July 2017

apparently I lost April through June of the blog I wrote - very sad :(

7/31 - I took the day off since we were leaving that afternoon for Sonoma.    I went to work out, ran some errands, we had lunch together at Elkes and then took Patch to Greg's parents house and headed to the airport.

We stopped in at Fridays for a few drinks and some early dinner.  Once we got to San Francisco, got our rental car and drove to Sonoma.  We got to the Olea hotel about 4 minutes before the lady was leaving so it was just right.  We got a glass of wine and spent some time hanging out by the fire pit.   Great weather outside, trees all around.  Really nice.

7/30 - It was day to take kids to Pine Cove for the first time.   We had breakfast and an early lunch then around noon we went to the Cracknell's house to shoe polish the cars and head out.  The boys rode with us and the girls rode with the Cracknells.   We had to stop at Dairy Queen for potty break.   We took the girls first.  We took them to their cabin to set up their beds, watched them take their swim test and then headed back to their cabin (#6) to get hugs and say goodbye.   Their counselor's name is Cheeto.  Kasey was on bottom bunk and Chloe above her.   hopefully the girls have fun this week.

Greg and Stephen took the boys earlier to check in at their cabin.   Stephanie and I headed there after we wrapped up with the girls.

We got to see the boys cabin and meet their counselor Sneezy.  Landon was on bottom bunk with William above him.  

Both camps look really nice and I think the kids will have fun.

On the way back that evening we went with the Cracknells to have some Shabu Shabu for dinner in Richardson.  It was really good and fun to hang out and have something different.

7/29 - We had to get several things ready for camp and our vacation.    I went to work out and we got ready.  We headed out to work and Landon reminded us we had to go to band pick up.  We got his trumpet, his band binder and ordered him an adult small shirt for the year (what - adult small).

After that we went to lunch at Elkes which is always good.   After lunch we ran and errand and Kasey and I went to the salon for a little pampering before camp and vacation.

That night Greg went to FC Dallas game.   Kids and I got dinner to bring home and hang out.   Landon and I watched Spiderman II :)

7/21-23 - we had a fun girls weekend.  We rented a house in Oak Cliff for a few of us.  We started Friday night with a dinner at Beto and Sons in Trinity Groves.   It was really good and we also enjoyed a few drinks.  Then we got some chocolate which we put in a cooler in one of the cars and we went to the patio to have a few drinks.  We enjoyed the music from the spanish tapas place, belly dancing at the Mediterranean place, and the Dallas Skyline including the bridge.

We went back to our house and hung out until it was time for bed.

We got up Saturday morning.  We were all up by 9ish maybe a little earlier.  We all got dressed and went for a walk run for just over 30 minutes.  By the time we were done we were pretty warm.   We got back and started taking showers.   I had planned on making "egg" cupcakes - bacon, spinach, egg and cheese.  We also had fruit and some zucchini bread.   All of it turned out pretty good.   After breakfast we all headed out and went to the  Bishop Arts district.  We walked around through several shops and bought a few fun things.  One of my favorite stores was called opportunity Market which had jewelry and some other things all made from people by hand in other countries

We decided to grab a bite to eat and a drink at Whitehall Exchange.  We shared a few salads and flatbreads.  I had a Rye Whiskey and root beer drink that was really good.

After that we headed to Dude, Sweet chocolate.  We tasted several things and I got something for my friend Cassie.  Then we headed to House of MacGregor - we all got to try on some hats, learn a little about how she got into the business and what she does.  I ended up buying a fun summer hat. It was great catching up with Cassie some and I think the other ladies enjoyed seeing her hat shop.

We decided to head back for a little while before dinner.   A few took naps, a few just talked and then we got ready.  We headed to dinner at Bolsa.   I picked up my hat from Cassie and went to dinner.  The food and drinks were good, but the area we were sitting was really hot.   After dinner we headed back.  We had some chocolate Bundt cake to celebrate Rebecca's birthday.  We played left right center which was fun and hung out talking for a few hours.

Sunday we got up by 8:30ish, had some fruit, zucchini bread and brownies for breakfast.   A few of the ladies went walking again, and Rebecca and I got in the shower to start getting ready.   Everyone got ready and packed and we left right at 11am to head home. 

I got home and we headed to catch up with some friends that had moved to Austin a few years back.  We said hi and headed to lunch at Kelly's.  We got the message that the boys will start arriving at 1:45pm so we headed to the church.

We spent some time in the afternoon talking with Landon about his trip.  We went to early dinner at Mi Cocina and I got to see Mike, Brian, & Efrem from high school.  So fun to see them and say hi.  I showed them pictures from Cassie's shop

Fun weekend.  Now back to real life

7/20  It was Greg's birthday.   I got home and we went to Mi Cocina for dinner and then had Bonnie Ruth for dessert.   Greg got creme brulee, Kasey got Red Velvet cake and I got carrot cake.   Kasey had made daddy a nice card and we are chipping in to get him a new Apple watch band.

7/17 - Kasey got two cavities filled today so her mouth was numb most of the night.

