off the ship. We raced over to the rental car place and ended up using a local company, not your typical Avis or Enterprise. We got in a car with the rental car employee and…

  • Life

    Graduation Day

    The day of Drew’s graduation I worked half a day and then came home and feverishly got everything ready for our family to show up. This wasn’t really anything major, I just had finger foods because we knew we wouldn’t have time to go out and eat. After that we went outside to get pics next to the yard sign. He’s examining what pictures I had on display. I just collected photos that weren’t already in photo albums and placed them on a cork board. I also had a running slide show on the tv. Here’s a better shot of…

  • Travel

    Driving around St. Kitts

    Here’s another epic post from our Cruise. Be ready for picture overload! Today we got up before the alarm went off. We were coming in simultaneously with a P&O cruise ship. We got dressed and went down to Mermaid Grill for breakfast buffet, then went down to our cabin and packed for the day. We were ready to go before they made the all clear announcement. We went down to get off the ship but since the Jewel of the Seas cruise ship was just then docking we had to wait for it to dock. Once we were cleared we…

  • Life

    Senior Sunday

    One Sunday, nearly a month ago, our church hosted the senior recognition breakfast and service. It was an exciting morning. We enjoyed fellowship with friends and family. Rob’s Mom, step Dad, and adopted sister, Rachael came to it. Breakfast included egg and bacon casserole, grits, fruit salad, and cinnamon covered biscuits. Marc, the youth director, bragged on the class of 2016 and spoke some eloquent words about going off into the world and keeping God the center of their lives, and then they showed a slide of all the seniors. After the breakfast, the seniors got their caps and gowns…

  • Travel

    Memorial Day Weekend 2016 in Pics

    This Memorial Day at the lake was a little different than our normal. Since Drew & Rob were on the west coast and weren’t flying in until Saturday, Alex, Caitlyn, and I went out to Lake Martin to meet up with our friends. It was so nice that they already had our tent and everything set up when we got there. Fun time with these two These girls crack me up. Rest and relaxation is never a bad thing at the lake. Glad Rob got back so he could cook for us 😉 Photo bomb! Man we’re gonna miss that…

  • Travel

    Noccalula Falls {Gadsden, Alabama}

    A few weeks ago, we were near Gadsden, Al looking for something to do, so I went old fashion and pulled out the atlas. I found a place called Noccalula Falls and wondered what that was, so we pulled out our phones and Googled it, where we found this link: Noccalula Falls Park We decided to head that way and check it out. If you view the falls from the top, it’s free. However, I highly recommend paying the park fee to go inside the park. When you enter the park, you’ll see the Pioneer Homestead which is comprised of…

  • Travel

    Key Deer National Wildlife Refuge

    Another must see and do while in the Florida Keys is to visit the The National Key Deer Refuge, which is located on Big Pine Key and No Name Key. We made a stop on Big Pine Key on our way back up to Marathon from Key West. click on map to enlarge click on map to enlarge The National Key Deer Refuge is a 9,200-acre National Wildlife Refuge that is inhabited by about 800 animals. This refuge was established in 1957 as a haven for Key deer as well as other wildlife in the Florida Keys. Many of the…

  • Travel

    Everglades National Park

    After an exhilarating airboat tour in Everglades City, we headed towards Shark Valley, which has an observation tower that provides amazing panoramic views of the heart of the Everglades. click on map to enlarge Right before arriving at Shark Valley (Stop #1), we stopped at Miccosukee Restaurant for lunch. This is a restaurant on the Miccosukee Reservation. The restaurant menu provided lots of variety, which included some traditional Native American dishes, like Frybread, alligator nuggets, and Indian tacos. I’m still kicking myself for not trying their tacos, but I was a bit concerned about having that sit on my stomach…

  • Life

    Water Skiing on Lake Martin 2015

    Over the Memorial Day weekend, we continued our tradition of going up to the lake with our friends. Last year they added boat riding and tubing to the fun. This year they got water skis. Drew tried water skiing a couple years ago with some other friends, but was limited to just a few tries, none of which were successful. He was anxious to try it again. Joe’s Dad, Ben, gave Drew some advise about what to do. However, Drew’s 1st attempt was short lived as you can see from this picture. The 2nd attempt was more of a success.…

  • Travel

    Lake Martin Memorial Day Weekend 2015

    This past weekend we enjoyed another great weekend at the Farrow’s Lake House. We didn’t go Friday night like usual because Caitlyn’s Graduation Party, so didn’t get to the lake till Saturday morning. Even with a shorter trip, we still had lots of fun and made more memories with some of our favorite folks. Swimming Playing in the yard Boating and Tubing Caitlyn got to tube for the first time And a family selfie to wrap up the weekend Already looking forward to next year! Click the link below to read more about the weekend. Water Skiing on Lake Martin

  • Life

    James Baird Honor Scout Award

    Last night the boys’ Scout Troop held their end of the school year court of honor. Many merit badges nad rank advancements were handed out, as well as the swearing in of new leadership. The final presentation of the evening was the troop’s inaugural presentation of the James J. Baird Jr. Honor Scout Award, which was awarded to Drew! This is an award that will be given out every year at the spring court of honor to the troop’s “top Scout” based on participation in troop activities, demonstration of Scout skills, continuing advancement success, and a vote of his peers.…

  • Life

    Caitlyn is a Graduate!

    Family Friday {Graduation Edition} Drew’s girlfriend, Caitlyn, graduated from AHS last week! We are so proud of her. Graduation was held at Auburn University’s Auburn Arena where they play basketball, as well as where Auburn University graduation takes place. We can’t wait to see her walk across the stage there again in 4 or 5 years. The next night, Caitlyn’s grandparents hosted a lovely outdoor graduation party for her with family and friends. The party started at 7, so there was probably about 30 minutes of daylight left. Caitlyn had candles leading to the backyard, white Christmas lights, as well…

  • Dessert - Recipes

    Southern Banana Pudding

    One of my all time favorite desserts is my Granny’s Southern Banana Pudding. It is so easy and is yummy. I’ve thought of some variations to change it up, but every time I start to make it I find that I just have to stick with the original! Servings: 6 Prep Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 0 minutes Ingredients: 4-5 bananas, sliced 2 boxes Vanilla pudding Nilla Wafers 1 tub Cool Whip (12 oz. container) Directions: 1. In a bowl, mix together 2 boxes of pudding following box directions. 2. In a round baking dish with a lid, line the…

  • Dinner - Recipes

    One-Pot Chili Mac

    Servings: 6 Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 1 lb. hamburger meat 2 tbs. of minced garlic 1 small onion, diced 1 can of tomato sauce 3 cups water 10 oz elbow macaroni sprinkle of salt and pepper 1/3 cup of Chili Powder 1 can of black, pinto, or kidney beans (rinsed/drained) Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies 2 cups of shredded cheese (Mexican blend) Directions: 1. Brown meat with chopped onion and garlic in an oven safe pan. I use Calphalon Contemporary Hard-Anodized Aluminum Nonstick Cookware, 12-inch Set When it’s cooked through drain grease, and add…

  • Travel

    Everglades Airboat Tour and Gator Show

    We arrived at Captain Jack’s to get tickets for our airboat tour. Before going there we stopped at the convenient store for some breakfast. I saw Zinger’s and was quickly taken back to the times my Dad and I would stop at a 7-11 and I would get Zingers. Anyway, we got over to the loading place for the airboats and soon our names were called and we were off for an adventure of a life time. You can take a look at this product which is suitable to repair any works while riding in the boat. The tour started…