On the last weekend before school started, we ventured on a STAYCATION!  We love staying in local hotels, particularly in the city, so we scored a deal at the Westin Downtown!!  We packed the boys up and headed down there after Open House at the school…and treated the boys to a sweet lunch at the SunDial Restaurant at the top of the Westin Hotel.  I will never forget their first thoughts and words when they figured out the place moved while you were eating!!  We had an awesome lunch and then checked in to our room.  The boys LOVED it…we opened up the drapes, enjoyed the floor to ceiling windows and checked out the spectacular view of the city!

The next day we enjoyed the Aquarium!  It was a blast! The boys enjoyed all the animals we saw and the new Dolphin Show rocked!!  We made so many memories that weekend…it was truly amazing!! Now, if this isn’t the most priceless photo you have seen ever, you just let me know.

LOVE the Stingrays!

Karen

Here is grandma and Boo in his new TENT! That would be the one his Aunt She-She MADE him! Cool huh???

Here are Boo and Daddy and the Chick-Fil-A COW! We were at the Easter Egg Hunt at our church and the cow was nice enough to come too.

Here is Boo on Easter Sunday…playing with the eggs, which is the norm…he made Grandma and I hide the eggs about 8 times and even Grandma got to help find them!

And here we are at church on Sunday…Last year with just three of us!!!
Enjoy!

Off to the beach for a little R&R!

–Karen

HEEELLLLLOOO!!!!

We are all back safe and sound! Boo and I actually returned last Thursday from Florida, but in my best attempt to have a week of vacation, I did certainly take a vaca from blogging. The funniest thing I found was I missed about two weeks of hearing from some people who were on vacation the week before me!! So, I have taken the last few days to catch up…although, I must admit, not completely.

Jeremy arrived from Kenya on Sunday afternoon. He had an incredible trip and came home with only one suitcase. That’s a good thing. He had mostly gifts and so Boo and I had an enjoyable time looking at all the things he got there. I browsed his pictures last night and they are incredible. I have heard lots of stories and probably some that have just escaped his mind at the moment. He has equally heard all about the beach and Busch Gardens and Buccanneer Bay. Boo is just thrilled to pieces that his daddy is home!! I promise to post some pics of vacation and Kenya when I get a minute to sit down.

I am back to work tomorrow…feeling indifferent about it all really and anticipating much work. I will let you know how that is tomorrow.

Glad to be home! See you around!

–Karen

Oh my blazes…it’s h.o.t. here! Like I didn’t expect that… Just checking in with you all and hoping to find you all well. It’s nice here – the weather is good with the occasional shower, although, that’s only rumor, since I haven’t actaully seen one for myself. Close though.
Father’s Day was event-filled at Weeki Wachee/Buccaneer Bay with my family – fun was had by all and the Mermaid show proved itself well to my son. He loved the ice cold natural spring water and the kiddie pool. Rock On Buc Bay! It’s been a long time, but it proved worthy. Today it’s playdates and golfing for the little man and tomorrow…well, we head to the jungles of Africa – okay, not really, but at Busch Gardens, it will give him just a tad glimpse as to what his daddy is experiencing while there.
Speaking of Jeremy – he made his way back to the village which is their headquarters – they have been traveling to different villages testing the water and they will begin their trek back to the main city tomrrow morning. We now talk in days as to when he will be home. Please pray for his trip back to be uneventful.

Much love to you all-

Karen

Ahh, the countdown till vacation has officially begun. My dad called yesterday to let us know the count was 19 days. WaaaHooo! He sounds excited, Boo is excited, Mom and I are set – yep, sounds like a great vacation. It will be weird not having Jeremy there, but being on vacation will keep me side tracked. It’s the week before vacation that will be all hairy and weird, really. The week I have to get up and get Boo up and get out the door on time…normally Jeremy takes care of getting him dressed and set with breakfast. I am up for the task though and hopefully I will have lots of friends who want to spend time with me in the evenings. hee hee.
So, we have just a over a week till Jeremy leaves for Africa and just over 2 weeks till we leave for Florida! Hip Hip Hooray!

I hope that everyone had a nice extended weekend…I know I enjoyed it. Although, my mind is in 100 different places most days, so I am having a hard time concentrating on work and actually following through with tasks. It’s kind of annoying for this type A girl at work. And I could be mid thought on something and completely forget where I was. I am hoping some time away will do me some good…although I do have to come back. However, Change is coming, Praise the Lord!

I know. I know. It’s been a while since I posted some pictures, so in an effort to appease my fan base, I now present to you…the boo on vacation.