7/16 - Doug, Dave and I went to dinner with Greg at Gemma for his birthday week!   Great dinner and of course great company.  Afterwards we went to Cork for a little wine.

7/15 - We had girl scout Mother Daughter Tea at Chocolate Angel.  We had a really nice lunch, we got a little dressed up, took some nice pictures and did some planning for this year with girl scouts.   Fun Day!

7/10 - Kasey had critter camp this week.  She got to go with her friends Luke and Lucy.  They were in a group that took care of ferrets.  They had one called scratchy who put a hole in Kasey's shirt I think a few times, but she really enjoyed taking care of scratchy.  They walked them, fed them, taught them to walk on a course.   They got to interact with a bunch of different animals during the week.  It was hot but Kasey said it wasn't to bad as they did stuff in the barn a lot which was shaded.

Landon's Boy Scout Camp - 7/14 - 7/23

7/14 - It was time for Landon to go to Boy Scout summer camp.  He was packed and ready to go.  We met at 7am at the church for them to get ready to go.   It took about an hour to get everything in the cars and trailers, 57 boys go to the bathroom, and take pictures and give hugs to all the parents.  Landon ended up with a whole back seat of a suburban for the trip which is good :)

We had left Kasey at home in hopes that she would sleep in.  She woke up just after 7 and called me.  She got herself ready, made most of her lunch and was ready to go.  I took Patch back home a little early so I missed them actually leaving but got some good hugs from Landon.

They are using an app called GroupMe that all of the parents can be on.  The 19 adults going on the trip are posting pictures and updates along the way letting us know where they are and such.

Friday they stopped at a rest stop with covered tables for lunch - all the boys had brought sack lunches.  They made it to Clayton, NM to stay the night.  They had dinner at  Pizza Hut.  They had ice cream and brownie as well.  They stayed at Coyote Keeth's RV Park.  One of the dads took a picture of all the tents set up with a big storm off in the distance behind them.  I don't think they actually got wet that night

7/15 - They had all the gear loaded up by 7am (they are an hour earlier than Dallas so it felt like 8am for them), and then they had breakfast.  They got a cool picture of all of them on a big tank (I assume water tank).  Then they headed on to Colorado.

They stopped in Raton at McDonalds for dinner - long line :)  That afternoon they visited Garden of the Gods which looked beautiful.  They had dinner at Rudy's just outside Garden of the Gods.  They stayed in tents again that night in Pueblo, CO

7/16 - They got a VIP tour of the Air Force Academy in the morning.  Cool picture of everyone there.   Landon and Travis got their picture with the Commander in Chief trophy that Air Force Academy had most recently won in football competition.

After that they headed to their campout where they would be for the week.  Below is from one of the adults.

Really great tour this morning at the Air Force Academy. Thanks to  Mr. Blessing for our VIP treatment. We had a couple former graduates that are now flight instructing shows us the ropes and walk us around the campus and chapel grounds. We even had a current Cadet there to give the boys a great introduction to "Cadet Life". And of course all great tours end in s gift shop where the boys had a chance to get some AF Fighting Falcons swag.

Check in went really well! The camp grounds are beautiful and the temperature is perfect! All the boys got settled in their tents with their buddies and are all doing great. When we checked in the Camp staff took the boys on a tour and got everyone comfortable with where everything at camp is located and of course laid down the rules and camp expectations. When we unpacked the trailers all the boys pitched in and were great teammates as they all helped each other out. Dinner was good- chicken tacos. At the flag ceremony it began to rain and we all were quickly escorted to the "Keva"- a covered theater in the round. We all sang (singing in the rain) heard some camp announcements and had Chapel all while staying dry as a bone. The boys are indeed good hands and are going to have an awesome week!

7/18. Yesterday was one of the troop mandatory shower nights.  Today we are washing class A uniforms while the scouts continue classes.

All all doing well and are enjoying their merit badge activities and spending time with friends.  Camp food is good, but low in sugar.  Boys are adapting with treats from care packages and trips to the trading post.

7/19. It rained for a bit last night but that did not dampen the troop's energy.  The scouts had a carnival with hamburgers and ice cream sandwiches while the scouters enjoyed bison steaks with all the fixings.

After dinner we went to camp where many boys worked on TTFC requirements and others finished merit badge coursework.  It was a very productive evening for scouting.

7/21. All had a great time today earning the BSA whitewater rafting award.  We are headed back to base to eat lunch and return gear.

7/22 The troop has finished setting up camp in Palo Dura canyon and is settling in for the night.  We plan to wake up early to break camp and eat breakfast before making our final leg of the trip.  We will notify everyone when we leave and have scouts call 30 minutes out as usual.

7/23 - Everyone came home today.  We got a message that they will start arriving at 1:45pm.   We headed to the church to meet them.  Landon's car was one of the last to arrive, but he made it home just fine and was still smiling.  After a good shower and clean clothes he decided he would play soccer that night.  All 3 boys that play indoor soccer and went to summer camp trip decided to play.  They won 4 to 2 against a team that has scored 30 goals in the last 3 games.

