Just a Picture Post...of the Acquarium in Gatlinburg

Some shots from our trip to Ripley's Acquarium of the Smokey's.  I planned this trip on my lunch break(with the help of Bobby, of course) the day before we went.  I must say we did a darn good job...it turned out to be a great little Labor Day trip!  I don't think we could have fit much more in.  This is only one of the many things we did.  The acquarium was really nice.  I still really like the acquarium in Atlanta but this one may have beat it for their underwater tunnel that gave you a really unique view of the sharks.

The Jelly fish were probably my favorite!

Doesn't he looked thrilled to be in there?  I made him go, of course.

This was taken in the tunnel looking up at the sharks swimming overhead.

We did the acquarium, the Guiness World record museum, the Ripley's Believe it or not museum, the Ripley's Haunted Adventure, and the Ripley's Mirror maze all for $150.00 for 3 people!  That is a really good price and we were thrilled with all of the attractions.  Jayke loved it!  The only time he was unhappy is when we took a break to let the old people rest.  That, and the fact I didn't let him ride the ski lift up the mountain.  Other than that, he was thrilled!  I can't wait to go on another trip.  I am planning one already!

Coming Soon...

....a blog entry on our Labor Day trip to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.  This is a shot of Jayke in his "thug" pose in the backseat on the way down.  

When I first told Jayke that we were going to Gatlinburg for the weekend, he immediately started mentally packing.  His first questions was if he could take his pillows with us.  I said yes and asked him why.  His response, "I don't use hotel pillows."  I just looked at him and then asked..."Since when do you stay at hotels?"  Apparently he was traumatized by the state of the hotel room he stayed in with his dad in Pigeon Forge.  I wouldn't find out just how much until we actually heard repeatedly about how awful it was.  

When we got to the hotel and he was told to take a shower his response...once again..."I don't take showers in hotels."  I had to assure him THIS hotel was nothing like the one he stayed in before and Bobby had to coax him into the shower.  Once in there he was quite impressed.  He even commented on how much he was enjoying his shower in THIS hotel.  

I have no idea what that hotel he stayed in with his dad was like but it must have been pretty close to a shanty with an outhouse the way he was acting.  I think he found our hotel to be satisfactory.  He asked if we could take the bed with us he liked sleeping in it so much.  Now I am thinking we need to do away with the bunk bed and just get him a full size bed.  He is in agreement.  I'm just glad he is over his hotel phobia!

Here he is enjoying the hot tub!

Enjoying the bed in the hotel.

More hot-tubbing...

Hanging out under the waterfall in the indoor/outdoor pool...

....and finally, riding the luggage cart through the parking garage.

We stayed at The Edgewater.  We liked it because of it's central location, which was also right next to the aquarium.  Jayke was so impressed he says he is going to write a review and post it on one of the travel sites.  

More Pimping of the Dog

Winter is coming...so Zoey needed a hoodie.  She also got a pink striped sweater, which I didn't get a picture of yet.  Putting this thing on her is just like dressing a child.  She was very cooperative though.  I think she has worn clothes before!  This is a little snug so I hope it doesn't shrink!  I've already taken it back and exchanged it once.  Crazy that I'm now having to exchange dog clothes now too.  SMH.  (that's shaking my head for those...mom...that don't know text speak)

Macro Shots

I'm not really sure I'm doing this right.  Seems like they should be sharper.  I think the problem is my shaky hand.  I may get a tripod to see if I can get better shots.  This was a dead cicada on my dad's back deck.  The only way I can get a good picture of a bug with the macro is if it is DEAD!

Page Boy Jayke

My Two Children

Playing in the rain.  Guess whose idea it was...

3rd Grade

First Day of third grade!  He was up early and ready to go!

Futballers

Travel soccer started again last Friday.  This is the first time that Jayke and Mason have gotten to play on the same team and they are very happy about it!  I'm even happier because I can tell already that Jayke has more confidence this season, having some of his friends on his team.  We have 3 or 4 kids who have come back from last season's travel team, one player who he played on a rec team with for several seasons, and another boy who he has played on rec teams with and gone to camp with as well.  All of that AND Mason. The only disappointment was that one of the girls from our team moved up an age group and so did one of Jayke's really good friends who he rides the bus with.  Jonathan has been Jayke's friend since kindergarten, he comes to his birthday parties and they have played on rec teams together.  He tried out but got placed on a different team.  That was a bummer for Jayke but I think he is going to be fine with all his other friends who are on the team.