This is Boo and Emma Grace at the mall about a month ago. Emma Grace’s mommy is my friend Mandy at Mickey’s Girls. Mandy and I have been friends since 1998 and some of the first memories I have of her are participating in Flags All Night at Six Flags. We later made a small group together with 3 other girls where my life grew with the Lord and changed drastically. We got married the same year and she moved to Texas right before my wedding. I got to visit her on Memorial Day weekend the following year in Austin. The next year Mandy got pregnant and as she was still waiting for Emma Grace to arrive I called to tell her I was expecting a little one as well. The day I found out I was going to have a C-section, I called Mandy, since she was already experienced and she helped walk me through an unknown time. Emma Grace and my boo are just under 8 months apart. I don’t get to see Mandy that often, but when I do, it’s like picking up right where we left off. This past weekend I got to see her again as we enjoyed the wedding of Jeremy’s cousin, who is also the daughter of Mandy’s parents best friends, and Mandy’s daddy performed the ceremony. Did you all get all that???

READY FOR DISNEY! Here we are at my aunt’s house and this kid is so ready for Disney World! He packed his own bag and wheeled it around till we left. He did the same thing at home before we left on the trip, but I didn’t manage to capture it because I was too busy reasoning with him of why we could not leave at night, after his bag was packed, and why we had to wait till the morning to leave.

Greer Family at Disney! Here we are at the Magic Kingdom. The sky was so beautiful out that morning and that picture was taken approximately around 8:30 AM. I was up at 6:15 and started waking Jeremy, Boo and my mom a little after that. I couldn’t sleep, so I figured no one else should either. hee hee. I think I was the most excited…although, after seeing some of the characters, maybe Boo was.

I DON’T WANT TO RIDE DUMBO! Yeah, too bad. I know, I probably should not have chose Dumbo for his first ride, but we were right there and he was so excited…and then, we had to stand in line for a few minutes and he got to watch it work, and then, he didn’t want to ride it. Well, again, too bad…he pretty much cried the whole ride and then when we got off, he pulled a Kernie and said, That was fun! ARE YOU KIDDING? Fun for who is what I was thinking… Seriously, I didn’t torture him or anything. He loved every ride after that.

EEYORE! Boo likes Eeyore and he was about the only character that he would take a picture with. The day before this when we were at Magic Kingdom, our camera stopped working right as we got to meet Mickey Mouse. Fear not, we have a picture taken by the professionals.

The vacation did not end at Disney…we spent some good time with family and Papaw came to see us!!! We all went out on my grandfather’s boat and my dad (Papaw) is showing Boo about fishing. Jeremy is overseeing.

We had a really wonderful time on vacation. It’s hard to believe a month has almost passed since we were down there. Boo is changing so much and learning masses amount of information at a time. Everyday he comes home with more statements and questions that sometimes I don’t have answers for! I love that his little brain is soaking up lots of information.

Hope everyone is enjoying the day today, whether rainy or sunny, it’s always a great day in the Lord!

In Him-

Karen

I AM BACK! I HAVE RETURNED!
Did you miss me? Awww, come on, be honest. You did! ha. I was on vacation last week and this week, what’s my excuse? Well, actually, sickness. The kind where you think your body is actually going to explode from all the pressure building in your head, yeah. That kind of sickness. Both Jeremy and I had it and we suspect Boo had it before us, while we were on vacation and then gave it to us on vacation and so we could come home and finish it out. Thanks boo. No, really, thanks. hee hee.
Oh my goodness…so, where do I begin? Disney? Okay, good, that’s my favorite part of last week.
Disney – It rocked. The Magic Kingdom was awesome and we enjoyed two other days at MGM. Why MGM you ask? Well, my bosses’ gave me 6 tickets and we didn’t know what we were able to use them on until we checked in to our hotel. So, on Tuesday when we checked in we threw our stuff in the hotel room and headed to MGM, the only place the tickets were good for. David, who was running a slight fever by this time, managed to take it all in and enjoy himself. Disney Playhouse was our savior and he could have watched that all day. We saw some characters and he even ate some pizza and played games. I was amazed at him. He did such a good job. On Wednesday, we took in the sights and sounds and rides of the Magic Kingdom. It. Was. AWESOME!!!! No lines. No waiting. Just FUN. We all had a great time. He rode Dumbo with me. We all rode the Teacups. He met Mickey at his house, which was so nice and Mickey even kissed me on the cheek. He drove the Race cars, shot the green men on Buzz Lightyear, watched the parade with all the characters, ate wonderfully, sang “It’s a Small World” when we got off the ride (priceless, I tell ya, just priceless!!!), saw Peter Pan and Pirates, Pooh and all his friends, and so much more. One word? AWESOME. We can’t wait for next year, as Jeremy is already planning.
Vacation with the family - Always an Adventure. We got to see a lot of my family while down in Orlando. My dad came over for the day. My grandfather got to see David and do lots of high-fives with him. We got to ride on the boat (although, by then, I was sick and didn’t feel great at all). I got to see my grandmother in the nursing home, which was hard, but definately needed for me. The family has a lot of stuff going on right now. If you get a chance and the Lord reminds you, say a prayer for my family, from grandparents and their health, to all my aunts and uncles and dad, to all the grandchildren.