Family Vacation - 6/28 - 7/9

6/28 - we had a 9am flight.   We left the house around 6:50am and met Grammy and Gramps at the airport to take our car (Thank you Grammy and Gramps!).  We got breakfast sandwiches and burritos for some breakfast and got on the plane.   I think Greg and I slept most of the flight while the kids played on their ipads and enjoyed their drinks.  Kasey got sprite and Landon got apple juice.

We got off the plane, got our luggage, and then called an uber to take us to our place.  It was to early to check in but they said we could leave our luggage in the apartment we were staying in.

After dropping our luggage we set up to the Mall.  We went to the Natural History museum which was pretty cool about the history of people, earth, we got to see several butterfly's in real life and other things as well.   We hung out a little on the grass by the mall where we could see the Capital on one side and the Washington Monument on the other side (in the distance).

For dinner we had a few places by us, based on prices and what we knew we decided to sit on the patio and have some Del Friscos.  The kids were a bit grumpy from coming back from camp and getting up early.  They both got Shirley temples, Caesar salad and filet mignon - not bad for kiddos.   We had to wait a little while so they offered us a free dessert.  Before dessert the kids and I went to the apartment so they could get quick showers.  

Greg brought the stuff back and ran to the grocery store to get some breakfast food and wine :)

6/29 - We got up in the morning and wanted to be at the Spy museum at 9am.  We got up a little late, Greg cooked breakfast for all of us and we headed out late.  I've been looking for months about tickets and them selling out and when I looked that morning there was nothing until noon.  So great allowing procrastination has made it so we can't go.  We got there a little after 9 after a short walk and  we got in right away.

The spy museum started with asking you to remember your profile to get at so they knew when to turn.    Throughout the museum there were several interactive things learning how spys work, how to pay attention to different details and signs.  There were many older spy gadgets showing cameras and tools inside of shoes, capsules, pens and all kind of things.    They talked about how people used disguises, how they used sounds under water, how they hid people in cars to get through different points.  They asked you to take a quiz on your profile to see if you could convince others you were who you say you are.   Overall a cool experience and fun activity.

Next we went next door to have burgers for a quick lunch.   We had a little time so we decided to go visit the National Archives.   Really cool getting to see the actual Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Constitution

That afternoon we had scheduled a bike ride to see the Monuments around town.   Kasey wasn't comfortable with riding her own bike or being on tandem with Greg.   So they ended up not going.  Landon and I went though and enjoyed it.  We got to see the Washington Monument, the WW II memorial, the Vietnam memorial, the Lincoln memorial, the Korean War memorial, Martin Luther King memorial, FDR memorial & Jefferson Memorial.  We rode biked about 3 miles, walked over 19000 steps in one day.  Needless to say we were a bit tired, but it was a cool way to see the monuments and learn a little about them.

While we did that Greg and Kasey went to the National Art Museum to look around then they walked all the way to the Lincoln Memorial.   So they also got to see the Washington Monument, the WWII memorial and Lincoln memorial.   They also went to Safeway to get food for dinner since we were all a bit tired and had an expensive dinner the night before :)  They walked over 15000 steps in their adventures.

We all got to see the White House from the distance when we were near the Washington Monument

6/30 - Today we got up and got ready.  We took and Uber to Union Station which is pretty cool in itself.  We had a quick breakfast at Johnny Rockets in the basement of Union Station.   Then we went to pick up rental car for the next several days.    Then we headed to the Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport.   All of the Smithsonian museums are free to get into.

Inside this one its majority aircraft old and some newer.    Some cool ones were SR71- Blackbird (that Landon really likes), Discovery space shuttle, concord, Apollo 11 module, several WW II planes, some really old planes and gliders, and there were some war planes as well both US and older Nazi and Russian planes.    The kids got to get into a Cessna 150 and move the flaps like they were flying.  I even got my picture in it.  I remember my dad flying those kind of planes when we went to trips when I was younger.  He'd even let me fly some :)  Fun memories.

We spent a while there, and had ice cream for lunch :)

After that we headed back and tried to go to the money printing  museum.  It was sold out for the day but it took us a long time to get there, figure that out and get back to pick up the boys who were checking on if we can get there.  It took 12 minutes to drive around.

We went back to our apartment for a little bit.  We had fun trying to get around one way roads to find parking garage for our building.   Then walked to the American Art museum which is where Kasey really wanted to go.  There were some different things.  One was license plates that said the preamble of the constitution.   There was one that had neon light outlines of all of the states and old TVs inside each state showing different things from that state.    Another electric one had many TVs with bird flying - the images of undressed women showed up on one TV.  We moved on.     At the end we found portraits of all Presidents.   They didn't have Trump yet, but was interesting to see all of them.   Kasey enjoyed some of it, Landon would have rather poked himself in the eye than walk through more art.   1/2 of it was portraits of different things including soldiers lost in war, famous people (Elvis, Michael Jackson, several sport figures including Mia Hamm, Yogi Berra, older portraits of others.  

After the museum we decided to get some dinner at Cuba Libre.  We shared several dishes and the kids tried a few new things like roasted peppers, we had different kinds of empanadas, chicken croquettes.  For dessert we had yummy bread pudding with carmel ice cream and tres leches.   Good stuff.   Greg and I got to have some yummy sangria as well.