"Hon!  I think there's something wrong with Laynie"

"Like what?"

"She seems evasive all a sudden."

"I'm really sorry you are having trouble keeping up with our extremely geriatric, half-blind, half-deaf, obese Beagle."

blank stare

snicker

It's a Boy...or a Girl...or Both

We have babies!!!  Newly hatched Friday morning.  Two little baby doves.  Momma left this afternoon for a little while so I took advantage of her absense to take this picture.  I'm glad they have their little bird condo to protect them from the weather and predators.  

Third Grader

Look at that...struttin in there like he owns the place.  I remember a few years ago walking in with him plastered to my side, now he walks in with all the confidence in the world!  Says he is ready to start school!  I'm glad because I am certainly ready for him to start...and I think Bobby is probably more ready than anyone since he stays home with him all day.  

Jayke was slightly bummed that he didn't get the teacher he wanted but I took him to see his classroom and he was excited that there were sports themed bean bags in there.  The boy does love his bean bags!  I guess he is thinking it is going to be a relaxing time in third grade now that he saw those.  I did manage to find out that his teacher is really good.  A girl I work with told me her kids had her and LOVED her!  That's good but I think everyone is different and just because someone else's kids love a particular teacher doesn't mean my kid will the that same teacher.  Hopefully, Jayke will though.  Jayke is usually fine with his teachers and it's his mother who ends up having issues with them.  I was the happiest with his kindergarten teacher so far.  Not thrilled at all with first grade, and just ok with last year's.  I'm hoping this will be the year I love his teacher too.

We have registered, got all of his school supplies, and gone to the dentist.  All we have left to do is get a hair cut and get a few school clothes and he is all set!  School starts the 14th!

I Pimped the Dog

Yep...something I said I would NEVER do...I have done.  I pimped my dog.  She has a new pink vest which is her harness that attaches to the leash when she goes out.  Little dogs have delicate throats/necks so I don't want her pulling on her collar around her neck with her leash or tie out.  I did get her a matching pink polka dot collar to go with the pink vest and a pink barrette for her hair.  She has some pink bows too but they don't stay in her hair very well so I put it on her collar instead.  Normally she just wears the collar and vest so she isn't very frilly...I like to refer to her as SPORTY YORKIE rather than a princess.  She doesn't act like a princess that is for sure!  She has little dog syndrome and thinks she has to bully all the other animals...including the neighbor dog.  She tries to attach him through the fence.  Our animals have been really tolerant of her but Simon reached his limit yesterday and grabbed a hold of her and shook her!  We now have to keep a close eye on that because he could kill her.  That is all I need is a dead Yorkie laying in the middle of the floor and an 8 year old standing there screaming.  High maintenance little dogs..now I know why I have always said I prefer BIG dogs!  I did like shopping for her gear though.

Just Us

Condo Living

This is the CONDO Bobby created for our Dove.  That wood flower box was already on the deck and this is the second year a Dove has made her next in it.  Last year she didn't fare very well.  I don't know what happened but she abandoned the nest at some point and the eggs were never hatched.  I cleaned that nest out but this year we have another one roosting.  

Bobby has been extremely concerned about the momma-to-be.  Worried about the blazing sun hitting her as well as the rain (when we have rain, which has been 3 times.)  I came home from work the other day to find this lovely little roof over her nest.  She now has her very own fancy little bird condo!  That is one of the peel and stick tiles for the kitchen floor that was left over.  He screwed screws in along the edge and just bent the tile so that it will stay there.  The bird came back...that dark spot in there is her.  She seems to like it.  I'm sure it has to feel better to not have to sit in the sun all day.  Also, if it ever rains again she will not be in the direct down pour, I'm sure she will still get wet but it won't be pounding on her like before.   She has to feel safer too which is a good thing since two days ago I looked up and saw a hawk in the tree EATING A DOVE!  I am really really hoping it was not her mate.  Now that we saw that, Bobby is contemplating feeding her as well in case it was her mate and she can't leave the nest to get food.