In Christ-
Karen

As of tonight, around 7:30 PM, we will be on vacation. Jeremy is normally done with his duties by 7:30 and at the rate I am going, it will be hours before I accomplish everything that needs to get done around here. Lots to do, not enough time. I have a meeting at 4:30 that I should be at and then Discipleship class at 5:30 that Jeremy and I lead…I am pretty sure I can get most of my stuff done before then, but I want David to get enough time to rest too. He hasn’t felt good the past few days and needs his rest for sure. He had some goopy eyes the past few days, but the Lord answered my prayers overnight and his eyes were clean this AM. I was thrilled and believe absolutely that God took care of him. His nose is still a little runny, but nothing we can’t control.
If you have ever seen the Disney commercial where the little boy runs to his big sister’s room and they are talking about Disney and the mom walks in. She asks what the two of them are doing and the little boy exclaims, “I’m too excited to sleep” (although it sounds like sweep). They advertise Disney and then you see the mom go back to her bed, lay down next to her husband and the mother says, “Are you sleeping?” and the father opens his eyes and says, “No, I’m too excited to sleep.” That commercial is so cute and ever since we have seen it, Jeremy and I have always laughed and said “THAT’S US!” That reality is coming true this week as we embark on Disney World mid-week. We will spend some time with family in the early week and then in the later week. We are so excited and cannot believe the time is finally here.
I have only recently got off the phone with my family and all I can say is the Lord knows it all. He knew exactly when we would be making this trip, He knew exactly the details that would surround my family during this time. So, with that said, please say a prayer for us as we travel. Pray for my family and the circumstances surrounding them right now. Pray we would bring comfort and joy during the midst of these circumstances. Pray most importantly that pain and sickness would subside and that God, in all His wisdom and knowledge, would pour it out on my family.
Talk to you all when I return.
Love in Christ-
Karen

Tags: Family, Vacation

In just about a week and a half, we are headed to FLORIDA! WOO HOO! I am so excited. It hasn’t been that long since I saw my family…some of them were here in July and my daddy was here in April, but it’s been over a year since we last stepped foot in the state. David was a mere 1 year old and if you can believe this, he wasn’t even walking yet!!! HA! That makes me laugh. So, it’s off to visit the fam. My gut tells me I am going to want to stay, but I always feel that way when I visit my family. We are taking David to Disney, so that will probably the highlight of his year. I am so thrilled!! Can you tell I am excited? NO? Just teasing…I think it’s pretty evident.
My friend Michelle is going to have her baby while I am enjoying Disney. I don’t mind that her doctor decided it, but it will be weird not going to the hospital to see her! No one knows if it’s a boy or a girl. So, I am excited to find that out as well. Ahhh, vacation. YIPPIE!!!
I am not doing a TT today, because I just could not think of 13 things to chat about. I have something on my mind too, and until I can get that squared away, I won’t be able to fully concentrate. It hasn’t consumed my brain yet, but it could, and I am determind to not let it. Maybe that’s why I SHOULD do a TT! ha.
I hope all is well in your world.

In Love-
Karen

Ahhh, yes. I am back from my trip, but I put up a fight kicking and screaming to NOT come home. It’s my co-workers…and we all had to go to work…but honestly, no one really wanted to admit not wanting to come back to work. Alright, except me. I wasn’t afraid to say…nope, I don’t really want to go…can’t you just come back and get me next week? Oh, and send the hubby and boo bear…I do kind of miss them. HA!
I did miss them, but not as in the overly obsessive missing. I actually took the time to really enjoy myself and the time away from work and home. I ate well, shopped well, and rested well. I let my hair go…which means I really didn’t do anything with it…although one night I dried it out straight. I hadn’t done that in a few months and it felt good…looked not so good, so it must be time for a cut, but none the less felt good. I know Boo and Jeremy had a great weekend, living the life at the Braves Hall of Fame game with my grandfather and enjoying each other’s company on Saturday and Sunday.
This week is (drum roll please) BIRTHDAY WEEK for JEREMY! I predict a great week ahead and look forward to honoring him on his big day.
I can’t believe it’s the middle of August already! Time sure is flying this year. Is anyone Christmas shopping yet??

In Love-
Karen

Tags: Birthday, Summer, Vacation