We went back to get kids showered and in bed for the night.

7/1 - We got up, packed and ready.  Greg, Landon and Kasey helped make breakfast for our last morning in DC.   We ran by souvenir store and safeway to get some wine then we headed out on our journey to New Jersey to meet the Turner family.    We encountered quite a bit of traffic and so we stopped on the way for lunch then continued on.   There was a military convoy on the same highway as us. 

It took us over 5 hours to get from DC to Ocean City, but we made it after check in time.  The place was not quite what it was in the pictures, but we had 4 rooms - 2 for adults and the boys had a room and the girls had a room with bunk beds.   The kids were pretty excited to see the Turners and so were we.

We were supposed to get some food delivered between 5-7pm.  Around 6 we walked down to try and get some pizza, but they weren't taking orders anymore for the evening.  So we ended up at a Hawaiian burger place.  After we made orders we got a call from the grocery store asking if they could replace some of our items which means it wasn't ready and it sure wasn't getting to us by 7pm.  We called the rest of the family to walk down the street.  We all had our dinners sitting on the patio.  The weather was great, and in Ocean City its dry so we had water, lemonade and Landon and Liam got special drinks.  Landon got a Pina Colada and Liam got a special blue drink with swedish fish in it and it smoked :)

After dinner we went and walked on the boardwalk some.  We went to the ocean.  Outside it was about 70 so starting to get chilly and it was foggy.  The kids put their feet in the water.  It was really cold.   We stopped to try out some custard which was good.  Then we headed back to the house and started getting kids to bed.

We got a call that we wouldn't get our groceries until the morning.  Jessica argued with them and made them promise to have it there by 9am, refund the delivery fee and give $

March 2017

3/25 - Today we started with Landon's soccer game.  Spartans won 3-0.  Landon had to sit out most everything this week so it was good for him to get to run around.  We went to Elke's for quick lunch then it was time for girl scout pinewood derby.  Kasey won last year so we weren't sure how it was going to go.    We had 2 girls from our troop, 2 girls from one grade older and an older sister all racing.  

3/24 - I came home early so we could take Landon to get his staples removed.  It was healing well so that is good.

3/20 - Greg got a call in the morning that Kasey got sick at school.    I came home a little early to help out.  Had to take Landon to care now to check on staples.  Kasey got sick several times in the morning but was ok in the afternoon

That night Landon had boy scout meeting and we had parents meeting to learn about the troop.   There was an email that said we should all check the boys for ticks as several had been found.  So we checked Landon.  Unfortunately he had one on a private area so of course it hurt pretty bad.   Needless to say we had a lot of drama for a few days.   A bit to much for me

3/19 - We were sleeping in some but got a call from camp that Landon had fallen off a log and hit his head.  They thought it might need stitches.   We got up to get ready, Greg drove to Oklahoma, Kasey and I got showered and ready, cancelled our movie plans to see Beauty and the Beast, and grabbed a bite to eat.   The boys got back home so we could check out Landon.  His head had stopped bleeding but still looked bad enough to get it checked out.  We headed to Care now, and they decided that he needed some staples to close the wound.  4 staples.  He did well, but the needle to numb the area really hurt him.   The staples weren't to bad.

3/18 - Kasey had Cogat test for AIM.   Many families there and it took about 2 1/2 hours for them to take the test.  That's a long time for testing but Kasey thinks she did well.  We tried to explain that either way its ok.  We'll find out in April if she takes the 2nd round of testing.

After that we went to lunch at Elkes.

Greg and Kasey worked on her pinewood derby car in the afternoon.  That night Greg went to FC Dallas game and dinner with Doug.  Kasey and I went to dinner with Myers/Goodsons to celebrate Nanny, Pops and Johns birthdays.

3/17 - Today Landon was leaving on his first boyscout campout without any of us.   They all helped load the luggage and stood in their patrols.   We had ordered a magnetic game for the car that has backgammon, chess and checkers.   We got it as they were packing the trailers so Greg went to grab it.

We didn't wait for them to fully leave because we needed to eat and get Kasey to bed.   We decided to go to Durkins to eat (Landon doesn't like it for some reason).  Great pizza, salad, and we got to hang out with Durkin some.

3/14 - Boys had a football game - they played close, tied the game and went into overtime.  They lost unfortunately.  Landon pulled a flag and had fun

3/13 - Landon had boy scout meeting and they found out their patrols.  He's in one with William and it's called Bear.  He was excited.  First campout is next weekend.

Cruise 2017

March 4 - I got up to work out one more time before vacation.  Grammy, Gramps, Kasey and I left around 10 to head to aunt Mary's for some family time.  Greg and Landon stayed back because Landon had a soccer game.  

We stopped at Sams on the way down for lunch and some gas.  One of the things I'd been craving with eating better was fried chicken so I had a small piece but did pretty good other than that

We got to aunt Mary's and a few cousins were already there.  Kaseys closest cousin Ayla and her little brother were there.  Not long after Haley and Ashlyn came with their parents.  We haven't seen them in years and have gotten very tall.  It was fun catching up for a short visit.  Kasey for some reason didn't want to play with Ayla but wanted to visit with adults and older cousins. I'm glad she did with short visit.  