The following day we found huge tears in the cushion on one of the patio chairs.  It looks as if something with huge claws...or talons...raked them across the cushion shredding it.  He is absolutely convinced that the hawk is now after the mother.  I'm surprised he doesn't stand guard duty until those babies leave the nest!

Thirsty?

The Gang...Together Again...for Now...

A week ago I wouldn't have been able to take this picture.  One of the members of this group has been MIA all summer.  Nolan has been mad at Jaykeb for some unknown reason all summer.  We literally have not seen him this summer.  This is a kid who is usually a fixture in the front yard.  I have asked Jayke, Bea, Bea's dad...my mom and anyone else I came across what happened that has caused Nolan to be mad at Jayke.  No one knows.  Yesterday when the kid was again sitting in the front yard after his 2 month absence I had Bobby go out and ask him.  HE couldn't even tell us...or he wouldn't tell us one or the other.  He just said he didn't remember.  Personally I think that is a bunch of crap.  I also think it is pretty bad parenting for Nolan's parents to let him act the way he has this summer...slamming doors in Jayke's face if he showed up to see if he wanted to play, leaving Bea's house any time Jayke showed up.  This kid is already strange and he is about to start school.  Jayke would have made this an easy first year for him.  Having a big kid on the school bus is always a plus...but now...I don't know if Jayke will bother with him.  I wouldn't after the way he has treated Jaykeb all summer.  My kid is nicer than I am though so he will probably take him under his wing and watch out for him regardless of how Nolan treated him all summer.  I'm going to get to the bottom of why Nolan has acted this way all summer....I will let you know when I find out!

Just a pic I took

Introducing...

ZOE!!  (Zoewee)  4 years old

Our new Yorkie. The other day I went to pick Jayke up from Bob's house and Ang was yelling for me to come up to her door.  I went up there and found her with this little dog.  She apparently confiscated this dog from someone whose family member had to go into a nursing home.  She was going to keep the dog but her little Maltese hated her and that upset Matthew.  She told Jayke he could have the dog and it was all over.  There were tears in his eyes and a lot of begging going on.  I made him call Bobby and ask him...thinking he would say no.  He said yes.  So here she is. 

The cats hate her.  The dogs are irritated by her.  The guys love her though.  She has become Bobby's dog.  He hasn't had a dog since 1996 so he needed her...and she needed him!  She had lived in a house for two weeks by herself when her owner was taken to a nursing home to live.  You could tell she was starved for attention when she got to our house.  She was thrilled with her people but she loves her new canine friends as well.  The first night she attempted to pull Simon our of his bed by his tail for about 20 minutes.  He was very patient with her but finally he had had it and began growling at her.  She went flying underneath the bed. She didn't give up though.  She still nips at his hind legs constantly trying to get him to play with her.  

She chases the cats, barking and acting like a maniac.  Luna has adjusted the best to it.  She has remained out in the room and the two of them have gradually gotten used to each other.  Nemo, on the other hand, has been hiding since she got here and is still terrified of her.  They will get used to each other eventually though.

I was able to take advantage of my place of employment and get her a crate of her own for free.  She came with about everything else she needed.  I think I need to get her a pink bow and a sparkly pink collar though.  Something I have always said I would NEVER do to a dog.  

Dog Cages Anyone?

Just a shot of our warehouse.  Dog cages and dog beds stacked floor to ceiling and it goes on and on and on.  Yes, the warehouse really is this big...not an optical illusion from the picture.  It goes just as fare the opposite direction too.  I learned yesterday that I can get any cage out of the warehouse no charge.   Just a tiny little perk we get as employees.  Useful when you are as big an animal lover as I am...and as I'm turning Bobby into!

A sucker as big as his head!  Literally!  Found this in The World Market on our little outing to Indy  last weekend.  We were on a mission to find all different kinds of Asian noodles for the different dishes Bobby wants to make.  We scored a ton of noodles and different sauces, wine, and some other goodies.  It was kind of funny to both of us that we found someone who we can go spend an hour in The World Market  with and neither of us was mad at the other!