After that we started eating snacks and dinner was another craving I had enchiladas.  So I had salad and enchiladas for dinner with homemade guacamole.  Yum.  We had bday cake to celebrate some recent family birthdays.  

We went to hotel we were staying the night and got Kasey to bed late but not super late.  

Landon lost his soccer game but it was close.  

March 5 - cruise day

Greg and landon left our house a bit after 6am to get down in time.    Kasey got me up  before 7.  We got showers and got ready then met Grammy and Gramps for breakfast. It was ok breakfast but tea and coffee were bad

By the time we were done Greg and landon were 30 minutes away.  We got packed, checked out and headed to meet them in the rain

We put all the luggage in our car with kids and Grammy.  Dad and I rode together.  It rained the whole way down pretty hard. Grammys Bluetooth kept connecting to our car even though she was in the other car.  Gramps and I were staying behind a bus and lost Greg at one point.  

On the way dad was telling stories about growing up, going to college and the military.  He was drafted into the military and so he went to sign up for the Air Force.  In Air Force he was in a class around power and mechanics and finished top in his class.  Because he was top he got to pick where he was going to go so he picked Florida.  Mom and dad went to homestead Florida.  They had enough money to get an apartment, some food and gas then with $5 left until payday they went to a movie. 

From there one of the guys was trying to get him on a top secret project but it didn't work out.  He got orders to go to Alaska.  In the military he saw the difference in how people were treated and promoted who had degrees vs those that didn't.  So he got out of the military to get his degree and went for technology degree at U of H.   When looking for work he went to Houston power company where he had worked before to see if he could get credit for previous work.  They said no so he ended up at Schlumberger where he worked his post college career.  It was fun hearing stories.  We don't get to talk like that often

Once in Galveston Gramps and I parked and headed to terminal.  Greg and others and luggage were stuck in traffic.  We eventually all got there, turned in luggage and went to check in.  Somehow we got $50 credit per person for the 4 of us

We got our picture and got on the boat.  We went up to eat along with most others.  Saw a friend from high school

We walked around the ship some, went to our rooms and relaxed a bit.  We got ready for our first dinner.  Good food, wine and company.  After dinner we all went to show and Kasey and I got our picture with Po from Kung fu panda.  The show was comedian plus preview of acrobats

March 6

We slept in a little and met Grammy and Gramps in the dining room on 3 for breakfast.  

We did some slides on 13 then I took Kasey to the pool and Landon went to hang out wit Dylan.   Kasey played in kiddy area for a while then we went to get in the big pool.  I got in with her for a while.  We danced in the water but had to get out because the boat was rocking so much

That afternoon Grammy and Gramps kept the kids so Greg and I could go to a wine tasting.   It was fun.  Rocco from Italy was the host and sommelier.  He had interesting info and it's always fun to try different wines even if we didn't really like any of them. 

We got ready for dinner and had good food and service again

That night Greg took kids to get them to bed and Grammy, Gramps and I went to see comedian show.  They were ok.  Two brothers from New York.   

March 7

Today we started the day with dreamworks character breakfast.  It wasn't much but we had chocolate pastries and kids got to meet king julien and Alex from madegascar.  

After that we went to go ice skating. Kasey, landon and I got skates on.  Kasey for some reason was scared and didn't want to stay on.  Landon and I skated for the 30 minutes and it was fun.  My legs hurt by the end but it was still fun

After that we got into swimsuits.  Kasey and I went to see Pus in boots then headed up.  Landon was in the pool with Dylan.  Kasey got in as well.  She wanted me to get in with her so I did.  The ship was moving so much that with her on my back I was going under water some.  I suggested the hot tub :). It was calmer in there.  I got out to hang out with Greg.  We got a few drinks.  Landon and Dylan went up to play basketball and Kasey got back in the pool

Kids got soft serve ice cream then we went to lunch (were on vacation right?).  Lunch was in the windjammer today at the very back of the boat.  It was a pretty day

After lunch Kasey and I got showered and changed.  I went to an Italy wine tasting with Grammy, Kasey went to kids club for the first time and Landon was playing soccer with Dylan.  The wine tasting was good and fun but he sold me a bottle of wine for $75 that we bought at dinner for $59.   Hmmm

I got the kids and it was time to get ready for dinner.  Our travel agent had booked us a free dinner at specialty Italian restaurant.  It was amazing.   We had several appetizers to share including octopus, tuna sashimi, pork belly, tomato and mozzarella, and meats and cheeses.  We had meals then all shared pastas which were great.  

Gnocchi, mushroom risotto, carbonara pasta with egg and pasta with meat sauce.  Then we had dessert.  We had tiramisu, lemon cake, chocolate chip cookies with ice cream.   Needless to say it was a great dining experience and we were very full

That night Kasey tried to see the acrobat show.  We were going to let her see part but the cancelled it because the ship was moving to much.  We stayed for a few songs of the singing act but it was late. 

March 8

Kids sang happy bday to Pops on our balcony

We had an excursions in Honduras today.  We were going to a private island.  

We had quick breakfast then headed out.  We took a short boat ride to the island.   Once there we got our chairs, kids played in the ocean some.  Then it was time for animal excursion.  We basically went into a cage with baby monkeys.  We held food for them and they crawled all over us.  Kasey went in first on her own then the rest of the family.  We also got pictures with a parrot and another bird

After that it was time for an early island lunch.  We got in line.  They had chicken, fried fish sticks, salad and rice and beans (with a little spice).  Greg and I tried a few drinks and kids had virgin pina colada and strawberry daiquiri.   

After lunch Landon took off with friends and Kasey and I headed to the pool.  I had my phone so and nothing else so I couldn't really get in the water.  I tried to get her back to Greg and she didn't want to get out or do anything.  Eventually we got back to Greg.  We thought we were going to feed huge sea lions but that wasn't the case.  We stayed a bit longer at the pool.  Greg let me have a little time on the beach alone but people started smoking so I went to the pool too. 

Then we headed back to the ship.   We showered and got ready for dinner

Greg and I got to have a drink alone on deck 14 while Grammy and gramps hung with the kids.  Then we went to watch them untether and leave the dock from Grammy and Gramps balcony. 

That night after dinner we went to the ice skating show.  Kasey got her picture with Pus and boots.   The show was good but not sure kids loved it. 

That night Grammy, Gramps and I went to see the marriage game which is always humorous. A couple married 4 days, 25 years and 61 years. 

March 9

We were going to Belize today for the first time.  We spent a lot of time traveling.  We got the kids up early then had to wait in the theater for almost an hour before leaving for our excursion.  We got off the boat and had to get on a local tender boat to take us to Belize City.  This took about 25 minutes.  We had an hour and a half bus ride so everyone had to go potty then we waited for a while.  We did get a magnet on Landon's suggestion.   On the bus they took us around the city some telling us about the city.  How several countries like US, England, Taiwan and others help fund improvements to this 3rd world country.   Tourism is becoming bigger but they don't have a ton of infrastructure. In fact the bus we were on was an old dart bus (it had the logo on the seats).  They produce a lot of oranges for US and U.K. and some sugarcane too.  Some people there make $35 a day.  Gas is $5/gallon.  He talked about where people came from.  Mians, British, India and others contributed to colonization.   They are only South American country to speak English as their main language.   They speak a fast broken English that's similar to Caribbean communication. 

At then end of our bus ride it was time to go tubing.  We had to rent lockers put on helmets and life vests and walked in the jungle about 25 minutes carrying our tube.  The guide was nice to carry Kasey's.  he wasn't much for words but it was a nice walk.  We started out walking across a stream where we got our picture.  

We got into the water just ahead of many groups.  The guide tied our tubes together and we all got in.   He pulled us along and even used his arms some pulling us backwards on his innertube.  He pointed out a few formations they had named.  Apparently the Mians had done rituals in these caves. 

They had some that looked like a mother over her child, a huge jelly fish, ice cream cone, dolphin and a few others.  

After our tube ride it was time for lunch and we were hungry.   We had good flavored chicken (not royal rats that are another form of chicken they have there), rice and beans, Cole slaw, and sauce from the meat.    The meat and rice and beans were really good.  Greg and I tried a few local beers.  One tasted like colors light (the one made there) and the other tasted kind of like Heineken.  So not great

At the end Kasey wasn't feeling well.  We got a bag, had her go potty and got on the bus.   She slept almost the entire way which she needed. 

Our hour bus ride back didn't leave us any shopping time so we just headed back to the boat to get ready for dinner. 

After dinner we all hung out a bit.  Greg and Landon went to let Landon play soccer upstairs.  Kasey and I met Grammy early to get seats and a drink.   The boys got there right before people started demanding their seats.  They had also gone to the front of the boat.

The show was great with music, acrobats on ropes and scenes and movement which were great.  Landon didn't love it but the rest of us did

March 10

Today was Cozumel day.  We had not booked an excursion and decided to stay on the ship.   We face timed Grandma and Patch which kids were excited about. 

We got Grammy and Gramps moving to have breakfast in the windjammer.  It was our only choice after sleeping in after time change til almost 9.   

After breakfast we went to the arcade.  We were pretty much the only people in there.  Kids and Greg played some games, a few games stole money then we played air hockey.   Kasey beat me then Landon beat Kasey then Kasey beat landon.  Greg went to the room and the kids and I tried to find Grammy and Gramps.  We went to level 5 then 14 then 3 then texted them.  They were in suite lounge on 14.  We hung out a while then Landon went to play basketball by himself and Kasey went to get swimsuits.    Kids did slides then I changed into my suit.  Landon and I did tube ride and the three of us did big slides multiple times

Greg went to change, Grammy went to cool off and Myers crew went to the pool.  Greg and I had a few drinks and hung out with the kids in the pool.  We had dance contests, we did grand ole duke of York and down by the banks.   There were very few people so it was great

As we were about to eat Grammy and Gramps came down.  We grabbed food from windjammer for a late lunch

Then the boys decided to try flowrider.  Kasey rode the slides several times.  I watched the boys try to get on their knees on flowrider.  Landon did and Greg tried several ways.  I got to ride tube ride with Greg and race Kasey on the slide. 