We made stops at Zgallerie, Pier 1, Luxe, and TJMaxx/Homegoods.  The most remarkable thing about our day...no fights.  I usually can't get along with someone that well for that long.  LOL...

We also ate at Macaroni Grill which I have never been to.  The best part about that was the Strawberry Cheesecake!

I think this is going to be our new thing...weekend day trips.  Either for shopping, sightseeing, or both.  We may possible hit the Indianapolis Museum of Art this weekend.  Great place for me to practice with my new lenses!

The Fellas!

I'm on a roll...one day I get Bob to take the kid to the fair and the next day Ang is taking the fellas to Splash House waterpark!  Both things I wanted Jayke to be able to do this summer...neither are things I wanted to HAVE to do.  

Mo, Mason, Matt, Jayke, and Alec all chillin poolside.  I was told later that as soon as they got there Jayke went on something they call The Toiletbowl (which Angi told him not to go on) and immediately cracked his head hard enough to make it bleed.  After that she told him not to go in the wave pool at the time they crank it up and he did.  He got pulled under briefly but was able to recover since the boys were watching him and to top it all off was almost stung by a hornet.  Busy day.

Jayke thinks he is pretty cool hanging with these big kids.  He has freshmen who come ring the doorbell to see if he can come out and play basketball with them.  Little baller is what he is.  Ryley, down the road, is coaching him.  He has him workout with him in the evenings sometimes.  I've found a basketball league in Anderson I'm going to put him in as well as the Royerton league he played in last year.  I think we have narrowed his sports down already...soccer and basketball.  I think that is enough.

We will see what he squeezes in this week.  Only  a little over 2 weeks til school starts!!

All Stickered Up

I don't know why they plan to have the county fair during the hottest time of the year!  You can't even enjoy it.  It was in the upper 90s the entire week of the fair.  Not fun in anyway...and there was no way I was going out there.  Good thing I came up with a plan...and a darn good one.

It was sticker day, you can ride every ride for a dollar each.  I acquired 3 stickers while at work so I thought what a great way for BOB to spend his evening!  Before he got off work I dropped Jayke off at his house with the 3 stickers, one for his two kids and one for Jayke.  I then headed home to my comfy air conditioned  house.  I called him a little later to see what they were doing.  He said they were walking into the fair.  He then proceeded to go into a long explanation of how I set him up!  Set him up?  I say I planned a fun filled evening for him!  He said he just wanted to come home from work and stretch out while watching recorded episodes of True Blood but when he got there the kids were, "all stickered up with sad looks on their faces ready to go to the fair!"  He also accused me of dropping Jayke off with 3 days worth of clothes, etc, etc.  I declared I had no idea what he was speaking of.

As we were hanging up I heard him mention doing a rain dance on his way in.  I wished him luck and didn't bother mentioning we are in the middle of a drought and chances of rain were nil.  I then giggled to myself at my stroke of genius as I relaxed on my couch.

More Food...it's Becoming a Learning Experience!

Grilled ginger salmon steak with smashed red potatos, grilled peppers, and grilled asparagus    (and in the chef's own words)   the peppers were chili, not bell. The stuff in the bowl is a ginger-citrus dressing using pureed ginger with a dash of soy sauce, oil, lime, and lemon. That's a grilled lemon (which helps to extract the juice from the pulp). And that's sauteed garlic and spinach on top of the salmon steak.

Not only are my meals yummy now but they are pretty too!  This was from a week or so ago but it was too pretty not to post.  How lucky am I that I have someone who cooks for me like this EVERY NIGHT...and if he doesn't cook he takes me out and has me try new things that I would never try on my own.  For our 2 month anniversary he took me to Outback and spent $90 on our meal just so I could try a couple of new things.  Turns out I really like seared Ahi Tuna...who knew?  Something I would have never even thought to try.  Now I just have to figure out how to eat like that and NOT gain 100 pounds!

The Drama...

My muse...as in my aMUSEment!  Never seen a statue quite like this!

Also a shot of one of the gardens at Minnetrista.  If I use the correct lens you can't even tell that we are in the middle of a drought.  Makes everything look green and lush when really it is brown and barely alive!