Then we had to rush to shower for formal night.  Kasey last special drink and dessert for yelling at us about several things. 

We had a good dinner with lobster and nice Caymus wine.  After dinner we all got more comfortable.  Greg and I went out while kids hung out with the grandparents.  

Greg and I went to the show which was fun.  A guy doing impressions and singing song.  Then we went to piano ar for a drink and some music.  Then we went to short 70s singing thing on the promenade which was to get people excited about Saturday night fever musical the next night. 

March 11

Today was an at sea day and we took it easy.  Late breakfast in the windjammer, boys playing basketball, girls shopping on the promenade (Kasey got a necklace with free bracelet, I got a necklace and free bracelet for Kasey and Grammy got new clasp on her necklace).  We did some swimming.  Kasey, Greg & I watched some of the staff play pool volleyball against guests.  Fun to watch and not to shabby. Landon spent a lot of the day with Dylan playing basketball, lunch, playing at the pool & rock climbing.   I think having Dylan there was his favorite part. 

After that the boys went to do rock wall climbing and Kasey and I did the slides several times.  I kept beating her which she didn't like.  

We left there to shower and get ready for dinner.  One more dinner with our waiter and assistant waiter.   They were awesome knowing our names, things we liked like extra escargot and my parents coffee after dinner.  The brought kids fruit rig away to keep them busy.   They let Landon order off the adult menu

Kasey ate escargot several times (like 6).   She also had strawberry daiquiri each night.  Landon had a pina colada each night and tried a few steaks and appetizers but not escargot.  

That night we went back to pack some after dinner.  Grammy and Gramps saved us seats for the musical until I got there.   Grammy and I were the only ones who wanted to see it and it started at 9 so it was to late for the kids.  I thought it was really good.  I don't remember the movie much but enjoyed the music and dancing.  A few of the guys were ones that played volleyball earlier in the day

I had to go check on pictures after the show then it was time to wrap up and go to bed one more time on the ship

Fun day.  Amazing cruise.  None of us want to go back to the real world.  

March 12

We got up before 7.  Just put clothes on finished packing and headed to the windjammer for breakfast one more time.  

Then we went to get our luggage to head out.  Lines were long, weren't moving and people were getting frustrated.  At one point Landon wanted to go to the other side to see if the line was shorter.  We assumed he meant the other stairway.  He went from the back of the boat where we were to the front.  Oh my.  He still made it back before we moved.   Once we finally started moving it wasn't so bad

We got through customs and walked about 6 minutes to parking to get our car.   49 degrees feels pretty cold when its windy and it's been in the 80s all week. 

One of the days I asked Kasey to remember something.  We do that because she has a good memory.  She told me that she put it on a post it note.   So I asked, in your head?   She said yes she has post it notes, paper, markers, pencils and such in her head to use as needed when she gets bored 

I asked the kids their favorite parts of the cruise - I think they liked it all but Kasey liked being about to run down the hall and see Grammy and Gramps.  Landon like playing with Dylan.

3/2 - After work went to eat fast, work at the book fair at the school, go to open house at the school with kids.  Then Kasey and I went to the nail salon with Mindy  to get our nails done before Spring Break.

February 2017

2/28 - Landon had first football game of the season.  The boys played hard but lost.  Landon pulled 5 or 6 flags, and had a good catch and run.   Fun to hang out with families and watch the boys play

2/26 - We had a slow start to the day.   Finally we went to have some lunch.  Then we finished prep for crossover.

Kasey and I had girl scout meeting at 2.  We went to Compassion experience - went through a story of boy who was basically abandoned, very poor, stuggled with school then found a way to succeed and give back to others.   Then girls decided on their service project to help give shoes to people in need.  Then we headed to boy scout cross over.

I had made picture collages for each boy with cub scout pictures from start to now.    I had made some arrow of light cookies, and then made cupcakes with boy scout symbol on them.

We did decorations I used mason jars and put cub scout scarves on them + 1 with bobcat and 1 with arrow of light to show their journey.  On top I had a glass with candle and sand colored the same color as the badge for each step.

All of the sisters are girl scout and wore their vests and greeted people at the door to give them programs.

The younger Webelos did flag ceremony.  The boys were presented with their Arrow of light awards which is the highest award you can get as a cub scout.   The boys were presented with Arrow of light plaques as well.

Then they had a cross over ceremony with order of arrow from their new troop 1299.   It was neat to see them cross over.  The adults crossed over as well.

It was a nice ceremony and we are really proud of the boys.   Afterwards we all went to dinner at 5th street and enjoyed a great slideshow of the boys.

2/25 - Today was a good day for basketball and getting ready for Boy Scout Crossover.   The basketball team played at noon.  They played hard.  Landon got a basket and played hard.   They won which meant that they were going to play for 3rd place at 4:30.  Of course 1/2 the boys had a soccer game at 4:30 as well.  Most of the basketball team played in the 3rd place game and soccer team also played.    The 4:30 game the boys played against a team that had a few friends from school on it.  We had played them twice before.  The first time we won, the second time they won.   This time the Warhawks won.  It was a very close game.  Landon got a free throw and played really well on defense especially at the end of the game.   The boys were really excited to win and so was coach Greg.

After the game most of us went to Braums for some celebration ice cream.   Fun times with good families.

After that we went to have dinner the 4 of us at Spazo.   That night a few ladies came over and helped me get cupcakes and cookies ready for boy scout cross over.

2/24 - I got to have lunch with the kids because I worked from home.   That evening I had 2 girls nights.  We celebrated one of the girl scout moms birthday.  Then went to hang out with some girlfriends.  

2/23 - I went to an Allen ISD special presentation called Celebrate Calm.  Really good talk on dealing with strong willed Children.  A lot of good information.

That night I went with a few ladies to Bon Jovi concert.  We had a nice dinner outside at Meso Maya then walked to the concert.  It was fun and good concert.

2/22 - We took Kasey back to allergist to retest some other foods to see if we can figure out what is making her sick.   She's apparently allergic to vegetables that we eat often like Broccoli, green beans, corn, sweet potatoes.   We'll see how it goes.  We are supposed to not have those things for a month (after the cruise) and see if she gets sick any more.

2/20 - I overslept and didn't make it to the gym.   I took a call in the garage since the housekeepers were at the house, then went to meet Greg and the kids at Market Street.  After some discussion, we went to try and eat at a new place called El Pollo Loco.  It was ok.  Then the kids and I went to Main Event to do some bowling.  Then kids played arcades for a while.

2/19 - We went to get Landon's suit fitted, and then went to the outlet to get him some nicer shirts, and we got kids some shoes.

2/18 - We started out the day a little slow.  Then Kasey and I went to Kohls and Academy to look for bathing suits, dresses for Kasey.   We met the boys at Elkes for lunch.  

We headed home for a bit then went to Landon's first playoff basketball game.  They unfortunately lost to team that had a few friends on it.  Landon wasn't to happy.

Right after that Kasey and I went to Lovejoy elementary for World Thinking Day - the girls got to learn about, try treats and get a swap from several countries.  It was pretty cool.

2/14 - Valentines Day - We gave the kids a few things.  Greg and I got to have lunch together at Ali Baba.   For dinner Greg made homemade spaghetti and meatballs and sauce.  He even made me spaghetti squash.  Greg and the kids got me flowers.

2/13 - Today is mom's birthday.  We got to go to lunch together which always fun.  We enjoyed some good food and talking.   Fun times. 

2/12 - Today was movie day.   we had breakfast at home, went to see Hidden Figures in the morning, had lunch at Urban Crust in Plano, then went to see Batman Lego movie in the afternoon.   Kids and I got Pei Wei for dinner.

2/11 - We had a busy day.  Landon had an 8am basketball game.  They lost but played hard.   After that we went back to get 4runner full of cookies.  We added a late booth to our schedule and Kasey and i were the only ones who could attend.   We sold 188 boxes just the two of us.  While we did that Greg and Landon picked up 105 donations for scouting for food.     We ran around some in the afternoon and went for an early Hibachi dinner.

2/9 - I got to go to a movie with a few ladies from the neighborhood to see 50 shades darker.

2/8 - I pulled out one of Landon's teeth that had been sideways for a little while.  he said it hurt and bled for a little while.  For kids teeth the tooth fairy brought dollar coins.  It so happens that the tooth fairy was out of the dollar coins.   We decided to take the opportunity to let Landon in on "what parents do"     He kind of knew, but still wants to believe which we totally support.  We told him he can help us out now.   He did say he wished we hadn't told him til a little later which made me sad.

2/5 - Superbowl Sunday.  We went shopping to get food for the game.  Kids were making pizza rolls, and I made spaghetti squash with meat, peppers and marinara sauce.    We watched the first half and halftime together then got Kasey to bed.  We let Landon stay up til 9 but game wasn't over, but he needed some sleep. Crazy game, great halftime, I liked the Mr Clean commercial :)

2/4 - We had a really busy but good day.   We started the day with an 8am basketball game.  The team played really hard, Landon got a basket, and they kept the game really close.  Unfortunately they lost.   We ran a few errands to get Valentines for the kids.  We went home to get showers and then we went to Elke's for lunch.  She was having mac and cheese chili which is a family favorite.    Soon after it was time for the pinewood derby.  Greg was running the whole thing and it all went off well.  They started out by giving Greg an award from cub scouts.   They told some about the history of the pinewood derby, read a poem and got started.   They competed through the ranks.  Landon won first place in Webelos.   He was first in the top 12 to compete for the final across ranks.   They run 3 races each car.    It was really close.  Landon won 1st place overall by 0.003 seconds.  

We came home for a bit then had another evening basketball game.   They boys played hard again and won the game.  A few friends from school were on this team but we were rooting for friends and our team.

We came home, dropped Greg and Kasey and Landon and I went to Polo Tropical for dinner.   Nice to get a little bit of time with just him.